Praise proved to be 'offensive'

I'm writing in response to the Feb. 21 editorial about Oak Park High School's Life Skills retreat. While I recognize that it was intended to praise Jeff Appel's program and highlight the positive effects it can have on the students who attend, I find the mere publication of it offensive.

I went on the retreat as a senior and have returned two times as a student leader and have seen how life-changing this four-day experience can be, but it only works if people actually choose to go on retreat.

The mystery that all the retreatants and leaders shroud Life Skills in is not to keep parents from understanding what their kids went through, or to hide the events from future retreatants. It's simply there because, like anything else, the events of retreat are difficult to understand out of context and it is easier to let people experience them first hand. By choosing to keep things secretive we are able to encourage more people to attend the retreat and have "an eyeopening experience in every sense of the word."

Yes, the retreat has changed lives (mine included) and yes the program, and Dr. Appel, deserve all the praise that comes their way, but an editorial that gives away secrets, even with a parenthetical request that readers don't spoil the surprise, is not the way to pay respects to a program that is worthy of so much of it.

I hope that the editorial staff employs a greater sensitivity when choosing future articles because there was an incredible opportunity to publicly compliment such a wonderful program and it's a shame that it went to waste. Jenny Silver Oak Park