One could feel the energy, spirit, camaraderie and ruach throughout RKYHS as the students participated in the Kushner Cup. The competition involved two teams, Team Ohr, comprised of ninth and twelfth graders, and Team Nisim, comprised of tenth and eleventh graders. The teams competed in a variety of skills, challenges and competitions as they vied for the Kushner Cup. Once the competition was announced, the teams got to work decorating their spaces in the gym to encourage team spirit. Throughout the next day and a half, the teams were involved in activities that included volleyball, College Bowl, bracha bee, gaga, Iron Chef Latke edition, dreidel tournaments, chess tournaments, basketball, debate, a mathletes competition, geography bee, robotics challenge, a post-it challenge (where each team created unbelievable large-scale artwork from simple post-it notes) and so much more. Both teams displayed good sportsmanship and teamwork as they competed for the Kushner Cup.

The competition culminated in the final competitions, as the whole school came together for the grand finale where artistic talents and technological prowess were displayed. Each team presented their clever team medley, stunning banner creations, humorous and skillfully created team videos and a recap video. A highlight of the finale was a “Battle Bot” competition—each team submitted the robotic car and “battle bot” robot that they developed as their creations battled the other team’s model. Congratulations to Team Nisim on their win.

Kushner Cup is a wonderful bonding experience for RKYHS students, which instills teamwork and ruach and allows students to exercise their skills, talents and passions as they contribute to their team’s competitions.