There was a palpable excitement and energy that filled the hallways of RKYHS as the students participated in the Kushner Cup over the course of two days. Competing in three teams—Givati, Tzanchanim and Golani—the students were involved in a variety of skills, challenges and competitions as they vied for the Kushner Cup. Activities included Torah scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, mathletes, vocabulary challenges, mock beit din, chess, three-point shootouts, speed Rubik’s Cube, brachos bee, geography bee, “dominate the daf,” Lego competitions, College Bowl, scientific popsicle bridge building and SO much more.

The competition culminated in the final competitions, where each team submitted the robotic car and “battle bot” robot that they developed as their creations battled the other teams’ models. The whole school came together for the grand finale as each team presented the banners they created that represented their teams, screened the videos that they produced themselves, and filled the auditorium with ruach as each team participated in a “team tisch.” After all the results were tallied, there was a roar of cheers as the Blue team—Givati—were crowned the winners of this year’s Kushner Cup.

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