Chanukah was a blast at RKYHS! Every day of Chanukah was filled with different activities to capture the spirit and joy of holiday. Festive decorations covered the entire high school and Chanukah music playing every morning in the high school atrium set the tone for the daily Chanukah programs.
Chanukah programming began last Thursday with Chanukah mesibot with the rebbeim and morot. Students received dreidels and gelt to play Extreme Dreidel, a modern, team-based variation of the classic Chanukah game. Sufganiyot were distributed during lunch to build enthusiasm for the holiday.
Exciting programs continued throughout the week. On Monday, the ninth, 10th and 12th graders enjoyed a special Chanukah gameshow, featuring Chanukah-themed rounds such as naming fried foods and identifying objects that pertain to the number eight. Other rounds tested students’ knowledge of Harry Potter characters, obscure vegetables and their ability to solve Mad Gab puzzles. Eleventh grade students created their own junior olympics, which included teacher trivia, a baby pictures Kahoot and a “Price is Right” round using items from the school vending machine.
On Tuesday, ninth, 10th and 11th graders participated in a special Chanukah scavenger hunt. Teams of students used the quotes, pictures and other items on the walls of the Yocheved Orbach Dining Hall, along with their knowledge of RKYHS teachers, to solve Chanukah-oriented riddles. Other rounds had students counting items in the dining hall, such as the number of floor tiles in a row across the room, and figuring out the names of teachers using the symbols of periodic table elements.
The 12th graders enjoyed a special program which began with a dreidel darts competition that tested the students’ dreidel-spinning abilities. The program culminated with a gourmet doughnut bar, in which the students used a variety of toppings and fillings to make their own doughnuts.
The Chanukah programming concluded on Wednesday with a school-wide Yom Chesed, day of community service, in collaboration with the lower school and middle school. To facilitate the program, students were provided with a special booklet offering different options of virtual chesed opportunities. Students called elderly relatives, wrote thank-you letters to American and Israeli solders and signed up for digital volunteer opportunities. As the holiday of Chanukah emphasizes spreading the light, it was fitting to conclude the Chanukah programming by performing meaningful acts of chesed and helping others.
