All around JKHA middle school students have been participating in an intergrade contest called the Teshuva Chain Challenge, with the goal of inspiring a viral movement of mitzvot in the middle school. The goal is for each grade to complete as many acts of teshuva and mitzvot as possible during this time. The grade that wins this challenge with the highest number of acts of teshuva will win a full-grade additional period of recess/socialization time.
Beginning right before Rosh Hashanah and continuing until Yom Kippur, each grade was assigned a teshuva squishmellow (stuffed animal). Each student in each grade is randomly assigned another student in the grade. Once the holder of the teshuva toy completes one act of teshuva (which they need to do when they receive the toy), they give the toy to the next student, who has been assigned to them via email. Then, they write on a paper chain link what that action was (examples: helped a teacher, included someone, gave tzedaka, picked up trash in the hallway that wasn’t mine, etc.), to be added to their grade chain. The completed chains will be hung up in the school sukkah when they are complete, as a physical representation of the students’ mitzvot and growth as a grade.
