COVID didn’t stop MDS from having Color War this year and students in fourth through eighth grades were so happy to take part in this exciting program. The Student Activities team worked tirelessly to plan an itinerary that included sports, STEM, Torah, art and music on both MDS campuses, incorporating both Zoom and in-person experiences.
This year’s theme was kedusha, and the two teams represented two aspects of holiness, Kedushat Ha’aretz and Kedushat Ha’am. Both of these teams highlighted the holiness of the land of Israel and the Jewish people. For three days, students were fully engrossed in their team’s theme which drove their artwork, songs and presentations.
The students at the MDS building participated in class programs including Minute to Win It challenges, relay races, basketball games and STEM activities. Students at the satellite location participated in similar activities as well as a yarn hunt and relay races in Riverside Park. “Color War was a unifying and fun experience,” said student Leo Jacobs. “We got to see our friends from the MDS building that we haven’t seen in so long and had such a great time.” Added senior Oliver Moore, “The sports and other activities were awesome!”
All of the students participated in a virtual chidon and a first-ever virtual Apache Relay. “Figuring out how to pull off the Apache Relay, which is one of the major showcases of Color War, was a huge challenge,” said Rabbi Asher Klein, student activities director and sixth grade rebbe. “We hooked up iPads to Zoom and trailed each step of the race, so that students at every station could watch every part of the race live, and be ready when it was their turn. It turned out to be a huge success, and one of the many innovations from Color War that we will probably be adding long term.”
For the Color War finale, students gathered on Zoom to present songs, decorated cakes, logos and music videos. “We liked connecting the Color War theme and thinking of creative ways to decorate our cakes,” said Tzofia Sidof. Ava Erber added, “We especially enjoyed eating the cakes at the end!”
It was impressive to see how hard the students worked and what they could accomplish in such a short amount of time. “Seeing the teams interact with each other with such enthusiasm, spirit, and respect, was really inspiring,” said Melissa Appel, student activities coordinator who organized the program with co-coordinator Rabbi Klein. “I am so proud of the creativity that was displayed every day and the fact that the students all had opportunities to shine. I’m so appreciative to everyone who put in time, effort and energy to make this Color War such a success!”
