There was excitement in the Middle School hallways late Wednesday afternoon, March 19, as Color War began and everyone rushed to the lunchroom to hear their team assignments. As the team captains were announced, students applauded and jumped up and down with happiness for their newly anointed friends who climbed onto the stage and received their official t-shirts and clipboards. This year’s Color War theme was “Milchemet Hashem,” focused on students embodying warriors fighting on behalf of Hashem. The teams were Kiddush Hashem-Kedusha (white), Torat Hashem-Torah (Green), Yira’at Hashem- Yirah (red) and Baruch Hashem-Bracha (blue) facing off against one another in multiple athletic, academic and artistic competitions. The contest, created and orchestrated by Rabbi Dov Levinson, began immediately as team members dashed to their team rooms to find their t-shirts and then participated in a Purim Candy sorting competition, where almost 500 pounds of candy were sorted and prepared to be delivered to multiple Chesed organizations.

On Thursday, the students arrived in full team gear and were ready for the day’s teamwide competitions, which included “Ready or Knot!,” “The Amazing Race,” and “Hall Ball,” Chidon, Divrei Torah and Team Cheers. Additionally, each team took part in a variety of electives: Scavenger Hunts, March Madness Bracket predictions, Bracha Bonanza and Soldier Letter writing, among others.

Friday’s activities included Minute to Win It and the exciting Apache Relay race that ended with a full court hockey goal by Jacob Kessler to take it for Team Torah. In addition to the main competitions, the students worked hard to create stunning portraits representing their team’s warriors and designed t-shirts for the Israeli Day Parade. Teams also produced videos following the “We are _____, of course we _____” trend, each showcasing their team’s values and dedication to their respective missions.

Color War was an impressive display of the students’ many talents, and tapped into their academic, athletic and artistic interests. There was truly something for everyone and all of the students got into the spirit of things and gave it their all. While the competition was fierce, the Kiddush Hashem warriors-Team Kedusha, emerged as the winner. This year’s Color War was a spirited and unforgettable event, a testament to the hard work, talent and passion of every student involved.