Kickoff Kick off A Proper

Middle School students enjoy a full-day sports program to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Middle School students may have been split up into teams, but they were a united front celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut. For the first time, Middle School students spent an entire day celebrating Israel’s 75th birthday, but instead of in classrooms or in the auditorium, they were at a new venue — Socceroof in Sunset Park! Socceroof, an indoor sports facility, served as the perfect spot for Middle School students to compete in about a dozen different Color War activities. Split into the blue team (melachim), and the white team (shoftim), the titles were fitting for this celebratory day, as the students participated in relay races, bubble soccer, regular soccer, dodgeball, European handball, tug-of-war, kickball and flag football.

Despite competing against each other, both teams demonstrated good sportsmanship and camaraderie among their peers. Teams were asked to create a banner that showcased their team spirit and creativity along with an anthem that reflected their team values and goals. “There was so much energy and school spirit! I have been singing the songs we made all week!”, exclaimed 8th grader Michelle Sutton.

“As students wore their team colors, they cheered and supported each other with pure joy and excitement. They felt truly alive and connected to their team, school and Medinat Yisrael,” shared Ms. Dovrat Levi, Associate Director of Student Engagement and High School Advisor.

“All the boys are still doing the stomps in the halls and in class! It left such an impression on us!”, added 8th grader Abigail Siri. At the end of the day, the blue team took home the trophy, but students were happy to be treated to a barbecue dinner together and participated in a kumzitz before they returned home.

“We always believed in our students that they would rise to the occasion and present an amazing Color War, but we witnessed something that surpassed the faculty’s wildest expectations. Everyone had fun, participated and learned a lot. It was a very special day,” shared Rabbi Ikey Tawil, Mashgiach Ruchani.

“The program was a celebration of unity and teamwork. Students came together to show their true colors while leaving behind any differences and embracing the power of togetherness,” Ms. Levi added.