HANC High School’s Purim festivities do not stop at the amazing Purim Chagigah. For us, Purim is a season of celebration, with a week of costumes and festivities leading up to Purim day. One of our highlights was the incredible senior break-fast at Coffee Bar of Lawrence after the conclusion of Taanis Esther. Seniors and staff alike davened Maariv and broke their fasts on incredible pastas, pizzas, and salads. While they ate, they had the privilege of being entertained and mesmerized by the renowned mentalist Marc Salem, who dazzled everyone!
Additionally, after hearing Megillah on Purim night, students from all grades were hosted by their moros and rebbeim for incredible Purim festivities! The junior and senior girls traveled from house to house on party buses, creating incredible Purim memories with their friends, alumni, and teachers. The junior and senior boys visited their rebbeim and enjoyed delicious food, divrei Torah, and festive singing and dancing.
On Shushan Purim, the students participated in an incredible chagigah, complete with costumes, a DJ, and a hilarious Purim video featuring our faculty, created by Shayna Levian ’24 and Yosef Zerubaveli ’25! After the chagigah, Rabbi Slomnicki surprised everyone by introducing a new, exciting Purim tradition for HANC High School: the Adar Cup! Grades competed in various challenges of athleticism and skill, all vying to win a plaque on the infamous Adar Cup. The Juniors ultimately took the trophy, winning the first annual Adar Cup competition! The chagigah ended with a school-wide kumsitz, while the Seniors danced “L’shanah ha’baah biYerushalayim.”
As is our school tradition, we raised funds for Od Yosef Chai, an organization that distributes matanos la’evyonim in Yerushalayim. With a prize of a Carlos and Gabby’s lunch to the class that raises the most money, Rabbi Chesir’s class took the competition to an extraordinary new level! The campaign raised an incredible… (drum roll please) $15,754!
HANC’s Purim celebrations were truly incredible and memorable, creating opportunities for fun, chesed, and simchah! Thank you to the Student Life team for making Adar Alef and Adar Beis awesome at HANC High School.
By Sigal Holtzman ’24
