The 2025-2026 school year is already off to a memorable start at the Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central), with an eagerly anticipated highlight of the fall calendar: the first-ever YUHSG schoolwide retreat, held September 11 and 12 at Camp Kaylie. Anchored by this year’s school theme, B’Chol Levavcha “Uv’chol Nafshecha: Full Hearts, Full Souls,” the retreat united all four grades for two days of connection, spirit, and community-building.
“We’re so excited to be launching our first-ever schoolwide retreat!” said YUHSG’s Director of Student Activities, Mrs. Sydney Yaros, who arranged this year’s event. “It’s an amazing opportunity for us to start off the year together as a whole school – having fun, bonding, learning, and setting goals for our year.” The theme was woven into programming throughout the retreat, as students were encouraged to bring their full selves – heart, soul, and spirit – into every activity.
Festivities began on Thursday morning with grade-wide trips ranging from shopping at Woodbury Commons to visits to Liberty Heights Trampoline and Adventure Park, giving students the chance to enjoy time together outside the classroom. Later in the day, students headed to Camp Kaylie for an afternoon filled with classic Wildcat team-building activities intended to inspire the high points of the theme: a sense of passion and purpose for the school year ahead.
Thursday night also brought a retreat highlight: the epic grade-wide dress-up chagigah (this year’s theme: Sporty Style, in tribute to YUHSG’s brand-new outdoor sport court). The chagigah was followed by a schoolwide Erev Shabbos tish, bringing students together in song and ruach as they prepared for Shabbos. Thursday night closed with a senior bonfire under the stars, complete with more food, music, and camaraderie.
Friday opened with breakfast and a schoolwide closing program before buses bound for the Holliswood campus arrived. All four classes of Wildcats enjoyed the chance to relax, recharge, and learn with one another. For the Class of 2029, the retreat served as a particularly important milestone, offering the newcomers a chance to feel fully welcomed into the YUHSG community. Just as the school’s new renovations provide fresh physical spaces for learning and growth, the retreat provided a spiritual and communal foundation for a year of unity, happiness, and purpose.
And the new semester is just getting started: Back-to-School Night will take place on Monday, September 15, providing Central parents a chance to meet their daughters’ teachers and experience their daily schedule. Other September events include YUHSG Club Day on September 18 and YUHSG’s Community Challah Bake on Monday, September 29.
