The much-anticipated 7th and 8th Grade Girls Shabbaton began at the beautiful Honors Haven Resort last Friday. Upon arrival, students spent the afternoon swimming and participating in exciting pre-Shabbat ruach with DJ Eli Arshadnia to welcome in Shabbat with singing and dancing. The energy continued throughout the evening.
After a beautiful tefilah and a D’var Torah from Rabbi Knapp, students gathered for seudas Shabbos. During the meal, the atmosphere was filled with Torah and friendship as Miriam Feder and Michal Kasaev shared insightful divrei Torah. When the meal was over, students participated in a spirited game of YCQ-themed Apples to Apples. Talmidos then had the opportunity to hear from the absolutely incredible Mrs. Jackie Bitton, who captivated the audience with a talk about “The Power of Our Actions!” The night concluded with an energizing oneg Shabbos.
Shabbat morning kicked off with tefilah and a kidush, after which the grades split up for interactive games, with the 8th grade playing Fe Fi Fo Fum and the 7th grade playing Order in the Court. After a delicious lunch that featured divrei Torah from Loren Moradov and Natalia Matatov, the girls enjoyed a period of menuchah. This was followed by a hilarious skit by the 8th Grade Girls that brought the house down.
Students then had another opportunity to hear from Mrs. Bitton, who spoke about how kindness and the little things make big people, followed by an exciting raffle and minchah. A meaningful seudas shlishis followed, allowing for a time of reflection and connection. After Arvit and Havdalah, the ruach train was full steam ahead with a Grade vs Grade (GVG) competition featuring DJ Eli, which included more singing and dancing as the girls created amazing memories to end the weekend.
Special thank you to the Administration, moros, and their families for making the Shabbaton so successful and truly one of the highlights of the year.
