The simchah of Adar doesn’t just end after Purim at HANC High School! Last week, after a lively Shushan Purim chagigah, students gathered in the gym to be treated to a hilarious Purim shpiel when, suddenly and unprecedentedly, Color War 2026 was announced! This was the very first time in HANC High School history that this much-beloved school tradition, Color War, was held in consecutive years instead of every other year, making this an extraordinary surprise!
The teams this year were revealed to be Blue, representing orah, and Black, representing simchah. After a commencement speech by Rabbi Slomnicki, the students immediately participated in various fun teamwork activities, including collecting pom-poms throughout the school, tic-tac-toe relay races, spikeball, chess, and many more. All-star players from both teams went head-to-head in a thrilling basketball tournament, with their respective teams cheering them on from the sidelines. It was an energy that had to be seen to be believed. Throughout the day, there was always singing and cheering ringing throughout the halls of the building.
The morning of the finale began with insightful shiurim, followed by a school-wide game of musical chairs and the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony was like the cherry on top of the past two days of Color War, featuring exhilaratingly choreographed STOMP performances from both teams, student-written poems, as well as hysterically funny student-produced commercials for imaginary Shark Tank products. Additionally, each team’s respective art committees presented unique banners representing their team’s theme to the school to be hung up in the school’s beis midrash.
After all the points amassed by each team had been tallied and calculated, the entire school sang Acheinu together. The students waited with much suspense before it was announced that the Blue team had won and would have their team name engraved on a WWE-style belt to be displayed in the school long after all team members have graduated. At the end of the day, though, even though there was only one “official winner,” it could be argued (as cliché as it may sound) that we all won because of how much fun we had these past few days together as one HANC High School community. A big “thank you” on behalf of all the students goes to all the teachers and administrators who worked hard to coordinate, supervise, and facilitate all the fun activities during this entire event, which wouldn’t be nearly as fun without all their help. Looking forward to the next Color War!
