Shabbaton-In-Place Recap
This year looks different for a lot of reasons. It looks different because we are in our homes more than anywhere else. It looks different because we’re all wearing masks. It looks different because we don’t get to be physically together as a community. However, the values of our community and the importance of being together remain. While we can’t go to Walker Creek Ranch like we always have for the Shabbaton, the Student Life team and Knesset worked hard to make our November Shabbaton-in-Place on Zoom memorable for reasons other than the pandemic.
We kicked off the day with an all-school assembly and Seniors led their traditional game night activities. The seniors (of course) won game “night,” dominating the Best Friends Game and struggling (slightly) in Family Feud. At the end of the day, they left victorious. We then moved onto mixed-grade activities and workshops, which were extremely popular with options from Challah Baking and friendship bracelet making to Among Us, a new popular problem solving video game. The day continued with grade lunch hangouts, bringing in the social aspect of the Shabbaton and creating time to talk to classmates in a non-academic setting. Continuing with this theme of grade bonding, we moved into grade programs which were planned by the Rashim from each grade (I am very proud of all of them) and they were extremely successful! The freshman held a second round of the popular speed-friending program they pioneered during quart one. Sophomores had fun debates about silly topics, the juniors created funny presentations based on the TikTok trend, and the seniors did a superlative Kahoot and had some time for reflection. We then closed the day with an assembly reflecting on all that had happened so far and what we found most meaningful in our virtual Shabbaton.
As I said, this year looks different, but the spirit of the Shabbaton will always remain the same. The Shabbaton is about connecting with your peers and your community, whether that be your classmates, people in different grades, or even members of the professional community (believe it or not, they have lives too!) While we weren’t able to be at Walker Creek Ranch this year, the Shabbaton wasn’t just another Zoom call. I still felt the same sense of community I always do on the Shabbaton. I saw people taking risks in their leadership, I saw people connecting with others, I saw people creating small moments of kindness, and I saw people creating experiences and memories that won’t be forgotten. I hope you took something away from this Shabbaton whether it be a friendship or just a moment of happiness. What I took away was hope.
