Sophomores Attend Grade Shabbaton

 by Sam Levenson, SSLI '27

This past weekend, the sophomores had their annual Shabbaton at the TownePlace Suites in Farmingdale. The tenth graders had a fun time throughout their weekend, enjoying games, meaningful tefilot, and activities that helped them bond with their friends. Their Shabbaton started on Friday evening and ended Sunday morning. Nearly all of the sophomores went to the Shabbaton, and Ms. Dubow and Coach Jurysta staffed the event.

The sophomores had a blast during their Shabbaton doing all kinds of games and activities. Sophomore Layna Botwinick said, “At the Shabbaton, some fun things we did were Jeopardy and the Price is Right. It was so much fun since everyone was shouting out different answers!” Later in the evening, the grade went to Monster Mini Golf and Arcade. Sophomore Jonah Resnick recalled, “My favorite part of the Shabbaton was definitely Monster Mini Golf. Not only did we all get to play mini golf, but there was also a big arcade where we were given cards and got to play games.”

Sophomores at Monster Mini Golf and Arcade. (M. Bidner)

Since most of the Shabbaton was on Shabbat, the students observed Shabbat as a community. Resnick explained, “We had full services on Friday evening and Shabbat morning. We [also] did Birkat HaMazon after every meal, and most importantly, we kept Shabbat.” Coach Jurysta, one of the staff members, said, “I enjoyed services, and I think that having the opportunity to spend Shabbat services together is always a really good learning experience for everyone.”

A major element of Schechter's Shabbatons, retreats, and other field trips is the bonding that occurs between the students. On this Shabbaton, the students and staff felt that they really became better friends. Botwinick said, “I feel like our grade did become closer. I feel like the conversation about unity was very, very meaningful, since everyone shared their own answers, and it felt very special.”

Sam Levenson is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since October 2023. Sam is currently a freshman at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: slevenson27@schechterli.org.