by Joshua Kaminetsky ('09)

This past weekend was the Freshman Shabbaton. To start off an amazing weekend, the boys set out for an exhausting yet exhilarating day of knee boarding, football, and wipeouts at Ski Rixen at Quiet Waters Park. The girls donned harnesses and helmets and spent the day at the FIU ropes course for a great bonding activity. The entire class reunited at a hotel in Galt Ocean Mile where the students prepared for one of the most meaningful weekends of their lives.

Shabbat began at the Shul with a beautiful davening followed by a delicious meal and inspirational divrei torah from several of the students. The boys and girls were then separated for the highlight of night: the “MAD TISCH” that was filled with more words of Torah, singing and ruach. The next day, the students enjoyed a shiur from Rabbi Tirschwell, free time, a hysterical skit and rousing mental and physical challenges presented by the teachers and Rebbeim.

As the freshmen shabbaton drew to an end, the students and teachers continued to make the shabbaton as meaningful and spiritual as possible by singing and hearing more divrei torah throughout Seudat shlishit. After Shabbat, the students headed home with amazing memories and a feeling of unity among the grade.

by Chava Rubin ('07)

On the eve of Lag Ba’omer, WYHS hosted its first official Sports Recognition Dinner in the schools history! It was a very exciting event that celebrated the dedication and athletic talent of the school’s student athletes who played on a total of ten sports teams throughout the year.

When the athletes and their families entered the elegantly decorated dinner room, they were surrounded by dramatic action shots showing game highlights from all ten teams.

Head of Sports Department and Boys Varsity Basketball coach, Jon Kaweblum, Rabbi Perry Tirschwell and special guest speaker, Rex Walters, coach of the FAU Mens Basketball team, all spoke on the deeper meaning of sports; of the commitment, the respect, the persistence and the willingness to learn and change that playing on a team requires.

Later, the coach of each team spoke movingly on each of their players and handed out personal achievement trophies to each player. Several outstanding athletes from each team received MVP and MIP awards.

by Ali Cristina ('07)

As the school year is coming to a close, students were given a final day dedicated to chesed on Lag B’Omer.

After davening and a special Lag B’Omer breakfast, students loaded the busses and headed to a North Ft. Lauderdale organization called Kids in Distress, which is a network of foster homes and services for children in need. There, the students split into small groups and interacted with kids who were victims of abuse, addictive parents and neglect.

The opportunity to collaborate with Kids in Distress helped students appreciate their lives and helped to bring awareness of the suffering endured by thousands of children in the area.

Students were able to walk away from Chesed Day with feelings of accomplishment, gratitude, and awareness. Lag B’Omer was a perfect day for such a program; as we remember Rabbi Akiva’s slain students and learn the importance of ahavat chinam, we are able to actually implement these lessons with young children in need.