by Josh Stadlan ('11)

"HAND OVER THE CAMERA, NOW!" commanded the Sudanese government troops. They had foiled his plan to share with the world graphic testimony to the ongoing genocide occurring in Darfur. Already threatened, beaten, and shot, Adam had no choice but to give up the camera.

However, Adam decided that he wasn't yet ready to accept defeat. He stealthily removed the media card containing all of his photographs and slipped it into his pocket before handing over the digital camera.
~~~
Growing up in Nyala, a primitive village in Darfur, Adam Abakar had a simple but peaceful childhood, though he challenged himself with learning English by memorizing an Arabic-English dictionary.

After attending college at Khartoum, Sudan's capital, Adam returned to Darfur. To his horror, he could hardly recognize the area.

The corrupt Sudanese government had begun bombing villages from military helicopters and afterwards dispatching the Janjaweed to plunder the town and murder the remaining civilians.

Adam, unable to remain passive, joined the African Union, a U.N.-like peacekeeping organization, as an interpreter and genocide investigator. However, he wasn't satisfied with the African Union, since they didn't protect the Darfurians or even publish the information that they had collected.

A man of great courage and dedication to his people, Adam followed his own plan of action - he gathered pictorial evidence of the Sudanese involvement in the destruction and mass murder of the indigenous African tribes with his personal digital camera - an action that, when later discovered by the government, would earn him severe consequences.
~~~
Thousands of miles to the west of Darfur, WYHS students assembled in the Beit Midrash, unaware that their understanding of humanity was about to change.

פנטרס!! הליל 92; החוצה הראשון של כיתה ט'   מאת: אבינעם פונברג('12) בליל יום רביעי שעבר אנחנו התפללנ 493; ערבית ביחד, אכלנו ביחד, ואז ראינו את "המשחק" ; נגד שתי הרבנים שהיה מצחיק מאוד. אחרי המשחק הקטן הלכנו למשחק הגדול של הוקי בין הפלורי 491;ה פנטרס (Panthers) והטמ 08;ה בעי לאיטני 504;ג (Lightning). במשחק כולנו ישבנו ביחד ובגלל שכולם היו מריצים את פלוריד 492;, אנחנו דיברנו-- זה היה טוב בשבילנ 493; כדי להכיר את כולם. בסוף המשחק, הלכנו בחזרה אבל לא כקבוצו 514; שונות, אלא כמו כיתה אחת. by Avinoam Foonberg ('12) Our freshman night out began by davening Ma'ariv together and eating together, and then we got into the spirit of the night by watching a funny mini "pre-game" (basketball) between Rabbi Horowitz and Rabbi Schochet. After the mini game, we went to a real hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. During the game, we all sat together and cheered together for the Panthers, which gave us the chance to talk to each other and "break the ice." At the end of the game, we returned home -- not as a group of people, but as a class. Click Here to Comment

1) Wear my preppy clothes!

2 ) Learn all about Israel-US relations.
"We paired up with someone and explained to each other why the US and Israel relationship is so important for both countries involved; this helped us prepare for our future argument on the subject, thus encouraging our activism."-- Keren Marks ('10)

3) Be a student activist- lobby Congress, meet congressmen, and learn how to persuasively state a case

4) Connect with hundreds of other high school students from around the country.
"It was really nice meeting kids from all different schools and backgrounds that all share a common goal."-- Martha Baumgarten ('10)

5) Attend leadership workshops which we get to choose about the topics that interest us.

6) Represent WYHS in a respectable way
"WYHS students conducted themselves as adults...They were passionate, articulate, and respectful and were overall Kidushei Hashem that represented your institution beautifully...Overall your group stood out for their poise, sincerity, and accessibility that is astounding considering their age and how many of their peers conducted themselves." --Nahum Zak, Regional Director of NCSY/NY