Shabbaton at Camp Seneca. Midreshet Shalhevet students were glowing with happiness as they returned from their color-themed Shabbaton at Camp Seneca. The girls arrived at camp on Friday afternoon and participated in a schoolwide “wild and wacky” scavenger hunt. Congratulations to the juniors on their first-place finish! Each girl was then presented with a Shalhevet Shabbaton sweatshirt and received tie-dye materials to create her own sweatshirt design.

Shabbat began with a beautiful KabbalatShabbat as the girls sang melodiously together. The Friday-night seudah was filled with singing and dancing, as well as a heartening dvar Torah given over by 11th-grader Becky Marks. Afterwards, during the oneg, a panel discussion was held by faculty members at which the students could ask any questions that came to mind. Some of the girls stayed up till the wee hours of the morning singing along with Coach Ilona Diamond.

Following davening Shabbat morning, Tanach teacher Mrs. Feder delivered an inspirational dvar Torah. The girls enjoyed a hot kiddush before breaking into grade-wide sessions with different faculty members to discuss life after high school and overcoming social pressures.

The seudah was once again filled with ruach and a moving dvarTorah by 11th-grader Dina Farkas. The girls then played an exciting game of “headbands” where they had to guess Shalhevet-related words and find their match. SeudahShlishit was uplifting as the entire school sat and sang harmoniously together.

After an incredible Shabbat, Shalhevet staff members announced the school’s participation in the Shabbos Project and discussed the importance of keeping Shabbat and reaching out to our fellow Jews. The students then dressed up in neon for the melavehmalkah that included delicious food, music, and dancing. Thanks to Gary Wallin for coming up to Seneca and entertaining the students with upbeat music.

The night culminated in a seniors-only bonfire at which the students reminisced about their favorite Shalhevet memories while roasting marshmallows.

As the girls tiredly boarded the buses on Sunday morning, their smiles were still radiating. Junior Tamar Yastrab said, “The Shabbaton filled me with an overwhelming love for my grade and for my school.” Freshman Dina Seidenberg shared that “it was great getting to know everyone better and becoming better friends.” Plans are already in store for Shabbaton 2015!

JCC Food Drive. With all the yamimtovim coming up, Midreshet Shalhevet held a food drive to help those in need. Over the past few weeks, the students collected non-perishable food items to be donated to the JCC of the Five Towns. After collecting boxes of food, a group of girls from each grade went to the JCC to deliver the food and stock the shelves. The JCC Food Pantry was thrilled to receive the donations of grape juice, honey, noodles, canned vegetables, soups, and more. The JCC Food Pantry is a remarkable charity that sets a room up as a store, complete with carts and shopping bags so that everyone is treated as a real customer, no matter what they can afford. Tenth-grader Yocheved Jacobs remarked, “It was incredible to see how the JCC really goes the extra mile to ensure that no one gets embarrassed from walking through their doors.” It was an amazing experience for all of the girls to see firsthand what a difference they made and a great way to start off the new year ahead.

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