Celebrating Chanukah

 

I recently asked two girls from Beit Sefer what would happen if we changed our Chanukah Program and didn't have singing next year.  They both responded that it would be "a disaster."  While I don't think all our students love singing or being on stage, this annual event has become a tradition with our students.  This year, our younger students created costumes and added choreography.  The photos of them are blurry because they were always moving!  Our older classes presented original lyrics written to pop songs and a Chanukah song recently introduced by a group called "Stand Four."   This year, teachers Steve Feldman and Jeremy Schiff prepared a madrichim skit to present the history of the Chanukah holiday.   After our songfest and play, we celebrated with food and activities in the social hall. 

This year's songs included:
Maccabee March
Ocho Candlikas
Oh Chanukah
Chanukah parody to What Does the Fox Say? written by the teacher Eve Haviv 
Stand Four's 8 Nights
Chanukah parody  to Roar by Katy Perry written by a student Ariel Benjamin
Chanukah parody to Call Me Maybe written in part by the class and then by Jeremy Hobson

Our madrichim, students and even some parents, made edible dreidels and menorahs, Chanukah cards and bags, origami dreidels, magic scratch art and played dreidel.  We had a dreidel spinning contest to see whose dreidel could spin the longest. 

Here are the top times allowing our top spinners to only be listed once each: 


Ariel Benjamin (6th): 17.60 secs
Logan Kolb (7th): 17.15 secs
Jake Retzlaff (5th):  14 secs
(times are seconds)