Junior Shiriyah Reflections

For all grades, Shriyah consisted of three and a half days of hard work, late hours, drawing, painting, dancing, and sports. However, what made it so special for the juniors? The answer is two words: balloons and bears. The juniors celebrated their first real Shiriyah with what they call “goofy,” their teddy bear mascot. They dressed him in blue, threw him around the school, and cheered with him. General Deborah Etessami claims that one of the highlights of Shiriyah was chasing the freshman who had stolen our bear around the school. It’s safe to say that without Goofy’s presence, Shiriyah would not have been as eventful as it was. The juniors emerged victorious in two major competitions - rope tying and "Apache," the famed Shiriyah relay race. Rope tying was an easy win, as our string stretched out dozens of feet longer than all the others. During Apache, while tied with the freshmen and seniors in the science lab for the last leg of the race, Brielle Kalter and Gabriella Hakakian quickly finished up the experiment and led the juniors to first place in Apache! General Yoni Hourizadeh says that winning apache and raving in Dr. Vitow’s office was the best part of Shiriyah. Ben Falack, another general, told me that preparing for and practicing with the impressive junior boys dance team was the highlight of his week. General Ellie Nassimi enjoyed cheering on our sports teams and spending her time hard at work in the art room. The Shiriyah finale was extra fun for the juniors. Not only did we win first place in our fun and upbeat Hebrew song performance, but we also watched and cheered as blue balloons were let go and slipped through the openings in the ceiling. Overall, Shiriyah was a unifying and joyous experience that allowed the entire school to feel the Ruach and Kedusha of the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School.