Senior Shiriyah Reflections

This past week, the Class of 2023 enjoyed their final Shiriyah at North Shore. Having won Shiriyah as sophomores and coming in second to the seniors last year, this year’s senior class came in prepared to dominate the competitions. Students stayed late on Friday and came into school on Sunday to get a head start on the arts and crafts, including painting the banner and designing the hallway. Mrs. Septimus has used the term ”small but mighty” to describe our grade in previous Shiriyah competitions, and this one was no different. While our grade isn't known for having prolific athletes, we prevailed and won the basketball, soccer, and volleyball championship games. Chloe Ganjian, Chloe Mastour, Julia Hajibay, and Tamir Cohen used their incredible writing and speaking skills to win the Dvar Torah and Public Speaking competitions on both Monday and Tuesday. Elisheva Nassimi and Lauren Guetta worked tirelessly to create a banner that celebrates the unity among all Jewish cultures in Israel. Skyler Askari and Milana Israilova worked day and night to bring to life a hallway that depicts the history of modern Zionism. While everyone was hard at work, we were lucky enough to share unforgettable moments as a grade filled with ruach and simcha. A personal favorite of mine was our cheer competition against the juniors in the lunchroom. Our high energy, spirit, and unity, combined with our clever and funny cheers, made for what will remain an unforgettable part of my high school experience. General Benjamin Mottahedeh says that his favorite part of the week was performing our sentimental grade-wide dance at the end of the boys dance competition. Undoubtedly, our whole grade can agree that singing our original lyrics up on stage and winning first place in our senior year was a memory that will last a lifetime. Thank you to my co-generals, Benjamin Mottahedeh, Aaron Vays, and Milana Israilova for working so hard to make this week as incredible as it was. Of course, thank you to the entire senior class for stepping up, putting your best efforts forward, and coming together to carry us to victory. I am so proud of us all.