#Color war event ideas how to#

Our schools, synagogues and Jewish communal organizations have done an incredible job of transitioning programming to the new Zoom reality. When we examine the current era and the changes to our organizations wrought by the pandemic, I worry about these missing pieces. They interact with new peers with whom they donвЂ™t share classes and find new shared interests and ideas, which, in turn, strengthens the web of communal bonds. Students are given new opportunities to shine and to feel confident in themselves and their abilities. Students often work harder and exhibit more passionate interest during this short period than at any other time during the school year. For two or three days, school is transformed from the academic grind and the focus on grades and scores to a place of play, fun, excitement and learning about yourself and your friends. When done well, Color War includes activities to fit every type of kid and their preferences, whether they are into sports or baking, learning Torah or making music videos, painting or dance, or all of the above. In my opinion however, the secret is that Color War takes all of the values and ideals вЂ“ such as leadership, being a mensch and pursuing your passion вЂ“ that we typically try to instill in our students and provides them with an opportunity to demonstrate these values in an entirely new setting of play, creative expression and healthy competition.

#Color war event ideas how to#

In the communal triaging we have done to figure out how to move our institutions online, this type of programming is often considered вЂњextraвЂќ or less significant, and it is then dropped in favor of focusing on the вЂњimportantвЂќ curricular and programmatic needs. There are no tests, no homework, no studying in short, none of the traditional hallmarks of a typical school day.

It is a chance to compete in sports, art, dance, music, cooking and all kinds of other competitions. To an outsider, Color War can appear like an extended break from the reality of school and academics. To their surprise however, I would take their list and reverse it.ДЇrom my perspective, Color War is the most important educational program we run in Jewish schools and summer camps.

At this point, they would ask me for my opinion, expecting that as a rabbi and teacher, I would most likely agree with their prioritization. Usually, toward the bottom of the list, they would include extracurricular activities, team sports, art, gym and Color War. They would make their case for why each of these should be considered the top educational priority for the school. Invariably, most of the students would suggest things like TefillahВ (prayer), Torah study, Israel education and general academics. I asked them to think about all the incredible educational activities and programs we ran and arrange them in order of importance to the institutionвЂ™s educational goals. When I was teaching at SAR High School, I would occasionally conduct a thought experiment with my students.