Chanukah at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls has always been both lively and inspirational, and the restrictions imposed by the pandemic this year didn’t hamper our school spirit! The week of Chanukah was ushered in with an uplifting student-produced video welcoming SKA’s Reflect the Lights Chanukah program. Suggestions for how to make the nights “light up” included playing a game with your family, expressing your thoughts in a journal, learning from the SKA Chanukah booklet, and many others posted in the Chanukah Idea Bank. With the encouragement of the students to spend meaningful moments after candle lighting reflecting on what Chanukah commemorates and making connections, the yom tov began on a highly spiritual note.
School-wide activities kicked off with an entertaining game of Chanukah Bingo and a humorous Ugly Sweater Contest. They continued over the week with SKA Extreme Makeover/Chanukah Edition, where the SKA students had a great time decorating their classrooms with holiday and grade themes. A Grade vs. Grade Dreidel Hunt sponsored by the SKA Student Council was followed over the next few days by entertaining games of Pay Day and Deal or No Deal.
Breakfast at SKA teachers’ homes has always been a very popular Chanukah event; but this year, our faculty presented breakfast in the classroom where the plastic dividers proved there was no barrier to having a wonderful time. SKA faculty and staff also enjoyed a “Chanukah Celebration of Chinuch” luncheon honoring their commitment to education, sponsored by the SKA Parent Council. Grade parties, holiday-themed decorated hallways, and abundant doughnuts and latkes contributed to the very festive atmosphere in the building.
Celebration and inspiration defined the week of Chanukah at SKA!