HAFTR highlights

This week, HAFTR High School has been in a celebratory mood. From Chanukah to several impressive college acceptances, high school students have enjoyed a week of excitement and fun.

To many students, including myself, an important benefit of Chanukah is a week free of tests. In addition to instituting this perk, school administrators, along with the student government, planned wonderful Chanukah trips and activities. Last Wednesday, the entire student body visited Aviator Sports, an enormous sports complex with basketball courts, ice skating rinks, and turf fields. Student treasurer Justin Merkin explains, “We knew students would love Aviator. We have been going there for the past several years and students have enjoyed it in the past.” The rest of the week students continued to enjoy Chanukah activities including a boys student-teacher basketball game, during which the students promptly defeated the teachers. Immediately following the basketball game, the teachers defeated the students in an exciting student-teacher college bowl match. The students may have had an edge in athletics but the teachers proved superior in academics, as we expected they would. However, the sting the student college bowl team felt owing to their defeat at the hands of the teachers did not linger very long. On Thursday Afternoon, the junior varsity college bowl team won the first place prize at a RAMBAM college bowl invitational event. HAFTR continued its Chanukah festivities on Tuesday as the girls varsity and junior varsity basketball teams faced off against their teachers in another student-teacher event. Following the game, students were offered free sufganiyot. Lastly, to cap off the chag, students enjoyed all you can eat sushi on Wednesday.

On the subject of college acceptances, HAFTR High School seniors received several impressive acceptances from prestigious universities including Adelphi University, Boston University, Columbia University, Cooper Union, Long Island University, NYIT, NYU, NYU-Poly, Princeton University, Rutgers University, University of Hartford, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Michigan, and University of Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, HAFTR High School juniors have begun their college application process. On Monday, December 19, HAFTR’s college guidance department held their annual college night, in which students heard from HAFTR’s college advisors, a HAFTR senior who described her experiences applying to college, and an NYU admissions officer, who was especially helpful in discussing exactly what colleges look for in an application. As a junior beginning to contemplate university choices, I can testify that college night was an event especially helpful in teaching students what is needed for the college application process.

Chanukah is easily one of the most fun weeks of the school year. We are grateful to the administration and the student government for the especially outstanding Chanukah activities that were planned. We would also like to congratulate the seniors who have received their college acceptances.