What’s happening at DRS High School

If you walked into DRS last Thursday morning, you would be able to feel the excitement for the annual school wide Shabbaton. The spirits were high amongst all students who were just counting down the minutes to perhaps the most anticipated event of the yearly DRS calendar. On Thursday night, November 5th, 250 students drove up to Kutsher’s Resort in the Catskills to begin the 15th annual DRS Shabbaton.

The students were treated to a late night BBQ, followed by the traditional viewing of comedy videos. The boys woke up Friday morning, bundled up in their best football gear for an incredible full day football tournament.

The weather could not have been better! Shabbos was absolutely beautiful, full of incredible zmiros, Torah, davening, endless tisches, bonding time with friends and Rabbeim, moving speeches by guest speaker Rabbi Moshe Benovitz, Inter-Shiur Family Feud competitions, and much more.

The Shabbaton also featured a number of educational sessions, which focused on the Shabbaton’s theme: Judaism - The Individual vs. The Community. The various learning sessions taught the students how to properly use one’s personal talents for the betterment of the Jewish community as a whole. It was inspiring to see the sense of Achdus amongst all boys of all grades - the type of camaraderie that DRS is so famous for. 

Open House

On Sunday, November 6, DRS welcomed an exceptional turnout of prospective parents and students to its Open House. With standing room only in the Beis Medrash, Rabbi Yisroel  Kaminetsky, the Menahel of DRS, made his introductory remarks, and informed the program’s attendees of the tremendous warmth, academic integrity, and religious spirit that DRS is so famous for.

Parents and students got a chance to hear from DRS’s new General Studies Principal, Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum. Dr. Kirshenbaum enlightened the parents of the many unique academic opportunities that DRS offers its’ student body, including a wide range of 14 AP courses, and opportunities for independent study. Parents and students alike were both treated to tours of DRS’s beautiful building and campus, and got a chance to experience what occurs in a DRS classroom.

The Student Fair held in DRS’s gym gave visiting 8th graders a chance to taste all of the many extra curricular activities that go on in DRS, including a sample of the cooking and karate clubs, a shootout contest with the school’s most talented hockey and basketball stars, and a bowl of chulent and kugel at the “DRS Shabbaton” station. Many student volunteers added energy to the tours as the boys eagerly shared their love for DRS with the prospective students.
We look forward to welcoming the class of 2016!

Honor Society Induction

ACHDUT, the DRS Chapter of the National Honor Society, is affiliated with the National Association of Secondary Schools.   Last week DRS inducted 46 students into the Achdut chapter of the National Honor Society. These students were selected for admission for having a minimum of a 90 academic average, as well as middot befitting this esteemed organization.

The induction ceremony began with words of welcome from both Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky, Menahel of DRS, and Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum, Principal of General Studies. The keynote speaker for the program was Mr. Stephen Savitsky, the immediate former president of the Orthodox Union. Mr. Savitsky spoke to the students about Jewish Pride, and what it means to hold the responsibility of being a Jew in a secular world. 

Following Mr. Savitsky’s speech, pairs of inductees deliverd short vignettes about famous Jewish personalities, from Tanach, as well as the secular world, who exemplify the middot and characteristics of ACHDUT: character, leadership, scholarship, service, persistence, integrity, compassion, courage, dignity and vision.

The  pairs presented their famous Jewish personality to an audience of over two hundred staff, parents and relatives. An honorary award was delivered to Rabbi Moshe Erlbaum. Rabbi Erlbaum was honored and thanked for his many years of service in DRS. Rabbi Erlbaum is a special individual who possesses all of the qualities that were spoken about by our students.