“We left as a family and came back as a community…of kindness.”

Wow again.

Last year, I blogged here, about our annual Middle School Retreat to Camp Ramah Darom calling it “We left as a school and came back as a family.”  The intent was to bond us together more closely and I believe we succeeded.

This year the goal was to build on feelings of family and emphasize the moral imperative of community.  Therefore, the theme of the retreat was “Community of Kindness” and in addition to social activities (apple picking, corn maze, horseback riding, campfire, zip-line, etc.) our educational activities focused on how our middle school can function like a true community of kindness.  We visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Site in Atlanta. We engaged in informal educational activities on topics such as “gossip”, “conflict resolution” and “friendship”.  Our tefillah incorporated the theme as well.  Everything we did was in that spirit – a spirit we intend to keep alive now that we are back in school.

After having spent a good chunk of time, in between catching up with the rest of the school, putting together a video of our experience, I will let the video do the talking – for now.

The flip camera was held by lots of hands and so I apologize to parents and students that not everyone made it in – it is not a reflection of anything other than happenstance.  We have more than made up for it with the photos published on our website, here.  It is, I hope, a taste of why this retreat is such an important part of our middle school.  Our relationships are forever changed – for the good.  We will be able to do things within the walls of the classrooms that we never would have without having spent time together outside of them.

Author: Jon Mitzmacher

Dr. Jon Mitzmacher is the Head of the Ottawa Jewish Community School. Jon is studying to be a rabbi at the Academy for Jewish Religion and is on the faculty of the Day School Leadership Training Institute (DSLTI) as a mentor. He was most recently the VP of Innovation for Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools.  He is the former Executive Director of the Schechter Day School Network.  He is also the former head of the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, a K-8 Solomon Schechter, located in Jacksonville, FL, and part of the Jacksonville Jewish Center.  He was the founding head of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Las Vegas.  Jon has worked in all aspects of Jewish Education from camping to congregations and everything in between. View all posts by Jon Mitzmacher