Eighth Grade Retreat

EIGHTH GRADE RETREAT

ידומיל שפונב ׳ח התיכ

By Josh Mocle, 6th Grade Humanities; 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher; MS Advisor

When COVID-19 descended on our community in 2020, it brought with it many challenging, often painful conversations with our students. However, one of the most difficult conversations for me was having to say the following six words to our graduating 8th graders: “We can’t go to New York.” The 8th Grade New York trip is one of the most beloved traditions for our middle schoolers to experience. Losing the trip only made the realities of our lives in quarantine more stark and unforgiving. While we as a staff made sure the JCDS Class of 2020 left our halls (virtual as they may have been at the time) feeling special and loved, there was nevertheless a feeling that something was missing. Which is why, when we returned to the building in the fall of 2020, I immediately went to my colleagues with six new words: “We have to figure this out.” There had to be something — anything — that we could do to replicate the experience while still honoring our guiding principles of Briyut (health and safety), Areyvut (communal responsibility), and Shleymut (spreading calm). It turns out that our parent community, as well as our medical advisory team, were very

much on the same page. Several months of planning, countless emails, two donated Cape Cod lake houses, and a whole lot of love and care later, and the first ever JCDS 8th Grade Retreat was born.

Those four days on the Cape were transformative and bonding for our students and our staff. After quarantining and undergoing multiple COVID-19 tests, unmasked and smiling our students were able to interact in ways they hadn’t in over a year. While inside our bubble, we were able to enjoy eating, singing, laughing, and learning together. A small oasis of normalcy amid the desert of distance in which we found ourselves. The impact of even the small moments, the smirks and flashes of teenage wonder, was immense. We had the first “Boating T’fillah” in the history of JCDS and enjoyed sunny and warm weather at the beach playing football. Our first campfire sing-a-long, where we spent time together singing freely for the first time in a year, brought tears to more than a few eyes. At a campfire on our second night, we enjoyed another evening of singing and ruach, and yes…a few more tears. “I feel like I got closer with my class — which says something since we’ve been together for 9 years — and to just be together like we used to…I cried a lot…it was sweet and sad. But I would be more sad if I had to end the year without seeing everyone’s beautiful faces.” –Ma’ayan R. “It’s nice because we haven’t had a lot of time to just be together…It’s just nice.” –Natan M. “This week has been peaceful and a great way to take a break from all the troubles in the world. I’ve bonded with all of my classmates.” –Libby S. “It was 100% worth it to quarantine and test to come here. It’s been so hard to be so far from our friends all year. Just being together means so much.” –Yael G.

While I missed my wife and son during our trip, it was wonderful to spend this magical time with the 8th graders before bidding them adieu at graduation. The time I spent with these students filled my heart with so much joy. It has been an honor to bring this opportunity to our beloved 8th grade. If it takes a village to raise a child, this trip has truly taken a Manhattan-sized city. But as we ended our nights singing together by the campfire, all of the work it took to get there fell away and was replaced by sheer, unfiltered, and very normal joy and appreciation of this wonderful class.