ENJOY WINTER WONDERLAND DANCE

On Saturday Dec. 3, Austin Jewish Academy sponsored a collaborative middle school winter dance attended by more than 200 Austin middle school students from participating schools, including Rawson Saunders, The Girls School of Austin, Fusion Academy, and Ace Academy, as well as students from Murchison, Hyde Park, Paragon Prep, Canyon Vista, Trinity Episcopal, St. Andrews, St. Stephens, and Four Points.

Assistant Principal Brooke Dunshee of Austin Jewish Academy organized the dance because she wanted to expose the students to a “big dance” experience. For most of the students, this was their first dance as middle schoolers, since COVID prevented large gatherings.

“The purpose of the dance was to provide our students with a ‘normal’ social experience,” Dunshee said. “The middle school dance afforded our students the opportunity to collaborate, socialize, and have fun with other students their age.”

“The dance was such a memorable event for our students,” said Nick Rodriquez, Assistant Head of Middle School at Rawson Saunders. “I’ve already had multiple groups of students request another dance in the spring, and most of lunch/ recess on Monday was spent reminiscing about the night. It was such a well-organized event, and I was really impressed with how much dancing all our kids did. Many of our sixth and seventh graders spent the whole night on the dance floor.”

The dance was held at the new Community Hall at the Dell Jewish Community Center, where students were greeted with a winter wonderland-inspired balloon arch and tables twinkling with fairy lights, frosted leaves, and LED party favors. Snacks and drinks were donated by the participating schools and party music was thanks to DJ Hailey Gratehouse, a middle school teacher at Murchison. Let’s Booth It supplied a photo booth to capture the memories, and Shalom Austin/Dell Jewish Community Center donated the perfect dance space.

“Overall, I liked the fact that there were a lot of snacks. The music was good too,” said Noam Wolinetz, an Austin Jewish Academy middle school student. “The music got into my head.”

“The dance was an absolute blast! Our goal was to sell 100 tickets. We were shocked that around 200 students showed up. It was an amazing night full of dancing, raffles, silly photo booth pictures, and a lot of candy,” said Dunshee.

TOP 10 REASONS TO GO TO CAMP BALCONES SPRINGS!

New Friends!

School friends are great, and so are those on your soccer, swim and dance teams, but there is truly nothing like a camp friend! The friends you make at camp will know you like no one else — and you’ll share some of the most exciting memories. And trust us — based on our own experience at summer camp, you’ll likely be friends for life!

Adventure!

Camp is one of the only chances you’ll get to try new and sometimes risky things, like climbing on our rock wall or doing a skit in front of all of camp! Regardless of what adventure you seek, camp gives you a chance to find it.

So Many Activities!

At camp, you’ll have the chance to play almost any sport, make many different crafts and engage in painting, pottery, and jewelry-making, rock-climb, tube and wakeboard, canoe and kayak, dance, act, play music, cook, and so much more!

Counselors!

Your counselors will be some of the coolest, most loving and admirable people you know! They will be friends and mentors to you throughout your time at camp and long after you leave the gates.

Food!

Yes, it’s true — the food is a reason to come! CBS chefs cook up some of the best food around, making sure to account for dietary restrictions and allergies, so you wont ever have to worry. Plus, you’ll get special snacks and treats on top of all of this, at our daily snack time, during some evening programs, and in our Sugar Shack when redeeming fun passes!

Animals!

You’ll get a chance to interact with not only dogs and horses, but also with goats, donkeys, sheep, chickens, and even camp’s famous parrot Susana!

Tradition!

At Camp Balcones Springs, you’ll get to be a part of decades-old traditions, like camp songs, team initiations and cheers, flag pole ceremonies, pranks and dances!

Nature!

What better way to spend part of your summer than in the Texas Hill Country, immersed in woods, lakes, and fields of green?

Get Unplugged!

No need to waste hours on Snapchat or liking friends’ Instagram posts — you’ll be hanging out with friends in person and experiencing life beyond the screen!

Independence!

Camp gives you one of the best opportunities to learn how to make your own decisions and become your own person while surrounded by great friends and role models!