Students at Yeshivat Kadimah High School (known as Kadimah) took a bus on Sunday, Aug. 28 to Godfrey, Ill. for the school’s very first “all in” overnight event. 

This was a fantastic way for students to bond and a great start to the upcoming school year, considering there are only 22 students at Kadimah. The overnight was run by Head of School Rabbi Shmuel Miller and Principal Itta Boyko, who also served as chaperones. 

“As a small school, and with a 20% increase in Kadimah’s enrollment, we wanted to give an opportunity for our students to bond, appreciate their differences, and more importantly, (learn) how much they have in common,” said Miller.

“It gave me time with the high schoolers one-on-one, to answer questions,” added Boyko. “It gave me an opportunity to know what is important to my high schoolers.”

Given that the student population at Kadimah grew significantly this year, an overnight was the perfect way for classmates to connect and give new students a chance to see what the school is all about. 

“It was really helpful because it was my first year, and I didn’t know anyone, so it was a really good start to my year,” said freshman Tillie Houston. 

Kadimah students participated in many team-building exercises and learning sessions throughout the trip. 

On the Sunday that they left, students met at the school for their first team building exercise. They not only had to plan what to prepare and eat for each meal, they also needed to figure out how much it would cost.  

Why? 

Because the Kadimah students received a budget of $500 to buy all of the food for the entirety of the overnight. The students were split into groups for every meal and bought the food for their group. They then drove together to the 8,000 square foot lodge, with nine bedrooms. The lodge included a lake, sauna and life-size chess set.

Students brought an item on the trip that was very meaningful to them. They sat together, and each person went around and discussed their item, and its significance. 

“This activity really helped me get to know all my new classmates better, and it was also interesting to hear all the funny and meaningful stories behind everyone’s meaningful item,” said sophomore Devorah Haspel. 

Overall, the Kadimah overnight was a great way for students new and old to get to know each other. The experience offered a fun way to learn new things about each other and created stronger bonds among classmates.