The high school bursts into cheer as junior Dylan Kobrin shows off his Purim costume, dressing as Jewish history teacher Dr. Sara Coxe. Starting last year, Kobrin has received several comments that he looks like Coxe, so he decided to use that as inspiration for his costume. Kobrin wore a pair of jeans, a shirt that looked “teacher-y” and a pair of glasses purchased from Dollar Tree, which he said all remind him of what Coxe wears on an average day. Kobrin said he wanted people to find his costume funny, and he won the annual Purim costume contest. “It feels great,” Kobrin said. “I think it is well deserved.”  

Brainstorming ideas for costumes for a group of four, freshman Jocelyn Fisher said that she and her classmates, freshmen Megan Poretsky, Allison Fellner and Brooke Walker, ultimately decided to dress up as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because it was the most practical, while also being cute. Their costume consisted of white shoes, black leggings and grey T-shirts, along with bedazzled turtle shells and bandanas of various colors to resemble the different characters. “It was really fun [to dress up with my friends] in a costume we all agreed on,” Fisher said. 

From a place of awe for actor Timothée Chalamet
distinctive all-yellow outfit at The Academy Awards this year, Jewish Text Teacher Paul Blank replicated that outfit for his costume. Blank wore a bright yellow suit, yellow button-down shirt and a wig, accessorized with jewelry that resembled what Chalamet wore. Blank said that he has a good Purim costume every year and was waiting to see how people would react to his costume this year. “I was afraid that people wouldn’t know who I was,” Blank said. “Luckily, I had the opportunity to explain my costume [at the costume contest].”

After making a joke with her sister, junior Chloe Grossman decided months ago that she was going to dress up as the Lorax for Purim. Her costume was enhanced by the addition of junior Jennifer Kelner’s costume as a truffula tree. Grossman and Kelner decided they wanted to go all out for their costume, which included painting their faces orange and pink, respectively, and Grossman stuffing a pillow up her shirt to match the Lorax’s belly. Grossman said she hoped that their lively costumes would bring amusement and laughter to others. “I had a lot of fun dressing as the Lorax because I liked people’s reactions which was fun,” Grossman said.

Dressed in matching CESJDS bucket hats, flannel shirts, hiking boots and hiking backpacks, athletic trainer Romi Nachman and Director of Athletics Becky Silberman embody the look of hikers for Purim. Nachman said that their costume was not only easy to put together, but was also a reflection of their jobs in the athletic department. According to Nachman, dressing up is always fun and is a great way to connect to the students. “[Dressing up] makes me feel connected to the community,” Nachman said. “[Purim] is one of our most exciting days of the year and reflects being part of such a vibrant community.”

Putting on a playful demonstration, sophomores Lyla Silberg, Tara Hain and Anna Polon exhibit their Purim costume as Yondr pouches to the high school. Yondr pouches are a new system implemented by the highschool this year to help students to control phone usage. Phones are locked in pouches at the beginning of the school day, and require a magnet to be unlocked at the end. Silberg and Polon, dressed in all grey with green-taped lettering in addition to hats with ping-pong balls as locks, acted as the pouches, while Hain dressed as the magnet. Silberg said that ever since this new policy was announced, she knew she wanted to do something funny with it for Purim. “It was a good costume because it was relevant to school and this year,” Silberg said. “It was just fun and lighthearted and made people smile.”