Prom
As popular songs played over the speakers at Prom, almost every member of the senior class was dancing and singing along with friends.
The night officially started at 6:30 p.m. with pictures at Woodmont Country Club. Later, party buses took students to Prom at Temple Beth Ami, where they spent four hours eating dinner and dancing to music.
In previous years the event took place at a Marriott hotel, but this year was moved to Temple Beth Ami. While the two venues are fairly similar, Beth Ami offered an outdoor courtyard where students could cool down. Another difference was that the buses to After Prom did not go all the way to the monuments in D.C., but turned around once they reached Georgetown. At After Prom students ate sushi and desserts, played sports in the gym, participated in hypnosis and played games of poker.
Senior Kaelyn Rashti especially enjoyed Prom, which she said felt like a Bar Mitzvah. She appreciated being able to revisit that stage of her life with the same people. Rashti also loved how whenever a popular song came on almost everyone in her grade was on the floor dancing, singing and having fun.
“It felt more like it was a preview of what I was going to see for the next three months and it got me really excited to spend more time with my grade,” Rashti said.
While for Rashti Prom felt like “the start of the end,” the event was an upbeat celebration of how far the grade has come.
“It’s definitely bittersweet to me,” Rashti said. “I feel very happy to be moving on to the next stage of my life, but I’m also sad about having to leave so many people that I know I will rarely see after high school … It’s happy that I’m getting to do something new, but it’s also sad that I’m losing something that I’m so familiar with.”
Siyyum
Siyyum took place on Feb. 7 at B’nai Israel Congregation. The event started at 7:45 a.m. with two shacharit services, one mechitzah and one egalitarian. High School Principal and Head of Upper School Campus Dr. Lisa Vardi then took the stage to address the seniors and introduce Melissa Andrew, Freshmen Dean and biology teacher, who was nominated by the grade to speak.
When Andrew was originally asked to give a speech she declined, as she does not like public speaking, but she eventually agreed due to the strong connection she feels with the grade.
“I am very sad that [the seniors] are not going to be here,” Andrew said. “… I really do love all of their personalities, so it makes me sad, but I’m also really excited for them and really happy that they get to do the things in life that are fun and exciting.”
In addition to Andrew’s speech, there were two musical performances and a student dvar Torah during Siyyum. The final part of Siyyum was an award ceremony for students who excelled in a specific subject, including community service and character. While some of these awards were selected by teachers, others were based on student nominations. A new award was introduced this year in honor of Rabbi Matthew Bellas’ (z”l) passion for performing arts, the Rabbi Matthew Bellas (z”l) Performing Arts Award, which was awarded to senior Skye Feinstein.
“Siyyum is smaller than graduation,” Dean of Students Roz Landy said. “It’s more intimate, it’s not as formal. It’s a little more relaxed. The seniors reflect on their studies at CESJDS, share their theme and how it relates to them. To me, there is something very, very meaningful about Siyyum.”
Graduation
As the seniors stood on stage during their graduations’ cantata, they reflected on an imaginary trip they took to Israel in kindergarten, a table that caught on fire at their sophomore Shabbaton and a countdown of their final days at CESJDS.
The event took place on Feb. 9 at Washington Hebrew Congregation and lasted two hours. The event started with the American and Israeli national anthems led by seniors, then a welcome speech from the President of the Board of Directors Stacey Schlactus (‘87) and another speech by Alumna Rabbi Rachel Ain (‘95).
The senior class then presented the school with three gifts: a trophy for future winners of Zimriyah, a hanukkiah in memory of Lower School Principal Rabbi Matthew Bellas (z”l) and a Jewish National Fund donation in honor of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attacks and later murdered by Hamas.
Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus gave a speech and afterward, Landy took the stage to give an official “Introduction of the Class of 2025” before giving out the diplomas. Landy gifted each senior with a puzzle of their grade, as she said that each person was crucial to contributing to the grade as a whole.
“They were each individuals,” Landy said. “There was not an overarching characteristic that the class shared. Usually, the class has an overarching ‘personality’ or ‘trait’ but this class was different in that they were each very different.”
