After nearly two years of planning, CESJDS held the Spotlight celebration on Thursday, May 26 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.

The event was the culmination of the 50th anniversary celebrations for JDS. Over 1,000 people were in attendance, including current and former JDS faculty, alumni and current parents.

The event purposefully had a $50 ticket price to make it more accessible. Director of Development Sharon Metro Roll, who was in charge of planning the event, said the quantity and quickness of RSVPs was unforeseen.

“In the back of our minds we thought that people would RSVP later and therefore we honestly did not know how many would RSVP,” Metro Roll said.

All of the tickets, which went on sale in the middle of March, sold out in around five weeks. There were so many RSVPs that the registration had to be closed and a wait-list formed so that she could manage the guest list. The original ceiling for attendees was 800, but due to the demand the number was raised to 1,000.

The planning for the year-long 50th anniversary celebrations has been going on since August 2014. In addition to being the final celebration of the year, Spotlight hosted the launch of the 50th anniversary endowment campaign.

Metro Roll believes that the campaign will be a force for good in the school community.

“The endowment campaign is raising money to sustain and help grow the programs in this school, focusing on academic excellence, Judaic life in the school community and accessibility,” Metro Roll said.

As part of the major focus on the evolution of the school, Metro Roll wanted the celebration to be very interactive. There were four different Spotlight areas at the event that people walked around and explored. Each area focused on one aspect of JDS’ history, including athletics, arts, JDS’ connection with Israel and the overall school community.

Due to the emphasis on interactiveness, Spotlight was purposefully designed to not be a typical gala with many speakers.

“We know our JDS community is very tight-knit and many people will not have seen each other for a long time and we want people to have the opportunity to interact and socialize and not have to be sitting down at a table and listening to people speak,” Metro Roll said.

Attendees were treated to live music from a band, as well as a performance from Shir Madness, JDS’ a capella choir.

Another aspect of the celebration was a visual arts area with a photo booth, a green screen and a large scale “live paint project” where individuals helped to create a mural that will be hung at one of the JDS campuses.

After an address by Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus, guests watched a documentary created by Metro Roll and other JDS staff members about the history of the school.

Jewish Text teacher Paul Blank, who has worked at JDS for 24 years, said he was most excited to go to the celebration to reconnect with former faculty and students.

“[The celebration] comes at a very auspicious time because I think the school is the best it has ever been,” Blank said.

Blank believes that he has really become part of the JDS community, and that the communal feeling is very important to him.

“[JDS] has been an integral part of my life,” Blank said. “In many ways, it has been my life.”

Blank is not alone in his feelings towards the role JDS has played in the lives of many. Jennifer Mendelson, one of the 50th anniversary chairs who played a role in helping plan the Spotlight event as well as the other 50th anniversary celebrations, felt as though it was her responsibility to volunteer when Metro Roll asked her to help organize the event.

“I really view involvement as a privilege and responsibility,” Mendelson said. “I really care about the future of the Jewish community and I truly believe that the fact that JDS is a great school bodes very well for the future of our Jewish community.”

Mendelson said that she looks at the 50th anniversary celebrations as a way to not only reflect on the past 50 years but also to create a brighter future.

“Over 50 years ago, people created a fabric for our school community,” Mendelson said. “We are so thankful for, and need to honor, those who came before us so that the people who come after us can depend on the decisions we made and continue to make the effort we put into building the school.”