By Micah L., Eighth Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation returned to Hershey Park this year.
Every year, the eight grade students of KSDS visit Hershey Park in Pennsylvania as part of their Sukkot celebration. Hershey erects several sukkot around the park, which students visit as they venture through the maze of roller coasters and rides.
During the holiday of Sukkot, Jews are commanded to be happy. Traveling to a theme park filled with exhilarating rides, excitement, and sweet treats is a great way for students to fulfill this mitzvah and grow closer to each other.
Barbie Prince, a middle school math teacher at KSDS, planned this year’s trip and led a group of 40 students and 6 staff members on Sept. 23. According to Prince, “Sukkot at Hershey Park became a tradition about 20 years ago when the community in central Pennsylvania wanted a mikvah. They worked with Hershey Park so that they could raise funds. [Sukkot at the park] became a tradition five to 10 years later.”
Religion, however, is not the only reason to travel to Hershey Park in September. “It’s a way at the beginning of the school year for the eighth grade to bond as a class and to go someplace that’s really a lot of fun,” Prince said. Also, many students are often reluctant to begin the school year, so a fun trip like this one to look forward to is very important for maintaining an optimistic attitude.
Although the overall holiday and trip experience was wonderful, there were a few disruptions that were not ideal. COVID was an obvious worry. While students were allowed to run around without masks (Hershey Park is outdoors), they were forbidden from going inside any buildings other than the restrooms.
Another problem was the weather. Mere hours before KSDS’s arrival at the park, there were heavy downpours in the area. Many worried that rain, combined with a prohibition on being indoors, would lead to a miserable experience for everyone. Luckily, the rain stopped shortly before the grade’s approach, and only a few rides were closed due to flooding.
Even with COVID and the potential for bad weather, the students loved the trip. According to Micah B., an eighth grade student at KSDS, “Everyone enjoyed [the trip and] had a lot of fun.” Despite a few inconveniences, students would have loved to stay there much longer to explore more parts of the park. Micah B. also believes that there are many “skills that we can learn from field trips like these, like [forging] relationships, managing money, and independence.”
By experiencing the joy of Sukkot, bonding, and learning important skills for life, each year the eighth graders from KSDS are able to have a meaningful and wholesome experience at Hershey Park.
Micah L. is an eighth grade student at Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.
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