Shalhevet’s JUMP prize

The Shalhevet NCSY JUMP team was JUMPING for joy as they tied for first place with fellow Five Towns school, SKA, in the NCSY JUMP Boardroom competition.

NCSY JUMP is a national leadership program in which high school students complete to become more confident and self sufficient.The challenges were Poverty Awareness, Dangers of Texting and Driving, Israel Advocacy, and a Fundraiser.

The Shalhevet team — consisting of Miriam Blonder, Tamar Beer, Leah Feder, Hadassah Fertig, Tova Gordon, Ava Korman, Aviva Marmer, Ayelet Nussbaum, Meira Nussbaum, Shana Schapira, Adi Weinberg, Tamar Yastrab and mentor Malky Blisko — created and executed unique and positive programs.

They pulled off a wonderful Zumba night, raising $9,000 to benefit FD NOW, and collected over 400 pairs of shoes that were donated to Batya, an organization that empowers teenage girls.

The team gathered pledges from friends, family, teachers, and celebrities to not text and drive, and created a video usinh racing arcade games to prove the perils of texting and driving. The girls also interviewed Lone Soldiers and brought in Or Carmeli, sister of Sgt. Sean Carmeli, who was killed over the summer in Operation Tzuk Aitan, to speak at Shalhevet.

The team was ecstatic when they heard they made it to Boardroom, and were thrilled to meet the other finalists, who also left positive impacts in their respective communities.