By: Nava Friedland ’29, Teddy Zaberto ’29
In February, the 9th grade set off to Philadelphia for a trip filled with history, learning, and memorable experiences. Being that the 9th grade typically has a trip at the end of the year, this was an especially exciting experience for them. As the year approaches its end, keep reading to find out more about the ninth-graders’ reflections on their first grade Tiyul!
The first stop on the agenda was the American Dream Mall in New Jersey. The freshmen arrived ready to experience the amusement park, waterpark, and mini golf, which the mall is so famously known for.
Before heading off to their activities, the 9th grade took a quick stop at the all-kosher food court in the mall.
Upon reaching Philadelphia, the group stopped at the hotel before heading off to dinner at UPenn Hillel. There, the grade was served more delicious food such as chicken wraps, fries, and even a wide selection of different sodas. For the final activity of the night, the grade participated in a trivia game with all of their friends.
The next day, the 9th graders visited the Weitzman Museum, where they learned about Jewish history dating back many years. The group continued exploring the city by visiting more historical sites on a walking tour around the city. One of the sites was the Liberty Bell, which has its infamous crack through the middle.
During the tour, the freshmen learned a lot of new history. Freshman Victoria Hirsch recalls, “The Liberty Bell had not been rung in over one hundred years”.
Freshman Sabrina Brown said, “I thought there was a very good balance of learning and fun. Each day we went to some sort of educational site, but also had free time and fun activities!”
Although these famous sites were interesting, some would prefer to have activities that foster grade connection in future trips.
“My suggestions for next year’s trip would be to implement more interactive activities that students can do together rather than mainly visiting tourist sites,” freshman David Bergman said.
Planning a trip for an entire grade requires immense coordination and scheduling. Teachers had to consider transportation, timing, activities, and meals while building the itinerary. According to 9th-grade dean Mr. Kornberg, one of the first decisions involved changing when the trip would take place.
“We wanted to try and find something for everyone,” Kornberg said. “We wanted to provide choice where we could and create an itinerary that combined educational opportunities surrounding Jewish history and plain old fun.”
“The trip met my expectations because we were always busy with activities and had something to do,” Hirsch said. “I was not expecting to do and see as many things as we did.”
After a fun and educational day experiencing Philadelphia, the freshmen headed back to UPenn Hiellel for dinner. This time, they ate another delicious meal: sushi.
That night, the freshmen went to a hockey game to watch the Philadelphia Flyers play. The game was a highlight of the trip for many.
“I really enjoyed going to the Flyers game,” Brown said. “I was worried I wasn’t going to like it because I don’t know much about hockey, but I had a lot of fun just being with my friends. The best thing I ate on the trip was Rita’s sundae that I had at the Flyers game!”
In order to provide many of the wonderful experiences that the ninth-graders had, countless hours of behind-the-scenes planning were necessary.
“The Freshmen Tiyul, historically, has been an end-of-year event,” Kornberg said. “However, for a variety of reasons, we decided to move it earlier in the year. With that being said, we had a unique opportunity to create something new and different – something that we built from the ground up.”
Because the trip moved earlier in the year, faculty had the opportunity to rethink the experience. They wanted an itinerary that balanced educational opportunities with activities students would truly enjoy; although challenging to construct, the final itinerary truly accomplished this goal.
“The whole process is a bit of a puzzle,” Kornberg said. “Timing is always a factor and trying to connect when we could utilize certain places while also ensuring access to kosher meals is always tough.”
During planning, teachers and faculty faced several challenges. Some institutions were closed on certain days, and some limited how many students could participate in activities.
“We found out that so many institutions are closed on Tuesdays,” Kornberg said. “We [also] found out that there was a cap on the amount of people that organizations wanted for chesed opportunities.”
Scheduling meals also created difficulties for the planning team. Some food establishments could not work with the trip’s schedule, so adjustments had to be made.
“We found out that certain places where we wanted to go could not work within our schedule, so we had to pivot to other places,” Kornberg said. “Once we were able to nail down the food part, we were able to fill things in from there.”
The hard work to plan meals paid off, as, all in all, students enjoyed the food.
“I was surprised how good the food was throughout the entire trip,” Brown said.
Despite these challenges, the final trip successfully combined learning, history, and fun activities for the freshmen class. Students were able to experience Philadelphia’s history while strengthening connections with their classmates.
The 9th-graders had a great time and are looking forward to future trips!
