Our Blog

Dear HBHA Families,

We take our athletics program seriously. This might surprise some people who think of us as “People of the Book” and not the “People of the Court.” But we are so proud of our athletes, our coaches, and what competing as a Jewish Day School means to our identity.

Team sports, such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, and cross country - the team sports HBHA offers, are powerful tools in creating a sense of community and camaraderie amongst our students. They build confidence and create opportunities for leadership. They help our students stay physically fit, mentally disciplined, and spiritually centered. The lessons our kids take from our sports program will last for their entire lives.

But we don't just play for the character effects. We play to win, and our teams are GOOD! Yesterday, our Middle School Boys Basketball Team won against Brookside Charter school, our Upper School Girls Basketball Team won against Frontier STEM 49-5 and our Upper School Boys team lost to Frontier STEM 57-52. Our students are fierce and passionate competitors. But win or lose, we come to play as hard as we can, be supportive to each other, and to be positive to our competitors.

But there is another element at play here.

When we play as a team, we play as Jews. We come representing HBHA and the Jewish people. Sure, Jews can play on any team, but in those cases, their Judaism is incidental. We show up as a team of Jews, ready to compete and represent our people.

It's a wonderful symbol of an HBHA education. We are a people determined to engage the world fully and wholly, but also as wholly committed Jews. We don’t hide or shirk from the world in order to pursue our Judaism. We don’t hide our Judaism in order to engage the world. We engage the world AS JEWS. And in doing so, we make the world a better place and bring pride to ourselves and our people.

As someone who went to public school growing up, and faced some bullying and anti-Semitism, I am often touched and awed by the carefree self confidence and assuredness our students feel– by the effortless way they carry their Jewishness and Americanness together in everything they do. It is so beautiful.

If you don't know what I mean, please come watch a basketball game. You will see what this school is all about in the way our kids hold themselves on the court. And you’ll have a great time cheering as well!

Go Rams!