Written by Shamai Perez

After our first semester, we came back in January to Valley Torah with high hopes of an even better semester. However, we started off with an unfortunate start, as one of our Rebbeim, Rabbi Davidowitz, had to go through a vocal cord surgery. Baruch Hashem, the surgery went great, as he was able to come back a few weeks later. However, during that period of time, through late January to Mid February, we had Rabbi Rauch, who was able to introduce us to a new teaching style as we adapted quickly and made the most of his class. During February, we had an exciting campaign, as Rabbi Segal organized the “Know your Brachos” campaign, where when you said a Bracha, you were entered in a mega raffle for either a Luka jersey, Laker tickets, or 100 dollars. In addition, we experienced our very first CIF tournament, as although we lost in the second round, we put up an amazing fight to keep the games exciting. Lastly, we went on the Ski trip, one of the highlights of the year for all Valley Torah students. After the trip, we came back with memories we will never forget… and a few bruises! March was a special month for us, as it was our very first Purim at Valley Torah. We had epic events like Jersey day, the Brachos bee, and anything but a backpack day, but the Purim Chagiga blew all of those out of the water, as we had dancing, amazing food, and funny videos made by different grades. In addition, we had our very first Saracheck tournament, as we won a trophy after a game-winning block by Adam Bouzaglou! In April, we had the once in a lifetime Alive Florida trip, as we experienced Watersports, Go-Karting, an multi-million dollar mansion, and so much more. Right after the Alive trip, we came back to Los Angeles for Pesach break. Coming back from the break, we were all ready for the last part of 9th grade, which turned out to be one of the best parts of the year. Firstly, in May, we had the unforgettable Weekaton in Yosemite, doing activities we will never forget. Coming back from the trip, we knew we were on the final stretch. So, we learnt hard, prepared for finals, and after the Shavuot break, it was finally time for the last obstacle of the year: finals. Finals was hard for all of us, but we left Valley Torah knowing how to prepare for tests and finals next year. I just want to give a shoutout to all the Rebbbeim and faculty that helped this year’s freshmen class feel welcome!