With contributing reporting from Yair Frankel

DRS started Adar Bet with a bang with its Rosh Chodesh festivities. First came a breakfast of cinnamon sticks, sponsored by the Student Council, followed by the first ever DRS Spelling Bee! The spelling bee was kicked off with a viewing of a hilarious video produced by "three- time spelling champion of the world" (and host of the spelling bee) Mickey Reich. After that, the action really started.

Each shiur sent one representative to fight it out for the title of spelling champion. The rules for the spelling bee were double-elimination style: a contestant would be out if he misspelled two words. The field was quickly whittled down to two contestants. Jacob Steinmetz, representing Rabbi Friedman's shiur, had no misspelled words, while Yair Frankel of Rabbi Willig's shiur was on the brink of elimination after making a careless mistake on the word mischievous. But with his whole shiur cheering him on, and even Rabbi Willig on hand to watch, Frankel quickly tied the score and then won the spelling bee (and the biggest trophy ever) with the word omniscient. With that exciting finish, the band struck up the music and the whole yeshiva took part in some joyous dancing.

The excitement started by the Rosh Chodesh chagiga built to a fevered pitch for the Purim festivities at DRS. Following the Megilah reading by Rabbi Kaminetsky in the Bet Medrash, students, parents, and other members of the HALB family met in the gym to break the fast. The music soon started, under the leadership of always awesome Ari Boianjou on guitar, Yossi Zelig on the keyboard, and DRS dad Bobby "Shubi" Shubowitz on the drums. Fathers, sons and faculty then made their way to the middle of the cafeteria for the most leibedik dancing of the year. Many students and teachers were incredibly creative in the costumes, which only enhanced the fun of the evening. When the band took a break, the students gathered around the 'stage' for another hilarious DRS Purim Shpiel, written and directed by Sophomore Yoni Mandelstam. The portrayal of the Rabbeim as teenagers was great, including an exciting Yo-Yo competition between a young Rabbi Emerson and Rabbi Balsam. Special thanks to Jason Hagler and Baruch Schein for, as usual, providing their technical expertise in running the audio and video components of the presentation.

Following the skit, it was time for more dancing and celebration of the holiday. As the evening wound down, some of the Rabbeim accompanied several dozen students to the Purim chagiga at Yeshiva University, where the DRS circle was the place to be, as current students, faculty, and alumni danced together. The Yeshiva would like to express its Hakarat Hatov to the DRS Parents Council for coordinating the beautiful evening at DRS, and the following individuals for graciously sponsoring the event: Ben & Franny Cohen, Tobi & Avromie Fine, Judy & Mark Frankel, Karen & Yudi Fromowitz, Ricki & Joey Genachowski, Yocheved & Roni Goldberg, Eva & Harold Hefter, Bernice & Seme Joszef, Chanie & Shimmie Klein, Anne & Herb Pasternack, Diane & Harry Ramras, Mimi & Stuart Samuels, Bonnie & Heshie Schertz, Rochel & Moshe Schlusselberg, Tessie & Michael Weiss, Dasi & Moti Weitz, and Esther & Jerrry Williams.

We would also like to thank the Chairman of the Purim Chagiga, Mr. Roni Goldberg, and Chair of the Faculty Mishloach Manot program, Mrs. Lori Frohlinger. In addition, we offer our hakarat hatov to the Purim committee: Joyce Austein, Chana Fenster, Ricki Genachowski, Yocheved Goldberg, Monique Hagler, Laurie Kirschner, and Chani Klein.

On Purim day, many DRS students were busy collecting for many different organizations, raising over $6,000 for the victims of the fire in Teaneck and for a cousin of one of the boys in the yeshiva who needed a kidney transplant.

With contributing reporting from Jason Hagler

Culminating weeks of hard work and preparation, the DRS Sophomore class descended on Washington D.C. for the annual DRS Mission to Washington lobbying trip. The trip began on Wednesday, March 16th with a visit to the Herr's potato chip factory in Nottingham, Pennsylvania, where the students got a chance to see how the snacks are made, and the factory staff graciously gave the group plenty of chips for the road. From there, it was on to Baltimore for a tour of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where the students got an inside look at one of the country's most celebrated ballparks, even sitting in the dugout. After exploring the Baltimore Inner Harbor, the boys headed over to Reiserstown Road, where they sampled some of Baltimore's best kosher food at Kosher Bite and Tov Pizza.

That evening, the students headed to Washnigton, where they enjoyed the always-exciting ESPNzone. Back at the hotel, the students broke up into their pre-assigned lobbying groups to discuss strategies for their lobbying meetings with various members of the House and Senate. Each of the seven groups were directed by a faculty advisor, as well as a member of the Washington Leadership Council, the student group that had prepared the lobbying materials for the group. The next morning, after an early morning Shacharit and sumptuous breakfast at the Hillel House of the University of Maryland, the students headed for Capitol Hill. On a particularly busy day in Washington that featured the baseball steroid hearings, the students raced to complete close to twenty individual and group appointments, focusing mainly on issues relating to the State of Israel. The Washington Leadership Council had prepared an agenda for their fellow students which included thanking the members of Congress for their support of Israel, urging caution in how they deal with Syria and Iran, and encouraged the lawmakers to support the Workplace Religious Freedom Act and school vouchers.

At each meeting, the staff members and House or Senate members would sit and discuss the issues with the students, and they often remarked to the group how impressed they were with their maturity and level of preparation, as well as the conviction with which they advanced their position. Some of the highlights of the day on Capitol Hill included a meeting on the Senate steps with Senate Majority Leader and probable 2008 presidential candidate Bill Frist, as well as a group meeting with Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, the Congresswoman for the Five Towns. It was especially gratifying for the students to be able to meet with their own district Representatives, be it from the Five Towns, Queen, Brooklyn, and beyond.

The students had met before and during the trip to discuss how important their presence on Capitol Hill was, not just as representatives of DRS, but for the larger Jewish community, and, over the course of the lobbying session, the students realized just how much they were actually making a difference, even educating lawmakers and their staff on intricate details pertaining to Israel's security.

Following the lobbying appointments, the students had the privilege of hearing from Mr. Nat Lewin, Esq., one of the most prominent Orthodox attorneys in the country. Mr. Lewin described some of his fascinating experiences serving as a clerk for a Supreme Court justice, as well as arguing several cases that directly impact on Orthodox Jewish life in America. After a closing dinner at Max's in Silver Spring, the tired Sophomores boarded the busses for home, secure in the fact that this was only the beginning of a lifetime of advocacy on behalf of the Jewish community.

The Yeshiva is particularly proud to have introduced the students to the importance of lobbying elected officials. The Yeshiva would also like to thank DRS parent and local attorney Mr. Mayer Rosenfeld for arranging the meetings with Mr. Lewin and Rep. McCarthy, and for providing insightful suggestions on maximizing the efficacy of the trip. We would also like to thank DRS grandparent Mr. Mordy Davis for helping arrange a group meeting with the office of Rep. Tom Lantos of California.

Once again, the Freshmen made their annual trek to Boston, Massachusets. And once again, we were reminded why this remains the most popular trip in DRS. Road Trip Boston 2005 was an incredible success, and it served to strengthen the bonds of an already close Freshman grade.

The trip began in Springfield, Massachusets, home of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Everyone enjoyed learning about the rich history of the game, and the students particularly enjoyed playing the role of a Television Announcer, calling a game and highlights for the Basketball Hall of Fame Channel. After several games on the NBA court at the bottom level of the Hall, it was time to move on.

For the first time in Boston Road Trip history, the students headed to the Boston Aquarium for an incredible 3-D Imax presentation on the Galapagos Islands. At Quincy Market, the group got a chance to relax, and visit the many shops and attractions that make the area famous. In addition, we visited a very moving Holocaust memorial. After a dinner of hero sandwiches, it was time to head to the Fleet Center, for a match-up between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks. The game was an exciting one, and the Freshman had a wonderful time watching the game and exploring the arena.

What evening would be complete without some bowling? That's exactly where the group went, for an exciting hour of regular and candlepin bowling. Back at the hotel, Rabbi Emerson surprised the group with a midnight snack of Dougies before everyone headed back to their rooms, exhausted but anticipating an exciting 2nd day of the trip.

The next day began bright and early, with a very special Shacharit at The New England Chasidic Center, home of the Bostoner Rebbe. The Freshman had the opportunity to hear from and meet with the Rebbe's son, who spoke of the importance of bringing holiness into the world we live in. Following breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, the Freshman met at the kever of the Rav, Harav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveichick, Z'TL. Rabbi Kaminetsky spoke to the students of the overpowering impact the Rav had on Jewish education in America, including serving as the "Grand Rebbe" (Rebbe of the Rebbe) of most of the DRS Rabbeim.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activity, with lunch and free time at the Prudential Center, a fascinating tour inside Fenway Park, a rocking time at the Good Times emporium arcade, and a great Chinese dinner to close out the trip. The feedback on this trip was amazing, and the veteran faculty chaperones agreed that this was the best Freshman trip in DRS history.

The faculty, parents and students at DRS are thrilled and excited at the success of the math and science accomplishments of DRS students for the second year in a row at recent competitions held in Nassau County and beyond. The Nassau County Interscholastic Mathematics League has presented DRS with a plaque for outstanding achievement in math in its recently held competition that included public and private high schools across the breadth of Nassau County. The DRS team scored in the top tier of schools in Nassau County coming in 7th in a field of 139. Inclusion in the top scoring 30 teams is considered a special honor for a Nassau High School.

Once again for the second year in a row, DRS Boys High School came in ahead of all Yeshiva High Schools in Nassau County in this prestigious competition. Members of the DRS team included Joshua Blachman, Elihu Herskovics, Yair Frankel, David Weiss, Jonathan Eskowitz, Marc Liebman, Josh Hersch, Steven Kantowitz, Jonathan Mann, Ariel Pinn, Elie Freilich, Michael Friedman, Elie Sinnreich, Yoni Weinberg, Yossie Berger, Baruch S. Abittan, Yoni Bryk, Benjamin Eghbali, Ari Feldstein, Judd Lindenfeld, Ariel Jacob, Yosef Miller, Isaac Orenbuch, and Sammy Steiner. Josh Blachman and Marc Liebman, seniors at DRS, in addition to receiving gold pins were recognized for individual awards for being among the top 20 mathematics students in Nassau County out of the thousands of Nassau County high school students. They were the only Yeshiva students named to the top 20 position. The coach of the DRS team was Mr. David Weinstein, who has a love of math and the ability to reach out to each student, tap their potential and motivate his students to achieve on a high level in mathematics.

The school is equally pleased with the results announced recently by the Board of Jewish Education in their annual Science Olympiad competition. The competition this year was hosted by Stella K Abraham Hebrew Academy of Long Beach Girls' High School in Hewlett. Dr. Rosalie Peck, Science Co- Coordinator and Chemistry teacher at DRS and Mr. Henry Schwartz, Earth Science teacher at DRS led and coached a group of very motivated and eager DRS students to the science Olympiad competition. This competition hosted Yeshivas from Nassau, Suffolk, the Five Boroughs of New York City and New Jersey. DRS was awarded 2nd place over all in a contest that involved 12 different categories of science and once again scored ahead of all Yeshivas in Nassau County, Suffolk County and the five boroughs of New York City. In a tough competition, the Torah Academy of Bergen County topped DRS by a handful of points to take first place.

The DRS team received a team trophy as well as many individual medals and awards recognizing the achievements of the students who participated. Team members included Yona Saperstein and Jason Strauss in "Designer Genes," Joshua Blachman and Jonathan Mann in "Fermi Questions," Marc Liebman and Jonathan Mann in "Chemistry Lab," Josh Blachman and Joshua Nissel in "Keep the Heat," Marc Liebman, Joshua Nissel and Yehuda Grossman in "Experimental Design," Ben Trachtenberg and Ariel Jacob in cell biology, Michael Friedmann, Joshua Lobell, and Yair Saperstein in Meteorology, Sammy Steiner, Yehuda Grossman, and Yonah Saperstein in "Picture This, " Sammy Steiner and Joshua Blachman in "Practical Data Gathering," Steven Feldman and Jonathan Mael in "Road" Scholar, Jason Strauss and Elihu Herskovics in "Write it, Do it," and Joshua Nissel, Elihu Herskovics, and Joshua Blachman in "Bridge Building." All those students who participated in the Olympiad had a great time as well as a rewarding educational experience.

DRS is buzzing with excitement as we get ready for the biggest JV Hockey game of the year, the league championship against SAR. The game will take place at 2 pm this Sunday, April 3rd, at the Frisch School in Paramus, New Jersey (directions can be downloaded below). Come cheer on the Wildcats to victory! Special prizes will be given out to fans who attend. Please note that tickets are required, and can be purchased from the Yeshiva office at $5 per ticket.

Adar II was memorable for our talmidim not just for the fun they had, but for the many acts of chessed that were done as well. The first ever DRS bake sale, led by DRS Freshmen Ari Weiss and Yonatan Sklar, featured tasty delicacies made by members of the faculty and their spouses, and they raised over $1,200 in one morning for Od Yosef Chai.

Two days before purim, Rabbi Friedman and Rabbi Brazil led a group of 20 Sophomores to the Woodmere Rehabilitation Center to bring some purim spirit to the elderly. The event was capped off with Rabbi Freidman leading the "DRS choir" in purim songs and dancing, and some truly remarkable costumes worn by the boys. The highlight of the event was Yacov Nordlicht and Eitan Scheirier dancing with the elderly residents of the Nursing Home.

In our DRS Campaign to help Israeli Soldiers enjoy their Purim, several students in Mrs. Fishers, Mr. Deutch's, and Mrs. Fishbane's English classes wrote letters of encouragement and thanks for protecting the state of Israel. These letters were accompanied by small shaloch manot which were given to soldiers on Purim.