Gray Goes to Camp
In June, our Grade 5 students spend two days and one night together at Camp Massad Manitoba, North America’s only Hebrew immersion summer camp. Students enjoy the outdoors, practise their Hebrew skills, perform plays, learn songs and strengthen bonds with classmates.
In Grade 7, students spend three days and two nights at their annual Outdoor Education trip to B’nai Brith Camp Kenora, one of the only Jewish camps in North America dedicated to a true wilderness experience. Our students bond with classmates and learn outdoor skills while canoeing, kayaking, hiking, cooking outdoors and enjoying the natural beauty of Lake of the Woods, Ontario.
Spirit Weekends
Our Grade 8 and Grade 9 classes each get together as a grade for an immersive Shabbat experience in different rural settings around Southern Manitoba. Spirit Weekends give students an important opportunity to leave schoolwork behind, unplug from devices and connect with friends, teachers, Grade 11 and 12 student leaders and explore their own sense of spirituality with lively discussions, songs and indoor and outdoor activities.
Jewish Experience Retreats
Every January, our Grade 10, 11 and 12 students look forward to taking a break from the classroom to take part in a Jewish Experience Retreats at Camp Cedarwood in beautiful, tranquil Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba. Led by Gray Academy staff, alumni and guest leaders, these impactful, weekend-long Shabbat experiences gives students an opportunity to relax, have fun, strengthen friendships and explore their Judaism through inspiring programming and thoughtful, interactive discussion.
Grade 12 Holocaust and Human Rights Education Trip
For the past several years, our Grade 12 students have travelled to Washington, DC, to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and other historic sites. This important journey is an extension of their Holocaust and human rights learning in the classroom and meaningful, in-person connections with local Holocaust survivors, whose numbers continue to dwindle. These deeply emotional experiences are balanced with visits to major monuments and sightseeing. We are incredibly grateful to the Asper Foundation for their generous support of this important learning adventure.
Partnership 2Gether (P2G)
For more than 20 years, Gray Academy has enjoyed an exciting partnership with Danciger High School in Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel, as part of Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s Partnership 2Gether (P2G) program. Most years, students and teachers from Israel visit Gray Academy in the fall, staying with local families, leading student workshops, visiting local synagogues and agencies, making new friends and enjoy the sights and sounds of our city. This visit is typically followed in the spring by Gray Academy students in Grades 10 and 11 travelling to Kiryat Shmon to reconnect with their P2G friends, visit their partner school and enjoy the hospitality of families in Northern Israel. This unforgettable exchange program builds mutual understanding and incredible, lifelong bonds of friendship.
On October 7, 2023, students and staff from Danciger were nearing the end of their visit when tragedy struck at home. Our community rallied, supporting our visiting for 10 extra days while no flights could leave or enter Israeli airspace. Since then, all P2G travel has remained on hold, but we have maintained our bond with our partner schools. We continue to pray for peach in Israel and the day when we can resume this meaningful peer-to-peer program.
