As Julia Nahmod ‘24 flips over a card from the pile in the middle, Ezra Rosenthal ‘23 stands up, anxiously looking to see if the card has a yellow diamond on it, the same symbol as his card. Yoni Becker ‘25 flips over the last card from the pile. Rosenthal and Becker shout at the same time. It’s a tie!

A group of five students sits around a table in the Guerin, looking down at the cards in front of them. All five students placed in the top three of their previous game. Next to them, a game of Anomia for beginners is being played between juniors and administrators.

Both students have 11 cards. Seth Cohen ‘23 flips over one of his cards to break the tie. The card says Beach Accessory in bold letters. Rosenthal shouts, “Towel!” a split second after Becker exclaims, “Umbrella!” making Yoni Becker the Anomia champion.

Juniors Eitan Feldman ‘23 and Lior Berrin ‘23 started the Board Game Club in ninth grade because they wanted to hang out and play board games at school. The club meets most Fridays in the Guerin. Feldman and Berrin bring their favorite games from home, like Anomia, Sushi Go!, and Codenames. Students who attend can play any of the games, and for however long they want. Board Game Club is also a great way to learn new games. Once you learn a game, it is an easy way to meet new people in the future: 

“Board gaming is a skill you can take with you for the rest of your life,” Berrin said.  However, in ninth grade, the club didn’t reach more than their group of friends. Feldman finds this disappointing, “We didn’t really branch out as much as we would have liked.” 

They brought the club back this year as a way to connect to more people, “especially after COVID [when] people are feeling a little isolated and are coming back to school for the first time in a while,” Berrin explained. Board Game Club is a great way to connect to the Milken community. 

One goal that Feldman and Berrin have for this year is to facilitate new friendships through their club. “We want everyone to be more comfortable around each other, people who don’t necessarily hang out,” Feldman said. 

The first session was held on Friday, October 22nd during lunch. Berrin and Feldman are proud that the club was able to reach a larger group of students than it did in ninth grade. According to junior Zev Gaslin ‘23: “It was a great way to connect to my community, and have a great time doing so.”

It is important to have the Board Game Club at Milken because it serves as a time to relax. This year Milken even installed ping-pong tables, chess, foosball, and other games to play during breaks. Feldman acknowledges that students have “less time during the day and don’t have as many breaks” in high school, which makes it harder to control stress during the school day. 

For junior Kate Behrman ‘23, “It’s a great outlet to chill and hang out but also to just keep your brain going throughout the day.” While it is relaxing, the club also provides a balance of camaraderie and competition. 

Board Game club requires no commitment, meaning that any student can drop in to play board games. “You can come when you want and you don’t have to come all the time. You don’t even have to play board games, you can just hang out,” Gaslin ‘23 said. The club leaders made it a relaxing environment for people to talk and have fun by setting out food and drinks.

“People should come, try it out,” Berrin said, “I think you’ll have a good time.” Email Lior Berrin or Eitan Feldman to join the board game club and receive information about upcoming sessions.