FOREWORD

Kerim Eken ‘00

Annual rituals are ways to revisit traditions - they give us time to stop, reflect, and be thankful as we continue to move forward.

We do this by celebrating holidays, birthdays, the solstice, championships, anniversaries, etc. They give us structure in an ever-changing world, country, state, city, and home. Knowing what is ahead is comforting. Change can be hard, scary and unknown but it can also be exciting, innovative and impactful.

The A-Z Files began as a place to archive creative works in honor of our dear friend Zach Levy who passed away 11/15/2011. The publication reflects two of Zach’s most distinct featureshis big inclusive heart and his creative writing talents.

Now ten years later it is part of the school’s fabric, encouraging you to create and share and others to join. We have had nothing to do with this - it has evolved naturally over the years because of you and the students that have walked the halls before you. Today, it houses work from students, alumni, parents and faculty, and includes photography, illustrations, foreign language poems, movies, video games, mystery stories, and even sheet music to an original string quartet to name a few examples.

Although the A-Z Files is an annual ritual it has undergone an evolution through some of the most joyous and most trying times of our lives. We hope there is comfort in knowing that your creativity has a home where it can live and flourish. Regardless of the challenging and exciting things that go on in life, the journal lives on and we should all be proud of that. I know Zach is.

Like the seasons, life progresses through cyclical change. Inevitable ends lead to new beginnings. Each school year we pack up and return in the fall, rested and ready for the challenges each new grade brings. We don’t come back to repeat, but to grow through new tests that shape our character. We are already looking forward to the 11th edition and all the original work that will live within and between these pages.

Cheers to rituals and cheers to change!

Kerim Eken, class of ‘00, is the co-founding architectural principal of the firm, Eken Design, an architecture and design studio. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Kean University and Pratt Institutehe attributes his love of learning to his time at Allen-Steveson. He currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.

WHERE I’M FROM

Micheal Ganitsky ‘24

I am from the city that never sleeps, The buildings that don’t stop growing, The streets that never stop barking, like The rush in Times Square on a Monday morning, The dogs on 3rd avenue that bark as loud as an announcer at a Knicks basketball game.

I am from the generation that will change the future, The family that lives from the big apple to Soda city,

The family that reads from the torah when they are 13, and

The family that cooks hispanic fiesta ses when we visit.

I am from the family that never forgets anything about you like,

When we look back at the past and remember when we were in Miami and go see our great grandpa for dinner at our grandparent’s house, A house that watches over the pear leading to the unknown,

We eat pasta con pollo, rice, and other foods you would find in South America, They find these recipes passed on generation to generation, and

The food originated from Bogata, Columbia where my family lives today.

I am from the room that builds legos and that will one day build houses

The basketball lays under my bed that bounces as high as the moon,

The morning greeting from the doorman that I get to start my day,

I live on the 6th floor only 6 floors away from my grandma,

I have lived in this house that has comforted me since the day my parents brought me home from the hospital.

I am from the generation that has survived a global pandemic.

I am from the generation that will solve some of the greatest problems.

Reflection

Charles Greenwald ‘23

WHERE I’M FROM

Finn Baker ‘24

I am from the city and from the woods, from the dancing orange and red that warms my soul. (Welcoming me when I come home.)

From the soft sofa in the living room.

I am from the honking horns of angry drivers, and the river birch tree in my garden. From the cool morning dew that makes the grass wet under bare feet.

I’m from skiing on soft snow to scuba diving in warm water. From jumping into Little Rock Pond, (It is liquid glass) after a long hike in the Green Mountains.

I come from Liz and Wayne, Granny and Grandpa, my brother and Teddy, all of whom I love.

I’m from Mom’s marvelous macaroni and bread and butter pudding (We have it at Christmas.) that tastes like gold.

I am from Gilbert & Sullivan, from repelling down Deer’s Leap in Vermont and whittling wacky weapons with wood. From the epidemic that I will never forget. From the photos on phones, and the pictures in my mind. These are many memories that make me, me.