ATHLETIC SPOTLIGHT: 2014/15 ACCOMPLISHMENTS All CJHS 2014/15 varsity athletic teams received the IHSA Team Academic Achievement Award Team I GPA Boys Cross Country - 3.71 Girls Cross Country - 3.70 Boys Soccer - 3.46 Girls Tennis - 3.63 Girls Volleyball - 3.62 Boys Basketball - 3.52 Girls Basketball - 3.65 Baseball - 3.56 Girls Soccer - 3.62 Boys Tennis - 3.46 Boys Volleyball - 3.19 Individual Awards Pioneer Press All Area Honorable Mention Girls Soccer: Jordan Krauss & Carly Silvers Boys Volleyball: Eli Schrayer
Chicago Prep Conference All Conference Awards Boys Soccer: 1st Team - Jacob Erlichman 2nd Team - Shai Alima & Eliel Stofenmacher Girls Volleyball: 1st team - Carly Silvers 2nd team - Lena Rabinowitz Cross Country: 1st team - Gabrielle Ecanow, Yoni Maltsman, Zev Mishell, Felix Rosen, Ari Rosenthal, Akiva Stein, Ranan Vales & Parker Weber Boys Basketball: 1st Team - Josh Newlander 2nd Team - Eli Schrayer Girls Basketball: 2nd Team - Emily Reisler Baseball: 1st Team - Isaac Johnston 2nd Team - Coby Drexler
Girls Soccer: 1st Team - Jordan Krauss, Livia Moses, Ariel Saxton & Carly Silvers 2nd Team - Lena Rabinowitz Boys Volleyball: 1st Team - Shai Alima & Eli Schrayer 2nd Team - Jonathan Schrag Chicago Prep Conference Player of the Year Award Boys Basketball: Josh Newlander Girls Soccer: Jordan Krauss Josh Newlander named National Player of the Year by Jewish Hoops America for the second consecutive year • Josh was named on the 1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America Team for the third year in a row • Josh also earned 3rd team IHSA All-State Class 1A/2A honors
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT: MEET MR. JOSEPH ESKIN Mr. Eskin joined the CJHS community in 2013 and currently serves as Director of Student Activities, History Teacher and Model UN Instructor. It was his aspiration to study history and work with teenagers that led him to his career in education. “Every summer I worked at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and my experiences there helped me realize how much I love working with kids,” he said. “Education seemed like a field in which I could bring those two things together.” At CJHS, Mr. Eskin encourages his students to find their voices by integrating their unique talents into different areas of the school. “I am really lucky to be able to see students in a variety of lights,” he said. “It's a pretty special thing to get to read a student's history paper while at the same time knowing that student as a powerful and articulate off-the-cuff speaker in Model UN and as an enthusiastic and goofy leader of a student club. It's always fun to meet so many students and see them in different situations.” Last year, Mr. Eskin joined the Model UN team as the instructor with the help of Dr. Gary Auslander where the duo led the team to first place honors at the International Model UN Conference in New York City. “The most rewarding aspect of leading the Model UN team has been watching them live out the values we care most deeply about as a school and carry their Judaism proudly in an intense, stressful situation,” he said. “Our students support one another and are wonderfully kind and friendly to students from other schools (and countries). It has been emotional and thrilling to watch all of their hard work pay off.”
p.10
Mr. Eskin is looking forward to working with the Model UN team again this year. He is focused on enriching students’ understanding of major topics while helping them to craft innovative ideas to problem solve world issues. In addition to his responsibilities at CJHS, Mr. Eskin enjoys working with the Tikvah (special needs) program at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin where he has spent the past six summers. “Camp is a special community in which I feel totally comfortable and happy Jewishly. My experiences there have kept me engaged during the year as well. After leaving camp, I come back to CJHS inspired to continue teaching, learning and living Judaism, and to create an inclusive, engaged and ruach-filled Jewish community.” When asked what the most rewarding part of his job is, Mr. Eskin responded, “It has been pretty special to see my students grow over the past two years. The freshmen I met on my first day of school have grown into mature and impressive juniors, and the sophomores I laughed with two years ago are skilled and college-ready seniors. The growth of students is the most rewarding part of the job.” Mr. Eskin looks forward to another year of teaching and cannot wait to see what the students create in and out of the classroom!
Quick Facts: Where have you traveled? Israel, Poland and Canada. What has been your most exciting adventure? My most exciting adventure was a five-week camping trip through the Pacific Northwest. I went hiking in the Grand Tetons National Park, went mountain biking in Banff, learned how to surf outside of Vancouver, and camped out without a tent in the badlands. It was an amazing trip I will never forget. What is your favorite book? The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain; Robert Caro’s biography of Lyndon Johnson. What is on your playlist? I have never owned an iPod so I don’t really have a playlist, but I usually like the usual Top 40 music on the radio. Talent: I can juggle!