Lion's Share - February 2018

FEBRUARY 2018 | SHEVAT-ADAR 5778

‫בס"ד‬

LION'S SHARE Juda and Maria Diener Lower School | Samuel and Henrietta Scheck Middle School | Ben Lipson Upper School

Welcome to Lion’s Share: Scheck Hillel Community School’s Grade 6-12 bulletin covering news about curriculum, college and community. Connect with the names, faces and initiatives that make Scheck Hillel a college preparatory school that develops global citizens with enduring Jewish identity and values. For more school information, please visit eHillel.org.

Readiness Course Augments College Prep Curriculum As part of Scheck Hillel’s college preparatory curriculum, Grade 11 students take a course designed and taught by Cecilia Grano de Oro and Alexandra Gonzalez, the school’s co-directors of college counseling, and by Cristina Florez, the school's experiential learning coordinator. The course is unique to Scheck Hillel - most high schools do not offer one like it during the school day. The class is designed to empower and prepare students for the college application journey. Below, students reflect on the course’s benefits.

Course topics:

- Personal narratives - Research skills - Activity lists - Interviewing techniques - Resume development and more...

Emily Rodman: Expanding Horizons

Albert Wolak: First-Generation Applicant

Shelly Albergel: More Than a Name

We have learned the distinctions among schools based on campus setting, size and admission standards, allowing for a better understanding of what the ideal undergraduate school looks like for each individual person. Also, we have considered possible career paths, expanding horizons and looking toward a bright future."

As the first member of my family to go through the American college application process, this course has been my reference point for setting clear goals for the coming year. I have developed a short list of colleges and have learned to navigate application requirements. This class gets me thinking about the immediate future in a way I never have before."

Before taking this class, I believed the best colleges were those that everyone has heard of - those "with a name." However, this class has taught me that there is no such thing as a “best” college. Every college has its pros and cons and it’s up to you to decide which college is the best fit for you...We are fortunate to have a class with amazing college counselors who guide us."

Pictured above, l to r, Amanda Scheck, Yaniv Assraf and Benjamin Wolf, all Class of 2019

Student-Centered Learning Starts With Teachers SCHECK HILLEL FACULTY SHARE THOUGHTS ABOUT LEARNING WITH – AND FROM – THEIR AMAZING STUDENTS

ANDREW BUTLER UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR; MIDDLE SCHOOL AND CAPSTONE SEMINAR TEACHER "My Senior Capstone class is completing a unit about identity, centered around our class anchor text The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. As we study the journey of the protagonist from his native Afghanistan to the United States, it is fascinating to learn about immigrant journeys of some of our seniors. I have such admiration for the bravery of students who only recently came to the United States and have quickly mastered a new language and culture."

Mr. Butler and Grade 8 students Samantha Grant and Daniel Solomiany

MICHELLE MURRAY UPPER SCHOOL STEM TEACHER "All of our STEM students have a little engineering in them.

They demonstrate the desire to tinker and self-discover.

In class, students often make outcome predictions.

Sometimes their predictions are incorrect. They have shown me that in an age of technology and fast-paced living, students have the ability to take the time to learn from their mistakes and love their projects more when they successfully build better outcomes."

Ms. Murray and Jeremy Nichols, Grade 9

JASON TOUVI MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER "In a multi -directional classroom, I have the unique opportunity to learn from my students on a daily basis.

Through the use of digital journals, students share their own personal experiences and insights on the literature, vocabulary and grammar discussed in class. Students read and write for information literacy and examine topics through many lenses. Using various learning modalities, I am able to capture the knowledge and skills accumulated by my students."

Mr. Touvi and David Lalo, Grade 7