Reflecting on Reflections: The Times They Are A-Changin’

Agreatly anticipated and deeply personal part of JCDS commencement week is the Reflections Ceremony, an auspicious gathering at which 8th graders, before their community of family, friends, teachers, and peers, individually reflect upon the role that JCDS has played in their growth. But the times, they are a-changin,’ and following two and a half years of dramatic lifestyle and protocol shifts due to Covid, so too has the students’ focus on what is most meaningful to them socially, emotionally, and even academically. From its inception, the Reflections Ceremony has been a capstone measure for how we raise these kids, and throughout these pandemic years, the students’ Reflections reflected, with an even greater intensity, their resilience and perseverance, their appreciation of community in their lives, and their profound self-awareness. The deep rooted ways in which they have felt nurtured and cared for as individuals and as a class came shining through in their words.

“At the start of the pandemic, I attended public school, but online learning did not work for me. I knew that I needed to find a better place to learn. At that low point, JCDS opened its arms to me. I enrolled at the start of 7th grade, and that is when my [personal] growth truly began. Reaching out from the core that is me into other parts of the world, learning new things and meeting new people, I have grown so much over my time at JCDS. I will take the memories of this time forward, and never will I forget the love and light that this community has given me when the world was in a dark place.”

BENJY

“My life at JCDS can be compared to that of a tree. A tree’s roots connect it to the earth, digging deep and giving it the strength to stand up tall. Without JCDS, I don’t think that I would have felt connected to my Jewish heritage (my roots) at all. A tree reaches out with its branches, just as JCDS has helped me reach out with my learning. Rather than pruning me and keeping me contained, like some schools would have done, JCDS has nourished me, allowing me to grow into a better learner and a better person. I cannot stay a child forever. More than anything, I feel nervous about moving beyond JCDS, which has supported me for so long. As I am released into the greater world of high school, and later adulthood, I will have to remember what I learned here and trust that JCDS has prepared me and given me the necessary grounding for me to thrive.”

RUTI

“JCDS has taught me many things over the years; it has taught me that my friendships are one of the most important things in my life, and to always treat others with kindness and respect. It has taught me how to stand up for myself, share my opinions, solve problems, and be a leader. And last but certainly not least, JCDS has taught me that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to and persevere and finesse my way through just about anything.”

RACHEL