Volume 30 Issue 8

the

lion’s tale

SUMMER 2013

charles e. smith jewish day school • 11710 hunters lane, rockville, maryland thursday, june 6, 2013 • vol. 30 issue 8

HUNGRY?

Find out more about the cafeteria food.

Pages 8-9

COLOR WAR

Looking at Monday’s Kehillah survey.

Page 3

Page 7

NEW and

OLD

TEACHERS!

Changes to the senior Israel Trip.

Page 6 To Starbucks — we mean SCHOOL. A day in the life of Rabbi Slater.

Page 14

TRAGEDY IN OKLAHOMA Page 5

The end of a volleyball ERA Page 15

Here’s what YOU should think about for next year.

Page 2

Mr. Jonathan Cannon

CANNON

Dr. Michael Kay

AND

KAY

LASTING LEGACIES See their farewell interviews on pages 12-13 photo illustration by David Kulp and Jonathan Reem

And don’t forget Mrs. Pang!

Page 11

02

• the lion’s tale • opinion the

lion’s tale

print editors

editors-in-chief •

ari charnoff, dore feith managing •

stu krantz copy •

aaron boxerman, dina rabinovitz

design •

jeremy etelson, jonathan reem news •

malka himelhoch, nina simpkins chadashot •

matthew foldi, shira ungar

features •

alison kraner, yael krifcher entertainment •

eitan snyder, hannah wexler in depth •

maddie dworkin, haley lerner

sports •

brian schonfeld, jesse zweben

graphic •

r’ay fodor photo •

david kulp social media •

yosi vogel

business •

alec schrager, allie wiener

web editors editors-in-chief •

alexander flum, jeremy kaplan

copy •

cole aronson, jonathan orbach section editors •

evan kravitz, matt litman & adina pollak

senior reporters kobi fodor • matt halpern gefen kabik • danny waksman

Staff editorial

Expounding on the values of BYOD This has been a year of tremendous change at our school. Several key members of the administration are departing at the end of the school year and they leave in their wake several new policies instituted this year, notably Bring Your Own Device. Some, if not all, of these programs are still in need of tweaking in order to be perfected. The change in the classroom should be sustained in the form of new policies next year and in years after as well.

It is important to move beyond the traditional boundaries of learning, as BYOD has begun to do, and there are still many improvements to be made to our learning experience.

Part of creating a better learning environment with BYOD is clarifying that BYOD is not the only viable method of teaching. That is to say, teachers should not be overly anxious to have students use computers in class because, as they have surely discovered, personal computers can be an incredibly distracting tool.

BYOD can be an excellent vehicle for education when it is used with moderation. In order to help students avoid distraction on computers, teachers can (and should be encouraged to) revert to teaching methods that emphasize

reporters mijal altmann • robbie belson michael berkowitz • cole cooper isaac dubrawsky • emma hofman sj hyman • yonah hyman hannah nechin • gaby pilarski steven reichel • uri schwartz jonah shrock • carol silber

photographers samantha berman • daniel brandsdorfer noa dahan • hadas elazar-mittelman hannah josovitz • talya kravitz joshua lempert • jonathan silverman

staff adviser claire burke

adviser emerita

Correction: In last issue’s “Learning Love” article, there were three errors. Tammy Glatz Landy was not a neighbor of her future husband, Jonathan.

Dorie Ravick also was not a neighbor of her future husband, Jacob.

The first mention of ‘Jordana Feder’ should be changed to ‘Jordana Ravick.’ She did not change her last name when she married.

susan zuckerman

personal rather than virtual interactions. Overuse of BYOD will be more harmful to our education than a classroom without any personal devices.

Encouragement of participation is a key part of this approach.

Rather than cultivating a classroom where students have their heads buried in computers most of the time, the emphasis should be on oratory skills. We believe that it is crucial for students to be fluid public speakers by the time they graduate. Everyone will have to speak in public at least a few times in their lives, be it in a presentation, job interview, or in other important events. Being able to express oneself in an eloquent manner could be the difference between being hired or being rejected.

Extracurriculars such as debate and mock trial already exist to help cultivate these skills, but the skills are so essential they should be part of the classroom experience. The administration and teachers should encourage verbal eloquence in classroom activities in addition to BYOD. One way in which teachers currently try to do this is by having groups of students prepare presentations about a topic that the teacher would otherwise teach him or

herself. We find this approach to be unhelpful because students are not experienced in the art of teaching, so we rarely learn the material at a satisfactory level. Instead, students should present to the class as a review for an upcoming assessment.

When students are teaching what is essentially cumulative content, the actual understanding of the material in class serves as a student’s rehearsal for his or her presentation.

Rehearsal and practice are key to establishing effective oratory skills.

Even so, in our experience, many group projects devolve into one or two people doing almost all of the work, dragging along the other group members. This is not necessarily because the other students are lazy, but because it is difficult to collaborate on, for example, a writing assignment, because each student has different ideas and writing styles. It is often easier to prepare the project on one’s own rather than to include all others.

Teachers may want to allow students to opt into an individual project if they so prefer. Group projects should be carefully selected to make sure the project is appropriate for group work.

When a student works in a group, he or she is forced to

Letter to the editor: Hebrew successes in Israel Dear editor, I’ve been on the Israel trip, and I’ve discovered a nasty secret of CESJDS’s Hebrew curriculum.

Time after time at school, I heard that the Hebrew department fails to teach us much. When the time came to go to Israel, I feared I would be lost in a Hebrew-speaking country.

It turns out I was prepared.

At home, I was never at the top of my class. In Israel, when I was stuck with someone who knew no English, I could have a conversation. With just what JDS had taught me, I could shop and talk to Israelis. And from what

I saw, the same, at least, was true of many of my classmates.

That’s not to say I was fluent.

Concepts that are rarely needed in the classroom, like the difference between right and left, had to strengthen. My Hebrew still had a lot of grammatical errors. But I could be understood.

With a JDS Hebrew education, I could be a part of the conversation. I slowly learnt the words I didn’t know.

Yet some of my classmates never bothered trying to talk in Hebrew.

A lot of the reason was fear. They thought they couldn’t understand it and didn’t try.

The Lion’s Tale Editorial and Ethics Policy As the student newspaper of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, The Lion’s Tale is a forum for student opinion and expression. All content is determined by students. Its purpose is to inform the CESJDS community and to express the views of its staff and readers. The staff has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of its news.

Signed columns reflect the opinion of the writer; staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of The Lion’s Tale editorial board. The Lion’s Tale staff welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns, all of which must be signed.

The staff reserves the right to refuse any material and may edit letters or columns for length, clarity, libel, obscenity and/or disruptiveness.

Submissions may be emailed to jdslionstale@gmail.com, mailed to The Lion’s Tale, or brought to room 328.

The Lion’s Tale is funded by The Simon Hirshman Endowment for the Upper School Newspaper and The Kuttner-Levenson Endowment for the Upper School Cultural Arts and Student Publications, and community advertisement.

The Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse advertisement for any reason.

The staff will adhere to the ethics policies of The Society of Professional Journalists and the National Scholastic Press Association. The adviser will be held to the Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of Ethics.

For more tales from the lion’s den, visit:

lion’s tale .org the

reconcile his or her visions for the project with the other members of the group. But sometimes, this can hurt a student’s grade and he should be allowed to work alone if he so desires.

Lastly, BYOD has allowed many students to access texts online and teachers to upload textbook sections online. In many classes, students never even use the textbooks they are required to purchase, costing them hundreds of dollars. The administration may want to review all courses’ required textbooks and determine whether they are truly vital to our education.

They should also determine whether the texts are available online.

The school is wasting families’ money by forcing them to buy textbooks that students could easily do without, especially with the advent of BYOD. This, along with the many other ways suggested of expanding on the BYOD policy, will ensure that our school is visited by positive change not just next year, but for years to come.

Their belief may be the worst effect of JDS’s Hebrew department.

Dividing students into levels encourages those below the top to think of themselves as subpar Hebrew speakers. And yet, when put to a real test, they often thrive.

Perhaps JDS seniors will always seek out English when they can. For when they can’t, JDS does a surprisingly good job of preparing them. If only they knew it.

Sincerely, Jacob Dorn (‘13), former web editor

kehillah • the lion’s tale •

Evaluating Kehillah Responses from survey taken by students on Monday, June 3 Our main goal for the year in Kehillah was to strengthen our community by building relationships. Do you think your Kehillah met that goal? Can you please provide any examples?

Did you find that Kehillah was a good setting for discussing subjects such as bullying or do you think that it is more effective to discuss topics like that in guidance advisory?

“Yup, my Kehillah definitely met that goal. I actually looked forward to Kehillah and spending time with the people in it. It was fun.”

“I think that Kehillah was a great place for us to have discussions. Since we all became friends, we felt comfortable talking about things.”

“I do not think that Kehillah strengthened our community. I think that most people were studying and just messing around during Kehillah.”

“I think it is a better setting as opposed to guidance advisory because it allowed it to be more personal, not just a lecture. We could discuss it easier than we would be able to in a large group.”

“Yes! Just the silly concept of having a Kehillah period has given the school something to bond over. It shows the school is actually making a visible effort to build community, so the students play along.”

Did the number of days (2) in Kehillah and the time (12 minutes) work well? Too much time, not enough time, just enough time? What might work better?

“I think Kehillah would work much better if we had 20-25 minutes. 12 minutes is not enough time to have an in depth discussion.”

“I think having Kehillah once a week and for half an hour would have been much more effective.”

“I honestly think every day would be good. Kehillah splits up the day nicely into two period segments: 1, 2, Kehillah, 3, 4, lunch, 5, 6. Also if we saw each other everyday in a Kehillah-esque environment it would be easier for us to form a real connection instead of feeling like it was a joke or something the school just wanted to put on its resume, which isn’t my opinion but definitely one that is expressed by the students.”

“I feel that it is more effective to discuss the topics in guidance advisory because I feel that the advisors are more of teachers and it is more of a topic for the guidance counselors.”

Do you think that we should keep the same groups next year or create new groups? Why? “Create new groups. We have already become acquainted with our Kehillah members this year, and most of us speak to each other outside of Kehillah.

If new groups were selected, the amount of people in various grades that we become friends with would expand.”

“I think that we should keep the same groups because that way we can continue to build the relationships that we began forming this year, because with a lot of people in my Kehillah, I wouldn’t see them otherwise and then I might not be friends with them anymore.”

“I think we could create new groups to be able to have the same bond that we had this year, only with new people. We could also continue with our groups to continue the bond among students that we had this year.”

03

04

• the lion’s tale • news

photo illustration by Malka HImelhoch

Capturing the target audience Student purchases bolster local businesses by dina rabinovitz copy editor

As the school day ends, students scatter. Some go home, some stay at school, and some head across the street to KosherMart for food and freedom from the CESJDS campus.

Some students only go across the street if they are staying late after school.

“If I’m just at school, I wouldn’t just go [across the street] and get something – I don’t go during lunch – but when I have to be here late I might go with some friends,” junior Sara Kresloff said.

KosherMart gets most of its student business in the evenings, after school. According to KosherMart owner Moti Yitzhaky, this business is especially important because it attracts business from the students’

parents as well.

“Kids come over here and their parents come to pick them up and their parents buy [from KosherMart] probably most of the time when they come to pick up their kids,” Yitzhaky said.

Many students like to go to KosherMart after school for its convenience.

“It’s easy to just walk across the street and have a kosher supermarket,” freshman Elie Katz said.

Moti’s Grill, the restaurant section of KosherMart, has a discount menu for JDS students. Yitzhaky believes these lower prices help attract students.

“We see kids who come over here and ask for the JDS menu,” Yitzhaky said. “… I think it would be a little bit too high for students to

pay full price.”

Because there are only a few stores in the area to which students can easily walk, many students buy from KosherMart because it is their only option for easily accessible kosher food. “[We go] because we’re hungry and there’s not really anywhere else to go,” Kresloff said. “… But it’s the grocery store, so you can get anything.”

Kresloff also views going to KosherMart as a social activity.

“It’s kind of fun … to just walk across the street with a bunch of friends and hang out,” Kresloff said.

“I don’t ever go by myself.”

Sophomore Micah Cowan, on the other hand, tends to go only when his intention is to buy a meal.

“If [other] people go to get

food, I might walk over with them … but never really just to get snacks,” Cowan said.

Not all kosher restaurants are as fortunate as KosherMart. Goldberg’s New York Bagels, a kosher bagel shop in the same shopping center, receives less student business. The shop was once open after school hours but now it closes before the school day ends.

“We have been open ‘til 6 p.m. in the past and, quite frankly, it wasn’t worth it,” owner Dan Keleman said. “We have to have a certain amount of volume. Even for the 10 or 15 [students] that come in for lunch, if that number came in between 3:45 p.m. and 6 p.m., it wouldn’t pay the overhead for keeping the store open during those hours. We’d need … more business for it to make sense.”

Despite its schedule, Goldberg’s still appeals to many because, like KosherMart, it is convenient, quick and kosher.

“You can bring the food back into the building because it’s kosher,” math teacher Sam Smedinghoff said. “... I think Goldberg’s is an attractive option because of that.”

Although Moti’s Grill does not produce as much revenue as the rest of the business, Yitzhaky believes it is important to keep the restaurant in business.

“Moti’s Grill, it’s one part of the business, but it’s also a service to the community [of] people who eat only kosher, and it’s hard to find kosher places so even though we don’t make a lot of money off of it, we’re keeping it for people to have the choice to have kosher food,” Yitzhaky said.

news • the lion’s tale •

Reacting to tragedy

05

Oklahoma tornado latest disaster in devastating 2013 by malka himelhoch news editor

T h is i

s my world, and it has fallen apar t this is the world I grew up in, and whil e

g o vern

ments rise and crumble, I stand on a hilltop, watching, waiting, seeing i t

fall to bricks before my own two eyes. This is

my world, and it struggles under the weight of the thoughts held on it, the thoughts good and bad that

NO ONE w ill ever hear. his T

is m I wi

y w o rl d

an d

s h t h o s e a ro u n d

me

w o u l d u n d erst a n d

h at

t

On May 20, CESJDS was shrouded in an unexpected moment of silence for the sixth time this school year. This time, the Upper School memorialized the victims of the tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., the previous day. The tornado, one of the most devastating on record, killed 24 people, many of them children, and wounded hundreds more.

What set this moment of silence apart from the other commemorations was that it was observed by individual minyans and teachers throughout the building through an announcement from Principal Michael Kay over the loudspeaker, instead of a school-wide assembly.

Dean of Students Roslyn Landy explained that the administration wanted to find a different way to honor those who died in the disaster.

“If we continue to repeat the same type of assembly, it may lose its effect,” Landy said. “We want people to be able to focus on the tragedy that just occurred without thinking that this is just another assembly.”

Sophomore Zoe Orenstein agreed that a smaller scale announcement was appropriate for this situation.

“I think that here, with the Oklahoma tornado, the announcement was appropriate because it gave us a chance to stop and process what was going on,” Orenstein said. “... I wasn’t even aware of this recent tragedy until Dr. Kay’s announcement.”

In his announcement, Kay recited Psalm 121, the same psalm that has been recited at every memorial assembly held this year.

“I think it’s a very positive and hopeful message, which not all the psalms have,” Kay said. “Some of the other psalms, for example, that are often recited during times of tragedy talk about God punishing sinners and all that kind of stuff which I’m just not sure are appropriate. And this one is about looking heavenward, looking to the hills for God to bring us help. It’s a very positive message and to me it’s not a specifically Jewish message. Meaning, it is a Jewish text but I wouldn’t want

to use a text that would make nonJewish members of our community feel excluded.”

Freshman Mark Reichel agreed with the type of commemoration, adding that the school has been addressing this year’s unexpected tragedies well.

“There’s definitely a good balance between reacting too much and [having] a billion assemblies on the same thing and not acknowledging it at all,” Reichel said.

In addition to changes in commemoration, students also reacted differently to the tradgedy.

Hurricane Sandy inspired a powerful response, including an auction selling special activities with teachers, multiple fundraisers sponsored by various grades and Kehillah groups and a collection of items for homeless families in the areas affected by the hurricane. By contrast, there has only been one fundraising opportunity to assist those affected by the Oklahoma tornado.

“I believe there would have been additional fundraising events had it not been so close to the end of the year,” Landy said.

She hopes to improve upon this in the future.

“I would like to bring student leaders and student groups together in the future so that we are a united community and are more effective in our projects and fundraisers,” Landy said.

Kay expounded upon Landy’s line of thinking.

“I think that activities in the school are most effective when people take ownership of them and show passion,” Kay said. “So if there’s a group of students, whatever kind of group it is, who really cares about something and is willing to take ownership of it and put in the effort to do it, I think that’s the best and I admire that.”

Most students agree that unified activism efforts are the best approach and produce better results.

“I think that it would be more effective if we came together as a kehillah and did something together. We are stronger together,” eighth-grader Joseph Gelula said.

it is theirs too.

- J ul i Isa j u n i o ac r

06

• the lion’s tale • chadashot

Israel trip to change, students question decision by evan kravitz online section editor

Just as the Class of 2013 returned from their trip to Israel and Eastern Europe, CESJDS sent out an email informing the community that the senior trip abroad next year will be restructured and sole leadership of the program will be transferred to the Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI).

Students will no longer first travel through Eastern Europe with Claire Goldstein Simmons and JDS staff. Simmons “has been involved with CESJDS since its founding, having served for many years as a Jewish History teacher and Chair of the Jewish History department,” according to the email. Simmons also introduced the Eastern Europe trip and has led it ever since.

Starting next year, seniors will begin their trip in Israel with a historical tour of the land. “[They will] start with the first Temple period and move forward from there and place the context of European Jewish history including, but not limited to, the Holocaust, within its chronological place in history,” Chair of the Jewish History Department and Israel Engagement

Aileen Goldstein said. “[They will be] doing some study of Holocaust, and remembering what it is that they studied here as part of their 10th grade curriculum, and putting it in context there and going to Yad Vashem.”

After the students visit Israel in February and March, they will travel for 8-9 days through Eastern Europe and start their historical tour where they left off. Students will participate in some of the same activities and visit some of the same Holocaust sites, but with AMHSI staff instead of JDS faculty.

Students will then complete their last weeks in Israel with AMHSI in the same manner as students have traditionally done.

According to the email, “[The seniors will] continue their study and engagement, including participation in volunteer period, the Yam L’Yam [Sea to Sea] hike and the Gadna military experience, which are perennially among the most popular elements of the students’ experience in Israel.”

The Class of 2014, which will be the first class to experience the new trip, has mixed feelings concerning the changes.

“I’m really disappointed in the new changes done by the administra-

tion,” junior Jeffrey Blackman said. halfway and do the Poland trip, and will visit Israel first], I think that the Blackman does not believe the then to go back, because it won’t be trip will lose some of its meaning. new trip design will enhance the the first depressing thing.”

The fact that future students lose the historical learning experience for the Liss added that the weather in chance to be impacted with memstudents.

Eastern Europe will be more favorbers of the JDS community is, in my “I feel that the original trip — able later in the program and that opinion, awful.” that is the trip that has been going on students will be more settled in by Among some of the worries for the past decade or so — has been that point. Goldsteinagreed, adding from the community about the new very beneficial to the students’ learnthat students will be more adjusted trip was the adjusted cost. Goldstein ing because assured students and it provides parents that the trip cost “I feel that the original trip — that is the trip them with will remain in reach. the recent “Our absolute expecthat has been going on for the past decade or history of the tation is that [next year’s so — has been very beneficial to the students Jewish peotrip] will be within range learning because it provides them with the ple, because of what one semester recent history of the Jewish people, because it goes from tuition is here at JDS, the terrible which has always been it goes from the terrible acts of the Holocaust acts of the our promise,” Goldstein to the establishment of the Jewish state.”

Holocaust to said.

- junior Jeffrey Blackman the establishDespite some of the ment of the potential setbacks that Jewish state,” Blackman said. to the time difference. the new trip may have to offer, some Blackman added that there David Solkowitz (‘13) is dissatisstudents and faculty generally expect may be logistical problems with the fied with how the school handled the the trip to pan out well. increase in flights next year. trip changes.

“I think after this year we’ll see Nevertheless, some, like junior “Having been to [Eastern Euif we can really tell if it got worse or Jeremy Liss, do not have strong rope and the Holocaust sites] before it really changed that much, but I opinions concerning the changes to Israel, we were able to see that there think now, for all we know, it’s going the trip. was something for the survivors to to be pretty much the same,” Liss “I’m really indifferent,” Liss ‘enjoy,’ so to speak,” Solkowitz said. said. said. “Some people are against it.

“Also, it gave me and many of my Looking at the bright side, I don’t peers a greater appreciation for the really mind having to leave Israel State of Israel. [Since future students

Seniors reflect on time in Israel “Israel was an amazing trip. We explored the country, seeing and doing many different things. We had so much fun. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget.”

- David Schonfeld (‘13)

“The Israel trip was an amazing experience for me because it gave me the chance to really be independent in a different country, away from my parents. I could always be with my friends. Every time I wanted to see them, they were just right around the corner.”

- Annie Schtevie (‘13)

“The Israel trip was one of the best experiences of my life. I had an amazing time bonding with my grade. It was incredible to see Israel for the first time, and being with my friends made it so much more meaningful.”

- Jessica Kamjou (‘13)

“The Israel trip was incredible. It gave me and everyone else a chance to bond with each other and with the State of Israel. I could not be happier to have gone on it with the Class of 2013.

They’re all amazing. ” - Elana Handelman (‘13)

“The Israel trip was an amazing way to connect to both our roots in biblical Israel, connecting to the Patriarchs, as well as finding our share in the modern State of Israel. Learning about Judaism in the place it began, and learning about the conflict while being able to see its physical effects added a whole level of understanding.”

- Joshua Eisdorfer (‘13)

chadashot • the lion’s tale •

07

Color War 2013

photos by Arielle Oppenheimer and David Kulp

Lag BaOmer forgotten in Color War celebrations by mijal altmann and dina rabinovitz reporter and copy editor

At CESJDS, students celebrate holidays with enthusiasm and excitement.

They decorate the halls with Israeli flags for Yom Haatzmaut, scatter the school with dreidels for Hannukah and don costumes for Purim. However, every year, there are a few holidays that fall under the radar.

Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer, is a celebration of the life of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and a commemoration of the day when the students of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying from a plague.

On this day, Jews take a break from mourning the deaths of the students, as they do during the rest of the Omer, and celebrate the joyous occasion with bonfires and barbecues.

Traditionally, JDS holds Color War on Lag

BaOmer to remind students of the holiday. This year, however, Color War was held on May 24, almost a month after the holiday.

Director of Programs and Jewish Life Miriam Stein explained that the way the calendar fell made it more difficult to hold a school-wide celebration. “[Lag BaOmer] was on a Sunday, so there was not even school,” Stein said. “We know that there are other community celebrations.”

Eighth-grader Matthew Kaminow agreed that Lag BaOmer’s date did not make it necessary to celebrate.

“I think either you celebrate it on the day or you don’t really celebrate it at all,” Kaminow said.

“That’s my feeling about most Jewish holidays, and since [Lag BaOmer] was on a Sunday, it would have been kind of hard to celebrate it at school.”

However, JDS still celebrated Purim, which also fell on a Sunday.

“Purim’s a little bit different, because Lag BaOmer, it’s the 33rd day of the Omer, people

stopped dying and that’s great, but Purim, Purim’s more of a festival holiday,” Kaminow said. “… If it’s on Sunday and we don’t get to celebrate it, then it’s kind of like everybody misses out on a festival, so I think we should postpone it.”

Stein added that JDS has to pick and choose which holidays it wants to celebrate in order to keep students interested in the celebrations.

“If we try to plan a big blowout event for everything, we lose some excitement,” Stein said.

Sophomore Talia Gasko disagreed with the school’s decision, saying that Lag BaOmer deserves recognition.

“During Lag BaOmer, [we could] have a small assembly or mention it during Kehillah to remind people to think about it,” Gasko said.

However, not all students are aware of the holiday’s origins, and therefore find no significance in remembering the holiday.

“We don’t need to do anything special because I [along with many others] don’t even know what it is,” freshman Rachel Steren said.

08

• the lion’s tale • in–depth

What’s on your plate?

Get to know the crew • Born: Guatemala • Years working at JDS: 13 • Married with four kids • Likes to take walks and bike rides during the summer

Elmer Vega head chef

“Every day is special and every day I am happy to cook for all of you. It makes me happy to.”

• Born: Dominican Republic • Years working at JDS: 12 • Married with three daughters • Likes to shop, watch TV, read and sing

Yolanda Mejia chef

“It makes me happy when the kids say thank you and write the little notes and give them to us.”

by maddie dworkin and haley lerner in-depth editors

It is Monday morning, and Food Services Director Erik Gilbert is sitting in his office, planning out the next week’s lunches. As he talks to the manufacturers, there are many things he must keep in mind, most notably balance, taste, nutrition and quality.

Balance

Balance, Gilbert says, is fundamental. Not simply financial balance, but balance in the meals themselves.

For this reason, Gilbert has a system that involves rotating different types of foods. Gilbert serves food with lower nutritional value on certain days, and balances them out by serving healthier food on the continuing day. Gilbert calls this type of system a rotation of “A day” and “B day” foods. “A day” food, such as pizza or hamburgers, will often be more appealing to students, while “B day” meals are often healthier. In order to create even more balance within the menu, dessert is often served only on “B days,” rather than on “A days.” According to Gilbert, the goal is to “balance out the pleasure of the meal.”

“If there’s a food that’s healthier, and if I know that you guys might not like it so much, I tend to put the nicer desserts too,” Gilbert said. “I aim to have a certain overall lunch experience [that] is on the higher side.”

Taste

Despite having to take kashrut, allergies, nutrition and price into account, Gilbert puts a priority on taste.

“I am a big believer that if it doesn’t taste good, [students are] going to throw it away,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert is willing to spend the money to enhance students’ lunch experience.

“I’m here to feed you a nice lunch that you enjoy, so taste and quality will trump pricing,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert believes that food tastes best when made from scratch.

“The pasta bolognese we make from scratch, the chicken breast we cook from scratch,” Gilbert said. “I would say 80 percent of the menu is from scratch.”

However, making meals from scratch is often difficult and expensive. Gilbert explained that the two most labor intensive meals are grilled cheese and quesadillas. Quesadillas are especially complicated because they require a long process.

“The fajita vegetables — that’s a lot of vegetables; the peppers and onions to cut up and sautée and just a lot of components to it,” Gilbert said. “And then just making the quesadillas. We make each one by hand — again, that’s 450-500 quesadillas.”

Nutrition

Gilbert strives to create a meal plan that students will not only enjoy, but that is also nutritious. He guarantees that when students walk in the cafeteria there will always be fresh fruit, either apples, oranges or bananas. When in season, he brings in local produce from nearby farmer’s markets.

“I actually pick up the apples,” Gilbert said. “I work with the farmer, I walk through his property either Sundays or at the crack of dawn on Monday mornings.”

Gilbert brings these apples to both the Lower School and the Upper School.

In addition to fresh fruit, vegetables are served with every hot meal, sometimes separately, sometimes mixed into the food.

Dishes such as chicken lo mein and beef stew have a variety of vegetables mixed into them.

“There’s no need to serve vegetables on the side [because] you’re already getting those vegetables with the entrée,” Gilbert said.

Even the juice is purchased based on nutritional value. Juices served in the JDS cafeteria contain no additional sugars or corn syrup — just 100 percent natural juice.

This juice, known as “Juicy Jacks,” is almost unknown on the East Coast.

“Outside of California, we’re the only place serving that product in the United States,” Gilbert said.

Additionally, Gilbert mentioned that he offers only nitrate-free meat and does not serve food with MSG, a potentially harmful flavor enhancer.

He also does not serve high-fructose corn syrup, and would like to increase the amount of meals containing whole grains.

Quality

Gilbert believes that the quality of the food he serves is another important aspect of the lunch program.

One example he likes to give are his chicken nuggets, of which he only buys the Of Tov brand.

“Of Tov is an Israeli brand that has the highest ratio of real meat to filler,” Gilbert said.

Of Tov has a 6:4 ratio of chicken to filler. This means that every one ounce of chicken contains approximately .6 ounces of meat and .4 ounces of filler. Other brands often

in–depth • the lion’s tale • contain more filler than meat. “[Other brands are] reversed — 40 percent meat and 60 percent filler, which makes them less expensive, but then also when you eat them it tastes like you’re eating bread crumbs with “[Preparation-wise, grilled cheese] some sort of myslooks easy. It’s not easy but it’s not tery meat mixed into them,” Gilbert hard. It takes time [to prepare].” said.

Although the Of Tov brand is more expensive, Gilbert believes that quality is more important than pricing.

“If it’s just too expensive, then I won’t do it,” Gilbert said. “But if I’m able to package it together in the

Head Chef Elmer Vega

Chef Maria Lizama “All the vegetables in the salad bar are fresh. We wash them, dry them, then come to cut them. For lunches this year, it takes about three hours.”

Head Chef Elmer Vega “Some [vegetables] come frozen and some are fresh. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to prepare.”

overall program and say I’m able to serve you quality chicken nuggets, then I’ll serve you quality chicken nuggets.”

Gilbert is not interested in entirely processed products. For this reason, items like chicken nuggets are only served once every six weeks.

If he cannot get the fresh food that he wants to serve, Gilbert will rethink his menu.

“I’ll end up doing a menu change if the distributor ends up shorting me what I’m looking for,” Gilbert said. “It does take more work and it is harder to have all these specialty flavors and products than to go with the mainstream, price-pointdriven food.”

Gilbert works with many people in order to ensure that students are served quality food.

“I work with 19 different distributors, which is unheard of in the food business,” he said. “People want to keep their lives simple so they’ll work with five or six different distributors at the most. But I work with 19 because I want certain products and certain quality.”

Head Chef Elmer Vega Chef Maria Lizama “I make my own pesto, all from fresh ingredients. It’s fresh basil, fresh garlic, fresh parsley, olive oil, etc.”

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“The fruit is more easy [to prepare]. It takes maybe 30 minutes.”

10

• the lion’s tale • entertainment

Looking backward, reaching forward Highlights of this year Learning on the ceramics wheel junior Leah Schaperow

I took photography and it was the first art class that I took

Hopes for next year I’m really excited to be in the band again I am hoping to take graphic design eighth-grader Avital Krifcher

This year was the first time I did the play in high school sophomore Zoe Orenstein

Placed 45th at the Junior Olympic Fencing Championships (the annual national tournament)

I’m really sad that Mrs. Pang is leaving, but I’m excited to have a fresh start I’m looking to fence in college, so hopefully I’ll do better at tournaments

junior Daniel Grossman

entertainment • the lion’s tale •

14 years of music and magic

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Shir Madness director Karen Pang leaves CESJDS by gaby pilarski reporter

Since Karen Pang came to CESJDS as a math teacher, Shir Madness, the a cappella choir Pang started, has transformed the musical environment of the school. Now, 14 years later, Pang leaves the school having made a

lasting mark by instilling a love of singing and music in the choir members that extends far beyond school doors.

It all started when, as a math teacher at JDS, Pang realized that the school did not have an a cappella choir.

“[The school] said ‘right now we have no choir,’ and I said, ‘There’s a high school with no choir?’ And I sort of just asked, ‘Can I start a choir?’ And they said, ‘Okay. Sure, if you want,’” Pang said.

Pang started wearing two hats in the JDS community. She taught

math during the day and directed the choir at night. Pang loved her jobs because they allowed her to pursue both of her passions: music and math.

“Teaching at JDS has been my dream job. How many other people get to marry the academic and artsy sides of their personalities so seamlessly?”

Pang wrote in her letter

“You know how people always say, ‘do what you love?’ Well, this job is what I love. I love arranging music. I love working with kids. ... I just love, love, love this school and this choir.”

-choir director Karen Pang

photo by David Kulp

of resignation addressed to the choir members and Director of Arts Education David Solomon.

The choir has grown increasingly popular over the years, beginning with 15 members in 1999 and now reaching 34 members, including this year’s graduated seniors. Pang makes an effort to ensure choir members feel completely welcome to participate and be involved in the choir. She wants to make a choir that both she and they can be proud of.

“Mrs. Pang is exceptional,” freshman and choir member Elie Katz wrote in an email. “She has a way about her that makes everyone who comes into contact with her feel at home and needed.”

Pang’s students appreciate her wisdom and generosity, saying that she has shaped who they are, both as singers and as people.

“Mrs. Pang was a heavy influence on me and helped me to become who I am today,” former choir member Henry Baron (‘12) said in an email. “She taught us how to be attentive while at the same time having fun and enjoying what we do.”

Pang’s enthusiasm is infectious and translates to the stage, where Shir Madness has honed their fun and enthusiastic performance style. “[Pang] is very enthusiastic in everything she does,” freshman and choir member Manny Ozur-Bass said.

Now, after many years building Shir Madness, Pang is leaving in order to spend more time with her family.

Solomon is in the process of choosing her successor. No matter who the new instructor will be, there was a specific energy that Pang brought to the choir that former and current choir members agree is irreplaceable.

“I will really miss Mrs. Pang,” Baron said. “Her lacking presence will definitely be noticed. She was definitely a role model of mine.”

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• the lion’s tale • features

Kay

Michael Kay has been a Judaics teacher, Director of Judaic Studies, and Upper School Principal during his seven years at JDS. Next year, he will become the Head of School at the Solomon Shechter School of Westchester, in New York.

On the biggest changes There may have been a time when the school could survive with a population of families who were dedicated to attending a Jewish school for its own sake, period.

And if there ever was such a time, that time has passed. Every family that makes a commitment to be at this school has a choice to make every single year, and they choose between our school and a whole array of other options, many of which, frankly, are less expensive.

We have to offer a sufficiently wide array of opportunities to attract a variety of different kinds of people in order to build the community I just described. ... It means that we have to give students and families ample space to identify their passions [and] pursue their passions, both inside and outside the classroom.

On the JDS kehillah One [of the biggest accomplishments] is the nature of the community. This is not something that I take responsibility for creating, but I think that anybody who’s involved in the leadership of the school has a role in nurturing it.

I said from the beginning that I think that the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School is a microcosm of the model Jewish community in the world. A community that is defined by what I call ‘interactional pluralism’ or ‘relational pluralism’ — where people who genuinely represent diverse approaches to life, diverse perspectives, diverse belief systems, diverse systems of photo by David Kulp

practice — genuinely open-mindedly learn from one another and have influence on one another.

And I think a lot of Jewish communities aspire to that but we’ve set up mechanisms for it actually to happen here.

I think there’s been a trend in recent years of more and more emphasis on the concept of this community as what really defines this school. Kabbalat Shabbat, Kehillah — all sorts of things. And also, more assemblies, more time for getting together, both in happy times and in sad times, and I think that’s been reflected in the way the school community operates.

On what to take away from his experiences at JDS To the degree that I have been successful, a lot of that is because I’ve tried to prioritize building relationships with individual students, building relationships with families, building relationships with colleagues, and in the role of Head of School that obviously is extended to building relationships with the board, building relationships with the donors and prospective donors. But I think that part of building a community is taking the time to get to know people on an individual basis and I think that we’ve seen that … here, and that’s going to be a major priority of mine.

Another [principle of education of mine] is the importance of transparency in communication.

As school leaders, we sometimes have the pleasure and the privilege of communicating very exciting things, and we sometimes have the responsibility of making decisions that we know will make people unhappy or upset. … I think being clear and transparent in the way that those decisions are communicated is an important attribute and I think that is certainly something that I’ve learned in my time here that I would take there.

The idea of building a strong community and a diverse community is certainly going to be a priority of my leadership [at the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester.] Whether or not the specific mechanisms of doing that look the same as they do there, it’s too early to tell. The same with emphasis on academic excellence and experiential education and breadth of opportunity. I think all three of those things are hallmarks of my own educational philosophy, so they will be there. But, again, exactly what academic excellence looks like and exactly what the elements of experiential education are and exactly which specific opportunities are offered are just going to have to depend on the context there and it’s going to have to be an outcome of a collaborative process.

On one experience that stands out Graduation 2011. It happened to have been my first graduation ceremony as principal, but it also was the first graduation ceremony I attended after the birth of my first child. ... I had been to a number of graduations before, but for the first time I was looking at it through the eyes of a parent. I looked around at the parents of the graduating seniors, and I had this realization that hit me that I bet for these parents it seems like yesterday that their kids were at the age that my kid is now. And those 18 years must go by so quickly. That moment gave me a very different appreciation, first of all for my responsibility as an educator and my responsibility that I have to make sure that those 18 years are a positive, nurturing, productive experience. But also just thinking about it as a parent. What do you want those 18 years to be like for your child since they’re sure to go by so quickly? It just reinforced in me that I have a responsibility to make the school a place that I’d be proud to send my own children. I feel that I have accomplished that and I would be very proud to send my children to this school.

Cannon

features • the lion’s tale •

Jonathan Cannon has been the CESJDS Head of School for the past 12 years. Next year, he will join the Avi Chai Foundation as well as other organizations in the Jewish community.

On looking back on 12 years as Head of School I see having had the opportunity to do this job as a gift. I can’t tell you that every day it was the easiest job in the world — I think it’s probably one of the most complicated jobs — but this school is absolutely amazing. When [my wife and I] first came to interview, and then they offered us the position, part of the driving force of accepting the position was so our children could have an education here and that they could come out like the graduates that we’d met as part of the interview.

On the power of the JDS community We can throw around acceptance and respect and tolerance, but it’s just on a completely different level, it’s on a completely different plane here, which is that you can have someone being very confident in who they are without needing to denigrate somebody else for being who they are, and I can give you a few silly examples. One was on my first Zimriyah when the seventh grade performed. They were lovely and sweet but ... they were challenged for success, whatever the word is. And I’m thinking, ‘in my high school they would have been jeered and booed,’ and well, here, everybody, eighth grade and ninth, 10th, 11th: “Go seventh grade!” They were cheering them on. ... And it’s obvious to everybody here that that’s how you behave, but it’s not at all the case in multiple other schools, and it said something, because that’s not something you’re taught, it’s

something you absorb from the environment in which you find yourself.

I truly believe that what the school does, it’s not just educating over a thousand kids, it could — I know this sounds silly — but it could change the world. The people who graduate this school, if we apply what we’ve learned when we go to college, when we go to our communities, it could change the whole world, because we don’t see the Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, Reconstructionist as a threat, it’s another way of expressing proudly our heritage.

On the JDS kehillah We’ve worked really hard to say it does happen at the school, it should happen at the school, and, where it’s not happening, part of our responsibility is to fix it. And you sit there through a graduation ceremony, sixth grade or seniors, and it’s like, wow, it’s inside of people. When people talk about it, it’s not something they think they’re supposed to say to us, it’s at the core of who they are. It’s respect for one another and ambition. But ambition not to knock out the person next to them, ambition to move everyone up together.

On what to take away from his experiences at JDS There’s some specifics. Energy.

This place buzzes, and that’s one of the things that if a leader in the school can participate with a group of people to create energy and excitement then almost everything follows from there. I don’t know if they’re transferable, our faculty is second to none. They are drivers of the school, and again everyone is so used to our school.

I almost wish we would require every family to go and spend a few weeks at our school and then come back because sometimes you take for granted what you have.

Everyone else in the country — if

you say you go to CESJDS, they say ‘Wow!’ And we’re kind of used to it, but I think if I could take the faculty away from me and put them into multiple Jewish day schools or clone them, I think that would be what I’d want to take away.

If as a school leader you ever stop learning, then you’re not much of a school leader. You have to also be a student, and I have learned so, so much from the people who work with me here, and I’ll be able to take that away and be able to apply it, I’ve learned a lot about things that work and a lot about mistakes that we’ve made. You know nobody here is shy to share with you if they think it can be done differently, and that’s a good sign.

On his next step I’m going to be working with a foundation in New York, the Avi Chai Foundation, which, among other things, is very committed to ... Jewish day school leadership, and I’m going to be leading cohorts of private aspiring Jewish leaders or newly appointed principals through a joint program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where we train them in leadership. During the program, my job is to add a level of Judaic study to the program. ... I’m also going to be separately to that working with a couple of organizations in the Jewish community.

On his future at JDS What I’ve said to [incoming Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus] is that I would love to help in any way he would like me to help, but I’m not going to impose myself on him. But equally I’m a parent.

I’ll be at back-to-school nights.

I’ll do what a parent does. It’ll be interesting. I’ll probably learn as much from that as I’ve learned from anything else. Unlike most seventh grade parents, though, I know my way around the building, so I’ll have an advantage. photo by David Kulp

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• the lion’s tale • features

2 0 1 2 - 2 0 1 3 i n r ev i e w

“I think that BYOD was a good idea. I think that the program will have to continue evolving, as well as the technology in the school, for it to become more efficient and effective in the classrooms, but I think that this year was a very good transition year from a more traditional classroom to a classroom with technology.”

- junior Jason Cohen

“It was really important how JDS decided to kind of lighten the mood and proceed helping and raising awareness for Hurricane Sandy [with the teacher auction], but [at] the same time it was in kind of a light-hearted and spirited manner.” - sophomore Sarah Hirsch

photo provided

by Mirele Davis

“The assembly about the Boston Bombing that we had on Yom HaAtzmaut kind of made the day melancholy, but it brought the school together and it showed us that ... we have to enjoy that day even more to show that bad things can’t really get in the way of good things.”

- sophomore Talia Gasko

Lion’s Tale file photo

“[I] really like that Kab[balat] Shab[bat] is like one big Kehillah meeting.” - junior Hannah Iskow

“It’s a big loss in leadership. [Mr. Cannon and Dr. Kay] really knew how to lead the school and make everything feel together.” - freshman Ilan Blask

“All of us were kind of on a high [because it was Hannukah] and when [the shooting at Sandy Hook] happened no one really knew what to do, and I thought it was really.... cool how [there were people at JDS] doing something to help, and I think that’s something really unique and awesome about JDS. ...

That when something awful happens we are able to come together and try to make it better.”

- sophomore Zoe Orenstein

photos by Alison Kraner and Yael Krifcher

“When you have a good Kehillah it really brings people together, and there are a lot of kehillot that have actually gotten close and become friends and I think that’s a really good thing to hear. I think especially at our school where they’re always stressing community, it’s a really good step toward building friendships between grades.” - junior Sara Kresloff

arrive in school.

8:00 a.m. Minyan begins and then ends a few short minutes later. I wish everyone a meaningful day and not to forget to learn “lots and lots of Torah!”

8:26 or :36 or :46 a.m. Begin teaching Torah to my wonderful and receptive students.

3:45 p.m. Regrettably, I finish my teaching (and learning).

4:35 p.m. I arrive at Starbucks …

I mean home … to a cacophony of voices asking me to “help me” with “my homework.” I keep thinking to myself how strange it is to never ever, ever, ever be finished with homework. I really don’t mind it all that much because the look on their faces when I teach them the nine times table trick with their fingers makes it all worthwhile.

6:00ish p.m. We sit down to dinner. … Except for those who can’t fit at the table because another

child is taking their place.

7:15 p.m. “Shluffy (sleep) Time” begins for the little ones! Now starts all of the requests that are critical when it comes to sleep time. Can I have a glass of water, a new blanket, a toy to defend myself against a sibling?

7:20 p.m. My children believe that my back suddenly transforms into a train which is able to carry any weight necessary. I find myself making the appropriate sounds which normally emanate from our Thomas the Train model. Shema is recited with each one along with the sacred and religious activity of back scratching and they are lulled to sleep … not! For the next two hours I am catching them and bouncing them back to their rooms!

7:45 p.m. I go to shul with my son to daven Minchah and Ma’ariv.

8:00 p.m. Try to get some school-

work done.

8:02 p.m. Realize that I can’t.

10:30 p.m. Insist that it’s time for my older kids to go to sleep.

10:31 p.m. My older kids explain to me how unfair it is to have a bedtime now that they are teenagers. This goes on until they actually go to sleep an hour-and-a-half later.

11:00 p.m. I make the lunches for the kids; three junkie snacks, one healthy snack, one drink and one sandwich (it has been cream cheese for the past 15 years … talk about variety).

11:30 p.m. Sit down and try to talk with my wife.

12:00 a.m. Put my head on the pillow hoping that no one will wake up for at least an hour. Then it all starts over again at 2:00 a.m.

A TS

OF

ND LO

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2:00 a.m. I awake to my child knocking on the door when she feels the need to let me know that she’s going to the bathroom. ... I give her my blessing.

6:00 a.m. The thought of waking up and joining my wife and son for a brisk morning walk crosses my mind for a millisecond, but I soon realize that this would mean leaving my lonely covers unattended, so I quickly close my eyes again and congratulate myself on my responsible decision.

6:30 a.m. I get up on my own after my wife wakes me up.

7:00 a.m. Load up my bags with everything that I should have packed up the night before.

7:10 a.m. Leave the house after the sacred “Goodbye, I love you” ritual ends and set out on my way to Starbucks … I mean school.

7:45 a.m. (Just in case any administrators are reading this) I

LO

A Day in the Life of Rabbi S ater

TO RAH photo illustration

by R’ay Fodor and Yael Krifcher

sports • the lion’s tale •

Varsity volleyball: more than just a team by aaron boxerman copy editor

The story of the CESJDS boys volleyball team is a classic sports story: when the current juniors were in eighth grade, the team endured a nightmare of a season, without winning a single game. In ninth grade, the team returned with a vengeance, determined to improve, yet still did not win a game. Slowly, steadily, they remade themselves into one of the top teams in the league, culminating this year with a loss in the semifinals. Now, after more than three years with the team, juniors reflect on their experiences and hopes for its future.

“We have made the CESJDS boys volleyball program a legitimate sports program that will be remembered as one of the most legitimate CESJDS sports teams in CESJDS history.”

- Ilan Goldstein

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“It was a great experience. ... It was great that we were able to come back from losing every single game to winning the first round of the playoffs. I’m going to miss it very much next year, and I hope that the volleyball program will continue on.”

- Dean Shilo

“I will legitimately miss this team.”

-Andrew Siegal

“The boys varsity volleyball team was a great experience. Going from a no-win team to the third seed taught me sportsmanship and the value of hard work.” - Eric Sayag

“I’m really happy to have played, and I was really happy to see us get to the semifinals.”

- Benjamin Shemony (not pictured)

“We went from being a group of awkward seventh-graders who didn’t know how to play to a family of experienced volleyball players.”

- Alex Flum* “Being with this team was amazing, and watching us go from nothing on up was a great experience. Hopefully, the freshmen can continue the legacy.” - Jacob Borenstein

Smolin Tips How to Stay in Shape Over the Summer -Eat right -Sleep well -Alternate days running, swimming and biking -Rest every other day, if necessar y -Exercise slowly for long periods of time rather than quickly for a short amount of time

*Editor’s note: Alex Flum is the web editor-in-chief for Lionstale.org

sports • the lion’s tale •

Summer Sports Athletes use summer to improve skills and compete

by robbie belson reporter

Freshman Ilan Blask

For every athlete, the offseason plays a pivotal role in developing skills and training for the coming year. Once students are relieved from the school-year stresses, the summer provides a great opportunity to focus exclusively on their love for sports.

Freshman Ilan Blask will spend part of his tennis offseason by competing in the JCC Maccabi Games in Orange County, Calif.

Maccabi will not only help prepare him for next year’s CESJDS varsity tennis team, but also help him gain experience playing opponents from all over the country.

“The summer is very important to my development as an athlete,” Blask said. “...

In the summer I have more time to train and improve.”

Some students plan to showcase their talents at the highest stages in national tournaments other than the Maccabi games. After being awarded Most Valuable Player this year in the PVAC, sophomore Ben Lieberman will devote his summer entirely to golf. In addition to his daily workouts, he will compete in the US Junior qualifier, the United States Amateur

Junior Keera Ginsburg

Tournament qualifier, and many state tournaments. Planning ahead, Lieberman constructed a daily 12-hour schedule devoted exclusively to improving his skills not only as a golfer, but as an athlete as well.

For Leiberman a normal day will involve a rigorous training schedule. He will wake up at either 5:00 or 5:30 and do 40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. After that, he will do 40 minutes to an hour of “lifting, body weight, and core exercises” according to Lieberman. After having breakfast, Lieberman will “head over to Lakewood [Golf Course] at 8:30, hit some balls until 10:00, chipping, pitching and putting until 11:30, go play 9 holes” and then eat lunch. Following that, he will “hit balls

for another hour, [work on his] short game for another two hours, play another nine holes, and then get picked up.”

With this rigorous training schedule, Lieberman has learned to value the benefits of his offseason training.

“One of the most important parts of the summer is you learn your boundaries and limits and you try to push them,” Lieberman said. “The summer really proves to yourself that you can do it, and really reinforces to me that I can work hard and get results.”

For students like junior Keera Ginsburg, the summer consists of no competitions, but rather an emphasis on preparation for the collegiate level.

“During the summer, gymnasts have a non-competitive

season, which is sort of an off-season where we don’t have competition,” Ginsburg said. “... I am focusing on college gymnastics skills and making my recruiting videos.”

Ginsburg described the summer as an ideal get

away from many of the stressors in life.

“Summer practice is a lot tougher physically and mentally because we are working on building up stamina and endurance, but also trying to go for newer, scarier skills we are not used to, which is a challenge,” Ginsburg said. “I like summer practice because it really brings out the toughest in everyone and really shows who is there to work and who is not.”

Sophomore Ben Lieberman

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