Volume 36 Issue 1

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The Lion’s Tale

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Volume 36 Issue 1

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August 28, 2018

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CESJDS

the lion’s tale

Argentina recap, pg. 02

Stress management, pg. 08

Athletic director profile, pg. 10

news 02

the lion’s tale

News Briefs Aug. 30, Sept. 6 Back to School Nights Middle school parents will have the opportunity to spend a night at school and meet with their children’s teachers on Thursday, Aug. 30. High school parents will have the same chance a week later, on Sept. 6.

Sept. 4-5 High School Musical Auditions High school students will be able to audition for this year’s musical, “Mamma Mia.” Call backs will be held on Sept. 6.

Sept. 5-7 School Pictures Grades 6-11 will have school pictures.

Sept. 18 Pre-ACT test Sophomores will take the preACT on the morning of Sept. 18.

All other students will have a half-day in preparation for Yom Kippur, which is on Sept. 19.

Administration aims to make new textbook policy convienent, cost-effective addie bard managing editor,copy New for the 2018-19 school year, CESJDS will provide schoolowned textbooks for the students, which they will use for the year and return in June. This policy is a shift from previous years, when parents were provided a list of all necessary textbooks and materials for classes and purchased them themselves.

The new policy was announced on Jan. 29, as part of an annual email that goes out to parents regarding tuition for the upcoming school year.

With the new approach, JDS families will pay an additional fee, which is added to tuition, for textbooks.

The annual fee is $250 for sixth-graders through juniors and $125 for seniors because they only complete one semester of school.

According to Director of Instructional Technology Ginger Thornton, the annual fee was calculated by determining the number of textbooks JDS still needs to purchase and the number of students who will need them.

“Families who I spoke to directly, which is a small sample of all families, who relayed to me amounts that they were spending on textbooks and other things, those amounts were definitely higher than the fee

we are charging,” High School Principal and Associate Head of School Dr. Marc Lindner said.

Generally, the new system has received positive feedback and has been something that parents have been advocating for years, according to Lindner. Susan Stillman, a JDS parent, supports this new policy. She said that a $250 fee is significantly cheaper than what she had paid in the past for books.

“I think it’s great ... getting your own books is a huge expense and a huge stressor,” Stillman said.

From Thornton’s experience, the only criticism the new policy has received was regarding the inability to pass textbooks down to younger siblings or friends. Those who mentioned that to her, however, also said that they understand the change in policy.

“There is nothing that we are able to do to account for it,” Lindner said. “The only thing that I would say is if an older sibling had a textbook and it was the same exact one that was being used that current year by a younger sibling, there would be an extra book at home.”

In hopes of making the process more economical for families with older children, JDS held a textbook buyback in June. The school has held

buybacks in previous years, where families could sell their textbooks back to Follett, the company who formerly distributed JDS’ textbooks to families. In the most recent buyback, families sold their books back to the school to be used for future years.

Stillman took advantage of the buyback and sold as many copies of books as she could. Because she has older children, she had many copies of books and felt “caught in the middle” in regard to the shift in policy.

Because these textbooks are school-owned, students will be more restricted in handling and using the books. Students will not be allowed to highlight or annotate directly into books, which is a significant deviation from the past. Thornton, a former English teacher, understands the benefits of annotating but proposes Post-it note annotations instead.

“A lot of people now teach annotation using Post-it notes; I know at our lower school we do that a lot,” Thornton said. “People already do that because then it is easier to change the annotations and once you write something in a book it is there for life. And this way there is a little more fluidity and control of that.”

Post-it note annotations, however, are not preferred for all students. Senior Ari Gershengorn prefers writing directly in his book, and because of that, plans on using his older brother’s, alumnus Caleb Gershengorn (‘17), books.

“I think that a big part of the English curriculum should be being able to engage with the material and part of that is annotating,” Gershengorn said. “The fact that we can’t write in our books anymore feels like it makes it harder for me to learn. [Post-it note annotating] is not the same.”

In addition to keeping books unmarked on the inside, JDS is taking measures to increase the life of textbooks and preserve their external conditions. To do so, all textbooks will be covered with either cloth covering or paper, and smaller books will have a clear plastic shield.

“I think you can’t make everybody happy but I still think [the new policy] is worth it because there is no guarantee that your kids all use the same books, so I still think it is great for uniformity and ease ultimately for the parents,” Thornton said.

Sept. 21 Course Change Deadline Sept. 21 will be the last day that students can change their classes. Students can fill out add-drop forms in order to change courses prior to this day.

Spanish students explore Argentina

compiled by amelia davidson and izzy may photos courtesy of deby kijak

For breaking news and school coverage, check out lionstale.org or scan the code below.

On June 17, ten CESJDS students departed for a week-long trip to Argentina, alongside Spanish teachers Deby Kijak and Dr. Silvia KurlatAres. The group stayed in Buenos Aires, visited various attractions in the city and learned about Judaism in Argentina.

Above: JDS students pose with students from the Tarbut school in Argentina. "The take away [of staying with the Argentine familes] for me was that even if we live so far away, we have more in common than we think," senior Seth Eisenstein said.

Right: JDS students visit the oldest synagogue in Buenos Aires. A significant portion of the students’ tour of Buenos Aires focused on Jewish sites, which senior Sophia Sadikman said “was really informative and beneficial to me.”

compiled by amelia davidson and izzy may

news the lion’s tale

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Registration, revamped

Four new courses added for 2018-2019 school year compiled by matthew rabinowitz

Hebrew Literature: Hebrew Novel ADV This course, offered to seniors as an alternative to sequentially-levelled classes, is similar to an English course in the sense that students will have the opportunity to analyze different pieces of Hebrew literature, according to High School Principal and Associate Head of School Dr. Marc Lindner.

“Obviously the level of Hebrew required is going to be extensive and I think part of what they’re looking to do is to have students not just learning the Hebrew language but actually engaging in a learning process with the Hebrew language exclusively and studying literature,” Lindner said.

American Film The course catalog explains that this elective teaches students the history of film in America. Examples of this are different genres, directors, vocabulary and techniques.

“In the arts department, we’d love to grow a film program and so step one is having a film course where students can watch and talk about and learn about some of the great works of American cinema. Debra Herman Berger Director of Arts Education Dr. David Solomon said. "So students will be video blogging in this class their responses to the films.”

According to Solomon, CESJDS used to have an American Film class in its English department that focused on the lingual and analytical components of film rather than “creative expression.”

21st Century American Identity Required for seniors starting next year but currently an elective for the class of 2019, the course will focus on teaching students how to critically analyze modern American history that some U.S. history courses do not cover.

“This is designed to give students the context that informs who they are,” History Department Chair Mark Buckley said. “At this age coming through high school, students are developing their own identities, they’re trying to figure out where they fit in the world ... and the best way to do that is to understand where the history and context that their existing in came from.”

Robotics and Engineering Due to popular demand, this class is the continuation of JDS’ Robotics and Robotics Workshop classes and requires either one of those classes as a prerequisite or the permission of a STEM teacher. According to former STEM organizer and current Director of Instructional Technology Ginger Thornton, more complex robotics instruments will be used.

The class will have a close connection with JDS’ robotics club which will be participating in the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition this year.

“We were looking for a class that we could add that would be a little more engineering and sort of compliment the computer, science and coding stuff that we were offering but also have a little more structural engineering and some of that kind of stuff in it,” Thornton said. photo by addie bard Students will have the ability to build robots such as the ones pictured in the new elective course.

opinion 04

the lion’s tale

the

lion’s tale

editors-in-chief aliza rabinovitz, kate sosland managing editor, copy addie bard design editor jessie lehman copy editor alex landy news editors amelia davidson, izzy may opinion editor ben robinson, asst. matthew rabinowitz in-depth editor sara sporkin, asst. oren minsk features editors sabrina bramson, rebecca weiss sports editor devira friedman, asst. sophia miller style editor shira godin, asst. daphne kaplkan multimedia editor lily daroff editorial cartoonists beyla bass reporters josh diewald, jesse edberg, ilana kaplan, sally rogal, irit skulnik, corrine zlotnitzky staff adviser jessica nassau adviser emerita susan zuckerman Editorial and Ethics Policy As the student newspaper of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, The Lion’s Tale is a public 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.

As US turns away refugees, we must take a stand After World War II, the United States faced a moral crossroads. In 1933, the Roosevelt administration had refused to allow a ship with 900 Jewish refugees to dock at American shores, instead sending it back to Germany. In the same year, Congress ignored a bill that would have admitted an additional 20,000 Jewish children from Germany. Would this country then continue to close its doors to the desperate, or reclaim our position as a moral beacon among nations?

Until recently, we had mostly chosen the latter course. Under U.S. leadership in 1948, the United Nations established that “everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”

Since then, more refugees have found a home in the U.S. than in any other nation.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, however, declared in June that foreign victims of gang and domestic violence will no longer qualify for asylum in the U.S. For the most part, only victims of government-perpetrated violence will be accepted.

This change will affect tens of thousands of Central American refugees who are fleeing in unprecedented numbers because their

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 advertisements. 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.

cover design and photos, back cover design and photos by jessie lehman

About nine out of ten asylum seekers that have no lawyer lose their cases, while nearly half of those with one win, according to the New York Times.

There is a notion that refugees burden the country because they rely too heavily on government benefits. Though that is usually true during their first years in the country, refugee families tend to have strong, long-term upward economic trajectories. According to the New York Times, on average, refugees pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits by their fifth year in the U.S. They have high employment and entrepreneurship rates—13 percent in 2015, compared to 9 percent among U.S. born residents, according to a New American Economy report. This strengthens their new communities and makes refugees a worthwhile investment for our country’s economic health.

Jews have a cultural memory of having been “strangers” or “aliens”

My journey from MCPS to CESJDS

Some material courtesy of American Society of News Editors/ TNS Campus School Newspaper Service. All other contents copyright of The Lion’s Tale. All rights reserved.

Submissions may be emailed to jdslionstale@gmail.com, mailed to The Lion’s Tale or brought to room 320.

governments fail to protect against rampant organized violence. Sessions’ decision further constrains an asylum system that let in just one in every eleven applicants in 2016. It undermines the reason the system was created in the first place: to protect those with legitimate fears of returning to their countries.

The United States’s immigration courts are indeed overcrowded, but while the number of illegal border crossings decreased during the first few months of Trump’s immigration crackdown, they returned to Obama administration levels by this past December. Coming to the U.S. is often a last resort for refugees, so they will make the trip regardless of how likely they will be deported.

The proper response to the Central American refugee crisis is to bolster the immigration courts, giving each asylum applicant the fair and thorough trial they lawfully deserve. That’s a tall order, but it starts by easing the case load on immigration judges by appointing more. Sessions recently required that judges handle at least 700 cases a year, which makes it all but impossible to carefully consider evidence for each. Each asylum seeker should also receive legal assistance.

josie stein guest writer My backpack was meticulously organized. I carefully selected my outfit and laid it out the night before. As I walked through the main doors, I was both eager and anxious. It was my first day of freshman year at a completely new school.

I transferred to CESJDS in 2016 after attending Eastern Middle School, a humanities magnet program in Silver Spring. I wasn’t particularly religious and was getting a superb education, so why

would I have wanted to leave? Any student who has transferred to JDS could answer this same question, but everyone’s answer would be unique.

I had attended academically-accelerated magnet programs since third grade, where there was immense academic pressure and competition. The stress of such an environment wore me out, and the thought of spending high school there scared me. I could have attended Richard Montgomery High School, my district school, but it also houses one of the county’s most competitive magnet programs. I couldn’t bear the thought of attending as a normal student while seeing my friends at the magnet school.

Then I remembered JDS, a school I was already familiar with because my father worked as the Director of Alumni Relations for several years. I knew I loved the school and thought I would thrive

in such an environment, so after months of discussion my parents, I enrolled for freshman year.

I faced a complete academic culture shock upon starting at JDS. I was used to coasting by in huge classes before, but all of a sudden teachers were giving me personalized attention. For the most part, teachers in my public schools only talked to students to deliver criticism or to reprimand them. At JDS, I learned that teachers are my advocates and that they all want what’s best for me.

While I did learn to ask them for help, the teachers at JDS brought out my own academic shortcomings. In public school, I did mediocre work and no one called me out. Now, though, teachers thoroughly evaluated my work and often told my parents and counselors when I struggled.

This new educational environment forced me to pinpoint the source of my struggles, which is

cartoon by beyla bass

ourselves, fleeing from one country to another because of persecution.

Much of the fearful, anti-immigrant rhetoric today mirrors what was used against Jews in years past.

Jews would not have survived to the present day, though, if other nations had not granted us asylum. As our country neglects refugees, we must stand for them, whether through charity, the ballot, or reminding others of our shared moral obligations.

-The Lion’s Tale when my biggest personal development occurred. I was evaluated and diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety and depression, and was given extended time accommodations. I also started meeting with a therapist regularly to help me navigate all these changes. Though the first semester of ninth grade filled me with stress, after I got my mental health in check, my grades improved and I became more social.

These past two years have been a long journey for me, but it is not over. I left public school to escape the intense pressure and competition, but both are prevalent to an extent at JDS. I still need to improve my grades and become more organized, but compared to where I was before JDS, I am thriving. Looking back to my first day here, I can’t help but admire the progress I’ve made and remain driven as I move into junior year.

opinion . the lion’s tale

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New definition of activism: path of understanding

kate sosland editor-in-chief In a field of unkempt grass that seemed to go on forever, I stood hand in hand with my black and Jewish peers singing freedom songs.

I was in Anniston, Ala., honoring the Freedom Riders’ bravery. There was nothing next to us except a sign that indicated that this was the site of the bombing of a Freedom Rider bus, which traveled across the segregated south to test the Supreme Court ruling that banned segregation on interstate highways, on May 14, 1961. The sign itself had recently been torched. Drivers rushing down the nearby highway were honking at our circle. I felt

uncomfortable. Exposed.

I take part in Operation Understanding D.C., a cross-cultural social justice program that brings together black and Jewish teenangers who work to obliterate all forms of hate. OUDC is a year-long program split into three parts: we learn about Jewish and black history and culture, travel to the Deep South for two and a half weeks and then share our experiences and knowledge with our communities.

The courage, patience and heroism that I learned about in the Civil Rights Movement has taught me a new definition of activism. Before I took part in OUDC, I experienced activism by attending rallies on Washington and screaming chants with a sea of people. This, to me, felt like the only way I could really show up. When I am part of something big like those marches, I feel empowered, activated to do something. Yet after returning from popular protests, I question my impact. OUDC has helped me realize that activism is so much more than just passion-

ately yelling at massive demonstrations. I have to think. I have to feel. I have to take action. Activism to me is standing up for my values through monetary and physical action, large or small. It is actively learning and unlearning every day.

When I stood up in Anniston, I was an activist. I channeled the courage of the Freedom Riders. I felt the drivers honking at me. I felt the fear of being isolated in a town far from anything I knew. Just by standing there, against that fear, I took action.

While we as Jews have a long history of oppression, we cannot let this past be an excuse for complicity.

Rabbi Joachim Prinz spoke before Dr. King at the March on Washington. He said, “The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.”

As Jews, we speak proudly of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marching with MLK or Julius Rosenwald creating freedom schools for black children. Yet we ignore

the actions of other Jews, like those who stood amongst a mob of Klan members as fire rained down and irons pipes shattered the activists’ bus windows that fateful day in Anniston. I feel ashamed by their actions and betrayed by the silence of this story.

This summer, I gained a new sense of responsibility to be an active ally to the black community. It is not enough to learn about the acts of figures such as Heschel and Rosenwald, but rather we must stand on their shoulders to eradicate all forms of bigotry, including our own.

Resistance is not always easy and not always glorious. I had the honor of meeting Georgette Norman, the former director of the Rosa Parks Museum, whose mother provided alternative transportation for Montgomery bus boycotters.

Norman’s mother could have been killed for her selfless actions and yet she is still not shown in a museum.

She did not stand up for the attention or the glory. Rather, she leapt out of her comfort zone to make

a difference. Our generation can follow in her footsteps, whether on a large or small scale.

While at times on my journey I felt helpless, I ended up hopeful and proud. I embodied activism as I held hands with the same friends at the Equal Justice Initiative Lynching Memorial, and recited Jewish, Muslim and Christian prayers to honor the thousands of women and men who were brutally lynched in America. In the midst of so much hatred, it was a beautiful moment of coexistence and resistance.

Activism is indeed going on a march, but it's also telling a friend that it is unacceptable to sing along to racist expletives or to make fun of someone’s culture. It’s productively conversing with someone who has contrasting views. It’s standing up in the face of fear. Activism is so much more than a single action, it’s a lifelong commitment to growing and learning. Every day, we can all be bold activists.

Senior Kate Sosland stands with her OUDC friends at an art museum, Exhibit BE in New Orleans. They stayed in the city for three days.

OUDC members smile as they arrive in Alabama. The group spent two and a half weeks traveling the Deep South together.

Classmates stand outdoors in beautiful Alabama weather. They visited the Equal Justice Initiative Museum and Memorial during their stay in Montgomery, Ala.

The 21 members of OUDC stand proudly on the steps of the Alabama state house. They gathered at the same place as Martin Luther King, Jr. did during his speech concluding the march from Selma to Montgomery.

The OUDC class stands in front of the grave sites of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. This memorial is located in Atlanta at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.

Class members gather together outside the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth and Reconciliation. Selma, Ala. was a focal location of the Civil Rights Movement.

photos by kate sosland

in-depth 06

the lion’s tale

The long process behind making CE aliza rabinovitz editor-in-chief Two months into each school year, while students are still adjusting to a new set of teachers, textbooks and assignments, the administration begins building next year’s schedule.

Every November, teachers and administration start discussing what courses they will offer and whether there should be any changes made to the schedule. These can include classes to add or to retire, either for capacity reasons or if a teacher is leaving. Then, in December or January, the administration will create a course tally form for students to show their interest in courses.

According to CESJDS database manager Lamont Segears, the tally “gives a good indication of how popular the class will be with students” and helps the administration determine the number of sections of each class to offer.

“It is by no means written in stone, and things shift dramatically between that and registration,” Dean of Academics Aileen Goldstein said.

Around February, the administration will then finalize what the offerings are. Goldstein said that deciding which courses to offer must balance student interest and choice with teacher abilities.

“Our teachers are fabulous and are capable of doing amazing things in the classroom, but they can only do amazing things if it’s within reason,” Goldstein said. [The process of picking what class options work best is] like a science and an art all at once; it’s a dance you do.”

In the winter, students will be called into grade-wide meetings and given at-a-glance sheets or worksheets to showcase the classes that will be offered the following year while reminding them of their requirements. This way, Goldstein said students can make informed layouts of their ideal schedules.

The next step is level placement, which for incoming sophomores, juniors and seniors will be sent out in March. Incoming freshmen receive their placements in May, in order to see a more complete scope of their year’s development.

Once students have formed their ideas about the classes they would like to take, they meet with their guidance or college counselor and finally submit their registration.

When students return from spring break, Goldstein and other administrators will look at the actual numbers of registration and determine how many sections of each course there be necessary.

After a more concrete course list is created, department chairs

NOV. The administration discusses which courses should be offered the following year

“figure out who they’d like to teach ule because they are most difficult to administration will also consider the male-female ratio of classes if possithe class in an ideal world, and who arrange.

According to Segears, in the ble. their second choice would be,” GoldFall semester seniors get pri“build” section, the computer puts stein said.

Teacher requests have to take the classes together and creates an ority in choosing their Judaic and into account their workload and initial schedule, a kind of board with elective classes, according to Goldnumber of responsibilities. When teachers listed horizontally and pe- stein, because the younger students the middle school and the high riods listed vertically. The “load” sec- will have more opportunities to take school were combined, there was tion places students into the sched- them. On the other hand, classes such as Journalism I, Kinesiology and more flexibility with the schedule ule.

Afterward, administrators edit Athletic Training tend to be underbecause teachers were working across divisions. Now, in most de- students’ schedules depending on classmen-dominated, so they work partments, there are only four teach- intricacies such as Judaic require- better with their schedules. Most of ers, which makes accommodating ments specific to grade level. The the time, though, priorities are fluid.

While the administration will teacher capacity more of a concern first part of the schedule checked are work hard for students’ first and an increasingly difficult task.

“I don’t think students realize it when choices, sometimes it is impossible to fit that in with the Segears inputs the it comes to not being able to get schedule. If a students’ core course offerings into PowerScheduler, which something that they want how many class conflicts with the only of their first choice elecis part of the adminishours everyone puts into everything.” period tive, the student will have to trator portal of Powertake their alternate.

School. Segears will give - guidance counselor “The reason why we ask higher priority to gradurachel soifer students to choose alternates ation requirements, and and be thoughtful about choosthen “work around the ing alternates is that there’s no courses that aren’t required for graduation later on down the requirements, followed by Juda- guarantee that you’re going to be able to get the exact course that you ics classes and lastly by electives. the line,” he said.

Factors considered other than want,” Segears said. “With your core The preference form for each class includes information on how requirements, student choice and courses, yes, we’re going to make many credits the course is, what de- teacher capacity include balanced sure you get those, but there’s no partment offers it, the target num- classes. If there are six students in guarantee with those other courses, ber of sections and what periods it one section of a course and twenty and so we need alternates in order can fall in. Segears said that Judaics in the other, the administration will to be able to build a schedule where classes and classes that only have try to manipulate that manually to you’ll have a course each and every one section tend to drive the sched- get a more even distribution. The period.”

DEC. JAN. Students participate in a course tally to express interest in classes

FEB. The administration finalizes the course offerings for the next year

in-depth the lion’s tale

07

ESJDS student and faculty schedules Editing The schedule is fixed and rerun many times, moving classes around and seeing how students are affected by the change. Each time the schedule loads, the program calculates how many students schedules are a success, meaning that they have all their classes.

This manipulation is done mostly by Segears and Head of College Counseling Sue Rexford. Once they are comfortable with the schedule, they turn the schedule back to the department chairs. Department chairs can change the teachers for specific classes, but not teacher load or where each class falls in the schedule.

When the schedule is finalized depends on the year, but is overall a long process. To make the manipulation easier, the administration tries to account for where student changes are most likely and lay out the initial schedule accordingly. Goldstein said it is common for students to adjust their math or Hebrew levels, but uncommon to change around a Spanish level.

“If we can offer pre-calc accelerated and pre-calc advanced in the same period, we will,” Goldstein said.

“We try to anticipate that and build it in so it doesn’t have the domino effect [on the rest of the schedule].”

Seagers believes one of the

most significant challenges with the high school schedule is the amount of choice. In comparison to choosing levels in many classes and having the option to double in a subject, in the middle school schedule, Goldstein said there are fewer leveled classes and fewer elective choices. There can be periods for “science” or “English,” which are significantly easier to work around.

To best accommodate student choice, schedules are reviewed at least once by a counselor. Guidance counselor Rachel Soifer said that their first job is to double check for requirements and then to make sure everyone has at least one of his or her first-choice electives.

Since Soifer meets with her students before registration, she has a good sense of their course load preferences and what their priorities and goals are.

“When I’m looking at their schedule, I generally have a sense of what’s most important to them and what has a little bit of give,” Soifer said.

If a student is especially interested in one elective, Soifer might make sure they have that course, even if that means they do not have their other three first-choice electives. For another student, though, three preferable electives and one okay elective is a better option than

one that they love.

Soifer sees student choice as a priority and will reach out to students over the summer if there are extenuating circumstances and their schedule cannot work in a way they like.

“I don’t think students realize it when it comes to not being able to get something that they want how many hours everyone puts into everything,” Soifer said. “For example, if I have a student who I know really wants a particular course, and that course is offered a period where they can’t take it, I might go through, there might be, say, twelve or fifteen kids in it, and might go through all fifteen kids to see if I can move them out to a different period to see if it can work for that one student.”

Feedback Despite the effort given to following student choice, there are some students, such as senior Liam Shemesh, who did not receive their optimal schedules. Shemesh, along with many other students, found his schedule earlier than the first day of school by manipulating the link on the student view of the PowerSchool website.

He had previously had many meetings with his guidance counselor, college counselor and the school administration in order not to take

a science class senior year, as he had fulfilled his science requirement for the state by taking two sciences in tenth grade. Although PowerSchool required him to submit a science elective, his guidance counselor worked with him to make sure that he would not take a science. His schedule, however, showed he was enrolled in Genetics and Biotechnology.

“Everyone had the understanding that I did not have to take a science, and I’m still being given a science, which is more meetings for me that I have to go through on the first few days to get out of taking a science, and that’s just really frustrating because it’s also really inconvenient for the teacher because now I’m going to roll up the first day of school to her class that I’m not taking,” Shemesh said.

Because Shemesh found out his schedule through the PowerSchool leak, which has since been shut down, and not through a more official source, he does not plan to take action until the first day of school.

Shemesh said he understands why schedules are withheld until the first day of school, because of all the changes that students would want to make, but said it is frustrating to not be able to resolve the problem yet.

In general, Shemesh also feels that it is important for students to

know their schedules and the courses that they are taking in advance of arriving on Aug. 28.

“I think it’s nice to be prepared.

If you know what you have ahead of time, you know what to get. At this point in time in high school, the supply list that JDS sends out doesn’t help me at all. It’s all about what individual teachers I have and what individual classes I have because by now I’ve had most of the teachers, and I understand what they need, and I understand what I need for their classes, but now you can’t really do any of that,” Shemesh said. “If you didn’t see your schedule ahead of time, you can’t really deal with any of that, and now after the first day of school you have to go school shopping which is ridiculous.”

According to Segears, although scheduling difficulties may happen, when the schedule is finalized a majority of students will have many of their top choices. Although it would be nice to give all students their ideal schedules, due to the more substantial number of options and the small number of sections for some courses, this is not entirely possible.

“We want to offer choice; we want to make sure that choice is there, so we try to just build the optimum schedules based on what we have,” Segears said.

MARch

aPRil

MAY

Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors receive their level placements

Students register for their preferred courses

Incoming freshman receive their level placements

features 08

the lion’s tale

Keep stress in check shira godin contributing editor With stress levels high at CESJDS, starting this school year, two new policies are being implemented to decrease student stress. Phones will be put in the back of classrooms to limit distraction and the anxiety resulting from it, and students will not be allowed to ask questions during tests.

“Our experience has shown us that the more questions you ask, the more anxious you become,” Dean of Students Roz Landy said.

However, as this has not been implemented in past years, students have other means of reducing their stress.

During the months of April and May of 2018, senior Daniel Morgan ran himself ragged. Between BBYO, school work, standardized testing, AP testing, the college process and running his own charity campaign, Morgan was stressed out.

“I got to the point where I was

overworking myself,” Morgan said.

“That was hell.”

To manage his stress, Morgan made lists and broke everything he needed to do down into a more manageable order. This allowed Morgan to avoid getting overwhelmed by his amount of work and to feel more in control.

“I think really laying out your work instead of just thinking about what you have to do is important,” Morgan said.

Upper School nurse Heather Greenblum agrees that Morgan’s stress relief methods are healthy ways to manage anxiety. As a health professional, she recommends exercising and getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night.

“Students who are under a lot of pressure do not realize how important sleep is,” Greenblum said. “You are just not going to perform as well if your body is exhausted.”

Last school year, mental health awareness was a major focus at JDS. From starting clubs to organizing

assemblies, students took an active role in teaching others about the importance of ending the stigma surrounding mental health. This school year, JDS is continuing to focus on mental health awareness as well as teaching students how to deal with their stress.

“We are beginning to realize that we are enabling students by allowing them to remain in guidance for long periods of time, ” Landy said.

“Students should not be out of class for an hour; we need to help them develop strategies to handle their anxiety and to be resilient."

Two of the most common symptoms of stress that Greenblum sees in students are headaches and stomachaches. One way she suggests avoiding these symptoms is by having health eating habits while studying. Greenblum also recommends giving the brain a rest by taking periodic breaks and turning off the phone an hour before bed.

“As you get older you learn as a person what you need to keep your

photo illustration by daphne kaplan

stress in check,” Greenblum said.

According to Jewish history teacher Dr. Sara Coxe, the most common sign of stress among students is a sudden change in behavior. When Coxe notices a student who is usually engaged in the lesson starts to not participate, she will often talk to the student and notify guidance. She will also offer advice such as moving a test to a later date or using an exten-

sion pass to support her students.

“Stress will distract a student,” Coxe said. “I just try to figure out if there is anything I can do so that they can learn in my class.”

Paying for pencils

supplies funded by department budgets oren minsk contributing editor Towards the end of the summer, CESJDS students head to the store for pencils, highlighters and notebooks, but they’re not the only ones.

JDS departments are also stocking up on materials for the year, but with what money?

Each year, all JDS departments are alloted a certain amount of money from the school’s overall annual budget in order to fulfill the needs of the department. Over the summer, the budget for each department is decided by administration. When making this decision, the administration refers to the budget and expenditures of each department in the previous year.

“Each department or the department chair will assess what their needs are for the coming year,” High School Principal and Associate

Head of School Marc Lindner said. “If it is fairly consistent with what has been spent in the previous year, it will usually won’t be a big conversation.”

Alterations in the yearly budget are generally due to a change in needs and required resources for the department. For example, if teachers were developing a new curriculum over the summer, they might receive an additional stipend from their department’s budget. For the most part, the budgets don’t change substantially, but each year, the administration evaluates significant deviations from past year. If significant changes are needed, the administration will talk it over before finalizing it.

Departments often use this money for materials specific to their department. Namely, the math department may spend money on calculators and rulers, while the sci-

ence department uses its funds on lab materials. Each department has different needs and uses a differing amount of supplies, so the budgets for each vary as well.

“That might be resources, that might be supplies, that might in some cases be additional professional development opportunities,” Dean of Academics Aileen Goldstein said.

“It’s important that each department has at least some discretion in terms of making sure that they need to support their discipline.”

Math Department Chair and teacher Reuben Silberman said that the math department buys new materials every year such as whiteboard markers, which do not last long, but they reuse long-lasting items such as calculators. He said that it is rare for teachers to buy their own materials without the intent of being reimbursed by the department.

“For the most part, if there is

something that there is a legitimate need for, the department would buy it,” Silberman said. “If it was something a little more fun, the teacher would buy it.”

If a teacher or the department wants to buy supplies or items for the department, there are two systems that they can utilize. First, the department can buy materials or other things to suit their needs using the school’s credit card and the money will be taken out of the department’s budget. Second, a member of the department can spend the money themselves and then request a reimbursement from the school, which would also be taken out of the department’s budget.

According to Silberman, the math department also spends some of its money on professional development, such as sending teachers to conferences, but usually it is paid for by the administration. He says that

the budget is sufficient to last the entire year and that there is normally a small amount of leftover money.

“If there is money left over, it is not that it necessarily goes anywhere; that may remain within the schools’ overall budget and could be rolled over to the coming school year,” Lindner said. “It’s not that common that there is going to be a tremendous amount of money left over. It seems to me that the departments have been pretty good at forecasting what they’re going to need.”

features the lion’s tale

09

New faces introduced to community Spotlight on four of the twelve new faculty members this school year compiled by sabrina bramson and rebecca weiss

Abigail Rothstein

Vanessa Robin

Abigail Rothstein will be joining CESJDS as a middle school English teacher. As a new Washington, D.C. resident, Rothstein is excited to try new foods. “I recently ate at a Laotian place in D.C. that was like food I’d never had before in my life,” Rothstein said.

Vanessa Robin will be joining JDS as a middle school guidance counselor. Robin has appreciated how kind the faculty has been.

English department

Origin: Los Angeles Experience: First year teaching Hobbies: Biking, sitting in her hammock, yoga, hiking

Guidance

Origin: Washington, D.C. Experience: Three years teaching, one year as a counselor Hobbies: Spending time with her dogs, hiking, swimming, soccer, reading, watching TV

George Silberman

Sari Tullis

George Silberman will be joining JDS as a high school math teacher.

While at JDS, Silberman is excited to teach alongside three of his children.

Sari Tullis will be joining JDS as a middle school science teacher.

Tullis is thrilled to be a part of the JDS community, as she has already noticed how welcoming everyone has been.

Math department

Origin: Brooklyn, New York Experience: Five years teaching Hobbies: Watching YouTube videos on quantum physics, listening to music, watching movies, playing with his grandkids

Science department

Origin: Portland, Oregon Experience: First year teaching Hobbies: Painting, jogging

sports 10

the lion’s tale

Sports Schedule Boys Varsity Soccer Sept. 5- Home game at 4:30 p.m. v.s. Grace Brethren Sept. 6- Home game at 4 p.m. v.s. Sandy Spring Friends School Sept. 13- Away game at 4 p.m. v.s. Mclean School Girls Varsity Soccer Sept. 6- Away game at 4 v.s. Modell School Sept. 13- Home game at 4:30 p.m. v.s. Grace Brethren Sept. 17- Home game at 4:30 p.m. v.s. Washington Waldorf Girls Varsity Volleyball Sept. 6- Away game at 4 p.m. v.s. Grace Brethren Sept. 12- Away game at 5 p.m. v.s Mclean School Sept. 20- Home game at 5 p.m. v.s Sandy Springs Friends School Girls JV Volleyball Sept. 20- Home game at 5:30 p.m. v.s. Sandy Springs Friends School Oct. 4- Home game at 5 p.m. v.s. Field School Girls Varsity Tennis Sept. 13- Away match at 4 v.s. Washington International School and Grace Brethren Sept. 17- Away match at 4 p.m. v.s Field School Sept. 20- Away match at 4:45 p.m. v.s. Oakrest Co-ed Varsity Cross Country Sept. 12- 4:30 p.m. meet at Sandy Spring Friends School Sept. 27- 4:30 p.m. meet at Sandy Spring Friends School Oct. 10- 4:30 p.m. meet at Sandy Springs Friends School

Interim Athletic Director position filled coach this team, she is excited to ner also values Silberman’s collabhave the opportunity to watch all orative skills, which is especially the other fall sports teams compete, important as her role requires Former physical education which is something that her schedworking both with the JDS commuteacher Becky Silberman will be ule did not permit in the past. nity and with other schools’ athletic the Interim Athletic Director for As a result of scheduling comdepartments. Additionally, she the 2018-2019 school year. This plications, Silberman will no longer has already worked in the school’s was announced on June 19 by High athletic deSchool Principal and Associate partment for Head of School Dr. Marc Lindner seven years announced in an email. and knows “Athletic directors are not just the peoLast spring, former JDS athletic “what some ple behind the scenes, but they are also director Mike Riley was placed of the prioron leave after being charged with ities are for people who come to games and shoot sexual abuse offenses. The abrupt our athletic a ball.” job opening led Lindner and the programs.” rest of the administration to search Senior - senior rayna armon for a replacement. The interim Rayna Armon position was made available to JDS was coached faculty and was eventually given to

by Silberman Silberman. In the fall, Lindner plans be a leader for the Mechitza Ashin basketball for the 2016-2017 and to begin the search for a permanent kenazi Zman Kodesh and will not the 2017-2018 school years and athletic director. teach any sections of middle school agrees with Lindner that Silberman According to Lindner, SilberPE. She will, however, remain a is a good match for the position. man fits the position because she is grade advisor for the class of 2021.

Similar to Lindner, Armon praises organized and a hard worker. LindSilberman appreciates that this Silberman’s organizational skills, new role allows her to be involved and she believes with sports she previously had no that Silberman will experience with. succeed because “I know a lot of our she makes an effort student athletes but I honestly to spend time with don’t understand the way most of students. those sports work, so it’s been cool “Athletic directalking to the coaches and learning tors are not just the about them,” Silberman said. people behind the Looking ahead to this coming scenes but they are also people who come school year, Silberman anticipates that the most challenging part to games and shoot a will be staying on top of all of her ball,” Armon said. obligations such as scheduling, As Silberman ordering equipment and managing steps into this role, buses and coaches. Additionally, she leaves behind she is expected to represent JDS at many of her old remeetings with other schools in the sponsibilities. While Potomac Valley Athletic Conference she will still coach In addition to keeping up with girls varsity basketthe everyday responsibilities that ball in the winter, Silberman will no lon- come with being athletic director, ger coach girls middle Silberman has several long-term photo by sophia miller school volleyball in goals that she wishes to accomplish.

New Interim Athletic Director Becky Silberman sits She aspires to increase alumni the fall. Although she in her new office preparing for the upcoming school involvement in the athletic program is disappointed that year. and wants to target “people who felt she will no longer devira friedman sports editor

connected to athletics but not so much to other aspects of the school so they feel like they have a place to come back to.”

One way she plans to achieve this is by creating an alumni basketball game in which former athletes can return to the JDS courts to play against current students.

Silberman also wants to get JDS more involved in the larger Jewish community, which she hopes to accomplish by scheduling games in various sports against other Jewish schools such as Beth Tefillah in Baltimore.

Finally, Silberman hopes to bring more attention to the athletic program and students’ achievements. She wants “to show off a little bit,” like on the new JDS athletics Twitter account, so that both people inside the JDS community and outside know what the students have accomplished.

“Nobody knows who is breaking records in cross country and track, how many points people are scoring,” Silberman said.

This school year, Lindner is looking forward to seeing the changes that Silberman will make to the athletic department. “[Silberman] has really good ideas and some vision for what the program can be and what it might become and ways for us to think about improving it and growing it,” Lindner said.

sports

Nationals Park

the lion’s tale

A Day At

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photos by kate sosland and sophia miller

1

A cold treat like lemonade or Dippin’ Dots is a must on a hot day at the stadium. Lemonade is typically sold from food vendors or at concession stands for $6. SoftServe Breyers ice cream is $6 and a large Dippin’ Dots is $9.

2

The Metro is the easiest way to get to Nationals stadium. For students who live on the Red Line, it is quickest to transfer to the Green Line at Gallery Place and ride it until you arrive at Navy Yard ballpark. I would not recommend parking because it can be on the pricey side and after a crowded game, there is a lot of traffic which makes it hard to leave the stadium.

3

Especially on humid game days, it is crucial to stay hydrated. A smart way to save money is to purchase water for only $2 outside the stadium.

However, security will not let you bring it in unless it remains sealed until you enter the stadium.

4

D.C.’s climate can be unpredictable, so it is a good idea to bring a towel with you to the stadium in case the seats are either wet or too hot.

5

While there are kosher food options at the ballpark, they can get quite pricey. Max’s, the kosher food stand, is located near section 142. Shawarma is $12. Hamburgers are $11. Hot dogs are $9. -

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Nationals apparel can be very expensive but if you are a devoted fan, it is recommend to splurge on something. There are several stores located throughout the stadium and currently there is a sale in honor of the All-Star Game. compiled by kate sosland

style 12

the lion’s tale

T ps and Tr cks for a Successful School Year compiled by jessie lehman

1.

Hit deadlines

2.

Balance school and social life

3.

Alumnus Nadav Kalendar (‘17) believes that by doing assignments as soon as possible, students can “stay relaxed through it all.”

“Making time to have fun and to do things that are relaxing” helps junior Mia Pearce keep a positive mindset about school.

don't give in to stress

Senior Ethan Missner thinks that focusing on the task rather than on stress will help students be more productive.

4.

stay healthy

5.

Don't take everything too seriously

6.

Review notes

Parent Giorgio Kulp believes that it is important to prioritize sleep and hygiene. According to Kulp, maintaining strong health "provides the student the capacity to improve performance in studies through a clear mind and reduces the potential for instability in mental health."

Dean of Students Roslyn Landy’s tip to students is to take their troubles less seriously. Landy believes that many “issues that cause students anxiety are generally not worth the stress.”

Jewish History teacher Sara Coxe suggests that all students take the time to review their notes at home. A way she recommends to do this is to rewrite notes by hand.