Volume 35 Issue 2

LT the lion’s tale

The Lion’s Tale

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Volume 35 Issue 2

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October 20, 2017

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CESJDS

Enrollment decline shakes up

House of coins pg. 6-7

Charity auction for hurricane relief, pg. 02

Caffeine craze, pg. 08

Fall sports highlights, pg. 11

news 02

the lion’s tale

News Briefs Nov. 2 Powder Puff Junior and senior girls will compete against each other in a football game. Junior and senior boys will coach the girls and the senior boys will perform a halftime dance.

Nov. 3 End of First Quarter The first academic marking period ends on Nov. 3. Final grades for the quarter will be due on Nov. 10.

Nov. 3-4 Sophomore Shabbaton The Class of 2020 will spend Shabbat at Capital Camps.

They will participate in prayer and various grade activities.

Nov. 9 Fall Sports Banquet Fall sports teams will celebrate the end of their season with a dinner in the cafeteria. Coaches will speak and present awards to outstanding players.

Nov. 15 Gap Year and Summer Program Fair Various organizations will come to the Upper School to present their gap year and summer programs. Families will have the opportunity to explore different programs. compiled by amelia davidson and sara sporkin

Follow The Lion’s Tale on Instagram @jdslionstale for exclusive content

student council holds charity auction for recent hurricane victims storm devastation Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria totaled...

270 deaths

185

billion dollars of damage

To donate directly to affected areas, consider these charities on the ground: British Virgin Island Recovery Fund

sabrina bramson reporter To assist victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, the Student Council is auctioning off various prizes to raise relief money.

The Council held an auction in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina, and Dean of Students Roslyn Landy wanted to reprise the auction in the wake of the recent natural disasters.

In addition to the auction, a student-faculty basketball game will be held on Oct. 20 after school to raise money for this cause, and plans are in the works for a homecoming dance in mid-November.

“Part of the mission of the school is tikkun olam, healing the world, and the world clearly needs a bit of repair right now,” Landy said.

“We need to pitch in and help.”

The first of the three recent major hurricanes was Hurricane Harvey, a category four hurricane that began on Aug. 25 near Houston.

Although Texas was hit the hardest, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky also experienced flooding as a result of the hurricane.

Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Irma devastated much of the Caribbean and slammed into Florida. The final of the three hurricanes

was Hurricane Maria which made landfall on Sept. 18 in Dominica. The hurricane affected the Windward Islands, Guadeloupe and the United States Virgin Islands.

Upper School nurse Margarita Rosado-Payne’s family lives in Puerto Rico, which first faced Hurricane Irma, then Hurricane Maria. Maria destroyed the entire power grid of Puerto Rico, and the federal government’s response to the damage on the island has been heavily criticized.

Payne’s brother lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico with his three children; one of her other nephews lives in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. They did not have access to electricity or running water and the lines for necessities such as food, gas and ATMs were up to an eight hour wait for weeks after the hurricane. In addition, the roads and other infrastructure are damaged.

“People don’t realize that Puerto Ricans are Americans,” Payne said.

“They’re not on the mainland so they don’t get support physically because of their distance and have trouble getting things out to the countryside, so I think it’s really important that every person help.”

In order to help hurricane victims, each grade’s presidents started

by making a list of possible prizes that could be auctioned off. Then, each list was sent to Landy, who narrowed down the ideas and compiled them into one master list. Some of the prizes include an additional extension pass, a song of the winner’s choice performed by the staff band, and a trip to ShadowLand laser tag with the math department.

“Before the hurricane relief efforts, I don’t think I had that much of an understanding of the situation,” sophomore co-president Hadara Bilsky said. “However, after learning more about their needs, I think I realized how dire their situation is and how much the JDS community would be able to contribute if a lot of money was to be collected.”

Bilsky and Payne both agree that helping the victims of the hurricanes in any way is vital. With so many displaced, they said, it is imperative that people outside of affected areas step in to help.

“You never know when it’s going to be you," Payne said. "It’s really heartbreaking and really tough right now for them."

Coffee delivered by teachers

Faculty parking spot (for a month or a week)

selected AUCTION Items

Anguilla Beaches Gulf Coast Community Foundation Greater Houston Community Relief Fund Covenant House New Orleans

Excused late pass

news

the lion’s tale

03

Jewish text classes offered online for variety, convenience aliza rabinovitz contributing editor This year, students are able to take their learning out of the classroom and into the virtual world.

Online Jewish classes were offered to students in tenth through twelfth grade for the first time this semester. According to Director of Instructional Technology Ginger Thornton, the approximately 20 participants for the fall semester are mostly upperclassmen who have elected to take Experiencing Jewish Texts and Identity through the Arts; however, there are also a few sophomores taking an advanced Talmud course, Responsibility and Restitution: Perek HaChovel and a few enrolled in Pairs in the Tanakh.

The courses were all offered as part of the Online Judaic Studies Consortium founded by the Avi Chai Foundation. The consortium, which was established in 2016, offers various online Jewish classes to Jewish day school students Although the online Jewish classes have been restricted to high schoolers, the eighth grade is currently enrolled in a digital citizenship course from OJSC. According to Thornton, this course will give the students a taste of what an online course is like, which can be helpful should students choose to fulfill their health requirement through an outside online class, for example.

When students have an online Jewish text class in their schedule, they come to the library to work and complete assignments such as dis-

cussion board posts. The students have a teacher with whom they interact online, but for the most part the course is self-paced and individual.

“It’s kind of a cross between a study hall and a self-contained experience,” Thornton said.

Lessons and assignments in the course are scheduled on a weekly basis, but students can complete their work at their own pace within that week. Thornton said that often this will involve checking multiple times on the discussion board — to post and then to respond.

“It’s much more meant to sort of fit within the rhythm of a school day in that sense, but there’s no distinction between work you do at school and work you do at home,” Thornton said.

According to Thornton, offering online classes this year has been especially useful, as there are several students who have encountered scheduling difficulties and this allows them more flexibility. The courses are offered for free to students.

Junior Matthew Lessans finds this versatility both useful and difficult. Since there is no one there to monitor students’ work, the course involves more responsibility than an ordinary class. Lessans described joining the class as a “rough start,” as it is hard to arrange a time to complete all of the coursework; in the online courses, there is no difference between homework and classwork, as it is all due at the same time, so students must also budget their time

for this.

Lessans decided to take Experiencing Jewish Texts and Identity through the Arts after hearing from a friend about the opportunity. According to the OJSC website, the course introduces students to “classical and modern artistic representations of Jewish texts and provide[s] students with an opportunity to create their own artistic interpretations of Jewish texts.”

emy of Toronto. In the online course, Reingold is there “in spirit,” Lessans said, as he is always sending updates and reports to students with feedback on how they can improve their work.

According to Jewish Text Department Chair Aviva Gershman, the relationship between teachers and students in online courses is slightly different than when they are face-toface in school.

Gershman said that in a physical classroom, teachers can display their per“I admire that we’re always trying sonality by smiling new things, we’re always taking or stopping a discusnew risks.” sion to check for confusion. In an online - jewish text department course, on the other chair aviva gershman hand, teachers are more concerned with developing a relationship in which students Lessans has found the class in- feel like they are engaging with the teresting and a “unique opportunity,” teacher without being there in peras he is exploring a topic he has not son. encountered before in his studies.

According to Gershman, one All OJSC teachers are required of the most important parts of any to take an online course called On- class is that there are conversations line Teaching Methodologies, in that would not occur if students which they learn how to adjust to worked individually. In terms of an online teaching and build their own online class, Gershman said dialogue course. All instructors who teach the between students still exists, but it online courses that JDS students are is less “organic.” Whereas real time enrolled in are teachers at different conversations can include spontaJewish day schools throughout the neous reactions, discussion boards country. For example, the instructor can lead to more stale comments. of the arts course, Matt Reingold, is “If a student is learning a text on a Jewish History, Jewish Philosophy their own, that’s amazing and that’s and Tanakh teacher at Tanenbaum- great and that’s what we want stuCHAT, the Community Hebrew Acad- dents to do, but it’s your ideas and

your ideas only,” Gershman said. “[A group setting] gives you an opening to lots of different perspectives that you might not have otherwise thought of.”

Gershman, along with Jewish History Department Chair Sarah Coxe, was consulted when JDS was determining which courses to offer students. The classes selected were not already offered, as their purpose is to serve as a supplement rather than a replacement for classes offered in school.

For example, students coming from other schools who have already engaged with the material offered by the schools can be offered a different choice, like the option to take the Talmud course in Bava Kamma rather than the chapter the JDS course explores.

In the same way, Gershman said that online Jewish classes can expand the school’s offerings because the school can only offer a finite number of courses due to scheduling restrictions.

“I admire that we’re always trying new things, we’re always taking new risks,” Gershman said. “I think hopefully at the end of this semester we’ll get a lot of feedback from the students who did take the online classes to get a sense of that tells us about where we want to be as a department and moving forward and expanding our offerings.”

Upper School to host inaugural Jewish Intercamp Games on Sunday sara sporkin news editor Summer ended almost two months ago, but CESJDS will be bringing a little bit of camp spirit to its Upper School campus on Sunday, Oct. 22.

JDS will host the first Jewish Intercamp Games, a Maccabiah-style competition between 12 Jewish camps. Campers in the D.C. area will compete in games such as basketball, volleyball and tug-of-war, in teams according to their summer camps. The day will conclude with an award ceremony, which parents are invited to attend.

Although the event is designed for campers in third through eighth grade, high school campers could sign up to come and act as team captains for the younger kids.

Sophomore Mattie Watson, who has attended Camp Ramah in New England for the past seven summers, decided to sign up as a team captain after finding out about the games in an email from her camp.

“I love my camp and a lot of my camp friends are going and I thought it would be a fun experience," Watson said. "I also have friends who go to other camps who will also be there."

Director of Upper School Ad-

missions Miriam Stein said that the event has two purposes. The first is that JDS recognizes the value of a Jewish summer camp experience and wants to work with camps to help them be successful. The secondary goal for the event is for campers in the area who don’t attend a Jewish school to learn more about JDS. “By having this event, we thought it would be a really fun spirit day for campers,” Stein said. “You know, have some camp pride, come play, do reunions, see your friends and also come learn about the Jewish Day School.”

In the past, JDS has held a camp fair to give Jewish summer camps

more exposure, but Stein found that while many camps participated, not many families attended the fair. Stein approached JDS parent Jeremy Steindecker, who works in sports and entertainment marketing to help create the event.

Steindecker’s sons started at JDS in fourth and sixth grade this year, and he tried to tap into some of the camp spirit he sees at his sons’ camp, Camp Avoda in Middleboro, Mass.

“Kids who are at Jewish sleepaway camps usually love their camps, they love sports, or just team and camp spirit," Steindecker said. "I thought, 'what better way

to get them together to celebrate their camp, celebrate some competitiveness, a little bit, and some team spirit?' I thought that this would be a good fit."

Stein wants the Jewish Intercamp Games to become an annual event and is already thinking about ways to expand the event next year.

“We’re starting this way this year, and I think the hope is, if it’s successful, that next year it will be a camp reunion for kids to compete for their own camps, but also bring a friend who doesn’t yet go to Jewish camp,” Stein said.

opinion 04

the lion’s tale

the

lion’s tale Stand up for jewish students in public school

editors-in-chief ari feuer, rina torchinsky managing editor, copy isaac silber design editor caroline weinstein copy editor addie bard news editors amelia davidson, sara sporkin opinion editor gabe krantz in-depth editor aliza rabinovitz features editors emily cohen, kate sosland sports editors devira friedman, jessie lehman style editors ilan cohen, shira godin multimedia editor lily daroff editorial cartoonists beyla bass, ben shrock reporters sabrina bramson, ethan chanin, josh diewald, jesse edberg, izzy friedland, danny ingber, ilana kaplan, ethan kulp, izzy may, ben robinson, lily rosenberg, ben savarick, josh siegel, rebecca weiss 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 staff of The Lion's Tale 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 or mailed to The Lion’s Tale at 11710 Hunters Lane, Rockville, Md., 20852.

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. The adviser will be held to the Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of Ethics. The Lion’s Tale belongs to the National Scholastic Press Association and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

The Lion’s Tale prints 600 copies of every issue, which are distributed to students and staff at the Upper Campus. PDFs of the paper are available at issuu.com/lionstale. The Lion’s Tale website is lionstale.org. All contents copyright of The Lions’ Tale. All rights reserved.

It is possible that next Rosh HaShanah or Yom Kippur there will be almost no children or young adults present in synagogue; they will sit in school instead. After Governor Larry Hogan mandated that schools start after Labor Day and still end in mid-June, public school districts must scramble to create a calendar that has enough educational days while still providing as much convenience as possible.

In an attempt to prevent all of the high holidays from becoming school days, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and the Washington Board of Rabbis released a joint “call to action” regarding Montgomery County Public Schools’ proposed calendars for the upcoming year.

The “call to action” is specifically in response to two of the five final schedule proposals which would keep Montgomery County schools open for both Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the two most important dates in the Jewish calendar.

As the largest Jewish school in the area, it is imperative that we follow the sentiments of the JCRC

and WBR and take action against these two proposals so that MCPS continues to give these two school days off for fellow members of our Jewish community in public school.

Even though MCPS scheduling has no direct impact on CESJDS’ schedule, we are a major component of the local Jewish community so we must stand up for those who would be immediately affected by this change.

While public schools are not allowed to ask students and employees about their religion, it is widely known that Montgomery County, has a large Jewish population. Given the fact that there are, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives, well over 30,000 Jews in Montgomery County, there would likely be a large percentage of Jewish students, teachers and other employees who would be absent on these days which is why MCPS has given both these holidays off in the past.

The JCRC calls for the Jewish public school community to “send in comments … to express your con-

cartoon by beyla bass

cerns about how keeping schools open on the first day of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur will impact you, your family members’, or your students’ attendance at school on those days.”

Our action should be to make sure that Jews in the public school community take advantage of this opportunity to be heard. We need to make sure that these fellow Jews are

aware of these two potential schedules and, even moreso, ensure that they take a stand against it so that the public school Jewish community in is able to observe these two holy days.

-The Lion’s Tale

Refocus perspectives on college preparation

ben robinson reporter Parents tell their children that they can accomplish anything in life with enough hard work.

It seems to many high school students, however, that the college they attend dictates how much success they will enjoy in adulthood. They are under the impression that going to a top notch school practically gives them a golden ticket to life success, while an “average” school means a mediocre life.

The resulting stress to get into the best colleges drives many students for their entire high

school careers, but this pressure peaks for juniors like me.

Junior year is commonly regarded as the most critical year of high school for determining a student’s chances for admission at different colleges (moreso at CESJDS, where senior year is only a semester). As a result, those my age feel extra pressure to excel in academics and extracurriculars in order to gain a competitive advantage.

This pressure is healthy when it motivates students in academics, but it becomes toxic when they shape their electives, extracurriculars and free time around what they think will appeal to colleges.

This causes students to overwork themselves or subject themselves to activities they do not enjoy, thus losing room for their actual interests. Many, including me, take on the burden of electives or clubs only to make resumes more glamorous.

It is crucial that students recognize that the college they attend as an matters little towards their future success. Rather, it is what they make of their college experience that counts.

Take the U.S. House of Representatives, where less than 30 percent of the 435 members from 2015 to 2017 earned their undergraduate degrees at top 100 schools from College Raptor’s 2015 overall rankings. The median college ranking was 197. Moreover, only 30 of the American-born chief executives of the top 100 companies in the 2014 Fortune 500 attended Ivy League universities or other institutions that are classified as highly selective.

Professors at Brigham Young and San Diego State Universities published a study in 2015 where they compared the earnings of students who attended three schools with varying difficulty of admission. Ten years following

graduation, the median wages of students who earned diplomas in STEM and humanity fields varied little among the top two categories of selectivity.

This is not to say that there are no advantages to attending a top school. Prestigious institutions can make it easier to create networks among experts and employers in a certain field. Additionally, elite schools consistently attract high quality professors.

This difference can be overcome, though, with hard work and a commitment to success.

I do not mean to say that you should stop trying in school.

You should keep working as hard as possible. But make decisions based off of what you enjoy, not what you think colleges would like.

opinion

. the lion’s tale

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The gun control debate is back in the limelight after the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 and left nearly 500 injured

Should the US have stricter gun control laws?

Yes, there should be tighter gun control

Yes

No

No, there should not be tighter gun control

dora mendelson guest columnist On Oct. 1, my mom asked me, “Did you hear about Las Vegas?” My heart dropped into my stomach before she had even told me what happened. My first thought was, “Again? Seriously?” Many Americans felt the same way after the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting and the 2016 Orlando shooting. Alas, here we are again asking ourselves the same exact questions after 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fired on a Las Vegas Music Festival, killing 58 people and injuring 489 more.

It is quite evident that gun violence in the U.S. is a deadly epidemic. 117,000 Americans are shot every year, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, but the government does far too little to prevent this. The U.S. has extremely lenient policies regarding gun safety and regulating firearm purchases vary throughout the states. In Nevada, a permit or a background check is not needed in order to purchase a gun. As a result of these inadequately state-regulated laws, 100,000 people each year are victims of gun violence.

As we stand in the wake of the worst shooting in all of U.S. history, it is essential to consider that the perpetrator of the Las Vegas shooting bought all of his firearms legally. CBS News reported that Paddock bought approximately 50 guns without raising an ounce of suspicion from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The benefit of gun control laws is obvious, as seen in Boston and Oakland, Calif. A gun violence reduction strategy called “Operation Ceasefire” was initiated in Boston during the 1990s. The program’s main focus was a direct law enforcement attack on illicit firearm traffickers who were selling guns to youth gang members. As a result of the program, according to the National Institute of Justice, there was a 63 percent reduction in the average monthly rate of youth homicide victims. In Oakland, where a similar program was started, the city experienced a 30 percent reduction in the average monthly rate of homicide victims.

It is clear that gun violence and gun related deaths are preventable, yet lawmakers and American leaders ignore the initiatives that would save people’s lives.

Many people don’t believe in gun control because they claim it is against the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution was written in the 1780s. Guns have become increasingly dangerous over the course of over 200 years; George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were not carrying semi-automatics, nor did they have the dangerous capabilities of a semi-automatic firearm in mind when drafting the second amendment.

Thus, the Second Amendment is not nearly as applicable today since guns and other firearms pose a far greater threat than they did during the time of the Constitutional Convention.

Every time a mass shooting occurs, world leaders send the same thoughts and prayers. Many of our leaders claim to be “pro-life,” but these hypocrites will not support legislation that will indeed save lives.

Prayers will not prevent unsafe and irresponsible people from easily acquiring guns.

Thoughts will not prevent innocent children and human beings from being murdered.

Gun control laws will.

jesse edberg reporter The recent Las Vegas massacre has reignited the gun control debate across the nation. Many political figures have expressed their intentions to ban or at least heavily regulate certain types of firearms as well as certain firearm extensions. The main issue with the idea of gun control is that government control of personal firearms goes against the founding values of our country.

Private gun ownership is a cornerstone of American values, culture and way of life.

Americans own nearly half of all privately owned firearms in the entire world, despite only being five percent of the global population. The U.S.' proud history of gun ownership traces back to 1776 and the brave men who used their privately owned firearms to free themselves from the oppressive British monarchy.

A common argument in favor of banning guns is that fewer guns means less murder and crime; however, this claim is both misleading and incorrect. A gun control advocate will often point out that the U.S. has the most firearms-per-capita in the world, at 112 guns per 100 residents, and a reasonably high homicide rate of 4.88 killings per thousand people. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has both a gun ban and a very low homicide rate of .92 killings per thousand people.

This correlation, though, does not show causation. Switzerland, which has a gun-per-capita rate of 24.45, would have a

homicide rate of around 3.0 if there were always a direct correlation between gun ownership and homicide rate. The rate in Switzerland, though, is actually .69, which is fewer killings per thousand than in Britain.

On top of this, El Salvador, Venezuela and Honduras all have very strict restrictions on guns but also have the three highest homicide rates in the world: 108.64, 63.75 and 57.15, respectively.

Another heavily used argument in favor of gun control is that the Second Amendment does not apply to modern guns because the framers of the Constitution could not foresee anything more technologically advanced than a musket. But this claim would mean that the First Amendment’s protection of free speech could not translate to the media of video or internet because the founding fathers would not be able to foresee video or the internet in their lifetimes.

Rights, as written by our founders, are unalienable and do not disappear when times change and advancements are made.

Additionally, they had plenty of firearms in their day that were already more advanced than muskets. The Belton flintlock could fire twenty rounds in a pull of the trigger.

The pepperbox revolver, not even a long gun, could hold thirty rounds of bullets. All of these guns were made well before the Revolutionary War and far before the Second Amendment was even drafted.

At the end of the day, gun control does not solve the problems that its noble supporters hope it will. El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela show that a lack of guns can be very dangerous and even sometimes deadly. Privately owned guns in America have helped our country rise up and banning or heavily restricting these guns or gun parts would not only go against our values as a nation but would be ignorant towards the realities of the discussion.

in-depth 06

the lion’s tale

enrollment decline shakes up

house of coins ari feuer and kate sosland editor-in-chief and contributing editor The 2008 recession was a leap off of a very tall cliff for the entire U.S. economy. As millions of people lost their jobs and livelihoods, private schools like CESJDS took a big hit. In the decade from 2004 to 2014, a decade marked by the recession,

private school enrollment in the Washington, D.C. area decreased 65 percent, according to the Urban Institute. To adjust to a new economic landscape has been a challenge, but school officials say that their efforts have been effective.

One of an independent school’s biggest challenges is to recruit new students and keep current students at the school. This is an effort that falls under the purview of the enrollment management team, headed by Director of Enrollment Management Orna Siegel.

According to Siegel, the peak of private school enrollment across

the country was in 2005. After the recession, which Siegel said made it “harder all around for everybody,” enrollment at independent schools plummeted for several years, then started to maintain a small but steady downward trend that has not ceased. According to Siegel, middle-class incomes are still relatively stagnant while the price of tuition at private schools continues to rise with inflation.

“The economic conditions outside of the school have changed significantly and we’ve changed the way that we budget to reflect those conditions,” Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus said.

Younger parents today tend to want to live in more urbanized areas, which Siegel said contributes to the downward trend in admissions for JDS, a suburban school. The Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital, formerly known as JPDS, has seen an enrollment in-

crease of 23 percent in recent years, according to their Director of Admissions, Sindy Udell. Milton, which currently enrolls students through sixth grade, has a total of 343 students. Milton is located on 16th Street across the street from Rock Creek Park, making it the closest Jewish day school for students who live in downtown Washington, D.C. Malkus does not worry about Milton, though.

“I don’t look at Milton as competitors but we do have friendly competition on the [geographic] margins,” Malkus said. “If they are successful, when the students come here it increases the number of students we can recruit at the high school level.”

Younger parents are also generally more assimilated into American society and prioritize Judaism less than past generations, which makes the pitch of a Jewish school a bit harder than it was in years past, Siegel said. Since every Jew embraces religion differently, it is sometimes hard for the recruiters to convince parents that the school and its idea of a Jewish education are right for their family.

JDS’ numbers reflect the gen-

eral downward trend of independent schools. In their tax filings, JDS includes a rough estimate of enrollment in the description of the institution sent to the Internal Revenue Service. In 2005, JDS had approximately 1,500 students. In 2015, the last year available, that number was 1,000. Today, according to High School Principal and Associate Head of School Marc Lindner, there are about 950 students enrolled at JDS.

Recruitment The enrollment team uses many different methods to recruit, but they all have one idea in common: individualization. Data collection by the enrollment team leads to personalized plans to pitch JDS. Families are identified as possible future members of the JDS community through Jewish preschools, synagogues, parent admissions ambassadors and online searches, among other tools.

“My department does a lot of market research,” Siegel said. “We say, ‘What community is this person coming from? Where do they live?

What are their interests? What’s really important to them?’”

JDS mainly targets potential recruits early on, when the kids are in preschool. JDS does not poach students from other independent schools, so it benefits JDS when students enter early.

The recruitment process does not end after families pick their first school, though. For students at other independent schools that end at sixth or eighth grade, JDS presents its case. The strongest of these inter-school arrangements is with Milton, where students will leave after eighth grade starting in 2019.

Once candidates are identified, the pitch becomes about what

8

students for every faculty member

parents seek for their child’s educa- does not just recruit, it has to inform Budget Adjustments tion. Some parents look for a strong first.

As economic conditions deteJewish education, so Siegel’s staff According to Lindner, JDS spe- riorated and recruitment became will emphasize the Jewish values cializes in teaching Jewish values a harder task, JDS responded by of JDS. Other parents, especially in within a strong interdisciplinary adjusting its budget. In 2015, JDS secondary school, Siegel said, look curriculum that manages to empha- spent over $250,000 on advertising for an environment that can propel size all subjects. and public relations, while in the adtheir children to an Ivy League col“It’s that type of expansive missions heyday of 2005 JDS spent lege. For these parents, Siegel high- thinking that I think our students only $66,000. Malkus said that the lights the college guidance staff and are given an opportunity to do here,” marketing budget bump was among JDS college admissions numbers.

Lindner said. “Students are mak- other “strategies and methods” to One of the main concerns for ing connections. It’s not that other “synergize marketing and recruitprospective parents is the price of Jewish day schools can’t do that. I ment goals.”

JDS. The Upper School tuition is ap- believe that JDS offers a curriculum Enrollment affects the budget proximately $33,000 for the 2017- of strength across the board that al- in ways much wider than just adver2018 school year, while the Lower lows for that synergy and that inter- tising. In the 2017-2018 school year, School tuition is approximately disciplinary learning.”

JDS’ budgetary expenses total $24.9 $26,000. Even though around 40 Lindner has two daughters million, according to Chief Finanpercent of JDS families recial Officer Julie ceive tuition assistance, the Hoover. Tuition admissions staff still has to and fees make up make the case that JDS is 82 percent of JDS’ “It’s the students, it’s the family, it’s the worth the added price comincome, meaning community that makes up JDS, of people pared to Montgomery Counthat JDS spends ty Public Schools, which are $20.4 million tuwho are invested in education, believe in regarded as some of the best ition dollars each what's going on here and understand that in the country. When she year.

Because this is a process." talks to prospective parents, such a high perSiegel tries to explain how centage of reve- high school principal and associate comparing JDS to public nue comes from head of school marc lindner schools is like comparing tuition, total en“apples and oranges.” rollment and the “All parents want projections for what’s best for their kid, so how many stuwhen parents say to us, ‘But my kid at the school, junior Jade and dents will be at JDS each year heavily will be fine in a public school,’ I say eighth-grader Sophia. He chose to influence budget plans. to them, ‘Is fine really what you want send his children to JDS because of “Our enrollment management for your kid?’” Siegel said. its values and identity education, team [is] doing an outstanding job Siegel continued that Mont- combined with the strong general at keeping a close watch of what the gomery County schools may teach education that students could re- trends are and in making their progeneral education subjects like ceive at a public school. jections,” Lindner said.

English, history, math and science “It’s the value system of the He added that the projections well, but they do not teach “identity” school,” Lindner said. “And by that for the 2017-2018 school year were and “how to be a good person” the I mean it’s the people. It’s the stu- very accurate; the school reached same way JDS does. Since these dents, it’s the family, it’s the commu- the projected number of students aspects of an education may nity that makes up JDS, of people late in the summer. not be on parents’ minds who are invested in education, The implications of if they were initially believe in what's going on the budget reach far considering pub- here and understand into students’ lic schools, the that this is a proexperiadmissions cess.” t e a m

9.6

percent of 2015 income from donations

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ences at school. The budget dictates how many teachers can be hired; faculty and staff salaries and benefits are 81 percent of JDS’ expenses. The number of teachers that the school can employ contributes to what programs the school can add and how many sections of certain classes can be run.

“The budget is one of the reasons why there are some larger classes this year," Lindner said. "It does not mean that we are planning for that to continue into the future years. It is absolutely something we are looking at and looking to address.”

The rest of the budget includes maintenance costs, student programs such as clubs and athletics, technology and supply costs and administrative expenses, all of which are indirectly governed by enrollment. Donations from individual families, endowments and the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington help close the gap between tuition and 100 percent funding.

Enrollment also affects the school’s decision-making process beyond the budget, Lindner said.

The staff who work on educational initiatives work in tandem with marketing, admissions and the rest of the administration to institute new ideas and execute fixes when parents and students give feedback.

“We absolutely will always take into account information that is given to us from admissions and marketing and incorporate that into our decision making,” Lindner said. “It is a partnership: We all are working together, we all want a healthy vibrant strong JDS and that is what we work on together.”

17 950 51

students in the average class

students enrolled

07

zip codes represented in student body

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Despite medical advice to the contrary, to stay awake, many enter a

Caffeine Craze

addie bard contributing editor “But first, coffee.”

This expression is seen on signs, shirts and mugs, and for many high school students, it could not be more true.

For some students, drinking their daily dose of caffeine in the morning is essential for maintaining higher energy levels and feeling awake throughout the day. Coffee can help students feel less lethargic after a long night of homework.

Senior Rachel Serfaty is not only hooked on caffeine, but makes and sells coffee daily at her job as a Starbucks barista. Throughout high school, Serfaty has consistently drunk coffee every morning to help her wake up for school, even though she originally hated the taste.

Serfaty began her job as a barista in March of 2016, and since then, she has come to like the taste of coffee more.

“Since I started working at Starbucks, and obviously now have way more access to coffee, I’ve become accustomed to the taste and actu-

ally crave it and need it in order to survive during the day,” Serfaty said.

“If I don’t have it for a day, I get very sluggish and not awake and feel really awful.”

Rockville, Md. pediatrician Steven Hirsch said that the main issue with caffeine is the dependency teens have on it. People can get addicted to it, and therefore when they do not consume it, they experience withdrawal. Symptoms include headaches, fatigue and a general malaise.

“Taking the caffeine won’t harm you as much as not taking it when your body is used to it,” Hirsch said.

An additional issue with caffeine consumption in children and teens is that when consuming it through energy drinks, teens are often unaware of the high caffeine levels present. High amounts of caffeine can cause people to have an elevated heart rate, feel jittery, have trouble sleeping and increased anxiety. These symptoms are especially harmful in children, since their bodies are constantly changing.

Junior Macie Gelb is not a caffeine drinker, for many of the rea-

sons that Hirsch stated. It makes her feel nauseous, anxious and generally unwell. For Gelb, energy drinks in particular are problematic because of their rapid effects.

“I think that [energy drinks] are dangerous because they give you a lot of energy in a really short amount of time and then you crash and you are really tired,” Gelb said. “I’ve seen the effects of them on people, and I don’t think it is a good way to get your energy.”

Hirsch said that another problem with energy drinks is that they are often confused for sports drinks, so people drink them during physical activity. Consumption of too much caffeine during a workout can cause dehydration since caffeine is a diuretic.

“People might think that an energy drink is good for sports or for physical activity but it is probably one of the worst things you can do for sports or physical activity,” Hirsch said.

Sophomore Ryan Bauman has tried everything from coffee to energy drinks. He drinks coffee before school and brings canned coffee to

drink during the day. Bauman’s parents are also avid coffee drinkers and do not object to his habits.

When Bauman wanted more energy than coffee, he went to 7-Eleven to try certain energy drinks for fun with his older brother, alumnus Jared Bauman (‘17). Ryan specifically noted one called “Rockstar,” which is so high in caffeine that no one under 18 is allowed to purchase it.

“It was very interesting because you drank it and you immediately felt the rush of it,” Bauman said.

“Some things have too much caffeine that I don’t need.”

Like Bauman, Gelb is able to detect when she does and does not need caffeine, but often chooses not to drink it because of the way it makes her feel. Now that she has stopped growing, Gelb’s parents are more lenient about her caffeine consumption, and allow her to drink caffeinated beverages in moderation.

Gelb is sometimes tired from school work, but for her, caffeine does not compensate for sleep.

Hirsch believes that caffeine is not an appropriate solution for high schoolers who do not get enough

sleep. He suggests that students better regulate their schedules by limiting recreational time on screens to make more time for homework.

Hirsch says that if a child is constantly in need of a caffeinated beverage, something is not working in their schedule.

“I would like to see kids get through high school without feeling like they need caffeine to stay awake,” Hirsch said. “I think in college, when people are 18 years old, they can make their own decisions but I think before, when they are in high school, I would prefer the kids to not use caffeine regularly.”

Serfaty thinks that Hirsch’s solution to allow teenagers to get more sleep is impractical. She says that while there are better alternatives to coffee, it is the best immediate solution.

“I would say that while that is ideal in a perfect world, it is really hard for teenagers to regulate their schedules in a way that they can get all of their work done, get to school on time and still be able to function in school,” Serfaty said.

Caffeine in a bottle of coke

Caffeine in a can of Red Bull

Caffeine in a Starbucks coffee

2.83

9.00

11.0

mg/oz

mg/oz

mg/oz

photos by kate sosland and emily cohen

Security spotlight

Increased police presence strengthens community

photo courtesy of justin saffar Officer Justin Saffar stands by his police car. When not at JDS, Saffar patrols the First District of Montgomery County.

jessie lehman contributing editor As students flood into CESJDS most mornings, Montgomery County police officer Justin Saffar stands at the entrance to greet and protect them.

Although there has been a sporadic police presence on campus for a few years, last year CESJDS increased protection to five days a week.

Saffar is one of four officers who share security duties during the day with JDS’ full-time security guards and security system. "[My job] is greeting people, watching to see that everyone who’s coming in belongs here and walking around just to make sure there’s nothing suspicious on the property,” Saffar said.

In addition to local daily patrol, this task gives officers another way to protect the community. According to High School Principal and Associate Head of School Marc Lindner, this program was always part of the school’s security plan, but the various threats to the Jewish community last year catalyzed the process so that there were officers present five days a week.

“It’s nice to have consistency with them because, they get to know the students and that is helpful to

our security efforts,” Lindner said.

Freshman Sarah Pollard agrees that the consistency makes her feel like the police care about the community.

“I feel safer and I know that they care about us because every morning they say ‘hi’ to us,” Pollard said.

This consistency sets Saffar’s job at JDS apart from his regular duties of patrolling the First District Station. This station covers the area between the Cabin John Shopping Center and the Fallsgrove Shopping Center. Because he is at JDS and on foot every day, he is able to make connections with those in the small community.

“When you’re a police officer patrolling, you do have connections with certain people but for the most part once you’ve seen someone one time, you probably will never see them again,” Saffar said.

Saffar became a police officer because he wanted to help people.

He has worked at other Jewish institutions, which makes him feel more connected to his own Jewish identity.

Raised in a Conservative Jewish family, Saffar always looked up to the police officers at his own synagogue and loved hearing about their police stories.

“It’s amazing to me that I now get to be the one to have the ‘cool stories,’” Saffar said.

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09

Saffar said that his "proud" mother tells every police officer at his synagogue that he is a police officer who works at Jewish institutions.

Saffar appreciates students' pride at school, as well.

“I really like the school spirit," Saffar said. "Someone is always wearing a JDS Lions shirt every day.

It feels like almost every day one of the teams or groups is having a spirit day. This spirit didn't happen at all in my high school.”

Saffar enjoys being an extension of the JDS community by protecting it. He encourages others to contribute to school safety as well.

“While I might be a police officer, everyone can help regarding safety. The most important thing is that if something looks suspicious, tell someone,” Saffar said.

Lindner is very pleased with the progress that the school has made in security and appreciates the contributions of the officers who guard the building.

“To me, I just really like the idea that the officers are people who are interested in what’s happening in this school and who I think in a small way made themselves a nice part of the overall community,” Lindner said.

Dress decoded: Students balance modesty with style sabrina bramson reporter When Dean of Students Roslyn Landy walks the halls of CESJDS, she notices the various styles and trends in students’ outfits. Although many students keep up with fashion, they do not all keep up with dress code.

“The rules that are broken the most are low-cut things with girls, cleavage, and the new cut jeans which are adorable, but not for school,” Landy said.

According to Landy, within the last five years, leggings became permitted. It was hard for the faculty to differentiate leggings from jeggings and other bottoms, so the school changed the dress code to adapt. Although new dress code infractions come about with new styles, the number of students who are “dress coded” has not increased.

Landy recognizes that the dress

code is mostly an issue for the girls at the school. Boys sometimes break the dress code towards the beginning of summer when they wear sleeveless shirts, but their main issue is kippot. Senior Stav Elazar-Mittelman sometimes enters class without a kippah, which is an infraction of the dress code.

“If the school claims to be pluralistic, I should not be forced to wear a kippah, especially when halacha doesn’t even require me to,” senior Elazar-Mittelman said. “For me it’s a religious symbol that I strongly disagree with and it’s one of the core things that I disagree with in my own philosophy.”

Elazar-Mittelman believes that Jewish law only requires males to wear kippot when eating or praying, so JDS should not mandate that the male students wear them all of the time. He also does not agree with what kippot symbolize, that “God is

always above people.”

While Elazar-Mittelman has some strong opinions about kippot, he also has other issues with the dress code. He believes that the three inches above the knee rule for shorts and skirts is a bit much and that as long as the bottoms are long enough to be deemed appropriate in public, they should be fine for school.

gentlemen and I think it’s just taking it too far.”

Like Mittelman, junior Maya Cohen-Shields has broken dress code before, but she has never been called out on it. She finds that the teachers do not comment on some of the recent trends that are out of dress code.

Dresses, jeans and tops are

"What I would say is sexist is popular fashion and societal standards."

- math teacher curtis asplund “I think the dress code is really pushing it,” Elazar-Mittelman said.

“It’s again some of the things like the no bra strap rule I think is a little weird. It’s just a strap, like who cares? It’s not going to entice the

some of the major issues that Cohen-Shields and her female friends have.

“I think that sometimes [dress code] is a little too much and can be confusing, especially for teachers to

really be able to know what the dress code is,” Cohen-Shields said.

Math teacher Curtis Asplund, however, said that he does not find it hard to recognize dress code infractions, but he does have to remind students to follow it. He finds that dress code infractions are more common with male students as they forget to wear kippot to class.

Asplund also believes that there are aspects of fashion that make it harder for female students to stay in dress code at school.

“What I would say is sexist is popular fashion and societal standards,” Asplund said. “Societal norms are very different in our culture and our society for men and women. And so therefore in practice women’s fashion is not as easy to make align with our dress code as men’s fashion is."

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Empty stands: Sports teams struggle to draw crowds rebecca weiss reporter There are three important factors to winning a soccer game, sophomore forward Ally Knapp said: “teamwork, heart and motivation.”

Senior forward Danielle Bernstein added a fourth: “fans.”

“It gives us more support and more motivation to do well,” Bernstein said.

Yet, according to Brian Westerman, coach of four CESJDS sports teams, attendance at JDS sports games is “just okay.” On Monday, Oct. 16, there were a mere 27 fans at the middle school girls soccer game between JDS and the Washington International School. Westerman said he

would like to see a greater turnout as “everybody would benefit if there were more fans.”

At JDS, many faculty and students agree that attendance at sports games is low, but each person’s reasons for the fan deficiency is different. Some argue that it’s about simple logistics: location, convenience and scheduling conflicts. For others though, the explanation is more complex, and touches on sexism on the playing field and a lack of school spirit when it comes to sports.

According to Director of Athletics Mike Riley, JDS student athletes are a victim of their own success.

Approximately 65% of JDS students participate in a team sport at some point during the year, which leaves

few students to sit in the stands. Riley added that up to nine different sports events can be scheduled for the same day, creating conflicts and limiting attendance.

Junior Zev Katz suggested a different practical reason for low turnout at sports games. He said attendance correlates with convenience. Katz runs on the cross country team in the fall and track team in the spring, but notices higher attendance in the winter, when he plays for the boys varsity basketball team. “[Basketball] is more exciting.

More people know about it. Running is just not as popular,” Katz said. “[Basketball’s] inside, and people don't like being outside because it’s either too hot or too cold.”

Boys varsity basketball team works overtime in offseason devira friedman and jessie lehman sports editors As the school year begins in September, the boys on the varsity basketball team lace up their sneakers, head to the gym and sharpen their skills with weekly team workouts.

Ever since boys varsity basketball coach David McCloud came to CESJDS in 2010, he has organized offseason workouts to get the team in shape for the annual Cooper Invitational Tournament in Memphis, Tenn. each November and the upcoming season.

These workouts, which vary from year to year, focus on fundamental skills as well as building strength in the weight room.

“We try to get everyone to shoot, pass and dribble the ball better than they did the year before,” McCloud said.

According to McCloud, these workouts prepare them physically and mentally. It allows the players to understand the seriousness of playing the game the correct way.

Junior Max Stravitz, who has been on the boys varsity basketball team for two years, also thinks that the workouts are crucial for developing skills as well as team chemistry.

According to Stravitz, this year’s team has not played together in a while so these workouts are crucial, especially with the Memphis tournament coming so far before the actual season.

“We wouldn’t be able to run plays well enough once we got to Memphis if we didn’t [practice],” Stravitz said.

McCloud also sees long term benefits in holding these offseason workouts. He attributes the team’s success to the hard work the boys put in well before the season starts.

“I think it prepares us for the season better than most teams which is why we are so successful,” McCloud said. “We have had a better record than most teams in the league because of our skill and development program.”

Director of Athletics Mike Riley sees other benefits to holding workouts before the season begins. He

believes that the more time an athlete spends preparing for the season, the less likely they are to get injured later on.

“If you are doing things the right way, conditioning wise, that can be an injury preventer,” Riley said.

According to McCloud, the workouts are open to everyone, but are “not easy.” He says that many people may see a fun opportunity to play basketball with the team, but often back off when they realize how challenging the workouts actually are.

In Stravitz’s experience, mostly students who are planning to play on the team and at the Memphis tournament attend. He feels as if attendance is stronger this year than in previous years because the team has a lot of new players who want to make sure that they secure their spot on the team in the coming season.

“People that want to be on the team are willing to do it [the workouts] because otherwise you probably won’t get much playing time,” Stravitz said.

Katz added that cross country and track meets are never on campus because JDS doesn’t have a track, whereas there are many home basketball games in the gym at JDS. But for sophomore Josie Levine, a member of the girls varsity soccer team, low turnout is about more than location. Levine said she has noticed more fans on the sidelines of varsity boys soccer games than at girls games.

“I just think it’s sexist,” Levine said. “The guys have a lot more fans, but we have a [better] record."

Westerman does not see it that way: “There are some games the girls varsity team will have more fans than the boys varsity team or vice versa, so I think it depends on

availability and who can make what game.”

For sophomore Mia Pearce, turnout is driven by something entirely different: the social scene.

Pearce said that her public school friends bond at sports games, by meeting new people and supporting their friends on the field. She thinks that if the social aspect of games were bigger, there would be stronger turnout.

“Sports aren't everyone’s thing, but then again, hanging out with friends can be,” Pearce said. “I think that that could be a good way to attract students."

While the team took a water break, freshman Ariel Gershman practiced his shot.

Gershman is the only freshman on the varsity boys basketball team for this season.

Coach David McCloud introduces a drill to the team during practice.

McCloud uses the off season workouts to focus on improving fundamental skills before the season begins.

Junior Ethan Swagel prepares for the rebound as junior Zev Katz shoots from the elbow. This is one of McCloud’s many drills intended to improve the team’s shooting abilities. photos by jessie lehman

compiled by jessie lehman and devira friedman

photo courtesy of dora mendelson

Records accurate as of Oct. 18

Girls varsity tennis

Senior Jenny Belson prepares to hit a ball against her Oakcrest opponent. The girls varsity tennis won the match and have a record of 6-2.

photo courtesy of jason belinkie

Varsity cross country

Runners huddle together moments before a meet at the Sandy Spring Friends School.

photo courtesy of mattie watson

Boys varsity soccer

Junior Liam Shemesh tries to keep the ball during a game against the Berman Hebrew Academy Cougars. The boys varsity soccer team lost the game and maintain a record of 0-9-1.

photo courtesy of danielle kronstadt

Girls varsity volleyball

Freshman Shelby Schlactus prepares to bump a ball in a match against the Grace Brethren Eagles. The team has a 4-5 record.

photo by jessie lehman

Girls varsity soccer

Sophomore Ally Knapp dribbles the ball past a McClean defender. The girls varsity soccer team won the game and have a record of 6-3.

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11

HIGHLIGHTS

The fall season of JDS sports comes to an end within the coming weeks as teams vie for tournament championships, athletes aim for new records and coaches hope to leave one last impact on their teams. Before the playoffs pick up, here are some season highlights so far.

Fall Season

photo by ilan cohen

Not your average roll New restaurant Fuses sushi with burritos shira godin style editor Distant cuisines unite at Buredo, with a trendy, cross-cultural mash-up of sushi and burritos. With two restaurants in D.C., Buredo recently opened up a third location in Bethesda’s Wildwood shopping center. As a long-time sushi enthusiast and burrito aficionado, I was eager to try it.

As I walked into Buredo, my eyes were immediately drawn to the unique decor. Neon lights ran up and down the ceiling, which gave the restaurant a modern feel. The

left hand wall featured a colorful mural and several smaller art pieces were scattered throughout the dining area. While the design is attractive, the restaurant was narrow and felt cramped, even with only about five diners inside.

The menu consists of ten different sushi burrito options, along with several side dishes and snack options. The prices for the burritos range from $8.95 to $12.85. The snacks and drinks are all around $2.

I decided to get the Hanzo burrito, which consists of tuna, avocado and lemon sauce. It did not take longer than five minutes to make the burri-

to, which is ideal for those who need to get back to work or home. Due to the cramped feel of the restaurant, I ultimately decided to eat at home.

The burrito itself was generously sized and quite filling. The presentation was kaleidoscopic, as the different ingredients contributed many colors to the meal. The burrito was neatly sliced in half for a clean and easy eating experience.

The fish tasted fresh and the lemon sauce that was drizzled on top was tangy and sweet. Unfortunately, the rice and seaweed were a bit overbearing due to how much there was wrapped around the burrito.

Overall, the Hanzo sushi burrito was a satisfying dish and I would definitely order it again.

Although the food was tasty, I did uncover a red flag. Due to my nut allergy, I checked the website prior to my visit and noticed an allergy warning. When I called the restaurant for details, an employee picked up on the second call, and informed me that there were peanuts in a sauce. When I visited the restaurant, however, the employee who was taking my order told me that they did not have any nuts in their restaurant. Due to the conflicting information I got concerning

allergy warnings, those with severe allergies should be cautious when visiting Buredo.

I will say that I would like to go back to Buredo, but I found some of the customer service lacking. The food itself, though, was as tasty as it was colorful.

Buredo is located in the Wildwood Shopping Center at 10219 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Md. Hours are 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily.