Volume 33 Issue 4

the lion’s tale

02 news

the lion’s tale

TEM joel vardon sports editor This summer, an Innovations Center for Robotics and Design will be added to the Upper School building. This new center is part of an initiative to strengthen the school’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.

STEM will become a more significant part of the high school, reflecting its gaining popularity across the country. According to the STEM Education Coalition, by 2020, the demand for engineers will add over 1 million jobs within the U.S. workforce.

Additional reasons to bring STEM to the

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Upper School include student interest, funding opportunities and the sixth grade moving to the Upper School. The goal of the program will be to continue the education students have received at the Lower School, and provide high school students with the same opportunities.

“As things have taken off at the Lower School, it was clear that those students would be arriving at the Upper School, so we needed to start thinking about what programs we could offer them,” Director of Instructional Technology Ginger Thornton said.

The Lower School already has a robotics club and lab, which the Upper School program will attempt to mirror.

The lab will include robotics equipment, storage space and a digital design center that will help The Lion’s Tale and Dimensions staffs further their digital design

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skills. There will also be a broadcasting studio for students pursuing communications, and Google Cardboard which will serve as a resource for film.

In order to gather ideas and inspiration for the layout of the Innovations Center for Robotics and Design, Thornton learned about the STEM program at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) in Fairfax County, Va. TJHSST is a magnet school that specializes in math, science and technology education.

“We visited a lot of other schools, and part of what we learned by doing that was that technology is always changing,” Thornton said.

JDS STEM Education Specialist Alexis Soffler is responsible for the program at the Lower School. Soffler hopes that Upper School students will not only learn about science through the program, but also learn essential life skills.

“I want them to develop a skillset that is essential for success in STEM and in all fields — things like persistence, resilience, ways to organize information, how to take risks and how to

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Innovation Center for Robotics and Design coming to Upper School

innovate,” Soffler said.

Seventh-grader Noah Simon has been interested in engineering from a young age and participated in the STEM program at the Lower School.

“I really enjoy engineering, and just being able to mix the creativity and mechanical side of it [is] really interesting,” Simon said.

Along with its STEM activities, the Lower School has a lab with a 3-D printer and high-definition touch-screen desktops. It also has a range of robotics from HEXBUGs, robotic toys that resemble a bug, to the Lego Mindstorm EV3, the third generation robotics kit in Lego’s Mindstorms line.

“I am really excited about the robotics and especially the Lego Mindstorm EV3,” Simon said. “I think it gives many people opportunities [to learn about] basic robotics and programming in a way that everyone can understand.”

One objective of the STEM program is for students to understand complicated technological concepts more easily. For example, Lower School students were able to use the Israeli program Code Monkey to learn how to code the professional

language CoffeeScript in Hebrew. “[Students] learn by touching, trying, experimenting, and young children learn a tremendous amount through playful experiences with tools like this,” Soffler said.

Junior Eli Zajicek aspires to be an engineer when he grows older, and feels that a STEM program would be a great addition to the Upper School.

“Robotics coming to the school would be awesome,” Zajicek said.

“I would love JDS to add even more STEM courses. There is not enough engineering or technology in general here.”

Soffler would like students to learn about technology as a way to prepare them for their future careers.

“To understand and harness the power of STEM in the future of humanity and of the world, we need to have our middle and Upper School students emerging with a sense of identity, experience and knowledge to go forward,” Soffler said.

Superhero mom: addie bard reporter Every week, People magazine’s “Heroes Among Us” column recognizes ordinary citizens for their inspiring stories and courageous actions. On Jan. 28, CESJDS parent Laurie Strongin was honored as the Hero Among Us due to her hard work and dedication to the organization she founded 12 years ago: Hope for Henry.

Hope for Henry’s mission is to comfort and support children in hospitals who are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. Strongin is the CEO of the organization. “[Winning the award], was so incredible mostly because I have to say that I actually read People magazine, and I have been reading that column, ‘Heroes Among Us,’ for years,” Strongin said. “It just felt unbelievable when they first called me and said they wanted to feature me in that very column; I just couldn’t believe it.”

Strongin and her husband, Allen Goldberg, were inspired to start Hope for Henry in 2003, about a year after their son Henry died at age seven of Fanconi anemia, a rare genetic disorder. Throughout his

life, Henry was always upbeat, even through his long stays in hospitals.

Their goal is to honor Henry’s life by spreading happiness and smiles.

Strongin wrote a memoir in 2010 titled, “Saving Henry: A Mother’s Journey,” which expresses her love for Henry and portrays his bravery while fighting a life-threatening illness.

In trying to keep Henry’s memory alive, Strongin has grown the organization from hosting five major events a year to hosting between 25 and 30. In addition to the increase of events, Hope for Henry has expanded from providing sick children with new electronics to also offering engaging activities, such as superhero-themed celebrations and movie nights.

“I just get to see these incredible smiles on their faces … when a superhero walks into their room or when on Halloween they dress up in costumes, and they have completely forgotten that they are sick and they just are kids again,” Strongin said.

Hope for Henry’s Super Path to Super Duper Better is a program that pays children in Hope for Henry Bucks when they have to go through difficult experiences such as chemotherapy, surgery and radiation.

news

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Laurie Strongin’s volunteer work recognized by People magazine

The children can then trade in their bucks for prizes off of their personal wish lists. “[The activities are] to ensure that the kids get to have as normal a life as possible while they work hard to get better,” Strongin said in an email.

Sophomore Jaimin Kammerman underwent brain surgery and experienced first-hand the support that Hope for Henry gives. After surgery, he woke up to find a brand new iPad next to him.

“I was so happy,” Kammerman said. “I still have the iPad to this day, and it made my time in the hospital seem a little brighter in the dark.”

Kammerman is the only former patient currently on Hope for Henry’s teen advisory board. Strongin’s son, eighth-grader Joe Goldberg, is also on the teen board. He helps the organization by coming up with ideas for events and fundraisers.

“The most meaningful part of the organization to me is probably just ... watching the smiles on all of the kids’ faces when [my mom] goes to the hospital,” Goldberg said.

Although People magazine’s “Heroes Among Us” award is the most recent instance, this is not the first time Hope for Henry has been

recognized. It has won prestigious awards, including the Chairman’s Award from Children’s National and Georgetown Pediatrics’ Flame of Hope Award.

Hope for Henry will extend its influence this year by adding another hospital to their volunteer network, the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. Kammerman sees the whole organization as being incredibly im-

portant, and believes that Strongin’s leadership is one of the key reasons for its success.

“The fact that someone would devote their whole life to bringing cheer or happiness to other people and ... making other people feel important [is why she is a hero],” Kammerman said.

photo provided by laurie strongin Henry Goldberg, dressed as Batman, inspired Laurie Strongin (right) to have superhero-themed events for sick kids. Henry died of a rare disease at age seven.

Springing toward the future CESJDS to launch 50th anniversary endowment campaign in May

1. The 3-D printer, located in the Upper School Library, can be used by all students to print designs they create.

2. Junior Ben Katz’s self portrait, printed using the 3-D printer.

3. Freshman Shoshana Scott experiences a virtual video through Google Cardboard.

photos by noy dahan

rina torchinsky features editor In the 1960s, leaders in the Washington Jewish community set out on a mission to form a conservative Jewish day school for the future.

Fifty years later, CESJDS will launch a fundraising initiative to plan for the 50 years to come.

The “Building Our Future” endowment campaign, officially beginning in May, is the largest fundraising campaign in JDS history.

According to Director of Development Sharon Metro Roll, the 50th

anniversary is a “wonderful time” to build up the endowment.

The endowment is targeted for the growth of the school in three areas: Jewish student life and community, success in academic studies and accessibility.

“As we continue to grow the endowment, it will also enable us to provide enough tuition assistance so that all families that want to attend CESJDS will be able to do so,” Metro Roll said in an email.

The goal is to add to the existing $15 million endowment, raising between $25 million and $36 mil-

lion during the “Building Our Future” campaign. When benefactors contribute to the endowment campaign, they get to choose to donate to a program or a department from a list of commemorative naming opportunities. The interest on the donation is used to fund the program itself, while the rest of the money is kept in the endowment.

Ruth and Samuel Salzberg, grandparents of junior Zoe Salzberg, were founding members of Ohr Kodesh Congregation. Fifty years ago, they helped raise funds for building JDS with their rabbi.

The Salzberg family was one of the first contributors to the “Building Our Future” campaign. On Oct. 7, 2015, the Upper School Science Department Chair was named in honor of Ruth and Samuel after a recent contribution from the Ruth and Samuel Salzberg Foundation. The Salzbergs chose to name the Science Department Chair because of their family’s work in the medical field.

“We feel ​great​ ​satisfaction knowing that this gift is precisely the way our parents would want this money spent,” Arthur Salzberg, son of Ruth and Samuel, said in an

email. “The gift connects one generation to the next, ‘L’dor vador nagid godlecha’ and ​we draw deep satisfaction knowing that our parents fully believed that.”

For Zoe, the 50th anniversary is an indication of JDS’ commitment to Jewish education. “[The 50th anniversary and commemoration of the science department chair] reminds me to always value Jewish education ... and the significance of the impact that JDS has had on my life,” Zoe said.

the lion’s tale

04 opinion

the lion’s tale

opinion

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the

lion’s tale

Pressing for gender equality in the school curriculum

editors editors-in-chief

talia horowitz, miriam minsk managing editor, copy

jonathan foldi design editor

A call for teamwork

ariella kulp copy editor

rani zimand opinion editor

gabe krantz news editors

talia denicoff, isaac silber features editors

izzy friedland, aaron schonfeld & rina torchinsky style editors

emily cohen, joey shoyer in-depth editors

dahlia lehman, arielle weinstein sports editors

bennett bramson, ari feuer & joel vardon photo editor

noy dahan social media, video editor

noah green editorial cartoonists

beyla bass, ben shrock photographers

ilan cohen, caroline weinstein cover photo illustartion by ariella kulp cover photo by noy dahan

reporters josh abramowitz, addie bard, ilan cohen, amelia davidson, devira friedman, shira godin, danny ingber, jessie lehman, aliza rabinovitz, zoe reichbach, aaron robinson, ben savarick, kate sosland, sara sporkin

staff adviser

With major change comes an even larger reaction. That’s most likely why the reaction to the fact that both the middle school and the high school will have overhauled schedules starting next year has been met with opinions ranging across the spectrum.

Many students disagree on whether the block schedule had to be changed and whether we needed some classes every day. It is essentially a consensus, however that as students, the ones who reap the benefits and suffer the consequences of the schedule changes, we should have had more input in the changes.

The members of Student Council, who act as representatives of the high school student body on certain schoolwide issues and policy changes, were not only never consulted by administrators, but were not even informed of the schedule changes.

The changes themselves and the dialogue surrounding them are not even a remotely new subject for the school. Since the Dec. 2014 announcement that the sixth grade would move to the Upper School by the 2016-2017 school year, the school knew that there would be changes to both schedules because of a redesign.

Due to this, a 10-person committee of teachers and administrators dedicated to creating a new schedule was formed at the beginning of the current school year. This means that there had been research and actual drafting of schedules for over five months and ideas for a new schedule for well over a year, without notifying or asking input from Student Council.

There were focus groups to discuss various aspects of the middle school redesign, including schedule changes. These focus groups, however, only had input on middle school changes, not for high school.

The purpose of Student Council is to represent the best interests of the student body during times like this. Important decisions that strongly affect students cannot be made without substantial input from students, or at the very minimum, informing students earlier that changes are being discussed and made.

The administration believes that an abundance of student input would have been detrimental to the process due to the complexity of concocting two new schedules.

We believe that it is beneficial to have some sort of line of communication between administrators and students, whether it be through

Student Council, or with the student body directly.

We strongly affirm that the students should have been informed of the impending changes and given a larger voice.

While the changes are likely final, the school needs to see that students want to be heard and to be kept in the loop. This is especially true when changes are as impactful as altering the current schedule. We believe that the school should take our thoughts into consideration when making changes, big or small, in the future.

The administration is not wrong that some decisions are best when made without student input.

However, we believe that there needs to be more teamwork between students and administrators.

Decisions that do not directly impact students’ daily routine, such as the new security measures which did not involve student input, do not need the “help” of students, but a change like the overhaul of the schedule does.

As students, our collective voice will only be heard if we speak.

We cannot simply let decisions pertaining to us be made without our

cartoon by beyla bass

voices being acknowledged. We must speak up and express our thoughts and opinions as students no matter the situation or decision.

In times like these, when we feel as if our opinions were overlooked, we must take the situation at hand and make the best of it.

This does not mean going to the offices of administrators and complaining about the new schedules.

Instead, it is crucial that we work with those in power in order to close the gap between administrators and students. This will enable us to have our voices heard in the form of Student Council more often, and to stay in better communication with those above us.

-The Lion’s Tale

jessica nassau

adviser emerita susan zuckerman The Lion’s Tale Editorial and Ethics Policy As the student newspaper of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, The Lion’s Tale is a 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.

A normal day at CESJDS :

sophie handloff guest columnist There are numerous aspects of society that contribute to gender inequality, one being the education of students today. This is especially true when it comes to the study of women’s roles in history. As a student at CESJDS, I have noticed an absence of education on female figures who have affected world history.

A recent example of this absence is the exciting and long-awaited World History Tournament for the tenth-grade World History II classes. Every student is assigned a historical figure from a list of choices given by the history teachers. The purpose of the as-

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signment is to answer the question: “How did your historical figure influence world history?”

My class was given 26 choices.

All 26 options were male. When we received the assignment, I excitedly scanned the list looking for people I recognized or had an interest in researching, and noticed this gender gap. Many things ran through my head, from asking if I was able to pick a figure that wasn’t on the list, to creating a big scene about how unhappy I was with the lack of gender diversity. The fact that we did not have the opportunity to choose a female figure was so unsettling that I wanted to know more about the other classes’ lists.

This year, only nine out of the 156 historical figures given to the World History II classes were female, making up only 5.7 percent of the list. The female figures on the lists were only spread between four of the six classes, leaving the other two classes with no female choices at all.

At first, some may think that these types of numbers are acceptable because of the male dominance that was considered the norm throughout much of history.

In recent years, however, success

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at the hands of women has become more common, and many of these amazing women have been overlooked. The information I found left me feeling concerned, and I decided to address my concerns with the World History II teachers.

Despite my efforts, I was not successful in finding a way to get any women on my class list or being able to research a female figure. After hearing my concerns, however, the History department was able to assure me that in the future there would be changes to this assignment in order to put more of an emphasis on the influential female figures of history. Implementing changes like these in educational settings are crucial in order to be on the road to gender equality.

In my opinion, women played, and obviously still play, a very big role in our world. Yes, in history there have been many cases of gender inequality, but in more recent years we have had many influential women affect our world history. Women, such as the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was named the Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2015, have overcome the disadvantages that females have faced and are able to have a

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significant impact on the world.

Gender equality is something our society is still working to improve on every day. Women have been unable to receive the same opportunities as men for as long as we can remember.

Today, the disadvantages women face are very clear in everyday life. Only 24 percent of CEOs in the United States are women. Not only are women lacking in leadership positions, but women also earn 79 cents for every dollar men make, according to the Council of Economic Advisors.

There were, and still are, many women out there that deserve the chance to be in the tournament.

I think such a change will help normalize the idea of an influential female figure, consequently strengthening the idea of gender equality in society.

While modifying an assignment cannot completely solve the gender inequality we see around the world today, it can be beneficial to students’ education. As the next generation grows up, preparing to run the world in all sorts of ways, they need to be educated in order to understand the fact that both men and women can change the world.

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It is extremely important that we understand the influence that women have had on history so that as young people, we can bridge the current gender gap. This type of education is crucial for society in order to ensure that every individual is able to reach their full potential.

All young girls need to know that they have just as much potential as all of the young boys, and that all of the opportunities that have been available for men along the way should be fair game to all of the incredible women out there who can go and change the world.

With March being National Women’s History month, it is important to acknowledge the progress that we have made as a country and as a community. There are still changes that need to be made, just as the History department is planning, in order to teach myself and my peers about how women have influenced, and will continue to influence, the world.

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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.

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 328.

First women’s 19th amendment rights convention is signed into is held in law allowing all New York women to vote

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

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

cartoon by ben shrock

The Equal Pay Act is signed into law

The National Association for Women is founded by 28 representatives

Sandra O’Connor Ban on women in is sworn in as first combat lifted by female supreme United States court justice military leaders

the lion’s tale

06 in-depth

the lion’s tale

53%

UNDE UNDR PRES SURE Grappling with political correctness

of students have suppressed an opinion to be politically correct

29%

of students believe political correctness is harmful

8%

of students think that it is very important to be politically correct

19%

of students believe it is never important to be politically correct

in-depth

35%

of students feel pressured to voice certain views about Israel

results from a survey of 249 out of 523 Upper School students

dahlia lehman and arielle weinstein in-depth editors “Stop calling me racist,” junior Jared Bauman typed in the first line of his most recent post published on Jan. 2. “I am not kidding. Please, stop calling me racist.”

Bauman runs a political blog called “The Young Participant,” and in his latest entry he addressed a topic whose prevalence has increased recently on college campuses, social media and in the CESJDS classroom: political correctness.

According to a recent survey of 249 Upper School students, 53 percent have suppressed a thought or opinion in class in order to be politically correct. Bauman believes that for this reason, political correctness negatively affects discussions and limits people’s ability to honestly express themselves.

In addition to impeding conversation, Bauman argues that political correctness can lead to destructive name-calling of those who think outside of popular opinion.

“There are so many times just in the world where someone tries to raise a concern they have about a certain issue, and are immediately called racist or intolerant or xenophobic or Islamophobic or homophobic ... simply because they don’t think in a way that many other people do,” Bauman said.

Bauman experienced these insults firsthand at a Junior State of America convention, where he spoke against gender-neutral bathrooms because he believed they would harm transgender people rather than help combat bullying.

Despite expressing what he thought was a rational argument, Bauman was dismissed and told he was “too

privileged” to speak his mind on the subject.

“There’s way too many times in certain kinds of public forums where my opinion has been discounted or attacked, simply because my background is not one where I was oppressed, or I’m not a minority, according to general American thought,” Bauman said.

Alumnus Cole Aronson (‘14), a current sophomore at Yale University, often faces pressure to be politically correct on his college campus.

While he believes that some of his classmates are perpetrators of this unnecessary pressure, many Yale students agree with Aronson that it can be difficult to freely express authentic opinions on campus. According to a recent article published by the Atlantic, 66 percent of Yale students who attended a debate on the topic agreed that free speech is threatened on campus.

For Aronson, adhering to political correctness means suppressing authentic thoughts to avoid offending certain people. Aronson believes these people are “almost invariably” marginalized members of society, and that it is easier for people who come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds to fully express their beliefs without criticism.

“The people listening to what somebody is saying, in my experience, will judge the same substance vastly differently if the person is not straight, is not male or is not white,” Aronson said.

According to Aronson, pressure to be politically correct serves as a “muffle” not only for the privileged, but for anyone who does not fit the stereotypical mold of their group.

“If you look at the way black conservatives are treated, it’s disgusting,” Aronson said. “If you look

at the way that pro-life women are treated, it’s disgusting. So one of the things that the modern left has tried to do is [typecast] demographics.”

While some students at Yale have gone so far as to refuse to listen to Aronson’s ideas, he remembers that most of his classes at JDS provided more accepting atmospheres for discussion.

Aronson specifically remembers this being true for his Arab-Israeli Conflict class, which was taught by the current Academic Dean Aileen Goldstein. He remembers that Goldstein “gave credence to all opinions,” which helped in preventing any student from being ostracized for his or her beliefs.

This inclusiveness reflects the type of environment that the JDS administration aims to cultivate in all classes. According to Goldstein, while JDS does not administer any specific training on political correctness, the school does try to generate a healthy atmosphere where students can practice critical thinking and develop individual ideas. The faculty is taught how to deal with topics such as gender, sexuality and diversity. This training has come in part through workshops, where, for example, JDS has collaborated with Operation Understanding D.C. to learn how to speak about race.

For Goldstein, another major aspect of creating healthy and respectful classroom environments is exposing students to multiple perspectives on political and social issues. Goldstein believes it is the responsibility of teachers to provide these different viewpoints while keeping their own opinions out of the discussion.

“It’s not about the faculty’s perspective, it’s about the students and cultivating their thinking,”

Goldstein said. “It is not our job to be sharing those opinions, it is our job in classes to be cultivating the conversation.”

For Jewish History teacher Aaron Bregman, the current teacher of the Arab-Israeli Conflict class, one important part of sustaining an open atmosphere for discussion is providing his students with a variety of perspectives on the conflict. Although Bregman is openly a Zionist, he remains impartial in the classroom for the sake of his students.

“As a history teacher I feel … that I need to provide the whole narrative,” Bregman said. “I need to push students on the devil’s advocate viewpoint because if I don’t, then I’m not doing my job the way it should be done.”

Freshman Beyla Bass also believes that having an open mind when approaching the sensitive topic of Israel can result in more compatible learning atmospheres.

Therefore, she finds it troubling when people fail to acknowledge perspectives other than their own.

“They want to voice their opinion from their Jewish side without taking into account the side of the Palestinians, but to be politically correct and to have an informed opinion you have to know the sides of the different people,” Bass said.

According to Bass, political correctness can be used in a more positive way to foster respectful discussion. She believes it not only acts as a filter that forces students “to put more thought” into their speech, but also validates their opinions by making them “sound more informed.”

Like Bass, junior Joey Rushfield believes that political correctness is an important filter for discussion.

For Rushfield, political correctness

helps facilitate the respect all people should practice.

“Things like using slurs? That’s hateful, not just politically incorrect. Invalidating someone’s sexual or gender identity? That’s oppressive, not [just] politically incorrect,” Rushfield said. “People often forget that political correctness is meant to help those who are marginalized and avoid adding to society’s discriminatory attitudes towards them.”

Rushfield actively intervenes when he sees this lack of respect.

While volunteering as a counselor at the eighth-grade shabbaton, Rushfield overheard students using anti-gay slurs and made a point to correct their language. He believes that this intervention is always necessary because a person’s right to “be edgy” should never impede on someone else’s right to happiness.

While Rushfield sees political correctness as an absolute necessity, Bauman struggles to weigh its benefits and consequences. He believes that it is necessary to find a balance between dealing with a lack of sensitivity in speech and having completely restricted speech.

“Political correctness can be something good if it’s used in healthy amounts, but it’s our duty as people to not use it as a political weapon,” Bauman said.

“The world we are living in is way too concerned with what other people might say, think or feel.” sophomore Lena Lerner

“To me, political correctness is a way of showing respect and giving respect to others.” junior Ezra Gershman

“When it begins to suppress the free exchange of ideas it should be dropped.”

Jewish Text teacher Joel Goldstein

photos by noy dahan

07

the lion’s tale

08 features

the lion’s tale

SCIENCE

isaac silber news editor

RELIGION A fresh perspective on an age-old debate reporters

Most schools do not have a Beit Midrash. Even fewer schools have a Beit Midrash and a Science department office separated by a single hallway.

According to Academic Dean Aileen Goldstein, one of CESJDS’ goals is to be involved in both the Jewish community and in the academic world. To do so, JDS incorporates courses dedicated to science and religion into its curriculum.

“There is not a protocol regarding a balance of religion and science in the school, but we really do encourage the questioning and conversation around it,” Goldstein said.

Junior Avital Krifcher struggles with this balance and feels that a perfect one cannot be reached. As a self-described religious Jew, she feels extremely connected to Judaism, but chooses to focus more on

science when the two contradict.

“The guidelines and the morals that the Torah creates are meant to be, I think, fitted to the person who is following them,” Krifcher said.

“However, science is facts. There are undeniable scientific facts, and so I guess that is one way in which I have managed to balance it.”

Krifcher credits Science teacher Nick Miller with influencing her perspectives on scientific and religious beliefs. Unlike Krifcher, however, Miller believes that science and religion are directly intertwined, so finding a balance between the two is not a difficult task.

“Nature reveals the mind of God to us,” Miller said. “Its beauty, its order, its complexity, that all is a reflection of God. It’s like we see God in a mirror through nature and in a mirror through the Torah, so both of them are revelatory to me.”

While Miller is drawn to both science and religion, freshman Abby Elson, who grew up in a ob-

servant household, has always felt that she has a religious outlook on life. She credits her Judaic reasoning with the fact that she has gone to a Jewish day school and practiced Judaism her entire life.

Though Elson gravitates more toward Judaism, she feels that the actual content of scientific and religious classes can be taught in tandem. For example, she believes in both the Judaic creation story and in evolution, and she feels that they do not have to contradict each other.

Elson, who attended a Jewish day school in San Diego, feels that JDS does a better job than her old school of letting students construct and discuss their personal opinions on Judaism and their Jewish identities. She thinks, however, that the school as a whole could improve on respecting scientific beliefs within Jewish classes.

“In any general Jewish texts class, we obviously only study the Tanach or other Jewish texts, and

usually take it fairly literally and think about what the words themselves mean as opposed to how it realistically could have happened,” Elson said.

Miller believes that although JDS is a Jewish institution, the school has found a way to incorporate a science program that not only works alongside the religious program, but can be tied into the school’s religious teachings.

To Miller, this was further exemplified when he attended a program in San Francisco run by Search Extraterrestrial Intelligence and NASA about teaching evolution.

He was the only teacher from a religious school, and the other teachers in the program were shocked that JDS was able to integrate religion and science within the school’s curriculum.

“It was hard for them to understand because in their communities the science people and the religion people are at each other’s throats,”

09

Rodney to the rescue: Junior volunteers at fire station

WITH

amelia davidson and kate sosland

features

Miller said. “Here, we’re more sophisticated.”

According to Goldstein, as a pluralistic school, JDS has the duty to respect everyone’s opinions, whether they discredit Judaism or not. This has led JDS to try to adopt a hands-off approach, where the school allows students to form their own thoughts about Judaism, as opposed to just teaching them a specific outlook on how religion and science interact.

“One of the things that is beautiful in being in a pluralistic school like this is that we really promote the critical thinking and the questioning,” Goldstein said. “Questioning is so big in Jewish tradition, and it is so much of what we encourage in your general studies and in your Judaic studies at the school.”

photo provided by nathan rodney Junior Nathan Rodney puts on his EMS gear for the first time.

When the bell goes off, instead of sprinting to class, junior Nathan Rodney sprints from his bed in the Cabin John Fire Station to the awaiting ambulance.

Rodney is an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) observer for the Cabin John Fire Department. Despite not being certified to perform medical duties, an EMS observer goes on every call that the fire department receives and helps the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) treat their patients.

Rodney decided to be-

come an EMS observer because he hopes to become a doctor when he gets older. He also heard from other CESJDS students that working at a fire station was an amazing experience. For now, since Rodney is under 18, his work for the Cabin John Fire Department can only earn him community service hours.

Before turning 16, Rodney submitted an application to the Cabin John Fire Department to become an EMS observer. He took a series of online classes, passed a physical exam and had a few training days with the department before starting his Saturday night shifts in November.

Rodney’s shift is from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. Sunday morning. Because his shift is during the night, Rodney is able to sleep for parts of the night in the bunk room.

When Rodney is not resting in the fire station’s bunks, he and the other members of the fire department sit around a desk, waiting for an emergency call.

Once the tone sounds, all those on duty leap into action.

“When the tone goes off, I just put my shoes on and hop in the am-

bulance,” Rodney said.

Usually, there are two calls per 12-hour shift. Once the ambulance reaches its destination, Rodney gets whatever the officer in charge needs, such as defibrillators or stretchers.

After the patient is placed in the ambulance or a fire truck, Rodney goes with the wounded to the hospital and gets them checked in before returning to the station.

Rodney was scared on his first call, a car accident, because he did not know what to expect.

“It’s a little emotionally draining seeing the person on the floor, but you get used to it after a while,” Rodney said.

More recently, Rodney responded to a car accident on Feb. 27 that left three people, including a Walt Whitman High School senior, dead and two others injured. Rodney’s unit was the second EMS unit on the site, and they helped the other firefighters get the injured people out of their cars. This was the first time Rodney had been called onto a scene where people died.

Although dealing with tragedies such as this one can be hard,

Rodney tries to learn something from each new experience he has with the fire department.

“It has helped me become a better first responder,” Rodney said.

“These kind of experiences will help me in the future if this happens again.”

Rodney wants to have more responsibilities in the fire department and plans to take courses to become an EMT by next school year.

“It’s a great way to give back to the community, and I love doing it,” Rodney said. “I like going on the calls. I like the excitement. I like the sense of family at the fire department.”

Because he does not sleep much during his shift, Rodney spends most of Sunday resting to recover from Saturday night. This takes a chunk out of Rodney’s weekend, but it does not bother him.

“I’m willing to give up some of my social life to be part of a fire department,” Rodney said. “I do not mind, because I love what I do.”

Eighth-grader soars to new heights isaac silber news editor While he cannot drive a car, eighth-grader Sam Fingerhut can fly a plane.

This past summer, Fingerhut attended Bullis Aviation Camp, where he went up in a plane at the Montgomery County Airpark. This gave him his first genuine experience of something he had always dreamt about.

“I’ve always had a real passion for aviation,” Fingerhut said. “It really gives me a rush, and I really love the feeling.”

This experience strengthened Fingerhut’s passion for aviation, and encouraged him to start flying planes regularly. He started taking lessons at the airpark in early August, and has continued to do so twice a month throughout the school year. Fingerhut flies the Piper Warrior, a single-engine propeller plane with room for two pilots and two passengers.

To prepare for his first flying

lesson, Fingerhut read books on aviation. Fingerhut had imagined what flying would be like, but once he was up in the air, it was very different than what he expected. He thought the ride would be much smoother, but instead he felt the force of the wind and the engine power. Despite these initial surprises, Fingerhut was not intimidated.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Fingerhut said. “It just made me want to start taking lessons even more.”

Earlier this year, Fingerhut learned the basics of flying a plane, such as taking off and landing. Now that he has grown more confident in his flying abilities, he is learning more advanced maneuvers like making sharp turns, steep ascents and descents, changing speeds and fall recoveries.

Getting a private pilot’s license is Fingerhut’s next goal, which he will be eligible for at age 17. A private pilot’s license is the next step in becoming a professional pilot. With this license, Fingerhut will be able to fly other people in his plane and

buy or rent a plane.

Fingerhut said that it has always been his dream to become a professional pilot. He does not know if he would choose to be an Air Force pilot or a commercial pilot, but he believes that both are strong possibilities.

“It just seems like such an amazing thing to be able to do my passion for a living and travel all around the world while doing it,” Fingerhut said in an email.

Fingerhut believes that an important skill to master before reaching this dream is multitasking. He must keep distance from other planes and be aware of the speed and altitude of the plane, while also making sure to steer in the right direction. “[Flying] is really challenging as a whole, like being able to grasp the techniques,” Fingerhut said.

“But once you really get it and figure out how it works, you can really do it and it feels natural.”

photo provided by sam fingerhut Eighth-grader Sam Fingerhut flys at Montgomery County Airpark, where he has lessons twice a month.

W nter

the lion’s tale

10 style

the lion’s tale

Spicing up study hall Aspiring filmmaker embarks on research project zoe reichbach reporter While most CESJDS students rush to their eighth period class to take a test or give a presentation, sophomore Avi Abrams instead heads to the library to make a documentary.

Abrams is working on a self-led student project during the second semester that allows him to learn about the filmmaking process. He will be creating his own movie completed mostly during his study hall.

When Abrams heard that students at public schools conducted similar projects, he was intrigued by the idea of being able to devote part of his school day to a subject he is enthusiastic about. He also wanted to use this opportunity to become a better filmmaker.

“It’s exciting that I get to do something that I am very passionate about during school,” Abrams said.

Abrams devotes a lot of time to film outside of school by attending monthly meetings for high school filmmakers at Imagination Stage in Bethesda. He said he is also making two other narrative films independently.

“Being able to tell a story through a visual medium is something that really appeals to me,” Abrams said.

Abrams’ movie will focus on his great-grandfather who was killed in the Holocaust. He chose this topic because it is interesting to him and it corresponds with the family history project in his Modern Jewish History class.

This film will be Abrams’ first documentary, as he has only made narrative films in the past. He is currently reading books about film to help him master the specific process of making a documentary.

“It’s just a different way to tell a story,” Abrams said. “You have to be able to get emotion or get a story out of [a film] when you’re doing a documentary.”

Abrams’ goal is to have the script done by Spring Break, and then he will begin to shoot the film.

While Abrams will not earn credit for this project because JDS is not involved in the process, Dean of Students and Interim High School Principal Roz Landy said that Abrams’ determination to complete this project is an admirable endeav-

or. She said she applauds that he is studying something for the sake of learning.

“Avi is doing a project on his own, which is a wonderful example of Torah Lishma,” Landy said.

Part of the reason Abrams is doing this project is because of a lack of film classes at JDS. “It’s disappointing that JDS doesn’t have a film class because I think it’s something that could really enhance our community,” Abrams said.

Photography teacher Jerry Eisner agrees that JDS has a need for more film education. He hopes that in the future JDS can have a vibrant film program.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be given the opportunity to share your unique discoveries and open up new pathways of understanding for those who watch your film or read your published work,” Eisner said in an email.

Although Abrams is thrilled to embark on this educational and individual journey, he acknowledges that there will be some challenges along the way.

“The biggest challenge is that I

have to do everything on my own,” Abrams said. “There’s no curriculum or anything, so it’s pretty much just me having to do everything by myself.”

Abrams said that his main goal in doing this project is to come away with more filmmaking experience and to have a documentary of his own creation. He hopes to one day have a future in film.

As told

danny ingber reporter

Looking forward After auditioning at the Berklee College of Music last November, alumnus Miles Waldman (‘16) felt confident that he would get into his top choice school. Waldman has been playing music for 14 years and it is one of his true passions.

In the audition, Waldman had to exhibit different musical skills.

He had to display his ability to sightread, improvise a piece on his instrument (the bass) and play a prepared piece (“Darling Dear” by the Jackson 5.)

One of the reasons Waldman

applied to Berklee is that students can study all types of music, while in many other music schools students are restricted to more traditional music types such as classical and jazz. Last December, Waldman was accepted into Berklee and he is looking forward to the next few years.

“I always really liked music,” Waldman said. “I always played music, and wanted [to] study music in college.”

A fresh start Alumnus Jacob Serfaty (’14) entered Kenyon College as a physics major, but switched to film his sophomore year. Serfaty changed to film

because he joined a movie-making club at Kenyon and his eyes were opened to his love for film.

“Through all those outlets I was able to really figure out what I actually enjoyed, and what I really wanted to major in,” Serfaty said.

To switch his major to film, Serfaty filled out a form and had his adviser sign it. After making this adjustment, Serfaty enrolled in an introduction to film course, and is currently working on a screenplay.

In the future, Serfaty is considering a career in animation so that he can incorporate drawing into his art.

“The best part of taking on an art wherever you go is you’re not [only] learning about it, you are doing it,” Serfaty said.

by the varsity coaches

Wrestling (8-5): “We had athletes that started the

Indoor Track: “As far as winter track, this season

year with no experience at all and were winning varsity

is a tough season as we experience cold temperatures

matches by the end to the year with solid technique.

and literally obstacles such as snow, but it was great to

However, the change in mental toughness and attitude

see all of the athletes stick it out and we saw a lot of

may be even more satisfying.”

PRs (personal records) on the track as a result.”

-Coach Lee Loyd

-Coach Kelly Grosskurth

photo provided by jonah abrams

Three views of arts studies in college Reflecting back Art and Design Instructor Benjamin Tellie helps students apply to colleges’ visual arts programs. His main job is to help students create a portfolio for whatever medium they choose. Tellie encourages students to keep work from their junior and senior years to showcase in their portfolios.

Tellie believes that students must major in the arts if they want to pursue them professionally, as the knowledge students gain at their college will not be available to them anywhere else.

“I believe it’s in the overall experience a person will have in their college education that might help

guide them to what they might want to do with their career path,” Tellie said in an email.

Tellie realized he wanted to be involved in art when he was a teenager. After graduating from Temple University, he attended Columbia University for a master’s degree in art and art education at their Teacher’s College.

“Majoring in art and art education and my undergraduate and graduate education has helped me shape who I am today, not only as an art educator teaching at CESJDS, but a person who is interested in community service work, research and being an artist,” Tellie said in an email. “It changed my life completely.”

11

S ports

“The only way to get better at something is to practice,” Abrams said. “At this point, the only thing I can do is to practice what I love, which is filmmaking, and hopefully one day it will take me somewhere great.”

Sophomore Avi Abrams photographs the view in Johannesburg, South Africa.

sports

Dance: “From beginning of the season to the end,

Swimming: “Starting any athletic program has its challenges ... Notwithstanding, [the swimmers] did

it is always apparent how much better choreographers

grow, culminating in our last meet at Trinity University.

and teachers the girls can be to each other. They also

To see our swimmers both swimming well and decked

are able to pick up the material much faster as the

out in their great looking swim suits and caps, made it

season progresses.”

all worthwhile.”

-Coach Claire Zagami

-Coach Mike Karel

Boys Basketball (21-1): “The guys were able

Girls Basketball (16-6): “The growth of the

to put the game into perspective because the law of

players on the team this year was my proudest part.

averages catches up to you. You can’t play great in

Majority of the games everyone was able to play and

every game you’ve ever played in your life so sooner

contribute in different ways ... Our younger players

or later you’re gonna play a bad game and they under-

improved and became our biggest contributors in terms

stood that.”

of points, rebounds and steals.”

-Coach Dave McCloud

-Coach Azhar Shamsudeen compiled by ari feuer and joel vardon

the lion’s tale

12 sports

Is sports success worth school stress?

Walking the line between academics and athletics

photo by bennett bramson

photo provided by sivan shilo Junior Sara Hughes fights for the ball during a soccer match.

josh abramowitz and aaron robinson reporters It was 3 p.m. when junior Sara Hughes, a member of the CESJDS girls varsity basketball team, stood up and subtly left her last class of the day. Along with the rest of the team, she needed time to pack her bags before getting on the bus for yet another away game. Such procedures are not uncommon for student-athletes at JDS. As a member of the girls varsity soccer, girls varsity basketball, and varsity track and field teams, Hughes misses class at least once a week during sports seasons. Despite this frequency, Hughes usually does not stress when it comes to missing school for sports.

“Leaving school early for a [game] is not that big of a deal because you can just make the work up and meet with your teachers after or before [leaving school] and it will be okay,” Hughes said.

Hughes, however, finds that her stress levels “build up” whenever

she misses a test or large assignment due to sports. In an effort to avoid any additional anxiety, Hughes employs a variety of organizational methods.

“I plan all of my stuff out beforehand, and if I’m missing a test then I write it in my planner or on my calendar online and make sure that I have everything organized for when I have to do it,” Hughes said.

Hughes makes sure to communicate with teachers if she has to leave school early for a sporting event. When she knows that she is missing part of a class, she goes over the material she will miss with her teacher.

Similar to Hughes, sophomore Matthew Landy, a member of the boys junior varsity basketball and varsity baseball teams, finds that missed class time almost never leads to stress unless he misses a test or large assignment.

“Even if I do miss some class, I don’t feel like I’m behind,” Landy said. “I feel like I’m at the same pace and level as everyone else because I make sure that I contact a friend

Junior Sara Hughes takes notes during Spanish class.

or a teacher and do the work that I missed.”

Landy began participating in JDS sports teams when he was in sixth grade, and has been leaving school early for sports games ever since. He finds that when he does miss work, it is usually minor and does not take too long to complete.

If he does miss a large assignment, he emails his teachers in order to catch up.

Both Landy and Hughes believe that communicating with teachers is an effective method to make up missed class work. Jewish History teacher Aaron Bregman affirms this view.

Bregman believes that communicating with teachers is one of the best ways that a student can balance missed work with sports. He understands that students have to miss class throughout the year, and is always willing to catch his students up on missed material.

While Bregman wants to help his students catch up on missed classwork, he puts full responsibility on the students. If they do not

take it upon themselves to communicate with him, Bregman cannot help them.

“Do I think it would be beneficial if kids could stay the entire day?

Yes. Do I understand why they leave early? Yes,” Bregman said. “But, do I think kids have learned the responsibility to follow up with teachers when they do have to leave early?

No.” Girls varsity basketball coach Azhar Shamsudeen also acknowledges the importance of student-athletes focusing on academics. He believes that academics should come first for his players, as it is critical to succeed both on and off the court.

Due to the emphasis on academics and the stress that can come with being a student-athlete, Shamsudeen has his own ways of helping players out.

“I stress [keeping up with work] in practice and give rest days during busy weeks to ensure that they catch up on academics,” Shamsudeen said in an email. “If a student stresses that they cannot leave a class due to academic responsibilities, I will

take it upon myself to work with the student and the teacher to [come to] a solution. If a resolution cannot be reached then academics come first.”

Shamsudeen finds that his players are often very punctual when it comes to doing work and even relish taking on such challenges. He frequently notices his players working whenever they can and encourages this practice. Whether it be on the bus going to a game, watching another game or even waiting to leave, Shamsudeen always sees the team hard at work.

As one of Shamsudeen’s players, Hughes has learned the importance of staying on top of her work.

Although academics are her main priority, it boils down to one goal: staying focused on the task at hand.

Whether it be completing an assignment or playing a sport, Hughes makes sure she is always on track.

“If I’m not missing a lot [of class] then I don’t get stressed out,” Hughes said. “I just try to focus on the big game that’s coming up.”