6 News
The Rampage
March 2015/ Adar 5775
Dr. Jucovy Covers His Own Classes in His Absence By D.J. Presser ’16
Dr. Jucovy was absent from school for quite some time. However, he worked diligently in order to make sure that his classes were still being taught while he was not in school. For his junior classes, at the beginning, Dr. Jucovy decided to employ videos in order to teach his classes. “Finding coverage for classes can be difficult,” explained Dr. Jucovy. He continued, “I also saw an opportunity to try out something new and see how it worked out over the first couple of weeks.” Three out of the four videos that he sent to the students were made by Dr. Jucovy himself. The fourth video was a Crash Course video made by John Green. Dr. Jucovy also had his students watch this video last year in order to give them the main idea of the beginning of the Second Semester. The videos that Dr. Jucovy made were similar to the classroom experience, except they lacked the incredible jokes and interaction that the classroom discussion engenders. “Even though the videos are somewhat different than the classroom, I still feel that I am teaching in a traditional way,” explained Dr. Jucovy. Dr. Jucovy explained that there are two major downsides to teaching through videos. “There is this
kind of liveliness that I bring to the classroom that is not present in the videos. I can’t make the same jokes or tell the same stories that I would in the classroom because they might end up in the NY Post the next day. Additionally, these videos raise the question of whether teachers are really needed at all anymore. I think that the answer is still yes, because the interaction that exists in the classroom is still missing. There is an extraordinary benefit of communication for both me and my students that simply can not exist within the video.” While there are some downsides, Dr. Jucovy definitely sees the upsides that exist. “It forces me to go through all the material in a more careful and meticulous manner than I would in a normal classroom. Additionally, the videos allow me to write on a cartoon or document and point certain things out that I would not normally be able to. In the future, I may try to use videos in order to give students some general knowledge about a topic so that we could delve further into documents in the classroom.” Sy Elyakim `16 explained, “I find this alternative way of learning to be very unique and efficient. I like that I am able to learn on my own time and at my own pace, to some extent.”
For his senior class, Dr. Jucovy decided to make greater use of Google Classroom than he had been. Instead of teaching, Dr. Jucovy posted documents, cartoons, or other historical documents in order to lead discussions between himself and his students. “I have actually been tougher on my senior class because I am not in school. Now, instead of a couple of kids dominating the whole class, every single student needs to raise a point. Additionally, students have to be more careful when they are making their points and raising their ideas, because it is easier to see when a point is baseless,” explained Dr. Jucovy. “I really like the Google Classroom. I think the discussions we have are interesting, and it allows us to do things that we couldn’t necessarily do in a traditional setting (sending each other articles, links, videos, etc.),” explained Alex Leibowitz `15. Dr. Jucovy also explained that while he likes certain functions of each of the out-of- classroom teaching applications, he has yet to find a single application that will do everything that he wants. “It drives me absolutely crazy that none of these applications can satisfy all the different needs of a teacher.”
France’s Chief Rabbi Visits Ramaz Continued from cover
for Jews in Europe is scary, but remained steadfast in his belief that Jews should not flee Europe out of fear. He stressed that to leave Europe in the face of terrorism is to reward terrorism. That being said, Rabbi Korsia made it clear that he is an avid supporter of making aliyah. He feels that Jews should make aliyah out of love, not out of fear of hatred and violence. During a question and answer session, Rabbi Korsia said, “The Jewish people have a future both in France and in Europe.” He believes the key to this future is through caring for each other. Rabbi Korsia argued that anti-Semitism doesn’t just affect Jews, it affects Europe as a whole, and that the only way to combat an age of intolerance and violence is to act towards everyone with “kindness and respect”. While the school was thrilled to host Rabbi Korsia, it nearly never happened. When the school heard that Rabbi Korsia was going to be in New York to meet with Mayor de Blasio and speak at Park East Synagogue, Ramaz immediately tried to invite him to speak to the student body at the Upper School. The administration felt strongly that, in light of the recent events in France and Denmark, Rabbi Korsia’s visit to Ramaz would provide a great educational opportunity. After a number of unsuccessful attempts, Ms. Benel was finally able to make
contact with him after finding out through Ariel Attias ’18, that Rabbi Korsia had officiated at his Bar Mitzvah in Paris, and was a friend of the family. Once the school made contact with Rabbi Kosia, he said he was fully booked for the upcoming week. However, as a favor, he was willing to cancel “a boring meeting” and could come to Ramaz, on 15 minutes notice. Mr. Miller convened a staff meeting to accommodate the Chief Rabbi of France’s last minute visit. Mr. Miller strongly felt that the whole school, both the faculty and student body, ought to be exposed to this educational opportunity “extraordinaire”. However, upon his arrival Rabbi Korsia strongly expressed his interest to visit with our French students at Ramaz in a more intimate setting. Evidently, Rabbi Korsia’s visit to Ramaz had a powerful impact on the students. “Being from a French household,” said Noa Attias ‘18, “I was very moved by his words. It really connected me to my French roots and I want to make sure that I don’t give up on any connections I have with France.” Eddie Mattout ’15 echoed Attias and said, “It was a privilege to hear the Chief Rabbi speak to us. In light of all the terrible tragedies we keep reading about in the news, it was inspiring to hear someone with such a hopeful view regarding European Jewry.”
Senior Play: Reviewed
By Jasmine Levine ’17
The senior class recently performed their senior play before a group of seniors, parents and underclassmen. Despite selling over 700 seats to the public, attendance was estimated at 150 people. This acting, singing, and dancing extravaganza displayed the unique talents, quirks, and the general lack of self-evaluation. While moments of the play were quite impressive, at other times I felt that I was watching a third grade play…. and not a good one. Despite that, I had a great time. Class of 2015: the Musical was a compilation of songs, dances, and movie scenes from productions that took place during high school for the class of 2015. This was a creative change from the typical production performed in previous years. Gaby Stemp deserves much of the credit for this interesting and unique approach to the senior play. Many of the scenes displayed poorly choreographed dance numbers that were out of sync, and others showcased off-key singing. The 21 Jump Street number was awkward at best and inappropriate at worst. Despite that, most of the scenes
were interesting and entertaining. Jack Tauber’s basketball production was funny, well performed and well received by parents and students alike. His stage presence and confidence made the number work and the background performers added the right touch. Jeremy David displayed his musical talents in many numbers. His energy, enthusiasm and range was wonderful and was one of the best aspects of the evening. The highlight of the night was the rap number performed by three members of the senior class. Joco was great, Victoria Spero was outstanding, and David Besharim really found his calling. Collectively, they produced the best scene of the night and one of the most enjoyable productions of the year. While many aspects of the night were weak, the creative work of Gaby Stemp and the spectacular performances by many of the class of 2015 made the night special. In addition, I was touched by the clear bond that the class of 2015 has for each other. The positive interplay between students and the genuine enjoyment each student had for their peers made me envy the bond that they have. I hope my class builds on our relationship over the coming two years in a similar fashion to the Class of 2015.