SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL • Los Angeles, CA January 2016 -Shvat 5776 Volume 16, Issue 3 shalhevetboilingpoint.com
FLASH MOB: The Choirhawks offered an impromptu performance of John Legend’s “All of Me’ at a park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge during their first-ever Chanukah concert tour last month. They also sang in San Francisco, Oakland and Palo Alto. Story, page 12.
A capella by the Bay
BP Photo By Gabby Benelyahu
Transition: Benjamin starts on uncharted path By HANNAH JANNOL, Staff Writer Imagine waking up every morning and putting on clothes of the opposite sex. Imagine putting on a dress, or a suit and tie, and then going to work or school and being called a name of the wrong gender, and then being referred to with the wrong pronouns. Then imagine realizing you’re just in the wrong body for the gender you know you are. This is how transgender Shalhevet alumnus Benjamin Kenner explains being transgender. “Imagine that, whatever gender you are, everyone insisted you were the other one, and nothing you say seems to convince them otherwise,” Benjamin told The Boiling Point by telephone from Portland, Ore., where he lives now.
“You know deep in your heart that they are wrong, but for some reason they keep insisting that you are the one who is wrong. Imagine living everyday of your life like that.” Previously known as Rochel-Leah Kenner, Benjamin left Shalhevet in the middle of senior year to present as male. The girl he used to be came to Shalhevet in 2011 for a second junior year after leaving the Hebrew Academy in Huntington Beach, where she came out as a lesbian in 11th grade in early 2011. At the time, Rochel-Leah thought wanting to be masculine and wear men’s clothing meant she was lesbian. As a lesbian, she didn’t personally experience any bullying, discrimination or animosity at Shalhevet from 2011 to 2013.
“It took me a while to feel brave enough to come out, but once I did people were pretty cool about it,” he said. “They were still as homophobic as they were in general, but none of it was ever directed at me.” However, when the subject of changing genders came up, he felt a different vibe. One day, a video about transgender people was played in Ms. Tove Sunshine’s AP Psychology class. “I have a vivid memory of smiling at my desk, and the kid next to me recoiling in horror in his seat,” Benjamin said. Today, Benjamin works at a home for adults with developmental disabilities, a “dream job,” he said. After leaving Shalhevet, he eventually got a high school Continued on Page 8
Most perceive favoritism, but not a solution By ERIC BAZAK,
Editor-in-Chief
Be on a lookout for an abyss at our school. Student-faculty relationships, diverse co-curriculars, and Shalhevet’s emphasis on leadership and publicity, among other factors, have fueled this possible divide. Some think this gap is deceptive and chimeric, while others see it as too deep and important not to be addressed. In a Boiling Point poll of 96 students last month, favoritism -- defined in the poll as “preferential treatment given to one student or group of students over another” –was be-
lieved to exist by 83 percent of students. The rest said that though students see it, it doesn’t actually exist. Opinions were similar across all grades, though sophomores and juniors were most likely to see favoritism as a problem. Among the 54 combined sophomores and juniors polled, the number who are concerned about favoritism was 95 percent. Yet at the same time, of those who answered this question, only 40 percent believed that the school actually should address favoritism and attempt to stop it. “I think that there is favoritism in our school, but I also think it’s naive to think
that impartiality is possible,” said junior Bennet Schneier. “Teachers will treat the more likable kids better than the unlikable ones. It’s just inescapable.” While grades would be considered as the most serious form of favoritism, favoritism in grading was not mentioned as frequently in the poll as publicity and co-curriculors. The poll was a bit over a page long and there was space for students to anonymously write examples of favoritism that students had witnessed or experienced. Those with strong feelings about the topic were encouraged to contact the Boiling Point and
Applications double in 2 years By MAAYAN WALDMAN, Community Editor In spite of a record 115-plus applicants for next year’s freshman class, the administration has decided to keep enrollment capped at 240 students -- roughly 60 students per grade. The maximum class size was set based on educational, philosophical and financial considerations, Rabbi Segal told the Boiling Point, which don’t change just because the applicant pool grows. “If the school gets beyond this number of students, we lose that sense of community that makes the school special, “ Rabbi Segal said. “It’s hard from a decision making perspective and it’s hard emotionally, but if the school were bigger, it wouldn’t be Shalhevet.” Last year there were 90 applicants, of whom 65 were initially offered spots, but 71 were eventually accepted. This is because not all of those accepted enrolled, so some were admitted from a waitlist. One told the Boiling Point that she understands the need for the list. “I know that they want diversity and that there is a certain limit of students,” said freshman Abby Blumofe. “I was upset about not getting in at first, but once I got in I was so happy.” Applications have been building steadily since 2010, when the administration was thrilled to receive 38 applicants, according to Admissions Director Natalie Weiss, who started that year. Two years ago, this number was around 60, and has been increasing every year, she said. Among the reasons for this growth, Ms. Weiss Continued on Page5
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FASHION TRENDS
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A VISIT FROM GLENDALE
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GIRL MAKES KIDDUSH
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ONE ACTS IN NEW THEATRE
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SECURITY AT SHALHEVET