A Look Into the (In Person!) Open House

Leo Eigen ’25 and Aviva Schilowitz ‘24

As Ramaz continues to re-implement live school events and emphasize a return to pre-pandemic practices, the yearly Upper School open house for parents took place inside the building for the first time since 2019. The open house was held on Saturday night, November 12th, but its preparations and logistics, overseen by Ms. Shara Lipson, Director of Admissions, and Ms. Aviva Lieber, Associate Director of Admissions, were in the works for months leading up to the event.

Both Ms. Lipson and Ms. Lieber were excited and a little nervous about the live event but overall looked forward to welcoming prospective Ramaz community members back into the building. However, it wasn’t only Ramaz’s administration and staff preparing for the open house; Many students helped too. The open house opened with a performance and musical havdalah by the Ramaz choir, followed by remarks by Rabbi Josh Lookstein. Student speakers Emily Vayner ’23, Bobby Sigoura ’25, and Abby Gurwitz ’23 then told their “Ramaz stories.” Parents then broke up and got to choose two mock classes to sit in out of a list of many different options. Later, the parents reconvened in the auditorium where Jonathan Cannon spoke followed by a panel of students who answered many questions from attendees about Ramaz.

Unlike in years past, the live motzaei Shabbat open house program was geared solely toward prospective parents. Incoming students, were able to explore Ramaz through other programs, such as taking part in sample classes during a virtual “PanoRAMa” night or spending the day at the Upper School on November 17th, where they experienced the day-to-day life of a Ramaz student in the building itself. They attended mock classes, heard a song from the choir and band, and, like their parents, heard from a panel of students. Ms. Lipson feels there were pros and cons to hosting a virtual open house for the past two years but that there school. Ms. Lipson explained, “we know that parents want to hear from the students more than anything else.” were also other lessons learned. “I think, in the big picture, what we really learned in recent years is that we should trust who we are [as a school].” As in years past, the open house was designed to highlight the diversity of the Ramaz academic and co-curricular offerings. It also highlighted for prospective parents the things that truly differentiate Ramaz from other Modern-Orthodox day schools in the area.

As a result, the open house largely revolved around students’ voices and perspectives through a panel of nine students and three student speakers. The student panel answered general questions from parents about Ramaz and its student experience in a live discussion moderated by Ms. Buterman, Chief Communications Officer. The panel comprised three seniors (Ari Porter ’23, Joyce Salame ’23, Aaron Green ’23), one junior (Aviva Schilowitz ’24), three sophomores (Rachel Buller ’25, Noa Essner ’25, Leo Eigen ’25), and two freshmen (Judah Gerber ’26, and Delilah Weiss ’26). Meanwhile, the student speakers (Emily Vayner ’23, Bobby Sigoura ’25, Abby Gurwitz ’23) provided their personal insights into the life of a Ramaz student, and focus on more specific opportunities they have pursued at the school.

Both Ms. Lipson and Ms. Lieber view students as the best representatives of Ramaz and its values as a

When trying to coordinate all of the different elements of the open house, Ms. Lipson and Ms. Lieber acknowledged that there were a lot of moving pieces, which was less of a concern when it was conducted virtually. At the same time, they also place great importance on the return of the live open house. As Ms. Lieber described, the opportunity for parents to be “coming into the building and walking around, seeing our spaces and… all the student helpers with their energy,” simply cannot be replicated.

Hannah Kanbar

‘24

The boys and girls varsity basketball teams recently traveled to Los Angeles to play in the Glouberman basketball tournament, gathering all of the Yeshiva League teams at Shalhevet High School and the Pan Pacific Recreation Center in memory of Steve Glouberman. To better understand what it was like to play in this special event, I interviewed two players in had the same amount of experience or more, as all the other players, and (we) will be able to crush the other teams.”

There were many memorable games while the varsity team was away. However, Evan and Milan agree that the match against TABC was “our favorite.” They explained that they were losing miserably but “came back at halftime beat them. The feeling was exhilarating and rewarding.”

Results of the 2022 Election

Raymond Ashkenazie ‘24

11th grade, Milan Kushner and Evan Glasberg.

The boys’ team finished the tournament with a 2-2 record; however, this was a building year. This year’s varsity team mainly comprises juniors, whereas the league’s other teams consist primarily of seniors. Milan and Evan felt this was a disadvantage considering seniors have an extra year of experience, but as Evan Glasberg said, “I believe that it was a great learning experience. We’re still learning how to play at the varsity level.” Milan added, “I agree, and now next year we know what to expect, and the playing field will be (more level) because being seniors, we will have

Evan and Milan believed the teams’ bond grew immensely, for which they are both very grateful. They explained, “It made us so much closer, and we are both so grateful to everyone on the team for making LA such a memorable experience.” They continued, “The time we spent together Friday night specifically brought us closer together as a team, but living with your teammate is just an…amazing experience.”

They look forward to representing Ramaz again next year and playing some incredible games alongside their best friends and teammates.