The Rampage The Newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School
New York • Volume 66 • Issue 6 • June 2022 • Sivan 5782 • the-rampage.org
Major Upgrades Coming to the Ramdome This Summer Aviva Schilowitz ’24 Despite being a relatively small school compared to many of its peers, Ramaz has generally punched above its weight in sports. Just this year alone, Ramaz threw a wrench into first-place SAR’s plans, when Ramaz staged an improbable comeback to upset SAR in the Boys Varsity Basketball championship. Ramaz Girls Volleyball similarly defeated Frisch in the championship to secure its own win. On top of that, nearly every Ramaz Upper School sports team was competitive this year, with many teams making it to their playoffs. However, while Ramaz’s oncourt performance has been strong, Ramaz sports is decidedly lacking in one obvious area – our subpar gym, sometimes called “The Ramdome.” The Ramdome has long suffered from slippery, beaten up flooring, and cramped fan seating areas and locker rooms. Ramaz soccer team member, Noya Misaghi ‘24, feels the current state of the gym is suboptimal. “”Ramaz has pretty nice facilities but the gym is definitely not up to its usual standards,” she commented.
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That is about to change. Mr. Ari Witkes, Athletic Director of the Ramaz Upper School, confirmed that The Ramdome will get a complete overhaul and upgrade this summer, in time for next school year. “We’re redoing it because our facilities are outdated and we can’t hold the
capacity [of fans] that we are getting at games.” Over the summer, the gym will get a new multipurpose floor with ram-themed detailing. Mockups, provided exclusively to The Rampage, show a wood colored floor, with a navy blue border. The words “Ramaz Rams’’ are painted on each base-
line, and the phrases “Welcome to the Ramdome,” and “Home of The Rams” are painted along one sideline each. The gym will also get new scoreboards and new locker rooms, as well as other unique design elements. The livestreaming system will also get an upgrade. The gym wall padding will be replaced with new Ramaz-branded padding. Changes are not limited to the design. There will also be practical changes. The court lines will be shifted to make more space for team benches and chairs. Teams will now sit on the opposite side of the court from fans, which will allow more fan capacity. This change will also make it easier for coaches to operate without fans in close proximity. Mr. Witkes also hopes that the retractable side baskets can be replaced. Not everything is changing, however. The championship banners will stay, although they will be moved around to make more space for the scoreboard and “more banners.” Ramaz sports teams will be tasked with filling the new wall space. The goal is not simply to refresh the gym, but reinvent it. Mr. Witkes promises that “you won’t recognize it in September.”
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Ramaz: A Spotlight on The Environmental Club Andrew Spielfogel ’23 The Ramaz Environmental Club’s mission is to “green” the school by spreading awareness about environmental concerns and adopting sustainable habits. The Luv Your Lulav drive and Ramaz reusable water bottles are just some of the projects the club has developed over the past few years. The club also planted daffodil bulbs donated by the Daffodil Project commemorating 9/11, began a book-swap and battery drive in the lobby, and delivered newspapers to the Wild Bird Fund inspired by volunteer Sarah Silverman ’24. This year, the club’s main priority is to educate Ramaz about recycling and the difference between the three bins located in every classroom: the blue bin is for recycling plastics, the black bin is for landfill, and the green bin with the clear bag is for paper and cardboard. The club also strives to eliminate plastic from the lunchroom. Daniela Woldenberg ‘23, co-President of the Environmental Club, said: “We want to limit the amount of plastic in the lunchroom and raise awareness about recycling in school as a lot of trash is misplaced. And because we do not sort and separate the trash, recyclables cannot be recycled.” However, accomplishing these goals is the
club’s biggest obstacle. Most students do not understand the difference between the three distinct trash bins, and the Environmental Club only has a dozen committed members. Ms. Abramson, the club’s faculty advisor who dedicates her free time volunteering
at numerous gardening organizations, commented on the current environmental situation at Ramaz: “We don’t seem to be conscious enough about the environment. The Environmental Club has a core group of concerned and active members, but this needs to ex-
pand ideally to the full population of our community. We all need to be educated and aware of the waste we create and take care of our beautiful spinning home planet!” In order to learn more about the environmental situation at Ramaz and brainstorm improvements, the Environmental Club partnered with Mr. Larry Berman, the Chief Operating Officer at Ramaz, and Mr. Michael Wallschlaeger, the Director of Facilities at Ramaz. This collaboration allowed the club to gain a new perspective on how higher officials view the lack of environmental action at Ramaz. The club discovered that it is complicated to switch from plastic plates to paper in the lunchroom, but that it is a possibility for the future. There will most likely be a kitchen renovation in the next few years where they will begin conversations of purchasing metal, reusable plates for the student body as there will be more room for storage. The only immediate change that will happen in the lunchroom is the purchase of paper cups instead of plastic, which are biodegradable. The Environmental Club will continue to meet with Mr. Berman and Mr. Wallschlaeger Continued On Page 6
Inside this issue... Celebration of the
Arts P. 2
Innovation Day p.
3
Library Plans p.
5
Junior APs p.
9
News 2
The Rampage
June 2022/Sivan 5782
Celebration of the Arts Comes Back to Life After COVID-19 Hiatus Emily Vayner ’25 On Thursday, June 2nd, 2022, Ramaz’s annual Celebration of the Arts came back to life on our very own auditorium stage, in-person for the first time since 2019. The entire school made their way downstairs as they passed art created by students hanging from the ceilings and on walls. This year, seniors Arlette Gindi ‘22 and Caleb Rosenfeld ‘22 hosted the event. It was first time Celebration of the Arts had taken place in-person since they were freshmen, three years ago. It was also the first time Celebration of the Arts was during a school day for the entire student body and Zoom live stream to watch, due to scheduling conflicts with the packed programming taking place for Ramaz students. After hours of practice, auditions, and sound-checks, Ramaz’s talented students were ready to take the stage. Celebration of the Arts opened with the Sophomore Music Ensemble’s incredible performance of “Counting Stars’’ by OneRepublic. Ari Goralnick ’25 and Aviva Weinstock ’25 sang the first lyrics in the center of the stage before the tempo and dynamic quickly increased. The entire band joined in, featuring Ben Davidovitch ’24 on the drums, Ezra Sholes ’24 on saxophone, Jeremy Propp ’23 on trumpet, Sarah Silverman ’24 on violin, Liam Gomberg ’23 on acoustic guitar, Adrian Rosenfeld ’24 on electric guitar, and Eva Goldfinger ’25 on keyboard. Milli Ackerman ’25, Dalia Henkin ’23, Rachel Abelson ’24, and Alissa Rose ’24 quickly joined, adding harmonies to the catchy tune. After the group performed, Gabriella Silverberg ’24 beautifully sang “Make You Feel
My Love” by Adele, accompanied on Piano by Oded Lev Ari, a faculty music advisor. Next, Daniela Woldenberg ‘23 took the stage with an impeccable performance of “Best Part’’ by H.E.R. on acoustic guitar. Tova Solomons ‘23 continued with a poetry reading of her original work “Her Warmth.” Freshman trio, Thea Katz ’25 on piano, Gianna Goldfarb ’25 on violin, and Maya Puterman ’25 performed the “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme song. Next, the Dance Team
took the stage, dressed in all black, with their ‘Hunger Games’ performance. In addition to the incredible musical mashup, including “The Hanging Tree,” “Centuries,” and “The Purge’s” alarm, the team’s chilling performance with acrobatics and acting left the audience in awe. Then, Corey Title ‘22 sat at the piano for the very last time of his high school career and amazed the audience with his flawless performance of “Element” by Evgeny Khamara. Rachel Buller ’25, Heidi Birnbaum ’25, Rachel Abelson ’24, and Ashley Rechtschaffen ’25 followed with a stunning performance of Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes,” layering harmonies and sharing the spotlight. Next, Eve Schizer ‘22 shared her humor-
ous written piece, ‘List of Rules for Living with a Vampire.” Ron Alweiss ‘22 sang “Stop this Train” and played acoustic guitar simultaneously. Lauren Goodman ‘23 followed with reading her deep and fascinating poem, “Animals,” Next, featuring Josh North ‘23 on drums, Zev Woldenberg ‘22 on electric guitar, Michael Gersten ‘22 on piano and vocals, Eva Goldfinger ‘24 on electric guitar, and Ben Rosen ‘22 on piano, put on a fantastic and alternative performance of “Not Now John.” Then, Jordan Mittler ‘22, Tali Sitruk ‘22, Ezra Sholes ‘24, and Ben Davidovitch ‘24 put on a very fitting and spectacular performance of “New York State of Mind.” Next, juniors Michael Chetrit ’23 on acoustic guitar and Alex Paul ’23 performed “Yesterday’’ by the Beatles. The whole crowd went silent during their performance, and they received a standing ovation from members of the audience. Olalla Levi ‘23 read her original work, “Underwater Breathing” which was followed by Shane Gordon ‘25’s solo performance of Asturias on acoustic guitar, followed by Joyce Salame’s ‘23 poetry reading of “Too Late to Dream, Too Early to Not.” Then, Tali Sitruk ‘22 and Arlette Gindi ‘22 filled in for some members that couldn’t make it alongside Ethan Davidovitch ’22, Zev Woldenberg ’22, and Ben Davidovitch ’24 in their performance of “Last Train Home’’ by John Mayer. Arlette Gindi ‘22 and Emily Rosenfeld ‘22 put on a very fitting and heart-rending duet performance with amazing harmonies of Adele’s “When we were Young,” accompanied by Oded Lev Ari on piano. Finally, all the seniors took to the stage in a final performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’” before they embark on their college journey. The entire school was yet again reminded of the student bodys’ variety of spectacular talents, and many were eager to congratulate their friends and classmates after their performances.
Farewell to Rabbi Stavsky Romi Chaovat ’24 A beloved member of our community, a respected teacher, and one of Ramaz’s wisest rabbis, Rabbi Stavsky is making a journey that many Jews can only dream of. He’s taking a flight, not for a vacation with a duration of only a week or a month, but for the indefinite future. He is moving to Israel! For the students that never had the privilege of having Rabbi Stavsky as a teacher, there is a lot that will be missed about him. Every year one class of keen-eyed talmudic freshmen gets the pleasure of learning how to decipher Aramaic text with this Rabbi. But not only that, Rabbi Stavsky is a twofold teacher. Not only does he teach Talmud, but also Tanach. This past year, one lucky advanced sophomore Tanach class got the pleasure to learn about Bnei Israel’s pioneering journey that returned them to the very land Rabbi Stavsky is going to. Through his never-ending shtiging to his liveliness in the classroom, it seems there is never a dull moment in any one of his classes. Just like Rabbi Stavsky taught in his Tanach classes, he is making a trek to the land that the Jews, for generations, have attempted to go to. From the first exile of Yehocanam to the second of Tzidkiyahu, the Jews have struggled to stay and thrive in Israel. These days in Israel, there is a colorful, growing, and thriving community of all races, cultures, and religions. It is the perfect time for Jews that feel a connection and have always dreamed of living in Israel to migrate there. When Rabbi Stavsky was asked why he decided to
make this life-changing move, he answered contently, “Our orientation had always been towards eventually being in Israel. We didn’t know exactly when but it’s always been in the back of our minds.“ After thinking about it for a while, Rabbi Stavsky and his family made the final decision of “We are moving to Israel.” He explained that the time was right for him and his whole family and that everything, at this moment, was pointing toward Israel. Rabbi Stavsky has been a beloved member of the Ramaz community for eleven years. Year after year, he taught new students, he has seen students graduate, and simply, like every student and faculty member at Ramaz, has grown to love this school. Like Rabbi Stavsky explained bitter-sweetly, “I hope it will be amazing there also, but I’m going to miss the students, I’m gonna miss being in the classroom, I’m going to miss my colleagues and the faculty. I really have wonderful relationships here in school.” Luckily, Rabbi Stavsky still hopes to continue teaching in Israel and continue to inspire Jewish kids to grow a love for Judaism but will hold on to his fond memories at Ramaz. He should know the Ramaz students will definitely do the same.
For the students at Ramaz, the feeling is most definitely mutual. There is no doubt that at least one student in every classroom has one fond memory of Rabbi Stavsky. Whether it is his warm, smiley greeting every time a student walks into his class or his deeply apparent passion for what he teaches, students always appreciate the joy in his class. One of his students this year, sophomore Emy Khodorkovshy ‘24, warmly summed Rabbi Stavsky up in a couple of heartfelt sentences. He said, “Rabbi Stavsky made the room light up every time he walked in it. We are always happy to see him walk in with a big smile and a great warm “Rabbotai! Rabbotai! And shtiging away.” This description expresses the exact feeling of Rabbi Stavsky’s class to the point, joyful conversation and rabbinic discussion which will be missed by the whole Ramaz community, as they wish him well in his journey to Eretz Yisrael.
June 2022/Sivan 5782
The Rampage Ramaz Upper School
New York • Volume 66 • Issue 6 • June 2022 • the-rampage.org
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Nicole Hirschkorn ’22 Sydney Eisenstein ’22 Julia Feit ’22 LAYOUT EDITORS
Rachel Freilich ’22 Sarah Ginsberg ’22 BROADCAST EDITORS
Eric Kalimi ’22 Ethan Davidovitch ’22 PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Eitan Goldberg ’22
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Rebecca Silber ’23 Rebecca Kalimi ’23 Sarah Silverman ’24 Ashley Behm ’24 Aviva Schilowitz ’24 Andrew Spielfogel ’23 Romi Chaovat ’24 Sylvie Pagovich ’25 Emily Vayner ’23 Maya Puterman ’25 Noa Essner ’25 Sylvie Pagovich ’25 Jem Hanan ’23 Leo Eigen ’25 Aviva Lehman ’22 David Gitelman ’22
The Rampage is the student newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School. It is published on a monthly basis. Letters to the editors may be submitted to rampage@ramaz.org. Letters must be signed and may be edited to conform to The Rampage style and format. The opinions expressed in The Rampage are of the author’s alone, and do not represent the views or opinions of Ramaz, The Rampage, or its editors.
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News 3
Upper School Hosts Innovation Day Leo Eigen ’25 Each year, the Upper School TEC Department sends the freshmen and sophomore classes to Innovation Day, an event run by the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE). The annual Innovation Day serves as the final presentation for students’ capstone projects, which they create in their TEC classes. However, Ramaz students did not attend this year’s Innovation Day with CIJE, and instead hosted one inside of the Upper School where students from tenth and eleventh grade were invited to view the projects. The CIJE website explains that Innovation Day is designed to display and share the work which stu-
dents have spent months “conceptualizing, creating and engineering” during their yearlong TEC classes. This year’s CIJE program took place on May 23rd at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey. The Ramaz decision not to attend the inter-school fair was mainly due to logistical complications of scheduling and proximity to the Israel trip, according to Dr. Rotenberg, who teaches multiple ninth grade TEC classes. Because of the special advisory sessions and grade-wide meetings which were planned in advance of the Israel trip, it would have been difficult to coordinate a schedule where the grade was able to have the necessary preparations for Israel while simultaneously participating in Innovation Day. Dr. Rotenberg also added that since a small number of ninth and tenth grade TEC groups were not planning on attending the event, organizing
additional programming and classes for those students would have presented a challenge. Ultimately, Ramaz’s in-school Innovation Day was held on Monday, May 23rd during seventh, eighth, and part of ninth periods. A guest speaker, Adam Scheer, who graduated from Ramaz in 1990, addressed the students before the event began. During the fair, students were able to look at their classmates’
projects and also to give a “pitch” about their own projects. Some ninth and tenth graders did not mind holding the in-school Innovation Day in lieu of attending the CIJE program. Ben Shapiro ’25, for example, says that when he first heard the news, he “was happy to hear that it was going to be done in school instead” because he “felt that my group was not yet fully ready to present” for the larger CIJE event. On the other hand, some students felt they would have preferred to go to the CIJE event, and said that they had spent the year designing their project with the inter-school program in mind– not the Ramaz-only event. Overall, students enjoyed their Innovation Day and felt it was a good way to wrap up their year of TEC classes despite not being able to present their projects to students and faculty of other Jewish schools as originally planned. After the program, Ben Shapiro ’25 said that he enjoyed it and was thankful that he was able to showcase his group’s project in the smaller environment of the Ramaz auditorium. Dr. Rotenberg acknowledges that there were cons to not having gone to the CIJE Innovation Day, but also says that, looking in retrospect, there were some areas where he thinks the Ramaz TEC fair could have even been better.
Lag BaOmer Festivities
Ashley Behm ’24 With this year’s end-of-year retreat less than a week away, many Ramaz students were left wondering how the school was going to celebrate Lag Baomer. Lag Baomer is typically celebrated with outdoor retreats for each grade, however this year with the Israel mission less than a week away taking the day off was not practical. Lag Baomer began the night before with Dr. Rotenberg’s nightly Omer post. Following Dr. Rotenberg’s post, Ms. Deeni Hass posted what to expect the following day. Since the yearly retreat is a week long this year, Omer celebrations were understandably scaled down as the real celebrations are reserved for the trip. However, in true Ramaz fashion the day was still celebrated with ice cream and haircuts. During the lunch periods,
chairs were set up in the auditorium while Rabbi Dov Pianko and Rabbi Schiowitz were giving boys haircuts and shaves. Some people took the razors and scissors into their own hands and gave their friends haircuts. Additionally, an ice cream sundae bar was set up in the lunchroom for a sweet treat to celebrate the day. The ice cream sundae bar consisted of vanilla and chocolate ice cream and a plethora of toppings, such as chocolate chips,sprinkles, fruits, and whipped cream. Keeping true to the spirit of the day, loving your neighbor like you love yourself, a table in the lunchroom was set up with cards to fill out with notes of gratitude to give to friends. While this year the Lag Baomer celebrations were kept more low key, the day was still acknowledged and celebrated despite the lack of a school-wide retreat.
Mr. Deutsch recieving a haircut from a student.
Junior College Night Rebecca Silber ’23 On Monday, April 25th, juniors were warmly welcomed back from Pesach break with none other than… College Night! Prior to Pesach break, the College Office sent students a form containing a long list of colleges, requesting that students and parents select four colleges each that he or she is interested in learning about. On Monday night, all juniors gathered in the auditorium to kick off a night full of intense ice breakers, college brochure handouts, and repetitive student questions. Ms. Messinger opened the programming by introducing the plan for the night: all students would receive a schedule containing time slots adjacent to the names of the four colleges that he or she had selected. Finally, students broke out into their assigned rooms, and college night officially began. Most college representatives began by distributing pamphlets containing information concerning the college’s courses, majors,
campus life, application process, research opportunities, financial aid opportunities, etc. Then, the representatives asked students to introduce themselves, asking for the student’s name and what they are either looking for in a college or what they are interested in studying. According to Shira Shasha ‘23, “once the representative asked what I am interested in studying, I honestly freaked out a bit. Not only was I unsure of the answer myself, I was intimidated by the fact that these college representatives expected me, a high school junior, to know the answer off the top of my head.” To follow, the representatives
gave a five to ten minute rundown on what his/her college represents and what the school’s curriculum looks like. Finally, students and parents were able to ask any and every question they desired, ranging from “what research opportunities does your school offer in the field of ___,” to “are there any fun school wide traditions that take place in your college?” Many students found college night extremely helpful in getting a better idea of what each school has to offer, including Jacqueline Landy ‘23, who explained that “before college night, I had no idea Continued On Page 4
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Junior College Night Continued From Page 3 that this certain school would be of interest to me. My advisor recommended that I sign up in order to learn a bit about this particular college, and so I listened. Now, having a better understanding of the school’s flexible curriculum and vast research opportunities, I think it might just be my first choice!”
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In terms of the college process in general, Sam Senderowicz ‘23 remarked that although the exposure to actual college representatives seemed a bit abrupt and was quite frankly intimidating, “if I had not been exposed to actual college representatives by this point, I would be even more intimidated by the unknowns of college.” Along with Sam, many students felt that prior to college night, the unknowns of what sets one col-
June 2022/Sivan 5782
lege apart from another, or how the admissions process works, was truly the most intimidating part of the college process. Now, having had first hand exposure to college representatives, students were able to discover these unknowns, bringing them closer and closer to discovering what he/she is truly looking for in a college experience.
Students Welcome in New G.O. Sylvie Pagovich ’25 The new G.O for next year has many good ideas for next year and is motivated to carry them out. The president is Ilan Puterman ’23. The vice president is Alex Paul ’23. The Junior Vice President is Raymond Ashkenazie ’24. The Associate Vice President of Communications is Eliza Binstock ’23. The Associate Vice President of Student Life is Alex Gage ’23. The G.O has already started to carry out their promises to improve the school and got printers for everyone. Ilan Puterman, the President, wants to make Ramaz a happier place for all the students. He will work with other members of the G.O to improve school spirit. Ilan has many new ideas for next year. He wants to get Grammarly Premium for students and for there to be more schoolwide trips. He also wants to get everyone’s school ID on their phones and to get ChargeFuze stations at Ramaz. He plans to get these done with speed and respect. He’s working hard to get these things done as fast as possible and he has an easy time communicating his ideas with the administration. Before Ilan came to Ramaz, he went to multiple schools. He has an understanding of what will work or not and he’ll take what he learned from his past experiences at other schools to make Ramaz a better place. Alex Paul, the Vice President, wants to ensure that student life at Ramaz is happy and help reduce stress. As Junior Vice President this year, she helped do many things including Monday mincha muffins and the Purim chagigah. She aims to continue those next year as VP, as well as add more activities including tye-dying in the sukkah and handing out disposable cameras on special
days. She will try her hardest to work with her fellow G.O members to ensure that the students’ wants and ideas are set into action. Alex has chronic hiccups and gets them multiple times a day. Raymond Ashkenazie, the Junior Vice President, plans
to work with the other members of the G.O to improve the spirit and club life at Ramaz. He will work with the other members to get clubs more funding for food, raffles, and trips. He has many new ideas to contribute
to the school including Rosh Chodesh breakfast and weekly dinners for all the academic and sports teams. He also wants to make programming more fun by being able to close 78th Street more often to do more events. One of his main goals is to hear the concerns
of students and to make an environment where each student is comfortable sharing their concerns. He will do this by introducing himself to incoming freshmen, so they feel comfortable sharing their concerns with him. Not only is Raymond involved in school politics, but he will also be working for Senator Schumer in the senate in Washington D.C this summer. Eliza Binstock, the Associate Vice President of Communications, has the job of managing the Ramaz G.O social media. She wants to involve everyone in the decision-making process by using her social media resources to listen and reach out to all the students. She wants to take the students’ ideas and help communicate them to the administration. By doing this, she will help to create a relaxed school environment and connect with the students. Eliza also has many ideas to improve the school by adding better lunches, better breakfasts, fun activities, and adding back the scheduled free periods. In addition to being the AVP of Communications, Eliza also plays the drums, hockey, and basketball and speaks fluent Yiddish. Alex Gage, the Associate Vice President of Student Life, will try to listen to all the students suggestions and ideas to improve the school. He will work with his friend, Joshua Todes ’23, and his team to create club pages. These pages will help students find the club they want to go to by telling them the time and room of the meeting. He will also work with the administration to add many new ideas. He wants to make better breakfasts by adding a variety of food and drinks. Alex is on the hockey and soccer teams and is also a twin.
Fugue Night: A Success Rebecca Kalimi ’23 Every year, Mr. Henkin’s junior Music classes complete a final project called a “fugue,” and each group presents their fugue to an audience. Programs were placed on each seat with the order of performers for the night and a definition on the back: “Fugue: “a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase (the subject) is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts.”” This year’s juniors had a range of topics for the fugue and were able to perform about topics like food, math tests, and even other fellow students! This performance wasn’t easy to pull off; Mr. Henkin was
consistently meeting with students almost every night to perfect their pieces and make sure the show would live up to its expectations. As the night progressed, the excitement built up, and by the end of the performance, the audience was no longer able to contain itself and gave a standing ovation for the last group. David Rabiei ’23 explained what he thought was the biggest takeaway from his fugue, “The fugue project gave us the ability to use our creativity and to make a musical fugue on any topic we wanted.” He then elaborated on the process, “The process started with creating your subject and then a countersub-
ject. We wrote our fugues on note flight which is an app to write music lyrics and notes. It needed to be 2 minutes long. We had to use different ways to change up our subject, by slowing it down, breaking it up, or creating variations.” He explained how involved Mr. Henkin was in the process. “Mr. Henkin helped us throughout the process with building up our piece and helping with creating transitions. We would meet him for a few hours and he would sit and help us Continued On Page 5
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Fugue Night: A Success Continued From Page 4 with all the notes, getting the right beat and practicing how to pronounce our fugue.” For Rabiei ’23, “Fugue night was amazing. It was fun and interesting to listen
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to everyone’s fugues.” Overall, with all the hard work put in by the juniors, Mr. Henkin, and the love from the audience, the atmosphere of the night exceeded all expectations. The refreshments served after the event allowed for ev-
Features 5
eryone to converse and discuss the success of the night. The juniors are just waiting to see if next year’s music class will be able to live up to its legacy.
The State of the Upper School Library Sarah Silverman ’24
this transitional time, wants to check out a book from their busy days to fill out the form. If that does not give the library, the MOB recommends simply taking it. us hope, I do not know what will. Many teens enjoy reading. With television, “The books are here to be read; just make sure to bring With the library all but out of commission, games, and social media keeping the youth of this them back.” students have turned to alternative forms of book generation occupied, you would think there would be The administration brought in Dr. Daniel lending. Ashley Behlm ‘24 and this writer, along with no time for opening books. “I read all the time,” says Stein Kokin, a college professor and good friend of Dr. the environmental and book club, organized a two-day Evie Rosenfeld ‘24, “but I have only been in the school Tugendhaft, to write up a report addressing the library’s book swap where students from all grades brought in library twice this year.” When interviewed, many stu- faults and come up with solutions. I sat down with Dr. novels they no longer wanted to trade with others. It dents echoed this Stein Kokin to understand his was a success, with over forty books exchanged and a statement about work, and it became clear to proposal in the works for the event to happen every what our school’s me that many of the points he month/couple of months. This is just another testalibrary means to was making were issues widely ment to the fact that there are teens passionate about them. Unfortuapparent to the student body. reading who also strive to be environmentally connately, there seems For example, bringing back the scious. to be a disconnect quiet study room, the need for So what does the future hold in store for the between readers a Young Adult fiction section, Ramaz library? From interviewing Ramaz faculty and the fact that more comfortable chairs, and members and students, the truth is that its fate is someour school has a couch. To gather information what inconclusive. Your guess is as good as mine. Howbooks that are free for his report, Dr. Stein Kokin ever, Dr. Stein Kokin hinted, if the stars align, of comand at our disposal visited other elite ing back next anytime. There are high schools year to be the also digital archives around the city, new librariavailable through such as The Dalan, which is the Ramaz portal, ton School and a good sign. such as JSTOR and Dr. Stein Kokin, Ms. Krupka and other faculty and Heschel, to speak But for now, to Gale, which are to administrators all the Ramaz staff discuss the library’s layout. great for accessing and gain a deeper readers, who academic articles. No matter how tempting it is, you understanding of the role of their respecare indeed the don’t have to splurge your allowance money at Strand tive schools’ libraries to the student body. only people and Barnes and Nobles; sometimes, the new hardcover In regards to Ramaz input, he sent out two who read this limited edition copy is just not worth it. surveys, one to the faculty and the other paper, presBooks incorrectly placed, computers from through Schoology, directed toward the sure the adthe early 2000’s sitting listlessly with dust piled high, grades, asking for criticisms and ideas ministration stacks of chairs where the beautiful and dearly missed concerning what to do with the space, but to do somecouch used to be (Ms. Senders, now that you’re making sadly due to a low number of responses, thing about aliyah, can we have it back?). This is the state of our about ten percent of the student populathis predicahigh school library, or should I say the senior daven- tion, it seems fruitless to publish the latment. Libraring room. Mr. Deutsch, the recently dismissed Mas- ters statistics. However, the comments ies are meant ter of Books, kept the disorder contained by checking submitted from the form will be used in to be commuout novels, guiding kids to history paper sources, and his report. An example of one being, “It can get Books strewn about and mistreated. nal spaces and are overall making sure the library functioned as an actual very hard to navigate certain sections of libraras much the stuplace of reading activities and not just a third lounge. ies and books that’s why most people do research on- dent bodies as those in charge. Professor R. Lankes, a However, he has been told that his duties are no lon- line, but I feel if there was a librarian with the knowl- scholar on constructing educational areas, said, “Bad ger needed this year. “Dr. Jucovy is supposed to be in edge to direct you to the right book that may be helpful libraries build collections; good libraries build sercharge now, so I recommend reaching out to the peo- in your research, many will start doing more research vices, great libraries build communities.” The Ramaz ple on the 6th floor for more information on what is with books.” Although participation was low, the sur- community needs to work on creating a vibrant learngoing on,” Mr. Deutsch explained when asked further vey highlights that a decent number of students care ing space at the heart of our school. questions about the room’s future. If a student, during about the future of the space, taking the time out of
Two Students Found News Website Maya Puterman ’25 and Noa Essner ’25 Our names are Noa Essner and Maya Puterman. We were among the few members of our freshman class who hadn’t gone to Ramaz for at least one year prior to the 2021-22 school year. This shared outlook on the school year led to a friendship that would lead to the founding of our website, STEAMnews.org. STEAM News is the global e-newspaper for teens to explore their passions for STEAM through writing articles about relevant topics in the interdisciplinary fields. The acronym “STEAM” stands for science, technology, engineering, art, and math. And while each category individually provides its own unique method of innovation, the truth is that progress in any
of these fields occurs most significantly in overlap with one another. Scientific ideas are more often than not dependent upon engineering to be brought into fruition, and likewise, technology more often than not requires mathematics to function. This convergence is what makes STEAM such an integral part of everyday life. It’s simply a recognition of this teamwork that’s lacking, as it did for each of us until we separately discovered STEAM within the last few years. Neither of us truly knew what STEAM represents or how empowering it feels to be involved until recently. We are among millions of children and teens growing up facing the harsh reality that if we don’t take action against the imminent threat of climate change now, the mistakes the world is making will have negative consequences on the planet that will quickly be ren-
dered irreversible. Protecting the Earth’s atmosphere, as well as preventing pollution outside its atmosphere, is one of the many values we hope to instill within our readers. Additionally, with each passing year, we have laid witness to groundbreaking advancements in technology which people hadn’t previously thought to be possible. And developments in new technologies are trailblazing in the industry and are forever changing our world, making daily tasks and habits more efficient than ever before, something that resonated with us. Intuitively, we each recognized that not only our interest, but our budding aptitude for designing or promoting solutions to problems of which STEAM is the solution meant that we needed to find a community of people who shared in these beliefs and build upon it. With Continued On Page 6
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STEAM News Continued From Page 5 STEAM News, we have the privilege of having created said community. When we co-founded STEAM News this year, it was with one objective: to create a community of like-minded readers, writers, STEAMdle (our daily Wordle, STEAM-edition) solvers, and photographers in middle school and high school who embody what an appreciation of STEAM means in every regard. Our incredible, dedicated team is working with us to introduce and educate kids worldwide about STEAM, the future of innovation. To be a part of this compelling movement, we urge readers to visit our website, STEAMnews.org. Our website contains numerous articles on topics ranging from using virtual reality to train workers, utilizing AI to help detect cancer, approaching solving the Rubik’s cube from a mathematical standpoint, and many others, especially addressing the threats of climate change, its impacts, and different solutions. In addition, we have biographies on trailblazing women in STEAM as well as interviews with current
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STEAM professionals. We have many more exciting article ideas in the works, and aside from our talented team of writers and editors already in place, we would love more involvement from teens at Ramaz, other schools, and around the world. On the ‘Join Us’ page of our site, there is a form to fill out with all the information necessary to write an article. Writers will have their names listed on
our website upon submitting their first article. Additionally, our social media platform is ever-expanding. Get involved and help spread the word by playing our
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daily STEAMdle on our home page and following us on Instagram at @STEAMnewsOFFICIAL. Though her name isn’t as widely known as the likes of Einstein, it was perhaps entrepreneur and businesswoman Ursula Burns who stated it the best: “I didn’t learn to be quiet when I had an opinion. The reason they knew who I was is because I told them.” The role STEAM plays, or rather can play, in each one of our lives is highly significant. STEAM is such a major part of our identities, as it provides a means of expressing ourselves, our creativity, and originality. It is only through putting pen to paper and inserting our different outlooks on life, in which STEAM is everywhere, that we can voice our opinions and be heard. STEAM News is so much more than a newspaper. It’s filled with articles that serve as extensions of every one of our writers. When we say that STEAM is the future, it’s because we, the newest generation of thinkers, are the future. Humanity is what makes STEAM so great. Enable STEAM News to be the outlet for you, in order to, as Gandhi put so eloquently, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”
A Spotlight on the Environmental Club Continued From Page 1 to discuss possible improvements that could help the environmental situation at Ramaz. Mr. Berman and Mr. Wallschlaeger also informed the club on how Ramaz recycling is collected. In order for the school to properly recycle, students must learn how to separate their trash. The Environmental Club is responding to this issue by creating custom-made signs to be posted around the school, indicating what each bin is for. There will also be a “Clean Sheet” posted around the school, which is a sheet that includes tips on how to separate trash and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle in school and at home. When asked about other initiatives for next year, Woldenberg ’23 said that she would also love for the club to start composting food in the lunchroom and perhaps improve the building’s energy efficiency score. The Environmental Club is not the only club looking after the environment. Chesed Coordinator Mrs. Deeni Hass plans on collaborating with the Environmental Club next year to initiate and execute projects related to chesed and the environment. For instance, the Chesed Committee and Environmental Club aim to place big recycling bins in the lounges in order to help the student body recycle. Both clubs will sell the collected bottles to a local convenience store and donate the money to tzedakah. As Mrs. Haas puts it, “I look forward to a partnership between the Chessed Leadership Committee and Environmental Club to
make a difference in our schools’ community.” Mrs. Hass would also like to link both clubs by incorporating a challenge next November founded by The Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation. Students will have the opportunity to walk 15 miles in honor of the 15 miles Mark Schonwetter walked from his home to a Jewish ghetto. The Environmental Club will lead a walk in the park while learning about the ecology in New York City, and other clubs will also lead their own walks. Environmental Club members dedicate themselves to educating the student body about the threats facing our environment and ways they could help. For example, Sarah Silverman ’24 volunteers at the Wild Bird Fund located on the West Side: “I want to go into Veterinary Science and I am passionate about preserving New York City Wild Life,” says Sarah Silverman ’24. “At the clinic, I prepare food and medicine for the animals, bandage wounds, and assist in intake. I also used to be an intern at the Central Park Zoo and spoke in front of the City Council on the importance of science education for young adults.” Another committed Environmental Club member, Maya Puterman ’25, co-founded a website called STEAMnews.org. Puterman ’25 created this e-newspaper in order to create a community of teens who are passionate about STEAM. “Our website covers all topics related to STEAM including topics related to the environment,” says Puterman ’25. “We have articles
on the importance of instituting solar panels, sustainable architecture, sustainable textiles, and an article about an Israeli tech company that makes honey in a lab to preserve bees.” Puterman ’25 has another website called paperecoshop.com where she sells dry erase reusable paper products such as lined paper, graph paper, and to-do lists. 10% of the proceeds from her business are donated to plant trees in Africa. Silverman ’24 and Puterman ’25 are not only passionate about saving the environment outside of school but also assist the Environmental Club with all of its projects to make the school a more environmentally conscious institution. Looking back on what the club has accomplished this year compared to previous years, Ms. Abramson said: “I’m proud of the work we’ve done this year. We’ve begun planting seeds and really hope the club expands to all members of the Ramaz Community. Our goal is to grow Ramaz into a Green/Zero Waste School!”
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An Interview with Browning NYC Poetry Society Winner: Arlette Gindi Emily Vayner ’23 This year, Arlette Gindi ‘22, Co-President of Parallax, Ramaz’s award-winning literary magazine, won the New York City High School Browning Poetry Society competition. She competed against students from 120+ public, private, and parochial schools in the five boroughs. The New York Browning Society has an annual citywide poetry competition where six student winners earn $100, and their poems get published in three publications. On Wednesday, May 11, Arlette was introduced by the Browning Society’s president James Kepple, as she read her poem “Through the Glass Pane” aloud at the ceremony for award winners. Emily Vayner: Can you describe the application process for the competition, including rules and restrictions on what you could submit? Arlette Gindi: I honestly didn’t know much about the competition when I entered it. I got a short email from Dr. Honig with the name of the poetry competition and an email address to send my submissions. A few days before the deadline, I sent an email and attached PDFs of the poems I wanted to be considered. I learned later that we were only supposed to submit 1-2 poems, and I sent in four because I didn’t know about the rule, but I guess it didn’t really matter. Around a month later, I got an email saying that I was one of the winners and a package in the mail with a check, certificate, and a note about where the poem would be published. EV: Can you describe the process of writing your poem as well as the editing process? AG: I wrote the poem when I was a sophomore and
forgot about it until I looked through my computer earlier this year. When I first wrote it, I remember it going by very quickly. I don’t think it took me more than 15 minutes to write, which is crazy to think about because it usually takes me much longer to think of the words I want to use. Before I sent it into the competition, I made a few minor edits, but I kept it mostly the way it was when I wrote it originally.
“Just do it, and try not to take yourself too seriously. The worst thing that could happen is you don’t win, and you wouldn’t have won anyway if you didn’t submit anything, so you might as well just send something in and see what happens.” EV: What was your inspiration for your poem, “Through the Glass Pane”?
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branches wherever we were, and so the blue jay became very symbolic for us. My aunts always said it was like my grandpa would send a little angel from heaven in the form of a blue jay to watch over us. EV: What advice would you give to someone who wants to write poetry and apply to these kinds of competitions? AG: Just do it, and try not to take yourself too seriously. The worst thing that could happen is you don’t win, and you wouldn’t have won anyway if you didn’t submit anything, so you might as well just send something in and see what happens. I never expected to win a poetry competition in my life, and I would never have if I didn’t send anything in. EV: How did Parallax impact your writing journey? How did it contribute to your growth as a writer? AG: I honestly wouldn’t be the writer I am today without Parallax. Sitting down every week and writing without any expectation that your work needs to be good is freeing and improves your writing so much. I think every student would gain something from going to Parallax at least once. My involvement in Parallax has definitely changed my writing for the better.
AG: I wrote “Through the Glass Pane” from the perspective of a blue jay looking in at my family through a window. The poem was mainly inspired by the way my family dynamics shifted once my grandfather passed away. I chose to write it from the perspective of a blue jay because of the birds constantly chirping outside my grandparents’ house. After my grandfather passed away, my family began to notice blue jays perched on
The Silverman Report: Burnout — The Ramaz Status Quo Sarah Silverman ’24 Disclaimer: this article is sature. Somewhat. According to statistics gathered by the Oxford English Dictionary, the most commonly spoken words in the English language are “the”, “be”, and “to”. If this study were to be done walking through the halls of Ramaz during finals season, it would give you a very different result. “Tired, history paper, extra credit, school, and Sulam are words I always hear,” reported a student who, when asked about her mental state, replied that it was “nonexistent” and went on to thank Ramaz for the free coffee that she claimed was the only reason she stayed partially awake during davening. In her Madhappy sweatshirt and overdone mascara, this same girl, who can be thought of as the kindred spirit to all Ramaz overachievers, was said to have fallen asleep midway through her Mock ACT exam. A sign to the Ramaz administration that perhaps their students require more than coffee to survive till June. This writer does not understand the appeal of Madhappy sweatshirts. Wearing a shirt that says you are a “local optimist” on it is the same as proclaiming that all you need on your math final is a 110, and you will secure that A. No matter how much you pay for either of them, it doesn’t make it true. Maybe if students started wearing apparel that counted the days until the end of the semester, we would all be happier. This sense of burnout is not only felt by students. Many teachers echo the same sentiments. Although they will not be named, the History department, in particular, is looking forward to the summer.
“If one more student asks me what MLA formatting is, I fear I may lose it,” said one teacher who wished her sophomores listened the first time she gave out instructions, “These kids are so checked out. With the Israel trip and final projects, they have a lot on their plates. Every second of every day, you hear them discussing their history papers; you wonder if they have anything else going on.” With the seniors all but gone, college stress has fallen on the juniors and sophomores who debate if they will ever live up to their predecessors’ admissions successes. The business bros, who can easily be spotted talking just a tad bit too loudly about their “gains” in crypto and their portfolios when girls walk by, wonder if they will get into Wharton. Every new post on the “ramazdecisions” Instagram Account gives a freshman another gray hair. That and the “rmzpromposals” account are by far the most viewed Ramaz accounts, which may seem surprising since all but two underclassmen follow them. Another school year has passed, and with it is the end of masks, social distancing, and the paper you submitted at 3 am in the morning that you try not to
think about. I bet somewhere in the mess of shifting schedules, students learned things. Maybe it wasn’t how to do your taxes, live your life or get a job, but hey, the Treaty of Guadalupe is just as important. As Ramaz kids start their sentences, “Colleges will like that...” When the year ends, many start to wonder what the point of it all was. Yet, there are always beautiful, if not fleeting, moments of togetherness and friendship within stressful situations. As John Green writes in his book Looking for Alaska, “You spend your whole life stuck in a labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, how awesome it will be, and imagining the future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” Life goes by in the blink of an eye; savor your high school experiences, go out and live. The Silverman Report wishes everyone a wonderful and unforgettable summer.
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Ancient Greek Club: A Q&A With Dr. Tugendhaft David Gitelman ’22 The Ancient Greek Club is a new club that Dr. Tugendhaft started this year. The Rampage interviewed Dr. Tugendhaft about the background and successes of this club. David Gitelman: What inspired you to start the Ancient Greek Club? Dr. Aaron Tugendhaft: Some juniors approached me a few weeks back asking if I could teach Ancient Greek, but I didn’t feel well-equipped enough for a class. I’ve had it in mind to make a club for a while, and so I recently reached out to a friend and colleague who knows the language and we started the club. DG: Where do you see this club going? Do you think it could be offered as a real course someday? AT: I do hope to make it into a real class option for students, although it remains to be seen how feasible that would be. Perhaps we can make it an option for seniors next year and then eventually make it into a full program that would start in the earlier grades. I think learning Ancient Greek has a particular value, especially to students who enjoy the humanities. I want kids who love history, philosophy, or linguistics in Ramaz to have advanced courses. We should create paths for them to learn high-level material in these subjects, similar to how mathematically-inclined kids have an ability to take calculus. Greek is a traditional tried and true language that there seems to be a lot of student interest in. There are so many domains of learning in which knowledge of Ancient Greek would be beneficial. This even includes the realm of Judaic Studies, where there is a long tradition dating to antiquity of conversation between Greek and Jewish culture, not always the most positive. Ancient Greek literacy opens up a way to think about this dialogue in relation to what they learn in the Hebrew and Aramaic of the Talmud. I think that could be a very enriching experience.
DG: Have you thought about offering clubs or classes for other ancient languages, such as Latin, Sumerian, or Akkadian? AT: It would be difficult because there isn’t much room for more classes with the dual curriculum. However, I believe precisely because we spend so much time studying ancient texts in our Judaic classes, we are particularly well suited to expand that and connect that with a more rigorous study of other elements of antiquity. I think that Greek is a very good place to start. Latin might be a traditionally more conventional language to learn, but in Ramaz learning Ancient Greek makes more sense due to the unique relationship between Jewish and Greek thought and culture. If an Ancient Greek class became popular, and if scheduling permitted, I’d love to see the language-learning initiative expanded and offer whatever other languages I could. One thing I can say is that Akkadian is difficult, but it is a semitic language so there is a connection to Hebrew, which students already have a basic knowledge of. Find me a college that would not be impressed by seeing Akkadian on a high school transcript! Less ambitiously, I’d like to teach Ugaritic, the language of the ancient city of Ugar. I wrote my dissertation on Ugar and Ugaritic, and it’s closer to Hebrew than the other aforementioned languages. There was a minicourse on Ugaritic culture and language for seniors in their final minicourse block. We learned a bit of the language since it is related to Hebrew. Again, learning all of these languages would be immensely beneficial in that it could open up the ability to read ancient text rather than just
read what others about the subject from a textbook. DG: What value do you think there is in learning a dead language like Ancient Greek? AT: First of all, learning a dead language with a well-defined grammar like Ancient Greek is intellectually a great exercise for understanding language, grammar, and challenging oneself intellectually. It is challenging and difficult, not unlike advanced math, which you may never use, but which exercises your brain. I believe the intellectual effort for its own sake is worthwhile. Once you understand an ancient language it also connects you to a fascinating world of ancient thought and culture. It makes you realize how much richer it is to study foreign cultures in their own languages, since there is an element that is lost by just learning it in English. The wisdom of the ancient Greeks is best read in the original text and there is a certain something lost in the translation that you can’t get unless you learn the language. Lastly, you’re engaged in an activity that for over two millennia has been a defining point of what it means to be a well-educated person. Learning an ancient, seemingly “useless” language like Ancient Greek actually strengthens the mind, empowers a person educationally, and links them in a long line of rich intellectual tradition.
Why Even “Pro-Lifers” Should Not Support Overturning Roe V. Wade Aviva Lehman ’22 If you read the Constitution of the United States, you’ll notice that it is incredibly vague; this is actually by design. In Thomas Jefferson’s own words, he referred to the Constitution as a “living document” because he and the other Founding Fathers wrote it with the ability to be easily amended. They understood that our country would change and evolve throughout time. Due to this evolution, our country would deal with issues across history that our Founding Fathers couldn’t have possibly comprehended enough to create legislation on, due to the fact that they cannot and did not live forever nor predict the future. Therefore, the Constitution was deliberately crafted as broad and flexible to accommodate social and technological changes over time. Due to the vagueness of the Constitution, the people of the United States of America have implied rights, sometimes called unenumerated rights, which are protected by the Ninth Amendment. Implied rights are defined by Cornell Law as “the political and civil freedoms that necessarily underlie the actual words of the Constitution but are not themselves expressly stated directly in the Constitution, yet are considered essential to American life regardless.” In short, these are rights that aren’t explicitly written in the Constitution, however, they are consistent with parts of the Constitution that are ex-
plicit, so therefore it is reasonable to infer that they are constitutional rights. An example of an implied right is the right to an abortion, which is consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment, the right to privacy. According to Roe v. Wade, the right to an abortion falls under the right to privacy. The Republican Party, or the GOP, has
claimed that implied rights are not constitutional because they aren’t explicitly written in the Constitution by the Founding Fathers. To quote the leaked SCOTUS document that would strike down Roe v. Wade: “the Constitution makes no reference to abortion and no
such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.” This reasoning is not in line with, and in fact, is contradictory to the Constitution. The Founding Fathers directly implied that the American government can instill laws that aren’t explicitly written in the Constitution as long as they are consistent with rights that are explicit. The text of the Constitution does not give federal courts, including the Supreme Court, the power of judicial review, but yet the power to deem laws uconstitutional has been deemed an implied power, by the Supreme Court itself under Marbury v. Madison. Why do some rights have to be explicitly stated in the Constitution, while others do not? Regardless of its validity, this reasoning is dangerous, as it does not only attack the implied right to an abortion. It attacks all implied rights. If instituted by the Supreme Court, anyone could take this exact reasoning outlined in this draft and successfully apply it to striking down any implied right that many Americans enjoy today. What are some examples of implied rights thatcould very well be under attack? Marriage rights. The right to marry whomever you want without gove-
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Why Even “Pro-Lifers” Should Not Support Overturning Roe V. Wade Continued From Page 10
-rnment intervention. Homosexual marriage, interracial marriage, interreligious marriages, and disabled marriage could all be under attack. HIPAA is also an implicit right. With this law, your doctor is no longer legally obligated to keep your medical history private. For example, it would be legal for your doctor to fully publish your medical decisions on the internet if they choose to. They would virtually face no legal repercussions for doing so. Another is the right to choose your education. The right to homeschool or attend a religious private school instead of public school is also an implied right. With this draft’s reasoning, your state might no longer allow you to send your child to a religious private school or homeschool them. They could instead force you to send your child to public school. That one might hit very close to home to many of us attending Ramaz, a religious private
school. The right to choose your healthcare could also be under attack. Republicans often say they don’t support universal healthcare because they “don’t want the government making medical decisions for them,” yet Republicans often don’t support abortion rights. All of these items listed are implied rights under the right to privacy, guaranteed by the Fou r te e nt h Amendment. All of these rights have the exact same backing as the right to an abortion, and therefore are also under attack of being striken down by this new ruling. If you think this issue doesn’t affect you for whatever reason, it does. America does not offer universal health care or free childcare. The country has one of the most expensive higher education systems in the world, where the average student debt is $32,000, and the total student debt is $1.75 Trillion. 46 million Americans suffer stu-
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dent loan debts. There are no free contraceptives, paid family leave, or mandatory sexual education in schools. Unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and a failing foster care system with high abuse rates are all problems that need to be addressed in America. Children die in churches, mosques, synagogues, grocery stores, malls, schools, and even in their own homes due to unregulated assault rifle sales to civilians. In 2020 alone, over 19,000 people were murdered by a gun or other firearm in the U.S. America has the highest maternal and infant mortality rate out of any other first world country. 50% of American teen mothers don’t graduate high school and 2% don’t earn their college degrees by their 30s. Only 31% of single mothers have a college degree. Additionally 8/10 teen fathers don’t marry the mother of their child and 66% of families begun by young, single mothers are below the poverty line. Not to mention the fact that America is also currently facing a severe baby formula shortage. With these statistics in mind, it is incredibly hypocritical, and dangerous for the Republican party to remove abortion as a fundamental constitutional right. Even more so, to call themselves “pro-life.” How can one possibly call yourself pro-life when this country makes it almost impossible to raise children, and virtually nothing is done to stop it. Many of the issues stated above are ignored by legislators. Socalled “pro-lifers” cannot strip Americans of the solution when they created the problem. With all of this in mind, if you still support the overturning of Roe v. Wade under that guise that you are “preserving life,” I urge you to consider these elements the next time you condemn abortion. It should not be a quick assessment to make.
APs For Juniors: Adding Heat to The Pressure Cooker That Is Ramaz Emily Vayner ‘23 I remember my freshman year at Ramaz. It was the year I made new friends, adapted to Ramaz’s rigorous dual-curriculum, and learned about the hustle and bustle of the school’s culture. I remember talking to my public school friends and other Jewish private school friends as soon as our first semester ended. They asked me questions about my GPA, whether it was weighted or unweighted, and what APs I was taking. Despite Ramaz being known for its rigorous curriculum, these terms thrown at me were never mentioned aloud in school. I had all different kinds of questions, with no paper answers. I made my way down to the C level for the first time, where I met with my college advisor, Ms. Davis, and asked her my long list of questions: Why aren’t our grades weighted? Where is my GPA? How do I access my transcript? Why can’t I take Advanced Placement (AP) courses before my senior year? Should I selfstudy for them? When do I take the SAT? Ms. Davis provided me with all the answers to my questions,
and although I left her office satisfied with the answers she gave me, I was extremely upset. I was furious that none of my Honors classes gave me extra credit for their rigor. I was disappointed that my friends from other schools could take all these interesting AP courses starting freshman year, and I had to wait until my senior year. I thought I couldn’t get the same amount of college credits in advance and that the policies of my school would stop me from being a stand-out applicant to colleges. During my sophomore year, I decided to dedicate my free time to studying for two AP exams in May, AP Macroeconomics and AP Literature and Composition. I researched which APs have higher scoring rates and which ones fit my interests and skills best. It was not my first-time self-studying for a course; I self-studied Geometry the summer before my freshman year of high school, so I figured these exams would be a breeze. However, self-studying was extremely time-consuming to learn without a teacher. Additionally, I took my APs online during a hybrid-COVID year, making the entire process unclear and complicated. In my junior year, I took Calculus BC in
school, a course geared towards preparing students to excel on the AP exam in May. Throughout the year, all the questions and frustration I was facing my freshman year were resolved, and through my experiences, I realized I had nothing to worry about. When I started the college process, I heard students ask all the same questions I asked my freshman year, and I felt comfort that I knew all the answers. However, I realized that most of my fellow peers weren’t thinking about these questions throughout their high school careers. At that moment, I immediately began to regret that I constantly tried to look ahead instead of enjoying the moment. I remembered Dr. Honig’s words from one of our first college meetings at the end of my sophomore year. She said that Ramaz wants its students to enjoy their high school careers in high school and discover their interests and self-identities spiritually and academically, instead of thinking and stressing about colleges and the next four years of our lives. After being guided through an AP course with a teacher present and having begun the college Continued On Page 10
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APs For Juniors Continued From Page 9 process, I turned my resentment into gratitude for the fact that Ramaz prohibited me from taking AP courses during my freshman and sophomore years of high school. I think that adding APs in the Junior curriculum other than the Calculus AP offered to Super Hon-
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ors students will only add to the competition of Ramaz culture. Students are already taking extremely rigorous courses, ACTs/SATs, and beginning their college process during their junior year. However, if an Honors course is already taught at an AP level, such as Honors Physics, this course should be offered to students already in that class. It took time and experience for
me to understand the reasons Ramaz makes the policies it does. I would advise a freshman or sophomore stressed about the college process to read this article and talk to upperclassmen and college advisors, who have the answers to their questions.
to facilitate especially if they involve air travel, there are plenty of places in the city or even the tri-state area that we could take service trips to. Chesed is an integral part of being Jewish and is one of our core values, in Ramaz that is no exception.Ramaz prides itself on being a school of values and chasidut, and most of the time the school reflects that well. However, there are not enough opportunities to do chesed with people outside of the Ramaz community. Many students would benefit from more options of organizations that they could get involved with, especially on a regular basis, rather than getting involved one time. This year, I’ve taken part in Learn To Be, an online platform that connects students with underprivileged students to tutor. I found out about this opportunity through Ramaz at the club fair and stuck with it all year. Ramaz needs to present more opportunities from the beginning of the year, opportunities that students can commit to all year if they choose. I believe that the school should pitch chesed opportunities to students, not just under the guise of getting chesed hours. The benefits of getting involved in a charity organization are endless, such as learning how to interact
with different people and how to work in a group. Since the first semester, there has been no mention of chesed hours or if they are required for the second semester. There has also been very little correspondence to the students about chesed opportunities they can get involved with, except the weekly in-school opportunities. Many students end up looking for out of school opportunities, however that can be a hard task as many organizations do not take high schoolers or are just looking for money. I believe that Ramaz should let students know of opportunities they can take part in.
Ramaz and Chesed Ashley Behm ’24 At the beginning of this year, the news of the reinstatement of chesed hours (after a Covid hiatus) for sophomores induced mixed feelings of excitement and stress from many students,. Many were excited for the plethora of opportunities Ramaz said to be offering and the hopes of getting involved in something new that could make a difference in their community. These feelings came alongside stress about not being able to meet the semesterly, ten hour requirement plus a full day of service. At the beginning of the semester, opportunities for chesed such as volunteering with Dorot, an organization that addresses the challenges of the elderly population in every community, giving out food to the homeless, and packing goodie bags with Yachad, an organization that enriches the lives of Jews with disabilities, were posted to Schoology and open to anyone interested. In addition to these one time opportunities, weekly opportunities such as Teen Scene, Challah Baking, and Sefardic Bikur Holim food packing offered people the opportunity to get their chesed hours, or minutes. However as the semester continued only the weekly opportunities were made known to the student body. Additionally the options provided have been limited in scope. Many were left looking for out of school opportunities to meet the requirement. This year, Ramaz also reintroduced service missions with a mission to New Orleans during intersession. While many people wanted to get involved the costs were high and only a limited number of students were chosen to go. While service missions can be hard
Book Rec of the Month: The Song of Achilles Jem Hanan ’23 Recently, I’ve noticed that there has been an uptick in retellings of Greek mythology in the Young Adult genre of literature. Although I am not anywhere near qualified to make bold statements about the climate of young adult novels, I’d like to believe the book The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller started this trend. I’d be surprised if you haven’t seen its cover on the subway or have heard the name thrown around, usually in conjunction with the words “I cried for a week.” I was skeptical. Many times the Young Adult reader community hypes up a new title only for it to be derivative and painfully mediocre. The Song of Achilles is unique in the sense that it defies this prenotion. Of course, retellings of Greek myths aren’t anything new, and Miller is not a pioneer in the space; however, she took a common practice and executed
it extremely well. Her novel surrounds the story of Achilles and his relationship with Patroclus, his lover. She uses the ambiguity of said relationship as it is presented in The Iliad, a classic Greek work of literature by Homer so that it appeals to the general Young Adult audience. As a whole, Miller does an excellent job of allowing the novel to be read by virtually anyone regardless of how much knowledge of Greek mythology they have in their toolbelt. If anything, the easy consumability of the novel is likely to inspire you to learn more about Greek mythology and visit the source material (at least, that’s what it did for me). Yes, the names are a bit difficult to follow at first,
but Miller establishes each character so well that by the middle of the story you know each member of the cast not by name, but by their personalities. Additionally, the establishment of Patroclus as the main viewpoint allows for an organic exposure to the reader of the information they need to know. In The Iliad, Patroclus is a side character in Achilles’ story for all intents and purposes. With Patroclus as the main character, he is the vehicle in which the average reader can explore the world of Greek mythology since Patroclus is new to many of the environments he is placed in due to the nature of his char acter. These aspects of the novel make it very easy for Continued On Page 11
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Book Rec of the Month: The Song of Achilles Continued From Page 10 anybody to pick up and enjoy. The other standout quality of the novel is the brilliance of the writing. You will find yourself having to stop reading just to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of a sentence. Miller is able to describe even the
most mundane aspects of the world in a way that is breathtaking. This stunning descriptive language carries over into the way the dialogue, scenery, and action are written. The only way to describe it is… well, pretty. Miller sets a specific tone for the novel and maintains it throughout with metaphors and similes that never feel shoehorned into it. The truly masterful part of Miller’s
writing is that the reader can tell that it comes naturally to her, as the writing itself has an organic feel to it. I highly suggest reading The Song of Achilles if you want to indulge in a classic story with a bit of a modern twist and view the world around you in a more beautiful lense.
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The Exodus Ramaz says farewell to the following faculty and staff members. The Rampage and the Ramaz community wish them success in their future endeavours. Mrs. Tammie Senders Rabbi Moshe Stavsky Rabbi Ruben Gober Dr. Terri Aharon Rabbi Yosef Albo Mrs. Rachel Rabhan Mr. Ezra Gershman Mr. Ethan Fuld
June 2022/Sivan 5782