Education 12/23/13

EDUCATION

supplement to Jewish News December 23, 2013

CALLING ALL HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS!

Announcing the 22014 Stein Family College Scholarship The application is now available online at: www.jewishva.org/tjf-stein Applications deadline is April 1, 2014 Questions? Contact Shelby Tudor at: 757.965.6105 or studor@ujft.org ujft.org

Published 22 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Dear Readers, Few things are as important to Jews as education. From pre-school through lifelong study of Torah, the concept of growth, understanding, and eventual wisdom through learning is essential to the Jewish value system and how we perceive ourselves as a people.

In this Jewish News special section devoted to education, we bring you updates, feature articles, and opinions

Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Laine Mednick Rutherford, Associate Editor Hal Sacks, Book Review Editor Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Mark Hecht, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus Miles Leon, President Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Harry Graber, Executive Vice-President

that serve to nourish your inquisitive nature, and support your thirst for knowledge. The educational journey within this issue introduces us to an innovative concept of how Israel may

OJan.PEN H OUSE 12, 2014 1-4 pm

Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 voice 757.965.6100 • fax 757.965.6102 email news@ujft.org www.jewishVA.org

be able to help fund America’s high cost of a Jewish day school education, to an Old Dominion University course that

The appearance of advertising in the Jewish News does not constitute a kashrut, political, product or service endorsement.

The articles and letters appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of this newspaper. © 2013 Jewish News. All rights reserved.

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will take advanced literature students to Israel to study. Find out about a new Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish

Educating Children Grades K-8

Upcoming Special Sections QR code generated on http://qrcode.littleidiot.be

Learning course on Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah beginning in January, and

Issue

the good deeds of students from area Jewish dayschools.

There will NOT be a quiz on this later, but as you turn the pages, we guarantee that you will know more than you

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Child-Centered Environment

did before. Keep on learning!

Emphasis on Integrity and Responsibility A Partnership with Parents A Community for Inclusion An Environment for Learning

The Williams School admits students of any race, color, religion, national and ethnic origin.

30 | Jewish News | December 23, 2013 | Education | jewishnewsva.org

The Jewish News Staff

Mazel Tov

Date Jan 27, 2014

Deadline Jan 3, 2014

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OP ED How Jerusalem can help finance U.S. Jewish day school education

by Yosef I. Abramowitz

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Every decade or so, yet another demographic survey reveals the obvious: The American-Jewish community is in flux, with affiliation falling.

Each time, the community circles back to what we know works: high-quality Jewish education, along with Jewish camps and Israel programs. Taken together, these are effective identity builders, especially if repeated over many years.

I am a product of the Solomon Schechter Day School system, and my children attended the independent Jewish Community Day School when we lived in Newton, Mass. My Jewish education, bolstered by Young Judaea and other camps and Israel programs, sparked several decades of serving the Jewish people in the nonprofit realm.

This meant I was doubly taxed: first, the expensive day school bills, and second, a lower salary than friends and family members because I worked for Jewish nonprofits.

The Jewish community needs new ideas to ease the financial burden on families. I was a scholarship kid growing up and am grateful for the assistance I received from the community and Hadassah. We also have seen that new programs that require seemingly outof-reach financial resources can work.

Example No. 1: Birthright Israel.

Part of Birthright’s success is attributable to the Israeli government’s decision to allocate significant funds to enhance Jewish identity of youth outside Israel.

This serves as positive testimony of what can be done when we see Israel as a full partner in preserving and enhancing Jewish identity worldwide.

Now Israel, and the strength of its economy, also can play a critical role in making day schools affordable in new ways.

Israel has an excellent credit rating— A+, according to Standard & Poor’s. The Bank of Israel could make long-term, low-interest loans available to Jewish families, perhaps working with an Israeli bank that has a U.S. affiliate. Or at the very least, it could provide a loan guarantee for day school parents.

While our children were at Jewish Community Day School, my wife, Susan, and I took out a $23,000 loan one year to help cover tuition through Prepgate, a commercial service for private-school families. It carried a relatively high interest rate of LIBOR plus 5 to 10 percent. If the loan were generated by the Bank of Israel and passed along to us at cost, it would be far more affordable.

Here’s how Israel’s financial role would work: While a child is enrolled in Jewish day school, part of the repayments would be covered for parents—half by the local Jewish federation and half by the State of Israel.

Payments would be frozen whenever the recipient visited Israel, whether on summer programs, junior year abroad, MASA or some other long-term program.

If the recipient immigrates to Israel by a certain age and stays for at least three years, then all or part of the loan would be forgiven.

According to Nefesh B’Nefesh, each North American immigrant adds significant financial benefit to the Israeli economy, so this works from a macro-economic perspective. If the recipient becomes a full-time Jewish communal professional, then there should be some loan forgiveness as well.

Another idea would be to help offset tuition costs by focusing on Jewish communal endowments.

More money is being generated now

by Jewish foundations and endowments than by annual federation campaigns—a sign that our community needs to create new strategies to finance major initiatives in Jewish life.

The truth about Jewish endowments is that they are managed very conservatively by outside professional money managers and not performing as well as they could.

Even a modest 2 percent increase in annual returns, from the federation endowments of more than $14 billion, would produce about $300 million annually that could be earmarked for Jewish education—especially if the 2 percent were generated from safe, Israel-based investments.

Here’s one example: Solar fields in Israel are financed 80 percent by Israel’s very conservative commercial banks and 20 percent from equity investors, who enjoy a roughly 9

percent annual average return for 20 years, linked to inflation and backed by the Israeli government. That is more than double the return on an Israel Bond.

Imagine a federation endowment investing money in Israeli infrastructure projects—in, say, their Partnership 2000 communities in Israel—and using the boost in profits to lower the cost of Jewish education back home. These truly would be worthwhile investments because they promote social and environmental benefits in Israel while generating enough funds to support Jewish education in North America.

The State of Israel is also creating a sovereign wealth fund to invest wisely the huge windfalls it expects from its recently discovered natural gas deposits—an estimated $125 billion over the next two decades. While Israeli education, defense, renewables and society certainly should be the major recipients of the profits here, asking Israel to set aside 10 percent of the funds, or $12.5 billion, to finance affordable Jewish education around the world would radically transform lives and strengthen Israel by strengthening Jewish peoplehood.

—Yosef I. Abramowitz, the winner of a Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, lives in Jerusalem and works with two Israeli solar companies. This is part of a series of essays on Jewish day schools being published by the Sustainable Stories project of PEJE, the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education.

jewishnewsva.org | Education | December 23, 2013 | Jewish News | 31

ODU students to study Israeli literature in Israel May 14-24 Program part of major initiative in Jewish Studies

by Old Dominion University

by Hal Sacks

A

fortunate group of Old Dominion University students will participate in an exploration of Israel while earning credits for ENGL 495/595 under the skilled hand of Farideh Goldin, director of Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding.

This study abroad, highlighted by visits to Tel Aviv, East and West Jerusalem, Sfat, Sea of Galilee, Jaffa, Dead Sea, Masada, the Jordan River and Valley, the Golan Heights and Qumran, will familiarize students with Israeli history, society, and identity. By visiting the setting of stories, attending lectures by experts in the field of Israel studies, reading novels, short stories, and selected poetry by multicultural contemporary Israel writers, including women and Arab Israeli authors, the students will gain rhetorical tools and a deepening of their understanding of the course literature.

Students will be required to register and pay for the three-credit course. Some ODU scholarship

assistance is available; however, the estimated cost for the trip is $3,300 before any scholarship or financial aid is considered. A significant portion of the costs of this program are being underwritten by generous grants from the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, the Thomas Hofheimer Fund, The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, as well as individual members of the community.

As the Jewish News goes to press, ODU is in the midst of a search for a tenure track professor of Judaic Studies who will teach in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. In addition to the minor in Jewish Studies, a graduate Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Interfaith Understanding is under development. Concurrently, in the Department of History, additional faculty will be offering courses in Middle Eastern Studies with an emphasis on Israel.

Ron Kramer, Tidewater Jewish Foundation chairman, considers this support “a precursor of increased cooperation between the University and the Jewish community.”

Alan Dershowitz retiring from Harvard Law School BOSTON (JTA) —Alan Dershowitz, one of the country’s most prominent lawyers and a passionate advocate for Israel, is retiring from Harvard Law School.

Dershowitz, 75, who is known for taking on high-profile and often unpopular causes and clients, has taught at Harvard Law for half a century. His retirement became official earlier this month.

While at a conference this month in Israel, he confirmed to the Boston Globe, “Yeah, I’m really retiring…. My retirement consists of reducing my schedule down to only about 10 things at any given time.”

In 1967, he became the youngest full 32 | Jewish News | December 23, 2013 | Education | jewishnewsva.org

professor in the school’s history. An expert in criminal and constitutional law, Dershowitz has served on the defense team of celebrities including O.J. Simpson and Claus von Bulow, and more recently Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Dershowitz, a Brooklyn native who has written and spoken often on his Orthodox Jewish upbringing and education, has used his prominence to defend Israel over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among his harshest critics is Noam Chomsky, the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology linguist with whom he has had a long-running public feud over Israel.

In 2006, Dershowitz publicly challenged

former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, for the views he expressed in his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, calling the book biased.

While “proud to be Jewish and engaged with Israel’s future,” Dershowitz also assisted Palestinian students when they sought inclusion of the Palestinian flag in a campus display, Harvard Law School dean Martha Minow told JTA. Minow described Dershowitz as a devoted teacher of 50 years.

“We look forward to his continuing vibrancy, wit, and wisdom,” she said in an email to JTA.

Will your college kids’ eating habits keep them from graduating?

P

arents sending their children off to college for the first time typically have prepared years in advance for the big occasion. And since tuition rates continue to increase, parents are, more than ever, focused on having their child be successful and graduate, says David Porter, founder of a firm that designs campus-wide dining programs and dining halls at colleges throughout North America, and author of The Porter Principles: Retain & Recruit Students & Alumni, Save Millions on Dining and Stop Letting Food Service Contractors Eat Your Lunch.

“The average cost for an in-state public college for the 2012–2013 academic year was $22,261, and a moderate budget at a private college averaged $43,289,” says Porter, who has worked with the University of Georgia, University of New Hampshire, Ferris State University, George Mason University and the University of Richmond, among others. “While many American families have seen a sharp decline in their household income, higher education for their children is still a top priority.”

So, what might parents be overlooking

when trying to ensure their child starts off a career with a college degree? It’s the school’s dining program and the role it plays in campus life, including the location(s), facilities, the menu, meal plans, hours, operating days and more, Porter says.

“It can and will be the most powerful aspect of day to day life for your son or daughter to connect to their class, make friends, see and be seen and connect to the school,” he says. “The sooner they connect to one another, the more likely they are to return as sophomores and eventually graduate.”

Social architecture, he explains, is the conscious design of an environment to encourage social behaviors that lead toward a goal—in this case, solidifying college students’ connection to one another, and a commitment to their school, through dining.

“Social architecture is a catalyst for students to connect, make friends and be social; it’s crucial to helping students connect with their school and develop bonds with other students, which are

both critical to student success,” he says.

“Students who live and dine on campus tend to have higher GPA’s and are more likely to graduate.”

A meticulously planned, student-focused and socially rich dining program on a campus can help a student graduate for the following reasons, he says: • Crucial social steps: Out of the house for the first time, living alone or with roommates he or she doesn’t know, often far from home, studying challenging material and without the life skills of a mature adult—your child’s well-being is largely dependent upon the friends and colleagues he meets at school. Meals are when families, coworkers and friends come together and bond, and it’s also when students come together to meet new people, study or just blow off steam.

• Meal plan: These have often been the bane of a student’s existence, complete with limited food options, which are often scattered and frequently hamstrung with time limits. And, they can be expensive.

But students won’t complain about a meal plan’s price if they’re happy with what

they get. Many conscientious students today choose a vegetarian or vegan diet, or they have other diet restrictions, such as gluten, due to their health. A meal plan should complement a campus and the student clock, which is different from that of an administrator’s schedule.

• On-campus: Porter stresses the importance of unifying meal plans with dining halls; otherwise, students tend to experience the campus in a fractured manner. Meal plans that offer off-campus options are even more problematic, he says, because that steers the focus away from studies, students and other areas of university life.

• School pride: If universities are like businesses, then loyal alumni are like customer loyalty and positive word of mouth wrapped in one idea. When all of the factors come together for a pleasant, sociable, convenient and generally inviting dining hall, it’s a concrete and positive way students can see themselves as lifelong proponents of their schools.

It’s all just food for thought when making that final decision on a college.

Reform slashing its HQ to invest more in youth programs SAN DIEGO (JTA)—The Union for Reform Judaism has sold off half of its headquarters in New York and is investing $1 million from the proceeds to overhaul its youth programming.

The sale of one of the union’s two floors at its midtown Manhattan headquarters closed on Dec. 11. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the movement’s president, announced the sale in his speech the following day at the Reform biennial in San

Diego.

Jacobs said $1 million from the sale would be used to supplement major foundation grants awarded to the union to reshape its youth engagement strategies.

The union also will be moving most of its New York-based youth professionals from its headquarters to the campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, which also is in Manhattan.

“As long as a structure or institution

of Jewish life serves the sacred mission of our people, it deserves to be preserved,” Jacobs said in his speech. “But now and then, and especially now, we are well advised to examine the fit between ends and means, in order to ensure that we remain devoted to the audacious imperatives that got us started.”

The sale of office space, Jacobs said, was made “to reinvest our own assets from bricks and mortar to people.”

Among the new initiatives Jacobs announced are the expansion of the Reform youth movement, the National Federation of Temple Youth, or NFTY, to include sixth- through eighth-graders; a new partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation to help make Reform institutions more open to people with disabilities; and a deepening of the union’s ties with Hebrew Union College.

jewishnewsva.org | Education | December 23, 2013 | Jewish News | 33

With retirement of founders, Kar-Ben publishers turning a page BOSTON (JTA)—The founders of Kar-Ben, a publisher of Jewish children’s books that includes the Shalom Sesame series and Six Million Paper Clips, are retiring after 40 years.

Judye Groner and Madeline Wikler, who started Kar-Ben in 1974, will step down as editorial directors this month, according to Publishers Weekly.

In 2001, Kar-Ben was acquired by the Minneapolis-based Lerner Publishing. Groner and Wikler became editorial directors, editing more than 200 titles.

Groner and Wikler started the company to self-publish their co-authored book My Very Own Haggadah after being rejected by several publishing houses. The first run of 5,000 copies sold out and the book, still in print under the Kar-Ben imprint of Lerner Publications, has gone on to sell more than 2 million copies.

Their initial success led the Kar-Ben founders to write other books on Chanukah and Shabbat, and later to publish books by other authors that went beyond the didactic and more traditional portrayals of Jewish life and ritual common at the time in children’s books.

Among their titles in 1985 was Ima on the Bima: My Mommy is a Rabbi, by Mindy Avra Portnoy. Some Jewish bookstores refused to carry the book, recalls Portnoy, one of the first women to be ordained as a Reform rabbi.

In an email to JTA, Portnoy described the Kar-Ben founders as “prescient, daring, and attuned to the real Jewish world that was out there, looking for new Jewish books.”

Kar-Ben has more than 300 titles in print, including the popular Shalom Sesame series; Hot Pursuit, about the civil rights movement; and Six Million Paper Clips, which was made into an award-winning movie.

Kar-Ben publishes 18 to 20 new titles annually.

Groner and Wikler credit the success of the company in part to a renewed interest, beginning in the 1970s, in ethnic awareness and a new generation of Jewish families who were rediscovering their Jewish identity.

“Our books provided them with a tool,” Groner said in a statement.

“In the Jewish book world, they’re really legendary,” said Lerner publisher Joni Sussman, who will assume their duties.

34 | Jewish News | December 23, 2013 | Education | jewishnewsva.org

Moses, Midrash and the movies

by Marilyn Ashe

T

hirteen students recently completed the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning’s graduate course, Moses, Midrash and the Movies, which was taught by Rabbi Michael Panitz.

The 10-week course began with the study and discussion of the biblical texts of King David’s early promise to his relationship with Bathsheba and subsequent decline. The majority of the course focused on Moses and the Exodus, and the popular Hollywood movies which recounted the story.

Various films were shown and discussed in retelling the Bible stories. Each film version presented a different perspective and interpretation of the characters and the story, as well as degree of accuracy and issues.

Using film to compliment the study of these biblical stories and the personality and character of King David and Moses was very well received by class members.

“The unusual format—combination of movies, Biblical text with Rabbi Panitz’s inexhaustible knowledge delivered so

effortlessly—made me hate to miss class.

And no homework!” says Susan Eilberg.

“The course was interesting and informative as we discussed and compared what the Chumas actually says with what the different movies portrayed,” notes Heliene Siegal: Arthur Rosenfeld, the lone male student in the class, “I’m a fan of Rabbi Panitz and have learned a lot from him at every venue that he presided over. This course was one of his best formats…and a lot of fun at the movies.”

Janet Kass agreed. “The films and specific Bible references brought a lighter side to academic learning.” she notes.

• • • he Florence Melton School of Adult Learning continues to offer our community a wonderful opportunities for Jewish learning through a diverse selection of interesting courses presented by rabbis and educators. It is an excellent learning experience for all levels and interests.

Melton Graduate courses are open to all members of the community, regardless of whether the two year undergraduate course of studies has been completed.

T

Course fees are higher for non-Melton graduates.

The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning is the largest pluralistic adult Jewish education network in the world. With 45 locations in North America, Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Hong Kong, the Melton School sets the standard for high-quality, text based, interactive Jewish study. The hallmark of the Melton School is its world-class curriculum which continues to inform and inspire adult learners from all knowledge-levels and backgrounds..

The next Advance Studies/ Graduate course offered by the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah Teacher, Rabbi Michael Panitz Tuesdays, Jan. 7 – Mar. 11, 2014 10:30–noon, 10 sessions for more information, contact Miriam Brunn Ruberg at 321-2328 or mbrunnruberg@ simonfamilyjcc.org.

FRIENDS SCHOOL A PLACE WHERE STUDENTS BELONG

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Call for a Campus Tour Today 1537 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 • (757) 428-7534 • www.friends-school.org Front row: Susan Eilberg, Abby Friedman, Martha Mednick Glasser; Middle row: Heliene Siegel, Rita Frank, Arlene Owens, Marilyn Ashe, Ilene Swartz, Tanya Miller, and Nancy Jacobson;Back row: Rabbi Michael Panitz, Miriam Brunn Ruberg, and Arthur Rosenfeld.

jewishnewsva.org | Education | December 23, 2013 | Jewish News | 35

Freshman nets free tuition with half court heave

by Hillel Kuttler

BALTIMORE (JTA)—The basketball goal that Ellen Schneeweis bought for her four sons as a Chanukah present in 2008 drew Andrew, the second oldest, to practice shot after shot.

Some attempts came from a pretty fair distance—like the sidewalk in front of his neighbors’ house in Englewood, Colo., on the other side of East Berry Drive.

His diligence paid off: On Aug. 24, Andrew Schneeweis, now 18, swished a half court at Colorado State University’s Moby Arena to earn a free year of tuition.

The reward for constant practice was well needed and made this past Thanksgiving and Chanukah an even more meaningful time for his family.

Money has been tight, Ellen Schneeweis says, since she and the boys’ dad divorced five years ago. Between bar mitzvah savings and student loans, they had somehow cobbled together some of the funds for college.

“I really don’t know how,” Ellen told Andrew as they ate lunch after her son had settled in at his dormitory in August.

She recalled, “I told him not to think about the loans, to just enjoy the four years—take any class, meet new people.”

While room, board, books and other expenses—a total Andrew estimated at $14,000—aren’t covered by the contest-winning shot, Ellen Schneeweis says she’s plenty grateful for what the family will be receiving.

“It’s like money that came from the sky.

It feels like God sent it,” she says. “I feel that things happen for a reason. It’s going to make the ride a little easier for us.”

For Andrew Schneeweis, the journey to improved fortune began at a freshman pep rally with some 5,000 incoming students. He had been reveling in the

evening’s charged atmosphere, with the pep band playing and the men’s basketball team warming up.

Schneeweis was chosen at random for the three chances to sink the long-distance attempt at the tuition prize.

The public address announcer for the evening—Ryun Williams, coach of the women’s basketball team—was the one to reveal the seat number of the lucky shooter. It had been chosen hours earlier, before any of the students had entered the gym.

Pausing dramatically for effect, Williams called out the lucky seat number.

“First he called Section C, and I said ‘OK.’ Then he called Row 18, and I said, ‘No way.’ Then he called ‘Seat 5,’ ” Schneeweis says from his dormitory in Fort Collins, where he is studying business, with an eye on a career in sports management.

“There was so much excitement, and I knew I had a chance to make it,” he says.

“I ran down to the court, and I really don’t remember much. I just remember looking at the hoop, they handed me the ball and I thought, ‘Hmmm, let’s make this happen.’ ” Wearing a green university T-shirt and a yellow bandana, the slightly built Schneeweis pumped his hands to pump up the crowd, turned around, dribbled twice and from the ram logo at midcourt, heaved the ball from behind his right shoulder toward a side basket. He took a stutter step in the manner of a shot putter watching the sphere’s flight.

Schneeweis considered his attempt near-perfect. It went far and stayed straight. But, he wondered, would the ball clear the front rim?

It did, prompting a deafening roar.

The school’s mascot and several students

36 | Jewish News | December 23, 2013 | Education | jewishnewsva.org

who rushed the court hugged Schneeweis.

So did men’s basketball coach Larry Eustachy, who was on the hook for a portion of the $7,500 prize.

Just that morning, John Morris, CSU’s assistant director for athletics, suggested that Eustachy, Williams and two other coaches—football’s Jim McElwain and women’s volleyball’s Tom Hilbert—sponsor his promotion idea. The coaches agreed.

Morris says that he’d made the sponsorship suggestion “half-kiddingly.”

“It’s easy for me to say because it’s not my money,” he says.

Morris says the shot and ensuing pandemonium were “icing on the cake for an evening that was already a lot of fun.”

A video of the prize-winning shot went viral on YouTube, and ESPN included it among the day’s top 10 highlights.

Within two weeks, the coaches wrote out their checks to cover the in-state tuition costs. A month later the bulletin published by the Schneeweis family’s Denver synagogue, Hebrew Educational Alliance, included several mazel tovs for Andrew.

Schneeweis has had his share of fortune— but nothing like this. In February, he won $500 in a Super Bowl pool.

And two years ago, he was wearing a Denver Nuggets cap while strolling in a mall with five friends when the NBA team’s chaplain noticed and gave the teenagers multiple tickets for upcoming games.

Just a week before the tuition

winner, Schneeweis sank a halfcourt shot at a rec center near the family home, now in the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village. Did that success provide the boost in confidence that helped Schneeweis replicate the feat before thousands of screaming fans with so much on the line?

“It’s possible. Practice always helps.

It could have paid off,” he says. “I’d have thought I’d be nervous in front of [thousands of] people. But I was…calm as ever.”

From the outside, it may seem like Chanukah came early this year for Schneeweis and his family. But for mom, the best was still to come.

When Andrew arrived home for Thanksgiving break, which this year also included Chanukah, his brother Robert, a Montana State University film student, was on his way home, too, joining their younger brothers, Daniel and Joseph.

Being together for the two holidays “is what’s really important in life,” their mother says. “They are the best gift.”

Why Norfolk Academy?

100

%

NORFOLK ACADEMY graduates continue on to 4-year colleges.

of

3

%

of U.S. high school seniors who take the PSAT are recognized by the National Merit Scholars Program for earning the highest test scores each year.

4

Academy seniors were named National Merit Semi-Finalists. {They are among the top 1% of students who took the PSAT}

% { } 84 31 } } 1273 { } VA Public Colleges & Universities accepted

The Ivy League accepted

The national average score for the SAT test is 1010 out of 1600.

%

The average SAT score for our students is:

of our students who applied.

of our students who applied.

These schools include UVA, William & Mary Virginia Tech, JMU and George Mason.

Last year the mean Ivy acceptance rate was 9%

US News, Best Colleges 2013

New York Times, March 2013

15 1221 1185 1121 %

of Academy seniors are recognized by the National Merit Scholars Program each year.

87

%

of our AP exam takers scored a 3 or higher. {That’s a WHOLE LOT of college credit!}

is the mean SAT for all VA high school seniors earning an A+ GPA.

10

%

of our operating budget is dedicated to financial aid. {Almost 3 million dollars.}

{And those are just numbers.} Discover the difference an Academy education can make for your child.

is the mean SAT score for all VA high school seniors ranked top 10% of their class.

is the mean SAT score for all high school seniors in Virginia Independent Schools.

38 76 %

of Academy seniors earned a 700+ on at least one section of the SAT this fall. {15 scored a perfect 800!}

%

of our faculty hold advanced degrees. {And on average they’ve taught here for 12 years!}

Open House for Grades 1-12: Saturday, January 11 at 2:00 p.m.

Learn more at norfolkacademy.org or call the admissions team at 757.455.5582 Data for Norfolk Academy students are based on a 5-year average for the Classes of 2009-2013.

National SAT data were published in The College Board Report for College-Bound Seniors 2013, based on combined Verbal and Math scores, with a total possible score of 1600. jewishnewsva.org | Education | December 23, 2013 | Jewish News | 37 Jewish News_2013.indd 1

12/16/2013 12:55:38 PM

Parents, presents, and proceeds — Oh my!

by Dee Dee Becker

W

hat would the holiday season be without giving? Giving of time. Giving of tzedakah. And yes, giving of gifts…which all happened at the Strelitz Early Childhood Center preschool’s 9th Annual Hanukkah Dollar Store.

This very special event is a success on many levels. Alene Kaufman, preschool director, says “It brings together our family community in a fun and spirited way, teaching students lessons about volunteerism, acts of kindness through donations, the fun of giving and, of course, an introduction to money management via the shopping experience.”

The Hanukkah Dollar Store is spearheaded by Hagananim, the Strelitz preschool parent organization. “During its planning phase,” says Kaufman, “parents

and friends scour their homes in search of donations for the store—gently worn and previously loved items which students can purchase as holiday gifts for friends and families. After everything is collected, our dedicated volunteers exercise their merchandising skills, sorting items by categories and converting one of our classrooms into a shopping mecca. There was everything from books and household goods to all kinds of toys. They really made a visually inviting shopping environment for the children—their faces said it all when they walked into the store!”

Just before Thanksgiving break, volunteers assumed the roles of sales personnel and cashiers. Class by class, students arrived fully equipped with their shopping lists and money to spend on gifts.

Kaufman says, “They left with purchases bagged in environmentally aware previously used shopping totes filled to the

brim with gifts for all ages…and at one dollar per item, there were certainly some bargains!”

This year’s Hanukkah Dollar Store netted $446, which will be used towards future preschool programming efforts that help enhance the learning experience, especially the monthly Rosh Chodesh gifts. The Strelitz community thanks the donors for the merchandise and the following volunteers for their time, energy, organizational skills, and continued support of the school: Jasmine Amitay, Tami Arnowitz, Melissa Clapper, Heather Evans, Becky Feld, Sharon Gatz, Melissa Kass, Marissa Kempner, Ashley Lemke, Lauren Scolnick, Stephanie Steerman, Monique Werby, Rebecca Zimmerman, and Ashley Zittrain.

The Strelitz Early Childhood Center is a recipient of funds from United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Ashley Zittrain helps Zachary Trest check his list.

Breckin Lemke and Amelia Portnoy are excited about their purchases.

Hebrew Academy collects 750 lbs. of food for the JFS Food Closet programs

by Dee Dee Becker

Hebrew Academy students, Strelitz preschoolers, and Rabbi Mordechai Wecker, head of school, present Debbie Mayer, director of clinical services at Jewish Family Service, with a check and food donations for the JFS Food Closet.

H

ebrew Academy’s Student Government Association sponsored its annual food drive for Jewish Family Service in November.

Everyone was encouraged to participate and excitement spread as box after box in each classroom began overflowing with donations.

The donations ultimately combined into a whopping 750 lbs. of food and a check for $200 to the JFS Food Closets, ensuring that those in need were able to celebrate a Happy Thanksgiving.

HAT second graders donated the most

38 | Jewish News | December 23, 2013 | Education | jewishnewsva.org

food—138 lbs.

“I am always so impressed and heartened with the students’ desire to help those in need,” says Debbie Mayer, JFS director of clinical services. “They learn the importance of giving early on at HAT and the Strelitz preschool, and they remain strongly committed to supporting our JFS endeavors year after year. We are so grateful to them.”

Not to miss out on any opportunity for fun, students built a “can-struction” with the donations, which formed a Jewish star. “In the end,” says Marcia Neubeck,

SGA faculty leader, “the can-struction was ‘demolished’ and happily delivered to JFS by teachers and our very trusty Sandler Family Campus building maintenance department team. An event like this takes everyone in our school and community to be successful. Many thanks to everyone for helping with this important mitzvah.”

Hebrew Academy of Tidewater is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

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February 7 at 9 a.m. and February 20 at 7 p.m.

OPEN Preschool: K – 5: Call to schedule a private tour.

HOUSES

Jewish Day School Education yields lifelong benefits both tangible and intangible: • A strong Jewish identity, a love of Judaism, and a commitment to Jewish life

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5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 | www.hebrewacademy.net The Strelitz Early Childhood Center is an educational partnership of Hebrew Academy of Tidewater and the Simon Family Jewish Community Center. The preschool is open to students of all faiths.

40 | Jewish News | December 23, 2013 | Education | jewishnewsva.org