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From the desk of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
The second half of the year has
begun with great excitement as our highly
anticipated musical Once Upon a Mattress
goes on stage this Saturday night (9:15 p.m.) and
Sunday afternoon (3.00 p.m.) at the Crest Theatre in
Delray Beach, our well prepared Model UN team flys
to New Jersey to compete against 500 other yeshiva
high school students and we prepare for next week's
move into our greatly expanded facility on the
second floor.
I highly encourage the women of all ages
to attend the entertaining and highly
professional musical.
One of the major improvements for the second half of
the year is the New Test Schedule, which is
available below through a link. Thanks to the student
council and the entire faculty for their help in trying
to "even out" the work at WYHS.
Shabbat
Shalom
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Principal
| An Impactful Week |
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by Chava Rubin ('07)
Through an enlightening program run by the JACS
Teen Network, our students this week were able to
learn from the experiences of recovering
alcoholics & chemically dependent persons, only
a few years older than us. The speakers who came
shared
their experiences of growing up in homes where
family members, friends or they themselves had
severe alcohol or drug addictions. They told powerful
stories of how they overcame huge challenges and
are presently rebuilding themselves to lead
meaningful, productive lives and to be role models to
other Jewish teens globally.
The JACS speakers ran programs for our students,
parents and faculty. Speakers addressed each grade
as a group and then ran breakout groups, allowing
honest and open discussions to take place.
The JACS counselors and presenters were also
available Monday through Thursday to have lunch,
talk and socialize with the students in a relaxed
atmosphere.
JACS, Jewish Alcoholics Chemically dependent
persons and Significant others, is an organization
which assists in the recovery of alcoholics and
chemically
dependent persons in a nurturing environment. They
offer support and guidance for teens through
workshops and weekend retreats, enabling longtime
relationships to be built and instill confidence and
spiritual inspiration.
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| Freshman Night Out and Alumni Nights In |
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Back home on winter break in South Florida,
alumni got together with their teachers and
classmates twice in one week.
All WYHS' 100+ graduates were invited to a
sheva brachot in honor of WYHS' first
couple, Aliza and Noam Salamon. The party,
sponsored by a number of the teachers and their
spouses, took place at the Tirschwell home. Good
food, catching up, dancing and lots of laughter and
reminiscing made for a memorable and enjoyable
evening for all.
WYHS' First Alumni vs. Varsity Basketball Game
took place at Veterans Park in Boca after the
varisty's last midterm. The alumni were somewhat
overwhelmed on the court by what is arguably
the greatest Boys Varsity Basketball team in WYHS
history. Everyone had fun and WYHS definitely won.
Thanks to game organizer Ari Gold ('01) and to
referee Rabbi Chaim Lanner.
Immediately after the last midterm,
the freshman boarded a bus to Sunrise and then
Hollywood for a Freshman Night
Out. The entire grade (less an ill student)
thoroughly enjoyed two heated games of laser tag,
one pitting student against student and the other
team against team. The Freshmen continued to bond
over pizza at
Sara's.Kudos to
freshman class presidents Shira Poliak and Michael
Schiff for making all the arrangements, and
congratulations to individual high
scorer Yocheved Tirschwell.
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| An Unbelievable Week in Yeshiva Sports |
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by Jenn Adler ('06)
The girls' soccer team exceeded all expectations this
year as the team scored more goals this season than
ever before and celebrated with their first soccer
victory!
The storm battled Parkway High School and in an
extremely intense and thrilling game defeated
them 5-0. Helen Esquenazi ('05) and Ali
Christina ('07) each played an amazing offensive
game and scored 1 goal each. Nicole Tryfus ('06),
the leading scorer of the team once again proved her
might by scoring three goals that night. The feeling
of excitement was indescribable when the cheering
Yeshiva fans and players roared with delight as the
final whistle blew bringing in our victory.
These goals could not possibly have been scored
without the help of the strong defense which
continued to forcefully clear the ball to the
other end of the field and pass to the offense that
dribbled down the field and scored. Each player on
our team played to her fullest potential, running
consistently, kicking and passing the ball precisely,
and shooting in the goal.
Goalie Raquel Amram ('07) also had a memorable
night as she truly played an outstanding game by
stopping all Parkways' potential goals and
managed to shut them down. With the cooperation
of the defense, she managed to prevent any goals
made by their team and minimize many of their shots
on goal.
From the beginning of the soccer season to the end,
the girls' team has improved tremendously. Our
soccer skills and techniques have been enhanced
greatly, giving us the ability to win a game!
Hopefully this success will lead to many more
victories in the upcoming seasons.
Girls Bball Wins Season
Closer
by
Sahar Zaghi ('06)
The Girls' Varsity Basketball season officially ended
last night with a 46-13 win. Every player
had an amazing game, giving their all every second.
The girls really pulled it together, demonstrating what
real teamwork is all about. Although every player
contributed to the scoreboard, Naomi Kasztl ('08),
Alyssa Muckley ('07), Tamar Koeningsberg ('08), and
Arianna Halbstein ('05) scored major points.
Yocheved Fox ('06), Amanda Ruben ('05), and
Amanda Markovitch ('07) were fierce under the
boards, as they have been all season. Defensively,
Sarah Bensimon ('05), Alyssa Muckley ('07), and Mimi
Begas ('06) played a huge role in keeping our
opponents down to a low score. Despite
many
provocations from the other team, our team stayed
true to their WHYS spirit, maintained their cool and
their positive attitude, and even went above and
beyond in their display of sportsmanship and
integrity. They refused to score on the other team
when four of their players fouled out, leaving the
game as a four on five in the last few
minutes. Last
night's win marked the end to a memorable season- it
was truly a rebuilding year, in which we
bonded as a
team while learning a great amount about the game.
Our seniors, Sarah Bensimon, Amanda Ruben and
Arianna Halbstein will really be missed next
year.
The Most Anticipated
Game of
the Season
by Joey
Abady ('05)
Since the beginning of the season, anyone who
knows anything about Jewish High School Basketball
in South Florida had January 15 circled on their
calendar. On the Saturday night before midterms, the
most anticipated game of season between
the Yeshiva Storm and Hillel Hurricanes had
finally
arrived. Hundreds of fans from both schools packed
the Michael-Ann Russell JCC in North Miami Beach to
witness this historic match-up, which marked the
first regular season meeting between the two
schools. As if there were anything else that could
make this game more exciting, the Storm's coach Jon
Kaweblum faced off against his younger brother Hillel
team captain and starting point guard Danny
Kaweblum.
At halftime, the Storm held a slight
advantage leading 25-23 and the stage was set
for an exciting finish. In the second half both teams
played tough and at the end of regulation the teams
were dead-locked in a tie. This incredible game was
now headed for overtime. After falling behind early in
the extra session, Daniel Poliak ('06) led an offensive
surge that helped Yeshiva force a second overtime.
Finally, after six hard fought quarters of basketball,
the Hillel Hurricanes defeated the Storm 54-51. In
the end it was Hillel senior Ari Mann's clutch foul
shooting that proved to be the difference in the
game's outcome. The Storm were led by a valiant
effort from Jon Struhl ('06), which included a game-
high 21 points.
A game that truly lived up to its tremendous hype,
had finally reached its conclusion. The game that
included suspense, hustle,
and
drama will no doubt be remembered as one of
the
most intense battles in Hillel and Yeshiva High School
history.  Two
weeks later,
after
returning from midterms and
winter vacation, the Boys Varsity
Basketball Team was certainly not rusty as the Storm
dominated the Donna Klein Eagles 65-30.
The win
improved Yeshiva's record to 10-5. The Storm played
efficient defense and took control of the game early
on. They were led by Daniel Poliak ('06) who
recorded a team-high 14 points. Josh Goldberg ('06)
provided the spark with 12 points.
Coaches Jon Kaweblum and David Kornbluth
have
anchored a remarkable turn around and as a result
the Storm is quickly becoming this
season's "Cinderella Story".
.
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| The Huge Week Ahead |
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Monday is Friday at WYHS! In preparation for
Monday night's Parent Teacher Conferences
for Families L-Z, school will be dismissed at
2:45 p.m. on February 7. Families A-K will be
meeting with teachers the following Tuesday,
February 15.
On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, our well trained
Model UN team will be participating in the Yeshiva
University Model United Nations in New
Jersey.
On Wednesday, February 9, the first day of Rosh
Chodesh Adar I, the much anticipated
Dedication of the Second Floor will take
place. After packing up their lockers, the entire
student body  will
daven upstairs, and then each grade will
complete works of art that they have been creating
over the past few weeks. A chanukat
habayit "WYHS style" will follow.
Next Shabbat in Boca Raton, a student
created and run Sophomore Class Shabbat
will take place. Friday night after eating at teachers'
homes, there
will be lively tisches. On
Shabbat day, the sophomores will be eating
together on the newly dedicated second floor.
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|
Accreditation Visit Around the Corner |
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This coming Wednesday, Dr. William Johnston, the
Peer Review Team Leader will be meeting
with WYHS' SACS Coordinator Ms. Dana Sardano to
preliminarily review WYHS' School Improvement Plan.
They will also go over the schedule of the Peer
Review Team's visit, which is set to take place
Sunday- Tuesday, April 17-19.
Four of the five committees have submitted the
first draft of their reports. Our hard working
committee heads and their
committee names are; Mr. Adam Dobrick- School
Profile; Mrs. Bambi Rainbeau- Beliefs and Mission; Mr.
Chaim Rosov- Desired Results for Student Learning;
Rabbi Benji Horowitz- Instructional and Organizational
Effectiveness; Mrs. Esther Grossman- Action Plan.
The self study process over the past five years has
lead the school to focus on Hebrew and
Science. A tremendous amount of
training and reorganization of the school schedule
has accompanied the implementation of the NETA
program, now in its second year at WYHS. There
are further changes planned for next year as well.
Hebrew language requirements for students have and
will continue to be raised.
The increasing popularity of the ACT college
admissions exam has given the school more data on
student performance in Science, an area not tested
on the SAT I exam. The school has begun to
focus on the particular type of Science
comprehension emphasized by the ACT. The
first
phase of the strengthening of the science program
has been very successful, and the school (with the
help of the second floor) will be running more
labs
which teach scientific method in a way that books
can not.
The parents, students and faculty who are members
of the committees are excited about entering the
last stage in this five year process. We have
learnt much from this good, hard look in the mirror,
and are looking forward to the four expert educators
from the outside sharing their impressions of the
school with us.
Mrs. Rainbeau's Beliefs and Mission Committee has
asked the readers of Yeshiva High-lites to share
their
comments on the school's mission statement,
which
should be familiar to our readers from our viewbook,
student handbook, web site, and various
publications. Please click here to
share your comments with Mrs. Rainbeau.
Our Mission is to
Provide equal excellence in college
preparatory and Judaic studies to Jewish teenagers
who seek religious and academic growth in a safe
and caring environment.Our
Goals are to
Inspire our students to make a life-long
commitment to Jewish values, learning and
observance, and to view all disciplines and pursuits
through the prism of Torah.
Challenge our students with a
comprehensive college and yeshiva preparatory
program- enabling them to gain admission to and
succeed at the finest institutions of higher learning.
Empower our students to actualize their full
potential, realize their personal dreams, and embrace
all human beings with respect and kindness, while
actively contributing to the broader Jewish and world
communities.
The Weinbaum Yeshiva High School celebrates the
ideals of Ahavat Yisrael(tolerance),
Tikkun Olam (communal
responsibility), and Medinat Yisrael
(the modern state of Israel), which it views as one of
the seminal events in Jewish history. Recognizing
the significance of the State and its national
institutions, we seek to instill in our students an
attachment to the State of Israel and its people as
well as a sense of responsibility for their welfare.
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GOOD and WELFARE
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| Mazel tov to Lisa and Phil Baratz on the bar mitzvah of their son, and to older brother Elie ('05). |
| Mazel tov to Marissa and Dr. David Levenson on the bar mitzvah of their son. |
| Refuah Shleima to board member Bernie Oppenheim |
| Condolences to Charles Rotsztajn on the death of his mother. |
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