|
|
The Weekly Newsletter of
Weinbaum
Yeshiva High School
Parshat Miketz
Friday, December 7, 2007
Shabbat begins in Boca @ 5:11
|
 |
|
|
From the desk
of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
What is WYHS' view on integration of subjects?
Do our English and Chumash teachers
coordinate topics? Is there value to the
synchronization of the math and history curricula?
Brain based research teaches us that we
remember new facts by connecting them to other
things we have learned. The more connections we
can make to other memories in our brain, the more
likely we will remember what we are learning. We
even remember things better if there was something
unusual about the place we learned them, an unusual
odor in the room, or out of the ordinary music that was
playing in the background.
This scientific research is the basis for the
Integration movement, which posits that students
will remember more of what they learn if it was
connected with what they learn in other subjects.
Schools
began reorganizing their curricula and their schedules
to enable all the teachers of the school, for example,
to be teaching about Egypt (in literature, math, Judaic
studies, and history) at once.
Though at first glance Integration may seem like the
pinnacle of Torah UMadda- the combination of
Judaic wisdom and western culture, WYHS believes
that it is contrary to its mission of college
preparation. It may be an excellent idea for
elementary or middle school, but the colleges and
college boards (SAT II and AP exams) are focused on
the mastery of particular disciplines.
When integration will not sacrifice college
preparation, we do integrate courses. Our 9th
grade Art course parallels our Ancient Civilizations
course, 10th grade the European History course and
11th grade the American History course.
WYHS is always striving to be more effective in its
teaching. Our divining rod to navigate our way
through new educational fads is always what will
prepare graduates best for yeshiva, seminary and
college.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
Click
on the images below
to
link to these
nine websites
|
|
Good and Welfare
|
Mazel Tov To:
Zach Stander ('02) on his
upcoming marriage to Sivan Vinick
Condolences To:
Mrs. Tilda Fisher on the loss of her
father
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click On
Picture For Our Thrilling Open House
Video
Welcome To Our
House!!
WYHS Opens Its Doors to over 170
Prospective New Parents and Students
By LeeLee Borzak ('10)
This past Sunday, WYHS hosted its annual Open
House, an incredible and interactive way for
prospective families to get a first hand look at what
WYHS has to offer. Over 170 eighth grade
students and their parents attended this event
and learned
about the many wonderful aspects of WYHS.
On a picture perfect Florida winter morning,
parents and students were greeted outdoors by
student ambassadors and Principal Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell. They directed the prospective families to
student council members, who were waiting at
fourteen different stations set up throughout the plaza
in front of the school. There, the families filled out
inquiry cards-their first steps into high school. In
reward for submitting their contact information,
Program Director Rabbi Josh Spodek gave each
family the new, "hot off the presses"
WYHS Viewbook and great WYHS chatzkas.
The program really helped incoming students and
parents understand WYHS from different points
of view. Ben Scheiner ('09) spoke about his
experiences at WYHS as a student, and Mrs. Lisa
Baratz, mother of Zack ('10) and Elie ('08), shared a
parent's perspective on the WYHS experience.
Associate Principal Mrs. Ora Lee Kanner focused on
the care that the school gives to each individual
student and
highlighted the significance of being in a school
where everyone knows your name and what your
strengths are.
A highlight of the program was the fantastic
video created by Jeremy Hodkin ('09),
Admissions Director Melissa Pereira, and Director
of Technology Claudia Cohen. Interviews with current
students, great video footage of school activities, and
tons of pictures really showed prospective students
where WYHS excels. The families were then treated to
a full WYHS day (in 36 minutes!). The faculty gave the
attendees a taste of the rigorous and rewarding
academics at WYHS through model lessons in most
subjects areas.
A great component of the program was the
extracurricular round robin, where students
and parents experienced the excitement that
takes place outside of the classroom. They got a first
hand look at the great WYHS Storm athletic program,
the eighteen student committees, WYHS' use of
technology, and a sneak peek of the upcoming WYHS
musical, Guys and Dolls, which will take
place on
December 18th.
The Open House was a great success and
prospective students and parents got an in-depth look
at WYHS. We hope to see them next fall at WYHS!
Thank you to Melissa Pereira, the entire faculty
and all our student volunteers for all your hard work.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Real Chanukah
Miracle
Rabbi Riskin at WYHS
By LeeLee Borzak ('10)
This Monday, WYHS students
were
privileged to hear Rabbi Riskin, dean of
Ohr Torah and Chief Rabbi of Efrat,
speak about the incredible miracles of
Chanukah. One of the
main ideas that Rabbi Riskin highlighted was
that, contrary to
popular belief, the original battle on
Chanukah was not
fought between the Jews and the Greeks,
rather it was a
battle within the Jewish people. A
minority of the Jews were secular and embraced
Greek
culture. They had high authority and tight
connections with
the Greeks who wanted to Hellenize the Jewish
people.
However, only few people saw the dangers of
assimilation.
Soon, the assimilated Jews came to realize
that the religious
Jews were “winning” the battle. They came to
recognize the
Torah again and, thanks to the inspiration of
the few faithful
Jews, they left Greek culture and returned to
their Jewish
roots.
Nowadays, Rabbi Riskin explained,
we, like the Jews in the times of Chanukah,
are fighting two battles: one between the Israelis and
the
rest of the
world, and the other is the battle within
ourselves. In Israel,
there is so much tension between the chilonim
(non-religious Jews)
and the datiim(religious Jews). Although not
everyone
realizes this, we, as a Jewish nation,
need to work on
the conflicts within our own people. Only
then can we
win the battle with the other nations. In the
bracha of
“Ve’Lemalshinim” (“And for the
slanderers…) in the
daily Shmone Esreh, we pray that
Hashem will protect
us from other nations and moreover, from the
evils within
ourselves. This concept must always remain
central in our
minds.
Rabbi Riskin brought many new
insights to the forefront of our minds. The miracles
of Chanukah and
the Maccabees' victories, both their
internal and external
conflicts, apply to us today. We must always hope
that Hashem
will end disagreements between Jews, and that
there will be
peace amongst the Jewish people. May the
miracles of
Chanukah last forever and help us again in
our current battles,
and may Mashiach come Bemhaira
Beyamainu.
Thank you to Rabbi Riskin for your enlightening
speech
to the WYHS student body.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click
Picture For
An Awesome
Slideshow
Boys Varsity
Basketball
Kicks
Off At WYHS
By Eli Baratz('08)
The Boys Varsity basketball team started
off this
season amazingly, winning its first two games
against arch
rivals Hillel and Hebrew Academy and capturing the
title of South Florida Jewish Day School
Champions for
the first time in WYHS history.
That success though, did not carry into
the first four
games of the regular season. The Storm lost
hard fought
games against heavily favored teams, including a
devastating three point loss to 3A Pope John
Paul II High
School.
In the next two games, the Storm bounced
back, winning convincingly against
overmatched FAU
High by 60 points and Boca Christian by 30 points.
Captain
Anosh Zaghi
('08) has played spectacularly, and even led
the nation in
scoring for a while, according to JVElite.
Freshman
starter Matt Orlinsky has grown into his role
as point guard
and has been deadly from three point range.
Role players
Michael Schiff ('08), Ronnie Rosenbaum ('08),
and Aryeh
Genet ('08) have been contributing greatly,
and the Storm
hopes to continue to improve and get
ready for
another run at the district championship and
a YU Sarachek
tournament title.
Next Game on
Tuesday at
7:30
at Boca Prep
Come Cheer
Us On!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
ChanuPalooza 5768
Excitement
Continues!
Three Great Events Planned For
Next Week
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up Close
and
Personal
with Mrs. Simone & Zachary Griff,
Prospective Mother and Son
By Daniella Greer
('09)
On Sunday, December 2nd, prospective
students and
parents from all over South Florida gathered
for the annual
WYHS Open House. Excited to start their high
school
careers, students and their parents spent the
morning learning
about WYHS' mission "to challenge and
inspire" and got a
first hand look at what WYHS has to offer.
Below, Simone
Griff and her eighth grade son, Zach, tell us
what they
thought of the Open House and why WYHS is a
good match.
What is the one aspect of WYHS that
draws you to it
most?
He said: The main aspect that draws me to
WYHS is the motivation of the students. You can tell
that everyone really wants to succeed.
She said: I want Zach to continue
his school career
with not only excellence in secular education,
but also with superb
Judaic studies. Knowing what a great school
WYHS is
academically, we think it will be a
perfect fit for him.
Which of the teacher presentations excited
you the
most?
He said: The English program sounds very
exciting. I’ve heard from other students that English at
WYHS is one of the best classes. The curriculum
seems to be by far the best.
She said: Honestly, there was not
one better than
the other. I was very impressed with all the
teachers. They
showed us that the classes they teach are on
a high level.
Both the Judaic and secular teachers were so
enthusiastic!
What are you looking to get out of the WYHS
experience?
He said: I really want to enhance all of my
Judaic studies classes and at the same time advance
in my college preparatory classes.
She said: I want Zach to continue
with outstanding
secular studies so that he'll be
well-prepared for college. In
terms of Judaic studies, I want him to
continue learning, go
in depth, and take his studies to a whole new
level. I want
him to go as far as he can go.
Was the Open House different than you
expected?
He said: It was great. I can’t think of one bad
thing to say about it. The organization, the
atmosphere…amazing!
She said: The Open House was
highly
organized. I
was so impressed by the enthusiasm displayed
by not only
the teachers, but the students who
were there as
well. Getting a sneak peak of the drama
production was
great, and the slide show that we saw in the
beginning really
informed us about WYHS. I saw that there was
truly a high
level of academics and that the kids love
being there.
|
|
|
|
|
"The students from WYHS are so
welcoming and friendly.
I love being in Boca
Raton!!
I
have already learned so much here
and have
made
connections and friendships that will last forever.
"
-- Student from Kiryat Bialik
visiting Boca Raton through the Jewish
Roots
Program
|
|
|
|
|
Yeshiva Highlites
Staff |
|
| Danielle Wolkowicz
(’09) |
Editor-in-
Chief |
LeeLee Borzak (’10)
|
Assistant
Editor |
Mrs. Claudia
Cohen |
Director of Technology
|
Alana Dweck(’09)
|
Photo Editor |
Daniella Greer(’09)
|
Features Editor |
Josh Kaminetsky(’09)
|
Layout Editor |
David Petrover(’10)
|
Assistant Photo
Editor |
Aleeza Rubin(’09)
|
Chief of
Correspondents |
David Spektor(’10)
|
Assistant Photo
Editor |
| Rabbi Josh Spodek |
Staff Advisor |
|
|
|
|
