Yeshiva Highlites: Starting Sivan with SLAB, Seniors Salute & Singing
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rpt@wyhs.net
Friday, May 14, 2010 45th Day of the Omer
Parshat Bamidbar Candle Lighting at 7:41 PM
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What's On Your Bumper Sticker?
World-renowned adolescent expert Dr. David Pelcovitz says that every family has its bumper sticker- a message it gives its children
about what is most important in life.
"Ivy League or Bust," "Israel is Our Homeland,""Blood Is
Thicker Than Water," "Make It Big," "Be What You Want to Be (as long as
that includes medical or law school!)," "Give Back to the Community," and "Be on the Cutting Edge" are
prime examples.
Though one can certainly communicate multiple life
lessons to progeny, there is a lot of truth to this insight. There are
subliminal (and sometimes overt) messages that we send to our children about
what we feel is really important in life. We all want to make our parents proud. Though we
might not admit it at any age, we care more about their opinion than anyone
else's. What is truly important to them is important to us, albeit in a
different format for a different age or different situation. A family's bumper
sticker is very powerful.
Parents should not live vicariously through their
children. Children who chose careers and spouses only to make their
parents happy will likely end up being unhappy as adults. Every child should
lead his/her own life. Parents should inculcate values in their children, not
make life direction decisions for them.
My bumper sticker is "Be Observant Jews." That of
course means mitzvot bein adam lmakom and bein adam l'chavero.It impacts what goes into your mouth, what comes out of your mouth, and how
you allocate your precious time and resources.I believe that my
children know that they must choose professions, spouses and communities which they love, but they must make
sure that they are in line with our this overarching mission.
Take a good hard look in the mirror. What's on your
family's bumper sticker?
The next and final regular edition of the Yeshiva Highlites will appear on Friday, May 28.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell Head of School
Coming Attractions
Tues May 18 Erev
Shavuot 12:00pm Dismissal
Wed-Thurs
May 19-20 Shavuot No Classes
Fri May 21 Chumash
(g) Gemara (b) Final Exam
12:00pm
Mon
May 24 Annual Journal Dinner
Mon-Fri
May 24-28 Regular Classes
Wed May 26 Sports Banquet
Last Blood Drive of the year
Fri May 28 Chesed
Hours Due Click here to download the community service form
Wed
June 2 Graduation
Journal Dinner Tribute Committee in formation
Anonymous Prosper & Pamela Abitbol Jay & Ellen Adler Eric & Heather Andron Phil & Lisa Baratz Menachem & Alyssa Baumgarten Al & Evelyn Begas Marc & Lori Ben-Ezra Abbey & Helene Berkowitz Billy & Batzi Berman Howard & Carol Bienenfeld Gary & Sandy Bloom Michael & Darlene Bokor Steve & Yael Charlap Michael & Sheryl Dennis David & Sheri Dennis Jon & Wendy Gelman Ben J. & Dorit Genet David & Monica Genet Neil & Rachel Greenbaum Charles & Simone Griff Stanley & Ana Haar Lynn Hahn Jeffrey & Jodi Harris Samuel & Anita Heering Moshe & Shari Hirth Merv &
Elaine Jacobs Steven
& Sarah Jacoby Bernie & Melanie Kaminetsky Dan & Caroline Katz David & Sharona Kay Gary &
Judi Krasna Harold & Lori Landa Sam & Arlene Lasko Jon & Ellen Lasko Robert & Linda Levy Dov & Debbie Linzer Scott &
Debra Michaud David &
Joyce Muller Bruce & Cindy Nimhauser Jose
& Fay Poliak Gene &
Georgina Rice Michael & Jill Rose Isaac & Eugenia Rosen Stuart & Hindy Rubin
Benjamin & Diane Saketkhou
Bennett & Chani Salamon
Barry & Dana
Schechter Ephraim & Yael Sobol Zorik & Ellen Spektor Marshall & Sharon Stauber Carmi & Liz Stadlan Ted
& Linda Struhl Norman & Estelle Wald Michael & Risa Zimmerman
Ads can be emailed to Shimmie until the end of Sunday, May 16.
After a
reevaluation of the weekly Mishmar program, the administration
struck gold with its new-found format. Two years after the initiation of
Night Seder, the decision was made to make participation in the
program entirely voluntary, unlike in previous years when additional
incentives were offered. This past Wednesday, the members of Night Seder
concluded the year with intense learning and inspirational divrei Torah.
The enormous success of this innovative program was evinced
by the numerous students who studied Gemara, Halachah, Tanach, or machshavah every Wednesday
throughout the year. Moreover, the addition of mid-week cholent to the students' diets made this year's Night Seder all the more sensational.
News Brief
AP Physics Class Amps it Up
By Hadassah Tirschwell ('11) AP PHYSICS STUDENT
Ohm my gosh!
In
an electrically-charged week
that started off with the Advanced Placement Physics exam, the students
of Mr. Wayne Kraft's AP Physics class tested their resistance in a series of labs.
Using
oscilloscopes, ammeters, and voltmeters, the class measured the current,
voltage, and resistance of various resistors, capacitors, and light
emitting diodes in multiple configurations and even tested their own
resistance levels. The results of the experiments paralleled the predictions made by the
students based on the concepts and equations they learned in class.
The
exciting labs certainly had all of the students proclaiming, "now that
was a watt of fun!"
Feature Story
A SLAB-tastic Yom Yerushalayim The Annual Student Leadership Awards Banquet
Click on the image above to watch the incredible SLAB video, The SLAB Life
By David Hopen ('12) STAFF WRITER
WYHS
buzzed with activity this past Wednesday as students participated in an
abundance of events. To mark the celebration of Yom
Yerushalyim, students wrote letters to President Obama, urging the
preservation and indivisibility of the epicenter of our faith-
Jerusalem. Accordingly, students loaded their plates with a special
Israeli lunch in the festively decorated lunchroom, which was teeming
with seemingly endless platters of falafel.
The
school then filtered into the ballroom for the annual Student Leadership
Awards Banquet to watch a special video presentation that
highlighted students' involvement in the school. The video, which
followed four students behind the scenes in search of fulfilling all the
unique and entertaining opportunities WYHS offers, highlighted the
various groups and extracurricular activities available.
The
program was capped off with a tribute to Mrs. Andron, whom we will miss
dearly next year when she and her family make Aliyah. On behalf
of a bitter-sweet student body, Mrs. Kanner recognized the incredible
dedication to the school Mrs. Andron has shown, as well as the
atmosphere of chesed which she enthusiastically
promoted. Finally, Student Council election packets were handed out as
students reflected on ways to get involved, realizing that there's never
a boring day at WYHS.
Featurette
The Shock Factor The SLAB Life: Behind the Scenes
News Story
Seniors' Salutations Almost-Alumni Honor Teachers at Senior Dinner
By Matthew
Wolkowicz ('12) STAFF WRITER
This
past Thursday night, the senior class dined with all of the
teachers who have taught them throughout their high school careers. The seniors showed
abundant appreciation towards their mentors by presenting them with a commemorative plaque that
consisted of a class photo surrounded by everyone's signatures.
Next, each student expressed their personal gratitude toward specific
teachers whom they felt have left lasting impressions on their lives.
While
the seniors were overjoyed to be spending time with their classmates
and teachers, they were also faced with the somber reality that this may
be the last time they are all together. However, they also realized
that WYHS has provided them with more than just an education--it has helped them form
friendships that will last a lifetime.
Music
Rosh Chodesh with Yaakov Chesed Friday Concert @ WYHS
WYHS
had the special privilege of having the up-and-coming Jewish band Yaakov Chesed perform for the students at the Rosh Chodesh
Sivan Chagigah. They immediately got the students of WYHS on their feet
and dancing to their contemporary Jewish rock tunes. The name of their
band is derived from a line in the prayer of Uva Letzion
that we say every morning in davening. They combine "teeten emet
l'Yaakov, chesed l'Avraham" and try to spread the message of Yaakov's emet (truth) and Avraham's chesed to
everyone that listens to their music.
Thank you to Director of
Programming Shira Englander for organizing this amazing concert. It
was truly a great chagigah to top off all of the amazing chagigot that we
had this year, as well as a great final chagigah for all of the
graduating seniors!
In Focus
He's Got Some Explaining to Do Rabbi Lanner's Explanatory Tefilah Service
Suddenlyeveryone's excited to daven, thanks
to Rabbi Chaim Lanner. Besides educating
students in the classroom in the areas of Gemara and Chumash, he is also teaching them about tefillah. Rabbi Lanner
now runs a new type of minyan that each student can attend once a
week. I have been fortunate enough to experience this nontraditional yet engaging service about which I discussed with the Rabbi himself.
Andrew Wald: What is the goal of this minyan?
Rabbi Chaim Lanner:It is a minyan in which we try to increase both students understanding and appreciation
of davening- specifically, what they are saying and why they say
it.
AW: What are the struggles that people
have with davening? How can one fix these problems
and enhance their davening? RCL: In every synagogue, you'll find many
people talking or doing things besides davening. As
humans, many people have a hard time davening because they
cannot understand the words or they think that their prayers will not be
answered. In addition, it is natural for people to enjoy
talking their friends more than offering a prayer to a G-d they cannot
see. It is important for everyone to think about why he or she has
difficulties davening and how they can be fixed. I
guarantee you it will greatly improve their tefilah.
AW:Why did you come up with this
innovative idea? RCL: It was the result of a Judaic
Faculty meeting that took place in Mrs. Kanner's home on a motzei
Shabbat. The faculty of WYHS is constantly trying to figure out
how to do more for our students. We saw davening as an
opportunity for improvement, so we jumped at it. I volunteered to run
the minyan because I knew it would force me to do serious
research on davening, which would inevitably enhance my own tefilah.
AW:What has its impact been like on the
students? RCL: I think it may be too premature to
determine if there has been any significant effect just yet, but right
now I'm merely looking to plant seeds and one day the trees will grow.
However, I do believe that the davening we do after
talking about tefilah is much better than on a normal day.
AW: How has the new minyan
affected you personally? RCL: I am very confident when I say that I
have gained more from this minyan than any student has. As
insightful as any of my comments are, they pale in comparison to many of
the penetrating questions and thoughts that the students have shared
with me, both during and after the minyan.
News Brief
