Rochelle Zell Jewish High School E-News, February 26, 2016

17 Adar, 5776 This Week at Rochelle Zell

February 26, 2016

Curriculum Night Forty-Four Families Tour Rochelle Zell

Curriculum Night IHSA Tournament We're Sixth in State!

Freshman Chumash STAND Arts Showcase This Weekend Ad Book Students in the News Alumni in the News Community Events Alumni Trivia A Taste of Torah

Class Schedule ​Monday, February 29 A Tuesday, March 1

The 2016 Curriculum Night was a huge success! The Rochelle Zell Jazz Ensemble greeted 44 families from suburban and city schools and neighborhoods, including several prominent public schools, Solomon Schechter, Chicago Jewish Day School, and Hillel Torah. Guests watched a brand new video introducing our school (Thank you Tara Seymour!) explored their opOons for

B Wednesday, March 2 A Thursday, March 3 C

AthleOcs then followed a modified schedule where teachers prepared mini lessons providing a glimpse into what ninth graders could expect next year.

A tremendous thank you to all the staff and student volunteers who supported this incredible event. Our guests got a true sense of why Rochelle Zell is their first choice for high school!

Friday, March 4 BB

Quick Links RZJHS.org Calendars Lunch Menu Edline Give Now

Save The Date ​February 28 Musical Showcase

Men's Basketball Regionals Tigers Hit Schaumburg in IHSA Semifinals

March 2-­‐6 Model UN Conference March 11 No School March 18-­‐19 All School Shabbaton

1:15 Dismissal March 24 Purim March 25 2:15 Dismissal Begins

STEM Corner

The Tigers were going strong into the IHSA regionals this week; Tuesday's game saw Rochelle Zell triumph 72 -­‐ 61 over ChrisOan Liberty. Felix Rosen's 30 points led three players in double figures as the Tigers pulled off the upset in the opening round of the IHSA Class 1A regionals. Sammy Vayngart added 14 points and Eli

High school students are invited to the BUILD IT -­‐ 2016 Raspberry Pi Student ApplicaOon Challenge.

Students will compete in two categories: Sensor Category or ArOsOc Category that are built using a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and peripherals. Illinois InsOtute of Technology and Illinois IT Learning Exchange are coordinaOng the event.

RegistraOon deadline is February 25 at 5:00 p.m.

NasaYr had 13. Wednesday night, our glory bid ended in a four-­‐ point heartbreaker to Schaumburg ChrisOan. Thanks to all our fans, parents, coaches, and supporters for a great season!

Niche Rankings Are In! Rochelle Zell Ranked Sixth Best Private School in Illinois

Our school has been ranked among the six best private schools in Illinois, along with LaOn, Lake Forest, UC Lab, North Shore Country Day, and Francis Parker! Read all about it in the Patch!

Freshman Chumash Explores Writing About the Akedah

Why is God sOll tesOng Abraham?

Is this parOcular test a good one? A moral one? Why or why not?

How should Abraham respond? How would you?

In Rabbi Belgrad’s freshman Chumash class, students are exploring the Akedah, in which God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son. Last Friday, students parOcipated in the centuries’ old pracOce of Torah commentary, creaOng their own Mikraot G’dolot on the whiteboard. Direct responses to the central quesOon were wrifen in black, responses to the direct responses were wrifen in blue, and finally, responses to the blue comments were wrifen in red. Students ogen drew arrows to indicate the connecOon between their comment and the idea on which they were commenOng. Above you can see the collecOve commentary of this very thoughhul class.

Feedback from the students agerwards was enthusiasOc, as this new method enabled them to think and interact with their classmates in a new way. One student said during the discussion: “It made me feel like a rabbi.”

Arts Showcase THIS Weekend!

Sunday, February 28, 7:00 p.m. | 620 Lincoln Ave. Winnetka

STAND Collecting for Refugees STAND is a club at Rochelle Zell advocaOng for human rights around the world. This year, STAND is embracing the Jewish obligaOon to love the stranger and is focusing its efforts on the refugee crisis, specifically in Syria. There are 6.6 million displaced people in Syria, half of them children.

STAND is partnering with the Karam FoundaOon, a Chicago based non-­‐profit working directly in Syria, to assist Syrian families. Families receive sOpends of $50 a month on the condiOon that they send their child to school. This is money that the families would typically receive by making their children work. Karam will send us periodic updates about the families we sponsor. To learn more about the program, go to KaramfoundaOon.org/sponsor. To donate, please click here. STAND is very grateful for all donaOons, and we look forward to helping alleviate the suffering of displaced Syrian families.

Alumni Trivia

The Lauri S. Bauer FoundaOon for Sudden Loss, which provides grief counseling and family support to bereaved families, raised over $35,000 at their big fundraiser Wednesday night at Indiana University's Assembly Hall. Among their sponsors was Great Shot Golf , which sweetened the deal by offering a semester of tuiOon for any student who could make a layup, free throw, 3 point shot and half court shot in 24 seconds. Which CJHS basketball superstar of yore sank his shots with energy to spare and scored a free semester of college?

Adbook Sponsorship AdverOse your business in the Rochelle Zell Jewish High School ad book supplement to the yearbook. Recall memories, give a bit of advice, or simply extend good wishes to students, the community or to the faculty and staff.

Click here for an order form, or pick up a form in the school office. Complete and submit to the front office at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in an envelope marked 'yearbook'. You can also email ad copy/artwork here. All ad book submissions are due April 15. For quesOons or more informaOon, contact Ms. Averbach at 847.423.5977.

Save the Date!

Sponsored Breakfast

Happy birthday, Hadar Halivni and Oliver Friedman! Thank you to their families for sponsoring breakfast this week. If you would like to sponsor bagels in honor of your favorite Tiger, contact Diane Zidman at dzidman@rzjhs.org.

Community News and Events

Students in the News Micah Shaffer and the ARK There are a lot of ways to celebrate your birthday, but one constant is getng presents. This year for her birthday, freshman Micah Shaffer decided to take a different approach. When people asked her what she wanted, Micah (pictured here with fellow freshman Ark volunteer Sharona Kolesnikov) asked for food and can donaOons to bring to the ARK in West Rogers Park, ulOmately collecOng several bags full. Micah has come to know the ARK this year while volunteering at the Ark Cafe, and managed to turn her birthday into a way to help the clients there. Happy birthday, Micah, and thank you for inspiring us with your generosity!​

Alumni in the News New Outreach Director at DNC Aaron Weinberg ('09) is the new Jewish outreach director for the DemocraOc NaOonal Commifee! Aaron plans to liaise with Jewish members of Congress, as well as focus on Jewish communiOes in swing states, naming Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania along with Virginia and Colorado. Read all about it here!

Benji Fleischacker Tours With Low Strung Virtuoso Benji Fleischacker ('12) is currently touring with Low Strung, "the biggest and

coolest all-­‐cello rock band in the world."

Benji and his fellow punk cellists play original arrangements, combining rock and classical music for a new sound. Tickets are now available for Fleisch's Chicago tour-­‐-­‐Evanston, skokie, and odwntown-­‐-­‐ so stop by lowstrungcellos.org and check them out!

Benji is a junior at Yale, where he also plays in the Yale Symphony. He spent a year in Costa Rica before starOng school.

JUF's Annual Jewish Day School Night Tuesday, March 29, 7:15 p.m. | 5300 West Touhy Avenue in Skokie, IL

DAY SCHOOL PARENTS, EDUCATORS & BOARD MEMBERS are cordially invited to afend The 6th Annual Jewish Day School Night on behalf of the Jewish United Fund Tuesday, March 29, 2016 Dessert RecepOon: 7:15 p.m.

Holiday Inn Northshore PRESENTING "CreaOve Problem Solving" Making Kids Part of the SoluOon Featuring naOonally recognized clinical child psychologist and developer of the research-­‐based method now called CollaboraOve & ProacOve SoluOons Ross W. Greene, Ph.D. ReservaOons required. Dietary laws observed. Valet parking available.

Register here. There is no charge to afend this program. A meaningful gig to the 2016 Jewish United Fund Annual Campaign is strongly encouraged. For more

informaOon, please contact DaySchoolNight@juf.org.

Alumni Trivia This morning's Chicago Tribune is all abuzz for Jake Newlander ('13), whose game got him $25,000 of college tuiOon! Jake hit the layup and free throw with no problems, taking a few shots before knocking down the three, and drilling the half-­‐court shot at the buzzer. The half-­‐court shot is basketball's Hail Mary, the Tribune’s Ronnie Wachter’s tells his followers, and it's familiar territory for Newlander.

"I've always been able to make half-­‐court shots," Jake explained. "It's just always something I've been able to do. But, not in an actual compeOOon, or game or anything." "It was unreal," foundaOon chair and widower Scof Bauer told the Tribune reporters.

"I couldn't believe it, but I was so excited." Check out video footage of the thrilling shots here!

The reporters were pleased to discover that Jake Newlander and his younger brother Josh Newlander (’15) both played basketball for Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in Deerfield when the school was sOll known as Chicagoland Jewish, where today's hero swung from point guard to shooOng guard to small forward. Jewish Hoops America reports that Jake was an Honorable MenOon All-­‐Jewish Hoops American in 2012 and 2013,and Josh was the JHA Player of the Year last year and a 3-­‐Ome 1st Team All Jewish Hoops American. Jake gives a fair share of the credit-­‐-­‐and potenOally a family gig from the winnings!-­‐-­‐ to his retriever Josh for Wednesday night's lightning-­‐fast assist that made the winning shot possible. "He sprinted for that rebound," Jake told the Trib. "If he hadn't helped me rebound that ball, I wouldn't have had a chance."

Jake and Josh are both studying at Indiana, where Jake is thrilled to be finishing his third year in Bloomington. "I love it out here, " Jake says, "studying kinesiology and really cherishing every moment out here academically and socially!" CongratulaOons to Team Newlander on a phenomenal game! Way to go, guys!

A Taste of Tefillah: Kavannah and Loss "You don’t realize how much you appreciate something unOl it is gone. This mofo that runs through my head each day is what has brought me closer to prayer. Every Friday, we walk into the

Beit Knesset, not noOcing how lucky we are to be there. Just last week, while I was sitng at the Shabbat table with friends and family, I found out that my childhood friend’s father passed away very suddenly. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. My father, at the Ome, was in Israel and all I wanted to do was hug him and remind him of how much I love him. You don’t realize how much you appreciate something unOl it is gone. I then looked around the dinner table with tears in my eyes and I realized how much I cared about the friends and family surrounding me. Their presence took away those tears and gave me the support I needed to get through Shabbat. At the funeral last Monday, the room was packed with close friends and family. What I noOced from the beginning of the experience was that there were countless members of the Schechter community sitng in the room with me.

At that moment, I realized how important community is and how much I take it for granted. Prayer to me isn’t only about the words in the siddur, but the people that are with me. I look around the room every Friday during tefillah and think about how lucky I am to be in a room with amazing people all at once. When I was at the shiva, one of my Schechter friends said, “I miss having tefillah. At public school, I realize how much tefillah had meant to me when I was lifle. Now that I don’t have it, I recognize how much I enjoyed it and cherished it.” I sat there confused. To me, tefillah is just another class built into my schedule. I wake up everyday knowing that I will get shushed by a teacher because I am talking too loud. Sitng at the shiva where the community was gathered together, I realized how lucky I am to have a place where I can come together with my community and rejoice in prayer each day.

I take tefillah for granted. You don’t realize how much you appreciate something unOl it is gone.

Think about that statement every day when you are leaving your house or going to sleep. Tell your friends how much you appreciate them. Tell your parents tonight that you love them. To conclude, count your blessings on a daily basis because we are extremely lucky to be alive and we have a lot to count for. Shabbat Shalom.

-­‐-­‐Bobbi Hochberg ('17)

1095 Lake Cook Road Deerfield, IL 60015 | tigers@rzjhs.org | 847.470.6700