Spring 2012 Krieger Schechter Today

K r i e g e r S c h e c h t e r D ay S c h o o l of C h i z u k A m u n o C o n g r e g at i o n • S p r i n g 2012/5772 8100 Stevenson Road, Baltimore , MD 21208 • 410/486-8640

THE CLASS OF 2012 IS GOING PLACES

We congratulate the 42 graduates in the Class of 2012. After years of embracing derekh eretz, gaining a working knowledge of Torah and Talmud, mastering Hebrew, learning Spanish, studying for tests, writing research papers and essays, solving algebraic equations, experimenting with velocity and acceleration, and celebrating special events and holidays, we applaud their growth and achievements. The graduates will be attending a variety of highly competitive independent and public schools next year. We wish them hatzlaha on this next step of their journey.

SCIENCE AT KRIEGER SCHECHTER

Atholton High School Baltimore City College (2) Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School (16) The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland The Bryn Mawr School The Shoshana S. Cardin School (2) George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology Dulaney High School Garrison Forest School McDonogh School Owings Mills High School Roland Park Country School (2) The Park School of Baltimore (7) Pikesville High School (3) Wilde Lake High School

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F ROM T H E H E A D M A S T E R D r. P a u l S c h n e i d e r

The school took these findings seriously and implemented a program to improve the science program by engaging a science consultant, Dr. Ed Robeck, to work with staff on curriculum renewal and professional development. The next step, part of our 30th Anniversary renovations, was to update the science labs. Next, as one of the key initiatives in the Strategic Plan, the school engaged a science coordinator with the goal of enriching the programs. To assist with this task, a science enrichment committee was recruited from current parents, alumni parents, and alumni themselves.

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ive years ago, Sarah Shapiro, a member of the KSDS Board, was asked to run focus groups of KSDS graduates to help the school better understand its strengths and weaknesses. The following year, KSDS participated in a parent survey that invited parents to rate the school in different areas. In both cases, science came up short. Many alumni and parents saw science as an area of the curriculum that needed attention.

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hroughout the past year, KSDS alumni and their families gathered to meet, greet, and reconnect at alumni events.

From my perspective, one of the strengths of KSDS is its ability to acknowledge a problem, to assemble the right people to address the problem, and to design solutions using all available resources. And speaking of resources, what an incredible resource we at KSDS have in our own parent body and our growing alumni base! What joy it was for me, at our two Schechter Science Showcases, to see so many of our own parents and alumni leading sessions.

As we begin to prepare for school year 2012-2013, I invite parents and alumni with a background in science-related fields to make themselves known to us so that we can further enrich our science programs.

We thank the following members of our KSDS community who, together with Nina Sovik, Shelley Hendler, and Wendy Gelber, constituted this year’s Science Enrichment Committee – Drs. Ben Sugerman, Bruce Rabin, Carol Berkower, Chad Zooker, Daniel Scharfstein, David Knauth, Eyal Talor, Jim Kraft, Michael Fingerhood, Ron Cohn, Stu Levin, Suzanne Keilson, Uri Tasch,Yuval Boger and Ms. Sandy Hittman.

B’Shalom,

Paul D. Schneider

ALUMNI UPDATE

An open house was held in November and over 30 alumni toured the building for a firsthand look at the new lobby, changes to the hallways and classrooms, and the new middle school staircase. It was also a chance for them to catch up with old friends and check in with their former teachers.

80 alumni attended the dinner with their families and then took in the play, not only enjoying the performance by the KSDS class of 2012, but also reminiscing about their own plays years ago.

As is tradition, a dinner was held for KSDS alumni before a performance of the annual eighth grade play, this year Peter Pan. Over

This year also featured the Dr. Paul Schneider Reunion Tour. Before stepping down as headmaster at the end of this

school year, Dr. Schneider wanted to meet with alumni who have relocated. The tour took him to six cities where he met with dozens of alumni. The Washington, DC reunion was held at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, the New York reunion was held at My Most Favorite Food on the upper west side, and the Philadelphia reunion was held at the home of Elizabeth Levine Kornfield ’97. He then met with alumni in the Boston vicinity, and most recently with Schechter graduates in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

For all of the latest news about Krieger Schechter, follow your alma mater on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ KriegerSchechter and “like” the special KSDS Alumni page at www.facebook.com/ KSDSAlumni.

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KSMS LEARNING FESTIVAL ~ IT’S ALL GREEK TO THEM!

rieger Schechter Day School’s annual three-day learning festival took place in February and featured an Olympic theme in honor of the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympic games in London.

The entire middle school was divided into 12 countries – Germany, China, Italy, Russia, Japan, Cuba, Spain Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, Australia and Canada. Each team gathered to learn about their respective country and create banners, cheers, and presentations.

The first day featured the opening ceremonies, which included the Parade of Countries and the lighting of the Olympic torch.

Presentations focused on the origins of the Olympics in ancient Greece; how the arts, cooking, health, architecture, and other aspects of culture are reflected in the Olympic games; and sports and culture as they relate to the Olympic missions.

after-school bags for homeless children at Sarah’s Hope, and Purim bags for Sinai Hospital.

On the final day, representatives from the Special Olympics and Paralympics, as well as the Maryland Ravens Wheelchair Basketball Team visited our school. They shared in numerous activities with our students, including a joint performance by the Krieger Schechter and Special Olympics cheerleading squads and a KSDS vs. Ravens wheelchair basketball game. In addition, students attended afternoon seminars on the topics of health, math, and Jewish history as they relate to the Olympics. The closing ceremonies ended the festival with the presentation of medals.

On day two of the learning festival, the entire middle school traveled to the Owings Mills JCC for the KSDS Olympic Games.

Students represented their countries in a variety of events, including table tennis, swimming, basketball, hockey, Zumba, and martial arts. In addition, students participated in various service learning projects for the benefit of the community, including assembling toiletry bags for HIV/AIDS patients at Johns Hopkins,

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IN HONOR OF DR. PAUL D. SCHNEIDER

fter 29 years of outstanding vision and leadership, the KSDS community offered many thanks to Dr. Schneider throughout the year.

For Purim, the Dr. Schneider-inspired theme for the mishloah manot PA fundraiser included a coffee cup, hat, a Schneider chocolate bar, and even a Dr. Schneider disguise. Erev Zemer in May was dedicated to his honor – he was even spotted on the roof with a fiddle that morning.

The highlight, however, was on Sunday, April 29, when over 800 people in the Krieger Schechter and Chizuk Amuno communities came together to honor Dr. Schneider. The evening included accolades and a touching tribute, dancing, and celebration. In addition to the community gathering, the Paul D. Schneider Scholarship Fund was created and over $200,000 was raised to be used for financial assistance.

It was a storybook ending to an incredible career as headmaster.

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GENES, ETHICS, AND EDUCATION

ow do you take a national bestselling book that addresses the heavy subjects of racial discrimination, social injustice, biomedical ethics, and genetics and teach it to middle school students?

Krieger Schechter Day School found a way, incorporating The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot into all aspects of the school’s eighth grade curriculum – science, art, history, language arts, social studies, and Jewish texts.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of a poor, African-American woman who was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital for cancer and whose cells were later cultured into the first set of “immortal” human cells grown in culture without her or the family’s knowledge. Her cells, known as the HeLa Line, are still used today and are responsible for the polio vaccine; uncovering secrets of cancer, viruses and the atom bomb; led to modern medical advances such as in vitro fertilization, cloning and gene mapping; and launched a multi-million dollar industry. In the book,

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author Rebecca Skloot uncovers the truth about Henrietta Lacks and her family and traces the cells roots from that first biopsy at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to today.

The five-month multidisciplinary program inspired by the book was the brainchild of language arts teacher Sima Abarbanel and Barbara Siegel, KSDS science chair. Students were treated to presentations by several speakers, including David Lacks, the son of Henrietta Lacks; David’s daughter, Jeri Lacks Whye; Dr. Joan Boughman, chief executive officer of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG); Dr. Mimi Blitzer, head of the Division of Human Genetics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; Rabbi Avram Reisner of Chevrei Tzedek Congregation; Rena Lapidus, Ph.D., Director of the Translational Core Facility at the University of Maryland; Dr. Larry Pakula; and Rabbi Deborah Wechsler of Chizuk Amuno Congregation. Speakers discussed several topics, including the legacy of Henrietta Lacks, as well as Jewish medical ethics and genetics and how they relate to the Lacks story.

Students explored how Jewish texts provide guidance when faced with the moral dilemmas presented by modern scientific options.

The students were totally immersed in the Henrietta Lacks story and even designated the Lacks Family HeLa Foundation (www.helafoundation. org) as a recipient of one of their weekly tzedakah projects.

This all-encompassing unit culminated with a tour of “HeLa The 8th gr Baltimore,” which ade included a tour of Johns Hopkins 2011-2012 | Hospital, where 5772 much of the story We must not of Henrietta Lacks see any abstra ction.

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SPARKING NEW IDEAS WITH SCIENCE

he establishment of a Science Enhancement Committee was one of many initiatives implemented this year at Krieger Schechter Day School. Headmaster Dr. Paul Schneider envisioned and launched the committee, which is responsible for creating and implementing new science programs, as well as generating excitement throughout the school community about the newly enriched curriculum.

The committee consists of current and former KSDS parents who work in science-related positions, KSDS staff, and community members who are benefactors of the school.

A few of the new science programs introduced this year are: The Honeybee Program Lower school students learned about the role that honey plays in the fall Jewish holidays, the various jobs bees do to support

a hive, and the geometric shape and dimension of honeycomb cells. Students were also treated to a visit by a beekeeper, who brought in a live, escape-proof “observation hive,” which provided the students with the unique opportunity to view bees in a more natural setting.

Schechter Science Sundays The Schechter Science Showcase in December featured hands-on activities in the fields of chemistry, physics, engineering, and more and was led by parents and grandparents of Krieger Schechter students in those fields. In March, Crack the Code featured sessions on the use of codes in science and society with a focus on cryptography, math, genetics, and communication.

Mobile Planetarium Show This special presentation was developed in conjunction with Towson University’s Hackerman Academy of Math and Science.

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LOWER SCHOOL INTEGRATES SCIENCE INTO CURRICULUM

tudents in the lower school were introduced to a new curriculum this year – science content was integrated into their language arts, Judaics, social studies, cooking, art, and math units.

Kindergarten students learned about fossils and viewed a 500,000,000 year old trilobite fossil, as well as amber beads with fossilized bugs inside. Each student did a research project about a dinosaur and kept a creative writing journal about what they had learned. They joined in a Stegosaurus parade through the school, built a volcano and made it erupt, and created Pterodactyls that could glide across the ceiling. The students even made a Tyrannosaurus Rex cake.

In the second grade, students read novels and stories about whales and dolphins in their language arts classes.

Parallel study in science included a comparison of the features of whales and dolphins. In one experiment, the children created ‘blubber bags’ to see if their hands could stay warm in icy water, similar to the way that whales retain body heat.

eyes, teeth and tails. It was the perfect opportunity to do additional investigations to see what makes a fish kosher and how we can tell if a fish has scales.

The second grade science unit also included a discussion of marine mammals, beginning with their habitats. The students compared oceans to fresh water bodies, discussed why there are waves, and examined the many types of animals that swim in the ocean, starting with the concept of what makes a fish a fish. They examined the (smelly) porgy and flounder fish to see their characteristics, such as their dorsal and pectoral fins, gills,

Integrated programs also took place in the third grade, where students learned about endangered animals and environmental protection from the perspective of language arts, social studies, and Judaic studies. In May, the students participated in Biome Day, an all-day event where students visited lower school classrooms that were redesigned to simulate the biomes they had studied. Traveling to each station, the third graders conducted experiments about the rainforest, desert, grassland, tundra, ocean, and various biomes of Israel.

NEW DIGS FOR THE SCIENCE LAB When science teacher Barbara Siegel began working at Krieger Schechter in 1987, the science lab in which she taught was brand new. It was representative of the standard design of the time: long tables and benches, with the gas and air nozzles jutting up from the lab table. That was 25 years ago and Barbara never realized how good a science lab could be… until this school year.

Barbara Siegel, now KSDS science chair, KSDS alumni parent and staff representative Marsha Yoffe, and KSDS parents who are professional scientists collaborated to design the new lab. A major change is the octagonal tables. These facilitate working in small groups, as well as provide more storage and cabinet space.

Barbara is thrilled with the new lab and seeing the students huddle together around the microscope has been an inspiration to her.

She reflects on the students’ reactions when they first saw the new lab noting that, “The best part was seeing how happy and excited the students were to be working in this new environment, that they were just as excited as I was.”

The Parent Association started off this school year with enthusiasm and finished with a bang! This year, the PA wanted to focus on creating a vibrant parent community which centered on volunteerism. Our schools understand that often both adults in a family work outside the home and finding the time to volunteer is not an easy task. Keeping this in mind, the PA adopted the philosophy that any and every contribution, be it attendance at committee meetings, behind-theschemes preparations, helping at an event, or simply sharing of new ideas and suggestions, is valuable and appreciated. By allowing and encouraging parents to participate at whatever level they are comfortable, the PA was able to create a more welcoming atmosphere with a stronger sense of community and family involvement.

In addition to growing from a mere 10 to 12 volunteers to well over 200, and the numerous programs they have carried out in past years, the KSDS PA has established three new major initiates: The Parent/Child Book Club is an example of one of the many ways the PA is implementing their new philosophy of opening the doors and allowing parents to participate at their own level of comfort.

The club jointly decides on a book for families to read at home on their own

time, just as in a typical book club. Families are asked to have the book finished by the time everyone gathers to watch the movie version and participate in a group discussion. The response from the families

that participated in one, or both, of the club meetings this year was overwhelmingly positive (two books were read geared toward different age groups). Sharing the love of reading with your children and having the opportunity to connect with others over a great book is a wonderful way to get involved in the school community.

Shabbat Share provided a unique opportunity for Schechter families to meet and enjoy a lovely Shabbat evening together. Participating in this program was simple; families needed only to express

KSDS ADMINISTRATION Dafna Tasch Middle School Hebrew Studies Head Robyn Blum Middle School Judaic Head Howard Richmond Business Manager

Ilene Wise Director of Admission Sarah Fried and Alison Wielechowski Co-Directors of Development Micah Kleid KSDS Communications and Marketing Manager

The Schechter on the Move 5K Race was developed through a grassroots effort, supported by 40 sponsors, and was organized to be an all-inclusive, communitybuilding fundraiser. The race consisted of almost 400 walkers/runners and raised over $20,000 for KSDS scholarships.

The Family Fun Festival allowed for the whole family to join in on the festivities. The PA hopes to build on the success of the day and make it an annual event. So if you didn’t get to take part this year, be sure to start training for next year!

The Parent Association takes pride in the programs and support it provides for KSDS and looks forward to continuing its tradition of excellence.

Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation offers an integrated Jewish/General Studies curriculum KRIEGER for children in grades K through 8. KSDS is accredited by and is a member of the Association of SCHECHTER Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS) and The Solomon Schechter Day School Association of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

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Dr. Paul Schneider Headmaster Saundra Madoff Lower School Head Wendy Gelber Assistant Lower School Head Dr. Ari Yares Middle School Head Shelley Hendler Assistant Middle School Head

interest as either a host or a guest, and were subsequently matched up to another family according to location and children’s ages. In order to make this evening a success and put as little pressure on the host family as possible, kosher meals and ritual materials were provided by the PA. Seventythree families (279 individuals) participated in this exciting new program and with all of the positive feedback received, there is only room to grow in the coming years.

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KSDS PA ~ BUILDING COMMUNITY AND LEADERS

For more information, please call 410/824-2066, or visit our website at www.ksds.edu.