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JUNE 2, 2022
GALLERY OF GRADS
A Columbus Jewish News Advertising Special Section
Gallery of Grads
Aidan Williams (hometown: Solon, OH); Rachel Kurland (hometown: Beachwood, OH); Ross Reddock (hometown: Syosset, New York); Louis Cahn (hometown: Glen Rock, New Jersey) on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, following their May 8, 2022 graduation. | Photo: Jacob Batt (hometown: Voorhees, New Jersey
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Parents have many factors to consider when choosing a school NOELL WOLFGRAM EVANS
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arents may be hanging backpacks up and cleaning out lunch boxes but in the back of their minds they may already be thinking of the start of the next school year. While some students will be making a return engagement at their current school, others will be moving on or up. But
how can a parent or their child know which school will be right? Some parents will be looking at private schools for the coming year. John Wuorinen, director of admissions and tuition assistance, at Columbus Academy in Gahanna said, “Families really need to take a look at a school’s mission statement to see what the school’s ultimate educational goals
NOW BOOKING CLASS OF 2022!
NOW BOOKING CLASS OF 2023!
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Glick
Wuorinen
are. This is important because you want to make sure that a school is the ‘right fit.’” “Columbus is lucky to have the wealth of private schools that they do,” he said. “While every school wants the same thing, happy, well-adjusted students, families need to recognize that each school works to achieve that under slightly different missions with different strengths and focuses.” Jenny Glick, director of institutional advancement at the Columbus Jewish Day School in New Albany, said as parents look deeper at the opportunities available to them, they should break the options down into three different educational pillars. These areas of focus are curriculum goals, social goals and physical goals. She said when it comes to achieving those educational goals, one benefit that a private school can offer is a low student to teacher ratio. A low ratio not only helps in the classroom, it also enables parents to become more active supporters in their child’s education with streamlined access into the classroom, Glick said. Wuorinen added the makeup of those classrooms can vary significantly in private schools. While public schools may offer education in broader groupings, private schools can be slightly more specialized, he said. For example, Columbus Jewish Day
School offers learning from kindergarten through fifth grade while a student can be at Columbus Academy for 15 years from kindergarten through 12th grade. Glick said CJDS offers the additional benefit of “an opportunity to connect deeper into Jewish culture and values” through education. Some students though, particularly potential transfer students, can have concerns about learning in that space, especially if they are not as well versed in religion as their classmates, she said. Glick explained that people come from a spectrum of Jewish life and there are various opportunities for students to learn with goals built around each child. Wuorinen said that if there is an option to tour a school, parents should do so. Not only does it help to bring the school to life but being on campus is a great way to alleviate any concerns there might be based on “myths or misconceptions” about what a private school is like today, he said. Glick said, “We’re test-drive consumers. Parents should get out and test-drive your students’ educational options. It’s important to push yourselves to explore. Just because you heard a school has a good science program and your student wants to excel in science, it’s important not to make a decision until you are sure that the school meets your needs for each of the educational pillars.” Wherever a student goes, Glick said, she hopes that they are “encouraged to love learning.” Noell Wolfgram Evans is a freelance journalist.
GALLERY OF GRADS
JUNE 2, 2022
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Congratulations to our graduates! Columbus Academy’s 112-member Class of 2022 will matriculate to 72 colleges and universities in 24 different states (numbers indicate more than one attending): Arizona State University Ashland University Babson College Bates College (2) Boston University (3) Bowdoin College Butler University (2) University of California, Los Angeles (2) Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University (3) College of Charleston (2) University of Chicago University of Cincinnati (2) University of Colorado Boulder Cornell University Davidson College Denison University (2) DePauw University (2)
Dickinson College Duke University (2) Elon University (2) Emory University (3) University of Florida Hamilton College Harvard University (3) High Point University Hobart and William Smith Colleges (3) Indiana University (2) Johns Hopkins University Loyola University Chicago (2) Marist College Miami University (3) University of Miami (2) University of Michigan University of Mount Union New York University
Northeastern University (2) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (3) Nova Southeastern University Oberlin College Ohio University Ohio Northern University The Ohio State University (4) Otterbein University University of Pennsylvania (2) University of Pittsburgh (3) Pomona College Purdue University (2) Quinnipiac University Radford University Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute University of Richmond Rochester Institute of Technology
Rollins College Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Saint Louis University Skidmore College University of Southern California Stanford University (2) The University of Texas at Dallas Texas Christian University Trinity College Tulane University (3) University of Utah Wake Forest University Washington University in St. Louis (2) College of William and Mary (2) University of Wisconsin-Madison The College of Wooster (2) Xavier University Yale University
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JUNE 2, 2022
GALLERY OF GRADS
After graduation, it’s time for parties, gifts AMANDA KOEHN @AmandaKoehnCJN akoehn@cjn.org |
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s graduation day comes and goes, graduates and their families look to the future, often celebrating with a party and gifts. To help navigate graduation season, local professionals gave advice for parties and gifts for graduates. PARTIES When it comes to grad parties, it’s never too early to start planning and working with vendors, said Ryan Harmon, director of business development and sales at Lasting Impressions
Event Rental in Bedford Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. Lasting Impressions, which has a home office in Columbus, rents out tents, tables, chairs, linens and other party items. For graduation parties, Harmon said renting linens matching the school colors of a graduate is popular. He said it’s important to consider how food, desserts and gifts will be displayed and to make sure you have the appropriate surfaces and linens. “(It’s) combining what you already own and (considering) what additional ancillary items you need in order to bring your vision together and to life,” he said. One thing that sets grad parties apart from other big events is they often have an open-house design, where guests come and go across a longer time frame. That means to consider how
Mazel Tov CJDS 5th Grade Graduates! Class of 2022/5782
Matias Cohen
Will Cook
Ari Feinberg
Julia MillerMathers
Jack Stanley
Gavi Zelkowicz
Eran Rosenberg Joanna Vilensky
everyone will flow through the space, making it easy for people to be in and out when the event doesn’t revolve around a sit-down dinner or program. And with COVID-19 still in the midst, Harmon said tents are popular as to have fewer people inside a home at once. Opensided tents are especially popular to keep air flowing through. Moreover, Harmon recommended deciding whether to rent a tent sooner rather than later since if you wait to see if it’s rain or shine the day of the party, it may be too late to make rental arrangements, citing the labor shortage and the decrease in available vendors post-COVID-19. “The sooner, the better, at least for getting the details together,” he said, adding that if you know next December your child is graduating and will have a party in the spring, start having a conversation about necessary vendors then. “... People always ask that – when is too early? It’s never too early. It’s always that it’s too late.” GIFTS One gift to consider, which has the added benefit of growing in value, is Israel bonds. Development Corporation for Israel, commonly known as Israel Bonds, is a broker-dealer that underwrites securities issued by the state of Israel in the U.S. Since Israel Bonds was established in 1951, Israel has maintained a perfect record of interest and principal payments. “It’s a gift of substance because it’s an investment, and they are going to get a return on that investment,” said Thomas Lockshin, Israel Bonds executive director for Ohio and Kentucky. “It’s something tangible.” Those who receive Israel bonds as gifts not only earn interest at a strong rate, but help Israel by strengthening the nation’s economy, Lockshin said. He pointed to the eMazel Tov bonds, which have a minimum investment of $36 and earn interest on a five-year term at a rate of 4.35% for month of May, with rates subject to change. Lockshin said these bonds are popular because they require a low minimum investment. They automatically redeem and owners get a check in the mail at maturity. “Israel bonds have a 70-year history of dependability,” he said. For those who receive an Israel bond as a graduation gift, Lockshin encouraged visiting israelbonds.com to learn more about the mission and history. “They would gain a greater appreciation of why the gift is so meaningful,” he said. Another thoughtful gift and one that can bring some memories and color into a college dorm or new apartment is a framed photograph or piece of art. Framing any visual that helps a student feel at home is a good option, said Leslie Kammer, general manager of Wood Trader Framing in Cleveland Heights, which specializes in framing. “I think whatever is going to make the students feel comfortable away from home, even if it’s photos of family and friends, a concert poster or somebody you admire whose artwork you’ve always liked,” she said. Adding a frame to a photo or even poster can make the piece stand out and up the decor level. And if it contains meaningful memories, it’s a win-win. “Like a good meal, it evokes a great memory,” Kammer said of a photo. “It brings you back to when it was taken, what you were doing, your relationship with the person.”
GALLERY OF GRADS
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JUNE 2, 2022
Parents, high school students reminded of Ohio’s alcohol law
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gents with the Ohio Investigative Unit and the Ohio Division of Liquor Control are reminding high school students not to use drugs or alcohol during graduation celebrations. Agents are also encouraging parents to refrain from furnishing alcohol or a place to consume alcohol. “Hosting a graduation party with alcohol is not giving your children and their friends a safe place to gather,” Senior Enforcement Commander Erik Lockhart said in a news release. “Adults who choose to host a party with drugs and alcohol are not only opening themselves up for jail time, fines and civil suits; but could ultimately be responsible for the loss of life.” To help foster good choices, parents and teens need to understand Ohio’s underage drinking laws.
Mazel Tov BRIAN ISAAC GELLER M.D.
It is illegal to provide a place for your child and his/her friends to drink in a “safe” environment. In fact, parents may not provide alcohol to children who are under 21, who are not their own, even in their own home with the other parents’ permission. Those convicted of providing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age face a maximum sentence of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. It is illegal to purchase alcohol for anyone under 21. Anyone who purchases, sells or gives alcoholic beverages to underage individuals faces a $1,000 fine and/or up to six months in jail. If you have information of an underage house party, call the Ohio Investigative Unit by dialing #677 on your cell phone.
Dear Brian, Your village is so very proud of you and your accomplishments! We all love you. From your parents Steve & Debbie Weston Geller Grandparents Bev Greene Weston & the late Bernie Weston and Great Grandparents, the late Ted & Irene Mellman Greene
Albany Medical College
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Columbus Torah Academy Salutes the Graduates
Saul Blumberg
Nosson Freed
Akiva Gisser
Leora Hazan
Rebekah Klynn Yaki Liebesman
Graduation was held on Thursday, May 26 Thank you to the graduates and families for their commitment to CTA and Jewish day school education. For more information about a CTA education, contact info@torahacademy.org or 614-864-0299
CeCe Mastracci Yaakov Newman Aidan Samuelson Mina Schulman
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JUNE 2, 2022
GALLERY OF GRADS
Former CTA principal Miller CELEBRATE WITH ISRAEL BONDS joining Chapelfield Elementary A Graduation Gift with
Meaning
Development Corporation for Israel • OH/KY Region For more information, contact the Columbus office: columbus@israelbonds.com • 614.231.3232
This is not an offering, which can be made only by prospectus. Read the prospectus carefully before investing to fully evaluate the risks associated with investing in Israel bonds. Issues subject to availability. Member FINRA.
BOND WITH A NATION OF LIMITLESS POTENTIAL
Mazel Tov, Emily! Wexner Heritage Village is proud to congratulate Love & Hugs founder, Emily Cammeyer, on her graduation from Ohio Wesleyan University & 10 years of Love & Hugs! Emily founded Love & Hugs for Zusman Hospice in 2012 as part of her Bat Mitzvah project in honor of her great grandmother, “GG.” Thanks to the Cammeyer family and community donors, today we celebrate 10 years and over 2000 bears providing Love & Hugs to our hospice families. Learn more at whv.org/love-hugs/
1151 College Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43209 614-231-4900 • whv.org
STEPHEN LANGEL @LangelCJN slangel@cjn.org |
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icole Miller, who has served as lower school principal of Columbus Torah Academy for the past five years, will be joining Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools’ Chapelfield Elementary in Gahanna Aug. 1 according to a May 20 news release. “Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools is pleased to announce Nicole Miller as the next principal at Chapelfield Elementary. The GJPS Board of Education approved Barrett Miller with a unanimous vote at the May 19, 2022 Board of Education meeting,” the release said. Steve Barrett, superintendent of Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools, cited Miller’s years of experience working with strategies that the school system Drandoff uses to enhance students’ education, along with their emotional and behavioral needs. “Nikki Miller comes to us with experience in many curriculum instructional strategies currently used at GJPS,” Barrett said in the release. “She has led professional Miller development for teams of teachers in datadriven instruction. She is well versed in the Ohio learning standards and components of reading instruction through Fundations, a phonics and phonemic awareness program currently used in our elementary schools. She has implemented the multi-tiered system of supports process to meet students’ academic, emotional and behavioral needs, as well as creating positive behavioral interventions and supports programs to encourage positive behavioral outcomes and community building among students.” Barrett also lauded Miller for ways she works with others. “Nikki has built meaningful relationships with students, staff and parents throughout her career to create positive results for students,” he said. “She will be an asset to our Gahanna-Jefferson community.”
“At CTA, Nikki added updated protocols and systems for learning, advanced our literacy and math curriculum, created a system for data assessment that is used to align classroom instruction. ...” Rabbi Avrohom Drandoff Miller also issued a statement in the release about her new role. “I am delighted to have been selected to serve as the new principal for Chapelfield Elementary School,” she said. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, and parent community to meet the needs of every student. I am eager to serve and be part of the family at Chapelfield Elementary School.” Miller later told the Columbus Jewish News in an email exchange that while returning to the public school system was always part of her plans, she was proud of her work at CTA and grateful for her time there. “I am so proud of the robust literacy and math program our elementary school teachers have embraced during my tenure,” she said. “We have seen tremendous growth in our students since developing these foundational skills which give them a great start in their education.” “Columbus Torah Academy is and will always be close to my heart,” she said. “It was the first place I was a principal. The students, parents, faculty and staff have taught me so much about leading with Middot and about the beautiful traditions that make CTA strong and vibrant in the community. I will forever be grateful for their trust in me. I will greatly miss the students, the educators and the families.” Rabbi Avrohom Drandoff, CTA’s head of school, complimented Miller for her work at the school, wishing her well in the next step of her career. “At CTA, Nikki added updated protocols and systems for learning, advanced our literacy and math curriculum, created a system for data assessment that is used to align classroom instruction, and instituted professional development opportunities across the board – all advancements that put our student’s learning first,” he said in a statement provided to the CJN. “We wish her well in her new position.” He added that a search is underway for her replacement.
GALLERY OF GRADS
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JUNE 2, 2022
Rowan Moran Graduation date: May 29 High school: Bexley High School Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus Jewish activities: Wexner Service Corps Parents: Erin Moran and Miceal Moran
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or Rowan Moran, the COVID-19 pandemic made what would have been a tough junior year far harder. But she said that those challenges taught her powerful lessons in time management that she believes will help her to be successful in the future.
“Because of COVID-19 and having school via Zoom and Canvas, I had to learn to be independent and stay on top of my work without procrastination,” she said. “The most important lessons I learned throughout high school are to keep a balance and to not procrastinate, which go hand in hand. Keeping a
Jake Novack Graduation date: May 8 College: The Ohio State University Hometown: Solon Synagogue: The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood Jewish activities: BBYO, Hillel at OSU Fellowship Parents: Brian and Sara Novack
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s Jake Novack heads to Chicago for a oneyear placement as a homeless advocacy specialist, the recent graduate of The Ohio State University in Columbus is feeling wellprepared. Having volunteered for Legal Aid Society of Columbus, where he worked for a pro bono attorney advocating for discharge benefits upgrades for U.S. military veterans, Novack said
he enjoys a part of the work that some might find dry: records review. “It builds off a lot of the same parallel experiences I’ve had already at Legal Aid with Columbus,” Novack told the ColumbusJewish News. “I’ll be doing a lot of direct client, face to face interaction and communication and doing a lot of record keeping and just generally assisting a pro bono legal expert in their work and trying to
Mollie Davis
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or Mollie Davis, who graduated from The Ohio State University with a major in architecture, a Birthright trip to Israel had special meaning. “As an architecture major, I was so impressed by all of the beauty the country had to offer and as a foodie I was in heaven, especially at the markets,” Davis wrote the Columbus Jewish News of her winter break trip in 2019-20. Davis said the trip was allowing her to meet people from all over the United States, people with whom she still calls friends today. “It was an amazing opportunity and I had a blast,” Davis wrote in a May 16 email from California while on a graduation road trip. Davis, 22, grew up in Mayfield Heights and graduated from Mayfield High School. She attended Anshe Chesed-Fairmount Temple in Beachwood, where she served as a leader of NFTY. In addition to her Birthright trip at OSU, Davis did three fellowships at Hillel at OSU. “I was additionally a part of their marketing team as a
Moran said she’s looking forward to starting college at the University of Cincinnati. While she’s yet to decide on a major, Moran said this feels like the right way to start out. ”I am OK with that and am attempting to figure it out,” she said. “I think it’s good to have an open mind and that’s what I’m doing.” One thing she said she’s certain of is her interest in living Jewishly while at college. “One of the things I am going to do to stay connected to my religion is join a Jewish club if available,” she said. “Secondly, on High Holidays I am planning on going to services and celebrating with my family and friends.” - Stephen Langel
benefit those who don’t really have somewhere else to turn.” He received the upcoming placement through Avodah: the Jewish Service Corps at the Legal Council for Health Justice in Chicago. “The opportunities to drive social justice and social change really resonated with me emotionally,” he said. Looking back after four years, Novack found the transition to college from high school easier than he anticipated. Novack said he wondered about how it would be to make friends. At OSU, Novack said he did a number of learning fellowships through Ohio State University Hillel on Jewish leadership and advocacy for Israel. He pledged a pluralistic fraternity and served on the executive board of the OSU club tennis team.
Novack described his experience as “a tale of two colleges.” In his sophomore year, he was in a log cabin in Kentucky with some fraternity brothers on spring break when COVID-19 hit, adding he had to move out of his dorm a month and a half early “which was really surreal,” he said. “I will look back on these years very, very fondly,” Novack said. “But I’m super excited to explore really a sort of brand-new area of the country. I’m excited to work in a position that really caters to a lot of my interests for this coming year. And I’m excited to continue sort of bolstering that connection to Judaism.” - Jane Kaufman
graphic designer, creating their Facebook posts from 2020-2021 (during COVID-19), which was a fun experience and gave me an opportunity to be creative,” she wrote. As a junior during the pandemic, she lived in off-campus housing, “So I didn’t necessarily feel the full effect of COVID regarding my housing, meal plans or dorm life. I stayed in a house with my three best friends and we made the most of the pandemic.” Davis plans to pursue a master’s degree at the Taubman School of Architecture at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. - Jane Kaufman
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Congratulations ROWAN MORAN Bexley High School
photo credit: Christopher Keels
Graduation date: May 8 College: The Ohio State University Hometown: Mayfield Heights Synagogue: Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood Jewish activities: NFTY, Hillel at OSU fellowships, Shabbat dinners at Hillel and Chabad, Birthright trip to Israel Parents: Michael and Terri Davis
balance between friendships and family and school can be hard, and I feel that especially in college this becomes an issue because there is more freedom and independence. Thankfully I learned how to do this in high school,” Moran said. Moran said that beyond the lessons she’s learned, she values the friendships she made during high school. “My best memories during high school were just being with my friends,” she said. “I loved having classes with them, eating lunch with them and hanging out with them in my free time. My school is small so everyone is friends with everyone, and I think that made an amazing impact on my high school experience.”
You are the FIRST grandchild to graduate High School, to go to College. Now take your magic and spread it to the world. You have all it takes to fulfill your passions. Love you, Grammy and Capa, Mom, Dad, Shea, Declan and Neve
University of Cincinnati