Volume 5 Issue 1 October - November 2012 Cheshvan - Kislev 5773
Kol
Juda and Maria Diener Lower School
Hillel
s”xc
kkv kue
Samuel and Henrietta Scheck Middle School
Ben Lipson Upper School
Athletic Complex Construction Breaks Ground A vision is becoming reality. Set to house student learning Scheck Hillel Community within 21st century design, such an School’s expansion is bringing environment is defined by interactive to life the first phase of its technologies and cutting-edge campus expansion plans with the resources at teachers’ fingertips. A new construction of a new Athletic Beit Midrash within the Academic Complex, showcasing a gymnasium Complex is designed to further unite and regulation-sized field for Jewish community with a modern football, soccer, lacrosse, other space for tefilah, study and life cycle sports and community events. events. Recent months of fundraising from Scheck said, “The project illustrates generous donors and this fall’s new our Hillel mission to pass our values, partnership with BB&T Bank are traditions and practices onto next kicking off this milestone’s next generations.” step. Funds are still being raised for This expansion serves the greater Academic Complex for Grades 6-12 includes the overall project, which includes community by strengthening Hillel’s classrooms, labs, a media center and a Beit Midrash. the Grade 6-12 Academic Complex existing position as a model for Jewish as the second phase due to site schools, becoming a physical host for work. With educational excellence local, national and – even global – calling for facilities just as much as educational, athletic and community curriculum, this expansion is the events. It furthers Hillel’s role as an ultimate demonstration of Hillel’s international center of learning for all 21st century program. ages. “From enrollment to Wolf reflected on Hillel’s motivation programming, Hillel is growing for the project. “We’re taking Hillel to by leaps and bounds, so there’s no the next level of excellence in education question that our school’s next through rigorous academics, enhanced chapter is to physically expand,” extracurriculars and enriched Jewish said David Wolf, Hillel alumnus life simply because we owe it to our and Board of Governors Chair. children and our children’s children.” “We’re doing exactly that, thanks Naming opportunities exist for Hillel’s to generous parents, grandparents, campus expansion. To learn more, please Athletic Complex includes a gymnasium and regulation-sized field for alumni and other friends, but we visit the ‘Campus Expansion’ section of football, soccer, lacrosse, other sports and community events. still need more community support ehillel.org and contact Marc Shandler to further the project.” (305.931.2831 x195 or shandler@ehillel.org). Such progress comes from Hillel’s completion of a year-long process to secure approvals from Miami-Dade County and to receive the transfer of NE 191st Street from Miami-Dade County to the school. Until now, this street had divided the current campus from its northern expansion site. “This achievement literally brings our 14 acres together,” said Marty Scheck, Hillel alumnus and Capital Campaign Co-Chair. Hillel’s student-centered philosophy guides its new architecture. In addition to the gymnasium and field for schoolwide programming, the Athletic Complex includes a fitness center, locker rooms, concessions and a ruach store. At Hillel, athletics play an integral part of teaching the whole child. Supporting academics, they help foster strength of character and promote great leadership qualities that last a lifetime. The Hillel athletic experience instills in students school pride, dedication, self-discipline and respect for others, while encouraging a lifelong love of sport. Academic Complex plans include classrooms, labs, a media center and open hallways that are far from the childhood school experience of today’s parents and grandparents. See story on page 7.
Alumni Parents Come Back Home
2011 Blue Ribbon School
International Baccalaureate® IB World School
learning for a lifetime
BOARD OF GOVERNORS Chair Vice-Chair Treasurer Secretary Immediate Past Chairman HIP/PTA President Sara Bejar Uri Benhamron Dr. Judy Dach Michelle Diener Jeffrey Gilbert Myra Lichter
David Wolf* Carlos Berner Max Fischbach Marty Scheck* Jorge Woldenberg Susana Abbo Max Lichy Gary Mars* Marion Moscu Dana Yemin Schrager* Michael Shalom
EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION Head of School Rabbi Pinchos Hecht Chief Academics Officer G ary Weisserman Director of Lower School, ECE-Grade 2 Valerie Lustgarten Director of Lower School, Grades 3-5 Tara Solomiany Director of Middle School Joshua Meisels* Director of Upper School Vanessa Donaher and College Counseling Director of Special Services Dr. Helen Chaset Director of Special Programs Eileen Ginzburg Director of Judaic Studies Rabbi Joshua Spodek and Hebrew Language, Grades 6-12 *Hillel alumnus/a ABOUT SCHECK HILLEL COMMUNITY SCHOOL From early childhood through Grade 12, Hillel inspires students to become exemplary global citizens with enduring Jewish identity through an innovative curriculum enriched by co-curricular experiences. All of this is set within a nurturing, international community united by core values. Hillel is one of the largest Jewish day schools in the nation, Florida’s first Jewish International BaccalaureateR (IB) World School and the country’s only Jewish - and South Florida’s only private - 2011 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. For information, please visit ehillel.org.
LEARNING JEWISH HISTORY
RAVSAK Selects Hillel for Web-Based Program Imagine a Facebook simulation filled with historical and contemporary leaders. News posted daily from Mahatma Gandhi, Bob Dylan or even Marc Chagall. Students in Grades 6-8 are taking on the roles of such historical figures in the Jewish Court of All Time (JCAT). Hillel is one of a handful of the nation’s schools selected to participate in JCAT, an online simulation developed by RAVSAK and the Universities of Michigan and Cincinnati. At Hillel, the web-based mentored program is led by Hillel’s Rabbi Yossi Kahan, who is supported by university student mentors. Rabbi Kahan said students must research the person they select in order to take on the role and have meaningful discussions. “Students learn how to bring their person to life, learn about their opinions and how they think and feel,” he said. Students write a bio and resume about their person. They then discuss, in character, issues surrounding a fictional trial on a relevant contemporary issue in that voice. For example, one topic students may discuss is whether a nation has the right to place restrictions on religious apparel in public school. Once each week, students participate at school and can continue discussions online at home. The comments are monitored by Rabbi Kahan and students at each university. Rabbi Kahan said it’s a natural progression to take learning from a text book to online collaboration. This is what students are doing anyway, and the program adds a level of excitement. For more information, visit ravsak.org.
Student Government in Action
ACCREDITATION Hillel is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, accredited by the Commission on InternationalRegional Accreditation, the National Council for Private School Accreditation, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Association of Independent Schools of Florida. It is affiliated with PEJE (Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education), RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network, the National Association of College Admission Counseling, Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Jewish Federation of Broward County and the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education. Hillel is a beneficiary agency of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. KOL HILLEL The Kol Hillel is a bimonthly publication of Scheck Hillel Community School, 19000 NE 25th Avenue, North Miami Beach, FL 33180, P: 305.931.2831. For Kol Hillel sponsorship opportunities, please contact Hillel’s Development office at 305.931.2831 x279 or give@ehillel.org. For submissions or information, please write to news@ehillel.org. Dedicated by Anna and Sol Zuckerman and Family
2 Kol Hillel
Just after being elected into office, Middle School Student Government members scooped icees and popped pop corn for students in the Sukkah. Mazel tov to (left) Lily Ellis, Grade 6 Representative, Michael Seidl, Chesed Chair, Hannah Fiske, Vice Rosh Eidah, Lauren Rub, Grade 7 Representative, Daniel Assor, Rosh Eidah, Andrea Kiblisky, Secretary, and Nathan Fuhrman, Grade 7 Representative. Not pictured is Esther Benasayag, Grade 6 Representative.
Arts Education Makes Music One by one, each student eagerly picks up a flute, clarinet, trumpet or other instrument in the band room. Music books swing open and together the room comes alive through the power of arts education. “The kids are really excited,” said Matt Villa, Band Director. “I have students who say they want to stay in band all day.” Grades 6-12 play instruments in the band room with the latest resources designed to inspire students to flourish. At the start of the school year, students selected their instruments: a choice of flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, French horn, trombone and tuba. They learn together by playing songs from music books that show notes for each instrument. The goal is to keep students in band for all their years at Hillel, Villa said. Students practice in class and have opportunities after school for extra help, drum line and honor band. Villa said more than 150 students are learning to play an instrument as part of the Middle School curriculum - which includes half the year in International Baccalaureate Design, Band or Drama - and as an elective in Upper School. Students in Kindergarten-Grade 5 are taking violin as part of their regular class schedule. The students are working on beginning violin techniques and literacy, as well as setting up the fundamentals for a more advanced musical experience. Fiddle club is held Mondays after school for Lower SchoolGrade 6 students who participated last year. Look for a musical celebration at Chanukah.
Kol Hillel 3
HITKASHRUT
Program Highlights Positive Behavior A Grade 3 student asked a new classmate to join his friends at lunch. Another child included a new student in weekend plans. And a Grade 5 student always holds the door open for teachers and classmates. Each act of kindness was recognized before Sukkot with a token given to the student, said Laurie Parker, Grade 3-5 school counselor. The tokens were tranfered into links that decorated the school’s Sukkah. Parker said students learned that they would be surrounded in the Sukkah by the mitzvot they had fulfilled. The HitKashrut Program was so successful in October that it will be continued all year. The program reinforces the importance of fulfilling mitzvot each and every day, combats bullying through respect and makes students aware of how to treat others.
It is led jointly by Parker, school counselor Esther Poler and Judaic Studies teacher Rabbi Shmuel Druin. “The goal is to feel so good to do the right thing and follow our Jewish values to the point where the affirmation isn’t from paper, but from within,” she said. HitKashruit, for students in PK-Grade 5, is about being positive and to create an environment in which students learn to intervene when someone or something is hurtful and to learn to stop negative behavior. “We are noticing everything positive and are highlighting it,” Parker said. She also recently launched a book club for Grade 3-5 parents to teach parenting strategies and what to expect academically, socially and emotionally in the tween years.
SUKKOT-HOMECOMING
Hillel Homecoming 2012 was filled with Sukkot, football and community. The Hillel Hurricanes defeated Northwest Christian Academy 32-22 at their final home game. It was a chag sameach!
4 Kol Hillel
SHOSHANA WOLF, GRADE 11
GIVING BACK Summer Experiences in Rwanda and Ghana Inspire Students Globally, Locally
Hillel junior Shoshana Wolf embarked on a three-week trip to Rwanda this summer in hopes of empowering and inspiring young girls, most of whom lost their families to genocide. It was Shoshi who returned home inspired. “This trip really gave me hope and brought a lot of faith to my life,” Wolf said. “One of the most impactful influences was the connection I developed and shared with people who are of a completely different race, culture and religion.” Wolf traveled with a group of 28 American students to the capital of Rwanda to provide support, friendship and education to girls at Nyamata Catholic School. “The goal was to uplift each individual and make them realize that they are leaders in their community,” she explained. Aside from teaching English, it was important to Wolf to teach the girls to dance, her passion. She taught 40 girls a special dance - one that they would connect to and have fun with - and a dance they would hold onto after she left. “I realized how lucky I was to be in Rwanda with these girls where my job was to help them, but in reality, as much as I was helping them, they helped me more,” she said. “They helped me see the most significant parts of life. I realized the essence of going to a Jewish school, and receiving an education.” Wolf said that being in Rwanda made her appreciate everything in her life. “The girls walk around with smiles on their faces as if they have everything, when they have close to nothing. This was something I held close to me the entire trip and I still do because I learned to appreciate everything I have and to not take one single thing for granted.”
CARLI SCHECK, GRADE 12
Upon arriving in Ghana this summer, Hillel senior Carli Scheck quickly became immersed in the African culture. Every morning she woke up to build brick by brick an expansion of the Ghana school at which she was volunteering. “I taught math, English and science to children, betweeen the ages of 12 through 17,” she said. With the other 24 students in her group, she also spent afternoons playing soccer with children, most of them orphans, and even visited slave forts which opened her eyes to the history of slavery in Africa. Scheck was impacted by how dependent these students became on her in such a short time and by listening to their stories about their lives. “My experience in Ghana showed me the reality that some people have to live through and took me out of the bubble in which I had been living,” she said. As an active member of the South Florida community and a founder of J-Star, a community service club at Hillel, Scheck always had valued the importance of local community service. However, she never had envisioned the power that her service could make globally. “Being in Ghana taught me to appreciate everything I have in my life and to make the best of every situation,” Scheck said. After returning home from the three-week trip, Scheck and her fellow students continued their involvement by working together to raise nearly $3,000 for an orphanage they visited in Ghana. Scheck said the orphange wasn’t up to code and would have closed without their help. This non-traditional learning experience has become personal.
Rolling the Dough Grade 6-7 girls and their moms, sisters and special women in their lives rolled out dough and together learned to neatly braid challah before it was baked for Shabbat. They enjoyed the meaningful process of baking challah together at the first Girls Night Out. Special thanks to HIP/PTA and Judaic Studies teacher Chani Richmond for producing the event. Kol Hillel 5
“Kulanu is the heart of our identity as a Jewish community school.” - David Wolf, Board of Governors Chair
Ma’ayan Donors Recognized for Generosity
MA’AYAN SOCIETY
Sara Bejar and Joe Ackerman, 2012-2013 Ma’ayan Society Co-Chairs, partnered with Board Chair David Wolf and Head of School Rabbi Pinchos Hecht to serve as reception hosts.
Hillel leadership thanked Ma’ayan Society members in September, for serving as major donors to the Kulanu Scholarship Fund which benefits one in every five Hillel children - close to 200 students. The breakfast was held in the warmly renovated Rose and Lew Goodman Beit Midrash. Last year, donors of all ages througout the community and at all giving levels raised $1.6 million for tuition assistance. “Hillel is very different than most other Jewish schools, in that we do not allocate any of our families’ tuition dollars toward tuition assistance. All tuition assistance comes exclusively from generous donors so that 100% of tuition continually develops and improves the educational product,” said David Wolf, Board of Governors Chair. “We must remain cognizant of the significant impact that our Kulanu dollars have on the lives of children and families in our community. Kulanu is the heart of our identity as a Jewish community school,” he added. For information, please visit ehillel.org or call 305.931.2831 x279. Thank you.
The following Ma’ayan Society listing includes 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 donors. Thank you, generous friends. We look forward to your renewed partnership. HaKotel Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Jaime Gilinski Greater Miami Jewish Federation Mr. and Mrs. Jorge Woldenberg Hatikvah The Scheck and Bonwitt Families Yerushalaim Shel Zahav The Falic Family Mr. and Mrs. Philip Solomon Kinneret
Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Raphael Ades Mr. and Mrs. David Bejar Mr. and Mrs. Michael Berkman Mr. and Mrs. Robert Diener Mr. and Mrs. Mike Izak Anonymous (6) Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ackerman Ms. Bari Auerbach Mr. Zev Auerbach Mr. and Mrs. Jose Cherem Mr. and Mrs. David Frank Mr. and Mrs. Aby Galsky Mrs. Fanny Hanono
Mrs. Danya Lindenfeld The Rok, Moskovitz and Morjain Families Sapoznik Health and Wellness Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Serfati and Family Mr. and Mrs. Michael Shalom Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Woldenberg
Massada
Mr. and Mrs. Flavio Hojda Mr. and Mrs. Sergio Kiblisky Mr. Frank and Dr. Rebecca Kriger
Mr. and Mrs. Marian Moscu
Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Schrager Mr. and Mrs. Eittan Vainstein Mr. David Waxman and Family Mr. and Mrs. Jaime Woldenberg
Mr. and Mrs. Idel Woldenberg *As of October 25,2012
6 Kol Hillel
ALUMNINOTES Mazel tov to Hillel alumni Sara Feigenbaum (’04) and Jesse Glueck (’06) on their marriage. Sara is the daughter of Linda and David Feigenbaum; Linda is a school counselor at Alumni began their Hillel Scheck Hillel Community School. Jesse is the son of Steven education and Sharon Glueck. Sara is studying at New York University with Mina Nursing School, and Jesse is a student at Einstein Medical Gonen, who School.
Save the Date...
The Class of 2002 reunion is Saturday, November 24, at
8 pm at the home of Josh Gilinski. Learn more about the event by visiting the Facebook page, Hillel Class of 2002.
now teaches many of their children.
Alumni Come Home
Many of the parents dropping off their children in PK2 every morning share memories of growing up together at Hillel. With The Chanukah/Grandparents Community Event is more than a dozen alumni parents in PK2 this year, all feel they have Tuesday, December 11. returned home, instilling continued traditions and values in their The Frye Financial Alumni Games is Thursday, children. “It’s an incredible feeling to come back as a parent,” said Joanna December 20. Kirsch Wagenberg (‘95), who attended Hillel from PK to Grade Visit the Hillel website for updates, ehillel.org. 12 and has twins Joelle and Liat in Grade 2 and Bernardo in PK2. Everyday she passes by the footprints she imprinted in the Reiss Plaza as a student herself. Fernanda Azar Newman (’02) and her husband Michael (’01) began dating while they were students at Hillel. Now their son Ethan is in PK2. “It’s home,” she said. Lior Ben-Shmuel, who attended Hillel through Grade 7 when the Ben Lipson Upper School was under construction, has four children enrolled at Hillel. “I grew up with strong traditions and I want to keep them with my children.” Susan Morjain Sperling (’00) said her son Nathan has more than 20 cousins in Hillel. “He is surrounded by family and teachers I have known. It’s like coming home.” It’s the same for Jassi Lekach Antebi (’00), who said her children Edmund in PK4 and Evelyn in PK2 get to see many of their cousins while they are in school. Cindy Worthalter Winterman (’95) and Erica Feldman Farago Veronica Farago is the Abraham Heinrich is the (’03) are not only Hillel parents but have joined Hillel’s faculty. daughter of Hillel alumni son of new Hillel members Winterman is a Nativ teacher with Leah in Grade 2, Benjamin in Erica and Michael Farago. Diana and David Heinrich. Kindergarten and Eva in PK2. Farago, who is married to Hillel Big brother Michael is in PK2. Big brother Aharon is in alumnus Paul (’98), is a math teacher, and their son Michael is in Erica is a Hillel math teacher. Grade 1 and big sister Adina PK2. (See left.) is in Kindergarten. “It feels like full circle,” Winterman said. “It feels good to come back to a community where I received so much.”
Future Hillel Cuties
By Susy Abbo HIP/PTA Chair
HIP/PTA has had a very busy start to the 2012-2013 school year. We have partnered with school in a series of activities such as teacher appreciation, new parent breakfast, Café Hillel, Sukkot Homecoming Community Event, the launch of Box Tops for Education, Mother-Daughter Challah Baking, Father-Son Grill n’ Chill, our Meet the Faculty Series and Scholastic Book Fair.
HIP/PTA
HIP/PTA Off to a Busy Year
This semester, we distributed more than 250 school tool boxes and hosted our First Family Mitzvah Day with a very successful Scavenger Hunt, benefiting Kids for Kosher Food Bank. We successfully launched the Grade Lead Parents Program PK2 - Grade 6 and debuted our HIP News newsletter. We launched our first revamped general meeting on October 18 and our Parent U series with keynote speaker Rabbi Shmuely Boteach on October 23. Save the date for our December 11 Chanukah Community Event. We look forward to a very successful year and we thank you for your continued support and commitment to HIP/PTA.
Kol Hillel 7
19000 NE 25th Avenue North Miami Beach, Florida 33180
Annual Event 2013: HILLEL IS HOME SAVE THE DATE JANUARY 17, 2013 6 SH’VAT 5773
VOLUNTEERING in the
COMMUNITY
Students Initiate Activism Grade 6-8 students are going into the community to volunteer their time through an official service learning program. Recently, nine students delivered food to 70 families for Tomchei Shabbos of Miami. “My goal is to give them the opportunities to help, so eventually they will learn to help others on their own,” said Ilana Bendel, Hillel’s Community Service Coordinator. “Students feel like they are more involved when they participate in small groups,” explained Bendel. While community service has always been an integral aspect of the Hillel curriculum, this year Bendel is leading students to make a difference in the community, not simply just to earn service hours. Students determine projects in which they would like to be involved and Bendel helps them organize. In October, students in Grade 8 made blankets for Chai Lifeline, with the guidance of the Art Honor Society students in Anat Agam’s art classroom. Chai Lifeline will use the blankets when visiting children and families in local hospitals. “It feels nice that we are doing it in school,” said Josef Gad, Grade 8. “We may continue to do projects like this on our own because we like the feeling of helping others.” “Every little thing you can do comes together and makes something bigger,” said Maya Cohen, Grade 8. 8 Kol Hillel
Students make blankets for Chai Lifeline.