Lion's Share - November 2015

November 2015 Cheshvan-Kislev 5776

Curriculum The Arts

College Number of Applications Rises

Community Healer of Hearts

Juda and Maria Diener Lower School | Samuel and Henrietta Scheck Middle School | Ben Lipson Upper School

LION’S SHARE

Welcome to Lion’s Share: Scheck Hillel Community School’s Grade 6-12 bulletin covering news about curriculum, college counseling and our community. Connect with the names, faces and initiatives that make Scheck Hillel a college preparatory school that develops global citizens with enduring Jewish identity and values. For more school information, please visit eHillel.org.

Curriculum

Arts Training Fosters Creativity, Develops Key Life Skills For the beginning cello students in Orchestra Director Linda Shapanka’s class, lessons start with a pencil: the tool of choice for learning to hold a cello bow. Shapanka models proper finger placement as Sophie Spiegel and Sydney Lugo (both Grade 6) practice on the pencil. When they move on to the actual bow, it takes trial and error to adjust to the size and weight of the real thing. The cellists don’t give up. By the end of the period they are producing the warm, deep sounds typical of their instrument. Although much practice lies ahead, this small step is celebrated.

Engaging in the creative process—whether through the visual or the performing arts—is part of the college preparatory academic curriculum at Scheck Hillel Community School. As an International Baccalaureate World School, every student in Grades 6-10 is required to take an arts course. The benefits of arts education have been shown to extend well beyond the arts classroom.

Aaron Margolis, the school’s Jordan Alexander Ressler Arts Chair, explains, “When students connect to the arts, they learn to engage and persist, envision, empathize and imagine.”

Band Director Matt Villa’s Grade 9-12 symphonic band class is a case in point. Students assert that learning to play music has taught them life skills such as patience, discipline, focus and respect for the teacher and bandmates. “You learn to listen to one another so that you don’t overpower each other,” said Abigail Winograd (Grade 12). Empathy, a key social-emotional skill, is sharpened in band class.

Students in Jennifer Fetchko’s Grade 9 visual arts class have been adding perspective to European scenes they are drawing. As they learn techniques and principles of artistic composition, students enjoy the opportunity to express themselves creatively through their chosen European landmark. Emily Kriger suggests this helps in other classes and with writing in particular. Andres Bacal adds that art class exposes him to unfamiliar cultures and history.

Upper School Arts teacher Ellen Sorin’s approach to teaching the color wheel appealed directly to her students’ stomachs. In pairs, they mixed frosting and then spread resulting colors on cookies. Grade 8 classmates Andrea Benhamron, Leah Grobman, Melissa Shan and Danit Weitzman achieved, and then ate, the results of their work!

With Yearbook and Music Production courses also available, Scheck Hillel students now have more opportunities than ever to learn and thrive through the arts.

Clockwise from top: Sophie Spiegel and Sydney Lugo play the cello; Matt Villa conducts orchestra; Ellen Sorin’s students display edible color wheels; Jennifer Fetchko guides Sammy Abady (Grade 9); Linda Shapanka instructs cello students.

Jordan Alexander Ressler Arts Faculty Grades 6-12 Jennifer Fetchko Dionne Lockett Linda Shapanka

Edith Shlesinger Ellen Sorin Matt Villa

To learn more about the benefits of arts education and about Scheck Hillel’s Jordan Alexander Ressler Arts Program, visit eHillel.org/Arts.

College

Seniors Applying to Record Number of Colleges Although the number of the nation’s high school students applying to colleges has reached a plateau after two decades of growth, students are applying to more colleges than ever before. In 2014, about 70% of schools reported year-to-year increases in the number of applications. Scheck Hillel is riding the trend. The Class of 2016 is on track to exceed the 500 applications sent by last year’s seniors, having already submitted more than 300 applications to 70 schools as of November 1, 2015: the Early Decision deadline.

The reasons for this continued increase? Associate Director of College Counseling Dennis Eller believes there are advantages to applying to more schools, and they are not only academic: “I call it ‘casting a wider net’ to make sure the student has financial, as well as admission choices,” he said. “The students and parents who are willing to look beyond the colleges where their friends are applying are finding that costs at some excellent schools are reasonable.” The key, however, is to build a college list that is balanced. More is not better if the options on the list are homogenous.

“There is more uncertainty about how colleges will view applications than at any other time that I can recall,” he said. “This uncertainty, coupled with the ease of applying

Community

to multiple colleges using the Common Application, makes the perfect storm for what is being called by the media ‘application inflation.’” Nationally, the number of applications per senior has risen from four to six or seven during the past 10 years.

As attention now turns to the last big deadline-Regular Decision-Eller predicts: “By January 1, I won’t be surprised to see this class exceeding last year’s record-setting numbers. In today’s market it really is a wise strategy to widen the scope of the search.”

Vanessa Donaher, Head of Upper School and Director of College Counseling, notes, “Broadening the application options leads to a diversified pool of colleges to which our students are matriculating. Throughout the past four years, this has been the goal of the college counseling office.”

Seniors attend college preparation bootcamp

Q&A With David Noah Kenigsberg, MD, FACC, FHRS (‘93) Get to know physician David Kenigsberg, mensch and healer of hearts

It has become increasingly complex to provide the best possible care in the most efficient manner and still be human and humane to those that are ill.

2. Remaining relevant. Part of being an excellent physician includes staying up to date, reading peer-reviewed journal articles and attending national meetings.

Courtesy of Dr. Kenigsberg

What is your specialty, and why did you choose it?

I am a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist.

Electrophysiology is a subspecialty of cardiology that deals with the management of heart rhythm disorders — arrhythmias. In this field, I have the opportunity to perform state-of-theart procedures to treat and potentially cure patients. I chose this specialty because it allows me to bring the latest developments in science and technology directly to the patient — from the bench to the bedside.

What are two key qualities a 21st century physician should possess?

1. The ability to adapt to change.

How do you define success in your field?

To be successful in electrophysiology includes making a timely and accurate diagnosis and being able to provide the best possible treatment options, and doing all of this with a human touch.

What are two essential skills/tools you received from Scheck Hillel that you use today?

1. My parents provided me with a warm, nurturing and loving home and made it a priority to provide me and my sister, Tamara Kenigsberg (’98), with a Jewish education. It was at Hillel, however, that I discovered the importance of Torah values and Torah observance.

2. Hillel afforded me a healthy environment to interact with other Jewish students from varied backgrounds and nationalities. I learned how to establish and foster strong bonds and long-lasting

relationships with other students. I attended Hillel from PK3 all the way through Grade 12. I graduated with an amazing class in 1993, with many people who I knew and grew up with since pre-kindergarten. Many of these people are still friends today.

Most importantly, I met my wife and the mother of our six children, Susana Salama (‘94), while at Hillel.

Of all of the things that I am grateful for, meeting Susana was the best and most significant.

One digital tool you can’t live without: As a physician, I am attached to my cell phone. At times, I feel like my phone is a digital handcuff. In my line of work, one has no choice but to be glued to the phone during daytime hours and on nights and weekends when on call. However, when I am not on call, on Shabbat or Yom Tov, I am very happy to turn off my phone and put it away.

Your advice to Scheck Hillel students looking to pursue a career in the health professions: Follow your dreams, don’t take no for an answer, and if you really want something badly enough, by working hard and focusing, you can realize your dreams and achieve your goals.

We want to share your story! Write to Joana (Wagenberg) Kirsch (‘95), Associate Director of Development/Alumni Relations: kirsch@eHillel.org.

Share with us! Please email your comments, questions and ideas for future editions of Lion’s Share to news@eHillel.org.