Lion's Tale Volume 36, Issue 6

LT

The Lion’s Tale

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Volume 36 Issue 6

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May 23, 2019

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CESJDS

students shift gears after the bell rings

the lion’s tale

pg. 6-7

Insights on current German Jewry pg.5

Students paint mural pg. 08

Shir Madness album release pg. 11

news

02 the lion’s tale

News Briefs

May 24-27 Memorial Day weekend Upper School ends at 2:18 p.m. on May 24 and will be closed on May 27 in honor of the U.S.’ fallen soldiers.

May 30 Varsity Awards and Spring Concert The high school’s Winter and Spring Varsity Awards ceremony will begin at 5 p.m., and the Spring Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.

June 2 Final SAT and SAT Subject Tests CESJDS will offer the final SAT and SAT Subject Tests of the academic year at 8 a.m.

June 5 Last day of Upper School classes Classes conclude for high school students as they begin exams. The Lower School and middle school students will have classes through June 14.

June 9 Shavuot School will be closed for all students in commemoration of the deliverance of the Torah. compiled by matthew rabinowitz

Check out The Lion’s Tale’s website for exclusive content

Israel expulsions Ten senior graduates expelled from their capstone trip alex landy and oren minsk contributing editors Seven graduating seniors were were being treated as “hardened expelled from the Irene and Dan- criminals” rather than teenagers, iel Simpkins Senior Capstone Israel even though they all admitted to viTrip on April 14 for drinking alcohol olating the rules. or smoking marijuana, both of which “By the end, as many of my violate the rules of Alexander Muss classmates also said, I probably High School in Israel (HSI). Israel has would have confessed to things that a legal drinking age of 18.

I didn’t do,” James wrote in an email.

Three more students were ex- “We were also asked not to talk pelled from the trip this past Sunday about what had happened with our photo by alex landy for reasons unknown at the time of friends, which was a totally unfair Graduating seniors visited the Western Wall as part of the Irene and Daniel publication. expectation, especially since they Simpkins Senior Capstone Israel Trip, run by the Alexander Muss High School in James,* a student expelled from whisked us away from our friends Israel. This year, 10 students were expelled for breaching the high school’s rules the trip, thinks that a student sent a for most of the day, left us emotional- by consuming or possesing alcohol and marijuana. picture of themselves drinking via ly exhausted and wounded and then Snapchat to another student. That still expected us to go on pretending utmost significance and carry [the] a survey and held a feedback meetSnapchat image was opened in front that nothing had happened.” consequence of expulsion,” Cohen ing last week where parents voiced of an HSI counselor, who then reWhen isolated, James did not wrote. “AMHSI is very transparent, opinions on HSI’s handling of the inported it to the HSI administration. have access to his phone and there- all the students knew ahead of time cident.

James does not think administrators fore could not contact his parents that if they violated any alcohol and/ According to Lindner, the genknew the exact contents or drugs related rules they eral consensus among the group of of the picture, especially would be sent home, as they parents who attended the meeting considering they never were [sic].” was that “they were not pleased with showed it to him. “... they whisked us away from Cohen did not go into … how the situation was handled by James was isolatany more detail about how AMHSI afterward.” our friends for most of the day, ed and questioned for HSI handled the incident Lindner said the parent feedleft us emotionally exhausted and five hours. He was not or procedures they took in back could “possibly” be implementoffered food, drink or wounded and then still expected us identifying students who vi- ed in the future planning process of a chance to use the reolated the contract. the Israel trip, although it is not yet to go on pretending that nothing had stroom. According to High School Princi- certain.

James, HSI staffers often happened.” pal and Associate Head of Cohen and Co-Executive Di- James* left the room for long peSchool Dr. Marc Lindner said rector of AMHSI Orit Rome will be riods of time to do what that he had “some sense” as speaking to senior parents at a meethe assumed was questo how HSI handled the mat- ing on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at tion other students. until after he was questioned. In his ter because HSI made the adminis- the Upper School.

Although James believes that he last hour in isolation, he was allowed tration aware of what happened, but *Name has been changed to prowas rightfully expelled from the trip to call his parents without admin- he deferred questions about specific tect the student’s anonymity. because he violated the contract that istrators present and was offered a procedures to HSI. This article was published onhe signed before the trip, he felt that drink of water.

According to Lindner, CESJDS “… line at www.lionstale.org on May 16, “the tone and duration of questionHead of School of HSI Mordechai did not take a stance in either affirm- 2019. ing did not fit the level of rule-break- Cohen wrote in an email that expul- ing, proving or condemning what ing.” sions from the program are difficult they [HSI] had done,” because the James perceived the questioning for everyone involved, more so than students were on the HSI program as threatening and a means of inter- regular high school expulsions due and JDS’ administration felt that it rogation since staffers yelled at him to the vast distance separating the was HSI’s responsibility to handle and kept him isolated for hours. This U.S. and Israel. the situation. “interrogation,” according to James, “Students safety is our numIn order to address the concerns reached the point where he and oth- ber one priority and so our rules of parents whose students were on er expelled students felt like they regarding alcohol and drugs are of the trip, the administration sent out

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Breakdown of expelled students over five years

3 0

0 2015

2016

2017

1 2018

2019

compiled by matthew rabinowitz

news

the lion’s tale 03

Service hour change draws confusion jessica gallo reporter Middle school students will no longer be able to earn up to 20 indirect service hours that count towards their graduation requirement as a result of a policy change that went into effect at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. Only recently have students become aware of the change.

When freshman Kaylee Fellner started middle school, her class had the ability to earn up to 20 indirect hours in middle school. Fellner completed 20 indirect hours with Friendship Circle by the time she started high school.

“I think it’s really helpful to be able to have that start in middle school,” Fellner said. “I feel like the more time you have, the more time you have to complete [the hours] and do things that you actually like to do instead of cramming them in [in] three years.”

CESJDS began an 80 hour community service requirement in the early 1990s. The administration requires that students complete those hours by the time they start applying to college or else their transcripts will not be sent. At least 40 hours must be direct, where students work with people in need, and 40 can be indirect, where students serve the community as a whole.

photo courtesy of shevi lerner, dimensions yearbook Freshmen Kaylee Fellner and Jaime Brecher cut out Hannukah shapes to share with elderly people at the Jewish Council for the Aging. This is one of many ways that students fullfill their service requirement of 80 hours.

13.3% of students agree with the change

80

hours need to be earned to graduate

The schedule for high school final exams has changed this year due to Shavuot falling during what is typically the week of finals. The administration created a schedule with the goal of ensuring that all students, regardless of religious observance, have the necessary time to study for exams.

This year, school ends on a Wednesday. Thursday is a study day followed by the English final on Friday. Sunday and Monday are Shavuot, and since the holiday means there can be only limited studying for observant Jews, Tuesday is a study day before finals resume. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are the history, science and math finals, respectively.

Typically, classes end on a Friday and the week of finals follows.

The next week, there are usually

of students knew about the change

*Based on a survey of 278 Upper School students

compiled by jessica gallo

Shavuot disrupts final exams mischa trainor reporter

26.3%

exams on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with a study day on Wednesday.

“Just looking at how the breakdown of [the finals schedule] is, I think given where Shavuot falls and the rest of the school calendar, I think it makes sense. There is an additional study day for students who observe Shavuot so no one loses a day of studying,” Director of Jewish Life Stephanie Hoffman said. “I think given all the factors, it makes the most sense, which doesn’t mean that it is easy.”

The administration attempted to compensate for those who observe Shabbat and Shavuot by providing a study day after Shavuot before the history exam. However, students who observe Shabbat and Shavuot are prevented from writing or using technology for three straight days.

“I think it’s a little difficult for

people who [observe Shabbat] and [observe Shavuot] because yes, we might be able to print out history notes or science notes, but I can’t practice for math because I can’t write,” freshman Eliana Mannes said.

Mannes would prefer that the math exam takes place first because she wants to be able to complete practice problems to prepare for the exam. The exams currently take place in the order of which take the longest time to grade to help teachers.

The history exam also falls on the fifth grade Siyyum, their graduation service, as opposed to previous years, when the study day fell on Siyyum. This will make it difficult for students who have siblings in fifth grade to attend the ceremony.

The administration also had to make sure final exams could be completed without ending classes too early. Students have to be in school

Maryland was the first state to require community service hours for graduation. The requirement went into effect in 1993 and is currently set at 75 hours. School districts are allowed to tailor programs to their own needs. In Montgomery County Public Schools, for instance, students are allowed to earn and complete their hours following the completion of fifth grade up until the end of their senior year, differing from JDS. When the class of 2021 began middle school, the administration adjusted the community service policy to include the 20 hours earned in middle school. The previous policy did not count any hours that students completed in middle school for their total high school requirement. However, beginning this year with the class of 2025, the administration reversed the policy back to what it used to be: All hours must be completed during high school.

“The community service requirement is also a graduation requirement which means that all hours should be completed in high school,” Dean of Students Roslyn Landy said. Landy raised the policy change idea at an administration meeting where there was an overall agreement to make the change.

Nicole Nydish, parent of both a middle school and a high school student, said the change could make it harder for students to complete their required hours but does not feel that

the change will greatly impact her son Dylan, who is in sixth grade.

“I think there’s always pros and cons to policy changes, but Dylan would be doing community service anyway in middle school and in high school, so I don’t really know if it would have a major impact on him,” Nydish said.

Sixth-grader Etai Even feels that he will be able to complete all of his hours when he gets to high school, but still wishes he had the opportunity to complete some of them while he is in middle school.

“I think I can complete 80 hours in all of high school,” Even said. “I would’ve rather have been able to do it in both [middle school and high school] and get it over with.”

Although Landy sees how having the ability to earn 20 hours towards the high school requirement would be easier for both parents and students when in middle school, she feels the benefits and effects on students will be greater when they are working and completing all their hours in high school.

“Students who do community service in middle school certainly gain good experience from their commitment,” Landy said. “That said, students in high school are at a different stage in their development and are better able to foster more meaningful relationships with the populations they are serving.”

for enough days to fulfill the state requirement, according to Dean of Students Roslyn Landy, and this new schedule already causes classes to end two school days early [compared to last year].

“I think it is unfortunate that Shavuot falls when it does, given the school calendar,” Hoffman said. “...I think that the way the exam schedule was created given where Shavuot falls … makes sense.”

of school off before and around final 5 days exams due to Shavuot, the weekend and study days

1

JDS only has one set of exams, which are at the end of the year.

10

A final exam is 10 percent of a student’s grade for that class.

4

Core subject areas are tested on the final, including history, math, science and English.

6

A student can have a maximum of six final exams if they take triple in science classes. compiled by matthew rabinowitz

opinion

04 the lion’s tale

lion’s tale Education without representation the

editors-in-chief sabrina bramson, alex landy managing editor, copy oren minsk in-depth and design editor daphne kaplan news editor matthew rabinowitz opinion editor izzy may features editors sally rogal, josie stein sports editor sophia miller style editor irit skulnik editorial cartoonist molly zatman reporters aaron adams, lincoln aftergood, tal arber, jessica gallo, mimi lemar, maya preuss, sam schwartz, jonathon morris, ivan endelman, mischa trainor, corinne zlotnitsky staff adviser jessica nassau adviser emerita susan zuckerman Editorial and Ethics Policy As the student newspaper of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, The Lion’s Tale is a public forum for student opinion and expression. All content is determined by students. Its purpose is to inform the CESJDS community and to express the views of its staff and readers. The staff has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of its news.

Signed columns reflect the opinion of the writer; staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of The Lion’s Tale editorial board. The Lion’s Tale staff welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns, all of which must be signed. The staff reserves the right to refuse any material and may edit letters or columns for length, clarity, libel, obscenity and/or disruptiveness.

Submissions may be emailed to jdslionstale@gmail.com, mailed to The Lion’s Tale or brought to room 320.

Since 1978, Montgomery County Public Schools have had a student member of the board on their Board of Education, allowing for greater transparency and representation of issues that affect students. Like many other private schools, CESJDS’ board lacks this key voice.

Having a student member of the board allows students to have a voice on critical conversations that take place behind the scenes, allowing for more communication between the board and the student body. If a student were to be included on the board, they would participate in decisions regarding a strategic plan, evaluate the efficacy of the Head of School, help balance the budget and more. It seems only natural that students should have a say in the decisions that impact their daily lives.

The JDS school board consists of 19 elected members, many of whom are parents or alumni, who all are reviewed and elected by the board and who make up various committees within the board. President of the Board Dan Mendelson, a JDS alumnus (‘82), said that the board is committed to enhancing communication with students, but believes that there are many ways this can be achieved. Further, he said that the school’s current bylaws

All Year L

The Lion’s Tale is funded by The Simon Hirshman Endowment for the Upper School Newspaper and The Kuttner-Levenson Endowment for the Upper School Cultural Arts and Student Publications, and community advertisements. The Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse advertisement for any reason.

The staff will adhere to the ethics policies of The Society of Professional Journalists and the National Scholastic Press Association.

The adviser will be held to the Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of Ethics.

cover design and photos by daphne kaplan with assistance from debra dilworth

and could provoke actual, meaningful change.

In an age when speaking out is at an all time high and more groups are seeking equal representation, it is important to include students on the JDS school board. Students have started movements that help to change the national and international view on political, social and cultural issues, such as cartoon by molly zatman March for Our Lives. JDS must do not call for a student member of evolve with our country. On a smallthe board, and said that since many er scale, there are prevalent issues members are parents, they hear the in our community such as the cost of opinions of their children. tuition. These are not issues that can That is not sufficient and does be swept aside with abandon, and not accurately represent the student the perspective of students could opinion. Not all students are reliably help provide a unique perspective, forthcoming with details or with the as well as inject new ideas into the issues that matter to them, particboard. ularly to their parents. However, a Montgomery County’s Student student might feel more comfortable Member of the Board is senior expressing their issues to a peer, Ananya Tadikonda from Richard especially one who sits on the board

tal arber reporter

In mid-March, the clock moves forward an hour and the short Friday schedule shifts back to a regular schedule. Many students, including myself, who participate in outside of school sports on Friday afternoons during the winter no longer have the option to continue participating once the schedule changes back. This, among many other reasons, is why I believe that CESJDS should make every Friday of the school year a short Friday.

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Montgomery High School. Tadikonda is a member of the Board’s Fiscal Management Committee as well as the Policy Management Committee alongside other members of the Board, according to the school district’s website. On the website, Tadikonda is listed as an equal member of the board and is credited with the same responsibilities and influence as the other members.

Tadikonda’s role serves a good model for JDS; she acts as the link between the consciences of the students of Montgomery County and the board. Tadikonda acts as a student motivator and demonstrates the importance of having a representative of the students take part in the decision-making process of the Board. As students of JDS, we believe that is imperative for clarity, transparency and adequate communication that a student be able to voice their opinions as an official board member.

If students’ voices can be heard in the news, in politics and in the Montgomery County Board of Education, why can they not be heard on the JDS board?

-The Lion’s Tale

should keep a short ng: JDS Friday schedule consistently

Throughout the school week, students are overloaded with work, generating stress and causing problems with their after-school schedules. Having a short Friday every week would benefit students so that they can get home early to relax from a week of rigorous coursework.

When talking about what could be the potential benefits of having short Friday’s year long, Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus said, “I think that the positive of doing it is that there would be consistency in the school week, so we don’t have to have two separate schedules for short Fridays and long Fridays.”

Consistency would be a big benefit of having a short Friday schedule year round, something highly appreciated by students.

If we had a short Friday schedule

every week for the entire year, students would feel more comfortable with their consistant routine, ultimately making school less stressful.

Although students may benefit from a shorter end of the week, many teachers and faculty members believe having a longer school day is a better option for students.

“From an educational perspective, especially in the upper grades, having a full school day is more beneficial, especially in the high school,” Malkus said.

Even if we had short Fridays all year, we could still meet the Maryland State Department of Education minimum number of educational hours, though technically as a private school we don’t need to. Still, this shows that we can be academically vigorous, but also relax a bit.

Early Fridays are the one day when students can participate in activities organized outside of JDS that often begin before 4 p.m., something that is impossible the rest of the week. I like to go to basketball practice to cool off from school on Fridays, but once school ends later, I am no longer able to make it to practices.

Our school needs to make a consistent short-Friday schedule for the entire year so that it does not interfere with extracurricular activities. Part of preparing for Shabbat is taking a break from the rest of the week, and we need early Fridays year-round to get into the right Shabbat mindset. I believe the school should think over having a short-Friday schedule year-round in the upcoming school year with all of this in mind.

daphne kaplan contributing editor

Growing up, it seemed as though history had painted Germany harshly. And while to me, the horror of Germany’s actions throughout the 20th century can never be forgotten, it is in sharp contrast to what Germany is today.

Last month, I had the privilege of attending BBYO’S Ambassador Trip to Germany, a nine-day immersive trip that explored Jewish life in Berlin, Frankfurt and Bad Sobernheim, a town an hour outside of Frankfurt, to attend a leadership seminar. Throughout the nine days, 15 teens from around the United States, Lithuania and Canada were

immersed in vibrant German Jewry.

Whether attending seminars with local teens from BBYO’s sister organization, ZWST, or exploring memorials and museums, we were constantly aware of the history and its horrors that took place everywhere we went.

We were also bolstered by the vibrancy of the current German Jewish community that lives there.

When we arrived in Frankfurt, we immediately began learning. The first site we visited was the European Central Bank (ECB), the bank that oversees monetary policy in the Eurozone, but also a place from which individuals were deported during World War II. Near the bank stood a Holocaust memorial, constructed with the intent for it to be hard to notice as a representation of how people were once oblivious to the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Despite having initial doubts about the existence of positive German Jewry, we walked to the Old Synagogue, the only synagogue to have survived Kristallnacht in Frankfurt. There, we learned about

the history of the synagogue and the vibrancy of it today, spoke with Rabbis, read scrolls and sang in an attempt to help restore the liveliness of the synagogue. Standing and singing in a synagogue with such a profound and important history, I gained a greater sense of pride in the Jewish community in Germany because community members were able to revitalize the synagogue itself despite the violent history.

But these moments of Jewish pride were interspersed with the presence of antisemitism. A few days later, as we were standing in front of Brandenburg Gate, we witnessed a man wearing a kippah aggressively run out of the American Embassy, shouting about being denied the right to pray, and proceed to walk into the middle of the plaza.

Despite wearing a kippah and tzizit, he subsequently put his arms up to pray, which is an entirely non-Judaic practice. We soon discovered that his intent was to mock, rather than respectfully emulate, Jews.

Only thirty minutes later at the Memorial for the Murdered Jews,

we witnessed individuals frolicking without appropriate respect among the 2,711 pillars of the memorial itself. It was disheartening to see people carelessly and intentionally gamboling among the stone blocks and spitting at us when they were asked to stop having fun, as if it were a playground.

Startled by these antisemitic incidents, we discovered that events like these occur daily. In fact, according to a statistic posted in the Jewish Museum, there were 401 antisemitic incidents reported to the police in the first half of 2018 in Berlin. Despite the overt events of antisemitism, after talking with the teens part of ZWST at the leadership seminar, it was evident that Jews of Germany strive to lead normal lives Having the opportunity to connect with teens who live a different part of the world helped bridge the gap between diaspora Jews. It taught me the importance of branching out and talking to individuals who I would not have been able to otherwise.

Had I not allowed myself to

opinion

the lion’s tale 05

visit Germany, despite my initial ambivalence towards its dark history, my perceptions of what Germany and German Jewry is like today would likely still be negative and dark. And while antisemitism still exists, and the Jewish community may not be as large or lively as it once was, after attending the Ambassadors to Germany trip, I believe that German Jewry will only continue to flourish.

Attending the leadership seminar and the trip didn’t just give me the opportunity to explore the Jewish community in Germany; it made me a proud Jew. It was evident to me that the younger generations are strong and are capable of altering German Jewry to be a welcoming and safe environment for all Jews, something that is much needed after a history of continuous hatred.

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1

3

4 photos by daphne kaplan

1. After a weekend of learning leadership skills and meeting teens from across the world, BBYO and ZWST unify in the same shirts for a picture. 2. Ambassador to Germany participants stand on the bimah of the Westend Shtibel Beit Midrash that survived Kristallnacht. While there, participants sang with Rabbis 3. While touring Berlin, participants visited the Reichstag Building, or Germany’s Parliament building. 4. Ambassadors to Germany participant walks among plates of steel faces in the Jewish Museum in Berlin.

in-depth

06 the lion’s tale

THAT’s sO

EXTRA! Students shift gears after the bell rings jessica gallo reporter

DID YOU KNOW? • On average, 100 students play a sport each season • JDS has six publications • The athletic department’s budget is $250,000 • There are 38 members of student government • CESJDS has 32 active clubs

The school day doesn’t end at 3:45 and neither does the learning: student life is just beginning.

Students spend their afternoons pursuing all sorts of activities that they are passionate about.

Extracurriculars are a valuable part of a student’s education, teaching them skills and information that are not necessarily covered in a class, as well as being a place for students to explore topics and interests that they would like to pursue.

Athletics offer the widest variety of options for participation.

There are three athletic seasons throughout the school year, allowing students to be on multiple teams.

Throughout the year, students can choose from soccer, volleyball, tennis, cross country, basketball, swimming, wrestling, dance, track and field, baseball and softball.

“Athletics provide students a space to learn skills that can cross over to the classroom and their everyday lives,” Director of Athletics Becky Silberman said. “The focus, discipline and teamwork needed are all skills that apply in a student’s everyday life.”

In addition to athletics, CESJDS has a large selection of performing arts and publication opportunities.

Shir Madness, the a capella group; the musical; Loa Ha’ari, the Hebrew Literary Magazine; Dimensions, the yearbook; Reflections, the literary magazine; Melting Pot, the Spanish and Arabic literary magazine; the

Bohr-Franklin Science Journal; and The Lion’s Tale, the student newspaper, are all ways students can express their creative side.

There is an abundance of academic-type clubs for students who aspire to enhance their general knowledge. Academic clubs include the debate team, Junior State of America, Mock Trial, Model UN, Engineering and Robotics Clubs, Investment and Finance Clubs, Student Council and Grade Government for each grade.

For students with passions beyond academic areas, there are activism clubs, such as the Mental Health Awareness Club and Environmental Clubs for students to further explore and educate others about their interests.

High school principal and Associate Head of School Dr. Marc Lindner supports the extracurricular activities at JDS and sees the value they have for students. He feels that they provide a type of learning that is needed for students outside the classroom and that they give students the opportunity to pursue topics they could not necessarily pursue within a classroom.

“Learning takes place in all kinds of different ways. There is so much more to learning than just traditional academics,” Lindner said.

“Extracurriculars are one of those things that help students broaden any possibilities they want to learn about.”

PUBLICATIONS Junior Micah Gritz is the co-editor-in-chief of Melting Pot, the high school Spanish and Arabic literary magazine. Each year, students from Spanish and Arabic classes come together to create a literary magazine full of art and poetry from those respective cultures.

Gritz currently takes both Spanish and Arabic and is very invested in learning about both languages and cultures. Originally, Gritz joined the Melting Pot staff last year because he wanted an activity to participate in. He has since realized the opportunity that Melting Pot has provided him with: to learn to lead a group of people to create something together. He is now co-editor-in-chief and has enjoyed the increase in responsibility and leadership.

“I really enjoy this leadership role because it is a role that I couldn’t get anywhere else. Not only does it give me experience when it comes to writing and designing to create a magazine, but it gives others the chance to learn how to do that too and I think that’s really important,” Gritz said. “If you’re interested in any aspect of it, I think you should join because you could really gain a lot from it.”

At the beginning of the academic year, Gritz and his co-editor-in-chief Sabrina Bramson picked “New Beginnings” as the theme for this year’s magazine.

Next, the design editors designed template spreads, and the staff collects poems, photos and interviews from students around the school. Each staff member designs a spread, which are put together to make the magazine.

Staff tries to complete the magazine by the National Spanish Honor Society ceremony to showcase the work of Spanish students, but that goal was not met this year.

Over the years, Melting Pot has earned multiple awards from the American Scholastic Press Association and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association that Gritz hopes to earn again with this year’s upcoming edition.

“The awards just show all the hard work that the staff puts into the magazine. We all know it is a good magazine, and the awards are nice to have, too,” Gritz said.

photo by jessica gallo

SPORTS

ACADEMICS

Sophomore Ella Messler was setter and co-captain of the girl’s varsity volleyball team this past fall. This year, the team went 7-4 during the regular season and lost in the quarterfinals.

Messler has been on the varsity team since her freshman year and has played on competitive volleyball club teams outside of school, all of which have helped her develop a true love for the sport.

“You all come to practice every day and work hard together, and it’s just really fun,” Messler said.

“The adrenaline I get when I set or serve the ball in a game is by far my favorite part of volleyball.”

Messler really appreciates the group of girls that she gets to play with each day and sees them as an important part of her volleyball experience.

“It’s just a really great group of girls,” Messler said. “We all work really hard and it’s sort of like having built-in friends.”

Messler said that at practices, the team typically does drills, practices serves and passes and then does scrimages.

“One of the biggest differences between school and club is that school is with people I see on a daily basis so as a team we bond faster than with a club team who I only see three times a week,” Messler said.

Messler added that “school is special because it’s representing my community as my team, while also representing my club with my skills.”

Junior Mattie Watson is a fellow member of the team.

“She’s a very enthusiastic player and captain and is very devoted to the team,” Watson said.

According to Watson, Messler helps plan bonding activities and team lunches that strengthen the cohesiveness of the team and their ability to connect.

These types of team bonding opportunities increase the sense of camaraderie and community on the team.

“Messler is a great asset to our team because she ensures that everyone pays attention during practice and that everyone is committed to the team,” Watson said.

Jacob Sher (‘19) was co-captain of the debate team this past school year. Sher has been a dedicated member of the debate team since his freshman year, and appreciates all the skills he gained from the unique club.

Throughout the season, the team debated multiple topics including H-1B Visas, required childhood vaccinations, price caps on pharmaceuticals and more in a style known as Public Forum. Sher and his partner went an impressive 9-1 in the regular season, and then went undefeated in round-robin playoffs, earning the top seed in the final tournament.

“Debate is genuinely an amazing club. It provides you with countless skills that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn from your regular day-to-day classes or activities,” Sher said.

In Sher’s opinion, preparing for a debate is the most crucial part to do well in it. He feels that being able to prepare well with a partner is really beneficial when going into a debate and is one of the things that helped him most this past season while debating with his partner, co-captain Noah Kuperberg.

“It was really awesome that at any point during the season I could text Noah [my partner] an argument, and no matter how prepared we were, we would spend half an hour going back and forth, finding new ways to counter arguments,” Sher said.

“I think that ability is what helped make us such a strong duo.”

One of Sher’s favorite aspects of debate was the challenge of stepping outside his comfort zone in preparing both sides of a new topic each month.

“Looking back on my experience in high school, debate changed the way I think and how I approach unfamiliar topics,” Sher said. “It forced me to challenge my beliefs and defend arguments I might not necessarily agree with. It required collaboration and teamwork, making it a truly special and enjoyable experience.”

photo provided by maya cohen-shields (‘19) ,dimensions

photo by jessica gallo

in-depth the lion’s tale 07

ACTIVISM Junior Emily Cohen is the leader of the environment club. The environmental club was started last year with the goal of having students come together to learn about the issues affecting the environment and to help make an impact around the school.

This year, the club sponsored a “green week” where students completed a different challenge each day to show how easy it is to reduce waste in students’ lives. The winner, freshman Talia Jacobsohn, received a hydroflask. The club has also been working with administration throughout the year to make the school more environmentally friendly.

“The Environmental club is a place where everyone can be included and make a difference,” Cohen said. “Even the small things that we do just around school make a difference, and I think that’s really cool and important when trying to help the world.”

One of the things Cohen likes most about the club is how everyone plays a role in what the club does.

Technically, by name, Cohen is the club’s leader, but in reality, she plays just as much of a role as every other member of the club.

“We all have different roles in the club to make it effective. No one student has a high position than another,” Cohen said. “We all work together, and I think that’s really important in a club like this.”

At club meetings, members discuss current events affecting the environment, problems that currently exist within the school and the different initiatives to solvet those prevalent environmental issues.

The club also invites administrators to discuss how the school can meet the goals of the club and address certain environmental issues that the club focusses on, such as reducing, recycling and using reusable water bottles.

According to Cohen, grabbing the attention and willingness of the administration to support the club’s goals is very difficult and is a common concern and topic of conversation in the club’s weekly meetings.

“I think there are a lot of issues going on in the school with going green, but I think that there’s hope for the future and I think that people are starting to see that we need to make changes in order to save our planet and address the continuous environmental issues facing our school community,” Cohen said.

photo by jessica gallo

features

08 the lion’s tale

Making of a mural josie stein features editor As students and faculty walk past the theater towards the cafeteria, they can’t help but notice notice a major project taking form. The art department has been painting a mural that spans the length of the wall between the cafeteria and music room.

The idea to paint a mural on an Upper School wall was originally proposed in the spring of 2018 by alumni Ilana Kaplan (‘19), who brought a preliminary sketch design to art teacher Benjamin Tellie.

He communicated with the administration in order to get the mural approved.

“Ilana Kaplan designed this really beautiful image, and she started with one that said, ‘It is a tree of life to those who are fast to it,’” Tellie said. “The conversation I had with the administration was to add more dimensions to it.”

Upper School Principal and Associate Head of School Dr. Marc Lindner suggested painting the mural on the wall between the cafeteria and theater because it sees a lot of foot traffic. Lindner approved the final design which features artistic representations of things CESJDS values, such as STEM, the arts and Judaism.

“I’m so excited about it,” Lindner said. “I think it’s going to add a lot to the community, and the fact that it’s student-led is exactly what we want.”

Beginning at the rightmost entrance to the cafeteria, the mural follows the direction of the ramp.

From left to right, the mural features a paintbrush stroke of a rainbow, bringing awareness to the LGBTQ+ community. Above the rainbow, students painted a tree, colored pencils, athletic equipment and the JDS mascot. The design flows into a depiction of a globe, circled by a DNA double helix. Moving to the right, the Kotel and a Torah connect to the Israeli

and American flags. A curved music staff feeds into a cherry blossom tree that bookends the mural.

During the first week of April, students began sketching the de-

Sophia has worked on the mural since its early stages: sketching the design off of wall projections, applying the primer and meticulously painting the foreground, which will ultimately require about nine gallons of paint.

“It’s really cool “It’s really cool to work on to work on something something that we will see when that we will see when we walk into school for the next we walk into school for the next few few years.” years,” Sophia said.

According to Tel- freshman sophia lindner lie, art students are trying to incorporate every aspect of the sign outline on the wall. Art students JDS community into the mural, from with an interest in painting work on mathematics to ceramics. Due to the the mural during their class periods collaborative nature of the mural, with Tellie. Freshman Sophia Lind- Tellie is open to hearing additional ner helps paint the mural during her suggestions from students. seventh-period art and design class.

“There is such a diverse specShe described the process of bring- trum of perspectives [in art classes ing the design to life as hard work and at JDS] … we get to show our but also calming and therapeutic. diversity and pluralism through this

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[mural],” Tellie said.

Tellie has never worked on a project on this grand of a scale but said the experience has helped him grow as a teacher and as an artist. He credits the mural’s progress to the collaborative environment at JDS. “It really challenges the students and me as a teacher to work through every step together,” Telliesaid.

In recent years, the presence of public art at JDS has been growing.

Mostly concentrated in the hallway surrounding the art classrooms, students have painted smaller murals, portraits and designs. While the mural-in-progress is scheduled to be completed by the end of final exams, there are hopes to continue this trend in the future.

“This is definitely something we can continue to explore,” Lindner said. “We’ll see where this takes us.”

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6 photos by josie stein

1. The original mural design features a quote from the Torah. 2. After multiple drafts, the final design was approved. 3. Sophomore Jack Weitzner paints the lion’s head.

4. Freshman Justin Roth paints a green colored pencil. 5. Freshman Dalia Siegel paints the top of a red paintbrush. 6. The right half of the mural is almost complete.

Wellness works

features

the lion’s tale 09

A rundown of JDS’ new mental health initatives photo courtesy of ethan kulp, dimensions yearbook Jewish history teacher Dr. Dan Rosenthal (‘00) pets a dog at last year’s JDS Wellness Palooza, part of JDS’ wellness initiative. These Paloozas feature therapy dogs, music and organizational tools during stressful times of the year.

photo by rochelle berman Freshman Maytal Polonetsky takes a nap in the Quiet Room. The small lamp illuminating her is meant to be the room’s only source of artificial lighting other than candles. The whiteboard also features inspirational messages.

maya preuss and rochelle berman tended period of time was first visreporter and guest writer ited in the summer of 2018 and then again in the fall, but there were no classrooms available. The idea was The administration brought back the Quiet Room to help alleviate revisited again after the class of 2019 stress due to the continued empha- left for Israel in late February, and sis on mental health throughout the with the help of cooperative teachers school. This change is in addition to including Rabbi Reuvane Slater and the Wellness Palooza and the Mental Shelli Putterman-Kenett, a room was made available starting on April 29.

Health Awareness Zman Kodesh.

“Kids here can get really focused The Quiet Room offers many opportunities for relaxation, includ- on accomplishments, grades, learning art, yoga, quiet workspaces and ing, performance and all of that’s meditation. It is open to students important and good; we’re a school every day of the week during Com- after all,” high school guidance counmunity Time and lunch in room 318. selor Rachel Soifer said. “We want Faculty also have the opportunity to students to know that they can do make use of the room during their that and also have a balance by relaxing and letting go of that stress perifree periods.

After it had been experimented odically to take care of both sides of with twice for a limited period of what they need.”

Freshman Talia Jacobsohn has time, the idea of making the Quiet utilized the Quiet Room multiple Room available everyday for an ex-

times as she believes that it is a great place to relax during the day.

“The Quiet Room is very valuable for students because during the school day there is so much going on and a lot of pressure and stress,” Jacobsohn said. “It definitely helps me to sometimes calm down and it is a better place to get work done because I don’t get as distracted.”

In addition to the Quiet Room, students can join the Mental Health Awareness (MHA) club, which meets every Thursday during Community Time.

The MHA club was started by alumni Ilana Kaplan (‘19) and Lois Richman (‘19) in response to the controversial Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” during the spring of 2017.

High school guidance counselor Melissa Gartner, Soifer and Dean of Students Roslyn Landy serve as advisers for the club.

One of the club’s main goals is to eliminate the stigma around mental health and acknowledge the reality that a multitude of JDS students struggle with mental health. Junior and president of the MHA club Mia Pearce also struggled with mental health and decided to join the club.

“I came [to MHA] and loved it, and I thought it was so interesting to learn about the stigma that surrounds mental health, and why it isn’t talked about,” Pearce said.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one out of every five children ages 13-18 struggle with a mental illness.

While the MHA club meets weekly to have a supportive space to talk about the everyday problems of all students at JDS, Pearce wanted to spread the club into other parts of the school to further reduce the stigma of mental illness. After meeting with administrators and faculty, Pearce’s idea was developed into a relaxation Zman Kodesh to be offered during Rosh Chodesh.

The first session of the Relaxation Rosh Chodesh in January was

focused on staying calm during chaotic school days. Students engaged in a discussion on anxiety and how everyone portrays their emotions differently. In February, students

and Community Time and will include several tables of different wellness resources and tips. Back by popular demand will be therapy dogs, music and tools for staying organized and studying for finals. Other activities will include art, yoga, planting, crossword puzzles “I think that everyone can benefit and trivia games from paying attention to their about famous peomental health.” ple who had mental illnesses.

- guidance counselor rachel soifer “I think wellness can come in every little decision you make and watched selected scenes from the making that a priority in your life is movie “Inside Out.” The following what we’re hoping we’re instilling in day, they discussed and analyzed the each of you,” Gartner said. scenes.

“The conversation that we had was completely student-led,” Pearce said. “To hear [students] and to get that conversation going was so incredible and eye-opening to me.”

As a follow-up activity, each student was given a sheet of paper with a picture of the character “Sadness,” and was instructed to write helpful things to say to a friend who seems upset. Each student walked out of “Relaxation” Rosh Chodesh with a sheet of paper that could potentially aid them in supporting their friends.

Soifer believes that this supportive environment and meaningful discussion has sparked even more conversation in students’ everyday lives.

“I think that everyone can benefit from paying attention to their mental health,” Soifer said. “Starting our morning in a positive and calm frame of mindsets a healthy tone for the challenges of the day.”

Soifer and Gartner are also hoping a return of the Wellness Palooza will help students maintain their mental health as they approach the stressful period of final exams after the success of last year’s.

The Wellness Palooza will be held outside on June 3 during lunch

sports

Spring Season Playoff Scores

High School Boys Varsity Baseball Quarterfinal Win vs. Hebrew Academy 9-4 Boys Varsity Baseball Semifinal Loss @ St. Anselm’s 2-6 Girls Varsity Softball Quarterfinal Win vs. Hebrew Academy 14-4 Girls Varsity Softball Semifinal Loss vs. Burke 13-15 Boys Varsity Volleyball Win vs. Don Bosco 3-2

Middle School Boys Middle School Baseball Semifinals Win vs.

Field 17-1 Boys Middle School Baseball Championship Win vs. Mclean 10-0 Girls Middle School Softball Semifinals Loss vs.

Sandy Spring 7-23

Fall Tryouts High school tryouts for boys varsity soccer, girls varsity soccer, girls varsity volleyball, girls junior varsity volleyball and girls varsity tennis will be on August 20-22.

Middle school tryouts for boys soccer, girls soccer and girls volleyball will be on August 27-30.

Cross country first day of practice will be on August 20.

compiled by sophia miller

Students fence in Junior Olympics hannah davis reporter Although the school doesn’t have a fencing team, not one, but two CESJDS students competed at the Junior Olympics in Denver over Presidents Day weekend, along with a few thousand other fencers.

“It was a bit overwhelming,” sophomore Solomon Reichbach said.

“The competition was pretty crazy; the kids were really good and there were a lot of kids.”

This was Reichbach’s first time qualifying for and attending the fencing Junior Olympics. He has been fencing for two years and practices at the DC Fencers Club in Silver Spring three to four times a week for about four-and-a-half hours total. Reichbach became interested in fencing while watching the 2016 Olympics with his family. “[My favorite part of fencing is] the mental game because you have to be pretty physically qualified, but if you are just not thinking about what you’re going to do, you will not do very well,” Reichbach said.

Freshman Lev BenAvram has been fencing for eight years, and

SPRING SPORTS RECAP

10 the lion’s tale

this was his third time qualifying and competing in the Junior Olympics. He fences at the Capital Fencing Academy in North Bethesda five days a week for about 15 hours per week.

“I wanted to do an interesting sport and I might have wanted to do archery but I didn’t really know,” BenAvram said. “But my parents said ‘you’re not doing archery,’ and then I did fencing.”

There are three types of fencing: foil, épée and saber. While Reichbach fences épée, which focuses on defense, and BenAvram fences Saber, which is very quick and aggressive, the training for the two disciplines is similar. Training exercises include fencing other people, practicing one on one with a coach, doing drills, footwork training, leg and ab workouts and running.

Reichbach’s coach, Janusz Smolenki, said that in order to reach the Junior Olympic level, fencers must consistently practice and regularly participate in competitions.

While practice is important, so is collaboration between all parties, according to BenAvram’s fencing coach, George King.

“To be a successful fencer, you have to have a partnership with your coach,” King said. “I ask him [BenAvram] all the things he thinks he can do to make himself better and then I give him my input and he takes that and gets the most out of both of them.”

Both Reichbach and BenAvram’s parents support their sons in many different ways, including keeping their sons calm by meditating between matches. Jennifer Re-

ichbach drives her son to practices and competitions. Debra BenAvram said that at competitions, she tries to help her son focus and maintain a positive mindset, even if he did not perform well. She says that “sometimes our [parents’] job is just to carry the water.”

Both Reichbach and BenAvram hope to continue fencing in college and dream of competing in the Olympics one day as well.

photo by jennifer reichbach Sophomore Solomon Reichbach lunges at his opponent during the fencing Junior Olympics in Denver.

Boys Varsity Baseball

Boys Varsity Track

Record: 9-3

“There is also a big gap between throwers and sprinters and distance runners and I think that next season we can work to improve the community between all the aspects of the track team” -Freshman Rebecca Safra

“It was great season and a step forward from last year and we look to keep building on that and hopefully we can field just as strong as a team next year and be possibly better.”

-Head coach Steven Forestieri

Girls Varsity Softball Record: 8-1-1

Boys Varsity Tennis Record: 2-4 “Throughout the season, the more we worked together, the better of a team we became. At the end of the season Adam and [I] won the championship for a first doubles and the rest of the team did well as well.”

-Freshman Jason Vinokur

“We have all played together for so long and that we are all underclassmen, so while we weren’t happy with the outcome of this season, we have a lot of hope for what’s to come.”

-Sophomore co-captain Jane Trainor photos courtesy of dimensions, yearbook compiled by sally rogal and sophia miller

style

the lion’s tale 11

Singers bring the madness ivan endelman reporter

photo courtesy of dana harris

The high school a cappella group Shir Madness released their album “More Than Madness,” on Feb. 13 with a collection of nine songs.

Shir Madness is tightly knit and participates in activities such as their own Shabbaton together. Producing an album, though, was a new experience, which vocal music teacher and a capella instructor Aaron Dunn had been thinking about for years.

“I’ve been wanting to make recordings since I got here because I tried to make some recordings semester one of being here but didn’t have the resources to do so. It’s been three years in the making,” Dunn said. “The new experience brought new challenges, such as the new professional atmosphere and the demand to perform well on the first few takes.”

The album was funded by the JDS marketing and arts departments.

Sound engineers were hired from the House of Musical Traditions, which brought in all the equipment necessary and recorded the songs in the theater. The recordings took about two hours, with each song being performed twice in order to choose the better version.

Junior, student conductor and tenor singer Ethan Kulp was satisfied with the way the album turned out.

“Practicing may sometimes be hard, but when we’re singing together, it’s all worth it,” Kulp said. “It’s just such a pure feeling.”

The album includes Darkeinu, Pompeii, Lo Et Avoteinu, Wrecking Ball, Shir LaMa’alot, Ma’oz Tzur, Brother, Amen and Nachamu.

When listening to Shir Madness, students are connected to their Jewish identity. Freshman Jason Vinokur felt

moved by the album, especially his favorite song, Ma’oz Tzur.

“I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of Jewish holidays at my synagogue, where we all come together to celebrate. I will definitely be on the lookout for more albums,” Vinokur said.

The production of the first album was a stepping stone for the group, and they are looking to continue to produce songs and albums in the future, according to Dunn.

“It was something that Shir Madness had not done for a long time, so to be able to be at a musical level worthy of putting online was a really nice achievement for the group,” Dunn said.

Apple Music vs. Spotify: Streaming showdown lincoln aftergood reporter When my friends ask me if I listen to Spotify, I laugh and say no. I exclusively use Apple Music as it is a better option than Spotify.

Apple Music has many crucial advantages over Spotify. For one, it has a library of 50 million songs providing a vast variety of music selections, while Spotify only has around 35 million songs. Apple Music also signs artists for exclusive sneak-peaks of songs, interviews and behind-the-scenes videos, unlike Spotify.

Not only does Apple Music have more songs, but it is easier to share playlists and mixes with friends. If you want to listen to a friend’s playlist, there is a whole section dedicated to just that, in addition to what your friend has recently been listening to. Combine this aspect with the multitude of playlists created by Apple’s “curated experts” that are updated each day to get an endless amount of song selections.

The experts regularly update the playlists with new songs being shuffled in and old-

er songs being taken out. This constant variety is a refreshing experience for the listener and provides an opportunity to hear the latest songs from your favorite artists.

One of the most crucial aspects of Apple Music that makes it superior to Spotify is the app itself. The simple layout makes it easy to follow where all the features are and to keep track of your own songs. Additionally, the ease of downloading songs and creating playlists makes it a pleasure to use Apple Music.

You might say that Spotify is better because it has a free option. However, both paid accounts are $9.99 and Spotify’s free accounts are riddled with commercials even while music is playing. Apple Music has a free option as well where you can listen to its radio stations such as the popular Beats One Radio or others.

The decision between downloading either Spotify or Apple Music is an easy one to make as Apple Music has a better layout and more variety.

mimi lemar reporter Spotify is the trailblazer, the trendsetter, the community builder and the opportunity giver. Whenever I am in a bad mood, I put my headphones in and open Spotify. I love seeing what my friends are listening to and what songs are on the playlists Spotify customizes for me.

The music is not what makes the app; it’s the app that makes the music.

Spotify gives users so much more than music. From podcasts, artist playlists, concert listings, friend activity, audiobooks, personalized playlists and so much more, Spotify is the whole package.

Users can create playlists, have access to all the songs available in the app, and listen while traveling abroad without even paying for premium. This free feature is incredible, and is geared towards those who cannot afford to pay for music.

Although Spotify might not be as visually appealing as Apple Music, Spotify launched

about eight years before Apple Music and was an innovator in mainstreaming a low-cost music streaming service. Additionally, I can follow my friends, browse their playlists and see what they are listening to in real time.

Many of my friends have incredible taste in music and help me expand my palette, since I am normally limited in my song selections.

Artist playlists can help you connect to your favorite artists and see what inspires them. Artists have an option to create their own playlists with their favorite songs that are open to users to listen to and follow. It is small things like this that distinguish Spotify from Apple Music.

Spotify is a true representation of a community that is geared to your passions and what you like. This community is created through following my friends and artists, and personalizing playlists. Whatever your music taste is, you can get the most out of using Spotify with its specific features designed to suit you.

compiled by irit skulnik

50 million songs 28 million paid subscribers in the United States

Standard plan costs $9.99 per month Family plan costs $14.99 per month

35 millions songs 26 million paid subscribers in the United Sates

Premium plan costs $9.99 per month Family plan costs $14.99 per month

style 12 the lion’s tale

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Sophomore Tali Kuperberg

"I went to Israel [because] my brother's in Israel; he's a senior. Normally, I’m never able to travel over spring break because of Passover ... but being in Israel was really exciting."

Freshman Adina Schwartz

"I went to Florida because my family lives there and we did seders and the rest of Pesach there. I had fun seeing my family and hanging out in the nice weather.”

Junior David Bisker

"I went to Colombia. It was the cheapest price, [in] South America, and we speak the language.

I loved being out of school, the sunshine and the beach."

History teacher Mark Buckley

"I went to London and Wales. I figured I had the time and the motivation to do so ... The best part was experiencing the history in the various castles."

STEM Coordinator Cassandra Batson

"My husband and I went to Shanghai and Hong Kong. I got to eat amazing food and spend quality time with my husband... having time to spend with him was really nice."