The RaDl PageV
Volume XXVII Number 2
The Ramaz Upper School
Ramaz Networks
Wcltotne to (10,11419 Point llRAVA
Computers
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by Evon K Farber Always cagcr to make use of new technology, Ramaz has greatly expanded the computer services that will be available to students and faculty in the coming year. Mr. Zev Berman worked through the summer to insure that more students will be •ble to use the computers more extensively and for a
wider range or functions. Ramaz now has an "academic compu1cr network" as well as an administrative network. Mr. Berman says lhat the major change 1hat occurred over the "ummcr was the net
working of the hbrary com p u ters. Now, a l l five computers In the library, as well as all the machines in the computer room, can be used
in1crchangcably: all arc now uscable both for WordPerfect and CD ROM databases. As of late last year. only the computer room was connected ro the Jnremei. Soon. Ihe com p:.ireB hl-thc hbrar:Y""wlU have \ntemct access as well. :md up
perclassmen :md faculty mcm• bers will be able 10 apply for an E-mail address on Ramaz·s system. Mr. Berman wants everyone to get a chance to use the school's computers as much as possible. He therefore hopes to network the machines in the classrooms, the SAC, and the {conrinurd on pag� J)
Inside this Issue: New � Teachers page4 Summer 'Music 1� � page 5 l.c-
August-Septcmbcrl994/Elul 5754-Tishrci 5755
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School Opens in August for First Time Ever
by Danielle Druck In order to prepare students for all of the Yamim Noraim. which fall out on the earliest ' dates since 1937. Ramaz opened its doors carher than it ever had before. Orientations were held on August 30 and31. and the first day of school was September I. To compensate for the early opening. the school has >dded Bolh cors ond good"lll now tr1n·cl freely bcluccn Jsrncl ond Jordan. additional v�c:uion clays 10 its calendar. Thanksg1vmg and intersession breaks arc now longer. The stated purpose of the early opening was 10 give stu dents opponunities 10 learn by Ariel Adesnik one another as a portent for the Lebanese border and es about the holidays. and there Last year, the idea of Israel positive relations, vastly differ calation often seemed to be im• was a Rosh Ha Shana assembly being at peace with its neigh- ing from the cold peace with minent. on the first day on the theme of bors seemed to be far in the Egypt. A key facet of the agreement Gim1lut Ch,sadim and the future, many years past the exThe cessation of war was with Jordan wa� the almost im Yamim Noraim. featuring pcrimcntal periods outlined in welcomed by almost everyone mediate opening of the border Danny Siegel. However. some in Israel. Not only did Labor wilh Israel. Construction on students complained that none the agreement with the PLO. Yet barely a month ago. and Likud rejoice at news of six roads was scheduled to of their teachers used the class Prjme Minister Yitthak Rabin rhe pc;ice. but even Elyakim begin as 'iOon as possible. room to teach about the :md King Hussein became lhc--H:::iettnf.7..JTicfTibc:r-or the umc:rous teen toun v11ncd hohd3)"'. right wing Tehiya party and the crossmg near E,hu and first heads of stale to address a Ccrtmn d1�rupoons l't!Sultcd joint session of Congress former Knesset Member. was others saw King Hussein Oy an from lhe early opcnrng. Junior together. Live on n:ational glad that peace had been air force jct through Israeli Aliza Katz had ro leave her television. they declared that achieved. airspace. A small numOCr of summer program early in order Israel and Jordan would rather For many 11 was an easy tourists have already s1aycd in to rctum to school. Others, like make money than war. peace 10 accept only because Jordan before coming 10 Israel. senior Chaim Davis, looked on Various joint projects ore in the bright side. "'lncrc arc only The affection they showed Israel surrendered no land, in for each other provided a sharp stead giving up water rights the works. There arc already 11 days of school in September contrast to 1hc forced hand- and other minor concessions. plans 10 diven air traffic from anyway," he pointed out op shake between PLO Chairman Despite the treaty, Israelis the busy airport in Eilat to the timistically. "'so what's the big Vasser Arafat and Rabin last remained on edge during the less used one just north of deal?" The earliest that Rosh Ha September thirteenth. Many summer as soldiers were Aqaba. The two countries arc interpreted the affection that wounded or killed daily along Shana can fall is September 4. (ronrinutd on pag� 7) Hussein and Rabin showed for
Peace in our Time?
School Considers Expansion in Search for Solution to Crowding Problem by R<bccca Zausm<r The administration has been considering different options 10 create more space for students. including expanding or remodeling the 78th Street building. One problem facing Ramaz is a severe lack of classroom space. In 1980, the year that the 78th Street building was first in use. there were three classes with 33 students in cnch grade in a building designed to hold four sections of 25 stu dents in each of four grades. This year there will be a total of 439 students in the high school. In the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades, there will be five sec lions of sIudenIs in every sub ject excepl malh, where the need for smaller classes re quires the addition of a sixth section.
Overcrowding is also a students admillcd as freshmen problem in some other ways. is responsible for the over Some of the students scheduled crowding. While the number of students admillcd to Ramaz 10 eat second period lunch do not fit in the lunchroom and has increased in past years, it is have to cat in 1he auditorium. because Ramaz is shouldering This creates extra work for the part of a regional increase in maintenance staff. The school students attending both was also fifteen lockers shon of yeshiva high schools and their the amount needed for the feeder schools. The major cause of the in freshman class, a problem solved by placing 22 new lock c reasc has b e e n that the ers where the an display space average number of children in on the Seventh noor used to be. Orthodox Jewish families in Dr. creased from an average of two to According Shudofsky, change< in educa in 1980 to three in 1990. TI1is tional methods, technology. has w or s e ned crowding and Jewish demographics have problems in high schools even contributed to the school's more 1han in clcmcnlary problems. He added that the schools. because lherc arc original layout of the building fewer yeshiva high schools docs not completely fit the than there were Ien years ogo. As expected, the number of ap• needs of today. Many people feel, however, plicants to Ramnz has in thnt the incrca�ing number of creased every yc>r, with only
one third of all applicants being accepted this past year. At Ramaz, the increase in the amount of students has been compounded by a diminishing amount of class room space. Ramaz has more guidance staff and "',nformar· educators than it did a decade ago. For example, tl1c number of college advisers has in creased from two lo three, which resulted in the College Office being given a larger work space. Because of Ihc emphasis on regular guidance, the number of advisers for each grade has been increased from one to two. There has also been an inc reasc in the number of department chairpersons and student nc1ivity coordinators, (conrin11t1J on pagt 8}
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The RamPage
Editorials Write Makes Might One of Ramaz's most heralded initiatives is its fresh.man writing program. \Vith small classes containing no more than fifteen students and sometimes as rcw as ten, students are able to rapidly hone their writing skills. The key factor is that the small class size enables the teacher to give more attention to each student and enables the students to read and discuss each other's work. Unfortunately, the administration has yet to institute a similar program for the sophomores and juniors and as a result they receive insufficient writing in.struction. Class time is devoted wholly to lectures and discussions of litcrature and teachers fmd themselves unable to return papers and discuss them with students within a reasonable time frame. These are two related problems that have to be addressed in order to achieve this goal. Many students complain that they are not able to improve their writing because they must hand in assignments before having previous ones returned. Others complain that the sparse commentary on their papers also pre,·ents them from being able to improve. Recent changes in the English curriculum include the ad dition of writing periods for sophomores and weekly writing assignments for sophomores and juniors. These improve• ments wiU help st·udents. However, we have learned that the best way to improve one's writing skills is lo edit. One way lo to do so is to create time for students to discuss each other's work by reducing the number or required books, essays, and poems to provide extra time for tttls purpose. The irutilution of writing lab periods works to this end, but to be rully cITecth·e these periods must be at least a wc-ekly occurrence. With efTcctive labs, teachers will not need to spend the time after school that many allot for conferences with students who need help. Instead tttls time can be used to grade papers and give in-depth commentary so that students ha,•e their papers returned on time and can use their teacher's comments to their advantage. The excellence of Ranlllz's writing program must be main tained. Not onJy is writing the most important skiU students need to continue their studies al college or elsewhere, but it is also a skill universally necessary in professional life.
For the Freshmen From experience we know that entering Ramaz can be trying. In ninth grade, keeping up with a six day schedule and up to one hundred new classmates occupied almost all or our time. The last things on our minds were extra•curricular activities. But looking back, we got much more (propor tionately) out of the few hours we spent after school each week than out of the eight we spent in school each day. Since all classes conbin students or only one form, after school was one of the few chances we had to meet older students. It was also the only chance we had to meet teachers other than those who taught our classes, and we were able to get to know them in a relaxed environment. We learned a lot about Ramaz from older friends, and much of what we learned helpcd get us through the trials of freshman year. So take the late bus once or twice a week. Find a club you feel comfortable in. You1 II be glad you did.
The Ram Page� EDITORS•IN-C111£F
Diary
by Erin Leib July 30, 1994. 3:27 AM. It is my last night in England and I must recognize that my time at Cambridge University is drawing to a close. Here I sit reOccting upon a summer of growth and new under standing. The environment in which I've lived for the past month has been wonderful. Whether punting [boating] on the River Cam, drinking tea at the his toric Grn.ntchcster apple or chard. or simply walking along the cobblestone streets of Cambridge. I felt privileged and excited. The 3 I colleges that comprise Cambridge University each have 1heir own character and possess a ccnain beauty. I have grown to ap• prcciatc the deep-rooted his tory of them all. The people here were inter esting, though far from the diverse crowd I'd expected. What was most striking about the group as a whole was how very similar they were to the peer group that I know at
August-September 1994/Elul 5754-Tishrci 5755
school. The dynamics were all myself remcmbermg a conver the same. I've come to realize sation that I had weeks ago. A that the "Jewish world" that I resident counselor approached live in is very much a part of the me and questioned me about my religious practices. She '"real world." My courses here were good. began by politely asking me to My psychology class was quite explain the presence of a enjoyable. It lacked intensity. mezuzah on my door. I recall but was nevertheless infonna feeling a certain excitement at tive. Debating - British Style. the prospect of having others my enrichment class, was force me to rethink what has great. Debating in the otherwise become routine. A Cambridge Union. an age-old mezuzah has always hung from debating chamtx:r, was an ex each doorpost in my house. hilarating activity. The am Never before had I consciously bience contributed greatly to considered its meaning. In ex• the experience. Inside the plaining its significance to classroom I've learned little another person, I too compared to that which I (re)leamed a lesson. It was that night that I began 10 ponder learned outside. My intention this summer Judaism and its meaning in my was 10 shed all of my habits and life. Since then. through much prejudices. I wanted to leave behind all "security blankets;· conversation and even more in trospection. I've come to ap social or religious, in order to emerge as a stronger in preciate religion. I feel lucky dividual. I felt that foreign sur• to have been brought up with roundings would allow me the gift of structure and '"higher freedom to explore myself and goals." I feel proud to be part of a community, of a group others. They did. In trying to recall my first with a heritage wonh boasting ··revelatory" moment, I find about.
G.O. Letter September I 994 since all work in language is First and foremost. we wel cumulative, quizzes do not come you back to school and have to conform to the rule.) hope that you all had an enjoy We arc strongly considering the option of making � able and relaxing summer. School will be gelling off to Complaint Forms available in the SAC for students when they a slow stan because of 1hc up coming holidays, but we have feel that a teacher has given an starced planning programs that unfair quiz. Some people feel we hope will be successful. that the rule itself is inherently Your input during this part of inadequate and we would like the year is essential; listed are lo hear alternatives to the cur a few of our upcoming ac rent rule. tivities: 2. Student Advisory 1. Revision of quiz policy. Board. Students who are As it stands today. students feel punished for breaking the rules 1hat the "quiz rule." the require at Ramaz do not have a fom,al ment that quizzes cover no body of representation to more than three clays worth of defend them. We would like to material, is being abused in function as a board for such many classes. Since it is very students; we would be able to difficult lo objectively deter• provide advice to those who mine exactly how much need it and present their case to material a quiz covers, the administration when neces loopholes in the rule are bound sary. Establishing this board to surface. (A foreign lan requires much foresight; if you guage teacher may claim that would like to be involved in
working oul the guidelines please come forward and give us your ideas. 3. Simchat Beil Ha• Shocvah. We are geumg ready for this ycar·s Sukkah pany, and we want )q,do all 1JµJ we can to make sure lhn.t it w\\\ be, better than ever. Students who would like to join us in plan ning this event should speak up: student participation is what makes these events suc cessful. Again. welcome back and w e hope you enjoy the holidays. Ben Lebwohl. President Ariel Simon. SVP Josh Zable, JVP Steven Haber. Secretary Rachel Farbian, Treasurer
Ramshackles by Colin Falk
Ariel A.dcsttlk ♦ Danielle Druck t EY&n K. f'arbc:r
ASSOCIATE £DITORS
Qwll Bloom • Enn Hochlxrg • Rtbccc■ busmcr
MANAGING £01TORS Den Ltbwohl • Jeuka Rtuk
-THI! IS AN' A'PfLI:,
COPVD>ITOR Qd\yMart>.ch LAYO\JT EDITOR EvanSmlLh JUNIOR EDITOR C,\nl..db SENIOR NP.WSSTAFF Uans Dayme • Aly,sa Kltppcr • Dahlia I.and, FACULTY AIJVISEH Mr All.1c:r10oc:t1.
-7Hli IS A jAI{ "F HoN,e),;'
-1HP 'T/./E ,',PPLE !,V ,ME K<:>.vc y.
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August-September 1994/Elul 575-1-Tishrei 5755
Page 3
The RamPage
Op in io n :
Back to the Basics
by Evan Hochb..-g f Ramaz students .products o f thirteen years o day school educa tion. ru-e thought to be well prcpru-ed to survive the threa ts to Jewish idcn lity on a college campus. However, while Ramaz spends time in side and outside the classroom prepru-ing students to face anti Sem it ism and assorted mis sionaries, very liule effort is expended preparing students to face perhaps the grc;itest threat 10 their Jewishness-themsel ve s. When a student enters h ig h school, it is assume d that he has been taught certain rudimen tary bel iefs of Orthodoxy, e.g. that God dictated the Torah at Sinai or tliat a Mashiach will come and rebuild the Temple. The Student can then learn clas ses on subjects that take those rud i men tary bel i efs for granted. The problem is that before high school the student is spoo n-fed the basics without understand ing why they arc val i d . Afler leaving Ramaz many students cont inue to take the spoon-fed basics as givens be cause the notion thal 1hosc belie fs have a logical founda1ion is gi ven minimal con .sidcr•tian. Thi& can cause many prob\cms� u any sc.lf conscious adult win ev entually challenge his beliefs on a ra tional level, and if he hu no answers ready he might even tua l ly abandon his bel ief. Often, the pro blem starts earlier, u ma ny students begin to think a bout their bel ie fs while st i l l in high scho ol. Many times d u ring c l ass a quest ion is asked a bo ut a sim ple yet essential pan of Juda ism. At that point an i ntel ligent debole of the issue could s trengthen the studen t's belief enough 1h01 the q uestion would be answered satis fa ctori ly. Unfortunately, the teacher wil l onen dismiss the quest ion as tangential and ans wer it by rcs1a 1ing the belief in question. Though the teacher h a s saved clus time. the question w i l l o n l y b e c o m e more dangerous if it is not answered fully, as the as ker will feel that
Computer Networks fcontin •td/rom pagt I I College Office within the next ycru-. He has also purchased modems that he hopes wil l eventually enable Ramaz stu dents working al home lo hook up 10 the school 's computers. However, Mr. Berman has been v e ry c a r e f u l a b o u t sec u r i ty on t h e s c h o o l ' s machines. Ile has installed several sccurily programs, in· cluding one 1ha1 will restrict users 10 logging into the net work only fro m the proper
he is be in g dece ived or avoided. l.31er, when ii reap pears, the question will find the s tudent alone, w11hou1 the necessary aid ofa teacher. It i< likely 1ha1 the student will not be able 10 answer his question and might choose ,rotionally. 10 conclude that Judaism as a whole makes liule sense and that there is lillle need for ob servance. Though this will not happen always or even oflcn, is it fair that any one student should be abandoned in this way? Many people would respond that the re arc many Jew ish resources available on campus and in every community. And that the student should have taken advantage of them . However, it is much easier for a person in • crisis 10 lake the easy route of rejecting faith rather than finding • rabbi or teacher who can bolster 1ha1 faith. That is why it is imper•• tive that 3. studcn1 's questions be answered by ony rabbi or teacher who hears them. The only way 10 insure that this is done is to crca1c a class where it is not tangential to question. debate. and seek ex planations for the many bel iefs csscn 1ial 10 Judaism. Jn this clas., the f<Ku:1 woukl noc be ...w h11l do we be lieve? ,. but rather ..why do we bc1icvc7.. Students who comp lete this class would begin to feel pride in bel ieving in a rational way and would know the proper way to deal with the quest ions that wi ll uisc later on in life. Though some people will think that it is dangerous to allow students to open ly ques t ion the1t religion, those people arc mistak ing the vacc ine for the disease. Few would argue that o person should not be given a tra ce amount of ham• ful bocteria under medical su pervision in order 10 prevent the eve ntual occurre nce of a full blown in fecti on. Similar ly, a Jew will eventu ally que s tion his beliefs. II is much safer if this is done under the supcr vi sion of trained educators. rather than risk thal it happens when no one 1s ru-o und to help. location. Thi s will prevent SIU· dents working at home from tinke ring with the Ramaz net work, but will also prevent sc hool sec retaries from work ing anywhere but 31 their own desks. The computer system has a l so gone through several smaller improvements. The school now has two new laser printers . one in the computer room and one in the library. And all computers now use upgraded software, including WordPerfect 6.0 and Pascal. The computer room has nlso changed aesthetically. There arc no longer desks with
Th• ETS guide to scoring changos. ETS felt that d..pite th• slmpl< nolu re of the change, It "'"' best lo avoid tny po.s.sible conru.slon.
SAT Sco res to Rise by Avera ge of l 00 Points Afte r ETS Changes CuNe by Btn ubwohl Students in Ramu and a ll over the country collect ive ly raised their eyebrows when, in the first days of summer. the Educa1 1onal Test ing Service announced that it w i ll be changing the scoring curve on the Scholastic Assessment Test starting in April of 1 995. Students' scores will be on the . tverage one hundred poin1s higher than what they would have been under the current
below. ETS is now selling both avcrogcs at 500, thus clearing up potcnlial confusion. Rru-naz students, who hsten wilh keen cars to news about standardized ICSIS, greeted the curve change w i 1h mixed rcac• tions. While some students were cxc i1cd at the p ro5pccl of scoring higher and a few began to wonder if they cou ld now achieve a perfect 1 600, others shrugged off the news as i r relevant. Senior Co hn Falk ex• i " sh ft ing th e c ur ve plai ned that ""c ha ngi ng the do csn 't so lve the p rob ac tual num ber of a score will be lem of education in mean ingless if the change is th is c ou nt ry. . . th e across thef boru-d." On the pos sibility o reaching a perfect cu rvt! ch ang e do t!s not s,c;orc ,. conn Mld that ··• 1 600 imp ro ve th e vo lutt of wi ll noc: mean what i i mcanc one · s pe rfo rm ance. " before."" Many agree that th,s is 1rue system. bu1 ncvertheleu believe 1 ha1 While many st udents see the shift will help those who this u &ood news, ETS is answer ,·cry f ew qucs1ions in• mak ing it c lear 1ha1 the shin in correctly but get heav ily penal scori ng will make the nu mbers ized. One student voiced his easi er to interpret but will not frustrotion that ""now, if I get boost anyone's college chan two que stions wrong on the ces. verbal and two wrong on the According 10 sp oke sm an math, I'm already down nine ty Ray Nicosia, ETS decided to points." chonge the c u rve because Mr. Mi ller, however, ru-gued many studen ts mis interpret lhc this conte ntion. He claimed scores 1ha1 t hey receive. The that it was "only 3 cosmetic verb31 overage today is 424. change and makes very liule while the math average stands difference." He c •pl ained that al 47 8. A student with a 430 ""any body familiru- with s1a1 isverbal score and a 460 math 1 ics unders tands the relat ive score, Mr. N icosia c,plains, value of the grade." will inc orrectly think that his One topic 1ha1 was cause for math score is belie r; in fact, the m uch discussion was the- fact oppos ite is true because the that the national ave rage on the v e r b a l score i s above the SAT fell from 500 on vcrb31 average while the math score is and math sections in 1 94 1 , the machines on lop; specially des igned tables were i nstalled that arc deeper and that have a spocc below for storing the machines. This way students can rest a notebook and a com• puler on the same table, and Mr. Bc,rman can see his stu dents without having to look ab ove lhe monitors.
year lhe te st w:is fi rst ad min iste red, to 424 and 478 lodoy. Mr. Nicosia explai ned the decline in ter ms of the volume and va nc1y of 1he test takers. In 1941 the students who took the test we re fewer in number because a smaller seg ment of the popu lat ion pursued a co llege education. Today a much gre:i1cr pe rcentage of high school students take the test, including m.t ny minorities for whom English is a second la nguage. ETS ou ributes the gradual dcch nc of test scores Ihat started in the cru-ly 1 960's 10 these factors. Some. however. believe \ha\ lhc- dClc\\nc- rcprCAC!'Q • mON scriou..<1: problem. Senior Aaron Tugcndha n com mented tha 1 ..shifl ing 1he curve docsn '1 solve the problem of cducalion in this cou nt ry. We have to Stan deali ng w11h reali ty; the curve change does not improve t he v a l ue o f one ·s perfo r mance." The cur ve shift was the second major cha nge affecti ng the S AT I in the last year. ETS recently chan ged the format of t he test by le ngthening the reading passages to stress criti• cal readi ng, oddi ng ten ""grid i n" n o n - m u l t i p l e c h o ice questions to the math section, and allowi ng the use of cal culators. When asked if ETS will tinker with the test once again in the near fu1urc, Mr. Nicosia, �ou nd m g r e l i eved, said that ""we'll stick with this for a while " .
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The new rompultr room's doublt--us. desk&: l'llhrr n t'Ompulcr or notebook can be pllC'NI on top.
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The RamPage
the Road to Ramaz\Vhile students only see the last stage of hiring teachers the sample ksson, Mr. Miller gave a look of exhaustion as he emphasized that the hiring process takes a lot of time. Ramaz accumulates a vasl nmount of r�sumes. up to two hundred for English and his tory positions (or as little as fifteen for the music posi tions), and, through careful ex amination. selects a single teacher. Herc are t.bc five steps of the process: I. Ramaz generates a list of candidates through advcnise ments in newspapers, general ly the New York Times Sunday Education Employment sec tion. and inquire.c; aOOut avail :tble teachers t h r o u g h placem�nt centers a n d con tacts in other high schools and universities. } 2. The department head rc,ids through tl1e application.,, looking for those teacher.; with t h e b e s t backgrounds. qualifications. 3nd recommen dations and tht·n submits a lisl of acceptable applicants to lvfr. Miller. 3. The best of the ap plicants, usually ten to fiftC(!n in nwnber, come to Ramaz for
interviews; first with the department head and then Mr. Miller. 4. 1l1ose who continue 10 impress ure invited back for a sample lesson. Sample les sons will be given until one of the applicants is chosen to fill the position. 1l1is past year six model lessons were given in both the math and science J depar1n1cnts. � In the event tl,at a positiOllJ is vacated after the school Y""") is over, Mr. Miller said that first "we get very upset" andl t11en uwe 1ook lo those teachers� who made it lo the intcrview,J stage and talk to them agai�." j Step Four is omitted, as giving a model lesson would not be possible. Mr. Miller said that based on the new interview j "we try to imagine how the candidate would be in a classl room," but he added that it is hard to do so and the, hypothetical teaching style is not really considered. l S. Aftcr Mr. Miller ap proves of an npplicant (for a general studies position). the prospective Leacher then meets Rabbi Bakst and finully Rabbi Lookstein, who gives an offi cial leuer of appointment.
Ramaz Welcomes New Teachers Ram Page Staff Mr. Michael llcnsoncomes lo Ramaz after teaching in SUNY Stonybrook and Tren ton State College. He has an MA in Jewish History and is currently completing his dof.> torate in Second Temple Jewish History. He also has a background in Mcdeival and ancient histories. He will be teaching both ninth grade World Jewish His1ory and the AP American History course. He is very excited to come to Ramaz. which he says has a "very good teaching program" and where he can "do what {he) enjoy[s] doing in an atmos phere where [he] do[es] not ha\•e to worry aboul the Chagim." Mr. Andrew Beran, who hails from Scarsdale, is a new addition to the math depart• ment. Before coming to Ramaz, he taught math part time m the public school sys tem. He is presently attending graduate school at New York University, pursuing a degree in math education.
Ms. Alla Bogomolnaya
will teach math to t h e sophomores, juniors, and seniors this year. Originally from 1he former U.S.S.R .. Ms. Bogomolnaya graduated from the Univeres1ty of Kiev (Uk ramc) :ind taught for a number ofyears in a local high sc-hool.
Mr. Dayanim will ll'ach music lo Forms 1.11, antl 111 and nill \\Ork with J\.h. Goldhcrg to dcn•lo1, the R:unaz music- program.
August-September 1994/Elul 5754-Tishrei 5755
For the past four years she has taught in different private schools in New York City. Mr. Hehzad Da)'a n i m rt.!ccntly graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with degrees in jazz and com mercial compos11ion. A native of Portsmouth, Virginia. he has done work on a vancty of short films, videos, and albums. He has sung and pbycd lhc key board m many parts of the globe and has been involved m conccr11: for Jewish outreach. I-le will be tcaclung mu,;ic 1111,;
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Along with teaching math and physics, Dr. Rulf will assume Rabbi Frankel's responsibilities in the bookroom.
year 10 seventh, eighth. and ninth graders, helping Ms. Goldberg with productions and extra--curriculars, and playing music for Chagigot and Shab batonim. Rabbi Ira Kosowsky will teach Talmud and Judaism to freshmen. sophomores. and juniors. Last year he taught in \Vcstchester Hebrew High School. Mrs. Jennifer Markowitz, who was married over the sum mer. will be teaching eighth and ninth grade English. She majored in compara11ve litera• ture at Brown and attained a Masters in English education from Columbia Teachers' Col lege. She has spent 1ime in France am.llsi-acl, ,md sllc taught the past two years in a Bronx public school. She was attracted to Ramaz because she was becoming interested in religion and because "the stu dents care to learn." Rabbi Avram Morell joins the Talmud :ind Judaism departments afler teaching a1 the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, an elementary school in New Jersey. He en joys his classes here so far and IS glad to be part of the faculty. He will lead the junior high davcning.
Rabbi Stepehcn Prcbor,
otherwise known as Ms. Beth Prebor's husband, left Frisch's faculty after three years to teach Talmud here. His first im pression of Ramaz is that "the food is great," and he looks for ward to an exciting year here. Dr. Benjamin Rulf will be teaching math and physics to sophomores and jun 1ors and will be running the book room. Dr. Rulf, who is from Israel, taught in a public high school in Orange. New Jersey last year. Previously he was an en• gincer and once taught math at the University of Tel Aviv. Dr. Robert Shapiro joins lhe history faculty this year nf1cr 1eachipg in Yeshiva Univcrsit)' foT Che tp'as1"\wo·!'\· years. He likes the school so far. and notes that the students arc "plcascnt and hclpf ul, espc• .. dally when [he is] lo�l. Ms. Dorit Yaish. who will teach Hebrew this year wl11le Ms. Melinek takes a sabbatical. laught in Israeli junior lugh schools for many years before coming to the U.S. with her husband, who is a diplomat. She described OCing -- here a,; a "great experience.. :
Music Curriculum Crescendos: New Teacher , Room , and Class by Evan K. Farber
Most studcnls who have recently attended Rarnaz. will no1ice a disparity bclwcc.n the relatively strong art program and the weaker music cur riculum. Ms. Caroll Goldberg has long lamented the very large classes-up to 36 stu dents-and lhc fuct lhat SIU· dents who MC inlcrcstcd in music could not follow a com• ple1c course of study in Ramaz. Ms. Goldberg even menlioncd th:11 lhc strength of the extra curricular uctivitics 1hnt in volve rnu�ic. such as chorus .ind bond. almost eclipse the music clasM:s. Aflcr seniors thrcr years ago complained and Ms. G0ldbcrg pressed tl1c adrninistrallon, the Ramaz music program h. a s been ex• pandoo.
For the first time, juniors have the opporlUnity to con tinue laking mu.sic ins1cod of art, and next year they will be able to move on to Advanced Placement Music. 1l1c new junior course will sludy specific music skills such as reading music notation and in depth analysis of pieces. 1l1c AP will be a theory class, and �tudenl.s will be expected to be familiar with a variety of musi• c a l styles as well. Ms. Goldberg also hopes th.11 stu dents in one of the new classes will l,c able to create their own piccl'S. Jn ye.an, past soph· mores were assigned lo wrilc a blues piece, nnd Ms. Goldberg hopl's musical CTCDlivity will be n:.·b<,rn ol Romaz. About forty juniors arc toking 1he new class 1lds year.
The music room, 702. has cabinet and on to shelves so ht-en r�structurcd. The piano that it is now more cosily use thal was 1herc will now be in oble. This system is connected 504, so that ii c::i.n remain in use to a new keyboard and to a at the same time as the class large-screen television. All of room th.it fonnerly housed it. these will be hooked up to a The desk.< in 702 have been computer, making it possible rcpl:1ced with desks that are for Ms. Goldberg lo use the connected to chairs. This is be CD-ROM in her classes. Ms. cause Ms. Goldberg will be Goldberg says that the CD teaching her classes facing the ROM cun be used for lc.,rning side of the room (whkh holds notati()n and for ear training. :t while blackboard wi1h a She can now use the CD-ROM musicill staff on it) but other and display the program to stu teachers will use the room with dents on the large TV s-crecn. desks facing front. Tl1c Tiu:rc is also a power swilch smaller and more compact that will control all music desk.s can be turned in diiT<'rcnl equipment and insure tlu1t it d ircclions more easily. does not bcc.omc abused. Smaller desks also enuble Mr. Behzad Dayanim hus more students to lit inlo the joined Ms. Goldberg in the classroom. music dl·partmcnt. lloth he ln addition. t.hc sll·rt·o sys� and Ms. Goldberg described tcm wns removed from hs lhc new program as "e-xciting
a n d i n n o v a tive." Ms. Goldberg is e.,cited that '·the scbool cares," and is looking forward to teaching Lhc new class. Mr. Dayunim looks for ward to working in Ramaz. He soys that he will enjoy the op portunity to work with Ms. Goldberg, who has such an "extensive background." He also will be glad to be in a Jewish school, and he notes th;i1 other Jewish schools d o not offer as strong a music pro gram. He hopes to add to the atmosphere at Ramuz, nnd he hopes thol other schools will take Romaz·s lend in improv ing their music programs.
August-September 1994/Elul 5754-Tishrei 5755
Page 5
The RamPage
Summer Sounds Sweeten City
by Yael Schuchtr While most Ramaz students sped off to various summer vacations and tours, New York City remained in session all summer long. For many, the words hsummcr in New York" connote humid weather. swel tering subways, and smog filled streets. Yet the city also affords those who remain there during the summer an ample supply of entertainment for all different tastes and budgets. There were special exhibits at the various New York t he museums. free
Shakespeare performances in Central Park, and the many street fairs featuring the food and food-for-thought of the city's diverse cultures. The most popular pastime for New Yorkers and tourists alike seemed to be listening to music. This summer's con certs attracted huge crowds. catering to music fans of all kinds. Besides hosting Summer fest '94. an assonment of dif ferent groups and bands performing for onlookers,
roller bladers. and picture taking tourists, Central Park was also the site of two free concerts given by the New Philharmonic . York Thousands auended, bringing picnic baskets and blankets to listen to the music of Dvorak, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky under the Manluttan sky. The performances were followed with fireworks and much ap plause. (continu�d on page 6)
Inimitable in Israel-The Nesiya Experience By Leora Eiscnstadt
Four o'clock in the morn• ing. IV, ar, at th, bottom of Mount Ardon in the N,g,v. Having ju5t awakcntd, tlrt group is in a state of confusion. It is comp/,r,/y dark and y,t w, arc bting toltl to form a single file lin, and b,gi11 hiking up th, mountain in complete .silence. \Ve hesitantly follow an un known leader who has begun the hike at a,1 untxpecte<lly S\\ifipace. Asthtsun begins to rise. I ca,1.fin.al/y make out the figure a1 1he head of the /i,ie. lie rues to about six feel n,·o inches but ap{Nars even taller in comparison to the trail of people bclrr'nd 1i/m•'f-tlsOody 1S strong yet worn. The man ltas a sl,ort grey beard and a face that appct1rs aged and deter mined. At the top of the moun tain, wt arc gatherttl toge1her to watch the sunrise. The e11or mous. impori,1g man stamls before us and finally introduces lumself. His name is Eua Orion and hc is an e11viron mental .srulptor m lsrt,el and all o,·rr the world ... Five o'clock 011 a Fridt1y aftcrnoo11. We art sitting ,n a classroom in o fidd school in Jerusal em and Shabba t ,s quickly approarhing. The Jor1y-ftve members ofmy group s,t on chairs ,n an enormous circle. E, eryont ,s exhausted, upset, anti frurtratcd. Angry ,,o,ccs fly across the room. P,ople speak of group u11ity but t1re someti mes simply com plaining. Others argue over how to critici:.c a member of the group or when to begin Shabbot preparatfons. Wt are ,n a group meet;ng trymg to work out the week's problems befor, Shabbat /1egin1. \Ve have been s,lling m Ihm room for two hours....
I have ju<t returned from six incred ible week < '" Israel . These two arc ,omc of my most exciting and enriching ex
periences. A !though I may describe them 1en1a11vely or in even negatively, the rc,ult each case wa, alway, 1hal of a mean ingful and extre mely pt)�111vc experience. Defore I d1scu" my summer in general. I mu<I make a few
All of the programs, al simple requests. As I sat down to write, I realized that I will though differing slightly from probably sound like anyone one another, emphasize the who comes home from a same basic ideas. They con wonderful summer thinking centrate on self discovery from his experience was the best Jewish and secular perspec possible one. I therefore ask tives and on discovering Israel tlut you keep this feeling in through the arts and other crea mind as you read and tlut you tive media. even allow me to advenisc my
the Negev, two weeks in the Gahl, a week in Jerusalem and a week on the Mediterranean. I believe the Negev was chosen very carefully to be the stoning pomt of the trip. The Negev has symbolic meaning in that the descn is the site of the beginning of the nation of Israel, and should therefore also be the stan of a summer in Israel. In addition. the desert had the power to bond a group of fony-five people in a few days. Surrounded only by mountains, rocks. sand, and the other members of the group, a
unification naturally occurs.
The de.sen is a chillin&
and awesome pJac:c th::u 1nsp1rcd a
ticularly long day, we met with a professor from Bczalel, who gave us a short lesson on Jewish an; a Chassidic man. who gave us a tour of Mea Shcarim; and an Israeli Reform rabbi. who spoke to us about religion in Israel. In addition to the discus s i o n s, we attend e d t w o wonderful concerts during that week. Shlomo Gronich, an Is raeli singer who now works with a group of Ethiopians and h a s b e e n to R a m az, a n d Shlomo Barr. a n Israeli singer who uses primarily Eastern and Sephardic melodies. both gave
great deal of discussion u well as private conicmplation. We were literally thrown right into the program and into Israel and
to rea ct w i t h o u t preparation. n,c result was a unified :md curious group of
forced
fony campers and five guides. The next two weeks in the Galil were filled with meeting people from all pans of Israeli society. \Ve visited a Druse vil lage and an ArabChnstian vil lage. each time having an opponun1ty to learn about the cuhure from the people them selves.
Ma'n)ano t hikes Mount Ardon with sculptor Ezro1 Orion.
program in 1he course of this article.
My purpose in writing this
article is to dcscnbe what was
an extremely meaningful sum mer for me :md one which might appeal to others as well. I panicipatcd in a program run by the Ncsiya Institute which operates out of the J.C.C. ufCleveland. Ohio. As of th•" past summer, the in stitute offered three possible summer option� in Israel and is looking 10 create an additional
community "crv1cc option for ncxl �ummcr. The cxi�ting
progrJm< include a five wt<;k program called Ne11vot. a six progra m called week Maayanul. and the original ,even week progrnm called Nc�1yn Scmim1r.
There is, in addition. an cnonnous emphasis placed on
group dynamics. as well as the role and position of each m div ,dual in the group. Time is also devoted to Torah study and various intellcctu:il pursuits.
Finally. the program in general
tries to avoid regular lourist
For me the lughhght of the lime in the Gali! was a two day stay on Kibbutz Rosh Ha Nikrah near the Lebane<e bor der. We spent time wuh the young people and learned their perspectives on kibbutz life. Surprisingly, they complained about the lack of privacy and freedom. We were then introduced to the older kibbutz members. In contra<t, they discussed their reasons for joining the kibbutz and thc,r behef in that lifestyle. I was impressed nnd fascinated by their devotion to the ideal of a community way of life. I left the kibbutz with many ques tions about my own lifestyle
sites, and therefore uses field schools all over 1he country o< ils bases. My particular program, Ma'ayonot, differs from the 01hcrs in its unique combina \lon of hiking. wilderness and its merits n� well as about skills. and an wo1kshop< with the future of lhc kibbutz move some of Israel's most ment in Israel. promin ent artists. The With only two weeks left to workshops included option< in the program, we finally movement, pninting, music, reached Jcru<alem. Titc week ccram1cs, drama, crca1lvc writ we spent there was crnmmc<l ing. nnd s1orytclllng. Our with mnny Jcru�nlcm 11n<l Tel 11mcrnry includcdtwo week� m Aviv personalities. In one p;1r•
us private concerts. s-hort ttme th3 �c
In lh<: n
b:id
Jerusalem, we were given a 1aste of the old cicy, the new
ctty. and lsncli cullure in
general.
Our final week was spent in
a place cal l e d M a ·a g a n Michael. which was walking distance from a beautiful Mediterranean beach. In this setting, we created and dis
played our final projects. The only guidelines were tlut the project should e>.press an emo tion about Israel, the summer.
or ourselves through whatever medium we chose. The leaders
of our previous an workshop were brought to adv1\.C us as we worked. I was extremely im pressed by the talent in my group and surprised by the dis coveries I made about my friends. My part icular p r o j e c t f ocused on movement. I choreographed a dance t o Shlomo Barr's ··Lashalom" and read an excerpt from Shir
Hashirim to accompany it. h
was a difficult but very reward ing task. I believe, looking back. that the same can be said for the entire summer.
We
were challenged physically. in tellectually, and emolionally. We learned to live as o group, meet mg each week to fight out the tensions and problems that :nose among us. ll was n powerful C).pcricncc that I en• joyed with a group unlike nny olhcr I'd cvcrcncoun1crcd.
Pagc6
The RnmPage
August-September 1994/Elul 5754-Tishrei 5755
Alumni Spotlight: Haviva Krasner-Davidson '87 by Vivi Molino Davidson's opplying 10 rab Lasl fall, Haviva Krasner• binical school. Davidson (Ramaz, '87) was in Also included in the issue 1he middle of finishing her was an article by "Chaim gradua1e degree in creative David-Krasnerman" describ writing and was thinking about ing how he wanted to matricu her plans for lhe coming year. late al Stem College, YU's Since she was interested in college for women. A different sludying Talmud and olher issue of the paper included a Judaic subjecls on a graduale cartoon depicting Ms. Krasner level, her husband suggesled Dayidson in a mini-skirt and lhal she apply lo Yeshiva with her hair uncovered wait• Universi1y rabbinical school, ing in line to apply for the posi as a man with similar interests tion of dean of students al YU. would do the same. In actuality, Ms. Krasner Al firsl she lhoughl the idea Davidson does not wear mini was pointless. Soon, however, skirts and does cover her hair. she was convinced that al One positive rca..:tion came though her chances were slim, from the Wang High School for ii was worth a shot. In addi Girls (a.k.a. Central) student tion, she believed that her ap newspaper, which printed an plication would serve as an editorial supporting Ms. Kras "eye-opener," sending the ner-Davidson's decision and message that women are inter which charged S1ern wi1h ested in earning rabbinical developing a course of s1udy on degrees. 1he same level as the Smicha A I though she never program al YU. Ms. Krasner received an official rejec1ion Davidson says thal she Iener, she did speak 10 the YU achieved her goal of encourag ing the next generation of "You can't be told that women 10 think about sludying in one sphere you• re for Smicha. In hindsigh1. Krasner empowered and in another... you' re a Davidson soys she is Klad 1ha1 she applied because she second-class citizen." believes thal ahhough she look admissions office which 10Id abuse for it, she sent an impor her .. of course you won't be tant message to the YU ad a.CCCt)tCd." ministration and to Modem There were a variety of reac OnhodoX Jews in gencrar that tions, bolh public and private, there is currenrly no place for from Ms. Krasner-Davidson ·s women 10 sludy at the graduate friends and communily mem level. bers. Some of her friends ap• She said 1hat she was proached her saying !hat lhey pleasanlly surprised by how condoned what she did and told many people were supportive her 1ha1 1hey admired her of her cause and hopes that courage. as they didn't have the women will eventually be able same courage. Mr. Jon Kras to receive Smicha, even though ner, a former teacher at Ramaz, the Orthodox community is not comple1ely supports wha1 his ready for it right now. Krasner sister is doing. He feels thal Davidson said that she is glad ..her actions are a natural exten 1hat she al least "knocked on sion of whal a Modem Or the door even if they're not thodox woman in this day and opening it" age would do. You can'tbelold After graduating from in one sphere that you're em Ramaz, Ms. Krasner-Davidson powered and in another sphere s1udied al Columbia College that you're a second class where. she no1es, she studied citizen. Separate but equal with men in all of her subjects. doesn't mean equal. This is true While at Ramaz, she was in the everywhere, from blacks in the honors Talmud 1rack, which United States to women in was also obviously coed. Ms. Judaism." Krasner-Davidson was so in However, Krasner-David terested in Talmud 1ha1 in col son also heard 1hat many lege she look gradua1e courses people were speaking nega in it every �emester. After tively about her behind her wards ii was hard to accepl IhaI back. She is quick to note lhat she could go so far sludying she Jlesn 't mind if people dis alongside men bul lhen be agree with her views as long as abruplly slopped. they don '1 "dismiss [her] as In discussing the current motivated by Sin'at Chinam." status of women at Ramaz, In any case, Krasner-Davidson Krasner-Davidson was upset recognizes that there arc about the prohibition againsl probably other people who dis girls wearing 1alit and tefillin. agree with her action but have However. she was pleased 10 remained silcnL hear that there is a women's One very negative reaction lefillah. though she believes which came from within YU tha1 the minyan should be was 1he Purim issue of 1he YU granled the righl lo have lain newspaper, which satirized the ing. Krasner-Davidson noted silualion by including a faux thal she began laining and issue of Moment magazine, the wearing tzitzil, 101i1, and tefilin first publication to print a fea a few years ago, but regrels 1ha1 ture about Ms. Krasner- she did not slart as early as high school.
The Ramaz kitchen stalT (from left to rlght ): Jose Guantcs, Michelle Comet.Annie May Walton, Millie Soldano, Mary Weaverand Angel CruL Not shown: Leon Perry.
Comet's Kitchen: Behind the Scenes by Rachel Farblan What lakes place daily in the Ramaz cafeleria kilchen remains an enigma to many s1uden1s. While jokes abou1 the contents of various meals con1inue to abound, students know little of how tuna was embraced as the staple food or how kashrut is maintained. Even less is known about the kilchen staffand its dedication to student diets. Few students realize that Ramaz actually has two kitchens: one for meat and one for dairy. Both have been run for 1he pas1 fourteen years by Ms. Michelle Comel. The kitchen staffaJso uses 1wo scls of aprons-gold for meat and blue for dairy-and serves on differenl sets of tray&-blue for meat and brown for dairy-in order to avoid any confusion regarding kashrut. This color scheme has been the nonn in Ramaz for almost a decade and a half. Mrs. Comel's right-hand person, Annie May Wallon, has been a member of Ramaz's kilchen staff for twen1y-five years. Her daily routine starts al 6:00 AM when she begins to prepare all foods from scra1ch. Ms. Wal Ion and the resl of the kilchen slaff break al 11 :00 and resume working shortly there-
after. By I I :20 the cooking is done in time for the first Uunior high) lunch shift. More cooking is done during lhe other lunch shifts. While Ramaz could not produce its macaroni and cheese (Ms. Wallon's favorile dish) or i1s many 1ypes of chicken withoul the staff, there would hardly be a ki1chen al all wi1hou1 Ms. Comet. Ms. Comet 100k over lhe management of1he Ramaz kitchen fourteen years ago, and for the pasl 1wo years, has been in charge of the kitchen in the Ramaz Lower School as well. Ms. Comet, a licensed nurse and karate maven, has witnessed many culinary changes over the years. When she began in 1980, half of the slUdent body was enrolled in the ho1 lunch plan. much less than 1he current 78%. The quantity of food thal passes lhrough the kitchens has grown 10 loads of 120 pounds of pasla or siXly dozen rolls daily. Ms. Comet also cooks for Ramaz-relaled functions, of which lhere were 188 lasl year. In 1980 there were merely eigh1een oflhese func tions. Prompled by changing government regulations, Ms. Comet has also affecled
change. The Ramaz kitchen has cut down on processed and fatly foods, and has in
stead supplemented its
lunches with grains and a salad bar which contains hol pretzels, brownies, and mini muffins, in addition to vegetables. However much changes, some things always remain lhe same. Dr. Shudofsky. who sometimes eats tuna three times a week, attests that this famous fish sandwich came to Ramaz before he did. He ex plained 1ha1 it became 1he Friday staple because it was
��;���-���1dtic::������:
cleaned up quickly and without a mess. Many students, however, feel 1hat the school menu is limiting, rather than broaden i n g their taste horizons. Senior Rebecca Tobin asked, ..How many contonions of a potato can one stand?" Other students, after some1imes facing weeks with no meat lunches, have just wondered, "Where's the beef/" The prospecls for the 19941995 lunch year follow the same general trend of cutting down on processed foods and expanding the salad bar. One thing is for sure: tuna at Ramaz lives on.
Summer Sounds Sweeten New York (conrinucdfrom page 5)
Those classical music tion, as 300,000 fans swarmed lovers who apprecia1ed 1he to Saugerties for a fun-filled, free concerts in the park also mud-filled weekend. While had a chance to relish 1hc sum my parents adamantly refused mer concert series at Avery to allow me to nttcnd this musi Fisher Hall called Moslly cal extravaganza, I exci1edly Mozart. The series ran from cheered on. Jerry Garcia, lhe the beginning of July through 52-year-old guilar player, at· the end of August. Tickets one of 1he 1wo sold 001 Grale were easily obtained and cost ful Dead concerts (with an only five dollars for students. opening by Traffic) al Giants Just as old plays like Stadium. A I1hough 1here was less "Carousel" and "Guysand Dolls" have recently been smoking and fewer lie dyed T revived on Broadway, many shirls, Giants Stadium was jusl old rock bands have begun as packed when Mick Jagger successful 1994tours and have led 1he Rolling Stones in a non played in concerts in and stop two hour performance. around New York. Woodstock Despite the tornado watch and '94 attracted worldwide nttcn� the pouring rain, fans enjoyed
the music, 1hc lighl show. and 1he opening by Counting Crows. Although I was sick afterwards and gelling home on 1he flooded highways was unbearable, the concert was a definite hit. For those who appreciate a great deal of noise, a British percussion group called Stomp (lhe name says ii all) played at the Orpheum Thea1er all sum mer. Those with quieter tastes would have enjoyed Van Cliburn's concert al the Metropolitan Opera. With all the options available, it is evi dent 1hat for the music lover, summer in New York was dcfinilcly not a drag.
August-September 1994/Elul 5754-Tishrei 5755
Page7
TheRamPage
Looking Back:
A Decade and a Half of Septembers
by Evan K. Farber When students chance upon a copy of an old Ramaz year book, 1hey grab ii and inslanlly slart !urning pages in an effort to find familiar faces. Most sludents can get a few good laughs from past yearbooks as they envision "what people were like back then." Bui it is very rare thal s1udents find old issues of lhe RamPage; 1he lifespan of lhis publica1ion is much shorter. The RamPage is usually read, discussed, and dismissed. But there is a nip side as well. The RamPage, which consists primarily of li mcty news and relevant debates. gives a much closer and more accurate reflection of · 1he school as ii is at lhe lime of publication. With that in mind, here begins a series of aniclcs that w i l l strive to depict. through old issues of the Ram P a g c , Ramaz a s it has progressed 1hrough 1he recent years. In this issue. we wlll examine September and Oc• 1ober issues from 1he pasl fif.
Old ne'4s on the pagts ofthe RamPage shows how Ramu has changed lhrough the years.
Ooor. and the locker rooms lost each year from 1987 lhrough space 10 new offices on SC 1989, pushing lhe I0lal of high (sound familiar?). The same schoolers up 10 422. In 1991, year. forms were enlarged from the largest freM\man class ever 1hrce to four sections each. was admitted. Other changes Mr. Goct:. wrote a Two years later, Ramaz have included evaluations J)itce describing Iris changed from a five to a six day replacing report cards in the most d,•icl memory- of schedule. and this was decried first and 1hird terms (1989) and a Kenyan safari which as unnecessary and confusing. the abolition of a senior minyan The next year. the cur• in favor of freshman davcning Ju had bee,! orr tlurirrg riculurn changed!- a "'Super 19,90), Buube,.mo •ft(� sabhoti<al. recall- Honors .. Tatmud class wu 11>gc1hcr( things change. the more they irrg the aftack of created. and the math depart stay the same. The absence of African hunting dogs ment stopr.;cd administering honors courses in the nn a wildebeest. Regents Exams because New humanities and lhc lack of AP York State changed its cur classes for juniorS were decried has undergone. Ramu moved riculum and Ra.nuz maintained a decade ago as well as 1oday. . O1her things have also into i1s --new. home on 78th its high siandards. The science S1reet slightly over fifleen curriculum changed in 1991 stayed somewhat the same. years ago, bul the neighbor when the standard sequence of The G.O. has been a cons1an1 hood was new enough for the biology. chemistry, and physics in corrflict RamPagc lo run a story listing was instituted. A health class The Lebanon was tht big nearby "hol spo1s" in i1s Sep· was added just last year. Beginning in 1988, 1he is.sue 1ember 1980 issue. Topping in the early 1hc list were Mini Mart, a 24- calendar underwent an ex I 980's, givirrg rise to hour version of Gristedc's, perimenlal period. Thal year, the questiorr of Sponsworks. a clothing store, both midterms and intersession whether we should and five to shortened. were ,md the various museums near support Israel urrcorr• by. Gtislede ·s i1sclf was buried 1hree days respectively. The ditio11ally. on 1he bouom of 1he fourth next year. finals were given before winter vacation in paragraph. Since 1980. 1he school hos December. but that experiment issue in the minds of s1uden1s. The G.O. commillees have changed grodually bul dramali• las1ed only one year. The dress been discussed in 1he Scp1em• cally. In 1984. 1he school day code has also evolved: in 1990 ber issues of lhe RamPage at was leng1hencd and homeroom girls were fo�bidde� '? wear least four times in the past fif was shortened in an attempt to T-shirts, but 1h1s restnct1on was leen years. And s1udcnt apa1hy add computer a n d m o r e limi1ed 10 "Hanes-type" T was denounced as early as Hebrew classes. S1ructurally. shirts in 1993. Change has been apparen1 in 1984. the computer room was moved Sports and clubs have also from 40 I to 7 0 4, 1hc new 01hcr areas as well. The Siu• been an important issue to stu teachers· lounge was where a denl body has increase d: dents. 1980 was a big year for balhroom had been on lhe fiflh Ramaz accepted I IO freshmen teen years.
Perhaps the most interesting :lf1iclcs arc those that reveal major changes th:it the school
Israel Enters Peace with Jordan (c-on1in11td/ron11mgr I J 1hinking of building a canal linkcng lhe Red Sea and 1hc Persian Gulf and another plan aims 10 crca1c a hydroclcc1nc planl that will foc<l off a w,llcr• foll re,ull,ng from 3 wa1crway conncc1111s the D<.-.1d S1.:a :ind 1hc Gulf of A<1 aba.
The peace agreement ha'i also complclely chan�ed lhc lives of many Israelis. One tee nager living in Ncot llak1kar. n nmshav wi1hin yards of 1hc Jordoninn border. told how he could ac1ually sec 1he difference 1h:11 p<ncc m:idt. 111.: rold of how since he wJc; 00111 there had "'-:en a minefield t
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Ramaz sports: a new and large gym was consiructed, Mr. Randy Dulny was hired, all lhrec baskelball learns were coming off winning seasons, and the Sporu Commiucc was spreading Ramaz parapher nalia. The school worried in 1987 whelher lhe hockey ieam could continue its successes. And in 1986, the RamPage ran "advertisements" for extra curriculars: Mishmar, Ramaz Conservalive Caucus, Young DcmocralS, Mock Trial, Chess, Cooking Club, RamPage, Ski Club, Malh Team, S1udio Art, Parallax, Likral Shabba1, and Junior High Book Club. One of Seplember's many rituals is detennining who is who among 1he new faculty, and lhe RamPage rou1inely helps students in this efforl. ln1eres1ingly, the vas1 majori1y of teachers who were featw-ed in the RamPage no longer remain al lhe school, especially from 1he firs! halfof lhe 1980's. Siu dents slill remember Dr. Sarol and Dr. Jucovy, bul lhe firsl issue that contained tc;ichers who still remain was that of 1985, when Ms. Barak, Ms. Caroll Goldberg, and Dr. Honig joined 1he staff. ln1er cstingly, a feature article about Dr. Honig appears two years later, a picture shows her with her children Rivki (age 6) and Hesky(age 10). l985wasalso Mr. Goctt's first a$--RamPage- adviscr, .und it wD..S 1he yur of Ms. Rachel Taub's wedding to Mr. Chaim Weinstein. The ad ministralion, too. has grown: Ms. Gribetz became Assistant Dean in 1988, and Rabbi Goldmintz earned the same lille in 1992. Various matters have arisen only once or twice in the autumn issues of the RamPage but are interesting nevenhe less. Racism has been 1he sub ject of two editori:als: one in 1981, and anolher a decade l:llcr. in the year of the Crown H ci g hlS unrest. An anonymous le1ter i n 1981 described one student's con fusion when a friend from another school tried to give him answers to 1he Chcmis1ry Regents. In 1986, one article tried to uncover the secrecy surr ounding the Fac ulty Sena1e, and a piece the next year 1old of the rebirth of the S1udent-Faculty-Administra1i on Commiucc. 1986 was also Ramaz's jubilee, and celebratory projects included
One soldier com men ted. !hough, that he hopes that peace will laSI bul he would not be surprised if it is impossible and barbed wire fence wilhin for countries that have been site o(his home. Then one day locked in a stale of war for half soldiers came, dug up every a century to mainlain it. la1it mine and tore down 1hc Still, such vic\V.s arc in the knee dividing him from 1hc minority and many Israeli� arc Jordanians who for so long now expecting that a pence were thought of simply as 1rca1y will be signed wilh Syria cncmic�. after Prime Minislcr Rabin So far there h:ivc been no slated thnl such an event is jus1 incidcn_l ?. � 10ns the b�>rdcr.• OVF�lbc horizon. Howcvct.thc .
oral and piclorial histories of lhe school. The 1987 issue also mourned the loss of two Ramaz students, Sam Gynes and Josh Wailman. Another article the same year rcflecled sludents' anger over the rigid guidelines followed by the yearbook. The next year, Mr. Goeiz wro<e a piece describing his most vivid memory of a Kenyan safari which he had been on during his sabbatical, recalling the al tack of African hun1ing dogs on a wildebeest. In the 1992 issue, t h e a d m i n i s trat i o n was criticized for cutting senior classes, but Rabbi Goldminlz was lauded for hi� "open door policy." Lasl year, siudents read that their school had been used as the selting for an IBM commercial. Current events have also been debaled in the RamPage over the pasl fifteen years, with most of the auention focused on Israel. The conflict in Lebanon was the big issue in the early I 980's, giving rise 10 the question of whether we should support Israel uncondi tionally. Soviet Jewry became the cause celebre in the middle of 1hat decade, even after word of GlasnoSI had spread. In Oc1ober 1986, the leAd article re lated the visit of then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres to KJ. In 1991, an opinion piece ar gued that it behooved the P.L.O. to suppon the peaceproccss. The nex1 year, the Bush-Clinlon race was the focus. L a s t year ·s i s s u e centered on lhc new Declaration of Principles and the prospects of peace with the Palestinians. This issue of 1he RamPage contains many of the same tOpics: changes in 1he school, new teachers. a G.O. column, and references to current events. This is, after all, 1oday's news. But who knows how we would react to this news if seen lhrough the eyes of Epimelheus? Which stories will s1ill be relevan t a few years down the road?
issue of lhe Golan slill divides the coun1ry and bolh sides claim to hnvc a majorily. Janet Aviad, on :ictivist for Shalom Achsav, said she believes lhal lhc upcoming election.current ly scheduled for June 1996, will give Rabin a mandate for peace if lhe Labor pnrly can maintain control of the Knes• set.
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The RamPagc
August-September 1994/Elul 5754-Tishrci 5755
School Offers New Political Science AP by Evan K. Forber When last yw the juniors were presented wtth a list of possible Advanced Placement and Honors courses 1ha.1 they could take as seniors. they were surprised by an addition to the lists of previous years. For the first time, Ramaz would be of fering a course in American political science. The class is taught by Dr. Berkowitz, a former political science major. He defines political science as an analysis of America's political ins1i1u t i o n s. legal s ys t e m. and economic suucturc in the con
Dr. Berkowitz. said that he was not sure what factors would delem,inc who would be ac cepted to the course. Despite its rosy reception. there were some complaints about the class and the way it was presented. Some students were upset at the lack of inf or mation officially given about the course. especially because it could not be recommended by word of mouth from seniors. \Vhcn announcing the new course. Mr. Goe1z and Mr. Miller refused to name lhc teacher or 10 give a synopsis of the course. They said lha1 it The de-emphasis of should be discussed in a fomul poli-sci reduced selling in history class. but Dr. demand as ii was SII/J Stone wou Id not spend enough pos eel 10. but it also lime discussing 11 10 �at1)fy reduced the degree of most s1uden1,·curiosity. Freya Rand summed up the class's 3eriousne�s ... ° feeling that .. ,hey d1dn 1 say lC�l of a Sludy of politic'ii, enough about ii." ,, J11ch he dcfin\!s as a s1rugglc Another iS)uc was how the for power. new c ourse w o uld affect He ,a}s 1ha1 the cl.:iss will students· schedules. Most stu began b} �tudymg the Con�utu dents w h o cnJoy history uon and then try 10 :mswer a probably •lso find pohtocs inbasic quesuon: If America has 1ercsting • .:md a high corrclachanged complet ely since 1ion between tho<capplymg for 1787 and therefore the menial AP American or European His framework of the Founders tory and those applying for was very different from ours. why do we continue to use not A consensus only the same basic documents developed among but also the same political in many applicants to stitutions that they did? apfJIY for one AP Student rcac11on to the an course in each ba,id nouncement of thi.s c\:;i� w..s cxcc , the science p in111.1lly \C,Y posuivc. Many thus forci11g of 1he 1hen-juniors were ex band, cllcd about the new course. political scitr,ce into Marisa Savusky �31d 1hat her 1he science band. friends at other schools have taken the class. and "it .sounds Political Science was expected. very in1crc�ting." Gabe Mor But many students were turned row said that a political science off by the prospect of taking course '"is needed. because the three history courses-World atmosphere of the school is Jcwish History, which is man drenched in rational politics, so datory, AP American or u requires an academic basis to European. and " poll-sci." Many prospective poli-sc1 enlighten and develop student views." Nimrod Barak said students mentioned lhat they that he hoped to take the class did not apply for the class for "not because the material is th.at reason. Greg Drenner ar juicy in itself. but because it gued that ..,hose students who deals with the legal system. arc taking AP History and which I ' m interested in." Political Science should not Many people expected a huge have 10 take World-Jewish." excess of applicants. perhaps Dr. Berkowitz explained that even as great an ovcrnow as is the fears of taking a triple his normally seen for AP English. lory were unfounded because
"this class is very different from history classes. They tend to focus on social history, while this will deal with politi cal processes, personalities, and institutions." When the juniors were of f ercd a list of AP courses grouped by band. they found poli-sci 10 be by itself. not as signed to any band. It was placed alone so that it could be placed in the band that would have the least conflic1s with its students' other AP's. A consensus developed among many p oli-sci ap plicants to apply for one AP course in each band except the science band. thus forcing pol11 1cal science into the science band. The idea was received well by many of the prospective applicants because very few of the history buffs were also a1trac1cd 10 the scien ces. However. Mr.Goetz and the admimstntion overrode this auempt by placing poh11cal science in the same band as the other AP histories. They felt that this way the demand for poli-sci would be offset, and that this would solve the prob lem of taking three history courses. Otherwise, 1hey claimed, students would suffer from an unbal anced cur riculum that included three his tory courses. The dc.cmpha-.is orpoliliC31 science reduced dcmnnd, as u was intended to. but it also reduced the deg.rec of serious ness with which 1hc course was ,·iewcd. A few students opted not to take JI lx:causc they were talked out of it by memberll of the history department. 111c addition of a new AP course prompted some stu dents to call for other new AP's such as e conomics and psychology. Why 1s poli-sci the course that will be given? Or. Berkowitz says he enjoys 1eachmg it, and he believes th:lt ··people love politics and they don't get enough of it:·
Remember to hand your Summer Experience forms i n to.the S.A.C.and don't forget to read the G.O. Guide to Student Repre sentation.
Ramu built new terillin cubbies built before school OJX'nrd. For now, construction ls limited 10 intern3J impro\ements.
Zoning Laws Delay Possible Expansion (conllnutdfrom /JDKt J J
Landmark Conu11111cc requires numerous studies and a revrcw each one requ iring office by the Board of Standards and Appeals will t3kc add111onal space. Ramaz has aucmpted to time. All 1oge1her 1t could take compensate for the l:1ck of up 10 three years. Smee the a,ea "as declared space by turning rnto class rooms rooms not originaJly so a landmark zone ,n 1985. only designed. n.: two science labs two buildings have been given had the lab tables removed to permission 10 build. Ramaz is create room for chairs that can currently in the procc"� of ob be used for lectures as well as taining legal advice 10 sec if it labs. Next year room 504. IS plausible that lhc school which was originally supposed woul_d be given J)\:nTI1��1on 10 to be a room where sludents build in the near future. The school will cla,m tlut could work on .:ind display science foir projcc1s. w,JJ be bc=usc they asked to c,pand convened mto a full lab. On before lhc 13.ndma,k'T.Otlc was the founh floor. 1he room 1hat declared and bcca� the ex now contains the offices of six pansion is for the comfort of teachers used 10 be a computer the students. not f o r accom room and the room m the back modaung more students. It of th... library 1hat is now used should be given pem1ission 10 as. a classroom was a quiet build. 11,c New York Tomes of reading room. November 3rd. 1985 quoted However, crealing certain Dr. Shudofsky a, saying that classrooms out or rooms that the school has "needs 1hat may served other purposes has develop in the futurc...wc had caused problems. The Beu 15,000 square feet of un Midrash. which was originally developed space. Under the intended to be a room where new [law] we don·t know." students could sit quietly and Both the Nightingale School lc3m, is now used as a class and the Lenox Hill Hospital room and students have mini were given permission after mal access lo it. making similar claims. Still. One possible solution to the the Board of Standards and Ap crowding problem is expand• peals might reject the proposed ing Ramaz's current building. expansion. The original superstructure Another solution would be was designed to accommodate to locale and buy another build the building of two more ing which Ramaz could tum stories on top of the original inlo an early learning center structure if necessary. which would house the nursery This solution would create through second grades. The about 10,000 square feet (room seventh and eighth grades 301. a large classroom. oc• would then be moved back 10 cupies 560 square feet) wluch the 85th Street building. could be used for additional Ramazcould also use a new classrooms, a room for stu building as n junior high dents to spend lime ofler lunch, school, housing grades five and enlarged and more ad• through eighl. However. it is vanccd l1brnry >nd office extremely difficult to find a building that is suitable for facilities. However, the area between Ramaz's purposes; five years 72nd and 79th streets and the were taken lo find 1hc cuncnl East River to Fifth Avenue has location. been declared a londmark zone by the City of New York. As a result, Ramai must receive pcm1ission from the city before changing the exterior of the building. The process of get1 ing permission from 1hc