Volume 27, Issue 1 (June 1994) - The Rampage

The Ralll Page.

Volume XXVII Number 1

June 1994/ Tammuz 5754

Incumbents Sweep G.O. Elections

Ramaz Raises $13,000 for Jay

by Cecily Marbach

On Lag n · omer the Ramaz student body marched around Central Park •s Great Lawn in order to raise money for bone marrow tests. needed to find a donor whose marrow can save the

life of 24-ycar-old

leukemia sufferer Jay Feinbe f ' day before the march Feinberg addressed the entire student body. In a matter-of­ fact tone he told how he was diagnosed with leukemia three

years earlier and that in order to save his life he would need bone marrow that c ould replace h i s o w n a fter chemotherapy had destroyed his cancer.

The students responded vigorously and raised Sl 3.000 for the Friends of Jay Founda• tion. which is dedicated to rais• ing the necessary funds to find a donor for Jay. The money was presented directly 10 Fein· berg after davcning on May 27.

Feinberg has written a nwn· ber of articles aboul his plight.

In • piece he. wrote for tho,..

Jewi!.h Weck In April, Feinberg

admitted that "'having to stand before audiences and television cameras crying •rm dying. Won't youhelp savemy life?' is an emotionally trying (continued o" page 4)

Inside this Issue: Pressure! page3 March of �he Living pages Girls'Gym page6

by Jorduna Pulltur The G.O. elections. held on May 19th. were swept by in­ cumbents whom the student body believed had made progress in student advocacy.

Four of the five newly elected Candidate Ltbwohl addrrs.scs the student body representatives look credit in their speeches for helping to create fourth quarter conferen­ ces and quanerly fom1 meet• ings.

At the election assembly lhe candidates each gave short b)' Ariel Adesnlk preparation for the parade. speeches about their ideas and On Sunday. May 22 Ramaz Soon after beginning to march, records, combined w i th partic ip.atcd in the annual Cookie Zitsman, who had strategic comic relief. The Salute to Israel Parade. with choreographed the marchers, highlight of the assembly was 300 students, faculty, and ad­ abandoned her auempt to have Rachel Fa rbiarz's earnest ministrators marching up Fifth students shake their tam­ r e telling of her ersatz Avenue behind their earth· bourines and wave their childhood in Poland. toned banners and t•shirls. streamers to the beat. In fact, The main problems ad· Despite the students' ruach, the many of the props remained in dressed by the candidates were small turnout indicated a cer• the large cardboard boxes that pressure and the lack of com• tain apathy among students, as lay strewn about Ramaz's munication between the stu­ barely fifty percent showed up preparation site on 52nd Street dents and the administration. to march. Luckily for Ramaz. between Fifth and S ixth They all said that the school auendancc was mandatory for Avenues. needed to take action to al• junior high school students and Yair Hakalc, the other Co­ leviate pressure and also gave almost the entire junior class Head Marshall said that .. a specific proposals. such as showed up because the bus to number of buses occupied monthly homework free ....Junior.-...Rctreat Jefk..from l Rama�s.-prepuation space.and nighlS. Upper Scbool buildingafterthc by the time the.)' left we had loo The candidates also made parade. Still, the presence of so liule time to organize suggestions aboul how 10 con• linuc increasing communica• few students from Forms III, everyone."

IV, and VI remained without One factor that worked lion between students, teachers explanation. Co-Head Mar• against Ramaz was traffic. Ms. and administrators. A number shall Craig Englander said that Bcnel explained that "because of candidates went so far as to he believed the low turnout was many of the suburban schools mention the problems in a result of the lack of organiud were unable to arrive on 1ime specific classes, such :is long preparation. we were forced to march periods before assignments The lack of coordination before we were supposed to. were returned or the need to memorize huge amounts of in• among those who did march (continued on page 6) formation before tests. Be• clearly showed Ramaz's scant

The Few' The Proud: Ramaz Marches for Israel

cause the candidia1es revc:1lcd whose classes they were dis• cussing, a number of teachers who had their problems aired before the entire student body and faculty fell their privacy had been violated.

Candidates also suggested lhal meetings of the G.O. and the Student Faculty Ad­ ministration Commitlcc be held on a regular schedule and that minutes would be either published or ma.de :ivailable to .students. It was also suggested that all five G.O. members need not be present at meetings with the administration, so that there would be many more Op· ponunities to meet. The two major problems preventing meetings this pas1 year, accord­ ing to candidates, were the staggering of lunch periods and the minute number of free periods given to u n der• classmen.

The candidates for junior vicc•presidcnt, one of whom would head the form president council. sugg ested a

ttguhuization of its mee.ling1.

100.

A few candidates proposed that there be town hall•style meetings for all students who wish to voice their problems and opinions to G.0. members. so that the G.O. would be able to represent student needs more accurately. ln addi1ion. some candidates mentioned in• (continued o" page 6)

13% of Faculty to Leave; Jucovy to Dalton

by Evan K Farber When Ramaz students began sining in on an inor­ dinate number of model les­ sons by prospective teachers, most realized that the school would be hiring a larger amount of teachers than usual. and that therefore a greater number of teacher> would be leaving. While rumors have put the percentage of turnover at up to 25 percent, there are actually only nine 1eachers leaving, a change of 13 percent.

Mr. Miller, trying to downplay the significance of the change, said that ··we have had years of higher turnovers."

But for many students, the shock is not so much the num• bcr of teachers leaving as who these teachers are. Dr. Jucovy, Rabbi Frankel, Mr. Krasner, Mr. Kahan, Rabbi Berger, Dr. Hebling, Ms. Rubin, and Mr. Daly arc oil leaving Ramaz, ond Ms. Melinek will be 1'llcing

Replacements Not Yet Found

a sabbatical. Mr. Miller ad­ mitted that "we will face a loss of crucial people to the school.''

Perhaps the most shocking announcement to many SIU· dents was that of Dr. Jucovy.

The chairman or the history department will be leaving Ramaz. to teach at Dalton, a th:>.t move prompted stu­ dents and ad­ ministrators alike to dub him a Benedict Ar· nold. But Dr. Jucovy claimed that the atmos• phcre here is 100 intense and students seem to have too little time for their schoolwork. leading to their learning by rote. By way of contrast, he pointed to his model lesson al Dallon, when twelve of fifteen students hod

read 1he 37 pages that were as• signed the night before. He hopes, similarly, that leaching at Dalton would be "interest• ing, challenging. and more satisfying. and that students would spend more time learn· ing."

D r. Jucovy mentioned that "it is not often that a job is available at a school that i s educationally equivalent t o Ramaz. I f I don't change now, it is con• ceivable that I will not change at all." How• ever, he denied that he has grown tired ofRamaz, insisting tho.t "I don't believe that thir• teen years is too much time to spend 31 one place." He nlso claimed that he will not miss

the leverage of being chair of what is commonly seen as the most powerful depanmenl in 1he school. "I have no need for that son of thing," he said. At Dalton, Dr. Jucovy will teach two World Civilization courses and one history of Nazi Ger• many.

Rabbi Frankel, the book­ room inhabitant whose courses have always been in great demand among seniors, has been planning his leave from Ramaz for six years. II was that long ago that he decided that he would eventually pur• sue a career in medicine instead of a graduate degree i n psychology. "I h a d no choic�my internal compass said that this was not my mis• sion in life. All my talents were not being tapped." After (coniinu,d on pag, 71

June 1994 /Tammuz 5754

The RamPagc

Page 2

Editorials

Letters

Give Students a Chance to Learn Hebrew, Too

man hailed a 1::axi and wailed to were preoccupied w11h many Dear Editors: thoughts. Apparently, how• Ramaz sludcnts arc in a close the door for me.

"The entire class was going ever. some of them remem­ position to render a kiddush Ha-Shem often without even to funeral th:it day as the bered, in the midst of these realizing it. An example of mother of a classmate had thoughts, to be thoughtful. Ac• such an opportunity is con­ passed away. I noticed how ting u p o n this they were tained in the following letter courteous and well-mannered responsible for a kiddush Ha• Shem. written to me by a neighbor of they were.

"I am pleased to know that our> from 40 East 78th Street.

My compliments to the there are such fine young people. On other occasions I anonymous students.

"Dear Rabbi Lookstein, "I would like to compliment have noticed several students Rabbi Haskel Lookslein several students who willingly and admired them.

Ramaz School Principal "With many thanks and assisted me one day - a week and a half ago. They helped me kindest regards.

Tobie Wiesen" get into a taxi on Madison We all understand the cir­ Avenue.

"I am a senior citizen who cumstances that obtained that walks with a cane. One young day. Sophomores from Ramaz

Currently, if a student wishes to pursue Tal­ mud at a high level in high school he must sit in class at least nine periods each week, or thirteen periods in Form V. An intense program is an excellent opportunity for students, though it should not be their only option. The cost of an honors level Talmud class is one's education in Hebrew language and literature. At present, a student can graduate from Ramaz having taken only a year and a half of Hebrew. This is embar­ rassing, especially considering that Form III feeder school students have notoriously poor Hebrew skills upon entering Ramaz. If the school would offer students an honors Talmud class that met only five times per week the prob­ lem would be solved. Transcript-minded stu­ dents could have"HonorsTalmud-A"written on their report cards while still being able to learn Hebrew. With the extra time available there could also be an honors level Form V Hebrew class, which there has not been since the incepti�n of the Bet Midrash program. The onus, however, is not upon the administration. Ms. Gribetz has stated that the school would welcome inquires into the possiility of a five period honors course.

It is up to students who want an intensive Talmud program and a consistent Hebrew education to petition for a five period honors Talmud.

The Ram Page� ............

EDITORS IN-CIIlEF 0

Ariel Adesnik ♦ Danielle Druck ♦ Evan K. Farber ASSOCIATE EDITORS O,ani Bloom ♦ Evan Hochberg • Rebc<ca Zausmer MANAGING EDITORS Ben Lebwohl ♦ Jessica Rezak

Open Letter to the Ad­ nunistrnlion Dear Administrators.

The problem of pressure is a tricky one: pinpointing it is oflen a-. difficult as eliminating it Pressure nlways maintain� a quiet presence, but 1t every so oflen rears its ugly head and causes catastrophe. At these instances. 1hc pressure sudden­ ly becomes undeniable.

This happens on a personal sc.ile, laking on different manifestation�: eating disor­ ders. anti-social behavior. and nervous breakdowns (which, if defined loosely. arc com­ monplace a.l Ramaz,) arc all pnmanly caused by some kind of pressure. Bui large scale eruptions such as the one con­ cerning the March t 5 history 1cs1 poignantly 1IILstr.atc the great effect pressure has on all ofus.

One may think that any measures token 10 reduce high· school pressure would com­ promise the high level of education that R:una.z is known for. A closer examination proves this behef to be utterly false. The large amount of material that Ramaz teaches, though more time consuming than that of non-Jewish schools, can be taught and learned without the un­ desirable "consequences" that exist in Ramaz..

The bulk of the pressure that exisls has nOlhing to do with the qualily of education or number of classes one takes.

Looking at the history case alone, one can identify causes of pressure that do not have 10 exisl in Ramaz. The force that makes students skip school is insecurity. In some cases parents contribute to this feel­ ing. expressing di�satisfaclion or half-hearted "We love you anyway" approval at any grade short of an A. 111is msecurity is also due to lhc fact that the average student has never learned a �uccessful method of studying history short of memorizing the text.

Siuing down .ind reading the complete text (which for 1h1s rest totaled 117 pages.) takes time, so much time that 1hc prospecl of taking a day off be· comes very lemptmg. How­ ever. the number of pages is not the only reason for the inor­

tion, and yes. we an:_ our brothers' keepers.

To solve, or at least alleviate the tremendous pressure prob­ lem a.t Ramaz, 1he administra­ tion must let 1hc entire Ramaz community know thal 11 is aware of the pressure. A parents' night would be a step in the right direction; this pro­ gram would address lhc issue of pressure coming from parents, and it would urge parents 10 be aware of their c h i l d ren's study habits.

Parents must rea.hzc that when their child asks them 10 sign a note excusing him from school because of a ..sickness" the day before the history test. some­ thing temblc is going on. The administration must also focus on the students themselves, perhaps spe.aking to indiv1du.al

studying. Students tend to compare themselves to their peers, 3.nd when a person's friends are all studying, 1hat person will feel unprepared un­ less he studies for the same amount of time or more. The vicious cycle here is clear: the weekend before history turns into a contest of who can spend the most time studying.

Whose problem is this? h's the students'. some say: they should know their priorities and responsibilities, and learn to ignore their insecurities. But this runs directly contrary to the.. idea of the "extended fami­ ly of Ramaz. Most people like to think that Ramaz is not just• building where people go to classes; it is a Jewish institu-

problem and study habits.

Each department should under­ go self-evalua1ion to determine whether its students are work­ ing too hard: while the cur­ riculum should not be cut, the system of testing might be al1crcd to lighten the cram-study­ ing while keeping the quality of education intact The situation of competi­ tiveness at Ramaz depends on the amount of pressure. In an atmosphere where students a.re staying up all night torturing themselves for just a few extra points. there is naturally going to be a high degree of competi­ lion. By reducing the amount of pressure, students will not push themselves beyond their natural limits, and while there

dinate amount of time spent

COPY EDITOR Cecily Marbach LAYOUT EDITOR Evan Smith

classes about the pressure

(continuedon page 8)

Ramshackles by Colin Falk OF

SENIOR NEWS STAFF Dana Baymc • Alyssa Klapper • Dahlia Laooa FACULTY ADVISER Mr. Albert Goetz

• y<Jl..j\ SPIN, J)11. SlONE.'

... ,.

June 1994 / Tommuz S7S4

The RamPage

Pagc J

Opinion:

Ramchops

PRESSU RE!

by E•·•n Hochberg T he common complaint about a R:imu cduc:uion is the tremendous workload, The c l a ssic response t o t h is grievance is 10 say that it is unfonunate th:it students must work nineteen hours per day. but that the workload is a "necessary evil," essential for Ramaz to maintain its super ior educational slandards, How­ ever, this is not necessar ily tr ue, as there arc ways of casing the workload, One way the problem can be lessened sub­ stantially is by eliminating f,rst and third quarter evaluations. lbe wor kload at Ramaz is sporadic, In one two- wuk per iod a student might have just one quiz. and in the next two wuks he might have four tests, six quizzes, and an essay due. TI-Iese flucrna.tions are often due to teachers feeling the need to have extn grades for first and third quarter eval uations. If then: were no cvaluacions. 1cachcrs would not need to rush to give lests during the same few weeks.

Tests would be spaced out bet­ ter. because there would be mo er time for tests. Teac her s who need a cenain number of grades toj udge a student would still be able to accumulate them.

Other problems have arisen from the sporadic periods of h�vy work. Remembering how Lene of juniors stayed home for a history test ear lier in the year, the administration warned juniors that taking a. day off before the S A T would be irresponsible. y et the two weeks preceding the test and the followi ng weeks were fil led with tests, =ys. quizzc.s, and lorge homework :us1gnments.

T he Monday befor e the SAT th ere was a m aj or lest that preve nted Sludents fro m study­ ing duri ng that entir e weekend for the SAT. With this amount of work, st ude nts had very little time to st udy for a test that is a major cri 1enon for acceplance by colleges. Howe ver, duri ng the th ree we eks fol lo wing Pe sach. junior s had al most no

school work, If there were no at the end of the third quarter, this lull after the third quaner roar might have been kept at a steady pace during the rest of the year. In• stead, it became a lull before t he returning roar of the workload that coincided with SAT- prep time.

The purpose of mid­ semester evaluations is to in• form parents and students of each student's progress, and 10 give the student an op portunity to improve before his grades are etched into the stone of the

Congratulations to Alyssa K/apptr (Form V), winner o/ the Ramaz Shakespeare Reci· tal Competition. She won a of works complete S h1ke speore and gave a reprise performance o f Hamlet"s "O what a rogue" soliloquy at the Celebration of the Arts.

e valuations

In rwo-wuk one pe riod a student m ight have just one quiz. and in rhe next two wuks he mlghr have four tests, six quizzes and an es.say due.

Earth•toned slud,nts march up Finb Avtnue

Kids Comprise Parade

by Rtbttca Tobln In last year's Yom Ha­ Atzmaut assembly, Rabbi Looksteln announced that Ramaz will be showing its sup­ port for Israel by marching in r eport cards. Most teachers the Salute to Israel Parade and students do not iake these despite the homosexual contin­ eval uations seriously because gent whose presence had b y n&ture they arc extTCmely caused m�y other contingenlS subjective. and lhey do nol to withdraw from the parade , count on one's permanent In response to this avowal, en• record. Even for the teachers thusiasm Oowcd from studcnlS who care about evaluations, the w h o were p roud of the progress repons arc only im­ administral ion's decision and portant for studcnt5 who arc not not surpri sed by its courage, A l t hough Ramaz mainperforming up to potential. If a teac her feels that a students 1aincd its pro-marching stance, must impr ove, the teacher the Orthodox community at shou ld speak 10 the student or large often leaned in the other his parents personally, not d ircc1ion, Many schools and through a check in a box. For 01her instilutions lhreatened t he Sl udent who wishes to not co march. Sharon Kleln­ know the teacher"s auc . ssmcnl baum, the Rabbi of Bcit Sim­ of him, there are now teacher• chat Tonh, the gay and lesbian student confe rences in both synagogue, was harassed by lhreats and was forced 10 se mester s.

It is SW'J)l'is 1ng Iha.I Ramu withdraw her synagogue 's con• i n.s1ilu1cd studenl evalua tions. tingent after s he broke her which have little pract ical pur­ agreement not to talk to the pose. h 1s 1 ron1c lhat 1he pre ss. As a result of all the commolion, the ultimate goo.I evalua1 ions. which were in• stituled i.n place of re pon ca rds of support for Israel was made so as to decrease the work lood, to appear secondary, and the do not help, but result in slu• fear of condo ning a halac hical­ de n t s s u ffering t hrough ly inapp ropria te li festy le be­ sporad i c periods of ard uo us came the more pressing iss ue.

In a move commo nly held 10 wor k. Ramaz's admi nistration frequently blames lhe students be an attempt at avoidi ng the for pl acing pressure on them­ gay i ssue, the American se lves. bul the re is an easy way Zi onist You th Fede rat i on for 1he administra1 ion 10 al• decided to change the criteria for el igi bil ity to march in the leviatc some of the p ress ure. parade, Afler forma lly assess­ ing the fla ws of the parade, the subcomm ittee of the AZYF

responsible for parade issues revamped the crheria for eligibility as a means to em­ phasize youth participation.

The subcommittee found several specific problems.

Dir ector Ruth Kastner ex­ plained that, first of all, the parade had become very long, approa c h i n g fi v e h ou r s .

Second, the tone had changed from one of educational and crea1ive pageantry to one of dcmonslration and rally which c reated the altitude t h a t "anyone can march," Finally, many of the groups h•ve not measured up to the aest hetic siandards of a v isually pleasi ng parade. She lamented t he heavy partici pation of adults in past parades and its politicizing ctrccts, which obscured the fact th:u the pan.de is supposed to be a youth salu1e to Israel.

TI1e committee emphasi.z.ed that the parade will con hnue to serve as an educational and public relations program, In th is way. the commillec ex• plained, the par:,de not only emphasi zes American Jewry 's long- term spiritual commit• mcnt to Israel but also high­ lights Israe l's achieve men ts, To correct t he p arade ·s flaws, the committee limited youth participation in the pa rade to day sc hoo l s . yeshivot. afternoon synagogue schools. Jew ish c ommunity ce nters. Americ an Zionist Youth counc il, and other youth organ izat ion s, Each group this (N>Minutd on pogt 6)

G. O. Up date Reprcs,nbotlon, a book let Fe llow Ramu stude nts, The task that the G, O. has designed to inform students of taken upon itself will, without the various forums whe re their a dou bt, inv o lve hours of conce rns can be heard. SFAC meetings, form meet ings, and brai nstorming, planning. and ncgo1i1 u ng. The G. O. 's goal. the Presidential Council (1 body meeting weekly . consist• put simply, is to improve stu­ ing of for m presidents and a dent life at Ramu, In 1he past, o ne of t he G . O. 's ma in G. O. representat ive) w i ll be shortcomings has been faulty del ineated in the booklet, as f co m mu nica1 ion: s1udents do ' well as • new system o G. O. not know what the G. O, does, rep rescntal ives defend ing slu• or is supposed to do, and they dents who feel that the od­ lose faith in the Slude nt gover n­ minis1ration has g iven 1hem ment, Below is a briefplan that overly harsh pu n ishments. the G. O, will follow in order to The booklet will also feature succes s fu lly com m un icate each 0. 0. rcpmenlolive wril­ with the student body, lng brief paragraphs express, ing his/her opinions on ccrtnln Al the beginning of next iMiUcs In Ramaz (e.g, davcning, theG and fl ro lod plans ear O . . y , distribute Its Gu lde lo Student p ressu re, lhc cuniculum), 1l\C

primary purpose of this guide is 10 show who the G. O. of­ fice rs are and what they siand for.

Com munication ofideas be­ tween the G. O, and the student body is essential for an effec­ tive G. O. to find viable solu­ tions to Ramoz 's p roblems. lbe G, O. will post bulletins at approp riate times , explaining f the specifics o its recent un­ dertakings and we lcom ing stu­ dent input. The studtnl body, howtver, must have th• In­ itiative to raise an issue in a form meet ing. drop a sugges• tion in the 0, 0, moilbox, or appro•c h • G. O. rc prc­ scnlativc. Studcnls who wish lo work on a G. O. commlnee.

help plan a chagiga. or propose any idea to improve the school must make the effort to speak up. Student government only works when students beli eve on the system. lbe G. O. wishes the student body a wonderful summer ond a brighter '94- '95, Den Lcbwoh l, l'res.

Ariel Simon, SVP Josh Zable, JVP Steven Habel, Sec. Rachel Farbiorz, Treas,

The R a maz Language Department is proud to an• nouncc that close to a dozen s1udent5 placed in the Nation­ al Spanish Examination and National French Examina• tion. Tova Shudo/slcy (Form V) and Shari Damast (Form Ill) placed second in the state in their respective levels in Spanish, while Supluurk Gros (Form V I ) placed second statewide in the level four French competition.

Simon Farhi (Form II) plaecd second in the junior high division of the Oiidon HaTaNaO, this past Sunday. continuing in the tradilion o1 Shalom Holtz and Jonathan Gruenhut.

For the ,ccond time in three years Ramaz has had three juniors accepted as Dronfman Fellows, Racht1 Farbiart, Emil K/ein haus, andA ril/Adtsnik, will spend lhis summer in Israel with a small but diverse group of 1cena1ers sludyina how to ,._ uren,:1hen reJad on.s •mo n• d1spara1e pa,u of 1he Jewish communi1y.

Y1 sher kochachcn co Rachtl Andron, S,uk Ga/­ Un, and Tamar Pragtr for heading the annual Ce lebra­ uon of the Ans. which was hekl on the eve ning of June I in lhe auditorium. Perfor­ mances incl uded original J>Zl,. poetry. and dance com• posi tions.

Due to restored senior privileges, cele brity sight ings have been up in the past month. Students have run into Jtrry Sti11ftld and his child bride, \Voody Allen and his child bride, Billy Jot/ wit hout his bride. Nancy Ktrrigan, Jamts Taylor, and Robin \Vi/Iiams.

Congra tulat ions to Mr. Dkk and tht A UK ttam for winning the New York state this spri ng, championship Th ey recovered from a one­ point loss in the fal l, lbe Ram Page acknow­ ledges the winners ofthe form pres ident elections: Mlchat1 Gtrbtrand on d S1tpha11k Dknstag (Form IV), Jordana Rik/ls and Joshua \Vtint,{Form V), and Ethan and Davidson Ltora Elrtnstadt (Form VI). Form Ill elections will toke place during the second week of October, /lave a great summtr!

Pagc4

June 1994 /Tammuz 5754

The RamPagc

Citizen Seth Takes Region

Senior scholar Sholom Holtz

TV, Israel, and TaNaCh Jon and Shalom Take on the World

by Ariella Ozik For the past fourteen years.

The preliminary exam, which consisted of 49 ques­ tions worth one point each, coaching and prep:iring Ram:lZ commenced at the beginning of students for the National Bible the second w cek-"s trcs s Compcution, or Chidon HaTa­ ,,eek." This cxan11na1ion was NaCh. This year. Rama.z was to determine the winner of the fonunate enough to produce Ch1don HaTfutzot, or the two winners within the top diaspora champion. 1l1is 1s a eleven in the world. Senior separate contest. held because Shalom Holtz placed s,xth in Israelis arc always expcc1cd to tl1e final round. while junior win the worldwide champion­ Jonathan Gruenhut placed ship. Shalom placed second in eleventh. this compe1i1ion. This tesl also Their success started a year qualified the top sixteen of the ago. when all the par11c1paung fifty paruc1pa.n1s for the in1er­ Ch1don students look a distric1- nat1onal final. an oral exam w1dc e x a m . Although i t v.h1ch took place on Yom Ha• covered much material-the Atzmaut on 1elev1s1on. book<: of Devarim. Yehoshua. the first Mclach1m. and " ... everyone shared

Ms. Taub-Weinstein has been

Ycchezkcl. Ms. Wcin"-lCtn i,rcparcd her Sludcnu well

�nough s.o r.Jr:if every R.'llTlaz panic1pan1 passed. �pile her dnllrng. she said that ..,he stu­ dcn1s have to be motivated 1hcmsclves and ready and will­ ing 10 learn." The two were well experienced, since Jonathan had bce:n involved in the Chidon for the past four years, and Shalom since sixth grade. Nevertheless, lheir fel­ low Chidon participants tes­ tified that it was no easy accomplishmenl to achieve proficiency in Tanach 10 lhc cx­ tent that lhey did.

Those who received a mini­ m um of 85 pomts on the regional exam qualified to ad­ vance to the national level, con­ taining much harder qucslions on the same books. The win­ ners of this contest advanced to take the in1crna1ional test which 100k place m Israel. The hope of every contestant was fulfilled by Moltz and Grucn­ hut. who placed first and second respectively. Shalom said that upon henrmg of his promotion to the intemauonal round, hecornmi11cd himsclf10 "�1udy on the subway rides 10 nnd from school, in add1t10n to the weekend�." lmmcd1ntely ancr Pesach, the two left for 1wo weeks in l,racl 10 rcpre�cnt the United Staie, In the Jnterna11onal Ch1don llaTaNaCh. They �pent lhc first week louring, studying 1he1r notes and quizz­ ing c:1ch other. Jonathan stated that "everyone shared his notes, and s1Ud1cd together. ·n,ere was no Nancy Kerrigan­ Tonya lfardmg kind of tl11ng.

We were all on 1hc same side."

their

s1ud1c,I

notes

tuid

together.

There was 110 Nancy Kerrigan -Tonya Hard• i11g ki11d of thi11g. \Ve were oil on the same side."

Shalom and Jonathan were among these talented sixteen.

Once the television testing had terminated, Holtz. and Grucnhut received their offi­ cial standings. "We were very happy and excited," com­ mented Shalom. Ms. Weinstein was ecstatic as well, especially since new Ramaz panicipants were now encouraged to be even more aclive in their learn­ ing upon seeing two winners from their own school.

Shalom and Jonathan were fully aware of what their ae­ compl1shmcnts signified, espe­ cially since the Israelis arc expcc1ed to win, and indeed claimed the top four positions. ..

They both felt thal just seeing the sheer knowledge that people accumulate wn.s kmd of shocking." Shalom said that "1t 1� very rare for a person to actually reach his goals. But even if one's goals aren't reached, the whole procc\S ts 100% wor1h 11-not only bc­ cttuse of the vast amount of knowledge that you acquire, but also bccau� of your di�­ covercd abih11es 10 discipline yourself and simply learn for the sake of learning." Jonath:m added 1ha1 11 was "dcfinilcly in­ tcn'-t, fun, and worth 1l bccau�c everyone wa� friendly."

b) F.urn Hochberg On March 21, Harl>n Cohen. Seth llud1ck. and Andrew fakabov1c!> finished f1rs1. second, and fourth. rcspcc11vely m the regional Cuizcn Dec compct1t1on. Har­ lan and Seth competed m the slate compclltion in Albany on April 28, where Seth finished in first place out of24 students.

He will pan1cipate on June 2529 in the m1t1onal competition m Washington. D.C. The Citizen Bee 1cs1s knowledge of American his­ tory. government. econom1cs. geography and current events.

There were twelve regional compcllUOOS m New York, m each of which the top two stu­ dents qualified for the s1a1c fin:tls. The state compctilion.

1n its fifth year, is sponsored by the New York Secrc1ary of State. The New York State Dcpanmcnt will send fo!Jr stu• dents to the eighth annual na1ional compclilion, which is sponsored by the Close Up Foundation.

"I'm happy that I made Ramaz proud," said Seth. Last year he also pan1c1patcd in the s1a1e con1es1, but he felt that 1hJs year·� compcu11on was not as strong as last year·s. He i, s1udymg hard. and is confidcnl for the national contcsi. which will be televised by C-Span.

Seventeen students par­ t1c1pa1cd in the regional com­ pcrn1on. 1N)uch wa� composed of an oral section and a muh1• pie choice written section.

TI1cre were five students from Yeshiva high schools, and they finished in first through fifth place.

Controversy occurred when in the fourth and final oral round, Andrew was asked the question or why a federal court recently ordered the state of Louisiano. to redraw its district.

"In order to better represent minorities," answeredAndrew,

as the mon11or or the compcu11on nodded m agreement. TI1e J udges pondered Andrew's answer for several tense mmutcs. and fin:ally ruled that he was mcorrcct. The monuor c x p l:ained thnt Andrcw·s answer was "actually the op· posite·· of the re�ponse they were looking for. Faculty ad­ viser Dr. Stone thought that if Andrew appealed the rulrng, lhc judges' dcc151on might have been revoked. But Andrew said that he did not appeal the rulmg because or 1he monitor's discouraging remark. If Andrew's response had been accepted. he would have finished in 1h1rd place and ri:.ce1,ed prize money.

This was the fin,t year that the written section was worth more than the oral. All three Ramaz students complained about the ambiguity of the writ­ ten section·� questions.

Andrew somberly ob�crvcd lhat under the old syMcrn. ··1 probably would have gone 10 Albany." Seth, however, praised the new �ystem for eliminating much of the luck inherent m the oral �ecllon.

Part1c1pa11on this year was le�s than in previous years. because the Clo,e Up Foundation had �cnl letters lo �chool, �tat1ng that there would be nocompct1t1on this year. Al�u. lhe delayed opening or public ,;chools due 10 asbeslos lc�­ scnc.d p;1111c1p.111on. because some �tudcnts were not notified m umc.

It 1s unclear whether or not there will be a nauonal com­ petition next year, al1hough the slate compet111on� w i l l dcfinilely continue t o exist.

Seth hopes "'that I have gamed some publicity for the C1uzen Bee, because I think that it is a worthwhile program and it is underfunded and docs not gel much attention."

Fourteen Studen1s Advance to AIME

by Chnni Bloom On February I 5. 44 Rama;, �tudcnt� took the 44th American High School Math· ema11cs Exam (AHSME). and were rewarded with very lugh ,;,cores.

The test. which 1s ad­ ministered annually. 1s of­ fered to students in the honor� math sections m each grade.

Participants are selected from :1mong the volunteers from the�..: classes by Ms. Gor­ finkle and Mr. Goetz. They look to maintain a balance ol participants from each grade:.

Ms. Gorfinkle described students' performance� by saying that they did ..v�ry well." 14 of the 44 students who panic1patcd quahficd 10 advance to the next round, the American lnvllational Muth­ ematics Exam (Al ME).

Seniors Andrew Jackobov1c,.

Ja�on Liss. Gad, Romm.

Nathan Rothschild, Junior, Ancl Adesn1k. Evan Farber.

Jesse Grauman, Jona1h:111 Grucnhut, Ben Lcbwohl.

A n d r e w R c c h t.,.chafrcn. �phomorcs Mark Sm11h :ind Shaun S1c1gman. and frc,;h­ man An \Vcm,tcin all ,;;cored abo,c the 100 pomt quahry­ mg m.uk. Freshmen 11chac:I Gerber and Man hew Rascoff received honor .. for -.corm{!

Jbove 90 Tov:i Shudof,l ) ·, 99 was the h1ghes1 ..core m lhc i.chuol by a fcnuk:.

Craig Helfgott rccc,,C"d the fir,t perfect �ore in 0\ er 25 year, of Ramaz part1c1pa11011 m 1h,� contc,1. J-10,\c,cr. h1, ,ucccss 1s not unprcccdr,!nled. lie has taken the tc�t for the past fi,,c years, and h1� M:0rcs have progressively increased.

La�t year he rect.·1ved a 136 out or 150. and when he wa.s a freshman, he not only qualrfied for the AIME, but fcont1n11�d on pog� 8}

Successful March Raises $13,000 Each test costs from $45 to S60 and takes about a minute to perform. During the test, two tablespoons of blood are drawn from the donor (who must be between the ages of 18 and 55). \V1th lhc donors' pemussion their names arc added to the Natoinal Marrow Donor Pro­ gram in the U.S .. the Canadian Red Cross registry or other in• tcn1a11onal rcgistnl!s.

The idea of havmg a Walk for Life was introduced to Sharon SchC'chtcr nnd Stcphonlc Schnelder gin• Jny n big ch<'ck.

Ramaz through the e1Tor1s of senior Talia Milgrom-Elcott (conlln"ctl/rom page I) Femberg nlso emplrnsized nnd junior Stephanie the small probab1lrty of finding Schneider. 1l1ough aware that experience." He also wrote a match for himself. His mos1 the student body could not be lhll sometimes the emotional likely match •� an Eastern•· te<ted or give blood, Taha and pain asscx:,atcd with pleadmg European Jew ltke himself, but Stephanie felt compelled to be­ is more bitter 1han his physical tlus gene pool was significantly come involved after rcadmg pain. In a second article in the reduced by the llolocau<t. one of Fcinberg's articles.

Jewish Week entitled "The Through the foundntion, Stephanie s�ud lhat after read• Marrow of Life" Femberg talks whose activities include blood ing the nrlicle one shabbat �he of how he find� comfort in the drives and fundnuscrs, over felt ltke she knew Feinberg. fact that other people in need of 40,000 people have entered "His w:i.s a real situation in bone m:irrow lrnn1oplant.s have their tissue types into the na- which I could make a d,f. been helped by hlS 11on11I bone marrow rcgi�tnes. fcrcncc," �he commented. found1111on's effort�.

June 1994 / Tammuz 5754

Pages

The RomPoge

New Learning Center Helps Students, Learns Lesson From Dalton Failure (So What if They Have Dr. Jucovy?)

Leaming Cent,r coordinator Mrs. Judllh Fagin

by Erin Leib The New Y o r k Times recenlly published an article entitled ... A Disabilities Pro- . gram That 'Got Out Of Hand...

The article exposed the faulty learning disability treatment program at the Dalton School.

Dalton's system. commonly called the "Fisher Landau pro­ gram;· was instituted ten years ago when a wealthy woman plagued with dyslexia donated over two million dollars toward . . a model educational program for bright youngsters with learning disabilities." Her benevole nt offering was used for the salaries of the numerous specialists and teachers in the program. as well as towards in­ tense research into the area of learning disabilities. This rc­ se.,rcl\yiclded a screeni!'g !CS/ used to pinpo'int learning dis­ abilities and facilitate interven­ tion at an early age. The usage of this 1est sparked substantial controversy.

The remedial help provided to the students in response to the results of this test sparked the development of"a learning disability industry.'' The num­ ber of young students deemed learning disabled soared as specialists began to control the olassrooms. The Dalton teachers didn't believe that the program was effective. They confinned that it had gotten out of hand when as many as half of their students were, perhaps inaccurately. labelled as learn­ ing disabled. By the fall of J 992, the Fisher Landau pro­ gram was dissolved.

Located only a few blocks away from Dalton's primary school exists a system which is antithetical to it both in outlook and procedure. h is Ramaz·s newly relined,[.e"flling Center.

The coordinator of Ramaz's Leaming Center, Mrs. Judith Fagin, learned one essential thing from Dallon ·s defective system, that "over-identifica­ tion is as problematic as uoder-

identification." Though the come exempt from his/her lan­ Dalton program began with the guage requirement, and may be seemingly innocuous notion allowed to take oral tests.

The staff of the Learning that early intervention is ad­ vantageous, the Dalton Center is small but efficacious. spccialisL'i were '"a little too ag• Mrs. Fagin acts as the general gressive in seeking out Stu• overseer of both the Upper and dents." Although Fagin Lower Schools. She is in readily acknowledged that charge of reviewing all evalua­ some students were aided by tions and making decisions the system, she declared that with faculty and parents. Ms. the over-involvement of the Deborah Biegen and Ms. Elissa specialists in the classroom Stein aid in General Studies, gravely affected their initially while Rabbi Jordan Yasgur as­ sists those having trouble in good intentions.

Unlike the service in Judaic Studies.

Dalton's now defunct Fisher The goal of the Leaming Landau program, ongoing ser­ Center is to enable all students vice from Ramaz·s Leaming Center is restricted to students All teachers with stu­ who have been documented dents in the Learning learning disabled in a multi­ Center meet regularly faceted evaluation prq_cess. with assisting staff, This process consists of three who update them on different tests: an academic ex­ the student's progress. amination to determine the student's scholastic sfanding, to actively participate in the an intelligence quotient test 10 classroom. This is ac• learn of his/her potential, and a complishcd in two ways. First, personality functioning test to the staff helps learning dis­ document how s'he functions abled students keep up with under pressure. All of these classwork by focusing on tests are conducted by a school specific problems that the stu­ approved evaluator. If it is es­ dent is experiencing. Second. tablished that the student has a the Leaming Center teaches bona. fide learning disability, basic study skills. such as how the staff of the Leaming Cen­ to study for a test, how to take ter, the student, his/her parents, notes, and how to outline. and the administration draw up These pointers help students a plan of services. It is then reach their ultimate goal of be_ detemJined�what a.re:i.,(; th� stu­ -coming fully self sufficient.

An outstanding asscl or dent needs to work on, how many hours of service the stu­ Ramaz's program is its con­ dent will receive, and what ac­ stant communication with both commodating provisions will parents and facully members. be made for the student. For Before the stan of the school example. the student can be· year, Mrs. Fagin met with the

Students Retrace Martyrs' Footsteps·

by Dahlia Landa In early April six thousand students, advisers a n d Holocaust survivors f r o m around the world embarked on the March of the Living. This two week journey through Poland and Israel takes place every other year. The purpose of this trip was to honor the memories of the six million in­ nocents who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis, in order to increase the participants' awareness of the tragedy that occurred. and to prevent it from

" ... the Poles spit at you and try to push you out ... "

happening again.

The thirty participants from Ramaz began their journey on April 5 froml.F.K.. and arrived in Poland on a rainy. dark. and dreary Wednesday morning.

The group's itinerary con• sisted of visits to numerous conccnt ralion a n d d e a t h c a m p s . T h e participants traveled to Treblinka and Maj­ danek, as w e l l as to the workshops of Auschwitz and the gas chambers of Birkenau.

Rabbi Goldmintz, one of the two Ramaz faculty members who went on the March, said that he was astonished by the sheer size of Birkcnau even

Escaping Poland Again:

One

Marcher's

though he had previously �one Junior Daniela Mendelsohn research and seen maps of the feels that the transition coming from a place like Poland, where camp.

by Julie Safdleh The March itself is the three "lhe Poles spil at you and lry lo These two weeks in Poland kilometer lrek from the in­ push you out because you're and Israel have gone by so famous "Arbeil Macht Frei" not wanted," lo a place like Is­ gate in Auschwitz to the inside rael was wonderful. "In Israel," quickly, yet so slowly. I am of Birkenau's brick walls. she says, "you are greeted with happy that I will soon be on a Jews in the Holocaust walked open arms, and you can feel plane home, but I'm also so along this same path, to gas comfortable with whom you confused about what I'm leav­ chambers, crematoria, and really arc. You don't have to ing behind.

I've seen the ashes, the hide your Jewish identity like death.

Few marche.rs were emo­ you had lo in Poland." The ar- bunkers, the gas chambers, and the crematoria, but it is still tionally prepared for the hor­ rors that they suw. Junior Debra Kobrin says that the camps aren't just empty names that you learn about in school.

"When I hear the mention of the names now/' she says, "I have vivid memories of sounds and smells that I experienced there." Ra bbi Goldmintz believes that the more knowledgeable one was about • the Holocaust. the bigger the impact these places could have. since the person could easily visualize what had happened Maya Drrnstrln (Form V) knrels ovrr remains In Dlrkrnau there.

After spending one week in rival in Israel brought about hard to believe that this is the Poland. the marchers flew to such feelings of elation that one real thing that we have heard Israel. The majority of slu· student even kissed the ground about for so long. I'm walking through the same camp that dents felt that this was the logi­ when the plane landed.

During the stay in Israel, the millions of my ancestors were c a I p r o g ression for their Journey. and 1hat their trip group visited numerous sites murdered in. We did this to try to understand what happened would have been lacking had (con1in11�d on page BJ and 10 be witnesses to those they immediately returned to who deny the Holocaust. the U.S. after leaving Poland.

parents of every single par• ticipating member of the Leaming Center. Throughout the year she has maintained a close connection with them, in­ forming them of all successes and setbacks. Mrs. Fagin feels that the parents feel comfort• able with herand telephone her office whenever they deem it necessary.

Communication with facul­ ty members is also an essential part of the Center. AII teachers with students in the Leaming Center mee! regularly with as­ sisting staff, who update them on the student's progress. The encounter is educational since the Learning Center's staff member does not "tell the faculty how to teach. [but] tells them how the students would learn better... Also, these fre­ quent meetings arc helpful for the staff. It is during these en­ counters that staff members learn of the students upcoming assignments and can therefore help the student plan ahead.

Both the faculty members and students seem to be pleased w i t h the C e n t e r a n d its p r o g r e ss.

A d d i t i o n a l l y. teachers report that students in the program have begun to "shine through" in class.

Perhaps these learning dis­ abled students now have the opponunily to experience the feelings of accomplishment that were fell by lhel,- predeces­ sors Leonardo de Vinci. Mark 1\vnin, Winston Churchill. and Albert Einstein, to name just a few.

Memoir But, how can we just walk through the camps and go on?

What am I and the others sup­ posed to do now? I want 10 speak to people, but I don't know what to tell them. If I c a n ' t c o m p r e h e n d the H o l ocau s t , a n d I w a s at A ushwitz­ T r e blin k a , Birkenau, and Majdanck, how do I explain it to those who were nm there?

I guess that I will just have to do the best that I can. It is impossible to convey in words the horrors I saw, but I wanl to share my experiences with those who were not able to go to Poland ns I was.

I was fortunate in going be· cause I was able to gel a better understanding of the torture that the Jews experienced, and realize how lucky I am lo be Jewish. Aflcr leaving Poland and going to Israel, I realized how special Israel is, and how lucky we all are 10 be Jewish.

Aflcr being in such a horrible place as Poland, Israel be­ comes the place that Jews know is their hoO)e. Only Jews have a place that they can al­ ways go to, no matter when or why they arc going.

June 1994 / Tnmmuz 5754

The RamPage

Pnge6

4th Quarter Conferences Established

School Sends Small Contingent

by Jessica Rriak were able to sec the teachers Aficr intense pressure from who they were supposed to the student body. the ad­ see and did not need to wail on minislntion and the G.O. long lines. lbcrc was also less planned two advisory days in fighting on lines because stu­ May for third-quarter student dents were able to make ap­ teacher conferences. Those pointments ahead of time. teachers who felt it was neccs­ Many students agreed with s� lo meet with a specific stu­ thejunior who said that ..these dent approached him or her conferences were very useful ahead of time to set up an ap­ Srudenrs were able ro pointment. However, the stu­ see rhe teachers who dents were able to sec any teacher they wanted 10, rhey were supposed to whether or not t he teacher had su and did nor nud to wait on long lin�s. asked to sec them.

This new system was started after many complaints from the because teachers who felt that student body about the old sys­ 1 was having problems in their tem of conferences, which class came up to me 10 make proved 10 be disorganized and an appointment so I could im• ineffective. Students felt that it prove.. before the end of the was a waste to wait on tines for year.

The faculty and ad• hotus,just to speak 10 a teacher for only a minute. The inita­ ministration also believed the tion of waiting on a line also conferences to be helpful.

However, there were some caused much fighting omong students because they all faults m the new conferences as well. There were com­ wanted to finish their conferen­ ces ;is quickly as possible. plaints by students that since Also, studcnLS felt there were ii was so 1:l1e in the school many teachers who did not year, there was not much time know students well enough so left for student improvement. early in the school year and Also. m•ny students took ad­ consequently did not have vantage of the advisory days and left school early to go much to say to lhcm.

The new conferences we.re homeor 10go out with friends. found 10 be less hectic and stu­ dents found themselves less pressured for time. Students

Activit ics Office did not offer should keep to an inexact . any reason that this year there schedule. as it usually does..

Many students. though. said was only a single practice ses­ 11,at further cut down on our abi111y to organize the stu­ that if they had been able to sion on the Friday before the dents:· Many students, ac­ practice for the parade every parade.

A number of those students customed 10 Ramaz•s late Tuesday. as they did last year start•off times came late with Alara Serles, the result who di.d not show up offered themselves. only to wind up would not have been the same. explanations ranging from chasing the Ramaz contin• Jenny Kriheli of Form V said work overload 10 sheer lazi­ . gent up Fifth Avenue. that .though I didn"t enjoy the ness. Apparently. students did Gabriel Morrow of Form V weekly practices, I was really not heed Rabbi Bakst"s call for commented tha1 "Ramaz happy with the way we looked full allendancc, as he said that at the parade... 1l1c Student (conrinutdfrom pogt I)

AZYF Limits Adult Participation (contiriutd/rom pogt JJ

invited guests of the AZYF, celebrities. and adult members year also needed a specific of organizations that belong to minimum number of mar­ the American Zionist move­ chers. By doing this. the ment or Jewish Community commi11ee emphasized that Relations Council and us af . ..YOUTH are the "heart' of ... the new sysltm ac• the parade and the raison d'etre of the educational complished irs goals .. of shortening rhe process of AZYF. The parade also had a parade and keeping a "special feature" consisting dignified image... of contingents from the Asian. black. and Hispanic filiatcs. War Veterans. Civil communities and intcm;:uion• Air Patrol, and Israeli veterans al youth groups. including were only permitted in open car, which had to be adorned. those from Israel.

In contrast to last year's The few adults who had the privilege of marching - theme of focusing on Israel's in addi1ion to the principals, achievements in industry, tech­ faculty, ;ind parents of each nology, and the preservation of school-were public officials.

Why d o Ramaz Girls Hate Gym?

by O\asha Alltn and Erin Leib A Junior boy comes runmng out of the elevator and dashes into the locker room. Shonly thereafter, he is found in the gym with 15 other boys playing in a competiuvc basketball g;ime. By the time gym offi­ cially begins. the "Skms"' arc already beating the "'Shirts .. seven to three.

Later on 1n the day the bell nngs again and the girls' gym period commences. Mrs. Goldsmith calls .. ,pots everyone," but only eight frowning fac:cs arc present for role call as others slowly dawdle in.

It is apparent th:tt while R:imu boys express a love for the "compet111vc spirit" of gym clos,, the girls dread the 40 Ms. Goldsmith calls "'spots everyone. bur only eight frowning faces are present for role call... 01hers slow­ ly dawdle in. minute period. Why is this so?

Why do Ramaz girls hate gym so much?

One reason for this dislike of gym class is the lack of playing tame, an idea repeated by many girls. Many Romaz girls feel that gym is "a waste of time."

One junior girl complained that .. 40 minutes seems to be enough time 10 learn a new theory in math or a new con­ cept in M:iencc. I don't under­ stand why nothing can be

No More ChagigahMachines (coriririurdfrom frorirpogtJ

Whtrt did ntryonc go? accomplished in the 40 minutes of gym class:· The reason is th3t the bulk of the 40 minute period is spent in the locker room, changing and chatting.

When exiting the locker room, students arc asked to find their "spots," their assigned areas seemingly necessary for taking allcndancc. "By the time everyone has taken their spots." said sophomore Laura Worenldein,"we have only ten minutes left to play."

Also. Ramaz girls feel they lack the exercise they need.

According to one freshman, "I don't even sweat. The few minutes of playing time arc worthless." Many agree and most arc dissatisfied wilh Ramaz's physical-education program. "With the intense workload at Ramaz. I only get the exercise the school

provides me with and lhat's not a lot," exclaimed sophomore Monique Messer; "c:hmbmg the steps is my biggest workout."

According to the President"s Council. a high school should provide a vigorous daily exer­ cise period of at least 20 ... "climbing rlrc srcps biggest my is workout." minutes. This should be designed to develop ogility. en• durance, flexibility, and strength. Docs Ramai·s limi1cd amount of play time three times a week fulfill this requirement? The girls at Ramaz think not.

nature, this year's theme was "Celebrating Youth, Celebrat­ ing Nature. Cclcbnting ..

Miracles. Many themes and visual presentations were based on AZYF"s Israel Programs, which served to il­ lustrate and inform the public of AZYF"s Israel Programs for Youth.

Fortunately, the new system accomphshed its goals of shor­ tening the parade and keeping a digmfied im:agc while also achieving the broader goal of support for Israel. This ycar·s parade 3..lso reminded e\'cryonc of the fact that the event is a portrayal of American Jewry"s support of Israel and of the im­ portance of that support.

eluding an issue box in the SAC for any suggcs11ons or concerns. Other cumpaign promises included brcakfalliit every morning after davcnmg for those who ha,·e no lime to cat in the morning, more social events and student activities, and hmits on the amount of work given at certain times during the school year.

1nc winners of the fivcclcc­ t1ons. who were announced after mincha, were Ben Lcb­ wohl, who was elected presi• dent, Ariel Simon, senior vice-president. Josh Zoble. junior vice-president. Steven Haber. secretary. and Rachel Farbian., treasurer. Oen was formerly the G.O. junior vicc­ prcs1dcnt, Josh the treasurer, ond Ariel ond Rachel Form V class presidents.

In staling the goals of the new G.O., the new officers dis­ agreed with lhe common stu• dent perception that the G.O. willjust be a chagiga machine.

Ben Lcbwohl stated thot in the pa.st year. the focus of the G.O. "was mainly planning programs and school events, while concentrating on some rights for the students. This year, the G.O."s goal is to keep our cars open for student con­ cerns and our mou1hs open relaying these concerns to the administration." Ben also said in his speech that the planning of chaglgas would become the job of • new G.O. commillcc.

Josh Zable commented that.

"Our main concern as student government officials 1s to im­ prove student life and m:ake Ramaz a pleasant place to be."

According to Mr. Rochlin, the G.O. h:as changed dramati­ cally since his first year :u Ramaz. When he stortcd work­ ing at Ramu. the only acuvc G.O. member wa.s the prcsiMr. Rochlin described the G.O. of two years ago as "a farce." .. we saying rhar stopped re/ling certain officers about meet­ ings so rhar we would actually be able to get somethins done.

H

dent. At a Ramp:1ge staff meet­ ing he described the G.O. of two years ago as "3 farce," saying that "we stopped telling ccnain officers .ibout meetings so that we would actually be able to get somctrung done."

Now. he said. all the members pl•y an active role and the G.O. h.is "acquired a certain aun. of importance."

Sophomore Robin Mindlin stated that "the students want leaders who can accomplish something for them. and I feel that this year"s newly elected G.O. members arc competent and will be the ones to help ond make a cho.nge." Most stu• dents look forward to a suc­ cessful G.O. nnd hope that they will achieve all thnt it have planned.

June

1994 /Tammuz 5754

Pace7

ThcRamPncc

Ramblings By HilanWarshaw

Juniors "Snowed in" by History Test

by Erin Leib One girl who had stomach The Ides of March. II was pains and had the permission of not only Ancient Rome that her parents to leave school, was The light grows sha,per all saw tragedy on this day; penalize d for her leaving Ramaz, as well, witnessed its (which was only granted lo her around The mum and mumbled own disaster. On March 15, after much ado) with a nul­ the day before the juniors' lification of her math ICSI taken murmuring sound That holds all snake-like, in "killer Stone lest," one quarter lhat day. its thrall of the grade was absent, stay­ The administration's reac­ This dulled and dormant ing home 10 study. tion to the absences was a The absences resulted from junior class meeting led by Mr. praycr-hallAnd still� stands, lined in the customary surge of stress Miller, who spoke about the and anxiety that engulfs the junior's obsession with school­ his lane You might come closer, go class of '95 before hislol)I work. He discussed their total exams, along with the stress devotion to a single subject and gain A g l a n c e at his most Studtnts began lectur­ (history) and disregard fo r cherished thing ing othu students others a n d of t h e need to That to it may he sway and only to hear responses change the grade's altitude.

For he is here 10 pray. sing In addition, he emphasized such as "What are So see-and so you took a the importance of having a you? My friend or my "fair playing field," i.e. of Here does he wait, in hollow look!hush And it is but a hiSI0l)I book teacher?" cvcl)lonc having equal oppor­ Sits in the yawning line resulting from numerous other tunity. He claimed that those That to ii he does sway -He'll breathe that weary tests scheduled for that week. who remained at home had the For his big test today... weighted air Students in search of"a way to unfair advantage of an extra And notice, if he should so Ah look! They sit in rows handle the pressure" decided day of study. As punishment, care upon the expedient method and he declared that he would re­ and rows The sharp red 'ex.it' sign.

You'd think- JX!rhaps even simply stayed home. store parity by giving those He holds a book, this youth­ proposeThose who did allend school who did not come a choice of and rev'rcnt tribute docs he Perhaps- another way­ on Tuesday were surprised to four out or six identifications payfind so many or their on the test. rather than four out Let's all pray that it may­ It leads him to what he must classmates absent. Rooms ap­ of eight.

For we are all here to pray. do, and he-he must obey But now-! The whole thing peared even emptier as another Students reacted emotional­ He sways before it with a su1..ns again15 students were on class trips ly 10 Mr. Miller's words. One motion As the day junior, who felt justified his So: sh3II we all now say that day.

Dancing with a deep devo­ "amen'! progressed, the number or stu­ staying home, fell that the ad­ tion dents decreased. Additional ministration had no right 10 From this he will not stray: students, only realizing their punish. He said that the school study opponunities later in the took authority away from day, acquired permission to parents who "permitted their Don't forget to wish Rabbi Goldmintz leave. children to act in 1he manner As the administration began that they did." Conversely.

'Happy Birthday· .on Tu�sqayl 10 "catch on." the nurse's office _o_lh�r �lcventh graders felt that was closed tO joiiiOfS iind\hosc the accions of their classmares attempting to leave had to see were .. unjustifiable" and "self­ Rabbi Goldmintz and undergo ish.'' They fell that the school an interrogation. This ques­ had every right to become in­ tioning served as a great im­ vo Ive d and f u r t h ermore, pediment for many. including should have punished even those requesting medical ex­ more severely. cuses.

The issue caused a ·· great rif1 (continuedfrom page I) in the junior grade." according

"Prayer" And there was light: i n morning-time In human halls-we have begun To nod lo the unseen divine As all its rays so radiant shine dut from an incandescent sun.

And through the air you sec him there -He's in t h e b a c k, a l l groomed i n greyA boy-time is impatient And he beckons you 10 stay:

For he is here to pray.

amaz oses opu ar Faculty

graduate school, the Rabbi day school administration. Mr. day he can return 10 Ramaz. finally applied 10 medical Krasner was awarded a Wexncr Sitting in Mr. Miller's office, school; he was accepted by Al­ Fellowship. given to a select Mr. Krasner mused, half­ bany and is still waiting 10 hear group of promising Jewish jokingly, that"maybe someday f r o m E i n s t e i n School of leaders. He was proud and im­ this could be my office."

Mr. Kahan has taught math Medicine. He does not know pressed, he said when he saw a1 to Ramaz s1Udents for the past which type of medicine he will practice. but he is leaning He will "miss the four years, and now feels that towards primary care or inter­ friendship Jon "it is time to move on." He will of nal medicine.

Jucovy."

And Mr. be spending the next four years As happy as he is about Krasner says. "I still pursuing a doctorate in math being accepted to medical have a crush on Ms. education from the University of Maryland. As pan of his school, Rabbi Frankel is not Abramson.• program he will be teaming happy about leaving Ramaz.

During his ten years here, he his orientation that five out of how to write textbooks, com­ has enjoyed Ramaz because ii this year's seventeen Wcxner puter programs, and classroom is "open 10 progress, and it has fellows had graduated from "labs" that will aid math teachers in their jobs. He feels given me the freedom 10 grow." Ramaz.

Mr. Krasner, who viewed that he is ready for this step The Rabbi admired the spirit of integration in Ramaz; he per­ teaching at Ramaz as a now, as both his math and haps typified this when he "homecoming" after he had teaching skills have been im­ taught science to the junior been here as a student, will proved by Ramaz. "I'm a bet­ high school two years ago. He m i s s Ra m a z for several ter teacher than I was four years says that he will especially reasons. The s1udents, he said, ago, thanks 10 the superb math miss the students, who, he says, "make ii tough lo say good­ department at Ramaz." His "gave me inspiration through bye-they were a pleasure lo move does not reflect badly on their achievements, taught me teach. I can truly say that I the school, he says; in fact, a lot, and kepi me going never dreaded entering a "Ramaz was rewarding, but through rough limes." He is class." He will also miss his I'm ready to take the next step." sure 1hat he will remain pan of ability 10 make an impact on He is not sure yet what his de­ students. He will miss the his­ gree will lead 10: "after that, the Ramaz family.

Mr. Krasner, who spoke at tory department, which he says anything could happen."

Rabbi Berger has only been thic- year's graduation. will be helped him "develop as a in Ramaz for one year, but he graduating Ramaz as well. He teacher�" He will "'miss the has made his mark as a teacher will move to Harvard 10 pur1r;uc friendship of Jon [Jucovy)." or freshman Judnism, junior a doctorate in cducarion and And. he says. "I still have a and senior advanced Talmud.

Jewish history. A flerwards, he crush on Ms. Abramson." But and the senior elective inlcndli to pursue a career in Mr. Kra1-ncr hopes that some-

Sacrifice and Ritual. He has also taught students by ex­ ample: "As most people know by now, I take davening very seriously." He will be teaching next year at Emory University in Atlanta as a professor of Jewish Studies, and he will teach a course in Jewish ethics as well as a graduate seminar on the relationship of Toscfta and Mishna. He says that he has enjoyed his experience at

Rabbi Bergu has also taught students by ex­ "As ample: most people know by now, I take davening very seriously."

Ramaz "very much." He says that the "all-embracing atmos­ phere" in high school, where "interaction is not limited to the classroom," enables him to teach values. He saw Ramaz as u n i que because of the "breadth" of its students, who bring diverse experiences to a classroom of Jewish studies.

Dr. Hebling has only been al R am:u. for one year, as a. teacher of physics to juniors.

She could not comment on her departure, b111 she wished "au revoir lo my friends. goodbye, best wi!ihcs, and bonnc chance

to one junior. Students began lecturing other s1uden1s only to hear responses such as "What are you? My friend or my teacher?" Even worse. a few students who did come lo school would not talk 10 those who did not as an expression of their resentment. One junior commented, "They [ those who came 10 school) became self­ righteous and very conde• scending."

Many of those who stayed home claimed that had they not taken a day off on Tuesday they would h a v e been sick on Wednesday's due 10 cxhaus-

Students i11 search of "a way to handle the decided pressure" upon the expedient method and simply stayed home. lion from a Gem:1rah test in R:1bbi Gordon's class had thoroughly "knocked [them) out" and they had needed Tues­ day 10 "sleep and study."

Others simply refuted. "You could've stayed home 100."

The only one who did not get excited about the absences was Dr. Stone. He said that the absences "were not a big deal.

Usually three or four kids arc absent the day before a test.

Only because the entire grade was tested on the same day were the absences noticed."

He also said that the test grades did not differ for those who came and 1hose who came didn't. and 1hat this was nor the result of the punishment, as he chose to remove the harder of the ID questions. Next year Dr. Stone plans to stagger 1es1 dates. to those students whom I have loved at Ramu."

Ms. Mclinck will be taking a sabbatical n e x t year i n France. While s h e h a s not decided at which university she will study, she wants to have ..time to explore French Jewish writers." She will examine the ..tensions in them that arc in­ trinsically Jewish, and how these carry over to the secular side of their lives.'' She hopes to teach a COUJ'sc on this subject when she returns to Ramaz.

As much as the teachers will miss Ramaz, Ramaz students will m i s s t hese teachers.

Jonathan Grucnhut spoke for many students when he said that "Rabbi Frankel's leaving will be a great loss to Ramaz:· Crowds of students were seen following Dr. Jucovy everywhere. And the party and gift that the chess team gave 10 Mr. Kahan are representative of students· feelings towards the teachers who arc leaving.

While the assurances that "lheir replacements will be ex­ tremely competent'" will con­ tinue to now, Ramaz studen1s will continue to hnvc doubts, at lcnst until next September.

Pugc8

June 1994/Tammuz 5754

ThcRaml'agc

Rams Down Cougars for Championship

by Adaim Fishman

Sports Roundup:

Basketball: VarsityBoys7-4 JVBoys6-6 VarsityGirls14-6 JVGirls7-Q Hockey 8-4-1 Soccer5-3 Softball Blue4-4 Softball Yellow1-6 Girls Softball3-4 Boys Tennis14-1 Girls Tennis7-2 Volleyball4-4

On April 17 in 1he Spons Authority indoor socccr rink on Long Island, the Ramaz soccer team beat the Frisch team by 1hc score of 5 - 2 10 claim lhe Yeshiva League champ1on­ sh1p. This was an especially big win for the Ramaz te;im because of the strong rivalry between Ramaz and Frisch.

After many years of Frisch dominance� Ramaz finally prevailed.

The hero of lhe game w:,s senior Asa f Elkayam. who scored four of 1hc goals, wi1h the other one coming from sophomore Adam Zittcr. But they were not the only stars.

Freshman Gabi Denet S.lid that ··Erik Tischler played tcrrifi• cally .is goalie," and Asaf added t h a t ··M arc Cohen played tremendous defense.··

by Chani Bloom The score was J .Q in favor On Wednesday June l, the of Frisch with less than twenty seconds left in the first half Ramaz boys lenms team won when Asaf rifled a shol past the its first championship.

The boys concluded what opposing goalie to tic the score.

At the stan of the second half Andrew Rcch1schaffcn (Form Ramaz scored 1wo quick goo.ls, V) considers an "awesome one by Asaf and one by Zittcr. season" with the best record in ·"The game W3S over aflcr the Yeshiva league, insuring 1ha1," said Asaf. . ..the team was invited A s a f's faih e r c oached to play in the Mayor's Ramaz throughout the pl3yoffs cu . . . because the usual coach.

Reuben. stayed home with his their status as champions. In,a expectant wife. M.r. Ou\ny said post-season tournament repre­ that the elde r Elkayam sentatives of the Ramu team "brought ti re 10 the bench:' did v e r y well. Andrew Coach Elkayam made key sub­ Rcchtschaffcn and David stitutions that allowed his best Weintraub took first and players to rest and conserve second places respectively in their energy. "Before the tour­ the singles tournament. The nament slatted. my dad said doubles teams also saw a vic­ that we would win," said AS3f, tory, with the team of Emil "and we pulled through for Klcinhaus(V) and J ason Liss(VI) laking first place. him."

Mr. Goetz. a fan who used to be a tennis coach, said that

Boys Take Singles and Doubles Crowns Emil and Jason played a ''Mun­ ning game, " coming from be­ hind 10 heal lhe MTA learn.

Steven Haber a n d Elan Goldwyn also placed well.

The boys leam also played well in the independent schools league, which is­ comprised of private schools from Manhattan, where they came in second place to Dwight.

As a result of i1s ac­ complishments, the team was invited 10 play in the Mayor's Cup tennis tournament, which includes the best teams in the city. However, the boys were forced to decline because part of lhe 1oumamen1 look place on Sa1urday.

Ms. Goldsmith, the team's coach, auribulcs its unprece­ dented success to the team's dedication. something that had been lacking in past seasons.

School Must Help End Pressure (continu�dfrom page 2)

will certainly besomc competi­ t ion in the air (which i n moderate amounts i s healthy,) it will not be the intense hyper­ competition that leads 10 con­ flicts.

Pressure and competition lwk everywhere in Ramaz. It takes certain events to trigger sudden explosions of these cle­ ments. bUI with these clements already existing, these ex-

plosions arc inevitable. Ramaz has the resources to offer the highest quality of education possible. II is absolu1ely im· pcrative that we weed out this school's negative clements so that Ramaz can be an ins111u1ion that its students are truly proud of.

Sincerely.

Ben Lcbwohl

March of the Living (c-onti,wrdfrom page 5)

including the Kotel, Har Herzl, and Yad Vashcm. The 1:IICcr was especially meaningful to the marchers. The participants were in Israel for the solemn occasion of Yorn Hazikaron and for the joy of Yorn Ha­ Atzrnaul. Junior Arielle Freed­ berg felt e,;tremcly emotional as the siren that c o m­ memorated Israel's fallen sol­ diers rang on Yorn Hazikaron.

She came to the realization that the soldiers being remembered then had given their ltvcs for a good reason. the State ofIsrael.

This contrasted with .. the Jews

[she) had just learned aboul in Poland. who gave their lives for no valid reason." \Vhen the hVO week� finally came to a close, the marchers left Israel with feelings of sad­ ness. However, the participants also carried a new feeling with them that they had not felt when 1hey lefi Poland. They felt a sense of hope that two years from now another six tl1ousand Jews would follow in their foolSteps and be.come wit­ nesses to the atrocities that took place !here.

Ramaz Sends 14 to AIME (continuedfrom page 4)

10 the next round, the USA Math Olympiad. He is "really excited" about his score, although he was not surprised when he found out that he had done that well. He was not sure in the weeks before the test, while he was preparing, that he would

also advanced

he Mid thauhe testwas alotcasier than usual, the geometry was less difficult, and that he was more prepared than in the past.

Craig said that after he took the lest he was sure th.11 he had achieved a perfect score.

do th.11 well. However,

JV Girls Threepeat, Varsity Falls to HAFTR 40-26 Victory

Over

HAFTR

by Alyssa Kloppcr

Drenching Mr. Dulny with water. the Girls Junior Varsity celebrated their 40-26 win over HAF-TR in lhe Yeshiva League basketball championships. hoSled by 1he Yeshiva of Fial­ bush on May 9. TI,c viclory wa,:; secured with the help of a

Mr. Rochlin said he was disappointed at the lack of school spirit.

Needless to say, this tfid not hamper the team's per­ formance.

strong offense featuring high scoring freshmen Sara Honig and L,ra Goldberg.

A decisive victory was nol expec1cd from the s t a r t .

Throughout the second qu:tr1cr.

Ramaz and HAFTR were neck

and neck. remaining within one or two baskets of each other.

After the quarter, made up mos1ly of foul sholS, HAFfR wasin 1helc;id 17-15. lf nolfor Amy Berman's astounding three pointer, the dclicit would have been larger.

At halftime. with the bleachers less 1han half filled.

Mr. Rochlin s:iid he was disap­ poinled al 1he lack of school spirit. Needless 10 say, this did not hamper the team's per for• mance. Six and a half seconds into 1he second half. Micole Tuchman lied the score at 17.

By 1he end of 1he 1hird quaner, with a shol by Sara Honig, Ramaz led 28, I 9.

The missing fans then ap­ peared to witness the final shot

by Be1h Wiso1sky. They ap­ plauded 1he victory with a standing ovation. Sophomore Amy Berman said t�t ii was "great teamwork" that carried 1hc d,y, as she walked away beaming, carrying her golden lrophy.

Girls' Streak Ended

by Alyssa Klapper

Due to tough compctiton, and according to Dr. Stone "a lhrec inch heigh! deficil," lhe R:imaz Girls Varsity team lost To ensure that 11,e resulting foul shots Rabbi missed. led the Lookstei11 crowd in an eerie re11of "air­ ditio11 balt ...airba/1 ... "

10 HAFfR 56-48, May 9 a1 1hc Yeshiva of Flalbush.

S1rong in bolh lhc offensive and defensive departments, starters Gila Spinowitz, Naomi Konovitch, Amy Gross, Jaime Rosenfeld, and Daniele Spira, looked promising. HAFTR played well, though, and led by

seven poin1s after the first quarter.

In the second quarte r, responding to the cheers com­ ing from lhc overflowing bleachers, Ramaz came within two baskets of a tie. \Vith scores byMichelle Jaffe, Jaime Rosenfeld. and others, the var­ sity team increased i1s score by 14 poinis. Unfonuna1cly lhis was not enough to overcome HAFTR. which rclained a four point lead.

Ramaz relumcd with even more vibrancc after a social and spiritual halflimc break.

This was apparent in the num­ ber of fouls they committed.

To ensure that the resulting foul sholS missed, Rabbi Looksicin led the crowd in an eerie rcndi1ion of "airball ...airball ..."

Seeing that the chanting was not working, the rabbi, with help from Mr. Rochlin, began 1he school cheer, "Ram ii up Ramaz, Ram it up!" However. the cheers of the electrified fans coupled wi1h lhc volianl

efforts of injured players could not prevenl HAFTR from lead­ ing by five at the end of the quarter.

D<termined, !hough slighlly discouraged. Ramaz made one last attempt to pull it out. \Vith a little less than six minutes remaining, Ram.u. came within one point of a tic, via the efforts of Debra Kobrin and Jillian Gross. However, the gap widened as HAFTR succeeded in sinking many foul shots. A 1hrcc poinl shol by Rachel Wolf and great playing by an ener­ gized Daniele Spira raised the Ramaz score to 48, but it still fell shon of HAFI'R 's 56.

Despite lhe loss, lhc learn fell 1hai lhey had come very far and was happy to be awarded silver trophies. ll1e fans '"''ere proud of bolh !cams. HAFTR fan Cindy Rich expressed the enthusiasm of the crowd saying that ..Everyone snt on ihe edge or their seals wailing for a vic1ory."