Volume XXXXVII Number 2
The Ramaz Upper School
November 2013/Kislev 5774
The History Paper is... History Andrew Lobel ‘15 Ask any Ramaz student or alum what they think are things that define Ramaz, and they are likely to say: Ms. Malamy, the fourth and sixth floor lounges, and the yearlong history paper! But as of September, the famous (or infamous) history term paper is history, at least for ninth and tenth graders. In the past, the yearlong paper was a staple of the history curriculum in ninth, tenth and eleventh grades. The essential difference in the paper requirement for each grade was length. Freshmen had to write a 4 to 5 page paper, sophomores 6 to 8, and juniors 10 to 12. The basic format of the paper, however, was basically the same across grades: introduction of the issue and thesis statement, discussion of historical background, report of various historians’ points of view, presentation of student’s arguments, and conclusion. Even the calendar for the papers was identical, starting with submission of a topic in September, followed by submissions of a bibliography, two sets of notecards (color coded based on school-wide criteria), a first draft in April and the final paper in May. (Continued on page 8)
Dresscode Re-AdDRESSED Olivia Hershkowitz ‘15 This school year at Ramaz, the administration has a new policy about dress code. Unlike other years, when students would receive, at most, a disciplinary report with no repercussions to follow, or maybe the usual “pull down your skirt” from teachers in the hallway, this year the the administration is trying to put a complete stop flouting of the dress code. Ever since the first day of school, when Mr. Miller sent out an e-mail telling students the dress code would be taken more seriously than ever, the school’s policies have significantly changed. The administration is following through with their threats when they find a student not following dress code. A first offence means that a student has to fill out a disciplinary report. The second time, a student would receive a phone call home. Upon receiving a third disciplinary report, a student would then have to serve in-school detention and miss half a day of class. (Continued on page 4)
From Chamber Choir to X-Factor: Edan Tamler Sydney Sarachek ‘14 If you were sitting at Celebration of the Arts just a year and a half ago, you might have heard Edan Tamler sing “Pumped Up Kicks,” with Dan Nagar ’14, Joe Baruch ’14, Cyril Putzer ’14, and Yossi Yadid ’14. Or, if you were at many full school assemblies, you may have heard him sing with the chamber choir. Now, our very own Edan Tamler is singing on X-Factor in Israel. The Simon Cowell created X Factor television music competition is making its debut in Israel this year. The four judges are popular Israeli musicians– Ivri Lider, Shiri Maimon, Rami Fortis and Moshe Peretz. The show’s host is supermodel Bar Refaeli. Edan would be a senior this year, were he to still attend Ramaz. He made aliyah with his family the summer after tenth grade, and now lives in in the
north of Israel. This past summer he tried out for X-Factor in Israel, and on October 30, when Edan’s audtion aired in Israel, he was able to share the news with his friends and family. “I was thrilled to see Edan Tamler on X-Factor. I remember him
as a strong tenor with a naturally gifted voice, and I was thrilled when he joined chamber choir. I remember thinking at the time if this is how he sings as a sophomore, imagine how he will sing by the time he is a senior! Well… now we know!”
Edan Tamlker, Daniel Nagar ‘14, Cyril Putzer ‘14, and Yossi Yadid ‘14 performing at Celebration of the Arts in June 2012.
Welcome to Ramaz: Open House 2013 Rebecca Hering ‘15 On Sunday October 13, Ramaz was flooded with unfamiliar faces. Prospective freshmen and their parents crowded into the lobby. The Open House attracted students from all over the tristate region. The Open House began at 10:00 AM. Students and their parents crowded into the auditorium, where they heard speeches from Rabbi Lookstein, Mr. Shaviv and Aliza Schub ’16. After the speeches, however, the schedule became more complicated. Each family was given their own personalized schedule. There were three blocks. For two of them families were assigned to either the club fair or classes. For the third, the families were split up. The students went to a Question and Answer session
and the parents got to choose from electives. “There were some students and parents that were confused about the schedule,” said Dr. Koplon. “But
despite that I think the open house as a whole went very well. There was a lot of good feeling about it.” (Continued on page 8)
says Mr. Henkin, who got to know Edan through the choir and chamber choir during his two years at Ramaz. Mr Henkin smiled as he continued to say, “Remember the little people, Edan!” Back in August, Edan tried out for X-Factor, not knowing that he would ever even make it on T.V. “I always loved to sing, and my friends and family encouraged me to try out,” says Tamler. Two of Edan’s former classmates, Jacob Eisenstein ’14 and Sam Feder ’14 were in Israel on a summer program and attended Edan’s audition. “It was awesome to see Edan again, and really exciting to be there!” said Eisenstein ’14. After Edan’s audition, Eisenstein and Feder even started a “ram it up Ramaz chant,” cheering on their former classmate. (Continued on page 2)
See page 2 for pictures from the Kislev Chagigah See pages 3-4 for opinions on school issues See page 5 for improved club procedures and new club opportunities See pages 6-7 for Pink Day See page 8 for an opinion on the Open House video See page 9 for Sophomore Shabbaton See pages 10-11 for the arts See page 12 for sports
Prospective ninth graders at the Open House on Sunday October 12th.
Page 2
The RamPage News
November 2013/Kislev 5774
Edan Tamler on X-Factor Continued from front cover In his audition, Edan sang “Malach” by Aviv Geffen. From all four judges, he received amazing feedback, and they loved his voice and personality as well. Once the frontrunners are selected, they will be divided into four categories – boys, girls, over 25s and groups. Legally, Edan is not allowed to tell us his status in the competition at this point. However, Edan has shared the feedback he has received since his audition aired. “It’s hard for me to walk around school without someone asking me for a picture or an
autograph. Particularly when I’m around twelve to eighteen year old girls,” Tamler smirked. Within the past two weeks, Edan has
on YouTube with their students. Tamler has about 30,000 views on his audtion, and in a country the size of Israel that gets you a
lot of publicity! Edan is very happy about all of his success in Israel, but he is even happier with the exciting reactions of Ramaz students. “One of the things I would love to do is come to Ramaz and perform for you guys,” says Tamler. For old times sake, maybe he could even sing with the chamber choir. Rachel Kastner ’14, a very good friend of Edan’s, as they were on choir and chamber choir together said, “I’m so proud of Edan and I am so happy for him!” Everyone at Ramaz wishes Edan good luck in his X-Factor journey. Mr. Miller says, “Go Edan! We miss you and we are rooting for you here in New York!”
Tamler singing at his X-Factor auditon in July.
A Day in the Life of a Freshman
DJ Presser ‘1
Article written based on an interview with freshman Sam Reich ’17 about his typical school day The alarm blares. Sam Reich, Ramaz class of ’17 thinks ‘please be set incorrectly. It’s only 6:30 and I have to wake up (again).’ The streets of Scarsdale are depressing and dark at this hour, and it is difficult for him to see his hands. It used to be that he would get up at 7:30 and leave at 7:50. The enviable 2-minute commute has become a one-hour commute. “My mom used to drive me to school, now I’m the last stop on my bus” says Reich ‘17. Then the inbound city traffic hits him, and “it’s nauseating, really nauseating. Nothing like being stuck on the West Side Highway when you’re half asleep,” says Reich. He wonders, “Why am I doing this?” And then he arrives. He enters an auditorium filled with 120 other freshman to pray and sits down in his assigned seat. Now he is socially pressured to befriend his sitting partners, reaping the benefits of assigned seating. After, he thinks ‘What do I have now?’, one of the most repeated phrases of any Ramaz student, Reich asks himself. He looks around and eventually finds that guy who is in every class with him to help. Once figured out, he walks up to the 3rd floor to discover that metal sliver of space that is designated to him for his book-space. Every period, he contemplates the tasks of finding and opening his locker. “I’ve never had a locker before. I found myself coming later to class than those well-trained Ramaz Middle School kids,” Reich says. When he looks at his schedule, he is confused that one of the days is a military
become a celebrity in Israel and in Ramaz as well. Teachers have taken time out of their classes to watch his audition
What’s Going on In Ramaz: Rosh Chodesh Kislev Chagigah
term (D Day), and the other five are letters, not consecutive and certainly not days of the week. Some classes fly by. “This school has a diverse staff. My grade coordinator always has a smile on her face, my gym teacher makes me crack up, my English teacher challenges me, and my talmud teacher sweats when he teaches from the amount of kavanah poured into Ramaz Students welcome Kislev with a full school Chagigah.
Reich ‘17 exhausted from his 6:30 A.M. wakeup falls asleep in the library while studying. educating our class,” says Reich, going through the highlights of his life in the classroom. Getting on the bus at five to head back home, he reminisces. He realizes that while the day is long and chaotic, he enjoys his days at school. “Ramaz provides a cohesive learning environment that also leaves time to explore my interests” says Reich. “There are so many clubs. I enjoy being on the basketball team. Maybe I’ll even join cooking club,” Reich continued to say. During lunch and homeroom, he catches up with friends, old and new, and plays basketball. He feels like a big boy now that teachers treat and teach him like an adult. The bus finally pulls up to his house, He gets up, walks out, and feels refreshed that he gets to do it all again tomorrow.
Matthew Gross ‘14 and Rabbi Kleinberg simcha dancing their way to the new month.
Senior girls Zimo Sloyer ‘14, Michal Hubert ‘14, and Julia Leibowitz ‘14 dancing with Dr. Koplon.
Students danced to live music performed by the Ramaz Chamber Choir.
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The RamPage Opinions
Where Are You Applying Early?
November 2013/Kislev 5774
Not Enough Time in the Week
Alex Ratzker ’14 Throughout the month of ness between people. People Competition was not October, the most commonly don’t have to tiptoe around the students’ only concern when asked question among the sesubject if everyone just tells applying to college. There was niors was undoubtedly: Where each other,” said Melissa Kaplan a common app catastrophe, are you applying early to ’14. Dan Korff Korn ’14 agreed, which proved beneficial for college? It seems that Ramaz stating, “The degree of opensome but problematic for othhas a rare openness among ness is healthy and generates a ers. Cohen said, “The common students, who talk about this more positive atmosphere than app glitches helped me beissue. seen at other schools.. Perhaps, cause my deadline was extendShoshana Edelman’14 said, “I somewhat ironically, students ed. I had more time to write didn’t mind being honest about who do not disclose where they and review my supplemental where I was applying, but some are applying to college, generessays.” of my friends preferred not to ate a more competitive enviOn the other hand, David share that information. I think ronment and a greater sense Tahari ’14 said, “The problems people in our grade weren’t so of uneasiness among themwith the common app were a respectful of others’ privacy. selves. I believe that Ramaz major issue for me. I held up the There was entire varsity certainly a basketball competitive team from atmosphere leaving to and I think Memphis as I many students struggled to felt pressured submit my to talk about supplemental it even though essays. Of it made them course, right uncomfortafter I submitable.” ted my essays, Initially, I the college to was relucwhich I applied tant to share extended their where I was deadline. Just applying my luck.” early. College Mr. Miller, Students had trouble submitting their applications because of the who has weathseemed to Common App glitches. occupy all my ered many years thoughts and I of senior anxiety, didn’t want it to become all that students are correctly avoiding remarked, “We can’t eliminate I spoke about as well. That said, that by being forthcoming in the sense of competition so we I decided to tell my peers besharing their college choices.” try to develop a feeling that we cause Ramaz fosters an open Others appreciated the all want the best for each other. atmosphere. In retrospect, I practical consequence of an It’s better to be aware and act appreciate many of the conopen and honest environment. sensitively than not be aware versations I had with the other As Brandon Cohen ’14 said, and act insensitively.” seniors. It was certainly com“Everyone has a sense of what As the semester progresses, forting to hear that I wasn’t the their competition for a given we wish good luck to all of the only one rewriting my common school will be. This can help stu- seniors! app essay for the third time. dents determine which school “I think the openness gets rid they have the best chance of of the tension and awkwardgetting in to.”
Alexander Leibowitz ’14 When you get to your junior year of high school at Ramaz and begin studying your vocabulary words with your SAT tutor, the word pressure really should just be a synonym for the Ramaz Upper School. Because in addition to that SAT studying and the school work and the (essentially) mandatory extracurricular activities, Ramaz has shortened its week. In theory a Ramaz student only works six days a week. On the seventh, he is supposed to rest, or pass out from exhaustion. The true question is: can you in fact rest, not work, not study, not prepare one day per week and still remain competitive both in Ramaz or on a national level, when every other student in the country is working on Saturday? The reality is more difficult than the ideal. More importantly, is the school making an appropriate effort, albeit unintentionally to assist their students in keeping Shabbat? Ramaz is a competitive school where many students in a grade are trying to get into highly selective colleges. Ramaz students have extremely full schedules, they have to participate in as many extracurricular activities as possible, get good grades and excellent scores on standardized tests. Most of the activities or the preparation for them spill into the weekend. Ramaz has testing cycles every few weeks when essentially all of your classes have exams. Weeks of four tests are not unusual. However, the other assignments, homework, extracurricular activities don’t stop during that time period. The
basketball, hockey or baseball teams don’t have a two week moratorium on practices during the testing cycle. Every student athlete is effected, even the manager of the basketball team. Have the unfortunate luck of being assigned to a very difficult teacher and it could be, an essay, four tests and homework every night. How can you write an essay and study for four tests without working on the weekend? It is impossible. Students in Ramaz have reached the point where they are faced with the stark choice of working on Saturday or watch as a friend who does scores higher. Ramaz as an institution not only doesn’t address this issue, they seem to be making it more difficult. Why does the school schedule a math test on Monday, as they did twice for juniors last year, if they expect students not to work? Why place the history paper on a Monday as it was last year, if you don’t want kids to write it on Shabbat? The administration needs to do a better job of preventing these types of situations. In reality it is extraordinarily tempting to work on Shabbat when you believe many of your friends who work are gaining an advantage over you. Is the school’s workload coming into contact with its mission to foster observance? If the school truly wants to prevent kids form violating Shabbat they should work hard to make it as easy as possible for observant students to remain observant.
Students Seek Healthier Alternatives Alexander Leibowitz ’14 School lunch can seem like an endless supply of carbohydrates. The main difference between most lunches seems to be how the carbs are prepared. Is there tomatoes or cheese sauce on the pasta? Is there American or cheddar cheese on the bread? Some students, including me, have difficulty in finding a healthy substitute for the main course. Ali Haber ’15 said, “ There should be healthier options.” While there is certainly support for healthier options many see issues with incorporating proteins into the lunch menu. Yona Korsngold ’15 thought that it was simply too expensive for the school to provide such quality lunches, “Ramaz lunch is unhealthy but I don’t see a solution. Healthier options are
very expensive while pasta is much cheaper. I’d love to see healthier options but I don’t think it is feasible.” Other disagreed saying that
students pay enough in tuition for the school to provide more protein for lunch. Saul Ancona ’15 said, “ It could be better, there should be more
protein included in our school lunch. With the tuition we pay I definitely think the school can afford to include more protein in our lunches.” Some even wanted healthier breakfasts. Students felt that the school failed to provide the proper nutrients for the most important meal of the day. Sam Fried ’16 said, “I think a greater variety like bananas, apples, and oranges would be a much better way to start off every morning than just cereal.” But Kornsgold and others worried that if Ramaz started to spend more money on food, the school wouldn’t have enough money to hire teachers and fund activities, “If I had a choice I would rather Ramaz spend that money on teacher salaries, financial aid and clubs instead of a slightly nicer breakfast.” Yet Kornsgold’s claim looks asburd when faced with the fact that Ramaz, a private institution, can’t afford to pay for healthy food, while P.S 16 in Queens can. According to their website during the week of April 2, 2012 the school had
yogurt, omelets, banana bread, sausage, and French toast for breakfast. In addition they
served protein twice a week for lunch. Sally Klapper ’15 said, “I think it’s ridiculous that public
schools have more nutritious breakfasts and lunches than us”.
Noah Greenwald ’16 offered a compromise, “ We should have the kitchen staff make real food that they can sell in the mornings, like they do after school. If people don’t want to pay for these healthier options, then there will still be cereal available.” In the end, there was a wide variety of opinions on this contentious issue. Jordana Offer ’15 offered one of the most unique opinions when she said, “I do think there should be healthier options, but I also think there should continue to be a carb option, because some people just happen to need more carbs than others, and also let’s face it: there are always those days at Ramaz when you’re way too stressed and just need some comfort food.”
November 2013/Kislev 5774
The RamPage Opinions
Juniors Leave Ramaz Eddie Mattout ’15
Page 4
Dress code ReADDRESSED
Continued from front cover On Wednesday October 16, the Junior grade took the PSAT exam. The normal procedure during these type of standardized tests is to call out every student’s name, and record who is present and who isn’t. However, accidently, the class list that was printed was one from 2012, the Juniors’ freshman year. As Dr. Honig and Mr. Blumenthal called out the names, students heard names of students who no longer attended Ramaz to which students in the Junior class replied, “not in this school anymore!” or “he/she switched out last year!” Since their freshmen year, the Junior class has lost close to 10 students. Many students were concerned when they realized the number of kids that have left their grade, and some directly blamed it on Ramaz as a school. “It can’t be a coincidence that so many of my classmates left school this year. Ramaz must be doing something wrong,” said Jack Tauber ’15. When current Ramaz Juniors were asked the question, “If you had the option to leave Ramaz right now, would you?” a portion of them said that they would leave. “Part of a school’s job is to make sure their students are happy,” continued Tauber. When former students were asked for their reasoning for leaving Ramaz, the majority of them gave responses such as, “the workload was crazy,” “I had absolutely no social life,” and “everyone is too competitive.” “My entire social life revolved around my work load. I woke up in the morning, went to davening, had maybe 5 minutes for breakfast where all my friends would discuss the test that we were about to take. Then there’s homeroom, where all my friends did was was reminisce about the test. Then lunch came, but everyone was busy doing their homework while they were eating, so they would get an extra hour of studying
that night. I then got home and any text I got was regarding the day’s homework, my class notes or the upcoming project we had to do. I felt as if people were only talking to me because of school, and not because they legitimately wanted to talk to me. The competitive aspect did not help either. Overall, I believe the kids create the environment of the school, and the environment that is created is a very competitive, stressful one. Regardless, Ramaz was a great institution, and gave me a great 10 years, but it got to the point where it just wasn’t for me,” said Julia Lustig, former Ramaz student. Rabbi Stochel responded to this point and said, “Ramaz is not a fit for everyone. We get plenty of transfer applicants every year, and losing students this year is not something that we have not experienced in the past. Ramaz is for a very particular type of student, and it is definitely not the place for everyone.” Furthermore, Rabbi Stochel said, “A student’s social life in school, and outside of school are not two mutually exclusive things. They are intertwined, and are both major parts of the education and upbringing of teenagers.” So is the workload too much to handle Junior year? Like any other argument there are two sides. “It’s really what we signed up for. We all knew it was going to be a stressful year but many generations of kids have done it in the past, and there’s no reason that should change with us,” commented David Major ’15. However, others, did not believe it’s what “they signed up for.” “It’s one thing to have a lot of work every night, but it’s another thing to be staying up until 3 a.m. writing 3 papers, doing all my homework and studying for all my tests,” said Alex Agus ’15. “And we’re still supposed to have time to talk to our friends,” he continued. “I don’t see the point in
working so hard throughout my four years at Ramaz, when my friends, outside of Ramaz, are ending up in the same colleges that Ramaz kids are going to,” said Alex Agus ’15. “While there is definitely a stress on college in Ramaz it is certainly not what a Ramaz education’s goal is. Ramaz tries to engage students with intellectual, knowledgeable teachers and engage them in the learning. From personal experience, when I ask Ramaz alumni about their Ramaz experience, most of them only have very positive things to say. They greatly appreciate their interactions at Ramaz with students and teachers alike, and the immense amount of knowledge they attained,” said Dr. Koplon. While many students share complex feelings about Ramaz, there is still a large group of kids who have a strong sense of pride and connection to Ramaz. “While I have to commute every single morning to get here, and take some very stressful classes, I would never take back my decision to go here. I don’t think I’m the only one who would say this either!” said Rachel Kastner ’14. The Junior class was not the only class that lost students to other institutions this year. The tenth grade lost about five kids this year alone. Should Ramaz do something to address this problem? “While I definitely believe that it is a problem that so many kids have left school, making Ramaz easier is definitely not the answer. Students for the most part come to Ramaz for the academic rigor, and lowering that bar will only result in the problem spiraling out of control,” said Andrew Lobel ’15. Dan Korff-Korn ‘14 said, “As a senior, I have come to recongnize how much I’ve grown as a reult of the challenges I faced at Ramaz. I now feel more prepared to enter the real world.”
Now, over a month into school, students are receiving the in-school suspension that the administration warned everyone about. All around school, one can now see that the students skirt lengths are noticeably longer, giving the school a more religious environment. Students are intimidated by the ‘in-school suspension’ everyone is talking about. But is an inschool suspension really going to show discipline to the kids whose skirts are too short? Jaclyn Mehl ‘15, the first student to receive the new in-school suspension saia, “Dr. Koplon told me that the reason this was the punishment was because for Ramaz kids the number one worst thing to happen to a student is to miss school. She also said I should feel embarrassed so that other girls won’t want to wear short skirts. But after experiencing in-school suspension, I’ve realized it is not worth missing class to wear a shorter skirt.” After the first suspension was followed through, there is now a different student receiving in-suspension about once each week. One can now see girls crying as they sit in the office for hours, watching Ms. Malamy make phone calls all afternoon. After sitting through her suspension, Julia Lipman ‘16 said, “While I sat in the office worrying for two periods straight, I played candy crush, listened to music, and spoke to anyone who came into the office. I believe this punishment
was way too serious for a dress code violation.” Although students may feel that in-school suspension is an intense consequence regarding dress code violation, it does seem to do its job. Even a freshman has experienced the in-school suspension. Libby Silber ‘17 said, “As a freshman, I thought they were being too strict because it was in my first month of high school. I was really annoyed because I thought my skirt was definitely long enough and that the school was just being too strict. I also felt really embarrassed that everyone that walked in the office saw me sitting in suspension. Moving forward I am now very careful about making sure my skirt is long enough.” Students in all grades are receiving inschool suspension, and the administration plans to continue this punishment until they see a big change in students’ skirt length. Already, female students are wearing skirts longer after hearing their classmates talk about their experience during in-school suspension. Although many students do not think dress code violation should result in an in-suspension, it has become a positive lesson learned, not only to the girls who have received the suspension, but also to everyone in the school.
The RamPage invites your responses to these opinion pieces. Submit a response to rampage@ramaz.org!
No Examination Without Representation Will Freid ’15 When members of the junior class came to school in September and looked up their test schedules, many were unnerved to find such an uneven distribution of tests. In the last week of December, for example, they’ll have four study-intensive tests in one week and just one vocabulary quiz the week before. This may make sense to the administration from a purely logistical point of view, but from the students’ perspective, it feels arbitrary and needlessly arduous. To get students on board with their exam schedule, therefore, I think department chairs should first consult with the class presidents and obtain their input before finalizing the schedules. Such a measure would allow class presidents to represent
the general will of their fellow students and assure students that the resulting schedule took their interests into account and was the best possible way to make their workloads more manageable. “Sounds great,” Nate Fessel ’15 said. “We’ll all be better off if teachers understand what we’re going through outside of their classes and consider how much work we have before they load us with more stuff.” Under the current system, department chairs convene in August and January to create a test schedule that seemingly does not give much consideration to the needs of the students. For example, teachers might schedule a slew of tests for the junior grade during an ostensibly calm week without
realizing that many juniors planned to take the SATs that weekend and could use an easy week to rest and prepare. Alternatively, the department chairs may schedule a relatively easy test for a Monday and a more difficult test on Thursday seemingly unaware that to prepare for a Thursday test, students have to carve out time to study on weeknights, when time is more limited. Whereas Monday tests come immediately after a Sunday when students are better rested and more inclined to study. If class presidents, who are familiar with the priorities of their grades and aware of non class-related activities, are present at these faculty conferences, many of these
misaligned interests could be reconciled. Personally, if I had had some say in arranging my sophomore year schedule, I probably would not have scheduled every Spanish exam during the last period of the day in the sweltering SC room adjacent to the gym. Moreover, it’s currently very difficult for class presidents to reorganize the test schedule once it has been entered into the computer system and finalized. First, the new test day must be given on a day when all students meet for that subject. So, for example, a Hebrew test would have to be administered on a day when the whole grade has Hebrew. Second, to make the change, every teacher who would be affected must approve the switch. Even teachers
who weren’t directly impacted would be made aware that their class wasn’t a top concern at that particular time and may feel that some classes were given priority over theirs. These logistical problems make moving a test quite cumbersome so that it becomes easier just to let things stay as they are, to the detriment of the students. As a result, entire grades are often stuck with unbalanced test schedules that are reasonable only from the faculty’s perspective, and class presidents are criticized for not doing enough to alleviate the burdensome workload when it’s already too late for them to do much about it.
November 2013/Kislev 5774
The RamPage News
Page 5
Extracurriculars, New and Improved Tess Solomon ‘16 The 2013-2014 school year offers several changes in the process of registering and publicizing clubs. These innovations, designed by Mr. Rapp, are intended to help organize the club system and ultimately publicize each club’s accomplishments. As seen at club fair on October 10, 2013, there are more than 40 extracurricular options, including teams, musical ensembles, and art, science, and chesed clubs. In most of Ramaz life, there is no elective option. Clubs are an outlet for students’ creative talents or simply general interest. Mr. Rapp expressed that a club’s importance is two-fold: “We want the enjoyment aspect of clubs to happen in an academically beneficial way, that sharpens all the senses we are trying to mold as an education institution.” The recent changes are part of an ongoing process to make clubs more organized. As of last year, for example, the GO website (ramazgo.org) was posting the dates of tryouts and information sessions. Eytan Abergel ’15 said, “The GO website has been really helpful with dates. I definitely missed some tryouts my freshman year because it wasn’t clear when they were.” This year, there were two main changes to the system. The first involves the registration process. For the first time, club leaders of both existing and new clubs are required to identify both their captains and name of their faculty advisor online. This is quite valuable, giving the administration a grip on what is going on. “Not that we didn’t know before,” said Mr. Rapp, “but it made it easy to follow up on clubs, and make sure they’re meeting when they say they’re meeting, doing what they’re supposed to do.” Layla Malamut ’14, captain of the dance team and model UN, two previously existing clubs, said that this year’s system was more efficient. “Before, you had to speak to lots of different people in person, and it was
DJ Presser ‘16 Since 2009, Bekiut had been run by Rabbi Stechler. When he left the school following the 2012-2013 school year, Rabbi Kleinberg took over Bekiut. With Rabbi Kleinberg, there have been some changes, both structurally and pertaining to what is being taught. Russell Oppenheim `14 explained, “Last year, students were only
really hard to keep track of. As a member and leader of several clubs, I found that the changes this year made it much easier and more systematic for me.” Noam Kaplan ’16 co-founded the technology club
community in the school” between students with different interests. A club’s webpage will be run by the students, but Mr. Rapp plans to review them periodically. “Obviously,” he
students to stay involved in and knowledgeable about the many extracurricular clubs Ramaz has to offer. However, I don’t it is going to play out so ideally in practice.” Of course, most captains
this year with Zachary Metzman ’16. “I just had to write a short description of the club, name of the club, presidents, and faculty advisory,” he said. “Very straightforward.” Although the registration change is important for the creation of clubs, the second change is equally important for running them. A new website, ramazstudent.org, has been created. Each club will get its own section of the website. “Essentially,” Mr. Rapp said, “it’s equivalent to each club having their own webpage.” The captains of the clubs are responsible for updating their webpage periodically with photos, videos, or blog posts about recent accomplishments and events. It’s one place on the Internet where any student can go to see what all the clubs are doing at Ramaz. Mr. Rapp said that it is aimed to inspire interest in potential new members and to “create a sense of
said, “they’ll be some oversight on content, but ultimately the club leaders are responsible for their own webpages.” However, this is not an optional project. Clubs are required to keep up an active webpage. The purpose of the webpage is to show off publically what each club is doing. Mr. Rapp said, “I think it’s a very positive vehicle that will bring us together as a school.” Although every club’s webpage is expected to be somewhat active, the administration understands that every club is different. “So hiking club may not be updating its webpage every week, because the members of the club don’t go on hikes every week. But I would expect that, if hiking club has an upcoming hike, or just had one, it would be up there,” said Mr. Rapp. Dan Korf-Korn isn’t so confident. He is captain of RamPo, Mock Trial, Tzedakah Committee, AIPAC, College Bowl, Math Team, XeVeX (editor), and Coalition for the Homeless. That’s eight webpages he is at least partially responsible for. “In theory,” he said, “it’s a great idea. It’s a way for
aren’t the heads of eight clubs. But there’s also the issue of necessity. “I don’t feel obligated to let the entire school know what is going on with my club,” Korf-Korn said. “Regardless of how many clubs I were to lead, I don’t think the idea will work out as well as some think it might. It requires every club to be active in posting information, and not every club deems that a necessary thing to do.” It remains to be seen whether the webpages will be successful, but according to Mr. Rapp, the implementation of the registration change has already been a success: “It gave us a handle on everything that is happening, and gives our system a way to maintain integrity, and we can see that clubs are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, that if you start a club at Ramaz, that it’s something you follow through with.”
Opinion Piece
New Clubs Skyler Levine ‘15 Junior year at Ramaz...like no other. Junior year is notoriously the most brutal year of the Ramaz experience. The classes are more challenging, the tests are more difficult, the homework more plentiful and , of course, the SAT’s or ACT’s. It is also one of the most entertaining years for a few reasons. First, people act quite different during this pressure filled year. In addition, it is the year of the proliferation of clubs. As students try to boost their resumes many clubs are born. Some are quite interesting and add to our experience and some...not so much. Two of the new additions pertain to Backgammon. If the Backgammon Club is not enough to satisfy your Backgammon urge then you can join the Backgammon forum to further hone your skills. While the arts at Ramaz have always been alive and well, students were not satisfied by the the avaialble options. The sketch at the Met club, photography club, and dance team did not seem to be enough. This year, students created the Gymnastics Club. One is left to wonder when an acrobatics club will be added to the ever-growing index of extra-culrricular activities. And then there is the Rubiks Cube Club. This is one of those wonderful throwback clubs from the 1980’s. I am not sure why we need a club since anyone can go on Amazon and buy 30 different books on how to solve the Rubiks Cube or watch five minute YouTube tutorials. Rumor has it, people are also starting a connect four club and hungry-hungry hippo club. The French Culture Club sounds great. I think we will also be adding an Israeli culture club, Jewish culture club and American culture club. To say that there will be countless opporunities to explores various lifestyles and societies would not be an exaggeration. But in all seriousness, some of the clubs do have great value. The GEMS club encourages girls to reach out and excel in math, science and engineering, fields that are typically male dominated. And there is the Happiness Club created by seniors Dani Wilner ‘14 and Jeremy Wilson ‘14 to decrease stress and foster happiness. I think anything that may help reduce student stress is great. So while some of the new clubs seem a little strange, many others may actually create a better Ramaz.
A New Bekiut Dynasty responsible to hand in notes following each session. But this year has become more interactive, as we now read prompts on the Ramaz blog, and post our comments along with those of other students.” This year there is also a change in the material that is being taught. Last year, and in years past, Rabbi Stechler taught Mishnah.
At the first Bekiut of the year, Rabbi Kleinberg informed the students that instead of Mishnah, they would be learning the book of Kuzari. Students have mixed opinions over whether this means more work or less. Rebecca Feder `16 feels that there is less work required, “You do not have to take any notes this year in Bekiut. It
creates a much more relaxed environment, because now there is little work to do during Bekiut, and minimal work to do at home.” On the other hand, Avi Goldman `15 believes “Last year all you had to do was sit there and listen in order to get credit. This year you have to do more to get the credit.” Rebecca Silverman `16 thinks that
it is all a personal preference, “Personally, I found last year’s much easier to deal with.” Some prefer the new format, while others would prefer if it had never changed. Bekiut has definitely changed. Time will tell if students will prefer the new format.
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November 2013/Kislev 5774
Ramaz Student Jasmine Levine ’17 On Thursday, October 17, the Ramaz Upper School observed “Pink Day” in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The school invited a speaker, who spoke about his battle with leukemia as an eighteen-yearold Frisch student. The speaker went into what some students considered graphic detail about his illness. Many people enjoyed the speaker because they felt that they could relate to him. The speaker was our age when he was diagnosed and, as a Frisch student who graduated within the last decade, someone who grew up in an environment similar to ours. Libby Silber ’17 said, “Listening to the speaker’s story really gave me an understanding of cancer and how hard it must have been as a high
school student.” While some students felt that the speech was a bit disturbing, as the speaker described his struggle with cancer in a very open and explicit way, others were more torn. Tyler Mandelbaum ’17 said that he “appreciated the detail in which he spoke. I liked that he was so open with us and treated us like adults. At the same times, it was difficult listening to someone my age going through something so terrible.” In addition to the speaker, the student body honored Breast Cancer Awareness Day with enthusiasm. Many students dressed in pink, and during all three lunch periods, items such as bracelets and doughnuts were sold to raise money for this worthy cause.
November 2013/Kislev 5774
The RamPage
ts Take Pink Day
Speaker Ari Schwartz with his wife and daughter.
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November 2013/Kislev 5774
History Paper is... History
Continued from front cover
This year, ninth and tenth graders will spend significant class time learning about primary source evidence and historiography, respectively. Their teachers will provide far more in-class guidance in these areas, and their year-end writing assignments will not be fully developed research papers, but papers that reflect an understanding of these topics. The theory is that by eleventh grade, students will have honed the skills necessary to do historical research, analyze evidence and historians’ opinions, and write a full blown history paper of at least ten pages. Dr. Sclar sees the change as “a positive shift.” While Dr. Sclar did not think there was a need for change based on the quality of student work, the new approach, particularly in tenth grade, will “encourage students to be more analytical, and provide a clearer understanding of how historians construct history and determine the questions we ask.” Students’ reactions to the change are mixed. Daniel Dishi ’15, who came to Ramaz in ninth grade from North Shore, did not feel he was “in the slightest bit prepared to write a full research paper in ninth grade.” While Dishi appreciates that students will benefit from more guidance from freshman teachers, he worries that come junior year they will not be prepared for burden of the full paper. In his view, “I am intimidated and apprehensive about this year’s history paper, but had I not written those two paper I know I would be even more scared and nervous than I am now.” Daniel Korf-Korn ’14 agrees that almost every student entering Ramaz in ninth grade is unprepared for the history paper. But he believes that the new focus on developing skills in the younger grades will not necessarily help in junior year, since students will be illequipped for “the intense level of work required to complete a successful eleventh grade paper. If the ninth and tenth grade papers required more work, not less, the eleventh grade paper would be a less stressful and arduous ordeal.” Not surprisingly, the ninth graders are entirely pleased with the new approach. Jake Lefkowitz ‘17 probably speaks for most of the grade when he says, “I was nervous at first about the paper because everyone had said it was really hard. But when I found out it was changed and made easier I felt so much better about it.” Of course, as with all new ideas, only time will tell how this year’s change in the paper requirement will go down in history!
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Open House Continued from front cover The most prominent part of the fair was the gym, which was packed with giant poster boards featuring many different clubs. Each booth was supposed to be staffed by a club leader. However, it didn’t always turn out that way. “There is a lot of overlap in terms of the leaders of different clubs,” said Brandon Cohen ’14. “Because of that, a lot of booths ended up not having people to run them.” Because the fair was on a Sunday, students had to come to school on a weekend. “I didn’t mind helping,” said Hannah Blas ’16. “Also, the sophomores who came got four chessed hours for their work.” Dr. Koplon agreed with the sentiment, saying that “most students were proud to be able to help the school.” Many of the prospective students were nervous about the thought of attending the high school. “We’re a little intimidated by the workload,” said Sarah Cohen and Sara Bolnick, both current Ramaz middle schoolers. “We enjoyed the open house, though, especially the choir performance.” Their thoughts seemed to have been shared by other eighth graders, who despite being scared when they first entered the building, started to feel more comfortable as the day progressed. It seemed that everyone could feel the school spirit, and students looked forward to the possibility of attending Ramaz.
Opinion Piece
Open House Video: The Right Message to Prospective Students? Avi Goldman ‘15 Since the Ramaz High School I knew that, at the end of the Open House on October 20th, day, Ramaz was the best place I have discussed the video that for us to accomplish that goal. was shown that day with many I could have gone elsewhere, of my classmates, and the but I chose Ramaz because it consensus of opinion was that had everything I was looking it did not accurately reflect the for: great academics, great Ramaz that we know. Perextra-curricular activities and a sonally, I even felt, to a certain great social environment. Did I extent, that I was watching a know Ramaz was going to force video that took place in Ramaz me to work harder than I ever but was describing a differhad before? Yes. That was ent school. Not that the video another reason why I chose Radidn’t depict the truth about maz, because I knew that being Ramaz; the facts stated in encouraged to do my best the video were true. Mr. Klotz would help pave the way for my does do fun experiments to acceptance into a good college. Rachel Kastner ‘14, seen in the Open House Video commuting to school. help teach physics concepts Many potential students and and I remember Ms. Krupka their parents would be attractanced experience. The courses have in your life, but at the teaching the exact material last ed to a program that would are taught by excellent teachend of the day, you will know year that was presented in the maximize their potential acaers who make the material that it was all worth it.” Is that video. But the video neglects a demically while also giving them enjoyable as well as challenging, the most attractive marketing major part of the Ramaz expea well-rounded high school exsocial activities and assemslogan? No, but it has attractrience, the abundance of work perience. Ramaz does provide blies with prominent speakers ed thousands of students to and exams a are organized to facilitate our our school over the years and that are a rebalbecoming the future leaders it has made Ramaz the best ality for every in the Jewish community and yeshiva high school in the TriRamaz student. secular world. State Area, and probably in the My classFor potential freshman country. And if asked, “Would mates and and their parents to be able you make the same choice I came to to make an educated deciagain, having gone through 2 Ramaz besion, they need to be informed ¼ years of an academically cause we about every aspect of every rigorous curriculum and having wanted to be school, not just the parts that had hardly any sleep? The challenged and will make a school seem fluffy answer would be, “Yes, without encouraged to Mr. Klotz teaching physics in the Open House and fun. What Ramaz’s video a doubt.” maximize our Video should have said is, “You will potentials; and work harder than you ever
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The RamPage News
November 2013/Kislev 5774
New Twist in Sophomore Shabbaton
Akiva Gold ’16 Over the Shabbat of October 19th, the sophomore grade shared their second high school Shabbaton together, although this Shabbaton was one like no other. Due to a major change in the organizers of the Shabbaton, new staff, and the inclusion of a few alumni, the Sophomore Shabbaton of 2013 took a very different shape than Shabbatonim of the past. One of the biggest changes this year to the Shabbaton was the organizers, as the two main organizers of this year’s Shabbaton were both new to their jobs. The new Sophomore grade coordinator, Dr. Koplon, usually the Freshmen grade coordinator, and the brand new Student Activities Head, Rabbi Pianko, were both key players in making the Shabbaton happen, and both brought their own ideas. Rabbi Pianko and Dr. Koplon were both instrumental in creating brilliant and enjoyable learning sessions, and they were also both very successful in planning the Friday activity that had to be changed relatively quickly. Another big change in the Shabbaton was the relatively new group of teachers staffing the Shabbaton. Accompany-
ing the three administrators and Ms. Benel on the trip were teachers relatively new to the school, like Dr. Rotenberg, Rabbi
first or second year of teaching at Ramaz, it created an interesting environment, one that, according to Adina Weinberg-
experience, especially during the learning sessions, as many of the teachers excelled during that time”.
Gabe Zimbler ‘16 goes for a dunk during Friday’s activities. Wallach, Rabbi Albo, Ms. Gadish, and Ms. Mitnick. Because most of these teachers are in their
er ’16, was a great one. “The new teachers did a great job making the Shabbaton a fun
Along with the new organizers and staff, three young alumni came along on the
Shabbaton, because the school wanted to bring people who have a good perspective on high school, and would be recognized by sophomores. The alumni partook in all activities, and even gave speeches. The project received mixed reviews from students. According to Aliza Oppenheim ’16, “It was nice to see them again, and I enjoyed their speeches. It was also interesting to see the perspective of what the experience at Ramaz and at Ramaz Shabbatonim gives you, even after you have left the school”. But some students felt that they would have preferred current seniors rather than alumni. Some students felt that they have more of a relationship with seniors than past alumni, and they also felt there was a disconnect between the alumni and current students. The 2013 Sophomore Shabbaton was a new type of Shabbaton, one with new organizers, teachers, and ideas. Sophomore Class President, Alex Rein ’16 summed it up, “I think the Shabbaton went really well, and I think that the spirit of Shabbat was present in the hearts of all who attended.”
The Clocks Fall Back Noah David ‘14
Sophmores cheer on Alex David ‘16 as he steals the microphone to sing post-Shabbos zmirot.
Max Teplitz ‘16 and Jacob Berman ‘16 get a nice round of mini golf in before Shabbos.
The Freshest Presidents Jacob Hochheiser ’17 Out of seven candidates, the freshman class elected Gabriel Klapholz ’17 and Shelli Cohen ’17 as its co-presidents. The freshman class presidents’ duties are to represent their grade and to attempt to fulfill classmates’ requests. Many students entered the election eager to take on these responsibilities. The seven candidates in the primary election, besides Klapholz and Cohen, were Daniel Cahn ’17, Michael Low ’17, Ella Erlichman ’17, Jasmine Levine ’17 and Lily Haber ’17. However, only Low, Klapholz, Levine, and Cohen advanced to the general election. When asked about her loss in the election, Haber said that she “needed more time to campaign.” Low, Klapholz, Levine, and Cohen prevailed in the primaries with clever campaigning. For example, Low used the slogan, “think high vote Low” on his posters. Klapholz’s posters showed two dictators as mod-
els for whom not to vote, and himself as a model of whom to vote for president.
Despite many creative campaigning methods from the
other candidates, Klapholz and Cohen obtained the highest numbers of votes, and so were elected co-presidents of the ninth grade. When asked about her plans as president, Cohen replied, “ I plan on improving the students’ high school experience by representing the grade and putting forth their requests.” Similarly, Klapholz said, “ I wish to make the freshmen year more enjoyable, leading to a more stress free environment for my peers.” Klapholz and Cohen plan to accomplish these goals by promoting ideas such as getting a better breakfast for the students, creating an easier test schedule, and arranging class trips. Now that the election is over, the elected presidents have the challenge of making this year better for the ninth graders.
On Sunday, November 3rd, Daylight Saving Time ended, marking the beginning of Daylight Standard Time. However, for many suburbs kids such as myself, only one thought crossed my mind when the I saw the time on my phone go from 1:59 A.M. to 1 A.M. This, of course, was that when I woke up for school every day at half passed 6, I would be doing so in complete darkness. Also, when I got home, it would already be pitch black outside, as opposed to it being light until late, which I had grown accustomed to from the preceding summer months. Many students who leave their houses early and return late have strong feelings regarding how this reality affects their mindset and the remainder of their day. Brandon Cohen ’14 said that “Waking up and getting ready for the long day while it’s still dark outside is really tough.” Other commuters also attested to the point that it’s hard to shake off tiredness and sleep deprivation while the color of the sky outside is telling you that it’s still time for sleep.” Quite to the contrary, some, like Natan Tauber ’14, think that “The darkness makes it easier to sleep on the bus to school, so I enjoy it.” In this regard, while you have to awaken while its still black outside, some appre-
ciate the extra hour of sleep time. More than the mornings, however, is the afternoon when the skies begin to dim while students are still sitting and learning in school. This aspect is not exclusive to students from the suburbs, and also is highly relevant to city kids. Margo Oshry ‘15 said, “It’s so depressing to be in school towards the end of the day, and notice that the lounges and classrooms are gradually becoming more and more dark by the minute.” Samantha Bryk ’14, a Queens native, stated that “By the time the bus drops me off home, I’m exhausted and want to sleep because it looks like night outside, when it’s really still day and I have work ahead of me” This issue relates to many people, both metropolitan and urban, in both the morning and afternoon. Many dislike Daylight Standard Time, yet the hard part to come to terms with is that there’s no solution to it. On the other hand, some are fond of the concept of waking up and returning home in pure darkness, as opposed to light. Either way, luckily for the majority of the suburbs kids, in a few short months we will “spring ahead” and have Daylight Saving Time once again, allowing us to see the sun during the week.
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November 2013/Kislev 5774
All Bad Things Must Come to An End: A Farewell To Breaking Bad Yale Buchwald ‘15 (Spoiler Alert) On Sunday, September 29, after five spectacular seasons, Breaking Bad came to an end. For those who don’t know (although most people know a little bit about the show), Breaking Bad is about the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer at the beginning of the series. He turns to a life of crime, producing and selling crystal meth, in order to secure his family’s financial future before he dies. Teaming with his former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), Walt begins to enjoy cooking his famous “blue sky” meth and realizes
he is quite good at it. Over the course of five seasons, there were countless amounts of plot twists, always keeping the viewer on the edges of their seats. Each of the final eight episodes of the show created large amounts of suspense and buildup for the finale. For those who haven’t gotten up to the incredible finale yet, I’m just going to break the news to you: Walt dies in the end (like that was so unexpect-
New School Year, New T.V. Shows Yale Buchwald ‘15 As the new school year finally starts to kick into gear, the long road ahead may seem pretty ominous. Although this may very well be true, there are numerous brand new TV shows this fall that can certainly help to take your mind off of school. Starting some of these great new fall shows is highly recommended. One of the more popular new TV shows this fall is Sleepy Hollow. “Sleepy Hollow is a modern twist on a classic story,” said Adam Bandler ’15. “It’s extremely entertaining and has the perfect balance between action and drama.” In the show, Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers. He rises from his “grave” in modern day Sleepy Hollow, after something unknown summons the Headless Horseman back from his watery grave. Ichabod pairs with modern day police officer, Lt. Abbie Mills, in fighting the Horseman. “I would definitely recommend this show,” said Josh Kleinberg ’15. “I find the plot to be quite engaging and I like how the show reproduces a classic story.”
Definitely check out this show if you are interested in the subject matter, but if you aren’t, the show may prove to be a bit boring for you. Another new fall favorite is Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The show is based on Marvel comics and is about the organization by agent Phil Coulson of a small team of S.H.I.E.L.D (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) agents. The agents investigate strange cases involving newly emerging superhuman individuals. “I like this show a lot because you see regular people deal with living in a world filled with super beings,” said Arielle Peri ’15. The show is also set right after the popular Avengers movie. “I like it because the show goes deeper into the Avengers, one of my favorite movies,” said Yona Kornsgold ’15. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to be an exciting TV show if you are into similar topics, such as superhero movies. Some other new and popular shows this fall are comedies The Goldbergs, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, along with the thriller, The Blacklist. Whether it be comedy, like The Goldbergs and Brooklyn Nine-Nine or action in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, these new shows seem to be a great way to take a break from our busy school schedules.
ed). In the brilliant final episode, “Felina”, Walt outsmarts everyone, gets the money to his
family, kills Lydia and the Nazis, and saves Jesse, who is finally
free. “I was relieved to see Jesse Pinkman free at last,” said Ben Jaspan ’15. “He had gone through so much and seemingly lost everything important to him, but he is now free and is finally able to fix his life.” Finally, Walt dies in the one place he feels at home: a meth lab. “I thought this was one of the most satisfying endings in television history. Walt died when and where he was meant to,” said Stephen
Eliau ’15. With Walt’s death in the closing seconds of the series, all loose ends were tied and almost no questions were left unanswered. Breaking Bad has been one of the most popular shows in television history. Its final episode alone generated more than ten million live viewers. “Never could I have imagined such a satisfying ending to a show with such a complex and anxious plot,” said Gabe Roth ’15. “Breaking Bad is really one of a kind.” Here’s to Breaking Bad, a masterful and truly sensational show. And remember, if you ever hear a knock at your door, assume that it’s Heisenberg.
Reviewed: Captain Phillips Sydney Sarachek ‘14 Based on the book “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea” by Capt. Richard Phillips, this movie chronicles how the American cargo ship the Maersk Alabama was hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast in 2009. Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) has been assigned a dangerous route to take the container ship to Mombasa, Kenya. But things are tense in that area of the sea, and the ship receives an advisory warning mariners to stay away from the Somali coast. Things get even more tense when Phillips sees two specks
on the radar screen, later confirmed to be two boats filled with Somali pirates. The first day, the Alabama manages to escape being overtaken by the pirates, but the next, one of the speedboats reaches the ship. Muse (Barkhad Abdi), the leader of the pirates, tells Phillips they’re not terrorists, just businessmen. And to the Somalis, as mentioned, this IS their business. Because of some cryptic messages that Phillips tells the pirates with his hand-held transmitter turned on so the crew can hear, the crew hides out in the engine room and actually overtakes one of the pirates there.
One thing leads to another and the four pirates manage to flee on a lifeboat with Phillips as their hostage. Meanwhile, the US Navy initiates a rescue attempt to save Phillips’ life and keep the lifeboat from reaching Somalia. We can identify with Phillips, an ordinary man who does the best he can under extraordinary circumstance, thinking fast to save the crew while still clearly frightened. “Captain Phillips” is a mustsee film for anyone who loves tense thrillers. This gripping docu-drama is definitely a movie everyone should make time to go see!
Gravity Review Skyler Levine ‘15 At First, Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney seems to be a misnomer as the title “Anti-Gravity” seems more appropriate. Virtually the entire movie takes place in space where gravity is made insignificant and yet this is the title given to the movie. The movie starts off with astronauts Kowalski (George Clooney) and Shariff (Paul Sharma) along with bio-engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) fixing the Hubble Space Telescope. With minimal warning, debris from a blown up Russian satellite destroys their ship, kills Shariff, and separates Stone and Kowalski from their tethers while losing communication with Houston. Kowalski is a space veteran and helps save Stone who is overwhelmed initially as this is
her first space mission. Kowalski is quick to give up any hope for himself to be saved in order to give Dr. Stone a chance. Despite his laid-back manner, it is clear that his character values life above all else. Not his own, but anyone’s life as he is quick
to make the decision that maximizes the chance for Dr. Stone to survive. Bullock is outstanding in her role as Dr. Stone. While she comes across as fragile, distracted and nervous, her inner strength, drive and new found will to survive is evi-
dent. Dr. Stone is haunted by the memory of the loss of her young daughter. Early on this leads her to almost give up on life. The most compelling part of the movie is when instead of giving up, the memory of her daughter drives her to survive not only for herself but so that the memory of her daughter lives on. Stone is convinced that her daughter lives on in the stars and while one day she may reunite, now is not her time. Through this physical and emotional journey, Bullock’s character begins to appreciate life, living, and the beautiful world we live in. She understands the gravity of not just her situation but the gravity of life as a whole. When one really thinks about it, “Gravity” is the perfect title for this wonderful movie.
November 2013/Kislev 5774
The RamPage Arts
Concert Review: Two Door Cinema Club Sammy Merkin ‘15 As the Northern Irish indie sensation Two Door Cinema Club appeared on the Hammerstein Ballroom stage October 10th, the crowd greeted them with deafening cheers. The three young men comprising Two Door Cinema Club, Alex Trimble (vocals, rhythm guitar, beats, synths), Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Kevin Baird (bass, backing vocals), opened with “Sleep Alone”, a hit off their second album, Beacon, much to the excitement of the crowd. However, after playing for roughly thirty seconds, all of their amps went out, and one could only hear the faint sound of the unamplified guitar and bass. After attempting to play through the technical malfunction, lead man Alex Trimble stopped playing, just as confused as the rest of us. A few minutes later, the amps were back and everyone was even more revved up and adrenalized than before. The band, unfazed by the mishap, proceeded to electrify the sold out Hammerstein Ballroom with “Undercover Martyn” and “This is the Life,” both hits from their first album, Tourist History. They followed with a performance of poppy new single “Changing of the Seasons” off of their new EP. Trimble’s beautifully melodic voice, along with Two Door Cinema Club’s trademark quick hitting riffs, thrilled the packed audience. The youthful crowd at
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Style Watch: Fall Fashion Naomi Bouazziz ‘15 and Lauren Gross ‘15
Hammerstein Ballroom was energized the entire night, constantly bouncing in rhythm to the catchy guitar riffs of the trio. Contributing to the exciting rave-like atmosphere was the amazing synchronization of the strobe lights in conjunction with the songs. Once the performance got underway, there was no one seated in any of the balconies. Everyone was up dancing along to the super catchy beats of their quick-hitting tunes. Adding to the tremendous ambiance was Trimble’s playful interactive banter
with the crowd, which allowed for a real connection between the crowd and band. The entire group shared Trimble’s humility and genuine excitement to be playing a sold out show in one of New York City’s biggest venues. Two Door Cinema Club’s live performance was just as I had anticipated: fun and energetic. Their live renditions of hits, which included some refinements, sounded even better than the original recordings. The show had the audience completely enthralled by their songs. This allowed for the audience, myself included, to temporarily forget about all
forthcoming difficulties. Another enjoyable aspect of attending concerts in New York City is the ability to connect to fellow New Yorkers. All of us there had one thing in common: an appreciation of Two Door Cinema Club. This allowed for that rare phenomenon: an amicable conversation with a fellow New Yorker. It provided an easy topic of conversation, different from the typical one-sided “sorry”, found after brushing shoulders with someone in the midst of sidewalk traffic. Throughout the show, I had no desire to check my phone, or any of a multitude of social media outlets. Rather, I was content to fully envelop myself in the performance, and I find this a testament to how truly incredible the performance was. The band began their encore with “Someday”, a hit off of their second album, Beacon. The strobe lights and smoke jet machines only enhanced the crowd’s excitement and energy. Throughout the encore, all of the band members charmingly thanked the amazing crowd and expressed their genuine exhilaration to be able to play for us. They closed with “What You Know” and the noise of the crowd rose as Two Door Cinema Club exited the stage having completed yet another unforgettable show.
The students of Ramaz couldn’t be more excited about the changing of the seasons. Winter means fall sweaters,, boots, leather jackets, and super cute scarves. Rebecca Hering ’15 is excited to wear her winter clothes. Hering ‘15 said, “I love wearing comfortable over sized sweaters and cute scarves!” Abigail Freilich ’15 said that her favorite thing to wear during the winter is “cute, fun tights!” Samantha Adler ’14 share, “I love wearing my overthe-knee boots during the winter. They are definitely great fon cold days!”
The boys are equally excited about the approach of winter. “It is annoying to have to wear ties or sweaters, but it is definitely great to get to wear comfortable wool or cashmere sweaters,” commented Matthew Gross ’14. Gabe Zimbler ’15 adds that “Uniqlo has great solid colored v-neck and crew neck sweaters and they are very reasonably priced!” Although winter coming also means colder weather, and shorter days, Ramaz students seem to be pretty excited to change up their wardrobe a bit and wear warm, cute clothes!
Fab Finds
PRETTY PLAID SCARF Lauren Ralph Lauren ‘Rebecca’ Wrap, $42.00. Avaialble at Nordstroms.
GO-TO SCARF Polo Ralph Lauren Merino Wool Scarf, $60.00. Available at Nordstroms.
COMFY STRIPED SWEATER Varsity Stripe Waffle Knit Sweater, $22.80. Avaialable at Forever 21.
VARSITY CARDIGAN Hawkings McGill Fleece Varsity Cardigan, $49.00. Available at Urban Outfitters.
LOVING THE LEATHER LOOK River Island Waterfall Front Leather Look Jacket, $106.79. Available at Asos.com
THE PERFECT PEACOT Black Wool Borg Pea Cot, $170.00. Available at Topman.com.
THE OVER THE KNEE BOOT The Higgins Boot, $229.95. Available at Steve Madden.
THE FASHION SNEAKER The Maughan, $75.00. Available at Aldo.
Justin Timberlake’s 20-20 Experience, Part 2: Reviewed Sydney Sarachek ‘14 Justin Timberlake was already pop royalty six months ago when he released “The 20/20 Experience,” his first solo album since 2006 and the anchor for one of the most sustained promotional campaigns in recent memory. But that was before the record sold more than 2 million copies, more than any other this year, and before Timberlake played a string of sold-out stadium shows with Jay Z. And it was before Timberlake reenergized his loyal subjects by revealing that “20/20” was only the first half of a two-part project. “The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2” uses the same formula that’s becoming his musical trademark – the trance-inducing grooves and futuristic electronic beats helmed by Timbaland and Tim-
berlake, who co-wrote each song. Unfortunately it doesn’t feel new. Like the first “20/20” album, the songs on “2 of 2” are long, but they aren’t as entertaining or as cohesive as his first effort. Some tracks sound like leftovers from past recording sessions, and drag on. The album starts on the wrong note with “Gimme What I Don’t Know (I Want)” and the nine-minute “True Blood,” both up-tempo songs that lack that Timberlake-esque spark and swag. The lead single, the disco number “Take Back the Night,” might be good for mere mortal pop stars, but compared to Timberlake’s own lofty standards, disappoints. A better choice would have been the Drake-assisted “Cabaret,” which is smooth and has an addictive hook.
Not all of “2 of 2” should be dismissed: “You Got It On” is a soft slow jam – listen and you’ll feel like you’re on a cloud. And the midtempo “Drink You Away” is the disc’s most adventurous offering. It doesn’t sound like anything else on the album: It’s guitar driven with a strong backbeat, with a raw quality that makes it a bit indescribable – and exhilarating. The multitalented Timberlake, is releasing dense music when most Top 40 listeners have short attention spans. The album runs 74 minutes, and the average song is six minutes. Even for those attentive listeners who can manage to listen to his songs without pressing fast forward, this album seems like sloppy seconds.
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The RamPage Sports
Varsity Basketball takes Magen David Josh Sarachek ’17 The Ramaz Varsity Basketball team made a big splash at the Magen David preseason tournament. In it’s first game, Ramaz faced North Shore. Despite the close score, Ramaz was in control the whole time. Captain Jamie Cappell ’14 lit up North Shore, dropping double digits and absolutely dominating. But in the second quarter starting power forward Noam Tobin-Hess ’14 went down on the court and fractured his ankle. When asked about the injury he said, “ Every time I step on the court I can injure myself but I do it for the game. It sucks but I will be back for the Memphis Cooper Invitational tournament.” Ramaz ended up closing out the game and winning by two points. After the win against North
Shore, the Rams squared off against HAFTR. Despite stellar play, Ramaz was down 12 going into the half. But, the Rams turned up the intensity and fought back. Cappell hit a few big threes and they were back in it. They finished it off and won by four points. “It was like a March Madness game. An unbelievable game where we came from behind and ended up taking the lead, it was just great,” said Adam Bandler ’15. “People thought we would be the underdogs going in this game, but in this league we are never underdogs, we are too good.” After the huge win, the Rams advanced to the finals against the Heschel Heat, where they lost. “The game was a blowout. They listened to everything that
their coach said,” said Aaron Cohen ’14. “They were the most well coached yeshiva team I have ever seen. They were running a trap on us and we committed a handful of turnovers off that. But Coach Dulny knows what to do, he always does. Next time we face them we will be prepared and know what to do to beat them.” Even thought the Rams lost, they are at it again and proving to be championship contenders. According to Cappell, “We know what to do to get there, we got there last year and we know what it takes to finish it off. We just have to put a lot of effort and we will get there. The teams looking great and I am looking forward for this year.”
Rams take Memphis
November 2013/Kislev 5774
Volleyball Competes at Kushner Elianna Schwartz ’17 and Nicole
Aboodi ‘17
Freshman Shelli Cohen ’17and sophomore Natalie Dicker ’16, both members of the JV volleyball team, bond at the Kushner Tournament.
Russel Oppenheim ’14 Over the weekend of October 28, 2013 the Ramaz varsity basketball team competed in the Cooper Invitational basketball tournament in Memphis, Tennessee. The tournament brings together sixteen Jewish high school basketball teams, from around the country. The teams included the HAFTR Hawks, NSHA Stars, Flatbush Falcons, and the reigning champion Chicago Community Tigers. Ramaz went into the tournament with extremely high aspirations, as the second overall seed, in the first tier of schools. In their first game, on Thursday, Ramaz dominated Fasman Yeshiva High School by a score of 79-46. Led by Jamie Cappell ’17, who scored 21 of Ramaz’s points, Ramaz was easily able to win. Furthermore, as the afternoon continued, James Weiss ’17 put up a top-5 score
in the tournament’s three-point competition, with an overall score of 11 shots made out of 20. As he put it, “I got a glimpse at many of the best shooters in the yeshiva league and I gave a good hard fight; I am excited to go against them in the regular season and show them what Ramaz is really capable of.” The varsity team rode their Thursday success into Friday, when they were able to hold off the New Community Jewish High School Jaguars, winning 39-36. Led by Daniel Berg ’17, who had a game high seventeen points, the Rams were set to face off with the third ranked Yeshiva University of Los Angeles (YULA), Panthers on Saturday night. Despite their early success in the tournament, Ramaz fell to YULA, who ultimately won the championship, by a score of 49-39, ending the Rams’ hopes of win-
ning the tournament. As Justin Haber ’17 described it, “we lost a tough game to YULA, but we played great defense throughout the tournament. Now, we need to keep our heads up and continue to improve throughout the remainder of the season.” Captain Jamie Cappell ’17 expanded on this point, saying that, “while our defense was great throughout the tournament, I think that if we are able to improve our offense we will be unstoppable.” The Rams will have to be ready to move on, as they will face Kushner on November seventh. As captain Natan Tauber ’17 put it, “we are coming off of a very tough loss. But I know that in a tough game against Kushner, we will be able to turn it around, and get back on track with our championship season.”
Co-captain Daniel Berg ’14 takes home a plaque after being named an All Star at the Cooper Invitataional Basketball Tournament in Mempihs.
It was a long day for the JV and Varsity Girl’s Volleyball teams. The day began sharply at 8:30 AM with a trip to Kushner, and ended 12 hours later at 8:30 PM that night. “This was the first pre-season Volleyball tournament within our league and it was a great experience for both the Varsity and JV Volleyball teams”, said Coach Rachel Kohn. Ramaz competed against three schools: Kushner, Mayaanot, and Central. Ramaz JV won their three matches in a best of three, making it to the playoffs as the third seed. The first game of the playoffs, Ramaz beat Mayaanot, though Mayaanot eventually defeated Ramaz in the championship game by three points. This was the JV’s team first game this season. Freshmen player Shelli Cohen ’17 said, “Even though it was really time
The RamPage Editorial Staff Editors-in-Chief Alex Ratzker Sydney Sarachek Zach Klein
Arts Editor Zev Prince
Photography Editors
Associate Editor Layla Malamut
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Junior Editors
Esti Flamenbaum Zimi Sloyer
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Opinions Editor
Faculty Advisor
News Editor The Ramaz varsity basketball team came out strong for the Cooper Invitational Basketball Tournament in Memphis. After a tough loss in the semi-finals, the Rams returned even more determined to win the league championship.
consuming and I had three tests in the upcoming week, it was worth it because in the beginning we did not know how to work together, but by the end we grew as teammates.” The Varsity team won their championship against Central. “It was a really long day and I was really hungry, but it was worth it when we won,” said Margo Oshry ’15. Win or lose, the volleyball teams returned home knowing that they have a connection between them that will help them succeed in their approaching season. As Coach Kohn said, “By the end of the day our teams formed some real chemistry on the court. This kind of team bonding would usually take half a season to accomplish, but thanks to the tournament we were able to achieve it within one day.”
Noah David
Sports Editor Russell Oppenheim
Dr. Steven Milowitz