Volume 54, Issue 2 (September/October 2019) - The Rampage

The Rampage The Newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School

New York • Volume 54 • Issue 2 • September/October 2019 • Elul/Tishrei 5780 • the-rampage.org

Launch of a New Talent: Evelyn Landy

Samantha Sinensky ’21

Debuting her first novel, she stepped onto the stage with a confident stride. At just 17 years old, she is the youngest author the Barnes & Noble of East 86th Street has ever featured. Her peers were impressed that she could write a complete novel while managing the infamous Ramaz workload. The author is none other than Evelyn Landy ’20. Having recently published her first book, The Lie in Our Hearts, a coming-of-age story about a girl learning to find love, Evelyn made her debut as an author at Barnes & Noble on East 86th Street, surrounded by the Ramaz and KJ communities.

The 17-month process from first draft to published manuscript was a lengthy one, and Evelyn’s spark of inspiration came from an unlikely source. While studying for finals in January of tenth grade, Evelyn was listening to music and created a mental storyline with the lyrics she heard. After realizing this plot had great potential, Evelyn crafted her book during free time and vacations, despite the demanding workload. Being that the book’s setting is high school, Evelyn found it especially helpful “to write about high school when you are in high school.” Pieces of teenage dialogue in school hallways influenced character dialogue throughout the book.

During the writing process, Evelyn had no strict outline, but a general idea of where the story would be headed. After completing a first draft, she sent her work

Josephine Schizer ’20

to a company that assists in self-publishing, and was soon paired with an editor.

Originally, Evelyn began writing the book for pleasure, and would never have imagined the project would go this far.

The Lie in Our Heart speaks to a diverse crowd. Evelyn’s message is to teach people the importance of self-love before loving others. She wants to encourage young writers to develop their craft and not be afraid to publish because of their age. For the title Evelyn chose to paraphrase is from the quote, “The beautiful thing about young love is the truth in our hearts that it will last forever.” Evelyn advises aspiring young writers to write as much as they can during their free time and to make writing a focus if they are really serious about it.

In many ways, Evelyn has been an author in-the-making for her entire life. Even before she could write, Evelyn always had a vivid imagination and would create stories as a child. Evelyn seized the opportunity to write whenever possible.

In addition, reading frequently helped to shape Evelyn into the writer she is today.

As a writer, Evelyn felt the vulnerability that comes with writing, saying, “It felt like I was putting a lot of myself out there, and I didn’t expect that.”

On Friday, September 20, Barnes & Noble held a book launch that was attended by Ramaz faculty, KJ members, and friends, all proud to support Evelyn and eager to read The Lie in Our Hearts.

Evelyn read an excerpt from her book, held a Q&A session, and signed books. A line of enthusiastic fans snaked around the

room, excited to have their books autographed by Evelyn Landy. All proceeds from book purchases at the book launch went to Ramaz.

Ms. Litwack, having taught Evelyn for two years in high school, “saw her writing grow—and this is why people go into teaching.” Dr. Gaylord, who attended the launch, is “proud that [his] colleagues have had some hand in this.” He also wished that “more people had aspirations in the direction of writing.” After hearing an excerpt from The Lie in Our Hearts, Basia Fellner-Dublin ’20 is inspired to explore creative writing herself and feels

that “When you hear the character’s voice, you can hear yourself and what you would be thinking.” Rachel Shohet ’20 feels “more compelled to explore [her] own writing.”

Barnes & Noble event manager Sean said that The Lie in Our Hearts is the first teen-published book the store has ever sold and that it is great “to see the community come out to support Evelyn.

We [Barnes & Noble] would like to think that we are the heart of the community, and these types of events really represent that.” Ramaz is proud to endorse any academic achievement of its students or alumni.

New Year, New Makeup Test Policy

Between school trips, family vacations, doctors’ appointments, college visits, and inevitably getting sick once in a while, Ramaz students occasionally miss school. Ramaz administrators have long discussed how to deal with students who miss tests, and this year they imposed significant changes.

The longstanding makeup policy that let students personally negotiate the dates of makeup tests with their teachers has now been replaced with a more centralized policy that involves grade deans in the process. The new policy includes four key changes in addition to more minor language alterations.

First, the new policy limits students to three makeup tests per semester and only one in any subject, after which a student must meet with their advisor and Grade Dean and will not be allowed to take another makeup test.

Ms. Krupka explained that this won’t be simply a blanket policy, and there will be exceptions in extenuating circumstances. Missing tests for school trips won’t count toward the three-makeup limit. However, many students voiced concerns that they would be missing too many tests for school trips and would run out of makeups, so it seems that this exception wasn’t clear to the majority of the student body. “I’m scared that I won’t be able to take tests because I miss a lot of school for club trips,” said one

Inside this issue...

student.

Additionally, in the case of medical issues, the school would speak with Nurse Nechama in order to assess each student’s individual situation.

Ms. Krupka explained that in some cases, students absolutely need to miss school for doctors' appointments and there are no other options, but in other cases, students can reschedule these appointments

to avoid missing tests. This policy “opens a conversation, which is also good to learn in terms of adult life—instead of just coming late to work every day because I have an issue, how I manage that conversation with my supervisor is an important one to have, and I think a kid who is missing his or her third physics test of the semester should be asked to have that conversation and to develop the ability to have that conversation, even if it’s totally legitimate, and they’re going to end up being excused for it.”

Second, students may no longer delay taking their makeup tests indefinitely after returning from an absence; the new policy requires that students take makeup tests the day they return to school— taking precedence over extracurricular activities—or within a week, if a student was absent for a longer period of time and missed multiple tests.

Third, the new policy does away with the old rule that students who arrive late to school on test days aren’t allowed to sit for the exam; now, students may arrive late to school and take a test, but that test will count as one of their three makeups. This change came about because the old policy was almost never enforced. As Ms. Krupka explained, particularly if a test was in the morning, a teacher wouldn’t have much time to find out who came late before administering the test—she described it as “a logistical nightmare.” However, this meant that more students were coming in late on test days than other school days.

“Students felt it was a really unfair advantage to kids whose parents were okay with letting them sleep in for three hours because they stayed up till three—and if you had the kind of parents like I had growing up, who said you had to go to school every day unless you were sick enough that you couldn’t leave your bed, then it felt like an unfair advantage,” explained Ms. Krupka, “and also an unfair advantage to local kids” who are able to walk over to school Continued on page 4

What Happened to Health Class?.......................................................................................................page 2 Where is the Ramaz App?......................................................................................................................page 5 New Teacher Spotlights.................................................................................................................pages 6-8 Crossword...........................................................................................................................................page 11

News 2

The Rampage

The Case of the Missing Health Class Tammy Palagi '21

As of now, there is no health class at Ramaz. In its place is a ‘mental health’ free period. Ms. Axel, the previous health teacher, began teaching health at Ramaz in 2014 and developed a curriculum well suited to the needs of a Ramaz Upper School student. In freshman year, students learned about sleep, nutrition, and the five areas of health.

Sophomores discussed stress management and how to prevent drug and alcohol abuse. Juniors had a sexual education class. Health classes were organized by foreign language class and took place once a rotation. Although the class met infrequently, many students feel that health, unlike many other high-school classes, is important in the long term, providing you with the information necessary to better understand your body and how it functions.

Late in the summer, Ms. Axel left Ramaz unexpectedly for another job, leaving Ramaz with insufficient time to hire a replacement. The administration is in no rush to find a new health teacher and believe that a free period in students’ schedules will serve as a stress reliever. “For the time being,” said Rabbi Stochel, “we decided to offer students a mental health period rather than rushing to hire someone to teach a curriculum that Ms. Axel has developed over years.”

Ms. Krupka, Dean of Faculty said, “We view this as an opportunity to take the time needed to hire a good fit to fill the position in addition to taking a second look at the curriculum for each grade. We plan on supplementing the class by bringing in speakers to discuss topics normally covered in health.” She went on to say, “this is definitely not

a permanent change and will last maximum for the duration of this year, possibly only this semester.”

“Ramaz kids, like all teenagers, grapple with developing both physically and emotionally, and it is important we support that in an educational way,” said Dr. Zeitchik, Director of Guidance. A health class can be a controlled way to talk about important topics that may otherwise be slightly uncom-

fortable to discuss. While a free period may very well be beneficial to a student’s mental health, it will not educate them, nor give them a safe place to speak with a trusted adult about very serious issues.

Rina Marlowe ’20 said, “the things people would say showed such a lack of knowledge; the class was very much necessary.” Many students feel that they are at a disadvantage not taking health.

Yehudit Rogosnitzky ’21 said, “I feel as if I’m missing out on one of the only classes that will actually help me in my life.” Shira Schwartz ’22 also admired the class and said, “It was interesting to

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learn how we can better take care of our bodies.”

On the other hand, an average Ramaz student’s day is filled with classes, assignments, tests, and after-school activities. Students appreciate every extra free period that is added to their schedule. Beatrice Kleeger ’20 said, “We never learned about the topics that were actually applicable to our lives, and I would much rather a free.” In reality, 40 extra minutes every week could give students an opportunity to do some work and thereby go to sleep earlier that night.

According to New York State law, all high school students must earn the equivalent of one credit in Health Education in order to graduate. On July 1st, a new law took effect in New York which adds a paragraph to the state’s Education Law mandating mental health as a part of health education in schools. New York is the first state in the U.S. to require that mental health be taught as part of health education. Although Ramaz as a private school does not need to abide by laws made for New York City Public Schools, these new laws represent shifts in American society creating an emphasis on youth and young adults learning about health and mental health that was absent in previous generations.

Dr. Zeitchik said, “As a psychologist, I appreciate that a free period can be a stress reliever for kids, but I also think that a meaningful health curriculum with a trusted health teacher is more important. A health class doesn’t guarantee that the kids are going to internalize all the information, but it creates an opportunity for them to comprehend and be alert about issues in a mature and serious way.”

You Know You Want to Join Every Club!

Avigail Dupont ’21

Nothing marks the beginning of a new school year like the club fair. Club fair is a time when students sign up for too many clubs, many of which they probably won’t even attend, but also an amazing opportunity to learn about the extensive programs Ramaz has to offer. There are clubs ranging from sports teams to publications, academic competitions to performing arts, and much more.

On Tuesday, September 17, the auditorium quickly filled with students and pos-

itive energy as they rushed to sign up for clubs during their lunch periods. Like any Ramaz event, the club fair also featured snacks!

For freshmen, this was a completely new experience. It was a great time for them to see the variety of clubs open to them and get to know some of the upperclassmen. The warm and welcoming environment of club fair can be helpful in the midst of adapting to a new environment and new people at the beginning of freshman year.

Samuel Ostad ’23 says, “it was really nice to see everyone being so friendly to each other. I didn’t know Ramaz had such a large variety of clubs; they did a really great job catering to everyone’s interests.” Chloe Gad ’23 agrees, saying that, “club fair was a really great time. All the club leaders were encouraging students to join, and overall the environment was really welcoming.”

This year’s club fair was a big success. The location offered more space to set up the tables and allowed students to see clubs more clearly. One of the biggest complaints about last year’s club fair was that the room was too small for such a big fair and that the stations were too close together, preventing students from seeing certain clubs. The bigger space

also allowed more room for socializing. Another big complaint from last year, also resolved this year, was that club fair was scheduled during Chol Hamoed Sukkot when many students were away on vacation.

The only feedback about this year's club fair was that it shouldn’t take place during three different lunch periods. Samantha Sinensky ’21 says, “I would prefer if club leaders did not have to choose between attending class and going to club fair. Perhaps club fair can be scheduled during a B4 period when the whole student body does not have class.”

Seniors Have an Advisor?

Charles Spielfogel’21

There is a lot of excitement about the fact that there has been a new position added, making Ms. Dashiff the new senior advisor. What does this mean for the senior grade?

Ramaz created a new advisory system last year. The freshmen have an administrator as an advisor. Sophomore year, they get handed off to another faculty advisor for the next two years. Senior year, the student has a college advisor to help them with the college process but no longer has a separate faculty advisor. This year, the school seemed to

fill this gap by adding an additional senior advisor beyond the college advisors and the Grade Dean

“The seniors are given college advisors and have a grade dean, but a lot of seniors over the years have felt that they missed having an advisor. The college advisor is getting them into college, and the grade dean navigates them through the year, but they miss that piece of an advisor,” said Ms. Dashiff. She explained that she can assist students with their coursework and day-to-day senior-year issues.

As senior Grade Dean, Rabbi Sklarin is responsible for the whole grade, so it is very difficult to support so many individuals’ needs. Since this new

role was created, senior students now have two people they can turn to in school for support. This is something that many seniors have requested over the years.

Ms. Dashiff has many goals to share. The first is that “the seniors should have a successful and enjoyable year. It can be overwhelming, and I want them to have enough people to support them so they can enjoy the year. I don’t want them to lose out on the last year of school, and I want that to be a part of their final year at Ramaz.” Students hope that this position will become permanent so seniors in years to come will also benefit from this extra support system.

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780

The Rampage

News 3

Renovated College Guidance Office Gabby Ostad '21 and Taylor Roslyn ’21

Even teachers need their space. This year, Ramaz Upper School students, specifically juniors and seniors, will benefit from a new College Guidance Office. Since the end of school last year, the office, located on the C-level, has been under construction. The entire floor remained off-limits to students and faculty at the start of school until reopening on September 23rd, the third week of school.

In the interim, Rabbi Stochel stated, “the College Guidance Office has temporarily relocated to the Teachers’ Lounge behind the library until the newly renovated suite of offices on the C-level is ready for the college advisors to move in.” As a result, students were no longer able to use what many consider as their favorite bathrooms and the teachers’ lounge had been relocated to the quiet room, a small space in the library previously dedicated to independent study.

The newly constructed office went under ren-

ovation to remodel a space that, “for a few decades has been an open concept office,” according to Mr. Blumenthal who was closely involved in the redesign of the office. Changing the office from an open concept to one containing individual offices and compartmentalized spaces required major construction over the summer months. The new layout includes a conference room, individual offices for each advisor, and a room for Ms. Shulman, the registrar.

"The reason for this new layout is to give privacy to each student and parent that enters our office," said Mr. Blumenthal. "Before, it was difficult to have private phone calls and conversations with students. This new configuration allows for more intimate conversations with students, and we hope it will make them more comfortable to share their thoughts. Although the previous space allowed for the sharing of ideas [among the advisors] because we were all in one room, I feel that the positives of the new layout outweigh those of the previous one.”

“The construction was to provide confidentiality when speaking with students, and I’ve gotten good positive feedback so far,” said Dr. Honig.

Senior Alyssa Hackel ’20 had a meeting with her mother and college advisor recently. Alyssa reported that the new office helped her destress during the meeting. Alyssa said, “Speaking about college could easily get me anxious, but the new closed open area let my mind stay stress-free.”

The past three weeks were important ones for seniors who must begin to choose the schools to which they plan to submit applications. The advisors enjoyed their temporary office because of its cen-

tral location next to the Senior Lounge that allows easy access for students to pop in with questions.

As for those teachers in the quiet room, they have had to deal with downsizing their office size and working with fewer computers. Mr

Deutsch said, “I certainly recognize that there is a situation that requires us to be in a temporary space.

I hope the situation will end quickly so we can return to the previous space because I would like to be able to tell my students where I can be found if they need to meet with me.” Similarly, Dr. Gaylord added that the current room is suboptimal, but expressed complete understanding in having to make temporary sacrifices for his colleagues and students.

Look for an update about teacher offices in next month's Rampage or at www.the-rampage.org

First SFAC Meeting: What You Need to Know Caitlin Levine '21

Faculty also mentioned that there was a shift in the process of choosing advisors last

The Student Faculty Administration Com- year. The freshman advisors are all administramittee (SFAC) met for the first time this academic tors, and this is intended to help first-year stuyear on Wednesday, September 24th. Every month, dents feel more comfortable. Faculty members the members of the G.O., student class presidents, also expressed that even though the topics disgrade deans and certain faculty members meet to cussed might not interest everyone, they are discuss current concerns within the school. To- still really important issues and need to be adgether, SFAC members seek ways to resolve the dressed. Class Presidents Avigail Dupont ’21, issues raised. The SFAC Chairperson conducts Lucy Doft ’20, and Gabi Potter ’20 along with Dr. these meetings and ensures that discussions are Zeitchik volunteered to follow up on this issue. followed through. For several years the role of the The next topic on the agenda was preSFAC Chairperson was held by a student, but last sented by Caleb Rosenfeld ’22 and Yona Weinyear’s chairperson was Rabbi Dov Pianko, and this stock ’22. They discussed orientation and the difyear’s Chairperson is Tanach teacher Ms. Benus. ferences between freshman year orientation and

The meeting opened with a review of SFAC sophomore through senior year orientation. Caprocedures. Ms. Benus explained that class presi- leb and Yona explained that the timing of sophdents should poll their grades for topics to submit omore-senior orientation is not ideal. Although to SFAC. At each meeting, two agenda items will be the day begins at 1 P.M. for juniors and seniors, presented by students, and then two items will be for sophomores it begins at noon with a chesed raised by faculty. The Associate Vice President (AVP) opportunity. This cuts off the day as there is not for Communications is responsible for document- enough time for students to accomplish things ing each meeting. At the next meeting, the topics outside of school before or after orientation. discussed at the previous meeting will be reviewed.

Caleb and Yona proposed an alternative

After Ms. Benus finished explaining these schedule for orientation with a day that would start procedures, Class Presidents Lucy Doft ’20 and and end earlier to free up the afternoon, rather than Gabi Potter ’20 presented the goals of advisory and cutting the day in the middle. The day would begin how students respond to them. Lucy and Gabi stat- at 9 A.M. for sophomores who wish to go to the ed that in the past, advisory has not been as useful chesed talk. Juniors through seniors would arrive as it could be. The topics discussed are not par- at school at 9:45 A.M. for snacks and breakfast. At ticularly interesting to the students and the peri- 10 A.M., there would be a whole school assembly, od takes away students’ free time. After Lucy and followed by grade meetings. Then, at 11:45 A.M. Gabi finished speaking, Ms. Benus asked, “How do there would be brief advisory meetings. The day students feel about their advisors?” School Presi- would end at 12:15 P.M. with an optional lunch. dent, Ethan Morali ’20, AVP of Operations Maxine Ms. Senders commented that the modified Pravda ’20, and Class President Caleb Rosenfeld schedule would benefit teachers as well. She said, “A ’22, all agreed that while they were all fortunate lot of teachers go back and forth between the freshto have connected with their advisors, many stu- men and the sophomores-seniors. A lot of teachers dents are not as lucky. Every student is different, didn’t get the opportunity to see all of the students. and some students do not have a great relation- If we switched to this model, teachers could focus ship with their advisors. Gabi and Maxine ’20 on sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the mornsuggested that instead of advisory meetings, stu- ing and freshmen in the afternoon.” Maxine Pravda dents could individually meet with their advisors then expressed concern that the freshmen would not if they have concerns. Rabbi Dov clarified that “B4 be included in the opening assembly. Rabbi Stochel is for programs and was not intended for free pe- clarified that including the freshmen in the opening riods. Therefore, this period is not the students’ assembly may cause freshmen to feel intimidated. free time that we have taken away from them.”

Rabbi Dov then pointed out that “Ramaz

never used to have an orientation. As a concept, it is new. So, there is a lot of room to explore orientation, or we could just get rid of it.” Rabbi Slomnicki expressed that starting the day earlier could be problematic because when students reunite with their friends after a long summer, all they want to do is catch up. Placing the students in davening as soon as they reunite could make for a bad situation. Rabbi Slomnicki also said that “Having orientation is beneficial because there is a space where you can exist with your friends. It’s a message of welcome back!” The discussion concluded with the formation of a follow-up committee consisting of Rabbi Dov, AVP of Communications Caitlin Levine ’21, and Yona Weinstock.

Next, Ms. Senders presented on office and meeting spaces. She explained that students who want to meet with teachers about personal matters prefer a more private space, rather than an office shared by a few faculty members. Ms. Senders also suggested that meetings can take place in unused classrooms, but that teachers don’t always know if there a class in that room. Ms. Senders proposed that Ms. Friedman could send out a list of unused classrooms for the day, and teachers could reserve a classroom for a specific period. Ryan Leibowitz ’20 offered that the available classrooms could be posted on Schoology. Rabbi Dov suggested that maybe after davening there could be a space set up in the auditorium for meetings. Ms. Senders added that the B4 period could potentially be reserved for student-teacher meetings. The follow-up group for this topic consists of Maxine and Ms. Senders.

Lastly, Rabbi Slomnicki presented on the project to modify Preludes, the long term goals of the project and its areas of focus. Rabbi Slomnicki stated that Preludes had to be revisited because the handbook is very out of date and doesn’t reflect certain policies that have been changed. For example, Rabbi Slomnicki pointed out that policies have changed regarding elevator usage and privileges extended to grades other than seniors.

Continued on page 9

News 4

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September 11th: Ramaz Remembers Rebecca Massel ’21

Ask any adult where they were on September 11, 2001, and they will share a detailed and emotional story, but for the current students of the Ramaz Upper School, the tragedies of 9/11 are simply history. This was one of the main reasons the Ramaz administration decided to dedicate two days of learning this year in memory of the tragic event.

On September 10, four first responders to the Twin Towers attacks spoke to the students about how the day affected their lives forever. The next day, September 11, began with three periods of learning about the tragedy through the lens of different disciplines and was followed by a school-wide presentation by Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University and Sigan Av (second judge) of the Beit Din of America. Of course, the commemoration of this important day would not have been complete without giving back. Ms. Benel led a day of service on September 8 and two chesed activities on September 11 to provide an uplifting conclusion to an emotional memorial.

In previous years, 9/11 was commemorated at Ramaz with a speaker for each grade and a respectful visit to the firehouse on 85th street.

According to Rabbi Sklarin, who organized the 2019 event, “Over the past few years, I have felt, based on feedback from students, that we had not done enough for September 11 in terms of recognizing the day.” Mr. Cannon said that “because of the realization that this is the first year that none of the students in the school would have been alive on 9/11, we thought it was specifically an important year to recognize.”

The preparation for this year’s 9/11 programming began before the school year started with a visit by the Upper School faculty to the the 9/11 Tribute Museum.

Teachers watched videos, saw artifacts, and heard first-person accounts of the tragedy. Mr. Klotz described the trip, saying, “I appreciated the layout, and being there with my colleagues was a meaningful experience. I lived through it, so going to the museum and memorial was interesting, but I don't know that it drastically changed my perception of it or the way I spoke about it with my students.”

Once the teachers returned to Ramaz, each department was asked to create a lesson plan to be used on September 11 to illuminate different aspects of the tragedy:

Makeup Tests

Continued from page 1 whenever they’re ready for a test, unlike students who have to take the school bus and don’t have the same flexibility.

This new policy surrounding lateness is much more enforceable than the previous one; now,

it’s up to the Grade Dean to coordinate latenesses with the test calendar, alerting students who came to school late on test days that they have now used one of their three makeup tests. Instead of having to assess these situations in a rush the morning of the test, the Grade Dean will have a few days to match the attendance system and test calendar without the same time pressure.

Fourth, all the students who missed a test are no longer required to take the makeup test together; some departments may still require this, but it is no longer a schoolwide policy.

Ms. Krupka explained that this change happened “bottom up,” with the new makeup policy initiated and created by a team of teachers in conjunction with the administration. For teachers, the abuse of the old system was difficult because it forced them to write multiple versions of tests for students who needed to take makeups and prevented them from returning tests for long periods of time while waiting for a few students to take makeups. Furthermore, “It’s an unfair advantage even if you get a separate test,” said Ms. Krupka, “because you’re getting a lot of information from kids what the test was, and it’s not educationally a good idea for kids to feel like, ‘oh, whenever I’m good, I can just take the test or I can

the World Trade Center, the repercussions of the events, or the ways in which the victims were memorialized. In English classes, students read memorial poetry, and in Hebrew, students learned about the Israeli reaction to the tragedy. In art, Kevin Goggin, faculty advisor of the photography club, presented Here is New York: A Democracy of Photographs, which depicted 9/11 from different perspectives through photography. Mr. Goggin, who volunteered to help assemble the book, described the creation of the masterpiece. Ms. Abramson gave a lighter perspective, telling the story of Philippe Petit, the man who illegally tightroped across the Twin Towers in 1974. One student commented, “studying 9/11’s impact on the art community showed me how 9/11 impacted everyone, no matter who they were.” A junior said, “The different subjects provided different applications… which opened my eyes to seeing the event in different lights.”

I didn’t know how to tell her what that meant. How do you tell a sixteen year old that her father thought it would be his last day of life?

While most teachers did teach about the attacks, the math department chose to veer away from the topic out of respect.

Dr. Nironi explained, “[The math department] realized it would have been very difficult to come up with something that would not have been distasteful or inappropriate, so we decided to just have regular class.” He explained that while searching online for math-related 9/11 lesson plans, they read about a 2017 high school teacher who created a math problem about the tragedy. Students and parents were outraged about the disrespect of this problem. “We didn’t want to do something that could be perceived by even a single person as insensitive,” explained Dr. Nironi.

What touched students the most were the teachers who shared personal experiences with their classes. “My teacher, who was not in the Twin Towers,” said one sophomore, “cried when telling us about his day. For me, that illustrated how impactful and life-changing the day was to every single New Yorker.”

just miss one.’ Teachers felt frustrated by it.”

Ms. Krupka framed this policy change as part of a larger change in the school’s attitude, working to “approach executive functioning and professional responsibility from a more structured way” and treating students more like adults, including setting higher expectations in and out of the classroom.

She also explained that these changes—similar to the lateness policy—should only actually affect a small number of individuals, but the effect that the old situation was having on the morale of the larger student body was disproportionate to this small subset of the population, making it a larger issue that had to be addressed. The majority of surveyed students, 43%, remembered taking 1-2 makeup tests last year; 15% remembered taking zero; 22% remembered taking 3-4; and 20.6% remembered taking more than five, including 9% who remembered taking more than 10, aligning with the subset to which Ms. Krupka referred.

This policy will be publicized with parents as well so that parents take tests more seriously and think more carefully before allowing their students to

miss school and face the threat of a potential zero if the student doesn’t follow the new rules.

Students had mixed reactions to these changes. Of the 68 sophomore, junior, and senior students surveyed, only 11.8% felt positively toward the new policy, 51.5% were neutral, and 36.8% regarded it as negative. Additionally, although grade deans were supposed to explain the new policy at orientation, only 22% of students indicated that they completely understood these changes. 11% didn’t

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On the morning of September 10, Ramaz held two separate assemblies, one for the freshman and one for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Both programs included speakers from the 9/11 Tribute Center.

The upperclassmen heard from two guest speakers, Ms. Sonia Agron and Mr. Joe Agron. Because they were introduced only by their first names, students assumed no relation between them.

Mrs. Agron recounted her 9/11 experience in the NBC building in Manhattan, planning a surprise for her husband’s birthday. In the meantime, Mr. Agron arrived home and learned of the first plane crash into the Northern Tower of the World Trade Center complex. A police officer for thirty years, Mr. Agron ran to pick up their daughter, who later said, “I don’t understand, my daddy hugged me closer than ever before and was afraid to leave,” relayed Mrs. Agron. “I didn’t know how to tell her what that meant. How do you tell a sixteen year old that her father thought it would be his last day of life?”

Once Mrs. Agron arrived at home, she received a call from her husband that he was on the scene. She described her reaction to the call, “I wish I could tell you we were happy to hear from him, but it was the feeling of relief.

I would do anything to hear my husband’s keys again.” Two weeks after the attack, Mrs. Agron, an EMT, was assigned to Ground Zero to care for the wounded victims. Mrs. Agron shared with the students that both she and her husband are suffering from incurable diseases as a result of the fumes they inhaled working to save lives in the weeks following 9/11.

Mrs. Agron ended her speech, saying, “We do what we do to honor those who no longer have a voice.

Eighteen years ago they stole the voices of 2,977 people, but they did not take mine, so we live every day as if it is our best, and we tell students like you to go out and do acts of kindness and make our community stronger. Evil will come, but love will conquer the evil.” She handed out cards, instructing the students to do a random act of kindness and pass on their note to support the next New Yorker.

Mrs. Agron explained to us that speaking has helped her and her husband both cope with the disasters they faced.

Mrs. Agron then introduced the man standing on the stage, which, to the students’ surprise, was her husband.

Continued on page 9

know the policy had changed, and the majority, 66%, knew the policy had changed but didn’t know all the details.

“The new makeup test policy worries me and will be negative in my life in many ways,” wrote one anonymous student, “I will be less committed

to clubs because I won’t be able to miss a test, if I am sick I will be pressured to go to school even if I don’t feel well, and my whole family will have to switch around a trip because of me.” Another student worried that “if you are sick for a week you already are out of makeups and may not even be able to make up all the tests you missed with the new policy.” A third student believed that “The makeup policy needed to be changed, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going be enforced nor was it enforced at all last year, so I don’t think anything’s really going to change.”

Other students believe this new policy is necessary because “kids took advantage of the last policy. Even I had to take advantage of it once.” 22% of polled students indicated that they had taken a makeup test in the past year because they weren’t prepared to take the test on time and wanted extra time to study, and 13% of students stated that this was the primary reason they took makeup tests in the past year, so this issue does seem to be fairly widespread.

“I feel that people were unfairly coming late to school to study for a test which gave them an advantage over others taking that test the same day,” wrote another student. Looking ahead, hopefully this new policy will solve these problems of latenesses and absences on test days.

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780

What in the World...?

Rachel Freilich '22

Every September, Ramaz Upper School students look forward to reconnecting with old friends and teachers. These students also eagerly await changes that are made in the curriculum and student policies, often stemming from feedback from the prior year.

Yet as many surprising new changes were revealed during orientation, one modification seemed to go unnoticed: the introduction of the “world” language department, formerly known as the “foreign” language department.

After introducing the new makeup policies, and listing the names of new teachers, Ryan Leibowitz ’20 and Maxine Pravda ’20 disclosed the name change, leaving students wondering how it would affect their daily lives.

Ms. Bellaiche, a French teacher at the Upper School, explained the impetus behind this change.

The Rampage

In her words, “The department wants to make it feel that the school is inclusive. ‘Foreign’ means far away, while ‘world’ implies that we are open to the world and included in it.” Even though this name alteration

Where is the Ramaz App? Alexandra Paul ’23

Since last year, students have been hearing rumors about RamLife, the new Ramaz app and wondering when it will be released, how it will help the student body, and most importantly, exactly what it does. To answer some of these questions, The Rampage met with Sophia Kremer ’20 and Levi Lesches ’21, the two co-creators of the app.

Since it was announced last year by Kremer in front of the school at the G.O.’s annual election assembly, students began to speculate about when this new and innovative addition to their high school experience would be released.

“Our mission,” said Kremer, “is to create a

divide between Schoology—that should just be for academics—and RamLife, which will be exclusively for improving your experience here at Ramaz.”

Once the app is released, Ramaz will be the first school in the Yeshiva League to have a student life app.

To explain how useful the app will be, Lesches

recounted a personal story. “When I was in my freshman year, the seven-day rotation schedule really confused me, and I wanted to find a solution to that,” he said, explaining a key feature of the app. During the first weekend of that school year—now two years ago— he built a prototype.

The app is meant to make students’ lives easier.

Schoology is cluttered with academic and non-academic posts from students and teachers alike, some of which are only relevant to a specific group of students, but still reach the entire school.

One of the app’s main features is that eventually, teachers and students will be able to post about sports and teams stats without constantly notifying the entire student body through Schoology.

The app, however, is not just about posts. Its main feature is the scheduling rotation. As Kremer said, “right now, students walk around with cards that have their schedules on them, and it’s not efficient or modern. The app will prompt students with which class they have next, in what room, and with which teacher.”

Along with that, the app will have a whole separate channel for lost and found posts, which currently happen several times a day on Schoology.

However, after months of hearing the app promoted, students are wondering when the app will be released. The app was supposed to come out at the beginning of the year but the school's internal technology department held back on sharing information needed to make the app function. Now Kremer and Lesches are just waiting for approval from the people who decide whether or not the app can have Ramaz’s name on it and if it promotes the school appropriately.

The app is scheduled to be released sometime around November, and its long-awaited reveal is extremely anticipated by the student body as a whole.

News 5

doesn’t affect many students, the student body should understand what this change means for their learning and why it occurred.

Oddly, the school never explained why this adjustment was made beyond printing the words “WORLD LANGUAGES” in large letters on the orientation screen. Students wished the administration had explained the logic behind this change more clearly to give them a better understanding of the department’s desire to create a more inclusive language learning environment and focusing on skills that are relevant more often than just in foreign countries. Ms. Bellaiche added that she agrees with the new title and said, “It opens the students’ minds and gives them more reasons to study because they want to be a citizen of the world, not only a citizen of the place they live.”

Tali Sitruk ’22 said that when she came to Ramaz, she quickly figured out the rotation schedule, but she does think that the non-academic Schoology posts can be annoying and that the Ramaz app would be helpful in that aspect.

Andrew Spielfogel ’23 said, “The first weeks of

school, I found that going from room to room in the Upper School was confusing, so I think that the Ramaz app telling you the information about your next class would be very helpful.”

All in all, it seems like the app is going to be an exciting and helpful addition to Ramaz students’ everyday lives.

Playing Basketball—For Charity William Kremer '21

Usually, students are eager to get home after the conclusion of a long day at school, but not on orientation day. After the Ramaz student body was welcomed back to school, Jack Fisher ’20, and Sophia Kremer ’20, hosted a charitable basketball tournament that raised money and awareness for DonorsChoose.

DonorsChoose is a nonprofit organization that allows donors to select from a wishlist of needs posted by teachers in low income public school classrooms. Teachers post basic needs such as school supplies, books, classroom furniture, and technology and donors take initiative to fill that gap.

Forty-five students attended the three-onthree tournament, each paying an entry fee of $18.

Fisher, who co-founded the DonorsChoose club in addition to co-organizing of the tournament, said, “Sophia and I wanted to start the year off on a fun

note by organizing a tournament to promote a great organization whose mission perfectly connects to the first day of school.”

Ralph Nakash ’21, a participant in the event, remarked, “it was really cool to know that we were playing for a good cause, and we appreciated the pizza dinner that the tournament organizers provided for us.”

Although most of the tournament participants were boys, a handful of players from the girls’

varsity basketball team attended as well. Caitlin Levine ’21, a player on the team and participant of the tournament, noted, “After a long summer, it was great playing basketball with my teammates back on the Ramaz court. It was especially rewarding that this charitable event involved both boys and girls.”

In the end, the winning team chose to which classrooms they wanted to donate the proceeds. After much consideration, the team chose to fund a rug for a classroom in Kenosha, Wisconsin; basketballs for a classroom in San Elizario, Texas; and Chromebooks for a classroom in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Future grades plan to turn this back-toschool tournament into a tradition.

New Teacher Spotlights 6

The Rampage

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780

New Teacher Spotlights

Read exerpts below, and see full Q&As online at: www.the-rampage.org/tag/new-teacher-qas-2019/

Ms. Susannah Grossman - English Rachel Freilich ’22: How did you decide to become an English teacher?

Ms. Grossman: I’ve always loved to read, and I’ve always been somewhat nosy, I think—I love to know why people do what they do and what makes them tick. Literature has always been a way to access some of the strangest and most interesting parts of the human psyche; if human beings are doing it, I want to know about it, and I want to share that with everyone else, too.

RF: How do you plan to use your past experiences elsewhere at Ramaz?

SG: Over the years I’ve learned that teaching is a process of experimentation, often trial and error, to find out what clicks with students and what does not. I think it’s important to have a sense of flexibility and to realize that every group of students is diverse and different, across grade levels and even class sections. So I hope that I’ll continue to be able to adapt as I get to know my students better to serve them as best as I can.

Ms. Cynthia Webb - Learning Center Director Caitlin Levine ’21: What have you learned from your mentors over the years?

Ms. Webb: I am lucky to have had some wonderful mentors. Among the things they have taught me is that people (and students are people!) matter deeply, and education is at the very center of our hopes to build a better world. Last, but not least, my mentors taught me that a school is the best place to work because that’s where the students are!

CL: What are the greatest challenges facing children today?

CW: I think children right now face the greatest challenges of any generation. Among those challenges—climate change, inequality, hate—the most difficult one is to maintain hope and humanity while facing those challenges. I think that Ramaz is a place that teaches students to do that.

Mr. Patrick Letourneau - Mathematics Nicole Hirschkorn ’22: Why did you decide to become a math teacher?

Mr. Letourneau: When I was in highchool and my friends didn’t understand math, I helped them understand; I liked that feeling of helping them. I really enjoy working with kids and I enjoy helping younger kids understand material.

NH: Who is your role model and why?

PL: For most of my life I’ve looked up to my older sister; she set the bar athletically and academically. Many people will say a celebrity or someone famous, but a role model more close to home makes more sense to me.

Dr. Nancy Block - Learning Center Specialist Nicole Hirschkorn ’22: What new initiatives do you hope to bring to the Learning Center at Ramaz?

Ms. Block: Making it a comfortable place for students to stop by for them to get help with their assignments. I want them to realize that the staff is there all the time to help them succeed with their work.

NH: What brought you to your role of Sophomore Grade Dean and Learning Center Specialist at Ramaz?

NB: I thought it was time for a change, and Ramaz optimized the values that I believe are very important: academic rigor, community service requirement for sophomores, and the goal of inspiring kids that they have to be responsible for more than just themselves. That’s why 10th grade was such a great fit.

Ms. Diana Arboleda - Spanish Hannah Doft ’20: How do you plan to use your past experiences at Ramaz?

Ms. Arboleda: After living in different countries and teaching diverse students, I can use all these experiences to show my students how culture and language are one thing. It is important to teach them that learning a language is not only conjugating verbs, but understanding the people that use that language.

HD: What are new teaching methods you plan to implement?

DA: Depending on the students’ language proficiency, I use project based learning and Harkness discussions to improve fluency and gain confidence in language skills.

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780

The Rampage

New Teacher Spotlights 7

Dr. Donna Herzog - History Sydney Eisenstein ’22: How does Ramaz compare to where you worked before?

Dr. Herzog: Students at Ramaz have more energy and are more excited to come to class In addition, the periods are shorter than what I am used to and there is less time to teach in one meeting.

SE: How do you spend your free time?

DH: I love the arts. I enjoy going to Broadway shows and the opera.

Dr. Natalya Sukhonos - Spanish Rebecca Silber ’23: What are your core values as a teacher? Do your values complement the school’s?

Ms. Sukhonos: My values involve inclusivity, attention to every student, and having a good give-and-take relationship in which I try and give my best to my students, yet expect the same passion from them. I feel that the school most definitely shares these values. Everyone expresses themselves to me with friendliness, and is always offering a helping hand.

RS: Why did you choose to teach Spanish?

NS: Spanish is the second most prevalent language in the United States. I think that the ability to speak and understand the language will help the students with their intellectual development and future success.

Ms. Racheli Taubes - Tanakh William Kremer ’21: Which subject do you find the most interesting to teach?

Ms. Taubes: Oooh, this is a hard question! I love to learn and teach a lot of things! My primary passion is Tanakh, although I also majored in chemistry in college. I dream of teaching a class that would combine the two subjects. Wouldn't it be cool to learn about the chemistry of dyeing cloth while learning about Yosef 's ketonet pasim, or tekhelhet on tzitzit?!

WK: How does Tanach help us understand the world outside, and what do you see as the most interesting applications of Tanach in our society today?

RT: My father has a sign in his study with a quote from the Rogochover Gaon (Rabbi Yosef Rosen, a Torah scholar in the early 20th century in Poland) that says, “When I pray I talk to God, and when I learn Torah, God talks to me.” I think studying Tanakh is God’s direct way of telling us how to understand and act in this world.

Mr. Avraham Kavian - Science Caroline Schwartz ’22: What field of science interests you the most?

Mr. Kavian: My favorite section of science is the human body, specifically the heart. I think the heart is so amazing, yet it is so simple and the most straightforward. It is the most amazing part of our bodies because somehow it functions on its own. It’s like the life force that in some way got started and continues to run forever. The heart is also the most simple part of the human body because it is like plumbing; it consists of many different tubes that are easy to understand.

CS: Have you ever had any science fails in the classroom, or have any experiments gone wrong?

AK: Yes. I was teaching a science class for little kids over the summer, and one day, we did a chemical analysis of foods. This involved putting chemicals into a tube and looking for color changes depending on the food. One of the kid’s test tubes exploded and a different kid’s remained the same color.

Ms. Yael Landau - Mathematics Rebecca Massel ’21: What do you love about math?

Ms. Landau: Teaching math is a lot of fun because I think that people have an innate curiosity for math. Math is super fun to teach. Students have these “ah-ha” moments and there is something satisfying about that. I like hard and challenging problems and helping my students figure them out.

RM: Where was your favorite trip? Why? YL: For a while, I taught in Hong Kong as part of the John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. I loved that and my students there. Working abroad is a cool way to travel because I really got to interact and meet the students there.

Coach Matthew Ospala - Physical Education Caitlin Levine ’21: What do you hope to bring to your students?

Coach Matt: I hope to bring a lot of energy and positivity to them so that they enjoy their time in gym class.

CL: Did you play on any sports teams in high school or college?

MO: Yes in high school I played soccer and basketball. In college I played D3 basketball for 2 years.

We are excited to welcome all of the new faculty members and wish them great success in their new roles!

New Teacher Spotlights 8

The Rampage

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780

College Guidance Revamped: Interview with New Dean Ms. Messinger

By Zach Buller '20

Ramaz is excited to announce that it now has a Dean of College Guidance. Ms. Dana Messinger joined the College Guidance Department this fall in the newly-created role, growing the department to a total of four. Ms. Messinger’s position includes working with Mr. Blumenthal, Dr. Honig, Ms. Davis, and all of their student advisees, focusing on improving and changing aspects of the college guidance office and developing the Ramaz college guidance process for the long term. The Rampage secured an interview with Ms. Messinger during which she expressed her excitement for the new position, elaborated on her role, and described plans she has in store for underclassmen.

Zach Buller: Where did you work before beginning at Ramaz this September?

Ms. Dana Messinger: I attended Georgetown Law School and then worked in white collar criminal defense at O’Melveny and Meyers for four years, but I decided it wasn’t for me and wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. I then worked in politics for a year, and I enjoyed it, but it was not what I wanted to do. I realized that admissions was something I’d always been interested in; I was a tour guide and an interviewer in college and graduate school. My experience in admissions only grew from there. I spent four years at Johns Hopkins (my alma mater) as the Senior Assistant Director Admissions Officer, and then became the Director of Freshman Admissions at Baruch College back in New York. After Baruch, I worked in Columbia Law School admissions and was an admissions officer for The New School. In my recent time in New York I also did private college consulting with high school students.

ZB: Why did you come to Ramaz?

DM: I really enjoyed counseling students, and I missed working directly in the undergraduate admissions process. I love working with students and helping them develop their stories—helping them realize that their applications shouldn’t be a collection of ten random things, but a story so that the admissions officer can sum up a kid in two sentences. What I also love about it is that when the process goes really well, it is a process of self-discovery for the student.

ZB: What specifically from your extensive experience in admissions will you use to help Ramaz students?

DM: I have insight in being able to understand the message of an application. I can help a student identify the story and theme they need to make their application stand out. Not every student is able to easily self-reflect, and the writing process is stressful and hard. Even for really strong students, it can be difficult to be told that you have to rewrite what you worked on.

ZB: Broadly, what is your role at Ramaz?

DM: Well, I have a lot of things in the works, but my main role is to oversee the college guidance process for all students.

This year, I am not working with any students in particular; anyone can come to me with questions, and I am doing a second read (after the primary college advisor) of everyone’s essays. Next year, however, I will have a cohort of students (like the three primary college advisors), and I don’t think I can work the process effectively without it. All of the college advisors work very well together, and I am here to enhance the group.

I do have a few goals in mind that I would like to achieve in the coming years. First, I want to bring the process earlier—get un-

derclassmen started in thinking about college applications. Not to talk to them about tests and essays, but to ensure that they are exploring their passions throughout high school so that they can find their passions and help them learn and grow, and also be productive in the process. Advisors should also be coming to students earlier—not starting mid-junior year, but maybe starting to meet with the students in November and December of junior year.

Additionally, I believe that summer research and intellectual opportunities are the perfect way to bolster students’ applications.

I plan to work with Ramaz alumni to invite high school freshmen and sophomores for research opportunities in every field, including, but of course not limited to, publishing, media, science, communications, and hard science. Any student who plans to apply to college saying they’re interested in political science should be working on a campaign now, and I want to make these types of valuable work experiences more accessible to students.

Finally, I want to change the culture surrounding the senior bulletin, and even create a junior bulletin. Communication between the college office, students, and parents is essential, and these bulletins are great opportunities to present all of the information in a clear and organized way.

ZB: Have you begun/do you plan to meet with admissions officers from various universities?

DM: I’ve sat down with every admissions officer who has come to give an info session thus far. I also went to the National Association of College and Academic Counseling conference at the end of September, and I had the opportunity to speak to many admissions officers there.

ZB: If you could change anything about the current structure of the college guidance process, what would it be?

DM: My big thing is working with students at a younger age to help them discover their interests and passions earlier so they are more interesting in the admissions process.

I want to make it clear to all students earlier that there are some activities that could be meaningful to the student, but might not stand out in an application. I want to make sure that students don’t participate in activities “just for college” that they don’t actually enjoy and make sure they are pursuing what they love in a compelling and unique way, to the best of their abilities. Freshman year is probably too early to push students to a specific experience, but it is important to have college advisors there as a resource in the early stages of high school.

Ms. Messinger is thrilled to have begun her new role this past September and has already made incredible strides in bringing positive changes to the department. We wish her best success in her new role and can’t wait for future developments.

Check out the full article online for Ms. Messinger's advice for the freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors!

Sports with Spencer: Getting to Know Coach Mike Sweetney

By Spencer Rubinstein '21

The 2003 NBA draft is widely recognized as one of the greatest drafts in NBA history. Four of the top five picks will one day be in the Hall of Fame; you probably recognize the names Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. With the ninth pick of the draft, the New York Knicks selected Michael Sweetney. Sweetney played for Georgetown University and was a second team All-American in his junior year. At 6’8 and 275 pounds, Sweetney was a force to be reckoned with in college. He was the only player in the nation to rank in the top 20 in scoring and rebounding his junior year. Although he only played three seasons at Georgetown, he still ranks seventh in the school’s career scoring list and fifth in rebounds. Over a 12 year period, Sweetney played in the NBA and in various countries overseas. This year, Sweetney joined Ramaz as an assistant varsity basketball coach.

Spenser Rubenstein: Mike, where did you grow up?

Mike Sweetney: I grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland near Washington D.C. SR: You must have had a lot of schools recruiting you for college, why did you choose Georgetown?

MS: I actually committed to Georgetown after my freshman year of high school! They were the first major college top recruit me, and I knew they had a history of sending big names to the NBA like Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning.

SR: What was your major in college?

MS: Sociology. I left college for the NBA after my junior year but I plan on getting a degree in psychology and then going for my Masters.

SR: Where did you live while you played for the Knicks?

MS: I lived in White Plains in Westchester because it was close to the gym where we practiced.

SR: What were your favorite/least favorite things about New York City?

MS: No matter how bad we played, the fans always showed love to me and my family, and there was always something interesting to do in the city. My least favorite would be traffic! Sometimes it would take 20 minutes to drive a mile.

SR: How did it feel to be traded from the New York Knicks to the Chicago Bulls in 2005?

MS: I was really sad to leave because I felt comfortable in New York, and the feeling of a team giving up on you hurts.

SR: You played a lot of places overseas, what was your favorite and least favorite?

MS: My favorite place to play was Puerto Rico; it was

amazing weather and the fans were great. My least favorite was China. It was the first time I lived outside of the U.S. for an extended period. Dealing with the time difference and playing in freezing gyms was a very hard adjustment.

SR: What was the hardest part about being a professional athlete?

MS: Definitely the travel. You are pretty much living on planes and in hotels for the majority of the season.

SR: What did you do after you retired from basketball?

MS: I took some time to be with my family and became a mental health advocate for students and adults.

SR: How did you like working in Israel at the basketball camp run by Tamir Goodman?

MS: I love Israel! It is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been in my life. It is a very spiritual place, the food is amazing, and I met some great people.

SR: What was your favorite part of living in Israel?

MS: Being able to take a walk in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. It was so nice and peaceful.

SR: What led you to Ramaz?

MS: My good friend Tamir Goodman connected me with Mr. Eli Katz. Eli’s dad is a great basketball mind. Eli is like his dad in many ways. I am honored to work with him. I also met Rabbi Slomnicki, who is an amazing person, so I knew Ramaz would be a great fit. So far, everyone has been so welcome, and I can tell that their parents are doing a great job raising them.

SR: How would you assess the prospects for the varsity basketball teams?

MS: The teams have a lot of talent and potential. They seem to be emerging in the culture that Eli and I are trying to instill.

I’m excited to see what the year brings.

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780 Ramaz Upper School

The Rampage New York • Volume 53 • Issue I • Summer 2019 • the-rampage.org

Editors-in-Chief: Zachary Buller ’20* Sophia Kremer ’20* Josephine Schizer ’20* Layout Editors: Hannah Doft ’20* Aliza Freilich ’20* Copy editor: Elizabeth Newman-Corré ’20 Meme Department: Avery Sholes ’20 Isaac Silverman '21 Puzzle contributor: Ben Silverman ’20 Faculty Advisor: Dr. Milowitz Contributing writers: Avigail Dupont ’21 Sydeny Eisenstein '23 Julia feit '22 Rachel Freilich '22 David Gerber '21 Nicole Hirschkorn '22 William Kremer '21 Caitlin Levine ’21 Rebecca Massel ’21 Gabrielle Ostad ’21 Tammy Palagi '21 Alexandra paul '23 Ilan Puterman '23 Taylor roslyn '21 Jake rubin '22 Spencer Rubinstein '21 Caroline Schwartz '22 Jordan sebag '22 Samantha Sinensky ’21 Rebecca Silber '23 Issac Silverman '21 Charles Spiegelfogel ’21 The Rampage is the student newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School. It is published on a monthly basis. Letters to the editors may be submitted to rampage@ramaz.org.

Letters must be signed and may be edited to conform to The Rampage style and format.

The opinions expressed in The Rampage are of the author’s alone, and do not represent the views or opinions of Ramaz, The Rampage, or its editors. * Denotes member of The Rampage editorial board

The Rampage

News 9

A Two-Day 9/11 Commemoration Controversy Continued from page 4

Mr. Agron told the Ramaz students that September 11, 2001 was “the first time in my career that I did not know if I would come back.”

He described the experience of approaching Ground Zero on 9/11. “It was getting darker and darker,” he said, “all I could see was a warzone.”

A year later, Mr. Agron, suffering from survivor’s guilt, retired after a thirty year career as a police officer, and, before that, a marine. “I felt I had not protected or served…I was helpless…It took my wife five years to convince me to come and talk at the Tribute Center. I knew this was where I had to be if I wanted to heal,” he said.

Ramaz students were in awe of the stories of heroism, calling them “impactful,” “powerful,” “courageous,” and “meaningful.” The auditorium was silent as the students listened with chills and tears as Mr. and Mrs. Agron unfolded the emotions of the day onstage. A 10th grader added, “The speeches broadened my understanding of the tragedy and how it had a lasting impact on some of its victims. Often it is difficult to imagine oneself in circumstances we are not used to, and we therefore can’t truly understand how tragedies impact their victims. This presentation definitely brought us back to the place and time of 9/11.”

Many students reported they were so inspired that they passed on the cards Mrs. Agron gave out. Ms. Benus said, “Mrs. Agron spoke with such passion and Mr. Agron with such emotion. It was so special…I gave the card I received to a bus driver on the M79, hopefully he read it and passed it on.”

On September 11th, the entire Upper School joined together again. Now, Rabbi Willig spoke about the issue of women whose husbands were only presumed to have died on 9/11 and were therefore considered agunot. Rabbi Sklarin introduced Rabbi Willig’s topic by explaining that two fifths of those who perished were unidentified. He described the buildings plastered with signs and families running to hospitals weeks after the attacks in desperation. This led to the issue of agunot. According to halacha, if a man or woman commits adultery, he or she committed an issur karet, the worst possible offense in Judaism.

This means that if a woman remarries because she thinks her husband died and later she learns that her husband is still alive, she has, halachically, committed adultery. Because of this, until a death is verified by a Beit Din (Jewish Court), the woman is called an agunah, or a “chained woman.”

Rabbi Willig spoke about ten women who came to him after the attacks on 9/11 asking for help. They needed confirmation that their husbands were dead. Rabbi Willig described a few cases in detail. By using DNA, witness testimony, MTA records, and other in-depth forensic analysis, Rabbi Willig did not stop searching until every woman’s husband was declared dead.

The tears in his eyes made it clear how dedicated Rabbi Willig had been to aiding these women.

These were not simply cases to him; they were personal tragedies, and this work allowed the women to begin to manage in a world without their husbands.

Rabbi Willig’s presentation was not a “classic” 9/11 speech by a first-hand witness, yet, many of the

students were interested in this new perspective.

Brayden Serphos ’22 said, “I loved the speech. This was an issue I did not really know much about, but is very important. [Rabbi Willig’s speech] shed light on this topic which was new to me. I am interested in learning more about how he helped agunot.” One senior said, “I thought Rabbi Willig’s speech was very interesting and taught me a lot. I felt like it placed an emphasis on an issue that is not usually addressed regarding 9/11.”

Rabbi Weiser explained the importance of Rabbi Willig’s work: “Some argue that if Jews really cared about helping agunot, they would find solutions for agunah problems. Rabbi Willig showed that they do!

The Torah gives us tremendous latitude within the halacha to give us ways to help agunot.”

Although students understood that Rabbi Willig’s work was instrumental to the lives of these ten women, many students questioned the format of the 9/11 programming. Three main issues arose. First, students debated whether an American memorial day should be approached through a Jewish lens. Some applauded the school for integrating Ramaz’z American and Jewish elements. One senior commented, “As a Modern Orthodox school, the hallmark of Ramaz has been, from its inception, to be a place of Torah and secular studies. It is the job of the school to give us a perspective of the secular world that ultimately reflects Jewish values, and therefore it is important that we see secular events from a Jewish perspective as well.” To contrast, other students wished the assembly on 9/11 had been more focused on the American tragedy rather than presenting the Jewish perspective. A 10th grader said, “9/11 is a day to relate to our American community, to our New York community, not necessarily our Jewish community.” A senior expressed her opinion, saying, “It felt a little bit like we were focusing too much on the Jewish aspects of the tragedy and not enough on the American aspects of the tragedy. I wish we had sung the Star Spangled Banner again on 9/11.” Rabbi Sklarin explained that the school could not get a survivor of the Twin Towers to speak on 9/11 because many first responders and survivors were commemorating the day at their own memorials. This same problem arises every year which is why the administration brought in first responders to speak on 9/10. Rabbi Sklarin explained, “The issue of agunah might seem foreign to some people, but for Orthodox Jews in particular, it was one of the most tragic outcomes of September 11. I wouldn’t just have Rabbi Willig come as the sole 9/11 speaker, but the day before, four people who were not Jewish spoke, so I don’t think having Rabbi Willig come was so particularistic.” Rabbi Stochel expounded on these ideas, saying, “This was an opportunity with multiple purposes. It was to intertwine our American and Jewish identities. This was an opportunity to show how halacha interacts with tragedy.”

The second issue raised was the lack of preparation for the 9/11 assembly. Only half

of the 20 juniors and seniors polled were aware of the agunah issue before hearing Rabbi Willig’s presentation. One junior said, “It was kind of assumed that we had a basis of the agunah issue before Rabbi Willig’s speech, but I did not. In the twenty-first century, I have a lot of questions about the morality behind the agunot issue, so I was very focused on my questions during Rabbi Willig’s speech. I am grateful, however, that rab-

bis like Rabbi Willig worked to solve these cases after 9/11.” Another student suggested, “Perhaps we should have learned about the agunah issue the day before in Talmud classes to give us some background and then debrief the next day.” Rabbi Stochel agreed, “The whole context of agunot should have been taught before Rabbi Willig’s remarks.” Some students suggested that Rabbi Willig’s presentation would have been more appropriate in a smaller classroom setting, but Rabbi Stochel explained that a small setting would have not been appropriate or sufficiently respectful to such a distinguished posek and rosh yeshiva.

The last issue students brought up was Rabbi Willig’s hashkafa, or mode of Jewish thought. One female senior was upset that Rabbi Willig “isn’t necessarily in favor of widespread women’s Talmud learning.” In response, Rabbi Sklarin elucidated, “I think that is a narrow viewpoint, and those who argue that Rabbi Willig should not come to Ramaz for that reason should appreciate the totality of a person even if there is disagreement with some of his views.” Rabbi Sklarin emphasized that Rabbi Willig has been a tireless advocate for Jewish women in America.

He conceived of the Beit Din of America Prenuptial Agreement, a legal document ensuring that in the case of a civil divorce a man must give his wife a get (a halakhic divorce). Rabbi Willig worked extremely hard to promote this practice and urged rabbis to insist that the couple sign the document. As a result of his efforts it is now commonplace in most Modern Orthodox marriages. Rabbi Weiser stated, “Rabbi Willig is considered a Talmud Chacham Atsum (awesome scholar). If he has an opinion within the framework of halacha, you can respectfully disagree with him with a contrary halachic opinion or halachic philosophy. But you cannot invalidate that person because you disagree with them.”

Read the full article online as well as the feature article below to hear about students' reactions to Mr. Cannon's remarks at the 9/11 assembly and the 9/11 Day of Service that sprang Mrs. Agon's message into action.

SFAC Administrative Meeting: The Inside Scoop Continued from page 3

Rabbi Slomnicki explained that “we broke up the handbook into 8 sections. Specific faculty members were assigned to a topic and were responsible for changing the handbook to reflect Ramaz’s mission.”

Rabbi Slomnicki continued that though faculty are revisiting Preludes, the students should be part of the process as well. Although the faculty will obviously make the final decision, Rabbi Slomnicki expressed that to find the best solution, students must be involved. Caleb suggested that we send a sign-up list to the student body to see which students are interested in helping. Caitlin suggested that faculty members can send out a survey to students to achieve student input. Caitlin added that often students don’t want to fill out surveys because they feel as though their opinion is not taken into account. So, when the faculty makes the final decision, it would be nice to acknowledge the students and explain how the decision was reached. Two-way communication is always appreciated by the students.

Ethan suggested that Preludes be revisited every five years to prevent the handbook from becoming outdated. Rabbi Blaustein suggested that the class presidents should represent the grade and convey the concerns of the class to the faculty.

Dr. Block pointed out that it should be made clear to the students that even if one of their suggestions is not used, that they are not being ignored. The follow-up committee for the topic of Preludes includes Dr. Block, Caleb, Lucy, and Rabbi Slomnicki. The meeting concluded by breaking up into the follow-up groups which discussed how to best approach each group’s respective issues.

This article highlights certain conversations, although many more opinions were discussed as well. Overall, the SFAC meeting addressed current issues that will be thoroughly explored and ultimately resolved in order to best enhance the Ramaz experience.

Freshman Spotlight 10

The Evolution of Freshman Orientation Julia Feit '22 and Jordan Sebag '22

Every year, a group of awkward, excited, and nervous students begins its first day at Ramaz with freshman orientation. Unfamiliar with the Upper School and the many new students in their grade, freshmen begin to bond and adjust to Ramaz during their orientation. The program acclimates them to their high school surroundings and gives the students a preview of how the school functions. In the past few years, freshman orientation has developed and evolved into a more effective and accommodating program. Originally planned as a one-day orientation jam-packed with social bonding and academic preparation, the program has now expanded to two days. This modification alleviates the stress on freshmen and allows them to adjust before the older grades arrive back in school.

Around six years ago, Ms. Benel was in charge of organizing all special programs, including Shabbatonim, the retreat, and freshman orientation. The orientation began with freshmen being bused to Asphalt Green fitness center from the high school. At Asphalt Green, the students participated in bonding activities, split by gender. Following the team building activities, freshmen divided into advisory groups for a relaxed lunch at the picnic tables.

Students had the opportunity to meet their advisory groups in an informal setting and share their summer experiences. After lunch, the whole grade convened for a final communal activity that unified the grade.

The freshman spent an intense second half of the day at school learning the academic details that are currently taught to the freshmen on the second day of orientation. They then had an afternoon-long advisory meeting in which the faculty went through Preludes and taught the students about the school, including dress-code policies, rotating schedules, school programs, and their locker combinations. In order to obtain their school books, the students had to go to the gym, where they

The Rampage

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780

Freshman Spotlight

received a list of books to collect and carry to their lockers. The next day, the students jumped right into a normal school day—not such a smooth transition for students experiencing high school for the first time.

When Ramaz switched to a two-day orientation schedule, the programming was redistributed to be less dense. Dr. Aharon explained, “We decided not to go to Asphalt Green anymore and to just stay in the neighborhood. One year when Rosh Hashanah was late and the school wasn’t in such a hurry to get classes started, we decided to try out the two-day program. The administration tried to think about the necessary changes so that freshmen were ready

for school. We were worried about both the social and academic components and realized that combining them sends freshmen mixed signals. It’s like we are saying, ‘we want you to just be happy here and make friends—but go to work!’ That’s when the administration decided to make one day completely social—no books, no lockers. The second day would be solely academic, teaching students all of the tools necessary to be a freshman.”

The current freshmen orientation includes a variety of new programs and activities. Recent additions, such as the senior advisory system, are intended to help the freshmen more easily adjust to high school and allow them to solicit advice from upperclassmen who are very familiar with the school. Throughout the past four years, the senior

advisory program has included a phone call to the freshman before orientation and bonding activities between seniors and freshmen at orientation. Avery Sholes ‘20, co-head senior advisor, compared his experience as a freshman on orientation to his role this year. “I experienced the senior advisors to be judgment-free peers, there to answer any questions or assist any need. This year, I was a senior, and I wanted to emulate the same vibe that those seniors gave off. I was able to oversee all of the events that went behind making the high school transition a smooth one. It was fun to play a role in the organization of the orientation, rather than just being a participant.” The senior advisory program benefits freshmen by informing them of the school’s expectations and introducing them to students who were recently freshmen at Ramaz. Although the program only formally lasts through orientation, the senior advisors and their freshman buddies often stay in touch and seniors continue to guide the freshmen throughout the year.

On the first day of orientation, freshmen meet their grade and hear from Dr. Aharon. The scavenger hunt, led by Dr. Aharon and the senior advisors, was intended to give freshmen a tour of the school and help familiarize them with the Upper East Side. On the second day of orientation, students split into advisory groups where they receive their lockers, textbooks, schedules, and online accounts.

In the afternoon, students follow the simulated “R” day schedule they will experience their next day, the first day of school. The school day simulation allows freshmen to meet their teachers, see their classes, and understand the way a typical school day functions; it alleviates some of the stress that freshmen feel the following day and allows them to feel comfortable when classes begin.

The evolution of freshman orientation demonstrates the improvements that Ramaz has implemented over the last few years striving to create a more welcoming environment for students.

A Glimpse Into the Freshman Class Ilan Puterman ’23

The First Day of a New Experience Andrew Spielfogel ’23

It wasn’t just the start of a new year it was the start of a new chapter. The start of a new school, new friends, and new challenges. On Tuesday September 3, the freshman class of 2023 convened on 78th Street for freshman orientation. Their journey was just beginning.

As the freshman entered the building, they were greeted by senior advisors who would continue to help them throughout the day. The day consisted of games, a performance from the chamber choir, speeches from both faculty and students, and other icebreaker activities to help the freshmen learn about one another. The class then met with their advisors and participated in a scavenger hunt with them.

During the scavenger hunt, small groups explored the building and the surrounding neighborhood. The seniors took them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, and some nearby food stores. One advisory encountered a street musi-

cian playing hebrew songs at the MET. “It was as if they knew we were coming. It’s cool that [the street performer] knew how to play the song,” said Gavin Esmail ’23.

The freshman class had a variety of responses to the programing. Some people thought that orientation was a helpful way to get acquainted with our new classmates because of the games they played. “I thought it was cool to get to know people before learning. There was a good variety of things to do. If you are going to be with people for four years, this one day is important,” said Moav Sharon ’23. Others disagreed. “I felt excited coming to Ramaz...I thought the orientation was not helpful because I think it’s better to meet people by going to classes and clubs with them,” said Tova Solomons ’23. While some freshmen were excited for orientation, others were nervous and scared. “I was nervous that [high school] was going to be a lot of work and tests. The orientation helped me with learning every-

See more polls and the full article online!

one’s names and who everyone was. The scavenger hunt was good for people finding out the area. They should have given us more time to do it because it was really fun,” said Charlotte Newhouse ’23.

Administrators worked hard to organize an impactful orientation day. Dr. Aharon, the freshman grade dean, said, “thinking about what it’s like to be a freshman at Ramaz, we decided to divide the program into two parts. The first being the social adjustment to the grade and the school. The second part being the academic adjustment to high school... by the end of the day, our goal was that the freshmen feel comfortable, happy, and informed about starting the first day of school. The orientation days for the Class of 2023 were amazing. The senior advisers and faculty really enjoyed getting to know the new freshmen and are looking forward to a wonderful year.”

After a successful orientation day, the class of 2023 is ready to take on high school.

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780

The Rampage

Features 11

Features

Reactions to the 9/11 Assembly

By Tammy Palagi ’21

This past Wednesday, the Ramaz Upper-School gathered as a community to commemorate the tragedy of 9/11. Rabbi Willig, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University, a member of the Beth Din of America, and a well-respected Rabbi in the Orthodox community, came to address the students about the issue of agunot. In halakha, an agunah is a Jewish woman who is “chained” to her marriage because she doesn’t have a get, a Jewish divorce document. For example, a woman would be an aguna if her husband left on a journey and didn’t return, and was therefore suspected to be dead, but there were no remains nor physical proof of the death.

Rabbi Willig discussed ten cases of agunot resulting from 9/11 and explained the process he used to assess each case, describing what is considered sufficient evidence of death according to Jewish law. This assembly sparked a myriad of different responses from students and faculty alike. Rabbi Stochel said, “Many students had no idea there were halachic problems resulting from 9/11.” He went on to say that the intended goal of the program was to “introduce students to a very serious halachic problem Jewish women face.”

Prior to the assembly on September 11th, on September 10th, Ms. Sonia Agron and Mr. Joe Agron, a husband and wife whose lives were momentously affected by 9/11 came to speak about their experiences. Mr. Joe Agron was a first responder and Ms. Sonia Agron was an EMT. They shared their inspirational yet sad stories and ended by telling the Ramaz students that they have both developed terminal cancers because of the smoke they inhaled at the site of the

Twin Towers. For logistical reasons, the couple was only able to come the day before 9/11 and, “we didn’t want to let the day go by without gathering as a community” said Rabbi Stochel to explain why there were two separate assemblies.

Many students were enraged and felt this assembly disrespected the essence of what 9/11 meant to them as Americans. “It was completely inappropriate given that 9/11 affects all Americans, not just Orthodox Jews,” said Rachel Moskowitz ’23. Guy Bacalu ’21 said it “kind of set away the tone of 9/11 to give us a halakha lesson.” Adena Horvitz ’21 said, “Although important to discuss, it took away from the severity of 9/11 as a national tragedy. [The program] would’ve been better on a different day.” An anonymous junior agreed and said, “It might’ve been better suited for an in-class discussion instead of a whole school assembly, as that should’ve focused on the day itself rather than the aftermath only affecting a small group of people.”

Rabbi Stochel combatted this argument by expressing that we are simultaneously Jews and Americans, and those two identities are not mutually exclusive.

In contrast, many students and faculty truly enjoyed the assembly and felt a new sense of enlightenment. An anonymous junior related to the speech in a personal way and said, “I thought it was appropriate because I have a family friend whose dad passed away during 9/11, and his mom remarried, and I never realized she had to go through a whole entire process like that to remarry.” Sarine Rubin ’21 said, “I actually really enjoyed the assembly and felt it brought an intriguing new perspective to the tragedy that was 9/11.” Talia Halaas ’21 agreed and said, “it was definitely something I’ve never thought of before

in the context of 9/11.” Rabbi Albo, a former student of Rabbi Willig, said of his speech, “It is critical for kids to realize how much care was given by the Rabbis to ensure these Jewish women did not suffer a second tragedy.” Izzie Ottensoser ’22 said, “Rabbi Willig’s speech was enlightening and exposed me to a whole new side of 9/11.”

To conclude the assembly, Mr. Cannon, Head of School, gave a few closing remarks. He reinforced the idea of spreading kindness in light of horrible events such as 9/11. Additionally, he reminded the student body that the two guests [first responders on 9/11] from the previous day have both developed cancer from the fumes they inhaled on that horrible day. He went on to make what many believed was an insensitive comparison, saying, “all of us have the liberty to choose what to put in our bodies, so we should actively choose not to inhale the fumes of e-cigarettes.”

Closing a 9/11 assembly with that statement was unsettling to many students. Isaac Silverman ’21 said, “it is incorrect of them to use a national tragedy to push their anti-drug agenda.” An anonymous senior, said, “While vaping is a serious issue and deserves discussion, it felt disrespectful to tie it in with a 9/11 memorial and to equate the results of vaping with the impact 9/11 had on victims. It was a poor comparison and it insulted many.” An anonymous junior agreed, saying, “they took a sad day to talk about drugs they talk about every day.” Although this 9/11 assembly prompted many different reactions from the student body, it was definitely unique and the students did learn something new.

Our Community at Work: Penny Aryeh in the Fashion World

By David Gerber ’21

The modeling industry is not at all what it seems. The common belief is that only “good looking” people are selected to pose while wearing clothing for big retailers and are subsequently paid big bucks for this seemingly simple task. The Rampage interviewed APM Models’ Penny Aryeh, the owner and founder of the company, as well as a Ramaz parent, to get a closer look at this multi-billion dollar industry.

Penny founded APM just over twenty years ago, starting out in the office space adjacent to her mother’s talent modeling agency. A trending theme in the modeling agency is to represent diversity— from the shape of models’ bodies to the color of their skin. While this is clear from diverse advertisements found throughout the media, it was surprising to find out that Penny’s mother had actually been one of the first modeling agencies to follow the trend.

Penny recalls her mother scouting their neighborhood for child models to find chubbier kids, kids with freckles, children of mixed race, and so on.

APM specializes in high fashion women’s modeling.

Models mainly work runways and galas, even internationally, attending world-class events including fashion week in Paris. Penny has made a name for herself in the modeling agency industry for treating her “girls” extremely well and fairly—something, she admits, many other modeling agencies fail to do.

Thus models and recruiters from around the world flock to her agency to ensure they will be treated with respect.

Penny describes her job as fulfilling, in the sense that she has the power to genuinely change

her models’ lives. Penny often finds models from very modest backgrounds and brings them to New York where she turns them into superstars. “When a model walks into my office, it only takes me a second to know if she’ll make it big,” Penny said. However, in order to satisfy the demand of the industry, the

models will sometimes have to change their looks completely. While at her office, I was shown “before” and “after” headshots of a model. In the “before” photo, the model had long and voluminous hair; in the “after” shot, she displayed a cleanly buzzed head.

That, Penny claims, is what really made her a star.

Penny credits her success to her belief in God. In an industry focused mainly on the “artificial,” Penny believes Judaism is what keeps her true to herself.

She deeply appreciates the day of Shabbat where she is able to catch a break from all of the business surrounding the industry, something she seldom experiences during the week.

Penny is very grateful that she has “such a great Yeshiva (Ramaz!) in such close proximity” to which she sends her son. As an Orthodox Jew living working in a secular world, Penny stressed the importance of being a well-rounded person. She feels that Ramaz is a place where students can receive a great Jewish education while also learning how to be successful in a secular world. When asked what her favorite aspect of our school is, Penny said, “It’s so New York! I wouldn’t want to send my child anywhere else.”

Crossword

By Ben Silverman ’20

4

8

Down:

1

Across:

1. Sweet holiday 2. The “new Lupe” 2. Mishmar with___ 10. Straightforward statistical model? 3. Rangers’ top rookie 4. Final churban fast 13.Infamous programming debate 5. Only 4- term electee, colloquially recounted in HBO’s Silicon Valley 6. Schoology specialist 14. # of official Ramaz publications 7. The appearance of being true or real 15. Climactic holiday prayer 18. Mr. Cannon warns against them 8. Grandmaster, semi-pro footballer, and world 19. Traditional object waved for kap- class coder 9. Breaking Bad pre-sequel para 20. Wilkie_, 1st sensationalist novalist 11. Holder of the MLB rookie HR record 12. Unexpected shofar-blowing locale 16. Recent Sacha Baron Cohen drama 17. “The antiderivative is integral to the study of calculus,” e.g.

13

5 16

12

19

7

10

11

2

3

14

15

17 18 9

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Features 12

The Rampage

The History Paper: Is It Necessary?

By Isaac Silverman ’21

It’s that time of year again when the yearlong history paper begins. The paper consists of months of research done by students, all to be compiled into one long combination of arguments to prove a thesis. Ramaz is one of the few schools with a history paper, or at least one of such great magnitude. This leads students to wonder: Are history papers necessary? What are the pros and cons of the paper? The Rampage interviewed several history teachers and students about their opinions to answer these questions.

Dr. Jucovy, History Department Chair, commented on the fact that Ramaz is one of the few schools in the country that still require such a paper, saying, “I am very proud of the fact that we do.” He believes that “students should be taught to write” and that the history paper helps accomplish this goal.

According to Dr. Jucovy, both former students and college professors say that “compared to almost any other group of students in college, Ramaz students are the best prepared when it comes to writing and research for college courses.” The paper has gone through many changes over the past years, but at the moment, Dr. Jucovy says that he is “relatively satisfied that the scaffolding of the developmental process is pretty good.” However, he also still has some questions about how the History Department could make it more effective. For example, from each year of high school to the next, the history paper is supposed to build upon itself and steadily increase in difficulty, but Dr. Jucovy is worried that the gap in difficulty between the 9th and 10th grade papers may be too much, so there may be some changes made in the near future.

Mr. Deutsch, who teaches 9th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade history, believes that the history paper teaches students skills that also help them in other aspects of life, especially in college. Beginning in 9th grade, different skills are taught each year, and eventually, over the years of high school, according

to Mr. Deutsch, “the notion is that by the time you leave Ramaz, you will have developed all the skills you need to succeed in a variety of things, not just history class.” The 9th- and 10th-grade papers serve to introduce skills like argument building and data collecting which will ultimately all be used for the most difficult research paper in 11th grade.

Similar to Dr. Jucovy, 11th- and 12th-grade history teacher Dr. Bernstein connects the importance of the history paper with students’ future endeavors. Elaborating on the direct effects of the history paper, he explains, “Say one day you have to draft a memo or report at your job, the skills that the history paper provides you such as critical reading skills as well as the ability to assess arguments will come into play.” As a former college professor, Dr. Bernstein strongly believes that the history paper, especially the 11th-grade paper, gives students the skills and experience they need for college assignments. “Part of success is having an expertise,” says Dr. Bernstein. “The history paper begins to develop you to become a specialist.” Having the ability to gain knowledge in specific areas of topics is important in the future careers of students.

History teachers may believe that the history paper is important, but what do students think of it? Akiva Shlomovich ’21 agrees with history teachers, saying, “The history paper has strong benefits such as learning the ability to do proper research as well as how to formulate a strong thesis, and all of these things help us for college.” Arielle Levy ’21 agrees, saying, “I learn so much from the research and writing of the paper. I believe it is a vital skill to acquire (writing papers, especially factually based ones) for college and life. Levi Lesches ’21 proposes a counterargument: “The skill of contemplating a thesis is already done with the four English essays we have to write each year, and that’s where we learn the reading and writing skills we need.” Dr. Jucovy responds, “English papers have different structures than history papers. History papers include research and the structure of it is different than that of an

Sept-Oct 2019/Elul/Tishrei 5780

English paper.”

Although many students believe that the workload and paper requirements should be lessened, Dr. Jucovy disagrees, saying that the length of the assignment and its current structure is a strong contributor to its success. The structure of the history paper has gone through many changes over the past several years so that the current structure does help students gain the skills Dr. Jucovy believes are so important. Almost all students agree that the history paper is a large stressor for them, especially 11th graders who have the stress of standardized tests along with their regular schoolwork. All three teachers sympathize with this, but they believe that in the long run, increasing the paper’s complexity over three years helps students.

Ultimately, students will always complain about their large workloads. However, it is important to realize, as most students do, that these types of assignments are meant to be helpful. This does not necessarily mean that every aspect of the history paper is perfect, but the teachers realize this, are continuously trying to improve the process, and are always willing to help students who are struggling.

All three teachers agree that with their guidance and motivation, every student can be successful in this process.

Vending Machines

By Jake Rubin ’22

Have you ever wished that your favorite snack was in the vending machine or that there were more of your snack choice? Here are the results of a few polls sent out to the Ramaz student body.