The SAR Buzz, May 2013

Official Newspaper of SAR High School

The Buzz

May 2013 — Vol. 8, No. 7

Censorship in the Arts

What’s Inside

Balancing Secular Values with our Jewish Identities

By Anna Ballan

Judy’s Jabber Page 2

As a Modern Orthodox institution valuing engagement with the broader world, SAR often faces the question of boundaries: How do we engage in secular, humanistic study, while retaining our distinct Jewish identities?

This struggle with boundaries manifests itself deeply within the area of the arts.

Artistic pursuit—be it drama, visual art, slam poetry, or countless others—is the pursuit of truth, beauty, enlightenment. For many, the process of creating art is the exploration of their most genuine and profound depths. So what happens when artistic exploration collides with “yeshiva standards”?

How does SAR balance its Jewish identity with the value of artistic expression?

How “free” is artistic expression within the SAR environment; are there confines that limit the extent to which we can express ourselves?

Inevitably, these questions have differ-

Artists at Work

ent answers within each area of the arts. Mr. Friedman, educator of visual art, grants his students considerable freedom with regard to these questions. He states: “I try not to edit students in terms of their process of just getting out whatever they need to get out, and feeling free to do what they want to do.”

However, he notes the distinction be-

tween a student’s individual expression within the classroom, and a public presentation of that same work: “When it comes to showing in a public way, let’s say at the Night of Art and Music, if there’s something that’s at all questionable, there have been times when I’ve gone upstairs and asked an administrator ‘Is this something you feel comfortable showing?’”

Though Mr. Friedman would consult with the administration in such a case, his ultimate decision hinges on the quality of the work: “There have been things that we’ve shown that sort of straddle a line because of the quality of the work. Sometimes you take a risk because the work is just that compelling, and that’s part of what the process of art is, it’s about having us begin to think and rethink what it means.”

Mr. Friedman has not encountered resistance from the administration with these ‘questionable’ decisions. He remarks: “The Continued on page 14

Identity Theft

Facebook Name Fabrication

By Gavriel Steinmetz-Silber

Dancing Style Page 3

Sparse Chagigah Attendance Page 11

“You just got poked by Eitan Vax.” So reads a notification you just received from Facebook. You shudder in fear, thinking that some creepy stranger just poked you. But fear not: Eitan Vax is just the nom de plume for Jake Wax (’14)—the comely junior that changed his Facebook name.

Wax is far from being the only SAR student to have changed his or her Facebook name. When scrolling through a list of Facebook friends, one may find many high school students—mainly Juniors and Seniors—with pseudonyms. Indeed, in a New York Times article, Frisch graduate Michael Goldman (’09) claimed that approximately half his friends changed their Facebook names. Wax believes that this phenomenon exists because “students are scared of admission officers viewing their profiles.” He professes, “I myself changed my name because of this issue.”

Similar to Wax, Eitan Boiarsky (’14) is approaching the college application season.

However, Boiarsky never considered changing his Facebook name. He states, “There is

no way that colleges are looking at the Facebook profiles of every applicant.” Boiarsky raises a simple, but important, question: Do colleges even look at Facebook profiles?

The answer is not crystal-clear. Steve

Loflin, the founder and CEO of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars said, “My friends/colleagues who are admissions officers tell me they are too swamped to be checking college applicant Facebook profiles.” Additionally, Michelle Hernandez

of Hernandez College Counseling said, “Do admissions officers look up every student’s page? No, of course not—how could they with 30,000 applicants?”

While it is obvious that admissions officers generally do not look at Facebook profiles, it appears that on occasion they may look at a student’s Facebook in order to evaluate the applicant. Katherine Cohen, founder and CEO of IvyWise and ApplyWise.com wrote, “While admissions officers aren’t creating fake Facebook profiles or searching for individual students, they do receive anonymous ‘tips’ regarding inappropriate student conduct online. Often, schools are obligated to investigate, and offers of admission may be revoked.” Michelle Hernandez pointed out, “you can’t control the behavior of others. What if a jealous friend was to send a Facebook link to an admissions office in an attempt to sabotage your application?”

Evidently, experts have made it clear that on occasion an admissions office will be notified of a student’s inappropriate Facebook profile. However, the vast majority of Continued on page 12

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The Buzz, May 2013

Advice Editorial Column

Equally Valued, Unequally Communicated reevaluating the teaching of halakha

By Judith Kepecs SAR intends both to educate students in halakha, as is typical for a Modern Orthodox school, and to foster open-ended conversations related to Judaism. The school values both of these missions equally, separating them into two curricula: intermittent week-long halakha units and Beit Midrash classes. Though SAR strives to communicate equal emphasis on the two, SAR’s defining attribute, from the students’ perspective, remains its openness to conversation regarding the social and philosophical underpinnings of Judaism. In contrast to some of the more progressive ways of teaching at SAR, halakha is taught in the same didactic manner as it has been for centuries. This style of teaching does not resonate with students as much, so students have difficulty appreciating the halakhic lessons they are taught. Students have therefore come to believe that the school places more value on general religious discussion than on halakha. This apparent imbalance is undoubtedly a reflection on the way halakha and Jewish discussions are approached in SAR.

STAFF Editors in Chief Ricki Heicklen Judith Kepecs Danielle Pitkoff Layout Editors Rose Frankel Harry Varon Associate Editor Anna Ballan Features Editors Hilla Katz Miriam Lichtenberg Rebecca Siegel Editor-at-Large Avidan Grossman Copy Editor Zachary Nelkin Online Editors Chanan Heisler Shalhevet Schwartz Photography Editor Andrew Frenkel

SAR’s willingness to have open conversations with students is reflected in Dveykut B’Tefillah Week. This initiative was designed to help students connect meaningfully with God by allowing them to choose a particular path, or type of Tefillah, which might enhance their connection with God and Judaism. While this “open nature” of SAR is something admirable, students have begun to view this as SAR’s main goal in educating students about Judaism. Students can easily forget that there is another motive as well: to teach halakha.

This misunderstanding of SAR’s primary motives became especially evident to me before this year’s school-wide Shabbaton. The school asked that all Gemara teachers review a list of halakhot with their classes, so students would know to follow those laws on the Shabbaton. The selection of laws chosen for review included detailed halakhot such as those regarding toothpaste and makeup on Shabbat. This lesson was met with surprise. Students felt that these laws had never before been discussed with them, and that this topic was atypical for SAR. The student body did not anticipate a lesson in practical halakha.

The school teaches halakha and the social aspects of Judaism as two separate values, yet only the latter has resonated with students as one of SAR’s goals. There is a general consensus among students that SAR is more about the “openness,” and less about the halakha. This demonstrates a flaw in the way that halakha is taught. Students do not understand that the school is constantly trying to emphasize halakha.

When it comes to teaching halakha, I will acknowledge that the time spent between open discussions related to Judaism and formal halakha learning is not equally distributed. One week four times a year is not nearly enough time to sufficiently learn halakha. However, the truth is that this unequal distribution is necessary, as students would not be able to handle equal emphases on both. Though more than one week of didactic halakha four times a year might become burdensome to students, perhaps students have not been taught halakha in the most beneficial way, and the halakha education they do receive therefore becomes overwhelming.

If the style in which halakha is taught were modified, the school would be able to devote much more time to it. Students enjoy open conversations about Judaism, and if halakha were interwoven with these conversations, this teaching of halakha would resonate with students just as much as open conversation regard-

Research Manager Elana Rosenthal Faculty Advisor Dr. Rivka P. Schwartz Faculty Supervisor Rabbi Jonathan Kroll

ing Judaism does. SAR would not be defined just for its open conversations with students, but would also be acknowledged for its rigorous method of teaching halakha.

Why should halakha be relegated to completely different modules? Halakha appears as monolithic week-long units in Gemara classes, while conversations involving our connections to Judaism seem to appear frequently in Beit Midrash conversations and Shabbaton discussion. The truth is, however, that in the Modern Orthodox community, the two values need to be intertwined. It is important to recognize that the teaching of halakha can and should be incorporated into open conversation. Halakhic observance can enhance students’ feelings towards Judaism.

Though integrating halakha into general religious conversation can be challenging, the school does seem to already weave these two values together in settings outside the school building, such as on Shabbatonim. The idea of a Shabbaton is to celebrate Shabbat as a community, and the communal aspect of this is fulfilled by open conversations on Judaism. As shown by themes of Shabbatonim, this year’s being Dveykut, the conversations are designed to help students reflect on their relationship with Judaism, as in Beit Midrash classes. However, there is another element that helps create this unified feeling: we are not only discussing Judaism; rather, the entire SAR community is observing a complete halakhically observant Shabbat as a community. This strict halakhic observance helps enhance this communal experience.

Although this may require a significant effort from the school, SAR has the ability to incorporate these two values into the school curriculum just as it does on Shabbatonim. If this were successfully accomplished, halakha would resonate with students as much as the open discussions do. Discussions on the halakhot would be more appealing to students than teaching them a list would be. If SAR were to integrate halakhot into discussions, and show that halakha is basic to any conversation about Judaism, students would recognize that SAR is promoting halakha in a way that they do not now comprehend.

Integrating halakha into open conversations about Judaism would be more challenging in some areas than others. Halakha is already inherent in the Beit Midrash curriculum. If one opens a Beit Midrash booklet, the halakhot are in fact there, and we do read them in Beit Midrash classes. However, once the Beit Midrash class transitions into open conversation, the

Staff Writers Isaac Breslow Gilad Fortgang Ariella Gentin Rebecca Harris Liat Katz

Melissa Lavine Ronit Morris Deena Nerwen Maya Pretsfelder Olivia Rosenzweig

Dalia Scheiner Harry Scheiner Lilly Scherban Samantha Schnall

class does not revisit the actual halakhot. With some more effort and planning, halakha could be naturally integrated into Beit Midrash classes.

Perhaps students have not been taught halakha in the most beneficial way, and the halakha education they do receive therefore becomes overwhelming.

When it comes to initiatives such as Dveykut B’Tefillah week, this integration becomes a little more challenging. Dveykut B’Tefillah is, in itself, a spiritual initiative that involves our connections with Judaism. Perhaps a discussion about the halakhot involved in creating these 22 different minyanim, and general halakhic conversation regarding tefillah, would show that the school is working towards uniting the two different values.

The formal halakha can also be integrated into the general Judaic studies curriculum.

“Blocks” of Halacha study can be overwhelming and boring. This current approach also separates halakha from the remainder of Judaic studies, blurring the fact that it is intimately associated with and derived from other areas. The school must decide which halakhot should be covered over four years of the SAR curriculum, and choose places in the Gemara and Tanakh curriculum that would naturally lead to these discussions. By the end of four years, students will have learned those aspects of halakha and will understand that it is an integral part of everything they have learned. This might take hours of planning and preparation, but has to be done.

Unifying halakha with the remainder of SAR’s curriculum does stand with SAR’s mission of Grand Conversation. Ultimately, I believe that this unification will enable students to have more respect for halakha.

Online Correspondents Gavriel SteinmetzSilber Toba Stern Rachel Weintraub

Emma Cantor Alon Futter Jessica Kane

Jennifer Kleiman Arly Mintz Benjamin Perla

The Buzz, May 2013

3

Advice School Column Life

Dancing Style

revisiting the sar dance policy

By Samantha Schnall On December 12th, 2012, the student body and faculty piled into the gym to watch “Riverdale Style (SAR Prospective Student Video).” A student-made music video based on the hit song “Gangnam Style,” “Riverdale Style” now has over nine thousand views on YouTube. The video features several faculty members dancing to the choreography of “Gangnam Style,” and while the video seemed to be humorous and harmless, some felt that it reinforced the general lack of clarity regarding SAR’s dancing policy.

SAR’s dance policy has remained the same since the school’s inception: Girls cannot dance in front of mixed audiences.

(This policy is official, though it isn’t written in the SAR handbook alongside other rules, such as dress code and course requirements.)

What has changed, however, is that the policy has been gradually blurred by school dance performances such as “Riverdale Style,” the faculty flash mob, and the student flash mob.

According to Dr. Schwartz, “[This] has created some confusion in the minds of students as to what the policy is...honestly, I’m not sure that we have communicated [the policy] in recent years as clearly to students as it really should be.” Dr. Schwartz suggests that the administration should craft a clear position, articulate it, and then communicate it to the entire student body. She notes that the last step is especially important to ensure that every student has a clear understanding of the school’s expectations. Once the policy is communicated, “[the administration

should] follow through to make sure that it’s carried out in all school performances.”

The lack of clarity regarding the school’s dance policy has continued beyond a music video and a couple of flash mobs. At the schoolwide shabbaton this past March,

The policy has been gradually blurred by school dance performances such as “Riverdale Style,” the faculty flash mob, and the student flash mob. the girls’ dance team performed at the talent show. Despite SAR’s policy banning girls’ dance for mixed audiences, the act was “checked and approved by teachers,” states Yona Feit (’15). She recounts that both the music played and the choreography were approved before the talent show.

Even as a member of the dance team, she “didn’t know the dance policy...I just know that what we [perform] has to be appropriate, not provocative.” Similarly, Zachary Nelkin (’13) and Miriam Lichtenberg (’14) didn’t know a dance policy existed.

Such accounts are indicative of the lack of knowledge and clarity regarding the school’s dancing policy.

Students differ in their opinions regarding the dance performance. Nelkin thought that “the performance was admirable for all the hard work that clearly went into making it.” Lichtenberg, slightly more critical, was “a little surprised with some of their dance moves, but overall thought that they found a nice balance between what’s okay and what’s not okay.” Rebecca Sperling, an SAR fellow, compromises the two sides, suggesting that girls should be able to express themselves through dance, but within a frame of “respectful dancing.”

Aside from just provoking a range of views, the dance performance has raised opinions about the dance policy itself. Some, like Nelkin, consider the mere existence of any dance policy as “an unacceptable infringement on the free expression of the dancers and the choreographer.” He continues: “The act that students produce and the songs that they sing aren’t controlled, [so] it’s unfair to subject one medium to greater scrutiny than any other.” Several others are satisfied with the current policy, voicing that it should be neither more strict nor more lenient.

The performance has also caused the school to revisit the way it communicates the dance policy to students. Dr. Schwartz relates, “The dance performance at the shabbaton made me realize, not because there was any fault on the part of the students who did the dance performance, that the things you have been doing in the past years, such as the

flash mob and Riverdale Style, has created a lack of clarity [regarding the dance policy].”

She notes that the school may need to “take a step back” to clearly and effectively define what the “parameters” should be.

It is possible that the performance evoked such responses and thoughts because many consider a dance performance to be different than a flash mob. There have been two flash mobs in recent years, while the shabbaton dance was SAR’s first dance performance.

Lichtenberg notes, “While a flash mob is entertaining and there is no need for complicated [choreography] that could come off as crossing a line, a dance performance, such as [that of the school’s] dance team, is a smaller group of talented dancers and there is no way for them to showcase their talent without using their bodies in ways that may come off as provocative.” Sperling agrees, defining “dance” as a commutative and coordinated art with more of a message than that in a flash mob.

Moving forward, it is important to clearly and effectively express the dance policy, as well as enforce it in school performances. Sperling suggests a plan of action similar to that of communicating the Kol Isha policy: Rabbi Harcsztark should individually speak to each grade to clarify the policy, and answer questions from students.

Although there is no apparent plan to do so in immediate years, the need to clarify any “blurred edges” or confusion among the student body is currently on the table.

Associating with Alumni

By Chanan Heisler “Oh my god, yes!” exclaimed alumni Avi Smolar (’09), when asked if she would want to be interviewed for The Buzz. It has been about three years since Avi has been a student at SAR, and for her, along with all the alumni, life has changed dramatically.

Even though Avi visits when she can and goes to Varsity Girls Volleyball games to root on her sister, it has been a long time since SAR has actively been a part of her life.

As a new school, SAR has had very few graduating classes, yet occasionally the current students can find their old friends roaming the halls of SAR. It has become de rigour for graduates taking a gap year in Israel to come home for Pesach and visit their old teachers. By choosing to spend their free time going back to high school, these alumni are saying ‘we miss SAR!’ In graduates’ second year after leaving SAR, some have the opportunity to come back and help run sessions at the

schoolwide shabbaton. This time is a great opportunity for the graduates to rekindle their relationships with mentors and teachers and to reiterate their interest in maintaining a relationship with the SAR community.

Yet, after these two years, what opportunities does SAR give to its graduates and what role does SAR play in the lives of its alumni? In Smolar’s case, the last time she had a reunion was “last Thanksgiving,” but that was the only event that year.

With school and work both inhibiting the possibility of more reunions, it seems as if SAR alumni have been forced to leave SAR behind, and move on to their futures.

Many alumni believe that it is the obligation of the school to keep alumni involved with the SAR community. Akiva Futter (’11) exclaims: “If SAR strives to carry out a grand conversation, that conversation should not end with graduation.”

He further notes that “the only event for my class that I was specifically invited to was the schoolwide shabbaton. I get emails about adult education events, but given my

school schedule, I can’t partake. Outside of that there really is not much.”

SAR seems to agree with Futter that it should work to maintain relationships with alumni, and therefore introduced the Bogrim Program, a learning program for alumni to learn about important topics in the Modern Orthodox Jewish world.

Last year, about 20 alumni who were accepted into the program met towards the end of May (after college classes ended) to discuss homosexuality within the Jewish community. The alumni spent the majority of their day learning with their old teachers, including Rabbi Harcsztark, Ms. Schlaff, and Mr. Fleischer, while meeting and learning from newer teachers, such as Rabbi Hain.

Rabbi Hain explains that “Rabbi Harcztark had the vision for a program [for the alumni] to stay engaged, not just on a social level, but on a substantive, educational, and intellectual level.” He explains that the program was very effective because “a lot of times, the messages and the grand conversation ideas we promote here,

sink in more as SAR alumni work through college. So this lets them reconnect to the school in a mission driven way.” By creating the Bogrim program, SAR is demonstrating its interest in keeping old students involved and creating a larger community of learners.

Zoe Heisler (’09) has probably been among the most connected of the alumni.

Heisler continues to come back to SAR, hoping to return to the days where she went to school with her brother every day.

Heisler attended the school-wide shabbaton last year, participated in the Bogrim program, and attended the few Alumni events SAR has held. Additionally, Heisler can be spotted every Friday afternoon in the Beit Midrash, studying Gemara with Ms. Schlaff. Heisler explains that “it’s really an incredible opportunity I have.

I don’t think many students from other schools do that kind of thing. Sometimes it feels weird that I’m in school all the time, Continued on page 5

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The Buzz, May 2013

School Life Advice Column

Parental Pressures

parent involvement in students’ lives

By Toba Stern This year, the school has been taking extra measures to foster communication between students and their parents. From the parsha program to PACT, SAR has been trying to get parents more involved.

Some students feel that these extra measures may be unnecessary, explaining that their parents are already adequately involved. Yona Benjamin (’15) admits,“They [my parents] are pretty involved, sometimes a bit too much.” Noam Lindenbaum (’16) agrees, saying that “it happens to be that I have a very good relationship with my parents, but they are very, very, very involved in my academic life.”

Hannah Salztman (’16) echoes Lindenbaum’s sentiment, admitting that “I wish my parents were a little less involved.”

Many students appreciate the push from their parents. Ben Elias (’15) acknowledges, “They are involved because I made a choice that I would like to succeed in my academic endeavors… and although it bothers me most of the time, my parents would like to help me make sure I achieve my goals.” Samantha Fischler (‘14) explains, “I definitely feel pressure from my parents to work hard in school and to study for tests because they want me to learn and excel….My parents’ involvement in my academic life is definitely helpful because even at the hardest

and most stressful points of Junior year they keep me motivated and make sure that I keep trying hard in all subjects.”

Other students feel that parent involvement seems to be causing them more, and unnecessary stress. An anonymous Junior complains about how involved her parents are: “They always text me asking me how my tests were, always nagging me to study more, waking me up early on weekends so that I’ll have the whole day to study.” Lindenbaum expresses a similar sentiment: “They always know what I’m doing and what’s going on, which at times is helpful... but at times it’s like ‘yes, I got it done! You can stop asking me about it you can stop annoying me.’” Yoni Rabinovitch (‘13) agrees: “Sometimes having pressure at home in addition to school can be something I really don’t need. It just adds to the stress-fest environment that is in SAR.” Even those that acknowledge that their parents sometimes cause them unnecessary stress admit that at times their parents are helpful motivators. Rabinovitch explains, “Meeting my parents’ expectations is the biggest motivating factor.

If it was up to me I would only put effort into the subjects I liked… [parent motivation is] positive because it pushes me to do more work and that’s probably good for me in the long run.” Lindenbaum admits that “at times they are helpful. Like

when they say ‘Oh Noam did you get this done yet?’” Saltzman agrees, noting that “Sometimes it really is useful. Because I am in highschool, and I don’t really like to get things done… so they are helpful in pushing me in that way.”

The relationship between adolescents and their parents is complicated, but there is no doubt that the relationship becomes even more complicated when one has a parent that works in the school. If this situation arises, it can be difficult to keep the parent’s involvement to a minimum. A student with a parent that works in school, who wishes to remain anonymous, admits that having her parent in the school can become frustrating. She explains that it is difficult to confide in her parent: “I don’t like to talk about kids in my grade with her/him because she/he knows them all. She/he might teach them and it’s weird if she knows private stuff.” However, her parent’s involvement in her academics does not become as much of an issue because “I don’t let her/him get involved.”

Ms. Silvera and her daughter Cochava (‘15), on the other hand, have found it easier to balance their personal and school life. “I don’t really have anything to do with her[Cochava] in school… I’m on the second floor for the most part…so we don’t even see each other that often, so I don’t find it difficult at all,” explains Ms. Silvera. Ms. Silvera also take a more

hands-off approach to Cochava’s academics. “We really don’t talk about work at all.

I know what work she has because I work with students who have the same work, but I never say to her ‘I know you have this assignment, what are you doing for it?’ She really works very independently.” However, Ms. Silvera does, at times, find it challenging to filter what she says to Cochava: “It used to be that I could talk about an issue that happened between me and another teacher, but now I can’t because she knows who the teachers are.”

Cochava herself admits to “really liking” that her mother works in school. She maintains that her mother is not overly involved, and is always cautious not to overstep her boundaries. “She tries to give me as much space as possible…she doesn’t make an effort to check up on me during the school day, she does that on her own time as a mom. She separates between working here and her job as a mom.”

The parent-child relationship is something unique to every family. There is no perfect formula, and although the school does its best to foster healthy communication, it is mainly up to each individual student to determine his or her relationship with his or her parents. And it is up to parents to trust their children, supporting them without exerting too much pressure.

Shabbaton Evolution

By Olivia Rosenzweig SAR is known for its plethora of fun student activities. Every SAR student looks forward to events such as Cochav Nolad, chagigahs, and chesed trips. But there is no doubt that some of the biggest highlights of the school year are the Shabbatonim.

“I love when the whole school/grade is together singing…it is amazing,” remarks Shai Katz (’14). Malka Hirsch (’13) agrees, “There is always so much energy and enthusiasm.” Alana Woloshin (’16) shares that she enjoys the school wide Shabbatonim the most because “I feel like I have all my classes and lunch periods to connect with my grade but…[it] is not a common occurrence when you get to bond with your whole school.”

“We like the idea of a Shabbaton because it allows for bonding and conversations in a way that trips don’t allow,” explains Rabbi Kroll. Shabbatonim are the results of the tremendous efforts of various SAR faculty members. In addition, teachers are also asked to run electives and help out with davening during the Shabbatonim.

SAR has hosted Shabbatonim since its inception. In SAR’s first year, SAR students actually shared a Shabbaton with the ninth grade of Maimonides in a hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. Since that time, there have also been grade Shabbatonim in a variety of different communities. Over the past few years, grade-wide Shabbatonim have become more established. “Seven years ago the Junior Shabbaton was supposed to be in Stamford, but there was a snowstorm on the Friday before so we had to cancel the Shabbaton and we could not reschedule it. We told the Juniors that instead of a Shabbaton we’d take a trip at the end of the year. But then by the next year, we had a Shabbaton and kept the trip.” Now, it is almost guaranteed that every grade will have a grade-wide Shabbaton each year, and if a Shabbaton does get canceled, it will almost always be rescheduled. Specific Shabbaton locations have also gradually been established for each grade.

While the format of the grade-wide Shabbatonim has remained the same for the most part, some minor adjustments have been made to the school-wide Shabbaton over the past few years. For five

consecutive years, up until last year, the school-wide Shabbaton was held at hotel in Waterbury, Connecticut. “It was great, but we outgrew it. It just wasn’t big enough,” remarks Rabbi Kroll. Last year, the school-wide Shabbaton was held at the Ocean Place Resort on the Jersey Shore.

“It was a great venue; perhaps a little too big for us,” Rabbi Kroll remarks. However, the main reason that the school did not return to that hotel was not because of its size, rather because “they were doing renovations on their rooms this year and were unable to accommodate us [again],” explains Rabbi Kroll. Thankfully, this year the school found a hotel in Stamford, which Rabbi Kroll believes was just the right size for the growing student body.

Though the school-wide Shabbaton location has changed over the past few years, neither Katz nor Hirsch believes that the actual location makes much of a difference. As Katz explains, “The experiences change a little every year based on the people in the room, but from what I can remember… they are pretty much the same.” However, he notes that he does feel that the decision to divide the student body into two groups for davening

this year made an impact. “The feeling of a communal davening is amazing and when it’s split there are many voices missing,” Katz explains. Ms. Schneider, on the other hand, believes that the whole school davening together “doesn’t work for everybody.” She admits that she is not sure that the school-wide davening in previous years “was better or worse in a sense of what people get out of davening.”

Though the school-wide Shabbaton has shifted a little from year to year, there is one aspect of it that has not changed: It is still a tremendous and meaningful communal experience. When a group of around 700 people join together to celebrate Shabbat as a community, singing and learning together, everyone has a great experience. “I’m a big fan of singing at the meals,” says Rabbi Kroll. He continues, “It’s a mode of spirituality that we do so infrequently. I also love the conversations around sessions on Friday nights. Students never cease to surprise me with heartfelt and sophisticated ideas about Judaism in those conversations.”

The Buzz, May 2013

5

Advice Op-EdColumn Debate

Should Honors Students be Allowed to Receive Extra Time?

AFFIRMATIVE

By Hilla Katz When Rachel Weintraub first posed this question at a Buzz staff meeting, my gut reaction was to say, “of course they should!” In the column next to this one, she argues that one of the criteria for being in an Honors class is to have the ability to spit back the material that the test covers in the amount of time allotted. If a student cannot do so, she argues, then he or she should not be in an Honors class.

I have been in Honors Tanakh and Gemara classes for the past three years. I myself do not receive extra time on tests, but there are students in my class who do.

These students are more than qualified for the class; they comprehend the material just as well as their peers.

The criteria for being in an Honors class, whether it is Tanakh or Math, is not the ability to spit back information in a timely manner. It is the ability to comprehend the material and display that knowledge adequately on a test. If some students take a longer time to display this knowledge, they should, without a doubt, be given extra time. I am a fast test taker, and almost always hand in tests early. That does not make me more qualified to be in an Honors class than students who take a longer time to display their knowledge.

Extra time is allotted to students who either have a learning disability, like dyslexia, or an emotional disability. These disorders do not lower a student’s intelligence; rather, they alter the way a student comprehends and processes information.

The fact that it takes one student a longer

RESPONSE BY RACHEL WEINTRAUB An Honors class by definition is a track for the top students to learn at a higher level and a faster pace. One of the criteria for placing into an Honors class is the ability to take a test to assess one’s comprehension in a set amount of time. By

Alumni Continued from page 3

but it’s definitely worth it.”

Though Heisler definitely finds meaning in her learning with Ms. Schlaff, she does believe that in some ways it is time to move on from SAR. She explains that though it was nice to come back and learn on a higher level with familiar teachers, “going back to high school is a weird experience; you don’t really know the students anymore so the emotional bond is

time to process a test question and come up with an answer does not necessarily mean that an Honors class is inappropriate for them.

Many argue that extra time is an unfair advantage for the students who receive it. What this argument fails to address is the fact that when students receive extra time, it is not extra time to check over their tests.

The extra time they receive is the exact amount of time that the students need to actually finish the test. When most of us finish our tests, a student with extra time may only be halfway through. Not giving these students extra time would be a disadvantage to them.

Consider the SLC/SP program. It is just as easy to make the argument that it is unfair to give these students extra time to develop skills and do their homework if they agree to come to a school with as rigorous a workload as SAR has. But that is not our school’s philosophy. All students are evaluated and accommodated based on their needs and abilities. Sometimes, their abilities are extraordinary, but they may lack certain skills or may need an extra boost of confidence to overcome their anxieties.

Thus, extra time is analogous to the SLC, in the sense that they are both accommodations offered to any student who is in need of them.

One of the worst kept secrets in the world of education is that extra time is often abused, by both Honors and non-Honors students. If we are dealing with issues regarding extra time, then we should be addressing this problem. We should not be telling students that they may not receive extra time if they are in a .41 class instead of a .21 class. allowing some students extra time in which to complete this test, a major factor is being undermined to only benefit some. If these students can’t finish the test in the same amount of time as their peers, they should not be allowed to learn in their class, for the time factor is a major element in distinguishing an Honors student from the rest.

towards the faculty and physical building.

Again, I love SAR with all my heart and I loved the Bogrim program, but ultimately another learning program would feel excessive.”

More often than not, alumni are looking for more opportunities to reconnect with SAR. All of the alumni interviewed emphasized the large influence SAR has had on their perspectives as they’ve entered the ‘real world.’ Futter reveals, “the main thing that SAR imparted to me that affects me on a day to day basis is the

NEGATIVE

By Rachel Weintraub I’ve been wanting to write this article for quite some time, given the strong feelings I have on the subject. When I pitched this topic at a Buzz staff meeting, I was immediately greeted with responses ranging from those who were personally offended, to others only mildly disgusted. My classmates instantly reproached the insensitive notion I had set forth, that people with learning disabilities should be barred from taking Honors level courses at SAR High School.

I, however, remain true to that stance, maintaining the belief that these students should either not be allowed to use their extra time, or not take Honors classes at all.

I am not here to discuss the issue of students potentially abusing the use of extra time. Rather, I am starting with the premise that any student who receives extra time is fully deserving of that qualification. An Honors course is a class in which the most advanced students are placed. The stipulation for being in an Honors class is that students must keep up with the rigorous course load, which is taught at a quicker pace than an average class. In order to accurately assess that students can remain in the Honors level, tests are administered periodically.

The assumption is that students who do well on tests are to remain in these classes, and those who don’t generally move down to lower levels.

RESPONSE BY HILLA KATZ The criteria you state are simply not the criteria for acceptance to an Honors class. To be in an Honors class, you need to comprehend information. Tests aren’t everything. If you don’t do well on the test, you should still be allowed to stay in the class if you want to, and if your class par-

need to respect everyone, regardless of their background, opinions, or beliefs.”

For Smolar, SAR “taught me a lot about relationships with others and authority figures. I think we can all agree that at SAR, your teachers are your friends, while still having the feeling of authority.

That mix is rare, and I appreciate having that experience so much. I am so thankful for the open atmosphere SAR has- it encouraged me to speak up more, and I was never afraid to voice my opinions. There were always conversations to be had, and

The main difficulty that test-taking poses is the ability to finish on time. Completion of tests signals not only a thorough understanding of the material, but also the capacity to recall these facts more easily. Tests are supposed to control as many variables as possible in order to accurately evaluate the knowledge of an individual compared to a group of people. If even one person receives extra time, that person’s results are no longer valid compared to the rest of the group. It is not fair to compare the results of people who receive extra time to those who follow the standard course of action by using only the allotted 40 minutes.

I most certainly recognize the fact that some people may have disabilities which prohibit them from translating their thoughts to paper in a set amount of time. I do not, however, believe that they have a right to be placed in an Honors level class. Even though they may comprehend the tested information, they do not comply with the standards imposed on all Honors students. Aside from the challenge of the information itself, the time it takes to complete an exam is what distinguishes an Honors student from the rest of the pack. If a student cannot meet these requirements, he or she should not be allowed to partake in this learning environment.

To sum up, now, more than ever, people who receive extra time should not be placed into Honors level courses, because a part of the condition of being in the Honors track is the ability to complete an exam in a predetermined time.

ticipation/work is good. Somebody who is able to complete the test in 40 minutes isn’t necessarily going to hand in a test worthy of an 100. An extra-time kid can still get a better score than a kid handing in a test after 40 minutes, having nothing to do with the “benefits” that they receive.

These aren’t benefits-- they are necessary.

I am thankful for that.” For Heisler, “the concept of picking and choosing seems to linger in my mind when making religious decisions.” It is wonderful to witness the numerous ways that SAR has impacted its students, and the hope is that SAR will continue to reach out and try to keep the grand conversation alive, even after high school life has passed.

6

The Buzz, May 2013

Advice Column School Life

Wrestling with Weight

wrestling team eating patterns

By Emma Cantor Competitive athletes have pre-game rituals, such as listening to pump up music or hearing a motivational pep talk. But for some athletes, pregame rituals tend to include exercising in garbage bags, chewing on ice, or drinking one cup of water the day of a big game. These rituals are used by professional wrestlers to lose weight quickly before competing in a match.

Wrestlers are not focused on their weight in order to look slim in their spandex singlet; rather, weighing less provides them with important advantages over their opponents. The practice, formally known as “cutting weight,” is a wrestler’s attempt to lose weight in order to compete in a lower weight class against lighter opponents. By losing only water weight or fat, wrestlers can still be strong and retain muscle while competing in a lower weight class.

Many competitive and passionate wrestlers are driven to cut weight. While this is standard in the world of wrestling, there is concern among outsiders that these habits may step over the line of healthy weight loss to rapid weight dropping. Additionally, these practices have led to eating disorders in male athletes nationally.

Nurse Russi Bohm is at the forefront of this concern for the newly founded SAR wrestling team, as she has received worried comments from SAR faculty about the health of students on the wrestling team.

Nurse Bohm explains that a few teachers approached her after they heard several boys say, “I can’t eat today because I have a wrestling match tonight, and I need to make a specific weight.”

She then became aware that “they were not just cutting out certain foods before the match, they were also not eating and not drinking.” Nurse Bohm further explains, “fluid and water retention increase your weight, which is why they may not have been eating or drinking the entire day.”

However, Nurse Bohm was soon informed that both the coach and wrestling team were well aware of the potential dangers, and were taking precaution when approaching the matter of cutting weight.

Nurse Bohm admits that before she spoke to the coach she thought that the measures taken were insufficient, explaining that “up until that point in December when I was made aware of the problem, they [wrestling team members] had been losing weight rapidly, and weren’t open to hearing other suggestions.” However, now, she and the coach work together in ensuring that they properly educate the boys of what to eat before a match.

The members of the wrestling team maintain that their weight and the weight of the other team members are always in

check and under control. Ben Perla (‘15) remarked, “I am not really worried about eating disorders developing amongst members of the team, and if someone does develop a problem, I know that our coach will intervene.” Most importantly, he explained that the wrestling team members are not being told to watch their weight compulsively, and

the wrestling team. What we do is in no way dangerous. It’s in fact extremely healthy.”

Kevin Danishefsky (’14) shares how beneficial the wrestling team has been for his health and general happiness. “Wrestling has gotten me in shape, changed my life, and taught me how to work hard. Not only that, but I’ve met amazing friends and people

low it. Our coaches regulate what we do.”

The wrestling team’s coach concurs and does not think there is much to worry about now. “I feel like it is definitely under control. There are kids on the team who feel that they will definitely do better at lower weights, so they will want to go to a lower weight class. We make sure that nothing can happen to the guys.” Coach Simchi indicates

“I am not really worried about eating disorders developing amongst members of the team, and if someone does develop a problem, I know that our coach will intervene.”

the coaches only instruct them to “go running and eat well.” Many members of the team run on a regular basis, and a majority will do some sort of intensive workout right before the weigh in.

Ben Perla (‘15) acknowledges, “I sweat a lot [to lose water weight] so I’ll go running for half an hour before weigh in and I will wear a coat, but it’s not unhealthy. I’m only doing it for twenty minutes and the second after the weigh in, I’ll drink a lot of water.”

Coach Roni Simchi validates Ben Perla’s (’15) statement and affirms that running with extra layers does not pose a significant health threat to athletes. “I’ve seen people running in coats to get up a sweat and going to rehydrate themselves immediately after the weigh in. Anyone else who goes for a run will not be drinking during their run, they will be drinking after their run, it is the same thing…nothing dangerous about it, you just have to keep it in check.”

Harry Scheiner (‘13) suggests that “being on the wrestling team is probably the most healthy thing someone in our school can sign up for.” He explains that cutting out junk food, fatty meats, unhealthy carbs, and exercising every day puts everyone on the team in shape. “I’d venture to say that every person on our team was in the best shape of his life, and possibly the best shape he will ever be, by the end of the season, thanks to

along the way whom I otherwise wouldn’t have met. I lost about 30 pounds and I feel amazing. Plus, my grades have gone up this year, as a result of knowing what it takes to work hard.”

He also explained how the wrestling team helps students get in shape while remaining healthy. According to Danishefsky, students often lose 3-4 pounds during a practice, the same as they would while “cutting weight”, so these weight cuts are equivalent to a practice. Students also eat a healthy amount of food after a weight cut. Kevin reinforces the fact that unlike professional MMA wrestlers, who lose up to 20 pounds at a time, the boys on the SAR wrestling team are not doing anything remotely dangerous.

Alexander Haberman (’15), however, agrees with Nurse Bohm that interference was necessary. “What happens at our school is that people won’t drink the day before the match,” he admits. This motivated Nurse Bohm to properly educate the boys on the team. Thanks to both the coach’s and Nurse Bohm’s intervention, any previous issues have been dealt with at this juncture.

Many members of the team seem to be mindful of healthy ways to lose weight. Rafi Bocarsly (‘13) states: “It’s not an issue because everything that we do is within reason.

No one does anything that’s even remotely dangerous because the coaches wouldn’t al-

that he has been looking out for each student and that he is well aware of the risks of cutting weight and has done his best to take proper preventative measures as safeguards to any unhealthy exercise or controlled eating, including encouraging team members to lose any weight over a period of several days in a healthy fashion rather than all at once, and emailing articles to the team on proper diet and eating.

Even in cases where a team member may gain an excessive amount of weight, the coach will still only take measures that do not interfere with the health of the individual. Ben Perla (‘15) reassures: “There was one kid who was overweight. My coach pushed him to try and go down a weight class. He tried to lose the weight and it was something he couldn’t do so my coach didn’t push him further.”

Many agree that acts of cutting weight and avoiding food the day before a match are not posing threats to the SAR Wrestling team. Despite this, the concern from the school about the health and welfare of the wrestling team members is perhaps present because wrestling is by nature a sport that is highly focused on weight. While there is a strong stigma against the eating habits of wrestling in our society, the SAR wrestling team is fortunate to have an experienced coach who relays proper advice and a school that is conscientious and involved; hopefully, this will ensure that every member of the wrestling team is healthy and safe.

The Buzz, May 2013

7

Advice Column School Life

Spring Forward, Fall Back

a glance at daylight savings

By Deena Nerwen Flashback to winter: Glancing outside during 11th period, you notice that the bright light that streamed in through the windows just a period before has now been replaced by darkness. It looks a lot more like midnight than 5:00pm. Does the gloom outside cause you to feel tired and worn out? Does it make you long for the sunny days of summer?

If so, fast forward to March 10, 2013 and, Baruch Hashem, there’s Daylight Saving (note: “Saving”, not “Savings”, contrary to popular belief)! On this Sunday morning, the clocks were switched an hour ahead at 2:00am, causing both sunrise and sunset to occur about one hour later than they did during the winter. Now, there’s more light in the evenings.

But does this really matter? Can light shining outside for a longer portion of the day affect one’s mood, actions, and productivity?

Indeed, it can.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of mood disorder that affects a person during the same time every year, most commonly during the winter. Common symptoms include feeling sad, grumpy, anxious, losing interest in your usual activities, eating more carbs and gaining weight, feeling drowsy during the daytime, and sleeping more.

Dr. Humi, who teaches about SAD in her AP Psych class, explains: “If you have depression, you’re suffering all year round.

But research has found that there are a subset of people who feel more depressed during

the winter, and not so much at other times of the year. Specifically in the winter, people tend to get more depressed, whether it’s due to lack of light or the weather itself...I even notice that sometimes I get more students when it’s dark and dingy and rainy outside than when it’s bright and sunny and gorgeous out.”

This is not to say that all SAR students have SAD. You must go to a doctor to be diagnosed (usually if you have had depressive episodes only during a certain season for at least two years). However, SAD aside, it’s fairly common for a person’s mood to be affected by the weather and season. With the beginning of Daylight Saving, many students tend to feel happier and more carefree.

Jessica Kane (‘15) definitely feels this way. She claims, “On days when it gets dark earlier and we’re all still in school, the atmosphere of the school becomes very depressing because SAR is made of windows. I really like coming home when it’s still light because it’s easier to do your work; when it’s dark, you get tired much faster.”

Noam Lindenbaum (‘16) feels that the student body is positively affected by the change. “I honestly think that when it’s light when we get out, our spirits are raised. Because of this, everybody is generally happier and nicer.” However, he does add that “it is easier to get distracted.”

Rose Frankel (‘15) expresses a similar sentiment: “It [light outside] makes me feel like it’s summer... It’s messing up my perspective at the end of the year because I procrastinate even more than I would normally.

I’m in a better mood during the day, but

it’s bad for homework and my work ethic.”

However, others, such as Avi Siegal (‘16), feel the contrary. “The light affects my work very positively. I feel better, so I get more done,” explains Siegal.

Additionally, for Yishai Chamudot (‘14), Daylight Saving has proved favorably academically: “When it’s dark outside and I’m still in class, I can get restless; I feel like night-time is supposed to be for work at home, so what am I still doing in class?

The light outside is energizing and keeps me awake. I definitely feel more productive working in an illuminated classroom.”

For some, it is the abillity to be outdoors that makes Daylight Saving so appealing. Micah Levy (‘15) reports, “It’s awesome now because I get home and I can play basketball.” Becky Laufer (‘14) feels the same way, exclaiming: “I just want to be outside all day! The sun makes me happy. I even smile more now.”

Daylight Saving may be advantageous for a completely different reason as well.

Olivia Rosenzweig (‘14) reveals, “Now, the school is less cold and I don’t have to worry about bundling up every morning.”

Along with Daylight Saving comes additional changes that only affect the Jewish community. On Friday, March 8, Shabbos started at 5:36pm, ending at 6:36pm, while a week later, Shabbos started at 6:44pm and ended at 7:43pm.

Jenna Goldshmidt (‘15) acknowledges, “I like it when Shabbos starts earlier and ends earlier because Friday night is the night I get to sleep, because I can’t do homework, so when it starts earlier I get to go to sleep at an earlier time, and on Saturday night, if

it ends earlier, I’m actually able to do stuff.”

Chamudot finds it hard to decide the times of his ideal Shabbos. “I don’t really prefer either one,” he explains. He elaborates: “When Shabbos started earlier and ended earlier, it allowed me to go to sleep earlier on Erev Shabbos after a busy week, and then, if I had work, I could continue it for a significant amount of time on Motza’ei Shabbos. The problem is that Shabbos itself is too short to study a lot or sleep if you need to.” Chamudot continues, explaining that when Shabbos starts later and ends later, “I can go on Friday afternoon to play Ultimate Frisbee at the Academy without having to worry about getting home on time, and Shabbos afternoon affords a long time to sleep, but Motzei Shabbos usually ends up being unproductive, just because it feels like too small of a window.”

Similarly, Emily David (‘15) is unsure of which Shabbos time she prefers. “When Shabbos starts early, it’s easier to work on Friday afternoon, when we wouldn’t do much else anyway, and we then have Saturday night free to relax and hang out. Furthermore, we get out of school earlier. On the other hand, I also love a late Shabbat ending because I feel as though Shabbat is longer, and Shabbat is my favorite time of the week.”

Whether or not you like the change in Shabbat times, or feel a difference in mood as a result of the increased daylight, the clocks have changed and there’s no turning them back. Until November 3, that is... save the date!

The Buzz Review: Snapchat!

By Rebecca Harris The iPhone has a new app that is escalating throughout the trends of teenagers. Snapchat is a quick and easy way to send pictures that stay open for only up to 10 seconds and then automatically erase.

“The allure of fleeting messages reminds us about the beauty of friendship we don’t need a reason to stay in touch.”

This attractive sentence is located on the app’s online website, appealing to everyone’s compassionate side. The website reminds people that they can, and should, share authentic-- and sometimes goofy-moments with friends. The app designers intended to help friends laugh, have fun, and bond together.

The app is simple enough. An iPhone user uses the app to take a picture, draw on the picture, add a caption, and send it to a Snapchat friend for anywhere between 1

and 10 seconds. The friend can then click on the picture, view it for the amount of time the sender designated, and then watch as it disappears forever. As of recently, the app also allows users to take and send short videos.

Though this app has many advantages, the transient nature of the images sent via Snapchat is often taken advantage of. “The way snapchat works gives people a false sense of security of what they are sending, and if those people believed their pictures would be permanent, perhaps they would be more reserved in what they sent,” remarks Chanan Heisler (’13). Pictures are now also no longer guaranteed to disappear: when one receives a snapchat, he or she can take a “screenshot” of the picture, saving it permanently. Though the app alerts the sender that a screenshot was taken, the friend has already saved the picture. This, in effect, runs contrary to the

goal of Snapchat: to share brief, though mentally lasting, moments between friends.

Exploitation of Snapchat can also sometimes lead to harmful consequences.

“There have been incidents with people drawing inappropriately on Snapchat images and I don’t think that’s right or the point of it,” states Rachel Ohayon (’15).

Ohayon refers to the hobby of taking pictures, adding an inappropriate sketch, and making it look as if the person is doing a sexual act before sending the picture. People are also using Snapchat to send out bits of private conversations, or to take inappropriate pictures of themselves or others.

Problems with Snapchat may not only be unique to the app, but rather to technology in general. Technology creates an emotional distance between peers, causing people to send images or messages that they would not communicate

in person. “People [can] act stupidly on Snapchat, but then again, anyone can use any form of technology. It isn’t something exclusive to Snapchat,” Heisler explains.

Snapchat, perhaps more so than other technology, gives people an even better opportunity to behave foolishly because of the knowledge that within 10 seconds, all the evidence supposedly vanishes.

Despite the problems with this app, there are also numerous ways that Snapchat can help teenagers have fun. Kids can send a funny picture to their friend, and break up a monotonous day with a goofy smile. “I talk to my friend who lives in Chile through Snapchat,” comments Brianna Bicky(’16). Effortlessly, people can keep in touch with each other in a positive and fun, loving way. “I snap in the thousands…it’s just fun,” declares Ohayon.

8

The Buzz, May 2013

Advice Features Column

Sports Corner: March Madness

By Gilad Fortgang March can be defined as the month when famous athletes only a few years older than us compete on national television for the NCAA basketball championship. From Selection Sunday until the final buzzer just a few weeks ago, sports media was singularly focused on “March Madness”: the annual NCAA college basketball tournament. It is, indeed, nothing short of madness. From the first round upsets, to the constant buzzer beaters, to the Cinderella stories, to the gruesome injury that inspired a team to go all the way; March was filled with mayhem.

The obsession of March Madness is rooted in the process of “bracketology”: a system of predicting the winning team of the NCAA basketball tournament and all of the games before that by filling out brackets that even our President participates in. The most common phrase among students for about two weeks was “My bracket is so messed up!”

The sports obsession spans further than March Madness; fantasy baseball, fantasy football, fantasy basketball and occasionally fantasy hockey and Masters pools are prominent obsessions. A fantasy sport is an online

game where participants draft players to create their own fantasy team to compete with other fantasy teams. Points are awarded to teams based on their players’ individual statistics in the real sports game. In 2010, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimated that 32 million people ages 12 and up in the U.S. and Canada played fantasy sports. Numerous shows air on TV every day specifically to give fantasy advice. Evidently, the fantasy sports obsession is wide-spanning in American culture.

SAR is not exempt from this obsession.

Michael Klein (’16) stated, “I typically play in two to three leagues a year.” He continued, “I put a considerable amount of thought into it.” A fantasy draft usually takes over an hour, and the research leading up to the draft also takes anywhere between 15 minutes and weeks, plus the 10 plus minutes to check and fix lineups every day or so. It all adds up to a lot of time.

Girls often ask me, “Why would someone invest so much time into fake sports?”

Fantasy sports are often held very close to your average, sports-loving-boy’s heart. It can mean a lot, not only entitling bragging rights for sports knowledge, but usually granting money to those who win within

their brackets.

Money is a key component to the culture of fantasy sports. Most fantasy sports leagues involve an entrance fee ranging from five dollars to a whole lot more. Aaron Glenn (’15) recounts that he once saw a pot of 15,000 dollars, with the winner receiving 6,500 dollars. Every league usually costs between 10 to 40 dollars, and Klein’s participation in “2-3 fantasy leagues a year” is about average-- so every fantasy-loving guy can pay between 20 and 120 dollars a year.

Regarding the prize money being too large, Glenn brings up the possible problems with teenage involvement: “You get so excited about the prize that you don’t think about the money you spent until it’s gone.” Glenn raises the question of whether SAR students are able to draw an appropriate line for themselves. They may unthinkingly choose to spend an unproportional amount on fantasy sports.

I personally do not experience this problem. My parents are kind enough to grant me a regular allowance, so I save some money each week until I have enough to buy in to fantasy leagues. I believe that my involvement in fantasy sports has been a great money-spending lesson-- a lesson

Dress Code Poll

I believe all students should learn. However, I am aware that in many other cases, money-spending lessons are not part of the picture. Many students enter leagues with a ridiculous entrance fee, paid for blindly by their parents. This is when fantasy sports can seem a little bit “unethical.”

There has been talk about whether fantasy sports falls under the category of gambling, which is forbidden in SAR. SAR is in an interesting position regarding fantasy sports: it would be difficult and almost impossible to make a policy that disallows them. Such a rule would achieve nothing; due to the popularity of fantasy sports, the obsession would surely continue even after a ban. Furthermore, it would completely destroy my social life after writing this article.

My suggestion is that the school should deal with this by informing parents of the situation. If parents are fine with paying for fantasy sports, then so be it. Otherwise, the situation is unfair.

Either way, fantasy sports will continue to be a dominant and exciting obsession for students. As Theodore Geisel once said: “I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.

Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”

To survey students’ opinions regarding dress within SAR and the Modern Orthodox sphere, the following poll was taken. Elana Rosenthal obtained the following results, polling over 300 students.

The two questions relating to skirts were asked only to girls, and the question relating to tzizit was asked only to boys.

The Buzz, May 2013

9

Advice Column Features

SWITCHED at BIRTH

The Buzzer How many issues of The Buzz have been printed in SAR history?

Top 5 ways to get out of being skirted: 5. I’m wearing Aladdin pants!

4. Her skirt is shorter!

3. I have no more Judaic studies classes today

The first person to tweet or email us the correct answer will be featured in our next issue’s Pop Culture Grid. You can reach us at @TheSarBuzz or thebuzz@sarhighschool.org.

Noah Weiner (‘14)

Noam Ben-Zacharia (‘16)

2. Dr. Schwartz is on a chesed trip 1. I’m in gym class

STATEMENT FROM STUDENT COUNCIL

Council is at work. BeardOff is one of the most exciting events ever. In addition, Council has and will continue to team up with Riverdale Kosher Market to sell breakfast with a portion of the proceeds being dedicated to charity. Having said that, in the past few weeks, we have begun to appreciate the fact that Council is made up of ten people—all of whom have different beliefs. Thus, while certain issues have been brought up, such as the school’s position on the Tav HaYosher seal, an official decision from Council is taking time to surface. Do not confuse (relative) silence with inactivity.

For more updates please follow us on Twitter @StingSG. Gavriel Steinmetz- Silber, Speaker of Council

Faculty Facts

Each issue, The Buzz features an interview with a faculty member at or around SAR High School. Buzz correspondent Ben Perla sat down to interview Ms. Alicia Germano, a physics and chemistry teacher at SAR. Ben Perla: What was it like growing up in Salem, Ohio? And how did it differ from New York City?

Ms. Alicia Germano: It was a small town, and I went to a public school my entire life. Growing up there was just different; it was a small town, not a diverse population without a whole lot to do.

Name: Alicia Germano Position: Physics and Chemistry Teacher Family: One younger brother Hometown: Salem, Ohio Currently Living in Riverdale

BP: What inspired you to become a science teacher?

Ms. G: When I was a senior in high school, my mother had just become a physical therapist and watching her inspired me to become an occupational therapist. So I had to go through college, taking all the biology, chemistry, and physics courses, and learning the math skills you need, basically on the path to what

a doctor would be doing. As I went through it, my mind changed multiple times about what I thought I wanted to be. Then during my sophomore year, I had an Organic Chemistry professor who was inspiring, very down to earth, very connected to his students, and had a passion for teaching, but also a passion for connecting with his students and helping them. It inspired me, and the more I thought about it and talked with him, I realized that teaching would be a better career for me. I didn’t want to be cooped up in a lab all day, I felt I was a more social person, and so teaching in a high school would be a better place for me. It’s a more relaxed and social environment than a lab would be.

BP: Is working in SAR your first teaching job?

Ms. G: No, to get my Master’s Degree in education I had to do an internship for one year while taking classes. After I completed that internship, I taught for four years at South Park High School in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, where I taught chemistry, physical science, and a little applied science, which is sort of a mish mash of different sciences.

Then I came to SAR where I’ve been teaching chemistry and physics for the past five years.

BP: Do you have any interesting hobbies or activities you like to do outside school?

Ms. G: During the school year, it’s mostly hanging out with friends, my husband, watching movies, nothing too exciting. But when the summer

rolls around, we like to travel a lot and go camping and do outdoors activities like hiking and what not.

But, no I don’t have any hobbies, nothing like knitting.

BP: How does working in a Jewish school compare to working in a nonJewish school?

Ms. G: In terms of teaching, it’s not so different and the inside of the classroom looks the same. Outside the classroom, the different rules, like dress code, are the only major differences. I would handle kids having a hard time learning here in the same way that I would handle that situation at a public school, and the overall attitude of the students is essentially the same, except the students at SAR may be a little more respectful.

10

The Buzz, May 2013

Advice Column Memoir

I Was a Pigeon-Toed Basketball Player

(and now, like hamlet, “i eat the air, promise-crammed”)

By Ethan Metzger When I first heard about the National Shakespeare Competition, I had zero interest in competing. I had no previous acting experience, and I thought of acting as my brother’s thing. But that changed once my English teacher, Mr. Messer, announced that he would give extra credit to anyone who memorized a monologue and performed it at the preliminary round. I decided to memorize a monologue, recite it without emotion, earn some valuable extra credit, and be done with it.

I chose King Henry’s monologue from Henry V, because its English was relatively simple. After watching a clip on YouTube, I realized that my monologue was essentially a pump-up speech, and while I didn’t know anything about acting, I’d given my share of pump-up speeches. Granted, I had been trying to encourage classmates to prevail at Ultimate Frisbee, while King Henry was busy inspiring Englishmen to die for their country. Still, I thought: Hey, I could relate.

Performing in front of the whole school was not part of my original plan, but since I wasn’t focused on winning so much as enjoying the moment, I wasn’t affected by nerves or stage fright. And leading up to the school-wide finals, I was so overwhelmed with work that I didn’t have time to stress out. Performing the monologue was a lot of fun. The only worry I had was my tendency to laugh mid-performance. Thankfully, I stayed in character, though I almost slipped when I made eye contact with Ashy Safdeye, who nonchalantly nodded back. All of the other actors executed their monologues incredibly well, and I was shocked and excited when I learned that I’d won. (Shoutout to Jon Vantman for giving me the idea of charging up the aisle.)

For the regional semifinal round, I also needed to prepare a sonnet. Again, I selected a sonnet with a fairly simple text (Sonnet 138), which is about an older man who’s in love with a much younger woman. Initially, I had trouble understanding the character, because I didn’t have any experience that could give me a handle on it. Mr. Messer helped me get a better sense of the character, though, and when I did it at the semifinals, he and I agreed that my sonnet was stronger

than my monologue.

I was slightly nervous the day of the New York City Branch Semifinals. I had spent a lot of time preparing for it, meeting with Mr. Messer practically every lunch period and free period. I felt ready, but I began to wonder how good everyone else would be. I figured they’d all be polished actors. And when I got to the New York Public Library and read the list of participating

of twenty-three) who were selected to move on.

For the New York Branch Finals, I had to perform not only the monologue and the sonnet, but a cold reading as well. A cold reading is when someone gives you a monologue you’ve never seen before, and you have ten minutes to read it over, prepare it, and perform it (with the text in hand). It’s crucial that the actor quickly adopt a point

schools, I really got nervous. What was I doing there with kids from Talent Unlimited High School, the Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts, and Theatre Arts Production Company School?

When it was my turn, I went on stage, got into character, and performed my sonnet, followed by my monologue. I felt like both had gone great. I thought I had a chance to continue on to the next round, but a slim one.

I had originally wanted only to do a good job, though, and I did that. To my surprise and delight, I was one of the four actors (out

of view on what the character is trying to say and do. When I learned about the cold reading, I thought there was no way I could do it.

I assumed that the judges were trying to differentiate the real actors from students like me who could learn a monologue only with time and preparation.

Because the cold reading was something I couldn’t control, I was much more nervous for the regional finals at the Morgan Library. When Mr. Messer and I arrived, we weren’t allowed to sit together--I joined the other finalists in a private room where we

were given the four cold-reading options.

I picked one and began going through it.

Think of a cold reading as an “Unseen” on a Tanach test. The way I usually approach the section is by reading everything through once (and not really understanding it), and then piece by piece trying to make some sense of what the commentator is saying.

The worst thing you can do on an “Unseen” is leave it blank—you have to write something. Similarly, I tried to understand the cold reading line by line and take a stance.

As it turned out, the cold reading went well. Actually, I felt good about my entire performance, which you can check out on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=_73aLBNTE5E). There were twelve finalists and only one could move on and I wasn’t selected to be that one. Yet, I left the auditorium with my head held high, because I knew that I had given it my all.

Participating in the Shakespeare Competition was an eye-opening experience. I went into it without any knowledge about Shakespeare or acting, and I’ve come out of it as a fan of Shakespeare and with a new appreciation for what acting has to teach me.

Perhaps the most important piece of acting advice I learned was that an actor needs to act “from moment to moment.” As an actor, you can’t think about what you just said, or about what you are going to say next; you must put all your attention on what you are saying now. For instance, in my monologue from Henry V, King Henry doesn’t know what he is going to say next, because he hasn’t thought of it yet. He’s only thinking about what he is saying in the current moment, not about what he will say after. This concept led me to a greater truth about acting: you can’t think of yourself as portraying a character. Rather, you are being a certain person.

I also learned that if there’s some new activity I want to check out, I’ll get more out of it if I jump in and fully commit myself than if I treat it like a joke. I cannot urge you enough, my fellow SARians, to partake next year in this unique opportunity. I can promise you that you don’t need to know how to act to enjoy the competition; you just need to “follow your spirit,” as King Henry says, and have the passion and willingness to try something new.

Special thanks to Andy Wolf and the Riverdale Review for printing this issue of The Buzz.

The Buzz, May 2013

11

Advice Column School Life

Where’s Our Rosh Chodesh Ruach? current chagigah status

By Maya Pretsfelder Every few months, your SAR email flashes with a friendly reminder from your GLC about the upcoming Rosh Chodesh chagigah. Of course, the most important science test of your year has now undoubtedly been shortened by three precious minutes, but the anticipation of a donut-clad breakfast overrides any possible worries. When Rosh Chodesh finally arrives, the chagigah is all that is on students’ minds throughout the lengthy davening… or so it used to be.

Chagigahs have always been the height of ruach at SAR. However, many agree that this year, chagigahs have been lacking in their usual spark. “Lately the chagigahs have been a little depressing, where at least half of the student body has been absent,” admits Ayelet Rosenberg (’14). This may be due to the fact that there are fewer weekday Roshei Chodesh this year, or perhaps something more fundamental: a gradual decrease in student enthusiasm.

In years past, there have always been some students who thrust themselves into the middle of the giant dancing circles, and some who just watched the chagigahs from the top of the balcony. But a new phenomenon has recently developed: rather than simply observing passively from the top of the balcony, many students decide not to come

at all. Perhaps it’s the excessive workload that keeps some students upstairs, or maybe even the occasional test, but recently more and more students have not even bothered to come down to the gym and watch from afar.

Though teachers attempt to keep students from going upstairs, those in the center of the dance floor notice their failed efforts.

“My grade doesn’t even show up. Last time there were maybe 10 girls from my grade there,” shares Toba Stern (’15). She recalls that during one chagigah this year, “We had a math test, so everyone just used it as a study period.”

Perhaps due to the diminishing of chagigah ruach, no chagigah was scheduled for Rosh Chodesh Nisan. Despite the lack of a scheduled chagigah, the new student government advocated for one, since the school had not had one in a while. “We wanted to show that the Student Council will actually push for things that the student body wants, and we felt that this is something that the student body definitely wanted,” states Miriam Lichtenberg (’14), a member of the new Student Council. Though the administration agreed to have the chagigah, most agree that the chagigah was nothing memorable. “[It] was a very lack-luster chagigah,” admits Rabbi Kroll. He continues, “It wasn’t one of those instances where I felt like, oh I’m so happy student government pushed for it, it’s

so great for the school; I was kind of like: eh.” Many others agree with Rabbi Kroll, noting that it was sad to see such poor attendance.

Though chagigah excitement seems to be gradually dissolving, many agree that the lack of attendance at chagigahs is in no way a reflection of SAR’s loss of ruach. Lichtenberg notes: “It’s interesting because

“Lately the chagigahs have been a little depressing, where at least half of the student body has been absent” Saturday night of the school wide shabbaton we were all so into the dancing, but here people barely showed up.” Saturday night of the shabbaton was a roaring night filled with singing and dancing, exemplifying the ruach that students can potentially have at chagigahs. Rabbi Kroll recognizes this difference: “What happened was either something technical, or something fundamental.

Technical: There were other tests going on.

Fundamental: maybe the format of the chagigah needs to be tweaked and energized.”

Though there have been a few dry chagigahs, the administration still hopes to continue to have them, and is looking for ways to improve them. There is no doubt that ruach is an important asset to SAR, and chagigahs are one of the ways that the school expresses this ruach. Rabbi Kroll explains, “At the beginning of the year I felt, don’t manufacture what is there naturally.”

However, as chagigah enthusiasm continued to lessen, he realized that “there is always room for improvement.”

Students would also like to see improvement in chagigahs. “I think they should hype chagigahs up more, and maybe switch things up to make it more exciting,” suggests Stern. Other suggestions include making chagigahs later in the day, to avoid pre-test stress and morning exhaustion, or dedicating chagigahs to different themes throughout the year. The lack of participation and enthusiasm is hopefully short-lived, as students and faculty continue to work towards revamping the next Rosh Chodesh Chagigah.

Activity Productivity

is activity period useful?

By Ariella Gentin Student Government elections happened months ago, but they may sometimes pop into our minds on a late Wednesday 1 or 3, or on the Tuesday of a Wednesday 2 week. Activity period occurs three times a month, and students use the time to attend clubs, study, or simply go out for ice cream.

During Student Government elections, a slate suggested eliminating activity period so students could go home forty minutes earlier. If activity period is extraneous enough to remove from the school day, it is worth assessing what its real goal is and whether it has met its expectations.

Art, sport, and academic clubs tend to meet during activity period. One such academic club is Model Congress, which recently ended for the year. Molly Leifer (’16), a member of the team, notes that she enjoys the club’s ‘in-school atmosphere’.

“One of the things that made it such a great club was that it was during school, because it was something that I really enjoyed and that made my schedule more personal. Being a freshman, I liked seeing other grades

throughout the realm of the day… There are always going to be kids who don’t take a club as seriously as it should be taken, but having it as an in-school activity gives you a different experience,” she explains.

Mr. Courtney, the faculty advisor of Model Congress, notes that having the club take place during activity period increases the level of commitment. “There are many more after-school offerings than activity period offerings and students may have conflicts on various evenings... With activity period being firmly etched into every student’s schedule, students have no excuse to miss the activity. As a first-year faculty adviser to Model Congress, I decided in September to switch the commitment from an after-school one to activity period since there is no excuse for a student to miss a meeting.”

Indeed, with the SAR school day ending at 5:10, there is a limited amount of time after school that can be devoted to clubs and activities. It is not uncommon for students to encounter co-curricular conflicts, where more than one activity is scheduled for the same time slot. In public schools or other schools, there might be better attendance af-

ter school because there is more time. Abby Shay (’16), a student at American Hebrew Academy boarding school in North Carolina, is dismissed from school at 3:30 everyday. Shay previously attended SAR Academy, where she was dismissed at 4:35, but now that she gets out of school earlier she is able to do many more co-curriculars after school.

Though many clubs, such as Model Congress, hold successful meetings during activity period, some other activities may need a greater time slot. For an activity such as choir or drama, forty minutes every few weeks just wouldn’t be enough time. Zoe May (’16), a member of choir, explains: “Choir would be less successful if it was moved to activity period as it would not provide enough time to rehearse.” She also adds that the majority of kids seem to show up on a weekly basis, even though the club takes place after school.

Other students feel that the time of activity period should be changed, or that activity period should be eliminated altogether, for different reasons. Jenny Weinstein (‘16) says, “I think it would be more valuable if

it [activity period] was after school and not during the school day. During the day, I would rather spend my time with friends than in a club doing work...” Contrary to Mr. Courtney’s opinion, Samantha Fischler (’14) explains that she would rather have meetings after school because “there are fewer conflicts... many clubs meet during activity and meetings aren’t rushed [if they take place after school].”

Ms. Krieger, the faculty member who runs activity period, feels that the time is valuable to many students. She states: “Many students do seem to be using Activity Period productively. If students are not attending a club, they use this time to speak to teachers, catch up on work, or just hang out. It really depends on what clubs decide to meet during activity period to how many students are actively involved in the clubs/ events/activities.” She further notes that this time might be especially useful to students who live far away from school.

Only time will tell if activity period will survive its newfound scrutiny, but it looks likely to continue as a well deserved respite for SAR’s students.

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The Buzz, May 2013

Advice Column School Life

Dress to Respect

By Miriam Lichtenberg The dress code. We all know it, we all love it. But are we all required to follow it?

The simple answer is yes, we the student body are all required to uphold to the dress code that is written in the student hand book (yes, that exists). There is no question that boys are obligated to wear collars and girls, to wear skirts. There is a question, however, regarding dress requirements for the older (not by much) SAR population, namely, the faculty.

For the most part, the faculty has to adhere to the same dress code us students adhere to. “There is no written policy other than we ask teachers to match the general dress code of our students in a respectful and professional way” comments Dr. Shinar.

“When we hire new teachers we show them the student dress code and we say this is the expectation for both students and faculty, but on a certain level faculty is a bit more professional.”

Many students agree that teachers act professionally when it comes to dress in the school. “I do not think that teachers in school dress inappropriately,” states Benjamin Vogel (‘15). However, others believe that teachers do not necessarily conform to proper dress. “I have seen teachers dress inappropriately, which is upsetting to me because the faculty constantly stresses the dress code’s importance, yet some teachers dress slightly provocatively,” states an anonymous student.

Though the teacher dress code, unofIdentity Theft Continued from front page

SAR students that change their Facebook names do not do so because of wildly inappropriate or illegal content on their profiles.

Furthermore, The Wall Street Journal reported that of the colleges making use of socialnetworking sites, just 38% said that what they saw negatively impacted their view of the applicant.

If colleges generally do not look at students’ Facebook profiles, and if, on the rare occasion that colleges do look at a student’s Facebook profile they will usually not change their decision regarding the applicant, why do so many SAR students change their Facebook names? The answer to this question is not so clear-cut, but students who change their Facebook names do seem to fall into one of three distinct groups.

Firstly, some students change their Facebook names for reasons other than college admissions. Chanan Heisler (’13) and Noam Lubofsky (’13) changed their Facebook names to Chanan Lubofsky and Noam Heisler, respectively. When asked about the reason for the name change, the two seniors stared into each other’s eyes and said, “We did it because we love each other.” Heisler and Lubofsky are a couple of a few students who changed their Facebook names for rea-

religious dress in sar ficially, is the same as that for students, there is a slight nuance in the teacher dress code: A male teacher is not necessarily required to wear a kippa. Though a male Jewish teacher will be asked and encouraged to cover up that bald spot with a kippa, he by no means has to, especially as a general studies teacher. As Dr. Shinar explains, “The adults in the building don’t have the same expectations of Jewish observance and communal cooperativeness as the students in the building.”

In high school, the way we dress can define us. If you wear a blue skirt you’re cool while a polka-dot button down may put you in cherem. Do non-orthodox teachers feel the same pressures when deciding whether or not to wear a kippa?

Maybe. There are many male teachers who do not wear a kippa outside of school but do choose to wear one while at SAR. But not out of fear of cherem -- more out of respect. “I feel that it shows respect for the religious studies that are conducted here and sets an example for students that they should wear one also,” remarks Mr. Zamir. “Rabbi Harcsztark asked if I would be comfortable wearing a kippa during school hours to set an example for the students. I told him that wearing a kippa would not be a problem for me,” he concludes.

Mr. Friedlander expresses similar sentiments as to why he chooses to wear one at school: “Respect. Respect for the school, the students, the fellows, the faculty, the administration - they are orthodox. It’s just respect.”

Regarding female teachers covering

their hair, Dr. Schwartz shares: “not dress code, not my business.” Which is true. There is no rule saying that married women teachers have to cover their hair. Which is probably a good thing because, as Ms. Shoulson admits, “I actually feel uncomfortable wearing a head-covering. I don’t think it’s an issue of how I look or vanity, I’ve just always felt uncomfortable with covering my head as a sign that I was a married woman. I remember going to shul in a hat on Shabbat when I first got married. I felt terribly self-conscious and quite honestly, I feel the same almost eleven years later.” And, as Dr. Ballan points out, “My models are Rabbis Lookstein and Rosenblatt, neither of whose wives cover their hair. And, of course, Rav Soloveitchik’s wife famously didn’t either.”

However, for female teachers, regardless of affiliation, adhering to the exact dress code required of female students is a must.

Dr. Shinar elaborates on this, saying: “If a female teacher were to say ‘No, I don’t feel comfortable wearing a skirt, I only wear pants,’ we would have a problem with that that would be so culturally dissident.”

While the disparity between the teacher dress code for male and female teachers might seem initially imbalanced, it is in fact somewhat paralleled by male and female dress in the orthodox sphere. There are plenty of of orthodox women who are open to and comfortable wearing pants, while there are few orthodox men walking around not wearing kippot. I would venture to say that seeing Rabbi Harcsztark without a kippa would be more shocking than seeing Ms.

Schlaff in pants.

Additionally, when asked why she wears a skirt at school (besides for the fact that it is what is required of her), Ms. Myers, a non-Jewish spanish teacher, responded that she “respects the ‘rules’ of the Jewish religion.” Wearing a skirt is no more of a ‘rule’ of Jewish religion than wearing a kippa is.

Furthermore, many boys have admitted to feeling very embarrassed when seeing an SAR teacher outside of school and realizing that they themselves were not wearing a kippa. However, when asked the same question, most girls would feel no embarrassment seeing a member of the SAR faculty while walking around in jeans.

All of the female teachers interviewed were perfectly happy complying with this rule. Take Madame Sprinkle as an example.

Nice, non-Jewish French teacher, commonly known as “Madame.” She says she wears skirts because she “understands that skirts are required at SAR.” Nothing to do with values, nothing to do with preference, just nice ol’ Madame doing what is asked of her.

And again, to mention Mr. Zamir and Mr. Friedlander, who both do not affiliate themselves with the Orthodox movement and who both still wear a kippa not because they feel it is “halachic” but simply because they were asked to do so. Whether out of respect or simply to follow the rules set in place, it appears as though all SAR teachers, regardless of affiliation, are happy to abide by the faculty dress code in place.

Thank you Liat Katz for contributing to this reporting.

sons unrelated to college.

Yet, Heisler and Lubofsky are not the average Facebook-name-changers. Most students who change their Facebook names do it for a reason relating to college admissions. The second group of students who change their Facebook names do it for a Pascal’s Wager-esque reason. An anonymous senior espoused this reasoning, saying, “Colleges may or may not look at my Facebook profile. Let’s say that they don’t look at the profile. For a few months, I have a weird name—it isn’t the end of the world. But let’s say that they do look at my Facebook profile. I have incriminating content and I might not get accepted to schools because of it.” Indeed, many high school students feel that they have little to lose and everything to gain by changing their Facebook name.

The third group of students who change their Facebook names is distinguishable from the second group of students in that this group does not change their Facebook names back to their actual name after college decisions. While students in this group may have originally changed their names for reasons relating to college admissions, they retain their names for other reasons. While Wax’s original name change was collegerelated, though he is still undergoing the college admissions process, he now keeps his

new name for a completely different reason, and will probably continue to do so after receiving college decisions. “Jake Wax is one person,” Wax said excitedly, “but Eitan Vax is a completely different person. Eitan Vax is a sort of rebellious and bodacious character.

Eitan Vax is my alter ego.”

The students falling under the second and third categories--namely, those who changed their name to hide from colleges-may not be as protected as they think. Astonishingly, changing one’s Facebook name may not effectively succeed in repelling the eyes of suspicious admissions officers. Mr. Courtney explains, “Students are sometimes deluded into believing that changing their profile name to something more esoteric will allow them to hide from college admissions offices. But the reality is that a social media profile, and anything a student has ever put on the internet, is able to be accessed in some way by the public.”

Ultimately, a student that changes his or her Facebook name may be at more of a risk than a student who does not change his or her name. Often, students who change their Facebook names will feel that their profiles are now immune from admissions officers, and may therefore not be scared to post illegal or inappropriate content. However, students who do not change their Face-

book names are well aware that the content on their Facebook profiles is in their name and they will therefore be much more hesitant to post malapropos material.

While students often attempt to hide their Facebook profiles, this does not need to be the case. Apparently, Facebook profiles can occasionally serve as an advantage to students in the college admissions process.

In the same Wall Street Journal article that said that admissions of applicants are sometimes negatively impacted by applicants’ Facebook profiles was the statement that a quarter of the time admissions officers are impacted positively by what they view on an applicant’s profile. Mr. Courtney quotes a well known saying: “Don’t put a picture of yourself on Facebook that you wouldn’t want your own grandmother to see.” He concludes: “In addition to objectionable pictures, students should not post offensive comments online, nor use profane language.”

So, you do not need to change your Facebook name, but the next time you want to post inappropriate content—don’t. Your grandmother will probably get very upset, and it won’t help your college chances either.

The Buzz, May 2013

13

Advice School Column Life

Stepping up to the Plate

the peer leadership program

By Dalia Scheiner and Arly Mintz Walking through the halls with that look of terrible confusion on their face, trying to weave through swarms of running students as they near the class their class, too short to see where they are going while also attempting to make it to class without being knocked over, freshman definitely don’t have it easy. At times like this, the Peer Leaders, viewed by some as freshmen’s saving grace, are the driving force behind freshmen’s last hope for surviving high school.

The Peer Leadership program consists of male and female seniors who apply for the positions at the end of their junior year.

The goal of the program is for these select students to serve as role models for the incoming freshman grade. A boy and girl are paired up and are assigned to an advisory.

Occasionally, each set of Peer Leaders meets with their advisees. Additionally, they accompany the freshman grade on freshman day and even attend the freshman shabbaton.

On top of these various opportunities for peer leaders to interact with their freshman, a new rule was instituted this year where the peer leaders are required to daven in the beit midrash daily with the freshman grade.

Ms. Pollak, who runs the peer leadership program, emphasizes its importance.

She explains, “It’s not easy to be a freshman and it’s probably getting harder because we’re becoming a bigger school. Peer leadership aims to create an extra layer in the building for the freshmen.”

Each year, new suggestions are brought to the table in order to ensure that freshman students benefit from their relationships with their peer leaders as much as possible.

Francesca Thau (‘13) expresses that: “When I hear about peer leaders I guess I

think about my freshman year and how available and open my peer leaders were and how nice it was to form such close relationships with them. That’s really what I think the role of peer leaders is, being a friend and hopefully positive role model for freshmen.

Sometimes it helps knowing an older face to help transition and I guess that peer leadership offers that.”

However, other peer leaders are less flattering about the program. An anonymous senior, who is currently a peer leader, explains that “the kids who sign up only do so to put it on college applications. We don’t do anything. The program is a joke, and davening with the freshman is a stupid redundancy, we make no difference to the freshman, they just think we are cool. We really do nothing.”

Orly Arbit (‘13) disagrees and explains “I actually think the davening is a positive thing. It is a trade-off for the longer davening, but I think I know and understand the freshman grade as a whole because of it.

More importantly though, it is the only time I get to see most of my freshmen, especially the girls, and I’d like to think that it makes me a kind of familiar face at the least.”

Freshman also offer mixed feelings on the peer leadership program. Tamar David (’16) does not really feel like she reaps the benefits of the system. She thinks her peer leaders are very nice people but “it didn’t seem like they took such an interest in me or the rest of our advisory. I actually never really spoke with any of them other than the times they came into our advisory.”

On the contrary, Adina Noble (’16) “loves having peer leaders!” When asked why, she explained that “they are people who I can turn to but not have to monitor what I say, it’s informal. It’s great being able

to turn to someone in a different grade and be comfortable around them as though you have known them for years.”

Many seniors see the peer leadership program as beneficial but in need of some adaptations. Thau thinks “it could get carried out better if there were more meetings because unfortunately we don’t meet a lot with our advisories.” Arbit agrees, saying that “It would be nice if we were able to really put ourselves in a position that would allow our freshman to feel comfortable to ask us anything. But logistically that just doesn’t work out. I don’t know if that means it can’t work out, but at the moment it doesn’t. Although all my freshmen are very sweet and nice people, I can’t say I have such a close relationship with them because I only ever see them from afar during davening or as I pass by them in the halls.”

In other schools, there are programs where a freshman and senior get paired up one on one and have a “big brother/little brother- big sister/little sister” system. David thinks that layout would be better because “It would force the senior to be committed to the freshman, rather than just doing it to put on their college application. If we were assigned one on one, the senior wouldn’t be able to ignore his/her freshman.”

While the Peer Leadership program might not be perfect, suggested improvements are greatly encouraged. This year, the new aspect of the leaders davening with the freshman was instituted, and as the program continues to grow and mature, new developments will be helpful in ensuring peer leadership is as effective as possible.

Peer leadership applications were due for Juniors this past Friday, May 3rd. Out of a grade of 130 students, 77 applied (39 boys and 38 girls). Only 24 students, 12 boys and

12 girls, will be accepted as peer leaders for this coming school year.

The application included four questions, such as “Why do you want to be a peer leader?” and “In what ways might you help make [davening with the freshmen] a more meaningful experience?”. Students were also required to submit the name of a faculty reference. For the first time, students’ attendance records were also taken into consideration, disqualifying students who had been late or absent too many times in one semester.

Noa Stein (’14) is one student who applied. She says: “I think it is such a cool experience to get to know the freshmen and be able to help them navigate being in high school. I remember what it was like to be a freshman and I would love to have an opportunity to help them and share my own high school experiences with them.”

Other students, such as Sara Waxman (’14), were overwhelmed by the number of applicants and did not bother applying. Instead, she applied for another leadership position, the Admissions Student Committee (ASC). She explains “There are so many students applying for Peer Leadership that I just applied for ASC instead.”

On the other hand, Ruby Toledo (’14) said that she “did not see any harm in just applying.”

Next year’s peer leaders will be announced within the coming months. Ms. Pollak will be deciding on peer leaders based on students’ applications and personalities.

She will be working together with other faculty members, including the administration, in order to make these decisions.

14

The Buzz, May 2013

School Life Advice Column Censorship in the Arts Continued from front page

thing that I’m always continually impressed by, is that even though we’re trying to be a Jewish institution, we’re trying to be openly questioning about different things, and I want the art to reflect that, too.”

Students of visual art at the school confirm his perceptions. Sarah Lobel (’14) notes: “I personally have never encountered conflict between my artwork and the school’s Jewish values. Maybe on open art night they wouldn’t put up nude drawings, but I don’t know, maybe they would. I’ve never felt constricted; I’d say it’s pretty open.” Zach Smart (’14) echoes a similar sentiment: “I think in visual art there isn’t really a limitation— obviously you can’t do nudes or anything, but there are so many options for art that it doesn’t feel limiting.”

An anonymous student recounts an even less inhibited experience with regard to making art at SAR: “I remember when I took art freshman year, one of our assignments was to draw a vase of flowers with any random object sticking out to give somewhat of a creative and abstract feel to it. So I decided to choose a male genitalia for my object. When my art teacher walked by to see how everyone was doing, he took a glance at my work, paused and said: ‘hmm, that’s interesting. Good job.’ At first I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, being a freshman and immature, but I took a breath and realized how beautiful it was, the freedom we are given in this school to express ourselves artistically.”

Lobel, too, is grateful for the artistic freedom at SAR: “If I wanted to draw symbols from other religions, for example, I don’t think it would be an issue. That might be because the art program is a bit separate from the Judaic department. I mean, how often do rabbis come and check on the ‘modesty’ of artwork? The art teachers are awesome and understand what self expression is, so they wouldn’t stop a person from expressing himself.”

Some question whether there is a similar level of freedom in other areas of the arts.

Students of drama recount strong limitations placed upon them by the “yeshiva standards” of SAR. Miriam Lichtenberg (’14) states: “In many ways I don’t feel inhibited by the fact that SAR is a Modern Orthodox school and we have to perform by those val-

ues. For example, we don’t follow kol isha, and I think that’s a real indicator that SAR cares about the arts and tries to enable us to perform to our full extent.”

In response to the widespread belief reflected in Lichtenberg’s words, Rabbi Harcsztark clarifies: “People often think that SAR does not believe that there is a prohibition of kol isha. That is not the case. SAR believes that there is a prohibition of kol isha. A voice can be sexually provocative and, if that is the case, it is prohibited. However, if it is not sexually provocative and the context is appropriate, we allow boys and girls to sing in

“The thing that I’m always continually impressed by, is that even though we’re trying to be a Jewish institution, we’re trying to be openly questioning about different things, and I want the art to reflect that, too.” front of each other. Assuming that we make sure that the singing is not provocative, it becomes the responsibility of both boys and girls to channel their drives with integrity and in accordance with halakha.”

Though Lichtenberg agrees that there are many ways in which she doesn’t feel inhibited by SAR’s Modern Orthodox values, she adds: “But that isn’t to say that there aren’t many ways I do feel inhibited.

In drama, we are not allowed to touch the opposite gender, which makes it hard and some scenes kind of awkward, because there should be a hug or a kiss, but because it’s a Jewish school we can’t be doing that.”

Shara Feit (’13) expands on Lichtenberg’s assessment of the confines placed upon student productions: “I understand that the school has a tough challenge, especially within theater, to balance freedom of artistic expression with halacha. However, the restrictions on the theater department make it nearly impossible to pick a show and once a show is decided, most often it still has to be censored. This most often applies to profanity but occasionally full chunks of the script have to be edited or removed.”

Lichtenberg agrees: “Marius is always reminding us that the administration is watching the drama department very closely…We can’t do certain things because we don’t want to get shut down or in trouble or anything…I wouldn’t necessarily discourage an SAR student who wants to seriously consider acting from participating in an SAR play, but I would encourage them to be a part of a different performance outside of the school.”

Mr. Broder, an English teacher and the leader of the performance poetry club at SAR, believes: “As a modern Orthodox institution, SAR attempts to engage the art world--l’chatchila, a priori--as a site of inherent value; historically, great Jewish leaders thinkers have also been great poets, liturgists, and musicians. We take great pride in King David’s Tehilim as one of the first instances--and as the great precedent--for religious poetry. At the Yam Suf, when driven to rapture, Moses, Miriam, and the Jewish people burst into song; Jeremiah, when mourning the destruction of Jerusalem, writes an elegy in his Lamentations.”

For Mr. Broder, there is a clear line that should not be crossed: “If the content of a particular artwork were to provoke and/ or violate the halakhic norms in its graphic or explicit nature, there might be a place for that art, just not within our school community that is driven by a mission of expressing the Jewish values of kedusha.”

Performance poetry members are very aware of this line. When performing in the Yeshiva League Poetry Slam, members of the club are discouraged from using profanity or broaching ‘taboo’ topics within their poems. While some appreciate these standards, others bemoan the ‘censorship’ as detracting from the quality of the art.

Feit asserts: “I think profanity is a

powerful tool that can and should be used in moderation to create a more powerful poem (as some poets did). Gratuitous profanity, I think, detracts from the poem. While I would prefer to have a situation where students are given full free reign, perhaps writing without profanity as a tool is a challenge that should be embraced.”

However, she observes, “those restrictions for slam poetry applied just to the Yeshiva League Poetry Slam. For the Urban Word Slam, poets had full artistic freedom.

I think the Yeshiva League Poetry slam put those rules in to make sure every participant was fully comfortable, which I respect.”

Smart experiences frustration with the limitations placed upon him by standards of the Yeshiva League poetry slams: “So many of the poems get bogged down talking about God and stuff, and the really good ones are the ones that aren’t totally on theme, or are a bit risqué. Shock value of is part of the whole deal with poetry slam, and the Yeshiva League censorship totally negates that.”

However, he notes that “on the other hand, the guidelines are a good jumping off point.”

Evidently, even within one area of the arts, individuals express varying responses toward the confines placed upon them.

Though perhaps some areas of the arts are contested, Lobel points out that SAR works towards an ideal of combining the arts with the religious experience, and having the two enhance one another: “The school has combined Judaism and art before, i.e. during the experimental davening week. That was a really nice experience.”

Mr. Broder sheds further light on this point, noting that using poetic expression in a religious context can lead to greatness: “Language can be tricky when it comes to that which, like the Tao, cannot be spoken; and so poetry, which attempts to articulate matters in original ways, dances through the abyss of the unconscious…Writing prayerful poetry, poetry that reaches beyond, grapples with self, other, and God, and articulates one’s greatest fears and desires, then, is at once a form of self-expression, other-directedness, and public performance and inspiration. It might just be the closest thing, in other words, to prophecy.”

Readers are invited to submit letters or responses to articles and editorials in The Buzz. Letters may be sent to: thebuzz@sarhighschool.org (Submissions may be edited for length or content). Readers can read and respond to articles on The Buzz’s website, TheSARBuzz.org.

The Buzz, May 2013

15

Advice Commentary Column

By Avidan Grossman

An Open Letter to the College Board

I am writing to you to address a serious issue that has recently provoked much controversy throughout my high school. I attend a high school that is as racially diverse as it is religiously varied, and it is therefore very attentive towards making sure all ethnic demographics in the high school are equally represented. My classmates and I recently took the Student Aptitude Test, available during the month of March 2013.

As the tests were handed out, a gradual angry murmuring seemed to break out across a couple of the desks in the testing area. As I progressed through the test the murmuring slowly grew into a current of broiling tension, until some particularly livid students threw down their (standard issue, number two) pencils and stormed out of the room.

Apparently, many students felt that the SAT test displayed strong favoritism towards specific groups of people, and was prejudiced against many ethnic minorities. As I am sure you find these reports as disturbing as I do, I have compiled a list of all potential areas in which preconceived biases and prejudices may have slipped out, in the hopes that these mistakes will be addressed and rectified in all future tests.

Although the “fill in” bubbles at the

beginning of the test may seem innocuous in nature, within the seemingly innocent perfunctory questions lies a primitive and unabashed attempt to force test-takers to conform to societal expectations and labels.

When I reached the option asking about my gender, I was sadly disappointed to see that while “male” and “female” were both equally represented, there was no further option for “other”. This obvious and unapologetic attempt to force students to conform to the narrow and limiting gender binary is exactly the type of thing that only serves to diminish the stalwart reputation of the College Board.

Furthermore, in forcing students to fill in only one bubble, you limit the student’s right to freely explore which ethnicity he feels the most connected to.

The same inherent biases feature prominently in the essay section of the test. While normally my middle-class, Jewish Caucasian background works towards my advantage, on the SAT my mundane upbringing offers no help whatsoever in providing me with gripping emotional anecdotes to pepper throughout my essay. Clearly the essay requirements favor those students whose multiply-marginalized life circumstances endow them with a multitude of experiences to include in their own high-scoring essays.

Since I did not spend my formative adoles-

cent years assisting impoverished Tibetan peasants in restoring the Dalai Lama to his former illustrious position, I was forced to recount some of the routine hardships I face every day as an ordinary American adolescent, like the constant difficulty of finding an open outlet to plug in one of my multiple phone chargers, or the relentless struggle to maintain a perfect crouton to lettuce ratio in my daily caesar salad, none of which I encountered while escaping a Siberian labor camp. The SAT clearly preys upon sheltered, modern orthodox teenagers who simply have not had enough life experience to write an adequate essay.

Unfortunately, the obvious biases and prejudices within the SAT are not limited to the first section essay. Throughout the Critical Reading section, students are constantly forced to “select the best answer” from among the answer choices. Many students feel uncomfortable with the phrasing of these callous instructions. Students at my high school are instructed to be accepting of all types, regardless of whether they are the “best” or not. Students understand that everyone is unique in their own individual way, and it is pointless to try and “rank” a collective group when everyone is number one. Implying that all the other answer options are not as good as the “best” one sim-

ply confuses students who have never been told there is anyone better than them. In some cases, the instructions go so far as to say, “choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole”. At my school, every individual student supplies a unique sentence of their own, contributing to one, grand conversation. Determining whether one word fits better than another would be just as preposterous as trying to determine which student offers a greater contribution to the conversation! Obviously, each answer option lends its own unique perspective to the initial question, and I would therefore call for all five choices to be circled as correct. These types of questions are clearly trying to quench the flames of adolescent individuality that passionately burn within tolerant and intellectual teenagers.

As a lifelong fan of the College Board, I am confident that these valid complaints will not go unheeded. I am sure that the necessary linguistic restructuring will result in a more respectful and considerate test, and I look forward to enjoying further testing experiences in the very near future. My appreciation for your time, and thanks in advance for your cooperation. Can’t wait for the second round!

Rapping to Recreate the freestyling club

By Gavriel Steinmetz-Silber The word “yo” is the extent of my rapping ability, but fortunately some students in SAR actually have a knack for rapping.

In the beginning of April, Noah “Catcher in the Rhyme” Benus (’14), Max “DJ Salinger” Slepian (’14), Josh Shaw (’14), and Ethan Metzger (’14) created a freestyling club.

Recently, Yoni Gelfand (’14) has been added as an instrumental member who beatboxes and sings choruses of popular songs. This club is described by Arly Mintz (’14) as “one of the most mysterious clubs in SAR history.” While the club is indeed mysterious, in recent weeks the size of the club has grown exponentially and interest has rocketed.

Lia Hartman (’14) considers herself a member of the freestyling club. She explains that the club started because “some boys got bored and started tapping on the desk.” The chronology of events is a bit blurry, but she remembers that all of a sudden “they had some kids on beatbox [sic] and others rapping!” Benus elaborates: “We [the founders of the freestyling club] are all pretty interested in rap and we usually just spit freestyles whenever possible ...We did it quite

frequently and casually, and one time we did it when we were around a couple of people in the GLC office and they thought it was cool and funny, so us four decided to make it an official unofficial club.”

Mintz has not been part of the club from its start; she began her role as a freestyling club spectator approximately two weeks ago. She explains, “I was walking through the grade one day, when the sound of rap filled my ears. I turned to the side and there they were. I never turned back.” Mintz’s experience seems to be shared by many, as the club is gradually attracting more students.

The primary theory proposed for the increasing popularity of the freestyling club is the fun and spontaneous personalities of juniors. Rachel Weintraub (’14) expands, “it reflects the creative spontaneity of our grade for kids to spend their lunch periods rapping instead of cramming in homework.

We may have the perception of being college-crazy juniors, but once you spend some time with us, you’ll find we are interested in many things for mere recreation (and not a résumé).” Benus explains that people simply enjoy rap that is “fresh and fun.”

Despite the young freestyling club’s

early success, the club is undergoing two significant struggles. Firstly, rap is associated with many behaviors that are socially and halachically unacceptable. Metzger explains, “Lots of times when I rap, I pretend to be an actual rapper, so I take on that whole persona.” While it is difficult for the freestyling club to entirely rid itself of the negative connotations that rap has, an attempt to do so does exist. As Benus explains, “we keep our rapping clean.”

The second struggle that the freestyling club is undergoing is a significant disparity between male and female members. Andrew Frenkel (‘14), a common spectator of freestyling club meetings, explains that “we don’t invite them [girls], but if they come to the room, we don’t kick them out. It never hurts to have adoring fans who want you.”

Benus appears to be even more welcoming to female members: “We are not gender-exclusive and we enjoy the company of anyone who comes,” he declares.

Thus, a number of hypotheses have been offered for the lack of female membership at freestyling club sessions. Weintraub suggests, “When you come to the rapping club, you are considered open game for ridi-

cule. This prevents many girls from joining in, because they are fragile souls who cannot take a joke. Because it is not an official SAR club, any topic can fly, including past relationships, suspensions, and other high school drama. I have nothing to be ashamed of, given my flawless past, and am safe from the impulsive verses of my classmates.”

However, Hartman disagrees with Weintraub’s hypothesis, stating: “I think more girls don’t go because they don’t know about it. If every girl knew about this, they would be there in a second!” Mintz acknowledges that she is thankful that more girls don’t go because , ‘there’s already pretty big competition, amongst the girls that do go, for Ethan Metzgers love.”

Although the freestyling club is experiencing minor troubles, it is dealing with these struggles quite nicely and is poised to become one of the most popular clubs in SAR. So if you’re on the fifth floor on a Wednesday or Friday, find the freestyling club. Seriously, check it out or else you’ll contract gout.

16

The Buzz, May 2013

Advice Column Dear Smartest People on The Buzz Staff, I’ve recently developed a strong addiction to stalking teachers and writing them weird poetry in declaration of my love. I know that this addiction is really weird, and I’ve been informed by all parties involved that I have to stop, but I don’t know how to make that happen.

Please help!

Sincerely, Mystery Maccabee Dear Sketchy Staff Stalker, Thank you for coming to us about this serious problem. It’s clear that you need help, the kind that Dr. Hoffman should be able to give you. However, coming out to us is the first step toward improvement, though of what you’re improving we are unsure.

We fully understand your love for your teachers*. The teachers at SAR are amazing, inspirational, and uh, yeah.

You are definitely the only one with this

problem and you need to learn to control yourself.

In order to redeem yourself in the eyes of the administrators who spurn you, you must follow our “5 Steps to a Normal Life” guide, recently published

by JK Publishing, the creators of the hit song Texting and I Know It. Upon realizing that students only listen to advice presented in cheap review books stolen from friends lockers, the group published an easy guide to help high school students lead normal lives. It was written for students with other addictions, but we think the basic principles can be applied to your case as well. See Step 4: Find Yourself a Shidduch. This will be sure to get you back on the derech and make you forget your less accessible crushes (i.e. every teacher in this school).

Next, just make sure to pay a visit to members of the SAR faculty known for dream-crushing. The best example that comes to mind are the members of

the SAR College Guidance Team. They will welcome you with open arms, and then proceed to crush all your dreams and expectations by showing you your naviance scattergram**. This will effectively remove all the creative spirit from your body, which is why this is the third advice column we’ve had to submit because were just too funny and we keep being censored. All you will want to do is study and lock yourself in your room, desperately trying to boost up that GPA by taking the hardest classes like Conceptual Physical Education or Forensics.

However, the fact that you are crushing desperately on your teachers is a problem in itself. For this, I suggest you visit one of our two school psychologists, because they probably know a good psychologist to refer you to.

Just make sure to never write another poem***.

Best of Luck, Jsherman 42Wallaby Way Sydney and Knoam

*Not really though. It’s a little weird. **Then they will proceed to tell you with manic grins that everything will be okay ***Note: Poem writing is ok as long as you don’t put it in the teacher’s mailbox give it to a teacher

Knoam Spira and J. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney, our advice specialists

To submit a question to The Buzz, email TheBuzz@SARHighSchool.org. If you want a serious answer, please make it clear so we don’t embarrass you.

Compiled by Chanan Heisler and Max Altholz

Matthew Heisler (‘16)

Jacob David (‘15)

Gavriel SteinmetzSilber (‘14)

Deena Fisch (‘13)

Daniel Bauer (Fellow)

Dr. Shinar

Sweat

Sephardi Minyan

Teen Spirit

A buzzing hive

Pixies

Abercrombie and Sweat

The official sponsor of the SAR Sting is...

The bee? I don’t know

Bernie Madoff

Hugo Chavez

Mr. Goodman

Athlete’s foot

Banana Republic

The best time to wear a striped sweater is..

I don’t knowSpongebob scares me

Anytime I’m around Ms. Germanoshe’s so cool

The vast majority of the time

All the time

In jail

Anytime is the best time- specially if it’s a cardigan

My craziest Yom Haatzmaut memory is..

I don’t do anything so nothing

That time Elliot David talked to me

In 1947

I fainted at a chagigah one year

Walking 28 miles to the kotel

The bees knees rapping in Hebrew

The best freshmansenior superhero combo

Ariel Smith and Eli Schildkraut

Tamar David and Elliot David

Manny Kuflik and Sternberg (Robin and Batman, respectively)

Segev and Atad

Manny and Tank

Esther Kruman and Adina Noblé

The third floor roof should be used as...

A game room

An abrupt skydiving station

A freshman special area

A frozen yogurt store

The dorms for the Israeli fellows

A student lounge

POP Culture

In the springtime, SAR smells like...