Official Newspaper of SAR High School
The Buzz
November 2013 — Vol. 9, No. 2
Party Counterculture
SAR Struggles to Combat Partying Among Students By Yael Marans Earlier this November, the New York Post ran an article about elite private school parties and forms of intervention that the schools have been taking (“Posh High Schools Battle Boozy Sex Ragers,” Tara Palmeri, November 4th 2013). The article discussed specific prep schools such as Horace Mann, Riverdale, Trinity, and Dalton, and explained that students have been throwing “out-of-control, booze- and sex-fueled parties.” Recently, many of these schools have been “begging parents to stop their kids from attending,” often through emails and official interventions. While most parties at SAR are significantly milder than those at neighboring prep schools, SAR has always felt strongly that our school has a right and responsibility to monitor partying and respond appropriately to dangerous situations. Recently, SAR has been working to shape new initiatives to combat what the school sees as a detrimental party culture. SAR High School’s stance on party culture was clearly articulated to the school last September when Rabbi Harcsztark unveiled PACT (Parents Ask Call Talk), a document which outlined the school’s expectations for its students and the importance of parental involvement, and met with each grade to discuss its significance. PACT (for students) states clearly that SAR expects students to “abstain from experimenting with, using and/or abusing drugs or alcohol,” actively exclude these substances from social gatherings, communicate openly with
What’s Inside
parents, and make responsible decision when faced with situations involving alcohol or drugs. PACT (for parents) urges parents to communicate with their children, verify details about any events they will be attending, and provide proper supervision at all times. The messages communicated in PACT have been reinforced through gradewide meetings, advisory sessions, and emails to both parents and students. Before Simchat Torah this year, Rabbi Harcsztark emailed the school reminding students and parents to review PACT and make responsible decisions over the upcoming holiday. (For more on Simchat Torah’s infamous reputation, see “Simchat Torah Scandals: Unbecoming Behavior Runs Rampant,” Yishai Schwartz, November 2011.) Despite PACT and the school’s initiatives to reinforce its messages, however, some SAR students do still party, drink alcohol, and use illegal drugs. Party culture in SAR differs based on social circles, grades, and accessibility; many students have observed a few trends within each grade. The culture in each grade is unique, displaying different social mores and patterns. According to the ninth graders interviewed for this article, the freshman grade is not a “party grade.” Several freshmen said that they do not get the sense that their grade uses illicit substances or attends parties on a notable level. The sophomores, meanwhile, do seem to participate in
parties more often. Rebecca* (’16) explained that most partiers in the 10th grade pull from the same social circle, saying, “kids who party will want to be friends with other kids who party so they can do it together. But,” she assured, “a lot of my friends party and I don’t go as hard as them so it’s not all centralized.” She noted that despite the fact that there is one, core group of tenth grade partiers, they do not all party to the same degree. To some sophomores, partying includes drugs and alcohol. When asked if drugs and alcohol were present at the parties she attended, Sarah* (’16) chuckled and remarked that “there is a lot of alcohol.” Certain sophomores even go out of their way to attend the wildest parties. Joseph* (’16), who lives on the Upper West Side, noted that he sometimes parties in Lower Manhattan because “that’s where the clubs are.” However, to Rebecca*, who is a friend of Sarah*’s and Joseph*’s, the party culture does not revolve around alcoContinued on page 15
College Confidentiality
Mental Health and Stigma - 10-11
Thanksgivukkah 2013 - 13
various degrees of secrecy surrounding the application process By Hilla Katz If you’re a senior in high school, chances are there’s one question you’ve been hearing a lot lately: “Where are you applying to college?” While at some schools it may be the norm to respond with a list of schools, seniors at SAR tend to be more secretive about the college process. The college guidance department supports this more private approach, and does not encourage sharing any information about the college process amongst friends. As Mr. Courtney explains, “We believe that the college admissions process is a very personal one and information regarding each individual student’s profile should only be shared
with parents and the college counselors. Though the theme of this year is anava, humility is something we have preached from day one.” In the spirit of the yearly theme, the seniors have had several advisories dedicated to discussing humility within the college process. The purpose of these advisories has been to reinforce the value of humility by encouraging students not to share where they are applying, and, for the future, not sharing which schools one gets into. This secrecy does not only apply to schools; the college guidance department also discourages students from sharing standardized test scores. At the first gradewide college meeting this year, Ms. Jacobs
warned the seniors, “If somebody asks you how you did on your SATs, don’t tell them. That’s your own private business!” “Why should students feel the need to brag about their scores to others that may have more modest results?” says Mr. Courtney. Many SAR seniors express discomfort at sharing information about their college choices. “I don’t want to go around telling people where I am applying for early decision for several reasons,” says Samantha Schnall (’14). “I don’t want to make it sound like I’m super confident that I am going to get in somewhere and then, if I don’t get in, have to tell everyone that. It would make me Continued on page 18
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The Buzz, November 2013
Editorial Title
Our Newspaper’s Mission Journalistic Ethics in The Buzz We know most people’s concept of a good issue of The Buzz is one with a funny Pop Culture Grid. Frankly, we’re honored you’ve started reading the editorial, and we’ll be even more honored if you make it to the end. But The Buzz is more than just a few cheap puns and the occasional Get Lucky reference. We’ve got a unique opportunity to be the voice of the student body, to be a forum for real discussions about serious issues that are relevant to our lives as SAR students. Lately, many of those real discussions and serious issues have come up as potential article topics. We’ve had to make a few tough decisions about what to report, when to report on it, and how to go about interviewing and writing the articles we do choose to publish. Implicit in every decision we’ve had to make--whether how to sensitively discuss party culture in the school or whether to use anonymous confessions of vandalism--is an underlying set of core values. We’re SAR’s newspaper, and as such, it’s our job to fur-
STAFF Editors in Chief
Ricki Heicklen Shalhevet Schwartz
Associate Editor Hilla Katz
Layout Editors Rose Frankel Harry Varon
News Editors
Miriam Lichtenberg Deena Nerwen Samantha Schnall Toba Stern
Features Editor
Miriam Lichtenberg Photography Editors Andrew Frenkel Miriam Stern Website Design Olivia Rosenzweig Research Manager Elana Rosenthal Faculty Advisor Dr. Rivka P. Schwartz Faculty Supervisor Rabbi Shmuel Hain
ther the educational mission of the school. We have to keep the school’s values constantly in mind, and everything that we do is in service of that goal. This plays out in a number of different ways. First of all, we think that furthering the school’s mission means covering relevant topics. If we’re not writing about the issues that the school is engaging, then what are we doing? This might mean covering topics that might make some people upset, or might not make the school look so good, or might not
“We’re SAR’s newspaper, and as such, it’s our job to further the educational mission of the school.” make the students look so good. But we’re trying to frame some sort of meaningful discussion, and that means addressing what’s going on at SAR. We also believe strongly that The Buzz, as a part of this discussion, acts as the voice of the students. That means giving the student body a forum to give its side of a story, giving all of you an opportunity to have your say. If SAR students are critical of a school’s policy, it’s our duty to report that. We’re not Koleinu, saying “sis-boomba-ra-ra-ra” at everything the school’s doing. We’re the students, sharing what we think and what we feel. This doesn’t mean we’re only representing one side of any given story. We know that the students don’t speak with one voice (hey, even The Buzz’s editorial board doesn’t speak with one voice), and we try to approach articles with as much nuance as we possibly can. It also doesn’t mean leaving out what administrators have to say; as you probably know, oh loyal buzz readers, we interview Rabbi Harcsztark pretty frequently. But it does mean that primarily, we serve you. We want your voices, and we want your perspective. We also want to make it clear what our goals aren’t. We’re not in the business of muckraking (that’s Dr. Schwartz’s word, not
ours), and we’re not trying to kick up a storm by writing the most drama-filled articles we possibly can. Our goal isn’t just to increase readership, although it can sometimes feel like that when people say, “Last issue was great! I loved the Top 5!”. We want to be interesting and fun to read, but that’s because we think that having a readership serves a broader purpose--namely, furthering the school’s mission. So it’s all well and good to have these principles of “responsible journalism,” but where does that leave us when it comes to making practical decisions about what to report? Our struggles in deciding what to write usually stem from trying to uphold two different types of responsibilities: the responsibility to the paper to run an article and the responsibility to individuals not to run it. When does what we’re writing turn from responsible journalism to full-blown lashon hara? A few of the Buzz’ editors recently went to LA for a high school Jewish journalism conference, where we heard from a speaker, Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky, about this very issue. The speaker’s thesis, essentially, was that journalism may very well exist in a sphere separate from those halakhot pertaining to lashon hara, and that the sensibilities we need to have to individuals during our everyday lives might not apply in the context of journalism. As a newspaper that is trying to further the mission of an Orthodox institution, we weren’t entirely comfortable with this idea. While it might be true that the halakhic literature that’s currently out there doesn’t fully address the situations journalists face, we believe that we can’t operate without taking carefully into consideration the halakhic implications of writing what we write. We’re not in the lashon hara business, and we therefore see it as our job to try as hard as we can avoid discussing specific people ways that could damage their reputations. There is a concept in halakha, however, of lashon hara l’shem to’elet, speaking about specific people in the context of achieving a greater good. And maybe we’re taking ourselves too seriously, but we really do think that The Buzz, as part of the discourse of SAR High School, has the power to do good. So we will, at times, write about issues that point to specific people, but we will not do so without carefully weighing the good and the harm and making sure that we do
everything we can to protect those involved. There are a number of ways to do that, the first of which is simple: anonymity. By not using names of individuals, we can ensure that our articles won’t have an impact on any subject’s future--Google won’t find out, colleges won’t find out, The Buzz won’t be “outing” anyone. But trying to be sensitive to individuals means more than anonymity; sometimes it means minimizing the extent to which we talk about certain issues which may be damaging to individuals, even when only discussed in broad terms. We have to balance this with the need to write about topics that are important to the life of the school, and this balance can be a delicate one to reach. So we don’t always make these decisions ourselves, and instead, as we’ve recently found, we sometimes need to work with the administration to make sure that what we’re writing is in line with our values. It’s important that we realize that we’re not the only perspective that matters. Sometimes that means working with the administration. Sometimes it means talking things through with students involved. Occasionally it means killing a story or two the day before we go to print. But it always means approaching our role with a sense of anava,
“There’s a fine line between journalistic integrity and disregard for real people.” which we feel we’ve been lacking recently and which we are struggling to internalize. Maybe it’s worrisome that we rush to report everything that we think is news. There’s a fine line between journalistic integrity and disregard for real people, and maybe we’re not the only ones with the right to choose where to draw it. But this is a discussion we need to be having. These need to be issues with which we are engaging. We have the opportunity to achieve a lot-and that tremendous opportunity comes with tremendous responsibility as well. Now go enjoy that Pop Culture Grid.
Correction: Last issue’s editorial, entitled “When Chesed Misses the Mark,” falsely asserts that Mr. Courtney and the college guidance department do not ask students about the community service work that they do. The college guidance department makes sure that questions about community service are part of the initial meeting that every counselor has with every student.
Staff Writers Anna Ballan Solomon Friedman Alon Futter Ariella Gentin Temima Grossman
Rebecca Harris Matthew Heisler Matt Jelen Liat Katz Jenny Kleiman
Yaira Kobrin Yael Marans Ronit Morris Olivia Rosenzweig Ayelet Rubenstein
Lilly Scherban Rebecca Siegel Shira Silver Gavriel Steinmetz-Silber
The Buzz, November 2013
3
School TitleLife
After Incident on Freshman Shabbaton, Peer Leaders Reevaluate Their Role
By Shalhevet Schwartz The Peer Leadership program is a group of 26 SAR seniors whom the school selects to guide SAR’s freshmen through their first year of high school. Their tasks include accompanying the freshmen on Freshman Day, davening daily with the freshman class, and helping to facilitate the Freshman Shabbaton. On Friday night of this year’s Freshman Shabbaton, a closed-door meeting between the senior male Peer Leaders and the boys of the Class of 2017 quickly went from a forum for frank and honest advice to a springboard for lewd and misogynistic questions and answers. The incident, as well as the administration’s subsequent response, forced the Peer Leaders to confront what it means to act as role models for the Class of 2017 and representatives of SAR High School. According to Rabbi Schwab, SAR’s Director of Educational Programming, the purpose of this session was to be “an opportunity for the Peer Leaders to speak to the freshmen about social life at SAR.” The boys’ program took place in the library, while a parallel program took place between the freshman girls and the female peer leaders in several different locations, as the girls split into groups. While this session has not consistently been a part of the Freshman Shabbaton, it is nothing new. It has taken place several times in the past, including three years ago, when this year’s Peer Leaders were freshmen. Before the session, Rabbi Schwab created a document outlining topics to
cover during the course of the discussion. The topics ranged from “challenges and opportunities of a co-ed yeshiva” to questions about what a school’s involvement should be in our home lives. In addition, Rabbi Schwab expressed to the Peer Leaders that this session was not meant to be an opportunity to discuss any issues of the Peer Leaders’ choosing; rather, they were to talk about issues that would be particularly relevant to the experience of being a freshman in high school. For one half of the participants, this session went incredibly well. Hani FishBieler (’17) describes her session as an extremely positive experience. “It felt like we were finally done being the new kids,” she explains. “We all got to feel a new connection with the seniors that really helped us begin to feel fully integrated with the rest if the school.” However, the boys’ session did not go quite so smoothly. Even before the sessions began, it was clear that the male Peer Leaders’ idea of what the session would look like was different than that of the faculty. While the Peer Leaders had been given a sheet of suggested topics, they referred instead to the equivalent session that had taken place when they were freshmen as a baseline for how to shape the discussion. The male Peer Leaders had a much more open format than the faculty had in mind: they chose to set up the session as questions and answers, giving the freshmen freedom to ask anything about which they were curious. They also chose to speak to all of the freshman boys together rather than breaking up into groups.
Three years ago, this session was a forum for frank but serious discussion about the challenges of being a high school student, according to several Peer Leaders. The Class of 2011 had spoken extensively to the Class of 2014 about alcohol, recalls
As representatives and emissaries of SAR, the Peer Leaders have a responsibility to further the mission statement of SAR High School, whether by modeling behavior or by giving guidance consistent with the school’s mission. Ethan Metzger (’14), a Peer Leader this year. According to Yaakov Fishman (’14), another Peer Leader, “There were some inappropriate questions asked [three years ago], but there was still valid information that we learned.” The overall experience, to many of the boys in the Class of 2014, had been a positive one, and this year’s Peer Leaders planned to replicate that experience for the Class of 2017.
This year’s session, however, played out very differently. Almost as soon as it began, the questions lacked seriousness, and they soon became vulgar and disrespectful as well. The Peer Leaders eventually shut down the inappropriate discussion, but before they did so, a few of them did choose to field and jokingly answer some of the freshmen’s questions. It did not take long for the faculty to find out about what was happening. While there were no faculty members present during the session, Rabbi Schwab passed by both the boys’ and the girls’ sessions in order to make sure that they were going well. Walking past the library, Rabbi Schwab heard what was going on inside. Several of the Peer Leaders had assumed that there had been a guarantee of privacy during the session. “The whole point was that it was a closed discussion,” says Noah Benus (’14), a Peer Leader. “It would have gone down very differently if there were teachers in the room, but the whole point of this was that there were no teachers supervising… and there would be no repercussions to what they [the freshmen] were saying and what they were asking.” He feels that the fact that teachers were, in fact, listening was “a breach of our trust.” Rabbi Schwab, however, maintains that the fact that he was listening “is not the point of contention.” Teachers and administrators were not present during the session, he says, but at no point were the students told that the sessions would be closed to faculty, nor was this someContinued on page 6
Over 100 Students Invest in the Investment Club By Matt Jelen The bell rings to signal the end of lunch. But it’s not at all upsetting - the highly anticipated activity period is starting. If your club is meeting, there is a pretty good chance that it is the Investment Club, run by Mr. Gotel in the Annex MPR every activity period. After all, the club is the largest in the school, with over 100 members. That is, in other words, about 20% of the school enrolled in a single club. There are a vast array of reasons as to why this is the case, ranging from interest to the classic “college resume” incentive. The Investment Club was started by Mr. Krausz approximately 7 years ago. He had originally intended it to be an extension of the economics course that he had been teaching. “The goal was to educate students about the world of stocks in a handson, fun way,” he states. Mr. Krausz noted the famous quote by Calvin Coolidge: “the
business of America is business.” His motivation to begin the club was that “many students find their passion in the world of investments, and it is something we should nurture.“ The club was taken over by Mr. Gotel in 2010, two years after he began teaching at SAR, and he has been running it ever since. Mr. Krausz handed over the reins because his “responsibilities vis-a-vis the math department were more pressing,” and he couldn’t offer the time and commitment needed by the club. It has been amazingly successful, both in participants and in its activities. For example, it participates in a yearly Sy Syms School of Business Stock Market Investment. For the past two years, Matt Landes (‘13), Aryeh Zapinsky (‘14), Jacob Sternberg (‘13), Ilan Wolf (‘15), and Akiva Goldman (‘15) have brought SAR to first place. “I really like [the contest],” explains Goldman, “They test out my skills.”
In addition to the Sy Syms, the club takes part in another competition, the Exeter-Andover Investment Invitational. The latter is against other private schools, whereas the former is competing against Yeshiva League schools. “Mr. Gotel has taken the club to the next level,” remarks Mr. Krausz, explaining that since the the new head’s debut, he has added an additional competition and brought in new speakers. The club meets in two forms. The most common type of meeting is a discussion meeting, in which Mr. Gotel or a student brings up a hot topic in finance or financial politics, and a conversation, with explanations, follows. The other type of meeting is a speaker session, which occurs about 6-8 times per year. Often parents of SAR students, such as Prof. Leon Metzger and Richard Cantor, will speak, along with others, like Steven Fox and Jonathan Petak, Mr. Gotel’s mentor.
All of them are experienced and successful financiers. In addition to the weekly meetings, Mr. Gotel tries to move the club online to discussion forums on Haiku. “I try to use [them] as a way for people who don’t participate as much at the meetings to speak up and offer their views,” he remarks. “[Although] I try to call on other people,” at the meetings, aside from the regular debaters, it is just not that plausible. Discussion forums are his alternative. The topics online can include anything from simple discussion of economic ideas to heated debates on political issues. The Investment Club is run by an additional ‘Board of Directors,’ or a group of students who display “a real passion for the club,” according to Mr. Gotel, whether through “attendance, discussion forums, getContinued on page 14
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The Buzz, November 2013
Opinion Title
Yaavor v’al Yehareg
Speaker Yosef Mendelevich Promotes Questionable Values
By Emma Cantor
refuseniks to steal a civilian aircraft. The group’s plan was to throw the pilots out before takeoff and fly to Sweden to escape the Soviet Union. The attempt was unsuccessful and lead to Mendelevitch’s arrest and a brutal fifteen year jail sentence. Although it was unsuccessful, the Dymshits- Kuznetsov hijacking brought international awareness to the violation of human rights in the Soviet Union. Mendelevitch became a hero credited for enabling many Jews to escape from Soviet Russia and go to Israel or America. Although I believe he is a very brave and dedicated Jew, I found myself disagreeing with several of the messages he relayed to us during his speech. His actions during the hijacking, while heroic, raised some ethical questions. Firstly, he intended to hijack a plane. I found myself wondering whether it is morally acceptable to hijack a plane in order to free yourself from a country that represses your religion. Can one justify violence that is not absolutely necessary for religious freedom? When terrorists hijack planes, they also believe their reasons are justified, but of course we believe that their acts of violence and coercion are not.
It is somewhat reassuring that there is ambivalence in the reporting done on this incident. After doing some research about the Mendelevitch hijacking, it is unclear if there was any intention to use violence against the pilots.
You walk into the SAR gymnasium at eleven o’clock on a seemingly random Sunday in October and you find yourself surrounded by school spirit. Pictures of smiling SAR students cover all of the TV screens. Colored balloons fill the ceiling. More than
ing from the panels descend the stairs in their white blouses and black Hardtail skirts. Parents search for younger siblings among the crowd and for familiar faces among the presenters. But everyone is making a mad dash for the smorgasbord. What’s this that you see? The SAR Open House, of course! According to Ms. Lerea, SAR’s Asso-
90 different clubs have set up tables. Even more striking are the more than seven hundred people crammed in, about three hundred of whom are prospective SAR High School students. Boys in kippot rush from table to table taking detailed notes on their complementary SAR notepads. Girls com-
ciate Principal, planning the Open House is an “enormous task” which requires an “enormous amount of organization.” Planning starts weeks in advance when schools submit their preferred dates to the Board of Jewish Education, which reviews the requests and ensures that no two competing schools
receive the same date. Once a date has been set, numerous details must be coordinated. Even what she refers to as “the bare bones” of the Open House--the student panels, faculty presentations, the opening program, the school video, and the speeches from the student speaker and Rabbi Harcsztark--which happen every year, require fine-tuning. The caterer, who has been the same for the past few years, must also be arranged. Overall, much work, not to mention money, goes into making the day run smoothly. SAR deems its Open House a worthy use of time and funds because, ultimately, it has a major impact on whether a student will choose to apply to, and eventually attend, SAR. A strong Open House can sway prospective students in SAR’s favor. Unlike many other schools, such as Ramaz, SAR High School is still relatively young. Even though a significant percentage of SAR Academy students continue on to attend SAR High School, all eighth graders have a major decision to make. The choice is even more difficult for students who are coming from institutions that do not have high schools. One prospective student’s parent noted that his family was “looking for each Open House to explain how the school differed from others, and the vision of the school.” Thus, it is important for SAR to promote the values and ideals of the school and to communicate what makes it stand out from the
With the exception of a couple of comments I heard as I left the auditorium, there was hardly a reaction to speaker Rabbi Yosef Mendelvitch. Perhaps this was because most of my friends were up late the previous night trying to manage their junior year work load or slaving over their college essay, and instead of listening to the speaker they chose to use the time to catch up on some needed sleep. I, on the other hand, was awake, and thought that that Rabbi Mendelevitch had raised quite a bit of controversy. A few weeks ago, the juniors and seniors had the opportunity to hear Rabbi Yosef Mendelevitch speak about the horrors of his experience during his incarceration in Siberia under the oppressive regime of the former Soviet Union. Mendelevitch, a renown refusenik, was drawn to Judaism at a young age despite the repression of religion under communism. His strong ties to Israel and his activity in the Jewish underground movement of the 1960s compelled him to become one of sixteen participants in the Dymshits-Kuznetsov hijacking affair.The Dymshits-Kuznetsov hijacking affair was an attempt by Soviet
However, what I found even more troubling than the idea of a hijacking that may have jeopardized the pilots’ lives were some of the extreme measures Mendelevitch
took to retain his Judaism. For example, he recounted creating a kippah out of some extra cloth on his pants and wearing it daily as an act of identity and defiance. The guards repeatedly warned him that if he continued wearing his makeshift kippah, they would punish him by not allowing him to see his father the one day a year that he was allowed visitors. Mendelevitch had already undergone various harsh punishments for wearing the kippah, such as being locked up in solitary confinement, yet he continued to wear it. Despite the blatant warnings, he did not remove the kippah and was not allowed to see his father. Sadly, his father passed away during the years of his imprisonment. Some people might argue that it is commendable that he was willing to risk so much to observe mitzvot under such punitive circumstances. However, I think that he should have put his relationship with his father before the mitzvah of wearing a kippah. What about the mitzvah of kibbud av va’em, of honoring your parents? While listening to him speak, I couldn’t help but wonder if his father would have agreed with the decision he had made. Continued on page 13
The SAR Open House Recruiting Next Year’s Freshman Class
By Shira Silver
others. The parent added that “SAR was clear and focused in its message and goals.” SAR tries to communicate that its mission is, according to Ms. Lerea, “really alive.” Presenters discuss the Grand Conversation as well as academic growth. The idea SAR tries to relay is that SAR students work hard but love coming to school. This is what this year’s student speaker, Aryeh Zapinsky (‘13), tried to convey in his speech. Zapinsky expressed that his number one goal was to “express his love of SAR by conveying its ideals.” As he puts it, “How can you not love the Grand Conversation?” Zapinsky also says that he was given a choice about what to say to prospective students and parents. This is because, above all, the coordinators of the Open House want its student presenters to be honest and believable. When these students share why they love SAR, they aren’t just reading from a scripted speech. And, according to Mrs. Lerea, “people feel that.” SAR has been praised for this repeatedly as well as for other aspects of its Open House. With the application deadline still in ahead of us, it is too soon to tell for sure how successful the Open House was in attracting students. But based on positive feedback since the event, Mrs. Kolb, Registrar & Associate Director of Admissions, predicts a slightly higher application rate than last year. SAR looks forward to welcoming the incoming class of 2018!
The Buzz, November 2013
5
Title Op-Ed Debate
Should Students Share Grades? AFFIRMATIVE By Gavriel Steinmetz-Silber There are, ideally, three main purposes for examinations. First, a test can cause a student to study the material on it. Second, a test can be a tool for the teacher to understand how much the student has learned. Finally, a test can be a tool for the student to understand how much he or she has learned. For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone would mind the sharing of grades if they believe that tests exist for the same reasons that I just stated. Those who disagree with me must see tests as having a different role than the three aforementioned ones. Using my intuition and the fact that there is an element of competition
“If we can maintain an environment in which test scores are openly talked about, test scores will not be viewed as sacred.” in the sharing of grades, I state that students largely care about tests for college-related purposes. This assumption is essential for my argument and one that I think everyone in SAR would recognize if we all tuned in to our feelings. In a recent activity during advisory period, seniors were asked whether they are comfortable sharing school-test scores and whether they are comfortable sharing SAT scores. Students stated that they were much more comfortable sharing test scores, and much more hesitant to share SAT scores. The responses in the senior advisory make a lot of sense; certainly the SATs are more important to the college process than an ordinary test is. In other words, there is a direct correlation between how important students think that a test is to the college process, and how hesitant they are to share the grade that they received on the test. However, you have had hundreds of tests in your life, and will probably have hundreds more. It takes tons of tests to
RESPONSE BY TOBA STERN The flaw in your argument is evident in the first sentence. You explained that tests have three purposes: to serve as an incentive to study, to serve as a tool to help the teacher measure your knowledge of the material, and to serve as a tool for the students to help measure their own knowledge of the material. I completely agree with all those points, and I feel that they only further my argument, not yours. All of those reasons involve only the student and the teacher, no one else. Getting a third party involved is
make up just part of your GPA (teachers also consider other factors, such as participation in class). Your GPA is one of many factors that colleges consider when they decide whether or not to admit you. And as much as we do not like to admit it, where you go to college simply does not matter very much. Hence, one particular test isn’t going to make such a difference in where you get into college, so why should it matter so much whether or not you share the grade? Furthermore, even if a peer’s test has an important role in college admissions, why should we care? Do you honestly believe that you aren’t getting into a school because your friend did better than you on a test? But for me, the more interesting question is, why do we care what other people get on their tests? I am confident that we care what other students receive on their tests purely because teachers tell their students not to share scores. Teachers think that what a student gets on a test is personal, and frankly I agree. However, while a score I receive on a test can speak to me about my progress and is indeed personal, I don’t agree that it is bad to share scores. I feel that while teachers mean well, they are treating a symptom of the problem while aggravating the problem itself. Specifically, because teachers recognize that competition among students exists, they discourage students from sharing grades. However, in doing so, they effectively shroud the nature of test scores in secrecy and convey the message to their students that there must be a competitive nature to tests. Consequently, students fill in the blanks and assume that the competitive nature to tests stems from the fact that scores they receive on tests correlates (to a degree) with which colleges they get into, and more importantly, with which colleges they get into that their peers don’t. Thus, I propose that teachers do not discourage students from sharing grades. If we can maintain an environment in which test scores are openly talked about, test scores will not be viewed as sacred. That, in effect, will reduce the competition amongst students and help create a peaceful and loving environment within the walls (or lack thereof) of SAR. totally unnecessary, and only complicates things. I also disagree with the premise that students only share scores because teachers tell them not to. Although we all, as teenagers, are natural contrarians, the desire to share grades is spurred by something else. We all want to know how we measure up to our classmates, which is why test scores become “sacred” in the first place. We all want validation that we are better and smarter than our classmates, and the only confirmation that we have of that is through our test scores. If those remain a secret, there can be no competition.
NEGATIVE By Toba Stern After every test is returned, you can expect the teachers to remind you not to share your grades with your classmates. While it seems that nobody ever heeds this advice, maybe it is time to start. Here it comes, you’ve been waiting for this test for two weeks. You studied hard, but you are sure you got at least a few questions wrong. But were those important? You
“You may be perfectly happy with that B+ on a physics test, but hearing your friend say “I LITERALLY failed!” is bound to make you feel worse about yourself.” don’t know, and the suspense has been giving you anxiety for days (or weeks, depending on alacrity of your teacher’s grading). You watch the teacher hand tests back to your classmates, and the pressure is rising. The teacher finally gets to your desk, and lays the paper face down. You immediately flip it over, and rush to the back, disregarding the comments and just searching for the grade. When you finally find it, you are unpleasantly surprised. A 72. You immediately flip the test back over, hoping no one saw your grade. Then comes the refrain from the teacher, “Your grades are yours, not anyone else’s, I’d prefer if you didn’t share them.” The class collectively rolls their eyes, and the instant she turns her back, your friend taps you on the shoulder, “How’d you do?” he inquires curiously. “I got a 97!” You don’t know how to respond, you’d rather not share, but you don’t want to be “one of those kids” who doesn’t share grades. This is a situation that every student faces regularly here at SAR. Despite the warnings from the teachers, your grades are never really your own. Everyone wants to
RESPONSE BY GAVRIEL STEINMETZ-SILBER: The anxiety you describe in your second paragraph is something that I never experience over a test, and not because I always do well. Rather, I never experience this anxiety because I am well aware of how important a test is—not very important. As I stated, the secrecy of grades is what makes tests seem more important than they actually are. Your other point is that a good grade is subjective. I agree, but that has nothing to do with sharing grades.
know how they measured up to their classmates, and the number or letter grade assigned by the teacher just isn’t enough for us. But this puts students in uncomfortable situations. Many don’t feel comfortable sharing their grades, but give in to the peer pressure and do anyway. How did this become the culture at SAR? It can only be detrimental to students, even those who do feel comfortable sharing their grades. There is no upside to sharing grades, no matter how you look at it. It only leads to awkward conversations. It is uncomfortable for your friend if you score higher, and uncomfortable for you if you score lower. There is no appropriate response. After finding out your friend scored lower, “I’m sorry,” or, “better luck next time!” just don’t sound right; in fact, you’d sound downright obnoxious. But what is the alternative? Unfortunately, that is not even the biggest problem with sharing grades. The biggest problem is that a “good” grade is not objective; it is different for every student. There is no worse feeling than hearing a classmate complain about a grade that you yourself are pleased with. You may be perfectly happy with that B+ on a physics test, but hearing your friend say “I LITERALLY failed!” is bound to make you feel worse about yourself. Sharing grades only adds to the competitive culture of our school. By comparing grades, your friends automatically become your competition. It creates a viscous learning environment, and spurs unhealthy competition among the students By making their grades known, everyone knows who the “smart” kids are and begin to expects them to do well. Then, those “smart” students begin to feel external pressure from their classmates in addition to whatever pressure they already feel. In addition, everyone knows who the “dumb” kids are, leading those students to feel terrible and expect the worst for themselves. There is nothing positive that can come from sharing grades. It only makes people feel worse about themselves. Your grade is the measure of how well the teacher thinks you have mastered the material, something that is not reliant on anyone else. Your grades really are your own, and are not relevant to anyone else.
You wrote about someone who described a grade as “literally failing.” That description is objective. What I am encouraging is the sharing of numbers, which can be seen by one as positive and by another as negative. An appropriate response to hearing someone’s grade is, “if you wanted that grade, then that’s awesome!” In a sentence: the competitive nature that you describe is the result of the secrecy of grades, and by doing away with the secrecy we will be doing away with the competition.
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thing reasonable for the Peer Leaders to have assumed, given the intended nature of the session. “This was not a ‘we let seniors talk to freshmen about anything and no faculty is there,’” he says. “That’s not what this was at any point.” Nor did Rabbi Schwab try to hide the fact that he was checking on the session; he walked by the library, which has glass walls, in full view of those who were in the room. “They saw me; they knew that I was walking back and forth,” he contends. “I [even] waved at one of them.” As Metzger puts it, “it should have been no problem that he was listening. But because of what we said, there was a problem. Looking back, I’m happy that he was there.” Once the administrators discovered what had happened, they decided to respond in the form of several meetings with the Peer Leaders to voice their disappointment about what had transpired during the session and to clarify what the role of a Peer Leader really is. This point had arguably been the root of the problem--some of the Peer Leaders had a different vision of their role than that of the school, and this disparity emerged during the session. Rabbi Harcsztark and Dr. Shinar, during the meetings, emphasized to the senior Peer Leaders that their role was not only to befriend the freshmen, help them adjust, and expose them to the experiences of young adults. As represen-
tatives and emissaries of SAR, the Peer Leaders have a responsibility to further the mission statement of SAR High School, whether by modeling behavior or by giving guidance consistent with the school’s mission. The administration had never explicitly made this point clear to the Peer Leaders before the session. Some of the Peer Leaders feel that it was unfair for the faculty to have expected them to act as proponents of the mission statement, especially since they were never told that this was their job. “I viewed my job as a Peer Leader as someone who was supposed to be a role model to the freshmen [and] help them with any of their problems or questions,” describes Harry Varon (‘14). “I was never told that we were supposed to tell the freshmen what the school wanted us to.” The Peer Leaders’ remarks during the session, however, were not problematic only because they were not consistent with SAR’s mission; they were offensive regardless of how the role of a Peer Leader had been defined. “Whether or not you look at the mission statement,” says Sammy Marcus (’14), a Peer Leader, “there’s a way to talk about certain issues and there’s a way not to talk about them. We, unfortunately, did the latter.” Rabbi Schwab, too, felt that what was said during the session was “bothersome, not only to me as an educator, not only to me as a Jew, but to me as a human being.” To address the cavalier attitude towards women that some of the Peer Leaders had
expressed during the session, Dr. Schwartz also met with the male Peer Leaders after lunch on shabbat. She brought to the Peer Leaders’ attention the experience of being a woman in a culture dominated by a deep seated sexism that men, at times, fail to take into consideration. The Peer Leaders recognized that their conduct had been inappropriate, and, almost immediately after the session, expressed their remorse and desire to repair the damage they had done. Together with the administration, they came to the decision that they should speak again with the freshman boys and express that what they said did not accurately reflect the message they wanted to get across. “There were two main points that we had,” describes Metzger, who spoke to the freshmen on behalf of the Peer Leaders. “[The first point] was [about] drugs and alcohol,” he recounts. “We wanted to make the point clear that it’s not just a choice that you make… [but that] there are consequences to your actions, and it’s not a good thing to drink; it actually hurts your body… it’s something you should not do. It’s really important that that’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of drugs and alcohol.” The second message that the Peer Leaders relayed to the freshman boys was the necessity of treating women and girls with basic decency and respect. Metzger, on behalf of the Peer Leaders, emphasized the need for SAR to be a safe space for everyone, male and female, and that even joking around about how to treat women
severely detracts from that atmosphere. As the specific incident has now been addressed, the conversation has now turned to ways of shaping Peer Leadership in such a way that would leave less risk of an incident like this one happening again. The administration has now made it clear to the Peer Leaders that their job is to promote the school’s mission. But there are some Peer Leaders who feel that there are other measures the school could take as well. Aryeh Zapinsky (‘14), a Peer Leader, believes that more opportunities for the Peer Leaders and the freshmen to interact would help foster a more serious relationship between them, which would lead to a different attitude going into a session such as the one on the shabbaton. He claims that the Peer Leaders’ attitude going into the session “would have been very different if we were friends with [the freshmen].” If the Peer Leaders and the freshmen had an opportunity to get to know each other well before the session, he argues, “they could talk truthfully to us and ask real questions that they had instead of these outrageous questions.” As of now, it is unclear whether the administration will make any permanent changes to the Peer Leadership Program as a result of the Peer Leaders’ conduct. But on the shabbaton, at least, there was a strong sentiment of both the Peer Leaders’ ownership of their mistakes and of everyone’s--the Peer Leaders’ and the administration’s--desire to move on.
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A Day in the Life of an ADHD Student By Liat Katz
Disclaimer: the following article is based on a true story and is therefore inspirational and will make you nervous that this could happen to you. In SAR, a special species roams the nonexistent halls, its voice reverberating and existence well-known. One may not recognize this species at first--they look just like the average student. But this student is anything but average. This species is special with a backwards e and is never to be under-
stood. The mental processes of this species is beyond human comprehension and remains elusive even to Ms. Brandriss. This species is beyond Dr. Hoffman’s analysis and can’t be tamed. No, this species is not Miley Cyrus. This species is the ADHD student. When I received this article assignment after suggesting it be written, I was ecstatic to know that the Buzz would be featuring my autobiography. The appreciation for my kind is a far cry from teachers’ exas-
peration. Teachers often regard me and my brethren with confusion, and rightfully so. Yet amidst all this confusion is energy waiting to be harnessed and released positively and creatively. So, confusion it is, but do not fear. Our underlying issues are often dismissed by saying “(S)he has many side conversations and leaves class far too often” in our anecdotals. If you’ve ever read this exact sentence in your anecdotals, it’s high time you were evaluated. If you believe this is not the case, go see a psychiatrist regardless. If you end up making ornaments for their Christmas tree out of paper clips, your learning experience will be twofold. You will have learned that you have ADHD and that it is quite unwise to doubt me. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a very spiritual person. I’m that girl who will start bawling uncontrollably at the sight of the Kotel. Infuriatingly enough, my spirituality is not only unnoticed, but often doubted. Come Shacharit, my contacts magically fall out, my ear starts bleeding, my skin has touched poison, you name it, I’ve said it. This is not to say I have some aversion to tefillah; on the contrary, I enjoy participating when I have the attention span. That said, it almost never happens. Confining me to a single chair in absolute silence is slightly counterproductive because it just won’t happen. My first memory of shacharit was freshman year in Rabbi Harcsztark’s minyan. I was chock-full of energy, and Dr. Michnick was chock-full of impatience for my riffraff. Unfortunately, I had not noticed
Dr. Michnick’s impatience and loaded my arms with siddurim. I then proceeded to sit in every seat for a few minutes and leave behind my siddur. Every girl was under the impression that every seat was taken. Meanwhile, I was napping in the GLC office on the third floor. Scenario 2: sitting in an open classroom. The administration should really think before putting ADHD kids in open spaces. It’s like asking a rhinoceros to “sit tight” in an amusement park. The minute my teacher starts talking, I start plotting my escape. Upon deciding a stop, drop, and roll approach would be most suitable, I carry out my plan with the grace of a two-year-old with his shoelaces tied together. At that very moment, I hear “LIAT. STOP. SIT.” While the entire class explodes in laughter, I almost explode in tears and resort to Plan B: people-watching. My eyes exhaustively analyze each person that exits the elevator until I see the one and only Ms. Brandriss wheeling around her little metal cart. Forgetting the chastisement two minutes prior, I flee my seat and embrace the woman I consider my surrogate grandmother. “LIAT MAYBE YOU WOULD ALSO LIKE TO GO HUG RABBI HARCSZTARK?!” I scurry back to my seat not in fear of being sent to the office but out of fear of hugging Rabbi Harczstark. Can’t imagine he’d like that very much. I then resort to Plan C, the riskiest plan of all. I unsheath my 20 crossword puzzles (my apologies to Jake Brzowsky for stealing his puzzles) and get to work. Of course this would be the time that my teacher decides
to circle the classroom. I feel my precious papers torn from my hands, along with my heart. “LIAT THAT’S ENOUGH SEE ME AFTER CLASS!” Needless to say, I am late for my next class. My day progresses this way until I am finally released and continue my indentured servitude to history homework. That in itself is a battle. I’d rather be reviewing my own social studies on Facebook. I then find out that my Investment in Learning grade includes letters from the second half of the alphabet in every subject and think better of it. I continue reading about the Treaty of Versailles and am then reminded that a scene in Madagascar 2 took place in Versailles, which reminds me that the main characters of the movie are Gloria, Alex, Marty, and Melman, which reminds me of the word mailman, which reminds me that I checked the mail today, which reminds me that the J.Crew catalogue came, which reminds me to read it, which reminds me that if I log on by 11:59 PM EST on November 11 I can get free shipping on things I will never need. I’m about to order some un-sensible shoes when my mother says, “What about your history test tomorrow?” Thus a dream is crushed. In short, a day in the life of the ADHD student is never dull. We elicit confusion and awe among our peers and exude mysteriousness. We constantly struggle, and so I beseech anyone who has read this far (most likely not an ADHD student) to approach me and congratulate me on writing a coherent article. It’s not easy when you forget to take your medication.
advising face-to-face because you are their child’s supervisor for the year, especially for freshmen. They are new in the school and will need to figure things out, and it should be a three-way conversation.“ This may be the ideal, but students have been finding that it doesn’t always work this way. One indication of the declining importance of PSA night is that this year it took place only for freshmen. In past years, students in all grades participated. Student-advisor breakfast meetings were implemented this year for the other grades instead. “We felt that the meeting really worked well for freshmen,” Ms. Lerea explains. “The transition from eighth grade to high school, things that have not worked for the student in the past, what we can do for the student in the future, co-curriculars—those conversations really applied well to freshmen. But for the other grades we decided that the breakfast meetings that advisors have been setting up with their students were the next step. In other words, parents will come in for parentteacher conferences in November and any issues can be discussed then.” PSA night has been judged ineffective for grades ten, eleven, and twelve, and some students have suggested that it should
be eliminated altogether. It can be highly inconvenient for parents who have difficult commutes to SAR to come for a meeting that may only last fifteen to twenty minutes. An anonymous freshman relates to this: “My parents drove two hours in terrible traffic just to meet with my advisor.” Many would agree that even extremely long commutes are worth it for parent-teacher conferences, but this may not be the case for PSA night. Nate Katz (‘17), along with many others, argues that the meeting itself was not helpful. “I thought it was a little pointless,” remarked Katz. “We talked about my goals for the school year, how I thought I was doing academically, how I thought I was doing socially, but it wasn’t necessary to have both my parents and my advisor there at the same time. I could’ve easily discussed it individually with either of them.” Though PSA night was supposedly mandatory for all freshmen, many told their parents not to schedule a meeting at all without apparent consequences for doing so. However, for some students, the presence of their parents at this meeting may be beneficial. “Some kids don’t talk to their parents on a regular basis,” Aliza Schneider (‘17) points out. “This could be their opportunity
to tell their parents about anything that’s going on.” However, for students who do indeed regularly notify their parents about problems they encounter, or for students who may not be struggling with any school-related issues at all, these meetings may be unnecessary. Many have suggested that modifying PSA night to be optional for freshmen would be most effective. If any students were to feel that something is challenging them, then they would have this resource at their disposal. Whether or not a student ends up feeling like the meeting was worthwhile, the fact that PSA night exists is definitely telling about SAR and its values. A freshman parent believes that “the implementation of PSA night itself shows that the school genuinely cares a great deal for each student, and is ready to meet each student’s needs.” So parents may have to drive a little bit. Students may have to give up a little bit of time that they could have used to write their history essay, or to watch episodes of Modern Family. It might be a little bit awkward. And yes, it may even be pointless in many cases. But students will survive. After all, it is all part of the SAR experience.
Parent Student Advisor or Pointless Student Analysis? By Ayelet Rubenstein
There is an underlying tone of awkwardness in the atmosphere. Your mom is seated on your left, dad on your right and your advisor directly across from you. You assess how your freshman year of SAR has been going, perhaps mentioning a few of your friends, or any co-curriculars you have signed up for. The workload pops up somewhere in the conversation, as do your teachers. You discuss the challenges and struggles that you are facing, if any, and, of course, your goals for the coming year. All of this happens in a phenomenon called Parent-Student-Advisor night. Sounds enormously helpful, right? Well, SAR students have been finding that, perhaps, it is not as useful as it sounds. The purpose of PSA night, in the words of Ms. Landowne, a freshman advisor, is to provide “that chance for parents, students, and advisors to open a line of communication and all get on the same page in terms of the student’s goals, general well-being, and transition to high school.” Yoram Roschwalb describes PSA night in a similar way: “It’s important for an advisor to meet the parents of the kids you are
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School TitleLife
Sophomore Spectacular Sunday of Service Class of 2016 Takes Chesed By Rachel Ordan On Sunday, October 20th, the sophomore grade had a Spectacular Sunday of Service known as S4. The activities, organized by Yoram and Ms. Meier, included a Sharsheret walk, a Yachad carnival, volunteering at Afya and P.O.T.S. (Part Of The Solution, a soup kitchen in the Bronx) and cleaning up with Project Parks. The S4 student committee was made up of five sophomore girls: Talia Askowitz, Liat Katz, Yael Marans, Chanie Saltzman and Danielle Plaue. In addition to co-planning the event, Marans also participated in the Sharsheret walk. She said that the organizers had a meeting with Ms. Schneider, Yoram and Ms. Meier to brainstorm. The faculty did most of the work, while the sophomores involved had a fun time designing the fliers. Marans commented, “I thought that it was meaningful to be a part of a greater group, but it didn’t take a great deal of effort [to do the walk] so it didn’t feel like chesed. There were a lot of people on the side cheering, so I guess that was really inspiring.” Ariella Goldman (’16) echoed that the activity she did felt “kind of disconnected.” Goldman went to volunteer at POTS and Afya (the two trips were combined), and never interacted with the people she was supposed to be helping. “POTS didn’t open until 12, and people weren’t coming until after we were gone, so there wasn’t much for us to do there. We set up tables and packed up sandwiches in boxes and bonded with the staff there. Then we went to Afya and packed a bunch of clothing and medical supplies. We heard one staff member’s story
about how they got involved with Afya. It was very inspirational. At POTS, it was nice when we were bonding with the volunteers who gave up so much of their lives to help out there. However, we weren’t actually interacting with the people we were helping.” A group of students were scheduled to help with Habitat for Humanity however, due to a series of unfortunate events, this activity got cancelled. Instead, that group went
to Project Parks. Yaira Kobrin (’16), a leader of SAR’s Habitat for Humanity branch, was originally disappointed about this, but had a fun time despite the setback. Kobrin reported, “We cut away invasive plants and planted baby trees instead. It was cool, helping the environment.” Meanwhile, back at school, Yachad and Ohel were having a carnival. Madeline Nelkin (’16) said, “I signed up for Yachad
since I had previous experiences with some of the kids participating in this program and wanted to help and get to know them on a more personal level. While I loved the idea of spending time with friends on a Sunday doing chesed, I did not feel that this activity accomplished as much as it could have. Our original goal was to hold a carnival for the members of Yachad; however, we ended up just getting to know them, talking with them, and laughing with them. I felt like participating in Yachad was a great experience, but perhaps S4 was not the ideal setting to connect with the Yachad members.” As usual, Yoram was behind the scenes, running the show. It was his job to contact different organizations to set up the event. He called many soup kitchens and homeless shelters, but either the hours didn’t work or they couldn’t take such a big group. Eventually, he called Ohel and arranged a plan with them, and ordered buses and pizza. Yoram remarked, “The idea was Ms. Schneider’s, not mine. I received such positive feedback that the students had a blast, and were truly inspired as well! S4 is unique to the sophs.” “Unique to the sophomores” doesn’t just apply to S4. This grade has had southern shindigs, barbecues, and other trips as well. Shoshana Goldman (’16), Sophomore Class President and queen of the fourth floor, reported that although this grade is much larger than any others, that doesn’t necessarily make events harder to plan. She said that the grade gets involved and has so much energy that the activities are “insanely amazing!” As the wise Mr. Roschwalb once said, “These sophs are a very special grade.” I couldn’t agree more.
Sophomore Grade Attends Rally, Few Understand Why By Shira Silver This past Tuesday, SAR’s Sophomore class was brought to the Westchester County Center, along with the eighth grade from SAR Academy, to attend a rally to support a bill that would give tax credit to day school parents. Rabbi Harcsztark comments that “it is important for day schools to look into ways that the government can help lighten the load of a day-school education.” This initiative is projected to raise up to 300 million dollars in total for both public and private schools by making it more affordable to make charitable donations to these institutions. As innocuous as the rally sounds, SAR’s decision to take the Sophomore class
to the rally has been under extreme scrutiny over the past few days. Why would SAR students be so upset about attending a rally for a bill that, if passed, will inevitably save their parents money? Some students are against the bill in principle. They argue that the middle and upper class families who send their children to private schools are in no need of a tax break. As one student who will remain
anonymous puts it, “this bill is detracting from people who actually would get help if we would donate to social causes.” Other students simply felt difficulty taking the rally seriously. It has been noted by both students and teachers that the the plan of the bill was not adequately explained or discussed with the students. Sophomore Kira Cohen (’16) points out that “we had no idea what we were arguing for.” Students did not even necessarily have the time to formu-
late opinions for themselves as to whether they agreed with the bill. But most surprising was the large number of students who simply took the morning off from school and skipped the rally altogether. While some of such students were against the rally in principle, many admit that they opted to spend the time working or sleeping. Still many students enjoyed the experience. Sophomore Tamar David (’16) commented that she “thought it was a really nice opportunity to see politics in action.” On the whole, it was, at the very least, a fun experience that left many students returning to the school with new ideas and new T-shirts.
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TitleLife School
SAR Faculty Implements “Staff Exploration” By Temima Grossman At the end of last year, the faculty received a survey discussing potential professional development projects. Based on the their feedback, it was clear that there was a strong desire for several different programs. As a result, the schaal introduced the Individualized Research Projects for Faculty Development. The faculty’s task is to explore four specific topics of interest relating to educational development. The topics were narrowed down to Differentiated Instruction, Frontal Teaching and Group Work, Getting to Know Our Students Better, and Moral Education. The faculty was given four unique methods to use in order to research and pursue their topics of interest. The project was based on Senior Exploration, in which the twelfth grade students are given the opportunity to probe and engage topics of their choosing and passion (sound familiar?). Headed by Rabbi Harcsztark, the first option, “Action Research,” involves collecting data and answering questions by observing the classroom environment. The second option, headed by Dr. Shinar, is called “Narrative Inquiry,” which includes researching the impact of stories in our daily life. The third option, headed by Dr. Schwartz, is
called “Instructional Rounds,” and it consists of analysis of teachers, students and the work assigned to them. The fourth and last option, headed by Rabbi Bloom, “Technology,” gives the faculty the opportunity to utilize simple and efficient technological tools that will assist them with their research proj-
During last August’s pre-school in-service week, the each teacher selected a topic, research method and, if wanted, a partner. At this point, the teachers have come up with specific questions they would like to answer and fully research. The projects are to be complete before Pesach, followed by
ects. Although the individual projects are not mandatory for the method leaders, they have the task of mentoring and aiding the rest of the faculty members throughout the process of the projects.
presentations after the chag. Unfortunately, students will not be included among those who view the faculty’s presentations. Ms. Schlaff says that the individual research projects are “giving people options
of how they want to develop, instead of saying ‘this is the one thing that everybody in the school is working on,’ to create small groups of teachers who want to delve deeply into a topic.” In accordance with this year’s theme, she and Mr. Fleischer have decided to research anavah, or humility, and specifically how it is currently being taught in the school. Through research on how to teach and incorporate humility into everyday life, Ms. Schlaff and Mr. Fleischer hope to make an impact. The most popular research method among the faculty is technology because, according to Rabbi Bloom, “technology can play a huge role in improving education.” Since he is leading a research method, Rabbi Bloom is not required to participate in the individual projects. Even so, this year’s project has inspired him to “use technology to gauge student understanding in real-time, to know where every student is rather than hearing one student provide an answer, or waiting for the entire class to take a test.” The faculty is buzzed with excitement to begin their research projects and anticipates seeing the products of the hard work and time put forth by their colleagues. With that note of optimism, Dr. Shinar remarked, “I imagine doing something like this every year.”
At SAR, Atheletes Must Still Take Gym Class By Gabriella Cantor It’s 9:45 pm and you have just trudged through the door of your house after an intense basketball practice. After showering and eating a late dinner, you sit down to start your homework at 10:15. You have a test the next day and homework in every class. You decide coffee is definitely in order. It’s going to be a long night. Being on a sports team is a huge commitment of time and energy. In addition to the rigorous, lengthy team practices, students at SAR are expected to join their classmates in regular gym classes. In contrast, many other schools (e.g., Ramaz, Heschel) excuse students on sports teams from gym. Over the years, it has been suggested that SAR similarly consider excusing students on sports teams from gym. Clearly, there are pros and cons of mandatory gym classes for all students, regardless of whether or not they are on a sports team. One benefit of gym class is that it helps students develop social skills and sportsmanship with students not on their team. Ms. Gryzlo, the gym teacher for the girls explained, “[Gym class] helps you in your social aspect with your peers. On the team you only have 15 people. You want to build a better friendship with other people…for the people on teams if we are doing a unit on that team [sport], they can specialize and
help out those in need. Also, it takes their game up at a higher level too. The more you are around something, the better it is.” Taking a similar stance, Mr. Berlin, the boys’ instructor remarked, “I think if they were given the free period during that time in most cases they wouldn’t use it properly…Athletes shouldn’t be treated differently. Why should they be excused from gym when the rest of the school isn’t just because they are on the team? What if someone is in art club or chorus?” Gavriel Steinmetz-Silber (’14) speaking on behalf of the student’s council reported, “Council decided, in a unanimous vote, that we would not pursue this topic [whether student-athletes should be exempt from gym]. We decided this after discussing the fact that students in academic extracurriculars are not excused from academic classes. As is true with all classes, much more can be obtained from gym than from just a related extracurricular. Additionally, it should be an honor to represent SAR on a sports team. We thought that the idea that student-athletes should be exempted from gym is absurd.” Despite some compelling reasons to have all students attend gym class, many strongly disagree. If team members were not required to take gym, they could use the much needed free periods to do work, compensating for the time spent at games and practices. This could strengthen the athletic
teams by attracting participants who are otherwise reluctant to join teams because they are afraid that their school work will suffer. Ashy Safdeye (‘14) who is on the varsity hockey team explained the justification for not needing gym class if you’re on a team by commenting, “The whole point of gym is for the student to stay fit and during our seasons, we have intensive practices that keep us more fit than gym. Why should gym be mandatory at SAR and not so in many other schools?” For example, Heschel student Alex Cohen (‘17) isn’t taking gym because she takes instructed tennis three hours a week. “The free periods are really helpful, because I get to work on assignments that I have less time to do because of tennis. I use the time productively.” In addition to having some desperately needed extra time to complete homework and study, excusing students for gym who are on sports teams would help rather than hinder their opportunities for socializing. Students on teams might have a little extra time to chat if they did not have to use every spare minute during school hours to get their work done on days when they have late games or practices. Although SAR students, as represented by the council, support the current policy regarding mandatory gym for all students, there is sympathy amongst some in the student body, particularly from students
on sports teams, supporting the idea of excusing students from gym. Perhaps at some other time, the school may reexamine this issue.
Top 5 Reasons to Sign in Late to School (Taken Directly from Dahlia’s Desk): 5. “Sick” 4. Bus left without us 3. There was a “next bus please” sign on the Bx7, we need more Bx7 and less Bx10 2. I am Iron Man 1. Saving a cat
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The Buzz, November 2013
Mental Health an
how accurate is o
By Deena Nerwen
Check out SAR High School’s very own Sting Sports Update, a website completely dedicated to everything and anything Sting sports. Started in October by two of your fellow senior classmates, the page has 3500 page views and 48 articles and counting. With a Twitter Feed (@ StingReport) and a Facebook fan page (search Sting Sports Update), SSU is only look to achieve greater heights. Add us to your favorites! StingSportsUpdate.Blogspot.com
People with mental illness are all potentially violent and dangerous. They are somehow responsible for their condition. They do not recover. They lack intellectual capability. They cannot handle stress. Mental illness is something to be embarrassed about. It is a private affair. These are just a few of the most commonly held misconceptions concerning mental illness. The term stigma refers to the labeling or perception of certain attributes, traits or disorders as shameful, or unacceptably different from those of “normal” people. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding mental health can often be a barrier to getting help. This stigma could very well exist at SAR. “I feel like it’s very taboo to talk about,” says an anonymous student who experiences high anxiety and panic disorder. She continues, “Individual people you can talk to and they’ll be very open and nice about it. But some people have announced, ‘I go to therapy and I take anti-depressants’ and then everyone knows, and people talk. I don’t want that to be a defining factor about myself.” So too, Ben Elias (’15) doesn’t think mental health conversations are the norm at SAR: “I haven’t often experienced people mentioning to me that they go to therapy. However, when they do, my attitude and reaction depend upon who the person is that is sharing this with me. If it is a close friend, I might pursue a further conversation about it, but when it is someone who I am not close to, it is a bit uncomfortable to talk about it with them, and I try to cautiously change the subject.” Ricki Heicklen (’14) doesn’t feel that the stigma is SAR-specific. Rather, she thinks that in general, people are more comfortable talking about physical problems than mental health. “When it comes to mental health, suddenly there’s an oath of silence that we’ve all taken where we’re not comfortable talking about things that we’re going through,” Heicklen says. “I personally deal with depression and anxiety, I see a psychologist once a week, and I’m currently on medication. I think that it’s something that I do discuss with my close friends on a more personal level, but [I] also [talk about it] with other people when it comes up, or when it’s relevant to the conversation, because I don’t think its something that should be stigmatized.” Dr. Hoffman feels that SAR is, in fact, above average in terms of being informed about and sensitive to mental health. He thinks that “school does make an effort to talk openly and destigmatize it when we can.” Still, he also recognizes the fine line between stigma and privacy. He uses the analogy of a broken arm. “If you came to school wearing a cast, very few people would be embarrassed about that and feel like that’s something they want to keep private or hide,” he says. “But
if you come to school feeling anxious or depressed or having some kind of mental injury or illness, people feel differently... At the same time that we want to destigmatize it and make people aware that it’s out there and that it’s not a reflection of anyone’s character or strength or weakness... we also need to make sure that everyone knows you’re entitled to your privacy and you don’t need to wear it on your sleeve if you dont want to.” Perhaps part of the issue concerning mental health at SAR is its shroud of mystery. Many people don’t realize that mental illness is a broad term that encompasses many different disorders, most with sub-categories within them. For example, there are many types of anxiety disorders, such as Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder. There are also many levels of depression. Different disorders and varying intensities of the disorder will affect different people in different ways. There is no set of certain effects that will occur when
“If you came to school wearing a cast, very few people would be embarrassed about that and feel like that’s something they want to keep private or hide,” he says. “But if you come to school feeling anxious or depressed or having some kind of mental injury or illness, people feel differently...” someone has a mental health disorder. It’s also important to understand that people who experience one or more of these disorders have varying degrees of functionality. “When I hear the words mental illness, I think of people who cannot function normally in society,” says Alana Woloshin (’16). However, there are students at SAR with mental health problems which are not obvious at all. Says an anonymous student, “I don’t think that anyone in my grade would guess that I see a therapist and often feel depressed when I’m not in school. I’m a kid who mostly gets
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The Buzz, November 2013
nd Stigma at SAR
our perception? good grades and has a bunch of friends, and is overall pretty energetic. But just because I’m functional doesn’t mean I don’t have my issues.” However, there are other students who do have trouble functioning in school because of their mental disorders, and thus feel that it’s probably relatively easy for others to realize that there’s something going on. “Medication has really helped me, but I still get very fidgety in class and it’s hard for me to focus and stay still. I definitely think people realize that I have a hard time concentrating,” says Shoshana Mintz (’15). Dr. Hoffman finds it significant to acknowledge the gray area within mental health. Namely, he says it is important to recognize whether anxiety stems from the normal, expected stress of a high-school student, or whether there might be a mental health issue at play. First, he discusses the individualistic aspect of mental health. The worst thing that ever happened to a person is their worst thing, and it might be more or less serious
“A student who actually has mental breakdowns, panic attacks, or is depressed can’t possibly feel comfortable explaining that they experience serious symptoms when others use these terms so lightly.” than someone else’s, but that doesn’t make it any less valid. Along these lines, people have different thresholds and abilities to deal with certain levels of anxiety. “Sometimes, I’ll talk to a student about how they’re holding in terms of their stress level and their emotional health and I’ll get the sense that they haven’t reached their threshold, that they’re okay… maybe they just need someone to acknowledge that they’re going through a tough time and offer them a place to vent. And other times, it’s getting to a level where I would worry about this becoming something bigger than just the stress of the moment, and that’s a different kind of intervention where I might think about how we can really help them. This is the gray area, where you kind of worry that something could become something bigger. And then there’s full blown
symptoms of mental illness. This is when the symptom becomes something that gets in the way and undermines everything that they’re trying to do.” These kind of symptoms would truly affect one’s life, like when a person is so depressed he or she can’t get out of bed in the morning, goes home and goes right to sleep, can’t do any homework or studying, binge eats, or doesn’t eat at all. Perhaps, sometimes, students won’t be able to recognize that they are experiencing serious mental distress because they might think that their stress is normal for high school students. Dr. Hoffman believes that while adults might often struggle with something and not have the time or inclination to step back and realize that they are experiencing significant anxiety, teenagers are even more at risk of this. This is why he feels teens need to look out for one another. While one might realize that a friend seems depressed or is sinking into a hole, the friend might not. This may be because teenagers don’t have the years of experience that go into knowing when stress is normal and manageable for them and when it is not. If a student is experiencing a significant mental illness, and is already working with a mental health professional outside of school, Drs. Humi and Hoffman can function as the school’s point-people for the student. As much as the student is comfortable, Drs. Humi and Hoffman can consult and collaborate with the outside therapist so that if there are strategies, a certain language, or buzzwords that help the student ramp down from a panic attack or focus enough to be functional, they can help the student in school when the therapist is not there. Another issue discussed very little regarding mental health is the language people wrongly use on an every-day basis. It’s typical to hear students say that they’re “having a mental breakdown,” a “panic attack,” or “are seriously depressed.” But, are they, really? Just like any Yad-B-Yad enthusiast will stop a conversation when someone uses the word “retarded,” so too these words need to stop being used so casually. These comments contribute to the stigma. A student who actually has mental breakdowns, panic attacks, or is depressed can’t possibly feel comfortable explaining that they experience serious symptoms when others use these terms so lightly. We can all do our part to destigmatize mental health at SAR, and even within the outside world. Chances are, we all either have friends or family members who experience mental health disorders, or maybe we experience them ourselves. This is nothing to be ashamed of. Staying silent isn’t helping anyone; opening up might allow more people to feel comfortable about getting the help they need, and in doing so, create a more supportive community.
Have you ever received care from a mental health professional outside of school?
Do you currently receive care from a mental health professional outside of school?
5% 9% Yes
38%
Yes No
No
62%
Yes, but not on a regular basis
86%
What percent of SAR studnets do you think receive care from a mental health professional outside of school?
Have you ever received prescrip/on medica/on for a psychiatric condi/on? 81-‐100%
15%
61-‐80% Yes
41-‐60%
No
21-‐40%
85%
0-‐20% 0
10
20
Other
Other
None of the above
None of the above
Dr. Humi, Dr. Hoffman, or Russi
Dr. Humi, Dr. Hoffman, or Russi
A Teacher
A Teacher
A Sibling
A Sibling
A Friend
A Friend
A Parent
A Parent 20
40
60
80
100
0
120
Other
Other
None of the above
None of the above
Dr. Humi, Dr. Hoffman, or Russi
Dr. Humi, Dr. Hoffman, or Russi
A Teacher
A Teacher
A Sibling
A Sibling
A Friend
A Friend
A Parent
A Parent
20
40
60
50
60
70
80
20
40
60
80
100
120
Would you feel comfortable approaching any of the following individuals to seek help or advice for a friend struggling emo9onally or psychologically?
Would you feel comfortable approaching any of the following individuals to seek help or advice about an academic or social concern?
0
40
90
Would you feel comfortable approaching any of the following individuals to seek help or advice about an emo9onal or psychological concern?
Would you feel comfortable approaching any of the following individuals to seek help or advice for a friend struggling academically or socially?
0
30
80 100 120 140 160 180
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
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The Buzz, November 2013
TitleLife Student
Get SMART:
biology enrichment at SAR By Lilly Scherban Why couldn’t the RNA understand what the DNA was saying? The words were lost in transcription. If you didn’t get that joke, don’t feel too bad about yourself. But that kind of joke is one that kids in AP Bio, and the SMART Team specifically, learn to understand and appreciate. The SMART Team, which stands for Students Modeling A Research Topic, is an extracurricular that is mentored by Mr. Goodman and is comprised of up to 15 juniors who are taking AP Bio. The SMART Team is part of a nationwide program in which each participating high school studies a different molecule in depth each year. At the end of each year, all the SMART Teams display their findings at a symposium in Rockefeller Center. The SMART Team investigates into the most current and innovative medical areas available. For example, last year, the SMART Team studied the Philadelphia Chromosome, a chromosome which is mutated and causes cancer. In fact, the cancer drug that was produced because of the various studies on the chromosome is one of a very few drugs that works effectively. Consequently, this chromosome has been the focal point of much scrutiny in the medical field. Only a few days after the SMART Team presented their research about the chromosome at the national conference, a book was released about this very chromosome. Mr Goodman even organized a meeting with the author and she came to talk to current AP Bio students and the SMART Team about it. There are only 15 AP Bio students on the SMART Team, and they decide to join the SMART Team for a variety of reasons. Since the students voluntarily elected to take biology rather than physics, they are generally more interested in biology.
Many students are interested in finding out more about the subject, like one prospective SMART Team participant, Binyamin Kaplan (‘15), who shared that he “always really liked bio” and thinks that the SMART Team “is a great opportunity to learn more.” Students also hope to gain a more holistic view of what they’re studying in AP Bio class. Kaplan shared that he hopes to “gain a more complete knowledge” of how proteins, as well as other aspects of biology, work. Former SMART Team members can attest that the team was everything they expected and more: Aryeh Zapinsky (‘14), a former SMART Team member, shared that the team helped him “gain an in-depth idea of proteins and the computer program” that the team used.
Members of this year’s SMART Team attend a science workshop at Cornell University Medical Center He also said that he “gained a bigger knowledge base” of biology in general. Zapinsky especially appreciated the national convention of the SMART Teams, where he got to see what other schools had researched. So if you want to have a more extensive knowledge of Biology, just take AP Bio and be on the SMART Team (and maybe get on Mr. Goodman’s good side). And maybe, along the way, you’ll learn why the RNA couldn’t understand what the DNA was saying.
Toby Dresdner Replicates “The Broken Column” By Samantha Schnall She is standing all alone, crying on a vast plain beneath a stormy sky. The woman’s wearing a corset with straps that hold her body together and upright. There’s a yawning cleft in her body and nails piercing her face and body. She has tears in her eyes, and she’s also topless. A senior in Advanced Placement Art, Toby Dresdner recreated this painting, one of Frida Kahlo’s most famous pieces. The painting, known as The Broken Column, was an assignment from the College Board to recreate a famous piece of artwork in three media. With guidance from Mr. Wander, she selected The Broken Column because “it lent itself very well to being done in pencil, ink, and watercolor,” according to Dresdner. A very large piece, the painting was placed on the wall near the elevator on the first floor because there wasn’t enough room in the art room. Toby’s work is no longer in such a public location because it could be viewed as somewhat provocative for students, faculty, and those visiting the school. But The Broken Column is actually not a sexual piece, according to Dresdner. She continues, “There’s so much more to art than the nudity.” The painting was completed shortly after Kahlo underwent spinal surgery. When she was in a violent bus accident at the age of eighteen, the artist suffered a life of chronic pain and health issues that required numerous surgeries. An iron rod pierced her abdomen, her right foot was crushed, and two vertebrae were fractured. While she was in recovery in a full body cast, Kahlo began painting self-portraits. Kahlo’s suffering is certainly depicted in The Broken Column--the artist depicts herself constrained by a cage-like body brace. In addition, the column that is broken
in several places may symbolize the artist’s damaged spine and the nail in her heart may represent emotional pain. Dresdner’s work only became a discussion when she and Mr. Wander spoke with Rabbi Harcsztark. It was then that her painting was moved to a different location: the foyer near the staircase next to the auditorium. As of now, Toby keeps her painting
in the art room when she’s not working on it. In the future, when it’s displayed, there will be a piece of writing next to the painting explaining the piece. Rabbi Harcsztark explains, “People might think it’s provocative unless it’s put into a certain context.” Artwork is more than just depicting a certain scene--there’s always an underlying idea beneath it. The Broken Column might seem to be a provocative piece, but it can show all of us that artwork can be explicit without being indecent. Kahlo’s work, recreated by Dresner, serves as an effective and illuminating work of art.
Torah U’Madda: Separate GPAs By Matthew Heisler By the time Junior year arrives, it is apparent to all students that they have both a General Studies and a Judaic studies Grade Point Average (GPA) that are calculated separately and seen by colleges. You might think that a high school whose mission statement encourages its students to immerse themselves “in a culture of learning and service as participants in the grand conversation between Torah and the world” would find having separate GPAs somewhat hypocritical. After all, the ideal is to combine Torah within everyday life. Rabbi Harcsztark agrees that separating General and Judaic Studies seemed somewhat incongruous, but the system is designed to meet pragmatic considerations,
not ideal goals. He and the administration feel that colleges would pick apart students’ GPAs in order to see their scores in General Studies. If everything was combined into a single GPA, colleges would give less value to the calculated number. Rabbi Harcsztark thought about whether to combine the two GPAs; while he saw that there were tradeoffs either way, he ultimately decided that he wanted both General Studies and Judaic Studies to be clearly highlighted. As a result of this decision, students might think that they only need to focus on their General Studies GPA in order to get into college. Despite this, Mr. Courtney comments, “You don’t really see a kid with an amazing secular [GPA] and a putridly low Judaic Studies [GPA].” Like Rabbi Harcsztark, Mr. Courtney is a strong advocate for
separate GPAs, believing that it showcases everything the school has to offer. He continues, “Colleges want to see that you’re responsible in everything that you’re doing... Colleges are not impressed with kids that take their general studies seriously and don’t care about half the program.” Students are also in favor of having two separate Grade Point Averages. In fact, it affects the way in which they prioritize their classes and studying. If a given three hours to study for a math test and a Gemara test that were scheduled for the next day, Jeremy Berger (‘16) said, “I’d probably end up studying math for at least two of the hours.” Additionally, when students were asked why they tried hard in Judaic Studies, most agreed that it was partly because they didn’t want to see a “bad” grade on their
transcript and partly because they wanted to partake in Torah learning. Ben Elias (‘15) remarks, “Not to say that I don’t care about grade--even if I were to say that my investment in Judaic subjects is purely out of the appreciation for learning, how I do is is most likely a reflection of my understanding of the material. So, if I do badly I know I can be getting more out of the class.” While Rabbi Harcsztark originally felt that having a separate Judaic Studies GPA would increase the learning of Torah l’shma, he realizes that this is not the way it works out in reality. Despite this, he asserts that “having two Grade Point Averages is not the real value statement we would make... the value statement we would make is that [all learning] is all part of the same thing and you have to take it seriously.”
The Buzz, November 2013
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Community Title News
I Flip My Latkes on My Turkey: Thanksgivukkah By Yaira Kobrin
never use again (thanks for the turkey that
sings “I Had A Little Driedel,” Mom. It’s exactly what I wanted). Although Thanksgivukkah has gained a lot of attention over the past few weeks, most SAR students seem unaware of the Thanksgivukkah-mania happening outside of their hallowed halls. When asked what he believed Thanksgivukkah to be, Ittai Sopher (’15) said, “Thanksgivukkah? Isn’t that how you spell the principal’s name?” Other students seemed similarly confused. Kira Cohen (’16) excitedly inquired as to whether it was a new “Pizza Block Special,” while Jessica Hecht (’16) thoughtfully stroked her chin, before exclaiming, in a flash of inspiration, “Of course! That’s the name of a Rugrats’ episode!” However, some students at SAR seem to be looking forward to the upcoming holiday, especially because of the food. Yishai Chamudot (’14) revealed, “My favorite Thanksgivukkah food would have to be sufganiyot filled with gravy. My grandmother has this recipe, it’s been passed down from generation to generation of Chamudots… It’s not as gross as it sounds.” Noam Linden-
baum (’16) at the mention of Thanksgivukkah, said, “I’m most excited about the frying. Who wouldn’t love a holiday that just adds more fried food to the great American tradition of fried food?” While most of the SAR student body is either too caught up in schoolwork to care about the holiday at all, or are focusing simply on the Thanksgivukkah menu, a few are excited to see what new traditions this holiday will bring with it. “I’d love to receive absolutely no presents this year, because I’m supposed to be thankful for what I have,” said Liat Katz (’16). “Who wouldn’t want a Chanukah where we thank our parents instead of them giving us gifts?” Other students are looking forward to the giant latkeh balloons that are sure to be introduced to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, while still others are most looking forward to a new mascot to rise to the ranks of Pilgrim or Maccabee—the Thanksgivukkah Macaburkey, or maybe even the SAR bee? The possibilities are endless. Happy Thanksgivukkah, everyone—and don’t forget the proper bracha on your menurkey.
ciple of yehareg v’al yaavor, that there are certain situations, including times of religious persecution, in which one is obligated to die rather than do something which halakha does not permit. And I understand that what he did may have been halakhically acceptable and even required. That being said, there was something about his presentation of these choices as obvious, the way he seemed to undervalue his own human life, that made me distinctly uncomfortable. I acknowledge that growing up on the Upper West Side has allowed me com-
plete freedom to express my Jewish identity without any constraint. As an American entitled to freedom of speech and religion, it may be difficult for me to fully comprehend the brutality and repressive government in the former Soviet Union. I also think that the school should be commended for giving us the opportunity to hear from a refusenik, particularly because we are most likely the last generation to ever hear a first hand account of what the experience was like and how refuseniks were able to persevere and challenge the regime.
Ms. Klatt couldn’t have stated it better: “I think he said some things that are not in line with some of our modern day sensibilities, and it important to unpack them and to respect where he was coming from.” But since Rabbi Mendelevich’s talk conveyed complicated experiences, I think the student body would have greatly benefitted from a follow up discussion to help untangle the messages he relayed.
NOTABLE QUOTABLES
Picture this: You and your family light the candles on your menurkey, and then sit down for a delicious feast of turkey, latkes, cranberry sauce filled donuts, and more. Sound familiar? Didn’t think so. Welcome to the holiday of Thanksgivukkah. Any unfamiliarity you may have with this holiday is normal—it hasn’t happened since 1888. In a rare fallout of the calendar, this year the dates of Channukah and Thanksgivukkah are set to overlap, something that won’t be happening again for approximately another 70,000 years. This convergence of holidays has given rise to the new pop-culture phenomenon of Thanksgivukkah. Google “Thanksgivukkah” and an eclectic, sometimes bizarre collection of sites will pop up—links to an extensive Thanksgivukkah menu on BuzzFeed, places to purchase “menurkies” (i.e. turkey shaped menorahs), and more. In a not unexpected turn of events, most Americans, both Jews and non-Jews, seem to have decided to turn Thanksgivuk-
kah into the newest reason to spend money on shtick that you can guarantee you will
Yosef Mendelevich Continued from page 4
From Rabbi Mendelevich’s stories, it is clear that he is a firm believer in the phrase, “life isn’t worth living unless you have something to die for.” For Rabbi Mendelevich, fighting the repression of his Judaism was the essence of his life. Perhaps the reason I found much of his talk to be problematic is because I know that I would be willing to break most mitzvot if it meant saving my life or the life of someone else. It is true that in Judaism there is a prin-
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The Buzz, November 2013
TitleLife Student
Keeping It Holy Observance of Shabbat at SAR By Ariella Gentin Several teenagers pose for a picture, and within seconds it’s already been uploaded to Instagram, Facebook, and other social media sites. These teens are Modern Orthodox Jews, and, interestingly enough, it’s Saturday. While most SAR students do, in fact, observe shabbat, there is a minority of those who do not. An anonymous student stated, “My family keeps shabbos and keeps kosher, but I personally do not [because] it’s not meaningful to me.” Another anonymous student said, “I don’t keep shabbos or keep kosher but part of my family does.” This contingent of students who do not observe shabbat are by no means a majority. According to a poll conducted by the Buzz in 2012, more than 75% of SAR students considered themselves shomrei shabbat, and less than 20% of the student body professed to texting on shabbat. Although a minority, this group does indeed affect the experience of the student body as a whole. The students who do not keep shabbat do, at times, violate shabbat in front of those who are observant, sometimes even within the context of school functions. This behavior can create an atmosphere of discomfort within the student body, regardless of the fact that nearly all SAR students do keep shabbat. An anonymous student shared an experience she had over simchat torah, where she stayed at a friend’s home who was not very observant. Another one of her closer friends, who happened to be an SAR student, was also staying at this house, and decided to call her mother on yom tov. “I tried to stop her... and I didn’t know how to convince her not to use her phone. This girl goes to school with me and I have never heard of her doing melacha on shabbat so I was taken aback and kind of felt uncomfortable, and didn’t know if they expected me to do melaInvestment Club Continued from page 3
ting guest speakers, etc.” The current student heads are Emma Cantor (‘15), Reuben Major (‘15), and Manny Kuflik (‘16). Kuflik points out that the role of the Board of Directors is simply “encouraging people to go and commenting on the haiku page to try to get ideas flowing.” The true mystery of the Investment Club is how it raked in so many members. It is important to note that the number of active members is most likely between 60 and 70, which is nonetheless an enormous number for a single club. All agree that the first and foremost motivation to sign up is interest. Mr. Gotel believes that this comes from the home. “Most of their parents are in finance,” he
cha with them.” Another girl who does not perform melacha on shabbat said, “I was at somebody’s house for shabbos who is not shomer
unidentified student said, “...a few of my peers used electronics.” The student explains that he was half asleep at the time, so, “while this was slightly awkward, it did not
kedushat shabbat.” Still, the school cannot ensure that every student really does follow the rules the administration puts out, no matter how much those rules are stressed. Although these rules are intended to make the experience more comfortable for everyone, it can have the opposite effect for some students whose standards for shemirat shabbat are less stringent than those of the school. Alec Waxman (‘16) said, “shabbatons can be difficult for me because the rules are so strict. Even attendance at davening is strict, and it often feels like too much. I’m not used to sitting through services that are that long because I rarely attend synagogue,
“On the schoolwide shabbaton this past March, an unidentified student said, “...a few of my peers used electronics.” Can you spot the difference between these two Shabbat observances? shabbos and it was Friday night and she wanted to watch a show on her computer… So she went on her computer and did everything, and I didn’t touch the computer… Afterwards, I regretted it and thought it was a pointless thing to do.. I could’ve done it a different time or I could have suggested doing something other than watching the show.” Melacha on shabbat does not only occur in a few respective homes. On the schoolwide shabbaton this past March, an
affect my experience.” SAR is certainly aware of this phenomenon. Because the school wants to make sure the environment is comfortable for every student, SAR is careful and strict about the rules on shabbatonim. Rabbi Schwab notes, “Before shabbatonim, students are informed about the rules and expectations.” Rabbi Hain adds, “SAR high school does make expectations clear to students before shabbatonim about the importance of each individual contributing to an atmosphere of
comments. “The classic Jewish careers doctors, lawyers, and of course, finance.” He thinks that the students’ passion is caused by that of their parents’. Kuflik couldn’t be a better example. “My dad is a hedge fund manager. I always wanted to be just like him, but found myself not understanding what he did, or why he did it. I also had an interest in learning how to invest money and learn the terminology of the stock market,” so he joined the Investment Club. Furthermore, Cantor explains that, “I was drawn to investment club to learn...more about how the economy works and...what the process of investing entails.” The immense interest of students has baffled Mr. Gotel on many occasions. He spoke about an instance on the morning of his interview, where one junior was walking back to school from Dunkin Donuts with
him. They were discussing finance, and the scope of the student’s knowledge was so incredibly vast that Mr. Gotel completely lost track of what the boy was saying. Mr. Krausz, on the other hand, believes that it is not necessarily interest that prompted the multitudes of students to sign up. “Even for students who are not so interested in investments, there is so much important knowledge that everyone need[s] to know as a matter of being an informed citizen. What is a stock? What is a bond? How do I manage my money? It is far better to learn about this in a formal setting rather than learning by making mistakes later in life. I honestly think that economics/finance should be a mandatory course in high school,” he concludes. There is, however, one final reason that may, in fact, rival that of interest: col-
and I find it hard on shabbatons when I am forced.” It is true that even in a Modern Orthodox school, religious observance varies. And as young adults, each student has to make his or her own decisions about being shomer shabbat. However, SAR is a Modern Orthodox institution and not a pluralistic one, and SAR strives to promote observance of halakha to the extent that it can. As SAR students, we can all do our part to create an atmosphere in SAR that is serious about observance regardless of our own individual practices. lege resumes. It seems as though everything in high school is done with college in mind, and extra-curricular activities are no exception. The problem with this, in terms of the Investment Club, arises when students sign up for the club, attend a meeting or two, and put it on their resume. “It’s an ethical issue,” Mr. Gotel remarks, and he has spoken to the administration about a resolution. If members are not active, they should not be able to tell colleges that they are a part of the club. Nevertheless, no matter what the reason, “they’ve enjoyed it, [and] they’ve learned stuff,” says Goldman of the students who have attended. The Investment Club has been tremendously successful as a club, and it is no wonder that there are so many members.
The Buzz, November 2013
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Student TitleLife Party Culture Continued from front page
hol. “I don’t drink or smoke, so it’s not about that, it’s just about chilling with friends and dancing,” she explained. The dynamic of the party culture in the Junior grade is akin to that of the Sophomore grade. There is a small group of Juniors who party, a group that Talia* (’15), described as the “population of partiers” within her grade. But she noted that few of the juniors smoke marijuana or use other drugs. The culture shifts radically when it comes to the twelfth grade. In the Class of 2014, students from across the grade attend parties. That is not to say that the entire grade parties, but the party culture is, without a doubt, more prevalent in the senior class, and it can involve both drug and alcohol usage. Members of the senior class have varying opinions regarding the party culture in their grade. According to Jennifer* (’14), it’s “nothing unusual for seniors.” Ricki Heicklen (’14) expressed a similar sentiment. She explains that many of her classmates feel partying is “very much a ‘senior year’ thing.” But, she added, “my grade specifically tends to do things more intensely than other grades have in the past.” According to Dr. Hoffman, there are a few clear reasons why drugs and alcohol are detrimental and discouraged by the school. He explains that “when you’re talking about a party situation, mostly alcohol and drugs are involved because they are disinhibitors… They reduce somebody’s inhibition and make them more able to do things that they are normally too shy, anxious, afraid to do.” He continued to note that “the problem that ensues is that sometimes, if not most of the time, the things that we are inhibited from doing normally there’s a good reason for not doing.” Therefore, drugs and alcohol can lighten the load of social anxiety on many students’ shoulders, “but it also makes it easier to say and do things that you’ll really regret later.” Dr. Hoffman explained that another “really big reason why adults tell teenagers not to [use drugs and alcohol] is because the adolescent brain isn’t done developing until your mid-twenties and… you’re messing with your brain, your neurochemistry, in a time when it is pretty vulnerable.” Teenage substance usage, he said, “doesn’t make sense, it’s not worth the risk.” When a student engages in such behavior, they “mess with stuff that’s still in the process of cooking.” Many of these messages, particularly about the effects of various substances and the consequences of excessive partying, are included in the 10th grade Health curriculum. However, an overwhelming number of students believe that health class has not been successful in conveying these messages to sophomores, and that due to the limited time of the class and its placement during sophomore year, even the messages successfully communicated are not long lasting. Many students are also ignorant to the messages communicated in Health because the
students differ from the institution in their philosophy on the school’s involvement in students’ lives. To some, it is evident that their “weekend lives” and what they do at parties are their own business, not that of the school or even their parents. Jennifer* (’14), stated that, “the school cannot dictate and rule how its students should be behaving when not in the building. It is one thing for the school to encourage/ discourage certain behaviors, and discuss reasons why students shouldn’t partake in certain matters. But the school can only go so far with this; their hands cannot reach further out than the doors of SAR.” Joseph* thinks that the party culture is an opportunity for students to acquire independence and foster trusting relationships with their parents. “In a few years, students are going to be sent away to college and they’re going to need their parents’ trust,” said Joseph*, “so why not have trust in kids now?” In response to these students’ views, Rabbi Harcsztark commented that student activity over the weekend is certainly the
“Both the students and the administrators feel that there is a need to reform the school’s education on the party culture.” school’s business. “It impacts them and what happens during the week,” he explained. Unlike Jennifer*, he believes that “the interactions that they [students] have are brought into this building.” But given the partying, particularly in the senior grade, that has recently come to the school’s attention, both the students
“the school needs to recognize that it is the reality.” Her plan is that SAR should “spend one period a month in a class called ‘life’ or ‘the real world’ to discuss what students should do in certain situations so they can be as safe and cautious as possible.” Miriam Lichtenberg (’14), concurred that SAR doesn’t do enough to the effect of educating students about drugs and alcohol. She explained that “when PACT came out, it was sort of like we had a grade-wide meeting, and this is what PACT is and don’t drink and don’t do drugs.” But in her eyes, the truth is that “people don’t really listen to that.” To Lichtenberg, the SAR method of education on the party culture “doesn’t work.” Like Jennifer*, she believes that there are other courses of action that may be more effective. On November 5, Lichtenberg, along with a group of 18 other 12th grade students, congregated to develop a plan to respond to party culture in her grade as well as the school as a whole. “We spent a while coming up… with ideas of what to do,” she said. “We want to have this idea of seniors talking with lower-classmen about real life experiences that happened to them and show them that it could be really dangerous.” This proposal, as presented to Rabbi Harcsztark and Dr. Shinar, aims to establish a peerleadership-esque initiative, in which seniors will meet with other grades in small groups to relate their experiences and talk about responsible decision making. In the weeks following these meetings, Rabbi Harcsztark and Dr. Shinar have been in communication with senior Class Presidents Isaac Blinder and Lauren Grobois (both members of the original group of 19 students) to refine the plan and figure out the appropriate next steps. On Monday, November 25th, Blinder sent out an email to the 12th grade unveiling the new options. Seniors wishing to “ take a leadership role” have the option of choosing to join one of
19 Seniors convene to discuss new initiatives and the administrators feel that there is a need to reform the school’s education on the party culture. Jennifer* would go as far as to say that “there is no education regarding this issue. All the school discusses about “party culture” is that students shouldn’t be involved or associated with it.” While she admits that the party culture may not be one the school wants to foster, she believes that
two new committees. The Education Committee will “work to identify educational opportunities” to bring to the senior class to discuss responsible behavior. The Student Leadership Committee, which resembles the peer-leadership-esque idea proposed by the group of 19 students to Rabbi Harcsztark, will “work to create crossgrade programming and discussions, giving seniors the
opportunities to talk to underclassmen about their personal experiences and helping to educate them with appropriate messages about drug and alcohol use.” Students interested were asked to sign up by Wednesday, November 27th, and next steps will most likely be taken immediately after Chanukah. Lichtenberg shared another idea presented during the initial meeting with Rabbi Harcsztark: “People also thought of ideas like going to parties to… make sure there’s not excessive drinking… drinking will still happen, and parties will still happen, but to make sure that it doesn’t get out of hand like it did. And,” she added, “Rabbi Harcsztark was very receptive toward it”.
“A new proposal aims to establish a peer-leadership-esque initiative, in which seniors will meet with other grades in small groups to relate their experiences and talk about responsible decision making.” Lichtenberg is alluding to a proposal by the students to establish a rotation of “designated responsible peers” at each party going forward. Though they presented it to Rabbi Harcsztark and, briefly, Dr. Shinar, the students who brainstormed this initiative intend to work on it informally, as they are concerned about its effectiveness if proposed together with the school. Though originally many of the students felt strongly about this idea, different agendas among different students and a lack of cohesiveness have caused much of the plan to dissipate. Rabbi Harcsztark agrees that the manner in which the party culture is addressed must change. He notes that in the past, the party culture education “hasn’t been more than an institution-wide public awareness kind of campaign.” While he does not agree with students who claim that SAR must accept the inevitability of parties, he recognizes a need for better education in addition to a stronger partnership with families. “I think that we have to work more closely with parents regarding how to deal with certain situations. We think that the [party] culture is becoming more a part of the culture of our society,” he explained. As of now, he is unable to comment on the school’s next steps in response to party culture, but, he assured, “the world’s moving and we have to respond to that”. *The starred names have been changed to protect the quoted students’ identities.
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The Buzz, November 2013
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The Buzz, November 2013
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TitleLife School
The Ethicist Sharing Isn’t Always Caring By Ethan Metzger Dear Ethicist, At the beginning of the year my teacher told our class that all tests would be open notes, on the condition we use our own notes. I take extremely diligent notes, and other kids in my class know this. I have a test next week and I’ve received requests from a bunch of kids asking if they can photocopy my notes. I don’t want to be a jerk and tell them no, but I’m nervous that it would be considered cheating on my part if I lent them my notes. What should I do? Joe Shmo Dear Mr. Shmo, I understand that you’re in a tough situation. Simply giving away your notes to your classmates, as you said, would be cheating. It’s no different than creating an intricate cheating code that only you and a friend know (if you’re looking for some original ones, I know a guy.) So I would say, definitely don’t give away your notes without thinking twice about it. On the flip side, I completely understand that you don’t want to be a jerk and just say “no” when your classmates ask you for your notes. I think it’s important to clarify that you would
not actually be a jerk for saying “no” to anyone who asks you for your notes. Not only would it be considered cheating from an ethical perspective if you gave them your notes, but you also run the risk of your teacher glancing at everyone’s notes as they take the test, noticing that other kids have the same notes as you, and then getting you into trouble. So, you’re not ACTUALLY being a jerk. But, whoever you say “no” to is going to think of you as a jerk, which is something you don’t want to happen. You have a few options. One, you could live your life true to the mantra “haters gonna hate” - say “no” to anyone who asks you for your notes even if it’s going to hurt your reputation. Let’s be honest; either you’re a junior, or you will be one day, and then who needs a social life? Two, you could talk to the teacher and ask him or her if you can give away your notes so that kids can study from them before the test, on the condition that they don’t bring them to the test. Propose that everyone sends in their notes to the teacher before the test and then the teacher hands out each person’s notes when the test begins. That way, you’re helping your classmates, you’re not cheating, and you have no way of getting in trouble. If your teacher says okay to that, then great. If
not, then: three, you can ask your teacher if everyone in the class can collaborate to create a class review sheet that everyone can bring to the test. You can be a main contributor to the review sheet, and if your teacher says that it would be okay, then go for it. Essentially, any compromise you can come up with that your teacher says you can do without violating any moral code of sorts. I hope this helped, Joseph. Good luck on your test. (And seriously, if you could email me the notes later, that’d be great.)
ON A LIGHTER NOTE... The word “nerd” was actually invented by Dr. Seuss
G L A E NGE P P
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Ruby Toledo (‘14)
Mila Kunis
“Show Track Changes” Tracking at SAR By Ronit Morris “I switched from .42 tanakh to .41 Tanakh because I wanted to have Ms. Schlaff,” Yona Benjamin (‘15) shares proudly. But for those SAR students without such a powerful motive, navigating the complex world of tracking at SAR can be daunting at best. The method of placement differs by department. Leveled general studies subjects, like math and science, are placementbased. Each student is placed in the track that will allow that student to learn to his or her potential. In contrast, students’ judaic studies classes are choice-based. Students choose whether to take advanced or accelerated Judaic studies. At the beginning of the year, SAR asks students whether they’d like to be considered for advanced or accelerated Tanakh or TSBP. If the student indicates interest in taking any of these, the school determines if the placement makes sense for the student, based on criteria such as academic records and feedback from past teachers. If it seems like a good idea, the school tries to honor those requests. Ms. Schlaff explains that there are three main levels of Tanakh and Gemara at
SAR: honors and accelerated classes, grade level classes, and classes taught in English. From year to year, “we assume people are staying in their level unless a teacher will indicate otherwise or a student will indicate otherwise.” She adds that the school will allow students to switch out of honors or accelerated tanakh and gemara, especially in junior year, to accommodate a hectic schedule. “Sometimes we think it’s the wrong decision, but we’ll allow that because we don’t have a system where we are just placing students in those classes. We allow students to choose.” Deena Nerwen (‘15) recalls that she was doing well in 10.42 gemara and thought that she would be able to handle the work of the .41 class. “I wanted to push myself beyond my comfortable limits, honestly,” she says with a laugh. While choosing classes for her senior year, Miriam Lichtenberg (‘14) was “advised” by college guidance to continue taking math, even though she was not required to. “I signed up for regular calculus, easiest I could do.” Although she liked her teacher, she continued to dislike math. She asked Mr. Courtney if she could switch into Page to Stage, which would’ve been her third English class. “I think I may have enjoyed Page
to Stage more than I’m enjoying math...but I was advised not to switch because of college. But it’s fine, I love Ms. Greenbaum.” Like Lichtenberg, Ayelet Rosenberg (‘14) was told not to switch out of her .42 Tanakh class in the middle of last year, but was ultimately glad she stayed. “In the end I was extremely happy she made me stay, because she was right that I was able to handle the level of the class,” says Rosenberg. “If it were up to me I would have switched immediately, but I am actually appreciative that she pushed me to work hard and realize my potential.” For switches like these in math and science, just like in Judaic studies, “the teacher recommendation is really important,” says Dr. Shinar. Jesse Schanzer (‘15) remembers switching between 10th and 11th grade from accelerated math and science to honors after Mr. Krausz recommended that he make the switch. Similarly, an anonymous junior says that in 10th grade she switched mid-year after her math teacher “recommended” that she move from .31 to .32, having received an 85 on her first exam. “There’s no specific grade cutoff,” says Dr. Shinar. “It’s very much identified by the teacher what the right placement’s going to be.” He adds that “[students] in honors level
math and science think mathematically.” While being a hard worker is an incredibly admirable and important quality, it isn’t the only quality needed to succeed in an honors level math and science course. In Judaic studies, “If a student want to switch from one level to another, they will talk to their teacher, GLC, talk to me,” says Ms. Schlaff. “And if in speaking with their teacher, we think it is reasonable for them to switch levels, then we will make the switch. We do not make lateral switches. We don’t allow switches that are not switches of level.” Ms. Schlaff also clarifies that “.41 and .42 are in most cases different levels, with the exception of ninth grade tanakh this year,” which is just how it worked out for this particular class. Scheduling is always a challenge, particularly in math and science, where switching mid-year is difficult because it often requires switching a student’s entire schedule. However, in both general and Judaic studies, if a student’s really not in the right level, “we deal with it right away,” says Dr. Shinar. So don’t worry, the next time you find yourself on a study date with Khan Academy, speak up and you shall be heard.
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The Buzz, November 2013
TitleLife School College Confidentiality Continued from front page
seem a little stuck-up. I also don’t want to make other people feel bad if they hear that I am applying to a ‘better’ school than they are.” Mr. Courtney agrees, explaining that the reason college guidance discourages students from sharing where they are applying for early decision is that “when a student is deferred or denied admission, it is very discouraging and sometimes even humiliating. If everybody knew that person’s sense of loss, it would only exacerbate the situation.” In addition to protecting one’s dignity, many people avoid discussing college in response to the competitive atmosphere already in place surrounding college applications. The student body of SAR, and the Class of 2014 in particular, is known for being very competitively college oriented. Yoni Israel (’14) explains that “there are some students who would find this sharing of information to be competitive. Generally the more competitive students are usually the ones who keep their college decisions private while those who are not as competitive share their thoughts and feelings freely.” An anonymous senior comments that “I had a sibling who graduated from SAR two years ago and their grade was definitely was not as competitive as ours is. There is definitely a hyperfocus on where everyone is applying or gets in and it creates a very negative and disunified atmosphere.” Mr. Courtney, however, only partially agrees. Of course, according to him, there is an inevitable competitive piece because “the vast majority of seniors are applying to places that will have overlap with friends; however, people need not feel that their classmates are impediments to their own admission success.” In regards to the competitiveness of the Class of 2014, Mr. Courtney does not see a clear distinction between us and senior classes of previous year. “Your grade’s attitude is no different than the attitude of previous years. Yes, people might think that your grade of 130 is more competitive and even cutthroat. But in every grade, there are pockets of students that are more intense, a cohort that couldn’t care less about the process, and a huge middle group that is apprehensive about the process and unsure of where their futures will lead, creating an understandable tension.” Some students have taken on creative approaches to avoiding disclosing college plans. “When someone asks me where I’m applying,” shares Ricki Heicklen (’14) “I go on autopilot and say ‘I haven’t really started thinking about college yet.’ Is this true? Of course not. It’s also become increasingly less convincing, especially now that we’ve passed the first application due date. But
it’s usually effective in getting my message across.” Heicklen shares that she also often responds that she’s applying to Monsters University, Greendale Community College, or Hogwarts. “I’ve also said I’m joining the army, and, when asked which one, responded ‘Syria.’” Seniors at other yeshiva day schools, in contrast, tend to be much more open about the college process. Michal Hubert, a
senior at Ramaz High School, states that “in Ramaz, it’s super competitive but not in the
and it’s really bad because it gets embarrassing and stressful. My college guidance doesn’t really notice because they aren’t there (for us) unless we go to them, so that just adds to the stress.” Danielle Kramer, a senior at Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway, claims that while most of the students in her grade do know where their peers are applying, this does not necessarily lead to a competitive atmosphere. “We don’t look at each other as competitors, we look at each other as friends. We feel that even if we don’t get into the college of our dreams it’s nothing to be ashamed of and this way everyone is there for each other. It makes applying so much less stressful when you’re doing it alongside all of your friends and everyone is supporting you and giving you encouragement. Two of the kids in my grade and I are applying to the same school and we all have interviews with the same person and theirs were before mine so they even told me all of her questions to help me prepare.” Bob Husni, a Yeshiva of Flatbush senior, relates a very open atmosphere at his school. “We share our grades, we share our scores, we share a lot of things, and it’s just part of the culture at Flatbush.” He sees this as a positive attribute of his school’s environment, promoting “healthy competition.” While awareness of others’ grades depends on each individual class, with more com-
and are accepted, often even publishing this information as part of a recruitment effort. Last year, an email from The Frisch School to parents of eighth grade students informed them of the school’s success in the college application process immediately after Early Decision released their acceptances. The email included a list of schools with the number of Frisch students accepted, deferred, and denied to each school. Similarly, JEC and Bruriah have posted a list of names of students accepted to various schools to TeaneckShuls and other such listservs. Mr. Courtney clarified SAR’s stance on this approach, relating it back to the importance of Anava. “Some schools might publish statistics as to how many applicants applied, were admitted/deferred/denied for each school; we, on the other hand, believe in protecting students’ privacy and only publish the actual list of places where SAR graduates matriculate. While this type of data may work for other high schools in their recruitment efforts, and we respect where they are coming from, it is not in the SAR way to be overly ‘open’ when it comes to college admissions.” Whether or not we share where we are applying, the college process often ends up feeling competitive for all students involved. Students who share scores and schools often create competition through defining themselves and others by the caliber of their
way that people don’t tell others their stuff; people share their information in order to get other people’s information to gauge their chances of getting into their schools.” At Ramaz there is even a student generated list of where everyone is applying early so that everyone can “know the competition.” Jamie Lubin, a senior at Hebrew Academy of Nassau County states that “Everyone at HANC knows [where everyone else is applying and/or their standardized test scores],
petitive classes being more open about their transcripts, certain pieces of students’ applications seem to be common knowledge. “Most of my friends know my SAT scores,” Husni explains. This atmosphere of open discussion at other Yeshiva day schools may come from a different institutional approach to privacy. While SAR emphasizes the personal nature of the college process, other high schools openly discuss where their students apply
schools. However, those who choose not to share at all create an aura of mystery and curiosity that some students see as detrimental. As Samantha Schnall so articulately stated, “it’s important to remember not to make any assumptions about anyone’s academic life because you really never know, and you don’t want to embarass that person by talking about them behind their back.”
“In addition to protecting one’s dignity, many people avoid discussing college in response to the competitive atmosphere already in place surrounding college applications.”
Special thanks to Andy Wolf and the Riverdale Review for printing this issue of The Buzz!
The Buzz, November 2013
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LastTitle Laugh
Nine Weeks Is Just Too Much By Miriam Lichtenberg
Alarm clock rings. It’s either 4:45 or 7:00 in the morning, depending on whether or not you’re an unlucky Five Towns kid. You get out of bed. Get dressed. Brush your teeth? Nah, ain’t nobody got time for that. Get on the bus. Get to school. Go to class. Go home. Do work. Go to sleep (unless you’re a junior). And do it again the next day. And the next day. And the next... What happened to the good ol’ days, where four days in a row was considered too long and two days, a standard week length? Those blissful days when each week brought along endless possibilities of activities that didn’t require a pen and knee-length skirt. Those days are now just a dream. And once they began existing only in our fondest memories, we anxiously awaited the arrival of Thanksgivukah War (Thanksgiving + Chanukah + Color War ... oops, I mean, there’s no color war this year, it’s, uh cancelled). So there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. But, approximately 1,464-ish hours later, this supposed tunnel was beginning to seem pretty long. Days kept starting and ending, and students were left with no choice but to just go with it, not even realizing what was happening. Ben Elias, a young man who has sadly found himself in his junior year during this difficult time, as he drank his fourth cup of coffee of the hour, admitted, “I completely forgot that we’ve had so much continuous school. I was just wondering why I was such a bad student.” Poor Ben. I wondered how exactly this very, tremendously, extremely, exceedingly, immensely, long stretch of school affected
SAR students. When I asked this to a shaking, red-rimmed-eyed, crazed hair, dirty clothed, sleep lacking Lauren Grobois (’14), she grabbed me by both my shoulders and exclaimed “Break. I. Need.” It seems as though too much school leads to incoherent sentences. Elana Sichel (’16) confessed, “I was wishing for another hurricane Sandy to give me some time off and to give me no homework.” Though this may be a little disturbing, it proves the point that too much school has negative consequences. In this case, more school created a scary Sichel. Josh Shaw (’14) also reacted very strongly to this question. As tears and snot rushed down his face, he sniffled out, “where am I going to find the time to make 1000 origami swans when I have to study for 7 tests over four days?! Not to mention how my Neopets almost died because I couldn’t go online to feed them!” As he ran away screaming, I couldn’t help but think that this is really not right. You know the school has taken this whole class thing too far when Neopets are dying. Slam poetry star Ethan Metzger (’14) had no words to say on this, simply responding, “No comment.” It is just too awful. People are bugging out. Elias stalked me out to tell me “It’s tough. Each day’s a battle and as time progress resources seem to be limited. And it’s time like these that rationing back home becomes a serious consideration.” I’m not really sure what he means by this, but it sounds bad. Or crazy. Go to sleep, juniors. Despite all this, I think the worst part is the audacity of freshmen Sharona Bellin to declare, “it’s not that hard.” You just wait, Ms. Bellin. Just wait.
Overheard During Pictionary: Frustrated drawer: It was supposed to be “Anava” Josh Katz: I would just draw myself Overheard on the 6th floor: Girl 1: How are you? Girl 1: You can lie and say fine Girl 2: Fine Overheard in Gemara class: Rabbi Helfgot: I don’t think you should go out with this guy because he’s an axe murderer Overheard on the Street: Little Boy: The Zombies are chasing us! Mom: Run, QUICK!!! Overheard in class: Mr. Flesicher: You need to kiss more old people Overheard on the Sixth Floor: Confused Senior: Where’s 602? Overheard at Noah’s: Teenage girl: I’m hungry, maybe I’ll get some flavored water. Overheard on the subway: Women on the phone: It’s not enough to soar, you must fly.
Steven Friedlander Wrestling’s Biggest Fan By Solomon Friedman As he posed for the cameras whilst accepting his award, a big, toothy smile lit up Mr. Stephen Friedlander’s face. The award was for the “Largest Private Collection of Wrestling tapes” and was presented on behalf of the “Wrestling Association of SAR” (W.A.S.), a foundation created exclusively in anticipation of this very event. Mr. Friedlander remarked that he was “pleasantly surprised” at the Association’s decision to give him the award because “it’s quite unusual for a math teacher to win anything that has to do with a sport like wrestling.” To understand what this prestigious award means to a man like Mr. Friedlander, one must first inquire about the level of his devotion to wrestling. When asked whether Mr. Friedlander ever talks about wrestling, Daniel Jubas (’15) replied: “Well, I’ve had Mr. Friedlander for quite some time now and I can’t recall a week that went by where some type (of wrestling) wasn’t discussed.” Benjamin Aranoff (‘15) echoed that “Mr. Friedlander loved to tell us wrestling stories. I’m pretty sure he told us some twice, maybe even three or four times.” Clearly Mr. Friedlander is a true wrestling fan and a true tape collector. Some would even say that, concerning wrestling, he is the ‘Gadol Hador.’ While it may seem like a bit of an overstatement to say that Mr. Friedlander is the biggest wrestling fan of all time, there are various online wrestling enthusiasts who have named Mr. Friedlander just that. Although he does have the largest
private collection of wrestling tapes, it is hard to attribute the title “Greatest Wrestling Fan of All Time” because the set of criteria required for such a person is hard to define. Regardless, ol’ Mr. Friedlander takes the cake.
Mr. Friedlander enjoys integrating wrestling comments into his teaching, and often playfully threatens students with taunts of: “you’re lucky you’re out of arm’s reach” or even a plane old crack of his knuckles and a punch-to-the-palm. A peace-loving and kindhearted man, Mr. Friedlander’s comments can sometimes misrepresent him and suggest a much darker, and more sinister math teacher, one who is violent, cruel and would rather crush a trinomial than factor it. Regardless, it is not enough to say that Mr. Friedlander “likes” wrestling; he breathes it. Looking ahead, it is hard to guess what other awards Mr. Friedlander will win, considering his various recent advancements and promotions on the public stage. The question of “who is the greatest fan” truly is an issue this generation and the ones to follow are sure to-, um…., calculate.
VERBATI
M
The NSA is listening . . . and so are we! Overheard in the Cafeteria: David Rice: I really want them to dance like happy feet. Overheard in the bathroom: One girl to another: “One time I exercised and it was awful.” Overheard in class: Boy 1: “Yo, dude, we be mad chillers, ya knows?” Boy 2: “Um, what?”
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The Buzz, November 2013
Advice Column Title Dear Knowledgeable Senior, What’s with the elevator? Who can be riding it? I don’t have room. Confused, Pregnant Teacher Dear Hebrew Teacher, Your observations are spot-on. Everyone can ride the elevator; the injured, the seniors, the teachers, and Mr. Friedlander’s cart, which is as valued as a human being and more loved than the building. That’s pretty much everyone, right? Now, let’s be clear: There’s a penalty for riding when you don’t meet these criteria, but many enjoy some RPT alone-time with Mr. Lannik. I once got RPT and spent the whole time playing an intense game of Blokus: Travel Edition with that man, and frankly, many elevator-riders care far more about having this experience than they care about your comfort and punctuality. Whether you’re going to your next Hebrew class,
or maybe out to lunch (= salad) with the other Hebrew teachers, or maybe you’re going into labor; you’re gonna have to wait. The species that is The Seniors won’t likely make room for a mere pregnant woman. You could also try walking (I know, crazy idea). I even saw Mr. Berlin walking around on the 2nd floor once. When I asked him what he was doing outside the gym, he told me: “I like coming up here to try out the air.” How about elevator music, you ask? Well, I’m sure if you approach Gavriel Steinmetz-Silber, or someone of equal importance, you might get what you want by the time Pizza Block raises the price of a slice. They did already? Never mind then. Music-wise, it all depends on what you’re a fan of, and I’m positive the elevator-music-installation company will be accommodating. They always are. Fan of pump-up? “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes. Fan of breakfast? “Banana Pancakes” by
Jack Johnson. Fan of Daft Punk? Fantastic, you’ll be taking the elevator with Rabbi Harcsztark. He’s the only one who listens to that stuff anyway. (He even memorizes the lyrics.) When, for whatever reason, the elevator shuts down, use your Israeli driving skills to sail past everyone on the stairs, shoving a lowly Spanish teacher aside if the situation calls for it, or if you feel like it. But just because the CommonApp shut down, and Judean Hills shut down, and the government shut down, doesn’t mean the elevator has to. That kind of thing only happens during blackouts and The Sandy. Say hi to Omer Horowitz for me, Chamudot Yishai Chamudot, our advice specialist
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. Mr. Yoram Roschwalb
Gabi Cantor
Kira Cohen
Ethan Frelich
Aryeh Zapinsky
(’17)
(’16)
(’15)
(’14)
The bathrooms outside the auditorium
The telescope area near the annex
Is Pizza Block #BetterThan Judean Hills?
I stopped eating pizza-I’m trying to get into shape for my wedding
What’s a Judean Hills?
What does the fox say?
Let’s go sting!
How much wood would a woochuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck all the wood that a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood
That question is too philosophical for me
Foxes don’t speak…
Some Area Remote
#ImAFreshman
After Riverdale, what location would be best for SAR?
Bismarck, North Dakota
What ex-SAR Tie between Rabbi teacher do you Gober and Ms. miss the most? Soloveitchick
613 pieces of wood
The plumbing shaft
#NoMoreMousePoop
Auditorium bathroom
The staircase in the back of the auditorium which has recently been locked…drats
That’s like There’s slightly asking if a #TooMuch sauce Kroll squirrel is #BetterThan a regular squirrel Do you know Noah Weiner…
If you want the real answer, see Zach Smart
P Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney
Harlem
I don’t pick favorites
Marty Berlin
Are we being kicked out of Riverdale because we have too many students, or because Elisha’s taking over?
32.792 pieces of wood
Depends…Is Elisha selling the wood?
POP Culture
What is the most underrated area in SAR?
361.9237001 cubic centimeters of wood per day
Rabbi Kroll, Rabbi Friedman, and Dani Bauer. Seriously, I really miss those guys terribly.