The Phoenix 2017-2018 Issue 4

A Student Publication of the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School • 1609 Avenue J, Brooklyn, New York • Vol 52, Issue 4 • January 2018 / 5778

Students, Especially Juniors, Flatbush Offers Seniors New Using Tutors in Large Numbers Chesed Trip to New Orleans Math Most Common Subject for Tutoring

Editor-in-Chief

By Sylvia Ashkenazie Managing Editor

With so much pressure to earn top grades, Flatbush students often turn to tutors to help them master course material. To determine how many students use tutors and how, the Phoenix conducted a study across all four grades within the high school.

It seems that 11th grade students are most likely to employ tutors, followed by freshmen, sophomores and then seniors.

Juniors cited the college application process and the need to earn their best grades to showcase their highest potential as major reasons for turning to tutors for help.

Freshmen, meanwhile, are planning ahead. Several freshmen interviewed for this study who do not currently employ tutors explained that they believe they will need tutors for finals and into the second semester, especially for math.

This need for math tutors is not only limited to the newbies of high school, but rather spreads throughout all four grades and includes peer tutors and outside tutors. Ms. Sarah Shulman, Chair of the Math Department, said in regards to the overwhelming number of peer tutors used for math subjects, “The school is in-

By Daliah Ben-Ari

Peer tutor Jack Bibi helps Aliza Anderson with chemestry

terested in students doing the best they can, and if that means getting them that little bit extra help, the school is interested in getting them extra tutors so that there can be extra assistance in whatever difficulties that student is having. And to help them through that difficult spot so that they can excel.”

Of those students who use math tutors, 50% say that they need a tutor because the teacher isn’t able to convey the material in a way they can understand, whereas the other half said that working with numbers is difficult for them in gen-

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The Yeshivah of Flatbush is offering seniors a three-day chesed trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, as a new component to Senior Week, an annual week dedicated to educational and/or inspirational trips for seniors. The New Orleans trip is open to any seniors not yet committed to any activities during Senior Week, such as the Heritage trip to Poland or Sephardic Heritage trip to Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco.

With the help of Mr. Galpert, Senior Council devised this trip with the goal of creating a less expensive alternative to existing trips while still providing students with an unforgettable opportunity for chesed as well as an enjoyable traveling experience. Senior Council member Margo Dayan explained, “We came up with this when we were throwing around ideas of other opportunities for all the people who don’t go to Spain or Poland.”

The focal point of this trip is primarily to help with recovery from Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the city in August 2005. Although more than a decade has passed, some areas of the city remain works in progress. “We want to help those whose homes have still not been rebuilt. We’ll be building homes for

those in need all day long,” said Dayan.

In the hopes of inspiring students, seniors will be traveling to New Orleans to “participate in a wide array of chesed opportunities including repairing homes, ensuring energy efficient environments as well as touring the historic neighborhoods,” wrote Mr. Galpert in an e-mail to the senior grade and their parents.

Exposing the students to such a longterm calamity is a humbling experience, an essential goal for this trip. In addition to the planned community service, the students also will attend various exciting activities such as a New Orleans Pelicans basketball game and a jazz concert.

Instead of paying directly for the trip as is the usual practice, students who are planning to attend must raise $1,000 for NCSY/OU, which will cover most of the cost.

Students who have already signed up seem as excited about the chesed opportunity as they are about the fun excursions. “This trip looks like a great opportunity to have fun with friends while also helping and doing good things for other people,” applicant Kelly Esses said.

Adult chaperones have not yet been determined, and are dependent on the number and genders of students who sign up.

Ms. Robinson Returns as Sub

By Julie Saadia Junior Editor

Ms. Robinson, who taught English at Flatbush for seven years before making Aliyah three years ago, came back last month as a substitute for Ms. Salem, who gave birth to twin girls on December 22.

“It’s like visiting old family,” said Ms. Robinson. In Israel, she taught English at Alexander Muss, a high school that provides a program for juniors from abroad to study for one semester in Israel. She also got married, adopted an Israeli dog, Willy, and had a baby girl, Alea.

Upon her return to Flatbush Ms. Robinson enjoyed seeing the school’s growth.

She is happy to see many physical im-

In This Issue

Interview:

Charlie Harary: lawyer, executive, investor, author, professor, radio host, Flatbush alumnus Page 2

provements such as the new gym and the beginnings of the new building. She also enjoys seeing new faces of teachers who recently have started working in the Yeshivah. Over the past three weeks of subbing she has admired the students’ intellect and creativity and the school’s organization and spirit.

Ms. Robinson is back in New York to receive her doctorate degree in education. She believes that art should be incorporated into curriculums of all subjects and that students learn best through art. For her Ph.D. dissertation she has chosen to research how art can be used in the English classroom. Therefore, she has initiated a program combining art and literature for students from Flatbush

and other area schools. Every other week she meets with six students during lunch to work on an art projects based on the novella Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. She facilitates the creation of art that helps them better understand the story.

Students say they have been enjoying the process.

“When there was a project due in a few days she sent us such a nice e-mail letting us know that she was always available to provide assistance with the project,” said junior Sonny Setton, a student in the program, “It’s refreshing to have a teacher who offers so much individual assistance and who deeply care about our success.”

At the end of the year, each student

will showcase their work in Manhattan alongside other professional artists who also read this short story. This program will help Ms. Robinson understand how students learn from using art in their

Entertainment:

Fun and Games:

Fashion:

Are you smarter than a 9th grader?

Page 6

Shopping at Missguided Page 7

The sudden popularity of HQ Page 5

Ms. Robinson poses with her newborn daughter

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Faculty Freshman:

Ms. Dweck

By Simone Dweck Contributing Writer

In her first year as part of the Yeshivah of Flatbush High school faculty, Ms. Caroll Dweck teaches AP Psychology to seniors while also working with Ms. Hanon and Ms. Anteby in Pathfinders.

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Ms. Dweck attended Yeshivah of Flatbush for both Elementary School and High School. As a senior in high school, she took a psychology class and was instantly hooked, triggering an interest to pursue a career in the field. Upon graduating high school she continued her education in the Macaulay Honors program at Hunter College. Ms. Dweck explored different courses and possible career paths such as special education and even dabbled with the idea of real estate, but ultimately knew that psychology was her true passion. At Columbia University she earned graduate degrees in mental health

counseling and psychological education.

So how did all this lead to teaching?

“I guess I always had the idea of teaching in me; I used to teach dance, tutor some students and coach volleyball. It felt right to teach psychology.”

After exploring the idea of working outside her community, Ms. Dweck ultimately chose to work at Flatbush. She loved the warm feeling her alma mater gave her, and she felt at home instantly.

Outside school, Ms. Dweck adores anything involving physical activity like dance, zumba and multiple sports. She’s a hardcore Harry Potter fan and prefers the books to the movies. “I can never, ever predict any of JK Rowling’s endings,” she explained. Ms. Dweck even traveled to Scotland to see the exact place where JK Rowling wrote the first book in the series.

As part of her Pathfinders duties, Ms. Dweck spearheaded the school’s 2017 Career Day, which is in its fifth consecutive year. Inspired by her involvement in programs at Sephardic Bikur Holim that encourage college students and offer programs regarding their career paths and futures, Ms. Dweck wanted to bring that same opportunity to explore options and receive guidance to a high school audience. Ms. Dweck strongly believes that meeting people and hearing directly from them about their jobs and how they got where they are is far more captivating than reading about them in a book or a magazine.

Regarding her students, Ms. Dweck’s ultimate goal is not only to help them earn AP credits for college, but also to help them learn concepts they can apply often in their own lives. She aspires to build relationships with every one of her students … and possibly even motivate a few future psychologists.

Alumnus Interview:

Charlie Harary (’95)

By Claudine Hadef Contributing Writer

Yeshivah of Flatbush alumnus Charlie Harary has been hard at work since graduating with the Class of 1995.

A man of many talents and almost as many careers, Harary started out as a lawyer. He soon moved on to an executive position at a real estate firm, and then cofounded H3 & Company, a venture capital and advisory firm. He is a published author, a guest on various television shows, and has a large social media following. He is now known mainly as a radio host and motivational speaker, while also teaching management and entrepreneurship at Yeshiva University.

Juggling many tasks is nothing new to Harary, who was involved in many activities during his years at Joel Braverman High School. He played hockey and basketball, participated in choir, Debate, and Mock Trial, and served as SGO Vice President.

After high school, Harary studied in Israel before attending Queens College and then earning a law degree from Columbia University.

Harary says that the Yeshivah of Flatbush prepared him for college. “As hard as it seems with the curriculum, Flatbush sets you up to do well.” He claims he wasn’t the best student in high school,

and he often found himself in Rabbi Levy’s office. But Flatbush gave him the opportunity to dabble and to try out different things, and he learned many important lessons.

“Flatbush prepares you from being in a chaotic environment of balancing life, sports, and your workload to balancing religion, family, and opportunities also in life.” He credits Flatbush with influencing him to become who he is today by pushing him to be a hard worker. He says that Flatbush graduates should have a lot of pride, and that while experiencing life you are likely to meet other Flatbush graduates in all different fields.

choose. Zoe has also asked Eddie about some classes and teachers. Eddie said, “I told her what she would enjoy and benefit from the most,” making sure Zoe has a great freshman experience.

Zoe is sad that Eddie won’t be in school with her next year, although she

feels happy he has an opportunity to go off to college. Eddie said he thinks getting used to the college environment will be a lot more difficult, being that he will have to navigate it alone. But for now, he’d like to make school as enjoyable as possible for Zoe, just like Linda did for him.

Meet a Flatbush Family:

Eddie and Zoe Sabbagh

By Sarina Shalom Contributing Writer

When Eddie Sabbagh was a freshman, his older sister, Linda, was a senior.

She helped him navigate Flatbush and gave him some advice to get through freshman year. Now he’s a senior to his younger sister Zoe, a freshman, and feels he should pass along those same tips and tricks to make Zoe’s adjustment easier.

Eddie and Zoe have a very close relationship. They both enjoy each other’s company very much, and therefore appreciate being in school together. Zoe said, “Eddie’s the best brother anyone could ask for, especially with his humor and cheerfulness around the house,” which she now sees in school, too. “We get along really well, so it’s nice to see him in school,” she shared.

Even though Zoe is the one adjust-

ing to a new school, Eddie feels it’s going to take some getting used to having his younger sister with him as well. They used to see each other at home and that was pretty much it. But now, they speak about school and his friends, and sometimes Eddie’s friends even shout, “Zoe!” when they see her in the hallways, a completely new experience for both of them.

The Sabbaghs travel to school together; they either walk to the train, or at times, Eddie drives and brings Zoe along. That gives them a little extra time to spend together away from home. “Seeing her all the time is honestly pretty nice; it gives me a feel of home while I’m in school,” says Eddie.

The siblings aren’t in any extracurricular activities together, but Eddie helped Zoe make certain decisions. For example, to either take Coding or Spanish, and which Talmud/Halakha split to

The Phoenix Staff Editor-in-Chief: Daliah Ben-Ari Managing Editor: Sylvia Ashkenazie Senior Editors: Mary Jajati, Danielle Ohana School News Editors: Monique Abramson, Dorette Dayan Religion Editor: Danielle Duchan World News Editor: Sharon Chappan Entertainment Editor: Fortune Manopla Music Editor: Brenda Tawil

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Standard of Fabulous Editors: Dubby Sasson, Jessica Vaysman Fun & Games Editor: Aida Hasson Food Editor: Hannah Hasson Sports Editor: Sam Beyda Junior Editors: Ezra Faks, Esther Hidary, Albert Saad, Julie Saadia Sophomore Editors: Sarah Dagmy, Raquel Silvera Design: Carolina Cohen Faculty Adviser: Adam Hofstetter

High School Administration Rabbi Raymond Harari, Head of School Rabbi Joseph Beyda, Principal Ms. Sari Bacon, Associate Principal Ms. Esther Hidary, Assistant Principal / Director of Admissions Rabbi Craig Lubner, Assistant Principal

Biggest YOF Group in Years to Join Heritage Trip to Poland

By Diane Azrak Contributing Writer

Flatbush will be sending 31 seniors on the annual Heritage Trip to Poland this coming March, the largest group from the Yeshivah in several years.

To join the trip, seniors must complete a detailed application that includes an essay, and must be approved by Rabbi Lubner. To accommodate the additional students, the school will send one more adult chaperone than usual. Joining Rabbi Lubner as chaperones will be Señora Ovadia, Grace Minyan, and Principal Rabbi Hertzberg of the Middle Division.

The 31 students signed up this year is a significant increase over recent years.

Last year’s trip included 25 students, and the 2016 trip had 21.

“I am impressed that so many seniors want to go on this trip,” said Ms. Winkler, who helps Rabbi Lubner process applications and coordinate the trip. “I do believe that it is a once in a lifetime experience.”

Many students going this year are either involved in Witness Theater—the school’s other main Holocaust-related

program—or had applied to Witness Theater. Much like the Poland trip, Witness Theater had a record number of applicants, but the Poland trip can expand to include more students, whereas space in Witness Theater is limited by the number of Holocaust survivors participating.

One student who plans to attend, senior Paulette Abraham, expressed nothing but enthusiasm. “I am very excited for this trip,” she said. “I feel it is going to be very inspirational and have a huge impact on my life!”

The five-day trip will be begin on March 18. The students will be learning about the different Jewish communities and Holocaust sites in Warsaw, including the Warsaw Ghetto, and will make a visit to the notorious Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. They will go to death camps, ghettos, shuls, and cemeteries that were Jewish sites before and during the Holocaust.

Two of the days are dedicated to Auschwitz. One day will be spent in Birkenau, the big camp known as “Auschwitz 2.” The next day is spent in “Auschwitz 1,” the main administrative center that was originally a prison and is now a muse-

um; it contains the more serious and emotionally taxing exhibits.

With fewer Holocaust survivors remaining each year, Rabbi Lubner said that an important goal of the trip is for young people to see the atrocities of the Holocaust up close.

“It’s cultivating a regeneration Students on the Heritage trip will visit Aushwitz, like these of people who students did last year have seen and can tell the story.

It’s about a profound personal experience based on his stage of life, such as becomabout appreciation of life and the things ing a parent. we have. Sometimes we need this kind No matter how many students are atof meaningful experience to cause us to tending, Rabbi Lubner hopes that the trip think about those things,” he said. gives them a sense of purpose. “We have This will be Rabbi Lubner’s 16th time a responsibility to recognize the lost pogoing on this trip, and every time he goes tential of many Jews whose lives got cut something different strikes him. The short,” he said. most meaningful point changes, he said,

Legal Challenges Prolong An In-Tense Discussion Net Neutrality, For Now D’var Torah:

By Danielle Duchan Religion Editor Parashat Shemot is pretty familiar to all of us. We’ve all recounted it every year on Passover. We’ve been singing cute little songs about Pharaoh’s wickedness and colored in pictures of sad Jewish slaves miserably carrying bricks since kindergarten. It seems as if there’s nothing new about Shemot under the hot Egyptian sun.

But maybe there are some new lessons to be learned from Shemot, starting with its first pasuk.

Shemot starts with the words, “V’eleh shemot Bnei Yisrael habayim Mitzraima”: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who are coming to Egypt.”

This pasuk seems relatively innocuous at first glance. But if you look closer, you’ll notice some funky grammar.

“Haba’im”? They’re not coming to Egypt right now. Shouldn’t it say “asher ba’u” – “who came to Egypt,” in the past tense?

But perhaps that tense mix-up is not as intense as it seems. In fact, that grammar “error” teaches us something about how to handle change as Jews and as people in general.

According to the Midrash, it uses the present-tense form of “ba” to teach

us that, even after B’nai Yisrael had sojourned in Egypt for a long time, they retained their culture as if they had just arrived in Egypt. Every day, they resisted assimilation as if they were newly arrived immigrants, clinging to the values of home in a foreign place.

This tenacity and attachment to tradition is something that has stuck with the Jewish people throughout our history. Now, as a new generation coming of age, it is our responsibility to ensure that our tradition continues despite our extended sojourn in the United States and beyond. The world changes around us, and we are welcome to modernize in nearly every way. Yet it’s important for us to not give into the temptation to totally assimilate because we are the preservers of our culture for the generations that follow us.

As we embark on our various life paths, we’re going to experience a lot of change. Change is a natural part of life, and we should embrace it. But if we keep the philosophy of “haba’im” in mind and realize that some parts of us never change, regardless of where we are physically or mentally, we can better stay true to ourselves and our traditions, even when we’re “enslaved” by outside forces.

By Sharon Chappan World News Editor

The Federal Communications Commission voted last month to repeal socalled net neutrality regulations despite overwhelming public support for them, but the repeal is being held up by a flood of lawsuits that may take years to resolve.

Net neutrality requires Internet service providers to distribute Internet access fairly and equally to everyone, regardless of how much they pay or where they’re located. The elimination of these rules will allow providers such as AT&T and Verizon to speed up some websites while slowing down others in order to charge websites and users higher fees to avoid slowdowns. Critics say the move can hurt consumers and will reshape the Internet to favor large, established corporations.

However, the repeal faces many legal challenges. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman immediately announced he would lead a multistate lawsuit to block the repeal. But Schneiderman is heading up another legal challenge first.

Eighteen state attorneys general petitioned Ajit Pai’s Federal Communications Commission to cooperate with an investigation into fake comments on the FCC website. During the public feedback stage leading up to the FCC’s vote on net neutrality, many of the comments in favor of the rollback that were posted on the website were fraudulent and used the stolen identities of American citizens.

A letter sent to the FCC by the 18 attorneys general said more than a million comments might be fake. Schneiderman

said his investigation shows 2 million comments that used Americans’ stolen identities.

“This is a crime under New York law—and the FCC’s decision to go ahead with the vote makes it a mockery of government integrity and rewards the very perpetrators who scammed the system to advance their own agenda,” Schneiderman said.

Several polls and surveys show that the majority of Americans oppose the repeal of net neutrality. Many political organizations and advocacy groups have announced plans to join the fight against the repeal to net neutrality, ranging from actions as small as a petition to filing a lawsuit and fighting them in court.

“The FCC will be made to explain its headlong rush past all of the problems with its record in this proceeding,” said Matt Wood, policy director at the consumer advocacy group Free Press, who also signaled an intent to sue in order to stop the FCC’s rollback.

Opponents of the FCC are expected to make two broad arguments, an analyst said. The first one is to target the FCC’s legal reasoning for undoing the net neutrality rules, and the second will focus on the decision-making process that led to the vote, which some call “corrupted.” The last net neutrality lawsuit also followed this same pattern, but the sides were reversed: industry groups argued that the FCC’s net neutrality rules were unfair and that the agency had violated the Administrative Procedures Act. In that case, a three-judge panel upheld the rules, giving the FCC the benefit of the doubt due to its technical expertise.

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Spain Trip Could Be Entirely Female

Winter Creates Fitness Challenges for Students

By Sarah Dagmy

Religion Editor

Sophomore Editor

For the first time ever, the Sephardic Heritage trip to Spain this year may consist of only girls.

This possibility is due to many factors. There are many fewer boys than girls in this year’s senior grade, some of the boys are going to Poland, and the few who are considering the Spain trip also are considering attending the New Orleans chased trip instead. Therefore, there’s a great possibility of an all-girls trip this year.

Some of the girls seemed excited about the possibility. “I feel like having an all-girls trip would give the trip a more chilled dynamic,” an anonymous senior girl said. She added, “With or without boys, this trip still sounds incredibly fun.” Chaperoning the trip will be Mrs.Wielgus and, if boys attend, Rabbi Avi Harari also will chaperone. In the event that the trip will be only girls, the second chaperone will be a female teacher or alumna.

Ms. Wielgus, Flatbush’s beloved Jewish History teacher, created this trip five years ago because our student body is largely Sephardic, and she thought it was important for students to learn more about their heritage in the place where it all began. Students visit significant

Sephardic Jewish communities in cities across Spain, including Seville, Córdoba, Toledo, and Madrid, all cities that contributed to the golden age of Spanish Jewry.

The trip takes students to synagogues, palaces, gardens, and archaeological fields, among other sites. After visiting these sites students ferry from Spain to Tangier, Morocco. There they explore the cave of Hercules, bargain in an ancient shuk, tour multiple breathtaking synagogues, and ride camels on the beach. A weekend is spent in Gibraltar, a tiny country that belongs to Britain and is located at the southern tip of Spain. In Gibraltar, they visit a magnificent religious Sephardic community that has been thriving for hundreds of years. Students also get to visit the famous apes of Gibraltar and explore World War II-era caves. The itinerary for the trip has changed slightly over the years, with students one year touring Portugal, and in another year hiking in the Antequera mountains.

“We want students to learn about, experience, and feel the grandeur of their past, and ultimately I want them to be more knowledgeable, passionate and proud of their Sephardic identity,” Ms. Wielgus said. Whether the trip ends up being co-ed or all girls, she said that students will get to see the triumphs and tragedies in Sephardic Jewish history.

Many Students Using Tutors continued from page 1

eral, and having that extra couple hours of help can really make a difference.

About 90% of students with outside tutors meet with them twice a week for about one to two hours each time, either to review the material or do the homework together, and most of the time both. Many students add an occasional extra night before an upcoming test.

“I think tutors are essential for students because they teach and help the student understand what the teacher could not,” added junior Jared Sutton.

One student disclosed that his tutor reteaches all the material from scratch and then they go through the notes together in preparation for exams.

Then again, some students hire tutors out of laziness. “Some people don’t want to pay attention in class so they turn to a tutor,” commented an anonymous junior.

A small number of students, about 5%, enlist tutors for Spanish. Learning a new language without any prior background, these students just need someone to sit and be patient with them while they try to memorize a whole new dictionary of words and a new system of grammar.

Not all students pay outside tutors, however. Twenty-seven percent of the students who claimed they have tutors utilize the peer tutoring program available in school. According to Dr. Etty Mizrahi, head of the Guidance Department, about 100–150 students sign up with the peer tutoring program each year, either to be tutored or to be a tutor. The majority of students requesting tutors are freshmen, while those seeking to be tutors range through all grades but

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mostly consist of juniors and seniors.

Two biggest areas of request are math and Spanish.

A major benefit to being tutored by a fellow student is that peer tutors know the teachers and the way their tests will be formatted, whereas an outside tutor can only do his/her best to guess at how the questions will be asked based on past tutoring experiences. Students who participate as tutors in this program said it is a win-win situation because the tutor gets chesed hours and the tutee gets the help needed to excel in the classroom.

Although some may think that the new Homework Help program after school may affect the prosperity of the peer tutoring program, Dr. Mizrahi believes that both programs will stand on their own and continue to flourish.

Of course, many students don’t use tutors at all, and that is especially true among Honors students. More than two-thirds of the Honors students interviewed—23 out of 31—have not used a tutor at all since coming into the high school. They say that they have their own personal study methods that work for them and don’t require a tutor’s help.

Another big factor is class group chats.

Almost all the students who reported not having a tutor feel that being part of a chat where classmates share notes and answer questions is very helpful and replaces the role of a tutor. “You’re able to ask a question and have your friends answer without inconveniencing them because anyone can answer at any time and there are multiple people who can respond,” said an anonymous senior.

By Danielle Duchan According to many Flatbush students, staying fit, active and healthy becomes more challenging as the weather turns colder.

But why? Is it the tempting scent of the fried Chanukah goodies that start off the season? Is it the seemingly endless darkness that makes the weather seem even colder? Perhaps it’s the beckoning warmth of a bed and Netflix?

Turns out, it’s a combination thereof. Senior Mary Jajati described how she “gets very lazy” about leaving her house to go to the gym or out to exercise during the winter due to the early darkness and cold weather. She said that if she had an in-home gym, it would perhaps remove the inconvenience of venturing out in the cold and inspire her to exercise more.

Wellness Commissioner Sarah Tessone, like several other students, also cited the chill and bleakness of winter as factors that make winter fitness more challenging for many, as well as the winter blues they cause. She also mentioned the typical pre-finals stress and buildup of schoolwork, which many cited as the main reason they don’t have time to exercise during the winter. Tessone also acknowledged an unexpected cause: cozy winter fashion, which often makes people feel more covered and less self-conscious if they gain a couple of pounds.

Despite all these factors, senior Mary Ftiha said that winter actually inspires her to get more fit. She said that going away for winter break to warmer locales enables her to get more exercise in at hotel gyms and inspires her to work “on the perfect ‘summer body.’”

But according to Tessone, that dream of the perfect summer body may inspire girls not only to remain fit during the winter months, but to become more self-critical during the summer months. In fact, she believes most girls’ self-esteem takes a dip during the summer, not during the winter, even though they may exercise more during the warmer months.

She believes self-esteem issues are based

more off “mainstream society’s expectations” for how women should look, and therefore, exercising less during the winter doesn’t pose much of a threat to girls’ self-esteem as long as they maintain their basic shape. She says that many girls still feel pressured to look “skinny” for their winter vacations, but that the pressure is greater during the summer. Indeed, many students confirmed that, despite exercising less in the winter, they don’t feel any noticeable drop in self-esteem as a result.

Despite all the factors that make it difficult to stay active, and the lack of a noticeable drop in self-esteem, it is still important and possible to remain healthy and active during the winter. Jajati suggested cutting out unnecessary activities, such as scrolling on your phone, to make time for exercise, or making a fixed schedule and setting aside blocks of time for exercise to keep you accountable.

Freshman Perla Berkovitz recommended that students join a sports team, so that the exercise is built into your schedule because of practices and games. Junior Julie Saadia suggested purchasing “nice workout outfits” so that you’ll feel motivated to go out and exercise. Additionally, she advocated for finding an exercise buddy to work out with, which has been proven by a Kansas State University study to boost performance.

If finding time is an issue, exercising during the winter doesn’t even need to take up large amounts of time. Coach Black suggested making easy swaps, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or getting off the bus a stop earlier and walking during your commute home, to help you log more steps during your day. If you want to stay indoors as much as possible, making a small routine composed of body-weight exercises like push-ups and planks can help you stay fit indoors without much of a time commitment.

Ultimately, though, the best way to stay fit during the winter is to make exercise an almost equal priority to schoolwork. Like Jajati said, “When it’s important, you can make time for anything.”

Ms. Robinson Returns continued from page 1

study of literature. She hopes that this program and her research will encourage schools everywhere to use art to enhance classroom learning of all subjects. Another one of her students, junior Jamie Ashkenazie, described Ms. Robinson as a “hard-working, dedicated, and passionate woman.” The efforts Ms. Robinson puts into her beliefs only bolsters Jamie’s claim.

Ms. Robinson is an artist herself. She loves creating performance art and painting portraits and prayer paintings. She now lives in Riverdale, New York, with her husband, daughter, and dog, and she thinks a lot of her prayer art reflects how much she misses Israel. Nevertheless, she has observed many differences between her experiences living in Hod Hasharon, Israel and New York. She is fond of Israel’s “laid-back” atmosphere, beaches, and fresh vegetables. She also misses the familylike environment and feeling of interconnection on Shabbat. Additionally,

she loves knowing that no matter where she was in Israel, it’s an important place, because so many nations have fought and continue to fight over custody of Israel; there is the history of so many people behind every city.

However, she does prefer the organization of the United States government over the muddled bureaucracy of Israel. “It’s hard to work through the Israeli government,” she said, “There’s always tons of paperwork.” Moreover, she enjoys American perks like Amazon.com and the myriad movie and TV options on Netflix. She is fond of the hard-work mindset of New York and feels professionally motivated.

Coming back to Flatbush, Ms. Robinson said she has realized anew what a special place this school is. Once she receives her doctorate, she will be torn between returning to Israel or staying in New York, and only time can tell what she will decide.

Entertainment Music Review:

U2: Songs of Experience

By Brenda Tawil Music Editor

With the first day of December came Songs of Experience, U2’s much-anticipated 14th studio album. A companion piece to the band’s previous album, Songs of Innocence, the LP was composed between 2014 and 2017, predominantly on tour buses, in dressing rooms, and before interviews. It suffered several delays of varying magnitudes, including lead singer Bono’s nearly fatal biking accident and drastic political shifts—Brexit, the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, the Syrian refugee crisis—all of which the album alludes to in some form. It’s a wonderful mixture of emotional highs and disillusioned lows, hope and retrospection and doubt, and a chance to regain the shining purity we threw so naively away with our youth.

U2 has been criticized for a constant attempt to stay modern, but doesn’t a more modern sound feel fit to accompany more modern issues? Professor and poet emeritus Brendan Kennelly advised Bono to “write as if [he’s] dead.”

And so he did, approaching song lyrics as letters addressed to family, friends, fans, nations, politicians, the world, the state of things, himself, lending an air of quivering vulnerability to the work as a whole, but especially to the individual tracks.

The two album titles reference poet William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience poetry collection. Despite the band’s susceptibility to being labeled pretentious for quoting such a lauded literary giant, they understood this juxtaposition of before and after to be incredibly significant. There’s a sense of loss and mourning for all that we leave behind, and a sort of ragged wisdom haunts the experiences we haul around, dragging them with us everywhere because perhaps it will save us some heartbreak the second time around. Maybe all we’ve learned will gift us with a sort of resigned peace, in spite of the political turmoil U2 has been so vocal about for decades, in spite of the world burning around us.

The cover art of Songs of Experience features Bono’s son Eli clasping the hand of Sian, daughter of guitarist “the Edge.”

The pair is dressed nicely, but the color has been sucked out. Barefoot, they face us and they stare us down, expressionless. Sian wears a war helmet. This is possibly an allusion to the cover art of U2: The Best of 1980-1990, in which a young child is wears a similar helmet that nearly swallows what we can see of his face; it weighs on the forlorn gaze his eyes hold,

drifted off camera, the solemn downward curves of the corners of his mouth.

It’s only speculation, though; could this imply that U2 views the world as a war zone, unsafe for humanity, or simply the young, the innocent? Are Eli and Sian grim because they are us, high school kids or the human race, and sometimes it feels as though we know nothing else?

“You’re the Best Thing About Me” was the first track off Songs of Experience to be released as a single. Premiered by popular Norwegian artist Kygo in his 2016 Cloud 9 Festival, the song is one of the more upbeat ones, yet phrases of wisdom balance out a redundant chorus.

“When the world is ours / But the world is not your kind of thing / Full of shooting stars / Brighter as they’re vanishing / Oh you’ve seen enough to know it’s children who teach.” Most of the album’s primary points are touched upon in the song’s first verse, the first verse fans and critics heard of the album; it’s a first impression. And surely enough we hear of light, which disappears yet somehow grows brighter as it fades, and of love, and of feeling like an outcast. And perhaps that last bit is the most brilliant and telling line; “you’ve seen enough” implies that experience is the very thing that teaches us that we know very little, and children very much. We could all do with leaning a bit more from “the innocents.”

And what do we learn from experience? That “Love is All We Have Left.”

Featuring Bon Iver-esque electronic vocal additions, the first track introduces the album with, “Nothing to stop this being the best day ever / Nothing to keep us from where we should be / I wanted the world but you knew better / And that all we have is immortality.” Bono commented that this is his favorite opening line of any U2 album. The song is innocence versus experience. “Love and love is all we have left / You argue because you can’t accept / Love is all we have left.”

Do we have nothing else, only love, and sometimes not even that?

Then comes “The Showman (Little More Better),” a letter sealed with utter honesty. Dear audience, from Bono, “the showman,” with love. “The showman gives you front row to his heart / The showman prays his heartache will chart / Making a spectacle of falling apart / Is just the start of the show.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, Bono commented on the self-deprecating song: “it’s kind of about performers and how you shouldn’t trust them too much. It’s about me, haha.

There’s a funny line… ‘I lie for a living, I love to let on / But you make it true when

HQ Trivia App Takes Over

By Monique Abramson School News Editor

HQ, the free trivia app that broadcasts live shows twice a day, seems to be taking over not only our school, but also the world. Every day at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST, hundreds of thousands of people log onto the 15-minute segment with the hope of winning $1,000 or more by answering a series of 12 questions that range from easy to hard.

The trivia show is usually hosted by the energetic comedian Scott Rogowsky, who makes jokes as he asks the multiple choice questions. Players, or HQties as Rogowsky likes to say, have to answer each question in less than 10 seconds. Once time is up the app shows how many people were eliminated after each round. HQties also have the opportunity to share their thoughts via a rapid-fire chat at the bottom of the screen.

“I’ve been playing HQ since the game only had a few hundred players, so it is insane to see how the game has been blowing up with player counts in the hundreds of thousands,” explained Sam Burekhovich. When he finally won a game he was ecstatic, even though he only won a meager $2.95. “Although the win gave me some street cred, to me it’s more about having fun with my friends while also having a laugh from Scott ‘Quiz Daddy’ Rogowsky’s jokes,” Burekhovich said.

The app was created in late August 2017 by Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll, former cofounders of the six-second

you sing along.’”

“American Soul” is a letter to America from an Irishman (and Kendrick Lamar; he is featured on this song and used a portion of it for “XXX” on his most recent album). America, the song says, is “not a place / This country is to me a thought / That offers grace / For every welcome that is sought.”

“The Little Things That Give You Away” may be the best song of Songs of Experience. “I didn’t realize until too late that I was writing to myself… but the best songs for me are often arguments with yourself or arguments with some other version of yourself,” Bono explained.

“In ‘Little Things,’ innocence challenges experience… At the end of the song, experience breaks down and admits his

video app Vine. After the downfall of Vine this year, the two worked together to develop a new app that is interactive and fun by using live, streaming video. After developing a few other apps, Yusupov and Kroll decided to make a game inspired by “Jeopardy” and other game shows, combining Hollywood-style production and live streaming. This inspiration eventually led to the development of HQ. The free trivia app has become an overnight sensation and has only been getting bigger and bigger. The Android release of the app, promised by the end of December, will only increase the number of users.

The timing of the games presents a particular challenge to Flatbush students: games start at 3 p.m. but 9th period doesn’t end until 3:06. Nonetheless, many addicted students have been finding ways to play at 3 anyway. And on Senior Seminar last month, Class Wars on Saturday night seemed to slow down for a few minutes as several students in each class pulled out their phones to join the 9 p.m. HQ game.

Ronnie Menashe, a senior who plays HQ almost every day, suggests that anyone who doesn’t already have the app should get it. “Not only is it a fun way to learn new things, but also it’s a good way to bond with your friends because when you play it in a group, it’s fun to help each other out and when there is one last person in, the suspense to see if he got the answer right is crazy,” Menashe said.

deepest fears, having been called out on it by his younger, braver, bolder self.” In a stream-of-consciousness conclusion Bono is his most vulnerable; he’s dark but beyond authentic and incredibly raw.

“Sometimes I can’t believe my existence / See myself from a distance / I can’t get back inside / Sometimes the air is so anxious / All my thoughts are so reckless / And all of my innocence has died / Sometimes I wake at four in the morning / Where all the darkness is swarming / And it covers me in fear.”

Like the album, and like U2, we are all some amalgamation of innocence and experience; our past and our memories and all that we are is because of all that we used to be.

www.theflatbushphoenix.com | 5

Fun & Games Ask Merle Dear Merle, It’s almost the end of the semester and I realized that even though I’ve been working really hard, my grades don’t show that. What can I do to convince my teacher to give me a better grade?

A+ Wannabe Dear A+, Have you tried kissing up? Maybe compliment teachers’ outfits or bring them an apple. If that doesn’t work you can offer to babysit or do chores for them. You can even fix their broken toilet if you’re really desperate. Another method is to ask if you can do any extra projects for extra credit, but that’s not as interesting.

Good luck!

Merle Dear Merle, I keep coming late to school and I don’t know what to do. If only the old system of checking yourself off still existed, I could tell someone to mark me here and I wouldn’t be in detention. Is there any way to beat the fingerprint system?

Determined To Sleep In Dear Determined, If you’re as determined as you say you are, your best bet is designing and creating a wearable fingerprint sticker. It would be a clear sticker that you can give to your friends so they could put it on to scan you in. If you make that, then you’re set. Or you can wake up a little earlier. Whatever’s easier.

Merle

The Food Corner Hot Chocolate With the cold winter months blowing in and the days getting shorter and shorter, what’s better than waking up at dawn and drinking a warm, soothing, and calming hot chocolate? No, I don’t mean the powdered, processed stuff you get in those little packets, I’m talking about the real thing. Most people have never tasted real hot chocolate. That is a serious felony which needs to be addressed immediately. It’s easy to make and absolutely worth it! I know the packets are even easier, but who wants to take the easy way out when you can have heaven in a cup? Once you try this, you definitely will not regret it. So if you are stressed out by finals and research papers, try my simple recipe for therapy in a mug.

Dear Merle, I heard that there’s no more candy handed out during finals! If that’s true, how can I pass without some sugar to keep me awake?

Sugar Rush Dear Sugar, I’m not sure if what you’re saying is true. Either way, see a doctor if you can’t stay up during a final unless you have a tiny piece of candy. Second, you do realize that you can just bring your own candy, right? I hope all the questions on your finals are this easy to answer.

Yours truly, Merle

By Hannah Hasson Food Editor

chopped or broken 3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or broken 1/2 tablespoon of dark corn syrup Directions: 1. Place the half and half into a medium sauce pot. Add the milk, chocolates, and corn syrup and stir with a wooden spoon.

2. Cook over low heat on the stove until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Make sure the heat stays low so that the chocolate doesn’t burn.

3. Ladle the hot chocolate into mugs for drinking and top it off with your favorite toppings. I like to put whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a mint candy cane.

How much do Flatbush students really know? I asked a freshman, a junior, and a senior some basic questions to test their knowledge. Here are their answers.

The correct answers are at the bottom of the page.

1. What is Shakespeare’s first name?

Freshman: William.

Junior: Uhh, shoot. Maybe William?

Senior: William.

2. What is Mar’s real name?

Freshman: Who? I don’t know who Mar is.

Junior: I don’t know, I never had him.

Wait … I did. … No … I don’t know.

Senior: Uhhh, wow, that’s a crazy question. I know his last name’s Raphaeli.

3. Does the sun rise in the East or the West?

Freshman: East. I think.

Junior: Is that a thing? Wait, wait ummm … I mean, 50/50, so, West.

Senior: The East.

4. Who of these was never President of the U.S.? Jimmy Carter, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Benjamin Franklin, Woodrow Wilson Freshman: Benjamin Franklin Junior: Woodrow Wilson Senior: Carter. [No.] Uh, alright, so Eisenhower?

5. How many states are in the U.S.?

Freshman: 50. Oh no, wait, 51. Wait, are we including Washington D.C.?

Junior: 50.

Senior: 52.

6. Are dolphins fish or mammals?

Freshman: Are you kidding me? I think they’re both. Wait they can’t be both. Give me a hint.

[No hints!] Ok so they’re mammals.

Junior: Mammals Senior: They’re mammals.

7. What is the strongest muscle in the human body?

Freshman: Give me a hint. [I said no hints!] What? So give me multiple choice.

[No.] Wait, this isn’t my answer, but is your brain a muscle? [No.] Your tongue?

Junior: Your brain!

Senior: The tongue.

8. What is onomatopoeia?

Freshman: Oh onomatopoeia is like ono-mato-poeia. Literally, I think—I’m not sure though—it’s like a crash or like “boom” or stuff like that.

Junior: The definition? Is when the

sound of it is telling you what it is?

Senior: A recurring word or sound.

9. Name the planets in our solar system.

Freshman: What? You want me to name 9, or 8? Because there used to be 9 and now there’s 8.

[8.] OK, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Earth, Saturn, uhhh, oh Mercury. What’s the last one? Give me a hint. What does the last one start with. Oh, Earth. I forgot Earth.

Junior: OK, well there’s the Earth, right? Wait, let’s remember the Drake and Josh song. OK so there’s the Earth and then there’s Mercury, there’s Venus, there’s Mars, there’s Neptune, there’s Uranus … Yeah, that’s all I got.

Senior: So we got Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Mars, and does Pluto count?

10. What is this a picture of?

Freshman: New York!

Junior: Is it New York?

Senior: Is it a country or a state?

[State.] Texas. [No.] Wyoming?

Final Score: Freshman: 8 Junior: 5 Senior: 5 Yikes. Maybe they could all use some more time in high school. How many can you get right?

ANSWERS: 1. William 2. Eldad Raphaeli 3. East 4. Benjamin Franklin 5. 50 6. Mammals 7. Tongue 8. The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named 9. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune 10. New York 209 responses

Student Survey

How sick do you have to be to stay home from school?

05

04

03

0 0

The slightest sniffle keeps me home. 12 Nothing gets between me and my education. 21 I stay home even when I’m not sick. 31 I come to school unless I’m coughing up internal organs. 40 I stay home only if I’m actually sick. 104 20 40 60 80 100 120 10 20 30 40 50 02

Did you know...?

The first chocolate drink was created by the Mayans around 2,000 years ago, and it was an essential part of Aztec culture by the year 1400.

Fun and Games Editor

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Dear Suspicious, Hmm. You’re right. Even though the school was videoed again this year, they still played old clips in the Open House video. And these “monthly videos” people are being interviewed for do seem a bit mysterious. Maybe the videographers sneak into school with one of those fingerprint stickers. Maybe they are secret aliens spying on us to try to get the best intel on how and where is best to invade.

Look into it and let me know before we all die, please.

Thank you for your service, Merle

By Aida Hasson

0

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups of half and half 1 1/2 cups of whole milk 3 ounces of milk chocolate

Dear Merle, I find that someone is always walking around videoing the school, but no videos actually ever appear anywhere.

What’s the deal?

Suspicious Student

Standard of Fabulous Multimasking: The New Skincare Revolution

By Sharon Chappan World News Editor

Skincare has gone through multiple phases when it comes to masks. Many new types of masks have been created, including clay based masks to clear out pores, peel of masks to remove oil and grime from the skin’s surface, and even sheet masks filled with moisturizing serums to provide essential nutrients to the skin.

The newest trend, multimasking, combines all types of masks into one routine. Multimasking is using multiple masks, one after the other, to take care

of multiple skin problems in one sitting.

More diligent multimaskers apply and remove each mask on their entire face one by one.

Multimaskers who have less time apply multiple masks at once, each mask on different areas that need specific treatments.

For example, you can apply a clay mask to areas that tend to produce more oil like the forehead, nose, and chin, then apply a moisturizing mask to areas that tend to need more moisture like the cheeks and under eyes.

Multimasking requires great patience and devotion, but the results appear to be worth it in the long run.

Fashion Fact: The fashion industry generates an average revenue of $20 billion each year.

Missguided: A Wise Choice

By Jessica Vaysman SOF Editor

I’m sure you are familiar with popular clothing sites like Forever 21, Zara, and H&M, but what about other golden sites that no one talks about? Sure, you’re always safe with buying from popular sites, but let’s be real, those sites can be expensive! Along with their hefty prices, the sites are super popular, which means that all of your friends either have seen or already bought that new item you just got.

F o r those of you who have Facebook or Insta-

gram specifically, you might have seen some ads pop up for seemingly “sketchy” sites that seem too cheap to be real. Sites like Shein, Romwe, Pretty Little Things, and Missguided have shown up on my feed a lot. I know you’ve all thought about giving them a try once or twice, but kept dismissing those thoughts in fear that you’d get ripped off. So I spared all of you the trouble by going through the process myself. I recently ordered a ton of clothing from a site called Missguided and I’m about to give you a full rundown.

The first thing I noticed when clicking on the site was that it looked pretty put-together. I’m sure you’ve all stumbled upon some unreliable websites and know exactly how to sniff out a fake, but Missguided looked professional, organized, and pleasing to the eye.

Another great thing that I noticed almost immediately was that most of the clothing on the site was unique and very different from what I have seen on other sites.

Many online clothing stores try to copy popular clothing items, creating cheap knock offs that are poor quality.

Missguided was full of new and fresh clothing items that I’d never seen before, with an incredibly large selection.

I hate going onto some popular sites and seeing that everything in my size is out of stock or unavailable online—sometimes there aren’t even that many items to choose from. What I noticed about Missguided was that there are over almost 100 items in every cate-

Sneakercon New York

By Samuel Vaysman A huge sneaker convention known as Sneakercon is an event that sneaker lovers look forward to all year long.

It travels every year to the largest cities in the world and is a place that anyone can buy, sell, or trade shoes and clothing, from cheaper old-model items to the latest releases from well-known companies like Nike, Adidas, and Supreme. However, selling and buying aren’t the only things you can do at Sneakercon. You don’t need to bring thousands of dollars to have a good time; part of the fun is to look at the crazy shoes vendors have on display, with prices up to tens of thousands of dollars.

This year the event was held at the Javits Center in New York City for two days. Being the sneakerhead that I am, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend. On the morning of December 18, I woke up early to beat the traffic and make it to the venue before doors opened at noon.

I arrived half an hour early and the line to enter the venue was already huge.

Just standing there admiring all of the crazy limited edition clothing and exclusive sneakers that other people on

line were wearing made me even more eager to get inside. I was looking at my watch every few minutes to check the time, and five minutes before 12 a couple of workers walked around checking who had tickets and stamped their hands. As soon as I saw the red ink on my hand my heart started pounding—to some people it’s just a room filled with random shoes, but to me it’s art.

The first thing I saw were tables and tables filled with shoes. For four hours straight I walked around the huge room, amazed by all the incredible sneakers. It was the biggest selection of shoes I have ever seen. Some vendors sold shoes that were just released and impossible to get your hands on anywhere else. Others were selling Jordans that came out in 1984, the first year Michael Jordan started playing.

A lot of sneakerheads, like myself, watch different people on YouTube who review shoes and clothing. At Sneakercon I got to meet many of these YouTubers and buy their merchandise.

Sneakercon was the biggest event I have ever attended and truly a day to remember. For anyone who’s into clothes or sneakers, I recommend attending Sneakercon when it rolls around next year.

gory. You can easily filter the site for the fit, size, color, etc. of every clothing item, which made it easy to shop and find exactly what I wanted.

I also noticed that the clothing items were much cheaper than popular sites like Zara, Urban Outfitters, and Topshop. Don’t get me wrong, the clothes aren’t dirt cheap, but they’re pretty well priced compared to most popular sites. To give you some idea, most of the clothing items on Missguided range from $15–50; on the most popular sites you’ll find most clothing items ranging from $30–80.

Ordering the clothing and checking out of the site was relatively simple; then all I had to do was wait for my clothing to arrive. When I originally placed my order I was told that my shipment would arrive in 5–7 business days. I’m not sure if this was because I ordered my clothing around

Thanksgiving, but it took more like a week and a half to two weeks for the clothing to arrive. That was a little annoying, but nevertheless the clothing eventually arrived.

When I tried on the clothes I was pretty pleased. The sizing chart was spot on and I wasn’t too displeased with anything I ordered. The clothing didn’t look or feel cheap, but I have to admit that some of the skirts were made of pretty thin material. One of the skirts had a loose string as well, but I just ripped it off and it was fine.

The quality of the clothing is not as impressive as other more expensive sites, but it’s not bad, and if you ask me, it’s worth it for the price you’re paying.

Overall I had a pretty good experience ordering from Missguided and I would 100% order from the site again to take advantage of the lower prices and the huge selection of stylish (and tzniut) clothes.

Contributing Writer

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Sports Good Chemistry Keeps Girls JV Volleyball Winning

By Jamie Ashkenazie Contributing Writer

The girl’s JV Volleyball team has started their eight-game season with an impressive record of 5-0. Their next game will take place on February 1 against HAFTR, and everyone’s praying for another win.

The team has put in a great amount of effort and time to get to this point. They practice for two hours twice a week, and some players even stay after practice to put in some extra work. Although the team practices a great deal, a large factor in their success is their camaraderie and teamwork.

The sophomores who were on the team last year welcomed all the new members with open arms. During practice, the players have gotten to know each other and have developed very strong friendships. This gives the team a great advantage.

During the girls’ games, there is a lot of energy on the court. Everyone is excited, motivated, and constantly having fun. There are moments of intense concentration, but that quickly goes away

Contributing Writer

This December, the Flatbush boys and girls Varsity teams attended the Maimonides Invitational Basketball Tournament, held in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The event, hosted by Maimonides School, is an annual tournament that brings of six out-of-state teams for a four-day basketball tournament. This gave our Falcons the chance not only to get more playing experience to supplement their regular MYHSAL seasons, but also it gave them a unique opportunity to grow together as a team.

The teams were coached through the tournament by Coach Michael Gurock.

He led the boys’ team to the finals, where they lost a thrilling game in overtime to the host Maimonides M-Cats by the score of 64-57, after the M-Cats scored a 3-point buzzer-beater as the clock marked the end of regulation.

While not as fulfilling as a championship, this second-place finish does not diminish the valuable experiences enjoyed by the players during their week-

8 | www.theflatbushphoenix.com

Sally Missry

Alice Franco (11) waits under the ball as teammates look on

when the score is in the team’s favor, as it has tended to be this season.

Of course, talent plays a big part as well. Captain Danielle Tawil explained, “A lot of the freshmen came in very talented, and we get the chance to frequently play the freshmen as well as the sophomores.”

The team’s Head Coach, Irene Eisdorfer, “is honestly the best possible coach for the job,” said freshman Adelle Ayash.

“During the game she has many tactics to guide us and lead us to victory.” Coach Irene is known for yelling advice during games, but the team has come to learn that if there’s no yelling, that means that

they’re doing something wrong.

Teammates say that everyone is very supportive of each other. When one player messes up, the other players might get a little frustrated, but they quickly push that feeling aside and focus so they don’t repeat the mistake. They all consider each other’s feelings during the game, knowing that taking frustration out on the player would only cause more mistakes throughout the game.

In addition to their winning record, the players can each say that they have made many new friends. Hopefully, they will add a championship as well.

Basketball Teams Win Moral Victory in Massachusetts

By Jack H. Dweck

Sportsman Spotlight:

long stay in Brookline. Players were able to spend quality time with one another and had a chance to meet opposing players from around the country.

According to junior Joe Kattan, “Coach Gurock was able to motivate us to play hard, and although we didn’t win

Rozan Mizrahi-Laudon, had a less impressive showing, although they were able to recover from their losses and finish in third place among all competing teams. Center Betty Greenberg, a junior, expressed similar sentiments to the boys.

“It wasn’t only about the wins and losses, it was about meeting new people and growing closer as a team,” she said. The players Ms. Mizrahi-Laudon trains are able to accept defeat and learn from it to become better. The girls were very excited to meet with other teams as well, and had a good-natured snowball fight with the opposing teams in the free time between games.

Players were treated to a grand barbeque celebration at Coach Joe Kattan (10) shoots from long range against Maimonides Gurock’s brother’s in the end, we were able to connect as a house to end the trip. team.” The Falcons’ coaches, a rare breed, Many players, including Greenberg, are able to instill camaraderie within Kattan, and Rosen, expressed gratitude their players, and that has allowed the for the experience. They were able to team to thrive. connect with their teams, and although “I have confidence in my teammates, the Falcons did not come home from and I learned how to trust them on this Massachusetts with championship trotrip, after playing the hard-fought games phies, they learned the true values of a and rooming with them for a couple of team: teamwork, unity, and most of all, nights,” stated junior Isaac Rosen. perseverance.

The girls team, headed by Coach

By Ezra Faks Junior Editor

Sally Missry of class 3-HN has played on three Falcon teams in her three years at Flatbush: volleyball, soccer, and softball. In those three years, Missry has established a reputation as a commanding, hard-working team player who attends all her practices diligently and trains hard to win.

Missry makes it clear that she’s in it for the team, not just the games. “Every week I look forward to competing with the other schools and being on the court with the team; we always try our hardest while having a great time.”

Despite Missry’s skill and determination, her talent hasn’t translated into many wins on the volleyball court so far this year. Nonetheless, she still believes the Falcons have the potential to become one of the best teams in the league. Next year, she says, the team will be even better, with the combination of this year’s juniors and sophomores on the varsity team.

“Our coach, Irene, is always cheering us on and motivating us. When I tried out for the team in freshmen year I did not even know what a volleyball was, but with Irene’s help, I was able to play better than I ever would have thought.” Coach Irene propelled Missry from a nervous freshman to the team leader she is today.

Sally believes she is a key player in the team because she puts in effort and is an example for the rest of the team.

Because she’s a junior right now, Missry is not yet eligible for the position of team captain, but she’s definitely a great candidate for her senior year.

Meanwhile, she will keep playing hard and building relationships. “Of course I love playing volleyball, but even more than that, I know that the friendships made while being on the team will last forever.”