A Student Publication of the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School • 1609 Avenue J, Brooklyn, New York • Issue 1 • 2015 / 5776
New Textbook Distribution System Earns Raves
By Mary Jajati Sophomore Editor
Barcode systems and textbooks are two things that are rarely welcomed with thunderous applause. Yet that was exactly the reaction on Orientation Day this year when Rabbi Levy announced to students that their textbooks were already waiting in their assigned lockers. Organized and implemented over the summer by Mr. Galpert and Ms. Minyan along with the help of the Book Room students, the new system is meant to “minimize theft and make back-to-school season easier for both students and teachers,” Ms. Minyan said. With this system, books are barcoded, scanned, and assigned to individual students. So, unlike in previous years, book sheets aren’t used and students don’t have to write their names in books. Students, teachers, and administrators longed for a more efficient distribution and collection of books, and this system was designed to do just that. “We hope for a more secure inventory of books for the
Donated hair must be at least 10 inches long
Each student, like this senior, had a locker full of books before the school year began
school,” Mr. Galpert said. He explained that all principals needed to approve the system for many reasons, including the financial costs. The costs included not just the barcode scanning technology but the additional labor of the Book Room students, who get Archon credit for their
work during the school year but get paid hourly when they work over the summer. Senior and veteran Book Room employee Joey Baum said that putting the correct combination of books into each student’s locker was “definitely more work” than the old method of delivering continued on page 4
New Teacher Profile: Mr. Ehrenkranz By Jane Zakay Junior Editor
Before becoming a teacher, Mr. Miles Ehrenkranz, or “Mr. E” as he’s known to his students, held public office in New Rochelle, NY for three terms, worked as an aide to Senator Joseph Lieberman in Washington, D.C., and worked in public relations for a Manhattan firm whose clients included the State of Israel and P. Diddy. Somewhere along the way he dis-
In This Issue Religion: Parashat Haazinu gets symbolic Page 3
covered a love for teaching and mentoring, and thus changed careers. Most recently, Mr. E taught English and was the AP coordinator at Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch, more commonly known as Breuer’s. Despite his other professional experiences, Mr. E says that his three years at Breuer’s were the best years of his life so far. Nonetheless, he is excited to be working at Yeshivah of Flatbush, where he now teaches 9th and 11th grade English and 12th grade Creative Writing. “In particular, I hope to continue doing what Yeshivah of Flatbush’s English Department does so well: conveying a sense of how important, exciting, and relevant the study of literature and the application of writing well are to every one of us,” he explained. Mr. E says that joining Yeshivah of
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Flatbush was a no-brainer. He praised the faculty of our Yeshivah as brilliant and said they work as a team on behalf of their students. He also says that the school’s leadership is top-notch and that, “the students are high-quality, diverse learners who embrace their individualism; a dream for any teacher.” Mr. Ehrenkranz visited the school continued on page 2
YOF To Hold Hair Drive for Cancer Patients By Naomi Sanders Junior Editor
On the morning of November 16, the girls of Yeshivah of Flatbush are being given a very special chesed opportunity. Señora Ovadia and seniors Stephanie Dweck and Sabrina Abrahim are organizing the school’s first-ever hair drive. In order to participate, a donor’s hair must be at least 10 inches long. Participants will be transported from school on that morning to Hadas, a local hair salon, to have their hair properly prepared and cut for donation. The donated ponytails will be sent to Zichron Menachem, a charity in Israel that makes wigs for children with cancer. Zichron Menachem was started by the parents of a young boy who died of cancer at the age of 15. The organization provides support to families who are going through similar challenges to those the founders faced. It serves the entire country of Israel 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Zichron Menachem runs various programs but it is most well-known for distributing qualicontinued on page 4
Fun and Games: “Ask Merle” tackles the meaning of life Page 5
Sports: Rosow aims for hoops championship Page 8 www.theflatbushphoenix.com | 1