The Phoenix 2022-2023 Issue 1

Students grapple with new cell phone policy

By Isaac Dweck Senior Editor

At the end of the summer, Flatbush students and parents received a surpris ing email detailing plans for a new cell phone policy. “Our goal is for students to be responsible about phone use in school and in their lives,” said Head of School Rabbi Beyda. The administra tion believes that a reduction in phone use will provide the best possible reli gious, educational, and social-emotion al experience for students. In the email, the school claimed that students “spend much of their free time in yeshivah and on trips focused on their phones instead of the in-person interactions that are important for social development.” Ad ditionally, it was made clear on the first

day of school that if a student is spotted with a phone in class it will be confiscat ed. The school has been firm about this new policy, and many students reported teachers stressing compliance during their first classes. It has been made very clear: phones will not be permitted in classrooms.

Flatbush students have reacted to this

new policy in a plethora of ways. Some students support the school’s new poli cy. Junior Michael Wahba believes that “the usage of phones is addicting and distracting us from our school work.” However, while Wahba held that the new rules are fair, he doubted their necessity, explaining that “the policy last year got the job done.”

Robin Cohen, Secretary of the Senior Council, agreed with Wahba that the new rules are not needed. Cohen argued that in past years teachers never allowed students to play games on their phones, “so this isn’t such a dramatic change from what students are used to.” While Cohen revealed that teachers have emphatically voiced enforcement of the policy, she has

Most students excited for midsemester testing week

By Jacqueline Halabi Junior Editor

As the school year kicks off on full speed, the students and faculty have been adjusting to the switch from the usual testing calendar to a testing week roughly in the middle of each semester. The gen eral consensus between both the teachers and students has been overwhelmingly positive.

By David Marcus Entertainment Editor

The Yeshivah of Flatbush administra tion is considering a significant change to the process by which valedictorians and salutatorians are selected.

The school’s current process is sim ple: the highest computer generated GPAs are selected, and those students have the esteemed honor of representing their grade at graduation. However, the administration has recently been consid ering a voting system which will go into effect in time for the class of 2024.

According to Assistant Principal Rabbi Galpert, the traditional process of choosing valedictorian in Flatbush is “the two highest GPAs would be vale dictorian. It had nothing to do with anything else besides their overall GPA-just a straight number.” Rabbi Galpert said that the administration is discuss ing a potential change in the selection process because, “as we are moving on and thinking about what the Yeshivah of Flatbush should be, it’s not just about

numbers or grades. We’re much more than a number.”

Additionally, he said that the princi pals have looked at many other schools that “have various ways they choose valedictorian, and most don’t go sole ly by the highest GPA.” He continued, “We are considering different methods. Possibly a selection from the students themselves where they would decide who they’d like to be represented by. It can also be a committee of administra tors and teachers who select that person; it could be a combination of both.”

The current system does not weigh averages or recognize the difficulty of the classes that a student takes, which means that a student who takes many AP classes can finish behind a student with a slightly higher average who takes no AP classes.

2023 valedictorian candidate Moselle Goldstein stated that there are significant problems with the current system. “They should definitely weigh the averages so that it makes the grades more balanced.”

Goldstein also sees potential problems

occurring should a voting system be im plemented. She feels strongly that voting shouldn’t fully determine the valedicto rian, but rather guide the administration in choosing the right person.

Some students have pointed out that the proposed new method comes with the risk that the valedictorian selection turns into a popularity contest. “How ever, we are not necessarily opposed to that,” stated Rabbi Galpert. “We want the person chosen to best represent the grade.”

Emma Dayan, a potential 2024 vale dictorian, may be heavily impacted by these changes. Dayan offered another way to do it: “Choose one valedictorian based on GPA, and the other should be a representative chosen by the students.” This allows for a compromise between the traditional method and new propos al of choosing valedictorian. Dayan said that she can agree with both systems “as long as students who worked hard are recognized.”

The decision to switch from the usual to these testing weeks was inspired by one of this year’s themes, fairness. “We want ed to make sure that students have clear understandings of where chunks of learn ing are, so we decided to have six weeks of learning and then a formal assessment afterward,” Rabbi Galpert explained. “These are not finals, they might not be cumulative, but they are tests, so they are 50 minutes long. However, we are giving 75 minutes to complete the exam, so ev erybody gets extra time. We want these tests to be about not just how fast you can answer the questions, but how best you can answer the questions,” Rabbi Galpert concluded. “The rigor is not going down. It’s just more equitable and fair and also a lighter burden, I would say.”

Most students are delighted with the change. “It’s so much less pressure on me,” junior Danielle Ashear stated. Senior Lyd ia Ezon added, “I’m personally very ex cited about it. I think it’ll make every six weeks more chilled and relaxed, and I’ll be able to focus more on my classes.”

Many teachers believe that, by reduc ing stress for students, the testing weeks will create a calmer learning environment, which will be useful to more accurately check in on how each student is doing.

“I’m hopeful, I’m interested to see how it works, and I believe that it will reduce stress for students and possibly even for teachers,” history teacher Mr. Engel stated.

As for creating smaller assessments in between testing weeks, Jewish History chair Ms. Wielgus explained, “In terms of my own work, I don’t think I’m giving more homework, but I am trying to figure

Cut the classroom coffee crisis

By Jennifer Kreizman Phoenix Staff

If coffee has no place in the class room, neither do I. When I walked into the building on September 7 after waking up at 6 a.m., I had a coffee in hand. I had been up before the sun, and the coffee was my last tether to sanity. My world came crashing down when I was stopped by a teacher.

Apparently, in addition to the numer ous new rules the school had decided to spawn out of thin air, coffee was now barred from classrooms. I was shook. Astounded. Flabbergasted even. I’m 18 years old, and the school is concerned about me drinking a coffee in class?

The irony of the situation is that cof fee is beneficial to the school. With as signments piling up and grades to main tain, us sleep deprived students would be the walking dead without these iced cups of fuel. The situation is comparable to a referee not letting the players use their cleats in a soccer game. It’s not absolutely

necessary but it sure would be helpful. So really, what does the administration have against our coffee?

Is our coffee hurting anyone? No.

Is our coffee calling out in class? No.

Is our coffee attacking teachers? No.

Is our coffee keeping the students awake? Yes.

Is our coffee making sure students are attentive? Yes.

Is our coffee paid for with students’ money? Yes.

What excellent points being brought up.

The school should start viewing cof fee as an ally rather than public enemy number one. I’ve walked past a multitude of classrooms and almost tripped over 20 coffee cups. Were any problems solved by making kids leave their coffee cups out side of classrooms? Did this new policy solve the school’s bullying problem? Did it fix student stress levels? No, it didn’t. So to sum it up, I’m going to give the administration a bit of advice: don’t fix what isn’t broken.

McCoy takes the lessons of Flatbush to the Mayo Clinic

Alumna Interview: Rozalina McCoy (HS ’00)

By Sophia Madeb

Junior Editor

After spending her childhood in Latvia, Rozalina G. McCoy began high school at Yeshivah of Flatbush know ing very little English. Four years later she was enrolled at Harvard University, and today she is an accomplished endo crinologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at the groundbreaking Mayo Clinic.

How did she get from Point A to Point B? She gives Flatbush a lot of the credit.

McCoy says that her experience at Flatbush taught her valuable lessons about adapting to different environ ments. “To catch up with my peers and learn to thrive in a very different envi ronment from one that I was used to was a great lesson that has served me well in every role and place ever since,” she said. “After Flatbush, the challenges of Harvard and then medical school were something I knew I could handle.”

Like any other student, Rozalina was interested in extracurricular activities such as peer tutoring, Pesach packaging, La Estrella, and Model Congress. She

also volunteered at Maimonides Hospi tal, where she grew her love for the field of medicine.

Flatbush gave McCoy not just aca demic lessons but also spiritual lessons. She grew up very differently from her peers, but Flatbush taught her that ev eryone in school has one thing in com mon, which is being a Jew.

“My background was very different from many of my classmates, having grown up in Latvia, and my Jewish expe rience growing up there was very differ ent from that of my friends who grew up in the U.S.,” she explained. “I also didn’t have a strong knowledge base about Tanakh, Talmud, halakhah, or Jewish history, so that was incredibly import ant and invaluable to learn. It helped me round out my Jewish identity that has been at the core of who I am.”

After high school, McCoy contin ued on her path to medicine. She start ed with a BA in biochemical sciences, with a language citation in modern He brew from Harvard University (class of 2004), followed by an MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2009, an MS in health services research from Mayo Clinic Graduate School in 2015,

Faculty Freshman: Mr. Benjamin Weinstein

By Esther Shemia Junior Editor

Mr. Benjamin Weinstein is a bright new addition to our history department who brings an exciting energy to his 11th grade U.S. History classes.

He chose to teach at Flatbush specif ically because “the Jewish community means a lot to me, and I like teaching in a Jewish environment.” Additionally, he said that the student body and other teachers make Flatbush a great place to work.

Mr. Weinstein has previously worked at a charter school in Brooklyn as well as a middle school in Taiwan, where he lived for two different years. During his first year in Taiwan, he was an exchange student living with host families while at tending a local high school. More recent ly, Mr. Weinstein returned to Taiwan for a second year during the pandemic and taught English at a local middle school. “It was definitely interesting to observe the differences between the U.S. and Tai wanese educational systems,” Mr. Wein stein remarked.

He attended the University of Chi cago where he studied history and took many language classes. He has learned five languages, besides English, to vary ing degrees of fluency. While he is most fluent in Mandarin and Spanish, he can also converse in Hebrew, Arabic, and a

an internal medicine residency at Mayo Clinic in 2012, and a fellowship in endo crinology at Mayo Clinic in 2015.

McCoy expresses to anyone inter ested in a career in medicine that the field is more than just science. “As a scientist, it is important to have a diverse intellectual background because one field of study informs and inspires the other, making the work better and stronger. And as someone who tries to im pact the healthcare system and society more broadly, it’s important to have the intellectual foundation of history, sociology, psychol ogy, language arts, etc. I’m also interested in medical ethics, and the Jewish phi losophy and halakhah I learned in Flatbush remain at the core of that. So everything we learn is ultimately use ful!”

She added that students should pur

little French. Additionally, he worked as a tutor during his time in Chicago.

Mr. Weinstein finds Yeshivah of Flat bush to be a warm, dedicated, and edu cational environment that he is excited to work in. One advantage he believes the school has are the many holidays which provide him with ample time off. Mr. Weinstein’s favorite thing about teaching is getting to spend all day talking about his favorite subject, history; conversely, he most dislikes grading.

Mr. Weinstein has two younger sis ters, Eden and Maia. His hobbies include biking and hiking, and he enjoys playing acoustic guitar. Mr. Weinstein has done many fascinating things in his life. He’s very well traveled, having been to a total of 38 states. He’s a huge fan of bluegrass music and often goes to concerts around New York. And though Mr. Weinstein isn’t the most avid sports fan, he looks forward to watching the World Cup later this year.

sue their passions because your career “is not your whole life. It would help if you had a strong family and com munity life to stay ground ed, happy, fulfilled, and sane.”

Cohen,

Anteby

Belenkiy

Hanna Mishan

David Marcus, Belle Shatzkes

Fashion Editors: Clara Edery, Arlette Mann

Fun & Games Editor: Robin Rawas

Sports Editor: Simone Amkraut

Junior Editors: Aliya Abergil, Jacqueline Halabi, Nitza Hanan, Aleen Jaradeh, Sophia Madeb, Esther Shemia

Sophomore Editors: Samantha Ryba, Sylvia Saad

Design: Carolina Cohen

Faculty Adviser: Adam Hofstetter

Ms. Esther Hidary, Associate Principal

Rabbi Yigal Sklarin, Associate Principal

Rabbi David Galpert, Assistant Principal

Rabbi Joseph Beyda, Head of School

High School Administration

Largest-ever crop of new teachers gets additional support

By Hanna Mishan Features Editor

Flatbush has hired their high est number of teachers in a sin gle year, with 26 new faculty members joining the staff for this school year. Whether full or parttime, there are new teachers in just about every subject.

Similar to the anxiety felt by the freshmen in coming to a new place, new faculty are just as nervous! “Almost 95% of the time, new teachers will struggle in their first year,” Associate Principal Ms. Hidary disclosed. As a result, the administration has arranged many programs and sup port systems to help the new teachers ad just to the Flatbush environment.

Before the first day of school every year, all new recruits come into school for a new-faculty orientation where they learn about the schools’ core values, mis sion, and expectations. “During the ori entation they said it over and over again: that you’ll really start feeling like Flat bush is a family,” recounted new math teacher Ms. Esther Issever.

Additionally, each teacher is set up with a “coach,” an experienced faculty member who meets with their mentees as often as needed and offers support.

“We also have a meeting with all the new teachers once a week to share what their experiences have been, what they’re struggling with, and what they’re suc ceeding on,” Ms. Hidary explained.

The excessive number of new teach ers was the result of many factors. One

of the most crucial factors was the rapid rate at which the student body is grow ing. Another factor was a new initiative being implemented in the school, which Ms. Hidary described as “pullout classes for extra support.” Students struggling in subjects such as math, science, and He brew are placed in smaller classes where they can receive the help and attention they need. With the addition of classes comes the inevitable need for more ed ucators. Another reason so many new teachers were needed was the abundance of electives being offered this year during periods 1, 8, 10, 11, and 12.

Ms. Issever explained that it can be overwhelming to walk into all of her classes and see hundreds of new names and faces to learn. On the flip side, she also described it as “hundreds of oppor tunities to make a difference.” One of Ms. Issever’s favorite parts of the Flat bush faculty experience is how friendly and welcoming her coworkers are. She noticed that teachers often eat lunch to gether, and has appreciated the oppor tunity to sit and build relationships with them.

Pathfinders getting strict about club requirements

By Beverly Dweck School News Editor

As the Pathfinders staff has taken over the oversight of school clubs, their efforts to standardize rules and language is having several immediate effects.

According to Pathfinders counselor Ms. Anteby, Pathfinders has established “rules that must be followed in order to be considered a club.” Previously, stu dents had the ability to approach the administration and present an idea they had for a commission. Pathfinders has begun to rebrand by eliminating the use of the word “commission” entirely in fa vor of the more nationally common term “club.” Their reasoning was that colleges don’t understand what commissions are when they see them on college appli cations. To stress how serious they are about this rebranding, when they texted all club leaders about preparing informa tion boards for last week’s Club Fair, they mentioned that “NO board can say com mission, it must say CLUB.”

Included in Pathfinders’ efforts is the continuation of Student Activities Direc tor Ms. Marcus’s perpetual crackdown on bogus clubs started by seniors who are looking to pad their extra curricular activities for col lege applications. Student organizations will now be categorized in three tiers: a team must be working to ward a competition, a club must meet once a week after school and be working to ward a goal, and a group, the newest category, is simply a collection of students meet

ing whenever they choose to and focus ing on something specific.

“This is being done to ensure the le gitimacy of clubs,” remarked the coun selors at the Pathfinders office. “Colleges will know that if you’re in a club, you’re putting in time and effort to main tain that club.” One reason behind this change is to encourage students to be deeply engaged in one or two clubs rath er than being slightly involved in many. The Pathfinders office feels this will ben efit students, because it will allow them to fully and passionately explore their interests without spreading themselves too thin.

However, some students are frustrat ed by these new rules. “I think that the new club requirements are a little exces sive,” stated an anonymous senior. “Most clubs don’t meet once a week and they used to be interest-based. Now, creating and getting a club is way too hard and unrealistic. We all have busy schedules and don’t have time to meet once a week.”

College guidance features many new faces, procedures

By Robyn Beyda School News Editor

The College Guidance department, under the leadership of new director Ms. Mottahedeh, is making many changes for the upcoming year, and the most notable is the almost entirely new staff. Replacing departed staff members, four new mem bers of the department have joined veter ans Ms. Dressler and Ms. Kuznicki.

According to new Director of Col lege Guidance Ms. Emily Mottahedeh, the department—now made up of her self, Ms. Kuznicki, Ms. Lefkowitz, Ms. Dressler, Ms. DePalo, and Ms. Hall—will be operating under an entirely different structure. The team has come up with a new college preparation timeline that will start in junior year. Parents and chil dren will be invited to town hall meet ings and assemblies that will be sched uled throughout the end of junior year and the beginning of senior year. Here, students will be updated on where they should be in the college process and what actions are necessary in the upcoming weeks.

The department is also introducing a new college curriculum for juniors. Starting in the second semester of junior year, weekly classes will be incorporated

into each student’s schedule. Each college guidance counselor will be assigned a group of kids who they will teach for a total of ten lessons on topics that include how to research different institutions, how to draft and edit a college essay, and more.

The new staff, hired by Ms. Mottahe deh over the spring and summer, con sists of counselors with experience in all ends of the college application process. Ms. DePalo and Ms. Lefkowitz both have worked in high school counseling, while Ms. Hall has been part of the teams selecting students for admission into Georgetown and Hunter. According to Ms. Mottahedeh, each counselor, in addi tion to their individual expertise, needed to project a warm personality that would be encouraging to the students before getting hired.

This is because the department’s main goal is to make sure the students and parents are properly informed and feel supported throughout the process. “Do they feel like they have someone on their team? That would be the measure of suc cess,” she remarked.

The administration began the hiring process for a director back in February, as soon as it was announced that former director Ms. Long, would be leaving. The

administration was looking for someone who would help create a warm feeling in the office and make sure parents and stu dents felt comfortable during every stage of the college process.

Ms. Mottahedeh checked off all the right boxes and more, according to Rabbi Sklarin. Her combination of vast knowl edge of the college process, clear vision for the department, and warm attitude and communication skills made her a perfect fit, he said.

Though both the administration and college guidance department have high hopes for the upcoming school year and their structure, they acknowledge that there is no transition without challenges. “We’re trying to change, and whenever you’re trying to change things, it’s hard. It’s uncomfortable, but I’m hoping it’ll be a change for the good,” says Rabbi Sklar in.

For example, many of the counselors don’t have experience working with Flat bush’s niche student body, who generally look for colleges close to home and pri oritize Jewish life on campus. According to Rabbi Sklarin, the department has ad dressed this issue by researching and at tending webinars on Jewish life over the summer, and is well prepared to address the students’ needs.

The greatest hurdle though, are the encroaching deadlines.

The college guidance counselors have an extremely limited amount of time to get to know and work with all the seniors before the application deadlines, which can be as early as November 1. Even with the detailed personality questionnaire all seniors are filling out, this will be a diffi cult task for the already-inundated staff.

The students feel it, too. “I’m very nervous about the fact that we’re starting fresh senior year, the year that we need to apply,” said senior Tunie Hanan “It’s not like the college guidance counselors know anything about us. We just have to jump right in and hope for the best.”

As for the administration, they’re more concerned with the seniors them selves, and whether they’ll have time to balance their schoolwork, extracurric ular activities, and college essay cram ming.

Though the students are nervous about the time limit, those who have met with their college guidance counsel ors felt that it was a positive experience.

“[My counselor] made me a to-do list and I felt a lot more prepared,” said senior Talya Shamoelian. “She made me feel like I was meeting my targets and not falling behind.”

New faculty had their own robust orientation on September 1

The word “commission” was not seen at last week’s Club Fair

Fiona opens hurricane season, with many more storms expected

D’var Torah: Sukkot rain provides perspective

By Arlette Anteby Religion Editor

In Masekhet Sukkah 28B, the Ge mara teaches us that on all seven days of Sukkot, a man should make his suk kah his permanent dwelling place and render his home his temporary dwell ing place. The Gemara then poses the question as to what happens when it rains during a Sukkot meal. It answers that if there is enough rain to ruin a congealed dish, one is permitted to eat the meal inside.

The Gemara compares this situ ation to the mashal of a servant who comes to pour a cup of wine for his master, only for his master to then pour a jug of water in his face, show ing that he does not desire his pres ence nor his service. The Gemara de rives an important lesson from this that teaches us that when G-d brings rain on Sukkot, he simply does not want the person to fulfill the mitzvah of eating in the sukkah.

our lives don’t go according to plan or play out the way we ex pect them to. However, it is important to realize that we live in a world that G-d has set for us; there is meaning and purpose behind it all. Though we usually can’t recognize G-d’s Divine intervention in our lives, we must recognize that, while it often seems as though we are the masters of our own lives, there is something beyond us at play.

The holiday of Sukkot also pres ents us all with the unique opportuni ty to focus on the meaningful aspects of our lives. Time spent dwelling in a sukkah, which in its most simple state resembles a tent or hut, devoid of all of our materialistic possessions, grants us the ability to recognize our blessings. After a period of introspec tion and repentance, it is fitting to ap preciate all of the gifts G-d bestows upon us. I implore each of you take this time of joy, וניתחמש

By Michelle Belenkiy World News Editor

Puerto Rico is known for rum, beauti ful beaches, and musicians like Lin-Man uel Miranda. However, it is also known for the damage done by powerful storms like the Category 1 Hurricane Fiona. Last week this storm managed to force more than a million people into darkness, triggered mudslides, flooded neighbor hoods, and nearly destroyed the island.

Puerto Rico, no stranger to devastating hurricanes, has just experienced one of the worst starts to their hurricane season ever recorded. More than 20 inches of rain battered the island, and many parts are still inaccessible today. At least four people have lost their lives to the storm, which the Puerto Rican governor called “catastrophic.” Over 400 people were rescued in Salinas, a major city on the southern coast. The negative effects of Fiona still permeate the island days after the storm passed.

Meanwhile, Fiona was still gaining strength as it moved on from Puerto Rico to devastate the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and Bermuda, but me teorologists were already tracking the next tropi cal storms to see if they would turn into Hurri canes Gaston, Hermine, and Ian. The pattern is expected to continue, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad ministration (NOAA) predicts that this year’s Atlantic hurricane sea son will be “above aver age,” with 14-21 named storms, including 3-6 major hurricanes. There is a 65% chance of an ab normally active season.

The lasting, harmful effects of this start to the series of storms indicates a deeper underlying problem. Climate change has increased the strength and frequency of hurricanes, as warm er ocean temperatures cause stronger winds, increased rain, and a wider area where these storms can form. Other con tributing climate factors include La Nina, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and enhanced monsoons.

Devastation like Puerto Rico saw last week “would happen every 15 years, but now we’re having these floods way too often,” Ms. Cortés Dávila said while help ing with cleanup efforts in her neighbor hood, Toa Baja, west of San Juan.

While for us, in the Northern Atlan tic, we can call upon hurricane insurance and our previous track record regarding hurricanes to help mitigate any damage, many of the hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico do not have such luxuries. Three days after Hurricane Fio na hit, 80% of Puerto Rico still lacked electricity, and the hurricane season is only beginning to take shape.

In such a situation, many people get frustrated that they cannot fulfill the mitzvah they had prepared for. They express a desire to enjoy the meal as it was intended. It is human nature to become frustrated when things in

, to recog nize our gifts, whether it be the loved ones sitting around our Sukkot tables, the delicious meals, or even recogniz ing the gift of life we are all so privi leged to experience.

Abie J. Tawil contributed to this article.

Students react to phone policy

“not seen one teacher take one [phone] away yet.”

On the other hand, there are many students that strongly disagree with the school’s new policy. Cohen, for example, called the new rules Robin Cohen “very excessive.”

Freshman Albert Shammah admitted he is not heavily affected by the policy as he came from middle school where similar policies existed; however, he is still against it. Shammah acknowledged that the misuse of technology in school should be met with punishment, but as a general rule, students should be able to leave their phones on their desks. He also argued for the utilization of tech nology in education: “many teachers like us to use our phones for certain things anyway, so they should just be out the whole time. If a specific teacher does not want phones out, then they can just say.” He added that “it’s very frustrating when we need our phones when our Chrome books are not charged or not working

that we aren’t allowed to use them.”

Gabriel Levi, senior and Treasurer of the SGO, weighed in on the new policy and its conception: “I don’t believe it’s necessary at all, actually. What I do be lieve is that the school saw many other schools implementing this new policy and decided to hop on the train just to give parents comfort.”

One thing students seem to agree on is that teachers are enforcing the new policy. Shammah believes that the new policy is working and said that teachers are “making us either leave it in our bag, by the door, or on their desk.” Levi agreed that the policy is being enforced, espe cially “in terms of putting our phones on the desk when going to the bathroom.”

The school’s new cell phone policy clearly has been a focal point of the ad ministration and teachers through the first few weeks of school. When asked if the new policy has been working as en visioned, Rabbi Beyda responded with a simple, “So far, so good.”

Students excited about testing changes

continued from page 1

continued from page 1 out ways to do more mini-assessments in class. I think this way there are more fre quent check-ins on how students are do ing academically and all the studies show that it’s in fact the best way for students to learn.”

However, some students have ex pressed their doubts about the new schedule working for all four grades in school, as each differs academically. “For seniors, I think it’s great because we’ll be applying for college now and we’ll have

clear minds, but I don’t know if I would like it as any other grade,” senior Julia Zeitouny explained.

Nonetheless, the other grades seem just as enthusiastic. Freshman Michael Abergil added, “Once you get to the test week it’ll definitely be stressful. … It’s go ing to be better, though, because there’s less stress at the beginning of the year, especially for the freshmen who are just starting school.”

Five years after Hurricane Maria damaged much of the island, Fiona did the same

Theater Review: Funny Girl exceeds expectations

By Nitza Hanan Junior Editor

Lea Michele’s portrayal of Fanny Brice in the revival of Funny Girl on Broadway is nothing short of extraor dinary. Funny Girl is a touch ing story of young Jewish New Yorker, Fanny Brice, and her rise to fame as a singer and comic. It original ly opened on Broadway in 1964 and was made into a movie a few years later that starred Barbra Streisand as Fanny. Mi chele had big shoes to fill and expecta tions to live up to, and she did.

Michele is known for her stellar voice and talent. Unsurprisingly, each song was vocally perfect, and was followed by roaring applause. “Don’t Rain on My Pa rade,” one of the most iconic songs from the show, received multiple applause during the performance and a standing ovation at the end. There is no question that Michele’s voice is exceptional and perfect for this role.

A great voice isn’t the only trait this role requires. The character of Fanny Brice is a hysterical comic who makes the audience fall in love with her. Mi chele’s reputation as prickly and diffi cult to work with led to doubts about her ability to fulfill this role. However, refuting previous beliefs, Michele was able to transform into a likable, funny, and charming character. The audience was laughing after almost every joke. Michele also had no problem becoming serious and emotional at points, espe cially in the closing number. One thing that makes Fanny so likable is her New York accent, as it helps the audience re late to the character. Although Michele’s accent is not perfect, it still was able to get the message across. Michele was born for this role, and played it very well.

The rest of the cast also per formed remarkably. Tovah

Feldshush, who plays Fan ny’s mother Rosie, was incredible. She was ex tremely funny and had the audience hollering after every line. She excelled at the role of the warm, caring, and obviously funny mother. Jar ed Grimes, who plays Eddie Ryan, is an astonishing tap dancer and singer who makes Eddie an enjoyable character.

Rami Karimloo, who portrays Fanny’s husband, Nick Arnstein, also has an incredible voice, and is a fantastic ac tor.  He was able to portray Arnstein as a character the audience didn’t like or want to succeed, which shows how in credible his acting ability is. The whole cast, as well as the costume and set de sign, was remarkable and made the show immensely enjoyable.

The 1968 film rendition of Funny Girl is a classic and set extremely high stan dards for the show. Streisand’s portrayal of Fanny was extremely likable and com forting. Her voice is iconic and her por trayal of Fanny is classic. Michele seems unfit to live up to these standards. How ever, she exceeded all expectations.

There are a few minor changes from the movie regarding characters. The movie represents Arnstein as a distant husband who is never home and is un able to communicate. However, the play shows more of their at-home relation ship and their struggles. Mrs. Brice isn’t such a prevalent character in the movie after Fanny’s career takes off, but in the play her character has much more of an impact.

Funny Girl is astonishing, and Mi chele’s portrayal of Fanny is outstanding. The show is nothing less than perfect.

Time to worry, darling

By Belle Shatzkes Entertainment Editor

Olivia Wilde’s new thriller film, Don’t Worry Darling, has been swirling in one controversy after another for months, so now that it’s finally in theaters, here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on.

The first tidbit of gossip that fans got was when Shia LeBeouf was cast in one of the main roles, but was then replaced by singing sensation Harry Styles. Origi nally, the press reported that this was due to a scheduling conflict. However, Olivia Wilde later claimed that she had actual ly fired LeBeouf after allegations against him were made by his ex-girlfriend. LeB eouf denied these claims, stating that he quit the film because of the lack of rehearsal time before filming. Wilde re sponded by saying that she did fire him, because he made the cast and crew feel “uncomfortable.”

Second bit of drama: some rumors sparked that during the filming of the movie, Wilde (who was married to ac tor Jason Sudekis at the time) and Styles began dating. This was confirmed, Wilde and Sudekis have split, and Wilde and

Are Little Mermaid haters just racist?

By Aleen Jaradeh Junior Editor

African-American actress Halle Bai ley has received backlash across social media platforms recently for her casting as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Bailey was cast as Ariel in June of 2019; however, the hate she has received has recently resur faced following the release of The Little Mermaid movie trailer. Many are bitter because a black woman is playing the role of Ariel, who is well known for her pale skin and red hair. Bailey’s rare talent and vocal skills have been disregarded, and many believe her race should pre vent her from playing this role.

In addition to her acting experience, Bailey has been singing for over half her life. Director Rob Marshall explained, “After an extensive search, it was abun dantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth,

innocence, and substance—plus a glorious sing ing voice—all in trinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role.”

He insists that her race didn’t play any negative fac tor in her casting.

Bailey is only one of the multitude of black actors who have received hate mes sages and even death threats for play ing a supposedly white character. Leah Jeffries, a 12-year-old girl, has received much hatred for playing Annabeth in the upcoming Percy Jackson series. Idris Elba, who played Heimdall in the Mar vel movies, and Zendaya, who plays MJ in the Marvel Spider-Man movies, have also received hate mail for their roles.

Racism has proven to be a major dilem ma amongst “fans” of the movie industry.

Many have tak en to social media claiming they ar en’t upset due to the actors’ race, but due to the fact that they desired an actor who ac curately depict ed the characters they grew up with.

However, writer Laura Shortridge-Scott has taken to Twitter to debunk these claims. She stated, “No one cares if hair or eye color or other physical character istics are changed and people are specif ically upset when canonical Blackness isn’t changed to be more appealing to the white supremacist aesthetic.” She post ed several examples of white actors who did not match the physical descriptions of the characters they portrayed but in spired no protests from these supposed purist fans. In the Harry Potter books,

Styles are still a couple.

The next occurrence was a disturb ing event at ComicCon, when Wilde was releasing the trailer for the film. While on stage, she was handed an envelope and opened it, because it felt “like it’s a script,” and then said, “OK, got it. Thank you,” before continuing with her presen tation. Weeks later, it was revealed that the envelope contained legal papers from Sudekis demanding custody of their two children.

Then there were rumors that Wilde was feuding with the movie’s female lead, actress Florence Pugh, but the rumors have not been confirmed by either party.

And finally, the rumor that sent Twit ter wild (no pun intended) was when a video clip circulated of Styles apparently spitting on co-star Chris Pine. This story has been denied by several sources, both actors have joked about it, and of course it has been turned into a meme.

As for the film itself, it’s finally in the aters, but is it any good? Most critics say no, and it scored only 32% on Rotten To matoes.

It might just be time to worry, darling.

she wrote, Ron is described as tall, Harry has green eyes and messy hair, and Her mione has noticeably large teeth. Yet in the movies, Ron’s height is average, Har ry has blue eyes and neat hair, and Her mione’s teeth are normally sized. Angry critics of Bailey’s casting claim they just want characters to accurately look like the characters they are playing, but had no complaints about these differences or many others as long as the actors were white.

However, despite the hate Bailey has received, she is still happy to have been given the opportunity to play Ariel. She is also excited to present black children with a new Ariel to look up to and found many children’s reactions heartwarm ing. Bailey chooses to ignore the racist comments she has been receiving and is instead focused on the opportunity to remake the movie she adored as a young girl.

Styles and Pugh on set

Ask Merle

Dear Merle,

Why are the sophomores yelling about how freshmen are the worst? Weren’t they freshmen three months ago?

Sincerely,

A Confused Freshman

Fun & Games

Dear Confused Freshman,

Even though the sophomores were recently freshmen, it’s not the same. As soon as the title changes, so does the mindset. Being a sophomore is a totally different world than being a freshman. However, don’t take it personally. It nev er matters how well-liked the freshmen

grade is, because at the end of the day, you’re still freshmen. Hang in there! It goes by faster than you think.

Love, Merle

Dear Merle,

How do I get used to eating lunch at 11:20? That’s when I wake up on the weekends.

Frustrated Ju nior

Dear Frustrated Junior,

It definitely also took me a while to get used to it. 11:20 is early, es pecially right after the summer. Don’t worry, you get used to it naturally. Try skipping breakfast in the mornings; it will put you on a schedule where you’re hungry at 11:20!

Love, Merle

Dear Merle,

This weather is confusing me. It’s cold in the mornings, but hot in the after noons. What am I supposed to wear to

school? Help! Sincerely,  Flatbushgirl17809

Hey Flat bushgirl17809, OMG! I’m having the same problem. It’s especially an noying when you walk to and from school or take the train, because you have to deal with the conse quences of your oversized hoodie in the hot afternoons! What I usually do is wear a long-sleeve shirt. It’s the perfect mid dle ground for this confusing weather. It keeps you warm in the mornings, and isn’t too heavy for the afternoons. Get on the long-sleeve shirt train!

Love, Merle

Dear Merle,

I already have senioritis! It’s only the second week of school. How do I hang on to motivation for a little while longer?

Love,

An Excited Senior

Dear Excited (and Fellow) Senior, Senioritis is the hardest thing to re sist! There’s so much excitement revolv ing around senior year and graduation. It

is only the second week, so you have to push yourself a little longer. If you let it take over now, you’ll have trouble getting into the colleges you want, and school will give you trouble graduating. So avoid that stress (at least until January)!

Love, Merle

Dear Merle, The school cameraman keeps hoverboarding into my personal space. How do I get him to stop taking pictures of me?

Sincerely, Camera Shy Sophomore

Dear Camera Shy, Unfortunately, as the cameramen love to remind us, we all signed contracts giv ing them permission to snap our pictures whenever they want. While you may not be able to stop them from shoving cam eras in your face in the middle of histo ry class, I’ve found that staring directly into the camera lens is an effective way to get them to leave you alone. And if the cameraman ever hoverboards a bit too close for comfort, you can always stretch out your leg just enough to send him in a new direction. Not that I’m speaking from experience of course!

Love, Merle

Unscramble the Word Flatbush Cartoon

By Robin Rawas Fun and Games Editor

By Jennifer Kreizman Phoenix Cartoonist

Standard of Fabulous

How to decide between trendy fashions and timeless looks

By Suzanne Mosseri Contributing Writer

With fashion trends going in and out of style faster and faster, it can be tricky to determine which ones will end up on next year’s “Don’t” lists and which ones are here to stay. It is easy to blame so cial media for cycling through trends so quickly, making it difficult to guess which ones will stick around. Since it could be hard to know when you should save your money and when it’s a good time to spend, these tricks should help with your next shopping trip.

First things first: it’s always best to keep it simple. Stick to neutral and flat tering colors that you won’t have a hard time styling. Funky patterns and colors tend to end up trending, and it’s easy to get lost in the thrill of it. But the good thing is, avoiding these microtrends doesn’t mean you need to keep a boring closet. Designs such as floral, polka dots, and geometric patterns are a few timeless fashion motifs.

Another helpful trick is to wait it out. Often when fashion trends are taking over, it’s easy to impulsively splurge on items you’ll end up regretting in a month and leaving in the back of your closet. Before you’re tempted to hastily hop on the latest trend, consider if you’ll actually wear that piece in the next few months. It can be hard to differentiate what you ac tually like with what you’re being told to like, so give yourself a few days to think about what you’re buying before actually

Squishmallow backpacks: functional or impractical?

By Clara Edery Fashion Editor

The newest addition to the YOF students’ school supply list is a Squishmallow backpack. Squishmallow backpacks come in every color and character imaginable. As you walk through the hallways you may notice the swarm of bee, dog, cow, and frog backpacks rushing past you on their way to first peri od. But are these bags really func tional, or are they simply for comfort and style?

One of the downsides of the Squish mallow backpack is that there is no room for practical supplies. If you plan on bringing your Chromebook or Macbook to school for note-taking, good luck holding it the entire day! Senior Allegra Houllou stated, “I love my Squishmallow backpack, but I am a really forgetful per son. I can’t count how many times I’ve misplaced my computer due to the fact that it doesn’t fit in my backpack.” Some advice to anyone planning on purchas ing a Squishmallow backpack: be sure to keep size in mind and order mini note books, pencils and folders.

In addition to the impractical size, another downside is that they are simply not durable. Many students complain that their backpack has already had some sort of defect. Junior Mazie Zalta complained, “We are only one week into the school year and my bag has already broken! I noticed the strap started to rip a little, and by the time the day was over, the strap had fully detached.”

While a perk to having this bag is that they are extremely comfort able, this tends to lead to many mid class naps. Though this might be an upside for students, it is surely a downside for the teachers. An anonymous sophomore said, “I put my Squishmallow backpack on my desk during Tanakh class, just to get my notebooks out. My teacher quick ly yelled at me and said that I cannot sleep during her class. She made me take my backpack off my desk immediately.”  Comfort aside, if you are someone who wants to make a fashion statement, this bag is certainly the one for you. It may not be the most practical option, but you’re sure to receive many compli ments.

purchasing it.

A fashion motto to live by is quality over quantity. It’s much better to spend more on a few staple pieces that you’ll wear for years than to buy inexpensive, trendy pieces made from cheap mate rials that will barely last over a year in your closet. If you are exclusively buying statement pieces that you are probably only going to wear once, you will most likely find yourself feeling like you have nothing to wear. Some essential clothing

pieces include simple, flattering jeans, neutral-colored tops, solid T-shirts, blaz ers, leather jackets, button-downs, and simple black dresses.

When going on a shopping spree, it is common to get caught up in the heat of the moment and end up buying many things. However, there are methods you can use to prevent the mindless swip ing of your credit card on regrettable purchases. It’s always best to think of a few ways you can style something with clothes you already own before buying it. Think about how often you would find yourself wearing what it is you want to buy. And don’t let sales cloud your judgment. If you’re only buying some thing because it’s on sale, chances are you probably won’t get much use out of it. Furthermore, if you don’t think some thing is worth its full price, you shouldn’t be spending any money on it at all. But most important, the greatest fashion ad vice you could ever receive is: if you love it, wear it!

Ms. Schulman’s fashion elective proving popular

By Arlette Mann Fashion Editor

When the addition of the new eighth-period elective was created for seniors, many new classes were created, and Ms. Schulman’s fashion elective is one of the most popular.

Students in the class get to explore their personal style, play around with colors and fabrics, and design new cloth ing catered to their own style. On the first day of class, the students imagined their dream dresses, and got to express themselves creatively. The students also bought scrapbooks, in which they ded icate a page to every outfit they make. They cut out the designs they make, paste it onto the page, decorate the page with markers, and draw things that relate to their design.

Student Bella Levy said, “I’m excited to draw and to get to try fashion. It’s not a typical Flatbush class so I’m excited. It’s a whole different type of genre.”

According to Ms. Schulman, this class helps better students’ lives in a few differ ent ways. First, learning about fashion teaches students how to express themselves in a beautiful way, and lets out the best version of themselves. It also helps us grow their confidence and self-esteem. Another great thing about this class is that the students are forming bonds with each other over shared interests.

The class was born because many people

were asking Ms. Schulman questions about fashion, and she realized that there was a gap that needed to be filled. Many students asked her for fashion advice, and she realized that this class was some thing that could be very benefi cial to the school.

The students are now learn ing about the history of fashion, and they are designing outfits according to each era. In one class they learn about a spe cific time period, and for the next class, they bring their scrapbooks, find inspiration, and design a one-of-a-kind piece.

The students are really enjoying this class, and all the feedback has been posi tive so far.

Lilly Salame sketches a design in class

Sports

Two GOATS say goodbye

By Simone Amkraut  Sports Editor

Come gather children and let me tell you a story about two GOATS. I’ll let the data speak for itself.

First GOAT: The all-time career lead er in assists, seasons, games played, min utes played, and all-star appearances. And if that is not enough, add 13-time all-star, 4-time league champion, 5-time Olympic gold medalist, and 4-time world champion.

Second GOAT: 23 major tournament individual titles, 14 major tournament doubles titles, Olympic singles gold medalist, 3-time Olympic doubles gold medalist. There is also the #1 ranking in all-time earnings, 73 career singles tour nament titles, and 6 US Open titles.

The WNBA’s Sue Bird and tennis’s Serena Williams are existing stage right. For countless fans, it is both a source of sadness that we might never see such prowess again, and a source of pride that, 50 years after the passage of Title IX, women are among the GOATS of sport and departing their respective sports at the top of the game.

For too long female athletes were overlooked, often relegated to secondary venues and receiving sporadic coverage in mainstream media outlets. Title IX be gan to open the doors for greater wom en’s participation in athletics, and the talents of players like Bird and Williams burst those doors wide open. Today, they are recognized not as just great female athletes but as great athletes, period. They are truly GOATS.

However, after 21 and 22 years at the pinnacle of their respective sports, both Bird at age 41 and Williams at age 39 felt

the time was right to step away from the competitive spotlight and focus on their off-the-court projects and passions. They leave a vacuum in their wake, and it rais es the question, “Who’s next?”

There are a select few who just might be equal to the task. In basketball, there is 26-year-old A’ja Wilson who, in just her fifth season in the WNBA, is already a 2-time MVP, 4-time all-star, and has both a Gold Medal and a WNBA cham pionship under her belt. There is also 24-year-old Sabrina Ionescu. After a sin gular college career where she graduated Oregon as the only college player to re cord over 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds and was named college player of the year, her career was delayed by both COVID and injury. This season she became the youngest player to record multiple triple-doubles in a season and was named to her first WNBA all-star team and to the All-WNBA team in her first full season. Then there is tennis play er Coco Gauff. At 18 years old, she is al ready a 4-year veteran on tennis’s World Cup circuit, collecting her first singles title at age 15 and reaching the finals of the French Open this year on her way to earning a #8 ranking in singles and #1 in doubles.

Bird appears comfortable with her decision. A’ja Wilson shared that Bird’s final words to her after Wilson’s Las Ve gas Aces ended the season for Bird’s Se attle Storm were, “All right, it’s your turn now.”

Bird and Williams have broken re cords and set higher standards. More important, they have shown the young er generation of athletes the power that women possess.

So, who’s got next?!

California Dreaming

New basketball coach has big plans while commuting from L.A.

By Victor Braca Contributing Writer

When the news got out that Coach Michael Gurock was stepping down as Varsity Coach and Head of Basketball at Flatbush, students and faculty members alike were shocked and saddened. Gu rock’s departure had everybody wonder ing who would take his place, assuming the responsibility of the oversight of 10 basketball teams across the Yeshivah of Flatbush Elementary and High School, and, of course, coach of the Varsity Boys Basketball Team.

The answer is Ryan Coleman, var sity coach at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles, California. Coach Cole man, who is currently living in L.A. and still coaching at Shalhevet, explained his commute to New York every couple of weeks, his role at Flatbush this year, and his plan to lay the groundwork for his full-time arrival starting next year: “My position at Flatbush right now is the Head of Basketball, and, in that, I’m trying to work with the coaches from a distance and in person when I’m there and work with the kids as much as I can when I’m in New York.”

As Coach Coleman transitions, Coach Adam Ginsburg is the Varsity Boys’ coach this year.

One thing Coach Coleman is big on is dis cipline. Back at Shalhevet, he is known for his 5:30 a.m. practices with his varsity play ers. Coach Coleman touched on some of the advantages that these early morning workouts provide: “It instills a lot of discipline in the players. The play ers know they have to get to bed a little bit earlier … and for me personally, it al lows me to be home a little bit earlier at night with my family, and it also serves the same purpose for the students and their families.” He added, “If you do it 1 day a week, I think it adds a lot of value.”

Coach Coleman is a big fan of filming practices and games and reviewing the

On top of that, he helped his friends out, too: “We would get together in the sum mer and I taught them how to play the position they wanted to play, and play it well!” His mind is always sports-focused, whether drawing up plays in class or an alyzing the Heat’s latest trade.

footage with his players, which he not ed allows them to see the areas in which they may be able to improve, even if they think they’re already playing their hard est. “Players get graded on practice,” he expounded. “Just like they get graded on their homework in school. And when they’re falling below a certain level or grade, they gotta do a lot to get back up.”

Coach Coleman also discussed the importance of “being a mensch.” He elaborated, “There’s no play in basket ball that ever happens without having a teammate do something to help you make that play possible … and you have to acknowledge the players that do that.” Putting raw talent and hard work aside, Coach Coleman emphasized, teamwork and integrity are two essential qualities that players must demonstrate in order to succeed on the court.

Coach Coleman has been coaching high school basketball for over 10 years. “I love coaching youth basketball,” he ex plained. “For me, I feel like my voice gets heard, and my impact, not only in the game of basketball, but also being able to mentor people, is best suited at the high school level.”

He also noted that Yeshivah of Flat bush JBHS has more than triple the number of students that attend Shal sees that as a positive, “we should be able

By Eric Azrak

Contributing Writer

Talking to senior Sammy Weinwur zel about baseball is like talking to the narrator from The Sandlot; nostalgic and enthusiastic are just a few words that can describe how Weinwurzel looks upon his baseball journey.

A man of many talents, Weinwurzel

is not only captain of the Flatbush base ball and softball teams, but a member of the varsity football team as well. He has a genuine appreciation for all team sports, and explained, “When you make it not just a team, but more of a brotherhood, it makes it more worth it and fun.”

Weinwurzel is also passionate about coaching, fondly recounting his experi ences last year as the JV football coach.

Although he sincerely cares for all the sports he plays, it is clear that Wein wurzel’s heart really lies with baseball. Founding the Flatbush middle school team, he realized early on that something about baseball stood out to him. Head ing to high school, he had his sights on second base and inevitably ended up as a star second baseman in his sophomore year.

He retold countless fond memories, reminiscing about “The Lucky Bat” and

an unforgettable trip with the team to Columbus, Ohio. Yet, most significant about Weinwurzel was his perspective. He smiled when talking about a rough season or big losses, and emphasized the highlights.

“It was second inning, I hit a bomb deep center off the top of the wall, like two feet from the homer—it’s impossible to homer where we play!”

He never let his hearty smile slip from his face when talking about base ball. This fervor coupled with his lead ership, stellar athletics, extensive sports knowledge, and insightful coaching make it obvious why Weinwurzel is the team captain, and why he’s so excit ed to play for the Falcons as a senior.

Coach Coleman is still at Shalhevet