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From the
desk
of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
Become a partner in WYHS' inspiring academic and
religious programs by sponsoring a sports team,
shabbaton,
chagiga, publication or tournament, etc. Click on the
Sponsorship Opportunities link below to participate.
We will NOT be switching the Wednesday and Thursday
schedules the week of May 17th.
I encourage all who can to attend the Jewish Heriatage
Day at Pro Player Stadium the Sunday of Memorial Day
Weekend. You can purchase tickets by clicking on the
link below. The faculty and I
look forward to spending this Shabbat afternoon with
the WYHS families from Boca
and environs.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
| A 56th B-day Party Full of Energy and Enthusiasm |
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Tuesday's Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day)
celebration was in true
Israeli style!
After morning classes were over, students gathered in
the Beit Midrash to begin the special program.
A beautiful and meaningful video about the creation of
the State of Israel and its history was shown, followed
by a powerful speech by WYHS founder Rabbi
Kenneth Brander. Rabbi Brander's
motivational words urged students to keep Israel at the
top of their priority lists -- to "choose Israel"
when it comes to making plans for summers and for a
year post-high school.
Of course, one highlight of the day's festivities was the
Israeli lunch -- shwarma, falafel, Israeli salad,
and more! The WYHS band, Under Construction,
played a variety of Israeli (and American) favorites, and
across the dance floor Israeli flags were waving! As you
can see from the pictures below (and those on the
slide show just a click away), WYHS veterans said it
was the "best ruach in the history of Boca".
The program ended with a highly entertaining
presentation by Yeshiva University rabbinic student
Ariel Davis, who spent nine months in the Israeli army
driving a tank. Ariel told incredibly humorous
stories about life as an American in the Israeli
army, and then turned the conversation serious by
suggesting several tangible ways for high school
students to demonstrate their love for and commitment
to Israel. The entire program was a huge
success, thanks to program director Rabbi Josh
Spodek and the talented committee of students who
worked with him to plan this event!
Click Here for 100+ Awesome Pics! »
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| Remembering Israel's Fallen |
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The celebration of Israeli Independence Day is fittingly
preceded by the recognition of the
heroes
who have given their lives in defense of Israel
throughout its 56 year history.
Hebrew Department Chair Mrs. Nili Alcalay introduced
this year's
Yom Hazikaron ceremony with an astounding array of
statistics about Israeli soldiers killed in action. She
emphasized, however, that this year the memorial for
Israeli veterans would not focus on numbers, but
on individuals, specifically those who lost their
lives fighting in Israel's War of Independence.
Three veterans' lives were highlighted, one of whom
was Simcha Tansman, a relative of sophomore Gil
Tansman. Gil shared the story of his uncle's
life,
including the circumstances of his death in combat at
the age of 18 inthe War of Independence. Throughout
the program, students read
the bios of these veterans as well as poetry about war
and soldiers in both Hebrew and English.
The program included a moving video about
solidarity with Israel that featured all of the
currently popular Jewish singers. Students also had the
privilege of hearing two Israeli Army veterans speak
about their experiences in
various brances of the IDF.
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| First Transatlantic Teleconference This Sunday |
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WYHS students participating in the Jewish Federation's
Partnership 2000 project with students from other
Jewish schools in the area have been hard at
work preparing for this Sunday's one-hour video
conference, which will put the Florida students in
live contact with teenagers from Kiryat Bialik, our sister
city in Israel.
At the most recent group meeting, students broke into
five smaller groups and discussed issues of Jewish
identity. Each student had to share what makes
them feel Jewish and what specific actions they
do to help them identify as Jews.
Students then joined in one big group to discuss their
preparation for the video conference. They had to
clarify their expectations for the conference. They
discussed what messages they want to send to the
Israeli students. and what questions about the
Israelis' Jewish identity they want to ask.
Spokespeople were chosen to represent the American
group. Sophomores Sahar Zaghi and Devora Greer,
junior Debbie Ganz, and senior Avi Amsalem were among
the volunteers. The live video conference will
take place this Sunday, May 2nd at 9:30 a.m.
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| The Great Month Ahead |
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The Fourth Annual WYHS Sports Recognition
Program
will take place on Monday, May 3rd, at 4:15 PM at
WYHS.
Parents are
invited to join as WYHS athletes are recognized for
their outstanding achievements throughout this year.
The Advanced Placement (AP) exams begin
next week. Eight different exams will be given this year
from Monday, May 3rd through Wednesday, May 12th.
The times for each exam are different, so please click
on the Link above (below Rabbi Tirschwell's
introduction) to see the entire week's exam
schedule.
A reminder to all WYHS girls and mothers who have
already purchased tickets to see Les
Miserables -- the performance is coming up on
Wednesday, May 12th at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center in
West Palm Beach. Tickets are no longer available for
purchase through WYHS. Class
TripsThe sophomore
class trip will take place on Monday, May 10th in
the Florida Keys. The boys will leave at 6 a.m. from
WYHS and will spend the day in Islamorada. The girls
will leave at 6 a.m. from the Young Israel in Hollywood
and will spend the day in Key Largo.In both
locations, the sophomores will maximize their time in
the Keys by snorkeling, jet skiing, and having many
other exciting adventures! Buses will make
stops on the way home in NMB at Shaarey Tefillah, in
Hollywood at the Young Israel, and in Boca at
WYHS.All sophomores must bring in their
money and permission slips by Monday, May
3rd to ensure their participation in their class trip. The
trip costs $75 and the permission slip can be found by
clicking on the link at the bottom of this article.
The senior class
trip will begin on Wednesday, May 12th in the
early
afternoon, with students returning Wednesday, May
19th in the late
evening. The seniors will travel up the coast and then
back, hitting all the major sites along the way and
spending a quiet, intimate Shabbos in between at Camp
Magen Av in the Catskills. All seniors must be
sure to bring in money for this trip by Monday, May 3rd!
Click Here for Sophomore Trip Permission Slip »
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| Building a Great Science Program |
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by Mrs. Bambi
Rainbeau
Science
Instructor
The latest test scores of high school seniors
throughout the nation have US educators asking how
our high schools can once again be the international
leaders in science. Studies show that only 18 percent
of high school
seniors are truly proficient in science, and nearly half
do not have even a basic grasp of the subject. This is
not a new problem- ask parents which subject they
liked least in school, and many will say science.
With this in mind, the overriding goal of our science
program is to develop an enthusiasm for science and
scientific exploration. The objectives of our Science
Department include challenging students to take higher
level science classes and preparing them for the ACT
and SAT II standardized college entrance exams.
The goals of our freshman biology program are
to;
- Encourage the understanding that Biology is an
ever-
growing subject
- Enhance the understanding of human-environment
interactions
- Conduct scientific investigations systematically and
develop ideas from this experimental evidence
- Provide opportunities to develop the ability to read
and
understand scientific studies
- Develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and other
higher-order thinking skills
The goals of our sophomore chemistry program
are
to;
- Integrate facts, concepts, and principles with other
sciences and areas, such as mathematics and
technology
- Learn to utilize technology to retrieve relevant
information such as electronic
encyclopedias, indices, and databases
- Apply critical and integrated science-thinking skills.
- Emphasize scientific method, scientific notation, SI
base units, derived units, problem solving, and
significant figures.
The goals of our junior and senior Physics and AP
Physics and Biology programs are to;
- Provide students with a high level of scientific
knowledge enabling them to reason, to think creatively,
to make decisions, and to solve problems. This
knowledge enhances a person's ability to excel in
college, to engage intelligently in debate
and decisions, and share in the excitement and mystery
of science education.
- In Physics, to work on labs to better understand
basic concepts such as topics covered include heat,
motion, velocity, acceleration, projectile motion,
Newton's laws,
momentum, energy, gravity, heat transfer and
thermodynamics.
- The AP Biology course is designed to help students
develop a conceptual framework for modern biology.
The class is broken down into three general topics:
molecules and cells, heredity and evolution, and
organisms and populations.
- To help students increase
their capacity for critical thinking, labs balance their
actual experiences and give a good basis for analyzing
data.
- AP Physics is
purposely designed to extract the student's best
reasoning skills.
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