by Chava Rubin ('07)

Rosh Chodesh Iyar was celebrated in a new fashion with WYHS’ first Student Leadership Award Breakfast (SLAB).

The morning started off with a special Rosh Chodesh breakfast followed by the program. After a short movie clip, Associate Principal Mrs. Ora Lee Kanner delivered a truly inspirational speech about the essence of leadership- dedication and hardwork on behalf of others.

The Student Council ran the program. Each member introduced and said a few words about the head of a committee with whom they worked. Each committee head distributed awards to all students who helped out throughout the year. It was amazing to see all the different committees- from chesed to tzedakah, from PR to Chagigot, yearbook to CIA- and to see all the various ways in which students have played a leadership role in creating an amazing school atmosphere.

Afterwards, Program Director Rabbi Josh Spodek spoke about the specific contribution of each Student Council position, and presented its members with beautiful framed certificates. Rabbi Spodek also unveiled a new multi year engraved plaque which will hang in the school and list the Student Council members who serve each year.

by Yoni Brander ('07)

As I looked for words to honor the accomplishments of Israel’s fallen heroes, I realized the best way to describe their valor is to tell you that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is in the final stages of assembling his cabinet. Before you tell me the two things have little in common, let me explain myself. Life magazine from May 31, 1948 described the newly created State of Israel in dire verbiage. It wrote that the new State could not militarily stand up to the Arab Legions. They said the Zionist experiment in democracy was doomed to failure.

Oh, how these pundits were wrong. Israel remains strong as ever; and it remains the arsenal of democracy in the worst neighborhood in the world. You see, the experts in 1948, and then in 1956, 1967, 1973, and 1982 only counted the air power of the nation and not the soul power of her pilots. They failed to compensate for the Zionist dream that burnt in Rabbi Akiva, and Judah Ha-Levi, Herzl and Ahad Ha’am, in Yitzchak Rabin, in Moshe Dayan and in all the fallen members of the Israel Defense Forces.

They are not casualties that we count in numbers, but martyrs that we should count in name and story. To paraphrase Nathan Alterman, these soldiers were the men and women who gave us our millennia long dream on “Silver Platter.” They were all sons and daughters, brothers and sisters and heroes.

They were not much older than most of us. It was boys at 19 that fell in Latrun and were killed in the Etzion Bloc. It was the blood of boys our ages that made Sinai fertile for Jewish settlement. 18 year old teens fell on the steps of the Kotel and the Peaks of the Golan Heights. Young men from Hesder Yeshivot that fell in the Valley of Tears and saved the nation from certain doom. It was young men and women just like us that died in Lebanon to secure Peace for the Galilee.

At this age we all have or will choose our colleges and whether to take the ACT or SAT; these brave soldiers had to chose between the Air force, Infantry, Tanks, or Artillery. Choices that cost them their lives and shaped our nation.

by Shira Borzak ('07)

This Saturday night was a special night for the drama department—not only was it the cast party celebrating the smashing success of the spring comedy “Don’t Drink the Water,” but it was honoring the outgoing seniors who had participated in the drama program during their time at WYHS.

After the debut of the spring production video, the actors then voted on traditional awards, such as “MVP’ and “MIP”, as well as the fan favorites such as “Best Accent” and “Most Likely to forget their lines.” Mrs. Saddler also presented the seniors with statues and heartfelt farewell messages to each graduating thespian.

The Senior Appreciation Night was especially emotional for Mrs. Saddler, who was a “freshman” together with this year’s seniors. She has seen her “babies” grow from inexperienced kids just having a fun time on stage to seasoned professionals who poured out their hearts and souls in the productions.