By Rabbi Perry Tirschwell, Principal

Thursday was a historic day for WYHS. The entire sophomore class took the PLAN exam. What is the PLAN, and why is it important? To answer this question, one must understand the changes that have taken place in the world of college admissions.

College admissions are becoming increasing competitive. Not only is the U.S. population growing rapidly, but so is the percentage of people attending college. Since there are more applicants but not that many more spots, colleges are increasingly selective. An applicant who was a “shoe in” for an Ivy League just ten years ago, is now a long shot.

There is an increasingly popular college admissions exam which is an alternative to the SAT, called the ACT. The SAT is an aptitude test, an IQ test in verbal and mathematical reasoning, in contrast to the achievement tests that students take each year in elementary school, which measure how much a student has learned. The ACT is a hybrid aptitude and achievement test.

The ACT is better for a student whose success is more attributable to hard work than innate genius. Statistics show that a third of students score higher on the ACT than the SAT. Most important, you may choose to only send your highest ACT score to the colleges, while the SAT sends all your scores.

We suggests that the students take the ACT exam a few months before the SAT, in February. If a student is satisfied with his score, he/she may not even want to take the SAT. Most students then gear up to take the SAT in the spring of their junior year.

The PLAN is the pre-ACT (like PSAT is to SAT), and is designed to be taken by sophomores. The sophomores receive their PLAN scores a year before they take the ACT. This gives them a year to work on their deficiencies. WYHS has added a test prep course for the juniors, which focuses exclusively on the ACT until February.

By Danielle Wolkowicz ('09)

In the second year of girls JV basketball existence, the team has already made an enormous improvement from last season.

Under the leadership of Coach Heather Andron and captain Danielle Wolkowicz ('09), the season opened with a nail-biting close game against Florida Bible, with the Storm losing by a mere 3 points. The team then went on to clinch their first ever victory, beating Broward Christian with a final score of 21-11.

JV veteran Andrea Surasky (’09) has recovered from last season’s injuries and has bounced back by scoring a record 17 points against FAU High. Newcomer Racheli Levy ('10) has stunned the crowds with her gravity-defying three pointers and has proved to be a strong addition to the team.

Although the past two games ended in upset, the girls JV team is off to a promising start. With their determination, hard work, and optimism, this year’s team has huge potential for a remarkable season.

By LeeLee Borzak ('10)

This past Sunday, WYHS hosted what some have called the school’s greatest Open House yet. Student Council members and Student Ambassadors greeted the 70 8th graders upon his or her arrival at WYHS, making them feel at home at WYHS from the get-go. Old friends were reunited and new friendships were formed as students and parents took their first steps into high school.

The Open House participants were presented with a multi-faceted presentation, showing the numerous ways in which WYHS excels. To begin the morning, the prospective students and their parents saw the cutting-edge technology in WYHS, such as the top of the line SmartBoard. Then, thanks to the new, high-tech WYHS video conferencing program, prospective students got a chance to hear alumni Sarah Dray (’06) and Zach Cohen (’06), now learning in Israel, reflect on ways they have been inspired and challenged throughout their years at WYHS.

Next, to give a taste of the rigorous WYHS curriculum, teachers gave model lessons and spoke about what they hope to impart to their students. However, as so much of the learning at WYHS happens beyond the classroom, the students were able to see extracurricular activities first hand. Coach Jon Kawelblum gave a hands-on demonstration on how to shoot a basket as he discussed the completive athletics program at WYHS. Highlighting the extensive drama program, the 8th grade girls and mothers even got an exclusive preview of the school’s musical, The Fantasticks, as Holly Hampton (’09), Aliza Friedman (’10), Jessica Friedman (’08), and Meira Tirschwell (’07) sang two beautiful numbers from the show.