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The Weekly Newsletter of
Weinbaum
Yeshiva High School
Parshat Emor
Friday, May 9, 2008
Shabbat begins in Boca @ 7:39
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From the desk
of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
Many high school students are studying furiously this
week and next for Advanced Placement (AP) exams.
Given that the trend is for colleges to limit the credits
they award for an AP and the stress the exams create
for our teenagers, are APs worth all the hard work?
An AP exam correlates with performance in a
class. Many doubt the value of standardized
tests. An AP exam is an achievement test, as opposed
to the PSAT and SAT, which are aptitude tests. An AP
measures how much one knows and how well they
can apply that knowledge. The PSAT and SAT
measure aptitude- attempting to predict how well a
student will do at the next level of education.
AP exams help students get into competitive
colleges. The number of high school students
nationwide is growing, and the percentage of them
going to college is also growing. This is why the
competition for college has been getting more fierce
every year. Since AP courses are college level
courses, doing well on them signals that a student
will do well in college.
The AP courses are in line with our mission- to
inspire and challenge. These goal-oriented, high
level, and ambitious courses raise the bar in all our
honors courses. The coursework in our English, Math,
History, and Science courses in the freshman and
sophomore years is designed to prepare students for
the AP courses they will take in subsequent years.
This is not to say that APs are perfect. The
scheduling of the exams during the first two weeks of
May is very disruptive to the post-Pesach school year.
A number of the courses emphasize breadth over
depth. The ever-decreasing credit awarded by the
colleges due to the financial ramifications isn't fair to
the students who took the exams to gain entrance to
those colleges. However, what in life is perfect?
We are so proud of the WYHS students
who are writing exams in six different courses
this week and next. Good luck!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
Click
on the images below
to
link to these
nine websites
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Upcoming Events
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Student Council Dinner
Thursday, May 15 @ 6:00 - 8:00pm
Freshman Shabbaton
Friday - Shabbat, May 16 - 17
Math and Hebrew Placement Exams
for Incoming Freshmen
Sunday, May 18
@ 10:00am
Student Council
Nomination
Packets Due
Tuesday, May 20
Chai Lifeline Presentation
for
Juniors
Wednesday, May 21
SLAB Awards
Lag B'Omer Friday, May 23
Memorial Day - No Classes
Monday, May 26
Sports Banquet
Wednesday, May 28 @ 6:30pm
Student Council Elections
Friday, May 30
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Click on the Picture for an
Incredible Video
South Palm Beach County
Jewish Day Schools
Celebrate
Israel's 60th Birthday
1,500 Student Parade in Support of
The State of Israel
By Racheli Mizrahi ('11)
WYHS celebrated Israel's 60th anniversary in a
very moving and joyous way filled with unity and
respect. The day started off with a beautiful
davening at Hillel Day School followed by a delicious
breakfast.
Next, we walked to the South Palm Beach County
Jewish Federation campus and met up with other
Jewish Day Schools. It was a powerful message
to see all of the people assembled for one
reason, to celebrate Israel. We started marching in the
parade, waving our Israel flags, and it seemed as if
we all came from one big school.
After that, we joined forces with the students of
Donna Klein for an amazing Chagiga.
Both schools united and danced together.
You could feel the achdut at that moment. As
the
chagiga ended, we watched an amazing video
made
by the talented Claudia Cohen and her hardworking
committee.
The video was comprised of students from
different schools speaking about what Israel means
to them. Many said that Israel is a place where they
feel secure and free to be Jewish, and that Israel is
their home. Whether we've been to Israel or not,
it's still holds a close place in our hearts.
Following the chagiga, Rabbi Spodek
spoke to
us. He told us a few stories from his own experiences
in Israel giving us a sense of what it means to live in
Israel. He also reiterated the important message that
we all need to take action to support Israel.
Whether it's going to Israel or helping at a school
function regarding Israel.
Israel is our home! Happy 60th Birthday, Israel
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Remembering and
Honoring our Fallen Heroes
WYHS Commemorates Yom
HaZikaron
By Shira Sabag ('09)
On Wednesday, WYHS commemorated
Yom
HaZikaron with a powerful and inspirational
program. The walls of the Beit Midrash
were
covered with posters of the MIA soldiers and the
victims of terror, which enhanced the students'
davening. On each window there was an emblem of
each of the Israeli Army units with a little excerpt of
what they do for us everyday.
During third and fourth period, we had a
riveting program that touched many students.
Three women from Israel spoke to us about the
tragedies happening everyday in Sderot. After a few
questions from students, we were shown a slideshow
of people who were victims of bombing attacks.
Then, several students spoke about what was
happening in Israel and lit candles symbolizing each
war Israel has been involved in.
Yom HaZikaron at WYHS was commemorated
in such
a meaningful way which made a big impact on the
students.
Special thanks to all those who spent hours
decorating and helped make this years' Yom
HaZikaron program so special.
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From Sadness to Joy
WYHS takes part in Community
Wide
Israel Memorial and Independence Day
Celebration
By Noah Cohen ('09)
Twenty students from WYHS, myself
included, had the opportunity to actively take part
in the South Palm Beach County's Jewish
Federation Yom HaAtzmaut celebration at
Mizner Park
this past Wednesday night.
It was an unforgettable experience, as we had
the privilege to spend time with about a dozen Israeli
war hero's, who shared their inspiring stories with
is. We got a chance to introduce ourselves and speak
to each war hero, asking them questions about their
army service. The answers given to us by these
veterans gave us a deeper understanding of the
amount of work that goes into keeping our homeland
safe.
Everyone was extremely excited, and maybe a little
nervous, when we arrived on stage. Some of us had
the opportunity to read parts of a poem, others got to
stand next to and assist each hero as they lit their
memorial candle. Just by being with these veterans,
we felt the pride that each of them has for Israel.
This experience opened our eyes to what days like
Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut
mean to those
the soldiers who fought and gave up their lives for
Israel's independence, and it is one that the
Weinbaum Yeshiva High School students' will
never forget.
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Up Close and
Personal
with Director of Technology Claudia
Cohen
By Daniella Greer ('09)
At the Yom Haatzmaut celebration this past
Thursday, a very emotional and inspiring video, with
75 students of all ages and backgrounds talking
about their love for Israel, was shown. This video was
made by the very talented and dedicated WYHS
Technology Director, Mrs. Claudia Cohen, along with
several diligent WYHS students. Claudia plays a
pivotal role at WYHS and enhances almost, if not
every, program and publication including yearbook,
The Highlites, Rosh Chodesh celebrations, class
trips, and much more. I was privileged to talk to
Claudia about the technical improvements made at
WYHS, her newest video, and her love for WYHS.
What was the main question in the video?
She Said: I asked each student what Israel
means to them. The most common answer I got was
that Israel is their home.
What does Israel mean to you?
She Said: When I think of Israel, I think
about
all of the technological advances and innovations that
have come out of Israel.
What kind of technological improvements has the
school made?
She Said: The biggest evolution is on the
management side. There is now a team of students
that follow a productive project plan. For example, the
video I made has over 1,000 components to it that
couldn't have been done without proper management.
The students are more involved now, dedicating a lot
of time to making the videos and properly managing
all the different aspects.
What is your favorite part of the job?
She Said: I love the kids!!!
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42 Number of Students
who participated in Community Wide Celebrations for
Yom HaAtzmaut
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1,500 Number of students
who paraded on behalf of Israel's 60th
Birthday
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135 GB! Amount of storage
the Yom HaAtzmaut
video
required
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" I felt extremely prepared for my AP
exam today.
Our teacher taught us everything
we
needed to know to
succeed and
gave us
all the confidence to do well. "
-- Anonymous Student
commenting on one of the AP exams taken
this week
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Yeshiva Highlites
Staff |
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| Danielle Wolkowicz
(’09) |
Editor-in-
Chief |
LeeLee Borzak (’10)
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Assistant
Editor |
Mrs. Claudia
Cohen |
Director of Technology
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Alana Dweck(’09)
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Photo Editor |
Daniella Greer(’09)
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Features Editor |
Josh Kaminetsky(’09)
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Layout Editor |
David Petrover(’10)
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Assistant Photo
Editor |
Aleeza Rubin(’09)
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Chief of
Correspondents |
David Spektor(’10)
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Assistant Photo
Editor |
| Rabbi Josh Spodek |
Staff Advisor |
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