Experiential Education Archives - The 91Ӱ�� School

91Ӱ�� Juniors Help Rebuild NOLA with NJ NCSY

Yaelle — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 20:15:42 +0000

A��91Ӱ�� contingent of juniors had a meaningful chessed mission to New Orleans with NJ NCSY. Accompanied by Rabbi Joshua Schulman, 91Ӱ��’s Director of Chessed, students helped repair houses with Habitat for Humanity, toured the city, and enjoyed a beautiful and spiritually uplifting Shabbat with the Anshe Sfard Synagogue.

Talia Bardash ’15, currently a sophomore at Stern College for Women, came along on the trip as an NCSY adviser. “The students��were so inspirational and always wanted to help in any way they could,” said Talia. “They each brought with them enthusiasm and an excitement to help everyone they could, and I think they were really appreciative of what they had when they saw, firsthand, how many people were left with nothing after Katrina. As a 91Ӱ�� alum, the students reminded me how much 91Ӱ�� teaches us about helping and being kind to everyone. ”

For Ari Zucker, NCSY’s East Brunswick coordinator, the NOLA chessed mission��with 91Ӱ�� was a welcome continuation of the unique partnership. “Whether through building a home for those who can’t afford one or creating an energy efficient environment, the 91Ӱ�� students exemplified the Jewish value of an Ohr LaGoyim, a light unto the Nations, as they worked to take action and responsibility to enhance the city of New Orleans,” he said.

“My trip to NOLA was an experience that I will carry with me forever,” said Abigail Heinrich ’18. “I learned, grew and made memories that will last a lifetime.”

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Freshman Retreat: A Weekend of Possibilities, Growth and Friendships

Yaelle — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 19:36:46 +0000

91Ӱ��’s annual freshman retreat is a perfect opportunity to show the synergy between the individual and community, a chance for individuals to learn how they and their unique talents can enhance community, and how being part of a greater community can, in turn, enhance their individual traits.

As per its annual tradition, 91Ӱ�� sent its freshmen to the Catskill mountains for a four-day weekend retreat where new students got to break the ice with their teachers and each other, learn the ins and outs of being a student at 91Ӱ�� from their senior advisers, and revel in the trademark 91Ӱ��ruach��for which the school is well-known. The weekend also offers students an opportunity to give over���徱��Torah to their peers and grapple with questions of identity and perspective on the bigger picture, pressing issues for any teenager in the world today. A special Shabbat����󾱳ܰ��given by Rav Jonathan Schachter, Rosh Beit Midrash at 91Ӱ��, impressed upon students the meaning behind��Selichot, which Jews around the world began reciting on��motzei��󲹲��.

“Freshmen Retreat is a really special weekend and it’s heartwarming to see the excitement on students’ faces as they get to know other a little bit better and away from the classroom,” said Mrs. Sarit Anstandig, a member of the Tanach faculty and Freshman Grade Dean and one of the many teachers who attended the retreat. “Students are bright-eyed with anticipation for the opportunities that lie ahead of them at 91Ӱ��, and the retreat is a wonderful entry into their high school career.”

“The retreat was an amazing opportunity to meet peers I didn’t know before and learn how to be a Cougar,” said Caroline Waxman ’20. “I especially enjoyed the bonfire on Motzei Shabbat because at that point, we had all become very comfortable with another and it made it such a moving experience.”

While the weekend itself has merit on its own as a fun way for students to relax and to assume leadership roles through speaking opportunities and being proactive during icebreaker sessions, the retreat also positively impacts students for years to come. By spending four days together and becoming closely aligned with the mission and values of 91Ӱ�� in an informal but still-structured environment with carefully-planned programming, 91Ӱ��’s caring and supportive school culture is solidified and helps students realize their potential in academics and co-curricular activities for the rest of their high school experiences.

“This was my sixth Freshman Retreat because I had often gone with my mother,” said Eitan Bernath ’20, whose mother, Mrs. Sabrina Bernath, is the Director of the Math Department. “This retreat was obviously the most special one yet because it was my first one as a student. While I’d always seen what went on during these retreats, being able to directly participate in the student ice breakers and sessions with senior advisers and 91Ӱ�� teachers made it a much more meaningful and personal experience.”

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91Ӱ�� Science Educators Attend FlipCon New York Conference

Yaelle — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 01:09:22 +0000

Several 91Ӱ�� science educators worked on honing their teaching craft earlier last week by attending the conference in New Paltz, NY.

Teachers learned how to create flipped classroom videos to continue helping students become independent learners.

“Educational technologies such as online videos or teacher prepared videos are used to deliver content outside of the classroom,” said Dr. Furman, Chair of 91Ӱ��’s Science Department. “Students are assigned these videos to watch as ��homework, and students who have difficulty with certain concepts are able to ��watch the video multiple times if needed. By laying a foundation for the students at home , this allows for better use of instructional time where topics can be explored in greater depth.”

Dr. Furman continued, “The theory behind the flipped classroom is to have the students be ��independent learners and take responsibility for acquiring the basic and most concrete concepts on their own. The classroom can then became a place where the teachers are available to work with students on the more difficult and challenging material.”

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91Ӱ�� Chosen as Only Jewish High School to Present Poster at ISTE 2016 Conference in Denver

Yaelle — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 19:02:22 +0000

Mrs. Rifkie Silverman, Chair of Engineering and Computer Science at 91Ӱ��, modeled student projects and our innovative engineering curriculum in a poster session at the International Society for Technology in Education Conference in Denver this past weekend. Mrs. Silverman was chosen to present a poster session to showcase the 91Ӱ�� engineering curriculum and innovation as an exemplar for every other school. As the only Jewish high school from thousands of schools at ISTE to give a poster presentation, ��91Ӱ�� is not only leading the way in engineering and STEM education for a Jewish high school, but leading the way for every kind of high school.

“There was so much positive energy and excitement among the more than 15,000 representatives from schools all over the country, and I am pleased that I was able to represent 91Ӱ�� and share our students’ successes with the global STEM community,” said Mrs. Silverman. The 91Ӱ�� engineering curriculum is supported by the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education.

Rabbi Tzvi Pittinsky, Director of Educational Technology, spearheaded the meet-up of the Jewish Educators Network at ISTE, attended by over 75 participants who learned about��digitally enhancing Tefilla, Tanach, Hebrew Language and Jewish history. Along with Dr. Zadoff, a member of our History faculty, they also attended and facilitated sessions in various areas of educational technology to further student-centered learning and global collaboration.

“Educators from as far away as Australia, Mexico, and spanning dozens of states were amazed by the achievements of our students in our 91Ӱ�� engineering program,” said Rabbi Pittinsky. “It was such a Kiddush Hashem as they saw our students as a model for their own, and we hope this will foster many future collaborations spanning the globe.”

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Math Conference at 91Ӱ�� Welcomes Master Educator

Yaelle — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 04:20:15 +0000

91Ӱ��’s Math Department was privileged to host master��math and physics teacher Miguel Bayona from the Lawreneceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.�� Mrs. Sabrina Bernath, Chair of the Math Department, heard Mr. Bayona originally speak three years ago at a teaching conference at Rutgers. His expertise with Geogebra and incredible ability to show high-level application of the software in small, easily digestible steps made a lastly impression on Mrs. Bernath. ��When the department showed interest in learning more about Geogebra, she arranged for Mr. Bayona to visit 91Ӱ��.

Mr. Bayona divided his all-day session into three parts: applications in Geometry, applications in Algebra, and then Advance Features of the program.�� It was a highly interactive lecture where the teachers and Mr. Bayona happily went off on tangents (pardon the pun!). ��Significant time was spent learning the various features related to Geometric exploration using the Midline Theorem as a starting point. For the algebra application part of the talk, the group investigated the properties of various polynomial and trigonometric functions. The teachers were also walked through the steps of how to create a customized tool.

Finally, after lunch, Mr. Bayona showed the group “Free Form” and “Function Inspector,” which are both functions unique to Geogebra that allow for spontaneity and endless exploratory options for the adventurous classroom teacher. With non-stop questions and many “ooohs” ��and ” aahs,” the teachers who attended the conference are excited and motivated to use this software in their classrooms in the coming academic year.

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Junior Grade Presidential Primary Project

Yaelle — Thu, 19 May 2016 16:54:01 +0000

91Ӱ�� held student council elections earlier this��week, but there was a very special political project going on at 91Ӱ�� for much longer. Mrs. Kaplan’s junior classes have been working on a Presidential Primary project during the year, in which students tracked the races of the candidates vying to become the presidential nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties.

Working in groups, students created webpages – under the guidance of Rabbi Pittinsky, Director of Educational Technology – for their respective candidates that included��links, videos, documents, pictures, cartoons, polling results and more. As candidates dropped out, students wrote “political obituaries” and were assigned to a track a different candidate still in the race.

The assignment is a perfect example of project-based learning, engaging students through real-world applications that extend beyond the classroom. It has also helped the political education of our students, many of whom will soon be eligible to vote for the first time.

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Junior Navi Fair Melds Disciplines and Inspires Creativity

Yaelle — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 14:13:06 +0000

Last week, juniors in Morah Racheli’s Navi class presented a grand gallery walk for faculty and students that showcased their culminating projects for their unit on Sefer Zechariah. Students were tasked with examining one of the prophecies from the series of visions Zecharia experienced during the time of the building of the second Beit Hamikdash. Students had to explain the vision according to three meforshim – a rishon, an acharon, and a modern bible scholar – and make their own source sheets, as well as create a visual depiction of the vision to be presented to the class.

Students were extremely creative and brought Zechariah’s visions to life through art, clay, painting, 3D printing, stop motion video, and multi-media in a variety of innovative ways. Students also explained their artwork to the visitors of the gallery walk and discussed why that particular vision was canonized, how the message of that vision was meant for the Jews of that time and how it might apply to our lives today. Rabbi Pittinsky blogged about the project – and another example of project-based learning – .

“Project-based learning, like this example from my classroom, is the best way for students to tap into their ability to self-introspect, and inspires��them to think of what they’re researching and how it applies to them and their lives today,” said Morah Racheli. “This project comes at a critical time in juniors’��lives, when they are getting ready to go to Israel and college. I’m in awe of how creative my students are and the beautiful projects they create.”

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91Ӱ�� Faculty Visit Bergen Makerspace

Yaelle — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 17:08:19 +0000

Rabbi Tzvi Pittinsky, Director of Educational Technology, Mrs. Ahuva Mantell, Director of our Visual Arts program, and Mrs. Rifkie Silverman, Director of our Engineering Program, visited the today. The Bergen Makerspace is a community learning center formed in partnership between Bergen County Technical Schools and Bergen Community College. Its goal?��To develop, grow, and maintain a community in Bergen County that is dedicated to hands-on learning of all kinds.

Rabbi Pittinsky, Mrs. Mantell and Mrs. Silverman visited the center to discover new ways to introduce 3D printing, computer-aided design, electronics, and coding using the Arduino microcontroller to further enrich 91Ӱ��’s Smedra Family 21st Century Learning Space in the Arts, Engineering and beyond. The Smedra Family Space has already been used for an amazing variety of projects covering a broad range of subjects. For instance, Dr. Furman’s junior biology research students using the computer lab to begin to unravel the complexities of the genome of a plant called Landoltia punctata (aka: duckweed), engaging in analyzing novel DNA sequences that they have isolated from this organism.

We look forward to future collaborations, and stay tuned for some exciting interdisciplinary projects, coming soon!

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AP Art History Class Visits the Met

Yaelle — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 14:23:16 +0000

On Wednesday December 2nd, Mr. Kastner’s AP Art History class visited��The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Mr. Kastner, a licensed New York City tour guide, led the students on a 3-hour��tour featuring the art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Egypt, Rome and Greece (very Chanukah-appropriate!).

Students had a great time witnessing some of the art they’ve been learning about in real life, up close and personal – a privilege Mr. Kastner said few art history students around the world get to have – and also got in a very thorough and interactive study session before an art history exam at school the following day.

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Chumash Class: Comparing and Contrasting Pharaoh and the Nazi Regime

Yaelle — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 15:26:02 +0000

Students in Mrs. Goldfischer’s ninth-grade Chumash class have been working on an in-class assignment where they had to either compare or contrast Pharaoh and Hitler and their treatment of the Jewish people. This is an example of how 91Ӱ�� students explore��ancient Jewish history through a modern prism. Students considered what they learned in Shemot Chapter 1 and reflected on Pharaoh’s goals, reasons why he persecuted the Jews,��his use of propaganda, progression of anti-Semitic attacks and more. The commentary of Ramban, written in the 13^th century, dealt with the many of stages of Pharaoh’s anti-Semitic measures against the Jews – measures that frighteningly resemble some forms of modern anti-Semitism.

Some student groups felt that these two anti-Semites were extremely similar, while other groups argued that they share some similarities but also significant differences. Other groups, still, argued that these two rulers were radically different from one another in their treatment of the Jews.

One group noticed that these ruthless tyrants both had reasons to feel gratitude to a specific Jew—for Pharaoh, it was Yosef, and for Hitler,��it was Eduard Bloch, a Jewish family doctor who took care of his mother. Yet these feelings of appreciation were instead replaced with feelings of fear and hatred of the Jewish nation.

Excerpts from students’ writings are below:

“Both Pharoah and Hitler convinced people who weren’t initially against Jews to hate them. Hitler convinced a lot of the Germans and non-Jewish neighbors to kill Jews. Similarly, Pharaoh started off by only convincing the higher government officials but eventually convinced any Egyptian that they can take advantage of the Jews.”

“Pharoah only wanted to slow down Jewish growth, his ‘final solution’ was only created once his earlier attempts were unsuccessful and even then his main objective was to kill the baby boys and not total extermination.”

“Both Pharpah and Hitler had a personal connection to a Jew that they knew was Jewish and protected while targeting the rest of the nation.”

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