For Sergiy, who transferred from the American Hebrew Academy in North Carolina to Yavneh as a junior, returning to the local Jewish education scene was important.  "Having been at Levine Academy since the fifth grade, I had become very accustomed to the atmosphere and, when I returned, I knew it would be easy to pick back up right where I left off.  Yavneh is a school of few people, but people that I would not leave for any others.  It was the only school for me."

"I love the school because I knew everyone's name and they know mine and I like having small classes and an open learning environment," said Sergiy.  "Yavneh's students are interested in learning which greatly contributes to the school's success. The teachers receive that interest well and in return help the students because they truly personally invest in the students on a daily basis."

"Sergiy adds so much to Yavneh Academy.  His classmates and I valued his comments and appreciated his keen sense of humor," said English teacher, Phyllis Beilue.  "I am sure he spoke for many of them when, on several occasions, he drolly asked, 'What's the point?' It is a question worth asking in the process of style analysis, and he really did want an answer. My reply often was, 'Stay with me, and I think you will see.'" 

"Sergei did stay with the class and with the tasks at hand," said Mrs. Beilue.  "He is an excellent writer with the ability to engage his reader.  Sergei is personable and delightful, a breath of fresh air.  I know that he will be as successful in the future as he is now because he has a positive attitude, great ability, and an appreciation of little things."

"The combination of the dedicated staff that shares an honest interest in the students, with a student body that wants to learn, makes it a place that can add five more classes without running into problems," said Sergiy, of Yavneh's dual curriculum program - providing a top college preparatory education alongside its premiere Judaic curriculum.  "To me it is no surprise that Yavneh 'gets it all in.'"

"When I see a teacher outside of class, I feel compelled to say hello, not simply to show respect but because I actually enjoy the interactions I have with my teachers," said Sergiy.  "My teachers do more than just teach me the required materials, they've become my mentors and they've taught me how to be a person."

Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Sergiy moved to Dallas in 1999 with his parents, Natasha and Michael, and his siblings Misha and Katia.  He is a member Yavneh's Chess Team and of Congregation Anshai Torah.  He thanks Rabbi and Wende Weinberg to a great extent for their guidance and assistance and for much of his knowledge."

Accepted to Case Western University, Drexel University, Texas A&M, the University of Florida, the University of Miami, and University of Texas at Dallas, Sergiy wants to pursue a career in computer engineering or chemical research.

The calm and quiet gentleman that Sergiy is, whatever his pursuit, it will be with consideration and compassion.

"At Yavneh, our full 8 to 5 day means getting it all in and then some with extracurricular activities like sports, The Bulldog Print news, drama, community service, and many clubs including Mock Trial and Debate," said Adam, who chose to attend Yavneh, in order to build on the Jewish foundation he received at Akiba Academy.  "I think that while our contemporaries will be sweating the adaptation from high school to college, Yavneh students will be finding a break of sorts."

"I have enjoyed my time at Yavneh so immensely because I can be an individual," said Adam, "while maintaining a strong sense of community among my friends, schoolmates, teachers and faculty."

"Mr. O'Quinn has been my guardian angel, my Jiminy Cricket, my Fairy Godmother, my Genie in the lamp," said Adam.  "Behind his desk, or behind the scenes, he has worked with me every step of the way to give me the best Yavneh experience possible."

"It is always nice to have a Sallmander in class and get to know another of the siblings," said English teacher, Phyllis Beilue.  "Adam is a rather quiet but friendly student who has a ready smile.  I appreciate his effort, his work ethic, and his positive attitude."

"Adam seems to have a true appreciation for learning and enjoys success.  He has excellent rapport with his peers, and I know that he will be successful in life," said Mrs. Beilue. "He is a fine young man with a good heart."  

"I love to make people laugh and often use humor to cheer someone up or to ease tension in an awkward or uncomfortable situation," said Adam.  "I have a special relationship with my friends at school because it has been built up over years of shared experiences.  There are kids who have been in my grade so long that I cannot recall a time in my life before I knew them."

A native of Northridge, California, who moved to Dallas when he was just two-years-old, the son of Mickie and Pam and brother of Yoni '03 and Maya '06, as well as younger sister Gabi, Adam belongs to Congregation Shaare Tefilla.  He has been a Yavneh Bulldog, playing for the school's basketball, soccer, and tennis teams and a member of Yavneh's Theatre department with roles in A Dybbuk, The Miracle Worker, and Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.

Summertime respite for Adam has included traveling with his family, working at Akiba's Camp Mazal and as a volunteer with the Bnai Brith Youth Organization's Operation Shema program, helping to build up a park for inner-city youth, working at a kids' camp, and at a recreation center.

Adam, who continues to follow Yoni and Maya with a year in Israel, where he will study at Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim, hopes to then set his own footpath.  Accepted thus far to the University of Kansas, Adam is still pondering his future, knowing only that it will "involve helping people and be something that I know I will be passionate about."

Passion is something Adam holds as a treasure, close to heart.  It will be our bracha to soon see where he brings this passion, as for all he encounters, he will leave a mark.

When I visited Yavneh's campus, it was beautiful. I could envision myself there. It felt right," said Becky who transferred to Yavneh from Allen High School at the start of her junior year.  "Before Yavneh I was at Allen High School, student population 5,000, Jewish population: Evan and I. I wanted high school to be a positive experience, and felt that at Yavneh, it would be."

"It's so much easier to be motivated and college driven when everyone around you is," said Becky.  "I feel that the majority of students at Yavneh care tremendously about their education."  

"At Yavneh, you don't feel like a number," said Becky.  "Unlike at Allen High, which has 5,000 students, the faculty and administration here really care about you. You're treated as a human being and you're given so much trust, so much freedom. You learn independence. Students who really push themselves can go so far. It's good practice for the real world."

Accepted to Bard College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Tulane University, the University of Texas, and Wesleyan University, Becky plans to pursue a career that involves writing.  "I don't know for sure where I'll be, but definitely somewhere beautiful with a substantial amount of Jews," said Becky.  "I would be really depressed if I had no one to eat latkes and matzah with. I know what it's like to be the only Jew out of thousands and thousands of people, and that's not what I want for college."

"The sky is the limit for Becky Schisler!" said Dr. Tim Cloward, Assistant Principal and Social Studies and Creative Writing teacher.  "I have never seen a student who has developed so many skills so extensively by their senior year."

"As the years started, we had the creative writing teacher, the music teacher, the visual art instructor, and the journalism teacher all fighting over her for their classes," said Dr. Cloward.  "Becky's major problem, as she looks to the future, will be deciding which of her many skills to concentrate on.  I personally hope it is her writing, as her work is already as developed and mature as any high school student I have ever worked with."

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Becky, the daughter of Howell Schisler and Avi and Shelley, and sister to Saul, Evan '10, Leora '11, Jonah '13, Sam, Tammy, and Jacquie, moved to Dallas when she was just a few months old.  A member of Congregation Shearith Israel, Becky is a member of the ZOHAR chapter of United Synagogue Youth, and has served on USY's International General Board as editor of the organization's religious newsletter, Bo'er Ba'esh, as SWRegion VP of Religion, Education, and Culture and as ZOHAR chapter president. 

"USY gave me Judaism," said Becky who has visited Israel, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Poland with the organization.  "Before I joined I didn't feel any sort of connection to religion at all.  I went home from my first trip with a strong, newly developed Jewish identity and Judaism had become an essential part of my everyday life."

On campus connections, Becky is a staffer of Yavneh's The Bulldog Print staff, Becky has been artist, cartoonist, reporter and, this year, a columnist (The Beck Burner)and, as an accomplished musician, Becky is a member of the Music Ensemble.

The best part of Yavneh? But there are so many! Mr. O'Quinn. Every time I tell him 'Thank You' he says I have nothing to thank him for, but I owe him so much. I've never seen someone so respected, valued, and admired by every single person who knows him-child or adult. He's like Dumbledore-except better. His physics class was great too, it was almost philosophical.  I've never enjoyed science before, but he somehow makes everything he talks about compelling. I think the only person I've ever met who's had as much blind faith in me is my Grandmother,"  said Becky.  "The cereal. The tree in the lobby (yes, I thought it was real for a while). The Student Lounge. Free periods. The relaxed environment. Wearing skirts. The freedom. The freedom. The freedom. For me Yavneh has been this warm, safe environment where I could take risks, grow as a person...and I know that I did."

We've watched you risk, we've watched you grow, and we know that wherever life takes you, Becky, the meaning of your soul will shine through.

"The best part about attending Yavneh is the amount of freedom that the faculty presents the students," said Micah.  "We are granted the ability to start organizations that we believe will add to the culture of the school, to change the world, to learn from, to give to, or to just 'be.'" 

Like many students, Micah chose to attend Yavneh in order to continue his Jewish education and he graduates, having "enjoyed attending Yavneh because of the close knit relationships between students and teachers who are always willing to help out whenever we show a genuine interest or need for help."

"Micah is an excellent student who is very serious about his family, career and Yavneh," said math teacher, Veronica Thomas.  "I enjoyed teaching Micah and am sure that he will make Yavneh very proud soon."

Accepted to Brandeis University, University of Texas, Washington University in St. Louis, Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi, and Yeshivat Orayta, Micah plans to spend next year in Israel, returning to the U.S. to study to become a doctor.  "I feel that it is important to spend time exploring the roots of my Jewish culture," said Micah, "as well as to take advantage of religious learning opportunities that are not available in America."

"There is so much to say about Micah," said Rabbi Meir Tannenbaum.  "He is one of the rare students who comprehends and processes information faster than the teacher can provide it, yet his greatness extends beyond his academic prowess. Micah is such a respectful and polite student, and an absolute joy to have in the classroom."

Involved in many aspects of Yavneh's extra-curricular schedule, Micah was a participant, for four years, of the school's Mock Trial and Debate teams, the Health Occupation's Club, and he's been a member of HELP; Helping Everyone Live Peacefully - for which he also served as President.  He has been a staff member of The Bulldog Print newspaper and Yavneh's Music Ensemble, as well as a constant on the courts for the Bulldog Basketball and Tennis teams.

The summer before his Junior year, Micah spent two weeks in Baltimore at Operation Shema, a volunteer program of BBYO where he volunteered in the inner city teaching kids and repairing old parks.  Servicing the local community as well, Micah also spent several weeks volunteering at Dallas' JCC Tennis Camp.  A rising senior, in addition to shadowing doctors, providing insight to a future in the medical fiels, Micah spent three weeks volunteering at Bea's Kids,an educational and personal development program for children from low-income families.

A Dallas native, and the son of Jacob and Janyce, and the eldest sibling of Gabby '12, Adam, and David, prior to Yavneh, Micah attended Akiba Academy from preschool through eighth grade. Micah served as treasurer for his Kaplan, BBYO chapter and, as a regular attendee of Congregation Shaare Tefilla, following his sophomore year at Yavneh, Micah found himself becoming more observant in his own Jewish practice.   "I am most proud that I am an Orthodox Jew," he said.  "This decision followed a logical step; if I believe in G-d and in Judaism, than I felt I should practice Jewish halachah to the best of my ability."

"Beyond his sterling character is Micah's continuous spiritual journey. He is never satisfied with his religious commitments and moral accomplishments," said Rabbi Tannenbaum.  "He is always seeking to do, grow, and learn even more. I can only hope that he continues to follow in this incredible trail that he has blazed for himself."

A trailblazer, a student of his heritage, a future doctor - Micah will search, find, and heal - and we'll be the better for having been there from the beginning.