Sophie Rose: What was the best part of the Cooper Invitational?

Daniel Lasko ('14): Making a comeback in our last two games and winning against Yeshiva Atlanta and Cooper.

 

SR: Who would you say was a star player on your team?
DL: Bryant Feintuch really stepped up for our team; he was even awarded our team's MVP during the closing ceremony.

 

SR: Any thoughts about this upcoming season?

Ari Clements ('14): I'm excited to work with my new team members and to really bond as a team.

 

SR: Aside from the competition, what would you say was the best part about the Cooper Invitational? 

AC: There was a lot of team bonding, which was so great. Friday night the entire team hung Yogev until 3a.m., and it was great to really get close to all the new members of the team.

 

SR: Were there any interesting programs or speakers at the Invitational? 

AC: Mike Miller, the two-time champion of the Miami Heat, and one of the best 3-point shooters of all time, spoke to us about his journey to success in the NBA.

 

 

This unbelievable conference we attended in Washington, D.C. was an extraordinarily valuable experience. Along with 400 other students from across the country, we learned in depth about the issues taking place in the Middle East and how to lobby members of Congress. We learned how to step up and take action to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. Through sessions, speakers, and meetings with the staff of a member of Congress and an official in the White House, our understanding of these important issues has increased. Among the many things we really appreciated on High School Summit was our chance to interact with students from across the country, whose different perspectives provided another take on Pro-Israel advocacy. In addition to learning new fascinating information, we also heard personal stories of students getting involved and rising to become some of the top Pro-Israel advocates. I, along with the other students who participated in this memorable trip, am so grateful for this opportunity. One of the important lessons we learned is to be "proactive not reactive". We must not wait until times of crisis to help, so we urge everyone to get inspired and get involved!

 

Sophie Rose: What is the purpose of the JUMP conference?

Nathaniel Mayberg ('15): JUMP is a leadership program where students learn the foundation and tools needed to be effective leaders in their communities. The conference introduced the program and got us excited about our upcoming projects. 

 

SR: Can you share information that you learned at the conference?

NM: We were presented with a series of challenges that we must implement into our community at home, and I realized that there is no age limit to making a difference in people's lives. 

 

The Sophomore Chesed Day was not only an exciting, fun time for our grade to bond, but it was more importantly a fulfilling chesed experience for every student who participated. Our day started with a visit to JARC to bake challah with the residents. The residents of JARC don't have the opportunity to bake challah often, so their excitement was more than apparent. We all bonded and braided together and watched as the residents of JARC smiled while partaking in a common Jewish activity that holds the Jewish nation together. Afterwards, we continued the fun-filled day by going bowling! Overall, the day was both rewarding and enjoyable!

On Wednesday, we were privileged enough to gain insight into the life of Rav Ovadia Yosef. He was the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983 and he recently passed away. In honor of his Shloshim, we took part in a program that exposed us to a deeper understanding of his life and what a tremendous person he was. We learned that although Rav Ovadia Yosef was not brought up like other Rabbis, he was able to transcend his potential. Rabbi Yosef Kassorla, a former partaker in Rav Yosef's memorable Shabbos shiurims, combined modern parallels to engage us in the inspiring life that Rav Ovadia Yosef led. A key point was that Rav Ovadia Yosef was able to live up to the hype that surrounded him, even though in this world, it seems that things are never able to meet our expectations. The program demonstrated and emphasized how important this Tzadik was to our world, and gave us a role model to look up to. 

 

Sophie Rose: What did you think about this year's kickoff chagigah?

Rabbi Kroll: I thought it was spectacular! There was a ton of ruach and the dancing was great. My highlight was Jacob Danis's gorilla costume because it added nice spirit to the chagigah. 

 

SR: I know every year there is a lot of apprehension regarding moshing. How do you think our school handled it this year?

RJK: I honestly felt that the moshing issue was very overrated; it was not bad at all. 

 

SR: Any insight on the upcoming Chanukah auction?

RJK: I am eagerly anticipating this auction; I know that once we reveal the prizes there will be full-blown enthusiasm among the students as well. 

 

SR: Can Highlites have an exclusive preview of some of the prizes?

RJK: All I can say is everyone better start collecting gelt, there will be great prizes being announced shortly!

This past week, Yeshiva University ran its largest Critical Friends Group conference to date, at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton in Northern New Jersey. WYHS board members Mr. Jeffrey Harris and Mr. Michael Rose, along with lay leaders from around the country, focused on fundraising strategies and board management, while educational leaders had the opportunity to interact and discuss many of the current dilemmas facing our schools. The hope is that with so many gathered together collaborating and crowd-sourcing, this forum will produce a cross-pollination of ideas to help improve the professionalism and the quality of the education our schools provide. Rabbi Houben and Rabbi Schochet also attended the conference, both as representatives of WYHS and in their capacity as mentors for Yeshiva University's YU Lead, an online leadership training program designed to take participants' school leadership skills to the next level.

 

Sophie Rose: What was the purpose of your AP conference?

Mrs. Chait (Science Dept. Chair): To meet with physics teachers from all across America, sharing our teaching methods and insights on the AP.

 

SR: Did you learn anything interesting you can share with us?

MEC: I learned that in order to teach an AP science course it is necessary to balance labs with the amount of class times spread throughout the year. Also, when your head explodes from too much physics, it really hits the far wall in the classroom.

 

SR: What did you learn at the AP conference?

Mrs. Weiss (Math Dept. Chair): I learned new material for both my AP calculus classes, and new material for the exams.

 

SR: Any advice for AP students?

MBW: They do not read crossed out answers or multiple solutions, and most importantly they must be able to read your solutions.

This week at Weinbaum the students had the honor of hearing Dr. David Luchins speak about an aspect of life in Israel that most of us have never considered. He discussed with the students the social and cultural divide between different segments of the Israeli population, and how those issues impact Israeli politics. He gave fascinating insight into the history of Israel, and explained how leaders from all different religious and political factions have come together in the past to resolve pressing issues such as Jewish identity and Israeli army service. Although this culture conflict continues to create tension in Israel, Dr. Luchins left us optimistic about the ability of the Israeli Rabbinate and Knesset to continue to work together to find solutions that are acceptable to all.