Sunday, April 28
All-Yeshiva davening in Lamport Auditorium
Lag Ba'Omer Kumzits - Grades 11 & 12
V'ata Banim Shiru High School Chorus Competition, 1pm @ Rambam
JPost Conference; contact Shlomo Anapolle for tickets
JV Softball vs. Frisch Cougars, 6pm
KS"A Halacha Shiur - free donuts; 9:10am in room 203
AP Pre-Administration during lunch in the Library
Debate @ SAR; bus departs at 5pm
Tennis Lions vs. Flatbush Falcons; 7:30pm at the National Tennis Center

Tuesday, April 30
Chabura w/ Rav Twersky will meet after davening
Chaburas w/ Rav Willig and Rav Kahn will meet during lunch
Arista meeting during lunch in room 444A
Library Squad meeting during lunch in the Library
MTA Chorus practice during lunch in room 404
MTA Band practice during fifth period in the band room
Soccer Lions vs. Magen David Warriors; 8pm in The Lions' Den

Chaburas w/ Rav Twersky and Rav Schachter after davening
Hatzioni Donut Sale
Varsity Softball Lions vs. SAR Sting - Doubleheader, 5:30pm

Thursday, May 2
Regular bus pickups except for Monsey. Monsey students should daven at home and bus pickup will be 2 hours delayed.
Friday, May 3
Varsity Softball @ Magen David Warriors, 12pm

  

"Bright Minds, Poor Grades" plumbs down to the depths of kids' educational difficulties. The book explains how to transform a child with average grades to one with above average grades and explains that an underachiever is a bright person who isn't doing as well in business or school as he is capable of. Dr. Whitley said that "sometimes this can be caused by conditions such as ADD or hyperactivity, when they can accomplish what they are told, but chose not to." He later went on to discuss underachievers' attitudes towards work, which would frequently lead to things such as blaming failure on the teachers, or claiming that an assignment was handed in when it really was not, until reaching a point where they believe that their "little white lie" is actually the truth.

 

In his speech, Dr. Whitley spoke of the "Underlying Skill Sets to Achievement." The first skill set is independence, meaning that a person will independently work on an assignment without the supervision or assistance of others. This is as opposed to false independence, when one only is working on an assignment for a reward (other than the good grade) or because he is being observed. Dr. Whitley stressed how crucial it is that this skill be acquired at a young age and that it stays preserved throughout one's life; he also mentioned that parents should not assist their children too frequently with work, for that may slowly lessen a child's courage and independence.

 

The second skill is self-control. Dr. Whitley introduced this topic by discussing an experiment involving a marshmallow and 4-5 year old children. The experiment went as follows: children had marshmallows placed in front of them (one per chile) and were told that if they waited 15 minutes without eating their marshmallow, they would be awarded a second marshmallow. The children who waited were categorized as "waiters" and those who didn't were categorized as "grabbers." On average, as they grew up, the "waiters" were more successful in school and scored approximately 200 points higher on the SAT's than the "grabbers," who were shown to have had anger management issues, difficulty socializing, and did not do as well in school.

 

The third skill is responsibility. People with responsibility issues typically will try blaming a fault or failure at something on a teacher or co-worker. He suggested that youngsters be empowered to take responsibilities upon themselves, set their own study schedules, and develop their own plans for success with the understanding that if they fail to follow through, they will have to do their work as per their parents directives and not their own, something most teens do not want.  

 

The event came to a conclusion after Dr. Whitley discussed the habits and behaviors of both achievers and underachievers, while mentioning experiences he has shared with both, and then entertained questions from the crowd. Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Neff for graciously sponsoring the event. 

by Moshe Bochner ('13)

We thank Dr. Berenbaum for visiting MTA and providing words of inspiration to us all.

The Joseph Alexander Library: Meeting the Challenge
by Ms. Danielle Lewis, Librarian and Learning Center Specialist

It's School Library Month across the USA and we have exciting news! MTA, as well as Central, has been awarded a Legacy Heritage Library Upgrade / Media Center Challenge Grant. This grant enables the Joseph Alexander Library to upgrade and enfold technology into curriculum and instruction on all grade levels and all subject areas, from Talmud to Topics in Science. The application process included an MTATV student-faculty video that introduced a new personality to the YUHSB family: James Bondskie ("Agent 36"). According to the Legacy Heritage Foundation, MTA received this opportunity because we demonstrated commitment to "delivering an excellent educational product to your students ... [and] to expand the use of educational technology in your school."    

 

Our vision incorporates several component projects: (1) Modernization of the Second Floor library with new tables and an area for leisurely reading. (2) Transparent enclosure of the southern half of the third floor balcony to create a seminar conference room and quiet reading room. (3) Transparent enclosure of the northern half of the third floor balcony as a state of the art, multipurpose language lab and publications/video editing lab. (4) Leading edge technology such as new networked computers, printers, and video cameras; e-book downloading stations, audio and interactive streaming will give students and staff access to authentic, relevant information in formats that address the diverse needs of each unique teen learner. Students and faculty will have on-site ability to create, hone, and evaluate course content, publications, and interactive e-textbooks.

The Joseph Alexander Library will also use the grant to continue our ongoing efforts to reach excellence, notably through collection development: complementing print media with online formats and acquiring audiobooks and other technologies to accommodate differentiated instruction. With a web page and OverDrive e-book lending platform, we are continuously expanding flexible, remote access to resources and the collection. Automating our online catalog and incorporating textbook distribution also extends the library and its ability to share resources beyond our physical walls. The Alexander Foundation generously helps sustain us, but to meet new norms for a new century, our facilities and furnishings must be reconfigured for multiple uses that invite adolescents to engage in rigorous inquiry-based learning, while preserving the library's historic grandeur. Ms. Lewis, Dr. Taylor and Rabbi Taubes are delighted to see our beloved Lion's Library emerge as a 21st century library media center that will sustain our students as B'nai Torah, as critical thinkers, and as global citizens.

by Noah Shapiro ('13)

This past Thursday, the 12th grade Honors College cohort visited the New York Historical Society, along with Dr. Schneider and Mr. Tick. The museum, which is the oldest in New York, had recently been renovated, and looked fantastic. We went specifically to see the exhibit about World War II in New York, which helped shed light on how the war directly affected the city. The exhibit started by depicting New Yorkers' initial reaction to the outbreak of the war., in which there was was a mix of isolationism along with those who thought the US should enter alongside the British. The exhibit then led into an explanation of how the war affected the general public of New York; the city was forced to ration food and oil, factories began producing products needed for the war, and ships and other weapons where being produced for the war effort. The exhibit concluded with stories of actual New Yorkers who were shipped out overseas. It told the stories of individual soldiers who had unique experiences during the war.

Sophomores Visit The Met
by Zev Markowitz ('15)

On Thursday, the 10th grade Honors College cohort, accompanied by Dr. Taylor and Mr. Kulnis, took a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We first went up to the 19th century European section of the Museum. Some of the students recognized paintings that they had seen in Dr. Taylor's AP European history class. After 45 minutes of looking through these paintings, we were taken on a tour of the museum highlighting European works from 17th century and on; we were shown famous paintings such as EL Greco's "View of Toledo" and one of Claude Monet's famous paintings of the Rouen Cathedral. Following the tour there was some free time to explore on our own; some students went to the new renaissance art while others went to arms and armor. It was a fascinating trip and we thank Dr. Berliner for his leadership of the program.

 

Freshmen and Juniors Visit the Museum of Math

by Binyomin Shtaynberger ('14)

 

On Monday, the ninth and eleventh grade Honors College cohorts, along with Rabbi Brownstein, Rabbi Tani Cohen, Mr. Dobrick and Mr. Pershan, took a trip to the NY Museum of Math, known as the MoMath. The Museum is relatively new and geared towards younger kids; however they were able to cater to the advanced needs of the Honors College students. After a cursory walk-through of the museum and its unique exhibits, both groups were taken to classrooms for a private session to learn more about math. The instructors gave an exciting and surprisingly simple workshop about an extremely complicated subject of math: knot theory. In addition to the instructors teaching about what composes a knot and its symmetry, they taught the students about the practical application knot theory, such as understanding DNA Replication. Students were then divided into groups of nine and each group began to make their own complex knots by using their hands and then eventually cutting them specifically in order to unwind the knots they had made.

 

After the brief sessions, the students were free to peruse the various different math related exhibits. Most students found the tricycles, made out of 3 square tires, to be the most interesting. Other students enjoyed proving the Pythagorean Theorem true through the use of building blocks and square outlines, which showed everyone that numbers are not just numbers but that they represent the real world. And that was exactly the goal of the trip to the museum: to show that numbers and advanced math affect everyday life and that math can be fun.

by Ori Putterman ('14)

On Wednesday, the fourth and last of our Career Lunches took place; this lunch, in which pizza was provided, was presented by Mrs. Heidi Fuchs, Operations Manager at YU's Office of Undergraduate Admissions and mother of Zack ('04), Corey ('07) and Elliot ('14). Mrs. Fuchs spoke about her experience in helping job applicants, often just out of college, apply for their first job. Many of the skills and tips she shared, including how to prepare for an interview, could come in handy when applying to schools, scholarship programs, and yeshivot.  

 

Much thanks to all four of the parents who shared their time with us over the past month, including Mr. Mark Newman, who spoke about his job at the IRS; Ms. Rochelle Shoretz, who told stories of her careers in law and at Sharsheret; and Mr. Mony Weschler, who spoke about his job in technology at Montefiore Hospital. All four have had interesting and productive careers of which they are proud, and all four in non-traditional jobs. They were extremely entertaining, as well as very illuminating and enlightening. The Career Lunches was a very successful program, and we look forward to continuing it next year. Special thanks to Mr. Murray Sragow, our Director of College Guidance, for coordinating this program. 

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 Shema Koleinu

Mazel Tov to Yosef Weinberger ('07) upon his engagement to Tamar Glattstein.

Mazel Tov to Binyamin Weinreich ('09) upon his engagement to Huvie Yagod.