Last Thursday, our Hebrew class had the privilege of a visit from Shmuel Mirsky, an MTA alumnus and the brother of current MTA junior Daniel Mirsky. Mr. Mirsky made aliyah several years ago and joined the Israeli armed forces. Since then, he has gifted MTA students with a visit more than once to be interviewed in class.

This time, the MTA Hebrew class interviewed Mr. Mirsky regarding his experiences in the Israeli Army. He first gave a background about his position and a summary of his experiences, speaking in Hebrew for the majority of the interview in order to exercise the language skills of the MTA students in a real-time setting. He provided a comprehensive personal and professional account including information concerning the structure in the Israeli Army and personal stories of his time in Israel.

Complemented by questions by the class, both prepared and spontaneous, Mr. Mirsky spoke about what training in the Israeli Army is like, about his position in the armed forces as part of the Sayeret Rimon, an elite group of the land forces, about the key aspects of transitioning into Israeli culture, and about the different units in the Israeli army and their purpose. Mr. Mirsky illustrated how it felt to deal with danger and companionship in harsh environments.

The interview was interlaced with several personal accounts of his experiences in the army. Since he participated in the recent "Operation Protective Edge" in Gaza, the students heard captivating accounts of encounters with terrorists and the destruction of tunnels throughout Gaza. The accounts were interesting and admirable, and gave the students a more relatable connection to the Hebrew they were learning in class, as it took form in current events. Some students were so intrigued that they waited after class to ask personal advice regarding making aliyah and joining the Israeli army. 

In conclusion, Mr. Mirsky's visit was informative and interesting. It provided a productive, enjoyable, and perosnable way for Hebrew students to practice the Hebrew they had learned in class over the past couple months. The class would like to thank Mr. Mirsky for his time and valuable contributions.

STEMTeachersNYC, the prestigious organization that MTA Science teacher and Department Chair Mrs. HLZacks is a part of, was featured as the lead story on Channel 13's recent SciTech Now Program. Check out the video above (starts from 6 minutes in).
 

On Thursday, November 13, I was a presenter at the NYCDOE Office of Library Services' 25th Annual Conference: "Libraries Are Elemental" at CitiField.  

My session, entitled Grace Aguilar's American Journey: Entwining the IFC and Common Core with Community Action for Adolescent Learners, gave 25 teachers and librarians across NYC the tools to create an engaging cross-curricular inquiry experience that blends Common Core with the Empire State Digital Fluency Continuum, a framework created by librarians that embeds critical thinking, digital literacy and digital citizenship within the Social Studies curriculum.  From the initial inquiry question, "Why is a library in East Harlem named for a Jewish woman who never even came to the US?" we explored how digitized archives, maps, photographs, oral history, periodicals, and other sources help unpack the question. 

We then discussed how student researchers can use mobile technology, New York Public Library databases and Google maps to uncover the forgotten stories within "history" that connect the past to their own neighborhoods, heritages, and lives. 

On Tuesday, MTA LEAD was officially kicked-off with a visit from Professor Michael Strauss, Associate Dean, Assistant to the Provost, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence of YU's Sy Syms School of Business. The program, which is conducted in partnership with the business school and which is now it its fourth year at MTA, allows business-minded students to develop innovative business ideas and plans and to learn a variety of business and leadership skill-sets. Over the course of the year, students who participate in the program will receive mentorships from Syms students, workshop training from Syms faculty, hear lectures from global leaders who speak as part of the noted Kukin Lecture Series, and pitch an idea to a panel of business leaders.

After Mr. Leshaw provided a brief overview and introduction, Dean Strauss explained to the students the fundamentals of a good business plan and  the difference between a provisional patent and a regular patent with many claims. He also shared some business choices he himself made over the course of his career, whether good or bad, and got the students excited about beginning to work on their own ideas.

Students interested in participating in the program should visit the program website (www.yuhsb.org/MTA-lead) for more and to apply. 

Special thanks to Dean Strauss for his time and continued support.

This week, the debate club had the unique opportunity to hear from YU Vice Provost Dr. Scott Goldberg. Dr. Goldberg spoke about computers and technology in classrooms in preparation for an upcoming novice debate about that topic. The lecture was met with enthusiasm by the members of the debate club who felt that they had a much better grasp of the topic after the presentation. Our sincerest thanks are extended to Dr. Goldberg for taking time out of his schedule to speak with us.