Reminder:
Special Parent-Son Learning on Thursday, December 25th.
To serve as a $36 event sponsor, please click here.
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Study Night Coming Soon!
Please note in your calendars that Wednesday, January 7, in advance of mid-term exams, will be "Study Night at MTA." From 6pm to 9pm, students are invited to study and receive help from faculty members and upperclassmen in various group and individual study sessions.
Pizza and late buses will be provided.
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Spirit Month Culminates With Amazing Chanukah Chagigah
Click here for more photos from the chagigah!
Chanukah has arrived and with it, on the first morning, came our amazing annual MTA Chanukah chagigah! As usual, there was a beautiful Shacharis, this year held in Weissberg Commons, and a festive breakfast, followed by an impressive performance by the MTA high school band, directed by David Ross.
As people were rushing in to buy their last few raffle tickets before the drawing, Eitan Katz and his band started up the ruach with some incredible music. After a lot of spirited dancing, we then drew some winners for the Annual Chinese Auction raffle, which raised over $2,000 for Shalva, an organization for children with special needs in Eretz Yisrael, and for our own Student Activities Scholarship Fund. The MTA Chorus, also directed by David Ross, then put on quite a show and was joined by Eitan Katz to sing "L'maancha."
After another set of dancing to the music of Eitan Katz, everyone was treated to the amazing spectacle of this year's Spirit Month banners. Grades 9-11 painted beautiful banners, capturing their individual Spirit Month Middos; the Freshman banner won!
Several more prizes for the Chinese Auction were drawn before the Spirit Month Videos were played to the school. The Freshman video displayed some promising footage and editing, and even drew a few laughs from the crowd, while the Sophomore video drew thunderous laughter, despite its short length. The winning Junior video, written by Chezkie Lauer and Ezra Epstein, was filmed and edited by the incredibly talented Shimmy Socol. Not only was it beautifully done, it was also very funny.
The fantastic chagigah was a perfect culmination to what has been a jam-packed Spirit Month. Happy Chanukah!
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An Amazing Trip Through Time!
by Aryeh Ness ('16)
Last Thursday, the Honors College juniors and sophomores went on a special trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at some famous artwork by the famous European masters, such as Monet and Rembrandt. Upon our arrival, we were at first given some time to look on our own at artwork from the Europe of the 19th and early 20th centuries. We were then divided into groups and with the help of informative tour guides, we toured galleries devoted to art from the early modern period. While we were led through the halls of the MET for over an hour, we were able to dissect each painting we saw and to get inside the minds of these famous artists. The more time we spent on each painting, the more we were able to glean information about the setting, the tone, and even about the painters themselves.
It was a truly memorable experience that won't soon be forgotten, and we thank our Honors College advisors, Mr. Kulnis, Mrs. Siegfried, Rabbi Brownstein and Dr. Taylor, for arranging it.
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College Financial Aid Night
On Monday, December 15, Mr. Robert Friedman came to educate MTA students and parents about the world of college financial aid. Mr. Friedman is the University Director of Student Finances at YU, and a renowned expert in the field. He went through the entire process of applying for aid, as well as how it is affected by issues as diverse as family size and income, the number of siblings in college, differences between private and public colleges, spending a year or more in yeshiva in Israel, and many others. As a partner of MTA, he also invited all MTA students and their families to make use of the staff at YU's Office of Student Finances to help them through this process, whether they intend to enroll at YU or not. After his presentation, Mr. Friedman stayed to meet with individual families about their private concerns. We thank Mr. Friedman for sharing his time and expertise for our benefit.
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Incredible Yeshiva Fellowship Shabbaton in Teaneck
by Eli Burg ('18)
Last week, the Yeshiva Fellowship program held their annual Shabbaton in the Teaneck/Bergenfield community. The weekend was filled with ruach, learning, and of course great food. The program kicked off on Friday with an action packed football tournament at Votee Park, which was capped off with delicious Dunkin Donuts, before all the participants headed off to their hosts to get ready for Shabbos.
Kabalas Shabbos at Congregation Beth Abraham was followed by an enthusiastic learning seder before Maariv. We then headed to the Kornwasser home for a splendid Friday night seudah. The delicious meal was full of spirited zemiros, with divrei Torah from Ezra Wildes, Zeev Kornwasser and Rabbi Pearl. From there we walked to the Felmans, where we were joined by several of our Rebbeim who live locally, including Rabbi Eli Cohn, Rabbi Ciment, and Rabbi Taubes, along with dozens of present and prospective MTA students. At the oneg we enjoyed more lively singing, inspiring words from Rabbi Danto, and, of course, more delicious food.
On Shabbos day, after eating the second seuda with our hosts, we had a short learning seder followed by minchah at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun. Our Shabbaton was then capped off by an extremely inspiring shalosh seudos at Rabbi Taubes' house, where Rabbi Taubes taught us a special niggun and challenged us to make sure we are always growing as Bnai Torah. Overall, the Shabbos was an amazing experience for all who participated, and we thank Rabbi Danto and Rabbi Pearl for coordinating it.
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Rabbi Shulman's Shiur Shares Light of Chanukah
by Joseph Wolf ('15)
On Thursday, December 18, the second day of Chanukah, seniors from Rabbi Shulman's 12th grade shiur gave to others by volunteering at Masbia's Queens Boulevard food pantry. For those not familiar with their work, Masbia is a nonprofit food pantry and soup kitchen network that aims to give the less fortunate a hot meal in a restaurant atmosphere, complete with a volunteer waiting staff that serves its patrons with dignity and respect.
The shiur worked from eleven o'clock in the morning until two o'clock in the afternoon sorting orders, packaging food, and delivering goods to the needy. This service was particularly crucial considering the time of the year, and taking into account that Thursday is the pantry's busiest day of the week. As the day progressed, the shiur learned a valuable lesson about being thankful for what they have, especially considering that during all eight days of Chanukah, there are those that struggle to get their daily bread. Even though this lesson was taught outside of the classroom, it culminated in one of the most meaningful shiur experiences of the year as it demonstrated appreciation and compassion; midos that can only be completely learned through action.
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Mr. Goldberg's "End The Week With A Bang" Enters Competition - VOTE NOW!
Mr. Chayim Goldberg, instructor of Chemistry, put together a video from many of the clips that students recorded over the past two years to enter into a teaching-innovation contest sponsored by Atid and he needs your votes!
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MTA Participates in Poetry Slam
On December 8, the MTA Poetry Slam club participated in an event at the Yeshiva of Flatbush. Team members included Yitzchok Fishbach, Shimmy Mandelbaum, Jake Spector, and Avraham Tsikhanovski. MTA students read individually selected poems, along with students from a number of other area yeshiva high schools, including SAR, Frisch, Kohelet, and others. The event was a success, as our students performed well and enjoyed the experience. The Poetry Slam club looks forward to more such slams in the future.
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Please share with us your significant family milestones so we may appropriately acknowledge events and losses and properly communicate information. Please contact Mr. Nachum Cooper at ncooper@yuhsb.org
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Shop at Target or Amazon and Support MTA!
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A Lion's Life Executive Staff
Editors-in-Chief: Aryeh Burg ('15), Rafael Anapolle ('15)
Sports Editor: Jeremy Borgen '15
Associate Editor: Shimmy Mandelbaum '16
Photography Editor: Shimmy Socol '16
Faculty Advisor: Mr. Nachum Cooper '09
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