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Shabbat Times
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Parshat Emor
Candle Lighting:
7:52 PM
Havdalah:
9:00 PM
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Senior Shabbaton @ Camp Morasha
5/20-5/21
Acharai: Intro to Leadership Seminar
5/23, periods 1-2
Central Spirit Day
5/24
Senior Programming:
5/24, periods 1-2
Athletics Awards Luncheon
5/24, periods 5-6
Student vs. Teachers Basketball Game
5/24, T-Time
Junior Trip to Boston
5/25-5/26
Senior Programming
5/25, periods 2-4, periods 8-9
ACE Presentation
5/25, 4:15pm departure
Lag Ba'Omer Trip Day--Full Day, All Grades
5/26
Senior Awards Breakfast, Graduation Practice
5/27
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Mazel Tov!
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Mazel tov to Lauren (Sipzner) Ganz ('06) and Isaac Ganz on the birth of a son!
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Yeshiva University
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Message From the Head of School
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Dear Parents and Students,
Much has been made of the delicate nature of developing, maintaining, and securing one's reputation since what we do--whether personal, business-related or communal--comports with who we are and how others see us. This is especially challenging in an age of instant communication, when the click of a button allows private moments to be publicly broadcast, and when momentary lapses can unravel upstanding reputations. We have had many recent and past reminders of how important everything we do and say are to who we are becoming, how we are understood, and how others remember us. This week, we said a bittersweet goodbye to Mrs. Abby Lerner, who has taught thousands of Central students over her 28 years at Central and whose relationships are all built upon consistent smiles, care, and a deep commitment to our community. Each student, each family, and each and every colleague that Mrs. Lerner has encountered has felt her care since each interaction with every person was valuable, meaningful and heartfelt.
This week we read Parshat Emor, in which we are commanded to ensure that we are each a source of kiddush Hashem and never--G-d forbid--a chillul Hashem, and to promote a positive, laudable respect for G-d's name rather than the opposite. How do we go about achieving this lofty goal? Worrying about our own reputations is difficult enough. How do we manage other people's impressions of G-d? "Do not desecrate My Holy Name. I must be sanctified among the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord" (Leviticus 22: 32):
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks refers to this passuk as reflecting a core value in Judaism--developing a Jewish identity that endures. How does the notion that we are required to defend G-d's name, so to speak, relate to the formation of a strong Jewish identity? Rabbi Sacks draws support from the passuk in Sefer Yeshayahu: "This is what Isaiah meant when he said: 'You are my witnesses, says God, that I am God' "(Isaiah 43:10):
In this way, we become the tapestry through which Hashem is known. It is primarily through the contributions we make to society, through our steadfast adherence to the values of Torah, through the courageous perseverance of our generations, through the tribulations of Jewish history, that we become the witnesses to the G-d of Torah. It is our daily commitments to uphold halakha and to build our community through acts of chesed that ensure that we continue to be a source of holiness and exemplify the holiness present in Hashem's world.
This value was highlighted this week as we celebrated our annual Siyyum Tehillim and paid tribute to our beloved Mrs. Abby Lerner. Every day for countless years she has led us by example to look for Hashem's guidance, love, and comfort in our daily lives. This is accomplished not only through reading Tehillim, but also as we keep our hearts and eyes open to the ways that Hashem's message is available to us in our everyday occurrences. Mrs. Lerner has offered us this model, and we are eternally grateful for the innumerable lessons she has taught us all. With her we learned to become the witnesses to the glory that G-d intends for all humanity. As Rabbi Sacks asserts, "In ourselves we are testimony to something beyond ourselves. We are God's ambassadors to the world." We are fortunate to have had the privilege of learning with Mrs. Lerner as a personal example of how to do this in our Central family.
Wishing you a wonderful Shabbat,
Mrs. CB Neugroschl
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| The Welcoming Committee |
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 The freshmen are nearing the end of their first year of high school, right in time to lend some guidance to the next crop of incoming Central students! The Class of 2020 was welcomed to our building on Sunday for a lively "Freshmen Fair" to introduce them to our school and to each other. The fun began with a chesed project in which small groups of eighth-graders exercised their team-building skills while designing blankets for campers at Yachad Morasha. Everyone also played a hilarious round of "Human Bingo" to break the ice.  Then all participants ventured outside for a "Freshman Fair," complete with carnival games, pizza, and ice cream. Thank you to the members of our faculty who attended the fair to meet their future pupils and to the current Central students who warmly welcomed the eighth-graders to our Central family. Thank you also to Ms. Daniella Baratz, Mrs. Aliza Gewirtz, and Mrs. Shani Malitzky for arranging a fun and energetic morning!
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| The Chesed Corner |
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 As part of our Central Service Initiative (CSI), our seniors spent Monday reaching out to those in need and making a difference. Mrs. Jackie Welkowitz's Homeroom visited the Margaret Teitz Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center for some crafting, singing, dancing, and playing Bingo with the residents. Students in Mrs. Miriam Chopp's Homeroom had a meaningful and fun experience at Mrs. Chopp's house, baking challah l'ilui nishmat Mrs. Anna Rutner, A"H.  The challot will be sold to raise money for the IDF. Also raising money for the IDF are the Homerooms of Mrs. Shani Malitzky and Mrs. Keren Weinberger, who baked delicious treats in Mrs. Malitzky's kitchen to sell to our ever-hungry, sweet-toothed student body. Along similar lines, Mrs. Randee Groveman's group went to her home to bake cupcakes and cookies, which they then delivered to the Jamaica Armory Shelter for Women. For Mrs. Audi Hecht's Homeroom's CSI trip, seniors headed to Cedarhurst's Levi Yitzchak Library to create an interactive exhibit for its upcoming Lag Ba'Omer program.  For the children to experience the reality of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the Centralites constructed a cave, complete with a carob tree and stream. They then created a display board with fun facts about this time period, and ended by setting up a bulletin board about Ahavat Yisrael. "Overall, it was a really fun and rewarding experience," said Bracha Rosenberg ('16). Ms. Kim Konzack's Homeroom prepared and ran a carnival for students in Kulanu, who enjoyed playing games and interacting with our Central representatives. Thank you to all of our Homeroom teachers and students for a day of meaningful chesed experiences.
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A Matter of Math
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 Mrs. Betty York's Geometry classes made math come alive with a fusion of content knowledge, technology, and a healthy dose of creativity. As a summation of their unit on cross-sections of solid figures, the students used Play-Doh to mold various shapes and sliced them at different angles to discern the cross-sections. They also downloaded the Stop Motion Studio app to capture their efforts as a "claymation" movie! The process of discovering cross-sections was preserved every step of the way. Says Mrs. York, "The girls had a great time!"
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A Different Kind of App
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As the school year rounds to a close, our juniors look ahead to their upcoming senior year and the decisions it will bring. At Wednesday evening's College Night, our juniors and their families seized the opportunity to learn more about the college admissions process and to cull information about specific schools. Having already been apprised of the general requirements of the application and admissions processes by College Guidance Counselor Mrs. Keren Weinberger, our students learned how student portfolios are evaluated by college admissions boards from the perspectives of college admissions representatives.
After enjoying a dinner with the representatives and opening remarks by Mrs. Weinberger, our students attended three panel sessions of four representatives each, who presented short overviews of their respective institutions before opening the floor for questions. At the subsequent fair, parents and students viewed colleges' displays and spoke to the representatives more personally. Thank you to the representatives from the following schools for speaking to our students: Binghamton, UMASS, Maryland, Sophie Davis, St. Johns, YU, Macaulay, Princeton, The Cooper Union, Hunter, Queens, the College of Staten Island, and City College. And since it's never too late to start thinking about college, Mrs. Weinberger spoke with our freshmen this week to review significant points important to the college application process and to discuss ways that students early in their high school careers can successfully prepare themselves for this upcoming stage. Says Mrs. Weinberger, "Learning information earlier on can make the process easier, more exciting and perhaps even less stressful. We are here to help our students succeed!"
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Go, Go, G.O.!
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 The 2015/2016 G.O. can give themselves a pat on the back for months of fun and excitement...and now we're on track for next year too! Congratulations to the newly elected G.O. for 2016/2017: President Sharoni Borenstein ('17), Vice President Tamar Pollock ('17), Secretary Yael Kirschner ('18), and Treasurer Elisheva Ezor ('19). Congratulations to our grade representatives as well: Danielle Ganchrow and Shiri Sokal for the Class of 2019, Shlomit Ebbin and Bruriah Sloan for the Class of 2018, and Yael Evgi and Miriam Rabinovich for the Class of 2017. Kol hakavod for everyone who ran for G.O. and demonstrated their Central spirit!
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Senior Moments
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 Our seniors have had a jam-packed week of meaningful learning opportunities. On Friday, we were privileged to host Charlene Aminoff, creator and owner of Gali Couture Wigs in Great Neck, about her personal religious journey. On Tuesday, Mrs. Keren Weinberger led a session about decision-making, and Mrs. Aliza Stareshefsky Blumenthal, who spoke to our seniors when they were freshmen, returned to speak about eating disorder prevention and to allow students to reflect on the development of their viewpoints and personal experiences since they began high school.  Our annual "Jewish Heritage Trip" exposed our seniors to the range of lifestyles and values within the Orthodox community. After their first stop at the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Z"TL in Queens,, our students spoke with seniors at Bais Rivka, a Lubavitch school in Crown Heights. To complement their Women in Jewish Law (WIJL) unit about Taharat HaMishpacha, they then visited the Teaneck mikvah.  At the home of Mrs. CB Neugroschl, students were exposed to Yeshivish, Satmar, and Modern Orthodox ideas, and reflected on the day's proceedings over a scrumptious dinner of home-made pizza. Thank you to Mrs. Abby Lerner and Ms. Leah Moskovich for organizing the trip, to Mrs. Neugroschl for graciously hosting our seniors, and to chaperones Ms. Miriam Borenstein, Mrs. Rachel Feld, and Mrs. Meira Winter.
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Habits of Mind
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 For the past two months, students Sela Boord ('18), Tehila Cohen ('17), Eliana Fatir ('18), Mazal Hassid ('17), Rachelli Hirsch ('17), and Atara Langer ('18) have been working under the guidance of Ms. Laura Fruchter to research potential programs to expose the student body to the nuances of mental illness. Partnering with Ariel's Legacy, a foundation aiming to raise awareness of mental illness, our students initiated CUE--Care, Understanding, Empathy--a program to impress upon our sophomores and juniors the need to be sensitive to these issues and to recognize that others may be experiencing circumstances beyond our knowledge. With other members of their Homerooms, the students participated in a hands-on experiment about mental illness, simulating how it feels when one is attempting an impossible task and is told to "just try harder." The groups then conducted a discussion based on various forms of media and a relevant article. Thank you to Ms. Fruchter, Mrs. Danielle Wyner, and our dedicated students who made this worthwhile program possible!
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Athletics Update
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 What a great week for our athletics teams! Congrats to our undefeated Softball Team, whose valiant efforts in rain, sun, mud, cold, and heat have earned them a spot in the playoffs! Our last game of the season was won on a mercy rule 12-1 against North Shore at our home field. Team seniors Elana Feldman, Atara Levine, Bonnie Mendelson, Jessica Plotzker, and Chana Weinberg were honored at our last game of the regular season with cards from their teammates, flowers from Mrs. Lynda Smith, and cheers from all the fans. We are so proud of the leadership and mentorship they have provided for our team. It was a great week for our Hockey Team as well! Last Thursday, the Central Wildcats hosted the HANC Hurricanes before a packed house.  Says Coach Mr. Richard Isaacs, "There was a genuine buzz in the air for this do or die game for Central. A victory would launch them into the playoffs, and a defeat would send them home for the summer." Senior Night festivities kicked off the evening with presentations honoring graduating seniors Tzippora Chwat, Alli Cohen, Deena Hochbaum, and Eli Sharvit. Central goalie Eli Sharvit ('16) then thrilled the audience with a rousing rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner." After a scoreless first period, the Wildcats charged into the lead on a dazzling goal by freshman phenom Leora Itzkowitz ('19). HANC tied up the game shortly thereafter, but Central did not panic. Senior Alli Cohen, a pillar of strength on defense all year and a serious offensive threat as well, banged home the go-ahead goal a few minutes later. Shortly thereafter, Leora Itzkowitz notched her second goal of the game, and team high seventh of the season, to put the Wildcats ahead 3-1. As the final buzzer sounded, the Wildcats went into delirious celebrations with their fifth victory in their last six games. Congrats on earning a spot in the playoffs! 
We're not done yet...Monday night yielded yet another success for the Wildcats, this time by our Varsity Soccer Team! Facing HAFTR in their first round of playoffs, our team won 10-3, with 7 of our goals scored by Ita Futran ('19). With the spectacular defense of Sarah Berger ('16) and Elisheva Weintraub ('16), and unstoppable goalie Samara Bursky-Tammam ('16), the team is headed to the semifinals as the only undefeated team in the league, and with the best record for goals allowed. We also recently paid tribute to the team's graduating team seniors: Sarah Berger, Bracha Rosenberg, Samara Bursky-Tammam, Miriam Kreisler, Sarah Rosenblum, and Elisheva Weintraub. You will all be missed!
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| Support Central Business Sponsors |
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We appreciate the businesses who have sponsored and supported our programs at Central. We ask that parents, faculty and students reciprocate their support by patronizing these businesses. Please click on this link to view our new Central Business Directory.
If your business would like to be featured in our directory, which will be linked to on the sidebar of all future Central Updates, please call Alisa Goldberger at 718-479-8550 x106 or email goldberger@yuhsg.org for more details.
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