Dear Parents,
It has been an exciting week at MDYHS, and it is an honor for me to share some of this week's programs and events with you.
On Tuesday, our wonderful Mandarin Chinese teacher, Ms. Yen, took her class to Baruch College to participate in a conference on entrepreneurial opportunities in China. Students learned about the Chinese culture as it impacts business practices in Asia, and they absorbed the lesson that knowledge of Chinese language and society affords one a great advantage in conducting business here and across the sea. During the course of the conference students met with the Consular General of China, as well as with Mr. Fred Tang, the CEO of NewsChina. (Please see the attached photo of some of our delegation with Mr. Tang). What a great way for our young entrepreneurs to set foot in the international scene!
And speaking of passion for studies, 40 members of the MDYHS Book Club, under the supervision of our dedicated librarian, Mrs. Bruchie Weinstein, and headed by students Hannah Cohen and Zachary Mosseri, met on Wednesday to decide on this year's Book Club theme. Students will be reading works of literature whose focus is dystopian societies, and they selected the book UnWholly by Neal Shusterman as their first assignment. Students told me after the meeting that they love the atmosphere wherein they discuss literary works that expand their horizons while spending time with students from different classes and enjoying the delicious collation that the club provides. Our future novelists and literary critics are getting a great foundation in the MDYHS library!
Moving from textbook study to life study - on Tuesday, our creative history teacher Mr. Joe Naftaly took his class on a field trip to Prospect Park. The objective of the trip was to help students understand how ancient people and societies coped with the harshness of the wilderness, and how they improvised and adapted in order to survive. Students collected wood and rocks that they were then tasked to fashion into tools, and they built shelters out of materials that would be found in any forest. (Please see the attached photos from this adventure). Following the trip, students studied what kinds of tools ancient people actually did fashion, and how they were used. What a great way to have the past come alive, and to appreciate the benefits of technological advances!
In a combination of academics and aesthetics, on Monday our Art Appreciation club, supervised by Mrs. Natalie Greenberg, visited the Museum of Modern Art. Students viewed the impressionistic works of Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Monet, followed by the cubism works of Picasso. The club members were then treated to a rare privilege - getting to see Edvard Munch's painting The Scream, which has never been exhibited before in this country. (Please see the attached photo from this great visit).
Yesterday was Rosh Hodesh Kislev, and during the year each grade plans and coordinates a different Rosh Hodesh program - yesterday it was the Juniors' turn. Our amazing 11th grade, under the direction of their wonderful Grade Deans, Rabbi David Elnadav, Mrs. Rebecca Cohen, and Mrs. Aura Sutton, designed an entire program on the theme of Bullying. The program opened with the message that Kislev is the month we celebrate Hannukah, whose theme is gevurah - strength. And strength can be used for the positive or for the negative. The juniors taught the lesson that negative strength - bullying - is harmful to both the victim and to the one who bully. They filmed their own video - a meaningful lesson on how hurtful bullying can be, and how we should all respect and help each other. I was moved as I watched the star of the video, Sammy Gabbay, get the message across so poignantly. Later, during lunch, the 10th grade girls, under the direction of their Grade Dean, Mrs. Esther Muller, along with our Jewish History chairperson Ms. Audrey Nasar, had the privilege of an additional, special program. Students heard a devar Torah from our Navi Department chairperson, Rabbi Reuven Jacobsohn, and after a delicious pizza lunch, they crafted projects whose theme was Hannukah. The creativity and enthusiasm were contagious!. (Please see the attached photo from this joyous program).
Later in the day, our students wanted to reach out to our brothers and sisters in Israel who are experiencing the horror of terrorist attacks. Under the guidance of our director of Hessed Programs, Ms. Elyse Nadjar, together with Hebrew Department chairperson Dr. Chagit Hadar, students from our Israel Activism club set up a teleconference hookup with Yoav Belkes, the commander of Gilad Shalit's platoon. Our students developed a close, warm relationship with the IDF unit when they were at MDYHS for 10 days last month, and they wanted to "be with the soldiers" in their time of need. Yoav is in Be'er Sheva, and our students saw and spoke with him and his wife, offering messages of strength and hope. I am so proud of our students for this strong, compassionate display of concern.
Finally, our sports teams continue to climb the ladder of victory. The Boys Varsity Basketball team, under the great leadership of coach Ikey Dweck, vanquished the team of DRS Yeshiva High School by a score of 51-38. The high scorers were Morris Dweck with 17 points, and Leon Betesh with 10 points. And in a very exciting game, our Girls Varsity Basketball team, under the fantastic leadership of coach Barbara Franco (MDYHS alumna 2012), defeated the team of Shalhevet High School by a score of 25-24. Marilyn Tobias was the high scorer with 18 points. The Warriors are unstoppable! Look for all sports scores as well as other breaking news at MDYHS in the latest issue of our student newspaper, The Flame, which just came out today.
As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
