Dear Parents,
What an amazing week it has been at MDYHS – it was very difficult for me to choose from among the many exciting programs and events to share with you in this letter. I know you will enjoy this glimpse of these past few days at school.
On Tuesday the department of College Guidance & Career Counseling Services, under the direction of Mrs. Debbie Solomon, hosted a Career Breakfast for seniors. Fourteen different professionals representing the following careers enjoyed breakfast “power meetings” with our seniors: dentistry, education, engineering, finance, graphic design, interior design, law, medicine, physical therapy, politics, real estate, retail sales, and technology. Each representative discussed his or her respective field, its challenges, and the requirements at college necessary to succeed in that area. Students rotated tables, such that they were able to meet with 3 representatives of their choice. (Please see the attached photos from this wonderful breakfast program). The future captains of industry and leading professionals are getting their head starts at MDYHS!
And while on the subject of career paths, students of the Small Business Management college credit course, led by our own Dr. Abe Tawil, went on a special visit to Google Headquarters yesterday, as part of a delegation consisting of Baruch College and MDYHS students. Our group had the opportunity to see the different branches of Google in action, and learned the important lessons of balancing individual creative expression with teamwork, and freedom from constraint with effective time management. Students came back from the trip enthused and excited about how they could use these lessons in their future career paths. (Please see the attached photo from this great trip).
Getting to these successful career paths requires preparation and diligent work. Toward that end, MDYHS infuses SAT prep work within our classes throughout high school. One wonderful example of this is a project designed by our talented English Department chairperson, Mrs. Rachel Harari, where students are taught Latin roots of English words, and then the students create original display works demonstrating how these roots branch off into so many “SAT words.” (Please see the attached photo of some of the students’ original work on this project). On a related note, Mrs. Debbie Solomon has begun a series of visits to the 10th grade classes to discuss tips for SAT preparation and strategies for college admissions in general. And on Wednesday evening I had the pleasure of visiting an MDYHS SAT prep course given by Ms. Sara Haleva, who was working with our students on strengthening their verbal skills. All of this hard work pays off – this week alone I received emails from 3 different MDYHS parents – unsolicited – telling me how proud they were that their children had received scores of 1400 or higher on their latest SAT. Beautifully done!Our sophomores have recently been studying Latin American literature in their English classes, and department chairs Mrs. Rachel Harari (English) and Mrs. Leah Cymet (Spanish), seized upon the opportunity to coordinate in presenting a bilingual unit to the students. Working on the short story “The Interminable Life” by Isabel Allende, the 10th graders did reports both in English and in Spanish, exploring the themes of this meaningful piece of literature. (Please see the attached photo of their beautiful work).
And in the spirit of interdisciplinary programming, our English classes across the grades had the fantastic opportunity to experience acting workshops led by Ms. Jocelyn Greene, founder and director of the Child’s Play School of Theater. The purpose of the workshops was to expose the students to acting techniques and help them appreciate the character development and story line that are so much a part of literature. Students met with me after the workshops asking when the next one will take place – we have already invited Ms. Greene to continue the program in coordination with the English department.
On a more somber theme, Rabbi Elinatan Bitton led his 11th grade Jewish History class on a trip to the Museum of Jewish Heritage on Monday. The students have been learning about the Holocaust, and now had the chance to study and view artifacts concerning Germany’s rise to power before World War II and the deportation of Jews to ghettos and concentration camps. After the visit, Jack Azrak, who was so moved, spoke about how the museum helped him feel the pain that the Jews went through during this terrible time. The museum docent told Rabbi Bitton how impressed she was with the MDYHS group. (Please see the attached photo from this meaningful visit).
Continuing on the theme of taking things to heart, our sophomore girls, under the direction of their wonderful Grade Dean Mrs. Esther Muller, have been getting together on Thursday evenings to bake hallot at Mrs. Muller’s house. In groups of 6 girls at a time, the students recite the berakhah and separate hallah, and Mrs. Muller instructs them on braiding the dough. Along with our own Ms. Sally Mishanieh, Ms. Audrey Nasar, and Mrs. Shara Netkin, the students and teachers talk, bond together, and bake cookies while waiting for the dough to rise. All the girls receive a special “hafrashat hallah birkon” and they – along with the teachers – say that it is one of the highlights of their week! (Please see the attached photo from this beautiful program).
As this coming week is Hannukah, MDYHS is about to be transformed with our legendary annual Shiriyah! I look forward to writing all about it to you next week, b'ezrat HaShem. As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead! Happy Hannukah to you and your family!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
