As children of all ages returned to school last month, here is how students at each of the four local Jewish day schools are kicking off the academic year.
Berman Hebrew Academy
On Aug. 29, the editors-in-chief of Berman Hebrew Academy’s student-run newspaper, the Hamodiya, announced that they are launching an online platform to bring the community a wider array of content. Content will include “bite-sized comics, sports updates and vignettes of Berman life, and … longer, thought-provoking pieces about the world of our school and beyond,” according to editors-in-chief Ayelet Solomon and Ozzie Hollander.
Berman Hebrew Academy also announced the opening of applications to its scholars program, the Upper School Harry and Zelda (z”l) Sloan Scholars Program, in early September. The program offers Berman students a “unique path to explore Modern Orthodox thought” and an opportunity to deepen their intellectual and spiritual curiosity, according to an email from Head of School Rabbi Dr. Hillel Broder to the Berman community. Berman hosted an informational session for students before releasing the applications.
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
CESJDS is launching the Sharon and Jacob (z”l) Benus Social Entrepreneurship Fellows program, a “Shark Tank”-style boot camp for students in 10th through 12th grades on Sept. 19 and 20. Groups of four to five students will be assigned a mentor to help them create their own startup company. The groups will then present their ideas to volunteer judges, who are CESJDS parents and/or alumni, on Sept. 20.
The CESJDS STEM Center will host a celebration of Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 22 by exploring the world of bees, flowers and honey. Students will have the opportunity to code bee robots, do an art project and taste different types of honey in honor of the holiday.
Gesher Jewish Day School
Gesher Jewish Day School experienced a full l’dor vador moment as their new preschool assistant teacher is a Gesher alumna. Ava Smith was hired at Gesher this summer after having worked for another local preschool program for three years.
Smith said her inspiration for going into teaching is Melanie Eisen, the current principal who taught Hebrew and Judaics at the Gesher elementary school for 22 years: “I was taught by Melanie Eisen that I could be anything, and I chose kindness, patience, forgiveness and education. I wanted to be a teacher because Morah Melanie was so much more than an educator. She was someone always in my corner; my friend, my shoulder to lean on through my family’s hardships.” Smith is proud to begin this new journey at a familiar place: “I came back to Gesher because I wasn’t coming back to a school. I was coming back home,” she said.
Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School
For the first time, Milton’s South Campus students celebrated Rosh Hashanah La’Behemot, the new year for animals. On Sept. 4, students learned about the ancient holiday in their Judaic studies classes. They reflected on their relationships with the animals in their lives, learned new Hebrew words and brainstormed how they could honor animals around the world.
The celebration concluded on Sept. 6, when students came to school in pajamas and brought their favorite stuffed animals. Rabbi Scott Slarskey, the school’s new director of Jewish life, led a discussion about the significance of the holiday in a special Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony during which he blessed the students’ stuffed animals, sang and played the banjo.
