Volume 31 Issue 5 by The Lion's Tale

The Lion's Tale

Volume 31 issue 5

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Israeli superstars visit JDS See page 05

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Snow day madness See page 02 123

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Teacher and student fashion See page 08 photo illustration by Malka Himelhoch and David Kulp

snow days

Nine

s y a D

s s a l 4 C Periods 5

H o u r s ,185Minu 5 7 . tes 4 69

photo illustration by Malka Himelhoch

by miriamminsk reporter

Despite the large number of snow days that CESJDS has had this year, Dean of Students Roslyn Landy said that JDS will probably not add any days to the end of the year. It has been four years since the last big snow storm in 2010, with the past few winters giving students only a small number of snow days. Many were pleasantly surprised by the high accumulation of snow in the DC Metropolitan area this year and the snow days it caused. “[Snow days are] just a good opportunity for me to get a little break from the constant school days,” junior Dorina Langer said. “Especially since I am a junior and I get a lot of work, it is nice to have a little bit of a chance to catch up.” Sharing that affection for snow days, junior Evan Kravitz started a

petition on Facebook the night of March 3, requesting the cancellation of school the following day. Although the petition was originally intended to be a joke, it quickly spread throughout the JDS community on Facebook. “It was 11 o’clock at night, I was getting bored [so] I posted it in my class Facebook page,” Kravitz said. “Then it really started to take off. People started posting it outside the group. I remember I had 50 signatures within 15 minutes.” Despite the 223 signatures the petition eventually received, JDS had a two hour delay the following day, a decision made by the school based on information from other local private schools. While JDS abides by Montgomery County’s decisions on the first day of harsh weather, it makes its own decisions for subsequent days. JDS’s decisions about school

closure sparked some controversy on Feb. 26 and March 3 when some students thought roads were too icy to drive on. On Feb. 26, Langer and her friend got in an accident, which she blamed on the hazardous road conditions. “Last week we had a normal day of school and there was snow on the ground in the morning and I had not even made it out of the neighborhood before my friend and I got hit by another car driving to school,” Langer said. “And there were a number of other incidents that day, and I think it is ridiculous that the school would not take the necessary precautions to make sure that their students arrive to school safely.” Because of snow days, a number of teachers have not been able to cover all that they want to in class, leading them to assign more homework over the days off.

Science teacher Daniela Munteanu was especially concerned about covering all of the necessary content in her eleventh-grade class because many of her students are preparing to take the AP and SAT subject tests in May. To compensate for lost class time, Munteanu assigned online quizzes for her sophomore and junior students to take during one of the snow days. In this way, Munteanu was able to cover all the necessary material. However, other teachers might not be able to cover their entirety of their curricula. Nevertheless, during faculty meetings teachers were reassured that they need not be worried about the the impact of the snow days on their curricula. “We have no control over the snow conditions,” Dean of Students Roslyn Landy said. “You may have missed some content — the last unit in Jewish History or the last book

in English — but you will still have learned the skills that are important.” Although according to Landy the lost two weeks of school have resulted in valuable class time lost, teachers should know that they will still be able to teach students the most important lessons. “Our goals at CESJDS are teaching you to be critical thinkers, to love to learn, to work on collaboration, communication and creativity and our teachers have been doing that all year long,” Landy said. “As long as you have focused on those important skills, you will be able to learn the missed content at a later time.” Recognizing the burden that snow days create, Langer explained that “it will be nice going back to a regular routine; it is difficult for teachers to have to be constantly adjusting their schedules.”

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sat changes & principal search “There’s not going to be any real background,” freshman Caleb Gershengorn said. “I think that colleges are going to look at the scores and say ‘I have no idea what this means.’” Freshman RJ Firestone believes that, overall, the changes are beneficial. However, he is primarily concerned with the elimination of a mandatory essay. “Writing is one of the most important things you are going to have to do in your life, so I am not sure what they were thinking,” Firestone said. Science teacher Nick Miller took the SATs shortly after a scoring

by isaacdubrawsky reporter

The College board will be making changes to the SAT which will go into effect in 2016. Among them will be a new optional essay for which students will have to analyze a source, a reduction of scores from a 2400-point scale to a 1600-point scale, and the elimination of the guessing penalty. The changes are meant to make the SAT more accessible to those unable

to afford tutoring and to make the test more relevant to students’ educations. The Class of 2017, the current freshmen, will be the first to take the new test. According to Director of College Guidance Susan Rexford, changes the SAT has made in the past have not had huge consequences. In 1995, due to falling student scores, the College Board did a recentering, boosting scores to better reflect the average. Rexford says that the 1995 recentering did not affect college

applications that year, and she does not believe that the upcoming changes will either. “I think [colleges will] see the scores as valid, but when the College Department goes to the conferences this spring and this fall, we’ll be asking [how the test changes will affect college applications] everywhere we can,” Rexford said. Some students are concerned, believing that the upcoming changes will affect how colleges treat SAT scores.

system restructuring, similar to what will be done in 2016. One problem that he has with changing the test grading scale is that it makes it difficult to compare scores over time. “People should be able to see the trends in American education and [restructuring] obscures those trends,” Miller said. Either way, Rexford believes that the only thing to do is to observe and hope for things to work out. “I don’t think that the changes will really affect how colleges view students’ scores, but we’ll have to wait and see,” Rexford said.

“

when the College Department goes to the conferences this spring and this fall, we’ll be asking how the test changes will affect college applications everywhere we can,” ]Director of College Guidance sue rexford •

AND THE SEARCH GOES ON High school continues to look for its future principal by jacobgross reporter

The new principal of the CESJDS Upper School will likely be named in the next few months, according to Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus. Since the end of the 2012-2013 school year, which marked the conclusion of Dr. Michael Kay’s tenure as principal of the JDS Upper School, the school has engaged in the task of finding his replacement. According to Malkus, it is crucial that the principal chosen stays at the school for “a significant amount of time” to reinstate stability in the JDS Upper School principal job. No principal has stayed at the school for more than three years since Rabbi Reuven Greenvald’s departure in 2002. Malkus explained that the new principal must also be able to become integrated into the school community and help push through changes that Malkus is already planning, such as the connection

between the Upper and Lower schools and changes in the Judaics program. “I’m very interested in thinking about and making decisions based on K-12 thinking,” Malkus said. “I want the principal to be really connected to the Lower School principal and to things that are going on with the school in general. [The principal is] going to be asked to be part of a schoolwide leadership team that is looking at the entire school and thinking about how students move from the different parts of the school on to the next one.” According to Malkus, after the new principal has become fully integrated into the JDS community, his or her next step will be to “have a full sense of the academic and non-academic program and start to work towards some potential changes.” “One thing we’ve discussed is [whether we] might ... develop different pathways in the Judaic studies for students to have more

choices in terms of what they’re doing,” Malkus said. “This potential change is intended to give students the choice to focus in on one certain Judaic topic such as text study and to make students who may be new to a Jewish day school feel more comfortable.” Students recognize the importance of understanding the community when looking for a principal. “The most important thing that the new principal must have is an understanding of the JDS community,” sophomore Shira Gould said. “Our community is very special. The teachers and students are closely knit by mutual respect and care. The new principal must be willing to do everything in his or her power to make sure that our community maintains its closeness.” Sophomore Brett Halpern added that not only should the new principal understand the JDS community, but that he or she should also be “involved within the

community, comfortable around the students” and interested in students as individuals. The new principal should also be able to act as a prominent leadership figure in the school. “We want someone who will be the leader of the high school and [who will] be able to run all the different aspects of the high school,” Malkus said. “We want a person who can be a really good spokesperson for the school ... and can also make the case for why families should consider sending their kids to JDS.” Malkus will be making the final decision regarding the new principal with the help of a search committee that is made up of members of each department at the Upper School and some Lower School administrators such as Principal Joan Brauner. The committee is working with a search firm that identifies candidates, checks their background and qualifications, has initial conver-

sations with the candidates, and then recommends candidates to the search committee. The committee has conducted a number of interviews with candidates and even invited two in for public visits with the school community. According to Malkus, the committee has already received a lot of feedback from parents, students and faculty who were at the meetings. The school will be taking this feedback into account when making the final decision. As the decision nears, Malkus believes the Upper School community should be excited to have a new principal. “It’s a great opportunity for the school,” Malkus said. “There’s an opportunity to bring in [someone] who [is] really excited about the school ... The process is one when everyone starts to thinks about what’s most important to us at the school because depending on what that is, that’s how we hire the person.”

editorial the

lion’s tale

editors

editors-in-chief

jeremy kaplan, nina simpkins managing editor, copy

dina rabinovitz

managing editors, design

malka himelhoch, david kulp managing editor, web

matt litman copy

cole cooper, yonatan greenberg news

uri schwartz, jonah shrock & mark reichel chadashot

mijal altmann, margalit zimand & michael berkowitz features

emma hofman, alysse weinberg & hannah nechin

entertainment

sj hyman, shira ungar & hannah wexler in depth

maddie dworkin, carol silber & josh paretzky sports

evan kravitz, brian schonfeld & gabi pilarski multimedia

yosi vogel graphic

r’ay fodor

photo

ariella kulp, dahlia lehman

social media

jeremy schooler business

alec schrager, allie wiener

senior reporters robbie belson, danny waksman

reporters isaac dubrawsky, jonathan foldi, jacob gross, talia horowitz, yonah hyman, ethan kane, danielle katz, miriam minsk, abigail mintz, aaron schonfeld, brian shorr, gabi swagel, joel vardon, elizabeth warrick & arielle weinstein

staff adviser claire burke

adviser emerita susan zuckerman The Lion’s Tale Editorial and Ethics Policy As the student newspaper of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, The Lion’s Tale is a forum for student opinion and expression. All content is determined by students. Its purpose is to inform the CESJDS community and to express the views of its staff and readers. The staff has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of its news.

Staff editorial

We have a clubs problem Rosh Chodesh assemblies, Zimriyah practices, grade meetings, Digital Citizenship programs and a “Name That Tune” game. There are no more club periods left in the year that all students will be attending, and it is because we have spent our club time participating in these programs. We were warned of this change. At the beginning of the year, the administration announced a plan to schedule most meetings and assemblies during the times reserved for clubs, instead of shortening classes to accommodate for these meetings. We recognize the appeal of cutting clubs: clubs is not a time when students are actively learning in the classroom. Given that so many students spend their club time in study hall or roaming the hallways, cutting club time is an especially appealing option. But while, with the new plan the amount of class time we miss is no longer an issue, The Lion’s Tale has become concerned with the lack of opportunities for clubs to meet. The complicated CESJDS schedule makes planning extracurricular meetings difficult. Between long school days and short lunches

filled with prep classes and teacher meetings, clubs are the optimal time for students to participate in extracurricular activities. The time used for assemblies and meetings takes away from the valuable time we use to plan grade government activities, run student council, bring in speakers, do community service, and prepare for competitive academic events such as Debate or Mock Trial. We have missed so much club time that the literary magazines have fallen behind schedule and the competition teams have needed to put in even more time after school to practice. The student body agrees that we have a problem. According to a survey conducted of 97 high school students, 66 percent believe that clubs have not had adequate time to meet this year. Ninety-one percent of students spend their club time either meeting with teachers, attending clubs, playing sports, rehearsing for plays or working on their homework. The current plan prevents these students from benefitting from clubs. We therefore propose that the JDS administration begin a

The Lion’s Tale surveyed 97 high school students to see how they use the two 30 minute club periods CESJDS sets aside each week. The results of this survey illustrate a need for the administration to reconsider how club period is structured.

formal discussion about the issue of clubs. We recognize that finding a solution can be difficult, as the types of students who attend clubs range from those who are extremely involved in multiple extracurriculars to those who spend their club time in the hallway. A formal dialogue is the optimal place for everyone’s ideas to be heard. There are options to allow students to benefit from both full club periods and full class periods. Perhaps JDS should put in place only one day of clubs, during which the administration would plan no meetings or assemblies, scheduling them instead during longer class periods. Maybe the club periods should remain as they are, and students should miss class time to attend meetings and assemblies. Regardless of what decision JDS puts in place, we believe it is necessary that they recognize the value of clubs. JDS prides itself in the wide variety of clubs it offers, and it therefore has the responsibility to ensure that students actually have the opportunity to attend them.

-The Lion’s Tale

Do you feel that clubs have had adequate time to meet this year?

Yes: 34%

View more results from the survey on

lionstale.org Scan the code or type the link to see how high school students spend their club period

Yes

http://goo.gl/RyfBx2

Signed columns reflect the opinion of the writer; staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of The Lion’s Tale editorial board. The Lion’s Tale staff welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns, all of which must be signed. The staff reserves the right to refuse any material and may edit letters or columns for length, clarity, libel, obscenity and/or disruptiveness. Submissions may be emailed to jdslionstale@gmail.com, mailed to The Lion’s Tale, or brought to room 328. The Lion’s Tale is funded by The Simon Hirshman Endowment for the Upper School Newspaper and The Kuttner-Levenson Endowment for the Upper School Cultural Arts and Student Publications, and community advertisement. The Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse advertisement for any reason. The staff will adhere to the ethics policies of The Society of Professional Journalists and the National Scholastic Press Association. The adviser will be held to the Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of Ethics.

No: 66%

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famous israelis visit jds

Seeing Stars

CESJDS welcomes celebrities from Israel by taliahorowitz reporter

Taking notes, reading Torah, being late to class and witnessing a private showing from an international rock band. This has become the norm at CESJDS. Israeli celebrities Hadag Nachash, Chaggit Yaso and Yityish “Titi” Aynaw have all come to JDS this year. The visits from these Israeli personalities were a highlight for students and faculty alike. Formed in Jerusalem in 1996, the band Hadag Nachash has traveled around the world sharing their views on controversial and political topics through song. The band’s style is a mix of rock, hip hop, reggae and funk. Their visit was especially meaningful to junior Micah Cowan, who has been a fan since he saw them perform when he was in fourth grade. “They were the first concert I ever went to,” Cowan said. At the time Cowan was so excited, he bought a CD of theirs and got it signed. “It was really great to see them [perform again],” Cowan said. Another celebrity that visited

JDS this past year was Yityish “Titi” Aynaw, who is the first Ethiopianborn Miss Israel. Both her parents died by the time she was 10 years old, and at age 12 she was sent to live with her grandparents in Netanya, Israel. Cowan noted the significance of her roots. “She’s representing Ethiopians in Israel, and now she is representing Israel as an Ethiopian, so her story was really great to me.” Cowan said. Along with Hadag Nachash and Aynaw, JDS also hosted “Kochav Nolad” winner Chaggit Yaso. Kochav Nolad is an Israeli reality singing competition. Upon winning the show in 2011, Yaso, whose parents made aliyah from Ethiopia, won a scholarship of 240,000 shekels (about $69,000) and a recording deal from Israeli music producer, Ivri Lider. When junior Shai Mesika met with the celebrities, they mentioned how unique the school was. “All of them said that the JDS environment was [very] different than any other place they’ve been to,” Mesika said. “They felt really

welcomed.” According to Hebrew Department Chair Yaffa Dagony, the visits are not only fun for students but are also incredibly rewarding for the Hebrew teachers. “Our goal is for kids to go out of here [being able to] converse in Hebrew with Israelis ... and here we [are actually meeting that goal],” Dagony said. “The best part is that kids come out [of the visit] saying, ‘We understood, we were able to talk,’ which is a great [feeling] for teachers in the Hebrew department.” She believes that it is a very important addition to the Hebrew curriculum. “[It is like the visits] bring the real world into the classroom.” Dagony said. Director of Jewish life Miriam Stein points out that part of the reason why JDS gets the opportunities to host Israeli celebrities is because of its “strong Hebrew and Israel education.”

Stein believes that the JDS’ ties with the Jewish Federation and Jewish National Fund (JNF), who Yaso and Aynaw came through, is due in part to the emphasis JDS puts on teaching culture and love for Israel. Because the Jewish Federation and JNF work directly with Israel, having a connection with the two organizations opens many doors for JDS with regards to speakers. The fact that JDS has classes, activities and clubs dedicated to learning about Israeli life and culture and not just Hebrew language makes

JDS stand out as a school, Stein explained. Overall, the visits were not just learning experiences but were also exciting and unique. “It’s a little bit of a starstruck moment,” Cowan said. “I don’t see famous people, we don’t live in LA … It’s just an amazing thing to happen.”

photo by Jeremy Kaplan

Wondering what the Seniors are up to?

lionstale.org Scan the code or type the link for updates from Israel!

http://goo.gl/Q0joZA

photo by Mayan Beroukhim

a) Yityish “Titi” Aynaw speaks about her experience as an Ethiopian immigrant and being named Miss Israel. b) Hagit Yasso performs for students at a Rosh Chodesh assembly. c) Hadag Nachash perfoms hits at Kabbalat Shabbat.

photo by Rachel Skulnik

destructive driving

Slam the brakes on d

Dangerous driving habits still a reality at C by yonatangreenberg copy editor

Driving home from school one day, Brad* (‘14) was texting while speeding down a busy road. When he looked up from his phone, the car in front of him had stopped unexpectedly to turn onto a side street. Luck was on his side. The shoulder was very wide and, without enough time to stop, he swerved out of the way of the car in front of him and avoided a crash. “I probably looked at my phone right after that,” Brad said. A survey conducted by The Lion’s Tale of 81 students with drivers licenses found that 47 percent of those surveyed read texts while driving and 26 percent compose texts while driving. For the past few years, local WJLA-TV anchor Leon Harris has spoken to JDS sophomores about dangerous driving habits. Last year, Upper School students took part in AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign to decrease texting while driving. As part of the program, students pledged not to text and drive, watched videos and had discussions regarding the great dangers of texting while driving. An app designed to decrease texting while driving (when the app is put into driving mode it sends an automatic response to all incoming texts that the receiver of the message is driving) was sent

to parents. And yet, the problem persists. Though distracted driving is an issue that the school has taken very seriously, it seems that in the educational realm, there is not much more that the school could do. According to Brad, in Drivers Education alone, “they show you so many texting and driving videos ... .” Hilary Druckman (‘14) hesitates to blame the school for the pervasiveness of these habits. “Maybe the school could do a better part teaching but the truth is that they’ve done a lot,” Druckman said. And even if, while sitting in a classroom, students are intimidated by the dangers of texting and driving, that fear may not last. “At first, the [educational] videos did do their job,” Brad said. “I was very wary of texting while driving; I was very careful. But as I started getting more comfortable with driving I felt like I could take on the extra weight, the extra responsibility, of being able to text while driving.” Consequently, many people now

E *To protect the identity of the student, all identifying characteristics, including names and locations, have been changed.

believe that strong legislative actions are the best way to combat distracted driving. The Maryland Legislature is currently considering a law that would impose harsher penalties on individuals who get into car crashes while using their phones. The law has been named “Jake’s law,” in honor of Jake Owen, a five-year-old boy who was killed when a driver who, unlike Brad, did not look up from his phone in time, and crashed into the back of Owen’s family’s car. The driver, however, received only a fine of $1,000. Under the proposed legislation, a driver who is involved in a crash while on his or her phone could be punished with up to three years of jail time, license suspension and a $5,000 fine. Owen’s family has created a website, changeforjake.org, to promote Jake’s Law. Featured prominently on the home screen of the website is a picture of a wrecked car with “Drunk

Driving 2.0” written over the picture. Meant to reflect the belief that distracted driving has become a more serious problem than drunk driving, the phrase rings especially true at JDS, where one in four student drivers text and drive but only one in 25 say they’ve driven while under the influence. But there is still one in 25. BRAD’S STORY Brad’s most recent drunk driving experience, which came after a bonfire he attended with friends, sticks out in his memory. “I was drinking a lot at the bonfire and I didn’t really feel anything so I kept drinking and I still [didn’t feel] very tipsy,” Brad said. “But the minute I got in my car, I started to feel tipsy and I started

feeling it while I was driving. So it was like I had gotten drunk without even realizing it.” Regardless, he decided to drive home. “I was in Potomac, driving [home],” Brad said. “I was driving down River Road and I passed a cop who was at the side of the street with his lights out.” It was a Saturday night, and even in his inebriated state Brad realized that the policeman was probably looking for drunk drivers. However, Brad was driving at the speed limit and “everything was fine,” so he was not pulled over. But had he been pulled over and breathalyzed by the policeman, “especially with colleges,” things would not have been so fine. Brad, at

100

47 percent of CESJDS survey respondents read texts while driving

destructive driving

CESJDS

least on some level, recognizes the dangers of drunk driving. He knows the facts, he knows the statistics and he talks about the effect alcohol has on the frontal lobe and “rational thought.” And after each time he has driven under the influence, he is mad at himself. But in the moment, “I have to get home, there’s no other way to get home.” COMPARING THE TWO The disparities between the frequency of texting while driving as compared to drunk driving likely reflect students’ perceptions regarding the difference in danger between the two habits. But those perceptions are far from the truth. A 2006 study published in Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and

Ergonomics Society found that the dangers of texting while driving are similar to the dangers of driving drunk. One reason that drunk driving is less common than texting while driving may be that drunk driving has existed for longer, giving people more time to fight it. Additionally, Druckman believes there is a greater stigma attached to driving drunk. Druckman says this is because consuming alcohol, even when not in the context of driving, is labeled as a dangerous behavior. Texting, on the other hand, is something that students do habitually. Therefore, when texting is done while driving, it is not as noteworthy. In response to her son’s death in a bus crash in Turkey in 1995, Lower

Rochelle Sobel founded the Association for Safe International

90 100

67 percent of CESJDS survey respondents initiate phone calls while driving

the best way deal with the dangers associated with teenage driving might be to simply not allow to teenagers to drive at all.

“

the minute I got in my car I started to feel tipsy and I started feeling it while I was driving. So it was like I had gotten drunk without even realizing it.” • recent alumnus brad Road Travel. Both through education and government advocacy, ASIRT aims to create safer driving conditions throughout the world. According to Sobel,

School Judaics teacher

“Sixteen- and 17-year-olds do not do well in terms of just the mechanics of driving,” Sobel said. “They have poor hazard detection, they have a low concept of risk and their driving habits are poor … In most developed countries and even in developing countries 16- and 17year-olds are not allowed to drive. Maybe it’s just too soon.” Another way reckless driving

habits could be reduced is through peer enforcement, which has recently become more popular. According to a study done by the Allstate Corporation, 87 percent of teenagers would voice concern if the driver of a car was doing something that made them uncomfortable — a 28 percent increase from 2009. While likely more effective than a droning teacher in a stale classroom, peer enforcement has its flaws as well. Sophomore Daniel Levy does not yet have his license and often gets rides with other students. “A lot of times they go into their music app and switch music and that’s pretty much like texting,” Levy said. “Sometimes I say something. Usually [they respond] ‘Don’t worry it will only take a second’ and then maybe a couple minutes later they might do the same thing.” At this point Levy often gives up. “I think in my head ‘This is probably dangerous but nothing’s going to happen so what is the point,’” Levy said. “You don’t want them to think you’re scared or something.” Brad, on the other hand, knows it’s dangerous. “I don’t think anybody should text and drive ... including myself,” Brad said. But he does it anyway.

teacher fashion

Best dressed teachers A collection of CESJDS’s most stylish teachers give fashion advice. compiled by Arielle Weinstein

“Don’t go like usual. If you have pants, don’t wear just pants, put a small skirt on. If you have some jacket for example, put something under to show curiosity, to show something different. Always you can change it, always you can do something. And please ... jewelry is woman. Woman without jewelry, she’s naked. Even here, in school … your imagination should go with your jewelry and your fashion. You are better person because you think of creation. Like P!nk, she say, “Always try, try, try.”

- Lea Magali, Hebrew

“Thrift shopping is my idea of taking advantage of things that already exist as opposed to consuming things that that aren’t necessarily needing to be consumed when there are other things around. So thrift shops are great because they have a lot of personality and tell stories with their clothes, which is great too. So I’m into stuff like that ... [I think fashion] should be something that’s fun and relaxing and creative, it shouldn’t necessarily be a way of pigeonholing people in a particular genre or category.”

- Avery Downing, English

photos by Ariella Kulp and Dahlia Lehman

“[I shop] mostly J.Crew, I learned recently that they give 15 percent off to teachers, so like this has been a big development in my life. I used to shop at Urban Outfitters, but then I sort of go in there and people are younger than all my students, so I feel sort of self-conscious and I have to move on to an adult store. So I like J. Crew and Banana Republic, they’re age appropriate … I would say you would be [amazed] by what you start wearing when you get older because some of the things I wear now, I would have laughed at myself when I was a teenager and laughed at my [skinny] pants or sweaters.”

- William Kaplan, Math

“I think my number one piece of advice would be don’t wear what’s trendy, wear what makes you feel like yourself and wear what makes you feel good. So, there are always going to be those trends that you want to wear because everyone else is wearing but don’t necessarily work for you and you find yourself feeling uncomfortable [or if you are] picking at something or you just don’t feel like your best self in it, you just shouldn’t wear it. It doesn’t matter if it’s trendy, it’s just not for you. So go with things that make you feel good about yourself, that you’re comfortable in, that make you feel like you’re the best version of you.”

- Katharine Armstrong, English

spring fashion

Students spring into fashion by sjhyman entertainment editor

As the last patches of snow begin to melt and sun starts to shine once more, out come the Hawaiian shirts and flower prints. CESJDS students are beginning to change over to their spring wardrobes. Sophomore Mayan Beroukhim explained that students try to wear outfits that are “very bright, springy and happy” to match the nicer weather. “For spring, I try to incorporate more floral patterns and I wear light colors,” Beroukhim said. Freshman Shai Zarka also enjoys putting away the grays and blues of her winter clothing in order to dress for spring. “I try to wear more colors [and]

more flower prints,” Zarka said. As the snow clears up, students also have the opportunity to switch out their winter boots for lighter, more colorful shoes. “I wear a lot of white, sandals, [and I] put away [my] boots,” junior Lauren Spiegelman said. For junior Hannah Handloff, shoes are the only thing she alters in her wardrobe. “Instead of wearing boots with my leggings, I wear Vans,” Handloff said. “[But otherwise,] I wear basically the same outfit.” Other students like spring because it adds more variety to their outfits. “I like spring clothing better because I like shorts, there are less layers, and more jackets,” freshman Danny Zweben said.

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“I try to wear more colors, and more prints.”

“I like spring more because it’s more flexible, you can wear more things and the colors are really pretty.”

Shai Zarka, freshman

“For spring I try to incorporate more floral patterns and I wear light colors.”

“I wear sandals and flats.”

“I think spring would be my favorite type of clothing because it’s bright but since it’s not hot you can still wear like.”

“My favorite are like long and bright pants. So that’s really nice. You can wear long pants but they can still be bright.”

http://goo.gl/KvR1F7 Liam Shemesh, seventh grade

Mayan Beroukim, sophomore

photos by SJ Hyman

coffee consumption

The usual, please illus

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Weighing the pros and cons of drinking coffee before school

Caffeine is considered a drug.

1 in 3 JDS students drink coffee in the morning

73 pecent of American teenagers drink coffee

by emmahofman and alysseweinberg features edtiors

Every student has tough nights, and staying up until the wee hours of the morning can be costly the next day. Each class feels at least an hour longer, which does not help the pounding headache that even Advil can’t fix. In these desperate times, many students have turned to one simple solution: coffee. “I’m a terrible morning person and it helps me wake up,” sophomore Evie Kraner said. “Plus, I love the taste.” Caffeinated coffee’s main purpose is to supply energy. The stimulant drug it contains, caffeine, has side effects which include headaches, jitteriness and dehydration . Additionally, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, a nonprofit organization for medical research, has proven that caffeine can increase acid production in the stomach which can result in heartburn, reflux, and may cause ulcers. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which causes dehydration and causes the body to work harder, ironically resulting in overtiredness.

In recognition of the effects that coffee can have on the body and long term health, many students choose not to drink coffee. “I do not want to get addicted to drinking coffee later in my life,” Junior Gabe Roark said. “I just feel like I should be able to wake up by myself.” Like Roark, freshman Daniel Zweben does not rely on coffee and finds other ways to wake up. “I stand up and just jump around like a weirdo, [do] some bioenergetics, or I put on really loud music and sing it,” Zweben said. As students progress through high school, their workload tends to increase, leaving little time for sleep. Junior Tessa Silverman recognizes her dependence on coffee and the consequences it entails but, given the amount of sleep she gets, has found no other effective way to stay awake. “I need it to keep me awake and focused in class, because I get so little sleep that I’m physically exhausted without it,” Silverman said. “I’ve become overly reliant on coffee, though, so now if I don’t have it I get headaches. It’s a problem, but I don’t know how else

to manage with the amount of sleep that I get.” Aside from getting Silverman through the school day, caffeine has become a substitute for sleep and serves as a safety precaution. “It’s especially important now that I’m driving, since it takes a while to fully wake up in the morning, but when I have coffee I’m alert enough to be able to drive safely,” Silverman said. Nurse Margarita Payne witnesses the harmful effect coffee has on students, treating dozens of students a day for headaches. “I’m not crazy about caffeine for students, for young adults, because it affects their heart and it is addictive just like any other substance that your body becomes accustomed to,” Payne said. “It might give you relief for a period, but as it wears off, you feel more tired.” Nurse Payne has discovered simple solutions to coffee addictions and fatigue. “[The solution is] getting more sleep at night,” Nurse Payne said. “Eating a healthy diet [and] exercise also helps.”

55 percent of people who drink coffee would rather gain 10 pounds than give up coffee for the rest of their lives

cihs vs. lions hockey

Lions hockey faces off against Canada-Israel Hockey School by evankravitz and brianschonfeld sports editors

On March 11, Americans and Israelis came together, not for politics, but for a game of hockey. An exhibition game between CESJDS and the Canada Israel Hockey School (CIHS) took place at the Rockville Ice Arena. Junior Moses Milchberg, along with 10 other JDS students’ families, hosted Israeli players at his house. “[CIHS] players are really nice, polite and enthusiastic about hockey,”Milchberg said. “It’s pretty cool.” The CIHS opened in 2010 in Metula, Israel with the goal of uniting Israelis through hockey and expanding the game in Israel. The school has 450 students who come from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds, including Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Alawite and Druze students. The school sent players and coaches to Washington to experience hockey on a level not available in Israel. In addition to playing against JDS, the team met with the Washington Capitals. The night of the game, over 430 fans filled the bleachers. The event attracted newspapers, a local

news station, a pre-game a cappella performance and even a visit from two female Olympic hockey medalists. The JDS squad got off to a hot start, amassing seven goals in the first period for a score of 7-0. In the final minutes, CIHS scored four goals, only to fall 10-4 to JDS. “All I asked them was that they try their best, settle down and just go out there and have fun, and that is what they did,” CIHS coach Michael Mazeika said. “I think [our team] was a little mesmerized by all the people in the stands and everything going on.” Despite the large score difference, the interactions between teams and fans remained friendly. CIHS player Fadi Haj noted that the game is about more than just the score. “It’s [about] the experience to be here and play ice hockey with other Jewish kids,” Haj said. “It’s more important than winning.” Freshman Alex Missner agreed, adding that a common interest connects the two teams. “I felt an instant connection with [the CIHS students] and they are great kids,” Missner said. “[Our team] shares a lot in common with these kids because we have Israeli

roots and we share a love and passion for hockey.” In addition to playing in the game, the players got to spend time with each other and share hockey experiences. “We got to hang out with them at dinner and ... at JDS a little bit,” junior Cameron Yolles said. “I just was talking to them on the ice the entire time. It’s fun to see them and play with them.” Mazeika believes that this experience will be one his team will always remember. “This is a game I will never forget, and it’s going to have a huge impact on the kids for a long time to come,” Mazeika said. Milchberg added that the game demonstrated that ethnic and religious groups can come together despite tensions in other parts of the world. “It’s upsetting to know that while [you are getting close with CIHS players], there is still hatred and belligerence between [Israeli and Palestinian] cultures going on at the same time,” Milchberg said. “By playing ... hockey, we are able to set aside our differences and become friendly just by playing a game.”

photo illustration by David Kulp

Q&A with CIHS coach, Michael Mazeika Evan Kravitz: How did you end up in Israel? Michael Mazeika: One of my best friends was going [to Israel] in 2010, and he was going there with a guy named Steve Simmons who was a sports writer for the Toronto Sun and Steve broke his leg three weeks before the trip and so Sidney Greenberg, the main sponsor of [CIHS], asked my friend if he could find anybody [to coach them]. He asked me, and that’s it. I went in 2010 to do a hockey camp [in Israel] for eight days, and fell in love with Israel. Then a year and a half later I got asked to go volunteer for eight months.

EK: What is it like teaching a bunch of Israelis how to play hockey in a country where hockey is not a major sport? MM: It’s actually not too much different. Hockey, being what it is, is a very difficult sport for a anybody to learn so once [the students] get the basic skills of skating, they actually pick it up quicker than kids that I’ve coached in North America. On our team that we are traveling with here we have kids with a wide range of skills. Kids have been playing anywhere from three months to five years. You’ll see the disparity in the groups but their learning curve is very rapid I found. They’re kind of above where they should be considering how long they have been l playing. ful

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photo illustration by Gaby Pilarsky

bucket list

Before I Graduate...

Other

Take a look at what CESJDS students hope to accomplish before graduation.

“I want to [become] famous. I would like to be an actor or something. I’m not really sure exactly what type of actor but I think it would be really awesome to be able to be looked up to because I do that to some celebrities today.” —freshman Jason Salzberg

“I want to qualify for the US Open Sectional Qualifier. It’s the second round of qualifying for the US Open Golf Major. It’s really important to me because its always been a dream of mine to make the US Open. [Qualifying is] a step towards achieving that dream.” — junior Ben Lieberman

School

“A cappella allows me to make friends in other grades, allowing for me to have instant big sisters and brother and tutors when needed. The relationship I hope to build with them are one-in-amillion. Besides making friends in other grades, I can even get closer to the students from my grade who are in a cappella too.” — freshman Maya Arber

“I want to go backpacking. To be honest backpacking sounds like fun but the only hike I’ve ever done is the billy goat trail, so I have no idea where you even backpack. Thats why I want to do it, because it’s something new.” — sophomore Ellie Mendelson

Sports

“I want to do well in track. I’d like to be able to do give it my all, encourage younger runners, and help my team win a championship or at least come close. [I hope to be] captain one day. That would mean a lot. Surprisingly I think there’s a lot less pressure [than in other sports]. [Track] is a lot of fun.” - freshman Yoni Weiner-Tobin

“Before I leave for Israel I want to win Zimriyah here because I feel like its an honor to win Zimriyah at our school. The grade that wins it has the title of the best grade in the school and the most spirited and fun grade. I think our grade can do that.” — freshman Shai Zarka

“I really want to win volleyball championships. [I joined volleyball because] I wasn’t very good at soccer or basketball and volleyball was the next on my list. I fell in love with it and I love the people on my team. They are the best girls in the entire world. I think this year we are going to work harder than we ever have because its our last year to play as a team. I think that will be our motivation.” — junior Emily Levy

“I want to be captain [of the wrestling team] because it’s an honorable position. My brother created the JDS wrestling team and was captain. I’ve been wrestling for five years and I prefer wrestling over any sport.” — freshman Seth Kolmaister

compiled by Emma Hofman, Danielle Katz and Alysse Weinberg