Thursday, May 18, 2006 was a night to remember as nearly 600 people from throughout the Chicagoland area gathered at the Kohl Children's Museum to honor CJHS Founding Head of School Roslyn B. Stein and to celebrate the success of CJHS. Parents, faculty, students, community leaders, government officials, clergy, valued donors, and guests all united for a joyful and heartfelt celebration.

Harvey L. Miller presided over the event that included poignant remarks by many individuals: Mr. Miller; Stewart Flink, president of the Board of Directors; the Honorable Barukh Binah, Consul General of Israel to the Midwest; Rabbi Israel Stein, husband of honoree Roslyn Stein; Larry Adler, founding president; and honoree Roslyn Stein. The evening also included a musical tribute by Michelle Auslander-Cohen and the premiere of the new CJHS video: From Vision to Reality.

The most salient messages of the evening were the school's commitment to academic excellence and its tremendous sense of community. Said Flink, "CJHS is a tapestry of people who work unselfishly and share a common passion; a tapestry woven of families and students, faculty and administration, volunteers and donors."

During the evening, he also announced that the school has closed on a bond offering and now has the financing to construct a 66,000 square foot facility, with the goal of opening in the fall of 2007. However, he added, "If I can deliver one message tonight in the midst of this celebration for Roz, it is that we are only at the beginning of the work that needs to be done. In order to complete what Roz has created for us over the past six years, and sustain the school in perpetuity, we need to raise a significant endowment fund -- large enough to pay back the principal and interest of the loan, and meet the future demands of a top-notch dual curriculum college preparatory high school...I urge you to take to heart the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, 'The most important thing in any relationship is not what you get, but what you give.' So give, give, and keep on giving."

Before the evening drew to a close, Flink, along with the two past Board presidents, Larry Adler and Maynard Grossman, presented Mrs. Stein with a magnificent vase of hand-blown Venetian glass, created by artist Michael Gore. CJHS students then formed a procession to present her with roses to fill the vase.

CJHS extends its warmest thanks to Harvey L. Miller, event chair; Oly Avidar and Shulamit Binah, event co-chairs; and their committee of Lee Cohn, Jennifer Flink, Kim Frankel, Caren Friedman, Sheldon Moss, Jane Pickus, Cindy Pogrund, and Tami Warshawsky. Thanks also to Jennifer Flink and Tami Warshawsky for serving as executive producers of the video, to Danny Kahn for adding his considerable time, talent and expertise to the event, and to the many other individuals and organizations who added to the success of this event.

CJHS Students Direct and Perform Spring Production

The Fine and Performing Arts Department is proud to announce the opening of the first set of student-directed one-act plays on Monday, May 22 at 8:00 p.m. at the Morton Grove Civic Center. Student directors include Lindsay Seidenberg, Yael Kiken, Renana Fox, Abby Landis, Jimmy Casen, and Jenn Hipps. Performers include Linda Levin, Leore Avidar, Sydni Cole, Matthew Silverman, Rachel Binstock, Shayna Flink, Nat Sufrin, Yoni Solomon, Lilli Flink, Karen Avidar, Jeremy Cogan, Seth Berkman, Ari Glasser, Esther Bier, Geoff Levin, Jenn Hipps, Sofi Petchersky, Donna Abisdris, and Tova Goldberg. This evening of student-directed plays is under the direction of Mr. Ron Ben-Joseph and sound technician Richard Neumann.

Don't miss this final student performance of the 2005-2006 school year.

"Arts Alive" Takes Over Lunch Hour

Thanks to all the fine arts teachers and their students for performing in Tuesday's Fine Arts Day. Mr. Forte opened with the jazz band. Mr. Ben-Joseph's theater students entertained with three improvised acts about low self-esteem. Mrs. Gottlieb accompanied the choir, who sang everything from popular 50's music to gospel. Mrs. Snyder's art students showed us the chairs they'd painted and named; the chairs were on display at the "Building on Success" benefit. Ms. Dreese’s dance class grooved to Michael Jackson's Thriller, and the Chamber Ensemble (wonderfully led by Mr. Sklar) concluded Fine Arts Day with classical and folk pieces played in the spirit of Lag B'Omer.

Thanks to all who helped and participated. The Fine Arts Department hopes that all CJHS students will have a chance to partake of its offerings, either as classes or extracurricular activities!

CJHS IFYC Hosts Students from Universal High School

As part of our IFYC partnership, ten students from CJHS had dinner with students from Universal High School on Tuesday, May 16. The students discussed hospitality in Judaism and Islam as they snacked on pizza and salad. Maya Hobscheid presented texts from Jewish tradition about hospitality, and a Muslim student presented texts from the Koran. After the students discussed these texts, they discussed personal experiences of hospitality, from Mecca to Shabbatonim. This was the last IFYC event of the year. If you would like to participate next year or would like to assume a leadership role in the years to come, please talk to Rabbi Barkan, Vicky Neiman, Rachel Karp, or Maya Hobscheid.

IFYC Model Presented at National Conference

Rabbi Barkan presented at the Interfaith Youth Core's National Conference with Mark McGuire, a senior at Loyola Academy, about the interfaith high school partnership developed over the past three years. "As grassroots interfaith organizations are sprouting up all over the country, people are looking to our partnership as a successful sustainable model," Rabbi Barkan said. "The conference offered a great opportunity to network, and it was an honor to be in a position to offer guidance to other emerging interfaith leaders. The interfaith high school partnership we have developed is at the forefront of an emerging Interfaith Youth Movement."

Debate Ends Year on a High Note

Debaters from New Trier and Glenbrook North came to CJHS on Monday, May 15 for a competition with our students. Most of the students competing were junior varsity debaters, and the CJHS squad held their own! Brian Pogrund went 2-0, winning both of his rounds against the hardest competition. The debate team would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Scher, Mr. Cohen, and Mr. Phillip Levin for helping with the tournament.

To end the year in high style, students and parents attended the First Annual CJHS Debate Banquet on Wednesday, May 16, at Danali's. The evening included inspiring words from Mr. Gross and Jacob Shapiro, as well as the presentation of awards. Juniors Aaron Magid and Brian Pogrund were named Novice Debaters of the year; they will serve as debate team captains for the 2006-2007 school year. Aaron Weinberg earned the honor of Most Improved Debater.

"The banquet was the perfect way to end our year. We honored the people who made debate possible at CJHS, and we enjoyed a great evening together," Sandy Johnston said.

This year's debate team included Jeremy Cogan, Matthew Hass, Jeremy Hulkower, David Israel, Sandy Johnston, Aaron Magid, Brian Pogrund, Danny Silver, Isaac Simon, Aaron Weinberg, and David Weltman, as well as Jacob Shapiro, who served as coach.

Visit & Volunteer at the CJHS Booth at the Jewish Folk Arts Festival

CJHS is sponsoring a booth at the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 11. Located at the Cook County Forest Preserve at Oakton Street (west of Lehigh), this event will attract 30,000-40,000 people. CJHS needs students, parents, and board members to help market the school. Please help by volunteering for one hour this day. It's a great opportunity to meet people and help promote CJHS to the community.

Contact Rachel Spiro, Director of Admissions, if you can help (rspiro@cjhs.org or 847-324-3706). Please let her know who will be coming and what time you’re available.

Applications Continue to Arrive!

Now is the time to schedule a tour or submit an application for the 2006–2007 academic year. Become a part of our CJHS family. Contact Rachel Spiro to learn more about CJHS.

CJHS teacher presents lecture on Holocaust to Muslim students

CJHS history teacher Ms. Sharna Marcus spoke about the children of the Holocaust and Gentile victims of the genocide to the 8th grade class at the Muslim Community Center Full Time School in Morton Grove on Wednesday, May 17. Ms. Marcus's visit to the school marked the end of the Muslim students' unit of study of the Holocaust. Ms. Marcus was invited by MCC's social studies teacher, Mrs. Sadiya Barkat. After the presentation, students asked questions about the Holocaust and Judaism.

"The students were very inquisitive about Jewish practices and beliefs," Ms. Marcus said. "It was a pleasure to speak to them, and I hope to bring Mrs. Barkat to CJHS next year to give our students her perspective on Islam."

MCC is a Muslim day school located in Morton Grove.

Learn more about Mrs. Barkat's classes at MCC.

This Wednesday -- Physics Expo 2006

Come join the CJHS physics classes as they celebrate a year's worth of content! On Wednesday, May 24, at 4:45 p.m., students will conduct an afternoon of presentations, demonstrations, and homemade films showcasing the physics content of their choice. Topics include the Physics of Baseball, Rainbows Without Rain, How CDs Work, and the weird and wonderful world of Schrodinger's Cat. Be there!

Students and Faculty Bike to Work

Remember the feeling of freedom you felt when you first rode around the block by yourself? Or the joy you experienced when you got the training wheels removed from your bike? The CJHS Bike Club sponsored Bike to School Day on Friday, May 19. Each biker sought pledges for this fundraising ride, with all proceeds going to HAZON and the Chicago Bike Federation. Kol hakavod to Esther Lowe, who collected more than $360 in pledges! The following students and faculty participated in Bike to School Day, starting as far (or near) as Skokie, Northbrook, West Rogers Park, Evanston, Lakeview, and Highland Park: Kayce Miller, Esther Lowe, Avi Coven, Adva Mir, Rosie Kiken, Yael Kiken, Esther Bier, Aaron Gore, Ms. Gitlin, and Ms. Jacobson-Maisels.

Students Exhibit Artwork at Great Frame Up

All Studio Arts and Photography students displayed artwork at the opening reception on Wednesday night at the Great Frame Up in Morton Grove. The following students were Best of Show winners: Ronni Binah for photography, Ari Frankel for watercolor and ink, and Michael Shapiro for pencil. Despite the unexpected hailstorm, the event was well attended and well received. Mrs. Snyder said, "The quality of work this year, and the dedication of these students was amazing!" The art will be on display at the Great Frame Up until Tuesday, May 23.

Students Participate in Lag B’Omer Activities…on Lad B’Omer

Because Lag B'Omer did not fall on a gym day this year, students participated in scooter relay races, frisbee, softball, and other games in gym class on the following day, Lad B'Omer. The highlight of the day was dodgeball played inside an inflatable moonwalk. Even though it rained a bit, it was still a great day!

Peer Helper Program Announced

A Peer Helper program is in formation for next year. The program will focus on providing support for incoming freshmen, transfer students and students entering from public schools. Juniors and seniors will be trained to work one-on-one with students and to assist in group meetings. Training will begin in August, just prior to the opening of school, and will continue throughout the year. Training will concentrate on developing enhanced communication skills, exploring models of helping intervention, and climate building.

Peer Helper programs are in existence all over the country and have met with significant success in providing a valuable support service. We will be working with the Peer Helper program at Deerfield High School, which has offered to help CJHS develop this new program. Dr. Penina Frankel, psychologist, and Nina Harris, clinical social worker and CJHS board member, have also volunteered their time to develop the program. Dr. Auslander will coordinate the program. Interested students will be asked to fill out a brief application and turn it in to Dr. Auslander, Rachel Karp, or Seth Berkman.

Buy a Yearbook Right Now!

The yearbook staff has spent the last six months taking pictures, collecting quotes, and building a fantastic book of memories. Now it's your turn—click on the link below for an order form, and turn it to Linda Levin or Jason Wiznitzer. Yearbooks are $35.

Click here for a yearbook order form.

Breakfast Sponsors

Thank you to Cynthia Lerner and family for sponsoring breakfast on Monday, May 15, in honor of Rachel Garfinkel's 15th birthday.

Thank you to the following families – Oly and Gil Avidar, Kim and Alan Frankel, Andrea and Jeff Meltzer, Cindy and David Pogrund, and Lynn and Leo Wiznitzer – for sponsoring breakfast on Friday, May 19, in honor of Stew Flink's 50th birthday.

If you would like to sponsor breakfast in honor of a student's birthday (or any occasion), please contact Joan Waxman at jwaxman@cjhs.org or Sara Coven at penguinema@napcoltd.net. The students love the recognition, and the bagels are great, too!

Religious Life at CJHS

Last week, Avra Shapiro, Vanessa Youshaei, Eli Miller, Jeremy Hulkower, Josh Warshawsky, Matthew Hass, Seth Berkman, Richard Kahn, and David Weltman led tefillah. David Weltman read Torah.

Yasher koach to Ms. Jacobson-Maisels for her Dvar Torah on achieving the balance between enlightenment and doing the laundry.

The e-news will be sent again on Friday. The e-news submission deadline is Thursday at noon.