Chicagoland Jewish High School spent Wednesday, May 31 reveling and rejoicing in the accomplishments of the Class of 2006. The school was filled with students, parents, faculty, staff, board members, and well-wishers from the community.

The day began with a siyum, during which Rabbi Goldberg taught a text on the importance of community, Ms. Bierman and Mr. Gross spoke about the accomplishments of each graduate, and selected seniors read from their final English assignments.

The formal graduation ceremony featured several speakers, including Stewart Flink, President of the Board, Rabbi Goldberg, and Mrs. Stein. Ashley Silver, Linda Levin, Lanie Abisdris, Benji Derman, and Shayna Flink spoke on behalf of their class. Renana Fox and Jason Wiznitzer served as Class Marshals. The CJHS Chamber Ensemble and Choir each performed.

Many thanks to the Graduation Committee for all of their hard work: Ms. Altman, Ms. Bierman, Sra. Brejcha, Mrs. Chefitz, Mr. Gross, Sra. Linda, and Ms. Plotnik. Also, thank you to Joan Waxman, Martha Keefe, Alex Kosarev, and Igor Burda; their diligence and behind-the-scenes work made the event beautiful.

CJHS Celebrates the Class of 2006: Lanie Abisdris, Daniel Bier, Jimmy Casen, Benji Derman, Jennifer Feldman, Shayna Flink, Renana Fox, Ron Gejman, Hannah Helford, Yael Kiken, Linda Levin, Maddi Miller, Vicky Neiman, Avram Pachter, Daniel Peaceman, Jacob Shapiro, Ashley Silver, and Jason Wiznitzer.

Baruch ata b'voecha, u'varuch atah b'tzeitecha.
Blessed are you in your comings, and blessed are you in your goings.
(Deut. 28:6)

Visit & Volunteer at the CJHS Booth at the Greater Chicago Jewish 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. This is 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.

Learn more about the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival.

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 Students Take Honors in American Chemical Society Scholarship Competition

Last month, sophomores Richard Kahn and Shai Kamin were among 90 Chicago area students nominated by their chemistry teachers to take the 52nd annual scholarship examination sponsored by the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society. The 2-½ hour exam is administered on a Saturday, but CJHS Science Department Chair Mrs. Ann Levinson arranged for her students to take the test on an alternate date. Competing against the best first-year chemistry students from public and private academic powerhouses throughout metropolitan Chicago, both of our students did extremely well. Richard Kahn won fourth prize and one of the college scholarships awarded to each of the five highest scorers. Shai Kamin earned an honorable mention, placing him in the top 20% of entrants. Besides CJHS, the other high schools represented in the top five were Glenbrook South (two prize winners), Loyola Academy, and Oak Park/River Forest. Congratulations to our students and to their outstanding teacher, Mrs. Levinson.

Alumni Make Gifts to CJHS

As our newest graduates begin to navigate their lives after CJHS, it is fitting to remind them of their new membership in a growing community of CJHS Alumni. Our alumni can stay connected to the school in a variety of ways -- by visiting the school, by continuing to receive the e-news and printed newsletters, and by staying in touch with teachers and peers. Many of our alumni are already doing these things.

Another way to stay connected is by giving to the CJHS Annual Fund. Alumni are now in a unique position to give to the school that they helped launch. The support of alumni speaks volumes about the values learned while a student at CJHS.

Yasher koach and thank you to Charlie Gandelman, Zach Frankel, Ariel Gore, and Deanna Levin, graduates from the CJHS Class of 2005, who have each made gifts to CJHS this year.

To make your alumni gift, please contact Caren Friedman, Assistant Director of Development, at cfriedman@cjhs.org or 847-324-3723.

Va'ad Tikkun Olam Names 2006-2007 Board

In addition to coordinating a fantastic year of educational programming, fundraising, and volunteering, the Va'ad Tikkun Olam has developed a collaborative process for determining its new leadership. Yasher koach to the past year's VTO co-chairs, Sofi Petchersky and Nat Sufrin, and board: Ruthie Eisenberg, Hannah Berkowicz, Geoff Levin, Yoni Solomon, Aliza Stein, Rosie Kiken, and Yael Schwartz. Also, yasher koach to Rabbi Barkan, who advises Va'ad Tikkun Olam and has worked hard with students to develop the strong program that we have today.

The 2006-2007 VTO Board will be led by co-chairs Hannah Berkowicz and Ruthie Eisenberg. Each board member chairs a specific committee: Rachel Binstock, Drives; Rachel Garfinkel, Tzedakah; Lea Sarris, Cafe ARK; Nicole Wiznitzer, Visiting the Elderly; Rosie Kiken, Recycling; Yoni Solomon, Book Club; Geoff Levin, Chesed; Nat Sufrin, World Watch; and Sofi Petchersky, VTO Chair Emerita.

The students on the VTO board chair its various committees; all students and faculty are invited to serve on these committees. Please talk to Hannah, Ruthie, or any of the board members to get involved.

An Evening of Roses

In the rose garden of the Chicago Botanic Garden, 52 students and guests danced the night away at the prom on Sunday, May 28. Yasher koach to the prom committee, which included Vicky Neiman, Ashley Silver, Daniel Bier, Maddi Miller, and Prom Chair Jason Wiznitzer. Thank you to Ms. Bierman for her dedicated assistance and planning for prom, and to the rest of the chaperones -- Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Keefe, Ms. Marcus, Rabbi Cohen, and Dr. and Mrs. Eliaser.

MORP Draws Freshmen and Sophomores

While the upperclassmen were at prom, about 20 freshmen and sophomores spent the evening at MORP, an alternate social party. (What's MORP? Spell it backward, and you'll understand that it's the opposite of something else.) MORP took place at the Emily Oaks Nature Center in Skokie, where students played frisbee, capture the flag, roasted marshmallows over a campfire, sang, and chased one another around the lagoon in pursuit of fun, fun, fun. Yasher koach to Tova Goldberg and Becca Crawford for planning the event. Many thanks to Ms. Dickman, Ms. Jacobson-Maisels, Sra. Brejcha, and Dr. Auslander for chaperoning.

Cooking in Math Class?

It was hot outside on Tuesday, but not nearly as hot as the temperature inside a parabolic solar cooker! The pre-calculus classes took advantage of the sunshine by attempting to roast marshmallows in homemade paraboloids, using the mathematical characteristics of a parabola to direct sunrays on a single point called the focus. Seven groups built their paraboloids using materials such as aluminum foil, mylar, mirror paper, and actual mirrors!

The winning paraboloid was constructed by Aaron Gore, Aaron Magid, and Geoff Levin out of more than 110 small mirrors glued upon a paraboloid structure whose cross section passing through the vertex can be described by the equation y =.05x^2. The winning group's net temperature change in the center of the marshmallow was 27.9 degrees Fahrenheit, reaching a temperature of 114 degrees!

The second place paraboloid, constructed by Leore Avidar, Matthew Silverman, and Lilli Flink, had a net temperature change of 23.2 degrees Fahrenheit. "It was refreshing to actually apply the concepts and theories that we have learned throughout the year in a practical manner," said Aaron Gore.

Help Needed for Sick Teen

Skye Miller is raising money for Svettlana, a 10th grader at Niles West, who has recently become ill with kidney failure. Svettlana's doctors believe that her illness may have been caused by the Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion. With the need for chemotherapy, her medical bills have skyrocketed to $20,000. Since Svettlana and her family recently moved here from Israel, she has no medical insurance to cover the cost of the treatment. Skye is asking for your help. She has already raised over $250, and just recently received an anonymous pledge to match whatever she raises. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated. Every penny counts. Thank you for your generosity. Please contact Skye at school or respond to this email.

Don't Forget to Buy a Yearbook!

The yearbooks are here! If you haven't bought your yearbook yet, please complete the form below and submit it to Ms. Musin, along with $35.

Click here for a yearbook order form.

Breakfast Sponsorship

Thank you to the Cohn family for sponsoring breakfast on Thursday, June 1, in honor of Elli's 15th 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

This week, Eli Miller, David Weltman, Esther Lowe, Shai Kamin, Matthew Hass, and Rabbi Fryer led tefillah. Seth Berkman and Richard Kahn read Torah.

Candlelighting for Shavuot is at 8:02 p.m. tonight (Thursday).