CJHS is fortunate to be the recipient of a $500,000 Challenge Grant from a strong supporter of the school. The donor will match dollar for dollar all new gifts of $5,000 and above. The Challenge will extend to March 30, 2006. "This Challenge Grant comes at an exciting time for CJHS," says Oly Avidar, Development Chair. "The momentum is clearly growing. We hope this gift will help to expand our growing network of supporters." For more detailed information about the Challenge, please contact the Development Office at 847-324-3722.

Make Your End of Year Gift!

Ongoing philanthropy is vital to sustain our school. Your gift will support scholarships for students who are unable to afford full tuition, help us attract and retain an outstanding faculty, and enhance our fine arts, athletics, and leadership programs. Letters and reply cards were delivered to your mailboxes last week; please consider an end of year gift at a level that is right for you. Thank you for investing in our students and our school. For more information, contact the Development Office at 847-324-3723.

Save $500 on tuition!

When you submit an application to CJHS by the December 15 deadline, you'll receive a $500 credit off your child's first year tuition.

Schedule a Visit!

Do you want your child to shadow a CJHS student? Would you like to visit the school? Contact Rachel Spiro, Director of Admissions, to request an application packet, to schedule a tour, or to request a copy of CJHS's new brochure for students. You can also go to www.chicagojhs.com to download an application. Call 847-324-3706 or email rspiro@chicagojhs.com.

Save the Date for Curriculum Night!

Mark your calendar now for Curriculum Night. On Thursday, January 19, 2006, department chairs will explain CJHS's academic philosophy and curriculum. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. at CJHS.

Little Shop of Horrors Receives Standing Ovation

CJHS's first musical opened to a standing-room only crowd at the Morton Grove Civic Center on Nov. 28. Over 200 people were in the audience the first night, with well over 150 people the following night. A cast of 17 students and a pit band consisting of electric guitar, keyboard, and percussion brought song, music, and drama to the stage. Under the direction of Mr. Ron Ben-Joseph, Musical Director Ms. Gail Gottlieb, Band Director Mr. Chris Forte, and Associate Director Abby Landis, the production ran for two nights and then traveled to the Solomon Schechter Day School on Dec. 1 for a performance to students in the middle grades.

The following students were involved in the musical: Shayna Flink, Matthew Silverman, Yael Kiken, Yoni Solomon, Seth Berkman, Avra Shapiro, Lilli Flink, Rachel Binstock, Naomi Goldberg, Vicky Neiman, Tova Goldberg, Yael Derman, Geoff Levin, Hannah Rosenbaum, Jordana Abisdris, Adva Mir, Aaron Gore, Hannah Helford, Richard Kahn, and Daniel Kanter.

Mr. Ben-Joseph, the director, states, "There is a great lesson for the students in this play: go for what you want in life! Don't side step the issue; it will only complicate things more. I am very proud of the students in the production; they performed beautifully with the same amount of passion and commitment that they put into their other responsibilities."

The Fine and Performing Arts Department looks forward to auditions and the winter production of the annual Cabaret Night, as well as its spring drama production.

Eggs Ahoy!

The excitement was palpable on Nov. 29, as twenty-six excited young physicists braved icy winds and plummeting temperatures in CJHS's third annual egg drop. Cheered on by a large crowd of friends, siblings, staff, and inquisitive underclassmen, the students watched the firefighters of Morton Grove's 5th Engine Company ascend the school's roof to drop a series of well-protected eggs.

Students in Mrs. Shira Eliaser's physics classes have spent the past month studying impulse and momentum, the controlling factors in collisions. They have, since the beginning of the month, been developing designs to minimize the damage felt by a fragile object in a high-speed collision. The egg drop project challenges them to design a container that will protect a raw egg in the 24-foot drop from the school's roof. Students explained to the onlookers that force felt in a collision depends most on impact speed and impact time. "We were trying to increase the impact time [of the crash], and our structure did that quite successfully," reported senior Jimmy Casen, proudly displaying his group's "spotless" egg.

In the end no less than six teams survived, a higher success rate than any previous year. "We do this every year for these kids, and these were some pretty good designs this year," reported one proud firefighter.

"This is so cool!" freshman Ellie Cohn was heard saying as she headed back into the building. "I want to take physics now!"

Men's Basketball Stays Strong, Moves to 4-0 Record

Our men's basketball team is shining in the Metro Prep Tournament, which began earlier this week. On Nov. 30, the team won the first tournament game with a 55-33 win over the Yeshiva. The wins continued on Dec. 1, when the team defeated Universal High School, 58-44. The tournament concludes with a game at Northridge Prep this Sunday, Dec. 4, at 4:00 p.m. Directions to all games may be found through a link on the Student Life page of the school's website.

2006 Illinois State Scholars

Chicagoland Jewish High School and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission are proud to announce the 2006 Illinois State Scholars. The Board of Directors, administration, faculty, and staff join together in congratulating Daniel Bier, Benji Derman, Shayna Flink, Renana Fox, Ron Gejman, Yael Kiken, Linda Levin, Jacob Shapiro, and Ashley Silver on receiving this recognition.

The Illinois State Scholar program recognizes Illinois High School students for outstanding academic achievement. Students ranking in the top 10% of the state's 139,000 high school graduating seniors have been named Illinois State Scholars. Selection is based on standardized test scores and/or the students' class rank and grade point average at the end of the junior year of high school.

Bruce Scher, Academic Dean and Director of College Counseling, says, "This is just one of many opportunities we have to celebrate the achievements of our students. We are fortunate to be in an academic environment where we not only recognize the academic achievements of our students, but also their talents in athletics and fine and performing arts. We celebrate the contributions that our students make to the greater community through their work with different service and interfaith programs. Our students make a difference in our own school and have an impact on programs throughout our state, our country, and Israel."

Publishing Tutorial Offered

Hey, students! Are you interested in learning desktop publishing and contributing to the design of the literary journal? Contact Ms. Marcus, smarcus@chicagojhs.com, as soon as possible to sign up for a tutorial.

Panim Meeting to be held Monday, Dec. 5

Learn details about the Panim El Panim trip from 7 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 5 at school. This meeting is mandatory for juniors and parents of juniors who are attending the conference from Dec. 11-14.

Odyssey Explored through Art

The freshman English classes have been doing some wonderful written and artistic work exploring aspects of The Odyssey. Next week, check out the CJHS bulletin boards for collages and artists' statements that they completed based on Romare Bearden's 1977 "Return of Odysseus."

Student Portrait Exhibit at The Bank of Highland Park

CJHS is proud to announce that our students will have their artwork on display throughout January on the Ruth Fell Wander Community Canvas at the First Bank of Highland Park. The bank will hold a reception for our students on Wednesday, January 25 between 4:00-5:00 p.m. in their main lobby. Bank officials say, "We are proud to support the student artists of Chicagoland Jewish High School." Mr. Bruce Scher, CJHS Academic Dean, comments, "We recognize the efforts of our art instructor, Mrs. Marla Snyder, for the work she does with our students and her continued effort in promoting our students' work throughout the community." The student photographers being showcased are Ronni Binah, Maya Gejman, Maya Hobscheid, Ari Frankel, Sandy Johnston, Rachel Karp, Dakota Miller and Michael Shapiro.

The exhibit is now hanging in the entrance of CJHS.

Looking for a way to honor your student or advertise your business?

The CJHS yearbook staff is looking for sponsors for the 5766 edition of Yachad. You can advertise your business or honor students and other individuals in the school community by placing an ad in our sponsorship book, which will be distributed throughout the community along with Yachad. For more information and prices, please contact Vanessa Youshaei, Yachad business manager, at yachad@chicagojhs.com.

Register to Vote in the WZO Election

Support Masorti (Conservative) organizations, groups, synagogues, Ramah, USY, etc. in Israel by voting MERCAZ USA in this election. Please go to www.mercazusa.org and click the link to register to vote in the election; voting is only possible with advance registration. Even if you are a MERCAZ USA member and/or voted in the last WZO election, you still need to register. You can also learn about Mercaz USA, the Conservative Movement's Zionist organization.

Visit the MERCAZ website, www.mercazusa.org, and sign up via the secure website, or download a membership form and mail it in. Either way, join MERCAZ today! Please contact the MERCAZ USA office at 1-888-99 MERCAZ to register over the phone (or info@mercazusa.org) or if you have questions. Vote the Mercaz-USA Slate.

Thanks for your help in making this election the success we need for Israel, the Conservative Movement, and the future of the Jewish people and Modern Zionism. If you have any further questions, contact Rabbi Robyn Fryer (847) 423-5962 or RabbiFryer@chicagojhs.com

Thank You!

Thank you to the Seidenberg family for sponsoring breakfast on Nov. 22 in honor of Lindsay's complete recovery.

Religious Life at CJHS

This week, Sandy Johnston, Jason Wiznitzer, Abby Landis, Richard Kahn, Matthew Silverman, Aaron Magid, Jennifer Feldman, and Benji Derman led tefillah. Rabbi Fryer, Seth Berkman, Nicole Wiznitzer, and Maya Hobscheid read Torah.