STAND Sleep-In  

 
A week ago, CJHS's STAND chapter hosted its 3rd STAND Sleep-In this time at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie. The event involved staying up all night with the common goal of learning about genocides around the world and advocating for important causes. With a root in the Jewish and secular themes of the museum, the group was able to build upon a foundation of understanding the Holocaust and explore what it means to make a difference in modern times. "We were fortunate enough to allow students of all high schools around the area to participate," says Jordan Shapiro, the president of STAND 2009-2010, "which contributed to our total of 57 students from multicultural backgrounds collaborating in this event."

 

Through the night, students were addressed by survivors of the Cambodian and Yugoslavian genocides, had the opportunity to explore the many exhibits of the Illinois Holocaust Museum, and were treated to a myriad of educational programming based on understanding and advocating for people around the world.

 

We would like to thank all students, faculty, and speakers involved in the creation and execution of this program. The program was a great success and the group cannot wait to start working on other programs for the CJHS community. Look out for STAND activities coming up in the next few months!

IFYC 

On Thursday evening, fifteen CJHS students hosted twenty-five Muslim and Catholic students at CJHS.  We benefited from the wisdom of Manar Fawakhry, the director of the summer program Face to Face/Faith to Faith, who facilitated a reflective program about our perceptions of others, how these perceptions are formed, and what we can learn from interfaith dialogue.  She offered our students in this interfaith group the opportunity to extend their experience by attending a summer workshop at a camp in New York that brings together people of different faiths from Israel and the Palestinian territories, Ireland, South Africa and America.  For more information on Face to Face/Faith to Faith go to www.auburnsem.org. Our next event will be at Universal High School on November 9. 

Chicagoland Jewish High School is pleased to announce that seniors Daniel Eisenberg, Ari Eisenstadt, Louis Shekhtman, and Leo Spornstarr  have been named Commended Students  in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program. In addition, Nina Kiken has been named a National Merit Semifinalist in the program.  These students placed among the top five percent of the students who entered the 2010 competition by taking the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
 
Last year, more than 1.5 million juniors in nearly 21,000 U.S. high schools took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and entered the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program, a nationwide competition for recognition and awards. The 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program recently honored the 50,000 students who scored highest nationwide. The 16,000 highest scoring entrants are designated Semifinalists; the next 34,000 are named Commended Students.

We congratulate our students on their achievements.

Facing History Through Dance 

 

On Thursday evening October 15, students Noa Fleischacker, Eliana Fisher, and Lauren Pliskin attended a workshop sponsored by Facing History at the Liz Lerman Dance Company about teaching social justice issues, specifically genocide, through dance.  The next morning they presented to the entire school about their experience.  They explained the goal of the workshop, modeled the methodology that they learned, and reflected upon their unique experience as students working with teachers in city public schools.  They also did a session Saturday night at our all night STAND program.  The students learned a powerful skill and gained a sense of empowerment to make a difference in the world, as young educators, in our school, in our city, and beyond.

A Visit to Mango Street 

Last Sunday, more than thirty CJHS students spent the afternoon with Esperanza Cordero and her neighbors when The Steppenwolf Theatre brought the beloved Cisneros novel The House on Mango Street to life.  Through inventive staging, movement, and music, the world-premiere production made the yearning and determination of a poor-but-gifted Mexican-American girl powerfully moving.  Students in Dr. Miller's and Mrs. Friedman's English classes now have a new lens through which to view their own special journeys.
 

On Tuesday October 6, the CJHS friends club went to Gidwitz for a "Meet and Greet" as their opening event. The students engaged in great conversations with the residents and enjoyed themselves. 
 
The CJHS Friends Club is a group of students who make after-school visits to residents at Gidwitz Place (part of CJE SeniorLife), located just down the street from CJHS. The mission of Friends Club, named for Gidwitz's Friends Center, is to establish and maintain relationships with the residents.  On Tuesday, October 6, the Friends Club held a Meet and Greet for its first program of the year. The students and residents engaged in great conversations and had a wonderful time getting to know each other.
 
The next Friends Club event will be on Tuesday, October 27. For more information, please contact Dani Wolf (danimwolf@gmail.com) or Aaron Miller (millerboyz999@gmail.com). 

On Wednesday, October 19, junior and senior students participated in an evening discussion with clients at the ARK, and came away sporting some very artistic hand-painted t-shirts.  Please see Aviva Schwartz to join us next time!  Four students, including Alison Dreifuss and Victoria Aron, served food at the ARK café that evening.  If you would like to serve food at a future event, please see Jaime Borkan.  Members of the Abuyadaya pen pal club joined Rabbi Barkan for a video of his trip to Uganda.  Please see Rebecca Silverman and Ariel Stoltz to get involved.

Grab Your Partner, Do-Si-Do! 

With that spirit, the Parent Organization held its first--but definitely not its last--Country Jamboree Hoedown Social.  The evening was a huge success, as cowboys, ranchhands, and some city folk all broke out their best boots and donned their ten-gallon hats to show their spirit. After a long day of riding and roping, the wine-tasting was a great way to ease parched throats. Everyone moseyed on down to the chow hall for a fantastic country-style dinner, followed by square dancing. 
 
Our surprise guest caller, the multi-talented, golden-throated Bruce Scher, led a rousing (if slightly confusing) square dance to the tune of "Oh, Johnny, Oh!" The evening ended with smores and brownies, and then parents followed the stars (and their GPS devices) back to their ranches.
 
The social committee would like to thank everyone for their participation. School spirit is alive and well among the parent community, and many new parents commented on the warm, friendly atmosphere.
 
Many thanks to the Hoedown Committee: Mara Kupferberg, Sara Coven, Judi Dworkin, Laurie Ferri, Joanne Blumberg Axelrod, Emily Minkow, Randi Israel, and Nancy Schankerman, and to Am Yisrael Congregation in Northfield for opening up their facility for the Parent Organization.

Read the weekly emails about Parent Organization events for more news and information. 

Winter Sports Registration 

Write For The Prints 

 

Please submit your artwork, photographs, prose and poetry via email to submittotheprints@gmail.com. Questions? Contact Noa at noadaphne@yahoo.com.