As part of a Creative Communications poetry-writing contest, our very own Austin M. (eleventh grade) submitted the poem below. We're so happy and proud to announce that his poem was accepted and will be included in the Spring 2011 "A Celebration of Poets." Congratulations Austin! (And many thanks to Ms. Currie for her guidance.)
Spark the Light to Extinguish the Dark
The darkness of the sun's downfall
Engulfs its abdicated thrown.
Now the evilness of the night emanates
And allows sin to bask with no break;
Screams from the alleyways,
The trudges of the insane,
The misery of the lost,
And the blackness and redness of pain.
There is no blight to this chaos's delight.
But this it he evil of pessimism,
Who whispers to your heart and mind.
Remember to have faith and look towards heaven above!
The morning star left a presence of light,
To combat the shadow and its asphyxiation of sight,
The moon and stars glow ever so bright,
Ridding humanity from the full onslaught of the night.
Remember the ecstacy of love, laughter and the like!
Take your torch and raise it high!
Strike your own match to ignite faith,
Allow yourself to overflow with joy,
And extinguish the darkness with your own burning flame.
Creative Communication is a company who is devoted to the promotion of writing, teaching and appreciation of student writing. The intent of our student writing contests is to motivate creative writers. The top entries are published in an anthology that will record the creative insights of today's student writers. There is no requirement for a student to purchase an anthology, however, if a student wishes to purchase one, it is made available at an affordable price. Top ten winners of the contest receive a free copy of the anthology. In addition, any teacher with five or more students who give permission for publication will receive a free anthology that features their student writers.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
An Educational Mock Experience
On Yom Ha'atzmaut, students from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Club ran a mock anti-Israel fair to expose students to the type of anti-Semitic rhetoric students are experiencing on college campuses. ADL Chug members prepared arguments that are typical of the lies and distortions that permeate the world of academia and college campuses.
The objective of the fair was to expose our students to the type of rhetoric they will encounter on their future respective campuses. ADL members set up stations that focused on such hot-topics as apartheid, Holocaust denial, oppression, occupation, equal rights, and other corrupt arguments made by our enemies. For many students, this was the first time they had encountered this type of offense on their sensibilities, and they struggled to find responses. Some were outraged, while others offered thoughtful, cogent arguments. The fair was preceded by the showing of the movie The Thin Red Line, which illustrates the coordinated anti-Israel efforts on campus.
After the fair, Rabbi Elliot Mathias, Aish HaTorah's director of Hasbara Fellowships, demonstrated to our students the most effective ways to advocate for Israel.
Hasbara Fellowships is the largest and most comprehensive Israel education and activism program for North American university students. Started in 2001 in conjunction with Israel's Ministry of ForeignAffairs, Hasbara Fellowships was the first formal program for studentsbattling overwhelming anti-Israel propaganda on their campuses in thewake of the second Palestinian intifada. Ten years later, Hasbara Fellowships remains the largest program of this type. Hasbara Fellowships uniquely takes hundreds of students to Israel for 16-days of pro-Israel education.
The goal of the Hasbara program is simple: educate, train and motivate university students to be passionate, dedicated and effective pro-Israel advocates on their campuses. We firmly believe that proper Israel advocacy education is the most crucial component of a successful pro-Israel movement on campus. All other components of success for the pro-Israel movement -- including programming, materials, speakers, conferences, relationship building, and talking points -- depend on cultivating well-educated student leaders who can plan strategically and execute effectively.
Intensive Israel activism education is the core strategy of Hasbara Fellowships and remains exclusively our niche. Hasbara Fellowships brings hundreds of students to Israel every summer and winter; over 1,800 students from more than 250 campuses have benefited from the information, tools and confidence provided by the program. Hasbara Fellows return to their campuses as strategic thinkers, organizational leaders and innovative advocates, dedicated to the positive portrayal of Israel on campus.
The objective of the fair was to expose our students to the type of rhetoric they will encounter on their future respective campuses. ADL members set up stations that focused on such hot-topics as apartheid, Holocaust denial, oppression, occupation, equal rights, and other corrupt arguments made by our enemies. For many students, this was the first time they had encountered this type of offense on their sensibilities, and they struggled to find responses. Some were outraged, while others offered thoughtful, cogent arguments. The fair was preceded by the showing of the movie The Thin Red Line, which illustrates the coordinated anti-Israel efforts on campus.
After the fair, Rabbi Elliot Mathias, Aish HaTorah's director of Hasbara Fellowships, demonstrated to our students the most effective ways to advocate for Israel.
Hasbara Fellowships is the largest and most comprehensive Israel education and activism program for North American university students. Started in 2001 in conjunction with Israel's Ministry of ForeignAffairs, Hasbara Fellowships was the first formal program for studentsbattling overwhelming anti-Israel propaganda on their campuses in thewake of the second Palestinian intifada. Ten years later, Hasbara Fellowships remains the largest program of this type. Hasbara Fellowships uniquely takes hundreds of students to Israel for 16-days of pro-Israel education.
The goal of the Hasbara program is simple: educate, train and motivate university students to be passionate, dedicated and effective pro-Israel advocates on their campuses. We firmly believe that proper Israel advocacy education is the most crucial component of a successful pro-Israel movement on campus. All other components of success for the pro-Israel movement -- including programming, materials, speakers, conferences, relationship building, and talking points -- depend on cultivating well-educated student leaders who can plan strategically and execute effectively.
Intensive Israel activism education is the core strategy of Hasbara Fellowships and remains exclusively our niche. Hasbara Fellowships brings hundreds of students to Israel every summer and winter; over 1,800 students from more than 250 campuses have benefited from the information, tools and confidence provided by the program. Hasbara Fellows return to their campuses as strategic thinkers, organizational leaders and innovative advocates, dedicated to the positive portrayal of Israel on campus.
Monday, May 16, 2011
RKYHS Students Make Molecular Biology a Priority
Now, we are happy to announce that Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School has been accepted to the 2011 WSSP program for students!
We want to wish a warm congratulations to Eliana B. and Jonathan C., who both will be seniors in September, for being accepted to this prestigious program. Along with Dr. Ricketts, the RKYHS team will participate in a Summer Institute program from July 5 through July 22 and will continue their research during the 2011/12 school year.
The Student Research Group has been meeting on Mondays after school and during lunch on Fridays, as well as the Chug period on Tuesdays, and doing research on Zebra Fish.
According to the group's Research Update,
"Zebra fish are an excellent animal model for classroom learning and investigations as they can be bred, the development of the embryos can be viewed and studied and the effect of external agents on the development of the fry can be studied. For example, the drug Thalidomide, which has resulted in limb deformities in newborn humans, inhibits the development of fins in zebra fish. Techniques for the collection of fertilized eggs and maintenance of the embryo and larva stages of the zebra fish fry have now been established and we are now initiating experiments to investigate the influence of external agents on the development, physiology, and behavior of zebra fish."We are excited to follow their research as it progresses, and we wish the RKYHS Team good luck as a part of WSSP!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Kids Helping Kids
This post expresses two points of pride. The first is in RKYHS senior Michael Goldman for writing such a great article that can be found on the OU's Shabbat Shalom section. The second, which might be clear, is in our students for being so involved and devoted to great causes. Below is the article that Michael wrote; let us know what you think, and we hope you'll donate, and we can't to see you at the 4K!
As a school, we are frequently asked by countless charities and organizations to help raise money for their cause. Of course we want to help, but it's difficult to organize 3 or 4 unique and separate fundraisers and to be successful, so we decided to take a different approach: run one big fundraising event and disperse the funds to select organizations. Last year, our 4K marathon raised over $4,500 so we've decided to stick with that format and limit our sponsorship to four very worthy children's causes - 4K 4Kids!
This year's race, however, is about so much more then just raising dollars for charity; it's about giving back; it's about understanding the power we have as kids ourselves, and realizing the potential we have and what we can achieve. It's important for each of us to realize how fortunate we are to have all the good things our parents provide us with, or simply to be thankful for our own health and the health of our families. Most of us tend to take that for granted. So we're building on this year's unique theme: KIDS raising money for other KIDS.
Yachad helps developmentally disabled or challenged kids.
Chai Lifeline helps terminally ill kids.
Koby Mandell helps kids that have been traumatized and affected by terrorist attacks
Kupat Beit Sifri is helping families and kids within our school community that are in dire need.
So far, this race has been motivating the entire student body to help other kids who are just like us. We are making a statement that even though we are kids, we have the power to reciprocate and respond.
Because the race was wildly successful last year, we decided to capitalize on that success and take the race to an entirely new level. A committee of high school students was put together in October. We created a presentation and promoted it to potential corporate sponsors, and gave them the opportunity to become partners. The response was positive, enthusiastic, and includes Atlantic Realty, HARDKNOCKS, JAG physical therapy (West Orange), Care One (Livingston), and Lewinter Wealth Advisory.
In total, we have raised closed to $10,000 so far, which doubles our total from last year and doesn't include whatever students have just begun raising in personal sponsorships. Another huge advantage for this year is that we've developed our own website at www.4k4kids.com, making it easier and more convenient for family and friends to log on, set up their donations or sponsorships online, learn more about the event, or simply track the marathon's progress.
This year's race is scheduled for Monday, May 23rd and is a major part of our Lag Ba'Omer festivities. Runners will be leaving the school campus for part of the route, and safety will be maintained with the assistance of the Livingston Police Department who will be blocking off certain roads for our use. We will have an inspirational presentation preceding the race, thanking all of our sponsors and reminding our participants about why we put this race together in the first place.
After the race, we've planned a huge festival with ices, music, dancing, and a fantastic barbecue!
As a school we have always maintained strong alliances with Yachad. We have hosted numerous Yachad Shabbatons and basketball tournaments with maximum participation from the student body. This year, with all students in our school (pre-k through 12th grade) involved, we hope to reach our goal of raising 25,000 dollars for the 4K 4Kids.
We all know what can happen when we dedicate ourselves to a cause and join in to become a part of something bigger.
Michael Goldman is a senior at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School and president of his local NCSY chapter. He served/serves as captain of various varsity sports teams and heads the 4K 4Kids Charity Run Committee.
As a school, we are frequently asked by countless charities and organizations to help raise money for their cause. Of course we want to help, but it's difficult to organize 3 or 4 unique and separate fundraisers and to be successful, so we decided to take a different approach: run one big fundraising event and disperse the funds to select organizations. Last year, our 4K marathon raised over $4,500 so we've decided to stick with that format and limit our sponsorship to four very worthy children's causes - 4K 4Kids!
This year's race, however, is about so much more then just raising dollars for charity; it's about giving back; it's about understanding the power we have as kids ourselves, and realizing the potential we have and what we can achieve. It's important for each of us to realize how fortunate we are to have all the good things our parents provide us with, or simply to be thankful for our own health and the health of our families. Most of us tend to take that for granted. So we're building on this year's unique theme: KIDS raising money for other KIDS.
Yachad helps developmentally disabled or challenged kids.
Chai Lifeline helps terminally ill kids.
Koby Mandell helps kids that have been traumatized and affected by terrorist attacks
Kupat Beit Sifri is helping families and kids within our school community that are in dire need.
So far, this race has been motivating the entire student body to help other kids who are just like us. We are making a statement that even though we are kids, we have the power to reciprocate and respond.
Because the race was wildly successful last year, we decided to capitalize on that success and take the race to an entirely new level. A committee of high school students was put together in October. We created a presentation and promoted it to potential corporate sponsors, and gave them the opportunity to become partners. The response was positive, enthusiastic, and includes Atlantic Realty, HARDKNOCKS, JAG physical therapy (West Orange), Care One (Livingston), and Lewinter Wealth Advisory.
In total, we have raised closed to $10,000 so far, which doubles our total from last year and doesn't include whatever students have just begun raising in personal sponsorships. Another huge advantage for this year is that we've developed our own website at www.4k4kids.com, making it easier and more convenient for family and friends to log on, set up their donations or sponsorships online, learn more about the event, or simply track the marathon's progress.
This year's race is scheduled for Monday, May 23rd and is a major part of our Lag Ba'Omer festivities. Runners will be leaving the school campus for part of the route, and safety will be maintained with the assistance of the Livingston Police Department who will be blocking off certain roads for our use. We will have an inspirational presentation preceding the race, thanking all of our sponsors and reminding our participants about why we put this race together in the first place.
After the race, we've planned a huge festival with ices, music, dancing, and a fantastic barbecue!
As a school we have always maintained strong alliances with Yachad. We have hosted numerous Yachad Shabbatons and basketball tournaments with maximum participation from the student body. This year, with all students in our school (pre-k through 12th grade) involved, we hope to reach our goal of raising 25,000 dollars for the 4K 4Kids.
We all know what can happen when we dedicate ourselves to a cause and join in to become a part of something bigger.
Michael Goldman is a senior at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School and president of his local NCSY chapter. He served/serves as captain of various varsity sports teams and heads the 4K 4Kids Charity Run Committee.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
RKYHS Says NO! to Distracted Driving
On Tuesday, RKYHS students were honored to have Jacy Good and her fiancé Steve Johnson visit and discuss an emotional and personal tragedy: In 2008, an 18-year old-driver ran a red light on a single lane road in Pennsylvania killing Jacy’s parents instantly and severely injuring 23-year-old Jacy; Police say the teen was distracted by a cellphone. Jacy's story emphasized the importance of driving without the distractions caused by cell phones.
Jacy's visit was part of a Texting/Drinking-and-Driving Program and our Drug Awareness Committee's efforts to raise awareness about teen deaths and driving. RKYHS was named one of 19 "champion schools" in the "U Got Brains" competition, which awarded a $1,000 stipend to the school to develop a teen driving safety campaign for the school. RKYHS was named a champion school for their program development called "Say No to Texting."
Jacy's visit was part of a Texting/Drinking-and-Driving Program and our Drug Awareness Committee's efforts to raise awareness about teen deaths and driving. RKYHS was named one of 19 "champion schools" in the "U Got Brains" competition, which awarded a $1,000 stipend to the school to develop a teen driving safety campaign for the school. RKYHS was named a champion school for their program development called "Say No to Texting."
Students organized a survivor of in a distracted driving crash to share their story at a school-wide assembly. They developed t-shirts, bumper stickers and key chains with safety messages and sold them throughout school. Distracted driving is also being addressed through school color warms and a “cell phone” wallpaper. They also produced a PSA with a distracted driving message.Now, RKYHS is competing for a chance to win one of two driving simulators, so be sure to vote daily through May 25, 2011!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
A Survivor's Experience
The highlight of the program was a presentation by Mrs. Tova Friedman, who was one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz; she was liberated at the age of only 6 ½. Mrs. Friedman spoke of being cut off from her roots and family, the vacuum created by the murder of all Jewish leaders, her miserable life in the ghetto, and witnessing the shooting of her grandparents. One of the most chilling moments was when she described how she escaped the death march by laying down with her mother alongside corpses so the Nazis would not notice her when they evacuated the camp. She said her story is the story of 1.5 million children, and we have an obligation to learn it and repeat it.
As we reach a point in history when there are fewer survivors available to retell their story, the need for programs of this nature becomes increasingly important for our students!
Mrs. Friedman tells her story in the following news clip.
