Dear
Friends,
The
new school year brought with it many changes for the Art Department. All Visual
Arts classes are now electives across the grades. Courses meet with more
frequency than in years past which allows for a deeper level of understanding
and, with that, more artistic growth opportunities for our students.
Current
student electives for our Middle School students include "Creative Art," in
which individual artists and Art movements are studied and "Two Dimensional
Art" which focuses on drawing skills. Ninth and tenth graders are exposed to a
wide variety of artists and art themes in the "Art Survey" discussion course and
work on their studio practice in "Art Skills." Our eleventh and twelfth grade
students explore the sculptural realm in "Three Dimensional Art."
In all the Visual Arts offerings, a
blend of practice and theory is encouraged. It is a pleasure to teach in an
environment with students whose interests extend beyond the purely ornamental to
artwork which embraces the symbolic and expressive realms. Both Jesse
Steinbach '11
and Sarah Turner '11, whose art work is showcased in our Tri-Arts Festival, are
enrolled in "Three Dimensional Art" this trimester. It is a joy teaching them
both and a delight to spotlight their work.
Sincerely,
Laura Lyn
Stern
Visual
Arts Faculty
Dear
Friends,
The
melodious sounds of music can be heard ringing through the halls of JBHA thanks
to the recent addition of the Music Department. Electives and ensembles have
been integrated into the life of the students with an overwhelming positive
response. The Middle School has a general music elective which includes
materials ranging from the basics of music notation to the study of musical
masters from yesterday and today. This group also will attend a special students-only rehearsal of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the
Kimmel Center this month. The ninth and tenth grade student music elective
this second trimester is a music theory course which teaches the
essentials of reading, writing and understanding traditional western music.
The
vocal and instrumental ensembles, comprised of Middle School and Upper School
students, are in full rehearsal mode. These groups are studying a variety
of musical styles and techniques. The ensembles are working on selections
ranging from "Artsa Alinu," "Carry on My Way Son," to the
musical mastery of classical composers such as Verdi and Beethoven.
Recently,
string ensemble members Dina Malka Botwinik '16 (violin), Dobhran
Black '13 (viola) and Samuel Hamermesh '15 (violin)
took part in the Tri-Arts Festival that was held last Sunday. The
members of this budding trio combined a spark of youth with controlled
exuberance, pleasure of sound and courage of performance. Everyone enjoyed
listening to the trio's performance, and I am very proud of them.
The
Barrack vocal ensemble that recently performed at Jewish Heritage Night at the
Wachovia Center plans to participate in the First Annual Jewish High School
Choir competition in the spring. This program will bring together
vocalists from many Jewish high schools along the East Coast for a weekend of
Shabbat celebration and song. Keep your eyes open and your ears tuned to Barrack's
music program!
Sincerely,
Dr.
Karin Orenstein
Vocal
Arts and Instrumental Faculty
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BRAVO! to the Cast and Crew
of Mary, Mary
Congratulations on an
outstanding production, both on stage and behind-the-scenes. I am so very proud
of all of you! It has been a pleasure working with you all throughout your
Barrack careers. And to the seniors in the production, continued success in all
that you do!
All
the best,
Dewey
Oriente-Cassidy
Head of Drama
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For Learning.
2010 Artifact Alley Artifacts Revealed
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Remember
all those mysterious objects the sixth graders displayed in Artifact Alley? Now
you can find out what they really were by clicking on this link that will take you to
the Middle School Virtual Museum where you can wander through this year's
Artifact Alley and visit those of past years as well. Artifacts that sixth
graders brought in and asked participants to guess what they might be, included:
a Ndebele wedding apron, a Buddhist butter lamp, a camel's tooth, a cherry
pitter, a stamp holder and a herb grinder.
"Artifact Alley is a reminder that much of archeology and history, too,
is like a guessing game," comments Mrs. Judith Pransky,
CORE teacher and Artifact Alley coordinator. "Much of what we think of as
fact is really theory.
It is important to study the past, and the present, too, with an open mind."
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| Hamlet is Innocent!
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Hamlet was put on trial for the murder of Polonius and
Ophelia by the students in Mrs. Rita Schuman's 12th
grade English class. Both the prosecution and the defense tried Hamlet, calling
various witnesses from the play to testify in a courtroom setting. The class
and guest judges, acting as the jury, deliberated and presented their verdicts.
In the first case, Hamlet was declared innocent due to insanity. The second
trial, held in purgatory, was interrupted by the Pope before the jury could
render a verdict. The Pope declared that purgatory did not exist. Therefore,
Hamlet could not be tried. The class presentations ended with a musical medley
in different genre that matched the shifting mood and tone of Act V. Whoever
said that the study of Shakespeare's Hamlet had
to be dry and by the book!
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For Leading.
Jeremy Rudoler '12 Named
Barrack HOBY Representative
|
 Congratulations
to Jeremy Rudoler, a Barrack 10th grader, who was chosen to
represent our school at the 2010 Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership (HOBY)
symposium. His session will be held in June at George Washington University in
Washington D.C. HOBY programs are conducted annually throughout the United
States, serving local and international high school students and providing
youth selected by their schools an opportunity to participate in unique
leadership training, service-learning and motivation- building experiences.
President of the 10th grade class and involved in a number of school
activities, Jeremy shared the following about this opportunity: "I am honored
to have been selected for the HOBY experience. It is the first time I will
participate in such a program. I look forward to meeting other 10th
graders from across the country and sharing ideas about how we can make a
difference in our schools, our communities, and the world."
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Sarah Saltz '10 to Receive
Inquirer Citizenship Award
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Sarah Saltz, a Barrack senior, has
been named a Philadelphia Inquirer Student
Citizenship Award winner and will receive her award, along with other seniors
who have contributed to their communities in important ways, at the Constitution
Center in March. A straight "A" student and a Commended National Merit Scholar,
Sarah makes significant contributions to her Barrack community and the
community at large. Passionate about the environment, science and engineering,
Sarah, as team captain, led Barrack's JETS Team (Junior Engineering Technical
Society) Team to a first place standing in the state and third nationally. Last
summer, she initiated an engineering program for inner-city youth in
Philadelphia, opening their eyes to engineering as a career path.
Environmentally active, she has apprenticed at the Dresher White Flicker Wild
Bird Rehabilitation Clinic. Pursuing her interest in science, she interned in
the Levine Lab of Transactional Research of Cellular Therapy at HUP. A leading
member of the girls' varsity softball and soccer teams, she was named Athlete
of the Year two years in a row. Sarah plans to major in science and engineering
at Johns Hopkins University in the fall and will continue working with
inner-city youth, expanding their horizons in these fields. Congratulations,
Sarah!
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Middle School Basketball News
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Barrack's Middle School boys' basketball team defeated
Kellman-Brown Academy, 52-19, this week. Among the
Barrack high scorers were 8th graders Jacob Reich,
14 points; Jared Raikin 8 points; Adam Holz,
8 points; Jacob Tischler,7 points and 6th
grader Elliot Bernstein, 6 points. Congratulations, team
and Coach Jeremy Treatman.
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Boys' Varsity Basketball Team
Continues Winning Streak
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Although Barrack only shot 39% from the floor and 36%
from the foul line, the team played a stifling defense, holding Wyncote Academy to 23 points
in a 48-23 win. Barrack's boys' varsity basketball team has
now won its last five in a row, and six of its last
seven games. Loney Keil '10
lead Barrack with 11 points. Tal Ben-Maimon '10
and Ron Gabbay '11 added eight points each. Way to go team and Coach
Barnett Kamen.
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Girls' Varsity Basketball Update
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The Lady Cougars advanced to a 9-5 season with a 50-31
win vs. Collegium Charter.Tamara Moskowitz '12 contributed 17 points to the win. Arielle Belfer '10 added 15 points and Sivan Ben-Maimon '12,
seven points. Congratulations team and Coach Kentrina
Wilson.
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For Life.
Middle School Chesed Day to Include Fundraiser for Haiti
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Students from the Lehigh Valley Jewish Day School will
join our Middle School students for Chesed Day activities on Wednesday,
February 10th. The students will volunteer at
From Cradles to Crayons; Philabundance; WePac, at The Blankenburg School where they will assist in the classrooms and the library; and at Adath Israel Nursery School.
In the
afternoon, they will Roller Skate for Haiti, raising
funds for the earthquake victims. Students are asking friends, family,
faculty members and fellow students to sponsor them as they skate. Please
see the attached sponsorship form and help raise funds for this vital cause.
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JNF Commends Barrack Students
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Ari Nahmani and Michael Levin, two
Barrack 7th graders, and Alec Cohen, a
Barrack 6th grader, were among eight teens who were chosen to make
the Jewish National Fund's annual Green Sunday Phone-a-Thon their Bar Mitzvah
project, raising money to support JNF's Indoor Recreation Center in the town of
Sderot. Marina Furman, JNF Regional Director, wrote to Dr. Steven M. Brown,
commending the students for their commitment and hard work in support of this
project and of Israel.
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Parents' Corner
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 Sam
Glaser Community Concert
Fun for
the Whole Family!
Join us
on Feb. 6
The Sam
Glaser Concert,
open to the entire community on Saturday evening, February 6,
7:30pm
will take place in the Barrack auditorium. Bring your family and friends to
hear Sam who has been hailed "as the best thing to happen to Jewish
music in decades." Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for children
under 12.
Click here for a concert flyer and
ticket reservation form. Tickets will be held at the door. Tickets can also
be purchased at the door.
Main
Line Day Camp at Barrack Enrollment
Open Now
Main Line
Day Camp (formerly Episcopal Academy Day Camp) located at Jack M. Barrack
Hebrew Academy offers a complete program to help boys and girls, ages 4-12,
play, develop talent, grow strong and enjoy the full benefits of camp life
under the guidance of an experienced adult staff. For complete information and
to enroll your children, please contact Chrissy Hallman, 484-568-1653 / chrissy@mainlinedaycamp.org
2009-2010
Jewish Day School Parent Survey
Look
for the 2009-2010 Jewish Day School Parent Survey in your email. Your
participation is extremely important - our goal is a 100% response rate to
ensure that we hear all parent voices. The data collection, analysis, and
reporting will be handled by the independent third party, Measuring Success, a
strategy consulting firm that works with Jewish day schools to develop tools to
measure their performance. Measuring Success will conduct the survey itself and
handle all of your survey responses confidentially. We look forward to your
participation and thank you in advance for your feedback.
There is only 8 weeks until Passover!!!!
Dear Parents, Faculty and Extended Barack Community,
Order your wine now so that there is one less thing to worry about as Passover comes closer and closer.
Attached is the Passover wine list and order form, offered by the 12th grade. It includes a wide range of varieties from around the world: all kosher for Passover. The wine is competitively priced.
How to Order
Fill out the attached form. Return the form and a check made payable to Barrack Class of 2010 in an envelope. Please place your order in the large envelope labeled "12th Grade Wine Sale" at Sue Rubin's desk.
Orders must be received no later than Monday, March 8.
Pick-up:
For your convenience, the wine will be available for pick-up in various neighborhoods. We hope to include Bryn Mawr, West Chester, Bala Cynwyd/Merion, Mount Airy, and Cherry Hill.
Thank you, from Barrack seniors!
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Sam Glaser Community Concert is on. Join us!
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In the Spotlight:
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First Tri-Arts Festival
A Triple Delight
Barrack
Hebrew Academy's inaugural Tri-Arts Festival showcased the work of talented
Middle School and Upper School students in the realm of instrumental, visual
and dramatic arts.
Guests were
greeted by music performed by Barrack's string ensemble comprised of Middle
School students Dina Malka Botwinik on the violin; Dobhran Black on the viola, and Sam Hamermesh on the violin. The trio, under the direction of Dr. Karin Orenstein, performed works by such classical composers as Handel, Rameau, Haydn, Mozart and Schubert. Dina Malka also performed a solo of Rimsky Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumble Bee."
Our guests also enjoyed viewing the art work of juniors Sarah Turner and Jesse Steinbach,
work expertly displayed by Laura Lyn Stern, their art teacher. Sarah, who works in a
number of media, discussed her weaving, quilting, jewelry, sculpture and glass works
that were beautifully mounted and encased. Jesse, who works in pencil, color
pencil, pastel, oil, and pen and ink, shared a number of
his portraits, including one of his little brother and a moving rendering of a
Holocaust survivor clasping the hand of a youth--the next generation.
Laughter
and applause punctuated the performances by our Upper School students who
presented Jean Kerr's classic comedy, Mary, Mary, to an enthusiastic audience,
capping the festival presentations. The five member cast of Alexander Stern '10, Emily Simkin '11, Leon Davis '11, Yael Leberman '11, and Yoni Razin '10 delivered superb
performances, matched by the expert direction of Ben Freedman '10.
The inaugural Tri-Arts Festival was a huge success, with plans in the
works to make this exciting event an annual one.
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Calendar
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Barrack
Family
Shabbaton Weekend:
February
5-6
Sam
Glaser Community Concert: Snow or No Snow!
February
6, 7:30pm, Barrack Auditorium
Walk-ins
welcomed!
Middle
School Chesed Day:
Wednesday,
February 10
Chesed
Trip with Lehigh Valley
Jewish
Day School students
Skate
for Haiti Fundraiser
Presidents'
Day Weekend:
Friday,
February 12 & Monday, February 15
School
Closed
12th
Grade Shabbaton:
February
19-21
Capital
Camps
Human
Rights Conference:
Tuesday,
February 23
9th
Grade Annenberg Science
Symposium
Presentations:
Wednesday,
February 24
Bryn Mawr
Hospital
Pennypacker Auditorium
7pm-9pm
JETS
Teams Competition:
Thursday,
February 25
Barrack
Open House:
Tuesday
March 4
9am to
Noon
Save the Dates:
March
14 Tribute Event
Honoring
Susan
Weisgrau,
For Learning
Robin & Steven
Katz,
For Leading
And Joshua H. Landes
'80,
For Life
Barrack
to Host Israeli
Film
Festival Screening
Barrack
Hebrew Academy will proudly host the Israeli Film Festival of Philadelphia's
screening of The Name My Mother Gave Me on Saturday, March
13, 8pm in our auditorium. Save the Date!
Author
Kate Ledger '88
To
Speak At Barrack
Save the date! The Akiba-Barrack Alumni
Association invites the community to hear author Kate Ledger '88
who will discuss her first novel, Remedies, at Barrack on
Thursday evening, April 29. Stay tuned for details.
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For everything,
there is a season...
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Life Cycles
Hearfelt Condolences
It is with much sadness that we inform you of the
recent passing (1/29/2010) of Benjamin Weiner z'l,
beloved father of past Barrack parent Sherry Ginsburg
(Jay) and grandfather of Reid '09,
Matthew and Alex.
| Alumni
Life Cycles
Mazel
tov to:
Laura
Miller '07, who performed
in two pieces at the Fall Kenyon College Dance Concert. She is a junior
majoring in psychology.
Lisa Archinow Katz '77 and Jordan Katz on the Bar Mitzvah of
son Andrew Katz.
Rhea
(Rickey) Goodman '61 and
her husband Stephen on the birth of a grandson Jake Aaron Saks to daughter and
son-in-law Rachel
and Brian Saks.
Carlos
Rogers '87
and his wife Adrienne, owners of Hush Salon in Philadelphia, who were awarded Philadelphia
Magazine's
Best Cut and Color in the Best of Philly edition of the
magazine.
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Photo Gallery
Tri-Arts Festival
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Submit to Benainu
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Please send Benainu information to our new email address benainu@jbha.org
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