The Pythagorean Theorem

The Geometry class has been working on problems involving the Pythagorean Theorem and the Distance Formula, which is derived from the Pythagorean Theorem. This right triangle relationship was named for Pythagoras, a Greek mathematician, who lived in the sixth century B.C. He founded a school for the study of philosophy, mathematics, and science. It is believed that an early proof of the Pythagorean Theorem came from this school. It is known that the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Chinese were aware of this right triangle relationship before the time of Pythagoras.

Today, the Pythagorean Theorem is one of the most famous theorems in Geometry. More than 100 different proofs exist, including a proof discovered by future U.S. President Garfield in 1876.

~Michelle Greenbaum
Math Instructor

Completing the Square

All over America, Algebra II and Precalculus students are learning how to complete the square.

Completing the square is an algebraic trick we use to solve quadratic equations. Consider this one:

It can't be factored or solved on sight. What to do? We realize that looks an awful lot like . Thus, we add to both sides of our original equation to get


The rest of the solution is as easy as square rooting both sides and doing some minor simplifications.


Ta-da!

Although gajillions of methods have been used to solve quadratics throughout history, completing the square is the one most commonly used in American high schools to derive important results such as the quadratic formula.

Now watch me use it to demonstrate that :










What went wrong? The first five people to let me know at tbryant@shoshanascardin.org will be mentioned in my next post.

~Todd Bryant
Mathematics Instructor

Entering This Shabbat With Repentance On My Mind

On the Hebrew calendar, today is the 10th of Tevet, a minor fast day, lasting only from sunrise to sunset.

Today, we enter Shabbat fasting, to commemorate that on this day, the King of Babylonia laid siege to Jerusalem and beleaguered it till its final conquest.

According to the rabbis, the essential significance of a fast day is not primarily to evoke grief and mourning, rather the aim is to awaken our hearts toward repentance.

And it struck me, that Shabbat provides a good model for thinking about repentance. So, as we begin to daven Kabbalat Shabbat, and the 10th of Tevet draws to a close, let us consider the three main ideas in the experience of Shabbat: Creation, Revelation, and Redemption.

These ideas which we are supposed to open ourselves to on Shabbat, can also instruct us on repentance, as the 10th of Tevet is supposed to do.

The theme of the Biblical passage quoted in the Friday night service points to creation:
“The heavens and the earth, and all they contain, were completed. On the 7th day…God ceased from all God’s work of creation.”

Shabbat asks us to cease from activity in order to complete creation. As Shabbat asks us to contemplate the beauty of creation, repentance asks us to contemplate our behavior.

The theme of the Shabbat morning service deals with revelation: “May Moses rejoice in the gift of Torah He received.”

For Shabbat, revelation is the discovery of the meaning and beauty of creation. It turns us toward the Torah to bring us closer to God and to one another. For when we know the meaning of things, we come closer to being in the image of God, especially in our actions toward other people. In repentance, we also need revelation, to discover the meaning and morality of what we have done, and how we can do better.

The Shabbat afternoon service pronounces redemption: “You are One and Your Name is One.”

After opening ourselves to creation and revelation, we let go of the old week and prepare for the new challenges of the work-week. We become refreshed and renewed. In repentance, we also let go, forgive ourselves and take action to repair what we have done.

As we travel through these three stages – creation, revelation, and redemption – on Shabbat and in repentance, we become new, we are given a second chance, ready to start the new week, with a strengthened spirit and extra-soul.

~Rabbi Stuart Seltzer
Dean of Judaic Studies

College Applications

It’s that time of year again; the time when high school seniors rush home to frantically check their mailboxes for decisions from their priority and early applications. The Cardin students have experienced great success with applications so far this year. Even at this early stage in the year, there are already a few seniors who know exactly where they will be attending college next year.

It is important to remember that this is a very personal process. Every student is different and it’s crucial to be sensitive to each child’s experiences. There is no perfect formula for college admissions and disappointment is a natural emotion in this process. As a supportive community, we should not put more pressure on students by asking them about their impending college decisions. By May 1, everyone will have a place to go. The process always works itself through and it’s important to remember that every child is unique. There are over 3,000 colleges in the United States and students may take their own path to get where they want to go.

Cardin students thrive wherever they go. I am happy to share the news that Julia Minor ’07 will be the first Cardin graduate to obtain a college diploma. Julia will be graduating from the University of Pittsburgh this weekend with a double major in Political Science and Religious Studies and a minor in Public Service. Mazel tov to Julia and her family!

~Hallie M. Schein
Director of College Counseling

Cardin Athletics, What's Important?

As I started to write for this blog, I asked myself that one simple question, “What is important to our community in regards to Cardin athletics?”


So, what is important? Is it the wins? Is it the popularity? Is it pride? Is it the sportsmanship? Is it the character-building opportunities? Is it the effect it has on admissions?

Honestly, the list could go on and on, but the truth is, that it’s all of the above. Cardin prides itself on a value system focused around sportsmanship and healthy competition. I am reminded of this every time I watch one of our sporting events, but was most recently reminded of it during our AIMS visit this past week. Going over our program with the AIMS committee, I realized just how important our athletics program has been, currently is, and will continue to be to our school. To summarize what our athletics program is all about I’ll quote an excerpt from our website:

"Athletics is an integral part of the total education process at The Shoshana S. Cardin School. Our competitive team sports program focuses on mastering sports skills while encouraging physical fitness, teamwork, leadership, discipline, loyalty, and a sense of healthy competition. In addition, Cardin Athletics provides an occasion for a shared experience with all members of the school community, building school spirit and unity."

Now, reading that and then going out and watching one of our basketball games, everything starts making sense. With the support of our community, the leadership and determination of our coaches/teachers, and the drive and willingness to learn of our students, our athletics program becomes important in all aspects of our school.

So, what is important?

Is it the wins? Of course it is!! We are a competitive high school program!!

Is it the popularity? Of course it is!! There are few things in life which serve such a positive purpose in a high school student’s life, while also being the “popular” thing to do.

Is it the pride? Of course it is!! We have high school students competing and pushing themselves to their physical breaking points. Pride is a necessity to sustain the ups and downs of athletics.

Is it the sportsmanship? Of course it is!! Our students and coaches know that they are representing Cardin and that a strong value of our school is Derech Eretz. So at all times we must consider how we are conducting ourselves with propriety and respect in relationship to others.

Is it the character-building opportunities? Again, of course it is!! Leadership, discipline, hard work, perseverance, accountability, and this list never stops.

Is it admissions? Yes, and this is probably the one area where people are affected and nobody ever knows it. Athletics is one of the driving forces behind a student's decision about where to apply. Even if a student never plans on playing a sport, knowing that the opportunity to be proud of his or her school due to athletics plays an important role in that student’s decision. How we look, how we act, and how we play directly affects the greater community’s perspective of our school. When we have a full gym of excited fans and we have a team that looks and acts like they want to go compete, we are selling our school.

Our school is an integrated machine and every aspect of every department plays a vital role in the life of our school. Our students work extremely hard in the classroom and after a more than 8 hours of academics, a large percentage of these students dedicate another 2-3 hours to our school through participation in athletics. It’s obvious that athletics at our school is important for numerous reasons, and due to the hard work and dedication of our students we are able to have a strong athletics program.

So come out and support our students as they make it possible for Cardin to shine outside of the classroom. See firsthand just how well our students represent our school and how important it is that we continue to support and encourage them. The next home games are Thursday, December 16 with the girls playing Key School at 4pm and the boys playing Waldorf at 5:30pm. All home games are at the Park Heights JCC.

Special thanks to the seniors on our basketball teams: Hadassah Emuna, Shira Glushakow-Smith, Ally Richmond, Beth Zaleon, Joey Danick, Alex Verovsky, Steven Verovsky, and Rubin Waranch. Also, thanks to the senior managers, Daniel Solomon and Zevi Lowenberg.

~Foye Minton
Athletic Director and Dean of Students

Celebrating Rosh Hodesh

Hanukkah is the holiday of lights and heroes. It is quite appropriate to talk about our heroines on a day traditionally dedicated to women – Rosh Hodesh. To celebrate it we remembered and learned about over thirty great Jewish women, who are a source of inspiration to us today.

 

Among them were some well-known names, like Henrietta Szold, Hannah Arendt, Sarah Bernhard or Emma Goldman. There were also women famous in their fields: science, medicine, physics or astronomy, like Helen Brooke Taussig, Hertha Ayrton or Fay Ajzenberg. We learned about a big number of social activists and politicians, like Shulamit Aloni, Rosa Luxemburg, Bella Abzug and Ernestine Rose, among others. We learned about women passionate about art, like Molly Picon, Annie Leibowitz or Nelly Leonie Sachs.

 

Among them we encountered an illiterate Israeli immigrant fighting for the right to education and the advancement of women, partisans giving up their lives for others, scientists struggling with sexism and anti-Semitism, doctors saving lives under dire circumstances, activists fighting for equality and workers’ rights, educators, actresses, physicists, writers, politicians, mothers, daughters… heroines.

 

Our students noticed a lot of common traits among them: they were dedicated, strong, involved, winsome, independent, wise, tenacious, perseverant, creative, accepting, influential, and full of determination and passion.

 

We asked the students to imagine what the message would be from the heroines to us today. Here is some of what they said:

 

• “Fight for truth.”
• “Make a difference.”
• “Work with others who share your vision.”
• “Let us grow stronger each day.”
• “Always do what you can to help.”
• “Sometimes you have to break the rules.”
• “Be passionate.”
• “Fight for equality and justice.”
• “Women can do anything if they try.”
• “Don’t let your gender limit you.”
• “Don’t shy away from your passions and helping others express theirs.”
• “You can’t stop women from talking.” and
• “Stay true to your religion, culture and education.”

 May these words inspire all of us!

  

~Rochel Joanna Czopnik

Judaic Studies Instructor

 

History

Helping students grasp the importance of world events that occurred in the past.


Inspiring students to learn about their past and find their academic passion for the future.

Sharing our thoughts and opinions regarding why and how events occurred.

Trust in this generation to lead our world to peace.

Objectively analyzing events and interpreting their influence on today.

Re-examining long-held notions through fun projects and learning experiences.

Yesterday’s events, today’s understanding, tomorrow’s successes.

~Amy Fink                           ~Ari Isaacs
History Instructor                  Class of 2011

Chanakah Lights

Repeat after me…peer-sue-may knee-sah. Nice job!

 Pirsumei nisa are two Aramaic words which mean “publicizing the miracle.” That’s the phrase the Rabbis used to explain why we light the Chanukiya at the doorways or on the windowsills in our homes – to publicize the story of Chanukah to passersby. It’s a concept uniquely associated with Chanukah.

It’s interesting that we place the Chanukah lights on the windowsill and go out of our way to draw the attention of people to what’s going on inside our homes. Many of us are probably uncomfortable with the idea of people peering into our homes on a regular basis, but for Chanukah, that’s exactly what we encourage.

In the original Temple, the Beit Hamikdash, there were strategically placed windows. The Yalkut Shimoni, a collection of midrashic commentary on the Torah, tells us something interesting about those Temple windows. He says that while castle windows might be narrow on the outside and widen towards the inside, the Temple windows were just the opposite. They were narrow on the inside and widened towards the outside. The purpose he explained was to demonstrate architecturally that the Temple was a source of light for the community and perhaps even the world. The energy and spirit of the Temple was launched into the world through windows specially designed to amplify and disperse the energy. It so happened, that one of those windows was opposite the menorah, the 6 branched candelabra that was kindled each night by the High Priest. The menorah in the Temple was its eternal light and that light was a beacon to be projected and shared with those outside the Temple.

While our chanukiya is really not the same as the Temple Menorah, the idea that we light it at the window for all to see is strikingly similar. Our homes, ideally, are mini Temples and the love and warmth and values that begin there and are (hopefully) displayed there should be shared with those who might be looking in.

Here at the Cardin School, we try to remember that our windows are wide on the outside and we endeavor to share the light of Torah, the light of community and the light of authentic Jewish values with all who might choose to look in.

Chag Urim Sameach.

May we all have a joyful and light filled Chanukah!

~Rabbi Yaakov Chaitovsky

Judaics Faculty

Love For Reading

Sometimes English teachers get upset if our students don’t seem to love reading as much as we do.  In the days when some of us grew up, books were frequently the main source of entertainment:  we escaped to the lands of Oz and Tolkien’s Middle Earth, traveled to Treasure Island, and visited Ann Radcliffe’s gothic castles or Jane Austen’s drawing rooms. 

One of the explanations for a decline in reading books is that today’s students have more entertainment options than we did at their age.  Video games, digital music players, and DVD rentals, for example, offer far more choices to fill up the precious, elusive leisure time that could also be spent curled up with a good book.  The most recently cited “culprit” for stealing reading time is the Internet, particularly the social network sites…

But instead of being a grumbly old teacher who complains about “kids these days,” I prefer to look at things from a more positive perspective: 

Maybe students aren’t reading as many full-length novels—but whenever they’re on a computer, they’re likely still doing some reading.  The Internet could be considered the world’s biggest book (and one that changes by the second!). 

As part of my teaching job, I get to make students read GREAT classic stories they might not otherwise read on their own time.  I wonder if I should assign another, really big book…

I could give extra credit points to any students who actually finish reading the entire Internet…  Good luck!

~Dr. Norman Prentiss

English Department Chair

Gratitude and BLEWS

I had such an enjoyable Thanksgiving and feel especially grateful at this time of year. As always, my holiday began with a fun road race called the Turkey Trot. It’s such a great community event and I always feel ready to eat my heart out after running that 5k!! I was then off to Allentown to spend the weekend with my entire family – three sisters and brother in laws, 11 nieces and nephews, and one very proud mom. We cook, shop, sing, and laugh for four days straight. Coming back to work on Monday, I felt recharged and enthusiastic about being in such a warm and cohesive environment.


As luck would have it, last night this feeling of gratitude continued when I had the opportunity to attend the BLEWS, The Black-Jewish Forum of Baltimore’s Annual Dinner Meeting. They honored State Senator Delores Kelley and Councilwoman Rikki Spector for their exemplary public service and contributions to interracial understanding and cooperation. It was exciting to be sitting along side other attendees such as Councilman Cark Stokes, Bernie Berkowitz, and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. It was humbling to hear about the continuing efforts of the BLEWS members, and the honorees in particular, toward advancing social and economic justice for all. I have a great appreciation and a whole lot of gratitude for these leaders who don’t just walk and talk the "walk and talk". They do what it takes to inspire those around them to make the changes necessary to advance Baltimore.

~Jackie Villet
School Counselor