Shoshana S. Cardin School Reunion: A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Thanksgiving is a time for bonding with friends and family, reflection upon bounty, and gratefulness for all that is good in the world, the tangible as well as intangible. It also happens to be a fine time for high school reunions, as a sizeable number of graduates come home to roost for the long holiday weekend.

This past Saturday night, two Cardin Class of ’07 graduates took it upon themselves to organize and host such a reunion at the Lebanese Taverna in downtown Baltimore. What a gorgeous gathering spot! The view alone was worth the drive.

At first, I wasn’t sure if Vadim Kashtelyan and Yoni Grossman-Boder had the time or inclination to pull off this large-scale event. After all, both lead very busy lives, with Vadim teaching religious school and studying for the MCAT, and Yoni a first year at Duke Law. For the record, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did they handle all arrangements and details with the grace and expertise of seasoned party planners, but also they managed to make each guest feel like a regular at “Cheers.” This is no easy feat when hosting young adults who haven’t seen each other since high school, not to mention people who began working at Cardin long after these graduates left the building. Finally, I was able to match the smiling adolescent faces that line the walls of my office with their more mature adult counterparts.

Faculty and former students chatted like old friends, dined on a delicious smorgasbord, engaged in trivia challenges, and laughed at tender memories only Cardin pioneers can share. These are the students whose families took a leap of faith and enrolled them in the dream of a new college prep school, an educational experiment steeped in critical thinking, self-direction, and Pluralist Judaism. I had a great time getting to know each one. Our school can be very proud of their accomplishments.

In the fall of 2013, that dream will be reborn as Cardin transitions to become the high school of The Independent Jewish Academy of Baltimore, a K – 12 Jewish day school built upon the foundation of Cardin’s top-notch curriculum. It’s an exciting time for Jewish education in Baltimore. The success stories of flourishing graduates are all the more reason to embrace its future.

Cheryl Taragin, Director of Recruitment and Alumni Relations

Our Great Quadrennial Election Simulation

Congratulations to all our Great Quadrennial Election Simulation Participants!!!!!  A review of the highlights follows:

Part I: The Debates:  As we detailed earlier, each advisory was responsible for advocating for a major issue or candidate (Obama; Romney; Stein; pro- and anti- questions 4,6, 7).  They each prepared a mini-speech, delivered by one of their members, in front of the whole school, judged by our fearless leader, Mr. Prashker.  Particular congratulations go to the groups represented by Abram Foster; Ben Levine; Miles Greenspoon; Jesse Solomon; Toyam Cox; Jordana Lachow.

Part II:  The Map Challenge.  Groups were challenged, using a map with only the state lines evident, to identify all the states (and the District of Columbia) with the correct postal code and the accurate number of electoral votes.  Most of the groups had a better than 90% accuracy level – special kudos to the following groups: Mr. Creeger, Ms. Wann, Ms. Carney, Ms. Stack, Dr. Prentiss, and my own!  As of this writing, Florida is still not official, so I cannot determine the final results because of the important “Electoral College Prediction,” but the following groups are the most likely to pull this off: Mr. Creeger’s, Ms. Carney’s, Ms. Stack’s, and my own, depending on how Florida falls out.  That being said, all the groups predicted the winner correctly.

Part III:  The Mock Election. The popular vote compared to the electoral vote of the Cardin School was somewhat reflective of the “real” election: the electoral vote was more “lopsided” than the popular vote, both in President Obama’s favor.  The majority of the school community also voted for the passage of questions 4&6, and narrowly defeated question 7.

We will announce the winner (and the prize) as soon as we know it!

I’m already looking forward to 2016 and seeing if the classes of 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 can keep up with the cohorts of 2007 through 2016!

~Leslie Smith Rosen

“So, what’s it like?”

I have gotten this question again and again from my colleagues in the education world. They aren’t just being nice; they really want an answer. When one works in education, one is constantly looking for anecdotes, searching for strategies, comparing and contrasting, and looking for what works. A simple conversation over coffee is like a mini fact-finding mission. And those simple conversations are great opportunities to share what we are doing well. Student Support is an area where Cardin has an extraordinary advantage.

The role of Student Support at Cardin is a dynamic one, one that requires knowledge from several people in order to set students up for success.  We have the knowledge of Esther Gunther, who has helped many Cardin students make the leap from our small (but mighty) nest into the wide world of higher learning. We are very lucky to have Shannon Carney on our staff to help support students from an emotional and mental health standpoint. The need for academic support is where I come in. One of my roles is to support the teachers in helping them to serve all students, particularly those who might have difficulty in class for a variety of reasons. In addition to directly working with students, I am often involved in teacher consultation, parent meetings, and coordination with community professionals. We are so blessed to have a group of professionals who are committed to doing as much as possible to meet the needs of diverse learners, who are open to communication, and who are willing to work as a team.

When people have asked me “what it’s like,” here at Cardin, I can only say that it’s exceptional. Rarely does one walk into a school and feel so immediately at home. Our aim is to ensure that every student feels this way. At Cardin, we know that everyone has a different learning profile. We know that some students may need remediation in certain areas while others may need enrichment in order to have the best possible educational experience. Through professional collaboration, we have the agility and adaptability to give students what they need. That’s what it’s like here at Cardin (and I can’t wait to tell everyone).

 Elise Stack, Student Support Services