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
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