Why do we send our students to Israel?

Many Jewish day schools provide the opportunity for their eldest class to visit Israel before graduation.  Why do we feel the necessity, perhaps even the obligation, to take our students on this expensive and time-consuming excursion? Why not instead encourage our Jewish day-school families to travel to Israel as a family or wait until their children are 18 and send them on Taglit-Birthright? For The Shoshana S. Cardin School’s administration and board of trustees, the answer is simple – for the authentic educational opportunity the Cardin students can only experience by being in Eretz Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael. 

Throughout high school, Cardin students study the history of Israel from biblical times to the present; together, we celebrate Israel’s holidays, Yom Hazikaron, Yom Ha’atzmaut, and Yom Yerushalayim as if they were our own national celebrations; and Cardin students closely examine  the cultures, innovations and peoples that comprise the country.  After four years of learning about Israel advocacy, Cardin students can now see for themselves what they are advocating for. Cardin students are taught to look thoughtfully at current Israeli politics through a pluralistic, non-judgmental lens, forming personal opinions after studying all of the available facts.  Without traveling to Israel, these facts and figures are just that – facts and figures.

A secondary explanation for traveling to Israel specifically at the end of senior year is so that students have a potentially transformative experience prior to departing high school.    The trip is also another opportunity to create lasting memories for students to take with them after high school.  The Israel trip is a perfect bridge between high school and college for Jewish day-school students.         

Barbie Prince

Head of School

Memorial Day Reflections at Cardin

On May 30, 2012, the traditional Memorial Day in America, Emma Hawthorn spoke to the Cardin community about her experiences in the Marines during the early 1980’s.  Emma is the mother of Dan Kornberg-Porter, a 2007 graduate of Cardin.   Ms. Hawthorn was stationed in Beirut, Lebanon and described the aftermath of the October 23, 1983 truck bombing of the American peace keeping force that suffered 241 fatalities.   Her story was emotional, personal, and powerful.  Ms. Hawthorn shared pictures of soldiers she knew that died because of the bombing.  Her stories brought clarity and perspective to the notion of war in distant lands.  Our students asked perceptive questions and were highly interested in these stories.  The Cardin community owes a debt of gratitude to Emma Hawthorn for giving her time to our students. 

For me, Memorial Day is a time to reflect, pray for those who have served and are currently in harm’s way, and express gratitude to all who have served our country to protect the freedoms we cherish.  No matter what our political leanings, the country unites and honors all who have served.  I know individuals who have served in every American War, from World War II to Afghanistan.  I pray for these individuals that I know, and say aloud the names of the latest Afghanistan fatalities listed in the newspaper.  I try to have this moment of prayer every week when the weekly fatalities are published.  I honor all those who have served to protect our American way of life.

Bob Cantor- Social Studies Teacher

“Blessed be you in your coming in and in your going out.”  - I think of these words of Torah at the end of every school year, as we say goodbye to graduates and some faculty members, and begin to welcome new students and new faculty.  It’s bittersweet, but all part of the life of a school.  We wish those who are moving on to the next phase of their lives all the blessings and good fortune and health!  And to those who are joining us – welcome, welcome to this unique and supportive community of learners.  (As we add new faculty, we will let you know).  We hear good things from our juniors and seniors in Israel, and the underclassmen are busily preparing for exams and final projects, which begin on May 31.  Still some spots left in my Shavuot-Up-All-Night marathon, but please RSVP by email ASAP.  

Be well, 

Leslie Smith Rosen  

lrosen@shoshanascardin.org

Post Earth Day Fun

With Earth Day just behind us you might want to take the time to create a little biosphere in your own home.    

There are a number of approaches to building an indoor plant enclosure and we have even tried a few here at Cardin (bio-domes in two liter bottles).

My personal favorite, however, are terrariums.  You can buy them pre-made at home centers or gardening stores but it is much more fun to make your own.  Here are two really great “instructables” that I’ve found to get you through the process.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-simple-Terrarium/

http://www.instructables.com/id/plant-terrarium-basics/

Good luck!

Dean Whitfield

Mathematics and Science Department Chair

Chemistry and Controlled Explosions

The Cardin chemistry classes are learning about chemical reactions. This is by far the favorite unit of the year. The students love to try different reactions and getting to see some controlled explosions. In class we have discussed the five types of reactions and looked at an example of each type. In synthesis reactions two or more substances react to produce a single product (A+B -> AB). In combustion reactions oxygen reacts with a substance (usually a hydrocarbon) to release energy in the form of heat and light. In a decomposition reaction a single compound breaks down into two or more elements or new compounds (AB-> A+B). A single replacement reaction involves the exchange of a metal or halogen for another element with a lower reactivity (A + BX-> AX+ B). Finally, double replacement reactions involve two anion-cation exchanges (AX + BY -> AY + BX). See if you can identify the following reactions as synthesis, combustion, decomposition, single replacement, or double replacement:

•       Ti + 2Cl2 =TiCl4

•       AgNO3 + LiI = AgI +LiNO3

•       3Mg + 2Cr(NO3)3 = 3Mg(NO3)2 + 2Cr

•       2C2H2 + 5O2= 4CO2 + 2H2O

•       2H2O2 = 2H20 + O2

Answers:

-Synthesis

-Double Replacement

-Single Replacement

-Combustion

-Decomposition

~Ms. Alexandra Sloane

Science Instructor