Looking back, and leaping forward
Though it may be cold and dark, January is also the month which brims with possibilities and new beginnings. New year, new experiences, and new opportunities. I’m excited to share with you a visual reflection that looks back as we move forward.
In our first full week back at school, we celebrated the second annual Mitzvah Day in honor of what would have been Arthur Epstein’s 89th birthday. Students engaged in service projects to support people in our community who are struggling because of food insecurity, financial hardship, loneliness, and physical and mental health. Students learned about Arthur’s life and values focusing on these five ideas: Be kind and think of others; Be proud to be Jewish; Be honest about your thoughts and feelings; Be in touch; Be generous with what you have. One student told me several days later, “I was like Arthur; I called my grandmother because I was thinking of her.”
In our second week, we gathered for an empowering assembly led by our eighth grade students to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The eighth graders sang a new and very moving version of “We Shall Overcome” interwoven with Hebrew lyrics. Our lower school students shared songs and class projects expressing their understanding of Dr. King as a leader who dedicated his life to fighting for civil rights for all people. Our eighth grade students also taught us about Dr. King’s bond with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and his views about Israel. 57 years later, Dr King’s remarks endure, “Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist.” In preparing and running this school-wide program, our eighth grade students demonstrated their leadership skills, compassion, and insights as they took inspiration from Dr. King.
The third week of January started with our seventh grade model bridge building competition sponsored by the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES). Participating in this statewide competition was the culmination of the students’ month-long study of the principles of civil engineering in science class. Building the bridges and competing against other schools gave our seventh grade students real-life experiential learning, while they developed crucial skills such as teamwork, planning and executing a plan, and fostering resilience and a growth mindset.
That third week concluded with a spirited Kabbalat Shabbat in a new formation. Our community sat in chairs in concentric circles. The voices of our students, faculty/staff, parents, and grandparents filled the room as we all prayed for peace and directed our positive energy to Israel and to hopefully freeing the hostages from captivity. If you weren’t able to join us, here is a brief clip that gives you a taste of that very special afternoon. As I dismissed families from Danny’s Way plaza, a parent said, “Mrs. G. this is the best way to end my week. How can anyone not want to be part of our community when they experience the feeling that was in that room?” I couldn’t agree more, and I extend an open invitation to all of you to bring friends and prospective families to join us.
This final week, we have been welcoming new faces of the future. Our admissions office screened our prospective PreK and Kindergarten students. It has been such a treat to welcome these new young friends, new families, and current siblings who cannot wait to be part of our school. They separated easily from their parents, played beautifully together, and worked one-on-one with our admissions team as part of the screening process. Their visits ended with an EHS Husky and big smiles all around.
All of this in just one month of looking back at EHS, with so much more ahead as we leap into into the second half of the year.
Shabbat Shalom!
