WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Up close with Akiba alumni

I n the most recent issue of All About Jazz NY, Akiba-Schechter alumnus

Jonah Parzen-Johnson (’02) was described as “a 30-something baritonist

from Chicago … whose [jazz trio, Reed’s Bass Drum,] ap-

plies a constructivist process: their grazing passes over what’s on

the usual jazz buffet; they sample judiciously, tasting their way

from track to track, taking small bites, chewing well, savoring and

digesting with discrimination.”

Jonah’s music has been featured in many publications, in-

cluding TimeOut NY and the Chicago Tribune, but this article received

a bigger response than usual. In fact, the day after it appeared, Jo-

nah’s parents found several messages on their voicemail. “We didn’t

know you were old enough to have 30-year-old children!”

They’re not. Jonah, a 22-year old graduate from New York

University, recently received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music and

Jazz Performance and will begin his Master’s in the fall. But much

of his time has actually been spent outside of school, carving out

a name for himself and his band, Reed’s Bass Drum. The group

recently released their second CD, Which Is Which, and has several

Chicago performances planned. Jonah performs about twice a week.

It was in middle school that Jonah began playing in a for-

mal jazz combo at Akiba. “We met during lunch. Yoel [Furman]

played trumpet, I played sax, Gideon [Klionsky] played piano, and

[then science teacher] Mr. Basa played bass. It was a great opportunity to

play serious music in a small, private school setting. I appreciated that.”

That wasn’t the only thing that propelled Jonah toward

music. “Akiba made me a very active learner,” he says. “It cre-

ated an environment where students were allowed to shape their

own development around questions they had.” It’s no wonder that,

when Jonah arrived at Lincoln Park High School’s IB Program,

one of his first moves was to start a jazz combo. “At Akiba, we

were active in the trajectory of our education,” says Jonah. “It’s

something that can be dangerous in the rest of the world—I

mean, it drove my high school teachers crazy—but ultimately, di-

rect dialogue between teachers and students is crucial. In a lot of

elementary school settings, you’re given, at most, the opportunity

to discuss what’s being taught. But what’s important is learning

how to learn. Akiba taught me how to learn.”

So where does he see himself in five years? Performing.

Teaching. Composing. “It’s important not to lock yourself into

one thing,” says Jonah. “In your focus, you miss the real op-

portunities. It’s really easy to get onto a road and continue on it.

But there aren’t actually any roads without turns. And if you can

learn to make the turns you want, that’s a powerful thing.”

P oetr y ’s in mot ion! Wel l , a t leas t in the 3rd/4th

g rade c lassrooms. Both Ms. Sandler ’s and Ms.

Kass ’s c lasses have tack led poetr y in a b ig way,

composing odes, ha ikus, lymer ics, couplets, and p icture po-

ems-- to name a few. Ms. Sandler ’s c lass has been focus ing

on the tools of poetr y, inc luding rhyme, meter, and a l -

l i tera t ion. By the t ime they com-

plete th is uni t , they wi l l have

s tudied over 20 d i f ferent

types of poetr y ! The uni t

wi l l conclude wi th a poet-

r y jam when the students

transfor m the i r c lassroom

into a coffee house. Shades

wi l l be drawn, coffee (wel l , okay,

hot chocolate) and pastr ies wi l l be

ser ved, and s tudents wi l l share the i r

work wi th the i r peers. To get a tas te of the

k ids ’ work , read on.

C O M I N G T O A S C R E E N N E A R Y O USMART boards add new ways to interact in the classroom

C H A P T E R A N D V E R S E3rd/4th grades try their hand at all forms of poetry

W ho s ay s work ing w i th a compute r s c r een

makes k id s s i t a round a l l d ay ? Qu i t e

the oppos i t e i s t r ue when the SMART

boa rd , an i n t e r a c t ive wh i t eboa rd , is on in

Rabbi Holman’s 4th grade Judaic Stud-

ies c l a s s. L i gh t s a r e d immed and the

b i g s c r een comes to l i f e , a ccompa -

n i ed by a chor us o f “Coo l ! ” K ids ’

hands g e s tu r e mad l y, v y ing fo r the

chance to j ump up and “poke” the

boa rd . Af t e r a l l , t he u se r ’s f i ng e r

func t ions a s the mouse . Wi th a c l i ck

o f the r emote , t he t e ache r c an a c t i -

va t e any p r e -p rog r ammed ac t iv i t y, d r ag

g r aph i c s, s ave ( even handwr i t t en )

l e s sons, and a cce s s the In t e r -

ne t . Th i s SMART boa rd a l so

speaks Hebrew.

In con junc t ion w i th

l e a r n ing abou t Jo shua , one day ’s

SMART boa rd l e s -

son a l l owed 4 th g r ade r s

to p r ac t i c e the i r Hebrew

words be fo re they chan t

f rom the i r books. A

w indow w i th two quad -

r an t s , t i t l ed C i t i e s and

K ings, hove r s on the

s c r een , a cho i ce o f He -

b rew words l i s t ed be -

low. S tuden t s r an up to

the boa rd to

m o v e

t h e

Hebrew t ex t boxes i n to wha t they

though t we re the co r r ec t quad ran t s.

Once a l l words we re p l a ced , one s tu -

den t touched the “Check” bu t ton .

How many words we re p l a ced co r r ec t -

l y ? T he b i g g e s t cha l l eng e : On l y one

student at a t ime can “poke” the board!

DID YOU KNOW?a k i b a f a c t s + f i g u r e s

Above: 7th and 8th grade girls took top honors this spring in several national competitions: From left: Josephine Gendler (8th) was one of 100 Illinois students to compete at the state level of the National Geographic Bee. Lena White (7th) was a top final-ist in the regional Science Fair and took silver at the state level. Devora Klionsky (7th), Hannah Given (7th) and Avriel Faye McCullough (8th) qualified for the national level of the National Bible Contest in New York. Given’s score was the highest in the country. Klionsky was also a state finalist in the National Spelling Bee and will represent Illinois at the national level in Washington, D.C.

Grades 1-8 took part in an all-school color

war on Lag B’Omer. Below, the tan team

finishes their opening cheers. Below Right: Grandparents Day.

$190,000funds raised

at the Annual Benefit

107,000

J u n e 2 0 1 0 / S i v a n 5 7 7 0Vo l u m e 1 , I s s u e 2

W W W. A K I B A S C H E C H T E R . O R G

I enjoy meeting other parents and getting to know the teachers that make up this extraordinary school. Volunteering is a powerful way to inspire people, to bind them and to build community.

Shirley Olar, Mother of Jacob (Downstairs Green Rm.)

My participation makes our child feel that her education is really important to us. Years from now, my visits to the school or joining her on class trips is what she will remember.

Avy Dachman, father of Eliana (5th)

I love being around the school; I wish I could have gone there when I was young. The feeling of love and community that I experience there is honest, never contrived and all too rare. My daughter will be there through 8th grade (I hope), and I’m looking forward to every minute of it.

John Sefner, father of Lila (KDG)

I get to spend a couple of afternoons a week running with a group of energetic girls, getting everyone’s sillies out and helping them work together to accomplish a goal. Teamwork is important, and I get to share that experience here.

Jamie Roitman, Girls on the Run coach and mother of Isabel (1st), Benjamin (1st), Margalit (3rd) and Gabrielle (5th)

It gives me the opportunity to connect with my son, his teachers and the school on a different level. Volunteering is a way for me to share in my son’s wonderful school experience.

Dena Levy, mother of Gavi (3rd)

Akiba’s represent-

ation in the National

Geographic Bee

1001

Pic ture poems l ik e this

one, created by 3rd grader Sarah St ine, were par t of

the 3rd/4th grade c lass poetr y unit .

I f you turn the page around and

around, you just might be able

to mak e out the words.

They ’re a l l about--you

guessed i t - -butter f l ies !

Haiku

Rain falling makes noise

drip, drop, dark, wet

wind blows, swoosh

-Samantha White , 4th grade

O D E SWinter

Snowy, white.The crack of dawn, everything silent.White blankets engulfing all.Lying in bed, a peaceful pattering on the window.Something warm to drink filling you up as you lay.Climbing into bed with you: father, mother, sister, baby brotherComfy, cozy, all in bed.A fire in the grate; smoke out the chimney.Bundling up in boots, hats, coats, gloves, scarves.Outside the fresh, clean, crisp, clear, bitter.The crunch of new snow under my boots.The trees glittering decorated with sapphires, shining in the early light.This is my winter.

I hope you find yours. -Tah l ia A l tg o ld , 4th grade

ODES, HAIKUS, LYMERICS, AND OTHER

KINDS OF POETRY ABOUNDED

THIS SPRING. A COFFEE-HOUSE

POETRY JAM DURING WHICH MS. SANDLER’S 3RD/4TH

GRADERS SHARE THEIR WORK WILL

CONCLUDE THE UNIT IN JUNE.

Why I Volunteer: In their own words

AKIBA-SCHECHTER JEWISH DAY SCHOOL

5235. S. CORNELL AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60615

pages read by students in

the book contest

Reed’s Bass Drum’s newest CD is available on iTunes

as well as on Jonah’s website, www.jonahparzen-johnson.com.

Legacy Heritage SMART Board Project

Agreement

Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School

The SMART Board equipment has

been generously donated by

Legacy Heritage Fund Limited.

www.akibaschechter.orgJune newsletter.indd 1 6/3/2010 10:32:23 AM

4 . You’re from Calcutta, India. How does it feel to be in a Jewish school in Chicago?

When you are respectful to others, no religion can be a bound-

ary. That ’s what my g randparents taught me, and i t ’s tr ue. We

are a l l connected, we just don’t a lways see i t . Akiba has real ly

healed my soul and my lonel iness, being away from my family.

I ’m blessed to be here.

5 . W ha t d o y o u d o i n y o u r s p a r e t im e ?

Cook ing. L i s t en ing to mus i c . And poe t r y. I r e ad and wr i t e

poe t r y - - i n Beng a l i , my mothe r tongue .

Dea r Fr i ends o f Ak iba -Schech te r ,

I often get asked by those unfamil iar with Akiba-Schechter

wha t d i s t i ngu i she s the Schoo l a s an educa t iona l i n s t i t u -

t i on . W h i l e i t i s a lways t empt ing to r e spond tha t ou r

s tuden t s s co re ve r y h i gh on s t anda rd i z ed t e s t s and a r e

a cce p t ed a t the top h i gh s choo l s i n Ch i cag o (wh i ch i s a l l

t r ue ) , you have to d i g a l i t t l e dee pe r to g e t to the be t t e r

an swer - o r , a s 3 rd/4 th g r ade t e ache r Ms. K as s

would say, provide a “thick” answer rather than

a “ th in” answer. T he cen t r a l que s t i on

any educa t iona l i n s t i t u t i on shou ld

a sk i t s e l f i s : “W ha t t ype o f peop l e

do we wan t ou r g r adua t e s to be ?

More spec i f i c a l l y, wha t do we wan t

T owards the end of the school year, when they know

the i r ABCs, the Kindergar teners become young authors.

Ever ybody creates a hardcover book: composing a s tor y,

wr i t ing and i l lus tra t ing. Parents v is i t and s i t one-on-one wi th the

s tudents to he lp them craf t the i r sentences and s tor ies. Phonet i c

s p e l l i n g i s e n c o u r a g e d . T i t l e s r u n f r o m s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d t o

w i l d l y i m a g i n a t i v e :

• The Pengu in

• The Beau t i fu l Day

• A Uni co r n Pega sus

• Har r y Po t t e r and th e

Demen to r s

• Lava Boy and Shark Gir l

With the Kindergar ten

hooked on books, the

1st/2nd g raders as wel l as

the four-year-o lds v is i t for

s tor y t ime at Fr iday ’s Shabbat ce lebra -

t ion. Kindergar ten co-teacher Mrs.

Kohl reads the books out loud. Kids ’

faces l ight up as she presents the i r

books. Their favor i te par t? Hear ing

their teacher read the “About the Author”

sect ion on the ins ide back cover. I t

features not only a photo of the proud

young author, but a l i t t le b iog raphy men-

t ioning favor i te co lors, pets and fami ly

members. These young author books remain

pr ized possess ions : 8th g rader Josephine

Gendler s t i l l cons iders her book on d i -

nosaurs her favor i te project of her favor i te

c lass a t Akiba-Schechter : Kindergar ten .

P U L P F I C T I O NKDG tackles writing, illustrating and binding in a Young Authors unit

G O T R H Y T H M ? Blue Room kids pick up on literacy through music

1 . How l o n g h a v e y o u b e e n a t Ak i b a -S c h e c h t e r ?

T h i s i s my 8 th yea r i n the B lue Room and I ’m ve r y

a t t a ched to i t . I c an’t even th ink abou t be ing any p l a ce

e l s e . Ak iba i s my s econd f ami l y !

2 . W ha t mad e y o u p u r s u e t e a c h i n g ?

I a lways knew I wou ld be a t e a che r. W hen I was a l i t t l e

g i r l , I u s ed to p l ay “ t e ache r” l i ke o the r s p l ay “house .” I t

neve r occu red to me to p l ay any th ing e l s e . Teach ing i s a

j ob where you no t on l y work , you l e a r n . You g row. Even

a t home, my wa l l i s a b l a ckboa rd !

3 . W ha t make s t h i s a g e s o s p e c i a l ?

Four- yea r-o ld s a r e a t tha t vu lne r ab l e s t ag e where they

wan t to be pa r t o f a commun i t y, bu t they ’r e s t r ug g l i ng

w i th how to neg o t i a t e tha t . My job i s to empower them,

to he lp them bu i l d commun i t y, and to show them tha t

tha t they c an so lve p rob l ems by themse lve s. T ha t ’s a ve r y

power fu l l e s son .

Q U E S T I O N S W I T H . . .Arundhati Srimani, Upstairs Blue Room

A R U N E X P L A I N S T H E L I F E C YC L E O F A B U T T E R F LY O V E R LU N C H .

“ H E F E L L A S L E E P A N D H E D R E A M E D O F A G O O D D R E A M ,” R E A D S O N E PA G E O F N ATA N F U R MA N’ S B O O K (left). To see the Chicago Tribune’s coverage of this unit, check out our homepage.

B A L A N C E O F N A T U R EMarine biology and economics: an unlikely pair

our s tuden t s to know? To va lue ? To do w i th the i r l i ve s ?”

We a r e one o f many top -o f - l i s t a c ademic s choo l s

i n the Ch i c ag o a r e a . Bu t wha t d i s t i ngu i she s Ak iba -

Schech te r g r adua t e s i s tha t , i n add i t i on to be ing top

no tch and en thus i a s t i c s cho l a r s , ou r g r adua t e s a l so show

up to 9 th g r ade s t e e ped in the w i sdom o f t e ach ings more

than 5 , 000 year s o ld , and they a re ready to and in te res ted

in app ly ing tha t w i sdom to the be t t e r men t o f the i r com -

mun i t i e s , bo th i n h i gh s choo l and beyond . Be ing the be s t

a c ademica l l y i s pa r t o f the t e ach ing cu l tu r e a t Ak iba -

Schech te r , bu t i t only takes spending a l i t t le t ime at the

School to understand tha t the i t i s abou t so much more .

La r r y E . W h i t e

Pre s iden t , Boa rd o f D i r ec to r s

R ecent l y, the 4 -5

yea r-o ld pre -

schoo le r s in the

B lue Room lea r ned about

mus ic. T hey f i l l ed g l a s s j a r s

w i th va r y ing amounts o f co l -

ored wate r to c rea te ch imes,

and they a l so wrote the i r

own dr um compos i t ions.

T hey used co lor s to ind ica te

whether the dr um shou ld be

h i t w i th the l e f t , r i gh t , o r both hands, and when to pause

for a bea t . T he nea t pa r t about these compos i t ions i s

tha t they t each “secre t” l i t e r acy. In record ing these com -

pos i t ions, the ch i ld ren l ea r ned tha t in for mat ion can be

represented symbol i ca l l y, and

tha t , w i th a record ing sys tem

ever yone ag rees on,

others can rece ive

your messag e jus t

by look ing a t the

symbol s you ’ve

used . T h i s i s a key

a spec t o f ea r l y l i t -

e racy, and a g rea t

example o f the

pre-school’s approach

of “p l ay -based

l ea r n ing.”

C E L E B R A T E I S R A E L ! 2 to 13-year-olds take on Israel’s independence

J A R S O F CO LO R E D WAT E R , O R C H I M E S , CO R R E L AT E TO T H E K I D S ’ CO M P O S I T I O N S (right). A B O V E , AD E CO D I N G I N P R O G R E S S .

5 A B R U S H W I T H T H E L A W7th/8th graders launch mock criminal trial

www.akibaschechter.org

W hy have Hopewel l ’s f reshwater musse ls d isap-

peared? Ms. Rotfe ld ’s 5th/6th g rade sc ience

c lass was ca l led in to invest ig ate and propose so-

lut ions. Now, Hopewel l i s a f ic t iona l town, so a l i t t le imaginat ion

was required . How does the r iver f low through the town, and what

sur rounds i t ? Three sc ience teams were d ispatched, cons is t ing of

a team leader, d iscuss ion manager, coordinator, recorder, research

and presentat ion coordinator. They gathered infor mat ion from the

EPA on water c leanup, and t rave led to the Museum of Sc ience and

Industr y to learn how to tes t water samples. (Psst . . . Do you know

what point and nonpoint source pol lut ion are?*) The teams a lso had

to f igure out a feas ib le so lut ion by cons ider ing the economics of

Hopewel l , the cost of a c leanup, and pay ing for i t wi thout

caus ing job losses or making the community unaffordable.

Amazingly, a l l three g roups came up wi th d i f ferent

so lut ions : a water-f i l t ra t ion system f inanced through a tax

on p las t ic bags, s teep f ines for pol luters to pay for a new

process for d ispos ing of waste, and le t t ing the ecosystem

hea l i t se l f . They fear less ly presented the i r f indings to a panel

of judges, rea l iz ing that what they presented was just as impor-

tant as how they presented i t .

D o you know the d i f ference between 2nd deg ree mur-

der and involuntar y mans laughter? What const i -

tutes “reasonable doubt?” Who car r ies the burden

of proof ? These are some of the quest ions the 7th/8th g raders

have been tack l ing in the i r recent mock t r ia l uni t . Coming on the

hee ls of reading Harper Lee ’s To Ki l l a Mockingbird , a novel that

r evo lve s heavi ly around a t r ia l , th is uni t asks s tudents to

th ink cr i t ica l ly about proof, precedent , au -

thor i ty, and just ice. The case : Thomas

Car ter, on t r ia l for the murder of

Joyce Ann Mi l ler. Car ter c la ims i t

was an acc ident , but i t ’s hard to

know. May the t r uth preva i l on

June 8 , when the jur y (or middle

school ) dec ides !

A clay map of Israel, com-plete with 3-D landmarks like the kibbutz (above), was the joint project of the b’not sherut and the 5th-8th graders. O ther landmarks included Mt. Hermon, the port of Haifa, Jerusalem, and the beaches of Eilat.

Did you know the Purple Room sports a tractor? And an orange tree? That cows are milked there? On Israel’s birthday (Yom Ha’atzma’ut), the classes turned into kibbutzim and the entire pre-school was transformed: Flights to Israel took off in the Loeb Social Hall and the Ready!Set!Go! children enter-tained visitors to Tel Aviv with Israeli dancing, hummus, pita and falafel. Another room became the beach in Eilat, while another offered trinkets in a shuk (market).

In the day school, the clock turned back to the 1940s on Yom Ha’atzma’ut, as the middle schoolers simulated Palestine’s immigration port during the British Mandate. Some dressed up as immigrants from Europe, others played British soldiers. In celebration of Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day), time moved forward to 1976, as the 7th/8th graders re-enacted the Israel Defense Forces’ amazing hostage-rescue raid at Entebbe.

Last in the lineup of Israeli celebrations between Passover and Shavuot is Yom Yerushalayim, the anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. Students went on an ar-chaeological “dig,” ran across the British barricades, and recre-ated modern-day Ben Yehuda. An all-school sing-along and the 7th/8th graders’ flag dance ceremony concluded the day.

PA P E R MA C H E , B A L LO O N S , MA S K I N G TA P E , PA I N T, A N D A L I T T L E C R E AT I V I T Y:

5 T H G R A D E R S ’ M OT H E R ’ S DAY B O W L S .

Left: 6 T H G R A D E R S O P H I E Z I M B A L I S T ’ S M O D E L O F A C E L L

*Point source pollution: a single identifiable source of pollution (like an oil refinery outlet). Nonpoint source pollution: diffuse sources (like acid rain).

June newsletter.indd 2 6/3/2010 10:32:36 AM