REFLECTIONS FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

We often talk about consequences.  Natural consequences in school can be earning an “A” on a test for which you have thoroughly studied or failing a trimester when you have not completed any homework.  Another example would be hearing, "How about those Yanks?" 100+ times the day after they were slaughtered by the Orioles.  Other types of consequences could be a parent limiting a child’s computer usage when that child does not devote time to homework or a reduction in productivity when one averages less than four hours of sleep per night. 

In Bechukotai, G-d clearly delineates the consequences for the Jewish people, beginning from the first pasuk, "If you will follow My decrees and observe my commandments and perform them; then I will..." and goes on to list the positive consequences for proper behavior.  Pasuk 14 begins, "but if you will not listen to Me and will not perform all of these commandments..." and goes into detail about the negative consequences.  If you notice, the consequences that I mentioned are for an individual while the biblical consequences are for the Jewish people as a whole.  It is uncommon, and considered bad practice to give a consequence to an entire class for the actions of an individual. I propose that one of the reasons for the biblical consequences to pertain to the entire people is because they were a people.  They were united, in good and in bad, as an entity.  Individuality, as we know it today, was not admired.  People looked out for one another; they helped each other and therefore, were rewarded, or suffered, as a whole. 

Shabbat Shalom!
Barbie Prince

GOOD & WELFARE
Save the Date!
Honor the wonderful Class of 2008. Join us on Thursday, June 12 at 10:30am for Commencement Exercises.

Congratulations Ben Verovsky!
Cardin senior Ben Verovsky was selected as a 2008 Bank of America Student Leader. As part of this Student Leaders Program, he will participate in an eight-week paid internship with one of the local nonprofit organizations that partner with Bank of America. He will also participate in the all-expense paid trip to the 2008 Bank of America Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC on July 13-18 where he will join more than 200 other Student Leaders from across the country to discover how civic, nonprofit, and business leadership work together to create positive community impact. Both the experience at the Summit and the nonprofit internship will provide Ben with a better understanding and greater awareness of his role as a future leader in the community.

Congratulations Daniel Solomon!
Cardin freshman Daniel Solomon was selected, along with eight other Camp Milldale Counselors-In-Training (CITs), to be part of iLEAP Israel. The goal of this program is to create leaders in Jewish camping with strong ties to Israel. The group holds bi-monthly workshops where they learn about Judaism, child development, and camping. The program culminates at the end of 2008, when the group travels together to Israel.

CLASSES IN ACTION
To Israel on her 60th Birthday

Hebrew III
In Morah Zohara’s Hebrew III classes, students have been developing a project combining Israel’s 60th birthday with the Hebrew words for shapes and colors.  Each student chose one of nine significant locations in Israel to research online.  Students then developed their own image of their chosen place.  The objective was to develop one large-scale collage painting (incorporating all the images) and send it to the ORT Afridar in Ashkelon as a gift. Art Instructor Diane Wittner gave each student the option to use: photos, drawings, Hebrew lettering, colored pencils, tracing paper, markers, paint, or mixed media.  Students even devoted after-school hours to this project. The project, which was funded by the Center for Jewish Education, is now complete.

Zach Wildhorn ‘09, completed a difficult series of small drawings on Haifa.  “I learned that Haifa is the largest city in Northern Israel on the Mediterranean coastline,” said Zach.  “It is the main resort town in Israel, with many very nice hotels. Also, through the Bahai gardens and other sites, it is a very culturally rich city that has both Jewish and non-Jewish cultural aspects.  Also, the Technion, which I drew, is ranked in the top fifteen schools in the world with its engineering and computer science programs.  I certainly would love to visit Haifa when I go to Israel, especially after drawing sites from it.”

Ben Verovsky ‘08, painted New Jerusalem. He chose to depict the Menorah, Mount Hertzel, and Heichal Hasefer. In his artist statement, Ben expressed, “The pictures I drew are some important parts of Jerusalem that people who go to Israel should visit.”

Lynn Bachman ‘09, painted Old Jerusalem.  “I hope my painting is recognizable as Old Jerusalem and hope that people will like it, because I put a lot of effort into it.”

Mark Rogers, ‘09, drew the Kineret.  “I chose the Kineret because I find its importance so interesting.  All of Israel’s potable water comes from it, which automatically makes it very significant.  In the U.S., we have many, many places to obtain water from, so it’s very interesting to think about how different it is for the wellbeing of the entire country to depend on it.”

Matt Marcus ‘09, created a beautiful, detail-oriented collaged image of Kibbutz Negba. In his statement, Matt discussed five facts he learned about Kibbutz Negba (and Kibbutzim in general).

Alyssa Miller ‘09, did a mixed media piece on Ashkelon; “I chose Ashkelon because of a couple of reasons. First, I knew it was our sister city, and I was very curious to learn more about it.  Second I found Ashkelon to be such a beautiful city and could very interestingly be pulled together into one piece of art."
Zohara Chaban and Diane Wittner

Chemistry
The Honors Chemistry class is working on a titration of a strong acid with a weak base.  Students are experimentally determining equivalency points using our Vernier Lab Pro systems and pH probes.  They’ll be using this data as we discuss the dissociation of acids and bases in solution and their interactions.
Dean Whitfield 

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
International Day
International Day took place on Thursday, May 15, and was organized as a fun multi-cultural contest. Students were divided into five different teams (each team bore the name of a country) and had to complete various tasks going through five different stations:

1. World Map: Students were asked to put together a huge floor puzzle of the world, and then answer 15 geography questions based on the map.
2. Famous Personalities: The students’ task was to match a description of the accomplishments of 11 international personalities with their picture. For example, they had to match a picture of Marie Curie with a written description of her accomplishments.
3. Cultural Knowledge: Through a PowerPoint presentation, students saw a succession of pictures of some 30 countries and had to identify the countries.
4. Artistic Visions: Five posters were on display representing five different artistic styles: impressionism, realism, surrealism, cubism, and abstraction. Students worked in pairs and had 15 minutes to reproduce a specific object according to each exhibited style.
5. Foreign Expressions: Students were given various phrases in the original language with a literal English translation. Then, through multiple choices, the students had to decide what the phrases really meant.

At the end of their “journey,” students had to complete a crossword puzzle. All the definitions were based on knowledge that the students picked up through the various stations.

After all the excitement, students watched a Japanese anime version of the classic 1920s film Metropolis while we tallied the results. The winners, team BELIZE, won delicious cookies from Sions Bakery.

As usual, International Day could not have happened without the dedication of all the language teachers, the tremendous support and help from their wonderful colleagues and the invaluable enthusiasm of our students! 
Sylvie Merlier-Rowen

The Amazing Replacement Race
On Monday, May 12, several freshmen served as hosts for 52 Krieger Schechter 7th grade students. Our original plan to hold The Amazing Race (a scavenger hunt with a Jewish twist) at the Inner Harbor was canceled due to rain, but quick thinking and good fortune allowed us to go bowling, enjoy an astonishing magic show, and have lunch at David Chu’s. A generous grant from the AVI CHAI Foundation funded the activities. This was a unique and casual way for prospective students to take a first look at Cardin. We are appreciative of the support of the KSDS Administration for allowing us to hold this event on a school day.  A good time was had by all!

BLEWS
On May 6, the 10th graders made the hike over to Oheb to meet with the Western High School students for our second BLEWS program.  We really got to talking about racial discrimination and how the girls from Western felt about how they’re victims of generalization.  It was a fabulous experience to get to be with them again, and I look forward to more meetings and deep discussions.
Emily Boling ‘10

On May 20, the 11th graders participated in their fourth BLEWS session.  Together with juniors from Western High School, some of whom participated in Interim Week, Cardin students went to the Jewish Museum of Maryland and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American Culture and History.  At the Jewish Museum, students were able to visit the Lloyd Street Synagoogue and learn about the lives of Jewish immigrants.  Later in the day, students explored the role of slavery in pre-Civil War as well as the more recent socio-economic gains African-Americans have made.  But most importantly, the day allowed for Cardin and Western students to catch up from Interim Week and further explore the aspects of Jewish and African-American culture that give both Jews and blacks a common identity.
Jeremy Hiken ‘09

Memorial Day Activities at Cardin!
Please join us for a special program on Tuesday, May 27 at 8:45am in the Oheb Chapel as we have the opportunity to hear oral histories from two World War II era veterans. Marvin Solomon, a Captain of a naval minesweeper, and Harold Shapiro, a Battle of the Bulge participant, will share their war time experiences with the Cardin Community.  

Our students will be writing letters of support to an American soldier stationed near Sadr City in Baghdad.  We will also be collecting supplies to send a care package to our adopted soldier.  If you would like to participate, please contact Bob Cantor, rcantor@shoshanascardin.org for a supply list. Memorial Day will be an integral part of the Cardin School experience.

COUNSELING CORNER WITH MS. VILLET
Independent Senior Experience
The Independent Senior Experience (ISE) is in full swing! On Monday, May 19, our seniors embarked on an exciting journey, interning with area businesses and organizations allowing them to explore a field of their choice and get a feel for the real working world. Back in January, they selected internship placements that tapped into their individual curiosities. Now, after planning and executing their projects, the seniors have begun working on-site and will complete 30-hours/week through June 6.  Some examples of the placements that provide a glimpse into the breadth of opportunities include: the Baltimore Jewish Times, the Law Offices of Bobby Zirkin, the Jewish Museum of Maryland, Smith Barney, Habitat for Humanity, Planit Advertising, and the Maryland Science Center.

When asked about the experience so far, senior Sam Jessa said, “"Everyone is really nice and a lot of the stuff I'm learning today is sort of going deeper into some of the things we've done in class."

Advisory Update
During our April 30 advisory, we conducted an assembly for our entire student body on a topic of vital importance – teen driver and passenger safety.  Since automobile crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers, we feel it is imperative that our students are made aware of the dangers related to driving and be given strategies for how to keep themselves safe.  The students viewed a powerful video from the Journey Safe organization. We chose to present this program because it captures all of the important aspects associated with teen car accidents, but in a memorable and profound way. Please go to the following website to view it for yourself and to find out more on how you can encourage your children to prevent senseless car accidents: www.journeysafe.com.

After the school-wide presentation, we allowed the students to break into their advisory groups for in-depth discussion. The children had an opportunity to process the content and really think about the following: how accidents happen and how they can be avoided, how they were affected by the personal stories of these teens and their loved ones who were affected by such tragedies, and what habits they might change as a result.

Finally, the students were challenged to employ five important tips when driving or riding as a passenger:

1. buckle up
2. limit your passengers
3. limit distractions (give the Designated Passenger greater responsibility so that the driver can stay focused)
4. turn off your cell
5. find your voice (speak up if you feel unsafe)

COLLEGE SCENE WITH MS. SCHEIN
Although the college search process is reserved mostly for high school juniors and seniors, underclassmen should begin thinking about their futures as they plan for summer and choose courses for the next academic year.  During freshman year, all students should begin a resume – a list of activities, awards, accomplishments, and interests.  This list will continue to grow as the student progresses through high school.  Students should aim to find one or two in-school and out-of-school extracurricular activities that will continue throughout high school.  Over the summer, students should take part in activities that interest them and also develop their academic skills.  Summer camps, travel, or jobs are great opportunities for underclass students to get a taste of the real-world while building valuable leadership skills.  By the end of sophomore year, students should begin thinking about studying for the SAT and ACT exams using Cardin’s online test prep program. 

Course selection is a key component in college admissions.  Strength of schedule (i.e. course difficulty) often demonstrates a student’s willingness for academic challenge.  Students should try to sign up for the highest level courses in which they anticipate getting a good grade.  Meet with teachers to discuss individual options.  Teachers are students’ best advocates in regards to academic scheduling and can guide students appropriately towards their ideal course load to best enhance their academic resume.

COMMUNITY UPDATE
Click here for an important message from JOIN for Teens, a collaborative program of Jewish Family Services, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Addiction Services, Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister League and Jewish Vocational Service, agencies of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. For more information about JOIN for Teens and parenting resources, call 410-602-9473, or visit www.jointeens.org or www.parentsofteens.info.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES
A few spaces are still available on Summer JAM (Judaism, Activism, and Mitzvah work). From June 30-July 27, students from across the country will come to Washington, DC for a very dynamic experience full of Jewish text learning, social justice and politics, and of course, friendship and fun. Applications accepted through Tuesday, May 27.  www.dcjam.org

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