Subject to change: The long process behind making CESJDS student and faculty schedules

Aliza Rabinovitz, Editor-in-Chief

August 28, 2018

Filed under In-Depth, Showcase

Two months into each school year, while students are still adjusting to a new set of teachers, textbooks and assignments, the administration begins building next year’s schedule. Every November, teachers and administration start discussing what courses they will offer and whether there should be...

On the road: commute times vary widely among teachers and students

Alex Landy, Reporter

June 7, 2018

Filed under In-Depth, Multimedia, Showcase

At the early hour of 5 a.m., middle school Jewish Text teacher Rabbi Marci Aronchick gets dressed and eats breakfast before her lengthy commute from Baltimore to Rockville. Aronchick is one of many CESJDS teachers and students who face extended drives to school each day. Aronchick’s commute generally takes an hou...

All up in smoke: Despite health risks, teens are drawn to Juuling

Addie Bard and Kate Sosland

May 30, 2018

Filed under In-Depth

Prom night at CESJDS was cut short for two seniors, a sign that the vaping phenomenon sweeping the nation has hit close to home. While this was the only recorded incident regarding a JDS student vaping, the administration had been aware of the nationwide vaping and Juuling trend, according to High School...

Students visit Arlington National Cemetery in commemoration of Memorial Day

Lily Daroff, Multimedia Editor

May 29, 2018

Filed under In-Depth, Multimedia, Showcase

Student-teacher dynamics shape community

Irit Skulnik, Reporter

May 4, 2018

Filed under In-Depth, Showcase

Walking through the halls of CESJDS, students constantly wave and nod to their teachers as they pass them. These interactions exemplify the nature of the relationship between students and teachers at the school. According to Dean of Students Roslyn Landy, JDS has a very relaxed environment, which al...

Free from AP: A look at the school’s AP course policy, how it has changed and how it compares with the nation

Aliza Rabinovitz and Kate Sosland

March 22, 2018

Filed under In-Depth, Showcase

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are designed to offer in-depth exploration into subjects of interest and to push forward one’s academic ideas and experiences, according to the College Board, conductor of the AP program. Since the late 1990s, however, CESJDS has decided to not offer the classes in the...

Pencil to paper: Students explore different forms of writing in new class

Jesse Edberg, Reporter

March 19, 2018

Filed under In-Depth, Showcase

There is a new English class at CESJDS, one in which students write fiction and poetry instead of essays, and learn to exercise their creative rather than analytical muscles. English teacher Melissa Fisanich has reinstituted the Creative Writing class this semester after the course was on hiatus for th...

Jewish awareness and inclusion month educates on disabilities

Oren Minsk, Reporter

February 14, 2018

Filed under In-Depth, Showcase

This February marks the tenth annual Jewish Disabilities Awareness and Inclusion Month, and CESJDS joins Jewish organizations around the country for the second year to advocate for individuals with disabilities. Director of Educational Support Services Lenore Layman says that JDAIM is a time to stress the...

Hungry for a healthy diet: Local Jewish eaters, chefs embrace green nutrition trends

Ari Feuer and Rina Torchinsky, Outgoing Editors-in-Chief

January 31, 2018

Filed under In-Depth

Washington, D.C. restaurateur Sara Polon walks into her Takoma Park restaurant Soupergirl and starts preparing her colorful soups. Polon and her staff wake up the stove and mix together their all-natural, vegan ingredients into one of the most popular soups in the D.C. area. Polon, who graduated...

Anatomy elective fleshes out body structure and function

Aliza Rabinovitz, In-Depth Editor

October 25, 2017

Filed under In-Depth, Showcase

In one classroom, students will stand at lab tables with dissection tools beside them and a rabbit in front of them. Anatomy and physiology is a semester-long class offered only to seniors. It has been taught by Head Athletic Trainer Jessica Matula for the past four years and its lessons encompass...

Mind over matter: Psychology offers glimpse of human behavior

Izzy May, Reporter

September 26, 2017

Filed under In-Depth, Showcase

Come December, tri-fold boards will decorate the shelves of the Levitt Library, each one portraying a different mental illness and listing several celebrities that might have it. Seniors are able to participate in this project if they choose to take psychology, a semester-long course in human behavior. For...

Even in face of tragedy, chain remains unbroken

Isaac Silber and Rina Torchinsky, Managing Editor, Copy and Editor-in-Chief

August 29, 2017

Filed under In-Depth, Showcase

When a student’s grandparent dies, the school typically helps students mourn the loss by reaching out to the family and being lenient about homework deadlines. But there was no  precedent for a student death in the Upper School until this past school year when seventh-grader Senesh Magill died sudde...