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A milestone at the North Shore Hebrew Academy (NSHA) Middle School in Great Neck will be reached when 25 seventh and eighth graders, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, will chant Megillas Esther for their schoolmates, faculty, and families, on Purim Day, March 10 (14 Adar 5780).

This past Sunday, students from Central’s AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics classes were invited by Mrs. Ruth Fried to attend Yeshiva University’s 13^th Annual Medical Ethics Symposium, honoring Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler. The title of the conference was “Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die,” and it included presentations and panels on topics pertaining to the beginning and end of life, including physician-assisted suicide and assisted reproductive technology. Junior Eliana Wachstock, an AP Chemistry student, said, “I was impressed that after every doctor or other medical professional spoke, there was also a rav giving halachic insight on the matter. It felt like there was a seamless connection between the two worlds we live in as frum Jews.” Senior Hannah Hamerman, a student in AP Physics, added that the conference was “a truly intriguing event. In general, I feel that these are topics that are shied away from. People are tentative when speaking about patient autonomy and issues regarding life support. But, this conference allowed these topics to be explained and discussed in an open manner.”

George Hooks, or “the Drum Man,” as the children of HALB Lev Chana fondly call him, had our children happily bonking out rhythms and beats with boom wackers, drums, cymbals, and rhythm sticks. What a fun and exciting way to work on listening skills, following directions, and learning about tempo, beat, soft, and loud! Our children jammed to the beat of the Drum Man’s kick drum and guitar, and played a rousing game of hot and cold using soft whirling hands on drums to signify cold, drumming fingertips for warmer, and loud pounding for hot (You’re there, you found it!). What a fun and merry way to welcome Chodesh Adar! 

MTA welcomed more than 400 talmidim and their families, as well as prospective Eighth Grade families, to the yeshivah’s Family Melaveh Malkah, featuring Eitan Katz, on Motza’ei Shabbos, February 22. The tremendous energy, ruach, and achdus that MTA is known for were felt throughout the entire event, as talmidim, rebbeim, fathers, brothers, and friends sang and danced together to the inspiring music of Eitan Katz. It was a truly unforgettable and uplifting evening of pure simchah, friendship, and fun.

MTA Juniors had an incredible time on their two-day, action-packed Junior Trip, which took place on Wednesday-Thursday, February 26-27. From golf, indoor sports, and snow tubing to the Nickelodeon amusement park at the new American Dream mall, broomball, midnight barbecue, lively minyanim, and inspirational shiurim, talmidim really had a blast! Grade-wide trips are the perfect opportunity for talmidim to spend time and make friends with boys they may not share classes with, bond with their rebbeim outside the classroom, and have fun with friends.

The sixth and seventh graders of the Bais Yaakov Academy of Queens eagerly anticipated the annual science fair to share and display their scientific explorations with their families. Parents and teachers packed the school and were extremely impressed with the girls’ work as they circulated throughout the gym and cafeteria to hear each girl articulate about the scientific process and research. The show boards were works of art as much as they were scientific journeys. The project topics were so varied, and included topics such as how much weight egg shells can hold, building architecture, wind resistance, and buoyancy. The girls shared their questions, hypotheses, research, and experiment results. Although all the girls were stars in every sense, the judges had to choose the most outstanding explorations. Mazal tov and hatzlachah to the winners, who will, b’ezras Hashem, represent Bais Yaakov of Queens and compete in the Inter-Yeshiva Science Congress in the spring.