Senior Memories 2017

Surprise Tribute to Ms. Jill W. Sanders

Evening of the Arts 2017

This past Yom Yerushalayim, Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School students and faculty treated parents, alumni, faculty and friends to an astounding display of talent and creativity at the Sixth Annual Evening of the Arts. The student lounge was a magnificent art gallery, where visitors could enjoy the multi-media work of our students as well as a delicious collation. Student work from the graphic design, photography and product design classes were on exhibit in the lobby and first floor hallway along with a selection of pieces from the jewelry design "Tsei Ulemad" independent study class.

The next part of the evening took place in the Laniado Gymnasium, which stunningly transformed into an intimate cabaret venue. The program began with a video about Jerusalem, showcasing the miracle of the Six Day War and the 50 years of growth and progress. The program featured twenty diverse instrumental, vocal and dramatic performances ranging from classical and pop to comedy and drama. The YOFHS choir closed the show with a beautiful Jerusalem medley. After the performances everyone was invited to see the amazing art work that was showcased in the student lounge. Thank you to Mrs. Rachel Winkler for coordinating this program, and to all of the Arts faculty for preparing our students for this unique event.

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Sophomore College Night 2017

On May 23rd, the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School College Guidance Department hosted a Sophomore College Night for students and parents. The first segment of the evening focused on college admissions and the application process. Crystal A. Bates, a Senior Director at NYU Undergraduate Admissions, gave an informative presentation highlighting some of the things sophomores can be doing now in order to be best prepared when it comes time to apply to college.

The second portion of the evening was led by Akil Bello, the Director of Equity and Access at Princeton Review. Akil discussed the differences between the SAT and ACT and how students can determine which test is best for them. Students also received their PSAT and Pre-ACT score reports; Akil's presentation helped them interpret and better understand their results. Families left with a better sense of what college admissions and standardized testing are all about.

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Pathfinders Update: Students Learn All About Banking at IDB Bank

Fifteen Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School students recently participated in an amazing opportunity at IDB Bank, through our Pathfinders Program. We were able to tour, learn, and understanding all of the various departments of banking. Even more interesting was how many of the students' families worked with the bank. Our guide was the vice president of the bank, an amiable and fun guy, who planned our extensive afternoon. To begin we spoke with him and two of his colleagues about what a bank does overall and it's different departments. Then we got a chance to go into their offices and talk with the people who worked there. We learned about how they analyze loans and manage risks. We met with the heads of the department of assets, private baking, and others. We also got a great insight on the importance of banking and loans on a business level. We got great advice, especially about how to network. After going on his exclusive trip I now have a deep understanding of everyday practices in a bank and their overall uses.
~Ezra Faks, Class of 2019

Advanced Studio Art Students Attend Printmaking Workshop

Recently, students from the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School Advanced Studio Art class participated in a three hour printmaking workshop at the Rockaway Artists Alliance in Fort Tilden Gateway National Park. Under the guidance of high school art instructor, Mr. Jason Novetsky, each student explored the expressive possibilities of printmaking techniques including Monoprint and Solar Plate Etchings. It was an educational and creative day!

JV Debate Team Win 2nd Place

After diligently preparing for weeks, a select group of students from the JV debate team competed in a match the was hosted by Heschel High School. Throughout the train ride we were collaborating with our partners with last minute details to brush up on. The topic of the debate was whether or not the sale of organs by live donors should be legalized in the United States. With our affirmative team made up of Lauren Zami and Robert Adler and the negative team with Ezra Faks and Julie Saadia we were ready to debate our positions. Throughout our speeches, crosses, and finally rebuttals we maintained and defended our sides. At the end of both debates late into the night, the award ceremony was held where the affirmative team was awarded 2nd place! We had a great experience in learning how to be articulate, develop an argument, and work quickly on our feet. We all thank our brilliant faculty advisor, Mr. Brian Katz, for helping us through our research and practices!
~Ezra Faks, Class of 2019

Pathfinders Update: Flatbush Students Attend SCC Cooking Classes

Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School students have the opportunity to attend cooking classes with master chefs at the Sephardic Community Center through our Pathfinders Program. Not only are the cooking classes exciting and enjoyable they're also very useful. In these classes, many cooking techniques, that can be useful for our lives, are taught. They teach us many skills to help us have a healthy lifestyle as well. I also feel after going to this class I am more experienced and feel more comfortable in the kitchen.
~ Audrey Sutton, Class of 2020

Reading Championships Award Party 2017

The end of year awards party for the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School Reading Championships were held in the high school Library. This reading competition is excellent for SAT prep, critical analysis, vocabulary, and reading comprehension skills. Students who attended the Reading Championships on a steady basis received Archon credit. The winners with the highest scores for the year receive Honor Society recognition.

The 2017 winners included:
Freshmen - Sarah Dagmy, Yael Frechter, Benjamin Levy

Sophomores - Jack H. Dweck, Batya Kairey, Lauren Zami, Mazal Zebak
Juniors - Eli Feldman, Mary Ftiha, Mary Jajati

Class 9-R Enjoy Day of Chesed and Fun

The students of class 9-R, were awarded with a day of chesed and fun last month for collecting the most money in the Tzedakah Commission Chesed Race earlier in the year. The first part of the day was spend at Ateret Avot nursing home, where students sang songs with the elderly. They got to spend time talking to them, and danced with them. The second part of the day was spent in Central Park, where students enjoyed a nice afternoon. Some students played football, and others went on a nature hike. Tizku L'Mitzvot!

Cooking For a Cause: Grand Challah Bake - May 2017

On Wednesday May 16th, Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School held a Grand Challah Bake at our final Cooking for a Cause event of the year for the speedy and full recovery of Sarah bat Viviane.

Grand Challah Bake chefs: Mrs. Yvette Beyda, Mrs. Elena Birman, Mrs. Esther Mishan, Mrs. Sara Ovadia, Mrs. Viviane Salem, and Mrs. Ami Sasson. Special thank you to Ami and Dubby Sasson for baking and delivering all 180 challot to the SBH Food Pantry!

Cooking for a Cause chefs: Mrs. Ruthy Goldberg, Mrs. Tina Saad, and Mrs. Limor Tuachi.

Cooking for a Cause gives students the opportunity to learn how to prepare a variety of entrees, dinners, and desserts while participating in a Chesed event. All of the food prepared in these events are sent to needy families who can then enjoy delicious homemade dinners.

Drama Troupe Production 2017: Drop Dead Juliet

Recently, the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School freshman and sophomore grades had a short break to enjoy a little comedic theater in the midst of this very hectic and stressful time of year. The play, Drop Dead Juliet, was written by Allison Williams, whose credits include a role in the HBO hit show Girls, and the screenplay of the recent movie Get Out. Performed by our wonderfully talented Drama Troupe, the play explores what would happen if Juliet decided to change the script so that it would have a Hollywood ending instead of the tragic one we all know so well. The play opened up with Juliet, played by the talented freshman Channa Rand in her first, though probably not her last, starring role, waking up right after Romeo had ended his life. Instead of following suit Juliet decides she can’t go through with it. William Shakespeare, wonderfully performed by sophomore Perry Sanders, the young veteran of the Flatbush stage, finds himself forced into giving Juliet a chance to change the script. What follows is a mash up of classical Shakespeare together with modern sensibility and a whole lot of silliness.

With a cast of 13 students, including freshmen, sophomores, juniors and even Ms. Marcus, all those who had an itch for the stage had an opportunity to show off their acting chops. We even had the pleasure of seeing a horde of freshman and sophomore teachers (Dr. Fruchter, Senoria Ovadia, Ms. Agassi, Ms. Coopersmith, Ms. Mikhli, and Mr. Katz) take the stage to join in on a Capulet and Montague dance off! Freshman Noam Weinstock, making his acting debut, playing a Romeo still very much in love with Rosaline. Freshman Jacob Jackpot Rishty took on the challenging role of Prince/Princess attempting to keep the peace on the streets of Verona. Freshman Hannah Hasson and sophomore Esther Hidary took on the comedic roles of Sampson and Gregory, making great use of their flashlight app and attacking with all forms of social media. Freshman Sarah Dagmy took on the pivotal role of Sister Lawrence, basically Romeo’s shrink, keeping notes using her slightly over the top quill. The mothers of the star crossed lovers were played by the expert dancers juniors Isabel Lin and Jessica Vaysman, with perpetual star junior Aida Hasson lending a hand as the ever dependable nurse. We were all entertained by the epic light saber battle between Tybalt, played by sophomore Rebecca Coopersmith, and the gangstah rapping Mercutio, junior Sarah Cohen. Capping off the cast Ms. Marcus took on the dual role of the tough talking Abram and the tough love Lord Capulet.

Of course none of this could have been possible without the overbooked and overextended AV squad headed up by Yair Chaya and Jacob Kahlili and the wonderful leadership of Commissioner and assistant director senior Max Shemtob.

All in all they did myself and the Yeshivah proud.

~Mr. Lazar, Director and Faculty advisor of Drama Troupe
 

Flatbush Hosts Inter-Yeshivah Robotics Competition 2017

On May 15th, the Yeshivah of Flatbush hosted its first ever robotics competition, and it was a great success. The games took place in the new Laniado gym, over the course of about three hours. The contenders were the two Flatbush teams, Team Hidary Robotics club and the Flatbush Robotics class, as well as the Magen David Spareparts and the MTA Lion-otics. There were also students from North Shore Hebrew Academy High School watching the event. The drivers of the robots were juniors Yair Chaya and Sonny Cayre for the club and team respectfully, and junior Moses Bakst was the announcer for the event. The team members who were not driving were also very enthusiastic, as they saw all of their effort put to the test in the arena. Student who were not competing even came down to the gym to watch. Overall, Hidary Robotics placed in first with a perfect record, and the robotics class placed in third. This was not the first time any of the schools competed in any competitions, (Flatbush competed in the NYC FIRST Tech challenge which the Robotics Club came in third in March) however, this was the first inter-Yeshivah competition. After the event, all team members received a certificate for all of their hard work for this competition. Judging by the reactions of all those involved, the event was a huge success, and there will hopefully be a 2nd annual Flatbush Robotics contest next year. Thank you to Mrs. Shifra Hanon for organizing the event! ~Moses Bakst, Class of 2018

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