Note From Mrs. Zabinsky

2012 was year one of The Written Voice. It has been both thrilling and exciting to create this literary rest stop for NSHAHS and to have had such a dedicated group of students by my side as it developed into something substantial, worthy and worthwhile. To those who have submitted and to those who have read, I thank you. Thus far, none of our previous issues dedicated themselves to a particular theme or cause—instead, they were a conglomerate of varied creative works from students throughout the school. Novels, poetry, short stories, personal essays, persuasive standpoints… all found a place, a home, a readership through The Written Voice. However, for this December issue we have decided to dedicate ourselves to something very near and dear to our hearts: creativity. More specifically, creativity at NSHAHS. The fact that North Shore cultivates and nurtures creativity, imagination and passion in its students is undeniable, and we wanted to take the opportunity to pay homage to that in our final issue of 2012. I sincerely hope that you enjoy our December issue and that it stays with you as it will most certainly stay with us.

Mrs. Zabinsky          

Letter From The Editor

Dear Readers,

By now, the weather has cooled and we are all preparing ourselves for the arrival of a harsh winter. During 2012, The Written Voice was founded and published six successful times. As we close the first year of The Written Voice, we would like to reflect on 2012 and the academic and literary achievements of the students at NSHAHS. This December issue revolves around the theme of creativity at NSHAHS, celebrating our ambitious and talented poets, novelists and other writers. In this issue, you will find compositions and poems not only from current students in all grades, but also from teachers and alumni, writing about school experiences, faculty and the administration. Before we begin a new year here at The Written Voice, we would like to thank Mrs. April Zabinsky for all of her tireless work devoted to the literary outlets at NSHAHS.

Please enjoy the writings in this issue and take a look at The Written Voice blog at http://nshahsthewrittenvoice.blogspot.com/. It’s been a great first year of spreading the literary talent of NSHAHS. Happy New Year and be sure to look out for the first issue of The Written Voice for 2013 in January!

                                                                  

                                                                  

Sincerely,

Anna Hardcastle

Editor-in-Chief

A Diverse Faculty

by Anna Hardcastle

Despite the one hundred extra-curricular activities, extensive list of college acceptances and wide array of accelerated courses, one of the most prominent things that sets North Shore Hebrew Academy High School apart from other yeshivas is its diversely cultured faculty body.

Malcolm Forbes defined diversity as “the art of thinking independently together.” He further said, “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” NSHAHS is a school committed to Jewish orthodoxy; however, it receives teachers and instructors for its students with an open mind, regardless of cultural or religious background, contributing to its varied and vast faculty and administrative population. Headmaster Dr. Daniel J. Vitow prides himself on the contrast of his faculty conglomeration. He gladly says, “I believe that our planning and our daily functioning are much enhanced by the multiple perspectives that these individual and very different minds provide.”

Through the diverse population of faculty and staff, students of NSHAHS are offered an authentic look at the world they live in as well as the opportunity to prepare themselves for their future outside of the sheltered environment that a Yeshiva day school provides. Mr. Richard McManus, chemistry master at NSHAHS, says, “It is valuable that our students experience other points of view outside of the ‘cocoon’ of their own background.” Not only do students of NSHAHS have the unique opportunity to learn about other religions and customs from their teachers, but the knowledge is reciprocated; teachers themselves find themselves learning from their students. “One of the most interesting aspects of teaching at NSHAHS is the opportunity to observe the philosophical parallels among and the differences between Judaism and Christianity,” math teacher Mrs. Jodi Mondi says. “The aspect I admire most about Judaism is the intellectual component which I find is not as prominent in other religions.” English teacher Mr. William Muir, a Catholic, says, “I love working at NSHAHS and further learning about the origins of monotheism.” 

The faculty body at NSHAHS, comprised of a wide array of religious and cultural backgrounds, provides for open minds. As junior Benny Khakshoor says, “Learning about the backgrounds of my non-Jewish teachers only adds to my understanding of religion and Judaism as a whole.” Students and teachers alike find that the diversity on campus offers an expanded range of learning.

Hanukah

By Rachelle David

Bright

Endless

But not bliss

Watching the glow

Touching so slightly, kiss

I lean, extending far to blow

My gut aches along the restraint, too low

These lights have burned for too long, I must make this right

Air pours out of my lips but why so slow?

Flames are still there; they will not go

Something must be amiss

Comes a soft doe

I puff this

Yes! Bliss!

Night

Looking Back

Looking Back: A College Freshman's Perspective

By Jon Weinreich

 It’s hard to put into words exactly how well North Shore prepares you for life beyond high school. The subtle differences between high school and college are especially accentuated freshman year, when most students are just realizing exactly how difficult the next four years are going to be. It turns out that all of those days spent in class until the final bell rang at 4:40 were worth it, as most of my friends ended school around 2 PM, and subsequently “burn out” much faster. The little things, like being able to explain any Calculus topic to anyone taking Calculus I or II, just because you learned it so well in high school, or the analytical thinking skills that come out of four years of discussion of Talmud, or even learning the physics of a ball rolling down a ramp (a problem that ended up being a lab here in college!), make you miss the halls of North Shore Hebrew Academy.

The Man Behind the Mask

by Cayla Gold

Phone buzzing,

Emails bleeping,

Parents waiting,

Linda calling.

And the clock reads only five after eight.

A typical day for Dr. Vitow.

One may view Dr. Vitow

As merely the principal

Of North Shore Hebrew Academy High School.

But words cannot explain

All that he does for each and every one of his students,

And to make sure that the school continues to run smoothly.

This is man who:

Personally meets

With every student and parent,

Signs every test,

Remembers grades,

Who changes schedules

To accommodate students,

Runs an entire staff,

Not only consisting of secular studies (and teachers),

But Judaic ones as well,

Surely this man has powers,

Extending beyond those of an average being.

School is about academics.

Learning is of utmost importance.

Dr. Vitow understands that

Imagination and the creative

Process are a part of this.

The creation of something new

And original is exciting, and

Dr. Vitow takes great pride in

Reading student work, he

Encourages everyone at the

School to look for ways to

Expand themselves and their

Horizons.

Whether it is the newest fashion club,

Or a poetry slam,

Dr. Vitow supports,

The arts and musical aspects of his school.

He encourages students,

To explore and expand.

This superhero chessed man

Also holds fundraisers,

To help those less fortunate.

Interaction is one of Dr. Vitow’s

Superpowers.

Whether in the hallway or the

Confines of his busy office, he

Always gives his full attention,

Looks you in the eye.

He is not stiff the way one might

Expect a headmaster to be.

Instead he is engaged,

He puts you at ease.

Dr. Vitow is reassuring and confident.

He knows how to push for

Success and motivate.

You never feel insignificant in his presence.

Looking around his office,

Gifts from classes graduated decorate.

It is evident that Dr. Vitow has

Been touched by his pupils

As much as he had made

An impression upon them.

No matter the situation,

Dr Vitow always manages to stay calm.

He is the rock that the school leans on.

One of the many heroic acts of Dr. Vitow,

Took place during Hurricane Sandy.

He himself was displaced,

But Dr. Vitow put aside his own personal needs,

To make sure the school was put back in order.

He did not stop till the job was done.

He was the superhero of the event.

Dr. Vitow is more than the principal of NSHAHS.

He is the father of the beautiful family he created,

By specifically choosing each and every student and teacher,

That would not only help the school grow academically,

But also as a family.

Dr. Vitow is the father of this large,

Yet intimate mishpachah.

He works non-stop to support this family,

But still finds the time,

To be there for special and meaningful moments.

He is a superhero father, and

There is nobody else like him.

And at the end of the day,

There is no cloak and mask,

That belongs to this man.

Just a suit,

And a blackberry.

He does not live in school,

Despite some theories.

He too has a family and home,

To which he returns each evening.

I guess that is what makes him so spectacular.

He has set the standard of a true role model,

A success we all strive for.

Creative Combustion

by Sarah Silverstein

With my legs crossed right over left and my hands placed comfortably in my lap, I sat in the main sanctuary. As Monday morning had come yet again, I found myself feeling as if I had never left the building. I sat and listened to the turning pages of the Siddurim, a cough here and there, but mostly, I listened to silence. My eyes scanned the back of the room, traveling from one familiar face to the next. Suddenly, my view shifted, my eyes met the stained glass windows. I had seen these windows many times before; why had I just then noticed their beauty? I was hypnotized by their different colors, captivated by their seamless fluidity. I could feel the gears in my head being to turn. My imagination had been kicked in the butt! As thoughts ran a mile a minuet, my brain struggled to match their pace. I reached for a piece of paper as millions of feelings and fragmented of ideas poured out of my mind.  The words: “Learn all the beautiful sounding words in Italian” and “Create edible tape” made their way onto my notepad.  I was a creative mess, practically bleeding ideas. I didn’t know how my thoughts were connected, I didn’t know how they were sparked, but somehow the stained glass windows had awoken something inside of me. After feeling such a strong connection to my unconscious thought, my creativity, my imagination, I realized that I could not let go of this inspiration. I had gotten lucky; inspiration had somehow just hit me. From then on I refused to take my creativity for granted. As so famously said by Jack London “You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.”

Nothing but the Truth

A review of a Freshman English Summer Reading Book by Mollie Bartell

Have you ever thought about how a lie could affect your life? How it might change someone else's life? Phillip Malloy learns about lying the hard way in Nothing but the Truth by Avi. When his English teacher, Miss Narwin, gives him a bad grade, Phillip makes Miss Narwin's life very difficult. He disrespectfully sings the National Anthem when the students have to be silent, causing him to be suspended from school. 

Phillip's suspension becomes a nationwide issue. Many people are very angry that Phillip gets into trouble for “being patriotic”. They write letters to Miss Narwin as well as to the school. After feeling the pressure of what explodes into such an enormous issue, Miss Narwin decides to resign. 

Phillip's initial intention is simply to annoy his teacher, however his behavior results in the ruining of Miss Narwin's reputation as well as his own. 

What happens to Phillip after his suspension? Read Nothing but the Truth to find out!

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword

by Sherry Simkovic

A spoken word

A written quote

A haunting allusion

A situation

Gravity filled

From your lips

To God's ears

They say

An inspiration

Anticipation

Filled

A paper

Waiting for life to be breathed into it

From your lips

To my pen

I say

Whether it be

The stalling transmission

Of my beat-up station wagon, or

The wailing of an ambulance

Reaching out

Aiming

Hoping

To reach a final destination

To reach helping ears and hands

Whether it be the howl of the wind

On a frightening night, or

Creeping tendrils of fog

Reaching up to the heavens

Visible through the barren boughs

On a November morning

Whether it’s:

The confusion of math felt,

The beauty of science witnessed,

The triumph of history taught zealously,

The cadence of Italian softly spoken,

The advice of a friend told in confidence,

The poetry of the greats,

The Killers

The Beatles

Serenaded with grace,

Or the best teacher,

Experience

Speaks truthfully

From your lips

To my pen.

A Sense of Purpose

by Mrs. Zabinsky

 

it is but a thin membrane that separates us from

these inner-selves

meninges encasing the temporal lobe, among others,

perception shuttling along a neurotransmitter’s inky squirt

how we function ourselves!

a sunset imagined at daybreak,

glacial movements like giants gleaming in the

wreckage of a space shuttle, these thoughts,

sparks of brilliant axon-fire

scrolling invisible hues against taught lids

imagination

fraught in frigid fingertips;

the edge of detail caught in a dim half-light,

nothing else to illume

who are we but gray matter

sliding in our cranial shells

this creativity squirreled somewhere

quiet, deep

little else but this do we have to give

to each other