Obama Continues the Fight to end Racism - The Heschel School

Page 4 Helios Volume 7 Issue 2 December 2008
Heschel Life
Teacher Profiles
Double Lives
By Zoe Goldberg
While many students enroll
in extra-curricular activities because
their parents force them to or
because they think that they should,
Rebecca Schwarz and Andrew Berson,
both tenth grade students, are
very committed to extra-curricular
activities that they love deeply.
Rebecca Schwarz
Photograph by Naomi Blech Photograph by Amy Lewis Photograph by Amy Lewis
Adena Korn
By Michaela Hearst
Many of us know Adena
as the new music teacher
and the assistant director of
student life. She is a wonderful
asset to the Heschel
School, and her beliefs and
values are equally admirable.
Adena attended a yeshiva
day school and lived
in Israel for a portion of
her life. Prior to coming to
Heschel, she studied music
education at New York University.
She was also a student
teacher in various public
schools around New York
City.
Adena is a pianist and
a conductor, and plays many
different instruments as
well. Adena says that she has
“always been surrounded by
a Jewish community.” She
believes that there is a balance
between music and Judaism.
In her view they are
“both ways of life,” and being
involved in music is very
similar to being involved in
prayer. Music and prayer are
both ways of trying to figure
out what the world is like.
In addition, she likes that
Heschel teaches its students
a balance between Judaism
and critical thinking about
the rest of the world.
Adena loves working
at Heschel. She says it
is “wonderful.” The kids are
“very thoughtful,” and the
teachers are “very helpful.”
Jin Seok
By Beatrice Volkmar
When Jason Mendez left
Heschel’s tech department, the
student body was curious as to
who would take his position in
tech support. Jin Seok quickly
stepped in.
Jin was born in South
Korea. When he was two years
old, his father got a job in New
York, and he and his sister
moved to Queens with his parents.
Moving to New York was
not a big adjustment for Jin because
he was so young. However,
as a teenager, he moved
back and fourth between the
United States and Korea, which
was challenging.
Jin attended a high school
in Korea, which was nothing
like Heschel. The high school
experience in Korea, as in most
Asian countries, is very conservative
and rigid. His school had
many rules and was not progressive
like Heschel.
After graduating, Jin attended
New York University
where he studied computer science.
He changed his major
to psychology because computer
science was harder than
he had expected. He realized
that “making video games was
harder than playing them.”
One day Jin walked into
the Apple store and asked for a
job. He worked there for a year,
where he learned a lot about
Mac computers, gained a great
deal of experience and training.
Jin enjoyed working there, but
when his friend told him about
working at Heschel, he realized
that the school would be a great
match for him.
Matt Weber
By Zachary Weg
To say that Matt Weber, one
of Heschel’s new math teachers, is
a well-rounded person is to make a
gross understatement. Not simply
a math buff, this knowledgeable but
down-to-earth individual has many
interests. At Brown University, Matt
majored in French literature, took
classes studying Spanish culture, and
developed a strong interest in music.
“Music is definitely a big part of my
life,” said Matt enthusiastically. Not
only does he have varied taste in music
– loving both the classical notes of
J.S. Bach and the American folk songs
of Bob Dylan – Matt writes music
himself. He likes to “delve into many
genres, from classical to rock.” Asked
if math helps him in studying music,
he quickly responded, “Oh, yeah. It’s
really cool since I can look at a sheet
of music and translate the notes into
numbers.”
Matt also has a deep interest in
literature. His favorite author is Neil
Stevenson because of the way the author
incorporates various fields in his
writing. “He finds a way to relate philosophy
to religion…to…math,” Matt
said with a grin. “It’s pretty impressive.”
But Matt’s first love is math.
In his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana,
Matt became interested in math
at a young age. “There is a pleasing
aesthetic beauty about finding a
proof,” Matt said. Because of Matt’s
deep love of math, he decided that
he would make it his career. Instead
of pursuing a Ph.D., Matt quickly
decided that teaching was his calling.
Matt liked the “interpersonal
element” of high school teaching and
decided to come to New York to be a
teacher. “I’ve always had a fascination
with New York,” Matt revealed.
He especially appreciates the range of
cultural opportunities in New York,
from concert venues to parks. Matt
feels comfortable in New York, particularly
at Heschel. “I really like the
technical component of the school and
the school’s progressive spirit,” Matt
said. “Heschel is a place where I can
try to fulfill my desire of being a good
teacher and be part of a community.”
Becca has been horseback riding
since she was six years old. Her
riding skills had already won her a blue
ribbon at the age of seven. She rides in
the summer at her beach house in East
Hampton. She began riding at Stony
Hill Stables on a pony named Dapples
and fell in love with the sport. Since
then, she has changed riding locations
several times and has ridden many different
horses. Becca loves horseback
riding because “it makes me feel free...
it’s a place where I forget about what’s
going on. I am just sort of in the moment.”
Her favorite trick is jumping—
her record jump being two feet and
nine inches in the air. Her commitment
to and joy of riding led her to work at
a pony camp over the summer where
she brushed, cleaned, exercised, and
fed the horses.
Andrew Berson
Ross Gitlin is headed to
track nationals! Although Ross
seems like the typical Heschel student
senator, he has another life on
the side. Ross runs track at least
five times a week. On top of that,
on weekends and during vacations,
he dedicates most of his free time
to running and practicing. All
this work paid off when, on Sunday,
November 2nd, Ross ran the
race that decided whether or not
he made nationals, and he came in
second place. His win qualified
him to compete in the upcoming
United States Nationals in Alabama.
Photos by Tsvi Tannin