Schechter Shoutouts: May 2024 :: Solomon Schechter Day School

Schechter Shoutouts: May 2024

/ May 1, 2024 /

Dear Schechter Alumni,

As the school year draws to a close—my third, and the school’s 53rd—I am happy to share the second issue of the Schechter Shoutouts with you! I hope that it helps you to connect with former classmates and teachers, and get a sense of what’s been happening at school. As someone still new to the community, I love reading the interviews with former teachers, and scanning the Alumni News to see where your journeys have taken you. I’d also love to meet you in person; if you haven’t been to Schechter in a while, please reach out (jberger@ssds-hartford.org) and let me know when you might be around! I’d be happy to welcome you back for a visit.

As always, I’m grateful to Audrey Sobel, Director of Communications, whose dedication and hard work makes this newsletter possible.

I’m writing this column on Yom Hazikaron and looking ahead to Yom Ha’atzma’ut; may we soon see peace in Israel and Gaza, and a safe return home for the hostages.

Kol tuv—wishing you all the best,

Yoni

Rabbi Jonathan Berger
Head of School

Faculty Spotlight: Mrs. Susan Kurtis

How long were you at Schechter? What role(s) did you have?
I began my career at Schechter in September 1987 teaching both 4th and 5th grade General Studies. The following year I taught 2 sections of 4th grade. Our class size grew tremendously from one year to the next! In 1989, I went on what would become 16 years of maternity leave!!! During that time I was a substitute teacher for all grades and all subjects. I raised my 3 sons, who are all Schechter graduates. I was also actively involved in the school’s PTO, running the challah program, educational programs for parents and families, and holiday celebrations. In June 2006, I returned fulltime to Schechter as Director of Admissions. I edited the weekly newsletter Schechter Shavua and the school yearbook, The Scorpion. Happily, in January 2010 I moved to the Middle School where I taught Humanities and Social Studies, and chaperoned numerous Israel trips. In 2017, I moved to the Lower School and worked with students in 2nd and 3rd grade…almost full circle.

What is a favorite Schechter memory of yours?
There are so many memorable moments over the course of 30 years. There is no favorite. One of the most moving moments was standing with my students at the Kotel for their first time.

What are you doing now?
I moved to Port Saint Lucie, Florida in 2022. I serve as Co-President of our community’s Hadassah Chapter, teach and play Mah Jongg, and swim 3-4 miles a week. I’m also a member of the Shalom Club, where I have put my PTO skills to good use, and Grover’s Give Back, our community service group. Craig and I regularly travel to visit my 3 sons, his son and daughter, and our 9, soon to be 10 grandchildren!

What do you miss the most about being a teacher?
I really miss interacting with the students. I learned so much from them, each one so unique. I miss the moment when they realized that they had learned or discovered something new, that “aha moment”. It was always exciting and energizing.

What lesson/message/idea do you most hope your students took away from learning with you?
In my social studies classes, I hope they learned that there is more than one viewpoint by which we look at history and there are many voices to be heard. Respect and kindness go a long way to making our world a better place.

Who is a colleague you learned a lot from? What did you learn?
Going back to my earliest years at Schechter I would have to say Hava Dunn. She was the General Studies Curriculum Coordinator. Hava was ahead of her time in her teaching methods and pedagogy. I learned that there is no one way to teach a subject and no one way of assessing a student’s knowledge. She taught me that learning is not always about the facts and information but about “how” to learn and how to demonstrate that knowledge.

Photo: The Kurtis Family
at Passover, 2024
( see photo)

Alumni News

Mazel Tov to Ilana (Plavin) Bernstein (1994), celebrating 20 years of marriage to Steven Bernstein. They live in West Hartford with their three sons. (see photo)

Benjamin Fishman (1995) is The Levy Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and was a former National Security Council official during the Obama administration.

Mazal tov to Spencer Gerrol (1997), who welcomed his first child, Eli, in October!

Eli Hoffman (1998) lives in Sarasota, FL and works for a healthcare staffing company.

Jason Kurtis (1998) and his wife, Federica, live in London, UK. Jason is a video producer, creating business and charity videos, as well as producing live streaming events. (see Kurtis family photo above)

Matthew Baram (2000), Executive Director of Hillel 818, was recently named one of the 15 outstanding Jewish professionals from North America selected for Class 8 of the prestigious Wexner Field Fellowship. Over the course of three years, he and his peers will receive leadership training, professional development, and Jewish learning. (see photo)

Alisa (Rank) Murstein (2001) works for the Jewish National Fund as director of Maryland and Delaware. Alisa was recognized by the Baltimore Jewish Times for her great work, and gave a shoutout to Schechter!

Ryan Kurits (2001) and his wife, Hadass, live in the Washington, DC area with their two sons, Sam and Henry. Ryan is a Digital Media professional, specializing in political advertising. He was recently named Salesman of the Year. Mazal Tov! (see Kurtis family photo above)

Mazal tov to Matthew Seltzer (2002) and his wife, Brittney, on the birth of their daughter, Blake Dahlia Seltzer, who was born on December 26, 2023

Matt Kochen (2003) and his wife, Amanda, live in Penn Valley, PA with their son, Lenny. Matt is a Financial Planning and Wealth Advisor for Broad Street Financial, LLC. ( see photo)

Mazal tov to Adina Rosen (2003) and her husband, Matt Munch, on the birth of their son, Henry Jack, on November 16, 2023.

Mazal tov to Lara (Solinsky) Shaw (2003) and her husband, Dan, on the birth of their daughter, Anabel Trudie Shaw April 24, 2024.

Sloane Sheldon (2003) is a Neuropsychologist and the Director of Clinical Training at Mount Sinai Hospital's Epilepsy Program.

Mazal tov to Ben Kruger (2004) and his wife, Ariella, on the birth of their son, Elias Leo Kruger, who was born on December 4, 2023.

Kara Haller Markham (2004) is an adjunct Biology Professor at University of Saint Joseph (USJ), Middlesex Community College (MxCC), and Springfield Community College (STCC). She and her husband recently purchased a home in Essex, CT, where they live with their one-year-old son, JP.

David Kurtis (2004) and his wife, Tara, live in Chicago with their son, Bradley, and a sibling on the way! David is a Product Manager for Allstate Insurance. (see Kurtis family photo above)

Rebecca Lenkiewicz (2004) recently began a new position as the Donor Engagement Manager for the JCC in Chicago.

Ben Rank (2004) lives in New York City and is the founder of Rank Consulting Services, an operations strategy advisory firm that helps startup, small, and medium sized businesses scale and grow. ( see photo)

Mazal tov to Jacob Zachs and his wife, Kate Kudish, on the birth of their daughter. Leni Bernice Zachs was born on February 24, 2024.

Mazal tov to Koreen (Shoham) MacDonald (2005) and her husband, Colby, on the birth of their son, Colin Scott MacDonald, on April 22, 2024.

Zach Lenkiewicz (2006) is a manager in the financial services division of RSM in Baltimore. He is engaged to Aileen Cunnane. A June 2024 wedding is planned.

Mazal tov to Sam Garfinkel (2008) and his wife, Sarah, on the birth of their son, Ethan Zachary Kranz Garfinkel, on February 15, 2024.

Jared Berson (2010) recently finished his second year at Boston College Law School, where he serves as a Managing Editor of the Boston College Law Review. He will be a Summer Associate at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City. Prior to attending law school, Jared was a Sports Content Researcher in ESPN’s Stats & Information Group for nearly 4 years following his graduation from the University of Michigan. ( see photo)

Isabella Epstein (2012) is creating a startup company called Kndrd (pronounced “Kindred”), aimed at helping people find activities that interest them, connect with people who share similar interests, and coordinate plans to meet in person. Read more about her efforts and the impact Schechter had on her HERE. ( see photo from Business Insider article, Isabella on right)

Maddy Pliskin (2014) is a consultant for Life Sciences companies at Deloitte in New York. She feels passionately about contributing to the development of curative therapies. (see photo, Maddy (R))

Hannah Pliskin (2014) is pursuing a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Tufts University. She hopes to improve the quality of life of children with special needs and those facing end of life challenges. ( see photo, Hannah (L))

Mazal tov to Zach Goldberg (2015), who graduated in December with a BA in computer science from Northeastern University’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences! He works for a Boston-based company called Veeva that provides online platforms that support life sciences work, and is part of a team that builds software to support medical clinical trials. (see photo)

Samara Gordon-Wexler (2015) was awarded the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. A recent graduate of Middlebury College, Samara will use the fellowship to travel to four different countries to study end-of-life care. “I expect this experience will begin to uncover how I can be a doctor who finds the unity between healing the person and the disease,” she says.

Jonah Gershon (2016) will graduate this spring from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Check out this article about how his passion for baking led him down the path of entrepreneurship! Most recently, he won a pitch competition at Cornell’s Nolan Hotel School and was awarded $50,000! ( see photo)

Ariel Gordon (2016) graduated in 2023 from Northwestern University. He will be moving to San Francisco this summer to do psych/neuro/tech research at Neuroscape, a lab at UCSF that researches how to use digital experiences to assess and treat cognitive deficits and improve well-being. ( see photo)

Ruth Nawy (2016) is a senior at Drexel University, and will graduate in 2025 with a degree in Graphic design and minors in Spanish and Art History ( see photo)

Zachary Sobel-Pressman (2016) is graduating as Phi Beta Kappa from University of Rochester this spring. He will work at a startup company called Labby, putting his Optical Engineering training to use, and will also work part time on his Masters’ degree. Zach recently co-founded Rochester’s Moishe House and will welcome Jewish young adults to his home for weekly programs.

Kol hakavod to Benjamin Wolf (2016), who is graduating from Washington University in St. Louis this spring with a major in Economics and a minor in Russian Language & Literature. After graduation, he plans to make Aliyah and join the IDF, where his younger brother, David, is already serving. (see photo of Ben (L), David (R))

Matthew Medvedovski (2019) is headed to Greece to participate in a school leadership program; upon completion, he will go backpacking through Europe for the rest of the summer. Nesiyah tovah!

Share your Alumni News!

Schechter Launches Exciting New Makerspace

In March, Schechter was thrilled to dedicate the new Scott Shoham z”l Makerspace/Design Studio. Students will draw upon their creativity and ingenuity to complete design challenges in Makerspace class and to implement interdisciplinary projects. Thanks to a generous donation from the Shoham family in memory of their husband and father, Scott, Schechter students will use this phenomenal space for learning, innovation, and exploration.

Makerspace teacher Laurie Stanfield has been looking forward to this moment; throughout the school year, she has been helping students develop the skills and sense of inquiry that will enable them to thrive in the new Makerspace. “I am most excited about watching the pure joy of the students as they make and create.” The Makerspace curriculum will include age-appropriate design challenges like building Rube Goldberg machines, then noting the transformations of energy along the way and designing towers with KEVA blocks (a very generous donation from the Leshem family). Students will also be practicing their coding skills, starting by guiding the tiny Ozobots at varying speeds and different color patterns through a series of mazes. There are stations for robotics, textiles, cardboard engineering, and video production. In future years, the school will add additional equipment including laser cutters, tools for light carpentry, new 3D printers, and much more!

The Makerspace will also be a great way for students to demonstrate the knowledge they gain in other classes, like constructing displays that represent the time period they are studying in Social Studies, designing their own costumes to wear for the festive Jewish holiday of Purim, or cultivating native plants in the greenhouse.

The students’ enthusiasm is contagious. During the dedication festivities, Paige (grade 5) declared in amazement, "I can't believe this is real!" In one popular opening activity, students created their own noisemakers for the Purim holiday. When examining the many stations set up around the room, a comment from Ivri (grade 3) said it all: "We really get to play with all this?!!"

What made the event even more special was having Schechter alumni Maya Shoham (2001), Koreen Shoham MacDonald (2005), and Ben Shoham (2008) back at Schechter for the dedication. Many thanks to GN Construction for their meticulous work transforming the existing space into the Shohams’ vision. This tribute to Schechter alumni parent Scott Shoham will impact current students for years to come.

From the Yearbook Stash....

Who do you recognize from Mrs. Yardeni's advisory?

Front Row: Ben Price, Bery Eckstein, Lindsey Friedman, Laura Veprinsky
Middle Row: Johnhenri Richardson, Adam Gamzon, Maya Gerber, Tamar Mizrahi
Back Row: Dima Kazandzhi, Sam Rank, Ariel Isaacson, Mrs. Yardeni

If you know anyone in this photo, share the Schechter Shoutouts with them! We want to know what they're doing!

Want to learn more about what's happening at Schechter?

Read about our Purim STEAMfest!

Check out Schechter in the Local News... One Book, One School Program

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