Seders, concerts and a visit to the fair

East Valley JCC Day School

East Valley JCC Day School students celebrated Purim and are now preparing for Passover.

For Purim, students in grades 3-6 performed the story of Esther for their parents and invited guests. Julie Greenwood, student director, cast the parts, and the players memorized their lines and made their own costumes. Children in the younger grades also watched the performance.

In anticipation of Passover, students designed and made matzo platters as an art project. Each of the plates will be used by the day school families for their own family seders.

A big surprise was in store for all EVJCC students as they traveled to Chabad to participate in holiday activities. Representatives from the KNIX 102.5 radio station presented Deena Charnofsky with the Teacher of the Week award promoted by the station. Charnofsky received a gift basket and cash prize; Shayna Edson, 6, who initiated the nomination for this outstanding teacher, read her winning letter.

Stanford Testing is in progress as all grade levels participate in the national standardized testing process.

The day school choir, directed by Emily Zappa, presented a spring concert. Parents, grandparents and siblings attended the concert, which included a special song honoring the first graduating class of the EVJCC Day School.

Fifth- and sixth-graders have been focused on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" for the past several weeks. After reading a pupil's version, students previewed the 1968 and 1996 movie versions and wrote compare-and-contrast essays. The class attended the Herberger Theater to watch a live performance of this classic play.

Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School

Last month, Professor Ruth Aron of the Weizmann Institute of Science visited the school's science classes. Aron developed a successful treatment for multiple sclerosis. She spoke to students about her work in the development of a universal vaccine for the flu. This month, the school welcomes Professor Yair Reisner, a leading authority in stem cell research. One of his earliest successes involved the development of marrow transplant techniques.

Winners of the Jewish Veterans of Foreign Wars Essay Contest were junior Daniel Rosen, first prize; sophomore Hannah Wasserman, second prize; and junior Na'ama Shlomi, third prize. The topic was, "What is the most important societal issue that will face future generations?"

The school celebrated Purim on March 25, and students and faculty members wore costumes. Each class, as well as the faculty, presented a skit.

Dave Sherman, a trainer and speaker, visited the high school on April 1 to speak about "SHE: Smile, Handshake, Eye Contact."

The school choir is currently recording its first compact disc. The a capella group, led by Eliana Lipsky, is recording eight tracks for a CD that will be sold in the community in the near future.

The King David School

The fifth-grade Family Reflections Program took place on April 6. Students shared special memories of their family life through group skits and each student displayed personal items and photos reflecting themselves and their family's history.

Parent/teacher conferences were held on April 11. Parents received their children's report cards and reviewed their progress.

The eighth-graders enjoyed a production of "Romeo and Juliet" at the Herberger Theater.

The KDS student council organized and sponsored a middle school dance on April 2. Students were allowed to bring a friend from the community. More than 100 young people attended.

Students in all grades are learning about Passover. Second-graders will join residents at Kivel Campus of Care for a group mock seder. Other grades will participate in mock seders at school.

Fourth-grader Sabrina Benros was chosen Principal for the Day for selling the most Passover candy in the PTO's recent fund-raiser. She had lunch with the principal and the head of the school, made announcements, assisted during the tefillah service, and ran errands for the office, to experience what a principal's day is like.

Rabbi Mark Bisman and Cantor Bernard Savitz of Har Zion Congregation will visit the middle school for a series of educational sessions.

Work has begun on basketball courts in the center courtyard of the school's campus.

The sixth- and eighth-grades are preparing for their class trips to Los Angeles and New York City in late May.

Pardes Jewish Day School

Kindergarteners visited the Butterfly Pavilion at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens.

Hannah Toporek's fourth-grade class had an overnight field trip to the Lake Pleasant Outdoor Learning Center. This is an annual trip that culminates the unit of study on Arizona.

The elementary grades are busy preparing for the Passover holiday. Gayle Feldman's kindergarten class put on a short presentation for the students in kindergarten through fourth grade. They dressed up as Moses and led the group in song and dance around the sanctuary.

Linda Feldman, from the Bureau of Jewish Education, came to Pardes for a matzo-making demonstration.

Rabbi Erica Burech led the elementary grades in a model seder.

Stanford Nine Tests were given to all students in grades 2-8.

Eighth-grade students held a yard sale to raise funds for their trip to Washington, D.C. They will also visit the Arizona Supreme Court to hear oral arguments and take a trip to the APS Hydrogen Park as a culminating activity to their science unit on fuel.

Sixth- and seventh-graders are working on their Shakespeare productions, and fifth-graders went to the Science Fair at the Maricopa County Fair.

Phoenix Hebrew Academy

The second-grade class had a surprise visit from a Native American, Jesse Paul. Jesse came dressed in full Native garb, including headdress and moccasins. He brought many handmade items, explained his origins, taught the children Native words and took pictures with the class. The children had just finished a unit on Native Americans.

The fourth-grade class is busy making their Maricopa County Fair projects. They are using various materials to cut geometric shapes and design a picture of their choice. These works of art will be displayed at the county fair. The class also attended the county fair on April 13. The children saw their projects displayed, petted live animals, and learned about life on a farm. Both of Diana Nashban's second- and fourth- grade classes had first-, second-, third- and fourth-place winners.

On April 7, the class took a field trip to Fry's Supermarket. They were given a complete tour of the market, learned about nutritional values of various foods and how to shop wisely, and were given samples.

Mazel tov to the sixth-grade for completing Sefer Shmot. Under the leadership of Yair Shlomi, the students learned the Book of Exodus, including difficult sections such as the building of the Mishkan and the sin of the golden calf. A grand Siyum was held to commemorate this important event.

Congratulations to all CARSEF (Central Arizona Science and Engineering Fair) winners: Avigail Silver, first place; David Shlomi and Josh Dorsch, second place; and J.J. Meyers, Naya Shimonova and Brandon Welner, third place. Rivka Shipkin and Sloane Gray received honorable mention. The following students were invited to participate in the Maricopa State Fair: Mark Eisenberg, Heather Swabinger, Mark Tomaszewski, Rivka Shipkin, Tamara Ibragimova, Yisroel Meir Silver and Roman Melnik. Mark Eisenberg and Mark Tomaszewski were recognized for excellence in writing.

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