News

Huge congratulations go to the SKA Mock Trial Team! This year, SKA made history and earned its title of Nassau County Mock Trial Champion of 2021.

The Jewish community of Queens celebrated Lag Ba’Omer with palpable energy. I was privileged to attend a number of festivities alongside City Council Candidate Avi Cyperstein. Our evening of merriment began along 70th Avenue in Forest Hills just off Austin Street, where we thanked Queens Borough Safety Patrol-Shmira for ensuring safety at a bonfire being set up for neighborhood residents to enjoy. We then traveled to Anshe Shalom Chabad JCC, under the direction of Rabbi Mordechai Zev Hecht, where we participated in a joyous and well-attended barbeque under the guidance of master chef Liron Iskhakbayev. It was truly an incredible sight to see so many from all walks of Jewish life united under the light of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

Lag BaOmer at the Yeshiva of Central Queens was filled with class trips and Color War. The JHS boys headed off for a day at Sportime USA, where they rode rides, played games, and enjoyed laser tag, while the JHS girls headed to Bounce, a trampoline and zip-line activity center. While the JHS students were out of school, the elementary students competed in songs, cheers, and relay activities during two days of color war. The Red, Blue, Yellow, and White teams showed sportsmanship and enthusiasm as they cheered for their teammates, sang songs, and chanted cheers, which could be heard in the yard and throughout the year.

Seniors enjoyed a jam-packed second week of Senior Seminar. This week’s speakers included Mrs. Danielle Sudwertz, Shalom Task Force, and Mrs. Aliza Blumenthal. On Thursday, our seniors headed out to the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates for a special “TVIEW-Panel” on women’s health and intimacy in halachah. Students heard from Dr. Elana Kastner, OBGYN, Mrs. Rachel Hercman, psychotherapist, and Mrs. Nechama Price, professor at Stern College and Director of GPATs. Back in school, our seniors were engaged in activities galore, first aid, and CPR training with Mr. Marc Zahrnest and Super-Senior Panoply run by Mrs. Rebecca Teper!

The Orthodox Union (OU), the nation’s oldest and largest umbrella organization for the North American Orthodox Jewish community, will bring together Jewish organizations, synagogues, and communities in May to raise awareness and educate the community on the impact of mental and emotional health. May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States.

All of the Sophomore Chemistry classes at SKA recently had the opportunity to participate in an ice cream lab, which was a huge success. Our teachers taught us that in order to have a phase change in matter, heat must be gained or lost, which we see in our everyday lives. In this experiment, we were able to see how fast heat is lost in order to change the milk from a liquid to a solid state. This is also an example of a physical change in matter. We first took the milk, sugar, and vanilla and poured it into a small Ziploc bag. Next, we took a large Ziploc bag and filled it up with ice cubes. Then we put the small bag into the large bag and started flipping it.