Feet rushing, people talking, and bells ringing: one would think that it was a normal day at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. However, this was the Middle School and Upper School back to school night. On Thursday, Sep. 2, parents were able to experience what a normal day is like for their children.
    “My husband, Mark, and I go to parents' night every year to experience what my girls do every day. The teachers are always so admirable and answer any questions that we have. This year in my break in between classes Mark and I 'chilled' in the senior lounge. I felt just like a senior again,” said mother Vicki Herman.
    On parents' night, parents are given their children’s schedules and go around to each class meeting their children's teachers and other students' parents. Not only do parents get to learn about what their children are learning, but they get to learn about the teachers' backgrounds and their teaching styles. Parents are also dismissed by bell and rushed to their next class just like their students are.
    “This year at parents night, everyone was happy and excited about the upcoming year. There was also a very good turnout”, said College Guidance Counselor Todd Clauer.
    Parents also learned about PowerSchool and how to use it. PowerSchool is the replacement for the program Edline. On PowerSchool, parents are able to view their students' grades, classroom attendance, and notes from teachers.
    “Parents' night was a tremendous success; it was the largest turnout of parents attending since I have started working here. All of the parents were enthusiastic about asking questions and getting answers. It was great to get to meet the parents of the new students and it was exciting to learn more about the parents of past students,” said English Department Chair Cynthia Knight.
    This year over twenty-five parents attended parents night. It lasted from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m.

Rams Fall in Second Game in Two Days
Jeremy Gutovitz/The Academy Voice

    It’s always hard to play two games in two days, and that was the challenge Rams faced on Tuesday, Aug. 31, as they fell short, 2-0 against Kansas City East. The Rams showed their tired legs early in the game, as a frustrated team went into halftime down by two.
    “We came out tired, and our effort wasn’t there. It was disappointing because we didn’t have many opportunities,” said Athletic Director and Coach of the Rams Austin Benton.
    The Rams came out in the second-half as a whole new team. They were re-energized and showed more hustle and want for the ball. There were many more opportunities for the Rams.
    “I was really proud of the way we played in the second-half, and I feel the next time we play this team we have a good chance to come out on top,” said Benton.
    The second-half play did not only excite the coaches, but it also excited the fans. Many fans showed up at the Overland Park Soccer complex to watch the game.
    “Towards the end of the game, the team seemed to find its second wind, “said Judaic Studies Teacher Michal Cahlon.
    The players were very frustrated, but there was something positive to take out of this game.
    “Although it was a disappointing game, I thought we did well in ball distribution and I think our confidence levels increased towards the end of the game,” said junior Jacob Mehari.
    The Rams still hold a 2-1-1 record, and there next game is on Tuesday, Sept. 7, against Cristo Ray.

Rams Snag Second Win in Close Game
Maggie HErman/The Academy Voice

    On Monday, Aug. 30, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Rams snagged their second win of the season against the Metro Lasers 1-0. The lone goal was scored in the first-half by Co-Captain Justin Rose. “I really didn’t think the goal was going to go in, but somehow I ended up scoring, it was great,” Rose said.
    Rams defense really stepped up and played strong in order to maintain their lead throughout the second half. Junior Jake Rose played a solid game as goalie, allowing no goals, Rose’s second shutout of the season. “It’s fun playing goalie. Things have been going pretty well this season. I hope this team can keep up the good work,” said Jake Rose.
    Both teams needed to play with a lot of effort throughout the game. “The Rams are so friendly and have such great sportsmanship. The whole atmosphere is a good one for the boys to play in. We can always expect a good game when we play Hyman Brand,” said Metro Laser Head Coach Dave Hurlbert.
    This was the Rams' first home game of the season. Parents, students and teachers all came out to support the team. “I like going to soccer games to cheer on the Rams to victory. The weather was really nice Monday night; it was perfect to watch the Rams win their first home game,” said junior Shoshana Margolies.
    “This year’s team has only grown from last year. We have improved our passing, communication and relationship as a group. It is really fun to be a part of a team like this,” said Co-Captain Aaron Towle.

Cross Country Runners Work to Legitimize Program
Daniel Goldberg/The Academy Voice

    The cross country program at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy only began two years ago, but in that time has developed from simply a way to stay in shape, to a respectable varsity program
with multiple competitive meets.
In the Torah, it talks about how the fruit from a tree cannot be harvested until the third year as that is when it is ripe. It is just the same with the cross country team, after two years of growth, this is the year to legitimize the program that will become a part of HBHA culture.
    “The team is greatly improved from last year. They are willing to do all that it takes to become better runners and Todd (Clauer) and I have been aiding them in any way necessary to peruse that goal,” said Coach and Hyman Brand parent Marla Brockman.
    The cross country team began practices a week before school began, with practices in the 100 degree heat. The team wanted to practice, but were wary of the heath concerns, so they decided collectively to have early morning practices at seven a.m.
    “The first year we had one meet, last year we raced in two, but this year we are scheduled in four races during the season. As we added more races we have become better runners at the same time. I enter my third season as an upperclassman helping out any younger student while being an example to them. I understanding the responsibility that comes with that” said junior Josie Thomas.
    “I have run since I could walk but I never thought about being on cross country. I decided to join this year and it was a great decision. This is my first year on the team, but I still am a senior so I am helping out all the younger kids even if they have more experience than me. I am, however; quite nervous for our first meet, but I think I can handle it if sixth-graders can,” said senior Shira Levine.
    “Not only am I a first year runner but I am the only boy on the team. I joined to get exercise and I have stayed to become a better runner,” said seventh-grader Jed Shaffer.
    After practicing in the offseason as well as the last couple of weeks the HBHA cross country team prepares for its first test, a meet they placed in and many of its runners won awards in last year the Long Hill Run on Sept. 13, at Swope Park.

Parents Go Back to School For a Night
Sam Abrams/The Academy Voice

    On the evening of Thursday, Aug. 26, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy hosted the Lower School Back to School Night. The parent-teacher event was designed to help bring parents of the HBHA’s kindergarten through fifth-grade students up to speed about their children’s teachers and classroom studies.
    Thursday night’s festivities commenced with an introduction led by Principal Gayle Gray and Head of School Howard Haas. The brief prelude welcomed the parents into the Jewish Community Center Social Hall and the school. Applications to join the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) were passed around the room along with other volunteer opportunities.
    Haas said, “The night went extremely well. We spoke of the large kindergarten and first-grade classes, which will be indicative of the school’s future growth. We also spoke about the new technology that will be available to these young students in the upcoming school-year, and also, about their new playground equipment. Overall, the night had a family feel to it, as we welcomed the new parents.”
    Through various presentations, HBHA parents got an opportunity to hear from their children’s teachers about all of the subject material that will be learned over the school year, as well as behavioral standards set for the students.
    Marina Brown, mother of HBHA first-grader Arthur Brown, said, “The meeting was great. There was a lot of information and handouts, and we got introductions, presentations, and background stories from the teachers about themselves and the school. It was really nice.”
    Teachers, including fifth-grade Social Studies and English teacher Nancy Franks, each conducted presentations in their own classrooms. The talks were geared at informing parents of the exciting academic opportunities that will be given to their children throughout the school year. An important side-effect of the meetings were that parents gained a better understanding of the teachers’ backgrounds and personalities.
    Franks said, “We had a great turnout. Over eighty percent of the parents came, even those who had children that I had previously taught. The parents were very engaged, and I told them about our trip to Exchange City, our January trip to Kansas City Starbase at the Kansas Armory, and the Civil War Play in September. We also play a simulation called Discovery where students set up their own colony in the New World. Overall, fifth-grade is all about leadership as Lower School Student Council Elections are upcoming.”
    The evening held an intimate, hospitable air, as trays of grapes, bottled water, and Hershey’s Kisses were distributed in the hallways by the third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade faculty.
    Third-grade teacher Hayden Galler said, “It was a very comfortable, family environment. It is as stressful or nerve-racking because of how close the school is. I just spoke a little about myself, and the expectations we have for them, as well as the subjects we will cover. I also talked about the uses of the projectors we have now, to help the students learn with programs like PowerPoint.”
    In this way, parents received both information about the logistics of their children’s upcoming work and an important personal introduction with their teachers, which was designed to make teachers more approachable during the school year.

HBHA Rams Remain Unbeaten Against Christ Prep
Hannah Caplan/The Academy Voice

    The Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Rams soccer team celebrated Thursday, Aug. 26, as they finished 1-1, against Christ Prep to remain unbeaten on the year. Freshman Ricardo Zepeda scored the Rams' only goal on a free kick.
    “I just scored, there wasn’t much to it. I got fouled pretty badly, and had a free kick. The kick was from about thirty-five feet out, and I took it, not expecting to make it, and the ball went right over the goalie's head.”
    Although there wasn’t much action in the game and it ended tied, some felt the Rams improved from beginning to the end.
    Athletics Director and Head Coach Austin Benton said, “I felt the second half was a lot better than the first half. We created a lot of scoring opportunities, but we also limited what the other team could do. I felt the other team had more skill, but in the end we created more opportunities.”
    Sophomore Cameron Burns said, “It was an intense game. I felt like we played really well, and even though we tied, it was a good game in the end.”

More Vending Machine Options
Rachel Kaseff/The Academy Voice

    The vending machine in the upper school hallway is, in my opinion, a waste of money, energy, and space. The vending machine sells water, two different flavors of Powerade Zero, Vitamin Water, Coke Zero, orange juice, and apple juice.
    Even though the vending machine is much closer to the classrooms, the students buy their drinks from the Rams Café. The prices are the same at both locations; every drink being a dollar, but the Rams Café has more options. More people are becoming environmentally friendly and are bringing reusable water bottles. Besides that, we have drinking fountains in the hallways.
    I think we should be using the space and money that the vending machine is taking up for better things, such as drinks that aren’t sold in the Rams Café or snacks. Some drink ideas I have in mind could be the Naked smoothie juice or regular Snapple. Some snack ideas could be Chex Mix or chips. The vending machine could even sell fruit! Also, I think the drinks should either be cheaper or bigger.
    Over all, I think the vending machine serves no purpose in the upper school hallway right now, but has the potential, finacially, if used right.

    Although the temperature was in the 90s on Monday, Aug. 23, the seniors at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy braved the heat to spend the day at Tucker Leadership Lab, located at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.
    This was the class of 2011's fifth year at Tucker, and this last trip presented a special challenge: The seniors had to climb Outlook Tower, a wooden construction of dangling logs, hanging ropes, and a staircase, all leading to a high wooden platform. The seniors not only had to climb up the tower, but belay each other, or control the ropes hanging from the climbers' harnesses.
"The field trip really strengthened my trust in my class...I feel like we are so close," said senior Shira Levine.
    Each senior climbed and belayed at least once throughout the day. They were accompanied on the trip by English Teacher Cynthia Knight as well as Dean of Students Todd Clauer, who actually ascended the tower blindfolded.
    "In some ways it was physically easier to climb blindfolded, but mentally it was a lot harder; I was so focused on figuring out where everything was that I didn't think about anything else," said Clauer.
    The class prepared to climb by doing a team-building exercise with a 'magic stick', a pole which the students had to lower to the ground as a team using only their pointer fingers.
    Knight, who pronounced the trip "a great bonding experience," said that althouth "this was my third year [at Tucker] and even though we're doing the same course each time, I learn something new about the students and myself each time I participate."
    "Tucker Leadership Lab was a wonderful wonderful wonderful experience!" said senior Ari Wolf, and fellow senior Davida Rosenthal declared the day "...a great way to start off senior year."

HBHA Juniors Experience the High Ropes at Tucker Leadership Lad
Josie Thomas/The Academy Voice

    To kick off the second week of school, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy high school took a field trip to William Jewell College to experience the challenges of Tucker Leadership Lab. On Monday, Aug. 23, the high school students left school and traveled to an environment where they pushed themselves and took leadership roles. The goal of the was to improve the students’ capabilities to work effectively as a team and apply leadership skills. Each class completed a unique set of challenges, with the juniors tackling the Odyssey High Ropes Course.
    “It was a great experience and our class worked well together,” said Jeremy Gutovitz. “It forced me to overcome my fears and challenge myself to be a leader of the group. I’m glad our school gets the chance to go to experience something like that because everyone has a good time and our class gets to bond”.
    The juniors were divided into two groups because of the limit on the number allowed on the ropes course. The first group included Josie Thomas, Jacob Mehari, Jeremy Gutovitz, Shahar Bareli, Michelle Noykhovich, and one of the Tucker course facilitators, Mark. The second group included Hannah Caplan, Jake Rose, Shoshana Margolies, Josh Geller, Max Fogel, Tucker course facilitator Dusty, and class mentor James Wilcox.
    “They say they don’t pressure you and make you do the course, but they definitely pressured me,” said Mehari. “I wanted to go down badly, but I made it across all the way. The zip line was very rewarding."
    The juniors played a game of ‘The Protector and Target’ to kill time before going up onto the Odyssey ropes course. This game involved teamwork between the protector and the target, and between the people trying to hit the target with a ball. The people trying to hit the target would stand in a circle around the protector and the target while the protector attempted to save the target. Each person had a chance to experience being either the target or the protector.
    “One of the most fun activities besides the rope course was the ‘Protector and Target’ game,” said Hannah Caplan. “Besides that, I definitely conquered the High Ropes Course. Last year I did the Low Ropes Course and that was also a great way to build teamwork skills. This year I applied the same concept to the High Ropes and the challenge was a bit harder, but I was determined to make it through the whole way”.
    The purpose of Tucker Leadership Lab was to apply, test, and improve essential skills for leadership and effective teamwork.