The Academy Voice

The Student Newspaper of HBHA
5801 West 115th Street, Overland Park, KS 66211
913-327-8150
www.hbha.edu

Senior Editor-Elana G.
News Editor-Maggie H., Op-Ed. Editor-David H., Sports Editor- Hannah A., Photo/A&E Editor-Jonathan E.
Staff Writers: Ari W., Mikayla D., Josie T., Hannah C., Max F.

Please contact Faculty Advisor James Wilcox at jwilcox@hbha.edu with comments, concerns, or questions about The Academy Voice

Students Compete in HBHA Spelling Bee
Hannah C./The Academy Voice

    Supercalafragalistic. Can you spell that? Seventh grader, Sophia P. can, or at least all of the words in the annual Spelling Bee. 
    Sophia P said, "After winning the all school spelling bee, I will go on to the county bee. I haven't done any studying for it yet, but I plan to over break... I wasn't nervous at first, but towards the end I got more nervous."
    This years spelling bee took place on Dec. 15, 2009 in the Social Hall of the Jewish Community Center. The spelling bee included students from the fourth- through eighth-grade. The students who got to the all school level were; Gabriel A, Autumn B, Gabrielle C, Elan-Sarah D, Ryan G, Elana G, Joel G, Jacob K, David L, Jacob M, Lindsey O, Lindsey P, Sophia P, David R, Jed S, Ethan S, Alex S, Sam S, and Shayna T.
    This year's Spelling bee was dictated by English teacher, Mike Bannen. First, he would say the word for the student to spell, then the student would repeat the word and the spelling.
    They had the chance to ask for the definition and or origin of the word or the word being used in a sentence. The students were seated on the stage and if they were incorrect they would sit down until their next chance. Once all of their chances were gone, they would go sit with their classmates. As the rounds went on, the words got more difficult. 
    Gabriel A said, "I was nervous at frist, but once I spelled my first word, I was okay."

One Semester Left . . .
Elana G./The Academy Voice

    As the semester comes to a close I cannot help but feel a giant sense of relief.
Exactly one year ago, I was struggling through finals in order to make it halfway through my toughest academic year. As a senior, the hard part is now behind me and I am looking forward to relaxing a little next semester.
    However, I feel as if this semester went by very quickly. I can’t help but think that next semester will be my last at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. It is such a weird concept. I have gone to the HBHA my entire life so this will be a huge change for me.
    Next semester, I know that there are going to be some annoyances and times where I cannot wait until graduation, but I know that it will be bitter sweet when I am finished with HBHA. I am going to do my best to shrug off any annoyances and treasure the time I have left at HBHA.

Oh, What a Semester
David H./The Academy Voice

    My senior year is now halfway over and I am looking forward to when the other half is finished. It is not to say that this first semester was bad. Aside from a broken hand and a fiasco getting my ACT results, it has been a relatively good first semester. The fact of the matter is, I am simply tired of these cramped hallways.
    For thirteen years, I have walked through these halls time and time again and I never really thought about how my days were numbered here at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. Now that my days at HBHA are drawing to a close, I have become tired by many of the things I have to do for school.
I have been swamped this semester with a near constant stream of homework, tests, quizzes and papers, coupled with the need to finish college applications and a drawn out fiasco with my ACT results from Jun., that was not resolved until this past Oct. This past semester has both spiritually and emotionally drained me.
    Although this first semester has been exhausting, it is drawing to a close. I am days away from finding if I get into my first choice for college. The close of this semester represents a significant marker, in that I am nearly done with this stage of my life and nearly ready to start the next and barring some unforeseen event, I can just sit back and breathe.

HBHA Lower School Catches the Spirit
Max F./The Academy Voice

    The Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Lower School students are getting a break from the ordinary, the week of Dec. 14, during Spirit Week. Each day of the week features a different theme for the student to dress in.
    Mon. was Color War Day, which means if a student brought one dollar to school they could wear their class’ assigned color.
    The students really enjoy not having to wear their uniforms. “This week is so much fun! I love not having to wear uniforms like every other day of the year.” Caleb K, exclaimed.
    On Tues. the students will wear their favorite sports teams clothing. Wed. is Pajama Day and Thurs. is No Uniform Day. Each student has a favorite day.
    “I like no uniform day the best,” fourth-grader Yoni M. said, “because we can wear whatever we want, as long as it is appropriate.”
    The teachers also participate. Fifth-grade teacher Nancy Franks said that she likes Spirit Week because, “its fun and more importantly it’s for a good cause.”
    The dollar goes towards the school’s goal of raising one-million dollars for the school. Fifth-grader Emma S. came up with this fund raising opportunity when she heard that the school had not yet reached the one- million dollar fundraising goal.

Bridges of Understanding
Josie T./The Academy Voice

    The Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy seventh-and-eighth grade students went on a field trip on Fri. Dec. 11 to St. Therese, a Catholic School in Parkville, Missouri, for a program called Bridges of Understanding. These students participated in many activities with the other school and made many religious connections with each other.
    “This field trip was a very good experience and I really look forward to going again next year,” said Sophie S., seventh-grader. “I learned a lot and made friends with the other school; I also thought the churches were pretty.”
    While the HBHA students were there, they participated in programs such as bringing a Jewish object to the Christian students, and having them guess what it was. The Christian students also brought the HBHA students a Christian object, and having them guess what it is. After that they made comparisons between the objects and how each one relates to something.
    “I thought Bridges of Understanding was really good,” said Ezra S., seventh-grader. “I loved when we got to play driedel with them because I made new friends, and it was fun to socialize.

Goegraphy Bee Challenges HBHA Students
Maggie H./The Academy Voice

    Have you studied up on your world maps lately? This year’s Geography Bee winner, David L. sure did! The Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy's annual Geography Bee took place Thurs. Dec. 10 in the Social Hall at the Jewish Community Center.
    The Geography Bee is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classroom curriculum. Vicki Sisco, K-12 Launch Coordinator, brought the Geography Bee to the school and has seen only good developments from it since. Sisco thought having the Geography Bee sounded like an interesting, fun, and educational opportunity for students.
    “If students are willing to work hard and study, the payoff is great. Students have the chance to go to Washington D.C. and compete in the Geography Bee there. Overall, it is just a great experience,” said Sisco.
    Students started studying weeks ago to prepare for the Preliminary Rounds. The goal of the Preliminary Round was to select the top ten students, who will move on to participate in the All School Geography Bee. Middle and Lower school students participated in the All School Geography Bee they were David L., Spencer M., Jacob M., Ariel M., Michael P., Nathan S., Sophie S., Jonah S. and Micah S. Each grade had their own Preliminary Bee to select students to participate in the All School Bee.
    “I think that Preliminary Rounds are the most nerve racking part of the Bee. I never know what to expect with the questions, but this year, I think that I am more prepared than ever to answer them,” said Geography Bee hopeful, Shayna T.
    Once students have qualified to be in the Geography Bee, the studying really begins.
    “This was the first year I was in the Geography Bee. I was nervous but I had a lot of fun. I only studied for about five minutes. I want to do it again next year and I will make sure to study more and listen to direction carefully,” said fifth grader Jonah S.
    The Geography Bee has a wide variety of questions, from map comprehension to the religious geography of a region.

Tea Time
Johathan E./The Academy Voice

    From the college town in Lawrence to the tea fields of Asia, University of Kansas student Amanda Riss spent three weeks abroad in China, studying tea on a program through KU. Riss took classes for two weeks at Hnazhong University. She then spent a week touring China. Riss went to the Great Wall, The Forbidden City and a tea plantation. Riss brought back tea from China to share with the fourth- and fifth-grade class at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy.
    Riss taught the students nearly everything someone would need to know about tea; from its discovery in 2737 BCE to the oxidation process it undergoes in order for it to be sold. Fifth-grader Leah S. was amazed by the variety of teas produced in the world,
    "I had no idea that tea came in so many forms. There was green, white, oolong, black and even flower tea", she said.
    After Riss taught the kids about the history of tea, she gave the students a chance to try the tea itself. Students watched as a small dried up ball opened up into a flower as it was submerged in water.
    "My favorite part was the flower tea," fourth-grader Jonathan M. exclaimed. "It was amazing to watch the flower open up in the water. I didn't really like it when I tried it though. It didn't have any flavor, kind of like tofu."
    The students finished with a quiz about the tea presentation.

HBHA NHS Serves Those In Need
Maggie H./The Academy Voice

    On yet another rainy day, on Tues. Dec. 8, the members of the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy's National Honor Society volunteered at the Village Church Food Pantry.
    Usually, the NHS group does one project together. Unfortunately, the director, Christine Germann, was ill on Tues. so the HBHA students helped with smaller projects.
    Faculty advisors Laura Hewitt and Danny Altshull, and students David H. and Joel M. stocked the shelves of the pantry with new food ideas while Elana G., Ilana H., and Maggie H. helped sort clothes in the clothes closet.
    The NHS group will continue their volunteer work at the Village Church Food Pantry next semester.

Mums and Sons
Ari W./The Academy Voice

    On Sun., Dec. 6, from 4-6 p.m., the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy PTO threw a mother-son event called, “Mums & Sons”. The outing was located at AMF College Lanes bowling alley on College Blvd. Kosher Subway was provided.
    "I did it because there has always been a daddy-daughter dance, but nobody has ever done anything for moms and their sons. I just thought it would be nice for mothers to have some time to share with their sons" said HBHA parent Ida Kolkin.
    She didn't do it alone, though. "Everyone [in the PTO] played a part" said Kolkin.
    "My son and I had fun spending time with each other, as well as with his friends and their moms" said first-grade teacher and HBHA parent Jenny Safir. "I think that bowling was a good idea because it's a fun activity for everyone, regardless of people's skill levels. I hope [the PTO] organizes more mother-son events like that."

Go Green With Jeans
Elana G./The Academy Voice

    For the last time this semester, go green on Fri. Dec. 4 with Holchim Yarok by recycling and wearing jeans. Bring either one dollar or a large stack of paper to recycle, on Fri, and you can wear jeans and a green shirt. Holchim Yarok also would like to encourage students to wear their Go Green shirts from last year.

Students Get in the Spirit
Jonathan E./The Academy Voice

    Wacky, tacky, warm, cozy, colorful and all around spirited; the upper school students of the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy had their first spirit week of the year to celebrate the start of the Rams Basketball season. There was a twist to this year’s spirit week. The class that had the most kids who dressed up and brought the most cans for the food-drive, won a free lunch from Kosher Subway. The senior class won the competition and the high school over all collect more than 200 cans.
    “We thought to ourselves, ‘what better way to have a spirit week then to have it while supporting a good cause’” Student Council president Hillary G. said.
    The spirit days included Wacky Tacky Day, Rams Spirit Day, Pajama Day, Dress Like a Teacher Day and Color Wars Day. On Dress Like a Teacher Day, the freshmen dressed up as Mike Bannen, the sophomores as Cody Welton, the juniors as Edna Meltzer and the seniors as Austin Benton.
    “It was such a fun week,” Freshman Emma R. exclaimed, “It was so nice not to have a strict dress code for a change.”

Family Turkeys Made at HBHA
Hannah A./The Academy Voice

    Aren’t you glad you’re not a turkey! On Wed. Nov.25, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Upper School Student Council held a family program to prepare for Thanksgiving.
    During this program, the families created turkeys out of construction paper, Styrofoam cups and markers. The feathers of the turkey were made by tracing the students’ hand. On the hand, the students wrote five things that they were thankful for.
    “I really enjoyed interacting with the younger kids. They are always so much fun. I loved making the turkey and writing what I am thankful for on it. The best part was being able to bring the turkey home to show my mom and dad,” said freshmen Sarah H.
    Once everyone in the family had finished making their turkeys, the middle school students helped read a Thanksgiving story to the family. Once the story was completed, the older family members led a discussion about the story. The questions dealt with questions such as: why is Thanksgiving important to Americans and other questions related to the story.

HBHA NHS Returns to Food Pantry
David H./The Academy Voice

    On Nov. 24, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy's chapter of the National Honor's Society returned to volunteer at the Village Church Food Pantry on Mission Road. The group included seniors Ben W, Elana G, Ilana H, Joel M, Hillary G, David H, junior Maggie H, and faculty supervisors Danny Altshull and Laura Hewitt. The trip, which lasted approximately an hour, had the students sorting two pallets of canned fruit and soup.
    Hewittt said, "I was absolutely amazed at how much work they did in an hour. They are a mighty group of seven".
    Senior Joel M. agreed. He said, "I feel it [the trip] was great. I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishing so much in so little time". for the NHS will be on Dec. 8.

Controvery Surrounds Fourth-Place Finish
Maggie H./The Academy Voice

    Third place? Fourth place? A tie? What? The Lady Rams ended up technically taking fourth place in the Weiner Tournament, Baltimore, on Sat. Dec. 8. The game was played against the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway. The Lady Rams had previously lost to the HAFTR Hawks in their first game of the tournament.
    Controversy surrounded the third-place game. Head Coach Austin Benton decided to forfeit in the last 14 seconds of the game. The forfeit was due to several disputable calls made by the referees and arguments surrounding the amount of fouls collected by certain players.
    The Rams leading scorer Mikayla D. was supposedly fouled out of the game mid-way through the fourth-quarter. The Lady Rams score keeper believed Mikayla D. only had four fouls while the official score keeper thought she had five fouls, eliminating her from the game. 
    “I was really upset because I wanted to help my team win on the court. I was really confused and upset with the call. This was not the way that I wanted to end the tournament,” she said.
    Not long after Mikayla D. fouled out, starter Maggie H. also fouled out of the game. The Lady Rams who previously had a lead, trailed behind the Hawks by just three points. Point Guard Shira L. committed a desperate foul against the Hawks to stop a fast break play. Shira L. supposedly fouled out of the game as well. However, once again the Rams scorebook disagreed. 
    “I was confused, I knew I didn’t have five fouls. I was frustrated to watch what just happened to Mikayla happen to me,” she said.
    With fourteen seconds remaining, three points behind and only two starters left on the court, Benton sent fouled out Mikayla D. back onto the court. This move caused a technical call against the Lady Rams. After Mikayla D. left the court, Benton sent Shira L. back onto the court. After a short coaches meeting, Benton decided to forfeit the game.
    “I thought it was a bold move by [Coach] Benton. I was confused but would have done the same thing in that situation,” said spectator Aaron T.

Coming Together As a Team
Hannah C./The Academy Voice

    First Two Weeks of Basketball practice: Mon. Wed. and Thurs.
4-4:30 am- Wake up and get ready for practice
5:00 am- Leave the house to get to practice by 5:20 am
5:30-7:00 am- Practice: consisting of hard drills and sprints
7:00-7:30 am- Get ready for school and eat breakfast prepared by mom’s of team players
7:55 am- School starts
3:40 pm- School is finished
4:00 pm- get home and snack, watch T.V, or do homework
8:00-9:30 pm- get ready for bed to get up and do it all over again.
    This year, the basketball practice schedule has been a little different for the team. The Lady Rams started with six a.m. practices, as well as after school practices. After the week of two-a-days we were ready to play! Our first game was the upcoming Tues. Kansas City East. We won our first game of the season and we were all very excited.
    Usually, at the end of the season the Varsity Boys and Varsity Girls team travel to Baltimore to play in the Joseph J. & Florence Weiner Memorial Basketball Tournament, but this year the tournament took place in December because of a conflict with the holiday of Purim. This is my second year going to the tournament and I couldn’t have been more excited. This year’s team has a different attitude about the game than last year and I could not wait to see how much better we connect as a team on and off of the court.
    After travelling to Baltimore, I think our team has connected on a level that no one thought possible. During our games we learned about how each person plays and what makes our team, our team. I could see a difference the first day of the tournament. Our team fought until the end at the Sat. night game. We ended up being 4-2-1 at the end of the tournament, leaving our team with a season record of 6-2-1. We even had two girls make the 1st all tournament team. Even though we did not win the championship, our team was one of the most successful teams I have been a part of.
    We played a total of seven games throughout the weekend against the five other girls’ teams at the tournament. We ended up losing one of our starters in the first game, but after losing the game we were determined to win and do the best we could. I am very impressed with the way we played and the outcome of the tournament. We have a long season ahead of us and I cannot wait to see how much more we improve.
    “It’s not about how much time you spend at practice; it’s about what you put into the practice. A team with a great work ethic will outshine a team that just comes to practice and doesn’t give it their all.” Austin Benton, Director of Athletics said.

Rams Finish Sixth in Baltimore
Hannah A./The Academy Voice

    The Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Rams battled their way through the 2009 Weiner Tournament hosted by Beth Tfiloh in Baltimore, Maryland. The Rams came out of the tournament without a win, but with their heads help high.
    “Even though we were not as successful as we were hoping to be, I still had a lot of fun. We got better from playing these games and I'm sure that it will pay off for the rest of the season,” said sophomore Max F.
    Six schools from across North America participated in the tournament. The schools were the home team Beth T’filoh, Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto from Canada, the Hebrew Academy of Five Towns and Rockaway from New York, the American Hebrew Academy from Greensboro, North Caronlina and Kushner from New Jersey. The Rams battled all of these schools and finished in sixth-place. The Rams Jeremy G. was named to the Second-Team, All Tournament Team. The Rams finished the tournament with a record of 1-8.
    In the Rams' first game they played AHA and lost by twenty-three.  
    “They always tried really hard even though they weren’t successful. It was really fun to watch and cheer for them, just like they did for the girls,” said junior Maggie H.
    In the second game the Rams played HAFTR and lost by twenty-four points.  Then the rams played one of HBHA's rivals, Beth t’filoh. In the first five minutes of the game the rams were up 3 to 0, but at the end of the game, the Rams were down by seventeen. The last team that the Rams played was Kushner, which the Rams also lost 54-30.
    The last game the Rams played was against AHA for the fifth place title. In first quarter of the game, the Rams were beating AHA by two. In the other three quarters of the game, the Rams struggled to get more points than AHA but they were close behind. The game ended with a score of 46-38 with AHA with the win.
    The Rams batteled their way through all of the games. The teams they had played were much older with more juniors and seniors on their teams. The Rams are a much younger team, the bulk of the team are freshmen and sophomores.

Rams Collect First Win of Season
Max F./The Academy Voice

Lady Rams Snag Second Win
Josie T./The Academy Voice

    With a final score of 44-39, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Lady Rams secured their second win of the season against Cristo Rey, on Nov. 23.  The Lady Rams took an early first-quarter lead of 14-8, before being out-scored in the second-quarter.
    “I thought we played really well as a team because the girls on the other team were so large,” said senior, Rebecca B. “We won because we got the ball going and we pulled together as a team. I don’t think I did my best at this game but I definitely learned to not get frustrated now.”
    “The girls we played were beast and they kind of scared me at first,” said Shira L., junior. “We pulled through by playing tough and we came out with a win. I think I did okay and made some shots, but not all the shots I wanted."
    It was a very close game until the fourth quarter, when the Lady Rams took the lead again.  Mikayla D. led the Lady Rams in scoring with24.  Shira L.’s added 10 and Hillary G.’s added 6.  No one hit any three pointers, but Mikayla D. made all 10 of her free throws.
    “I think they played well and the girls definitely showed teamwork on the court because they were scared of the other team”, said Jeremy G., sophomore. “It was very exciting to watch and I’m looking forward to the next game.”

Tough Lose Drops Rams to 0-2
Mikayla D./The Academy Voice

    32 minutes…. To play hard and to give everything you’ve got on the court. But sometimes it’s just not enough. The Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy rams boys varsity basketball team had a hard and tough loss on November 23, 2009 against Crisco Rey. The boy’s record is now zero wins and two losses.
    “I think we worked well as a team and even though we lost we got a lot out of the game. With a few hard practices we will learn from out mistakes and do better next game” said sophomore Jeremy G.
    All players have a role on the team whether it’s rebounding or scoring or just keeping the spirit up, all players whether on the bench or playing are important. Sophomore Jake R. had 16 points; Sophomore Jeremy G. had 11 points, both Junior Aaron T. and Senior Ben W. having five points and Sophomore Justin R. having one point.
    “They did really good job passing the ball around but put up pressured shots but overall a good game” said Senior Joel M.
    “They pulled through together and came close during the third quarter but overall a very exiting game to watch” said Senior Rebecca B.