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Ma’ayanot Fast Facts 2017-2018: A Year in Review

She is Torah…

  • More than 250 students attended the weekly Bruce Ritholtz z”l Mishmar Program on Thursday evenings, which featured more than 85 speakers over the course of the year. Each week, the students selected from a wide-ranging menu of classes on textual and inspirational Torah learning.
  • We launched the new Ma’ayanot Matmidot program, a new series of multifaceted educational programs that offer students a growing menu of Torah learning opportunities. The program includes Morning Midrasha (daily learning after tefilla), a siyum of Masechet Megillah and Rambam’s Hilchot Megillah before Purim, pre-Pesach learning, vacation learning, and the ongoing Why-aanot WhatsApp forum for students to post their questions about Torah and Judaism to a group of faculty members.
  • In the Bronka Weintraub High School Bekiut Program, our students placed First in the girls Amud Competition and won Second and Third place in the Girls Daf Competition. This year was a record-breaking contest, with more than 430 students across the continent taking the tests and more than 200 of them completing all five tests.
  • Showing their mastery of sefer Devarim, our Torah Bowl team competed in the finals.
  • A senior won 2nd place at the Torah in the City competition at Citi Field.
  • After our seniors finished their formal studies, they asked for more! They returned for Senior Friday Learning with faculty for the weeks leading up to graduation.
  • Our students produced two excellent Torah publications: the weekly Talilei Orot on parshat hashavua and Ma’ayanei Torah for holidays.

She is STEAM…

  • Our 11th grade STEAM students won 1st place in the ITEST InnoVention Competition, held at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering.
  • Sophomores competed in the first annual “Carp Tank,” a Shark-Tank style competition in which our young entrepreneurs presented their new inventions, aimed at alleviating physical challenges faced by residents at the Jewish Home at Rockleigh. The students bonded with residents throughout the school year and learned about their individual needs.
  • We held our first annual STEAMishmar in which our science teachers taught science-related Torah classes at the Bruce Ritholtz z”l mishmar program.
  • Students presented their capstone projects to families at the first annual STEAMposium.
  • Our STEAM students enjoyed a field trip to NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, where they noted many similarities to Ma’ayanot’s state-of-the-art Makerspace.
  • Our STEAM team will be presenting at the Global Forum on Girls Education II in Washington, DC, on the topic, “Fostering STEAM Leadership Through Co-Curricular STEAM Activities.”

She is Humanities…

  • Our mock trial team competed in the Bergen County finals at the Hackensack Municipal Courthouse.
  • The entire school participated in an annual Book Day and film festival that revolved around the “Power of Questioning.”
  • A junior won a Silver Key for poetry in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
  • A freshman won the Jewish Link essay contest for her essay about gun control.
  • Our journalists from our e-Source school newspaper and Sambatyon literary journal attended the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Fall Conference at Columbia University.
  • Sophomores delved into debate during an Interdisciplinary Day on “Room for Debate: Exploring Contemporary Topics Through Multiple Lenses.” Senior Interdisciplinary Day focused on human rights.
  • This summer, our entire Learning Center as well as several history and English teachers will be attending a professional development seminar on expository writing at the Windward Teacher Training Institute at the Windward School, a school in New York for children with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities.

She is Rapids…

  • Our Rapids won 2nd place in the Steve Glouberman Annual Basketball Tournament in Los Angeles. Two of our students won the Glouberman Award and All Tournament Award.
  • JV volleyball competed in the championship.
  • Varsity soccer competed in the championship after an undefeated season.
  • At the annual YULA tournament in Los Angeles, our swim & volleyball teams brought home lots of medals, including 1st place ribbons in 200 individual medley & 50 & 100 butterfly, & 2nd place ribbons in 50 butterfly & 50 breaststroke. The team also placed 2nd in the 100 free relay. The volleyball team went to the championship against undefeated YULA.
  • Members of our track team brought home medals for first place 100 m (in 15 seconds), first place long jump (13 feet), third place shot put (17.2 feet), and third place 3,200 m.

She is talented…

  • Our Shakespeare Society won 1st Place in the Envision Shakespeare Competition, and one of our thespians won the award for Best Supporting Actor.
  • “Room 217,” our first-ever Ma’ayanot band, won 2nd place in the Battle of the Bands competition. They were only the only all-female band at the competition, and only one other girl performed in the entire competition.
  • Our art students presented “Overcoming the Holocaust,” an exhibition of their original artwork at the Teaneck and Bergenfield Libraries.
  • The Musical Theater Club presented a rousing rendition of “High School Musical.”
  • The Drama Society and Black Box Studios showcased their dramatic talents in “Detective Story.”
  • Our 10th annual Heartbeats performance, which was attended by 600 community members, raised more than $17,500 for Tackle Kids Cancer at Hackensack University Medical Center. New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning matched every donation.

She is giving…

  • Our Chesed Committee collected food, clothing, and toiletries, which they distributed to the homeless on Midnight Run.
  • Our students traveled to New Orleans and Charleston on humanitarian missions with NCSY.
  • More than 25 Ma’ayanot students and faculty, plus alumnae, ran in the Jerusalem Marathon and raised moe than $67,000 for Shalva National Children’s Center, which provides services to more than 2,000 individuals with disabilities. Ma’ayanot students also ran to raise funds for New Jersey Yachad and Chai Lifeline.
  • During Pink Week, our students held educational programs, ran a challah bake, and hosted Manicure for the Cure, raising more than $800 for Sharsheret.
  • Ma’ayanot hosted the second annual Genius Bar with Project Ezrah, in which our STEAM students reverse-mentored women who are interested in gaining technology skills and returning to the workforce.
  • Our seniors hosted our annual Purim Carnival for Sinai students.
  • Every grade attended chesed trips including the Adult Reach Center at the JCC on the Palisades, Yad Leah, the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, the Big Challah Bake, and more.
  • To see our students apply the values of Torah and chesed, watch this video.

She is community…

  • For our Bayit Cham program, our faculty opened their homes to students for Shabbatot and yamim tovim throughout the year.
  • Our students and their families hosted Ma’ayanot Chanukah parties, the Lag BaOmer BBQ, Shabbat onegs, Shabbatons, and more.
  • Our esteemed Judaic Studies faculty taught six series of weekly shiurim for the community throughout the year.
  • Our nutrition teacher, Coach Gila Guzman, gave a series of cooking demos on the topic of healthy eating on Shabbat, a program open to the community.
  • Our Book Club, led by English teacher Mrs. Shalvi Isseroff, met regularly throughout the year.
  • Parents joined their daughters to learn Torah together for Family Learning Night.
  • More than 100 community members joined us for our annual Yom Iyun during aseret yemei teshuva and our Annual Day of Big Ideas on December 25.

She is nachat…

  • Class of 2018 graduates were accepted to the following Ivy League and Honors level programs: Barnard College, Columbia University, Macaulay Honors/Queens College, University of Maryland Honors, NYU Tisch School, Princeton University, Rutgers University Honors, & Yeshiva University Honors.
  • The Class of 2018 received 28 merit scholarship awards for a four-year collective total of over $1.5 million, a phenomenal accomplishment for a class of 70 students. Annual awards range from $3,500 to $25,000 annually.
  • One member of the class of 2018 received a National Merit Scholarship and two members are National Merit Commended Scholars.
  • Thirteen seniors were accepted to Stern Honors and awarded scholarship funding ranging from $10,000-$25,000 per year.

She is Israel…

  • Ma’ayanot students attended missions for AIPAC, NORPAC, and the ZOA in Washington, DC.
  • MIPAC hosted monthly lunch and learns with Stand With Us on topics including Israel in the Media, Anti-semitism vs. Legitimate Criticism, America’s Relationship with Israel, and the BDS Movement.
  • Five alumnae made aliyah this year, joining the 20 percent of our alumnae who have made aliyah in recent years. We are proud that several alumnae are currently serving in the IDF or Sheirut Leumi.
  • Ma’ayanot and Yeshivat He’Atid joined together in song, Koolulam style, in honor of Yom Yerushalayim. Watch the video here.