Weekly Update With Arnie

 

Back in the days when we would go to stores (remember them?), it was not uncommon to find on the receipt for a purchase a request to fill out a brief survey.  I recall a few times when a clerk would suggest that when I get to the question, ‘On a scale of one to ten, how likely is it that you’d recommend our store?’, that I rate the store a ‘10’, so she could get a bonus.

I’m told that we will someday return to stores, and deal with clerks, as well.  But the ubiquitous survey question, ‘on a scale of one to ten…’ has been around for a while, and will likely be around for a good long while, as well – both in the physical as well as the virtual world.

That’s because that question – which is part of a protocol termed ‘Net Promoter Scores’ (or ‘NPS’) - gives organizations remarkable insight into how they are serving their clients with only a few very simple questions.

The authors of the survey, which was developed through the consulting firm, Bain and Company, sought to distill market research to a core axiom - we listen to the recommendations of others, and that we are more likely to follow their suggestions than we might think. 

In effect, the NPS questions and the resulting data are used as proxies for gauging clients’ overall satisfaction with a company's product or service and the customer's loyalty to the brand.  It’s no wonder that it has become so common because ‘smart’ organizations (like Netflix, Amazon and Starbucks to name a few) have learned that by building their capacity for customers’ recommendations, their businesses will grow.

I had the privilege a few years back to work with the authors of the Net Promoter system, Fred Reichheld and Rob Markey, in their efforts to build a nationwide network of not-for-profits using ‘NPS’ to improve their performance.  I learned a great deal from Fred and Rob, and from my colleagues (at places like Teach for America and Big Brother/Big Sister) on how to apply NPS to better meet the needs of all of our partners.

It is with that goal in mind – to better meet the needs of all our partners – that we share a very brief ‘Net Promoter’ survey in this issue of the Etone.  I hope you’ll find it one of the shortest surveys we’ve asked of you, and when I share back data – after the first of the year – I think you’ll agree that a lot can be learned from listening and asking good questions.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Many thanks for taking the time to fill out the survey, and if you ever want to spend a really boring hour, let me tell you about my presentations on NPS to Jewish organizations around the country.

 

Shabbat Shalom,

11/24/2020

 

The history of Thanksgiving introduces us to a new American hero, Sarah Josepha Hale.  Hale, born in New England shortly after the Revolutionary War, may be the individual most responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday in the United States; it had previously been celebrated mostly in New England.  Each state scheduled its own holiday, some as early as October and others as late as January; it was largely unknown in the American South. Her advocacy for the national holiday began in 1846 and lasted 17 years before it was successful

In support of the proposed national holiday, Hale wrote presidents Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, and Lincoln. Her initial letters failed to persuade, but the letter she wrote to Lincoln convinced him to support legislation establishing a national holiday of Thanksgiving in 1863.  The new national holiday was considered a unifying day amidst the stress of the Civil War.

Before Thanksgiving's addition, the only national holidays celebrated in the United States were Washington’s Birthday and Independence Day. Hale's efforts earned her the nickname "Mother of Thanksgiving".

Yet, it is the story of Thanksgiving, not its factual origins, that still engages us, perhaps most especially this year.  Like other ‘foundational stories’ of America’s history, the story of Thanksgiving has been under review of late and some of its premises are being called into question.  And while it is true that Lincoln’s proclamation in 1863 made no mention of the Pilgrims or native Americans, or any meal together, the themes in the narrative we were all taught – and still teach – retain their lasting value.  The themes endure not because they are necessarily based on fact (in a not dissimilar way to many of the truths of Torah), but because they tell us something about ourselves.

The Thanksgiving narrative reminds us that American communities are built across differences; that we bring people different from ourselves to our table, and that in itself is worthy of celebration because it helps define our enterprise. Further, we are truest to our calling when we operate from a foundation of gratitude. When we gather together to ‘bow our heads’, we are fulfilling the promise we understand to have been set in the very earliest days of our nation. We recognize that our bounty is a product of Grace.

All the more so this year when our capacity to physically sit at the same table is drastically limited, where (we hope) this crazy year may remind us of the Grace we have lived in, and hope to return to shortly. For a community-within-the-American-community like AEC, where we embrace the differences of members of our school community, built on a tradition where we teach children that the first words out of a Jew’s mouth when they awake are ’Modeh ani l’fa-neh-kah’, ‘I am grateful before You for having returned my soul to me’, we are well acquainted with the themes of the foundational narrative of Thanksgiving. We try our best to live it every day here.

Perhaps, just as in 1863, this Thanksgiving can serve as a ‘unifying day amidst the stress’ we have experienced, bringing us closer together despite being further apart, giving us pause – and cause – for renewal, so sorely needed.

With best wishes for a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving.

 

11/20/2020

 

Since the start of the school year, I hope it has been clear to the entire Adelson community the seriousness with which the school’s leadership takes the safety and well being of every member of our community who enters our facilities.  Yet we know that each day is a brand new one; one for which we must continue to be vigilant.  

It was those themes, along with a rise in infections and infection rates, that set the stage for this week’s Open Parent Meeting, where I had the opportunity to share some reflections – ‘making a case’ for in-person education, reminding the audience about our track record as a school, and then sharing some key points and some ‘asks’.  What follows is a summary of those reflections. 

 

The case for in-person instruction.

It is heartening to hear the agreement between the parent body and the staff regarding the value of in-person instruction.  Their good instincts are increasingly being validated by research, including:

• A recent Stanford University study of 19 states estimates that students lost on average between 57 to 183 days of learning in reading and 136 to 232 days in math during the spring closures. New York City students lost 122 days in reading and 209 in math—essentially a year of education in a few months.  For children in districts like Chicago, Los Angeles or Las Vegas – districts where the most vulnerable populations of school age children live, their learning loss is profound, and cannot be made up with simply giving them a ‘pass’ for the  school year.  Losing a year (or perhaps a year and a half of in-person instruction is a penalty that will literally last a lifetime.  Conversely, by providing children with in-person instruction, we are laying the foundation for continued success – in high school, college and beyond.

 

• Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania estimate that lower education quality during schools’ closures “costs current students between $12,000 and $15,000 in future earnings, varying by age. By October 1, 2020, they project students in grades 1-12 had lost between $43,000 and $57,000, or 4 to 5 percent of their lifetime wage earnings.”  And the longer kids are kept away from in-person instruction, these losses will be compounded.  As responsible members of a wider community, we can’t help but note that school closures will particularly burden lower-income parents who can’t work from home or afford backup childcare. 

 

•  Brown University economics professor Emily Oster, who has been tracking virus cases at a sample of schools with more than three million students and 422,000 staff, reports there have been substantially fewer cases among students and teachers than among local populations.  Parents can check the ‘Dashboard’ on those data here.

In sum, keeping kids in classes is not simply a matter of providing a convenience for parents (or even serving the greater economy) – it’s about securing a successful future for our children;  children’s learning in these formative years is irreplaceable, and our work to secure that learning demonstrates the great responsibility we have towards them and their families.

And I haven’t even begun to mention the social-emotional value of enabling kids to spend time with their peers, connect with their teachers, and spend time in a wholesome, secure community.  The data reported of children not attending school and their rates of depression, suicidal ideation, alienation and more is simply frightening, and we strive to keep our kids well – both physically and emotionally - as we keep the school open.

 

Our track record

Our stringent protocols – not allowing anyone other than staff or students on the grounds at any point during school hours, strictly enforcing our social distancing and mask wearing protocols, and quarantining per the SNHD’s guidance, have helped us reach today, where we completed fifteen weeks of classes where all children are taught – in person – without evidence of a single case of COVID being transmitted to a child (and, please God, let that continue).

Let me translate that into some clear numbers;  by educating close to 500 students  every day, and by doing that for now close to 70 days, we have logged somewhere between 30,000 and 35,000 ‘student school days without evidence of a single instance of transmission of COVID to a child.  

Few, if any schools in the region can make that claim.  It’s one we take enormously seriously, and we know that we have reached this point because of the remarkable partnerships we are blessed to have – with our staff who have continued to perform at the highest levels of professionalism; with our students, who have simply been terrific in following our protocols, and have continued to be focused on their learning and support of each other; and, of course, with our parents, who have demonstrated why this is such a remarkable community, where caring for our families and for each other remains a singularly high priority.

 

Therefore, we’d like to reinforce a few key points, and maybe make an ‘ask’ or two:

Because we are all in this together, let’s remember that key to our continued success is communication.  We ask for families’ continued transparency – and compliance – if you (or a child) test, please tell us, and stay home until you receive a (hopefully negative) result and share the results with us.  Similarly, if your child is ill, please have them stay home, and if you decide to test them, let us know and keep your child at home until you can share the results with us.

We were so pleased that this sense of ‘shared commitment’ enabled so many parents to modify their plans for birthday parties so that they could be safe. We now ask that you consider likewise your plans for Thanksgiving.  This is a different, special year, and when the CDC and the Governor and others implore us to keep our gatherings to just our households, let us take that to heart – for the well being of all of us.

 

• Avoid risky behavior. Eighty percent of those who become infected are in someone's home, and mostly by the people they are living with. Visiting someone else's house indoors for an extended period (especially without masks) is among the highest risks, if someone there is infected. Twenty percent of infections occur outside the home—indoor dining (restaurant or counter service), gyms, and hotels are believed to be the riskiest activities for our community.

 

• Now is the time; now is the moment;  for vigilance, for guiding our children and our families to change our plans and our thinking, and – as a school – to see if we can keep our kids in classes and safe until the end of the semester, December 18, 2020.  

 

• We promise to keep parents informed, and be a responsible institutional partner should the Governor include us in any upcoming lockdowns.  If we are not categorically included, we will study the directives and the data in the community very carefully before making any decision for AEC.  We are committed to keeping the lines of communication open and we believe that by doing so, we can help relieve anxiety for our community in this very, very anxious time.

 

I’ll close where I opened. We are in this together.  We are a community, a ‘kehillah’, where the value of every life, of every child matters enormously.  We are asked to balance enabling children to gain the learning that will enable them to succeed, along with caring for their health and safety.  We know that our track record – while excellent – is tested every day and we can only succeed by thinking of, and supporting, each other.

 

These are, indeed challenging and unprecedented times.  We, as families, as a school, and as a community are being tested.  I have every faith that we will persevere together, alert to the challenges, open to communicate transparently with each other, and committed to the well being of all.

Perhaps that, in and of itself, is a reason for giving thanks.

Best wishes for a healthy, happy holiday to you and yours.

11/13/2020

 

It could be puzzling to note that with over thirty centuries of recorded history, Judaism has a record of very few ‘heroes’, at least in the traditional sense.  There are no dragon slayers, no great warriors, and no conquerors. No one who pulled a sword out of a stone, no standing on the bow of the boat crossing a river to start a new country, no rescuer of the innocent in a burning building.  This apparent  puzzle is solved when one understands that, for Judaism, the hero has always been the teachers. 

 

Moses is honored in traditional circles as ‘Moshe Rabeinu’, Moses, our great teacher.  The great honor of standing when an exalted figure enters the room is not reserved for heads of state – it’s not uncommon for students to stand when a beloved teacher enters the room.  Indeed, the root of ‘Torah’ also animates the word ‘Morah’, teacher. 

 

And thus it is with profound sadness that the Jewish world learned this week of the passing of a giant of this generation, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who died this past Shabbat, in England.  His loss has been noted and will be felt through the Jewish world and well beyond.  He was a teacher to a generation of Jews who sought to find deeper, yet authentic meaning in the text, and yet did not shy away from the complex issues of our world.  After serving many years as Chief Rabbi of England, Rabbi Sacks continued to write (his weekly commentaries, found here, continue to be a source of great insight for both the layman and the scholar). 

 

His sparkling oratory, natural charisma and the originality of his sermons and books, fusing Jewish canonical texts with a wide range of Western thought, made him a kind ‘intellectual and spiritual rock star’. He was a unique combination of an ultimate communicator and original thinker with an incredible breadth and depth of knowledge. 

 

His emailed commentaries on the Torah portion of the week have sustained many with their creative, original and deeply human interpretation of a text whose often obscure or elliptical meaning suddenly emerged, as a result, into sharp and clear focus. 

 

What blazed out from this great and seemingly unstoppable body of work was his deep love for Judaism and the Jewish people, and the overwhelming lesson of hope that he drew from Jewish teaching and Jewish history and offered to everyone.  

 

Having travelled, as he put it, “through philosophy and out the other side”, this background gave him the invaluable ability to show how reason and faith, science and religion were not antagonists but two sides of the same human coin.   This straddling of two worlds demonstrated that Jews and modernity were not only compatible, but that the one enhanced the other. 

 

I got to hear Rabbi Sacks speak a number of times (although never met him personally).  Each time, his speaking style was as crisp and brilliant as his presentation – a Cambridge accent, a starched collar, a neatly trimmed beard.  He always spoke with passion and clarity.  His talks always had a beginning, middle and end, and ‘punch lines’ that helped his teachings endure, and made us in the audience want to bring it back to our families and our communities to share, so that we would all be strengthened by his message.  I am embarrassed by the number of instances where Rabbi Sacks’ words were the basis of a talk or article I was sharing – hopefully always with attribution. 

 

As an introduction, you might want to spend a few moments listening to one of his Ted Talks, accessible through https://www.ted.com/speakers/rabbi_lord_jonathan_sacks 

 

Rabbi Sacks was a personal hero, modeling what a great Jewish teacher can aspire to be.  He used the tools at his disposal – his insight and oratory, along with technology and an astute sense of how to get things done – to help Jews and help the world.  By both raising our sights and deepening our understanding, his is a legacy every bit as equal to pulling the sword from the stone. 

 

Monday night’s message from Nevada Governor Sisolak contained an important message to pass along to our families. COVID-19 cases are increasing at alarming rates throughout the country, and specifically in Nevada. Be safe, social distance and wear masks. We appreciate your ongoing vigilance and concern for the welfare of our school community. While at home, you may want to join us next week for a few interesting conversations on Zoom: 

 

Tuesday, November 17 – The inaugural meeting of our ‘Grandparents Club’ at 5:30.  We want to extend a heartfelt welcome to grandparents and ‘grand friends’ of our students – we have so much to learn from them and so much to share.  This meeting will focus on how we can plan together to make that happen. 

Link –  

 

Wednesday, November 18: Virtual Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival Presents…Live to Bear Witness Webinar at 5:00pm.  I’m pleased to be a part of a panel to discuss the film (available for viewing):  

Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heQQHlwXt6c 

Film: https://vimeo.com/458786433  (Password: eiholzer) 

The film probes how young people can learn about the Holocaust.  You can register to join the discussion here:  https://hillel.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IbU8b1RySsOWgiisqbbMSQ?fbclid=IwAR0Sqg9KDIeCtTrdD_SRabK0HhXNt5QyBrrkKglkqMSluTZj9UJs7YM93vs

 

Wednesday, November 18: AEC Open Parent Zoom at 6:00pm.  As in the past, I invite any questions, ideally in advance, so I can prepare some responses.  I look forward to an open, engaged conversation that I hope will touch on topics like COVID, leadership searches, and anything else that might be on parents’ minds.  You can join us for that session by clicking on the link here: 

11/6/2020

 

Faced with the challenge of trying to serve as Head of School from a distance, I wondered, how was I to get to know the staff at the school?  With the help of Vicky Asher and Tiffanie Zuttermeister, we came up with an interesting plan.  Through the wonders of technology, we offered ‘slots’ for staff to sign up for us to meet, virtually, over the last couple of months. 

 

This week, I am about to complete sixty or so sessions I’ve had with staff.  In each one, I learned about what they do at the school, about their program, about their students, how long they’ve been at the school, what they did before they came to the school, and anything else they thought might be useful for me to understand about them.  And in every conversation, I made sure to ask two questions, ‘What’s one thing we should keep at Adelson?, and ‘What’s one thing that maybe we should think about changing?’.  I told them that I was not in a position to commit to anything they might recommend, but I promised that I would record their responses and pass them along to my successor, so that they would have knowledge of the reflections of the staff (that compilation is approaching twenty pages!). 

 

I wanted to report a bit on my general findings. The responses to the question, ‘What should we change?’ were quite varied, with only modest overlap.  Probably the only frequent response was ‘stability in leadership – a Head of School who is here, in Vegas, and stays for a while’ being the most common of those responses (and I concur).  The others, including ‘Don’t change anything’, were thoughtful, and often touched upon topics specific to the context of the staff member (such as Preschool, Judaics, etc.).

 

What was remarkable was the uniformity of the responses to the question about ‘What should we keep?’.  The frequency – across divisions, subject specialties and length of tenure - was the sense of teachers working together as a team.  Over and over, I heard how faculty felt supportive of each other and how that made them want to come to work each day and work even harder for the children in their care.  I heard how comfortable teachers felt collaborating with their peers, how they enjoyed the company of the ‘people across the hall’, how much they miss the interaction that comes incidentally in the course of a regular day in a non-COVID year, and how all of that – taken together – makes them love coming to work at Adelson and working with children they clearly love.

 

For those of you who have never set foot in a teacher’s room, let me inform you that such responses - even if they are  to ‘butter up’ the new guy a little - are very rare, indeed.  In many schools (and those teachers who have taught outside of AEC confirmed) the atmosphere amongst the faculty is often far, far different.

 

Further, anyone who has tried to lead a school will tell you that making good choices about faculty is critical (and there have been some terrific choices here), and that the guts of the quality of a school day-to-day is the energy and care demonstrated by committed teachers.

 

I’m glad to have had the opportunity to meet with so many of our wonderful teachers.  I am humbled to be their partner this year.  We are a very fortunate community, indeed.

 

Next up, the 11thand 12thgraders – I’m starting to line up those meetings soon, and will report back on those later in the school year.

 

10/23/2020

 

I’m so grateful to the wonderful folks who have shared reflections, given me guidance and, yes – challenged me – as we have worked through this first quarter of the academic year.  As part of that,  questions like, ‘Can you tell me what does the school stand for?’, and ‘What are the distinguishing features of an AEC education?’ come up from a variety of sources. While I think my successor would be well served to take on the important (and intensive) tasks of reviewing and further refining the school’s mission and core principles, I’d like to try my hand at suggesting some guiding educational values, rooted in the Jewish Day School identity of AEC.

Modernity needs the Jews and the Jews need modernity

We are instructed in our tradition that the Jewish people are enjoined to be a ‘light unto the nations’ (ohr l’goyim).  We can only accomplish that by engaging with the wider world.  Simply put, the Jewish people were never at our best when we were an insulated, isolated people.  Rather, it is through the engagement with the wider world that our culture has fully flourished. Our understanding of our texts, our rituals, even our music all retain traces of the imprint of Judaism’s engagement with other cultures.

Similarly, the modern world needs the  commitment to a better world, to seeing every person as a sacred creation, to the values of community and family – the values that lie at the heart of Judaism – now more than ever before.

The modern world is already, and has always been, the beneficiary of the involvement of Jews.  Look at literally any field of endeavor and you will see the contribution of Jews.  For example, the Nobel Prizes in fields like medicine, economies, chemistry, and physics have recognized Jews far, far beyond their number.  For example, the Nobel Prize for Literature has gone to American Jewish poets two out of the last three years.  And we need look no further than our benefactors, Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson to see the sort of contribution and impact Jews can have on the wider world.  Our school is but one example of the great value committed, engaged Jews have on the community and world around them.

But, then how does it work – what are the guiding educational principles that would drive a program in a school such as ours that distinguish us from other good schools, embedded in the ideas and values of Judaism?  I’d like to offer three:

 

1. A tradition of close reading and problem solving

Jewish education must always start with engagement with our sacred texts,  such as we do here at AEC.  We don’t simply run ‘survey courses’ of the texts as might be done in other disciplines.  Rather, we pick apart the verses of Torah to unlock their meaning – we refer to commentators to unpack the Torah’s riches, and we ask ourselves, what can this text mean for me, and for my place in the world.  This sort of text-to-text, text-to-self and text-to-world reading is a distinguishing characteristic of Jewish study, and gives those engaged in Torah study a leg up as they approach any other text they study.

Further, the tradition of rabbinic law, such as children are exposed to here, is fundamentally one of problem solving – the problem being living a sacred life in the mundane reality of the real world.  By parsing, by deducing, by implying, by seeking novel solutions and recognizing how others have done it in the past provides tools that support ‘design thinking’ in a wide range of applications.

Thus, at its core, the tools developed in Jewish text study and the tradition such study has generated, provide an advantage, and yes – a privilege – upon which the education of generations has been built

2. Being counter-cultural enables one to be brave

Jewish history is unfortunately one of terrible persecution and worse.  It has forced us to remain at the outskirts of the general – and the genteel – societies in which we lived.  Being denied rights to property, to trades, and even our identities and our lives, we have a developed history of adaptation.

Jews have always been ready to seek opportunities that others, in their comfort, might have overlooked.  Jews have a history of innovation –  in their own thinking, in their industry and in their engagement with the wider world.  This has led to a sense of liberation to try new things (and an alertness to the needs for liberation in other marginalized peoples).

Being ready to stand outside the crowd, to suggest different approaches, to be ready to try things beyond the popular norms are characteristics that run deep in our history and tradition, and it provides a driving energy for Jewish education. ‘Dare to be different‘ is not simply a slogan in a school that builds upon Jewish learning, Jewish tradition and Jewish history.  No, ’Dare to be different’ has been the slogan of our people’s survival for twenty-one centuries and it inspires the work we do every day.

 

3. Models of leadership through service and empathy

One might think that this ‘particularistic’ legacy – to be ‘a light unto nations’ might lead to a tradition in which the Jewish nation has sought to define its role in a superior position.  Remarkably, our tradition teaches us that we only qualify for leadership when we embrace the ideals of service and of love.

Indeed, our entire prayer tradition is other-directed.  Worship in Hebrew is ‘avodah’, whose meaning in English is ‘service’.  We are taught to devote ourselves to the highest ideals of morality and of behavior through service because of our relationship with Something greater.  

When Jewish educators think about building leaders, we do have in mind the future achievements of our students, but we always put their 'neshamas’ – their souls -  first.  

Thus, an ideal graduate of a Jewish Day School is kind as much as they are capable, confident and brave.

I recognize that for many of us, we’d like a simple answer to the question, ‘Why a Jewish Day School education?’, and that the answer might be different among us.  But there is a compelling case that to help raise a generation, we build upon the tools inherent in our tradition – to be smart, capable and confident, to be brave and ready to stand out, and to be loving, kind and ready to serve.

I’ve seen all of this at Adelson even in my few short months here.  As we continue to strive for excellence in our work together, we can be assured that we have the building blocks for excellence in ways that other schools simply can’t claim – for the future contributions of the children in our care and for those yet to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, May 7, 2021

 

As we move towards the close of the school year, I thought I would use the two ‘penultimate’ articles to focus on results of our program.  This week focusing on some data from the Upper School, including college acceptances, honors and test scores and then next week focused upon the results of the Educational Records Bureau (‘the ERB’ tests), which are taken mostly by students in grade eight and below.  By sharing these metrics, I hope to paint a picture of how the school is doing as we start to wrap up the year.

 

There will be twelve students this year who will be honored at graduation on Thursday, May 20th and I look forward to being present to congratulate each and every one of them for their good work, their perseverance and their achievements for their entire pre-collegiate education, and especially for their maintaining focus in this most challenging year.

 

And meet the challenge they did, not only through their excellence in their work this year, but throughout their times at AEC.  Here at AEC, we are committed to working with each individual student to help them achieve their dreams of a college education and provide them the opportunity to choose from a range of higher education options.  We are so very, very fortunate to have David Girard, a thoughtful and accomplished college counselor working with our students.

 

And their record this year is truly astonishing.  Here’s what our graduates are planning for next year.

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Washington University in St. Louis
• Tavor Leadership Academy of the Israel Defense Forces
• Purdue University
• University of California, San Diego
• And University of Nevada, Las Vegas (seven students, three in the Honors Program)

 

In addition, there were admission offers to 22 schools overall, including:

• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Northeastern University
• Oregon State University
• Saint Louis University
• University of Maryland
• University of Michigan
• University of Texas at Dallas

 

Represented among the twelve members of the Class of 2021 are: 

• AP Scholar
• AP Scholar with Honor
• AP Scholar with Distinction (2)
• Millennium Scholarships (9)
• National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist
• National Merit Scholarship Finalist
• Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship
• Rotary International Scholarship

 

In addition, Merit Scholarships Awarded: ($221,750 per year: $887,000 for four years)

 

The record of our high school students goes beyond these impressive college matriculations.  Indeed, the honors bestowed upon our high schools students are evidence that the school itself  - as Dr. McCue so aptly puts it – ‘is an incubator for their achievement.’  Here are just a few examples of the ways in which their accomplishments are recognized by the wider world.

 

Last night, I was fortunate enough to watch AEC Sophomore Jack Kim honored at the DECA International Career Development Conference ICDC for a Grand Award in Principles of Business Administration.  Jack competed against the top state finalists nationwide for this highest award, and he is the first Nevada student selected to go on to finals! Congrats to the entire DECA team and to Brian Hemsworth, our coach.

 

List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City recently announced that two Adelson students, Jonah Tecktiel and Aviel Parenti were cited as winners of the 2021 JTS Ahavat Torah Award. JTS cited these two young men as ‘having excelled as students and as leaders, these individuals have earned the respect and admiration of their faculty and peers’. We are thrilled to celebrate their achievements through this award.  Adelson was one of only two schools – and the only one west of the Delaware River –to been honored with two awardees

  

Sophomore Nicole Miller was recently appointed to the Nevada Youth Legislature, working with State Senator Keith Picard, focused on legislation that she will help draft that will be introduced to the legislature.  Nicole applied, interviewed and was chosen from the largest number of applications  compared to all the other spots combined 

 

The list really does go on.  Our robotics team has distinguished itself in competitions in its first year of organized entries, the others in our DECA program have also been honored, and numerous other students have received Adelson awards and noted in the wider community.

 

As for tests, Ashley McKinnon recently shared some representative results of her social studies students for their practice Advanced Placement (AP) exams. 9 of her 12 students took a full practice test two Sundays ago on Zoom.  We had five ‘5’s’ (the highest score, one 4, one 3, and two 2s).  Of the three remaining, based on past scores on components, Ashley anticipates one more 2, and two more 4/5s.  For those unfamiliar with these college-level exams, these scores are truly outstanding.

 

We also are pleased to recognize the achievements of our students internally.  For example, today I was privileged to share a reflection in advance of the Fonfa awards to Upper School students for outstanding writing. And this year, we will introduce the Sheldon Adelson ’Keter Shem Tov’ (crown of a good name) award at graduation for the student who best exemplifies the accomplishments, character and commitment that are a legacy of our founder, Mr. Adelson z”l.

 

While there is no single measure for excellence in high school education, the data enables us to recognize the quality, and the excellence – of Adelson’s high school program. We like to think of the program as ‘boutique’, in that it can cater to the whole individual child while maintaining the highest of academic standards and performance, all while building a strong foundation and community for our students.

 

While for many of our parents – especially those in the elementary and pre-school - looking at the ‘outcomes’ of an Adelson education might seem far, far off, it is worth noting, and keeping in mind, that we are a single, unified school dedicated to the success of all our children, from 18 months to 18 years old.  And we have the medals to prove it.

 

Shabbat Shalom,

 

Arnold Zar-Kessler

Interim Head of School

The Adelson Educational Campus

 

 

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PREVIOUS WEEKLY UPDATE WITH ARNIE MESSAGES

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Friday, April 30, 2021

 

Earlier this week, I was pleased to share my excitement in introducing Ms. Sharon Metz as our new Lower School Principal.  I thought I’d use this space to share the reflections of those who know and who are getting to know Ms. Metz.

 

The following are taken from comments we received from colleagues and supervisors, including some who are ‘deans’ in the field of leadership in Jewish Day School education: 

• In my two decades in schools, Sharon is the single most talented educator I have ever had the privilege to know. She is an absolutely gifted teacher; she crafts lessons and curricular plans with great intention and her delivery is masterful--differentiated, engaging, and superbly orchestrated. 
• I give Sharon my highest recommendation for a leadership position at your school. You could not find a more talented, dedicated, thoughtful, and organized educator. 
• Working in a school is hard work, but it is all in the interest of student learning and this is what motivates her. Sharon’s visionary thinking and ability to negotiate many tasks at once are second to none. 

 

The following were gleaned from responses after Sharon’s recent sessions with faculty and parents: 

• She seems to understand the value of parents’, teachers’, and students’ different perspectives. She seems well prepared to build relationships and work with our parents faculty and understand their needs.I feel that she will be able to further  strengthen the alignment between the preschool, lower school, and upper school. 
• I appreciate her knowledge of pedagogy, value of understanding vertical alignment, and how she provided specific examples of ways that she would make an impact at AEC.
• I felt more connected to Sharon as a potential leader for our school. She shows a warm and friendly personality and is honest and transparent with those she would be leading. She also seems very welcoming. 
  

To be fair, if there was a common concern we heard from these recent meetings, it was Sharon’s lack of experience in a role such as Lower School Principal at AEC.  Together, Sharon and the school are taking that seriously.  

We are in the process of lining up professional development training, likely through Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education (where Dr. McCue, Mr. Koch and I have all trained), and on Monday, I look forward to speaking with a terrific, experienced Jewish Day School leader who we hope will become Sharon’s mentor, starting later this month.

Two other factors make me confident that we can help Sharon navigate the first months of her new role.  First, she will be working with a truly outstanding team.  I know Sharon looks forward to learning from and working closely with the Lower School Leadership Team that includes Daniel Kelly, Susan Tecktiel, Dr. Susan Baker, and Dina Rudaizky.  It is my faith in them – and my commitment to helping them all through this period of transition – that gives me confidence.

But even more than that, I am encouraged because I have come to know Ms. Metz now after hours of conversation and meetings and I can see someone who is ready – ready to learn, ready to engage, and ready to lead.  This is a life-long learner, a teachers’ teacher who knows what excellence in a Jewish Day School looks like and is ready to take the next step.

I am truly delighted to welcome Ms. Metz to our school, and I know that our community is as well. 

 

Shabbat Shalom,

 

Arnold Zar-Kessler

Interim Head of School

The Adelson Educational Campus

 

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Friday, April 23, 2021

 

How do we help our children maintain a sense of good social emotional health? This is a question that all adults - parents and teachers alike  - who live and work with young people have always asked. But over the last year, the question has become more profound. There are ample studies that indicate the challenge young people have experienced during this time of COVID.  For example, a recent study noted that….

 

 ‘Children are likely to be experiencing worry, anxiety and fear, and this can include the types of fears that are very similar to those experienced by adults, such as a fear of dying, a fear of their relatives dying, or a fear of what it means to receive medical treatment. If schools have closed as part of necessary measures, then children may no longer have that sense of structure and stimulation that is provided by that environment, and now they have less opportunity to be with their friends and get that social support that is essential for good mental well-being.’

 

Obviously, those children and young people who have not had the benefit of in-person schooling, have been shown to be at the greatest risk for challenges to their mental health. But we should not overlook the impact of the restrictions, the legitimate restrictions, due to COVID that have been placed on kids, such as those attending our school, and others have experienced during this pandemic.

 

This applies to children in every division of our school, from the youngest to the oldest.  Data shows that adolescents and post adolescents – basically our middle-and high schoolers - have been the most challenged by the toll during this period of ‘quarantining’. 

 

We as adults have responsibility to think about the ways in which the challenges to young people's mental health is responded to and how to grow and access the tools that we have to help them.  

 

We're very fortunate that this coming Wednesday evening, April 2, at 7:00 p.m.,  our school will have a chance to learn from two outstanding leaders in the field around social emotional well being for young people, Miriam Ament and Dr. Anat Geva from ‘No Shame on U’. No Shame On U is dedicated to helping communities such as ours understand that the way in which we treat others, especially young people, during times of difficulty, is critical in terms of how the young people themselves respond.  Their focus is on breaking the stigma associated with mental health so the people who need the help will seek it, family members and friends will know how to provide proper support, and to save lives.

 

The way in which we respond to others – especially young people – in need says a lot about who we are as a community.   The program this coming Wednesday evening will focus on the way in which we as adults, respond to young people who are demonstrating challenges around social emotional well being.  If we are honest with ourselves, we know that for many of us we lack the tools, the language, and the understanding of how we can be the best partners, with those members of our community who might be in need.

 

We are enjoined in our tradition to never ‘stand idly by’ when we see the difficulties of others.   This coming Wednesday, we will gain the insight and the tools to be the best partners we could possibly be, those amongst us who need to be brought closer, not shunned, and thus we can better achieve the goals of a community that is inclusive in the ways that matter most.

 

Shabbat Shalom,

 

_{Arnold Zar-Kessler}

_{Interim Head of School}

_{The Adelson Educational Campus}

 

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Friday, April 16, 2021

 

After having completed all my vaccinations and getting the go ahead from my family and physician, I was able to spend time on campus this week.  Having just returned this morning on the red eye back to Boston, I wanted to share a few reflections on how extraordinarily impressed I was by the entire experience.

 

First off - as I'm sure you're more than aware  - the facility is more stunning than pictures can show. From the first entry into the school to the remarkable facilities we are providing our children, I was simply blown away by the beauty and by the care taken in design and upkeep of our school, and I'm thrilled to be part of such an elite private school facility.

 

It was great to finally meet face-to-face with our administrative team. Even though I've had a good deal of contact with them prior to this visit, it was a delightful surprise to see that everyone on the leadership team, with whom I have had zoom calls now for months in do, indeed wear shoes!  Meeting in person was a richer experience than the Zoom calls, obviously, and I found the insight, depth, and commitment of my partners here on the school leadership group to be quite, quite remarkable.

 

I also had a chance to get to see the teachers, albeit far less than I ideally would have liked.  They seem to be a group that - even at this tail end of the school year  - are as dedicated and as devoted as one could possibly wish for, and also, apparently be happy working here.

 

While I only got to see parents a bit in the carlines yesterday, I got a chance to put faces and names together, and look forward to meeting more of you in my upcoming visits.

 

Finally, I got to walk around the halls a lot, trying a bit of  ‘managing by walking around’. By doing this. I got to see lots and lots of children. I got to see them in the preschool when they walked into school, and the tenderness with which they held the hands of their teachers. 

 

I got to see the elementary school students with their bright, bright shining faces, so engaged in their work so comfortable with each other so comfortable in the school, ready to work hard and focus on their learning.

 

I got to see a bunch of middle schoolers as many received awards in yesterday’s program, and how their classmates cheered them on.

 

Finally, I got to see some of our older students in their classrooms, and playing in the faculty student basketball game. They seemed ‘comfortable in their skin’, and with each other;  it’s easy to be impressed with the community that they have made.

 

It was a real privilege for me to finally make it to campus really in many ways a dream come true. I now have a better understanding why people feel so positively towards the school, and my glimpses of the strong program, wonderful community, and warm, welcoming people makes the promise of trips back to more exciting.

 

I look forward to getting to know more of you.  Thank you for a wonderful few days here in Summerlin, a town  - and a school - that is far, far more impressive than I could have imagined. 

 

_{Shabbat Shalom,}

 

_{Arnold Zar-Kessler}

_{Interim Head of School}

_{The Adelson Educational Campus}

 

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Friday, April 9, 2021

 

In the life of Jewish Day Schools, this is a week sandwiched between commemorations both ancient and contemporary. This past Sunday was the last day of Passover. Many of us were busy cleaning up our kitchens and returning to the business of everyday life. After having commemorated – and through the Seder reenacted - our Exodus, as a people for Egypt, we reaffirmed that through God's help, we are no longer a slave nation.  The Holiday and its observance provides us with gifts, legacy opportunities, and responsibilities that animate our lives. 

 

This week, the school commemorated Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day with a remarkable program yesterday for the school. That included firsthand accounts, poetry, music video, and more.  And this coming week. We will be commemorating Israel's Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day), followed by Yom HaAtzmaut,  Israel's independence day. I look forward to being present on campus for these events and programs, which reaffirm our connection to Israel.  Taken together, these series of commemorations mark. The tremendous changes that took place in the 20th century, and are further reminders of our connection to the Jewish people's story. That story started millennia ago and is present and evolving.

 

As a school, we have larger educational goals in mind, as well.  Ample research informs us that adults who help raise children – parents and teachers alike -  help children mature healthy and happy when they feel that they are part of something larger. The notion of being a part of something greater than oneself, enables any one of us to feel that we have a purpose, and that we have a role to play.

 

By giving children a narrative, a set of rituals, and to regularly return to the practice, we are giving children in this school, a great gift - membership in a community that sets the highest ideals and standards for itself, and a vision for the future.  Children learn that they are part of an ongoing story that has a place for them in it, starting with Egypt, including the lessons of European and achieving a nation of our own.

 

In the Las Vegas community, we're very blessed to have such a large contingent of people who call themselves Israelis.  For those of us who regularly say the blessings after meals. The phrase, ‘reishit tzimhat ge-ula-teinu’ - that the State of Israel is the first blossoms of the dawning of our redemption - is a deep and profound phrase. It means that we see in the establishment of the State of Israel, and in its flourishing, - even with its challenges - an opportunity to be able to see our history as evolving.

 

In keeping with these values and approach, we're pleased that we have worked together with the Israel American Committee, or IAC to put in place this current school year, a program called ‘Connectivism’. This program is designed to help our older students, high school juniors and seniors, gain a deeper and fuller understanding of the establishment of the State of Israel, of the challenges that it has confronted and currently confronts -both externally and internal -  and to better prepare these students for when they leave the school and venture out into college and beyond. The program is designed to equip them with the information, the language and the confidence to confront those who are not simply critical of Israel, but actually are prepared to deny its right to exist. 

 

You see, when we enable children to be part of something greater, and when we equip them with a narrative, we also have the responsibility to prepare them for the real life challenges that will confront them. 

 

We are proud at this Jewish Day School to be the emissaries have a beautiful legacy that extends back many, many centuries, and has room and opportunity for engagement and participation for this generation and the story they will tell well beyond their time with us.

 

_{Shabbat Shalom,}

 

_{Arnold Zar-Kessler}

_{Interim Head of School}

_{The Adelson Educational Campus}

 

 

 

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Friday, March 19, 2021

 

_{Last week, I started an exploration of how a school like ours is, in the best sense, countercultural.  I can think of no better example to substantiate that claim than the holiday of Passover itself.}

_{In sharing my reflections on this, I refer to a book that I would heartily recommend for anyone looking for a solid, well written introduction to the cycle of the Jewish year: The Jewish Way by Rabbi Irving ("Yitz') Greenberg. I find myself rereading his essay on Passover each year in preparation for the holiday.}

_{Greenberg lays out the case for history as an ever-repeating scene of despair, “...statistically speaking, human life is of little value, the downtrodden and the poor accept their fate as destined.  It can seem that the powerful and successful simply accept their good fortune as they are due, and that power -rather than justice - seems always to rule religion.}

_{Jewish religion affirms otherwise.  Judaism insists that history, and the social, economic, political reality in which people live will eventually be perfected. Much of what passes for the norm of human existence is really a deviation from the ultimate reality. And how do we know this? From an actual event in history, the Exodus.”}

_{Greenberg suggests that “the freeing of the slaves testifies that human beings are meant to be free, and that history will not be finished until all our free.  The Exodus reestablishes the dream of profession, and thereby creates the tension that must exist until reality is redeemed. This puts faithful Jews at odds with the world, out of step with reality – and our faith as ‘counter-cultural’.  It makes Jewish faith a testimony, the Jews must give constantly until the rest of the world is persuaded; our fellow travelers and we are  outsiders and challengers.”}

_{“We affirm this year each year at the holiday of Passover, and at our Seders, where we re-enact the story of Exodus as a source of hope and renewal that can infuse the present with meaning. Passover, and the Seder, is the ultimate attempt to involve people in the experience of Exodus.  On this night, the Jewish people rise up and set up for the Promised Land, slave again for you again, born again.”}

 

_{Many of us will be participating in ‘reduced’ Seders this year, as we did last year, creating particular challenges.  For those of us just gathering with our children, perhaps we can look at this year’s Seder as an opportunity to reinforce that quintessentially Jewish idea that physical acts reinforce our spiritual values.}

 

_{The Torah teaches us that the verse that helps shape the Seder (Exodus 13:14), where Moses tells the Israelites,  “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “, our Sages teach us that the verse does not say ‘if your children ask’, rather, when – we know that tapping children’s curiosity is what ensure the legacy of Judaism, and the way in which we, as parents (and grandparents) engage our children will not only ‘make memories that last a lifetime’, but also ensures that this view of the world, and history as having purpose, is secured.}

 

_{It is a great, great privilege and responsibility to be the inheritor of a tradition that tells the world’s story of freedom and to be the link to share it with the next generation.  May we absorb the significance of these teachings, and may we rise to the occasion to help inspire all seekers of Freedom, with our story of Exodus as our source and treasure.}

 

_{Have a wonderful break, and a sweet Holiday of Passover.}

 

_{Shabbat Shalom,}

 

_{Arnold Zar-Kessler}

_{Interim Head of School}

_{The Adelson Educational Campus}

 

 

 

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In the years since, I like to posit that I didn’t really leave the counterculture;  rather it left me.  Indeed, I think many of the values I held dear about the sanctity of life and building relationships of caring for those who are less fortunate, and about ‘telling truth to power’ still animate me – I’m not sure if the wider community hasn’t moved on to other values.

Except at a place like our school.  I wanted to take time this week and next to explore the ways in which a school such as ours is deeply counter-cultural – in the very best sense of that word.

Our daily prayers open with an appreciation for being renewed to life, and the passages that follow show an appreciation for our body, for the world around us, and for our lives themselves.  Indeed, much of our regular rituals are all expressing gratitude for what we have been given.  

This approach – through practice, ritual and ultimately habit, builds a pattern in us all, but especially in children.  It teaches them that the world is a place in which they can find joy, a place where they can care for their family and friends, and to be appreciated, in turn.  And that while imperfections do, indeed, exist in the world, the world itself is not a malevolent place.

In this way, children learn to be confident and less fearful about the world around them. Judaism teaches that, ultimately, the world exists – and we exist – because God, the Author of all, brought us into being with love..  It is this belief more than any other that redeems us from solitude, from fate of tragedy and from viewing  the world with despair.

I’m suggesting that because we operate from such a foundation, we are able to impart to children  a perspective of gratitude more than grievance.  We nurture optimism rather than anger.  And what parent doesn’t want their children to be optimists?  When you start as W.H. Auden puts it, 'In the prison of his days, Teach the free man how to praise’ we are enabled, and we enable the children in our care to see the world as a gracious place, a place in which they can handle life’s challenges with confidence and optimism, in which they can show honor, affection and gratitude.

This I suggest is the best way to address a culture that sometimes is led more by grievance, anger and despair.  No, we’re not raising hippies.  We’re raising children with a firm foundation upon which they can build a life of hope, which will be a focus in next week’s Etone, just prior to our Passover break.

Shabbat Shalom,

Arnold Zar-Kessler

Interim Head of School

The Adelson Educational Campus

 

 

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