WHAT’S DEVELOPING AT CARDIN
Annual Fund Drive
With Groundhogs’ Day long past and winter obviously still here, the Annual Fund continues to be the main focus of the Development Office. To date we have received contributions totaling $70,000 from the greater community, including parents. That is less than half of our goal. Our attempt to reach 100% parent participation continues. Next month, Mrs. Prince, Rabbi Seltzer and I will embark on the inaugural individual visitation campaign by visiting parents to discuss the annual drive and its importance to Cardin. We look forward to the opportunity to share our vision for the growth of the school and its unique programs and to explain why your participation is so crucial.
FUN-RAISING at Cardin
Thank you- thank you very much. Can you identify the person who made that phrase iconic in American culture? Of course, it was Elvis, the King!
How do I know that for certain? I was among the audience this past Sunday when Dr. Gary Vikan, Director of the Walters Art Museum, spoke about Elvis, his role in American culture, the annual pilgrimage to Graceland, and his adoring fans. He even showed us where Elvis is hidden in ancient art.
It was quite literally a fun-raising event for the senior class trip to Israel. The relatively small audience was greeted by classic songs, velvet paintings and even a pop-up book of Graceland. Dr. Vikan was amusing and informative and his relaxed manner put the group at ease. Thank you to the senior class parents who assisted with the event, Kathy Lichtenstein and Desiree Robinson. Inspired by my observation of the crowd, I learned that our efforts at raising operational funds for the school need to be more entertaining- less dreary. Let’s add some “cool” to our attempts.
The slate is clear and the development office staff has purchased blue suede shoes to help us move forward. I am open to all suggestions for hip fundraising and will even reward the person (or people) who submit the most creative and potentially effective suggestions for ways to engage the Cardin community in growing our annual fund. It’s Now or Never….start thinking!
Dine Out for Cardin
Many thanks to those of you who joined us at the first Dine Out for Cardin on February 2 at Accents Grill and Cocoaccinos. Because of the enthusiasm of so many, we received a check this week in the amount of $400 toward the senior class Israel trip. All day, shoppers and merchants stopped to speak to our students and staff. Many were surprised and interested to learn about our school. This was another example of advancing our name while joining together as a community for a worthy cause. We are most appreciative of those from the CJE and various synagogues who made it a point to come with friends and family for lunch and/or dinner to show their support. We extend a special thank you to Lara and Larry Franks, owners, and to the employees of both establishments who were helpful and patient. I encourage you to visit them often!
Reflections on Cardin
Like many of you, I received the news last week that the Board of Trustees made the decision not to purchase The Kanner Building and 55 acres at Rosewood. I first experienced an instantaneous rush of disappointment and then my eternal optimism kicked in. In Dr. Wendy Mogul’s popular parenting book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, a guide based on Jewish teachings, the author helps parents to create a positive world view for their children in a culture of indulgence. She urges parents to let their children experience failure. In her list of nine blessings, she includes frustration, which is probably the one most descriptive of our community at this time. Her universal message is that in order to succeed, one must fall down, skin a knee and then move forward. We learn from difficult challenges. I know that my parents taught me that life is not always smooth!
It is true that that there are collective bandages on our knees from previous disappointments and now on our elbows as well. As the Board pursues new options for a permanent Cardin campus, it is important for each of us to be resourceful and resilient. Frustration can be an impetus for personal growth. As Rabbi Stuart Seltzer so aptly put it in the press release, we need to concentrate not on where we are located, but on what we do so well.
If you take a good look at our new tag line, “Above all, learning”, it seems prophetic. Let’s remember that Cardin is an exceptional educational institution with wonderful families, intelligent, curious students, committed faculty, visionary administrators and a Board of Trustees with the School’s best interest at heart.
Margi Hoffman
Director of Development & Marketing
JUDAICS.COMMUNICATIONS
OBSESSIVE SONG-CONNECTING BEHAVIOR
The week before snowmagadden, Cardin faculty and students brainstormed which secular songs best capture the verses from Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verse 1-8. This was the culminating celebration of our Wednesday morning speaker series when we met with community experts in various fields such as farming, hospice care, genetics, geology, scholarship, and Judaism to examine how these verses relate to life in our times. Mr. Cantor found himself whistling to Midnight Cannon Ball (Duke Robillard) when he thought of the verse, “a time for wailing and a time for dancing.” Cory Hiken, ‘10 connected “a time for silence and a time for speaking” to The Truth (Jason Aldean), and Dr. Prentiss associated Throw It Away (Toby Rand) with “a time for keeping and a time for discarding.” Mr. Bryant surprised us when he chose Oops! I Did It Again (Britney Spears) for “a time to embrace and a time to shun embraces.” DJ Doug Sandler turned these free association song-connecting selections into a game show where students had to match verses of Ecclesiastes with student-faculty song choices. The song could either be related by its title, its message, a single line, or just because it musically made one think of the verse. We had a lot of fun guessing the songs and listening to the explanations for each song. Purim is quickly approaching, and this obsessive free-association song-connecting behavior just won’t go away. I find myself singing the following song:
Adar is finally here. Stand up and give a cheer. Don’t worry. Be happy.
Queen Vashti he gave the boot. Cause she wouldn’t dance in her birthday suit. Don’t worry. Be Happy.
Queen’s Esther’s hot to trot. She put Haman on the spot. Don’t worry. Be happy.
The evil Haman they did hang. Esther’s praises we all sang. Don’t worry. Be happy.
Swing your grogger round and round. Haman’s name stamp in the ground. Don’t worry. Be happy!
Let me know if you recognize the song. Happy Purim!
BLEWS INVITE CARDIN STUDENTS TO A PERFORMANCE OF “FIRES IN THE MIRROR"
On Friday, January 29th, Cardin 11th and 12th grade students met with Dr. Valerie Thaler from Towson University and Baltimore Hebrew Institute in preparation for their trip to see a one woman performance of “Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities” written by Anna Deavere Smith. Dr. Thaler received her PhD in Modern Jewish History from Yale University in May 2008 and currently teaches courses on Black-Jewish relationships. After a brief video presentation, Dr. Thaler reviewed the facts and shared alternative interpretations of the riots from various perspectives. On Monday, February 1, we traveled to Western High School where we had front row seats to the performance by Anna Deavere Smith. The performance was followed by a panel of African-American and Jewish clergy, the actress, and the director. We are grateful to BLEWS for planning and inviting us to this informative program.
BE OUR GUEST! BE OUR GUEST! PUT OUR SERVICE TO THE TEST
According to Rabbi Judah, “hospitality is even greater than receiving the divine presence.” We learn from the author of this teaching that our tradition extols the mitzvah of hospitality. The months of February and March are providing the Cardin Community with numerous opportunities to welcome guests.
Rabbi Alan Yuter of Congregation Bnai Israel explored some of the complexities in the Talmudic tale of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza for our honors Judaic studies seminar.
Rabbi Gus Buchdahl, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Emanuel, prepared our faculty and students for Purim with his lively lecture on “Esther would not have belonged to Hadassah.”
It is customary to start studying the laws and procedures of Passover thirty days before the holiday. On March 17, Rabbi Deborah Wechsler of Chizuk Amuno Congregation will help us examine the four cups of redemption and on March 24, Rabbi Chaim Landau will remind us of “the questions we should be asking at our Passover Sedarim.”
The Cardin School and Krieger Schechter Day School looks forward to welcoming Yoni Shear, a Pardes Educator who will be a student teacher intern with us during the month of March. He will observe classes and mentor with members of our Judaic studies faculty. Before studying at the Pardes Educators Program in Jerusalem, Yoni spent three years teaching Middle School at The Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago and 22 summers at Camp Ramah in the Poconos. The Cardin Judaic Studies faculty believes that mentoring a student teacher will also give us the opportunity to reflect on our own teaching, and to share with a beginning teacher Cardin’s values, vision, and wisdom.
And of course, during interim week, we will be welcoming numerous national and local storytellers and artists to teach, entertain, and inspire us to tell stories.
As soon as Hadar Madnick, one of Baltimore’s young emissaries or “shinshinim” from Ashkelon returns from Israel, Mollye Lipton and her family will host her for the next part of her stay. This is yet another example of how members of our community open up their homes to guests.
Rabbi Stuart Seltzer
Dean of Judaic Studies
CLASSES IN ACTION
Forensics
Students are studying the forensic field of toxicology by analyzing the contents of two types of over-the-counter drugs (antacid and pain reliever). They are running various tests for solubility, pH, and reactions to hydrochloric acid and ferric nitrate in order to make comparisons between brands of drugs. They will use this data to identify an unknown pain reliever and antacid.
Dean Whitfield 
Physics
Students in physics studied centripetal motion and measured the centripetal acceleration of a rubber bob on a string. Calculations of tangentional velocity and period are made to determine the centripetal acceleration. This calculated value is then compared to a known value and a percent error is calculated for the experiment.
Physics students have also worked on determining the effects of mass and friction on airplanes in flight. This compliments their studies of rotational motion including determinations of velocity tangent to the circle and radial acceleration.
Dean Whitfield
GOOD AND WELFARE
Mazal Tov Dr. Prentiss!
Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement in the field of horror writing, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work Dracula. Since 1987, the approximately 500 members of the HWA have recommended, nominated and voted on the greatest works of horror and dark fantasy of the previous calendar year, making the Stokers the most prestigious award in the field of horror literature.
Dr. Norman Prentiss, English department chairman, is a finalist in the Superior Achievement in Short Fiction category for his story, In the Porches of My Ears. The awards will be presented at the World Horror Convention in Brighton, UK.
SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES
JTS Teen and Educator Opportunities
Do you know a rising junior or senior in high school? If so, tell him or her about United Synagogue Youth’s (USY) wonderful Summer in the City program. For one month, participants experience the best of all that New York City has to offer, both academically and culturally. They learn from top instructors at The Jewish Theological Seminary and Barnard College-Columbia University; explore the rich culture and history of New York City during evenings and weekends; and experience Jewish New York in a program supervised by USY. The Summer in the City precollege program promises an exciting, unforgettable summer. Please direct interested students to http://www.usy.org/programs/sitc/.
The Davidson School offers full-time, part-time, and distance learning MA programs in Jewish Education with opportunities for specializations in day school education, synagogue school administration, and informal and communal education. Thanks to the generosity of the Jim Joseph Foundation, the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education of JTS is pleased to offer full-tuition fellowships for exceptional MA applicantsfor fall 2010. The Davidson School welcomes students of all ages and backgrounds who have a wide range of professional goals within Jewish education. All applicants will be automatically considered for the fellowships. To view the application and its requirements, visit the Admissions website. For more information on the MA program, visit the Davidson School website or contact Abby Eisenberg, Director of Admissions, at (212) 678-8022.
Teva Jewish Environmental Summer Seminar
Plan now to join the Teva Seminar, June 7-10, 2010. This one of a kind four day professional development opportunity in Jewish Environmental Education brings together students, camp staff, congregational and day school educators, Torah scholars, lay leaders, and farmers every year. Registration is open! You’re invited to sign up now and take advantage of a limited time $50 off registration Early Bird Special! Click on http://tevalearningcenter.org/seminar2.php for all the details.
Kayam Farm Summer Internships
Students will gain an understanding of organic agriculture, Jewish agricultural law, environmental education, and get to live in a dynamic community with lots of interesting individuals. Please see attached flyers for details: Video Intern and Art Intern.
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