Class of '19 Prepares for College

Describing the sessions as eye-opening and emotional, seniors closed Capstone's College Readiness Week on Thursday by writing personal accountability contracts and reflecting on the many lessons learned. College Readiness Week at Scheck Hillel is an opportunity for seniors to tackle critical non-academic subjects ahead of their upcoming college experience.  
 
Those subjects included Jewish advocacy and practice on the college campus, a discussion led by former Scheck Hillel student, IDF veteran and Columbia grad Rudy Rochman, who was joined by alumni Judy Abadi '18, Mark Hanz '17, Leah Savir '17 and Sammy Tryzmel '18 via FaceTime. Another Scheck Hillel alumna, Allison Schwartzbaum '04, shared her own story and led an interactive conversation about the LGBTQ+ community. A Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) victim advocate and guests focused on the life-altering consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Finally, Miami Dade Police officers expounded on the devastating trends of distracted-driving and social media misuse.  
 
For student Alex Almosny '19, it was important to learn first-person from the mistakes of others. "This week was full of surprises," he reflected. "New emotions arose each day." Emily Rodman '19 commented that the sessions were preparing them for "...the college experience,  the real world, after many years in Scheck Hillel."
 
Taken together, this week packed with facts, new awareness and time for introspection: the foundations for positive decision-making in the future.

The Capstone Senior Seminar introduces students to seminar-style learning in English and Judaic Studies. Students meet daily with core Capstone faculty and engages in a series of 2-3 week units addressing "essential questions" – definitional topics that transcend academic areas – through multiple academic lenses. Director of Student Life Yishai Cohen organized the speaker visits and facilitated sessions. Senior Capstone faculty include Andrew Butler, Rabbi Rodney Feinerman, Rabbi Elie Ganz, Rabbi Uri Pilichowski, Rabbi Shlomo Sprung, Joan Smith and Opher Yunger. 
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