Chelsea Karp

KJHS Wins First Place at the California Regional Certamen Rounds

A proud team of four Latin students from Kehillah WON FIRST PLACE at the California Regional Certamen Rounds held by the California Junior Classical League yesterday at Harker Academy. They are: Senior, Dana Nozik, Junior, Marissa Taub, and Sophomores, Chelsea Karp and Joshua Booth. After months of meeting during lunch time and hours of studying, they beat out all the other Northern California school teams at their level. Not only that, but they managed to honor Shabbat by sleeping over in San Jose on Friday night and WALKING many miles to Harker and back on Saturday. They now go on to the State competition at the end of the month. Congratulations to them!

Cori Sidell

Scots Climb Back Into Contention

Carlmont-Belmont recorded its biggest girls tennis win of the year on Tuesday, edging visiting Menlo-Atherton 4-3. The Scots, 7-2 overall, climbed back into the race for the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division race. The Bears are 4-1 in the Bay, the Scots are 4-2. “I’m not sure, but some people have told me that Carlmont hasn’t beaten Menlo-Atherton in girls tennis for a long time,” Carlmont coach Amina Doar said.

The match came down to No. 1 singles where Carlmont’s Cori Sidell bested the Bears’ Erin La- Porte 7-6 (5), 6-2. Other Scots wins came at No. 2 singles and No. 1 and 3 doubles. Veronika Dvorak clipped Lauren Diller 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2 singles. At No. 1 doubles, Paulette Varelas and Christine Tataru took care of Chloe Rehlaender and Jordan Capelle 6-2, 6-3. The Scots’ Erin Shields and Pareesa Darafshi defeated the Bears’ Missy Lees and Jenna Scandalios 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3 doubles.

Email John Reid at jreid@dailynewsgroup.com.

Paul Lazarow

I am currently in my third year at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, majoring in history with a concentration in international relations. During my time in college, I have interned at the American Jewish Committee's San Francisco Regional Office twice, with funding from Dartmouth's Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, engaging in Jewish diplomacy. This term, I am interning in Geneva, Switzerland for UN Watch, with funding from Dartmouth's John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding; monitoring the United Nations and promoting human rights while focusing on combating anti-Israel bias and anti-Semitism.

I plan to attend graduate school and spend time in Israel after my graduation.

This is a recent picture of me on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Mark Donig

I went to the Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School back when it was known as the "North Peninsula Jewish Community Day School," from 1992-97 (I transferred to Mid-Peninsula for my last year of elementary school) and attended Menlo-Atherton High school.

In high school, I played JV baseball and Varsity tennis, and participated in a life-changing community service trip called the Diller Teen Fellows, which took me to Israel - I would recommend it for every single Jewish child with parents looking to give their child the combination a meaningful experience and self-discovery with a love for Israel. 

I graduated Stanford University in 2009 in Public Policy and got a Masters Degree in Israel in Diplomacy and Conflict Studies from the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya.

My experience at the day school prepared me academically and as a human being for high school and college. I felt like I entered higher education at such an advantage because of my preparation - not only in the classroom but outside of it, as well. At Stanford, I was Co-President of the Stanford Israel Alliance, and later served as the Liaison between SIA and the more centrist Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, where I co-created a dialogue group for campus leaders concerned with conflict in the Middle East.  I also co-hosted a comedy radio show, wrote weekly columns for the Stanford Daily, and had a memorable cameo as "Cuban Dancer #3" in Roble Dorm's stirring rendition of "Guys n' Dolls."

High school is never easy, and college can feel like such a whirlwind. But when you have a firm base and a strong sense of self going in, it becomes much more possible to handle the rigors and challenges and turn them into opportunities. I am currently a correspondent for Jerusalem Post, assisting the DC Bureau Chief on stories out of Washington that affect the Middle East.  I am also working as an Analyst for a Defense Consulting firm called Blue Diamond, where we are working, among other things, to help Israeli companies become successful international organizations.

Three graduates later

Having our  children attend the Wornick Day School was certainly worth the money spent and the extra time we all spent commuting to the school.  

First and foremost my children received an outstanding education at the Wornick school. The secular education was excellent.  The teachers were committed, communicative and well prepared.  Our kids received daily lessons in their Judaic studies, with an integrated approach to the secular and Judaic studies. I am convinced that their Jewish Day School education gave them a more in depth exposure to and understanding of our holidays, customs, texts and Israel than any after school program could provide.  Our kids were able to engage in after school athletic programs that they would not have been able to participate in if they attended after school religious school.

The students and the parents participate in a community when the kids are enrolled at Wornick.  The community helps to shape the ethos and standards by which our kids interact with each other, with the outside world and with the values they develop.  The parents form bonds of extended family with the other parents.  We celebrate with each other, we support each other, we are there when a family is in need and we take great pride in the education of not only our own children, but the other children at the school.  We are confident that our Wornick students will become the next generation of leaders and active participants in the Jewish life of where we live.

The extra cost and time is well worth the benefits that the students and families receive when they become a part of the Wornick school and Wornick community.  We can not think of a better investment for the future of our children.  

Mark and Gilah Abelson - 3 Graduates (2 - University of Michigan, 1 - University of Maryland)