Yaya Asoulin-Handelman
Laurin Bernstein
Alyssa Cohen
Jeremy Fass
Staff
Neve Felder
Cooper Frank
Gabe Frydman
Jacob Gebhart
Jessica Gold
Jonah Goldstein
Ariel Gurfinkel
Leeam Ksabi
Ethan Margolies
Jake Marks
Jacob Medows
Sarah Orkin
Henry Orlowski
Sari Raphael
Editor ’ s Notes:
Daniella Reiman
Danielle Ron
Since four students and I first began this magazine on my kitchen floor thirty
years ago, real scissors and Elmer’s in hand, we have tried to adjust with the
Adena Rosen
times. Over the years, although our publication continued to reflect both the
Skylar Rosenberg
innocence of childhood and the pervasiveness of social media, a genuine appre-
Michael Schwartz
ciation for the heritage of Judaism has remained steadfast. As always, messages
Jacob Stavchansky
from the lower grades still remain free from the restraints of proper spelling,
Aidan Stern
capitalization, and punctuation. Readers of this year’s
Visions will notice, how-
Libby Stern
ever, that this volume also includes fine writing across the subjects of history
and science. This refreshing addition just feels right. Yes, the world of cutting
Jordyn Wilkofsky
and pasting has certainly evolved, but our students’ continued high level of
Ophir Zeltzer
critical thought and creativity await your perusal. Enjoy!
Editor: Ms. Joanie Geffen
Graphic Designer: Ms. Wendy Cramer
Special Thanks: Tom Elieff & Judy Glazer
Cover: Jesse Jankelow, First Grade
2
Prose
Table of Contents
5
Look at Me Now Ethan Sadka
12
Homework Rocks! Annette Ovadia
13
No to Homework Sophie Rosenfield
14/15
The Ferocious Frenzied Fowl Ariel Bueckert
Poetry
18
Summer in Colorado Mylo Behringer
20
Dear World Emily Blum
6
Queen of Hearts Neve Felder
20
8 Trapped Under a Spell Mikayla Richardson 10 A Day in the Life of a Caveman Isaac Lemeshev 10 Gymnastics Willow Rider 17 Tu B ’ shvat Poem Talia Krieger, Akira Schwartz, & Tori Zimmermann 24 My Name Is … Anonymous 27 Herself Sarah Orkin 32 It ’ s a Beautiful Day Nathan Gokh
Elephant Tale Talia Antebi
21
Slime Naomi Goldin
22
Dear Framers Shaun Nadato
26
A Fly on the Wall Jordyn Wilkofsky
31
Motion Madness Henry Orlowski
Art
4
Van Gogh Sunflowers, Mixed Media Gabriel Primo
7
Lion Face, Mixed Media Ben Spiro
9
Circular Weavings, Mixed Media Fiber Art Lucy Cohen & Naomi Goldin
11
Insect Collage, Mixed Media Benjamin Elyashiv
12 Egg Carton Faces, Recycled Materials Lathan Kopmar, Brynn Felder, & Emily Blum, 13 Egg Carton Faces, Recycled Materials Naomi Goldin, Mylo Behringer, & Lucy Cohen 15 Bird Collage, Hand Painted Paper Collage Laura Domenico 16 Circle Designs, Colored Pencil Sophia Krieger, Ariella Goldstein, Liam Amsellem, & Talia Gokh 17 Whale, Watercolor Pencil Tamar Rubinsky 19 Snowman, Oil Pastel Romy Rahamim 23 Laurel Burch Style Cats, Oil Pastel Faye Nilevsky & Levi Kushnick 25 Neurographic Drawing, Watercolor Pencil Erin Baskind 28/29 Fish Painting, Watercolor & Tempera Jesse Jankelow, Sidney Dressman, & Liana Asoulin - Handelman 30 Linear Sculptures, Popsicle Stick Assemblage Liad Antebi, Gideon Rose, & Ellie Ehrlich 33 Lighthouse, Mixed Media Collage Abigail Glatstein
3
Gabriel Primo, Kindergarten
4
Look at Me Now
(This original epilogue completes a science fiction story entitled “All Summer in a Day.” Parents who initially settled on Venus have found the environment dangerous for their daughter, compelling them to return to Earth.)
My mom always tells me not to use the word hate, but I hate Venus, I hate the rain, I hate the ashy -covered forest, and I hate being sick. The decline in my health due to being locked in the closet and not receiving my vital vitamin D has forced my family to move back to Ohio, a sunny, warm, yellow, golden, and magical place. My father gave me a camera for my first birthday back on Earth. I could not ask for any- thing better! On this glorious summer day, I am the leprechaun at the end of a rainbow, a term I recently learned, so I photograph everything I see. Early in the morning, Dad and I climb to the top of the barn, and we see a sunrise as magnificent as a thousand angels coming down from heaven. I take pictures of the dawn as she rises and spreads her majestic, golden wings. Dad takes the camera from my hand and photo- graphs me. It is the first time he has noticed the sparkle in my eyes and the glow on my skin. I am nothing like the pale, colorless nine-year-old girl who had been lost in the rain for years. My family sits down for a celebratory breakfast on the porch. Mom and Dad enjoy their espressos on the porch swing, but I cannot help taking pictures of my breakfast meal: freshly squeezed orange juice, a sunny-side-up egg, and fluffy, golden pancakes with maple syrup. After breakfast, we go fishing at the lake. We load up Dad’s truck with a picnic basket, blankets, and fishing rods. To our delight, the salmon are jumping in and out of the water. I grab my camera and snap a shot of the fish, shimmering and shining, mid-air. I see the salmon's vibrant scales above the slightly murky blue water and feel their energy as they shoot up in the air. The water is rippling, and splashes are flying everywhere. Roses, trees, and mounds of grass can all be seen in the backdrop. I'm so relieved to be back on Earth. Of my many pictures, I choose the best ones to get developed. I place the photos in an album with care, package it, write the correct address on it, and deliver it to the USOSPS (United States Outer Space Postal Service). I can't wait for my “friends” on Venus to see my album, All Day in the Summer.
Ethan Sadka, Seventh Grade
5
QUEEN OF HEARTS
She blinds everyone Deceives them Like a Red Rose
Beautiful on the outside But once you get close She pricks you A Thorn She changes with the wind Flipping at her own free will A Card Two sided Two faced She strikes down Knocking everyone else over Leaving room only for Herself A Scepter And they all fall Down her endless Rabbit Hole Disillusioned By her deck of lies The Queen of Hearts
Neve Felder, Eighth Grade
6
Ben Spiro, Kindergarten
7
Trapped Under A Spell
Never comprehending what is happening, disregarding the grim truth. Death rates high, bankrupting self - esteem. An endless train running over all hopes, holding the world hostage. The gazing light of the phone shining on your face, urging, “ Keep watching me. Don't go outside. Inside is more exciting than being in the fresh air, playing freely! ” Addictive social media. Scrolling hour after hour, this will be the last lying and lying to yourself:
This video will make me popular. Hide under the effect of filters. Nobody will see the hurt traumatizing me. They will believe it; nothing will stop it. You must come out of the shadows.
Stop it yourself. Accept the truth!
Mikayla Richardson, Seventh Grade
8
Lucy Cohen, Fourth Grade
9
Naomi Goldin, Fourth Grade
A Day in the Life of a Caveman
Gymnastics
Isaac Lemeshev, Seventh Grade
Willow Rider, Fourth Grade
10
Benjamin Elyashiv, First Grade
11
Homework Rocks!
Homework is very good for you and here is why. My first reason is it can save time in class. For example, your teacher doesn’t have to spend time on things that are memorized like math facts. We do that as homework. Also, it helps students orginize and plan their time for instince, kids have to do homework and calculate their time before doing other activities like watch TV, play outside, draw, make origami, dance, and much more. Lastly, it helps teachers teach better. For example, they can see what students know and don’t know, and can move on and teach the next thing the students need to learn. As you can obviously see, homework is very important. THE END!
Annette Ovadia, Third Grade
Lathan Kopmar, Fourth Grade
Emily Blum, Fourth Grade
Brynn Felder, Fourth Grade
12
No To Homework
Homework is bad! I will tell you why. The best way to put this is homework is relly relly awful.
To start, my first reason is that there is no evidence that homework helps. For example, the 2012 study found no relationship between good grades and homework. Second, kids need time to relax and their brains need to rest. For example school and busy- 7 hours of thinking, reading and writing. It is tiring, and kids need time to play and do gymnastics. Lastly, it is also a burden for families. For example, parents don’t whant to argue with their children about homework. It causes stress.
In conclusion, you can clearly see why homework is so bad!
Sophie Rosenfield, Third Grade
Naomi Goldin, Fourth Grade
Mylo Behringer, Fourth Grade
Lucy Cohen, Fourth Grade
13
The Ferocious Frenzied Fowl
On Thursday, after a scrumptious lunch, the sixth grade went to Mrs. Rebecca's LA classroom. Then, they
heard it, CAW! CAW! A loud bird call was heard throughout the whole school. In her classroom, Mrs. Rebecca set
a white sack on her desk. Mrs. Rebecca told the class that she was going to a meeting with the principal. As the
teacher walked away, the sack began to shake violently. With an ear-shattering screech, the sack tore open, and
out flew a harpy. The students stared dumbfounded and anxious at the ginormous creature. Its upper body was
the one of a woman, and its bottom half was of a raven. “It's a harpy!” one of the kids called out. The harpy
started flying around, letting loose storms and lightning everywhere. It swooped toward the nervous students,
wrecked the whole classroom, and created chaos.
In this class, a particular group of three friends called themselves the Mustardteers because they were the
only ones in the whole grade that liked mustard. The girl named Sophie was the brains of the group, while Alex
loved knights, soldiers, and heroism. Lastly, Jackson loved to read fantasy; his favorites were Percy Jackson,
Magnus Chase, and The Kane Chronicles .
In the meantime, the harpy was using her majestic voice to hypnotize the entire class. Jackson called,
“Quick, stick cotton balls in your ears!” The three managed not to get hypnotized and were now racking their
memory to figure out how to stop the harpy. “Let's go check Mrs. Rebecca's myth books,” suggested Sophie. So
they made their way to her desk and flipped through the books. “This isn't getting us anywhere,” moaned Jackson.
“Odysseus passed by doing “the stuff your ears trick,” and Percy Jackson just slashed his sword and turned them
into monster dust.”
“Well then, we'll just have to do it our way,” said Sophie, “and I already have a plan.” After Sophie
explained her plan, the three Mustardteers got the supplies they needed. Jackson slipped off his belt. Meanwhile,
Sophie ran to the art room to get duct tape, and Alex entered the hall to get the fire extinguisher. Next, the three
of them sneaked up on the harpy. With one quick thrust, they duct-taped her beak shut. Immediately the other
students were free of the spell and looked around bewildered and confused.
After the duct tape was put on the harpy, it tried to escape by flying out the open window, but Alex was
ready, and he sprayed the fire extinguisher at the creature's black wings. Sophie knew that if you spray birds' wings
with water, they can't fly because they are too heavy. The harpy’s final move was to run, but it didn't get very far
because Jackson had wrapped his belt around its legs.
“Well now, what do we do with this package?” asked Alex heroically.
First, let's put it in the sack, and then we'll discuss it with Mrs. Rebecca. Shall we?” stated Sophie. So they
14
stuffed the monster back into the white sack. At that moment, Mrs. Rebecca came in. “Marvelous work!” she
told the three of them, “You have passed my test.”
“Um. Excuse me, what type of test was that?” asked Sophie.
Mrs. Rebecca responded, “You are right Sophie; it was unusual, but it was a test to see who was actually
listening to our Greek mythology unit, who in the class is a leader, and how you problem solve and work to-
gether. You three have earned a whole week of no homework.
“Okay, but how did you… who brought this harpy over from maybe…let’s say…um… Greece?”
wondered Alex.
“Well, Alex,” said the teacher, “I have a friend in Greece. He found this harpy about a month ago on the island
of Crete and I put in an order for it. Greek mythology is loved by children these days and because the teachers
want to have a bit of fun; they bring in a harpy, sphinx, or even the Minotaur. Well, that's it, chop chop, off
you go. It's time for your next class.”
As the students shuffled out the door, they were all thinking the same thing:
We have one crazy
teacher. And none of them wanted to find out what she’d bring for Norse legends or even German fables.
Neither would I.
Amiel Bueckert, Fifth Grade
Laura Domenico, Second Grade
15
Sophia Krieger, Fourth Grade & Ariella Goldstein, Second Grade
Liam Amsellem, Second Grade & Talia Gokh, Third Grade
16
Tu B'shvat Poem
I ’ m thankful for the oxygen that they give us so we don ’ t have to fuss.
They give us fruit that is so yummy, and it goes right in my tummy. They have so many different colors and shades, but in the fall some of them start to fade.
Without trees, we ’ d be so sad, but luckily we are all so glad. Trees are awesome.
Talia Krieger, Akira Schwartz, Second Grade & Tori Zimmermann, Sixth Grade
Tamar Rubinsky, Kindergarten
17
Summer in Colorado
This summer, I went to Colorado on a family vacation. Colorado is very fun in the summer and I ’ m so excited to do all the activities. There are so many things to do and my favorite were mountain biking, fly fishing, going to the market, and the rodeo.
I had never been mountain biking before and I was so excited to start the lesson. My instructor ’ s name was Casey and she was nice. She was also really good at mountain biking. At the beginning I was a little nervous, but after a few laps down the mountain it was not scary anymore. It was thrilling and crazy.
Fly fishing was next on my list because it was difficult to catch fish, but also fun. We went on a real fishing boat and I caught a fish in the first five minutes. We spent the whole day on the Roaring Fork River. I ended up catching four fish. It was a great experience.
Next on my agenda was the Aspen market. The market is a bunch of booths with food from farms and I always get popcorn and juicy peaches. There are always tons of people. I got really tired from walking so I ate frozen yogurt. Shopping at the Aspen market is always interesting. Then we went to a rodeo and got some candy. We went to a bounce house and played chicken bingo. The rules are you pick a number and if the chicken poops on your number you win a prize. I picked number five and nineteen, but I did not win. It was finally time for the rodeo to start. There were so many horses and cowboys. After the rodeo there are Mutton Busters. It is where young kids have to hold onto a sheep while it is running and whoever holds and the longest wins a trophy. It was so funny to watch.
It was an awesome trip and I got to do so many things. I can ’ t wait to go again next year. I love going to Colorado because there are never ending adventures.
Mylo Behringer, Fourth Grade
18
Romy Rahamim, Second Grade
19
Dear World
Dear World,
Tigers need our help. Do you agree we should help them? If you don ’ t, I can tell you why you should. Surely you know tigers are an endangered species! I have three reasons why we should help them. First tigers are endangered, second tigers help the ecosystem, third tigers need more space.
It ’ s clear that tigers are endangered. Their species are dying out! According to wwf.org, tigers have lost an estimated 95% of their historical range. When tigers lose space, they lose their friends too because there is not enough room for all of them. In India, climate change is not helping them either. It ’ s hard to survive in a place that they ’ re not made for. Tigers have a big role in life. They help the ecosystem. Ecosystem means if we didn ’ t have tigers there would be too many deer. When tigers go extinct it will affect their ecosystem because they are predators. They play an important part in balancing the food web. Their ecosystem supplies both nature and people with lots of fresh water, food, and good health. Without them, you won ’ t be able to see their beautiful coats again. Wwf.org says that tigers and their natural homes provide for thousands of species and millions of people.
Emily Blum, Fourth Grade
Talia Antebi, Kindergarten
20
21
Dear Framers
Dear Framers,
My name is Andrew Livingston. I am a researcher, politician, and author. After the Revolutionary War,
we attempted to make a government. It didn’t really get anywhere past “attempt.” Shay’s Rebellion
gave us reason to rewrite that “attempt.” This is where I come in; I’m here to persuade you that we
need a constitutional monarchy.
I think that the worst thing for our country would be a theocracy or any religion based government.
We just escaped in order to gain religious freedom, and now we want to take it away from others? It
doesn’t make sense. It would cause anger and protests throughout the land. This decision could also
have the effect of other things being forced, limited, or taken away based on Christian rituals/religion.
I like the idea of a dictatorship and only one person in power so that there is little confusion, but I
dislike that there is only one set of eyes or only one set of thoughts that are able to act for the country.
Why not an oligarchy, you may say? Here’s why: based on our actions during Shay’s Rebellion, I am
confident to say that the rich or whoever is in power would be biased, and instead of ruling for the
country, will rule in order to keep themselves in power.
A constitutional monarchy is the optimal choice because we would have a representative for the
country, someone to speak for us. Although they would still not be able to act on their own thoughts
and decisions, the people would elect the first king and royal family so that the majority of people are
happy with the choice. This family would stay as royalty until they all passed or were deemed too sick
and unfit to rule. The king and his family could also be impeached if at least eighty percent of the
citizens so chose. The congress and king would have no control over land they have not bought.
Please take my thoughts into consideration because I truly believe that whoever the people put in a
position of power will be there solely for the people and country.
Yours truly,
Andrew Livingston
Shaun Nadato, Seventh Grade
22
Faye Nilevsky, Second Grade
Levi Kushnick Second Grade
23
24
Erin Baskind, Sixth Grade
25
A Fly on the Wall
It was the night of November 8th, 1938 when all hell broke loose. Hiding in between two books, I heard commotion outside. It didn't bother me though- there were always people out late at night. Ignoring the noise, I stay put. The sounds of heavy footsteps continuously got closer and closer. When I heard Nazis yelling commands in German, I decided to come out of hiding to see what was going on. A small shard of glass from a building window nearly hit me when I headed out, but I swiftly moved out of the way. Scrambling to return to my hiding spot, I saw that the books I had been hiding between were now thrown into a large pile on the floor, along with all of the other books titled “Siddur.” The Nazis made their way to a cabinet, glass shards crunching under their heavy boots. They opened it and threw the three giant scrolls inside onto the floor. They landed on top of the pile with a thump. In an instant, the pile lit up into flames. The fire spread quickly and in minutes the entire building began to collapse. I quickly advanced to the streets where I heard blood curdling shrieks of suffering people. Moving fast to find shelter, my vision was obscured by the smoke from burning buildings. It seemed as though the whole world was being razed to the ground. I blindly moved into a house and hid inside a metal cup labeled “Kiddush,” when all of a sudden the cup was flung onto the floor. It landed with a clank, forcing me to relocate to a new hiding spot. As soon as I regained my vision, I saw a woman on the floor crying. She had been badly beaten. All of her belongings were destroyed and strewn across the floor, along with the Kiddush cup. There was a little girl hiding in the corner, shielding herself from the horrible scene in front of her. She quickly scrambled to help her mother. “Mommy, are you okay?” she asked shakily, on the verge of tears. I wanted to jump out and help her. I wanted to scream and shout and tell everyone this wasn’t right. I felt so helpless, but what could I do? For I am just a fly on the wall.
Jordyn Wilkofsky, Eighth Grade
26
Herself
It’s what made her,
her.
But time passed, and things were said.
Insults were pitched at her like a baseball.
She felt she had to change, to look
perfect. To act perfectly.
Put up a facade convincing to everyone, including herself.
And so, she threw out all of her clothes.
Making room for newer, trendier, items.
She cut and colored her hair.
She switched her personality, a puzzle in the hands of a toddler.
She was a chameleon, and her new identity was camouflage.
Her own family didn’t recognize her anymore.
“Our poor daughter.”
“She’s lost herself.”
They cried, mourning a girl still living.
When she looked in the mirror, the girl staring back was a stranger.
She was a whole new person, and yet people still grimaced at her in the hallway.
The people had cast her as a foreigner in the country of society.
There was no changing that.
Her personality had already been established, set in stone.
They expected her behavior and knew how to belittle her.
Make her feel like
nothing.
Kids still taunted her, and her bedroom remained her best friend.
The only ones who truly sympathized were the empty walls surrounding her.
She had lost herself in a sea of meaningless names thrown at her,
and she would have to drown to find herself again.
Sarah Orkin, Eighth Grade
27
Jesse Jankelow, First Grade
28
Liana Asoulin - Handelman, First Grade
Sidney Dressman, First Grade
29
Liad Antebi, Fifth Grade
Ellie Ehrlich, Fifth Grade
Gideon Rose, Fifth Grade
30
Motion Madness
To the untrained eye, a playground may seem like the last place to find physics examples. It’s for
kids to relax, right? Yes, it is, but don’t let the relaxation catch you off guard. There are plenty of phys-
ics equations, laws, examples, and anything you could dream of. There is Newton’s first law of motion,
the second, and the third. All of them are in a children’s playground.
Starting with Newton’s first law, have you ever sat at the top of the slide waiting to go down?
Most of the time, you have to push yourself against the slide a little bit to get down. That is your
body’s mass resisting the change in motion. This is inertia. Inertia is what Newton’s first law is all about.
An object’s resistance to change in motion. Maybe you have been playing soccer, and the ball was on
the field motionless until someone kicked it. When the ball was not moving, it was in a state of inertia.
Newton’s first law is about inertia, and on a playground it is everywhere you can look.
Newton’s second law of motion introduces us to the formula to find force. F=ma. Or, force is
equal to mass times acceleration. This law is apparent when you are on a zip line. The mass of your
body, and the force applied directly affects the acceleration you have on your zip line. So if you want
to be a speed demon, apply a lot of force.
Finally, Newton’s third and final law of motion tells you that every action has an equal and
opposite reaction force. So if you find yourself playing basketball and you bounce the ball, that is
Newton’s third law. The force that the ball puts on the ground is equal to the force that the ground
puts on the ball, which launches it back up. You could also be playing with a ball and throwing on a
wall. The ball puts a force on the wall, that is then reapplied the other way back on to the ball, causing
it to fly back to you.
Next time you’re on a playground, don’t think that you are free from physics. You can
never be free. Think about Newton’s laws during recess today. Newton’s first law can be found while
about to go on a slide with the most potential energy, his second law is found while on a zip line, and
number three is shown while shooting some hoops. Hopefully, with this information, you can be the
smartest one on your local playground.
Henry Orlowski, Eighth Grade
31
It ’ s a Beautiful Day
Vacations, what a nice place to get away! A trip to find a home and stay.
Hotels, rentals, and Airbnbs, so many to portray! Leave your problems, hardships, and dismay, and clear your head from disarray.
Sometimes vacations can be at home, no external world to roam. The grounds of calmness and shalom,
where my comfort is better than a trip to Rome, and my friends solve the sadness of being alone.
No matter what you choose, stay, or go, find your inner peace and flow. Your family’s bonds will grow. Whether your day is fast or slow, it’s a beautiful day, now go!
Nathan Gokh, Seventh Grade
32
Abigail Glatstein, Second Grade
33
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