“Hillel Academy has always maintained that we have one of
the top [...]]]> Hillel Academy of Tampa may not have a baseball team. But
students there hit it out of the ballpark at the Hillsborough County Regional
Science Fair, capturing a whopping 19 awards–more than any other middle school
in the area.

“Hillel Academy has always maintained that we have one of
the top middle school science programs in the area,” says Amy Wasser, head of
the Tampa private school. “Our students just proved it.”

Even at a school that prides itself on academics and has
grown accustomed to winning awards, this accomplishment is a big one.

When word of the awards haul came in during a Board of
Trustees meeting, Wasser says she could not stop texting–even though the
unwritten rule is to keep cell phone use to a minimum.

“Texts kept coming in: ‘We just got a superior in
elementary,’ ‘Wow, middle school awards just began and we are cleaning house,’”
remembers Wasser of that night last week. “Not only did I check my phone, I
kept interrupting the meeting with updates about Hillel’s amazing success at
the Hillsborough County Regional Science Fair Awards.”

This year’s fair included more than 2,300 elementary,
middle, and high school students from public, private, and charter schools.

No other middle school picked up as many awards. And that’s
even a bigger deal because Hillel is smaller than the others.

In the elementary competition, one of the Hillel 4th graders
earned a Superior Award for his entry.

Hillel Academy’s science teacher Sara Wilson sees the lower
school entries as a hands-on way to learn about the scientific method,
preparing and carrying out an experiment and learning how to present in front
of judges.

Merit Awards went to five other students in grades 3-5.

The Hillsborough County STEM Fair is the largest academic
competition in Hillsborough County, and the largest science competition in the
state of Florida.

Hillel sent 12 projects from 13 students to the middle
school competition and received 18 awards.

And there might be more good news soon.

Out of the 15 middle school students selected to represent
Hillsborough County at the Florida State STEM Fair in March, three are from
Hillel.

“Hillel Academy received more total awards and is sending
more students to the state fair than any other public, private, or charter
middle school in all of Hillsborough County,” says Amy Bahsam, middle school
science teacher and the director of Hillel’s science fair. “The dedication and
hard work of the students paid off.”

Awards

• Marlin Jacobson (8th grade)

o Selected for
Florida State Science Fair team

o 2nd Place Overall
in Microbiology Category

o Robert Matthews
Memorial Award

• Rose Goldwitz (8th
grade)

o 1st Place
Environmental Project (Florida Society of Environmental Analysts)

o Best Water-Related
Project (Stockholm Water Prize)

o 2nd Place Overall
in the Botany Category

• Carly Rodriguez
(8th grade)

o 3rd Place in
Behavioral Sciences (Florida Psychological Association)

o Merit Award in
Behavioral Sciences

• Josh McMurray (7th
grade)

o Selected for
Florida State Science Fair team

o 1st Place Overall
in Botany Category

• Arielle Astra (7th
grade)

o 4th Place in
Behavioral Sciences (Florida Psychological Association)

o Merit Award in
Behavioral Sciences

• Marielle Smith (7th
grade)

o 2nd Place in
Behavioral Sciences (Florida Psychological Association)

o Merit Award in
Behavioral Sciences

• Rachel Segal (7th
grade)

o Florida Aquarium
Award

o 3rd Place Overall
in Zoology

• Jonah Gordon &
Harrison Greenfield (7th grade)

o 3rd Place Overall
in Behavioral Sciences

• Batia Friedman-Shaw
(7th grade)

o Honorable Mention
Overall in Botany

• Max Weiner (6th
grade)

o Selected for
Florida State Science Fair team

o 1st Place Overall
in Behavioral Sciences

o 4th Place in
Behavioral Sciences (Florida Psychological Association)

• Adam Wertheim (6th
grade)

o Helen Johnson
Memorial Award

o Honorable Mention
Overall in Earth & Planetary Science

• Sara Gofter (6th
grade)

o Honorable Mention
Overall in Zoology

It’s a printer that makes it possible for students to create any object they imagine.

“Up until now student work was [...]]]> Never mind the laptops at every student desk or the iPads in the media room. What’s really causing buzz these days at Hillel Academy is the new 3D printer.

It’s a printer that makes it possible for students to create any object they imagine.

“Up until now student work was always limited to the virtual world, printed pictures or preformed objects,” says Michael Gamson, director of IT services at Hillel. “That’s no longer the case.”

Gamson oversees technology acquisitions at the Tampa private school. He says the possibilities are endless.

“The 3D printer allows students to take models which they create in software and produce real world physical objects out of plastic,” says Gamson.

Middle school students at Hillel are currently learning real world drafting skills. A generation ago, those skills were taught post college—and only to those with engineering and architecture degrees.

The technology is so revolutionary, and well, fun, experts see using 3D printers as part of teaching core subjects like science and math.

For example, a 3D printer could be used instead of a Lego® set. Imagine being able to print your own blocks or figurines.

It’s all a part of the future of education down the road. But already part of learning at Hillel Academy, which prides itself at being ahead of the curve.

In fact, Hillel Academy is already exploring ways to incorporate 3D modeling into a variety of disciplines—from modeling cell structures to experimenting with architecture.

“Hillel Academy students now have the ability to turn their digital dreams into physical reality,” says Amy Wasser, Head of School at Hillel Academy. “We anticipate this becoming a strong part of our program, so that students can see that creativity is key in any successful project.”

Wasser says it’s impossible to miss students’ excitement.

“They are becoming inspired by the incredible opportunities they will have for shaping the world they will inherit,” says Wasser. “This technology is in its infancy, it is exciting to think of how advanced 3D printing will become by the time Hillel’s middle school students graduate college.

“Hillel students will be ready to take it to the next level.”

What do these individuals have in common?  They were all part of Project Night at the Hillel Academy. 

The private school in north Tampa highlighted weeks of research in a museum-like tour of the work done by the TK-8th grade students. 

Each grade participated in [...]]]> Meteorologists. Tribal chiefs. Travel agents. Historians during World War II.

Project based learning at Hillel Academy, a Tampa private school, provides students hands-on experience.

What do these individuals have in common?  They were all part of Project Night at the Hillel Academy. 

The private school in north Tampa highlighted weeks of research in a museum-like tour of the work done by the TK-8th grade students. 

Each grade participated in a project based learning (PBL) endeavor that gave the students a theme and had the students do all the research and work associated with the project.

The students were given the challenge to create a display based on what they learned and then to be able to relate that knowledge to those who would visit them.

Project based learning teaches children real life skills, according to Head of School Amy Wasser.

“The students had to work in groups. This instilled the need for cooperation, collaboration and being conciliatory if their ideas were not chosen,” says Wasser. “This is what happens in the work force and young people must learn early on to be part of creative teams.”

PBL integrates many areas of the curriculum.

Most projects including writing, research, technology, art and/or music, science or history and public speaking.  The results were incredible, says Wasser.

The entire school was turned into a museum with the students serving as the docents.  More than 300 parents, grandparents and community members came to tour the exhibits and were amazed by the maturity and knowledge of the children.

“I can’t believe how comfortable my child was speaking to strangers,” said one mother of a usually shy 4th grader.  “She really knew her material and wanted to share.  This is an amazing example of why Hillel Academy goes beyond traditional academics.” 

PBL is only one aspect of the school’s curriculum.

Wasser believes in a combination of formal and informal. Her previous background in youth programming and educational camping allows her to challenge her faculty to create a mix of traditional teaching with ideas that are very out of the box.

“We are not solely one or the other,” says Wasser.  “We need to be sure we are teaching the basics while making sure 21st century skills and learning styles are addressed. Having this mix of classroom based learning with PBL gives our students the best of both.”

The school looked like a museum.

“I can’t believe how much work went into this evening,” said a grandparent who came for the event.  School wasn’t like this when I was a kid!”

Each area of the campus became a different exhibit.  There were three main areas.  The primary division took components of their program and let the children build on the ideas presented by their teachers.

The Transitional Kindergarten built a stage and created a show based on what the children want to be when they grow up.

There were life-sized firefighters, dancers and doctors all with familiar faces.  A science display helped the children learn that seeds grow faster then people.

Students at Hillel Academy created their own displays.
Kindergarteners were greeting cards and their theme was words matter. As they have all learned to read, the concept of both the oral and written word takes on new importance to a 5 year old. They created giant hearts to show which words meant the most to them and had displays of their writing throughout the rooms.   Hillel Village replaced the first grade classrooms along with incredible work on family trees, personal lifelines and Hebrew Family books. All made by the children, there was a library, fire station, movie theater and, of course, Hillel Academy.  A handmade quilt topped off the displays.   Each class included creative writing, art, videos, songs and in first grade the first steps of research.

Moving to grades 2-5, saw the development of themes that connected to the grade curricular guides.   Displays were of the layers of the ocean, the 50 United States, Hurricane Central and Native American Tribes.

Children gave visitors tours of their displays; proudly showing power point presentations, art, scientific research, poetry and in some cases tasty treats.  At each step the students were confident in letting the guests know how much they had learned.  The second graders were jumping up and down to show you their giant blue whale and paper mache dolphin.

“They were so proud of their understanding of the different layers of the ocean and of all the amazing fish they had made, including a coral reef,” says Wasser.

When asked how they learned all of this one simply stated, “by researching of course,” and preceded to show the PowerPoint she and her teammates had made.

FEMA, The Weather Channel and Engineers were all present to teach students how to be safe in the event of a hurricane.  The children had done scientific research and also met with Meteorologist Josh Linker from Bay News 9 and an engineer who works to build houses to withhold the storms.  A travel agent came to help the 4th graders determine how to “sell” their state.

Divided by regions of the United States they eagerly wanted visitors to know theirs was the one to visit.

Life size displays painted by the students depicted highlights of the 50 states and they sang a wonderful song clearly showing that they knew them all.   Combining the study of native fauna and the history of the tribes, the 5th graders brought to life five Native American Indian groups. They built replicas of the habitats, explained how they made a living and caught their food and even had a few tribal dances to share.  Most impressive were the handmade outfits that the students, with some help, sewed by hand.

In middle school the tone was more serious, with research being the basis of the displays.  There were high level Spanish and science exhibits showcasing what has been taught during the first part of the school year.

One parent commented that they had not done the science work until they were in college!  The museum then centered on the main hall of the building starting with the 8th graders. They had toured the community looking at how values were represented in various agencies.

They had a video documenting their work and show boards integrating the general value with Judaic and Hebraic texts. The 7th graders, who study WWII, displayed memorials to four groups of people less known for the persecutions imposed on them; mentally ill, gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses and homosexuals. Each group had a unique piece of art that they created along with primary source documents proving what had happened. One group created a pink hand with barbed wire jutting out to represent the plight of the homosexuals in the concentration camps. Another created a haunting transport van to show how the mentally ill were gassed in preparation for creating the death camps.

The 6th graders made a simulation of  1939 to help understand th

Students at Hillel Academy created their own displays.

e failed voyage of the SS St. Louis.  From Germany, to the ship, to the shores of Cuba the students explained the role of Germans, Cubans and FDR in not allowing the passengers freedom from what was occurring in Europe. Primary source documents were evident here as well.  One father was amazed by how  seriously the students took their roles and was so touched he needed to go back to Kindergarten to lighten up the mood.

Wasser says Hillel plans to make this an annual event.

“We learned a lot from our first Project Night. We certainly need to have late arrival the next day-our students were still exhausted!  I am so proud of the hard work of the entire school. It was a true showcase of how we teach and the incredible talents of our students and staff.” 

This press release is distributed by PR NewsChannel. Your News. Everywhere.

Ethan Hinds, a sixth grader at Hillel Academy, a Tampa private school, defeated eight of his nine opponents to emerge the K-6 Chess Champion at the United States Chess Federation National Youth Action East Championship in Miami.

(High resolution photo: http://ow.ly/80KQi)

More than [...]]]>  

Ethan Hinds, sixth grader at Tampa private school Hillel Academy, wins national chess championship in Miami

Ethan Hinds, a sixth grader at Hillel Academy, a Tampa private school, defeated eight of his nine opponents to emerge the K-6 Chess Champion at the United States Chess Federation National Youth Action East Championship in Miami.

(High resolution photo: http://ow.ly/80KQi)

More than 330 students from across the country competed on December 10th and 11th in a grueling nine-round chess tournament.

The National Youth Action Championship is a scholastic championship chess tournament with four sections: Kindergarten through Third Grade (K-3), Kindergarten through Sixth Grade (K-6), Kindergarten through Ninth Grade (K-9), and Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade (K-12). “Action Chess” refers to tournament chess games where each player is given only 30 minutes for all of their moves.

United States Chess Federation reporter/blogger Melinda Matthews writes the short time control “allows little room to ponder and even less margin for error.”

Scholastic chess tournaments usually match players against one another using the Swiss System.

In each round, players are paired against another player who has won the same number of games with the same players never opposing each other twice.

For the first round, players are seeded by USCF rating. A player’s USCF rating is an estimate of the strength of that player, based on his or her performance against other rated players. Since the Swiss system cuts the number of perfect in half each round, it usually doesn’t take long until there is only one player remaining with a perfect score. Likewise, it usually doesn’t take long before the best players are playing one another and the competition gets really tough.

Ethan’s accomplishment is particularly impressive because five of Ethan’s opponents had a higher USCF rating than he did.

Ethan has been traveling to play competitive chess for about five years, and has accumulated quite a few trophies, but this is his first National Championship.

In addition to keeping up with school work and soccer (Ethan plays for both the Hillel soccer club and a Tampa Bay United team), Ethan spends between five and six hours a week studying chess.

Ethan is a long-time student of Hillel Chess Club director, Jeff York, and he also takes lessons from a Ukrainian Grand Master once a week via Skype.

Amy Wasser, head of Hillel Academy, says the school is getting used to seeing Ethan arrive with large trophies.

“He is always so proud to share his success with his peers and encourages younger students to become involved in our chess club,” Wasser says.

Recently Ethan has been assisting Coach York in working with the beginners at Hillel.

Founded in 1939, the United States Chess Federation is the official, not-for-profit U.S. membership organization for chess players and chess supporters of all ages and strengths, from beginners to Grandmasters. The group represents the United States in the World Chess Federation, which brings together chess players around the world.

For more information about Hillel Academy, the Tampa private school, please visit www.hillelacademytampa.com.

Direct link:  http://www.prnewschannel.com/2011/12/15/hillel-academy-sixth-grader-wins-national-chess-championship/

SOURCE:  Hillel Academy of Tampa

Greg [...]]]> Fourteen-year-old Jewish piano prodigy, Zhanna, escapes a Nazi killing field in the Ukraine, only to go into hiding as a prized pianist for the Nazis.  Two Hillel Academy student pianists will participate in her true story, Hiding In The Spotlight, as told by her son, Greg Dawson, which opens Tampa’s 2011 Jewish Book Festival.

Greg and Zhanna Dawson will present the story on Saturday, November 5, 2011, at the University of South Florida’s (USF) School of Music Barness Recital Hall, 3755 N. Holly Dr., on the USF Tampa campus, at 7:30 p.m.

Miriam Hinds and Marlin Jacobson from Hillel Academy, a Tampa private school, will assist in the telling of Zhanna’s story.

A book signing and a dessert reception with the Dawsons will follow the presentation.

This event is open to the entire Tampa Bay community.  An optional $5 donation will be taken at the door.

Greg Dawson is a career journalist who has worked for newspapers in Boston and Indianapolis, and is currently at the Orlando Sentinel.  Hiding in the Spotlight, about his mother’s odyssey from Jewish persecution to Holocaust survivor, has resulted in wide acclaim for this, Dawson’s first book.  It has been translated into three languages, and is the subject of numerous documentaries, two of which will premiere this year.

The 2011 Jewish Book Festival, hosted by the Tampa Jewish Community Center (JCC), will feature nine prominent authors over 12 days, beginning with Dawson on November 5, and including:  Thanassis Cambanis, a prize-winning author whose book addresses Hezbollah’s ability to create martyrs out of everyday people; Alicia Oltuski’s book about growing up in the diamond industry; Ted Gup’s story about his Jewish grandfather’s role as “secret Santa” during the depression;  well-known novelist, Pam Jenoff; scholar Jay Michaelson on the religious case for homosexuality; children’s author Laurel Snyder; local author Elaine Shimberg’s memoir about growing up Jewish in a small town; and  best-selling author Dan Senor.

The JCC and Hillel Academy are both agencies of the Tampa Jewish Federation so the school is a natural participant in this community event.  Promoting literacy and preserving the memory of the Holocaust are both prime elements of the school’s values.  “To have two of our students be a part of this important event highlights our commitment to  being a partner in bringing quality programs to the Tampa Bay area,” says Amy Wasser, head of the Tampa private school.

Marlin is a current 7th grader and Miriam is in 2nd grade at the Tampa private school. Both are from families with strong associations both at the school and in the broader community.

JCC Arts & Cultural Director, Brandy Gold, notes that “our Book Festival line-up is full of remarkable stories of extraordinary people.  It doesn’t matter if you are Jewish or not or if you read or want to read the book; you only need come to our events and hear these life-changing stories.”

For more information about the 2011 Jewish Book Festival or the Greg Dawson event which is being sponsored by the USF Music School, the Clarion Society and the Jewish Community Center, please contact Brandy Gold at the Jewish Community Center at 813-869-4725 or brandygold@jewishtampa.com.

For more information about Hillel Academy, please visit www.hillelacademytampa.com.

Direct Link:  http://www.prnewschannel.com/2011/10/05/hillel-academy-student-pianists-to-participate-in-tampas-2011-jewish-book-festival/

SOURCE:  Hillel Academy
This press release is distributed by PR NewsChannel. Your News. Everywhere.
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In Print: Wednesday, September 21, 2011

St. Petersburg Times

Published by NASA.gov August 17, 2011

Isaac Millman from Hillel School Of Tampa on Vimeo.

3rd Grade Community Project from Hillel School Of Tampa on Vimeo.