Hillel Academy of Tampa

Hillel Academy sixth-grader takes first place in national chess competition

wphs — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:39:37 +0000

Ethan Hinds’ parents taught him to play chess when he was 4. Here, the 11-year-old competes in Dallas in May.

Ethan Hinds spends much of his free time on the computer, playing games with friends. But these aren’t video games or any other average pastime for an 11-year-old. Ethan is playing chess — and lots of it. His focus and commitment to the game have paid off. Ethan won his first national chess tournament this month, outwitting eight of nine opponents to take first place in the K-6 division of the United States Chess Federation National Youth Action East Championship. More than 330 students from across the country competed in various divisions at the Miami tournament where the Tampa Chess Club — including fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders from area schools — earned a first-place title, as well. Ethan is also a member of the team. “I expected I’d place in the top 20, but I didn’t expect to win,” Ethan said of his individual win. “I was really excited.” Before the tournament, five of Ethan’s opponents had been rated stronger players than him. The sixth-grader’s skills, however, have progressed, said his coach Jeff York, who also coaches the team and is director of the Hillel Academy chess club. “In the last six months, he’s gotten really strong,” York said. “His maturity has brought him to a higher level of playing.” Ethan’s parents taught him how to play chess when he was 4 years old, and it wasn’t long before he was winning consistently. He joined the chess club while in kindergarten at the private Hillel Academy on Fletcher Avenue. “The coach told us he showed promise and suggested he get chess lessons,” said his father, Jeff Hinds. “I didn’t even know chess lessons existed.” At Ethan’s first chess competition, he placed in the top 10. Still, his father said, Ethan is no prodigy. He just spends a lot of time on the game. “To have a kid with this much focus for so long is unusual,” said York. “There’s a lot of material to read that’s too dense for even some adults.” In addition to chess lessons with York, Ethan takes lessons from a Ukrainian grand master once a week via Skype. He and his 7-year-old sister Miriam keep their parents busy. Besides chess, Ethan also plays soccer for two teams, and Miriam now plays chess as well. Jeff Hinds is an attorney; his wife, Terri, works for a market research company. Traveling from their Carrollwood home to tournaments from Nashville to Dallas has become a family pastime. “It’s as much about seeing the world as it is about the competitions,” Jeff Hinds said. “I see it as a way for my kids to continue to broaden their horizons.” For Ethan, playing chess is just fun. “I like that each game is different,” he said. He enjoys meeting friends at tournaments, then playing chess with them online. At the Miami competition Dec. 10 and 11, Ethan made it through nine rounds of “action chess,” in which each player is given only 30 minutes for all of their moves. Other tournaments have fewer games that take longer. The time constraint for these rounds, as well as the playing conditions, made this tournament even more challenging. “We were in a busy convention center with a convention right beside us, so it was really, really loud. Typically you could hear a pin drop at a chess tournament,” York said. Ethan didn’t seem too daunted by the noise. “Sometimes I get nervous,” he said, “but I just try not to think about anything else.” Elizabeth Miller can be reached at hillsnews@sptimes.com.

Innovative project based learning at Hillel Academy helps students make the grade

wphs — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:09:51 +0000

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.”

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Hillel Academy sixth grader wins national chess championship

wphs — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:25:31 +0000

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

Hillel Academy student pianists to participate in Tampa’s 2011 Jewish Book Festival

wphs — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 01:29:05 +0000

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
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Land O’Lakes grad earns kudos for his animated film on science projects

wphs — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:25:51 +0000

By Michele Miller, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Wednesday, September 21, 2011

St. Petersburg Times

: Kevin Temmer, a former student in the IB program at Land O’Lakes High and now at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, won two awards for his animated film at the 2011 International Student Media Festival.

There’s no doubt about it, the school Science Fair can be a kid’s worst nightmare.

To be sure, there are those who thrive in the laboratory setting, whether it be figuring out the best type of soil for sunflowers for the elementary school fair, or using a piece of tin to enhance radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer, as did the winners of the 2011 Intel International Science Fair. But for others, just coming up with an idea for an experiment, never mind a hypothesis, can be cause for anxiety.

Enter Kevin Temmer, 18. The young computer animating wiz has managed to simplify the scientific process in an engaging, award-winning film he created last year as a creative, community service project when he was a student in the International Baccalaureate program at Land O’Lakes High.

Making the animated film, Prepare for the Science Fair, was the perfect avenue for Kevin, who said he has been drawing “ever since I could pick up a pencil” and has long found inspiration in cartoon favorites such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Phineas and Ferb.

“My mom suggested making the film. She told me, ‘You know animation and you love animation so you should do something with that,’ ” said Kevin, who has been making short films for fun ever since he was a middle school student. “I thought doing something on the science fair would be good because I know kids can get stuck.

“I went through the science fair myself and it was a challenge. That’s why I thought it was a good idea to have a film that would make it fun — and wouldn’t be boring.”

Kevin enlisted the help of Amy Basham, his former seventh-grade science teacher at Hillel Academy in Tampa.

“He knew how much I loved getting students interested in science and offered to work with me to create an animated introduction to science fair, an academic program that I work very hard on each year,” Basham explained, noting that the two worked together for weeks. “Kevin was able to use his creative abilities to bring my science fair concepts to life.”

100 hours of work

Kevin’s plot weaves the steps and procedures of a successful science project in a simplistic way with the help of two characters named Jack and Jessica, and a very authoritative-sounding narrator. The 15-minute film, which features some clever dialogue and an original song, was created in about 100 hours, using Flash Animation and Garage Band computer programs. That effort earned a top grade for Kevin, who serves as the voice for all the characters, save one “sort of evil type” voiced by his younger brother, Matthew, 14. Prepare for the Science Fair was awarded “Excellence in Media Production” and “Judges’ Favorite” for grades 9-12 in Animation at the 2011 International Student Media Festival.

Now, thanks to some good promotion courtesy of his dad, Bryan Temmer, Kevin’s film also has been featured on several educational websites including NASA, the National Science Foundation Knowledge Network, National Geographic Kids, PBS Kids Dragonfly TV, AOL Kids, Edutopia, and Intel’s Inspired by Education site. After viewing the film, Kevin was also asked to create an animated introduction for a section on “Cool Jobs in Science” by organizers of the World Science Festival that was held this past June in New York.

“He’s a great agent,” Kevin said of his dad, who sent e-mails with links to his son’s film to school boards and educational organizations throughout the country. “I’ve made the animation and everything but he’s done such a great job of getting it out there.”

That was no problem for the proud dad, who has long been in awe of his son’s talent.

“At such a very young age he would come home with these drawings and his teachers would tell us, ‘Wow, you’ve got to watch this one,’ ” Bryan Temmer said. “He would just spend hours and hours drawing on papers. We noticed right away that he had a unique love for art.”

And cartoons. And their voices.

“I always loved watching cartoons,” Kevin said. “They made me what I am today.”

Indeed, Kevin can do a spot-on Elmo from Sesame Street as well as Family Guy animator Seth MacFarlane and all the characters from The Simpsons.

“He can imitate so many cartoon characters,” his dad said. “If he was in L.A., he could call a restaurant and make a reservation as Seth MacFarlane and they would think it was him because he can do all the voices. Not that he would do that, of course.”

Imitation another talent

Imitation is an art in itself, but creating your own is the best kick for Kevin, who truly enjoys the hours of tedious work it takes to create animated film.

“The biggest reward is when he creates a character and sees it animated and then hears the voice,” Bryan Temmer said. “This character he thought up has a personality and it’s humorous and you can relate to it.”

Kevin, who is now enrolled in his first year at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, has a goal to one day work for a company like Disney or Pixar. Maybe work on a film like Toy Story or be the creator of his own animated television show; one he hopes will appeal to kids and adults.

“My dad always tells me that you have to find something you like and try to make money at that,” Kevin said. “This is so much fun and that’s why I want to do something like this with my life. I love that elements in the real world can show up in animation. I like the idea of creating a new universe with rules that work.”

This Science Fair is a Winner

wphs — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:16:56 +0000

: Kevin Temmer’s Science Fair animation currently is featured on several websites. Image Credit: Bryan Temmer

Published by NASA.gov August 17, 2011

When Kevin Temmer found he would have to complete a Creativity Action Service requirement to graduate from the International Baccalaureate program at Land O’ Lakes High School, he knew just what to do. As a young child, Temmer had enjoyed drawing and taught himself the art of animation. He decided his project would incorporate his passion for animation and serve as a tribute to a favorite teacher.

The CAS requirement is an integral part of the IB program that provides a counterbalance to academic studies. Students are expected to be involved in CAS activities for the equivalent of at least three hours each week during the two years of the program.

Amy Basham was Temmer’s middle school science teacher. Basham commented, “Kevin was a bright, creative and talented science student. I had the opportunity to teach him science for three years at Hillel, challenging him to approach science in a way that encouraged him to learn new concepts while also learning how to think.” He chose to develop something she could use in her classroom.

After consulting Basham, Temmer decided to create and animate an original movie that explained how to complete a science fair project. His video is not a dry rendition of a science fair project; he created an interesting storyline that leads through each step. As the video opens, Jack frantically seeks the help of fellow classmate Jessica. As Jessica and Jack argue about how fun doing a science fair should be, Narrator steps in and offers to help Jack with his project. Jack and Jessica are transported to an imaginary world where Narrator leads him through the steps of completing a successful science fair project.

“Kevin was able to use his creative abilities to bring my science fair concepts to life!” remarked Basham.

The young developer spent over 50 hours completing the animation project. The 15-minute video includes an original song, “At the Science Fair,” performed by the Science Siblings, all voiced by Temmer. In fact, except for one cameo appearance by his brother, all the work and voices are his.

Temmer’s Science Fair animation currently is featured on several websites including National Geographic Kids, the National Science Foundation Knowledge Network, AOL Kids, Dragonfly TV and others. Temmer is exploring developing a series of Science Siblings videos.

Kevin Temmer spent more than 50 hours animating his science fair video. Image Credit: Bryan Temmer

Temmer recently created an animated short and original song that was featured at the World Science Festival in New York City. His video was used as the introduction to the “Cool Jobs” presentation.

Temmer will be attending the Ringling College of Art and Design as a computer animation major this fall. Basham summed it up, “Kevin is a talented young man with the ability to excel at whatever he puts his mind to. I am thrilled that his science fair animation has earned him such notoriety and cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Kevin.”

If you know a budding movie producer, they may want to try their hand at building a podcast. NASA Education provides free, downloadable video clips and audio clips to build video and audio podcasts via NASA’s Do-It-Yourself Podcast. These clips feature NASA astronauts and other experts so you can produce a podcast by mixing and mashing your own clips with NASA’s.

Video Links:

Prepare for the Science Fair

When You’re a Scientist

JoCasta Green/NASA Educational Technology Services

Video: Isaac Millman

wphs — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:20:54 +0000

Isaac Millman from Hillel School Of Tampa on Vimeo.

Video: 3rd Grade Community Project

wphs — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:19:50 +0000

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

Video: TK’s Aleph/Bet Parade

wphs — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:04:51 +0000

TK’s Aleph/Bet Parade from Hillel School Of Tampa on Vimeo.

Video: Mission Nutrition

wphs — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:03:42 +0000

Mission Nutrition from Hillel School Of Tampa on Vimeo.