{"id":21549,"date":"2016-10-14T00:20:11","date_gmt":"2016-10-14T07:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=21549"},"modified":"2016-10-13T10:33:46","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T17:33:46","slug":"making-mensches-at-kdhs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2016\/10\/14\/making-mensches-at-kdhs\/","title":{"rendered":"Making mensches at KDHS"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the afternoon of Character Day, King David High School hosted a fair at which students could learn about \u2013 and sign up for \u2013 volunteer positions in the Jewish community and around the city. (photo from KDHS)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On Sept. 22, King David High School students celebrated Character Day. It was a day for both quiet introspection and animated group discussions about what makes human beings tick, and how we can reach our full potential, individually and as members of society.<\/p>\n

KDHS is \u201ccommitted to integrating tikkun olam into all students\u2019 experiences, both during the school day and beyond,\u201d said visual arts teacher Wendy Oberlander. And Character Day dovetails neatly with the school vision for students\u2019 social-emotional learning.<\/p>\n

Character Day began 10 years ago as the brainchild of San Francisco filmmaker Tiffany Shlain, whose work in film and technology has been recognized with numerous nominations and awards. Her new mission is Let It Ripple, which uses film as the medium to educate and inspire children to become activists pushing for positive social change. The program is massive, reaching 24 countries as far-flung as Mexico, India and Australia. Approximately 75,000 events were hosted, worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharacter Day presented us with a frame within which to launch this year\u2019s service program,\u201d said Oberlander.<\/p>\n

At KDHS, the day started with three of Let It Ripple\u2019s videos, which were seen by every student.<\/p>\n

Lu Winters is the school\u2019s social-emotional counselor. She is leading the school in a year-long project based on middot<\/em> (character traits).<\/p>\n

According to Winters, the Let It Ripple videos \u2013 The Science of Character<\/em>, The Adaptable Mind<\/em> and The Making of a Mensch<\/em> \u2013 nurture self-knowledge, encouraging students to take what she calls \u201can inventory of themselves.\u201d The films ask, \u201cWhat are your strengths and which do you want to develop?\u201d exploring qualities like creativity, humility, self-control and gratitude.<\/p>\n

According to KDHS\u2019s e-newsletter, \u201cThe central idea of character traits that is described in the film The Making of a Mensch<\/em> will form the basis for TAG [teacher advisory groups] this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Character Day is now an established fixture for the students of KDHS. It has grown and evolved over the six years that Winters has taught at the school. Since joining the staff, she has seen a move toward a richer and more inclusive and varied program of offerings. She described an array of sporting, spiritual and drama activities, as well as support groups for LGBTQ students.<\/p>\n

\"photo
Inbar ben Moshe (photo from KDHS)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This Character Day, Winters sat in with two classes to see how the activities were being received by the students. \u201cThey were really engaged,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said it is always easy to dismiss buzz words, but instead of brushing off words like honesty and generosity, they talked about being self-aware, about being a better person; they responded sincerely and thoughtfully,\u201d said Winters.<\/p>\n

During the afternoon, the school hosted a volunteer fair organized by Ellia Belson, director of Jewish life and events. At the fair, students could learn about \u2013 and sign up for \u2013 positions in the Jewish community and around the city. Booths were hosted by the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Ronald McDonald House, Louis Brier Home and Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee and the Walking School Bus.<\/p>\n

The impact of the program came across loud and clear, in conversation with the kids themselves. They expressed their enthusiasm and drive for positive change. Inbar ben Moshe, in Grade 11, said the day was \u201cinspiring!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt opened our minds to how we can improve our lives and the lives of others,\u201d she said, and spoke of a determination to \u201creally work on myself, to embrace the different aspects of myself.\u201d She wants to volunteer by mentoring children, helping them to resist peer pressure and make good decisions.<\/p>\n

\"photo
Sappir Gini (photo from KDHS)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Grade 10 student, who chose to remain anonymous, spoke about his own struggle with stress and the importance of learning to regulate one\u2019s emotions. \u201cIt was interesting and it really influenced me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt encourages people to think beyond what they already know; to get rid of stress by focusing on what you are good at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sappir Gini (Grade 10) already reads to her nine-year-old brother and spoke of her ambitions in forensic science. She found the videos \u201cinspiring, they made me want to learn more…. We saw how a bunch of people can come together and change things, people who are so eager, so curious \u2013 they can really make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sappir\u2019s goals have crystalized as a result of participating in Character Day. She talked about her love of reading history books, and how she aims to be a reading mentor in inner city schools. Summing up the spirit of Character Day, she said, \u201cYour imagination can take you anywhere \u2013 once you can read, you can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shula Klinger<\/strong> is an author, illustrator and journalist living in North Vancouver. Find out more at niftyscissors.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the afternoon of Character Day, King David High School hosted a fair at which students could learn about \u2013 and sign up for \u2013 volunteer positions in the Jewish community and around the city. (photo from KDHS) On Sept. 22, King David High School students celebrated Character Day. It was a day for both […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6476,6467,1959],"class_list":["post-21549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-middot","tag-schools","tag-tikkun-olam"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}