From Passion To Perfection. Talent Shines At Ilan

Cheers to the champions! In addition to our academic accolades, this year, Ilan students joined numerous extra-curricular clubs and competitions, and came out on top, carrying home multiple awards! A number of students participated in a nationwide writing contest sponsored by the Better Together organization, a program that focuses on engendering relationships between students and senior citizens. Throughout the year, students in our Better Together Club have been cultivating bonds with their adopted seniors, visiting them weekly and hosting them in Ilan each month for an afternoon of friendship, food and fun. The competition—a culmination of this year long project—encouraged high school students to write about their experiences visiting the elderly and how their lives were enriched from the experience.

Our very own Lana Kishk, junior, won first place nationally! She wrote an incredibly moving piece, entitled “To Give is To Get,” in which she describes the relationship she built with a neighbor, who is also a survivor of the Holocaust. She credits this connection as her inspiration and impetus to open an interstate medical supply gemach, enabling seniors to access medical equipment that may have otherwise been inaccessible for them. At our final Better Together luncheon, Lana received her medal and award, and read her essay to the crowd. She encouraged her peers to believe in their ability to make a difference and change the world, one step at a time. Lana is using her prize to participate in a summer program in Israel, while Ilan hopes to further expand our Better Together program, enabling us to continue giving back to the seniors in our community.

Another area where Ilan talent was incredibly evident was in the nationwide Fritz Ascher Society High School Competition. Students were invited to submit an essay, poem or artwork that reflected the life of Fritz Ascher, a German Jewish poet and artist, as well as a survivor of the Holocaust.

Michal Braha, a Junior at Ilan, took home the second place prize with her magnificent drawing that depicted a young girl in Nazi Germany. The picture symbolizes both the persecution of the Jews throughout history, as well as their eternal strength and resilience. The opened book above the girl’s head represents the Torah that empowers us, and enables us to triumph over suffering. The shadow that crosses the girl’s face divides the light and dark, conveying the idea that it’s up to each individual to search for the light or succumb to the dark. The swastika is on the darkened side of her face, but the girl has the ability to turn and get a glimpse of the light behind it, signifying her rising hope. Last, the colorful shirt she wears expresses her anticipation of a brighter future.

In Michal’s words, “At the suggestion of my AP art teacher, I submitted my painting to the expressionist competition, never expecting to win, but life is full of surprises and miracles! It’s so gratifying and liberating to share a message through art. I encourage everyone to look inside themselves and share their G-d-given gifts with the people they love!”

Ilan continued their winning streak, at the 2019 CIJE Innovation Day, where our STEM students were granted the opportunity to showcase the skills, knowledge, and creativity that they had learned and developed this past year, by designing and creating a solution to an everyday problem. More than 1,300 students from 41 schools joined, displaying a total of 478 projects.

From the three innovations that Ilan debuted at the event, the Boiler Bot caught the eye of the judges. The Boiler Bot is a reconstructed boiler room with a water sensor. If a pipe begins to leak, the sensor detects the water and sets off a buzzer alerting the homeowner in a timely manner. This project, created by freshmen Sarah Esses and Jessica Shabayev, won second place for The CIJE Award for Excellence in Eco-Innovation!

Mrs. Leah Freifeld, STEM teacher at Ilan, attributes the win to the girls’ “excellent teamwork, constant positivity, and ambitious effort, which met with remarkable success.”

We could have been content with these awards, but Ilan wasn’t ready to stop just yet! After months of preparation, Ilan’s debate team was finally ready to put their skills to the test. Our girls headed to Elizabeth, NJ, to debate whether or not the US Federal Government should remove all references to G-d from government property and literature. The girls were separated into pairs, and placed on either the affirmative or negative side. Despite the fierce competition among the twenty four participating schools, Ilan took home the third place prize for best team and captain, Jessica Zemble, senior, was awarded third place for best debater! She credits Ilan for her win, expressing, “I am so grateful to Ilan for providing me with the opportunity to lead my team to victory. I have gained confidence from both preparing and presenting my arguments, as well as leadership skills, and learning what it means to be a real team player.”

We are proud of our students who continue to hone their talents and make their mark on the world around them, sharing their gifts with others, and giving back to the community. Our girls gain so much in the process, as it is indeed true, “To give is to get.”