Dear MHA-FYOS Community,

The 2020-21 Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South school year was incredible!

This was certainly not the year that anyone anticipated but, as you will read and see below, this year has been one of growth in our classrooms and in the school. Our students showed great resilience and experienced many meaningful and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities. Our faculty demonstrated heroic leadership and professionalism and taught in ways that we could not have imagined 16 months ago. Our enrollment grew this past year and is continuing to grow into the coming year.

We are excited to build on this momentum. We recently hired a number of excellent new instructors in all divisions of the school. We are reviewing our curricula in Judaic and General Studies. We are deeply cleaning and preparing the building for the new school year. Finally, we recently began construction on the new Mary Pikelny STEAM Center, which will be located in our Elementary Wing. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity which will allow us to expand our current STEAM education opportunities and give our students access to dedicated spaces in which to study Art, Science, and Engineering. We will keep you all updated as this project progresses. 

Please read below about this past year's highlights - our Year in Review. We hope you have a wonderful summer!

Yours truly,

Rabbi Benjy Owen
Head of School
This year in ECE our teachers and students persisted with fun and learning despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The teachers focused on creating classroom environments where each child felt comfortable and at ease during an uncertain time by reading stories, singing songs, fostering creativity, learning Torah, and allowing for exploration. Many of our typical programs evolved as we adapted to distance learning opportunities by providing holiday take-home kits, weekly virtual Torah Time, and chances for movement and music through Cosmic Kids Yoga and Go Noodle. 
  
As the year progressed, the ECE classes were able to incorporate whole-group activities which allowed for more social interaction and collaboration amongst our youngest students. They gathered together for “A Journey Around Israel” as they rotated to various stations in the courtyard on Yom Ha'atzmaut, enjoyed inflatables and a petting zoo for Lag B’Omer, met each week to learn the Parsha with the Kollel Torah Mitzion in the outdoor pavilion, had a visit from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department as they learned about community helpers, and finished the year off with an End of the Year celebration complete with ice cream and dancing.
This year, through the fog of COVID, there were many beacons of light and hope that helped us create a positive and energizing environment for students and faculty alike. We were able to continue participating in the National Chidon HaTanach competition this year, with the largest group ever joining from MHA. Students met three times a week to learn Tanach in Hebrew, with one weekly session meeting after school. Although there was not a summative experience in New York to mark the finals, students did participate in a virtual event with all of the other participating schools, and celebrated locally with ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s.

Through the year, a number of students asked if we would be able to hold the poetry contest that had been held in previous years. At times, it was not clear that we would be able to do it, but as restrictions started to ease, we announced that we would be able to have the poetry contest, with finalists from each of 4th-8th grade reading their poetry in front of their peers. Students enjoyed the event and were excited to return to some of the in person school events from previous years.

A perennial favorite at MHA is Grandparents’ Day. Students enjoy the opportunity to share their learning with grandparents and special friends. This year, we were not able to welcome visitors in person. Instead, we welcomed them virtually, which gave many more special guests the opportunity to see what we do. We hope that next year we will be able to welcome guests from near and far, in person, and virtually.

Another event that students missed out on last spring due to COVID was Color War. Students, and teachers, love the chance to shift gears at school and participate in informal bonding and learning events. Many students were able to shine as leaders of their teams and grades and we enjoyed seeing everyone let loose a little bit.  

We were fortunate that we were able to showcase our learning with a siddur play and Chumash play as well as the Purim and Pesach plays - both all in Hebrew! We were especially happy to host some of them in our brand new outdoor pavilions. We look forward to hosting them again next year with even more guests in person.

Our Science Expo took on a different look this year, as it too was virtual, but students displayed their talents as budding scientists in stellar fashion. We saw classic displays, such as: “elephant’s toothpaste”, Newton’s laws, and geodes, as well as contemporary topics such as: recycling and the environment, studies in voice/visual perception, and magnetic slime. Our science classes and instruction have been infused with a deeper level of critical analysis as a result of our joining the CIJE programming, which has greatly benefited our students.
What a spectacular year it has been! In the FYOS, students were immersed in hands-on, cross-curricular learning experiences. Our GMSG students delved into World History by recreating a medieval village through paper and play. Our CYHSB took on historical personas such as Vlad Dracula for exciting presentations. Both schools learned to tie dye using chemical reactions, found the center of states using Calculus, delved deep into novels, and learned about personal finance. Our students took a wide variety of AP courses this year such as AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Environmental Science, AP United States History, AP Language, and AP Psychology. APUSH students grappled with learning to read and analyze primary sources while AP Language students perfected their writing. Breaking social norms was one of the many fun activities in AP Psychology this year. All levels of Environmental Science gained a new appreciation for the world and our resources. Even with periods of time on zoom, the high school students had a tremendous experience and classes covered more than ever. We enjoyed learning indoors, but truly loved learning outdoors in our new gazebos and chairs with lap desks. The picnic tables gave us all sorts of new opportunities to work outside as well. It may have been a different year, but it was more amazing than ever!!
Student activities were more student-led than ever. The boys added a football league and chess championship to the school. They invested in the stock market and watched their money work for them. The girls had special social emotional programming, had a yoga day, and took a student led painting class at Shelby Farms. Both schools enjoyed a few days of outdoor activities in the spring including laser tag, paintball, baseball, and yummy lunches.

As always, we remain passionate about helping each student grow and develop their own purpose for their life as a Torah Jew and an engaged member of the community. This year in the GMSG, Mrs. Gersten's class made a siyum on Sefer Devarim. Also, students in the GMSG Navi program learned all five Megillot and Sefer Yonah. In the spring, the GMSG held a Torah Learning Showcase where they presented Divrei Torah on the Aseret Hadibrot.

In the CYHSB, a new Navi program was instituted for juniors and seniors, and the students completed Shoftim, Shmuel Alef, and Shmuel Bet. Two new offerings this year were a triple period Advanced Gemara class and Rabbi Safier's Bekius program. Due to Covid, a new Mishmar program was introduced, which featured speakers from around the country on Zoom. It was such a success that it will continue in the fall! At the CYHSB Evening of Torah Learning this spring, students delivered Divrei Torah on Pesach.

Throughout the year, students partook in a variety of extracurricular activities designed to showcase their many and varied talents, including Student Council, Mishmar, Student Newspaper, Model UN, Mock Trial, and many more. Additionally, the CYHSB introduced its wildly popular Pre-Pesach Restaurant Night, which will now be an annual fundraiser.
Our students received numerous impressive awards this year, including:

Moshe Davidovics, Rakhel Finkelstein, Ruth Kaplowitz, Lee Sauer, Ezra Somer, and Victoria Valeriano were named AP Scholars with Honor.

Serena Cooper and Michael Baum received the Yale Book Award.

Moshe Davidovics was named a Commended Student in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Lee Sauer, Moshe Davidovics, Ruth Kaplowitz, Rakhel Finkelstein, Victoria Valeriano received the Gold President’s Education Award and Ezra Somer received the Silver President’s Education Award.

Benjamin Mendelson and Moshe Davidovics were named St. Jude Science Scholars of Tomorrow.

Serena Cooper was accepted into the Tikvah Summer Program.

Nathan Baer was accepted into the Physics of Atomic Nuclei (PAN) Online Summer program.

Ahuva Davis and Neima Rovner received Honorable Mention Awards in Memphis Jewish Federation’s 12th Annual Holocaust Art Contest.

Chana Rovner received the first place award in the Memphis Jewish Federation Annual Holocaust Essay contest and Yaron Weiss received Honorable Mention.

Hodaya Harary was selected as a finalist in ADI’s Make the Change Challenge. 

Sara Weinstein won Honorable Mention on the YUNMUN Counter Terrorism Committee.

Nathan Greenbaum received the Bettie Thomas Chesed Award at Eighth Grade Advancement.

Victoria Valeriano and Rakhel Finkelstein received the LaVerne Weil Award at Twelfth Grade Graduation.

Daniel Kahane won first place in the MHA Poetry Contest for Original Poem and Shua Zions won first place for Published Poem.

Neima Rovner and Akiva Levine were selected to join the Truman Scholars Program.
Our kindergarteners did an amazing job in their “Once Upon a Kindergarten” themed graduation! We can’t wait to watch these amazing students continue to excel in first grade! Thank you to their incredible teachers Morah Michelle Katz and Mrs. Kim Minner and ECE Director Ms. Katie Minner.
Our eighth grade students took to the MHA stage and shared speeches based on the theme “My MHA Story” at their inspirational Eighth Grade Advancement Program. We can't wait to watch these students continue to excel in High School!
Fourteen incredible students graduated from FYOS this year. All of our graduates will spend a year in Israel next year. We are pleased to share that several of our students were accepted to their top choice colleges and universities, including the Yeshiva University Honors Program and the University of Maryland. We are very proud of the accomplishments of all of our graduates and wish them the best in their future endeavors!