School+Talk

So different, yet so much the same. Schools. High School, Ulpana, Yeshiva, The School of Life.

What is your school like? How is it special? What do you do every day? Where is your favorite lunch spot?

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__**Lunch hour**__ Our lunch hour starts at 1:05 pm until 1:55 pm. We go down to the cafeteria or we have the option (a grade 10 privilege) to go home or to a friends house that lives close by. At the cafeteria they sell lunch (pizza, pasta, couscous, chicken, drinks and more) Other grades get to go outside to play basket ball or go behind the school to the park but they remain on school grounds. Grade 11 also have the privilege to go home but the one privilege they have that the rest of the school doesn't is going to the mall which is 5 min away. By: Guila

=Whiteboards= =  = = =   by :Bianca, Esther, Zara In our school, we recently installed these new boards called smartboards. They are just like a regular blackboard except that it is connected to the computer which allows access to the internet. Some teachers are trained to use them while others have more difficulty. They have special pens that write on them too. Near each smartboard there is a regular whiteboard that uses erasable markers. Sometimes the teachers get confused between the smartboard pens and the whiteboard markers and end up writing on the smartboard by accident which is really funny. The smartboards are good because since they have internet, the teachers can show us different web sites that could help us. In our school, they are taking out all the blackboards and replacing them with whiteboards. =

=Color war at Hebrew Academy!= Color war is an event at our school, Hebrew Academy, which occurs once a year. Classes are paused for three days and the entire student body is divided in two. Eight captains are chosen by the five judges, who are appointed by previous judges. There are two captains of opposite sexes from grade eleven on each team. There is also one from grade ten and an additional one from grade nine on each team. Throughout the three days, there are various activities and challenges that create competition between both teams. School spirit is at its highest point throughout these days. Every student is included and has a role in the overall competition. Cheers are yelled in the halls and the war ends with a banquet where the winning team is determined. I really enjoy this time of the year because not only is it extremely fun, but it also includes every student and creates a great amount of school unity and spirit.
 * By: Jessica **

= Lunch Hour at Hebrew Academy! = In our school, our grade is allowed to leave the building during lunch. We are only allowed to go to our friends’ houses if they live near by. Even though we have a mall across the street from our school, we are not allowed to go. I live around the corner from the school so I go home almost everyday with a few friends. I think our privilege to be able to leave school during lunch is very good. I don’t really understand why we can’t go to the mall, but at least we can go somewhere. By: Sara

= from a bird's point of view-- NC = Rotem & Elisheva As we stand on the roof, alone, a thought trickles by: It is so inspiring to see the breathtaking views; the hills, the fields, the forests… you feel as if time has skidded to a sudden stop as silence wraps you like a warm quilt in the heart of the busy, noisy, life. Humans always wanted to fly. To feel the wind, to see everything from above- so diminutive and distant… the roof is our opportunity to fly. To see everything from a different point of view. From a clear birds view. To feel the wind and imagine how you soar, free and worriless. The roof's door is usually locked. Every time, as we pass by the white door, we try the handle. Maybe today, maybe now, maybe this time, the door to our own private magical kingdom of sky is open. Every time the door opens with a pleasant screech we are cheerfully surprised. It's that anticipation that makes the experience even sweeter. As the door screeches closed behind us, we know our realistic dream has begun. We can, if we want to, scream at the top our lungs - no one is around to hear us. Finally we can act as we wish, do what we want. As we watch the sunset pleasure and calmness wash over us. The sky is colored red, and looks as if god had painted it with a paint brush. And when the world is covered with darkness, when you can no longer see the sun and the last gleam of light is gone, we know we must return. We are sad to leave but we are refreshed cheerful and pleased. All that is now left is to wait expectantly for the next time the door will open.

=__ The __ trees in NC = (by Eli7 and Tamar) In NC – our school. There are few really fun places. We chose the most fun places: the fig tree and the cherry tree. When the sun shine s, the birds chirps and the air is fresh, we walk outside (kind of running out of class) towards our favorite trees, we climb on the fig tree at first, trying to find the most ripe fig. After eating 10 figs (at least) we run to the next tree- the cherry tree! Finding cherries is a difficult mission.

First of all-    The cherry leafs are red, and the cherries are red too. Second of all- the cherries are small. In the end- walking back, up to class is a mission impossible. The amount of fruit we eat is unbelievable. But we never learn from our mistakes…

=**// __The coffee machine__: -- NC //**= (shira) Our school, just like any other school has classes, teachers, recess, and so on… But, our school has a coffee machine...TADAAAM!! This is the typical scene you'll see at 8 am: a sea of girls, sleep walking like zombies to the coffee so they can get their day started. At 10 am it's the next rush hour at the lousy coffee machine, you have to understand this coffee is THE worst coffee you can imagine, and yet we all drink it up…they could poison us and we wouldn’t notice, walking towards the coffee with our eyes shut (literally..). The coffee machine is a big part of our school, getting the coffee is part of our rutine, and drinking it- well that's just disgusting…talking eating, laughing, and- borrowing money for the praised beloved coffee  …

 =  Sunsets -- NC    = Rivka and Ayelet The sunsets we see on Monday evening when we sleep over are so exquisite they are the perfect end to a long and tiring day of school. Since all students at Neve Chana are required to sleep over on Monday nights we always catch sight of the fiery sunsets whether we want to or not. Our cameras are full of richly colored setting suns and richly tinged clouds. The feeling at the end of day when we see such a perfect scene makes us feel warm inside and gives us motive to come and sleep over again at school just to see the sun set in such a beautiful display of colors (which makes us wonder if the school was placed here on purpose).

= **__ "The schorim" -- NC __** = (="the black ones") Noga

When you enter to the ulpena of Neve Chana, the first thing that you your eye will meet will be a black marble wall, which carries one of the first psukim in the torah. By the girls of the ulpena, the place is called "the schorim" (=in English "the black ones") for a foreign eye this could be a very cold a harsh welcome. For a Neve Chana student, the schorim are the warmest welcome in the world, and they are giving the feeling of home. To be exact, the schorim are actually an art work. It is made from 4 different walls, which describe the creating of the light and the separation from the darkness. The art work is made of stained glass and stones, which describes the sun and the darkness. This fascinating art work was maid by the artist John Bail, who is known by his black and white art works. Nowadays John is a teacher in the art school of "Bezalel"(the best school for art in Israel.) So, this magnificent art work is being used for posting announcements, a gathering place for all of us, a lobby for waiting to your teacher, and just a place to sit in and talk. I can't imagine Neve Chana with out the schorim – it’s is part of all of us…..

=**//__ Our "Lunchroom"- NC __//**= Eliana: Our lunchroom is one of Israel's best! It is famous for its delicious food! Its luxurious china and of course our rocking lunch man whom we all love: Itzik! Our menu rarely varies. A typical Neve Chana meal includes: canned soup 4/5/6/7 different types of carbs, and of course (only because the government insists) our daily fruits and vegetables. And of course peanut butter and chocolate sandwiches are always available for those who are on a diet! The atmosphere in the lunchroom is a very special one, a true experience. Between flying tomatoes and the odd chair or fork flying by, there is an enormous feeling of togetherness, family and love (mainly for food). We all enjoy ourselves down there weather it’s the fun of 200 teenagers all squashed into a room driving the teachers crazy, or the food, or just the love for our school! Honestly you are in our lunchroom for one minute, and you will not only come out with a dirty shirt, but also a guaranteed terrific experience! But food isn’t the only thing that goes on in the Neve Chana lunchroom. Any special occasion, serious happy or other is held there. Which fills the room with joyful memories, serious, and sometimes sad memories? Our "Tekes Yom HaZikaron" is always held there an event put together by the oldest girls in the school which unites everyone in the room. But in a snap of a finger the room can be changed completely. Every year our Annual Purim Party is held there, the room turns into a dance floor with music, cotton candy. Scary costumes and a complete feeling of fun! This room also gets used for Shabbat meals, which aren't always the "nicest" but they are definitely an experience! Honestly it is a unique magical room! And if you want a true Israeli (kosher experience) Neve Chana lunch room is the place for you!

=The Dorms -- NC= Keren, Aliza and Hana Bella        Can you imagine having a crazy sleepover every week with your entire grade? We have that every Monday night. Sounds cool, huh? And you don't know the half of it. The night starts with an early dinner, during which more of our tea ends up on our clothes and on the floor than us actually //drinking// it. After that we have many different enjoyable activities such as fascinating lectures, riveting movies and wild games. If you're interested, following that you can either go swimming at the nearby pool free of charge, work out on the exercise machines located there, or hone your basketball skills (that is, //if// you're interested). Far more interesting are the extreme activities occurring down in the dorms. The first few nights of the year are spent decorating the plain, dreary walls of the rooms with posters and our highly artistic scribbles, and we dedicate every night anew to redecorating the floor with the leftovers from dinner. So, other than that, what do we actually //do// in those rooms? Sleep? Not exactly. We spend either half the night waiting for the shower or really showering. That is, if you can call it a shower. From every shower stall you can hear screeches that can be translated as singing. Those singing girls form a choir which creates harmonious notes that can leave you speechless at their perfection. If there are no girls listening to the choir, there will always be the lovely audience of the slimy little creatures whom we have grown so familiar with we almost call them part of the family. Those creatures crawl up from the drains as uninvited but still fondly thought of guests. Amongst the regulars, such as spiders, we have recently had a few rare visitors such as poisonous centipedes and scorpions. It's no wonder that the rooms are constantly filled with shrieks, smiles, tears and gossip. The special qualities of the dorms on Monday nights are numerous, and we simply don't have the time to list them all. As odd as our beloved Monday nights may be, we wouldn't change a thing about them.

= The secret garden - NC = Naomi and Aviya If you are playing hide and seek, we've got the place for you! It includes green grass, beautiful views, silence, tranquility, privacy and lovely weather. You won't see many cars pass by and there isn't any Starbucks But if you need to get away, it's a jump out the window and into our little world. Situated right outside the study section of the library, in between bible studies and the Arab settlers across the way, you'll find tranquility at its best. Neveh Channah is right outside the town of Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion. In these little peaceful gardens of Shmuel and Channa Ehrman, you'll find yourself in the midst of mountains just a few hours away from the lowest place on earth- the Dead Sea, and minutes away from the holy city. This is the view you eyes will perceive in our gardens of milk and honey. In Neveh Channah the studies build up, causing endless pressure unless handles with care. Since this is the case, the gardens are at your immediate service to get away and clear your head for a class or two. Chances are, no one will find you while you're spending quality time alone. The first garden out the library window, which we like to think of as the central one, is surrounded by walls but has an opening to a view. This enables you to read, write or listen to your favorite music in absolute privacy. The garden has stone steps leading out and around to yet more places with great views. The gardens surround the school building in such a way that you'll never have trouble getting back to your destination. You turn the corner, and there's the entrance to school, where you can go right back to your studies. In short, these gardens give leisure to any weary student itching to get away. It is the immediate solution to stress, and so close to it as well. Remember, it's only one second away and you're there, no extra thinking necessary.

= The Square - NC  = Avichayil & M eital In the middle of our school there is a big yard shaped as a square which all the classrooms surround it. We love hanging out there because: A- The administration placed big beautiful pergolas all around inside the square so we have a great place to sit between classes and breath some fresh air, relax and collect more energy for the rest of the day. B- In the morning’ when we begin our day with pray, ‘The Square’ is a quiet relaxing place that helps us concentrate in our prayer. C- It’s in the middle of the school building and close to every place in school. We walk thru ‘The Square’ to get to classes and we always can meet our friends there. D- Because of the building surrounding it, the weather there is very comfortable- the wind doesn’t come in because it’s blocked by the building, but still, it’s open from the top and the hot sun comes in. In result of all these reasons, the school always plans activities in ‘The Square’ and we end out always hanging out there.

= __ Color War -- HA __ = by Sivan Color war is the time during the year that every single student at Hebrew academy is looking forward to. Three judges in grade 11 and two in grade 10 chose the date but no one else knows about it. Every year they break it out in a different way.  There are 2 teams. Each is assigned different colors which we must dress in for example the picture below is the green yellow and gold team. During the 2 days of color war we have meetings with our teams and competitions at our school such as singing, sports, dances, skits and many more. At the end of color war the judges chose the winning team. It’s a fun and memorable time in our school