Prairie State Testing

Last week, Freshmen, Sophomores, and Seniors enjoyed their day off on Wednesday and a well needed late arrival on Thursday. The juniors, however, were not so lucky. I had to wake up at the usual 6AM to get ready for a day full of bubble filling and question answering.
Day one was the ACT. The ACT is a stressful process, but to know that this one would be sent to four schools of your choice, was terrifying. I have been really busy the last couple of weeks and months, and I had no time to put aside to study and prepare for this ACT. Most people were hoping this would be their last ACT because this was known to be the easiest. I might not be that lucky, and I am unsure if I will take it again in June and actually study for that one.
The worst part of these two days was day two, the actual Prairie State Achievement Exam. I am not saying it was difficult, at all, I just felt like it was a waste of time. We just spent the day before testing harder material, and this days test was asking simple math problems, and science questions that we could have figured out in middle school. On top of that, the last section was all about business and job positions. I felt no need to connect with the readings we had to answer questions to. I had no intrest in them, and I don't think I need any of the information about construction companies and banana sales.
I understand that this is the state wide test that is required for all public schools in the state, but I don't think this is helping the cause. GBN has a wonderful acedemic record and does well overall, but other schools, in the city, will not compare to our test scores. Those schools actually might have trouble on some problems that students at GBN thought to be easy and not needed. I was thinking to myself after the test was over, that some of the reading sections on business actually might come in handy for students in underprivledged areas and it made me think further. This ACT is paid for my the state, and is free for all students. ACTs are not terribly expensive, but for some students, this ACT is the only one they can take because it is free. I feel priviledged that I am able to take the test over and over again if I want to, even if I don't actually want to take the boring test.

Turmoil in the Middle East

(The Dome of the Rock and a overview of the Western Wall -A picture I took during a trip to Israel)

In the news lately, we have been hearing a lot about the Israeli - Palestinian conflict going on right now in the Middle East. But it seems that we have been seeing only snippets of the stories emerging from Israel and Gaza. It is obviously sad to see the pictures and videos of the many wounded and killed, but the stories that come along with it or some times hard to believe. I am a proud supporter of Israel, and when these reports come out saying that Israel is the only one at fault, and they are the only bad guys, it really makes me blood boil. I am not one to accuse the Palestinians of being killers and missile launchers , but sometimes the stories are exaggerated to a whole different level. While few stories are very biased, most of them are true, but they are interrupted differently by everyone. Some news stations are to blame, like CNN, because they only show one side of the story, but other stations are pretty accurate.

Recently, a ceasefire was agreed upon from both sides of the border, but even more recently, it despite the ceasefire, Palestinians fired a rocket from northern Gaza at the western Negev (south) last week. The projectile landed in an open area in the western Negev's Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported. The Color Red alert (the alarm to let residents know that a rocket is coming) sounded throughout the area ahead of the landing. Click here to read more.

This on going conflict has truly effected me and my Jewish community. Everyday, I think about my friends who are living in Israel right for the year, and worry constantly about their safety and well being. Israel is a second home for me and I have visited there many times. I also plan on living in Israel for a year between senior year and freshmen year of college. I hope and pray everyday that Israel will still be around for many many many more years, and when I plan on living there, it will also be safe. This summer, I am spending 8 weeks traveling to every part of Israel, and still, through all of the bombs and terror threats, my desire to be there right now, and to spend my summer there, has not weakened. I want to get the message out there to everyone that through this turmoil, Israel is still a wonderful place. In a heart beat, of someone where to ask if they should go, I would say yes. It may seem like a scary place, but in fact, when you are actually there, it is peaceful, and holy and serene. I don't want to sound like Miss American right now, but I really do hope for peace in the world, and that can only happen if we all try to achieve it right here and now.


( A picture of me in front of the Western Wall during a trip in the winter of 2006)



(This is a video I took while climbing up Masada- a historical and biblical mountain in southern Israel, that overlooks the Dead Sea and is very high up. This is a video I took while in Israel in 8th grade with my class from Schechter. It is 4AM when we started climbing the mountain, and it was very cold, and it is not an easy climb up. The whole climb takes close to 2 hours, and you wake up early enough to climb the mountain so you can see the sunrise from the top.)