the message that we are fortunate to live in a Medinas Chesed and owe a tremendous amount of hakarat hatov to this great country. On the most fundamental level we must serve as loyal citizens and be meticulous in our observance of the laws of the land. Ideally, we should be model citizens and our moral and ethical conduct should be beyond reproach. We have the obligation and opportunity to create a tremendous Kiddush Hashem amongst our neighbors. It was with that message in mind that a group of 15 students from Rambam Mesivta visited a veteran’s hospital in Queens New York. The students volunteered their time to visit elderly soldiers who have served our country during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. more

This week, HAFTR High School has been in a celebratory mood. From Chanukah to several impressive college acceptances, high school students have enjoyed a week of excitement and fun. more

Chanukah Chesed If you walked into DRS this past week, you would have noticed Chanukah preparations in full swing. Exciting flyers detail all of the exciting student activities that are scheduled to take place over Chanukah. These events include a toy drive for Ohel families, nursing home visits, raffles for the Ossie Schoenfeld Memorial Fund, a Chinese auction to benefit Od Yosef Chai, and a Chanukah party for local public school kids. more

HAFTR offers over 50 student clubs, sports teams and publications that help members develop interests in various fields that could serve as their future careers. more

This past Motzei Shabbat, DRS held their annual Parent-Son Melava Malka. The night began with a beautiful kumzitz in the DRS Beit Medrash. DRS Menahel Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky strummed his guitar, accompanied by other talented DRS rabbeim, as the students and their parents sang beautiful songs of praise to Hashem. more

If you walked into DRS last Thursday morning, you would be able to feel the excitement for the annual school wide Shabbaton. The spirits were high amongst all students who were just counting down the minutes to perhaps the most anticipated event of the yearly DRS calendar. On Thursday night, November 5th, 250 students drove up to Kutsher’s Resort in the Catskills to begin the 15th annual DRS Shabbaton. more

The recent and growing SAT cheating investigation by the Nassau County District Attorney, resulting in the arrests of several local high school students, has dominated the news and should be reason for society to take a collective pause. It should also be the impetus for us to redefine how we define and measure success. Within the affiliated Jewish community, shared values in the commitment to chesed is evidence that we already ‘get it.’ more

Sunday mornings at the HANC West Hempstead campus are busy with Torah learning, but the students are not the typical yeshiva audience. Each of the children has a developmental disability. So while their siblings are at home spending the weekend, these students receive an experience resembling a typical classroom. “We want to involve [each] child in the experience of being in a yeshiva just like their siblings,” said Annalee Ickowics, director of the Gottesman Learning Center. more

A pair of HAFTR seniors was among the semifinalists in the 2011 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology held on Oct. 21. Wade Miller and Erich Hirsch studied the use of graphene and graphene oxide as a potential substitute for stem cells in replacing body tissue. more

Back to School Guide 2011: Part Two/Queens & Manhattan more