Shabbat Shalom!
As my time at the
Davis Academy draws to a close, I decided to write a letter to myself -- my
Kindergarten self-- telling little Halli
everything she has to look forward to at this special school.
Dear Halli,
Wow! Today is your
first day at Davis. I bet you’re excited and nervous to be at a school other
than the small Bnai Torah preschool. I
know all of the older kids may seem intimidating at first, but just remember
that one day you will be one of those big kids!
Don’t be scared of the big building and tall students, because you are
in a warm, safe, nurturing place, where you can focus on learning. You have so
much ahead of you; I almost wish I could trade places with you. Almost.
Oh, and by the way, you’re
really rocking that froggy name tag and those pigtails!!
Halli,
your time at Davis will be more than just learning algebra, diagramming
sentences, and dissecting frogs (by the way, be sure to pick a lab partner who
will not be absent on frog day.) Davis
is much more than a school. It’s the
place where you will find your identity as a student, as a friend, and as a
Jew.
Davis will teach you to
love and appreciate being a student.
The teachers here are unlike any other. Filled with ruach (spirit), these teachers
are dedicated to seeing you thrive. If
you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get to have Mrs. Kramer in first grade, so you can
take your shoes off in class. Or maybe
you’ll get Ms. Patterson, who sings all her lessons; or Mr. Barry and Mrs. London, who teach like
pirates. Or the third grade teacher,
Mrs. Fried— nevermind. All Davis teachers are unique and special, but they
share one thing:
a love for their
students.
My
teachers taught me that your input will determine your output, and that hard
work and dedication are the keys to success.
Not just in school, but in everything.
Thanks to the great teachers and amazing resources, over the next 9
years you will build the foundation for a lifetime of learning. And it all culminates with the greatest
learning experience of them all — the Israel trip.
Davis will also teach you
how to be a good friend, sister, daughter, and person -- basically a
mensch.
You will learn that word in your first
week, I bet. And others, like words that
will become part of you — Kavod, Tzedek, Chochma, Kehillah,
and Ruach. These are the values that
will guide you in how you treat others.
From making sure no one sits alone at lunch, to learning to share your
dot markers; from paying attention to mystery readers, to greeting guests when
they come into your class. If you take
these Davis values to heart, you will form friendships here that will last much
longer than 9 years.
You will also discover
your Jewish identity at Davis, because after all, it is a Jewish Day
School.
At first, you may not immediately find
your inner Jew, I know it didn’t happen that way for
me. The first time I truly felt connected to Judaism was while receiving my
First Siddur. I held my new Siddur, and
I pulled it tightly to my heart. I thought, now I can really pray and be
connected to tefilla and kabbalat shabbat.
But Judaism at Davis isn’t only about prayer. You’ll soon start learning to speak Hebrew,
and you’ll see that the shared language of our people will connect you to Jews
everywhere.
You will also get to chant from The
Torah in fifth grade alongside your beloved homeroom; you will create a
one-of-a-kind Yad with artist Gary Rosenthal in 6th grade, and you will
celebrate your Bat Mitzvah at school during a special Tefillah. By sharing all these experiences with your
classmates, teachers, and family, your Judaism will not only grow deeper within
you, but will spread out and connect you to your Davis community.
Of course, your journey
will be literal too — Savannah, Charleston, Washington, and more. And of course, in 8th grade,
Israel. You and your classmates will get
to travel to the holiest place for the Jewish people, our homeland, as one big
kehillah. I could not be more excited. You will get to learn with, laugh with,
fly with, eat with, and pray with your 69 best friends for two whole weeks!!
What could be any better than that? This
trip will mark the end of the first journey of my life, the Davis Academy
Journey. This trip will combine everything I have learned about Judaism, myself,
and my friends into two unforgettable weeks.
Everything we have learned, all that we have experienced, has been
building to this.
Halli, when you
are sitting in these bleachers in 9 years, I hope you feel the same way I do
right now: so excited for what is going to come ahead that its hard to stop
smiling — but also a little sad, because it means the Davis Journey is coming
to an end. The Israel trip is the perfect conclusion to a Davis Academy
experience, because it weaves together everything we are as students, friends,
and Jews, like the braids in a Challah.
At each Tefillah and Kabbalat Shabbat,
the middle school counts rocks to mark each day that passes this school year. Rabbi
Micah reminds us frequently, “Teach us to count our days so we may acquire a
wise and loving heart.” The rocks remind us that we have all of those days to
make memories, have fun, and maybe learn something new, because this is a
school. Throughout your whole experience at Davis, count your days, and
appreciate each one, so that you, too, may acquire a wise and loving heart.
So to Kindergarten Halli,
all you other Machinies and Kindergartners, lower schoolers and middle schools,
I wish you the best as you continue on your own unique Davis Journeys. And I offer this advice: cherish
everything. Treat every day like it is
your last day at Davis. Israel may be
the final trip, but the journey lasts 9 years and every stop on the way is
important.
With
Immense Love,
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