News from King David

March 8, 2024 / Adar I 28, 5784

Shabbat Begins 5:50 p.m. Shabbat Ends: 6:56 p.m.

ALLA FAMIGLIA - A NIGHT OF ITALIAN CUISINE

Mazal Tov to Hilit Nurick, Foods teacher extraordinaire, and her gallant team of Grade 10 students for bringing families together for a delicious Italian meal! With support in the kitchen from two alumni, Mitchell Neuman (Class of 2018), Justine Balin (Class of 2017) and Senior Foods students, and Grade 9 students helping to serve, they created an exceptional and memorable Italian-inspired evening.

Justine (white jacket) and Mitchell looked right at home back in the Foods room! A special thank you to both, for reaching out to volunteer their time and talent this year!

Parents, grandparents, staff, and our incoming Head of School, Dr. Seth Goldsweig and his wife Amy, were impressed by the menu, presentation, and taste of all the dishes. They found it difficult to believe that these were all created by Grade 10 students! Kol Ha'kavod to all.

The food service, so capably orchestrated by Orly Naim, was accompanied by the mellow sounds of music. Yasher Koach to Music Teacher, Johnny Sequin, Luca Jeffery, David Mandelstam, and Maya Bernal for adding to the ambiance for the evening.

With Hilit at the helm, it took a whole crew of King David staff to make the evening so special. Thank you to: Russ Klein, Alex Monchamp, Esther Mogyoros, Michele Zychlinski, Jess Sabado, Justine Folk, Orly Naim, Jeffrey Caspillo, Noni Mendoza, Andy Beadon, Gabe Bacelar, Tina, Randhawa, Tanvir, Bhambra, Debbie Appelbaum, Ivana Vuckovic, Johnny Seguin, and Rabbi Berger.

We are grateful to Marcos Stiller from Fish Cafe who generously helped us get incredible cuts of Branzino.

LEADERSHIP TEAM IN TRANSITION

We are fortunate to have Dr. Seth Goldsweig visiting this week to begin creating connections in preparation for his new role as King David's Head of School. He was joined by his wife, Amy, to explore Vancouver as they get ready for the transition from Toronto. Deborah Youngson, Russ Klein's better half, showed Amy around Vancouver before returning for a photo op with Russ, Seth and Amy.

Seth, Danielle Paloposki, Director of Teaching and Learning, Alex Monchamp, Deputy Head of School, and Russ Klein, Head of School, enjoyed a morning cup of coffee and conversation together.

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

This week, in Law 12, we had the opportunity to learn from Daniel Porte, father of student Jacob Porte. He talked about his career and experiences as a Crown Attorney in Vancouver and the challenges he overcame to get to where he is today. Daniel mentioned when talking to us how he deals with a wide variety of vulnerable individuals going through difficult times in their lives, and how he manages to accommodate and support them. It was a very eye-opening experience. We thank him and are very grateful to have had the opportunity to hear his journey!

~ Yasmin Corenstein and Julian Lewis

A DAY OF MUSICAL DISCOVERY

King David hosted Grade 6 students from VTT and presented our music program. The younger students had the opportunity to ask questions about practice habits and favorite songs. King David students played and sang hits such as Oh Darling, La Bamba, Carry on Wayward Son, and many more. Johnny Seguin, our Music teacher engaged the students with stories about instruments, bands, and members of the band. Thank you, VTT, for visiting! Looking forward to hosting you again soon!

MODEL UN CONFERENCE

A delegation of King David students recently attended the Jewish Canadian Model United Nations in Montreal. Despite being a small team this year, consisting of two Grade 11 students and their teacher Amanda Cameron, the group achieved great success. Max Howitt received an Honourable Mention award for his exceptional representation of the Russian Federation in the Model United Nations Human Rights Council. It is commendable how he effectively portrayed the values and motives of a country with differing perspectives, navigating challenges with skill and accuracy.

Additionally, Zev Baum Singer, representing the United States of America in the International Telecommunication Union, demonstrated remarkable growth and leadership over just two days. His committee chairs noted his significant improvement and expressed regret at not being able to award him an Honourable Mention as well. They are confident that Zev has a strong chance of winning an award if he participates again next year. The success of both students reflects their dedication, adaptability, and commitment to excellence in Model United Nations simulations.

Zev (standing) and Max also took the opportunity to network with other Jewish peers, making new friends and contacts, and in the little free time before the conference, they both enjoyed some of the sights and flavours that Montreal has to offer (Schwartz's anyone?), so it was rewarding and enjoyable, through and through.

Photos below: Zev, Max and Teacher Amanda Cameron, and Max with the other award recipients.

VOLUNTEERING AT THE FOOD BANK

Staff and Students volunteered at the Food Bank offloading the truck and organizing food parcels for collection. This small act of chesed makes an impact in our community.

Photos by Jessica Osten, Grade 11

This week, we celebrate Aliya Levitt, an exceptional Grade 9 student who embodies dedication and passion in both her academic and extracurricular activities.

Aliya's active involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze level program showcases her commitment to personal growth and willingness to take on new challenges. In addition to her academic achievements, Aliya finds joy in dance at the Arbutus Club, where she not only demonstrates her talent but also generously volunteers as a dance instructor for children, sharing her passion for the art form. She is also diligently pursuing her Bronze Cross swim lessons with the goal of obtaining her National Lifeguard Service (NLS) certification, aspiring to work as a lifeguard at a summer camp in the future.

Aliya's diverse engagement in various activities highlights her as a well-rounded individual dedicated to continuous learning, personal growth, and community service. Her infectious enthusiasm, unwavering commitment, and readiness to face challenges make her a role model for her peers and a valuable asset to the school community. Kol Hakavod, Aliya!

JWEST ANNOUNCES NEW GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE AND A $5 MILLION GIFT!

Bill Levine and David Porte take leadership roles and the Cristall family makes a Founder level gift.

This week, the JWest project announced two significant milestones in the project’s historic journey from vision to reality: the implementation of a new governance structure that will serve the project moving forward, and a generous $5 million Founder level gift from the Cristall family.

JWest represents the Jewish community's most ambitious capital endeavour ever undertaken in Western Canada. It is the result of three community institutions–the Jewish Community Centre, Jewish Federation, and King David High School–envisioning a community hub that would be bigger and serve more people than any one institution alone.

Read more here and watch the video here.

BRONZE FOR BANTAM BOYS!

Kol Hakavod to the Bantam Boys' Basketball team for winning the bronze medal in GVISAA this season. The team was led by Coach Cale McDonald, and captains Eyal Grunau and Brody Israels. Eyal Grunau was named our team's MVP!

SAVE THE DATE!

We invite you to an evening of mystery, murder, madness and mayhem! Seven suspects, six weapons, five bodies, endless endings...Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out…WHO did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!

Tickets go on sale next week!

March 20:1:00 p.m.

March 20 and 21: 7:00 p.m.