Dear Kehillah Community,

Last week, I looked in my box at school and was surprised to find a card from Skyden Canfield, Class of 2022. Skyden was in my Astronomy class and wrote about how much he enjoyed being in the class and the projects we worked on.

This experience made me appreciate how making connections is at the core of what a Kehillah education is all about. We encourage and guide students to reach their full potential by connecting with them personally and then developing the panoramic education that Dr. Danovitch mentioned in the last panoRAMa, by connecting young people with the outside world. 

At Kehillah, students are excited about learning. As an educator, it is deeply fulfilling to help create opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in new situations.

For instance, last year we built a telescope in class. Soon after, Tobey Miner, Class of 2023, sent me pictures of the moon that he took with the telescope, and then reached out to Brian Day, our guest speaker from NASA, to find volunteering opportunities. He found one at NASA JPL working on creating lunar imaging. This opportunity then opened the door for Tobey to do his senior project at NASA Ames. Throughout this experience, he would meet with me at lunch to convey his budding interest in science, and his appreciation for getting to see the bigger picture, including our solar system!

Ms. Vicenty speaking at a schoolwide assembly about astronomy with NASA astrobiologist Lynn Harper (left), astronaut Yvonne Cagel (on screen), and astronomer Brian Day (right).

In another instance, students collaborated on citizen science projects called Growing Beyond Earth. As part of their explorations, Kehillah students worked with other schools in the nation to collect data that NASA used to determine the best crops to grow in space.

At Kehillah, these types of inquiries go beyond STEM, as students forge connections across all disciplines. Students take their learning beyond our classroom walls and develop an understanding of how concepts and ideas actually impact their lives – and the world around them. 

The NASA scientists engaged in a Q & A session with Kehillah students.

In closing, what makes Kehillah so special is our shared commitment to helping each student pursue their passions, forge new connections, and take their learning to new places, spaces, and hemispheres.

Best of all, the value of these experiences lasts a lifetime – for both students and teachers alike.