By Abigail Rasol, High School Junior
09/18/2015
Heschel's first town hall of 2015 finally touched upon a topic that has only ever been lightly skimmed over in the past: rules.
Labeled "Ethical Reboot at Heschel," the 42-minute session put into words several thoughts that many have held in the back of their minds for a while. Student Government Association (SGA) President Gabe Barnett opened the meeting reminding our community that town hall is intended to reflect the values of our mission statement, which is being a community that cares, listens to each other, and gets involved. We're here to hear out issues, discuss issues, and hopefully effectuate change."
Gabe then introduced Head of the High School Rabbi Noam Silverman, whose enthusiasm, passion, and energy was evident the minute he picked up the microphone. "I'm here today to discuss something I've been thinking about from my first time at Heschel. Something I've been spending a lot of time talking about, and something I want to share with the entire community to hear feedback, ideas, and questions.
At that moment, the screen behind Noam lit up with five words: "We Are In This Together."
"How can we create a school experience in which the overall experience is one in which we are 'in this together'?" asked Noam, pausing briefly before continuing. "There are natural spaces in the school structure for different students parents, teachers, and administrators. My goal is not to change that. Rather, recognizing that, I want to figure out how we can work together as a school in creating a school community where we have a sense of collaboration." And finally, Noam hit the gist of what was to be discussed: "One place where that's not experienced is around ethical life in the school – what the school rules are, how they're followed or not followed, and what the consequences are. When it comes down to it, there is a gap between who we are – caring, committed, together – and where we are."
Noam then proposed a metaphor based upon a Jewish text that certainly resonated. Comparing our school to a boat, Noam prompted his audience to think about what would happen to the boat if a single individual began to drill a hole under his seat. There is no doubt that the entire boat would begin to sink, regardless of whether the hole stays just under the seat of the individual. As one of the characters in the text argues reflected, "If the water comes out from under the seat, the entire boat will surely drown!"
The room then dove into discussion on the relationship between the metaphor and our school. Theo Canter, a sophomore, offered some insight into the greater meeting of the of the metaphor; "We do something, but we don't think of it and don't understand the repercussions that our actions have."
Noam then elaborated on his personal connection between the metaphor and our school. "In trying to develop this idea that we're 'in this together,' we are required to believe this metaphor – we ARE in this boat together, and whatever we do within this community has a ripple effect, whether it is choosing to violate a particular rule, not being kind to someone, showing up to class drunk, coming into school with a ham sandwich, or any other moment when we violate a school rule. It's that drill that we each carry in our pockets, and when we violate a rule we are taking out that drill and drilling a hole in our boat. And so our goal, and the reason we're gathered here today, is to go from a school environment in which each of us acts without considering how others are implicated and affected by our to fostering an environment in which we are more aware of how we are all interconnected And here's what we can do for us to do this work together."
The screen behind Noam then changed again, presenting the first of three ideas that Noam wanted to share with the group. His first, "Communal Commitments," was for members of the SGA, students, and the faculty to develop 3 to 5 commitments that would be agreed upon and abided by all members of the community. The Communal Commitments would lay out a clear statement of who we, as the Heschel school, are, and would allow for greater accountability among all members of the community
The second of Noam's ideas, titled "Audit of our written and unwritten rules and consequences," emphasized communication and transparency among the community. Noam suggested that we evaluate our school rules and consequences in terms of whether or not they reflect and emerge from our communal norms, and recommended that any new findings and proposed changes be shared with the entire community.
Finally, Noam proposed the Joint Student/Faculty Va'ad Ha'Mishpat, a judicial committee responsible for hearing major infractions within the school. The goal of the committee would be to empower faculty and students to develop a shared sense of ownership and responsibility in regards to rules and consequences at the High School. In addition, this kind of body would play an important role, in breaking the cycle of mistrust, allow for a restorative/repair-oriented approach to student infractions.
Following his presentation, Rabbi Noam opened a discussion among the student body about the ideas laid out on the floor. Allie Shapiro and Max Melamed, SGA grade representatives, posed some questions for students to respond to:
"How can the student body come to a consensus s we represent all of the students and not just some?
How can we ensure they're effective?
How would we select the members of the Va'ad Ha'Mishpat? "
Following an incredibly thoughtful, in-depth, and stimulating discussion, Noam closed the session by emphasizing the need for us to create an environment and community where we all feel accepted, valued, and safe. "It's definitely ambitious, but will only be successful if we work on it together."
Today's town hall finally focused on an issue that has been calling for attention for a long time. It's time to look for ways through which we can strengthen our community in the best ways possible, and that starts with living out the values that we, as a school, preach. We've heard some great ideas and have had some amazing discussions. Now, it's time to take our ideas a step further and work together with faculty and administration on making this work.. It's time to put them into action. And as a student body, we can't wait to do so.