To the beat of spirited music, twenty-two Pre-1A students proudly march to the stage in their gleaming white graduation caps and gowns, their parents, siblings, and grandparents beaming with nachas from the audience. It’s their siddur party, the culmination of years of Alef Beis and kriyah lessons. Each of the eight Pre-1A classes at Lubavitch Educational Center in Miami will celebrate and perform, one at a time, so all 160 graduates can be accorded due recognition.
It’s a scene being replicated in Jewish schools all over the world. But what stands out at this celebration is the gorgeous, immersive art exhibitions on the Ten Mivtzoyim that frame the space. A mural for Ahavas Yisroel. Colorfully painted mezuzos on the entrance to the walkway. Artistic pushkas lined up on a table with coins decorating the words “Tzedakah” behind it. Black string woven into nails forming the image of tefillin. Each mitzvah is creatively displayed with a different art method, replicating the various styles of master artists.
And, of course, they were all created by the students themselves, in a collaborative effort under the guidance of their STEM teacher, Morah Sarah Schwartz.
It’s a fitting theme for a graduation. “The true effectuation of the education they receive at LEC is not just using it in their own life, but to spread what they’ve learned to others,” says Young Division’s principal, Mrs. Tzivi Schurder. The Ten Mivtzoyim is a topic Pre-1A covered extensively in their classes. If you know Alef, teach Alef, and these students, now proficient in kriyah and the foundations of Yiddishkeit, are learning to also spread it further.
After singing the Rebbe’s kapital, the graduates’ performance begins. A song about their journey of learning, thanking their dedicated morahs, a slideshow with photos of the year. And then the culmination, as each student is called up to receive their very own siddur that they can now read perfectly.
“We’re very proud of them,” says Mrs. Schurder. “And we are grateful to all our dedicated morahs for a successful year of learning and growth. We look forward to greeting our students next year, in first grade.”
To the beat of spirited music, twenty-two Pre-1A students proudly march to the stage in their gleaming white graduation caps and gowns, their parents, siblings, and grandparents beaming with nachas from the audience. It’s their siddur party, the culmination of years of Alef Beis and kriyah lessons. Each of the eight Pre-1A classes at Lubavitch Educational Center in Miami will celebrate and perform, one at a time, so all 160 graduates can be accorded due recognition.
It’s a scene being replicated in Jewish schools all over the world. But what stands out at this celebration is the gorgeous, immersive art exhibitions on the Ten Mivtzoyim that frame the space. A mural for Ahavas Yisroel. Colorfully painted mezuzos on the entrance to the walkway. Artistic pushkas lined up on a table with coins decorating the words “Tzedakah” behind it. Black string woven into nails forming the image of tefillin. Each mitzvah is creatively displayed with a different art method, replicating the various styles of master artists.
And, of course, they were all created by the students themselves, in a collaborative effort under the guidance of their STEM teacher, Morah Sarah Schwartz.
It’s a fitting theme for a graduation. “The true effectuation of the education they receive at LEC is not just using it in their own life, but to spread what they’ve learned to others,” says Young Division’s principal, Mrs. Tzivi Schurder. The Ten Mivtzoyim is a topic Pre-1A covered extensively in their classes. If you know Alef, teach Alef, and these students, now proficient in kriyah and the foundations of Yiddishkeit, are learning to also spread it further.
After singing the Rebbe’s kapital, the graduates’ performance begins. A song about their journey of learning, thanking their dedicated morahs, a slideshow with photos of the year. And then the culmination, as each student is called up to receive their very own siddur that they can now read perfectly.
“We’re very proud of them,” says Mrs. Schurder. “And we are grateful to all our dedicated morahs for a successful year of learning and growth. We look forward to greeting our students next year, in first grade.”
