Community Magazine July 2012

BY: aBiE daYaN & JaCoB FRaNCo, STUdENTS oF Y.d.E. Our Home After just one year of operation, Yeshivat Darche Eres (YDE) has become sy�ony�ous with Yirat Shamayim (fear of Heaven) and academic excellence. As st�dents of YDE we couldn’t be any prouder, or happier. Only last September over eighty of us ninth and tenth graders found ourselves walking into a small building on Avenue I and East 10th Street with uncertainty. We were understandably nervous. After all, this was a brand new school and many of the students were first beginning high school. It didn’t take long for our hesitancy to be put to rest. We listened as our Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Meyer Yedid, together with our principal, Mr. Harvey Feldman, and YDE president, Mr. Michael Jemal, filled us with words of comfort and inspiration. YDE follows the New York Regents curriculum– with the additional enrichment of Advanced Placement (AP) college courses. We have a full time Director of College Guidance, Mrs. Eva Hefter, who is recognized as a college guidance professional of distinction. This year, the school administered the PSAT tests as well as the PLAN tests to help prepare us for the college entrance examinations. Our scores were well above the national average. YDE teachers are unique. It is common to hear them speaking daily about meeting student needs. A YDE education is a perfect mix of Judaic and secular studies. In addition to its strong limude kodesh (religious studies) program, YDE offers an equally impressive general studies program under the guidance of our principal Mr. Feldman, whose door is always open to us. Coming to school under the guidance of Rabbi Yedid is something special to look forward to each and every morning. We walk into school knowing that every day is going to be a good day. Watching boys pray with kavana (concentration) is a wonderful sight to behold. After praying, we turn our attention to Gemara , where we strengthen our minds and souls. We also study Humash, Navi, Tefilla, Halacha, and Middot. We have unique rabbis who truly understand us and care about us. They not only teach in the classroom but spend much of their personal time with us. They will learn with a student at any given time and often they will invite us out for dinner or ice cream. We even spend time at their homes with their families. One of our rabbis actually took his entire class on a weekend getaway. Their dedication is truly amazing, and we are creating a lifetime bond with them. The devar torah by Rabbi Yedid on erev Shabbat is a weekly highlight. The Rabbi helps us understand how to act towards each other, and how to live our lives in a Torah observant way. He constantly inspires us to be the best we possibly can be. As a group we have grown in our midot. We are firmly on the path to becoming bene Torah. Our teachers in the secular department have been hand-picked by our amazing principal. They are experienced, knowledgeable, serious, dedicated and Principal, Mr. Harvey Feldman bringing history to life for the 10th grade boys, by passing around an ancient dagger. YDE's Junior Varsity basketball team made the quarter finals their first year. 28 Community magazine