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Learn about us
See what we do
Hear what we can offer you
Get Involved!
Learn from IRP members about our diverse
programs, then enjoy coffee and dessert.
Have an interest? Extracurriculars
enhance your high school profile.
The Institute for Retired Professionals of the Jewish Community
Center of Metropolitan Detroit provides an intellectual and social
environment within the Jewish community for mature adults.
It offers a forum for persons who wish to creatively use their
experience, knowledge and talent for lifelong learning to
enrich themselves and their community.
Gabriella Ring
Teen2Teen Intern
T
1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Road
West Bloomfield
www.jccdet.org
Reservations requested
For information, call the IRP office in Oak Park:
248.967.4030, ext. 2018
THE CENTER
INSTITUTE FOP RETIRED
PROFESSIONALS
1429010
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Ai
he best time to start some-
thing new is when the school
year begins. You'll be starting
with a clean slate and an open mind.
But the question lingers: "Why get
involved?"
In the competitive college environ-
ment, achieving a 4.0 grade point aver-
age is just not enough. Community
service, tutoring and participating
in sports and clubs all add that extra
flair, or oomph, in persuading a uni-
versity to accept you.
"Colleges are not just looking for
the academics, but the well-rounded
student:' said Evelyn Wolff, academic
guidance counselor at Frankel Jewish
Academy, where she says students tend
to get involved with activities that get
them closer to their Jewish identity.
_ So how do you pick something right
for you?
Identify your interests because they
will lead you to activities you'll stay
loyal to all year long.
Schools offer all kinds of clubs: art,
books, chess, environmental, guitar,
knitting, pingpong, Spanish, skating and
skiing. Academic options include the
application-only National Honor Society,
yearbook and newspaper.
Don't see a club that interests
you? Talk to your principal or coun-
selor with your own idea. If there are
enough students willing to congregate
once a week, chances are likely your
club will be accepted, as long as it is
school-appropriate.
Band and Sports
Play an instrument? At most high
schools, the options are broad: marching,
symphonic and concert bands, sympho-
ny and concert orchestra, and concert
acapella, bell tones and show choirs.
Music provides a nice break during
the school day, but that doesn't mean
it's easy. Each group requires practice,
dedication and focus.
For those athletically gifted, high
school sports — bowling, baseball, bas-
ketball, cross-country, dance, football,
golf, rugby, softball, swimming, tennis,
and track and field — all are available.
There is a time commitment, but
the benefits of sports are tremendous.
Gabriella Ring, 15, and her Berkley
High School tennis coach Lenny
Waldman
Lenny Waldman, the boys and girls
tennis coach at Berkley High School, says
being on a team is beneficial, helpful and
important because sports and clubs give
students guidance and direction.
"It makes kids feel that they have a
greater purpose then just themselves,
that they're part of a larger group:'
he says. "They depend on others and
others depend on them. It truly makes
them a better person:'
He points out that sports also build
healthy lifestyles, team camaraderie
and the challenge of competing.
"I think competition is a wonderful
thing. It builds character and makes
people stronger:' Waldman said.
But the coach's No. 1 expectation is
academics come first."
((
Jewish Youth Groups
For a more spiritually orientated activ-
ity, try B'nai B'rith Youth Organization
or your synagogue youth group.
Kayla Cohen, 15, of Farmington
Hills, a member of BBYO's Emunah
BBG, says joining Emunah helped her
gain new friends and feel more corn-
fortable in school.
"I can talk to older girls in my chap-
ter, and they can help me study and
figure things out:' she said. "It's been
really helpful, and I love it."
With so many options available, there
is simply no reason not to get involved.
Every teen has interests; interests that if
acted upon, spawn into activities you'll
love to do and will benefit you as you
start applying to colleges. ❑
Gabriella Ring, 15, is a sophomore at
Berkley High School.