The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning

Melton Siyyum/Graduation

2018/5778

sports

This
Tennis
Player
Loves
Being A
Leader

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

R

The Jewish Community Center, The Jewish Federation
and the entire Jewish community wish

MAZEL TOV

to the 2018/5778 Graduates of the
Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning

Maralyn Averbuch
Ken Bloom
Pam Bloom
Soralee Broida
Sarah Brown
Tracy Crane
Amy Douville
Nadine Farbman
Nessa Feller
Anita Fishman
Jeri Fishman
Karen Frehseé
Jerome Gerenraich
Joel Gertner
Susan Gertner
Rena Glaser

Stacy Goldberg
Janet Gubkin
Jan Gubkin
Arielle Inwald
Andrea Jacobs
Marlene Kaufman
Risa Kirschner
Anne Klisman
Benjamin Kramer
Erin Kramer
Barbara Kratchman
Noel Lawson
Bunni Lieberman
Jennifer Lovy
Terry Margolis
Alicia Mendelson

Francine Newman
Renee Sherman
Paul Novak
Harriett Silverman
Rachel Opperer
Sue Smith
Deborah Orloff
Jennifer Soble
Julia Pais
Esther Steinberg
Jan Pedersen
Dennis Stern
Helene Polen
Jeff Tamaroff
Paul Rochlen
Sandi Tamaroff
Arlene Rosen
Jennifer Taylor-Haughey
Elliot Rosen
Susan Terebelo
Michelle Rosenfeld
Yolanda Tisdale
Bruce Sack
Karen Turner
Lee Sack
Caryn Weitzman
Eric Schiffer
Michele Weitzman
Donna Schwartz
Carol Wiseman
Mark Shatz
Renée Zuckerman

Join us in recognizing our graduates who have
completed their two-year commitment to Jewish study.

Thursday, June14, 2018 / 1 Tammuz 5778
SP‡7KH%HUPDQ

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
:0DSOH5RDG‡:HVW%ORRPILHOG

No charge and open to the public.

Todah Rabah/Thank You to our Florence Melton School of
Adult Jewish Learning Instructors of the Class of 2018/5778:

Rabbi Michele Faudem Ruth Bergman Aviva Panush Rebecca Starr

30

May 31 • 2018

jn

yan Bandalene came to Berkley last fall.
High School as a freshman
Bandalene was the Berkley team
knowing just two other stu-
captain last fall and the recipient
dents at the school, and admittedly
of t he Bear Award that goes to the
with no confidence that he could suc-
team’s outstanding senior. This spring,
ceed there.
he was a volunteer assistant
ABOVE: Ryan
The 18-year-old senior
coach with the Berkley girls
Bandalene played
leaves the school in
tennis team.
doubles for the
June as one of the most
An Oakland Activities
Berkley High School Association Scholar-Athlete
remarkable students in
the Class of 2018, and not boys tennis team for for three years, Bandalene was
three years.
just because of his 4.1
named an all-league tennis
grade-point average and
player by coaches as a senior
all-A’s work in the classroom.
even though he missed the early part
“I hope I can be a role model for
of the season following an emergency
other kids facing the same challenges
appendectomy.
I did when I started at Berkley,” he
There’s more on his Berkley resume.
said. “You can do what I did.”
Bandalene participated in the
What did he do?
school musical twice, and he was in
After being a shaky, uncertain fresh- several clubs including Model United
man, Bandalene served as Berkley
Nations and UNICEF.
Student Leadership president as a
So, what transformed Bandalene
senior, earning the job in a school-
from follower to leader at Berkley?
wide vote during his junior year.
He points to attending the MYLead
He had been in Student Leadership
Conference during his sophomore
as a member for less than a year at the year. It was at that student leader-
time of the vote.
ship conference at Michigan State
Student Leadership (Berkley’s name University where a speaker said, “Life
for Student Council) is an active orga-
begins at the end of your comfort
nization.
zone.”
Besides the usual planning of
Bandalene said he took the com-
school events like homecoming and
ment to heart, doing as much as he
prom, the group reaches out into the
thought he couldn’t do.
community for programs like a holi-
Another “life-changing” moment
day family adoption and food drive.
in Bandalene’s educational career
In the adoption program, presents
was attending Upland Hills School
are gathered for struggling families
in Oxford for a year and a half before
who live in the Berkley School District. going to Berkley.
Eleven families benefited from the
Besides getting him on track aca-
program this past holiday season.
demically and socially, Bandalene
“I enjoyed doing the community
said, Upland Hills is the place
stuff with Student Leadership more
where he met two friends who
than the school stuff,” Bandalene said. later went to Berkley and told him
Bandalene was on the Berkley boys
about it, convincing him that it was
tennis team for three years, playing
the smaller, community-type high
doubles with the same partner, Calvin school he wanted to attend.
Somers. The two played No. 2 doubles
Bandalene was at Berkley as a
as sophomores and juniors and No. 1
Schools of Choice student. He lives
doubles as seniors.
with his family in Sylvan Lake.
They had some big wins over
The next stop for Bandalene is
the years, including a victory over
Michigan State, where he plans to
a Dearborn Divine Child team in a
study business. •
tournament championship match as
Send sports news to stevestein502004@
sophomores and wins over Grosse
yahoo.com.
Pointe North and Rochester teams