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16 | NOVEMBER 18 • 2021

lings were in the same houses
because it’s easier for parents,
we also didn’t want to cre-
ate rivalries within families,
”
Taylor-Abt laughed. “I think
it’s so awesome that it’s already
traveled beyond our own
school and the younger kids
in the community are learning
about this.
”
Taylor-Abt has noticed a
difference in the corridors this
year, with the school not nec-
essarily trying to “get back to
pre-COVID times,
” not even
knowing if that’s a complete
possibility.
“What we’re doing is redi-
recting the attention and we’ve
created a path to excitement
and community-building with-
in the school that isn’t depen-
dent on anything from ‘the
before,
’” Taylor-Abt said.
She is proud of making the
connection to Israel by divid-
ing the houses into the three

regions, creating a situation for
cross-curricular activity. The
students actually designed their
own house logos based on the
characteristics of their house
and its respective Israeli region,
which Taylor-Abt believes
makes it a global learning expe-
rience.
“Galil, which is up north, is
very green. The characteristics
that came out of it were peace-
ful, serene, calm, adventurous.
Mercaz was enthusiastic, wel-
coming and vibrant. Negev is
adaptable, resourceful and resil-
ient,
” Taylor-Abt said. “It gives
a taste of the different flavors of
Israel. To have the house sys-
tem as an additional resource
in creating connections with
Israel, it’s a win-win and a fan-
tastic teaching tool.
“We really aim to allow our
students to find their place to
shine,
” she continued. “By cre-
ating the houses, which are not

just academic-based or athlet-
ic-based, it’s a little bit of every-
thing; it allows these students to
find their place to represent.
”
Taylor-Abt doesn’t want to
give away any possible plans
they have for future years of the
house system but says to look
for continued innovation.
“I think there’s something
here that shows I’ve taken a
historical artifact from my own
Jewish education, brought it
around years later and it’s as
true and trusted as it was then,
and I think that’s a lesson we
have within Judaism.
”

HOUSE SPIRIT WEEK
During the final week of
October, FJA conducted a
House Spirit Week. FJA
’s annual
grade-by-grade spirit week will
still happen in the spring.
The FJA community showed
their spirit by dressing up each
day in different themes: Friends

of the IDF Day, Book & Movie
Character Day, Sports Day,
Decades Day and House Color
Day. There was an overflowing
amount of activities, competi-
tions and student participation
opportunities associated with
those themes throughout the
week, one associated with each
specific day.
There were also student
house delegates who helped
plan and set up spirit week,
four from each house and one
from each grade, along with
teacher-leaders Melanie Sesi,
Social Studies department chair
and head of Galil House; Nicole
Kahn, English department chair
and head of Mercaz House;
Margaret-Ann Wommer, social
studies instructor and co-head
of Negev House; and Kat
Untener, English instructor and
co-head of Negev House.
Movie trivia, relay races,
a “Music of the Decades”

OUR COMMUNITY

Adam State ’22, Daniel Bernstein ’22,
Eli Gordon ’22, Andy Tukel ’22, Dalia
Zwas ’22, Benjamin Schmeltz ’22,
Kira Saroken ’22, Daniel Stryk ’22
and Melanie Sesi, Social Studies and
History department chair.