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adversity and manage challenges, all of which
contribute to maturation and emotional
growth.
”
Cohen said the benefits of competitive high
school sports can’t be overstated and “the fact
that we can offer competitive athletics to any
student who is interested, while their fellow
high schoolers in public schools may very
well have to compete for a spot on a team, is a
source of pride.
”
The rabbi said Frankel is grateful for the
accommodations the Michigan High School
Athletic Association has made through the
years to allow the Jaguars to compete in
MHSAA-sponsored state tournaments “and
still adhere to our mission as a Jewish school.
”
Frankel student-athletes can display their
athletic prowess (with humility) in the state
tournaments, Cohen said, “while demonstrat-
ing our school’s commitment to the ancient
and vibrant tradition of honoring the sanctity
of Shabbat.
”
Competing in the Catholic League for many
years has given Frankel student-athletes what
Cohen calls an incredibly meaningful oppor-
tunity to compete against and interact with
diverse student populations and make a posi-
tive impression (kiddush HaShem) with those
students, coaches and officials.
School spirit also gets a boost from Frankel
sports, Cohen said, and reinforces the fact that
Frankel is a Jewish school.
“We’re not as large as many of the schools we
compete against, but we’re mighty and proud!”
he said.
AFTER FRANKEL, A DOCTOR AND
A PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Few Frankel students go on to play sports in
college. Even fewer play at the Division I level.
Two in the latter group were Sam Yashinsky
(Class of 2005) and Alexandra D’
Ascenzo
(Class 2013).
Yashinsky pitched for the University of
Michigan baseball team for two seasons.
D’
Ascenzo was a standout women’s tennis
player for four years at Cornell University.
She was named All-Ivy League three times in
singles and doubles during her Cornell career,
and she was Cornell’s Most Valuable Player as
a junior.
Yashinsky and D’
Ascenzo graduated from
Michigan and Cornell and later earned
post-graduate degrees from other schools that
set them up to enter their chosen fields.
Yashinsky earned a bachelor’s degree in brain
behavior and cognitive science from U-M in
2009 and graduated from A.T. Still University,
an osteopathic medical school in Kirksville,