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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,