Milken Teams Qualify in Space Contest

Milken Teams Qualify in Space Contest
Two teams of students from Milken Community High School’s Mitchell Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) are finalists for the Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award, a student prize for aerospace concepts.

Milken teams presented ideas for a railgun method for moon launches and the X-Suit, a suit that would perform life-support functions during spaceflight. The Mitchell Academy is competing against 19 other finalists from around the world in two out of three categories.

The Conrad Award is named for Charles “Pete” Conrad, the third man to walk on the moon and commander of the Skylab II mission in 1973. The inaugural Conrad Award, which was co-sponsored by the Conrad Foundation and the X Prize Foundation, was given to Milken last year for high-tech goggles that would monitor a space traveler’s vital signs.

This year’s 21 finalist concepts are currently open to online public comment and voting, the results of which will be tallied along with the judges’ votes to determine the winners in April.

“It’s going to require us to get our ideas across to our community. And our community, if we’re going to win, needs to log on and vote for the teams,” said Roger Kassebaum, director of Milken’s MAST program.

Mitchell’s Team MAST — students Nathan Kahrobai, Nicole and Kevin Rudolph and Barbara and Nathan Schloss — has developed a railgun launch concept for getting tourists into space or supplies to a future lunar outpost. Much like the Superman ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain, the railgun launch system would use maglev-style propulsion, powered by solar energy, to boost reusable launch vehicles into low-earth orbit.

Mitchell’s second team, Final Frontier Apparel — students Jonathan Batscha, Madison Friedman, David Hemmati, Aaron Rusheen and Jason Taban — is developing the X-Suit, a spacesuit that would provide an astronaut with life-support functions, greater mobility and electro-muscle stimulation during long voyages.

The winning teams will be announced during the Conrad Foundation’s Innovation Summit, April 2-4.

To vote on projects up for award consideration, visit www.conradawards.org.

— Adam Wills, Senior Editor

Yeshiva Wins Model U.N.
YULA yeshiva high school of Los Angeles was named “Best Delegation” at the 19th annual Yeshiva University National Model United Nations (YUNMUN) earlier this month, where more than 400 students from 45 Jewish high schools from across the United States and Canada simulated sessions of the United Nations.

This is the seventh time in the last 10 years that YULA has been named the best delegation at YUNMUN. 

Delegates from each school were assigned U.N. member states and debated international issues such as piracy, human trafficking, globalization and the militarization of space. YULA’s 18-member delegation represented India, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo. In addition to the Best Delegation honor, the team came home with six best delegate awards and four honorable mentions. The members of the winning team are Joey Baum, Julia Baum, Adam Deutsch, Adam Fischer, Aaron Gordon, Judy Greenbaum, Lauren Guenoun, Jodie Hanelin, Ari Hyman, Jeffrey Kessler, Isaac Kleinman, Perri Lurie, Kayla Mamelak, Ariel Nagel, Josh Nagel, Rocky Salomon (co-captain), Elie Weiss (co-captain) and Zoe Jurkowski.

— Julie Gruenbaum Fax, Senior Writer

Facing History Awarded $1 Million Grant
The Jim Joseph Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to the nonprofit organization Facing History and Ourselves to implement its curriculum at Jewish day schools, including four in Los Angeles and four in Boston, over the next three and a half years.

Facing History and Ourselves, a Massachusetts-based organization with an office in Pasadena, reaches 1.8 million students a year worldwide with classroom lessons that use history to teach students how to make moral decisions in today’s world.

As part of this grant, Facing History and Ourselves and its partner schools will develop a unique program for each of the eight day schools. The program will include curriculum, professional development and follow-up evaluation.

More than 800 educators have trained to use Facing History’s Jewish Education Program, which focuses on exploring human behavior during the Holocaust and Jewish life in Europe before World War II. In addition, its recently added Jewish Text Project encourages teachers to weave Jewish texts into their lessons.

Jewish middle and high schools interested in applying for the program can call (626) 744-1177, or visit www.facinghistory.org.

— Jason Lipeles, Contributing Writer

Students Raise Funds, Awareness for Cancer
The student Cancer Awareness Club of New Community Jewish High School raised $3,225 for the PhaseOne Foundation at its second annual Cancer Awareness Night. The event featured speakers, cancer survivors and family members, a silent auction, T-shirt sales and entertainment by a student band.

The NCJHS Cancer Awareness Club is the first youth chapter for PhaseOne, dedicated to supporting Phase I clinical research and treatment programs for patients with cancer. The club was established last year by five seniors who were affected by cancer in their families.

— Julie Gruenbaum Fax, Senior Writer

Preschool Teachers Honored
Three educators were presented with Sarah and Simha Lainer Distinguished Educator Awards for Early Childhood Educators at the Bureau of Jewish Education’s annual Bebe Feuerstein Simon Early Childhood Institute Feb. 2 at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills.

Honored were Elana Gettinger of Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy in Beverly Hills; Avital Etehad of Temple Isaiah Preschool in Los Angeles; and Mitra Shammash of Temple Israel of Hollywood. Each received $2,500.

Some 800 educators attended the conference, the theme of which was “Valuing Our Children: Imparting Our Values.”

— Julie Gruenbaum Fax, Senior Writer