Leonard’s Legacy

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Family and friends gather to mark the legacy of the late Leonard Borger z’l

On Sunday, former classmates and the family of the late Leonard Borger, gathered at Hasmonean High School for Boys for a special commemorative event.

The Class of ’91 boys collectively raised more than £30,000 last year in memory of Mr Borger and this was donated to the school to purchase 15 Clevertouch interactive screens, each carrying a plaque in memory of the former student.

Rabbi Jeremy Golker and Rabbi Barry Lerer spoke at the event about Leonard’s joi de vivre as well as his enthusiasm for new technology.

Leonard’s wife, Mrs Le’at Borger, said: “Leonard was a wonderful father and husband. He had immense faith and he was very spiritual in his outlook throughout life. He liked to help others in the community and he was well known for his IT skills and giving tzedaka.”

Former school friend Jeremy Kanzen said, on behalf of the Class of 1991; “Leonard was a remarkable individual who left an indelible mark on the lives of his classmates. His gentle and kind nature endeared him to everyone who knew him.

Leonard’s fascination with computers and technology was infectious. He inspired many of us to pursue our own interests in these fields.

We came together to raise money for our school, Hasmonean, where we all shared so many memories. We know that Leonard would have been proud of our efforts, and we hope that the screens will benefit future generations of students who attend Hasmonean. Rest in peace, dear friend.”

Hasmonean MAT CEO, Andrew McClusky, thanked the Borger family and alumni for their contribution and commented: “These screens help to bring teaching to life in Jewish Studies, Science and IT classrooms. For this we are extremely grateful”.

Purim Party

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Dear Parents,

 

This week we celebrated Purim with our annual Purim Party and it was truly an amazing evening! Over 450 girls attended and enjoyed dancing in the hall which was transformed with lights and projections, a 360 moving photobooth, interactive games, mocktails, candyfloss and slush. There was an alternative quiet space for those girls who struggle with lights and loud noises where they enjoyed a range of art activities and games. The party culminated with everyone coming together for a piano-led kumzits and girls from different years sharing some meaningful ideas, ending the evening on an inspirational high.

 

The atmosphere was electric and we cannot thank our staff and security enough for coming out to ensure that the party ran safely and smoothly. These events could not run without the teachers giving up their time and we are so grateful for their support.

 

The girls brought so much ruach and energy to the party and it was amazing to see and be a part of!

 

Wishing everyone a good Shabbos,

Best,

Gitty Chontow, Sorele Cohen and Miri Peters

H.I.P.E Girls Team 

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Do you have old clothes lying around at home? Wouldn’t you love to update your wardrobe and support a good cause in the process? We are four Hasmonean sixth form students collaborating with Gift to raise money for Chai Cancer Care. We will be running a charity shop in school where we will sell preloved clothes that have been donated by Hasmonean students. You can help us by bringing in all of those clothes that have been curled up in the back of your wardrobe aching to be picked up and worn again. Give them a new life and also receive the reward of buying unique and affordable, new pieces for your own closet!

Chai is a charity that is very close to our hearts and in this project we look to raise money for home support, BRCA (breast cancer), image resource therapy, and finally Chai in schools. We would appreciate it if clothes could be brought into school between the 6-18th of March to the HIPE office. We will then proceed to sell the clothes from the 27-31st of March. Students will be able to pay using cash and card. We can’t wait to see you there!

Ellie Marantz. Shani Levy, Sophia Alexander-Passe and Talya Sacks

Headteacher’s Breakfast

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The Globe Players come to the Girls’ School

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This week, our amazing English Department organised theatrical performances of Macbeth and A Christmas Carol – performed by a fantastic group called The Globe Players. Not only is the play performed but the actors explain their performances as they go along giving the students hints and tips to help them with their English Literature GCSE. Thank you to the English Department for organising this. 

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Year 11 Girls – Globe Theatre Tour

A group of Year 11 girls attended a tour of the Globe Theatre to develop their study of Macbeth. The girls learned that plays were performed in the afternoon with natural light and that there wasn’t any scenery. This meant that the words of the play often had to convey the context – the time of day, the location etc. They got to understand where the witches would have come from (down below the stage) as opposed to the ghost of Banquo which would have come from the heavens – with the stage ceiling painted accordingly. The actor who ran the tour and workshop spoke about the difference between a modern theatre where lights go down and Elizabethan/Stuart theatre where the actors can see and use their audience as part of the play whether as the army being sent to battle or as a trusted friend with the delivery of a soliloquy.

The girls asked some interesting questions about the theatre itself in terms of G-dliness – one noticed that Roman G-ds are painted around the top of the stage which wasn’t very Christian. They also explored the contradiction of witches and Christianity.

The workshop explored the concept of power and interpersonal relationships of characters. They also looked at meaning and the interpretation of an excerpt from Act 1 Scene 7. It was a great way for them to explore the text and learn some of the subtleties of the structure and interpretation as well as giving the girls confidence to interpreting the meaning of a text themselves.

The girls were all very engaged and enjoyed the experience. It certainly helped to bring the play to life!

Thank you to Mrs Bolsom for organising the event, and to Mrs Laurence and Mrs Brodie for accompanying the girls.

 

GIRLS’ STEM FAIR

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On Monday the girls benefited from a mini-STEM fair at lunch where they were able to talk to professionals from Osteopathy and the Motor and Finance Industries. If you are able to offer a unique STEM career to help open our student’s minds to the varying careers in STEM please be in touch with Ms Ordman on i.ordman@hasmonean.co.uk

Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge Winner

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Sara Benaim.
The Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge, arguably a highlight of the Year 10 Hasmonean English calendar, was held in Whitefield School and featured students from all over Barnet. It was judged by a panel of experts from the communication and public speaking fields, including representatives from local government and BAFTA. Hasmonean Girls, coached by Pippa Jacobson have convincingly won this prestigious competition at regional and national levels. After an engaging evening, full of inspirational public speaking, Sara Benaim’s powerful, enigmatic and dramatically delivered speech on phone addiction was rewarded by her well-deserved victory. “I was never in any doubt that Sara’s talents would be recognised and lead to her winning this award.’ said Miss Cunningham, Sara’s English teacher. Sara was presented with a prize and a certificate of recognition for her win and will now go through for a possible place in the Grand Final as our regional representative. Sara has shown that public speaking is a real opportunity for our students to share their voices with the world and it was clear from the screams and cheers from the audience when she was announced as Barnet’s winner, that her win will inspire other young people to Speak Out!