Class of 2016 Bids Farewell
by Shimmy Mandelbaum (’16)
This past Tuesday night, the MTA class of 2016 spent their final hours in the school which they had learned to call home over the past four years. MTA’s 97th annual commencement took place that night in Lamport Auditorium starting promptly at 7 PM. After all the graduates marched […]
by Shimmy Mandelbaum (’16)
This past Tuesday night, the MTA class of 2016 spent their final hours in the school which they had learned to call home over the past four years. MTA’s 97th annual commencement took place that night in Lamport Auditorium starting promptly at 7 PM. After all the graduates marched down the south aisle of the auditorium and took their places, the crowd was greeted by Rosh Yeshiva and Head of School, Rabbi Michael Taubes (’76), who shared words of wisdom with regards to both the graduating class as well as the parsha, noting that a successful teacher, like Moshe Rabbeinu, knows that he has to go the “extra mile” for his students, and adding that one should take this approach in every area of life. Immediately following this, Jason Blatt (’16) delivered the Invocation, providing a heartfelt and personal account of his MTA experience and, after explaining that Chazal instituted Modim DeRabbanan during the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei because thanks must always be personal, he then thanked all those, including the school itself, for making him into who he is today.
Following Jason, the President of Yeshiva University, Richard M. Joel (’68), spoke to the crowd regarding the extraordinary class seated there that night and urged them to recall that Hashem is always “taking a picture” and that one must therefore be careful to put one’s best foot forward. President Joel was followed by Ari Hagler (’16), who gave a humorous Salutatorian address, including an insightful explanation of why we count the days during Sefiras HaOmer, which served as one of the many highlights of the evening. The program progressed when Tsahi Halyo (’16), this year’s Valedictorian, addressed the crowd and after quoting the Gemara that one learns from his teachers, from his friends, and from his students, presented Mr. Adam Dobrick, Assistant Principal for General Studies, with his very own cap as he would be “graduating” along with the rest of the class that night, moving on next year to a new position. This act sparked both emotion and laughter amongst the guests and graduates alike, in recognition of Mr. Dobrick’s devotion to our school and its students.
Soon after, the crowd enjoyed a musical interlude by the MTA award winning chorus as well as the MTA award winning band. This helped pave the way for the rest of the evening which included a Siyum, a long-standing practice at MTA graduations. The Siyum was introduced by Associate Principal Rabbi Shimon Schenker, and then delivered by Shalom Stieglitz (’16), who read the last passage of Masseches Makkos and recited the Hadran.
After the announcement of various individual awards and honors by Mr. Dobrick and Grade Dean Rabbi Avraham Shulman, Michael Kolber (’16) provided the Benediction, beautifully and clearly analyzing what the recitation of a berachah really represents, before all the graduates symbolically threw their caps in the air. Finally, Dr. Seth Taylor, Principal for General Studies called up all the students for the presentation of their diplomas, and the graduates then left the MTA building for the very last time of their high school careers (except for the U.S. History Regents exam next week!). A festive collation for all the graduates and guests in Belfer Hall’s Weissberg Commons capped off this special evening.
On a personal note: it has been an honor to serve as Editor in Chief of such a fine publication as A Lion’s Life and I am proud to say that I have been involved with this publication from my first week of high school until my last. I am sure that next year’s editors will live up to the title and maintain the publication’s illustrious reputation. All in all, it has been an honor writing and editing for the newsletter as well as an honor to have attended such an amazing high school as MTA. I know that I am a #lion4life!
For more photos, please click here.
-
Articles
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- March 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
-
Meta