Exploration Week Offerings for 2010

Download the Exploration Week Offerings 2010 printable brochure.

Download the Exploration Week Financial Aid Form.

Community Service Options

Waltham Head Start
Gann students will spend the week working with preschool children, ages 3-5, of the Waltham Creative Start. This program provides high quality education and family services to a diverse population of children. Students will assist faculty in their classrooms with everything from reading aloud to the children to helping them with projects. The National Head Start Association was founded in 1965 and is the longest-running national school readiness program in the country, currently funded through the Administration for Children and Families under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For low-income and minority families across the city, Waltham Creative Start offers a preschool program and a variety of services for families. Take part in this fantastic opportunity to connect with and give back to the community.

Maximum Number of Students: 9
Chaperones: Julie Koven and Rahel Nessim
Zero Cost

Ohrenberger School Literacy Program
Gann students will have the opportunity to continue to develop our relationship with the Ohrenberger School in West Roxbury. Students will work with elementary school students on their reading skills, as well as their general study and learning skills. As preparation for the hands on work, Gann students will work closely with faculty to develop talent and aptitude in regard to one-on-one tutoring ability.

Maximum Number of Students: 12
Chaperones: Mrs. Novick and Senora Englander
Zero Cost

Pine Street Inn
“Every night, close to 7,000 men, women and children in the City of Boston have no home. Founded in 1969, Pine Street Inn serves more than 1,300 homeless individuals daily and 10,000 annually, providing the full spectrum of services to help men and women reach their highest level of independence and get back to a place they can call home.(http://www.pinestreetinn.org/about_facts.php) Help make a difference in these Bostonians lives. The group will be working with different aspects of the organization from their soup kitchen to their facilities team and even spending time on one of their housing sites.

Maximum Number of Students: 12
Chaperones: Rabbi Jaffe and Mrs. Klapper
Zero Cost

Ellis Memorial
A favorite site from Freshman Community Service Days is here for those excited to spend more time with the cute little ones. Together with the teachers, this group will put together a lesson to teach to the children at Ellis Memorial and help the preschoolers throughout their day.“Ellis Memorial & Eldredge House is a non-profit social service agency with a rich and varied history. We have been providing programs and services for children and adults of Boston for 120 years. Established as a settlement house in 1885, Ellis Memorial continues to offer innovative educational and social programs that support the diverse and underserved needs of working parents and families. The children's programs feature curricula and programming that is age appropriate to the individual child, encourages the development of socialization skills, and provides recreational and educational activities.” (http://www.ellismemorial.org)

Maximum Number of Students: 12
Chaperone: Elizabeth Loewenberg
Zero Cost

Charles River Conservancy
“Every year, the Charles River Conservancy brings over 2,500 volunteers out to perform vital maintenance work and build permanent improvements in the Parklands…” Volunteers help with everything from trimming brush along the riverbanks, pruning trees, and helping to control invasive plant species, to planting a new landscape, reseeding lawns, and repainting benches and fences. The opportunities are as varied as the views along the river. (http://www.charlesriverconservancy.org/get_involved/volunteer/volunteer.html) Another favorite Freshman Community Service site, join this group and spend the week outdoors helping your community.

Maximum Number of Students: 12
Chaperone: Dr. Levy
Zero Cost

Franklin Park Zoo
Are you interested in exploring a career in animal care, giving back to the community, or just having fun? Looking for a great team building opportunity? Want to show your support of a community organization with an important mission? Come volunteer at the Franklin Park Zoo. Projects will include helping with Special Events, Horticulture, Facilities, and learning about animal care.

Maximum Number of Students: 18
Chaperones: Shlomit Ravid, Rabbi Young
Zero Cost

Eat And Be Satisfied
Jewish Values And Our Production And Consumption Of Food
Eating food is not a choice, but what to eat, how to eat it, how to prepare it, and how to grow/raise it are choices with profound ethical implications. The choices we make should reflect our values. During this Exploration Week, we will examine how Jewish values and our choices about food relate to the environment, farm worker's rights, health, global food security, and personal finances. Working within a limited budget, we will create menus and prepare food while exploring the implications of the choices that we make concerning food.

Maximum Number of Students: 10
Chaperone: Mr. Spitzer
Cost: $150

Civil Rights Journey
Atlanta, GA Through Memphis, TN
Students will retrace the footsteps of major moments of the Civil Rights movement. Through museums, music, and memory, students will explore the lives of leaders and ordinary folk who changed the course of American history.

Maximum Number of Students: 40
Chaperones: Mr. Kadden, Rabbi Bard, Abby Shapiro, Mr. Hassenfeld
Cost: $1000

Habitat For Humanity – 3 Sites:

Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod's mission is to help change the lives of families on the Cape who currently have inadequate housing. We accomplish this by working in partnership with families in need to build homes, restore hope, and help them continue to be a valuable member of their community. Participants in this trip will be part of a crew that will aid in the building of a home for a low-income family in need of adequate shelter. Participants will also learn how to increase public awareness about people living without shelter in the United States through the lens of Jewish texts and American public policy. Applicants must be over 16 years of age or older.

Maximum Number of Students: 12
Chaperones: Mr. Tabachnik and Rivka Schnairsohn
Cost: $500

Miami, Florida
Participate in a Habitat for Humanity build project in Miami, FL. ‘Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami provides the opportunity to visit a cosmopolitan city with beautiful beaches, shopping and entertainment, yet Miami is one of the five poorest cities in the nation. The housing crisis in Miami-Dade County has created a critical need for decent affordable housing for its residents. Participants will be part of a crew that will aid in the building of a home for a lowincome family in need of adequate shelter. Participants will also learn how to increase public awareness about people living without shelter in the United States through the lens of Jewish
texts and American public policy. Applicants must be over 16 years of age or older.

Maximum Number of Students: 18
Chaperones: Senora Morgan, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Seidell
Cost: $1000

Almost Heaven, West Virginia
Participate in a Habitat for Humanity build project in Almost Heaven, WV. ‘Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical housing ministry that seeks to eliminate homelessness and substandard housing by making decent affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action for all people.’ Be part of a crew that will aid in the building of a home for a low-income family in need of adequate shelter. Learn how to increase public awareness about people living without shelter in the United States. Applicants must be over 16 years of age or older.

Maximum Number of Students: 18
Gann Chaperones: Aviva Scheur & Steve Wood
Cost: $1000

Community Service Options – For Students 16 Years and Older

Rebuilding After Hurricane Katrina
New Orleans, Louisiana
Be part of a delegation of Gann students working for a week in the New Orleans area. You will be part of work crews that will help to rebuild houses and neighborhoods for victims of Hurricane Katrina. You will meet with various constituencies and learn first hand about the difficulties of families in the devastated areas. The Gann delegation will also spend Shabbat in New Orleans and meet members of the Jewish community. Our delegation will be asked to raise money
to be donated directly to victims while we are in New Orleans. Participants will be provided training by St Bernard Project for all the work that will be done. Applicants must be over 16 years of age or older.

Maximum Number of Students: 18
Chaperones: Mr. Neudel, Ms. Riemer, Mr. Infante
Cost: $1000

Cheyenne River Project
Cheyenne Indian Reservation, South Dakota
This intensive service trip will take a small group of students to the heart of the Great Plains. We will be working with the Cheyenne River Project, a non profit that has been providing support services to Native American children for over 20 years. Activities will range from working with children at a youth center to other service projects on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The volunteer work that you do promises be demanding but rewarding. You will help provide valuable services to young people living in one of the poorest counties in the United States. Applicants must be over 16 years of age or older.

Maximum Number of Students: 16
Chaperones: Mr. Andrews, Mr. Conti
Cost: $1000

The Art And Science Of The Tree Of Life
During Exploration Week we will paint murals in which representative organisms from the evolutionary tree of life will be painted on the stairway walls leading from the basement to the second floor of the school. The sequence of the murals, going up the stairs, will represent the evolutionary process through which organisms evolved from the most ancient and simple to the more recent and complex. Students will study pictures of various organisms, discussing their scientific importance and choosing the ones that are good representatives for the project, and of course - creating the murals.

Maximum Number of Students: 10
Chaperones: Mr. Lobosco, Jack Sarid
Zero Cost

Exploration Week Film Jam
Have you ever wanted to make a movie, but never had the chance? Now you do! Come join fellow creative minds as we combine film appreciation and production into a relaxed, introspective program this Exploration Week. In addition to working together to write, produce, edit and screen an original film production, each day will include screenings of some entertaining and important films from yesterday and today including a trip to a Boston area film screening! No prior film production experience is necessary, but all those interested must come with an open mind and a desire to voice their passion for film.

Maximum Number of Students: 10
Chaperone: Josh Mocle
Zero Cost

Art In Nature, Nature In Art
Photography/Ceramics
During the course of our week together, students will have the chance to explore the relationship between nature and art. Roughly half of the week will involve nature walks and a visit to a local museum and the other half will be divided between the ceramics and photography studios. Students will have the opportunity to explore local wildlife sanctuaries and nature centers and will incorporate objects they find throughout their journeys as inspiration in their studio work. By the end of the week each student will have built a substantial portfolio of nature themed art.

Maximum Number of Students: 15
Chaperones: Megan Carye, Lindsay Metivier, Sasha Lichtenstein
Cost: $100

Art Options

Improv Comedy
This is a one week intensive improvisational comedy workshop. You'll learn all the improv basics and get introduced to some more advanced skills as well. Days will be split between workshops and watching videos of improv or improv related films, clips, etc. We will also be taking at least one day trip to see a live professional improv show.

Maximum Number of Students: 10
Chaperones: Ms. Klein, Yael Marx
Cost: $100

Creative Writing
This week, with the idea that one form of creativity inspires another, we will inform our writing with a variety of experiences. We will visit three art museums (the MFA, the ISGM, and the Fogg), the Science Museum, and Symphony; we will also walk the Freedom Trail, have a scavenger hunt in Cambridge, and explore Chinatown. If lucky, we will also go to a Celtics game, the ballet, and/or a play. All of these experiences will fuel our writing: the primary focus of this option. We will use this week as an opportunity to write deeper and farther-reaching works than we have before. Toward this end, participants will write a poem a day or a piece of prose every other day. We will workshop our pieces each morning as our group travels to our next series of adventures.

Maximum Number of Students: 12
Chaperones: Mr. Levine, Malcolm Roberts
Cost: $100

Arts Tour Of Boston!
The greater Boston area is rich with literary and artistic history. From the house where Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter to the shores of Thoreau’s Walden, we are surrounded by the places that inspired generations of writers and artists. Join us for a week of exploring these sites—from the famously literary to the hidden gems of the Worcester Art Museum. Students will be required to keep a journal of their travels and will produce their own work of art as a reflection of their
experiences.

Maximum Number of Students: 15
Chaperones: Ms. Carroll, Nir Rikman
Cost: $100

Glass Blowing
This experience will include three full days of classes at the Diablo Glass & Metal studio in which students will have a hands-on introduction to the arts of Flameworking and Glass Blowing. We will start with one-day in the flameworking studio in which the hands-on instruction will cover all the basics of shaping colorful glass over the flame of a stationary propane/oxygen torch. Through periodic demonstrations followed by plenty of practice time, we will create glass pendants, beads, marbles, small vessels and sculptures. Then, students will move on to the hot shop for two days where they will learn the basic skills of blowing glass from the furnace. Instructors will guide beginners through gathering molten glass on the end of a blowpipe, shaping it and blowing it to create simple vessels and solid paperweights.

Maximum Number of Students: 16
Chaperones: Nirith Avraham, Christine Carpenter
Cost: $600

Game Design & Marketing
Design, develop and market your own strategic board games by working in teams and learning about the development process. Meet and learn from real-world game designers and store owners. Develop a plan for marketing and selling your game.

Maximum Number of Students: 10
Chaperone: Chris Senhouse
Zero Cost

Judaism and Science
Does Judaism care whether the earth is flat or round, how species originated, or why the sky is blue? Is studying neurochemistry, or building nuclear power plants, a mitzvah? Does/should Judaism change its practices and values, for example Shabbat and kashrut, to fit better with changing scientific understanding and technological ability? We will explore these questions through the lenses of classical Jewish texts and modern Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers and philosophers of science such as Thomas Kuhn, Maimonides, Karl Poppers, Immanuel Kant, David Shatz and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Participants should expect a vigorous and rigorous intellectual workout generating improved spiritual muscle tone.

Maximum Number of Students: 10
Chaperone: Rav Aryeh Klapper
Zero Cost

Gann Goes Biotech
This exploration will expose students to some of the exciting tools and techniques of biotechnology. Students will get to do such things as make bacteria glow by introducing the gene for the jelly fish green fluorescent protein, and amplify DNA using the polymerase chain reaction to solve a crime. In addition, they will learn how to apply Beer’s Law and spectrophotometry to determine the concentration of protein in an unknown food sample and simulate real-world HIV testing using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There might also be an opportunity to visit a research lab and learn stem cell techniologies used in tissure regeneration. Students will be given a journal to keep a record of their work with photographs and samples (when appropriate).

Maximum Number of Students: 10
Chaperone: Doc Novick
Cost: $100

New Adventures

Israel Advocacy, American Memory: A Capitol Journey
How does the American political process reflect support for Israel? How do Americans express their interests and concerns for Israel? How can I make a difference? In our journey we will encounter those directly involved in support of Israel including elected officials such as Congresspeople and Senators and their staffs as well as those working directly in the area of advocacy such as AIPAC and JStreet. We will also engage education, training and lobbying focusing on
both the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and developments in Iran. Finally we will consider issues relating to comemoration by engaging with and comparing the impact of the Holocaust Museum, the WWII memorial and the Vietnam memorial.

Maximum Number of Students: 15
Chaperones: Mr. Rosenberg, Ilana Rosenbluh
Cost: $1000

Sea Camp - Newfound Harbor Marine Institute
Big Pine Key, Florida
Snorkel with fish over the only living coral reef in North America. Sea Kayak in a sheltered aquatic preserve. Study aquatic life on board a “flattop” oceanographic research ship and live at a marine research institute. Explore an area of Florida Keys with some of the most extraordinary sea and shore wildlife in the world. These are some of the opportunities you will have at Newfound Harbor Marine Institute (NHMI). Based in the Florida Keys, NHMI provides an opportunity to explore marine habitats, including coral reefs, mangrove islands and tidal pools. Participants will come away with new discoveries and a greater awareness of the interdependence of all living things. Leaving on Friday and returning Wednesday, we will spend three days at NHMI after celebrating shabbat in Miami with the Efraim Yudewitz’s family.

Maximum Number of Students: 15
Chaperone: Mr. Kee, Ms. Freedman
Cost: $1000

Community Architecture: Ant Nests, Indian Mounds and Galaxies
Tallahassee, Fl
Ever wonder what ants do below the ground? Want to explore the ecology of an entirely different ecosystem? Feel the cool of white quartz sand beaches on your feet? Learn the constellations under dark skies? The centerpiece of Community Architecture will be working with ant expert Dr. Walter Tschinkel of Florida State
University. The group will do field work to create a casting of an ant colony (see the photograph), revealing much about the life and work in an ant colony. During our time in Florida, we will also explore the ecology of North Florida ecosystems from sand pines to salt marshes, focusing on unique plants and animals of the region. We will also spend time at Native American sites and learn about the Creek tradition from medicine man and tribal leader, Sakim Daniels. At night, we will take advantage of the darker skies to learn the constellations and explore some of the spring sky through a telescope. We hope to have time to experience some natural areas along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Maximum Number of Students: 12
Chaperones: Laila Goodman, Mr. Pinnolis
Cost: $1000

Athletic Options

Softball Training Week
This softball program be held at Strike 1 in Danvers, MA and will offer many benefits both to the members of the softball team and to anyone else who chooses to participate. This week will foster leadership, teamwork, and team bonding. We will provide the group with a unique balance of fun, team bonding and softball training. The group will have the opportunity to practice on a full field, improve their own skills, and grow together as a team. It will truly be a community building opportunity as the students establish connections with each other and the chaperones of the trip. The softball itself will be a new experience for everyone, even returning players, as the daily practices and level of play will push the students experience softball in a different way. We realize the importance of community service and will thus dedicate the Friday before our trip to community service. Although this aspect of the trip is not finalized, we would ideally like to keep the theme of softball in our community service.

Maximum Number of Students: 20
Chaperones: Dr. Marshak, Jocelyn Dorfman
Cost: $150

Exploration Week 2010 Baseball Trip
The former and new Varsity Baseball coaches, Ken Kornreich and Brian Tanguy, will lead this 5 day trip to Tampa Bay FL for boys who are interested in developing their baseball skills, competing in games versus high level high school competition, participating in team building activities and extending themselves to those in need in the Tampa Bay community. The group will depart on Sunday, March 21st and return on Thursday March 25th. The baseball schedule will include practices and/or games Sunday-Wednesday at the former Tampa Bay Rays spring training facility. Interested students must have played some competitive baseball in the past 3 years.

Maximum Number of Students: 20
Chaperones: Ken Kornreich, Brian Tanguy
Cost: $1100

Boys & Girls Tennis
The Gann Varsity Girls’ Tennis coach, Boxer Clark, offers two options for a week of tennis training, team building and community service for male or female players: Local Option: Travel from Gann to the Waltham Athletic Club Monday, 3/22-Thursday, 3/25 for 5 hours of fitness and tennis training. One hour
each day will be dedicated to sport specific fitness with a club certified trainer. The remaining 4 hours will be focused on skill development with the club pros as well as competitive play. One day will be set aside for a community outreach effort in the Boston area.

Cost: $400
Travel Option: Depart Boston on Sunday, 3/21 bound for Florida. Spend 3/22 through the morning of 3/25 training at The Academia Sanchez-Casal (www.asc.florida.com/eng/index.php) at the Naples Bath and Tennis Club in Naples FL. The Academy pros will provide skill development sessions each morning and the afternoons will consist of match play. Return to Boston on Thursday 3/25. A kosher food plan is included.
Cost: $1600

Please note that only one tennis program will be run this year based on the response to both offerings. Please clearly indicate which program you would be interested in pursuing by marking Local or Travel option on the form.
Maximum Number of Students: 20

Seniors:
If you wish to begin your Ma'avar internship or Senior Project during Exploration Week, you may choose to do so. You will be required to receive written approval from Shoshanah, as well as meet the following criteria. Internships: You must have completed an orientation at your internship or have a signed
contract/agreement with your supervisor that your starting date is March 19. Senior Projects: You must have met regularly with your advisor and have created a written plan of work for Exploration Week beginning on March 19, including check-in appointments with your advisor or Shoshanah.

Independent Projects:
Students interested in creating an independent project for Exploration Week 2010 will need to meet with Shoshanah Zarritt. Students will be required to submit a written proposal indicating their field of study, their proposed itinerary and the work that will be produced to demonstrate the project.