By: Shaul Harris, grade 12 student
YOC Writer’s Craft students wrote on various topics for their first, informal essay. Shaul Chose the topic “YOC is.”
This past summer I took Advanced Functions at Blyth Academy. Even though I only had eight people in my class, I was exposed to different personalities than I am used to. One day, we got into a discussion on the number of students in each of our respective schools. Most people said over 1500 and when it was my turn, I said just over 100. Many people laughed at this small number, informing me that their grade is twice the size of my school. A few hours later we got into another conversation on the hours of our school. When I said 7:40 to 5:30, they looked at me like I was from another planet. After I got home that day, I thought about how different my school is to every other high school. While they all felt bad for me, that is when I came to the realization that YOC is the total package.
It took three years and some mockery from my summer school classmates to realise how lucky I am to go to Or Chaim. At first I was upset to hear how much longer my hours were compared to everyone else, but then I realised it wasn’t how long the day is, but how much you make of it. Even though I spend 10 hours at school almost 5 days a week, I enjoy every minute of it. It is the total package because I love Or Chaim for many different reasons.
[testimonial_set] [testimonial client=””]Even though I spend 10 hours at school almost 5 days a week, I enjoy every minute of It. [/testimonial] [/testimonial_set]
My first and most important reason for my love of YOC is the friends I’ve made. You can be at any high school in the world, but if you do not enjoy the group of people you are with, it will create an unpleasant experience with the school. Coming from Or Haemet, I did not know many of my classmates when I started grade 9. At orientation, many of my new classmates warmly introduced themselves to me. This was the beginning of the great chevra I have made at Or Chaim. Although everyone came from different schools, it was amazing to see how quickly my grade connected as a whole. As the years progressed, my class kept getting closer and I am looking forward to keeping in touch with them after high school. Unlike my summer school classmates who most likely will not keep in touch with their classmates after high school, the norm at or Chaim is to remain close friends with everyone in your grade.
A vital part of any high school is its education. It is important to have a positive relationship with your teachers, in and out the classroom. YOC’s Rabbeim are very open to any halachic questions you may have outside of class. This helps when I need an immediate answer to a question. Currently, I’m really enjoying the options we have in grades 11 and 12. The classes I choose to take are interesting to me and and give me a passion to study. Or Chaim is known for excelling in General and Judaic Studies, creating the ultimate dual curriculum. Another great thing about YOC is the small class size. Coming from a small school, I was used to having a small class and that continued at Or Chaim. With the low student to teacher ratio, you get the attention when you need it. I also appreciate that there are different streams of classes. For example, I am good at Gemara so I am in the advanced stream, which provides a challenge for me. Yet with Ivrit, which I am not great at, I am in the intermediate class so I can keep up with the pace. I enjoy the use of technology at the school as carrying a laptop instead of binders makes my bag a lot lighter when walking from class to class. Online, it is much easier for me to do work as everything is in one place and I don’t have the problem of forgetting to take a paper or specific book home.
Basketball has always been my favourite sport to watch and play; the school has two basketball teams and intramurals which creates a basketball feel to the school. I enjoy playing competitive basketball at lunch, and once the season starts I get really into the Knights as a fan and help out with the ruach at games. We also have a fantasy basketball league which is really fun and creates another bond with me and some of my classmates.
The third part of what makes Or Chaim the total package is the atmosphere. With constant Shabbatons, holidays, and tisches Or Chaim is the place to be for a good time. Many friday afternoons walking in the MPR, I see people fist bumping the table, singing along with Rav Yair. We come together as a school often – and it is truly powerful when we do.
What started out as a simple conversation with my summer school class helped me appreciate all I have at my high school. It doesn’t feel like there are too many hours or too few students – rather, it feels like a warm, welcoming home.
