On Sunday, March 1st, 17 of our students, from all three branches, participated in the regional Chidon Hatanach (Bible Contest).  Kol Hakavod to all students who participated and we are so proud to announce that 11 will be moving forward to the Nationals! 

In honour of this achievement, we have a very special Teacher Feature for you!  Meet Becky Friedman, AKA “Parsha Becky.” Not only is Ms. Friedman one of our Chidon Hatanach coaches, she was also a finalist in the International Adult Bible Contest in Israel this past December.  Read on to learn more about our resident Tanach expert, Parsha Becky.

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT ASSOCIATED?

I am the Torah specialist, and I teach Parsha to students at both elementary campuses.  I am also the assistant to our Head of School, Ora Shulman. As part of my role, I coach students for Chidon Hatanach (Bible Contest). Including this coaching, I’ve been teaching at AHS for 8 years.

WHAT DOES LEARNING PARSHA LOOK LIKE AT ASSOCIATED?

Every week, I go into the classrooms and teach Parsha in a way that makes it come to life for the students.  In SK, we reenact the Parsha, which makes learning fun and interactive for the younger students. With the older students, we will have a discussion around the Parsha. I act out the narrative for them in kid-friendly language, and I ask questions that drive students to make a personal connection to it.  We often apply the Parsha to school life and give real-world examples to help students understand the narrative.

I also work with teachers to try to incorporate Torah into other learning areas at school.  For example, as part of STEAM programming in the Makerspace, students were recently offered a challenge to design a table that could easily be taken apart and put back together, just like the one in the Mishkan that the Jewish people carried through the desert. 

Not only do students learn Parsha at school, but I also encourage them to share their learning at home through Parsha sheets.  Every Friday, we send home an outline of the Parsha along with some discussion questions to prompt students to have these discussions at home with their families.

WHAT IS YOUR SPECIAL CONNECTION TO ASSOCIATED?

I am an Associated alumnus (‘07).  I came to AHS in Nursery, and was here all the way through to Grade 8.  I vividly remember my first day in Nursery. I was very nervous, but the teachers were so warm and welcoming. My Middle School years at AHS were some of the best years of my life, and coming back to teach at Associated feels like coming home. Associated has been and still is a huge part of my life.

WHAT IS YOUR SPECIAL CONNECTION TO CHIDON HATANACH?

As an AHS student, I always participated in Chidon Hatanach.  I continued to participate in High School, where I represented Canada in the International Bible Contest and placed fourth. When I was in University, I was asked to coach Chidon Hatanach at our Posluns campus.  I was so excited to come back and teach students something I myself am so passionate about. After graduating teachers’ college, I came back to teach at AHS and am still coaching students for Chidon. 

This year, I participated in the International Adult Bible Contest in Israel and came in fifth overall.  I attribute these successes in large part to the strong Chidon Hatanach study skills and love of Torah that I gained at Associated.  In Grade 5, I became hooked on Chidon Hatanach, and I now am privileged to teach alongside some of the teachers who coached me and inspired me.

When I was a student in the Chidon Hatanach, every year, in every division, the top placers would always include students and graduates of Associated.  This year, at the International teen Bible Contest in May, there will be two AHS alumni out of 4 participants representing Canada. For me, this is true proof of what we do here at Associated.  We meet the excellence we pursue.