BYHS graduates | Imamother

amother

Springgreen

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 4:25 am

I’m quite shocked at how so many are saying they don’t have good memories. What type of memories were you hoping for?
Yes, we partied by French (which is no longer a subject btw). No, not everyone knew our names. But it was such a fun place!! Such a free place where you could find your comfort zone. If you wanted to work hard, there were teachers to work for. If you didn’t you could chill through the years. I feel like it catered to everyone!

thunderstorm

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 4:50 am

amother [ Springgreen ] wrote:

Maybe for some. I happened to have had fun. But I came from a school where each girl was valued for being HER. Regardless of marks, or popularity. The best was brought out in each of us. In BYHS there was no such thing. I had a ton of talent. Not once was I ever given the opportunity to show it or to prove to myself that I could do it. It was always the same girls that got chosen for the jobs. The perfect students who were already acknowledged. I would never send my own daughter to such a school. There was zero relationship between the parents and the school too. I was there two years before they had a clue that my parents were divorced and I was the one that brought it to a teachers attention. It was me that sought them out , not the other way around. I also think there was a ton of hefkerus. I cut class on numerous occasions and hung out around the building. There was no monitoring of who was doing what and where. But I agree, for a teenager who needed to let loose , it was a fun place.

amother

Aconite

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 6:40 am

amother [ Aster ] wrote:

My daughter is registered to go in September and this thread is making me have second thoughts.

From what I hear from my younger sisters the place has been revamped.
Also if your daughter doesn't need special attention she'll be ok. If you want a kesher with a teacher you can work on it, it's more that the teachers don't try on their own to reach out to every girl.

All in all I had a great four years I went to a top sem and had no issues keeping up with the work, I made great friends and had a really fun and enjoyable school experience. Was it academically intense/challenging? no. Is there school work? yes but its more spoon fed than many other schools at this point

amother

Maroon

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 10:33 am

'93 I believe that sitting through the classes of the old-time teachers gave you a glimpse to what we should strive for. Obviously they were not relatable to us, but having been in the presence, inspires me to this day. Anyone who had Reb. Ledereich cannot say hashkafah wasn't included. Reb. Schweitzer and Reb Zoberman would greet me with a hug every time I would meet them in the streets, years later. I am very grateful for the 4 years I spent there.

tigerwife

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 10:55 am

amother [ Aster ] wrote:

My daughter is registered to go in September and this thread is making me have second thoughts.

I graduated a while ago and the school is very different now. For starters, each grade is about half the size which makes a huge difference- it’s easier to get to know 100 students versus 200. In my days, we didn’t really have a principal. From what I understand how, there’s a designated principal per grade.

The biggest issue with BYHS was that if you had any problems, chances are no one would notice. For those who breezed through high school, it was a blast. For those who maybe didn’t have the best friends or could have used extra attention, the odds weren’t amazing. I imagine that today, these things have changed just due to it being less of a factory and having more oversight. Best to talk to mothers who’ve had daughters graduate in the past five years.

Despite not getting any formal recognition from the school or forming any relationship with a single teacher, I still had a great experience and and shockingly I don’t think my education was terrible Smile

at least not compared to what I read about here. Many of my friends went on to college and became professionals.

thunderstorm

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 11:14 am

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

'93 I believe that sitting through the classes of the old-time teachers gave you a glimpse to what we should strive for. Obviously they were not relatable to us, but having been in the presence, inspires me to this day. Anyone who had Reb. Lettereich cannot say hashkafah wasn't included. Reb. Schweitzer and Reb Zoberman would greet me with a hug every time I would meet them in the streets, years later. I am very grateful for the 4 years I spent there.

I happened to have had a kesher with Reb. Zoberman and Reb. Schweitzer, when I got to 12th grade. Reb. Zoberman was very ill when I was in 10th and 11th grade, she had a miracle and survived to tell us her story in 12th grade. The first day, I offered to get her chalk fro
the office. When I came back to class the entire class was oohing and aahing. While I was out she told the class that I was a special neshama and other interesting stuff about me. This was the first day we met. I felt so awkward and I couldn’t stop blushing. But I knew it was an honor that she said that. One day I found her crying and asked her if she was ok and she said she had just come from a former student’s levaya. She said she remembered attending her chasunah. So I asked “Reb. Zoberman , you go to all your students weddings?” And she said she tries but it’s impossible “but to your Chasuna, thunderstorm, we will all come and we are going to DANCE” her face had the biggest smile when she said that.
I ended up getting engaged a year later , the first in my highschool and seminary class. She told my sem class to schedule an engagement party for me during her period because she wanted to celebrate with me.
I got married 4 months later. I have photos and videos of Reb Zoberman embracing me in a big bear hug and squeezing me. She would not let go, for at least 5 minutes. Everyone was in awe and was watching . Unbeknownst to me, this was my final good bye from her. A month later , Reb Zoberman passed away . Nobody told me. They didn’t want to ruin my blissful marriage . I would have been devastated. I found out a year later after reading an ad about a gathering for her yahrtzeit. I always wanted to know what she saw in me that she loved me so much. She treated me as the class pet and I felt guilty about it. But she really loved me, and I don’t know why she chose me to be the one . I wish I could ask her.

amother

Raspberry

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 11:19 am

thunderstorm wrote:

Rebbetzin Zoberman was very lovable! That was so special that you had such a nice relationship.
I really liked Rebbetzin Schweitzer. She was just so real!
Anyone remember Rebbetzin Horowitz: "nyeva evah ask your husband to take out the garbage."

thunderstorm

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 11:28 am

amother [ Raspberry ] wrote:

Rebbetzin Schweitzer was more real than anyone realized. Everyone just thought of her as the tznius police and were afraid of her. But in 12th grade she was my class mechaneches and at Chanuka parties and the end of year party I saw how real she was. I composed the grammen for all the parties. She contacted me after school and asked if I could record myself singing the grammen and send her a tape. Mind you some of it was comedy and making a parody of her and other teachers but she was cracking up with laughter and loved it. That’s when I realized she was judged unfavorably by most students.

Last edited by thunderstorm on Mon, Jul 05 2021, 11:54 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Lawngreen

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 11:32 am

I graduated in 2014, the year before the revamp, but things had definitely started to change. I absolutely loved it. No, I did not have any connections with teachers, but that was perfectly fine with me.
Each grade had a bit over 130 girls. I loved the assortment of classes, and the extra circular. The teachers were just okay, but the girls were fantastic. I loved so many things about it. I liked that it was big, and they didn't breathe down our backs.
For the one sending her daughter, if you have any specific questions I can probably help you with it.
For memories- nothing in particular, but I loved the shabbatons in Camp Bais Yakov.

amother

Trillium

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 11:37 am

Rebitzen Schwaitzer was an amazing woman. Most people knew her as the "tznius police" and her responsibilities made students fear her, but I was working closely with her on the yearbook. I know firsthand if a student was not able to afford the price for a yearbook, she would rip up the student's check and not cash them. This way, they would "pay" for the yearbook on the surface, and no one in the class knew (including the girl collecting the money and sometimes, the student herself) that the student's family couldn't pay. Behind closed doors, she would rip up the checks and not cash them, and the student would get the yearbook for free without embarrassment. What a special woman! She embodied true "Tznius" in ways people did not know or realize.

amother

Raspberry

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 11:56 am

amother [ Lawngreen ] wrote:

Shabbatons in Camp Bais Yaakov? No more (Camp) Belz Shabbos the week of Lag B'Omer?

amother

Springgreen

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 1:09 pm

amother [ Trillium ] wrote:

She was a very bright and wonderful person. I knew her on a personal level, having worked as editor of yearbook as well. She often screamed at us in private, but to the world, we were “her girls”. She praised us to the sky, and made us feel like a million dollars. At the end of the year, she explained that the screaming was to serve as motivation- and because it’s part of the experience! No one quite like her!
I once came to school wearing eye makeup the day after I went to a wedding. She didn’t say a word. That afternoon, I was arguing with the other editors about using a certain picture on one of the spreads. She said to me - you look so pretty today, don’t ruin it by getting angry!
She really had a way of making people feel good