River Edge—This graduation season, Anny Safier, an eighth grade student at RYNJ, was the recipient of a very unique yearbook.
Morah Leah Silver, Judaic Studies teacher at RYNJ, spent much of the day teaching Anny Safier, so she was used to thinking in advance how best to cater to the needs of her student, who is visually impaired. As part of her teaching responsibilities, Morah Silver ensured that all of the classroom worksheets were sent in advance to be transcribed in braille, so that Anny could keep up with the rest of the class. “This way she had the same advantages as everyone else,” explained Morah Silver. In the context of this plan-ahead mindset and amidst the May atmosphere of students putting the final touches on their printed yearbook, Morah Silver thought of what might be arranged so that Anny could experience the joy of bringing home a personal yearbook with memories and messages to cherish, just like the rest of RYNJ’s graduating class of 2015. The idea of a digital audio yearbook was born.
Mrs. Silver broached the idea with Rabbi Efrayim Clair, educational technologist at RYNJ, and together they discussed the logistics of the project. The yearbook would be a digital recording of the printed yearbook, with various teachers, friends and faculty reading parts of the printed yearbook and personal messages to Anny that she could listen to.
Over the course of the next few weeks, under the direction of Morah Silver and Rabbi Clair, students arrived at the computer room in groups of four or five during scheduled breaks and lunchtimes, to record their bios and personal messages to Anny, using a program called Audacity, an open source music and recording system. Students were instructed to arrive ready to read their biographies from the printed yearbook and prepared with a short message to Anny, which would be their “signature” in her yearbook. The messages were originally recorded as separate tracks and later rearranged by Rabbi Clair into one seamless recording.
Anny’s digital yearbook follows the same exact order as the printed yearbook. It begins with the recitation of the yearbook’s title, “Thinking Outside the Box,” by Anny’s English teacher, followed by the yearbook’s dedication to the memory of the three boys, Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali, who were murdered last summer by Palestinian terrorists. After Rabbi Price, head of school, reads his farewell letter to the graduates, Anny’s classmates, proceeding alphabetically by last name in the same manner as the printed version, read their biographies and personal messages to her as cheerful music plays softly in the background. “I want you to know how much of an inspiration you are to me,” reads one of Anny’s friends. “You really are so brave, strong, and head-on. You are always able to crack a smile, even in the toughest of situations…I admire how amazing you are as a person. You are so kind, giving and considerate.” Anny’s teachers then record their “signatures,” brief messages to her, just as they would at the end of the hardcover yearbook.
Though the school could have created a braille yearbook for Anny, it would have lacked the personal touch that they wanted her to experience. “I thought of what would be the most effective and personal way to make it fun for her,” explained Morah Silver. “This yearbook was made with love.” With a digital yearbook, Anny could receive that personal touch through hearing the voices of her friends and faculty wishing her well.
Rabbi Clair sent the digital yearbook to Anny in a few different formats for easy access: a Google Drive file, a Soundcloud file and an MP3 file, which can be used to burn the yearbook on CD or USB drive. “I was never her teacher…[but] I feel like I know her better than anyone else in the school because I’ve heard every single faculty member and student talk to her about how special she is,” said Rabbi Clair, who listened to over an hour of testimonials about Anny during his time editing and finalizing the digital yearbook. To Rabbi Clair, the project is a testament to who Anny is as a person, the type of friends she has and the dedication of the faculty at RYNJ.
“We were so pleased with this above and beyond chesed done for our daughter. The smile on her face as she listened to the audio version was a mile wide!” said Robyn and Jeff Safier, Anny’s parents.
“I felt special that I was so included in the yearbook experience. I will remember the audio comments from my friends and classmates forever!” said Anny, about her one-of-a-kind yearbook.
By Esther Hirsch
