On Wednesday, May 1, a group of MTA talmidim with a passion for public service were privileged to join like-minded students from other high schools for the inaugural Civic Spirit Day. This exciting program is part of MTA’s ongoing partnership with Civic Spirit, a program that has brought various schools together to revitalize student appreciation of our democracy. The event provided a forum for students to explore ways to become better citizens and leaders in their communities and beyond. Government and corporate leaders and university professors, including Professor Roosevelt Montas of Columbia University and AT&T’s New York President Marissa Shorenstein, shared their ideas and dreams with participants and challenged them to find ways to improve our society.

Students also participated in group discussions on the concept of what it means to be a member of a community and engaged in an interactive learning experience, where they designed service projects for rising high school graduates to take on during the summer that addressed gaps in New York City services. Students created visual and audio marketing promotions for their projects, which they presented to all participants. MTA talmidim returned from the event inspired and driven to make a civic difference in the greater community and were delighted to have had the opportunity to attend. MTA is grateful to Civic Spirit for hosting this meaningful event and helping its talmidim further develop their leadership skills.

By Binyamin Fox (‘21)

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