In the sophomore and junior beit midrash classes, which are learning Sefer Nechemia, students were tasked with representing the first perek in creative ways. The journal pictured here is from the point of view of Chanani, and it follows his journey as he travels to tell Nechemia the news of Jerusalem’s destruction. The student aged the paper and bound it with twine to make it look like an historic artifact. The student remarked, “I think it would be really cool to continue this project, adding more detail as the story progresses.” Meanwhile, in Mishmar, which meets after school, the students for the next few weeks are using Jewish texts to discuss election-related issues. The first text they studied was about gun rights and gun control, and got the group engaged in a lively discussion about the decisions a society makes as it balances ensuring its safety with not letting dangerous weapons fall into the hands of those intent on doing harm.