Yavneh Academy yearly hosts the Ron Heller contest for the seventh and eighth grades. The contest is in memory of Ron Heller, who loved history and who died of cancer. It was started by his wife, Joyce Heller, and his daughters, who are Yavneh graduates. Yavneh Academy students proudly study the history unit to keep Mr. Heller’s memory alive and develop a love of history.

The contest focuses on a different time period every year; this year’s topic was the 1960s. After taking an initial test to determine who the 10 finalists would be for each grade, the contestants played a Jeopardy-like game with questions about the 1960s to determine the winner. Miriam Kahan, seventh grade, and Ari Kapelyan, eighth grade, were declared the winners. In addition to a monetary gift, their names will be placed on a plaque which adorns the Yavneh halls.