Thinking Out Loud with JCHS

Send us Fan Mail Thinking Out Loud with JCHS will return on August 18 with Season 2!  To find out more about JCHS, visit  www.jchsofthebay.org. Follow us on Instagram at @JCHSWolves, and on YouTube at @JCHSOnline.

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to balance a demanding dance schedule, academics, leadership, service, and still make time for friends? In this episode, graduating senior Ever Keegstra reflects on how four years at JCHS helped her grow from a nervous ninth grader into a confident young adult ready for her next chapter at UC Santa Barbara. Ever shares how meaningful relationships, strong routine...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when students are trusted to design their own learning and take it out into the real world? This week, we connect with JCHS librarian and Keystone director Robin Gluck to explore how the school’s signature senior project transforms curiosity into meaningful, real-world work. Through four key pillars—project management, communication, iteration, and community engagemen...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you find the place where you can truly just be yourself? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud , senior Henry Barenbaum reflects on his decision to transfer to JCHS and how this welcoming, connected community helped him grow in confidence and authenticity. He shares an honest perspective on living with autism—highlighting both the challenges and the strengths that...

Send us Fan Mail What if the moments that challenge you most are the ones that shape you most? In this episode, Bennett Taubman (JCHS’24, Dartmouth College ‘28) reflects on how stepping outside his comfort zone at JCHS—from theater to AP Comparative Government—sparked unexpected passions and shaped his path to Dartmouth. He shares how academic challenge, creative exploration, and learning to manag...

Send us Fan Mail What if the true measure of a school isn’t just academic excellence, but how deeply every student feels seen, challenged, and supported? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, we are talking with veteran educator and coach Aaron Pollock about the power of small classrooms, intentional differentiation, and a culture rooted in meeting each student “according to their way.” Mr. Polloc...

Send us Fan Mail What if students learned not just to think outside the box—but to remake the box in their own original ways? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, we are in conversation with Joe McDonald—Director of Digital Engagement and Strategy, Filmmaking Teacher, and Theater Operations Director—to explore how engineering, film, and theater intersect in powerful ways at JCHS. From corporate b...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to say yes to a school that doesn’t yet exist—no campus, no students, just an idea and a leap of faith? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, we sit down with JCHS co-founder Noah Alper to revisit the risks, relationships, and convictions that shaped the school’s earliest days. Noah reflects on why pluralism, academic excellence, and deep human connection were es...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most important thing school taught you was how YOUR brain works? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, we sit down with Ellen Castillo, Co-Dean of Learning Support at JCHS, to talk about how a neurodivergent-affirming school culture helps students feel comfortable talking about how they learn. Ms. Castillo shares how JCHS normalizes neurodiversity through open conversa...

Send us Fan Mail What if one of the most important classes a ninth grader takes isn’t about grades at all—but about learning how to live well? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, we are in conversation withJCHS school counselor Julie Beck to explore how health, wellness, and life skills are intentionally woven into the ninth grade Fresh Sem experience. Julie shares how conversations about sleep,...

Send us Fan Mail How can we foster the kind of curiosity and thoughtful connection that will help inspire the next generation of informed and hopeful citizens of the planet? In this episode, we sit down with JCHS Biology and Environmental Science teacher Amy Dean to explore how meaningful science education helps students see the world differently. From assessing backyard redwood trees to collectin...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean for students to feel seen, heard, and empowered at school? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, we sit down with the JCHS Knesset executive team, Assaf Brajtman '26, Elijah Isaacson '26, Ilan Kalika '26, and Manny Stern '26, to explore how student leadership shapes belonging, voice, and community. From standing on stage at Hakhel to qu...

Send us Fan Mail How do you build a school culture where students feel both deeply cared for and boldly challenged to grow? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud , we sit down with Roni Ben-David, Director of Social Justice and Inclusion at JCHS, to explore how the Jewish value of kavod habriyot —honoring human dignity—shapes classroom culture, student voice, and community life. Roni shares how res...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most important career skill you’ll ever need isn’t something you can study from a textbook? In this episode, alumn Ethan Finestone '20 reflects on how filmmaking projects, multi-grade athletics, and student government at JCHS shaped his confidence, adaptability, and self-advocacy long before college or the AI industry were on his radar. He shares how the personali...

Send us Fan Mail What if the biggest change in your life started the moment you walked into a new school? In this episode, ninth-grader Sayde Czerpak shares how she chose JCHS, navigated the nerves of starting fresh, and slowly discovered a community that felt like home. She talks about taking positive risks—from running for class rosh to giving a d’var Torah—and how each step helped her figure ou...

Send us Fan Mail What actually prepares a person to think like a scientist? In this episode, Dr. Cecily Burrill explains how JCHS’s physics-first sequence intentionally aligns with teenage brain development and strengthens student mastery of chemistry and biology. She also digs into why modern AP science courses—now focused on scientific practices rather than rote memorization—remain deeply valuab...

Send us Fan Mail What if the small moments in high school—the friendships, the mentors, the unexpected opportunities—turn out to be the spark that shapes your future? In this episode, we sit down with Rymo Hymowitz ’21, whose journey from sewing in the JCHS Commons to designing sports bras at Nike reveals how creativity grows when students are truly known. Rymo shares how the deep sense of communi...

Send us Fan Mail How is JCHS able to build championship-level teams — while keeping kindness and community at the core? In this episode, we sit down with Coach Marty Cohen, JCHS Assistant Athletics Director and Class of 2019 alum, to explore how the school’s athletics program reflects its values of balance, growth, and sportsmanship. From encouraging every student to “just try” a new sport to fost...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to truly see your authentic self? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, JCHS Director of Athletics and Zion Journey leader Sean Moler shares how the 10th Grade Journey to Zion challenges students to take “positive risks” — moments that stretch their limits while strengthening trust, reflection, and community. From navigating slot canyons to embracing deep silence...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean to study the humanities in a world driven by data, speed, and technology? In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Dr. Camilo Jaramillo, Dean of Humanities at JCHS, explores how literature, history, and art help students make sense of themselves and the world they live in. From mock trials and creative projects to deep dives into the ideas that have shaped so...

Send us Fan Mail What if grades reflected only what students truly learned—not compliance or point-chasing? In this episode, Michael Brody, Assistant Head of School at JCHS, shares the school’s “Grading for Learning” philosophy, which prioritizes mastery over noise like attendance penalties or extra credit. He explains how policies like retakes and rewrites encourage intellectual risk-taking, whil...

Send us Fan Mail How do you teach young people to navigate one of the most polarizing topics of our time in a productive healthy, and thoughtful way?   In this conversation, JCHS alum and Director of Jewish and Student Life, Adi Alouf, shares the story behind the school’s weekly “Lunch and Learn” series, launched after October 7, 2023. She explains why cultivating humility, curiosity, and engageme...

Send us Fan Mail What if reading Torah could make us more humble, responsible, and courageous? In this episode, Dean of Jewish Studies Tamar Rabinowitz explains how slowing down, listening deeply, and engaging multiple voices in dialogue can shape a person’s character as much as their intellect. Her teaching emphasizes humility, responsibility, and moral courage—qualities urgently needed in a worl...

Send us Fan Mail How does the tension between structure and freedom allow for creativity to thrive? In this episode, Dean of Visual & Performing Arts Jennifer Sturgill explains her philosophy of teaching art as an exploration of open-mindedness. She illustrates this approach through a “notan” paper-cutting project, showing how structure, freedom, and attention to detail combine to spark creati...

Send us Fan Mail We are in conversation with Dean of College and Gap-year Advising, Lauren Cook. A 30-year veteran of College Admissions, Ms. Cook has worked on both sides of the process, as a college admissions officer for Mount Holyoke College and as a college counselor for students at JCHS. She is the former president of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling and also a member...