Mary Ellen Hunt

Thinking Out Loud with JCHS

Education EN ↓ 29 episodes

What makes a JCHS education not just different, but truly transformative? Welcome to Thinking Out Loud — where we dive deep, ask big questions, and explore what shapes learning at JCHS. Each week we talk with a member of the JCHS community about what really matters in learning and the uniquely JCHS approach to education.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.jchsofthebay.org

Author

Mary Ellen Hunt

Episodes

When Torah Feels Foreign: Finding Our Way In with Tamar Rabinowitz, Dean of Jewish Studies 06.10.2025 11:28

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...

Seeing the World in a New Way with Jennifer Sturgill, Dean of Visual and Performing Arts 29.09.2025 12:35

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...

Where Great Colleges Say Yes, with Lauren Cook, Dean of College and Gap-Year Advising 22.09.2025 9:39

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...

Education with Soul–Why JCHS Feels Different, and Is, with Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben 13.09.2025 17:00

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re talking with Rabbi Howard Jacoby Ruben, the Head of School at JCHS, who shares how a culture of courageous questioning, deep learning, and joyful belonging shapes everything from classroom discussions to community life. We’ll explore how the approach to learning at JCHS allows students to do more…. be more… as they enter into centuries-old conversations, wr...