By Colleen Kapklein, RE Director

The 2011/2012 school year is off to a great start under the guidance of a wonderful team of teachers. Ruthanne Worden has joined Elaine Yellin in teaching Lower Form, Emile Last and Bridget McGraw are both continuing in Middle Form (our largest class this year) and Al Maroun has taken on Upper Form along with Jyoti Weber. We are very fortunate to have such a talented team.

Already our students have been discussing friendship, religious holidays, Banned Books week, “the law of the jungle” (and how we’ve evolved since then), and the life and work of ethical hero Nobel Peace Prize winner and tree-planter Wangari Maathi. Among many other things!

Sunday School ethical action is also already underway. The first event of the year was the food drive to coincide with the platform panel discussion featuring the director of the Food Bank of Westchester. The kids filled up three big boxes before heading off to their classes! That was just the beginning of their work on local hunger issues, however: their own food pantry reopens for the year October 9, so look for them at the back of the room after platform so you can lend a hand. The Sunday School is also considering a project to get fresh, local produce to food pantry clients. Here’s a hint: don’t be surprised if you see some Sunday School faces at your local farmer’s market. Stay tuned for more details.

The next big all-Sunday School project will be the Thanksgiving play, which will once again bring you a bit of Ethical history. And, in all likelihood, a sword fight.