by Sophie Zuckerman ’25
Sophie Zuckerman sat down with new faculty member Cara Levine and discussed how the beginning of the year has been.
Q: How have you been adjusting to your new job at Leffell?
Cara Levine: “It has been great – I have had a chance to get to know my colleagues and am developing relationships with students everyday. The Leffell community is so welcoming, which has made it an easier transition as well.”
Q: Has it been a smooth transition into managing student gov’t, clubs, etc.?
CL: “Yes, at first it was a slow start but now that I am becoming familiar with all the different aspects of the job, I am developing a routine and grasping the concept of how everything is done here at Leffell.
Q: How was your first Shabbaton experience at Leffell (the ninth-grade shabbaton)?
CL: “It was spectacular – it was very exciting to be on a Shabbaton with the Leffell community. It was great being able to run a program at Leffel for the first time, but also have the support of the other staff that were there with me. I also had the opportunity to really get to know the ninth graders and the peer leaders, who are awesome.”
Q: Do you plan to change anything that was done a certain way in the past?
CL: “I think currently not yet. Right now I almost need to go through a full program year, see how it is, and then be able to say, this was a lot of fun, let’s make it even better and add X, Y, and Z. But I do not think until I experience the programs myself, I can be like “let’s change it”. But you never know.
Q: What is your favorite part about Leffell?
CL: “I would definitely say the community of people, not only the students but the faculty, staff, and teachers, are so welcoming and so supportive. The students are a lot of fun, and everyday more and more students stop by my office and say hi. I know especially after having Josh for five years, to then switch and now have someone else is hard. But not only have the staff welcomed me but the students have welcomed me as well.”