Experience the Difference

List of 15 news stories.

  • EWS Alum Wins Merten M. Hasse Prize for Notable Mathematics Paper

    Daniel Vargas (EWS '21) was awarded the Merten M. Hasse Prize for the paper “Being Rational About Algebraic Numbers” which he coauthored with mathematics professors Matthew Davis (Muskingum University) and Adam Parker (Wittenberg University). The paper expands on an ancient algorithm from 130 C.E. that approximates the square root of two by a sequence of rational numbers.

    The Hasse Prize was established in 1986 by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and is awarded to noteworthy expository papers that appear in an MAA publication whose authors contain at least one “younger” mathematician. The $1,000 award and certificate of recognition is designed to encourage younger mathematicians to take up the challenge of exposition and communication.

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  • EWS Gifts Shearn Elementary Students Musical Instruments

    Since the beginning of the school year, Emery/Weiner School instrumental music teachers Kelly Dean and Josh Sheiman pioneered an after-school music program for fifth-grade students at Shearn Elementary. The HISD school is EWS’ friendly neighbor, just north on Stella Link Road.

    This year’s 13-student cohort completed the remarkable inaugural program by earning level-one certification on the piano, bass, guitar and drums. In addition, at a special party honoring them, each student was gifted their favorite instrument to take home. Thanks to the generosity of Matthew Mullenweg for donating the instruments, EWS student volunteers and Shearn faculty and administrators also were instrumental in the program’s success.

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  • Josh Danziger '24 Chosen for Bronfman Fellowship

    Joshua Danziger has been selected for the 37th cohort of The Bronfman Fellowship. He is one of 26 high school students from diverse Jewish backgrounds, chosen to study together in the U.S. and Israel and join a community of North American and Israeli leaders.

    Danziger, a junior at The Emery/Weiner School and founder, co-host of a political/social issues podcast, was chosen along with a group of intellectually curious 11th-graders from across North America, including the founder of InvestNow Clubs, a nonprofit bringing investment clubs to schools in historically disadvantaged communities.

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  • Chloe Heyl '23 Signs Commitment to Play Women’s Lacrosse at Illinois Wesleyan University

    On April 24, Heyl officially signed a commitment to play lacrosse on the collegiate level at Illinois Wesleyan University.

    “I visited several schools and I felt Illinois Wesleyan University was the perfect fit,” Heyl said. “I met the coach, the players and did a photo shoot with the uniform on and it was amazing. The team is so connected. A couple days after my visit, I said this is where I want to be. I’m super excited.”

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  • Emery Receives National Recognition for Music Education Program for the Consecutive Sixth Year

    The Emery/Weiner School has been honored with the SupportMusic Merit Award from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The SupportMusic Merit Award recognizes individual schools that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. Notably, this year marks the sixth time that the school has received the prestigious award, and was one of 78 schools that won across the U.S. 

    To qualify for the SupportMusic Merit Award, The Emery/Weiner School answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

    Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 and a stated emphasis on a well-rounded education, many school districts have re-committed to music and arts education programs. During the pandemic, music and arts programs were a vital component to keeping students engaged in school. ESSA provides designated funding for well-rounded educational opportunities through Title IV Part A Student Academic Success and Achievement grants. NAMM Foundation research has revealed that these grants are being widely used by school districts to address instructional gaps in access to music and arts education.

    Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music: After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school, but also to attend college as well. In addition, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to: perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound: young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.

    The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 15,000 member companies and individual professionals. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.
  • Shearn Elementary Music Program Participants and EWS Volunteers  From left to right: Margaret He’23, Jake Pinsky ’25, Misha Adyanthaya ’26, Oscar Goldberg ’26, Julian Guzman, Gael Reyes, Andrea Huertas, Kailia Allen, Kelly Dean, Juliette Hess ’25, Anthony Espinoza, Unna Stella, Lexie Rose ’26, Alaiss Nolasco, Margot Levy ’26, Emmy Shulman ’¬¬26, and Josh Sheiman

    When Theory Becomes Reality: EWS Drives After-School Program at Shearn Elementary

    Lauren West
    For the past 15 years, Upper and Middle School Music Teacher Kelly Dean has been looking for opportunities to share the power of music with Shearn Elementary, our friendly neighbor on Stella Link. Continuing to build upon the already decade-long partnership between the two schools, Kelly felt it was vital to share his love of music with the students. “I find it endlessly inspiring to uplift others, and sharing the gift of music can make the biggest impact in the community and beyond,” says Kelly.
     
    Getting this program off the ground was no small feat, especially with the recent pandemic making it challenging to begin. Nevertheless, Kelly had the vision, and Shearn Elementary had the will, and finding the instruments was the only remaining hurdle. Thanks to the generosity of Kelly’s former saxophone student, Matt Mullenweg, a Houston-based entrepreneur and web developer known for developing WordPress, the instruments were donated to Shearn’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).
     
    The program meets every Monday and Wednesday after school and boasts 13 fifth-grade students who enthusiastically attend each lesson. Each session consists of the students learning to play contemporary popular music, classic rock, blues, and jazz on the piano, bass, guitar, and drums. Students are not just learning instruments but also getting a crash course into music theory, or as Kelly would call it, “music reality.” The after-school curriculum taught at Shearn is modeled after the curriculum taught at    EWS for the past 10 years, based on the book written by Kelly 25 years ago titled “Jazz Essentials: Nuts & Bolts Instruction for the Jazz and Pop Musician.” By the time the students graduate from the program at the end of the year, they should be certified Level I on all instruments in the music curriculum.
     
    The students at Shearn Elementary truly enjoy learning to play each instrument and all the positive benefits of the process. “I love playing the drums, and I feel like I am getting better each time,” says fifth-grader Kailia Allen. “I love music because it allows me to express myself.” And for fifth-grader Anthony Espinoza, he looks forward to improving as much as possible. “I like playing the guitar. I like the way it sounds, and I am learning so much. I want to start playing the piano next,” says Anthony.
     
    The program benefits from having 10 dedicated EWS student volunteers who help teach, with them all being a Level IV in the music curriculum. For the EWS student volunteers, working with the students at Shearn has been an experience to grow as musicians and make connections in their community. EWS senior Margaret He, who has an extensive musical background, feels that the program at Shearn has
    strengthened her skills as a musician and has developed her teaching skills. “What I like most about the experience is the teaching aspect. The kids do not start out having that instant understanding of the terms or techniques, so I have had to find creative ways to teach them,” says Margaret. “I have realized that learning is a process and that patience is key.”
     
    EWS sophomore Juliette Hess enjoys volunteering with the program because she feels it is a great way to pay it forward, and she enjoys the bonds she has cultivated with the students. “I have been blessed to go to an amazing school that accommodates my passion for music, and sharing my knowledge with other students brings me so much happiness,” says Juliette. “The best part about working with the kids at Shearn is the friendships I have formed with them. They make me smile, and seeing them is always the highlight of my week.”
     
    And it is not just the EWS students who are helping. The program is fortunate to benefit from the support of first-grade teacher and club sponsor Donna Harrington, Wraparound Resource Specialist Laura Peters, and our very own Josh Sheiman, who is in his ninth year at EWS as an upper and middle school music teacher.  Josh manages the EWS student volunteers and is an instructor of the program. “I get happy seeing the students get excited over learning. They have so much energy, and we try to channel that into their experience in the program,” says Josh.
     
    While the pilot program is in its first year, Kelly hopes it will have more participants in the future and that its current students will come back to help others as the years go on. “I want to see the students who finish the program come back and tutor others,” says Kelly. “It would be amazing to see this program turn into a student-led situation where they are mentoring each other and learning from one another.”
     
    And while the program is geared toward teaching students how to play instruments, both Kelly and Josh hope this creates a positive ripple effect on the other aspects of their lives. “I hope it builds or strengthens their confidence in whatever they are doing and helps them to believe in their capabilities,” says Josh. “Music helps create connections as it transcends language or other borders, and it truly builds community,” says Kelly. “I think that having something they are excited about can inspire them to work towards other goals in and out of the classroom.”
  • EWS Student Spearheads Community Security Initiative

    Joshua Danziger ’23 created the Jewish Security Alliance with the mission to educate and protect the Jewish community and other communities under threat from hateful actions.

  • Linear Learning: EWS Teacher Brings Math Lesson to Life with Tricycle Race

    Middle school math class usually involves rulers, calculators and graph paper.

    The Emery/Weiner School has altered that equation by adding six tricycles, four cones and one strategically placed GoPro camera.

    Eighth-grade teacher Elle Bray’s inaugural Great Math 8 Tricycle Race took off with lots of fanfare and excitement on the school campus Oct 31.
     
    “I feel like the kids really enjoyed it and saw the connection with math. I am really proud of what the kids were able to learn. They’ve done some very high-level work and have a deep understanding,” says Bray.
  • The Emery/Weiner School Hosts 22nd Annual Joy of Education Dinner

    “We are extremely pleased with the success of this year’s JOE Dinner. It was wonderful to be back in the Kosberg Gym surrounded by the Selzer/Sondock family, current parents, parents of alumni, young alumni, grandparents, and many friends from our community.”

  • Sharing Stories of Life Experience at Emery/Weiner

    EWS teaches students the privilege and responsibility of public storytelling. “Once you speak something out loud, it belongs to the community as much as to you.”

  • Houston Chronicle Names The Emery/Weiner School as Top-Ranking in Civic Engagement

    “Building a culture of service and involvement is an active focus at [EWS]…”

  • EWS Alumnus, Noah Pacht ’20, Makes Feature Film Debut in Amazon Studios’ “Anything’s Possible”

    “Getting to know the actors, crew and our wonderful director was such a gift. Just being around such experienced actors and observing how they perform on set was a complete masterclass.”
     
  • EWS New Student Application

    Applications for the 2023-24 school year are now available. Click here to apply, take a tour, schedule a visit or shadow day, and register for Open House.
  • Yale Whiffenpoofs in Houston: Emery Grad Returns in Tux and Tails

    "I don’t know if I could pinpoint an experience in my life that was as rewarding as that. Overall, I think that was one of the many highlights of my Emery experience."

    Click here to read more.
  • Emery Jaguars Cap Off Undefeated Season with Dominant Victory in State Final

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The Emery/Weiner School

A private, pluralistic Jewish, college-preparatory middle and high school serving grades 6-12. 
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