By Rachel Galvin

The Class of 2016 was the last class to graduate from Zion Lutheran. The school that began in 1964 is in the process of being transformed into a charter school called Somerset Academy Key. During the transition, many students and teachers went elsewhere, but others remained and an influx of new students is coming in. They currently have enrolled 420 students, but expect to have 600 in total by the time school starts.

There no longer will be a Christian curriculum and, since it is turning from a private to public school, students will be subject to testing and requirements they have never experienced before, but new principal Dennis Mulrooney said the changes are a good thing.

“[The students] haven’t had those rigors before. I believe it is a step above. We are pushing higher education and setting them up for secondary success, putting them in a position to get into college. We are there to help them along the way.”

Mulrooney began his work in education in schools in Miami-Dade County. He has worked in administration and as a curriculum coach. He worked as an Assistant Principal at Somerset Academy in Miramar at an elementary level for two years. Looking to gain high school experience, he transferred to another charter school, Mater Academy, where he became Assistant Principal for two more years. When the call came asking him if he wanted to come to Deerfield and open Somerset Academy Key, he jumped at the chance.

“Getting the call was a blessing. It is everything I have ever wanted,” he said.

The school is being freshened up to have a more Somerset feel. They will be retaining the colors and the lion mascot from Zion, but the lion may change a little.

They are updating the computers, installing new software. They have about 200 computer stations and plan to increase it up to 400-450 stations once they reach their intended enrollment.

In addition to already instituted extracurricular activities, including sports, students will be able to create their own clubs.

“Students will create and drive the activity [programming]. If there is enough interest, they can get a sponsor and fundraise,” said Mulrooney, adding, “I want students to feel this is a second home for them.

The school, which will now only serve grades 6 to 12, currently has open enrollment. But the process to get in is not as easy as a regular school.

“There is only a certain amount of seats at each level. Once we hit that, students go on a wait list. It is not a simple process. The later students register, the less likelihood they will get in,” he said.

Meanwhile Zion’s pre-school, now called Zion Early Learning Center, and the church is still operational.

The preschool serves ages six weeks to Pre-K. Kids here tackle STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) from day one. They follow the WEE curriculum, which is Christian-based. The staff is all CDA certified (with the Childcare Development Association). Over the summer, students learn a different fairy tale every week and incorporate it into their studies.

They also have a Vacation Bible School and a Summer Camp. The camp, which runs through August, includes traveling to fun adventures like the park, movies and elsewhere.

Both Somerset and the preschool are seeking students. For more information on Somerset Academy Key, call 954-481-0602 or visit www.somersetkey.com. For more information on the preschool and their programs, call 954-421-3146.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach’s Jackson McKenna got a head start on this summer’s Olympics.

McKenna, 15, who will be a sophomore at Pompano Beach High School in the fall, cleaned up at the recent Transplant Games in Cleveland, Ohio by winning 10 medals for Team Florida.

He also earned the Youth Athlete of the Year award for the entire country for participants ages 3 to 17. Australia and Puerto Rico also had representation at the competition in addition to athletes from around the country.

“I didn’t expect it whatsoever,” said McKenna, who as an infant needed a life-saving liver transplant. “It was very surprising to say the least. I was shocked at first. I thought it was a joke. It was really a lot of work and I was grateful they selected me.”

McKenna captured gold medals in four events – 100-meter dash, long jump, high jump and darts (cricket) and five silver medals in softball throw, discus, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and darts (501). He picked up a bronze medal in the shot put – all in the 14 to 17 age group.

The efforts in shot and discus were surprising given the fact that he had never competed in either event and watched YouTube videos to learn the technique. He had also never competed in darts.

At 5 months old, he was diagnosed with biliary (tract) ectasia and needed a life-saving liver transplant. McKenna received his liver on Feb. 17, 2001, has been healthy ever since, and, every two years, he competes in the Transplant Games of America.

The Transplant Games of America include track and field events, swimming, table tennis, cycling, long jump, table tennis and the softball throw.

The 10 medals this year easily surpassed his previous record high of six that he earned in Michigan four years ago and the five he won in Texas two years ago. Yet, McKenna said winning is not the driving force.

“I just tried my best to see what I could do,” said Jackson, who has turned from sports to a new interest – playing the guitar. “I just wanted to win one medal. I had no idea I would do this well. The last few years have been pretty great. It is really fun. It is great to see the old friends you met from all around the world and then to meet new people.”

He took up the guitar two years ago and is in a music program in Boca Raton. He hopes to be a marine biologist or a guitar player when he gets older.

“When you are competing, you are trying to prove whatever it is,” McKenna said. “Through guitar you can let out your emotions. How you feel is how you are going to play.”

The Transplant Games showcase the success of transplantation and calls attention to the life saving importance of organ donation, and honors organ donors and their families.

“Health-wise he’s been doing great the past couple of years,” said his mother Jina McKenna. “We weren’t sure how he would do this year because he didn’t really put in as much time training for this as he had done in the past, but he really brought it when it came time for the Games. Winning the Youth Athlete of the Year was really special. It was really cool. We were shocked and surprised. We were happy and really honored.”

“He won it because of the medals, but also his participation with Team Florida and his fundraising,” she added. “It also went to his helping create awareness and his longevity in the Games since he has been competing since before he was 2.”

McKenna was the youngest participant in his first Transplant Games in Orlando in 2002 at 18 months as he competed in the softball throw.

“This experience has just shown me that you also go as hard as you can and you always try,” McKenna said. “Even if you think you can’t do something, you always try.”

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The recent 4th of July weekend was full of outdoor activity. While the motion picture industry posted a modest weekend with Finding Dory, being the weekend champion for three weeks in a row. The BFG earned less than $19 million, despite being the first Walt Disney Movie directed by Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg and his colleague George Lucas [supposedly] predicted this Hollywood box office implosion approximately three years ago. This implosion is very similar to the 1960s, in which major Hollywood Studios were losing money producing movies like Hello Dolly and Cleopatra, while young independent cinema earned larger profit margins with films like Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy and American Graffiti. Everything old is new again.

Opening this weekend in neighborhood cinemas is Hunt for the Wilderpeople, an independent film from New Zealand. The most recognizable face is that of Sam Neill of Jurassic Park and The Piano fame. The most talked about actor from this wild independent film will be that of young Julian Dennison, who portrays the misfit Bobby.

Told in multiple chapters, this film opens with Ricky being deposited on a farm by a social worker. The troubled boy is treated warmly by the matriarch of the house, but he is kept at a distance by the curmudgeon Hec ( Neill). For a few idyllic months, Ricky is treated like a little boy, until the mother figure dies unexpectedly.

Not wanting to return to the cement jungle of his younger days, Ricky fakes his death to go live in the forest. Given that his bravado was formed by absorbing too much American pop culture, Ricky confuses fantasy with reality and is rescued by Hec.

While Hunt for the Wilderpeople has several serious scenes, this film is full of confrontational humor. When Hec first rescues Ricky, the hungry boy hallucinates that he is talking to a giant hamburger. Throughout this rites of passage film, we see the growth of two disparate people who grow to genuinely love and respect each other.

While there has been much good word of mouth for The Secret Life of Pets, which opens this weekend with full Hollywood marketing hype, the Hunt for the Wilderpeople is not as visible but is worthy of seeking out. Director (and co writer) Taika Waititi will be a name to reckon with in the box office future.

Deerfield Beach

June 24: Someone attempted to steal $22.09 worth of groceries from ALDI Food Market at 747 S. Federal Hwy. The subject dropped the items and fled.

June 24: A man was observed stealing $300 worth of items from Winn Dixie at 1019 S. Federal Hwy.

June 25: A woman reported her car was stolen from 4344 NW 9 Ave.

June 26: A woman reported her cell phone stolen from her car at 4330 NE 6 Ave.

Lighthouse Point

June 13: A male subject attempted to pay with a counterfeit $10 bill. When confronted, he fled the store at 4830 N. Federal Hwy.

June 13: A 45ft. flat screen TV and a pool remote were stolen from a rental property at 2611 NE 49 St.

June 14: Someone stole four sets of hair clippers and a bag valued at $131.96 from a store at 3580 N. Federal Hwy.

RE: The calculated demise of East McNab Road

Dear Editor:

Broward County and Pompano Beach Commissioners are attempting to implement a program called “Complete Streets.” It would cut down over 40 native trees, pave over grass swales and create two 5 ft. bicycle paths. Bicycles and pedestrians have coexisted on our tree shaded neighborhood sidewalks for decades, without incidents. In addition, with the proposed wall to wall asphalt, no storm drainage and losing natural soil percolation, flooding will be inevitable.

Ironically, the “Complete Street Manual” states that its intent is to contribute to walkable, livable neighborhoods which aide in building a sense of community pride and improved quality of life. How does 10 ft. of ugly asphalt accomplish this?

Please call our Commissioners and attend the July 13 meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. at E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 NW 3 St., in Pompano Beach.

Daniel O’Brien

Pompano Beach

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

So this is what it’s like to be a writer: sometimes you get stuck. Here’s the deadline and you’re staring at a blank piece of paper, and the current political scene — to which you are addicted and pulsing to writing about – is off limits. So instead, you open the latest e-mail from a friend, with a link to a recommended book and you don’t even peek into the content. You fall in love with the title — well, actually, the subtitle: “My life as a Pretender.” The whole title is Reckless: My Life As A Pretender by Chrissie Hynde, founding member of the rock band The Pretenders.

I do a little Googling and You Tube-ing and now I know Chrissie Hynde. But I only have less than 24 hours – and no time to find and read her book. And it wouldn’t matter because “pretending” is something I think about often and about which I find myself in frequent conflict.

I have sadly concluded that one cannot get though life without having to tarnish one’s sense of authenticity.

Unless you are Henry David Thoreau and willing to live the life of a hermit, then the very act of comingling with others demands a degree of self restraint — zipping up your lip, and engaging in occasional activities that don’t comport with your desires or your sense of self. You see yourself as this “good” person: a friend in need, someone who talks the talk of walking in the shoes of others, empathetic and kind. But in order to be totally true to that image, you are often called upon to ignore your base thoughts and/or feelings in order to fulfill the larger “calling” of your self image. Therein lies the seeds of ambivalence.

So, you don’t say some of the things that are on your mind, that you truly believe, because those “things” can be construed as “negative,” and transmuted to “hostile.” And sensitive people don’t “cotton” to their perception of “criticism.” So you retreat to your “turtle” persona crawling into your shell, exhibiting your most charming “yes” smile – saying one thing while thinking another.

Do we call this “lying,” “self protection,” “kindness” – or inauthenticity? I’m still trying to figure it out and still trying to find an acceptable balance which will help me to be the “good” person I aspire to being, and also the real person I absolutely need to be. The fact that therein lies a conflict keeps me mindfully aware that – after all these many years — I am still trying to figure out who I am.

And I often conclude that I – like many others – am not one monolithic person, but rather a tangle of many me-s.

But, aha! Soon will come the day when our thoughts will be read by the progeny of “Siri” and her counterparts – and nothing that comes into our heads will be off-limit for reading by anyone so inclined. Add that to the list of scaries in the year 2016 – as if we didn’t have enough to worry about.

But you know what? Life is good!

Meet & Greet With The “Pup”arazzi

Thursday, July 7, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Silverspot Cinema

4441 Lyons Road

Coconut Creek, FL 33073

Special “yappy” hour with Animal Aid, Inc. Movie: Secret Life of Pets will show at 6 p.m., 8:10 p.m. and10:20 p.m. Bring your pet to walk the outdoor red carpet and greet the “pup”arazzi. Attendees will enjoy specialty cocktails and happy hour featuring $3 Lobster Rolls and $5 per glass house wine. Animal Aid, Inc. bringing small dogs available for adoption. For reservations or information, call 954-840-8150 or visit www.silverspot.net.

Food Truck Invasion

Thursday, July 7, 5 to 10 p.m.

Quiet Waters Park

401 S. Powerline Rd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Various trucks sell a variety of foods. For more information, call the park at 954-357-5100 or visit www.FoodTruckInvasion.com.

Superhero Splash Bash

Friday, July 8, 6 to 10 p.m.

Quiet Waters Park

401 S. Powerline Rd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Family event with games, splash water park playtime, a movie, bounce house, prizes and more. All ages. $6, children 1 year and under free. Pre-registration required, call 954-357-5100.

Worth the Drive: Sushi & Stroll

Friday, July 8, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

4000 Morikami Park Rd.

Delray Beach, FL 33446

Cool off as you stroll the gardens, sip craft sakis, taste Asian cuisine, shop in the Museum Store and listen to the roars of Fushu Daiko’s taiko drum performances. Adults: $15, children (6-17): $9, under 6 free. Seniors and Military: $13 (with valid ID), students: $11 (with valid ID). For more information, call 561-495-0233 or visit www.morikami.org.

Lace Up

Saturday, July 9, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Deerfield Beach High School

910 Buck Pride Way

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Free camp for boys and girls ages 5 to 18. Presented by the Shoelace Foundation. www.LaceUpCamp.eventbrite.com.

Once Upon a Mattress

Saturday, July 9, 7 p.m.

Sunday, July 10, 2 p.m.

FAU Boca Raton campus

Studio One Theatre

777 Glades Rd.

Boca Raton, FL 33431

Play is also on Friday, July 15, 7 p.m.; Saturday, July 16, 2 and 7 p.m.; Sunday, July 17, 2 p.m. Tickets — $20, Students: $12, FAU faculty, staff, alumni: $15 with ID. Tickets avail-able at the Box Office in FAU’s Student Union, Monday toFriday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or at the door if available. For more information, visit www.fauevents.com or call 561-297-6124.

Soulful Sunday

Sunday, July 10, 6 to 9 p.m.

Ali Cultural Arts

353 Hammondville Rd.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Free family friendly outdoor concert. Featuring the gospel sounds of Dwight Moment and Symphony. For more information, call 954-786-7876.

Deerfield Beach Orchid Society Meeting

Tuesday, July 12, 7:30 p.m.

Woman’s Club of Deerfield Beach

910 E. Hillsboro Blvd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Speaker: Bill Thoms, internationally recognized orchid hunter, breeder and grower extraordinaire. No charge to visit the first two times. After that, annual membership fee applies. For more information, visit www.deerfieldbeachorchidsociety.org or e-mail deerfieldbeachorchidsociety@gmail.com.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Summer Cocktail Reception

Wednesday, July 13, 6 to 8 p.m.

Madison’s New York Grill & Bar

2006 NW Executive Center Cir.

Boca Raton, FL 33431

Benefits the David and Fela Shapell Family Collections and Conservation Center, which opens April 2017. Ticket price: $20 at the door (includes one drink & hors d’oeuvres). Walk-ins are welcome. RSVP or for more information, contact Robert Tanen at rtanen@ushmm.org or call 561-995-6773.

Conversation Piece: a modern salon

Friday, July 15, 7 to 10 p.m.

Bailey Contemporary Arts

41 NE 1 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Interactive and spontaneous discussion on current events and their impact on culture and the arts. Tickets: $10 (pre-registration available on Eventbrite). Third Friday of each month. For more information, call 954-284-0141.

Save the date:5th Annual Boca Burger Battle

Saturday, July 16, 7 to 10 p.m.

(VIP starts at 6 p.m.)

Sanborn Square Park

72 N. Federal Hwy.

Boca Raton, FL 33432

Look for Federal Highway from Palmetto Park Road NE 2 Street to be shut down again to make way for this culinary extravaganza. See chefs from around the area light up their grills and get to cooking, all competing to see who will create the Best Boca Burger. Quench your thirst with craft beer and wines. A portion of proceeds benefit PROPEL (People Reaching Out to Provide Education and Leadership). Live entertainment by Voodoo Possum and Big City Dogs. No pets allowed. Rain or shine. $50 General Admission, which includes three drink tickets and unlimted food tastings. VIP, which received unlimited food and drink tastings and early entry, is $75 (Pre-Sale), $125 (Regular). Purchase Tickets online at www.bocaburgerbattle.com or call 561-338-7594.

“Survivors of hell have an acute focus on the objective. They have little time for pettiness and time-wasting.” — Elie Wiesel

The world lost a great and indefatigable humanitarian this week with the passing of acclaimed author, journalist, academic and human rights activist Elie Wiesel. He was 87 years old.

Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who endured the notorious death camps of both Auschwitz and Buchenwald, was also a prolific writer who authored some five-dozen books, both fiction and non-fiction, many of which related to social justice, Israel, the Holocaust and Judaism.

In one particularly moving conversation, Wiesel shared with a friend of mine R’ Simon, how he had basically given up on life after the war and the atrocities, and losses, he witnessed. Even after meeting French author François Mauriac, who persuaded him to serve as a witness and chronicle his experiences, he still felt dead inside and could not bring himself to personally commit to any life-affirming activities. But then things changed.

He told Simon, “I credit your father as being one of the first people who altered my view and attitude to life. Though he, himself, had suffered under Soviet oppression, losing his parents at a young age, your father was a shining example of positivity and celebrating life and its possibilities.”

He paused, took a deep breath and continued: “And then, in the mid-‘60s, your father introduced me to the Lubavitcher Rebbe-Menachem Mendel Schneerson. You father persuaded me to go see him, which I ultimately did. After hours of dialogue and subsequent correspondence, the Rebbe was the one who finally convinced me to marry and build a family. His most compelling argument – which I could not refute – was that the only and ultimate response to Nazi destruction was to build a family and perpetuate the memory of those they wished to obliterate.

“This changed my life, forever. In the single-most important decision of my life, I married Marion in 1969, and, then, in 1972, we had our son – our pride and joy – Shlomo Elisha, named after my father, who perished in Buchenwald,” he said.

Clearly very emotional, Wiesel walked Simon over to the photos on his desk. Pointing to pictures of his son and his grandchildren, he simply said: “Everything is worth this.”

Simon once asked him whether it is true that marching into the gas chambers, Jews would sing Ani Ma’amin [I believe], a heart-stirring melody expressing one’s complete and unwavering faith in the coming of the Messiah, who will usher in a new world order of peace. Wiesel replied that the barracks where the Jews were held was a distance from the death chambers. But very often he did hear the whimpering prayers of the Jews near him. The cry of the Shema (sacred passages), the reciting of Kaddish (mourners prayer), the Shabbat or holiday prayers, and also, the singing of Ani Ma’amin.

“If I may ask,” Simon continued, “How do you explain this devotion? In the face of utter abandonment, of a God who was totally concealed, allowing His people, His children, to be decimated, the Jews had the total right to be angry at God. How do you explain the fact that instead they thanked and prayed to Him, sang His praises and declared their absolute belief that He would redeem them?!”

Wiesel’s response captures his essence: “Things really don’t make sense. Life is mostly absurd. We have seen man at his worst. But for the Jew, insanity is not abnormal. I can’t tell you what was going on in the minds, hearts and souls of the Jews who walked to their deaths. But I can tell you that every single one of these sacred people knew one thing. And they declared it with their prayers and their songs:

“You can take our bodies, but you can’t take our souls. You can take our lives but not our faith. We will prevail. If not today, tomorrow.

If not tomorrow, the next day. If not us, our children. If not our children, our grandchildren. But we will prevail.

“Ani Maamin… I believe with complete faith…”

Dearest Elie Wiesel, you have made your mark. You have served as a child of your father’s and mother’s, and of so many fathers and mothers. You have brought into this world a son and grandchildren – and millions of students, considered to be children as well. You have prevailed, as has the Jewish people. We will live to see the world as promised to us. And if not today, tomorrow.

In 1973, Wiesel composed a cantata titled, “Ani Maamin: A Song Lost and Found Again.” The song concludes with the following verses:

I believe in you,

Even against your will.

Even if you punish me

For believing in you.

Blessed are the fools

Who shout their faith.

Blessed are the fools

Who go on laughing.

Who mock the man who

mocks the Jew,

Who help their brothers

Singing, over and over and

over:

I believe.

I believe in the coming of

the Messiah,

And though he tarries,

I wait daily for his coming.

I believe.