COSTA MESA : Bibles Are Special Gifts to Students

Dozens of boys and girls in Nurit Wildenberg’s joint fifth- and sixth-grade class will be the first students from the bilingual elementary school to have a graduation ceremony, and the children will receive books in their new second language to commemorate the special day.

Children at the private, Jewish, Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School speak about the upcoming day in elegant, articulate sentences that belie their age. They say the gift books--Bibles printed in Hebrew--will become special treasures for them after having studied the language for years.

“It’s good we’re getting a Bible because a lot of us will be going to public high schools and our Jewish culture and language will be lost there,” said David Rabin, a fifth-grader.

Added Ariel Gratch, “Most of us have bar mitzvahs coming up, and some of us are going to public schools, and so we’ll have a Bible to continue studying.”

“I think they’re also giving us the Bibles for educational reasons, so we’ll keep studying,” added Amanda Levy, drawing giggles from the youngsters during a classroom round-table discussion, during which the students discussed the importance of their graduation and gift Bibles.

The Bibles will provide the students a memento of the day their class made its place in the little elementary school’s history as the first class to be given a graduation ceremony.

Administrators said they decided to hold a graduation ceremony for this year’s fifth- and sixth-grade class because many of the students will be the first to attend the school’s new junior high, which is scheduled to open its doors next fall.

The junior high will teach sixth- and seventh-grade students next year, and the following year, administrators hope to expand it to eighth grade.

“I feel as though we’re going into a new phase” said sixth-grade student Cari Gratch.

“It’s sort of like we’re opening the door for everyone else,” added Margalit Younger.

Akima Cornell agreed. “I don’t know who the kids were before us. . . . It’s nice that we’ll leave a mark.”

Graduation is slated for June 23, and while the students won’t be wearing caps or gowns, the ceremony is shaping up as a memorable event for them.

Sensing the importance the students are attributing to the day, executive director Leora Baron has decided it will become a tradition at the school.

“It’ll be a regular thing for the fifth grade from now on,” she said.