For the majority of CHS students, the month of October holds minimal faith-based significance. To them, yesterday was just another Wednesday, and Oct. 3 was just another Monday. 

But for me yesterday was the most religiously significant and holiest day of the year, as I observed the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, a day my Jewish religion teaches is the time my soul is closest with God, I asked for forgiveness for my sins. I spent the day abstaining from eating and drinking, eschewing my physical needs to focus on my spiritual needs. Many of the most important Jewish holidays began on Oct. 3 which is Rosh Hashanah, the date of the Jewish New Year, and continue throughout October.

However, yesterday was also a regular school day. Like many other students, I also have after school-activities and an overwhelming abundance of tests and quizzes which required a great deal of preparation. It is extremely frustrating that each year Jewish holidays coincide with the due dates of multiple summative assessments for other Jewish students. Should tests be scheduled or assignments be due on Christmas Eve, Good Friday or the day after Easter Sunday? 

Yom Kippur, and all other Jewish holidays, have been on the calendar for a long time, so just like many other Jewish students, I have tried communicating with all of my teachers that I will not be present due to religious conflicts, and I would like the classwork ahead of time. Yet missing a day of high school is extremely stressful, usually resulting in lots of makeup work and leaving me feeling behind long after the holiday concludes. Additionally it does not help when teachers penalize students for absences by giving them alternative, and usually more challenging, assessments to take on a later date.

Furthermore, I wish that teachers would be more considerate of Jewish students religious conflicts before scheduling important events. Over the years, I have had to miss several field trips to see plays, go to other destinations and miss other class activities. All of these conflicts could be avoided by a simple check of the calendar before scheduling classroom events.

Becoming culturally competent is just as important, if not more important, than understanding the Pythagorean Theorem.  But how can the students of CHS become culturally competent when their learning environment lacks an understanding for the accommodation of our differences?

Ultimately, I urge students and faculty here to seek awareness on minority holidays and prepare and schedule important events accordingly.  I wholeheartedly recognize the difficulty in meeting the needs of 5,000 students, but it is so frustrating to feel at a disadvantage because of my religion and even more frustrating knowing that I am not the only student who feels this way.

I believe scheduling conflicts are indicative of a much larger disconnect, but can easily be solved through simple communication and consideration