New Teachers 24-25: Kustanowitz, Tucker
Ms. Esther Kustanowitz, the new advisor for the Boiling Point, is passionate about Jewish meaning within her journalism.
She is new to the world of journalism advising, but she worked full-time as a freelance journalist before coming to Shalhevet, and is continuing to write part-time while working at the Boiling Point.
“I really am most interested, as a writer, in people’s stories and in Jewish meaning and content. I don’t need everybody to relate to Judaism the same way that I do, or to define Jewish meaning the way I do,” Ms. Kustanowitz said. “But especially when talking about Jewish community content, I want people to feel anchored in it.”
Her main goal at Shalhevet is to impart lessons and skills that members of the Boiling Point can use later in life.
“The skills I really believe are what you’ll take with you, how do you connect with somebody you’re looking to learn about?” she said. “How do you maintain objectivity in a time when you might feel like a conversation is really polarized? And I think all of those skills are super important to develop in high school.”
Ms. Kustanowitz, who goes by Esther, has been interested in journalism since she was a teenager.
In high school, she was the photography editor of her school newspaper.
“My mother was an editor at The Jewish Standard in New Jersey, and so when I was 15 or 16, I went into the office there for an internship, essentially,” Ms. Kustanowitz said. “So that’s kind of where it all started.”
After college, she worked in Jewish nonprofit for eight years, and later as a journalist and consultant for a variety of different institutions, including Yeshiva University and MTV Networks.
“I started freelancing and doing local journalism on my own time,” she said. “The New York Jewish community is very large, and there’s a lot to cover.”
Since then, Ms. Kustanowitz has written for many different publications, including eJewish Philanthropy, Hadassah Magazine, and Pasadena Magazine.
“I know a lot of people in the journalism space, both in the Jewish journalism space and beyond,” she said. “So that network is one of the things I bring to this position.”
One of Ms. Kustanowitz’s biggest passions as a writer is Jewish representation in the media, and mainly in film and TV.
“There’s a way to represent Jewish people that is authentic, but not all encompassing, that provides some context instead of it just being a joke,” she said.
New Athletic Director Mr. Tim Tucker wants to increase students’ investment in school sports.
He first came to Shalhevet in Sept. 2023, was formerly the associate head coach of both the boys and girls varsity basketball teams, and the head coach of the junior varsity basketball team. He replaced Coach Jeff Remer, who left Shalhevet in May after six years.
Mr. Tucker said he wants to commit time and attention to every sports team.
“We’re going to increase excitement across sports,” Mr. Tucker said, “and increase our spirit pack swag, because those are extensions of us and how people see us outside of the community.”
Out of all school sports, the girls’ basketball team has seen the most success recently, as CIF Division 4 champions in 2023. However, Mr. Tucker intends to apply the same level of care and enthusiasm to all programs.
“I want to be at everything,” he said. “I know I can’t, there’s going to be multiple events at a time, but I just want to be a part of every single program. I want to see them practice, I want to see them compete against other schools, and overall provide a great experience for people to enjoy their time competing and being on a team.”
When he was in middle school, Mr. Tucker wanted to be a sports agent.
“I started by coaching young kids, like 9- or 10-year-olds,” he said. “From there, I worked my way up to middle school, then high school, then I was an assistant coach for the Harvard-Westlake basketball team. After that, I knew that I wanted this to be my career.”
Mr. Tucker will continue as the associate head coach of the boys basketball team, but his involvement with the other teams will be as the Athletic Director only.
“Being just a basketball coach, I didn’t quite see all the other programs, and I think in my first year, I want to see where we’re at,” said Mr. Tucker. “I’m focused on giving my attention to every program across the board.”
