It is no coincidence that, as the school year starts again each August, the Jewish month of Elul is always right around the corner. This sacred month, which leads up to the High Holidays, is replete with ritual practices such as the recitation of Selichot and the blowing of the Shofar. All of these practices create a central theme for the month: Introspection. During this month, we must become introspective and focus on what we have done during the past year by zoning in on the “how” and “why.” Our summer vacations allow for freedom and new experiences that we discuss among teachers and peers upon arriving at school at the beginning of the year. While new experiences may be amusing, it is important to remember the experiences of our past as well. We might start the new school year with high hopes, but without properly reflecting on how we acted in the past year, how can we possibly improve our year ahead? How can we be certain that we are driving this new school year in the right direction?  Only through careful introspection can we hope to reflect on our experiences accurately and choose how to move forward. This is precisely why the month of Elul takes place before Rosh Hashana (the New Year of the Jewish people and the anniversary of the birth of mankind). We spend time looking back to paint a greater picture of what we want for the coming year. How can we hope to be better as human beings? What do we want to continue doing? What can we improve? The beginning of the academic year marks a new beginning and during the month of Elul, we are given the unique opportunity to take time to return to introspection. Are we proud of how we performed in school? What about the relationships we forged? Were we as active and involved in the community as we want to be moving forward? Though it may be nice to take a break and relax – to simply forget our past experiences in and out of school – we always need to look back to properly grow through each passing year. Hashem is giving us a chance not only to improve as Jews but also as fabulous students and active community members… Why not take this chance?