Simel specifically described a class discussion regarding philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s theories of self-sufficiency and self-righteous behavior. And this was in 2013, when not many, or not enough, people were familiar with systematic racism,” Shindel recalled.Īlso inside of the classroom, CAP Honors English 9 teacher Dana Simel remembered Tommy as somebody who continuously blurred the line between teacher and student. “Once got on a roll, he and I forgot that he was the student and I was the teacher,” Simel said. “He performed a poem called ‘The Word Game’ he wrote for my class in Forensics and won a number of awards. It discussed how we can differentiate overt types of racist speech versus more systematic institutional forms of racism. CAP Seminar teacher Kevin Shindel recalled one of Tommy’s poems he still uses as an in-class example to this day. Raskin’s speeches for Forensics often also found their way into different classes. Photo: Tommy's heart for justice and empathy translated to his activities at Blair (Artwork courtesy of Angela Tu).
Tommy was well informed and carried newspapers and magazines with him to cite facts. He had the ability to construct a logical response with clarity and often a touch of humor.” “Many competitors are intimidated by Extemporaneous Speaking because it requires strong general knowledge and analytical skills. “Tommy always won a trophy in his event,” Margery Scanlan, the Blair Forensics coach from 2010-2020, said. Raskin’s immense heart for justice and eliminating inequality extended to the speeches he wrote for the Forensics club, which he captained from his sophomore to senior years. “It was, I know, important for me… just to publicly embrace your Judaism,” he said. “We were co-presidents of the Jewish Culture Club, which was a really great time,” he said. Schmidt said he and Raskin had been close friends since elementary school and described Raskin’s deep attachment to his faith. In addition to BLISS, Raskin was also a leader of the Jewish Culture Club along with Josh Schmidt, a peer of Raskin’s who also graduated from Blair in 2013. “One of the first scholarships that Tommy received, he donated all the proceeds he got to the program so that we could buy T-shirts for all the participants, celebrate the tutors, provide food in our meetings, and buy tassels for the BLISS tutors,” Cauley said.
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“We had close to 100 students volunteer to support students in all of the different areas from science, math, social studies, to English and special needs.” Cauley extensively detailed Raskin’s perseverance and commitment to uplifting his peers, citing these traits as primary drivers of the organization’s success.Īfter BLISS was established, Raskin contributed a portion of his own scholarship money to the organization. “Tommy went on a campaign and went to all of the classrooms to recruit,” Cauley recalled. He co-founded Blair Leaders Intern for Student Success (BLISS), Blair’s bilingual tutoring program, in 2011 along with current assistant principal Dirk Cauley. While at Blair, Raskin’s empathy translated into heavy involvement in school and community organizations. Photo: Tommy Raskin (center) was remembered as a pillar of compassion, intellect, and humility (Photo courtesy of the Raskin family).
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