Alexa Danielle Sagel, daughter of Lauren and Darryl Sagel, became a bat mitzvah on Aug. 8, 2020. 

Alexa, a seventh grade student at John Burroughs School (and recent graduate of New City School), is the granddaughter of Elynor and Leslie Flegel; and Beverlee and the late Stuart Sagel. 

A member of Central Reform Congregation, Alexa had a bat mitzvah service streamed from her family’s home, with only her parents, brother Graham Sagel, grandmother Beverlee Sagel and uncle Mark Flegel in attendance. Her brother, who is a 10th grade student at John Burroughs, played the song “Thank you for this Day” on the piano for the service. The family held a small, socially distanced gathering with friends that evening outside under a tent.

Alexa was upset when she heard about greater food insecurity as a result of the pandemic. So for her mitzvah project, she worked over the summer at the Central West End Farm where she planted, watered, weeded and harvested crops, which were all donated to a local food pantry.  She had a connection to the farm as she had worked there in fourth grade with New City School. 

Alexa plays soccer, tennis and dives.  She also likes to perform: she played Corny Collins in the recent virtual version of New City School’s “Hair Spray.”

For her bat mitzvah, the family worked with Video Gate Studio Photography for photographs, Jen Rich of Video Cakes Productions for videography, and Wildflowers for flowers.