PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUX IMAGES
w
w VI S w. IT ou U rc S O it y N av LI en N E tu A ra T .co m
One of the World’s Largest Jewish Community Day Schools is Right in South Florida’s Backyard Story Page 15 YOUR COMMUNITY NEWS MAGAZINE
!!!FEBRUARY 2017
EVERY DAY IS OPEN HOUSE Congratulations to our Class of 2016, Accepted to Some of the Nation's Finest Colleges & Universities
200+
acceptances to Ivy League universities, state colleges and gap year programs
National Merit Scholar, Finalists, Commended Scholars, National Hispanic Merit Scholars
State Soccer Champions
29
AP Scholars named by College Board
Winner of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s STEM Challenge
Keynote Presenters of Young Engineers Conference Presenter at Int’l. Society for Technology in Education
Schedule your private family tour.
100+ students in National Arts Honor Societies
We can’t wait to welcome you and are accepting applications for 2017-18. From early childhood through Grade 12, Scheck Hillel Community School educates and inspires students to become exemplary global citizens with enduring Jewish identity and values through an individualized college preparatory curriculum highlighted by STEM and design, Capstone, college dual enrollment, arts, athletics and service learning. Our 14 acres include a new 115,000-sq.-ft athletic complex with additional academic expansion plans. Scheck Hillel is one of the world's largest Jewish community day schools and a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. We are more than your child’s school; we are your family’s community.
Scheck Hillel Community School 18 months - Grade 12 305.931.2831 eHillel.org North Miami Beach
IMAGES
Bar and Bat Mitzvahs Weddings Lifestyle Portraits www.luximages.com (954) 895-7792 ricardo@luximages.com (954) 662-0284 andrew@luximages.com 14
FEBRUARY 2017!|!OUR CITY AVENTURA
One of the World’s Largest Jewish Community Day Schools is Right in South Florida’s Backyard BY BEVERLY PERKINS
S
FEATURE STORY
check Hillel Community School, one of the world’s largest Jewish community day schools, has been serving South Florida for more than four decades, since opening its doors in 1970. The enrollment of more than 1,100 students from 18 months-grade 12 represents 20 countries across the globe. The National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence sits on 14 acres, which include a state of the art 115,000 square foot athletic complex with additional academic expansion plans. Scheck Hillel is guided by its philosophy to tailor education to the whole child for a personalized, rigorous college preparatory experience. Students develop identity, nurture talent, discover passion and find purpose, empowering them as the rising generation of creators, innovators and leaders. Scheck Hillel shifts the question so students ask, “Who do I want to be?” rather than “what”. “Our students become reflective global citizens with strong Jewish identity, ready and eager to write the next chapter through their own definitions of success, happiness and fulfillment,” said Dr. Ezra Levy, Head of School. Scheck Hillel’s reputation for academic excellence comes from the nurturing environment that fosters personal growth. Talented faculty and dedicated families partner for the students, developing compassionate, knowledgeable Jewish leaders for a modern global society. The curriculum teaches students morally, intellectually, spiritually and physically through rigorous study, cultural experiences, arts and athletics, service learning and leadership, so students cultivate a 21st century skill set. Nationally recognized faculty and a range of programs create opportunity for Scheck Hillel students to excel to their full potential. Seniors graduate to Ivy League universities, colleges throughout the country and Gap Year programs in Israel, demonstrating the diversity of the Jewish community school. Highlights come in the form of courses as well as initiatives beyond the classroom. For example, Scheck Hillel’s College Readiness Program has become a hallmark of its Capstone Senior Seminar. Organizations from across the country reach out to be part of this unique, meaningful educational experience for seniors, culminating college preparation in terms of academics, social-emotional wellbeing and spiritual growth. The school’s Jaime and Raquel Gilinski Hillel Ambassador Program is also a special element. Alumni of this prestigious nearly decade-old merit-
based scholarship and leadership program are across the globe as college students and working professionals. And a beloved Scheck Hillel tradition is the Grade 9 Israel trip, which fuses General and Judaic Studies and Hebrew, and engraves a lifelong love for Israel in students’ hearts. An example of the school’s individualized approach to education is college counseling, which begins in grade 8 and spirals with intensity through grade 12. Counselors navigate the journey of college preparation, application and admission alongside families, partnered to match graduates with the universities that are best for them based on students’ interests, goals and abilities. Within Scheck Hillel’s dual curriculum of General and Judaic Studies/Hebrew Language, academics are rounded out with rich co-curricular offerings. The Design/STEM curriculum comprises Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Design, Biomedical Engineering, AP Computer Science and Physics, and expands into experiential learning. The iLab houses courses during the day as well as after-school options like a weather station project and the Girls Building STEAM Club, reinforcing design and coding taught during school hours. Extending hands to local service projects and communities afar, Scheck Hillel students fulfill leadership roles on campus, at home and in the global village, reinforcing the concept of tikkun olam: making the world a better place. Every year tens of thousands of community service hours are conducted through community partnerships and independent student projects. Such experiences – along with arts and athletics – empower students to discover talents within. The school’s Jordan Alexander Ressler Arts Program includes visual arts courses from Lower School through Advanced Placement in Upper School, as well as extracurricular orchestra, band, drumline and musical/technical theatre. Athletics offerings include team sports for Grades 4-12: football, basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, cross
country, golf and flag football. Students, faculty and the school itself have garnered recognition over the years: National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, Silver Knight, 2016 Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Day School Challenge Winner, and State Soccer Champion and Fairchild Challenge titles. Last year, eight seniors were recognized by the 2016 National Merit & Hispanic Scholars Programs. Scheck Hillel is a place where children learn not only from teachers, but also from each other, reflecting the essence of the school’s mission. It’s through this mission that Scheck Hillel preserves tradition through innovation with hallways that are paths to academic achievement, creative development and spiritual growth, leading children toward global success and enduring Jewish identity. Defined, the Scheck Hillel Experience nurtures minds, souls and hearts, and encourages the lifelong learning that continuity requires.
For more information, please visit the website at www.eHillel.org or the campus, which is located at 19000 NE 25th Avenue, North Miami Beach, 33180 or call 305-931-2831.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES: AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Physics 1, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A, AP Human Geography, AP Psychology, AP Comparative Government and Politics, AP World History, AP European History, AP United States History, AP US Government and Politics, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Studio Art OUR CITY AVENTURA!|!FEBRUARY 2017
15