schools
Jewish Schools/Preschools Akiva School 809 Percy Warner Blvd. Nashville, TN 37205 (615) 356-1880 Fax: (615) 356-1850 www.akivanashville.net Larry Hyatt, Board President Daniella Pressner, Head of School dpressner@akivanashville.net (615) 356-1880 Julie Fortune, Director of Admissions and Outreach jfortune@akivanashville.net (615) 356-1880 Located on the Gordon Jewish Community Campus, Akiva School is a high performing, K-6 academic institution and a leader among Jewish Day schools in the South. Akiva’s mission is to pursue excellence, foster critical inquiry and inspire informed Jewish living. Akiva is proud of its diversity, with a student body that is rich with multiple nationalities, and a range of socioeconomic, racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds, and serves a range of learning styles. Akiva graduates are consistently accepted into the most selective private middle and high-schools, as well as the magnet options. They are recognized as leaders in both character and academic achievement, and are known for their deep sense of self, their curiosity and wonder, a strong work ethic, and their commitment to the communities in which they take part. The rigorous curricula in both General and Judaic Studies challenge students to analyze, investigate, question, and to take risks. Classes include but are not limited to: mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, mindfulness, Hebrew language, Jewish Studies, music, swimming, art, S.T.E.A.M. and physical education. Akiva students are consistently praised for their ability to articulate their own thoughts as well as listen to and learn from their peers’ opinions. Over 30 percent of Akiva students score in the 90th percentile and above on nationally recognized assessments, and almost all graduating 6th graders obtain their top choice school for 7th grade. Many students graduate Akiva fluent in Hebrew and are able to seamlessly analyze and understand high-level texts in both Hebrew and English. The Akiva education is hands on, experiential, and is S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, the Arts and mathematics) focused. In fact, Akiva is one of the only elementary schools in the state of Tennessee that holds S.T.E.A.M. certification. At Akiva, students learn in an environment that promotes a love of learning, an appreciation of our shared experience, and a pride in one’s growing and changing identity. Students learn
about the world’s problems and then engage in empathy based design-thinking to design solutions to impact our world. There are a wide-variety of conveniences, including: a daily hot lunch program, transportation, and after-school offerings with a focus on S.T.E.A.M. learning, sports and the Arts. We take pride in the diversity of our student body and respect each family’s decisions regarding religious observance. Our goal is that all families, regardless of religious or synagogue affiliation, feel welcome at Akiva. Smaller class sizes are maintained to provide a nurturing atmosphere that meets individual students’ needs. Akiva is dedicated to hiring the brightest talent in Nashville and teachers are consistently engaged in quality professional development and participate in the national conversation in education. Akiva is accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED and SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.) For more information, please contact Julie Fortune, Director of Admissions and Outreach at (615) 356-1880 or go to www. akivanashville.net/akiva-admissions/request-information/
The Guide to Jewish Nashville 2020 • 29
