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May 10, 2002/Iyar 28, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 34
Day schools continue growth
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Valley day schools continue to grow, with four schools adding additional grade levels for the 2002-2003 school year, and a fifth moving its middle-school grades to a satellite location.
The Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School in Phoenix will add a junior class this fall and a senior class the following year.
Both the Pardes Jewish Day School and The King David School will add eighth-grade classes, and the Tri-City Jewish Community Center Day School will add a fourth grade.
The Phoenix Hebrew Academy will hold its fifth- through eighth-grade classes at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, at the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Sweetwater Avenue in Scottsdale, beginning in October. Kindergarten through fourth grades will remain at the school's central Phoenix location.
All grades will begin the year at the Phoenix campus, awaiting completion of the new site, said Rabbi Harris Cooperman, principal of the Hebrew Academy. The school will provide transportation between the two locations, he said.
Cooperman is eager to take advantage of the new campus' amenities. "We have a tremendous opportunity to be in a state-of-the-art facility that will really bring all Jews from the entire Valley together," he said.
Current enrollment for the coming year is 125 students, ahead of registration figures at the same time last year, Cooperman stated.
The Jess Schwartz High School currently has 13 new students enrolled for the upcoming school year, said Headmaster Jay Schechter. He predicts a total enrollment of 35-40 students by fall.
The high school has hired two new staff members. Rabbi Michael Wasserman, who leaves his position as rabbi at Beth El Congregation this summer, will teach Judaic studies; and Sharon Walker, a senior lecturer at Arizona State University, will join the mathematics department.
Other plans are to add honors courses in chemistry and European history, and new sports and extra-curricular activities.
Pardes is adding an eighth grade and is expanding its third grade to two classes. It currently has two classes per grade level for kindergarten through second grades. The 144 students registered for next year exceed the current enrollment by 18 students, said Head of School Bonnie Morris.
Pardes plans to hire a Judaic studies coordinator and a part-time business manager, and to add a junior varsity sports team.
The Tri-City JCC Day School will offer fourth grade for the first time, said Director Donna Troisi. Fourth-graders will study in a combination class with the third grade. First- and second-grade classes will also be combined.
Troisi predicted the enrollment for next year, in grades kindergarten through fourth, will be about 40 students.
The Tri-City JCC school, to be located in interim facilities in Tempe, also will expand the school day by 45 minutes.
The school is currently in search of a new director, as Troisi is moving to a position at King David, as assistant principal for grades kindergarten through fifth.
Esther Feuerberg, King David head of school, said the school will also hire an assistant principal or coordinator for the middle school, and a Judaica coordinator.
"We're going to put the infrastructure in place for a full administrative team," she said.
Feuerberg predicted an enrollment of 150-160 students for coming school year. While there will be a second-grade class added, and possibly new kindergarten and sixth-grade classes, Feuerberg said the school's growth is somewhat limited by the space at their current location at Temple Beth Israel.
"We are restricted by the number of physical classrooms we have here," she explained.
The school plans to eventually move to a new location on the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, but Feuerberg said the timing of the move is "up in the air" - dependent on fund raising, the growth of the school, and the speed of construction.
"We have a great relationship with Temple Beth Israel and we'll continue to treasure it for as long as we can," she said.
As for the school's future location on the same campus as the Phoenix Hebrew Academy's satellite school, Feuerberg doesn't see a conflict and looks forward to possibly sharing programming in the future.
The Hebrew Academy is "a very fine school, and it's wonderful to have that kind of option for the different community members," she said.
Phoenix Preparatory High School is the only day school not anticipating growth in the next year. The school, housed at Chabad of Phoenix, currently holds separate classes for boys and girls. Principal Don Roth said the school likely will be an all-girls school next year.
Ten students already are enrolled for fall, and Roth predicted three to four new enrollees by the time the school year begins.
Call Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School at 602-385-5100; The King David School at 480-991-4333; Pardes Jewish Day School at 480-991-4545; Phoenix Hebrew Academy at 602-277-7479; Phoenix Preparatory High School at 602-944-7978; or Tri-City Jewish Community Center Day School at 480-897-0588.
Contact the writer at beth_olson@jewishaz.com.
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