Pardes savors uniqueness

Local day school is one-of-a-kind in nation

BETH OLSON
Staff Writer

Pardes Jewish Day School in Scottsdale is the only school of its type in the nation.

From its humble beginnings as an extension of the Temple Solel Preschool, the school has developed into a collaborative effort of the Reform congregations in the Valley.

Pardes - widely recognized as a model for Jewish day schools, according to Bonnie Morris, head of school - is currently the only day school in the nation operating through a partnership among local Reform congregations.

"A big part of the identity of the school is it's housed at synagogues, and the rabbis and lay leaders of the different synagogues take a sponsorship interest in it," Morris said.

Most American Jewish day schools are either synagogue-owned or independent community schools.

"We are the only school in the country, within or without the Reform movement, in our model," said Morris. "We get a lot of recognition from important groups, such as PEJE (Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education), and they study our model."

Pardes is one of 21 Reform day schools in the country and is a member of the Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools (PARDeS), of which Morris recently finished a four-year stint as president.

Partner congregations of the school are Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, Temple Kol Ami in Scottsdale, Temple Chai in Phoenix, Temple Beth Israel in Scottsdale and Temple Emanuel in Tempe. The elementary division is housed at Temple Solel and the middle school at Temple Kol Ami.

Rabbis from all five congregations take an active role, rotating responsibilities such as presenting d'var Torah each Thursday at each campus and teaching enrichment courses in Judaic studies.

"One of the underlying ideas is that a Jewish day school should not be disassociated from a Jewish place of religion," said Rabbi B. Charles Herring of Temple Kol Ami.

The clergy from each synagogue, as well as lay leaders from each of the congregations, also sit on the board of the school.

"There's a great deal of harmony and cooperative spirit at the (board) meetings," said Morris. "There's very little dissension. That doesn't mean people agree on everything all the time ... but we see ourselves as a learning community."

Herring said the cooperative relationship "blew the minds" of funding agencies on the East Coast.

"For any two Reform congregations to get together to do anything was amazing to them, let alone five. Some of our more gracious funding has come from organizations that were overwhelmed by the fact the congregations were able to do this," he said.

Rabbi Andrew Straus of Temple Emanuel credited Bonnie Morris and former Temple Solel Rabbi Maynard Bell with the vision and leadership that created the partnership.

"It benefits the Reform community in the Valley as a way of saying this is something all the Reform synagogues can do together. We know that no one of us has enough kids to create our own day school and that we are partners and not competitors," said Straus. "It puts the rabbis and the boards of the synagogues working on a common project."

Susie Ambrose, mother of Alex, 15, and Max, 12, believes the Pardes students benefit from the rabbis' involvement.

"My kids know all of the rabbis by name and a lot of the rabbis know them by name. They feel comfortable walking into any temple in the city and being able to participate in services and not just by rote, reciting the Hebrew, but because they really have an understanding of the religion," she said.

Vicki Belon, mother of Abraham, 8, said her son is excited when his rabbi or cantor comes to school and gives him a hug. She joked that "the rabbis who come in with candy are a really big hit."

"It gives (Abraham) a sense of a larger community," Belon said. "It allows him to make better associations within the community."

The school began when the Solel Preschool developed into an early childhood center for children through third grade. And it didn't stop there.

"The parents realized the quality of the program and saw a great need in the community for the program, and we also reevaluated our goals and objectives," explained Morris. "Then we shifted some key things in terms of the mission of the school into an elementary school totally separate from the preschool."

The school became the Pardes School at Temple Solel.

When discussions began about opening a community high school, parents started talking about having a middle school at Pardes. With no additional room for growth at Solel, the middle school grades, fifth through seventh at the time, moved to Temple Kol Ami. At that time, the school's name changed to Pardes Jewish Day School.

Morris explained that all the Reform synagogue preschools have become feeder schools to Pardes. While the Temple Solel Preschool and Temple Beth Israel's Chanen Preschool have been long established, the other three partner synagogues have opened preschools within the last two years, with assistance and consultation from Pardes.

Growing one grade level per year beginning with first grade, the school now has an enrollment of nearly 150 students and is about to graduate its first class of eighth-graders.

Ambrose's son, Alex, will be among the graduates. Ambrose said that although he'll miss the "family" he's been with since first grade, she believes Pardes has provided him with the tools to succeed.

"The kids have learned so much I don't think they would have learned in any other environment. They learn about communication and problem solving and how to look someone in the eye and shake their hand, and how to say what they need in a diplomatic way. That's all part of their education," she explained.

The school will hold its annual fund-raising dinner, dance and auction April 5.

"Tuition only covers a portion of the cost of running the school," explained Morris, "so we are dependent on outside help to continue to provide this education for the children of the Valley."

Contact the writer at beth_olson@jewishaz.com.

Details

Who: Pardes Jewish Day School
What: "Building a Jewish Future" fund-raising dinner, dance and auction
When: 6 p.m. Saturday, April 5
Where: Temple Chai, 4645 E. Marilyn Road, Phoenix
Cost: $125
Call: 480-991-4545

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