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ICJA Annual Report 2017-2018

Inspiring bnei & bnot Torah to thrive in the modern world.

REFLECTIONS FROM 2017-18

Celebrating 75 years by honoring our past, present and future

EVERY YEAR AT ICJA IS EXCITING, AND THIS ONE WAS NO EXCEPTION. EVERY YEAR THERE ARE COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN, GROW AND LEAD IN WAYS THAT ALLOW THEM TO PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS AND INTERESTS. And every year there are quieter moments of greatness that may not be featured in this annual report – times when students achieve more than they thought they could because of sheer determination, times when a student reaches out to a classmate in need and times when a staff member goes out of his or her way to ensure that students excel.

Some highlights from this year include the following:

5% of seniors were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program

21% of seniors were Illinois State Scholars

36% of seniors were inducted into the National Honor Society, Torah Chapter

20% of seniors devoted over 250 hours of chesed to be inducted into the Deborah Katzin z”l Chesed Society

80% of seniors are spending a gap year in Israel

Top 23 Out of nearly 400 schools, Charlotte’s Web, ICJA’s Literary Magazine was recognized by the National Council of Teachers of English as one of the top high school literary magazines

14 juniors were either finalists or semifinalists in the state-wide writing contest, Letters About Literature, sponsored by The Library of Congress Center for the Book

75 This year we celebrated 75 years of ICJA. We celebrated the over 4,000 alumni who continue to make us proud. And we celebrated the achievements–big and small–that occurred each and every year at Ida Crown Jewish Academy.

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Rabbi Matanky guides Mr. Lester Crown on a tour of our school during our 75th anniversary dinner

Dear Academy Family:

Seventy-five years ago Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president, the British held a mandate over Palestine, the tragedies of the Shoah were unfolding, and the future of American Orthodoxy was in peril. But 75 years ago, a courageous group of men and women dared to dream of a dynamic future, creating a Jewish high school in Chicago committed to Torah, to academic excellence, to community and to Religious Zionism.

Today, 75 years later, Ida Crown Jewish Academy remains true to their vision, providing the finest Jewish and general education, offering unimaginable opportunities for our students in Torah learning, the sciences and arts, and fostering community involvement through chesed, teen leadership and Israel advocacy training. But even more, today the Academy continues to grow and evolve, finding new ways to engage our students’ hearts and minds, offering STEM courses, advanced Talmud learning, 11 interscholastic sports teams, Shabbatonim and special programs as never before.

Three times a day we recite the sh’ma and recite the commandment to teach our children - v’shinantem l’vanecha. Interestingly, this command appears in the midst of a series of other commands directed at parents and adults, specifically following the charge that “these words which I command you, should be on your heart.”

Why is the mitzvah of education found in the middle of sh’ma? The answer is found every day at the Academy as teachers bring their heartfelt love of Jewish life to the fore and share their passion for knowledge with their students. Come to the Academy and see young men and women engaged and ennobled by their studies of both Torah u’maddah. Come to the Academy and see the future leaders of our community in a setting filled with warmth, led with purpose and open to opportunity.

Come to the Academy and see the future leaders of our community in a setting filled with warmth, led with purpose and open to opportunity.

This year we celebrated 75 years of a rich and distinguished history. Yet every day we celebrate the future – and that future, because of your support, your faith and your heartfelt care is so very bright. Thank you so very much!

B’vracha, Rabbi Dr. Leonard A. Matanky

Celebrating 75 Years

We greeted nearly 400 alumni living in Israel, including our recent grads studying in yeshivot and seminaries, at November’s 75th gala celebration in Jerusalem. The magnificent event, against a backdrop of the Old City walls lit up with our logo, was chaired by two of our alumni who made aliyah, Neeli Axler Engelhart (‘94) and Arica Cohen Saltzman (‘95). What was particularly inspiring was seeing how up to half of several of our graduating classes made aliyah and are raising families in Israel. Many of these alumni expressed deep gratitude to ICJA for the Religious Zionist education they received in high school, and said they still feel connected to ICJA. It is through class lessons, celebrations of Israel’s holidays, visiting speakers and our close connection with Bnei Akiva and Camp Moshava that we have been able to help raise three generations of Chicago’s strongest Zionists.

Members of the class of 2017 at our reunion in Israel, against a backdrop of our 75 anniversary logo on the Old City walls.

Nearly 300 alumni and friends of the Academy joined the first gala 75th anniversary celebration at the ICJA campus on November 11 to reminisce and to reflect on Academy history and all that three generations of Academy alumni have accomplished. Rabbi Leonard Matanky (’76), Eric Rothner (’61) and Shael Bellows (’57) all addressed the crowd. Among the attendees was Mrs. Hilda Rapoport, wife of former ICJA principal Rabbi Shlomo Rapoport a"h and ICJA’s “first lady.”

CLASS OF 2018 SENIOR SALUTE

OUR SENIORS WERE ACCEPTED TO THE NATION'S FINEST UNIVERSITIES

75% OF OUR GRADUATING CLASS IS SPENDING A GAP YEAR IN ISRAEL

GIRLS’ ISRAEL PROGRAMS: Ein Hanatziv, Machon Maayan, Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim, Midreshet Amit, Midreshet Harova, Midreshet Moriah, Midreshet Torat Chessed, Midreshet Torah V’Avodah, Sha’alvim for Women, Tiferet, Tomer Devorah

BOYS’ ISRAEL PROGRAMS: Mechinat Keshet Yehudah, Orayta, Tomchei Temimim, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi, Yeshivat Har Etzion, Yeshivat Shaarei Mevaseret Zion, Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, Yeshivat Reishit, Yeshivat Torat Shraga, Yeshivat Torah V’Avodah

GENERAL ISRAEL PROGRAMS: Bar Ilan Israel Experience, Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu

Congratulations to the seniors inducted into the National Honor Society Torah Chapter this year. The National Honor Society (NHS) is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to recognize students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership and character.

Senior Chaim Starr was a Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program and seniors Avi Dobkin and Ezra Schur were recognized as Commended students. These students are recognized for exceptional academic promise demonstrated by outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for National Merit Scholarship entry.

ANOTHER YEAR OF STRONG AP RESULTS

Academy students took 83 Advanced Placement tests in 12 different subjects this past spring. Our students most commonly scored above a 3, which is passing and is the average score in all tests. 18 students were named AP Scholars, achieving a score of 3 on three or more exams.

STEM AT ICJA

Makerspace lab >>

ICJA freshmen and seniors enrolled in two STEM courses this year used the latest technology to learn both two-dimensional and three-dimensional printing. The MakerSpace courses take place in our state-of-the-art science labs, where students have access to a Cricut 2D printer that cuts through materials like nylon, fabric, paper and thin wood and a 3D printer that creates small objects based on digital designs.

Taught by Mr. Jonathan Keller and Rabbi Binyomin Segal, the groups explored various aspects of the digital design process in order to empower students to develop as innovators and creators. Together with their instructors, students explored design and engineering. During the first quarter of the course, students completed guided projects that helped them learn principles of design and practical use of the tools. During the second quarter, students designed and completed personal projects that showcased their learning and uses of the tools in a practical or creative manner.

The Makerspace Lab was made possible by a generous grant from the George Shay z"l Endowment for Excellence in Academic Arts and Sciences, of the Ida Crown Endowment Foundation.

Gail Schneiderman, a senior in our STEM MakerSpace lab course completed an intense project with our 3D printer, creating a box to hold birkonim (“bentschers”) for her family’s Shabbat table. She says, “In order to make this, I had to first develop the idea- which was inspired by the messy pile of bentschers at my house. Then I designed the box- over the course of several weeks- using Onshape: a 3D design app. As I designed it, I had to keep checking that it was practically sound. Then I sent the file to the 3D printer, where it took nine hours to print! Now, all my bentschers will be held in this beautiful box.”
>> This year we completed our transition to a 1:1 device technology school, where every student was issued an iPad to use for textbooks, coursework and projects with IOS-based apps. We thank Natalie Schleifer, president and director of the Jack P. Schleifer Foundation, who has underwritten the iPads.

Community-Wide STEM Competition >>

We were proud to host the first-ever Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) Engineering Conference in Chicago on May 22. CIJE’s Engineering Conference and project-based STEM education in Chicago area Jewish high schools was funded by the JUF Breakthrough Fund, an innovation of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago.

Over 50 students attended the program from four local high schools: Fasman Yeshiva High School, Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School, ICJA and Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. Congratulations to ICJA student Noah Brody, who received the Overall Engineering Achievement award.

Freshman Noah Brody presents his Great Ball Contraption project – it used motors programmed to carry plastic balls around a track, of which many components were custom designed and 3D-printed.

The conference was a culmination of a new freshman level STEM course at all of the schools, rooted in principles of engineering, including: programming, electronics and 3D design. The curriculum was developed by CIJE, and a CIJE Engineering Specialist worked with the students and our faculty. In the second half of the year, students invented and designed devices that solve a societal issue or improve upon a process. Students showcased the projects which they had designed, built and tested over the year at the Engineering Conference. After the showcase, participants heard from a speaker, Steven Morris, founder and CEO of a local startup called BIOLIFE4D.

Solar Eclipse Experiment >>

While most of North America was gaping at the August 2017 eclipse, for four ICJA student scientists and physics teacher, Mr. Allen Sears, the solar eclipse was the apex of months of research and data gathering. The group of science enthusiasts had the rare opportunity to conduct a months’ long real-world physics experiment consistent with college or graduate level research. Under the guidance of Mr. Sears, students collected data prior to the total eclipse and then spent nearly a week during the eclipse collecting data in Missouri (at the site of total eclipse).

Our move to our state-of-the-art building in 2015 was key to their research. Mr. Sears had constructed muon counters with some ICJA students in 2007 at a Quarknet conference, with the hope of integrating real-world application of physics into the classroom. Muons are particles (like electrons, but heavier) that stream down from above, resulting from the collision of cosmic rays with the Earth’s atmosphere. The counters were used sparingly up until our 2016-17 year when GPS and temperature sensors were installed on the roof above the lab. A core group of science enthusiasts–Tamar Dallal, Masha Matten, Jacob Miller and Ezra Schur–began learning about high energy physics and how to collect data from the muon counters, even reaching out to Quarknet scientists for answers to questions. They were then invited to join a Quarknet group to measure muon rates during the solar eclipse.

The group spent five days at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo. setting up equipment, collecting baseline data and then collecting data during the total eclipse. Logistically, this meant cooking all their own kosher food in the middle of rural Missouri and spending Shabbat in nearby St. Louis.

Their research spanned more than a year and resulted in multiple real-life lessons. For example, during the eclipse, temperatures reached 100 degrees, and the muon counters were wrapped in black, light-blocking material and were continuously exposed to sunlight. Like true scientists, the students had to make quick decisions and triage all the problems that developed with fluctuating counter rates, a telescope that spectacularly crashed to the ground after being in the sun and wires and connections that failed.

When the campus set up an eclipse watching party for the public, visitors stopped by to learn about the experiment. Mr. Sears says, “What an incredible feeling to get to share your many months of work with interested strangers, and to be treated like a scientist–not a student.”

During this entire experience, I realized all the effort that goes into scientific research. Talking to other people and analyzing if we did have a signal or we didn’t was the most gratifying part of the experiment. >>Sophomore Jacob Miller
During winter break, the students presented posters and papers on their research at the American Association of Physics Teachers - AAPT Winter Meetings in San Diego. Physics teacher, Mr. Allen Sears also headed a panel discussion with the students about their experience.

Jacob Miller says, “Everyone was very impressed that high school students were able to do this kind of research. We received extremely positive feedback, and during the panel discussion, we were excessively thanked. Many teachers used our detector plans that we created last February as a proof of concept experiment and other teachers around the country used those plans to study the eclipse.”

Yad Vashem Interns >>

Eleven ICJA sophomores worked closely this year with Yad Vashem on an incredible program, Generation to Generation. The students joined a cohort of student interns from across the city, who worked with local Holocaust survivors throughout the year, forming relationships and connections. ICJA interns were Sarah Shiner, Jacob Miller, Jack Singer, Joey Greenberg, Noah Roffe, Bayli Alter, Max Miller, Tova Kahan, Zach Fagan, Liat Mott and Kiki Robinson.

The goal of the internship was to create relationships between a survivor and the group in order to teach students how that survivor carried on after their experiences in the Shoah. ICJA students split into two groups and were assigned a survivor. Over the next seven months, they learned their survivor’s story and how to apply the lessons they gained to their own lives.

The Generation to Generation program is an internship that was piloted in Chicago through Yad Vashem. It encourages students to form a bond with a survivor of the Holocaust through relaxed conversation as opposed to an interview. Five schools, including ICJA, participated in the program, which ran from November to April.

After an initial meeting with Yad Vashem staff visiting Chicago from Israel–including alum Lori (Buckman) Gerson (’88, pictured), the students met the survivors participating with ICJA. Lori says one of our ICJA students asked a survivor during the training, “How did you decide what to do with your life after what you went through?”

This, says Lori, captures the essence of the program’s goals. “This validated for all of us that the program is providing the students with the correct thought process and forward thinking we want from this program.”

Sophomore Max Miller said, “The survivor my group met with kept telling us that we could ask any question. This helped my group feel more comfortable and gave us the knowledge that this was going to be a very meaningful and important internship. Overall, I am extremely excited to see how this internship grows and what I will learn from it.”

REVAMPED ACTIVITIES PROGRAMMING >>

ICJA administration, faculty and activity coordinators revamped this year’s special programming, including: Shabbatonim, retreats and holiday celebrations. The team developed exceptional programs, beginning with an all-school retreat to Camp Chi and running through graduation, All with the support of generous donors. The changes were a result of 2017 student exit interviews, faculty feedback and a general sense that special programming outside of the classroom is an essential catalyst for student growth and building community. The result was a year of meaningful and memorable programming that no doubt brought the ICJA students and faculty closer together under the year’s slogan, Mishpachat Ida Crown: We Are Family.

We opened our school year with an all-school retreat at Camp Chi, thanks to the support of Leslie and Tom Silverstein. Pictured are several of our seniors during one of the two days there. The retreat, with learning, special programming, sports and a trip to a nearby amusement park, was such a success that we plan to continue the program in the upcoming school year.

>> Yom HaAtzmaut this year was epic with a visit from Israel’s Consul General to the Midwest, camel rides, army “training” on inflatables, an Israeli grilled lunch, dancing with a live band and a kumzitz. The entire school was dramatically made over to a shuk that filled our front entryway. Stations included henna art, a juice bar, a money exchange station with the math department, a Bedouin tent, a Dead Sea spa and more. Our enhanced programming was sponsored by the Gertz family in memory of Paul and Doris Rosenberg a"h. We are grateful for their generosity that enabled us to create meaningful programming.

CHESED DAYS >>

Students and staff spent three mornings this year dedicated to community service. This all-school chesed endeavor was in addition to the 20 hours of chesed per year ICJA students complete. Funding for the busing and special programming on these days were thanks to the Ann Rita Schwartz a"h Day of Chesed, which was generously underwritten by her family.

In total, our students volunteered at more than a dozen organizations this year. Mrs. Alissa Zeffren, one of our activities coordinators, says, “We have no doubt that for many of our students, their experience of doing chesed in high school will lead to a lifetime of giving back to the community.”

Chesed days took place in the fall, on Tu B’Shevat and on Lag Baomer. The programming included volunteer work and lunch, followed by fun activities around Chicagoland. The chesed opportunities and special programming were all coordinated by our dedicated activities coordinators: Mrs. Alissa Zeffren, Rabbi Yoni Fox and Mrs. Mimi Fuchs.

Supporting Israel for 70+ Years

When members of the Israeli Knesset make a short visit to Chicago on a JUF mission, it is no surprise that one of their few stops is ICJA. Through AIPAC conferences, Israel Advocacy Club, Israel programming, a senior Israel advocacy elective course and guest speakers–we remain among the most stalwart supporters of the State of Israel in Chicago.

We were proud to send 12 ICJA student delegates to the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. this year. Ms. Susan Sennett led the cohort, and Rabbi Matanky was there as well, along with Academy families and students and, of course, many ICJA alumni.

“The Policy Conference has given the 12 of us a wonderful foundation for understanding the complexity of Israel’s surroundings and journey, and we are all now better prepared to lead our Ida Crown community respectfully, using our voices to our advantage.” >>Junior Ruby Grant

ICJA students annually attend the AIPAC Policy Conference, and last year we were proud to be selected as AIPAC’s high school of the year, chosen out of all high schools across the U.S. This year’s cohort was one of our largest groups yet, thanks to the generosity of the Gorenstein family, who support our Israel advocacy efforts in memory of their father and grandfather, Sam Gorenstein, a"h. Teaching our students to be a passionate and educated Israel advocates is fundamental to our mission.

Earlier in the year, seven students attended the AIPAC Schusterman Summit, along with Ms. Sennett. There, the students learned about the politics in the Middle East, the BDS movement and how to lobby for Israel. All of this led up to the opportunity to lobby for an anti-BDS bill on Capitol Hill.

“Although all seven of us have grown up in Zionist homes, AIPAC has given us a new definition of what it means to be a Zionist. It is no longer enough to just say ‘I love Israel,’ but we must work to advocate for the land we love.” >>Junior Taliah Soleymani

Celebrating Alumni Who Make Aliyah >>

Palestine Club, 1947

At the time of the establishment of the State of Israel, Chicago Jewish Academy (now ICJA) was still a fledgling school in its fifth year. In the 70 years since Israel was born, Religious Zionist Jews in Chicago–many of whom attended ICJA–have been among the country’s most ardent supporters.

For 70 years, ICJA has seen some of its best and brightest alumni make aliyah. And we couldn’t be prouder.

We asked our alumni in Israel to submit their aliyah stories in honor of this year’s 70th celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut. We are grateful to those who took the time to respond. Each alum shares his or her most rewarding and most challenging aspects of staking their claim in the Jewish State. What’s overwhelmingly clear for all of them, though, is that their decisions to make their home in Israel has repercussions for generations. Generations of children and grandchildren have been born to those alumni who made aliyah in the ’50s and ‘60s. We reconnected with so many of our alumni in Israel this year at our 75th anniversary celebration in Jerusalem. We reached out to those same alumni the week of Yom HaAtzmaut asking them to share their aliyah stories in honor of Israel’s 70th birthday. Their stories of aliyah, ranging from those who left immediately after high school to those who left after retirement, inspired so many readers.

Aces Scoreboard

In athletics, our teams excelled locally and nationally as formidable competitors. Most importantly, whether in a local or national interscholastic program, our students were recognized for their talent, character and commitment to the community. Highlights from this year spanned from a varsity girls conference win in cross country to a first-place finish at the Columbus Jewish Baseball Invitational. The months between were filled with myriad individual and team accomplishments, big and small.

Aces Basketball >> The ICJA varsity Aces boys basketball team had an exceptional trip to New York for the Yeshiva University Red Sarachek Basketball Tournament. The highlight, no doubt, was their four overtime thriller with MTA. Despite absorbing a loss, the Aces showed sheer determination, team work and an absolute unwillingness to give up.

The gym was packed to capacity as the battle ensued and our boys showed everyone the pride that is Academy basketball. In addition to playing basketball, the boys enjoyed a trip of fun and bonding with one another. The boys had the opportunity to meet other athletes from around the country and spent a meaningful Shabbat with all the participating schools.

Lady Aces >>The Varsity Lady Aces finished a strong winter season, featuring a second place finish at the Miami tournament for Jewish day schools. The JV Lady Aces won their fifth consecutive Chicago Prep Conference.

Aces Baseball>> The Aces varsity baseball team defeated TABC 8-7 in May to win the Jewish World Series, the Columbus Baseball Invitational Championship. The game was tied at seven with Ida Crown batting in the bottom of the seventh when Ami Greenberg hit a single to bring in Joseph Dimbert for the game winning run. Ida Crown earned the victory despite falling behind 6-0 after two innings.

Following that big win, the Aces returned home to play Rochelle Zell, winning 12-7. The winning pitcher was freshman Daniel Garland-Stern, who gave up only three runs in the game. The night was especially meaningful because of the ceremonial first pitch by David Maeir in honor of ICJA alum Caleb Maeir a"h. An incredible number of alumni, students, parents and staff attended the game to honor Caleb’s memory and love for Aces baseball.

Aces Wrestling>> In this year’s Wittenberg National Invitational Wrestling Tournament, the Aces finished in fifth place out of 15 teams. As the team that has won the most times in the long history of the Wittenberg Tournament, ICJA entered the competition with a strong squad. As always, the Aces made their mark on the tournament and reminded all of the other teams in the field that wrestlers from ICJA can never be taken for granted. The Aces wrestlers took fourth place in the IHSA Class A Regional Wrestling Tournament.

Lady Aces Soccer>> In spite of a cold, rainy spring, the soccer team took second place in the Chicago Prep Conference Tournament, tying Cristo Rey Jesuit High School 2-2, and then losing in the penalty kick shootout. Nechama Braun and Lior Pinchot were named to the 1st All-Conference Team, and Marli Gutman and Tova Oliff were selected for the 2nd All-Conference Team.

Best Year Yet for Fencing>> Sixteen fencers on the boys and girls team competed fiercely and with honor and integrity this past year. ICJA faced some of the top high schools in Illinois, competing well against Merian Catholic, Homewood/Flossmoor, New Trier, Highland Park, Deerfield and Libertyville. Special congratulations go to Captains Gail Schneiderman and Ezra Schur, who demonstrated outstanding leadership in training, competition and personal character.

Aces Cross Country>> The ICJA cross country team–our school’s largest athletic team–enjoyed an incredible fall season, ending with a Conference Championship win for our girls’ squad and a very close second place Conference finish for the boys’ varsity.

The fall cross country season is short, scheduled to accommodate the busy holiday season, which means many meets and runs packed into only two months. In spite of the challenging schedule, our runners remain a competitive force among schools across Chicagoland. Seven schools and 124 runners raced in the conference meet, hosted by ICJA along the McCormick trail in Skokie on October 9, chol hamoed Sukkot. For the Aces, 28 students out of 48 runners achieved a personal best time (PR).

Record-breaking annual campaign >>

The development team and lay leadership set out to achieve an unprecedented campaign goal this year. Thanks to a dedicated group effort, we are grateful to have surpassed that goal, just prior to the annual campaign close on June 30.

In total, the Academy family raised $1.27 million for the ICJA Scholarship Fund – Topping $1 million for the third year in a row.

Scholarship Funds assist more than 66 percent of our student body, ensuring the continuation of our founders’ mission that no Jewish child is denied a Jewish education. As we work tirelessly to prepare our students to thrive in the modern world, both as Jews and as contributing members of society, we are so grateful to the many donors who enable us to accomplish this mission.

The highlight of our fundraising efforts was, of course, our Dr. Edward A. Crown Scholarship Dinner in February, where over 500 Academy supporters joined us celebrate 75 years of the Academy and to honor Rabbi Leonard (‘76) and Margaret Matanky (‘76).

The commons area and gym were elegantly transformed to accommodate the banquet, attended by ICJA alumni, staff, parents and community members. We were honored to have Lester Crown, grandson of our school’s namesake, and Dr. Steven B. Nasatir, president of JUF/JF join our celebration and speak during the program. The over 500 attendees made this the largest dinner in Academy history.

At the dinner Eric Rothner, 75th anniversary chair, along with Shael Bellows, announced a $1 million endowment campaign in honor of Rabbi and Mrs. Matanky and ICJA’s 75th anniversary.

The Matanky adult children presented the Crown Leadership Award to their parents and then building committee chairs, Jacques Glisksberg and David Strulowitz, stepped in to surprise the Matankys with a “Matanky Way” street sign from The Village of Skokie that will be placed in our drive. Everyone left the dinner feeling proud of all that the Academy has accomplished over 75 years and proud to be connected to our special honorees.

The Matanky adult children presented the Crown Leadership Award to their parents and then building committee chairs, Jacques Glisksberg and David Strulowitz, stepped in to surprise the Matankys with a “Matanky Way” street sign from The Village of Skokie that will be placed in our drive. Everyone left the dinner feeling proud of all that the Academy has accomplished over 75 years and proud to be connected to our special honorees.

We thank all those contributors who helped us reach our annual campaign goal.

Financial Summary

The financial summary is based on the audited financial statements for the years ending June 2016 and June 2017, the last two fiscal periods for which statements are available.

Jewish Day School Guaranty Trust Fund

HEEREY SCHOLARSHIPS

Middle class families with multiple children in day school in some ways feel the “financial squeeze” of day school tuition more than any other group. These families often do not qualify for tuition scholarships yet struggle to meet their financial obligation. The Bernard Heerey Family Foundation Scholarship was established to meet the needs of these middle income families. Scholarships can finance as much as full tuition for families who meet these requirements.

The Heerey Foundation helped 42 students attend the Academy. We gratefully acknowledge the Heerey Family for their generosity and their commitment to day school education.

Grandparents Giving Circle

There is no doubt that the lessons our grandparents teach their children and grandchildren form the foundation of their lives as Jewish teenagers. It is thanks to their dedication to their families that our students are able to thrive as committed Jewish young adults. We pay tribute to our grandparents annually at our Grandparents Day, when we invite them to join us at the Academy for one morning that includes a student and staff presentation, a panel discussion, a tour and refreshments. We are so grateful to the grandparents who joined us for this year’s event and are especially grateful to those who contributed to our Grandparents Giving Circle by making a gift to our annual campaign.

ICJA is a partner in serving our community, supported by JUF/JF.

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