Gann Academy

Gann Academy
Gann Academy
Gann acad.JPG
Address
333 Forest Street
Waltham, MA, Middlesex, 02451
United States
Information
School type Private Independent coeducational secondary
Denomination Pluralistic
Established 1997
Status Open
President Elizabeth Jick
Headmaster Rabbi Marc Baker
Grades 9-12
Number of students 3.14259
Colour(s)          Maroon and White
Mascot Red Heifer
Accreditation(s) New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Newspaper Shevuon Hatichon
Tuition $30,750[1]
Website

Gann Academy (formerly The New Jewish High School, colloquially known as Gann) is an independent pluralistic Jewish high school located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1997 as The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston, the school changed names in 2003 in honor of philanthropist Joseph Gann who donated $5,000,000 to the school. Gann Academy received accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in the spring of 2004.

The school has changed locations twice, from inside a home to the Fleetbank building. After a large donation from Joseph Gann, the new and current campus was built to accommodate the growing school.

Gann's mission statement claims that it attempts to fulfill the three principles of learning, community, and mending the world.

Contents

History

Gann Academy was founded in 1997 as "The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston." "New Jew" (as it is casually nicknamed) was originally adjacent to Brandeis University. The school opened with 48 students in the 9th and 10th grade.

Seeking larger facilities and a more permanent home, the school moved to the top four floors and basement of the Fleetbank building (BankBoston at time of move in) at the intersection of Prospect St. and Main St. in Waltham and used the basement of the local Temple Beth Israel for additional classroom space.

In the fall of 2003 the school moved into its current building at 333 Forest Street, the third location at which the school has resided.

Beit Midrash

The "Beit Midrash", the assembly hall, is a large room with a high ceiling that is home to many events during the school year including "Hakhel", a short amount of time once a week when students can announce upcoming club meetings or anything worth hearing, and "Limud Clali", an hour long block in which important speakers may visit Gann and present educational material on a wide variety of topics. In addition, any time that the Gann community needs to be called together, students are instructed to gather in the Beit Midrash.

Gann Academy


Athletics

Gann offers a wide variety of athletic programs, both team and recreational athletics, including basketball, soccer, tennis, ultimate frisbee, juggling, fitness, martial arts, yoga, table tennis, Israeli dance, and modern dance.

Academics

Gann Academy has a dual curriculum combining Jewish Studies, General Studies, and Jewish Geography.

Gann Academy neither ranks with its students (and consequentially has no valedictorian) nor does it assign its students a GPA.

Technology

Gann Academy emphasises technology in the classroom. Each classroom has a digital projector installed projecting onto a SMARTBoard and the whole building has a 802.11a wireless network. Each teacher has a laptop, which they are expected to use every day in order to take attendance and use the SMARTBoard for class notes. Gann also makes use of FirstClass, an education email and communication program that facilitates communication between students and faculty and communication through conferences for class discussions.

Gann Academy has a Computer Lab with nearly 20 Dell desktop computers, along with two laptop carts, with 10 laptops each. The Language Lab has nearly 20 computers that are used to improve student's speaking and reading abilities in Hebrew, French, and Spanish.

Gann Academy has a Video Conference setup. The VC setup is used for weekly meetings with students in a sister high school in Haifa, Israel and for classes that are off-site.

From the 2009 school year and forward, students who use their own laptops are required to register them with the IT department in order to use the wireless internet network.

The Pulse

The Pulse is a conference, ran and operated by Gann Academy, which offers a social networking and microblogging service, enabling its users to send and read messages called Pulses. Pulses are text-based posts displayed on the user's FirstClass desktop. Pulses are publicly visible by default; however, senders can restrict message delivery to just their fellow students. Users may choose to read other users' pulses – this is known as pulsing and readers are known as "pulsers". The general consensus on material appropriate for a Pulse is that it must directly concern emotions, Talmud papers, horticulture, or moose noises. Despite the popular belief among students, a Pulse may not include information about or pertaining to baths, bubble or otherwise.

Pulse Controversy

The pulse initially faced some controversy concerning its usefulness - one student was even quoted as questioning the validity of The Pulse, saying it was no different from the Student Lounge other than in its snazzy title.

College and university matriculation

96% of Gann Academy graduates advance to colleges and universities; 93% of them to four-year colleges and universities. The graduating Class of 2009 sent one or more students to Harvard University, Yale University, Brandeis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Stanford University, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, Boston University, Boston College, Georgetown University, University of Richmond, New York University, Syracuse University, University of Notre Dame du Lac, Carnegie Mellon University, Villanova University, and Emory University. Fifty-two percent of Gann students leave Massachusetts to attend colleges and universities, and more than 52% attend private institutions after graduation.

Hineini

The 2005 documentary Hineini is about Shulamit Izen, an alumna of Gann Academy, and her relationship with the school as she tries to form a Gay-Straight Alliance. The documentary was premiered at the Boston Jewish Film Festival.

References

  1. ^ [1]

External links

Coordinates: 42°23′42″N 71°13′01″W / 42.39513°N 71.21703°W / 42.39513; -71.21703


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gann — may refer to* Ernest K. Gann (1910 1991), author, sailor, fisherman and airline captain * Gann, in Irish mythology, king of the Fomorians * Gann Academy (founded 1997), Jewish school supported by Joseph Gann * Gann mac Dela (20th or 16th century… …   Wikipedia

  • Academy Award for Costume Design — This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black and white and color movies. 1940s *1948 Black and White Roger K. Furse Hamlet ** Irene Lentz B.F. s Daughter *1948 Color Dorothy Jeakins, Barbara …   Wikipedia

  • Ernest K. Gann — Ernest Kellogg Gann (October 13, 1910 December 19, 1991) was an aviator, author, filmmaker, sailor, fisherman and conservationist. Early lifeBorn in Lincoln, Nebraska, Gann was best known as an aviation writer and pioneer airline pilot. He was… …   Wikipedia

  • David Gann — David Michael Gann CBE is a British academic. Professor David Gann, CBE Professor David Gann, CBE, holds the Chair in Innovation and Technology Management at Imperial College Business School and Department of Civil Environmental Engineering,… …   Wikipedia

  • 58th Academy Awards nominees and winners — This is a list of nominations by category for the 58th Academy Awards, held in 1986. Winners are in bold. =Best Picture= * The Color Purple Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Quincy Jones * Kiss of the Spider Woman David Weisman… …   Wikipedia

  • New England Preparatory School Athletic Council — The New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) was founded in 1942 as an organization of athletic directors from preparatory schools in New England. Member schools The Albany Academy American School for the Deaf Applewild School… …   Wikipedia

  • List of high schools in Massachusetts — This is a list of high schools in the state of Massachusetts.Barnstable County*Barnstable High School, Hyannis *Bourne High School, Bourne *Cape Cod Academy, Osterville *Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, Harwich *Chatham High School,… …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Lehmann — (born on August 21, 1929 ndash; February 2, 2000), was the General Manager of General Electric s military systems operations in Syracuse, New York and a philanthropist within the American Jewish Community.Childhood fleeing Nazi GermanyHenry was… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Brustein — Infobox Writer name = Robert Brustein imagesize = 200px caption = pseudonym = birthdate = April 21, 1927 birthplace = New York City deathdate = deathplace = occupation = theatrical critic, producer, playwright, educator nationality = United… …   Wikipedia

  • Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education — The Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), founded as the Coalition for Alternatives in Jewish Education, is a non profit organization based in New York City. Its activities include an annual conference that draws more Jewish… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”