New England Jewish Academy School Profile 2020–2021

300 Bloomfield Avenue Phone: 860-231-0317 West Hartford, Connecticut 06117 Fax: 860-236-7623 www.neja.org CEEB Code: 070889 Quick Facts: Grades Served: pre-K-12 Enrollment: 100 students Average Class Size: 7 Class Rank: NEJA does not rank Honor Roll: All grades must be above 80 with the exception of one grade of 75 or better, and the average of all grades must be equal to or exceed 90. High Honor Roll: All grades must be 90 or better with the exception of one grade in an AP course of 80 or better. The New England Jewish Academy is a co-educational Grading Policy: Grades are weighted by credit. Grades from Nursery-12 Orthodox serving courses taken offsite are listed on the transcript but are not Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. included in the GPA calculation.

The Community and School: Disciplinary Disclosure Policy: New England Jewish Academy is a community of young men and It is NEJA’s policy not to report disciplinary action to colleges women from across the Jewish denominational spectrum, work- or universities in transcripts or letters of recommendation. ing together to develop knowledge, values, and leadership skills. However, NEJA reserves the right to report any infractions by As one of the few Modern Orthodox co-educational Jewish Day students, even if a college or university has not requested this Schools between New York and Boston, we nurture a love of information directly, especially if the administration deems the learning and respect for God and humanity. NEJA is accredited by infraction or infractions to be egregious and/or criminal and/or the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). dangerous in nature. As those who are a part of our family know, we are more than a school; we empower our students to be the next generation of Jewish leaders. Our Graduation Requirements: NEJA was formed in July 2019 when the Hebrew Academy of English...... 4 credits Greater Hartford (HAGH) and the Hebrew High School of New England (HHNE) joined as a single school under a new name. The Math...... 3 credits two schools have a long and storied legacy in Central New Eng- Science...... 3 credits land. HAGH was founded in 1940. Its legacy has impacted many (including 2 lab sciences) generations of families and has become an integral and proud Social Studies...... 3 credits part of the Jewish community in the area. HHNE was created in World Language...... 3 credits 1996 to fill the need for an Orthodox high school in this region. Secular Electives...... 2 credits Since then, it has become a standard of academic excellence in ...... 4 credits Judaic and General studies. Jewish Studies...... 4 credits Bible/Chumash...... 4 credits The Faculty: Community Service...... 60 hours NEJA’s dedicated faculty serve as teachers, class advisers, coaches, and mentors. Many have also taught at the university level. Student support services include a social worker, a college adviser, and a learning specialist. AP and Dual Enrollment Classes: AP Biology Student Activities and Community AP Calculus AB Service: AP Calculus BC NEJA offers basketball, soccer and Ultimate Frisbee, as well as AP Comparative Government opportunities to pursue individual interests in the performing arts (student-directed drama club); leadership (student govern- AP European History ment and student ambassadors); writing and visual arts (art AP Language and Composition classes and yearbook); and health (fitness club). AP Literature AP Physics NEJA also strongly emphasizes service to the community, love of and global citizenship. Students are required to per- AP Statistics form a minimum of 60 hours of community service in order to AP US Government and Politics graduate; however, as evidence of this core value in the student AP US History body, several students exceed the requirement. NEJA also has a UCONN 1502: US History Since 1877 community service club in which students volunteer on a regu- lar basis. Students also participate in political action activities UCONN Human Rights concerning Israel advocacy, domestic, and international issues. UCONN POLS 1202: Intro to Comp POL/AP The Dual Curriculum: NEJA offers a rigorous dual curriculum of college-preparatory General Judaic Studies studies and Judaic learning. The school year is divided into NEJA also offers a range of general Judaic studies: two semesters, and our courses are unweighted. All courses on Jewish Ethics the transcript are included in the cumulative grade point Jewish Philosophy average, with the exception of Tefillah (Prayer) attendance Jewish Law and classes taken pass/fail. NEJA does not rank its students. Haggadah Nach NEJA transitioned to online learning in March 2020, due to the Tefillah (Prayer) spread of COVID-19. Our students maintained their full course Jewish History schedule and attended classes every day. The faculty were able to teach the majority of their planned curricula and continued Mechina (Preparatory Judaics Program) assessing the students with the school’s standard grading Our Mechina program introduces students with limited Jewish system. Students returned to school on a full-time basis in knowledge to the beauty of Torah and Jewish tradition by September 2020. studying Hebrew, Chumash (Bible), Tefillah (Prayer), and Jewish law and thought, with a focus on developing textual skills such The secular studies curriculum is a college-preparatory as translation, understanding, and interpreptation. program designed to foster the study of the liberal arts and also to develop the critical-thinking skills to allow students to be Students study Parshat HaShavua (weekly Torah portion) in community participants and productive citizens of the world. order to understand the role of Torah in Jewish life and become Students write, speak, debate, analyze and synthesize across the familiar with the text, teasing apart verses, translating and curriculum, as they become independent learners and self- understanding their context. Students begin to delve into how advocates. NEJA offers academic (college-preparatory), honors, important commentators such as Rashi and Ramban explain Advanced-Placement levels, and dual-enrollment classes with the text. the University of Connecticut, to meet students at their levels and challenge them to excel. The only exceptions are Algebra I, Tefillah (Prayer) is a central component of what it means to Business and Consumer Math, Entrepreneurial Innovation, practice . Students focus on navigating the Siddur Genetics, Integrated Math, and World History. (prayer book), the prayer service with its history and ritual, and developing a connection with God. Our school community welcomes students from all Jewish backgrounds. We are proud of our Judaic Studies program that allows students to access, analyze, and debate Jewish texts and ideas. This curriculum enables those who wish to take the next steps on their journey to pursue a variety of gap-year learn- 2018-2019 Junior Year SAT Scores ing or volunteer programs in Israel. (Due to COVID-19, few of NEJA’s students were able to take the SAT in 2019-2020) Judaic Studies Course Descriptions:

Evidence-Based Reading and Chumash (Torah) Score Band Math (M) Writing (ERW) Students study all five Books of Moses (Chumash) over a four- 2 3 year cycle. We aim to teach translation and analytical skills that 700–800 1 allow students to understand the text and apply the ethical 600-690 3 lessons of the Torah to their daily lives. 500–590 2 3 400–490 1 3 Talmud (Rabbinic Literature) 300-390 0 0 Talmud strives to inculcate our students with a recognition of how the Talmud’s lessons shape every aspect of Jewish thought, Jewish ethics and Jewish law. The Talmud sets the foundation for building successful Jewish communities and instills caring and respect for God’s laws and all of humanity. We encourage students to engage in debate and analysis in order to NEJA has had six National Merit arrive at a deeper understanding of the text and of their peers’ Scholarship finalists, nine semifinalists, perspectives. and 28 letters of commendation. Post-Graduate Plans: Our students have been accepted to a wide range of undergraduate academic and religious institutions:

Colleges and Universities

Adelphi University Indiana University Union College American University Johns Hopkins University Vassar College Art Institute of Boston University of Kansas University of Vermont Bar-Ilan University Kenyon College Wellesley College Bard College Lafayette College Wentworth Institute of Technology Barnard College Lasell College Wesleyan University Bay Path University Lesley University Western Connecticut State University Bentley University Lynn University Westfield State University Binghamton University (SUNY) University of Maryland, College Park Wheaton College Boston College Massachusetts Institute of Technology Worcester Polytechnic Institute Boston University University of Massachusetts/Amherst Yale University Brandeis University McGill University University/Stern College Brooklyn College (CUNY) University of Miami Bucknell University University of Michigan, Ann Arbor University of California, Los Angeles Gap Year Programs: Mitchell College Aardvark Israel Carnegie Mellon University Muhlenberg College Afikei Torah Case Western Reserve University New College Bar Ilan University/Israel Experience Central Connecticut State University University of New England Be’er Miriam University of Central Florida University of New Hampshire Bnot Torah Institute College of Charleston New Jersey Institute of Technology Derech Institute Chatham University New York University Emunah V’Omanut University of Chicago University of Pennsylvania Eretz HaTzvi Clark University University of Pittsburgh Hartman Institute Clemson University Pratt Institute Leadership Yeshiva Academy University of Colorado, Boulder Princeton University Lev Aryeh Columbia University Quinnipiac University Lev HaTorah University of Connecticut Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Machon Maayan The Cooper Union Rhode Island College Mechinat Nokdim Cornell University Rhodes College Michelet Esther CUNY/Brooklyn College Rochester Institute of Technology Michlala CUNY/City College of New York University of Rochester Midreshet Harova CUNY/Hunter College Rollins College CUNY/Queens College Rutgers University Midreshet Mevaseret Yerushalaim Curry College University of Saint Joseph Midreshet Moriah University of Delaware Sara Lawrence College Nativ Dickinson College Simmons College Netiv Aryeh Drew University Skidmore College Nishmat Drexel University Smith College Ohr Yerushalayim Eckerd College Southern Connecticut State University Orayta Emerson College University of Southern Maine Shaarei Yerushalayim Emory University St. John’s University Teret Chesed Eugene Lang University (The New School) SUNY Albany Tiferet Center Fashion Institute of Technology SUNY Buffalo Tochnit Shalem Farleigh Dickinson University SUNY Cortland Tomer Devorah Florida Atlantic University SUNY Plattsburg Yeshivat HaKibbutz HaDati Florida Southern College SUNY Purchase /Gush University of Florida SUNY Stony Brook Young Judaea Year Course Franklin & Marshall College Suffolk University Franklin Pierce University University of Tampa George Washington University Temple University Goucher College Touro College (The Landers Colleges) Guilford College Towson University Hofstra University Trinity College University of Hartford/The Hartt School Tulane University