Forty-seven years ago, Phoenix was a very different city. Substantially smaller, it had yet to become the urban hub and metropolis that we know today. Being a Jew in Phoenix was also a different experience.
“[Phoenix Hebrew Academy] was the trailblazer in Jewish education, founded in ’65, when Jewish education was considered to be backwards and even un-American,” says Rabbi Isaac Entin, the school’s principal. “Rabbi Rebibo founded the school with the vision that Jewish education was the future of the Jewish people and almost 50 years later, history has born that out — that Jewish education is a leading indicator for Jewish continuity.”
This makes Phoenix Hebrew Academy a different type of school than others. It’s not only quite stable, but laser-focused in its goals. They’re strongly committed to making sure any child can get a Jewish education, regardless of their financial situation. “We really maintain the commitment that nobody should ever be turned away due to lack of funds,” Entin says.
The students who graduated from the school have a track record of excelling in their later years, and the school consistently does well in state rankings. “Our students go on to Ivy League schools, and we have won all sorts of honors in math and science competitions. Throughout the years our students consistently rank in the top 10 percent in the standardized tests that they take every year,” says Entin.
This isn’t just a recent thing either, as Entin notes this level of success has been going on for decades. “They’re still eighth-graders when they’re leaving, but they have all the tools to become not just successful young men and women, but successful young Jewish men and women and successful Jewish leaders. Which, again, history has born out that we have many students who have some leadership position in their communities and organizations.”
There are just 165 kids at the K-8 school, making classrooms small and the learning more personalized. In addition, the middle school classes are divided by gender, making them inherently smaller. “In the private sector, schools generally try to keep their class sizes small, which is exactly what we do,” Entin says. “That obviously allows for a lot more interaction and attention from teacher to student; the ability to get individualized for each student and to really know what makes each child tick.” When Entin became principal in 2005, things were a lot different — and about to change. “First of all, we grew in size,” Entin says. “The school grew about 65 percent.” This rapid expansion has been in accordance with the growth of the area as a whole. “As the Phoenix community moves forward, the school will move forward along with it. And people saw the quality of education that the school was providing and they wanted to have a part of that.”
This expansion meant the staff had to grow as well, so they sought out only the best and brightest educators. “The average teacher has close to 20 years of experience … So we just have an outstanding staff that people just have tremendous confidence in, that the children are going to learn and learn well and learn effectively.” In addition, two-thirds of the teachers hold master’s degrees in both Judaic and general studies.
And how many advantages would people who have never sent their children to a Jewish school before have in sending their kids to Phoenix Hebrew Academy? Quite a few, including student resources. “We have a resource room that helps kids that need an extra hand,” Entin says. “And we are piloting that one program within our resource program that will offer an enrichment for students who are ready for extra challenge.”
In addition, there’s also a hands-on approach utilized in math and science — two areas where children can struggle. “We like our kids getting their hands on what they’re learning. We find it much more effective in how they learn, and it’s really, it creates, again, a personal connection to the learning,” Entin says. There are even science labs all the way down to the kindergarten level. Finally, the best part about the whole experience is how the children leave. “The ultimate point is that our kids feel confidence when they enter the modern world. They walk out of school, they leave eighth grade and they are ready to speak in public. They are ready to engage people. They’re ready to take on challenges and they’re more than ready for high school. They’re more than ready.”
Phoenix Hebrew Academy, 515 East Bethany Home Road Phoenix, AZ 85012 (602) 277-7479
