Abraham Joshua Heschel School
Encyclopedia
The Abraham Joshua Heschel School (AJHS) is a pluralistic pre-K to 12 Jewish day school
in New York City
. Its two central values, pluralism and egalitarianism
, create a tightly-knit yet diverse community. Located in Manhattan
, the school seeks to follow the example of its namesake, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
, who sought to make the world a better place for members of the community, Jews, and everyone throughout the world. The lower school has many celebrations, including Zimryah (third and fourth grades), Purim Pandemonium, Yom Ha'azmaut and special events surrounding other Jewish holidays.
.
Students of the Heschel High School commute from all boroughs of New York City
, as well as the from the Greater New York area, including New Jersey
and Westchester
. Additionally, students' countries of origin include Switzerland
, Ukraine
, Russia
, Argentina
, Venezuela
, Austria
, Iraq
, the United Arab Emirates
and Israel
.
Club List:
Also included in the clubs category are committees that exist within the High School. Such committees include Student Senate and the Fairness Committee. These groups are not open to participants, but rather representatives are elected by the Student Body.
"The Heschel Helios" is the official student produced newspaper of the Heschel High School. The namesake of the newspaper follows with the High Schools heat theme (sports team- Heschel Heat). Helios
is Greek for sun. The student club aims to produce four issues per school year. The club goes through a complete traditional newspaper experience. The process includes "slugging" articles, writing the articles, producing images or graphics for feature articles, peer editing of editorials and articles and finally, layout and printing, the involved students get a full experience of how a newspaper operates. The newspaper's motto, "We stand for what we utter," was chosen in the Winter of 2005 and is an original quote from the school's namesake, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
.
Students do not have discretion on topics related to religious policy, safety, and curriculum although they may always express their opinion.
All rules on which the student body (through the student senate) agrees are posted on the school constitution.
" school. All students are required to obtain a laptop to use as a learning tool throughout their education. Teachers are equipped with laptops, and all classrooms contain smartboards.
The Heschel Heat boys JV 08'-09' basketball team won the schools first Yeshiva League basketball championship.
40.772257°N 73.989778°W
Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide Jewish children with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full time basis, hence its name of "day school" meaning a school that the students attend for an entire day and not on a part time...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Its two central values, pluralism and egalitarianism
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
, create a tightly-knit yet diverse community. Located in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, the school seeks to follow the example of its namesake, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century.-Biography:...
, who sought to make the world a better place for members of the community, Jews, and everyone throughout the world. The lower school has many celebrations, including Zimryah (third and fourth grades), Purim Pandemonium, Yom Ha'azmaut and special events surrounding other Jewish holidays.
School
The Abraham Joshua Heschel School is housed in three buildings: The early childhood center and lower school is located on West 89th Street, the middle school on West 91st Street, and a newly constructed high school on 60th Street and West End AvenueWest End Avenue
West End Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, not far from the Hudson River.West End Avenue originates at West 59th Street; the continuation of the street below 59th Street is called Eleventh Avenue. It runs from 59th Street to its...
.
Students of the Heschel High School commute from all boroughs of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, as well as the from the Greater New York area, including New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Westchester
Westchester
Westchester may refer to:*Westchester, Connecticut*Westchester, Florida*Westchester, Illinois*Westchester, Indiana*Westchester, Los Angeles, California*Westchester County, New York*The Westchester, a shopping mall in White Plains, New York...
. Additionally, students' countries of origin include Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Clubs
Clubs constitute a large part of the social life at The Heschel High School. Most clubs are supervised by a faculty member. Some clubs, such as Finance and Art Appreciation, are completely student supervised.Club List:
- Art Appreciation
- PhilosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
- NewspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
- Heschel Helios - DebateDebateDebate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
- Mock TrialMock trialA Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
- Model UN
- Chess
- College BowlCollege BowlCollege Bowl was a format of college-level quizbowl run and operated by College Bowl Company, Incorporated. It had a format similar to the current NAQT format. College Bowl first aired on US radio stations in 1953, and aired on US television from 1959 to 1970...
- The Heschel Velociraptors - A Cappella- The Heschel Harmonizers
- PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- DramaDramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
- Sports Debate
- Ping-Pong
- Movie
- Math and Science
- Linguistics
- Finance/Investment
- ChesedChesedThe Hebrew noun khesed or chesed is the Hebrew word for "kindness." It is also commonly translated as "loving-kindness," or "love." Love is a central Jewish value, and leads to many particular commandments. Chesed is central to Jewish ethics and Jewish theology...
- Literary Magazine - Epitome
- Creative Writing
- Book
- Music Appreciation
- Jazz Band 1
- Jazz Band 2
- Clubjazz
- Chamber Music- Beaux Arts Ensemble
- Ultimate FrisbeeUltimate (sport)Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...
- Israel Connection Club
Also included in the clubs category are committees that exist within the High School. Such committees include Student Senate and the Fairness Committee. These groups are not open to participants, but rather representatives are elected by the Student Body.
- Student Senate
- Va'ad Tzedek - or Fairness Committee
- Graduation Committee
- Student Admission Representatives- SARs
The Heschel Helios
| The Heschel Helios | |
| Official Motto | "We stand for what we utter." |
|---|---|
| Website | helios.heschel.org |
"The Heschel Helios" is the official student produced newspaper of the Heschel High School. The namesake of the newspaper follows with the High Schools heat theme (sports team- Heschel Heat). Helios
Helios
Helios was the personification of the Sun in Greek mythology. Homer often calls him simply Titan or Hyperion, while Hesiod and the Homeric Hymn separate him as a son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia or Euryphaessa and brother of the goddesses Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn...
is Greek for sun. The student club aims to produce four issues per school year. The club goes through a complete traditional newspaper experience. The process includes "slugging" articles, writing the articles, producing images or graphics for feature articles, peer editing of editorials and articles and finally, layout and printing, the involved students get a full experience of how a newspaper operates. The newspaper's motto, "We stand for what we utter," was chosen in the Winter of 2005 and is an original quote from the school's namesake, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century.-Biography:...
.
"Just Community"
The Heschel High School believes in the "just community," a system created to ensure that students are respected. Each student has a say in his or her life at school, and although the administration may veto student decisions, students' voices are always heard. The student body votes for a council to represent them. This senate brings issues to the administration's attention during weekly "town meetings" where issues are discussed, voted on and,if approved, become part of Heschel Policy. Limitations on the length of homework assignments and the frequency of tests are two significant changes introduced by the students.Students do not have discretion on topics related to religious policy, safety, and curriculum although they may always express their opinion.
All rules on which the student body (through the student senate) agrees are posted on the school constitution.
Technology usage
The High School is a "laptopLaptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
" school. All students are required to obtain a laptop to use as a learning tool throughout their education. Teachers are equipped with laptops, and all classrooms contain smartboards.
Dual curriculum
All students at the Heschel School study Jewish and secular topics throughout the day. Although this leads to a longer day, students enjoy the rich and varied education and the ability to learn in Hebrew and in English.Sports
The Heschel Heat is the name carried by the various sports teams that play for the High School. The teams include boys and girls basketball, girls volleyball, tennis, soccer, girls floor hockey, track and field, and ultimate frisbee.The Heschel Heat boys JV 08'-09' basketball team won the schools first Yeshiva League basketball championship.
Disambiguation
Other "Heschel Schools" are located in Los Angeles, California and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Despite having similar names, the three schools are not related at all, albeit by name.External links
40.772257°N 73.989778°W