Shulamith School for Girls
Encyclopedia
Shulamith School for Girls is a centrist Modern Orthodox Jewish
, at one time Middle States
accredited school currently located in the Midwood
section of Brooklyn
, New York, in the building that originally housed
Vitagraph Studios
. It was founded in 1930 by Nacha Rivkin working with Rabbi M.G. Volk in Borough Park, Brooklyn. It was the first Orthodox Jewish
elementary school for girls in North America. From 1941, Dr. Judith Lieberman served as Hebrew principal and then as dean of Hebrew studies.
In July 2010 persuant to a parents' initiated lawsuit, Shulamith was split into two schools: Shulamith School of Brooklyn and Bnot Shulamith of Long Island. The split has left both schools in precarious positions for various reasons. The Brooklyn school is the 'original' one and the Long Island one is the 'new' school. While Long Island has the existing leadership that moved over from the Brooklyn school, expansions plans there were based upon the sale of the Brooklyn campus - a transaction that has fallen through. The Brooklyn school had to establish an entirely new leadership with no experience in running a school and it showed through many missteps over the past 12 months, not the least of which was hiring an individual to be the new executive director of the school who had no experience in running a school. In July 2011, a new more experienced person was hired to be the executive director of the Brooklyn school but a crucial year was wasted.
Additionally, when the school split into two, many teachers who did not follow the school to the Long Island location were not paid for many months of work. A lawsuit by these teachers against the school is pending.
Shulamith currently serves students from preschool through ninth grade and a twelfth grade. The high school opened in 1980 with Dr. Susan Katz as principal. She retired in 2007. Over the years the high school has received numerous outstanding academic achievements. Shulamith High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, which is the greatest award an American school can receive. The high school was a Middle States Accredited school but that accreditation has lapsed.
Shulamith School for Girls holds a graduation rate of 99%, with most of its students going on to seek professional careers in law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, business, and others, at the most prestigious universities across the United States. Some of which include Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, NYU, SUNY colleges, CUNY colleges, Yeshiva University, and countless more.
The Brooklyn school houses a state of the art gym, Olympic size pool, auditorium, computer lab, fully equipped Chemistry and Biology labs, and the Yavneh Minyan in the pre-school lunchroom.
Shulamith opened a second elementary school branch, called Bnot Shulamith, on Long Island
in 2000. Vaad for Jewish Women's Education in Brooklyn In September 2007, the Brooklyn high school had a major change with the retirement of founding principal Dr. Susan Katz. Replacing Dr. Katz was Rabbi Avraham Lieberman serving as the Hebrew principal and Penina Karp serving as the general studies principal. Rabbi Lieberman left the school in 2008, and Rabbi Shaul Chill replaced the position.
and Chidon HaTanach, which is an International Bible Contest. They also have a school bowl team called the "Torah Bowl" and compete with other (Yeshivot) schools in the district. Shulamith School for girls also stage annual music, dance, and drama productions. The student newspaper, the Kaleidoscope, won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Silver Crown in 1995. The student literary magazine Serendipity won the National Scholastic Press Association
Gold Circle Award for Humor in 1997. Students may attend the Bais Yaakov Convention. Shulamith also competes in an all-Yeshiva league in basketball, volleyball and softball. The honorable Shulamith's mock trial team, which has victoriously won many awards, championships, medals, and trophies, was first instituted in 1999 by Michelle Hagler (now a NYS admitted attorney) and Yocheved Kleinbart. A few other extracurricular activities, in the high school division in particular, include The Math Team, The Math Magazine, The National Honor Society, The Student Body President Committee, a weekly foreign language newspaper known as Sidra, Model Congress, yearbook, The Debate Team, etc.
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
, at one time Middle States
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
accredited school currently located in the Midwood
Midwood, Brooklyn
Midwood is a neighborhood in the south central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, New York, USA, roughly halfway between Prospect Park and Coney Island. The neighborhood is within Community District 14...
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York, in the building that originally housed
Vitagraph Studios
Vitagraph Studios
American Vitagraph was a United States movie studio, founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. By 1907 it was the most prolific American film production company, producing many famous silent films. It was bought by Warner Bros...
. It was founded in 1930 by Nacha Rivkin working with Rabbi M.G. Volk in Borough Park, Brooklyn. It was the first Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
elementary school for girls in North America. From 1941, Dr. Judith Lieberman served as Hebrew principal and then as dean of Hebrew studies.
In July 2010 persuant to a parents' initiated lawsuit, Shulamith was split into two schools: Shulamith School of Brooklyn and Bnot Shulamith of Long Island. The split has left both schools in precarious positions for various reasons. The Brooklyn school is the 'original' one and the Long Island one is the 'new' school. While Long Island has the existing leadership that moved over from the Brooklyn school, expansions plans there were based upon the sale of the Brooklyn campus - a transaction that has fallen through. The Brooklyn school had to establish an entirely new leadership with no experience in running a school and it showed through many missteps over the past 12 months, not the least of which was hiring an individual to be the new executive director of the school who had no experience in running a school. In July 2011, a new more experienced person was hired to be the executive director of the Brooklyn school but a crucial year was wasted.
Additionally, when the school split into two, many teachers who did not follow the school to the Long Island location were not paid for many months of work. A lawsuit by these teachers against the school is pending.
Shulamith currently serves students from preschool through ninth grade and a twelfth grade. The high school opened in 1980 with Dr. Susan Katz as principal. She retired in 2007. Over the years the high school has received numerous outstanding academic achievements. Shulamith High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, which is the greatest award an American school can receive. The high school was a Middle States Accredited school but that accreditation has lapsed.
Shulamith School for Girls holds a graduation rate of 99%, with most of its students going on to seek professional careers in law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, business, and others, at the most prestigious universities across the United States. Some of which include Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, NYU, SUNY colleges, CUNY colleges, Yeshiva University, and countless more.
The Brooklyn school houses a state of the art gym, Olympic size pool, auditorium, computer lab, fully equipped Chemistry and Biology labs, and the Yavneh Minyan in the pre-school lunchroom.
Shulamith opened a second elementary school branch, called Bnot Shulamith, on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
in 2000. Vaad for Jewish Women's Education in Brooklyn In September 2007, the Brooklyn high school had a major change with the retirement of founding principal Dr. Susan Katz. Replacing Dr. Katz was Rabbi Avraham Lieberman serving as the Hebrew principal and Penina Karp serving as the general studies principal. Rabbi Lieberman left the school in 2008, and Rabbi Shaul Chill replaced the position.
Educational philosophy
Said Rabbi Lieberman:Extracurricular activities
Shulamith participates in the Salute to Israel ParadeSalute to Israel Parade
The Celebrate Israel Parade is, according to organizers, "the single largest gathering in the world in support of Israel", and has been held annually in New York City since 1964. The Parade was renamed in 2011 to the Celebrate Israel Parade in a launch event at the Edison Ballroom in Midtown,...
and Chidon HaTanach, which is an International Bible Contest. They also have a school bowl team called the "Torah Bowl" and compete with other (Yeshivot) schools in the district. Shulamith School for girls also stage annual music, dance, and drama productions. The student newspaper, the Kaleidoscope, won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association is an international student press association, founded in 1925, whose goal is to unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchanges, textbooks, critiques and award programs...
Silver Crown in 1995. The student literary magazine Serendipity won the National Scholastic Press Association
National Scholastic Press Association
The National Scholastic Press Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 for high school and secondary school publications in the United States. The association is membership-based and annually hosts high school journalism conventions across the country...
Gold Circle Award for Humor in 1997. Students may attend the Bais Yaakov Convention. Shulamith also competes in an all-Yeshiva league in basketball, volleyball and softball. The honorable Shulamith's mock trial team, which has victoriously won many awards, championships, medals, and trophies, was first instituted in 1999 by Michelle Hagler (now a NYS admitted attorney) and Yocheved Kleinbart. A few other extracurricular activities, in the high school division in particular, include The Math Team, The Math Magazine, The National Honor Society, The Student Body President Committee, a weekly foreign language newspaper known as Sidra, Model Congress, yearbook, The Debate Team, etc.
Notable Graduates
- Rochelle Shoretz was a former Law Clerk to United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She founded Sharsheret, "a national organization of cancer survivors dedicated to addressing the unique concerns of young Jewish women facing breast cancer."
- Nancy Morgenstern worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. She was killed on 9/11 in the World Trade Center.