04/17/2024
WATCH: Bringing STEM Education To Our Jewish Day Schools
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The importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education has become a major emphasis in our Jewish day schools. And the students in the upper schools of Fuchs Mizrachi School, Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, and Yavne High School have taken full advantage of these new classes by entering and winning local and national robotics and engineering competitions.
"The more we give multiple outlets for every type of learner to succeed, the more we're showing them that they have a value, and that's what we're doing and that makes me proud," said Dr. Yoel Schwartz, principal of general studies at Hebrew Academy.
Students in these schools are now learning robotics, coding, software engineering, and more through a rigorous curriculum as well as extracurricular activities thanks to the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland and the national organization CIJE (Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education). Recently, Hebrew Academy hosted 114 students from schools across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio participated in the 1st Annual CIJE Midwest Robotics Competition.
"For them to be able to have a functioning robot, then take to a competition with other local schools and broader Jewish schools in the Midwest, was really, really exciting for them because they saw what they were able to do with their own hands, with their own brains," said Dr. Rachel Salamon, chair of the science department and dean of academic affairs at Fuchs Mizrachi School.
Thanks to the schools' curriculum and these competitions, local students are preparing themselves for their future in college and in their careers.
For more information on STEM education in our day schools, contact Melanie Halvorson at mhalvorson@jewishcleveland.org.
