In a community that seems saturated with yeshiva day schools, the rapid growth of families combined with the need for affordable Jewish education has allowed for yet another school to make its mark in the neighborhood. On Harold Street in Tenafly, sits a gleaming new building on a quiet cul-de-sac. The interior is pristine and the wide hallways ache for the bustling lines of children heading to class. The facility is state-of-the-art, and the new technology hums, all in sleep-mode. There is a sanctuary, playground, classrooms, a library and a gym, all ensconced by precise landscaping.
Lubavitch on the Palisades School, or LPS, is a facility born as a pre-school, but the parents of the students were so enamored with the education and the faculty, that they rallied to add another year, and another, and another…and so, an elementary school was born. The school currently goes up to grade 4, but plans to expand the building to accommodate classes through eighth grade in the near future. With the rapid pace of growth a new position, Associate Principal of General Studies, was added. General Studies is equally as important as Judaic Studies at LPS.
After an intense search to find the right candidate, Rabbi Shain, together with Orite Rubenstein, the director of the pre-school and Judaic studies, hired Jennifer Davis, an individual with a passion for learning and innovation. Originally from Brooklyn, Davis had been living in Florida, where she worked at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy as a teacher and administrator. She split her time as the chairman of the history departmentand as the assistant principal, and when she wasn’t teaching history and English, she was involved in curriculum mapping. A 25-year veteran teacher, Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in education.
Students are drawn from the neighboring communities of Bergen County, as well as Rockland County, and the school welcomes all Jewish families, regardless of their levels of observance. “We want to create a community where all families feel accepted and included,” Davis said. And truly, the backgrounds range from Chabad to Modern Orthodox, to Conservative, and more secular.
Davis comes armed with a plethora of ideas on how to give kids the skills needed to thrive in current times. She plans on jumping right in on the first day of school with a Healthy Kids initiative, aimed at teaching the students habits necessary to nourish their bodies. She will also visit classes on a weekly basis as part of a “character education” program, aimed at debunking bullies, developing identities and heightening self-awareness. Davis plans on engaging the students through skits, videos, stories and art, followed by classroom discussions and in-depth workshops. “When kids are a part of the learning,” Davis said, “they retain the information. They enjoy it.”
The school has a strong focus on writing skills, communicating and critical thinking, with the added support of Smart-Boards, computers and a well-stocked library. There is a resource-room, and the county provides in-house services for those in need. Tuition is reasonable and very affordable for most families. In the near future, the school will undergo a name-change to better reflect its mission and vision.
“I know that this is going to be one of the top Jewish day schools in Bergen County. It’s for families who want strong academics in a nurturing environment,” Davis said. And under this new leadership, the school will successfully partner with families to ensure its core values are imparted: The teaching of respect, character development, community building, exceptional teaching and learning, combined with a strong focus on Jewish values and identity. And as the school grows, the community as a whole will benefit from the young leaders it produces.
By Sarah I. Abenaim
