(Courtesy of Ma’ayanot) Celebrating 25 years of excellence, the Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls Annual Scholarship Dinner will be on Monday evening, May 23 at Ma’ayanot’s beautifully renovated and expanded campus. Since its founding in 1997, Ma’ayanot has educated hundreds of young women from Bergen County and the greater New York area in the full spectrum of Torah sources, provided a top-notch general education, and offered an incredible range of diverse teams, clubs and committees for students to pursue their passions, develop leadership skills, and shine.
Ma’ayanot alumni, in both the U.S. and Israel, are highly accomplished in myriad fields, including Jewish education, general education, STEAM, health care, business and social services. The scholarship dinner will give our community the opportunity to reflect on Ma’ayanot’s past, celebrate the present with outstanding honorees and our graduating seniors, and look enthusiastically toward the future by strengthening Ma’ayanot’s scholarship fund and capital campaign.
Mrs. CB Neugroschl, head of school, shared: “Our dinner this year comes at a time when all of Ma’ayanot is celebrating what we’ve built over 25 years. Our honorees this year are remarkable exemplars of what it means to be a builder of Ma’ayanot, a builder of our future! Each of our students has benefitted from the love, dedication and hard work of these remarkable honorees. We are immensely grateful and look forward to celebrating together.”
Gabrielle and Daniel Altman, parents of alumnae Avigayil (’17) and Sophia (’20), are being honored with the Amudei Ma’ayanot Award. Mr. Altman, who recently completed his term as president of the Ma’ayanot Board of Trustees, used to speak to new parents at the ninth-grade parent dinner and say, “Take a mental snapshot at the beginning of ninth grade and compare it to your graduate in four years. Your amazing kid will become a strong, mature young woman. Ma’ayanot helps foster that maturity and growth in every single one of our daughters.” Mrs. Altman, who dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to Ma’ayanot’s Parent Council, expressed her appreciation for her daughters’ experience at Ma’ayanot, and for its “nonjudgmental environment, with a spirit of unconditional acceptance, where individuality is supported, understood, nurtured and celebrated. Our daughters felt so loved. They became curious, sensitive, confident, motivated young women with the skills to pursue their interests, accomplish their goals and navigate both the secular and religious worlds. Ma’ayanot students are creative, fun, passionate and inquisitive. The school has extensive resources and provides so many opportunities to shine.”
Ruchi and Jonathan Tiger, parents of Leora (’22) and dedicated volunteers for Ma’ayanot, are being honored with the Nedivat Lev Award. The boards of TABC, the Teaneck Mikvah and Ohr HaTorah also benefit from the Tigers’ contributions and expertise, with no task too small. Mrs. Tiger explained: “We love that Ma’ayanot is a warm and welcoming environment. Every student is treated as an individual and nurtured to learn and grow, and each voice is valued. From the moment our daughter entered Ma’ayanot she felt at home and challenged, and was provided with immense opportunities to get involved and grow.”
Ninth Grade Dean Nina Bieler, who is being honored with the Professional Leadership Award, is a vital contributor to Ma’ayanot’s nurturing environment. In her 18th year at Ma’ayanot, and with an MSW from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work with recognition for Excellence in Jewish Community Service, Mrs. Bieler previously served as Ma’ayanot’s director of admissions for six years. Dean of Students Bailey Braun praised Mrs. Bieler as “all heart and all in. She lives and breathes Ma’ayanot ruach and never ceases to amaze me with her ability to really know our students and show up for them in meaningful ways.” Freshman Miri Rubinstein summed up Mrs. Bieler’s loving approach: “Mrs. Bieler is one of the most caring people I know. She always goes out of her way to make sure every student is happy and cared for.”
Esther Slomnicki, in her 17th year teaching biology and AP biology at Ma’ayanot, is being honored with the Faculty Excellence Award. Mrs. Slomnicki also organizes and runs Ma’ayanot’s annual action-packed, informative STEAM Talks, in which students learn about STEAM careers from Orthodox women who have excelled in STEAM fields. Science department chair Gila Stein described the teacher as “a truly outstanding teacher who brings to the classroom her extensive experience, passion for teaching, and dedication to her profession. She inspires her students to see the wonders of creation in their daily lives, and many of her students continue on to science-related fields because of the impact her teaching has had on them.” Junior Aleeza Goldberg praised Mrs. Slomnicki as “an amazing teacher who makes taking AP biology so fulfilling. She pushes us to do our best and encourages us. She is passionate about what she does, which makes us want to learn!” Juniors Hannah Bromberg and Maya Rosencrantz added that Mrs. Slomnicki is “kind and understanding, and her classes are enjoyable and amazing!”
Mrs. Neugroschl noted that “everyone at Ma’ayanot benefits directly from devoted, outstanding faculty such as Mrs. Bieler and Mrs. Slomnicki, and from the visionary commitment and whole-hearted dedication of our lay leaders and parent volunteers such as the Altmans and Tigers, and we are so grateful for their leadership at Ma’ayanot.”
Building on the foundation of success and commemorate 25 years of excellence, Ma’ayanot aims to raise $1 million to strengthen Ma’ayanot in support of our scholarship fund and capital campaign. To contribute to Ma’ayanot’s incredible present and extraordinary future, reserve your ticket to the dinner, and learn more, please visit www.maayanotdinner.com. For any additional inquiries, please contact Rachel Shtern, director of development, at
[email protected].
