(Courtesy of TABC) Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC) has announced three new academic programs for the 2021-2022 school year, which the school will add to its rigorous dual curriculum. The programs span a wide range of disciplines as TABC continues to cater to a diverse set of interests among its growing student body.
The Elyon Program, which will be under the guidance of TABC’s Dean of Students Rabbi Gary Beitler and 12th-grade mechanech Rabbi Dovid Einhorn, is a specialized Limudei Kodesh program for motivated students who wish to spend additional time in the beit midrash. Those who are accepted into the program will have additional Gemara, Halacha and Shnayim Mikra built into their schedules, and will participate in bi-weekly visits to YU and local yeshivas to learn with roshei yeshiva and TABC alumni. Talmidim will also enjoy group Shabbatonim, day trips, and a year-end siyum.
“The goal of Limudei Kodesh at TABC is to both teach and reach our talmidim,” Rabbi Beitler said. “We are confident that the Elyon program will challenge our students while inspiring them as they grow into well-rounded bnei Torah.”
Jacob Spadaro joins the TABC faculty as director of the brand-new Music Conservatory, a four-year program which will allow students to explore the depth and breadth of music through experimentation with instruments, the study of music theory, composition courses and more. Spadaro is a prolific musician and singer in the tri-state area, most notably as a member of the Jewish acapella group Six13, with whom he has performed around the world, including in the White House. He is currently the keyboardist and electronic producer for Energy, infusing the live Jewish wedding experience with polished pop-arena flair. He has taught music since 2013, most recently at Hebrew Academy of Nassau County, and will also serve as the band and choir director at TABC, in addition to the in-house musician for school events. The music conservatory is another outlet for the arts at TABC, joining a robust theater and drama department, as well as studio art, photography and graphic design.
“I am so excited to be joining the team at TABC, and can’t wait to work with the students in broadening their musical horizons and providing them with this creative outlet,” Spadaro said. “The arts are so important not just in education, but in Jewish tradition, too.”
Finally, the new Entrepreneurship Track will provide students with the skills they need to recognize opportunities, think creatively, and convert ideas into reality. The curriculum will include business foundations such as marketing, sales, startup strategies and more. Entrepreneurship classes at TABC will incorporate an array of interdisciplinary approaches, including integration with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) by using inventions developed by TABC students as case studies for developing marketing strategies. Additionally, the program will enhance one of TABC’s core missions—that of instilling a love for and devotion to Medinat Yisrael—by giving students a lens to explore Israeli startup culture. The academic program will be accompanied by extracurricular opportunities as well, including a planned sports management club, guest speakers, access to mentors, and other hands-on opportunities.
“We are so happy to be able to provide these additional avenues for our students to pursue their passions,” Head of School Rabbi Shlomo Adelman said. “The great thing about the TABC experience is that no two experiences are exactly alike. These programs offer our students yet another way to make their high school journeys their own.”
