Yeshivat Noam wished mazel tov to its own Morah Sara Halberstadt upon her receiving the Marcia Hirt Teacher Initiative Award. This award was generously named by Pamela and Ari Hirt in loving memory of Ari’s mother Marcia Hirt, a”h (Maryasha Mindel bat Moshe Halevi), grandmother of YN alumni Michael and Jordana. A rebbetzin, teacher of both Judaic studies and general studies and a Jewish communal service worker, Mrs. Hirt was a role model for everyone who knew her. Mrs. Hirt was the Assistant to the Dean for Judaic Studies and an English teacher at ASHAR in Monsey for eight years, and ran the Jewish Community Council of Washington Heights and Inwood for 20 years.

Morah Sara, the recipient of the award, is a second grade teacher at Yeshivat Noam. Morah Sara is pioneering ways to bring technology into her classroom using new smartboard games and apps, and teaching her students to create digital books. According to Morah Sara, “I have embraced technology since I find that it makes my lessons more dynamic and exciting and that it motivates my students to learn more in Judaic Studies.” This year Morah Sara was a contributor to and was recognized by Jewish Interactive Studios—an organization that creates educational technology solutions for Jewish learning—for the lessons that she has spearheaded in her classroom.

Morah Sara is also known for bringing meaning and message to tefillah. She took responsibility this year to enhance the first and second grade lunchroom bentching experience. With her enthusiasm and creativity, she had all the children in the lunchroom excited about reciting the Birkat Hamazon.