Beth Tfiloh

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Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School is a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school in Pikesville Baltimore County, Maryland. It encompasses preschool through twelfth grade. The school has two campuses- one in Pikesville, Maryland and a second one in Reisterstown, Maryland. The Old Court campus (Pikesville) houses the Middle School (Grades 5 -8), and the High School (Grades 9 -12). The Reisterstown Campus is home to the Beth Tfiloh's Lower School (Grades Gan Aleph through 4). Both campuses have Pre-schools. An additional Kindergarten class is being offered on the Old Court campus beginning Fall 2007. Hebrew school is also offered.

[edit] History

The first Beth Tfiloh Day School Kindergarten class was organized in 1942 with five students in the school’s original Forest Park location in Baltimore City. The school was created by Rabbi Samuel Rosenblatt to address the needs of Jewish families who desired a co-educational program which integrated a secular curriculum with a traditional Zionist-oriented program of Jewish studies. Beth Tfiloh's High School was founded in 1986 as the first coeducational Jewish high school in the Baltimore metropolitan area. It is currently the largest coeducational Jewish high school in the area, with over 300 students.

In 1964, a Junior High School division was added in response to an interested group of parents, and in 1973, the enrollment for preschool through eighth grade was 345. The Day School was accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education for its secular program in 1976. The half-day Kindergarten was eliminated and replaced by a full day program in 1975.

In 1986, again in response to community needs, Beth Tfiloh Community High School was founded to provide a co-educational, college preparatory high school for students of all levels of religious observance. A new facility was built at Old Court, and the high school moved from temporary quarters to its new school building in 1988.

In 2000, Beth Tfiloh Community School was named a 2000-2001 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and was one of 12 schools nationally to also receive an award for Special Emphasis in Technology. In 2001, the school opened a new Performing Arts Center and Athletics Center on its Old Court Campus and staffed a new Creative Arts Department.

In 2003 Beth Tfiloh Community School changed its name to Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in tribute to Mr. Haron Dahan, one of the school founders and its most generous benefactor to date.

[edit] Accreditation

Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School is a fully accredited member of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools. The school is also a member of the MIAA and IAAM interscholastic athletic associations.