| Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Miami, Florida, USA | |
| Information | |
| Opened | 1973 |
| Headmaster | Pinchos Hecht |
| Grades | PreK-12 |
| Color(s) | Blue |
| Affiliation | Jewish |
The Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day Schools (SSHCDS) is a private, Jewish, co-ed pK–12 school near Aventura, Florida just north of the city of Miami. It is located adjacent to the Michael-Ann Russel Jewish Community Center. It is currently the second largest Jewish Day school in the country.[1]
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The school's enrollment is approximately 1100 students. Class size in the Lower School ranges from 16-23 depending on grade level. The school has a large international student community, with students ranging from countries all over the Americas, Europe, and Israel. The school consists of an Early Childhood, Lower, Middle and High School. It was founded in 1973.
The school contains a "Dual-curriculum" which instructs students in both Judaic and Secular studies, as well as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) primarily for students coming from South America.
Hillel also contains a program for children with certain disabilities called the Kesher (meaning "connection" in Hebrew) program, run by patient and understanding adults who know how to guide and nurture their students.
Unlike Jewish Day Schools in The Solomon Schechter Day School Association, Hillel is affiliated with the Orthodox movement Judaism, though Orthodox students themselves remain a small minority, especially in the Middle and High School.
"With care and concern for each child, Hillel, a Jewish community day school, seeks to create a nurturing, respectful and academically inspiring environment, imbued with traditional Torah values and designed for college preparation and admission. Talented faculty and dedicated families work together guiding our students to attain their maximum potential, become lifelong learners and thinkers, develop high moral standards, respect diversity, and make meaningful contributions as members of Klal Yisrael and as Americans. By engaging students in vibrant Torah study and meaningful religious and cultural experiences, we strive to deepen their commitment to Judaism, the Jewish people, and the State of Israel."[1]
Hillel evolved from a dream first conceived in the late 1960s by Dr. Joel and Peshe Dennis, Rabbi Max A. Lipschitz, and a handful of other founding fathers and mothers. The kind of traditional Jewish day school they envisioned, now known as The Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School, was born in early 1970.
In 1976, Hillel moved to its present site in North Miami Beach and expanded its campus to over 10 acres (40,000 m2) adjacent to the Michael-Ann Russel Jewish Community Center. Years later, they realized another vital goal with the opening of The Ben Lipson Hillel Community High School.
When construction was completed on the high school wing in 1994, the '94 and '95 seniors were there. As the fresh concrete was being poured, they left their footsteps imprinted in what has since come to be known as the "Footsteps to the Future."[2]
In recent years, some alum and active members have perceived a decline in the institution. They created a website (www.savehillel.com) then a school board slate (Hillel4Change) to highlight their concerns. However, Hillel4Change suffered a landslide defeat in school board elections, and comments for the website have since been closed off.[2]
Hillel offers intramural and interscholastic sports such as tackle football, cross country, golf, soccer )volleyball, basketball, tennis, baseball, crew, and fencing.[3]
Hillel consists of three divisions: