SAR Academy
Encyclopedia
Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy is a coeducation
al, private Modern Orthodox
Jewish day school
. The school is located in the Riverdale
section of the New York City
borough
of the Bronx
. It is well known for having no walls dividing the classrooms, which is part of the school's philosophy of creating an "open" educational environment. There are lots of stairs. S.A.R. creates a great learning environment. S.A.R. gives an excellent education and makes sure the students are having fun while doing so.
Its name derives from the three schools which merged to form it, Salanter (named after Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
), Akiba, and the Riverdale Academy, all Orthodox yeshiva day schools. The schools merged in 1968 and adopted the current name.
The founding principal was Rabbi Sheldon Chwat, who was followed by former Assistant Principal Rabbi Yonah Fuld, who was then succeeded by then assistant principal Rabbi Joel Cohn, all of whom subsequently moved to Israel. The principal since the 2005–06 academic year has been Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, who is helped by associate principals Sharon Richter and Milly Rosner.
The school is closely affiliated with SAR High School
, which is headed by the former assistant principal of the Academy, Rabbi Naphtali Harcsztark, and is made up mostly of students from the elementary school.
The SAR Academy building has no walls and features an ultra modern floor plan that has received many awards for architecture, design and programming.
SAR requires students to take a dual curriculum, taking both general studies courses as well as Judaic studies. General Studies classes include math, science, English and social studies. The Judaic Studies courses are Hebrew language, Mishnah
, Talmud
(Gemara) and Bible studies (Tanach).
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al, private Modern Orthodox
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
Jewish day school
Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide Jewish children with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full time basis, hence its name of "day school" meaning a school that the students attend for an entire day and not on a part time...
. The school is located in the Riverdale
Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale is an affluent residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx in New York City. Riverdale contains the northernmost point in New York City.-History:...
section of the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. It is well known for having no walls dividing the classrooms, which is part of the school's philosophy of creating an "open" educational environment. There are lots of stairs. S.A.R. creates a great learning environment. S.A.R. gives an excellent education and makes sure the students are having fun while doing so.
Its name derives from the three schools which merged to form it, Salanter (named after Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
Yisrael Salanter
Rabbi Yisroel Lipkin, better known as "Yisroel Salanter" or "Israel Salanter" , was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist...
), Akiba, and the Riverdale Academy, all Orthodox yeshiva day schools. The schools merged in 1968 and adopted the current name.
The founding principal was Rabbi Sheldon Chwat, who was followed by former Assistant Principal Rabbi Yonah Fuld, who was then succeeded by then assistant principal Rabbi Joel Cohn, all of whom subsequently moved to Israel. The principal since the 2005–06 academic year has been Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, who is helped by associate principals Sharon Richter and Milly Rosner.
The school is closely affiliated with SAR High School
Sar High School
Salanter Akiba Riverdale High School is a Modern Orthodox Yeshiva day school in Riverdale, New York City. It was founded in 2003. The school is affiliated with SAR Academy, which is also in Riverdale, Bronx, New York City and a little over fifty percent of the over 400 students attending SAR High...
, which is headed by the former assistant principal of the Academy, Rabbi Naphtali Harcsztark, and is made up mostly of students from the elementary school.
The SAR Academy building has no walls and features an ultra modern floor plan that has received many awards for architecture, design and programming.
SAR requires students to take a dual curriculum, taking both general studies courses as well as Judaic studies. General Studies classes include math, science, English and social studies. The Judaic Studies courses are Hebrew language, Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
, Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
(Gemara) and Bible studies (Tanach).
Awards and honors
During the 1991–92 school year, Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy was recognized with the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
Notable alumni (people who went here)
- Brian AshBrian AshBrian Ash is an American producer and screenwriter.Brian Ash is a writer and co-executive producer of Black Dynamite: The Animated Series, a writer and producer of the third season of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks and a writer and creative consultant and on Freaknik: The Musical on Adult Swim...
, screenwriter, producer - Ari Gold, singer-songwriter
- Ralph LaurenRalph LaurenRalph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
, fashion designer (Salanter). - Achinoam NiniAchinoam NiniAchinoam Nini , also known by her professional name, Noa, is a leading Israeli international concert and recording artist.-Career:...
, singer-songwriter - Chaim PotokChaim PotokChaim Potok was an American Jewish author and rabbi. Potok is most famous for his first book The Chosen, a 1967 novel which was listed on The New York Times’ best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies.-Biography :Herman Harold Potok was born in The Bronx, New York City, to...
, author (graduated from Salanter) - Regina SpektorRegina SpektorRegina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
, singer-songwriter - Jonathan TropperJonathan TropperJonathan Tropper is an American writer and a Professor of English at Manhattanville College.Tropper's book, How To Talk To A Widower, was the 2007 selection for the Richard and Judy Show in the United Kingdom. Everything Changes was a Booksense selection. Three of Tropper's books are currently...
, novelist - Shira Smiles, Lecturer and Author http://www.feldheim.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=978-159826-641-2&type=store&category=search
- DJKING, famous DJ and entrepenuer
- Rav Zvi Sobolofsky, Rosh Yeshiva RIETS