American Hebrew Academy

Last updated

American Hebrew Academy
Address
American Hebrew Academy
4334 Hobbs Road

Greensboro, North Carolina
27410

United States
Coordinates 36°06′32″N79°52′15″W / 36.1089°N 79.8708°W / 36.1089; -79.8708
Information
Religious affiliation(s)None
Established2001 (2001)
CEEB code 341579
CampusGated, 100 acres (0.4 km²)
Website www.americanhebrewacademy.org

American Hebrew Academy is a non-profit 501(c)3 domiciled in North Carolina. Previously it was an international college-preparatory school located in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was open to students of all faiths but was originally founded as a Jewish international school, American Hebrew Academy, the only such school in the world for boarding and day students between 9th and 12th grade. [1] The coeducational school's 100-acre (40 ha) campus was designed by Aaron Green, protégé of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. [2] The school closed in June 2019 but later announced plans to reopen for the 2021–2022 school year. [3] A reopening as AHA International School never occurred.

Contents

History

American Hebrew Academy opened in 2001, known as "AHA". The school was founded by several leaders in Jewish education, including Alvin Mars, to create a pluralistic learning and leadership environment. The initial objective of the school was simply to create a high school option for the local Jewish community near Greensboro, and to draw a critical mass of students from other regions of the country where Jewish day school was not a feasible option. [4] Subsequent to the school's founding, the school's unique identity as a coed, pluralistic Jewish boarding school attracted students globally and hosted a diverse student body from over 35 countries.

The academy's inception was sponsored and spearheaded by Maurice "Chico" Sabbah, a philanthropist, businessman, Sephardic Jew, and Zionist, and longtime resident of Greensboro. Sabbah's nephew, Glenn Drew, continued to manage the school and served as CEO executive director, and General Counsel since the school's beginning. [5] Drew resigned in November 2020. [6]

Board members included Leeor Sabbah, Glenn Drew, Joseph Weilgus, Joel Fleishman of Duke University, investor Michael Steinhardt, Jehuda Reinharz of Brandeis University, Marsha Cohen, Bonnie Lipton, Scott Shay of Signature Bank, Douglas Greene, Abe Tawil and Larry Heyman. [7]

Closing and rebranding

On June 11, 2019, Glenn Drew notified community members that the school would close after 18 years, citing financial distress. [8] The news was broadly reported as abrupt and unexpected. [1] On September 13, 2019 the academy announced plans to reopen in for the 2020-2021 school year. [9]

In May 2020, the academy announced plans to rebrand itself for reopening in 2021, after negotiating a $26 million debt refinancing from a Chinese education company Puxin Limited. [10] As part of its rebranding, the school would encourage international enrollment, including countries in the Middle East and Asia. [3]

The academy was briefly rebranded as AHA International School and was scheduled to reopen in September 2021. [11] As part of its reopening, the school's college prep program was expanded to place a higher emphasis on Advanced Placement courses and professional experience opportunities for students. [12] The rebranded AHA International School also released a video announcing that campus tours would resume in September 2020, and students would be admitted for classes beginning in August 2021. [13] Abe Tawil served as head of school. [14] Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the school did not reopen.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a $50 million dollar 5 year lease of the campus to use as a transitional housing facility for unaccompanied migrant children. [15] HHS's plans for the campus include hosting up to 800 unaccompanied minors, ages 13-17. These children will receive physical and educational assessments as they prepare for a reunion with family member(s) or a sponsor. Children will live in campus dormitories, take meals in the dining hall, classes in the academic buildings and receive medical care in the health center. [16] AHA will be operating an educational program for the children hosted on the campus according to educational requirements of the State of North Carolina. This program is known as Greensboro Global Academy. [17]

Campus

The location is a 100-acre (40 ha) campus, adjacent to a 22-acre (8.9 ha) lake. Following a national architectural competition to design the campus, Frank Lloyd Wright’s associate architect, Aaron Green, was commissioned to create the master plan for the campus and building designs for every building the academy would eventually need for the immediate future and for years to come.

As of 2016, American Hebrew Academy had the largest closed-loop geothermal exchange well field in the United States to heat and cool its campus. In 2016, the academy dedicated the new Charlotte K. Frank Center for Plant Science & Ecology which provides a state of the art research and experimentation facility for advancing the study of hydroponics, aquaculture, soil and water conservation and Israel's leadership in the development of agricultural technology. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greensboro, North Carolina</span> City in North Carolina, United States

Greensboro is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 302,296 in 2023. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte and Raleigh, and the 69th-most populous city in the United States. The population of the Greensboro–High Point metropolitan statistical area was estimated to be 789,842 in 2023. The Piedmont Triad region, of which Greensboro is the most populous city, had an estimated population of 1,736,099 in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Point, North Carolina</span> City in North Carolina, United States

High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph, Davidson, and Forsyth counties. High Point is North Carolina's only city that extends into four counties. As of the 2020 census the city had a total population of 114,059. High Point is the ninth-most populous in North Carolina, the third-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad, and the 259th-most populous city in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillips Academy</span> Private boarding high school in Andover, Massachusetts, United States

Phillips Academy is a co-educational college-preparatory school for boarding and day students located in Andover, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The academy enrolls approximately 1,150 students in grades 9 through 12, including postgraduate students. It is part of the Eight Schools Association and the Ten Schools Admission Organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</span> Public research university in Israel

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened in April 1925. It is the second-oldest Israeli university, having been founded 30 years before the establishment of the State of Israel but six years after the older Technion university. The HUJI has three campuses in Jerusalem, one in Rehovot, one in Rishon LeZion and one in Eilat. Until 2023, the world's largest library for Jewish studies—the National Library of Israel—was located on its Edmond J. Safra campus in the Givat Ram neighbourhood of Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion</span> American graduate school of religion

The Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion is a Jewish seminary with three locations in the United States and one location in Jerusalem. It is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, Ohio, New York City, Los Angeles, and Jerusalem. The Jerusalem campus is the only seminary in Israel for training Reform Jewish clergy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Ridge Military Academy</span> Historic school building in North Carolina, United States

Oak Ridge Military Academy (ORMA) is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The school is the third oldest military academy in the United States and the first military boarding school to admit girls. The academy is located in the town of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Art school in Jerusalem, Israel

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldest institution of higher education and is considered the most prestigious art school in the country. It is named for the Biblical figure Bezalel, son of Uri, who was appointed by Moses to oversee the design and construction of the Tabernacle. The art created by Bezalel's students and professors in the early 1900s is considered the springboard for Israeli visual arts in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway</span> Private school in Lawrence, New York, United States

The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) is a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school on the South Shore of Long Island in New York, United States, serving male and female students in preschool through twelfth grade. It is a private school in the Five Towns.

Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) is a private Catholic high school in Richfield, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the nationally recognized college-preparatory school educates more than 600 students each year, with students in grades nine through twelve coming from across the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Fortress Re Inc. was an American aviation reinsurance company based in Burlington, North Carolina, and co-owned by Maurice Sabbah. Their auditor was Deloitte & Touche.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto</span> Private Jewish day school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Anne & Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto, also known as CHAT and TanenbaumCHAT, is a private Jewish high school in Toronto, Ontario, established in 1960. As of 2012, it was the largest private high school in Canada. A second campus of TanenbaumCHAT existed from 2000 to 2017 in the York Region, known as the Kimel Family Education Centre.

The Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy is a coeducational Modern Orthodox Yeshiva Day School located in Livingston, New Jersey. The Academy is dedicated towards developmental education and religious growth, for both boys and girls from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. The affiliated Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School serves students in grades nine through 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concord Academy</span> Private school in Concord, Massachusetts, United States

Concord Academy is a coeducational, independent college-preparatory school for boarding and day students in Concord, Massachusetts. CA educates approximately 400 students in grades 9-12. Unusually for a boarding school, a majority of CA students are day students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy</span> Private, Jewish day school in Bryn Mawr, PA, United States

Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy is a coeducational college-preparatory and religiously pluralistic Jewish day school for grades 6 through 12, located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Point Central High School</span> American public school in North Carolina

High Point Central High School is a public high school located in High Point, North Carolina. The school has a population of approximately 1,237 (2020–2021) students in 9th–12th grades. The school's offerings include Advanced Placement classes and the International Baccalaureate degree program.

Alexander Muss High School in Hod HaSharon, Israel is a pluralistic study-abroad program in Hod HaSharon, Israel, for high school students. Programs run throughout the year and range in length from 6 weeks to 18 weeks. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association and students can continue in their high school subjects while abroad. Students are also eligible to earn college credit through the University of Miami. Its flagship campus is in Israel. The school has an average enrollment of 1200 students. It has four dormitories and a mini-dorm, and is a college prep program for international high school students. Having merged with Jewish National Fund (JNF) USA in 2013, AMHSI-JNF has begun its global expansion for all high school students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy</span> Private school in Aspen Hill , Maryland, United States

The Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, referred to locally as Berman or The Hebrew Academy, is a coed Modern Orthodox Jewish day school serving the greater Washington area. It is in Aspen Hill, Maryland, with a Rockville postal address.

Carmel Academy was a Jewish private school in Greenwich, Connecticut, serving grades Kindergarten through 8. Also including transitional Kindergarten The school originally was located in Port Chester, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver Jewish Day School</span> Private jewish day school in Denver, Colorado, United States

Denver Jewish Day School, formerly known as Rocky Mountain Hebrew Academy and Herzl/RMHA at the Denver Campus, is a pluralistic Jewish day school in Denver, Colorado.

Braination is a non-profit educational organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 Pink, Aiden; Feldman, Ari. "American Hebrew Academy, Prestigious Jewish Boarding School, Closes Abruptly". The Forward. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  2. ↑ Slutsky, Carolyn (October 12, 2008). "Room, Board — And 'Jewish Peoplehood'". The Jewish Week. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro rebranded briefly as AHA International School as it sought to reopen". myfox8.com. March 6, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  4. ↑ Cone, Edward (September 30, 2002). "Who Is Chico Sabbah?". Forbes. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Against The Odds, AHA Nearing 15th Year". Jewish Week. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  6. ↑ Pounds, Jessie (November 18, 2020). "Leader of AHA International School in Greensboro leaving at the end of November". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  7. ↑ "American Hebrew Academy Inc - "Form 990" for fiscal year ending June 2017". ProPublica. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  8. ↑ Cohen, Phil (June 17, 2019). "What Went Wrong at the American Hebrew Academy?". Tablet . Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  9. ↑ Web Staff (September 13, 2019). "American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro to reopen for 2020–2021 school year after suddenly closing earlier this summer". WGHP . Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Jewish Boarding School That Closed After Financial Struggles Will Reopen". The Forward. September 13, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  11. ↑ Warfield, Andy (May 12, 2020). "Shuttered international school rebrands, anticipates 2021 re-opening". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  12. ↑ Warfield, Andy (November 18, 2020). "Glenn Drew stepping down as head of Greensboro's AHA International School". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  13. ↑ Drew, Glenn. "AHA International School Announces Future Plans". YES! Weekly. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  14. ↑ "American Hebrew Academy Plans To Reopen as AHA International School". The Rhino Times of Greensboro. May 12, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Feds pen nearly $50-million deal with American Hebrew Academy to house immigrant children in Greensboro". FOX8 WGHP. July 11, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  16. ↑ "U.S. to house migrant children in former North Carolina boarding school later this summer". wfmynews2.com. June 27, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Greensboro Global Academy". www.greensboroglobalacademy.org. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  18. ↑ "CIJE Update – Journey to Israel, STEM Down South | Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education". www.thecije.org. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.