Seven students at Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School have been selected to participate in the Tikvah Online Academy’s program for seventh and eighth graders, a Millstone Scholars Initiative designed to challenge exceptional young students. The Tikvah Online Academy, an initiative of the Tikvah Fund, offers high-level seminars providing students the opportunity for deep inquiry into Jewish ideas, Zionism and modern Israel, American democracy, and Western civilization.
The selected students are seventh graders Benjamin Abayev and Avi Friedman and eighth graders Raquel Avitan, Noa Feldman, Leila Gut, Paxton Horowitz and Hannah Weisberg.
“We are delighted that our students have been chosen to participate in the Tikvah Online Academy,” said Temima Feldman, Head of School at RASPEDS. “These courses will introduce them to an inspirational group of peers and faculty, engage them in thoughtful discussions and empower them as emerging Jewish leaders.”
For consideration for this competitive program, each student submitted an application with personal information and responses to questions about their interests, hobbies and their desire to participate in a Tikvah Online Academy course and completed a virtual interview with a Tikvah Fund staff member.
“Clearly, something very special both educationally and in terms of character development is going on at Park East. We think each student, unique in their own ways, will enrich our seminars and bring both the intellectual curiosity and leadership potential so vital to the Jewish community, especially in these times. We look forward to the coming semester,” said Rabbi Abraham Unger, Ph.D., Director of Regional Education, Tikvah Fund.
The courses, which are held in the evenings and on Sundays, run for five weeks.