Global InformationSalanter Akiba Riverdale Academy information
40°54′14″N 73°54′40″W / 40.90389°N 73.91111°W
| Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy
(SAR Academy) ישיבת סער | |
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| Location | |
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New York City (Riverdale, Bronx) , New York United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private coeducational primary, middle, and secondary |
| Established | 1969 |
| Principal | Rabbi Binyamin Krauss |
| Grades | PreK-8 |
| Enrollment | approx. 1,000 |
| Color(s) | Yellow and black |
| Mascot | Bee |
| Nickname | SAR |
| Accreditation | New York State Association of Independent Schools; The Blue Ribbon Award (For academic excellence) |
| Affiliation | Open Orthodox |
| Website | www.saracademy.org |
Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy, better known by the acronym, SAR Academy, is a coeducational, private Modern Orthodox Jewish day school. The school is located in the Riverdale section of the New York City borough of the Bronx.
Its name derives from the three schools which merged to form it, Salanter (named after Rabbi Yisrael Salanter), Akiba, and the Riverdale Academy, all Jewish day schools. The three schools merged in 1968 and adopted the current name. The school is situated on the former estate of the Italian operatic and symphonic conductor Arturo Toscanini. The land for the school was purchased in 1968. The school moved into its new building in 1974. Designed by Caudill Rowlett Scott, the building was given the Albert S. Bard Award in 1975.[1]
The school's founding principal was Rabbi Sheldon Chwat, who was succeeded by former assistant principal Rabbi Yonah Fuld. Rabbi Fuld was succeeded by then assistant principal Rabbi Joel Cohn. All of the former principals subsequently moved to Israel. Rabbi Binyamin Krauss began his tenure as principal at the start of the 2005–06 academic year. The current administration is rounded out by associate principals Alana Rifkin Gelnick, Sharon Richter, Beth Pepper, and Rebecca Ostro Nagata.
The school is closely affiliated with SAR High School, which is headed by the former assistant principal of the Academy, Rabbi Tully Harcsztark. Slightly more than half of the High School's student body is made up of students from the elementary school.
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 (Tanakh).
During the 1991–92 school year, Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,[2] the highest award an American school can receive.[3][4] The school also fostered a creative arts program that began in 1985, headed by musician and educator, Jonathan Dzik and professional stage/film producer, Jay Michaels.
- ^ Fowler, Glenn. "Bard Awards Honor 8 Examples of Good Urban Design," New York Times (June 12, 1975).
- ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
- ^ CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department Archived 2007-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
- ^ Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."