Campus Life
TRADITION ~ CHARACTER ~ COMMUNITY
The philosophy of Heschel is built around several core values that influence and impact all that we do. The values of tradition, character, and community are incorporated into our belief of embracing the whole child by providing a program that enriches the mind, the body, and the soul.
TRADITION
Through our more than forty seven year history, Heschel has become known for many longstanding traditions. Events such as the Kindergarten Bake Sale, fifth grade Colonial Day, our Middle School minyanim, Thanksgiving baskets, and the eighth grade trips are common topics of conversation with visiting alumni. With a significant number of current alumni families sending their own children to Heschel, these savored memories continue to support our solid foundations, while new Heschel traditions are created daily. Our second grade garden now flourishes annually as beautiful flowers are planted each Fall. In May, our Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day) celebration includes an evening of dinner, Israeli dancing, and a chance for parents to visit their children's classrooms. Our eighth grade Shehecheyanu Service provides a forum for sentimental thoughts and farewells prior to our formal graduation. Our traditions are growing, and we encourage you to take part in their creation.
CHARACTER
The culture of our school reflects our namesake’s values: integrity, justice, intellectual curiosity, and empathy. Students in all grade levels embrace the meaning of kavod: respect for themselves and others. The children's emerging sense of personal ethics grows into self awareness and, ultimately, into a sense of civic responsibility. Teachers, advisors, administrators, and parents work closely together to cultivate individuality and to raise knowledgeable, caring citizens of the world who are committed to Israel and the vitality of the Jewish people. For example. as part of Project Chesed (a school-wide social action initiative), seventh graders learn about the importance of social justice with visits to Mend, LA Family Housing, and SOVA. These events do not occur in isolation, rather they are part of the year long program which incorporates literature, multiple field trips, interviews, and family involvement to ensure the Project Chesed curriculum comes to life. Because learning takes place both within and outside the classroom, developing character is a deliberate element of our curriculum.
COMMUNITY
At Heschel, our community is our heart – the core and essence of our foundation. It is because of our community of parents, faculty, alumni, and friends, that we are the thriving school we are today. As a community Jewish day school, Heschel is committed to providing exemplary education in a pluralistic Jewish learning environment. Students and families bring natural talents and varied perspectives, and no two are the same. From our myriad of community events, Generations Day, our Book Group, or Open Gym Night for parents and alumni, the Heschel community reaches beyond our walls and across generations.