Bar-Noy moves to Lower School

February 14, 2004
by David Feith

Current Judaics Studies Coordinator Yoram Bar-Noy will move to the Lower School this July to become Assistant Principal, to focus on the Judaic studies content and Jewish life of the Lower School.

Along with newly-hired Principal Ora Cohen Rosenfeld, Bar-Noy will be “in charge of the formal and informal Jewish life of the [Lower] School. That means the Judaic studies departments and the informal Jewish life,” Head of School Jonathan Cannon said.

The “formal” Jewish life includes the Judaics curricula and the tefillah program, while the “informal” aspects include the general Jewish atmosphere and the celebration of Jewish holidays, according to Cannon.
According to Bar-Noy, one of his main goals as Assistant Principal will be to further enhance the connection between the Lower School and Upper School Judaics programs.

“It is so important that the Lower School studies about skills that we need in the Upper School,” Bar-Noy said. “So when I move I will bring with me something in knowing about the Upper School and what we teach and how we teach it. In a team, we will all work together for this.”
Cannon also values the fluid connection between the Lower and Upper Schools greatly.

“One of the important things for me is to ensure that from Kindergarten to 12th [grade] we are truly one school. We certainly are, but as we’ve moved to two different buildings, we need to continue to facilitate opportunities for teachers to sit down together and plan. Particularly in the area of Judaics studies, it is important that we have a transition,” Cannon said.

“It is very exciting that Bar-Noy knows both worlds and it’s a priority for the school and for him in particular to mesh the experience so that students feel that the transition between grades six and seven in Judaic studies is even more seamless than they are currently,” added Cannon.
According to Bar-Noy, “coordination between the schools will be very important.”

The new Judaics Coordinator, when hired, will work with Bar-Noy and the respective school principals to coordinate Judaic programs and practices.

While he has set high hopes and is “very excited and looking forward” to his new position, Bar-Noy has “mixed” feelings about leaving the Upper School, where he has taught for nine years.

“My time here was magnificent and I think the school and the teachers did many great things,” said Bar-Noy.

“The highlight of my time as Judaics coordinator was what we did in organizing and adding to the courses. Now, there are semester courses and a variety of courses to choose from, and now teachers are not just the Rabbinics department or the Tanakh department—they are working together much more,” he said.

Bar-Noy also envisions returning to the Upper School on occasion in teaching capacities.

“I hope to manage time so that I can be around and not completely cut my ties to the Upper School or the students,” Bar-Noy said.