Dror Israel’s network of 7 high schools, two boarding schools and one pre-military academy – over 1,000 students total - opened the school year on September 1 to the sounds of excited students and teachers returning to their homes away from home – or just getting to know the place for the first time.
For at-risk youth, the structureless time of the summer can often become dangerous. While Dror’s educators worked hard over the summer to stay in contact with their students and create engaging summer programming, the return to the routines of the school year allows them to continue supporting their students and giving them the best tools for success.
Here are some news and updates from schools throughout the network:
The Tel Aviv Social High School – with a whopping 151 registered students just a few years after the school’s opening– moved into its beautiful new space at a historic building in Jaffa. The classes have been enjoying getting to know the history and complexities of their new neighborhood. The students of the Agro-Ecology track are so excited about the prospects of their rooftop garden that they spend most of their recess cleaning and preparing the space instead of taking a break! The students of the sound production track are hard at work setting up their new sound studio, but in the mean time they have been enjoying the view while recording outside!
The Mitzpe Ramon High School is also seeing very impressive growth, with its students coming from all over the southern Negev to this small town in the desert for the special Desert Eco-Tourism program and nurturing atmosphere. As part of their vocational training, the students learn the ins and outs of the tourism industry first hand through work study at the renowned Bereshit Hotel. While learning from some of Israel’s acclaimed chefs, the cooking class is looking good in their aprons!
At Dror Galil, Dror Israel's high school located on Kibbutz Ravid in the north, the 12th graders gathered before the start of the school year to plan the orientation session on the first day of school for all the 9th-11th graders! They emphasized the values of responsibility for one’s self and one’s community, and the importance of doing for others. As the school’s pedagogy encourages leadership and strives to empower all of its students, allowing the students to be a part of planning the younger students’ orientation is just one example of the responsibility they are entrusted with.
Dror Israel’s school network also partners with elementary schools to implement our innovative social project-based pedagogy. Principals and educators develop and adapt the network’s unique pedagogy for elementary students, with rave reviews from students, parents and local municipalities. This initiative has grown in recent years and today almost 1,000 elementary school students are now learning with us in Rishon Letzion, Carmiel, and Beer Sheva.