Gann Academy
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| Gann Academy |
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| Established | 1997 |
| Type | Independent coeducational secondary |
| Affiliation | Jewish |
| President | Leo Sprecher |
| Headmaster | Rabbi Daniel Lehmann |
| Students | 306 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Location | Waltham, MA USA |
| Accreditation | New England Association of Schools and Colleges |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Website | www.gannacademy.org |
Gann Academy, or Gann Academy: The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston, is an independent, Jewish high school located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1997 as The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston, the school changed names in 2003 in honor of philanthropist Joseph Gann, who donated $5,000,000 to the school (although it continues to be referred to as "New Jew"). Gann Academy received accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in the spring of 2004.
The school recently moved into its new and current building at 333 Forest Street, the third building the school has inhabited. The school's original location was at 60 Turner Street in Waltham, adjacent to the campus of Brandeis University in a building owned by the University. Its second location was rented space in an office building shared with Fleet Bank (BankBoston at time of move in) at the intersection of Prospect and Main Streets in downtown Waltham.
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[edit] History
Gann Academy was founded on the ideal of Jewish pluralism, a wide inclusion and acceptance of all Jewish denominations, including (at least in theory) secular Judaism. The current headmaster of the school is Rabbi Daniel Lehmann. The school has an enrollment of about 300 students, and a recent freshman class was the largest in the school's history, with about 85 students.
[edit] School activities
The school day begins at 8:10 and ends at 5:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Wednesdays the day ends at 4:00, and on Thursdays at 5:10. Fridays end either at 1:45 or 2:30, depending on the seasonal timing of Shabbat and daylight savings. In previous years the buses left the school at 6:00 PM on Thursdays, giving an extra hour for clubs to meet and for students who either stayed or were dependent on the buses to do homework or have free time. Due to the ability of the school's new e-mail server, Firstclass, to offer clubs a private conference, the allotted time on Thursdays is no longer as important for clubs to communicate. This change in schedule can be largely attributed to an editorial in the student's weekly newspaper, the Shevuon Hatichon, by a student calling for the extra hour to be eliminated - a position with widespread support throughout the student body. The editorial pointed out that students would rather go home after the school's long day, and the new location (as opposed to the Fleet Bank Building) meant that more students stayed on campus for lunch as opposed to going off to eat and could thus more easily have meetings during the regular school hours.
[edit] Tuition
Tuition for Gann Academy is $21,350 for the 2005-6 year. There is also a bus fee (which ranges from $900 to $2300). Lunch in the school dining hall, for students who are not allowed off campus or choose not to bring their own lunch, is $400 or more. Additional costs are the exploration week trips and programs (ranging from $125 to $2200), textbooks (approximately another $450-850 when purchased new), and the optional junior/senior Israel trip which costs $6000.
[edit] Hineini
The 2005 documentary Hineini is about a student at Gann Academy (known as The New Jewish High School at the time) and her relationship with the school as she tries to form a Gay-Straight Alliance. The documentary was premiered at the Boston Jewish Film Festival.
[edit] Post-graduation
Almost all students continue to a 4-year college. Some students defer for a year and study or travel in Israel for a year. Students from the Gann Academy typically go on to attend a range of colleges, including Ivy League universities and other elite schools. [1]
Gann Academy does not rank its students.
