From the Principal
Our High School offers a rich and varied program that emphasizes academic excellence, critical thinking and the excitement of intellectual inquiry. Our tradition asks, “Who is wise?” and answers: “one who learns from all persons” (Pirke Avot 4:1). We believe that all learning is kadosh (sacred) and strive to instill in our students a true love of learning. We want our students to be actively engaged in the world around them, and we seek to graduate students fully confident in their ability to be life-long learners.
High School is a time for consolidation and mastery of knowledge. This is a time for students both to gain competence in individual disciplines and to synthesize content and skills across those disciplines. The very same logical thinking that serves a student in discussion in Talmud class can be applied to solving proofs in geometry. Similarly, electives help our students to see the world around them from a different perspective and to apply creative ideas and concepts to all aspects of the curriculum.
These years move our students toward independence. The academic goal is to fine-tune the students’ analytical skills and thinking processes so that they can approach a biblical text, a social studies primary document or a physics problem independently. Our students know when they graduate that they are members of the Jewish community, am hasefer, people of the book and lifelong learners.
Nancy Leaderman
Nancy Leaderman earned her BA and MA in English from the University of Maryland at College Park and has completed the Day School Leadership Training Institute at the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Principals’ Center Art of Leadership Program. She has been a teacher and administrator for 20 years and has worked at the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore Hebrew University, Goucher College, the Cardin School, and Beth Tfiloh Community Day School. She joined Golda Och Academy as Upper School principal in August 2007.
