Our School in the Media

Tammy Anagnostis, GOA Lower School Faculty Dean, and Corey Abate, Upper School Coordinator of Professional Development, appeared in a photo in the May 24 New Jersey Jewish News after attending a collaborative meeting for the MetroWest Day School Initiative Quest for Teaching Excellence program.

The West Orange Chronicle featured the Golda Och Academy Lower School Groundbreaking Ceremony on the front page of its May 24 issue.

Golda Och Academy’s Lower School Groundbreaking Ceremony was featured in an article in the May 24 New Jersey Jewish News and in the May 23 online edition.

A video and short article about our Upper School commemoration of Yom Hazikaron appeared in  the online Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharonot (Ynet) on May 15.

The Golda Och Academy Lower School Groundbreaking Ceremony was featured in an article in the May 21 West Orange Patch.

Golda Och Academy Head of School Joyce Raynor was part of a panel discussion at the UJA-Federation of NY to discuss endowment fundraising. A photo appeared in the May 17 New Jersey Jewish News.

An article about the Golda Och Academy Spring Gala and those being honored appeared in the May 17 New Jersey Jewish News.

Students from MetroWest High School in Ra’anana visited GOA for a Yom Hazikaron commemoration. A photo appeared in the May 10 New Jersey Jewish News.

A photo of Gan student Zachary B. celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut at GOA appeared in the May 10 New Jersey Jewish News.

Mazel tov to Alanna Skydell (Class of 2007) for her article in the JTS Alumni Newsletter titled, “JTS Isn’t Just for Clergy and Educators.” Alanna is in the JTS/Columbia Joint Social Work/Judaic Studies program. Click here to see the article on page 4 of the publication.

The West Orange Patch published an article and photos May 8, of our school’s Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations.

An article and photo appeared in the May 3 New Jersey Jewish News, Central NJ edition, about the GOA Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations.

Gan student Noah B. appeared in the April 26 Central Edition of the New Jersey Jewish News after participating in the Buddy Program model Passover seder.

An article about GOA’s guest speaker Eva Wiener, who spoke at the GOA Upper School for Yom Ha’Shoah, appeared in the April 26 West Orange Patch.

GOA grad Andrew Wingens credits our school with preparing him for his new role as editor of the Brandeis student newspaper. Read this great article in today’s NJJN. Yasher Koach Andrew!!! We are so proud of you!

The April 25 New Jersey Jewish News features an article about Eva Wiener, one of the youngest passengers on the SS St. Louis, who spoke at the GOA Upper School for Yom Ha’Shoah. The annual Sala Elbaum Yom HaShoah Memorial Lecture is made possible by a gift to the school from Steven and Judy Elbaum, in memory of their parents, Sala Elbaum and David Urman, who were Holocaust survivors.

GOA alumnus Jonathan Izak (Class of 2006) released an iPad app designed to be a communication and therapy tool for people with autism. Several articles appear online including one on the Mashable Tech website.

Tenth grade GOA student Kineret B. wrote an article for NU Online magazine, a publication of the New Jersey Jewish News. The article titled, “We are not alone: At an AIPAC conference in Washington, my passion for Israel becomes advocacy” appeared in the April, 2012 edition.

Josh M. (Class of 2006) and his company NYC Basketball were featured in the April 20 New York Times.

GOA Lower School students Gabriel W. and Samantha B. are pictured in the April 12, New Jersey Jewish News after visiting the Liberty Science Center with their classmates.

A photo of our students who placed third out of 11 schools participating in the Pi Day Mathematics Competition appeared in the Central edition of the New Jersey Jewish News on April 5.

Golda Och Academy students Gloria R. and Jessica A. were honored in the New Jersey Star Ledger’s “All State Winter Selections” April 1. Gloria was listed as a “Top Junior in Essex County.” Jessica was listed as “All State-3rd Team,” “All Essex Co-1st Team,” and “All Non-Public Team-1st Team.” Mazel tov to these amazing women!

According to Patch.com, “when it comes to children and early education, it seems like Golda Och Academy has earned the best reputation in town.” The early childhood program at Golda Och Academy is the winner of last week’s Patch.com Reader’s Choice Best of poll. Thank you to everyone who voted! Thank you also to the great faculty, staff and administration, our parents and most of all our students who made us #1!!!

A photo of Golda Och Academy students who participated in the Pi Day Mathematics Competition appeared in the March 29, West Orange Chronicle. GOA earned third place out of 11 schools.

An article featuring participants in Write On for Israel, a program that trains young people to be advocates for Israel through journalism, appeared in the March 22, New Jersey Jewish News. The program includes Golda Och Academy students Carmelle B. and Abby A.

Golda Och Academy Junior Jared F. appeared in the New Jersey Food Bank’s winter newsletter for attending the organization’s first Teen Hunger Action Summit at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange. Click here for the article.

The March 20 West Orange Chronicle listed Golda Och Academy boys’ varsity basketball players Sam M. and Ben K. for being honored on the All-Super Essex Conference-Independence Division.

An article about our Neshama group visiting Poland appeared in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot on March 18.

During the Neshama trip, Golda Och Academy senior Jack R. met with long-lost cousin Zvi Rav-Ner, Israel’s ambassador to Poland. See the article in the March 21, New Jersey Jewish News.

Golda Och Academy participants in the Pi Day Mathematics Competition appeared in the March 20, West Orange Patch after earning third place out of all 11 schools attending.

After their miraculous work helping rescue child slaves in Ghana, Golda Och Academy family Evan and Lisa Robbins and their daughters, Arianna (10th grade) and Maya (6th grade) were featured in the March 12 New Jersey Jewish News. The family has help raise funds to build a school in the fishing village of Awate Tornu where child trafficking is considered an economic necessity.

A photo of GOA senior and blood donor Adam L. appeared in the March 8 New Jersey Jewish News. The blood drive benefitted the Blood Center of New Jersey.

An article about GOA 7th grader Joshua S. appeared in the March 7 New Jersey Jewish News for his bar mitzvah project, 18 Random Acts of Kindness, performed within a 10-mile radius of West Orange during the year prior to the bar mitzvah. Yasher Koach Joshua!

As part of the Neshama trip to Israel, GOA students will be working on “digital diplomacy” to become better advocates for Israel by spreading the message through the internet. The students will work with Neil Lazarus, an internationally acclaimed expert in the field of Middle East Politics, Israel Public Diplomacy and Effective Communication Training. Last year’s Neshama students also worked with Mr. Lazarus and created a video that appeared on The Times of Israel website March 5.

Golda Och Academy Gan students were in the March 5 West Orange Patch as they celebrated the 100th Day of School with snacks and songs.

The Golda Och Academy tribute to Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon was featured in an article in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on February 9.Click the links for the printed article and the internet article.

GOA Gan student Shoshana N. and UJC MetroWest rishon Harel Y. appeared in the February 23 issue of the MetroWest New Jersey Jewish News for Tu B’Shevat.

The Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE) has an online publication titled Sustained! that features Golda Och Academy in an article about philanthropic support and fundraising efforts.

Golda Och Academy Gan student Lilly E. was featured in the Maplewood Patch February 14 after enjoying a “flight” to Israel on El Al.

A photo of GOA Gan student Mikayla N. appeared on the nj.com website February 14. Gan C students made a replica of Jerusalem’s Western Wall, then placed their prayers between the “stones.”

GOA Gan student Shoshana N. appeared on the nj.com website Feb. 9, after celebrating Tu B’Shevat at the Lower School.

The Golda Och Academy tribute to Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon was featured in an article in the Feb. 8 New Jersey Jewish News and the Feb. 8 Jewish Press International.

Congratulations to GOA junior Gloria Rothenberg who was listed in the New Jersey Star Ledger this week for averaging 12.2 rebounds per game (12th best in state) in girls basketball and averaging 4.6 assists per game (19th best in state).

Mazel Tov to GOA sixth grader Yonatan Arieh who plays with the West Orange Recreation Department Boys Travel Basketball Team. The team played during half-time of the Nets vs. Timberwolves basketball game at The Prudential Center in Newark last week. An article about the event appeared in the Feb. 9 West Orange Patch.

GOA benefactor Eric F. Ross was listed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 50 Most Generous Donors of 2011.

An article appeared in the Feb. 3 West Orange Patch featuring “Biggest Loser” finalist Jay Jacobs kicking off the Jump Rope for Heart Campaign at the Golda Och Academy Lower School.

Golda Och Academy High School students Samantha J., Dana B., Noa S. and Emma G. appeared in the Feb. 2 issue of the New Jersey Jewish News for their work during the sixth annual Community Service Day.

An article and video appeared in the Feb. 2 West Orange Patch regarding the Golda Och Academy tribute to Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon who was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegration nine years ago.

Mazel tov to GOA Junior Gloria Rothenberg for becoming the first female in the history of our school to score 1,000 points in basketball. See the articles in the Jan. 19  West Orange Patch, Livingston Patch, West Essex Tribune, New Jersey Jewish News and the Jan. 13 New Jersey Star Ledger.

Upon returning from the Golda Och Academy Katrina Relief Mission, Dean of Students Adam Shapiro wrote a piece about tikkun olam and what service-learning really means — we should all share a collective pride int he work that our students do on a daily basis. The article appeared in the Huffington Post’s MLK Day section.

In the Dec. 29 Central New Jersey edition of the New Jersey Jewish News, an article by Dean of Students Adam Shapiro explains the amazing experience for Golda Och Academy students during the sixth annual Katrina Relief Mission.

Gan student Joey S. bangs a drum during Golda Och Academy’s Hanukkah drumming circle in a photo in the Dec. 29 New Jersey Jewish News.

Yasher Koach to 8th grader Jordan B. who was featured on the Areyvut website for his amazing work with the Dave Thomas Foundation and FAFS – Foster and Adoptive Family Services.

An article in the Dec. 26 West Orange Patch featured the joyous singing and dancing of our students at the Lower School’s Hanukkah Zimriya.

A photo of our Lower School students singing at the Hanukkah Zimriya appeared in The Alternative Press Dec. 23.

Our students appeared in an article in the Dec. 22 New Jersey Jewish News for their amazing work in Louisiana during the Golda Och Academy 6th Annual Katrina Relief Mission.

For their work collecting clothing for the Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey, a photo of our students in the Community Clothing Club appeared in the Dec. 22 New Jersey Jewish News.

Our Pre-K and Gan students were featured in the South Orange Patch and Montville Patch for their Hanukkah celebration with Musical IQ’s drumming circle.

A photo of Noah B. launching bottle rockets with the Middle School Science Enrichment Club appeared in the Dec. 15 New Jersey Jewish News. The students were launching bottle rockets with teacher Arco Jeng in preparation for the Science Olympiad competition in January.

Yasher Koach to GOA students Carmelle B. and Avigail A. for being selected to participate in the Write On For Israel program. An article about the program appears in Dec. 15th issue of New Jersey Jewish News.

A photo about the Golda Och Academy 6th Annual Katrina Relief Mission appeared in the Dec. 15 West Orange Chronicle.

An article about our new GO Connect program appeared in the Dec. 15 issue of  New Jersey Jewish News and Jewish Press International.

The Quest for Teaching Excellence – a new program by the MetroWest Day School Initiative – will support and enhance the work of our teachers.  Read about this exciting new program in the Dec. 7th issue of New Jersey Jewish News.

The West Orange Patch published an article on Dec. 7 about our new GO Connect program. To read the article, click here.

A photo of Golda Och Academy students preparing for the 6th Annual Katrina Relief Mission appeared in the West Orange Patch and the Livingston Patch Dec. 6.

A photo from the Lower School’s Clergy Visit Day appeared in the Nov. 24 New Jersey Jewish News.

Our Middle School Science Enrichment Club students were featured in the Dec. 2 West Orange Patch. The students were launching bottle rockets with teacher Arco Jeng in preparation for the Science Olympiad competition in January.

An article regarding the Zoning Board’s approval of Golda Och Academy’s building application appeared in the Dec. 1 issue of the West Orange Chronicle.

GOA students Jesse N. and Toren A. appeared in the Nov. 24 New Jersey Jewish News for their work with Hagalil USY’s Leadership Training Institute 2011.

Zachary N. appeared in the Nov. 24 New Jersey Jewish News for Golda Och Academy’s commemoration of the 16th Memorial Day for Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Kristallnacht, and Veteran’s Day.

GOA kindergarten students Zach S. and Ben N. appeared in a photo in the Nov. 27 Sunday Star Ledger featuring their Thanksgiving celebration at the Lower School.

Golda Och Academy students Elan M. (right) and Harry B. (2nd from right) work with other Boy Scouts from Troop 118 to clean up the Lenape Trail in Eagle Rock Reservation on Sunday, Nov. 14. See the photo that appeared in the Nov. 28 West Orange Patch.

Zoning Board OKs Golda Och Academy’s Expansion Project. For the full article in the West Orange Patch, click here.

Golda Och Academy student Abigail Bilmes was featured in the Morris Township – Morris Plains Patch Nov. 11. Students marked the 16th Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day, Kristallnacht, and Veteran’s Day with a special ceremony at the school Nov. 9. Click here for the article.

A Sukkot photo from Golda Och Academy appeared in the Nov. 3 issue of the New Jersey Jewish News. Click here for the photo.

Golda Och Academy was featured in the Tri-Boro Patch Nov. 9 for Community Clergy Visit Day. Click to see the article.

For his work with the New Jersey Youth Symphony, Golda Och Academy 8th grader Joshua Bochner was featured in the Berkeley Heights Patch. Click here for the article.

Golda Och Academy was featured in the New Jersey Jewish News blog “Our Tribe and Joy” Oct. 27. Click here for the article.

Photos of students on the Na’ale trip appeared in the Oct. 13 issue of the New Jersey Jewish News and in the Oct. 20 issue of the West Orange Chronicle.

Golda Och Academy’s plans for a $6 million expansion at the Lower School appeared in the West Orange Patch. Click here for the article.

An article appeared in the Oct. 19 edition of the Wall Street Journal regarding the late philanthropist Eric F. Ross and his charitable gift to Golda Och Academy. Click here for the article.

Herb Brown, veteran NBA coach and the director of the Summer Basketball Academy at the NJ Y Camps, will conduct two free youth basketball clinics at Golda Och Academy on Sunday, Nov. 13. Click  to see the article in the West Orange Patch.

Golda Och Academy announced a $17.2 million bequest from the estate of the late philanthropist Eric F. Ross. The news appeared in several publications. Click below for the articles.

Great article in The Patch Sept. 28 about our 1st graders celebrating Rosh Hashana. Click here for the article.

Our Lower and Upper School principals are quoted in an article in October issue of Edge Magazine titled “Summer Slide”. Click here to read the article.

Our Lower and Upper School Math Fairs were featured in the June 23rd issue of NJJN. Click here for the article.

The newest edition of our High School newspaper, The Flame, is now online. Our own Jack Rabner and Bryan Schonfeld recently sat down with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Their article can be read by clicking here.

Our very own basketball coach Sandy Pyonin is featured in an article on CNNSI.com for his role in training top NBA Draft pick Kyrie Irving. To read the article, click here.

An article in the June 22nd issue of NJJN features GOA parent and alum Amy Skopp Cooper (Class of 1981), who has recently been named one of three 2011 recipients of the Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. To read the article, click here.

The June 16th issue of NJJN includes a photo from a recent visit of Hilary Krieger to our school. Krieger is Washington Bureau chief for The Jerusalem Post.

A photo of our GOA delegration at the Salute to Israel Parade in NYC made the front cover of the June 9th NJJN. To see the photo and read the article, click here.

A photo of Junior Ari Smolyar appeared in the June 9th issue of NJJN. Ari recently won the Essex County boys tennis singles tournament. An article about Ari also appeared in the Star Ledger on May 30th.

Articles about our Annual Tuition Assistance Dinner honorees appeared in the Livingston Patch and the Bridgewater Patch in May.

Articles about “Letters for Sala” – a Holocaust-era exhibition on view at our Upper School Campus, appeared in the May 5th issues of NJ Jewish News and the West Orange Chronicle.

A photo of students Lauren Yagoda and Matthew Blum appears in the May 12th issue of NJJN. Lauren and Matthew are finalists in the Essex County Law Day Writing Contest.

The April 7th issue of NJJN includes a photo of our 8th graders interviewing a Holocaust survivor participating in the Cafe Europa program. To see the photo, click here.

An article about our February teachers mission to Israel appears in the March 30th NJJN. To read the article, click here. 

Click here to read an article in the March 24th issue of NJJN about our Upper School Science Enrichment Club students who – earlier this month – received two Honorable Mentions in the Toshiba ExploraVision Competition!

The March 24th issue of NJJN includes photos from our Lower School celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, for which students wrote and illustrated “Seussisms” parodying their favorite Dr. Seuss stories. To see the photos, click here.

The March 17th issue of NJJN had a photo from our Lower School celebration of the 100th day of school. To see the photo, click here.

The March 3rd issue of NJJN features an article about the $2 M donation from Mark and Jane Wilf to our school. Their generous donation is the cornerstone of our school’s long-term plan to renovate the Lower School campus, which will be therefore named the Wilf Lower School Campus. To read the article, click here.

The Feb. 3rd issue of NJJN includes photos from our HS Community Service Day. To see the photos, click here.

Kim Hirsh, development officer with the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest, writes about dealing with sustainabilty issues in the February issue of Sh’ma, A Journal of Jewish Responsibility. In “Stop Waiting for Superman,” Hirsh discusses our community’s day school campaign. To read the article, click here.

Senior Eitan Morris participated in a recent Young Judaea mission to New Orleans to help in the rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Eitan discusses his experience in a Feb. 3rd NJJN article. To read it, click here.

The Jan. 27th issue of the WO Chronicle featured a front page article about our 5th annual Katrina Relief Mission. To read the article, click here.

The Jan. 20th issue of WO Chronicle includes a photo taken during our HS production of Children of Eden in January. To see the photo, click here. A photo also appears in the Jan. 27th issue of NJJN. To see it, click here.

The Tzedaka Box column in the Jan. 20th issue of NJ Jewish News features an article about GOA 6th grader Lindsay Biebelberg and mitzva project – making scarves and hats to donate to the Rachel Coalition. To read the article, click here.

The Jan. 6th issue of the West Orange Chronicle asks, “What did Golda Och Academy kids do on winter break?” – to read their answers, click here.

A photo from our Lower School Colonial Fair was printed in the Jan. 6th issue of NJJN. To see it, click here.

A letter to NJJN congratulating our school on our rededication was printed in the Jan. 6th issue. To read the article, click here.

A pre-performance photo from our HS musical, Children of Eden, was featured in the Dec. 30th issue of NJJN. Click here to see it.

The Dec. 30th issue of NJJN featured a photo from our New Orleans trip in December. To see the photo, click here.

The Dec. 23rd issue of NJJN included a photo of the 13-foot lego hanukkia that our Lower School students constructed for Hanukka. To see the photo, click here. 

The Dec. 23rd issue of NJJN featured an article about the visit of students from Merchavim to our school in December. To read the article, click here.

An article about our 5th annual Katrina Relief Mission appeared in the Dec. 7th issue of a New Orleans newspaper, Times Picayun. To read the article, click here. NJ Jewish News’Editor in Chief Andrew Silow-Carroll called attention to this article in his blog, Just ASC.

Our Dec. 6th school rededication as Golda Och Academy appeared in several publications. Click below for the articles:

The Sunday, Dec. 5th Star Ledgerfeatured an article on the day prior to our school’s rededication about our school’s name change and Och challenge gift. To read the article, click here.  

The Nov. 4th issue of NJ Jewish Newsfeatures an article about the MetroWest delegation that attended the 2010 Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE) Assembly, held Oct 24-26 in Baltimore. Ten Golda Och Academy leaders were among more than 1,000 attendees at the Assembly, during which our school received six excellence awards for fund-raising, alumni relations, use of data and video marketing. To read the article, click here.

Yasher Koach to students Adina Wells and Eli Esrig, and Samantha Rowe (Class of 2009), whose articles and poems appear in the latest issue of NU, NJ Jewish News’ magazine for teens. Click here to read the magazine.

The Oct. 28th issue of NJ Jewish News featured a photo of our Upper School students at the AIPAC High School Summit in Washington, DC on Oct. 3-5. To see the photo, click here.

The Oct. 28th issue of NJ Jewish News also included a photo of senior Natasha Freeman at the 2010 Geraldine R. Dodge 13th Biennial Poetry Festival, held Oct. 1. A busload of Golda Och Academy students attended the festival. Natasha was selected — along with 9 other students from across the state who were winners in the 2010 New Jersey Council of English Teachers Writing Contest — to read several original poems. To see the photo, click here.

News of our ground-breaking challenge gift of $15 million through a grant made by The Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation, and the renaming of our school in memory of Golda Och, appeared in the following publications the week of Oct. 11th: 
Philanthropy News Digest of the Foundation Center, click here.  
NJ Jewish News, click here.
Star-Ledger Wire Service, click here.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency,  click here.
To read our press release, click here.