Solomon Schechter School of Westchester

Founding

Solomon Schechter School of Westchester was founded in 1966 with twenty-two students and two teachers in the basement of Temple Israel Center. Rabbi Max Gelb, the school's founder, guided the school with his wife, founding principal Leah Gelb. By the end of the 1970s, enrollment reached 150 and the kindergarten was housed in a converted home adjacent to the main building. It is named after Solomon Schechter, who founded the United Synagogue of America and was the architect of the American Conservative Jewish movement.

Expansion in White Plains

In 1979, with financial support from M. Mac Schwebel and others, the school leased the 25-acre (100,000 m²) Rosedale Elementary School campus on Dellwood Road in White Plains, and two years later purchased the campus. In 1980, Rabbi Gelb and Mrs. Gelb stepped down, and Dr. Elliot Spiegel was appointed headmaster. It was Dr. Spiegel who charted the school's future course, introducing innovative education programs and transforming Schechter Westchester into a premier conservative Jewish day school. In 1989, with support from Joseph S. Gruss, a fourth building was constructed on the White Plains campus to help accommodate the demands of Westchester's largest Jewish day school.

Expansion in Hartsdale

In 2001, with the support of the Jewish community, Schechter Westchester constructed the M. Mac Schwebel Upper School Campus in Hartsdale, NY. In 2005, forty years after the school was founded in the basement of Temple Israel Center, Schechter Westchester graduated its first 12th grade class. In 2013, the school renamed the Lower School the Dr. Elliot Spiegel Lower School to coincide with Dr. Spiegel's retirement and appointed Dr. Michael Kay headmaster.

Engineering and Entrepreneurship (E2)

Schechter Westchester offers STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/Design, Mathematics) education with their Engineering and Entrepreneurship program, sponsored by the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE).

Engineering and Entrepreneurship is designed for students entering ninth grade with a strong interest in STEAM. Students work in teams and gain the ability to access and analyze information across the STEAM disciplines. They view the world through multiple perspectives, make connections, and see patterns. This three-year program culminates in a team research project solving real-world engineering problems, mentored by professionals working in related fields.

Athletics

Schechter Westchester participates in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. The following sports are currently offered:

In November 2015, the Schechter Westchester Varsity Soccer team lost to Elmira Notre Dame in the NY State Class C Finals in Middletown. Prior to this, no Schechter Westchester athletic team had ever made it past the class C regional semi-finals.

Tuition

Fifty percent of students at the school received tuition assistance in 2012.

Notable alumni

Nick Kroll

Julie Klausner

Jennifer Hyman

Jason Steinhauer

Key staff and faculty members

Dr. Michael A Kay - Head of School

Rabbi Harry Pell - Associate Head of School for Jewish Life & Learning

Eric Bassin - High School (HS) Principal

Amy Holtzer - Middle School (MS) Principal

Ilanit Curi-Hoory - Lower School (LS) Principal

Dr. Elliot Spiegel - Headmaster Emeritus & HS Judaic Studies Teacher

Elisha Andron - Director of Guidance and Student Support

Dr. William Blank - HS Psychologist & Director of Student Services

Dr. Michelle Jasper-Brody - MS Psychologist

Dr. Jordana Klein - Lower School Psychologist

Donna Shulman - Dean of Students & Grade 11 Dean

Joel Davidson - Grade 10 Dean

Samantha Mazo - Grade 9 Dean

Dr. Jennifer Davids - Grade 8 Dean, MS Curriculum Specialist, MS Israel Engagement Director

Rabbi Joan Forchheimer - MS Dean of Students, Grade 7 Dean, MS Judaic Studies Teacher

Aviva Seiden - Grade 6 Dean

Nicholas Kourabas - Director of College Counseling

Amy Carlson - Associate Director, College Counseling

Jackie Grosser - Upper School Admissions Director

Diana Schutt - Lower School Admissions Director

Rabbi Yael Buechler - Rabbi in Residence

Rabbi Abby Sosland - Spiritual Advisor'

Scott D'Ottavio - Athletics Director

Bryan Lamana - Assistant Athletics Director

Barbara Shapiro - Director of the Office of Institutional Advancement

Smadar Amidror - Director of Operations

Tracey Harris - Chief Financial Officer