Golda Och Academy is a private

Jewish day school A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide children of Jewish parents with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full-time basis. The term "day school" is used to differentiate s ...

that offers secular and religious education for Jewish children from

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

at two campuses in West Orange in Essex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. Until June 2011 the school was called Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union. The school primarily serves families in Essex and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

counties, but attracts students from all over northern and central

and also New York. As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 464 students and 61.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 7.6:1. The school's student body was 96.3% (447) White, 1.5% (7) two or more races, 1.3% (6) Hispanic, 0.4% (2) Asian, 0.2% (1) Black and 0.2% (1) Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander.School data for Golda Och Academy

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed March 10, 2022. On July 1, 2021, Rabbi Danny Nevins became the 8th Head of School, succeeding Adam Shapiro. Also on that date, Dr. Eytan Apter became the Upper School Principal. Ms. Carrie Siegel is the Lower School principal.

History

The school first opened in September 1965 at Congregation Beth Shalom in Union, New Jersey, having been founded by its rabbi, Elvin I. Kose, along with Horace Bier and Nat Winter. The first classes were kindergarten and a first grade consisting of 18 children. A new grade was added each year for the initial class, and the first class of nine students graduated from the high school in 1977. This was the first high school affiliated with the

Solomon Schechter Day School Association The Schechter Day School Network, formerly the Solomon Schechter Day School Association, located at 820 Second Avenue, New York, New York, is an organization of Jewish day schools that identify with Conservative Judaism. The network provides gu ...

. The school moved into its own facilities in 1979 for the first time with the acquisition of the former Roosevelt School in Cranford. Classes were held in various locations in Union and Essex counties. That was followed seven years later in 1986 by the purchase of the Irving Laurie Building in West Orange. In September 1991, the Upper School moved into a newly constructed building on Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, which in 1995 became the Eric F. Ross Campus. The Lower School completed a $7 million renovation that began in 2012, which included an expansion of the building, building of a new wing and refurbishment of existing spaces. Project highlights included the addition of a science discovery lab and outdoor classroom and garden, a new technology lab, synagogue, playground, library, and cafeteria; creation of a specialty space for art and music; updated and wired classrooms; and increased accessibility. Beginning in 2014, Golda Och Academy has increased its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (collectively STEM) programming, including a new STEM class, an award-winning Robotics club the CodeRunners, and more. In January 2015, the school announced plans for a state-of-the-art STEM facility which was completed in September 2015. Golda Och Academy has over 1,800 alumni.

Accreditation

The school is accredited by the

and the

New Jersey Association of Independent Schools The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The Association consists of 70 member schools with a total enrollment of approximately 26,000 students ...

. It exceeds

New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards were created by the New Jersey State Board of Education in 1996 as the framework for education in New Jersey's public schools and clearly define what all students should know and be able to accompli ...

. Golda Och Academy is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey and the

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) is the major congregational organization of Conservative Judaism in North America, and the largest Conservative Jewish communal body in the world. USCJ closely works with the Rabbinical Assembly ...

Athletics

The Golda Och Academy Road RunnersGolda Och Academy

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the

Super Essex Conference The Super Essex Conference (SEC) is a high school athletic conference located in Essex County, New Jersey. The conference was formed in 2009 by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and was a result of a larger realignment that s ...

, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the

(NJSIAA). With 95 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public B for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 37 to 366 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group I for public schools). Sports include; Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball, Cross-Country, Swimming and Basketball for both boys and girls on a middle school or varsity level. Baseball and Softball are offered as well as a new Lacrosse club. In 2013, the school's gymnasium was dedicated in honor of gym teacher and coach Sandy Pyonin in celebration of his 40 years at SSDS/GOA. Pyonin has trained more than 30 professional basketball players including

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving (; lkt, Ȟéla, italic=no, ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected ...

Notable alumni

* Jessica Antiles (born 1996, class of 2015), competitive swimmer. *

Rachel Antonoff Rachel Antonoff is an American fashion designer based in New York City. She is known for presenting her designs in creative ways, including in the form of a murder mystery, as a "sock hop," and in a dollhouse. In 2015, director and actress Lena D ...

(born 1981), fashion designer (didn't graduate). *

Steven Fulop Steven Michael Fulop (born February 28, 1977) is an American politician serving as the 49th and current mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. A Democrat, he was formerly the Councilman for Jersey City's Ward E. On May 14, 2013, Fulop defeated incumben ...

(born 1977, class of 1995),

Mayor of Jersey City The Mayor of the City of Jersey City is the head of the executive branch of the government of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances; prepare the annual budget; appoint depu ...

. *

Ben Jorgensen Ben Jorgensen is an American musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best-known as the lead singer and the guitarist of the rock band Armor for Sleep. Early life and education Jorgensen grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, and is of German ...

(born 1983, class of 2001), former lead singer and guitarist of Armor for Sleep. *

Daniel Och Daniel Och (born 1961) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager, and philanthropist. He is the founder, chairman and former CEO of Och-Ziff Capital Management, a global hedge fund and alternative asset management firm. According to ' ...

(born 1961), businessman and private equity investor. *

Micol Ostow Micol Ostow (born April 29, 1976) is an American author, editor and educator who has written more than 40 published works. Her first original hardcover novel, ''Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa'', was named a " New York Public Library Book for the ...

(born 1976, class of 1994), author, editor and educator. *

Adam Pally Adam Saul Pally (born March 18, 1982) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for starring as Max Blum in the ABC comedy series '' Happy Endings'' and as Dr. Peter Prentice in '' The Mindy Project''. He also starr ...

(born 1982), actor / comedian (didn't graduate). *

Gabe Saporta Gabriel Eduardo Saporta (born October 11, 1979) is an Uruguayan-American musician and entrepreneur. From the years 2005 until 2015, he was the lead vocalist and founder of the electropop band Cobra Starship. On November 10, 2015, after nearly ...

(born 1979, class of 1997), lead singer of

Cobra Starship Cobra Starship was an American dance-pop band founded in 2005 by Gabe Saporta (ex- Midtown), and headquartered in New York City. He recorded the first album as a solo project, ''While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets''. Saporta later enliste ...

. * Joshua Weinstein (born 1983, class of 2001), independent filmmaker who directed the

A24 A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. It is based in New York City. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Pr ...

film, ''

Menashe Manasses or Manasseh (;churchofjesuschris ...

'' (2017), and the feature documentaries, '' Driver's Wanted'' (2012) and ''Flying on One Engine'' (2008)."Alumni Profile: Josh Weinstein '01; The writer/director discusses his newly released Yiddish-language film, ''Menashe''"
''Schechter / Golda Och Academy Alumni Society News'', Spring 2017. Accessed September 13, 2019. ""There was a band called ''Random Task'' made up of four students from the Class of '01: Matt Goldman, Evan Winiker, Jeremiah Glazer and Ben Jorgensen.""

References

External links

Golda Och AcademyGolda Och Academy

{{Authority control 1965 establishments in New Jersey Conservative Jewish day schools Conservative Judaism in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1965 Jewish day schools in New Jersey Private elementary schools in New Jersey Private high schools in Essex County, New Jersey Private middle schools in New Jersey Schools in Union County, New Jersey West Orange, New Jersey