Pardes Hanna Agricultural High School ( he, בית הספר התיכון החקלאי פרדס חנה) established in 1935 by the Palestine Farmers Association, is one of the oldest agricultural high schools in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. It was the first agricultural high school in Israel that allowed students to prepare for

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

exams, while similar schools in the country concentrated only on teaching agricultural skills, with very little general education. Haklai-a-c1

The school was established originally for the children of farmers from

Pardes Hanna-Karkur Pardes Hanna-Karkur ( he, פַּרְדֵּס חַנָּה-כַּרְכּוּר) is a town in the Haifa District of Israel. In it had a population of . History An Arab village named Karkur had stood at this location by the time the Palestine Ex ...

and the vicinity, but soon it attracted students from farming families all over Israel. The school also operated a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

on the grounds. In 2003 the school had 1,647 students in grades 7-12 and employed 160 teachers. The school's yard was among the largest yards of any school in Israel and includes a commercial egg laying

chicken coop Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion chicke ...

, a

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

, a nursery, and a horse

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

. The school also owns large

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

and

Avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for i ...

orchards that allow students to conduct studies in fruit production. All the work in the different agricultural fields is conducted by the students, under the guidance of professional guides, and it is a part of every students course of studies at the school. All students must take one matriculation exam in an agricultural field of study. Until the end of the 20th century all student had the opportunity of getting a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

driver's licence A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

as part of their studies, a program that was stopped due to budget cuts. After a long budget crisis, bringing to the closing of the boarding school and reduction of much of the agricultural educational activities, in 2010 the school was transferred to the administration of the

Branco Weiss Branco Weiss (23 April 1929 in Zagreb, Yugoslavia – 31 October 2010 in Zurich, Switzerland) was a Swiss entrepreneur and patron. Life Weiss was born into a Jewish family from the Austrian province Burgenland which had settled in Croatia. ...

schools network. Among the school's graduates are

Moti Kirschenbaum Mordechai (Moti) Kirschenbaum ( he, מרדכי "מוטי" קירשנבאום; September 24, 1939 – September 25, 2015) was an Israeli media personality and documentarian. Biography Kirschenbaum was born in Kfar Saba in 1939. He studied in Pard ...

Yehuda Yannay Yehuda Yannay (born May 26, 1937) is a composer. He was born in Timișoara, Romania, and emigrated to Israel in 1951. In Israel, he studied at the Rubin Academy, Tel Aviv. He subsequently studied at Brandeis University, the Tanglewood Music Ce ...

composer,

Avraham Katz-Oz Avraham Katz-Oz ( he, אברהם כ"ץ-עוז, born 7 December 1934) is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset from 1977 until 1996, and as Minister of Agriculture from 1988 until 1990. Biography Born in Tel Aviv duri ...

the former Agricultural Minister,

Elazar Granot Elazar Granot ( he, אלעזר גרנות, 12 March 1927 – 19 September 2013) was an Israeli politician and a writer. Biography Born in Jerusalem during the Mandatory Palestine, Granot was educated at Pardes Hanna Agricultural High School, befo ...

, and General

Aharon Yariv Aharon Yariv ( he, אהרן רבינוביץ' יריב, 20 December 1920 – 7 May 1994) was an Israeli politician and general. Biography Aharon ("Aharale") Rabinovich (later Yariv) was born in Moscow in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialis ...

Notable alumni

Mody Kidon Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) refers to any of several hereditary forms of diabetes mellitus caused by mutations in an autosomal dominant gene disrupting insulin production. MODY is often referred to as monogenic diabetes to disting ...

Amnon Straschnov Amnon Straschnov ( he, אמנון סטרשנוב; born July 24, 1947) is a retired Israeli judge. Biography Amnon Staschnov was born in Pardes Hanna. After graduating from Pardes Hanna Agricultural High School in 1964, he went on studied law in t ...

References

External links

Official site
{{Coord, 32, 28, 28.64, N, 34, 58, 56.56, E, region:IL, display=title Pardes Hanna-Karkur Agriculture in Israel High schools in Israel Educational institutions established in 1935 Agricultural schools Buildings and structures in Haifa District 1935 establishments in Mandatory Palestine