The Felicia Penzell Weber Jewish Community High School, often referred to as The Weber School, is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

and pluralistic Jewish community high school located in

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

, United States. Weber has approximately 350 students, the majority of whom come from The Epstein School, The Davis Academy,

Atlanta Jewish Academy Atlanta Jewish Academy was created by the merger of Greenfield Hebrew Academy and Yeshiva Atlanta on July 1, 2014. The school is the first Infant through 12th grade Jewish day school in Greater Atlanta. It previously had two campuses, the lower ...

, and other private and public schools.

History

Formerly named the New Atlanta Jewish Community High School or NAJCHS, the school opened with nineteen students in August, 1997. Classes were initially held in the in-town

Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social clubs, social, and Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish ...

before moving to modular units at the

Dunwoody Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. As a northern suburb of Atlanta, Dunwoody is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It was incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008 but its area establishment dates back to ...

campus of the Jewish Community Center. In September, 2003, the school was renamed the Doris and Alex Weber Jewish Community High School. In 2006, Weber held a dedication for their current facility at the corner of Abernathy and

Roswell Road State Route 9 (SR 9), (known locally as Highway 9) is an north–south state highway in the northern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. It travels from Atlanta to Turners Corner, north-northeast of Dahlonega. It is concurrent with ...

Sandy Springs Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

. Classes were first held in this facility in September, 2006. In November, 2014, the school was renamed the Felicia Penzell Weber Jewish Community High School, in honor of school co-founder Felicia Penzell Weber.

Academic program

Through an integrated college preparatory program of general and

Jewish studies Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (esp ...

, the school offers different levels of classes, including

college-preparatory A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or parochial school, parochial schools primaril ...

, honors, and

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

. All students are required to take seven courses each semester, with either (or both)

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

or Spanish as a foreign language. As part of the curriculum for 11th grade English and in partnership with

Kenny Leon Kenny Leon is an American director, producer, actor, and author, notable for his work on Broadway, on television, and in regional theater. In 2014, he won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for ''A Raisin in the Sun''. Career He gaine ...

's True Colors Theatre Company, Weber incorporates the literary works of

August Wilson August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...

and requires all students to participate in the August Wilson Monologue Challenge. The school offers a January term, called "

Haskalah The ''Haskalah'', often termed Jewish Enlightenment ( he, השכלה; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Euro ...

". Special elective classes are offered during this time. In partnership with the

Alexander Muss High School in Israel Alexander Muss High School in Hod HaSharon, Israel is a pluralistic study-abroad program in Hod HaSharon, Israel, for high school students. Programs run throughout the year and range in length from 6 weeks to 18 weeks. The school is a fully accredi ...

program, 12th graders may participate in a six-week long trip to

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 ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

during Haskalah. A

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

immersion Immersion may refer to: The arts * "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard * ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux * ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian group Pendulum * ''Immersion'' (film), a 2021 ...

trip is also offered to students in grades 10-12. Trips to both

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

are offered, each trip rotating and offered every other year.

Arts and technology

Weber offers a variety of programs and classes in the fine and performing arts, including drama, dance, drawing, painting, studio art, ceramics, photography, chorus, and band. Classes are also offered in

3D printing 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...

JAVA programming Java is a high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language that is designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. It is a general-purpose programming language intended to let programmers ''write once, run anywh ...

, video production, and mobile app development. The school has recently open an MIT inspired fabrication lab named The Daniel Zalik Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Design (DZA).

Accreditation

The school is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

(SACS), and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). In addition, Weber holds membership in: *

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boar ...

(NAIS) * Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) *

Georgia Independent School Association The Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) is an association of private, independent, and parochial schools throughout the state of Georgia. It was established in 1967 as the Georgia Association of Independent Schools, at the time a large n ...

(GISA) * Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools (AAAIS) *

National Association for College Admission Counseling The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), founded in 1937, is an organization of more than 25,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students transitioning from secondary to postsecondary education ...

(NACAC) * Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC) *

College Board The College Board is an American nonprofit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an association of colleges, it runs a ...

The Weber School is a founding member of the North American Association of Jewish High Schools.

Athletics

As of the 2016-2017 school year, Weber competes in the

Georgia High School Association The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) is an organization that governs athletics and activities for member high schools in Georgia, USA. GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association has 463 pu ...

(GHSA) in region 5-A. Previously, the school competed in the

(GISA). Over 75% of the students at Weber participate in the sports program, which includes cross country, volleyball, softball, basketball, wrestling, swimming, baseball, tennis, golf, soccer, and track & field. The School also offers weight training and yoga.

Other activities

The school offers a wide range of other co-curricular activities, including a

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

, DZA lab assisting, student council, student ambassadors, peer leadership, Peace by Piece

Model UN Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential learning ...

mock trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting ...

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

, Moot Beit Din,

Tikkun Olam ''Tikkun olam'' ( he, תִּיקּוּן עוֹלָם, , repair of the world) is a concept in Judaism, which refers to various forms of action intended to repair and improve the world. In classical rabbinic literature, the phrase referred to leg ...

board, math team, and robotics.

References

External links

The Weber School website

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weber School Private high schools in Sandy Springs, Georgia Preparatory schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Pluralistic Jewish day schools Jewish schools in the United States Jews and Judaism in Georgia (U.S. state) Jewish day schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1996 1996 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)