EDUCATION

HEIDI PRESS

News Editor

A

kiva Hebrew Day
School's new headmas-
ter, Rabbi Zev Shiman-
sky, is quiet, friendly
and welcomes guests to
his office cheerfully. But, behind that I
tender, affable manner and friendly
smile lies a no-nonsense ad-
ministrator who runs a tight ship.
But there's nothing wrong with
that. It just shows a man who really
cares about the students who attend
the institution he directs. That in-
terest is reflected in a continuous
dialogue between students and prin-
cipal: "It's important for me to know
what the kids think, " Rabbi Shiman-
sky said. "It helps me to better run
my program."
His goal is to increase enrollment
in the Orthodox day school and pro-

84

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1988

Tough Stu

The new, soft-spoken headmaster of Akiva
Hebrew Day School seeks to make his
institution a model of efficiency and
educational excellence

vide quality programs in an organiz-
ed atmosphere. "I want to make
Akiva an efficient school, which
prides itself on excellence in educa-
tion in all areas of study." It is his
drive for efficiency, he said, which dif-
ferentiates him from other day school
administrators.
A native of New York, Rabbi
Shimansky, brother to Congregation
Beth Achim's Cantor Max Shiman-

sky, is no stranger to Jewish educa-
tion. He has a long line of credits as
teacher and administrator. Prior to
taking up his Akiva post in July, Rab-
bi Shimansky was the educational
director at Netivot HaTorah Day
School in Downsview, Ont. Previous-
ly, he was the principal at the
Heritage Academy at Longmeadow,
Mass; headmaster, the Hebrew
Academy, Houston, rIbxas; principal,

Hillel School, Rochester, N.Y.; director
of education, Beth Tfiloh Congrega-
tion, Baltimore, Md.; principal,
Syracuse Hebrew Day School,
Syracuse, N.Y.; and teacher, North
Shore Hebrew Academy and Great
Neck Synagogue Hebrew School, New
York. -
The major changes he will in-
stitute as headmaster of the Lathrup
Village-based Akiva will take place in
the early elementary, late elementary
and high school grades. The most
significant will be using Hebrew as
the language of instruction in Judaic
studies. In grades two-four, he will re-
institute a former Akiva program
called Tal Sela, which teaches
children Hebrew via text, workbooks,
library study, cassettes, games and
puzzles. Students in grades five and
six studying Hebrew will be taught
the language with an emphasis on
stories, Jewish customs and holidays.
The major focus in this program also