,
wit
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tro it works at maintaining quality curriculum
Jewish Academy of Metropolitan Detroit

DIANA LIEBERMAN

Staff Writer

I is a place where everyone knows your name
— and who's in your car pool.
The Jewish Academy of Metropolitan
Detroit, which opened in August with 53
freshmen and sophomores, wants to keep that inti-
mate atmosphere. It also seeks to maintain its strong
academic and Judaic programs and its wide range of
extracurricular activities.
The academy eventually wants to nudge its finan-
cial ledgers just over the line from red to black —
but not by sacrificing the school's quality programs
or caring atmosphere.
"We decided early on that we had to build the
best school we could from the first day opening,
because people were not going to give us two or
three years to learn to do this right," said Jeffrey
Garden, the academy's past president.
"So to be successful, we knew we had to go out
and find top-notch administrators, and hire the best
faculty that was available, from wherever we could
find them."
In addition, he said, a start-up venture always
requires more capital than it will in future years. "A
little bit of a deficit was projected," said Garden,
who did not reveal the amount of the projected or
actual deficit. "We found no other way. We would
not have traded off the level of the institution just to
make sure we were in the black when we started. I
don't think anybody [on the JAMD board] would
have agreed to do that."
Many institutions in Jewish education depend on

Above left: Stu Schultz, Federation's chief planning officer. In
fund-raising to supplement tradi-
JAMD
science department addition, the agency granted the school
tional sources of revenue. Under
head,
explains the latest another $350,000 to convert its space at
treasurer Robert Kleiman and presi-
computer
software to A. j. the West Bloomfield Jewish Community
dent Robert Roth, the academy is
Schostak, 13, of Beverly Center for school use and to make equip-
exploring grant, contribution and
Hills and West Bloomfield's ment purchases.
event options.
Deborah Rubyan and her
"In terms of the future support, we
"It's the norm," Roth said.
son,
Michael Rubyan, 13. don't know the amount at this point, but
"Certainly our tuition doesn't cover
our expenses."
Above right: The hallways we will certainly be providing it,"
The school is in the process of
were full during the Neistein said.
applying to be an agency of the
school open house.
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Top of page: Academy Seeking Students
Detroit, he said, which would bring
students sing On Nov. 28, the academy held an open
an annual allocation.
their school song. house for prospective students and their
"We are not worried about
families. The event drew about 300
finances," Garden said. "The bot-
people
to
the
JCC in West Bloomfield, filling the
tom line is, we're a successful school. We're getting
facility's
largest
meeting room, Handleman Hall
the kids to come out, and it's a good thing for the
and
Auditorium.
community."
The academy, which is located in classrooms on the
The academy has received a $750,000 three-year
grant from Federation, said Howard Neistein,
ACADEMY on page 10

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