Calkins is losing his job because JAMD is elimi-
nating the campus affairs position and science
department head Stu Schultz is retiring at the end of
the school year. Schultz's replacement, an experi-
enced science teacher with degrees from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and JAMD
science teacher Mike Mally will be able to pick up
all science classes, Rabbi Buckman said.
"As difficult as it is to say goodbye to people who
have been an integral part of the school, some
restructuring had become necessary," Rabbi
Buckman said. "We won't let down the public.
There will be no net change in the quantity or qual-
ity of our teaching staff. In fact, there will be an
increase of one."
In addition to Schultz and Calkins, the school is
losing French instructor Kelly Underwood, who is
moving to France; Jewish studies teacher Rabbi
Scott Bolton, who will be head of school at a Jewish
day school in New Jersey; and mathematics depart-
ment head Gale Lawson, who will continue her pri-
vate tutoring business.

Teacher Jerry Gutman said he's "seen kids come
here without any Hebrew background, and what
they do is unbelievable."
Many students said that, although JAMD's reli-
gious studies curriculum is scrupulously non-dog-
matic, the atmosphere at the school has encouraged
them in a more Conservative-Orthodox direction.
"It's not pressure, but there's definitely a tendency
to become more observant," said 10th-grader David
Stiebel of Bloomfield Hills, who came to JAMD
from public school.
The Anstandig family of West Bloomfield belongs
to Congregation Beth Ahm, a Conservative syna-
gogue. But daughter, Deborah, a JAMD senior, has
"taken more of an observant path."
Anstandig, who will attend an Israeli yeshivah,
Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim, for a year before
beginning classes at the University of Michigan,
said, "Rabbi BuckMan was able to show me how a
shomer Shabbat (Sabbath observant) household
works. He's a living example for how I want to be in
my own life."

ground back in 2000 is returning to the school to
conduct a study of the senior class.
PEJE, the Boston-based association of Jewish phi-
lanthropists, is funding a 12th-grade retreat May 20-
21 iri Ann Arbor. In addition to planning gradua-
tion details, including a dvar Torah (speech analyzing
a Torah portion), and working on an info-mercial
about their trip to Israel, students will speak with a
PEJE-affiliated clinical psychologist who specializes
in adolescent development.
•
"We wanted to capture information about what it
was like being a pioneer," said PEJE's Bonnie
Hausman. "We'll be looking at what ways the school
might have affected their Jewish identity, their
future relationships with the school."
"Working with Rabbi Buckman is a great joy,"
Hausman added. "Whatever good ideas other schools
share with him, he takes them and makes them even
better. And we have information about good prac-
tices at JAMD that we can share with others."
JAMD students had little they wanted to change
for the future. "A bigger builOing," said David Stiebel,
"but I have no doubt that it's going
to
happen.
Jewish Identity
Members of the school's facilities
About 40 percent of each JAMD
committee, which includes JAMD
student's day is devoted to religious
and Federation representatives, are
studies.
looking at several different sites for
"The teachers do an objective job,
an eventual move off the
so it doesn't fall into any camp,
Applebaum campus. "Groundbreak-
Orthodox, Conservative or Reform,"
ing is at least three to five years
Avshalumov said.
away," Rabbi Buckman said.
The JAMD senior, who belongs to
Communities such as Los Angeles,
Adat Shalom Synagogue, headed the
Boston and Philadelphia have two
planning committee for a JAMD
significant advantages over metro
Shabbaton at the Grand Resort in
Detroit when it comes to day high
Mullett Lake. The event, which
school growth, he said.
included 11th- and 12th-graders,
"Many have multiple feeder
offered talks by rabbinic students
schools in each denomination," he
from the Orthodox, Reform and
said. 'And the Jewish population of
Conservative movements.
metro Detroit is less than half the
"Everyone was really excited about
size of the Jewish community of
it," Avshalumov said. "Kids kept
Greater Boston.
talking about it for a week or more
"But, when you compare the
afterward."
Senior Jason Garden speaks with Mitch Master, director of performing and fine arts.
modest — though certainly sizable
JAMD's founders were largely par- Most JAMD students have been in at least one school production, under the direction of
— Jewish population here, our size
ents of Hillel Day School students,
Master and Dan Greig, Spanish teacher and musical theater director.
is remarkable.
and the high school continues to
Financially, JAMD is becoming
attract about two-thirds of its stu-
more independent year by year,
dent body from the Conservative day school. From
Jason Garden had a different reaction to the
Rabbi Buckman said.
the Hillel perspective, 21 of the 31 eight-graders
school's Jewish atmosphere. "I'm a bit more knowl-
"One measure of the financial stability of an insti-
who graduated last June went on to JAMD, said
edgeable now," he said, "but it didn't change my
tution is the relationship between tuition income
spokesperson Marianne Bloomberg.
own perspective."
and income from other sources," he said. "In a high-
Rabbi Bdckman, who teaches second-year Talmud
A few of the Academy's pioneer students have left
ly stable school, income from tuition is proportion-
as well as leading the multi-stream high school, said
to finish their high school careers at other private or
ately high compared to donations."
JAMD's goal in Jewish studies is "to empower stu-
public schools.
Tuition at JAMD is $12,500; next year, it will rise
dents in the skills to analyze texts as independent
"Our daughter Ariella was in the first class of the
to about $13,500. With an operating budget of
learners. In addition, they develop analytical skills
Jewish Academy," said Hannan Lis of Farmington
about $2.5 million, the school allocates nearly
that serve them well in other disciplines at school."
Hills. "She made a personal decision to attend
$300,000 in financial aid, Rabbi Buckman said.
With six levels of Hebrew, rising to seven next
Roeper, unrelated to her experience at the Academy.
"Next year, we anticipate $325,000," he added.
year, Hebrew mastery is an important part of the
We continue to support the Academy and hope that
Kurzman said about 25 percent of the JAMD stu-
curriculum.
our three other children will attend the Academy
dents receive some form of financial assistance.
"When I came to the school, I went into Hebrew
after graduating from Hillel."
For Aronson, the school's greatest challenge is
III and Spanish I," said 10th-grader Danielle
increasing the size of the student body in an unsta-
Borovoy of West Bloomfield, a Hillel graduate. "My
ble economic environment.
Beyond The Pioneers
friend who went to Covington [a Birmingham pub-
"It's especially important to recruit more students
lic school] took Hebrew I and Spanish III."
The organization that helped JAMD get off the
DREAM COME TRUE on page 92

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