The AMIT Elaine Silver Technological High School in Beersheva is a unique educational institution. Its student body comprises 115 teens in grades 9–12, all of whom have been labelled “at risk.” The students come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and many have dysfunctional home lives, where they have witnessed the ravaging effects of alcohol, drugs and criminal involvement. AMIT Elaine Silver gives them the opportunity to turn their lives around and pursue an education.
AMIT Elaine Silver offers vocational tracks that allow students to earn a full matriculation certificate or the 14-unit technological or vocational diploma that is necessary for continuing onto a junior college, other higher educational frameworks, and for serving in a specialized army unit. The track options are IT (information technology), automotive electronics, and design. The design major, which is served by the art wing dedicated by the Silver family, is divided into three tracks: woodworking and art; practical art (painting, clay, sewing, etc.) and graphics. AMIT Elaine Silver is the only religious in Israel to offer graphics to boys. All the tracks give the students technical skills and practical experience in high-demand professions, making them attractive candidates for the army and for employment after they complete their service.
There are also several enrichment initiatives available to the students, including landscaping, dog training and a program that integrates students into industry. These courses are fun, provide an out-of-the-classroom outlet for students during the school day, and, most important, provide hands-on experience that helps with job placement during vacations and after school.
The year-long landscaping course, introduced in the 2015-2016 school year, is proving to be both popular among students and successful. The course, open to 9th through 11th graders, combines classroom studies with hands-on training to teach the art of designing outdoor public areas, landmarks and structures. The course is led by Zev Fishfeder, a professor at Beersheva’s Etgar College. It prepares students to become certified landscapers at the culmination of their studies, enabling them to get good jobs in this growing field. It also teaches responsibility, work ethics and contribution to society. Considering that some of the students who choose this course come to the school with criminal files, this is no small accomplishment.
The students learn how to choose the correct types of plants for the area in which they are working, how to plan a garden and design a watering system, as well as the practical side of running a business. The students get hands-on experience, as they are responsible for the upkeep of the school grounds, and do volunteer landscaping around the city, including the grounds of a nursing home and public spaces.
School graduates who have completed the landscaping course have gone on to serve in the IDF’s logistics and maintenance departments, where they can use the skills they have acquired to serve their country while benefiting from meaningful army duty.
The school is very excited about the Chana Cohen Nussbaum, a”h, Art Wing, generously dedicated by the Silver family, which houses a graphics and practical art room for students who choose to major in design. The teacher is a trained art therapist who brings therapeutic methods to her work with the students. The art students work together on a community project that builds self-confidence and a sense of purpose while instilling the value of communal responsibility. This year’s project was creating games for neighborhood nursery schools. The art majors are also responsible for decorating the school and creating all the artwork that adorn the campus’s various buildings.
