BY SHELLEY LABINER
On the second night of this past Hanukkah, just as AMIT students in Sderot were presenting a scientific experiment they had researched to a panel of judges, an air-raid siren blared, warning of an incoming rocket from Gaza. Everyone in the room took cover, and soon after an Israeli missile intercepted the rocket. Miraculously, no one was hurt, even though rocket remnants were found on the school grounds the next day.
Sderot, a city in southern Israel that is less than a mile from the Gaza Strip, has grown accustomed to the sirens and rockets, which have killed a number of Israelis, wounded dozens, and caused millions of dollars in damage. These attacks have profoundly disrupted daily life in Sderot. Studies have shown that the sirens and explosions have caused severe psychological trauma in some residents and some 75% of children under 18 in Sderot suffer from post-traumatic stress, including sleeping disorders and severe anxiety. So how is it that the schools in Sderot are improving and the children are thriving? The one-word answer is AMIT. However, it is a much more complicated story.
The Sderot municipality asked the AMIT network to take over the management of all eight schools in the city in 2006. At the time, several of the schools were failing their students and the community, and many families left Sderot for other cities with better high schools. Today, it’s a markedly different story. Bagrut (matriculation exam) rates are soaring, students are learning STEM, robotics, cybersecurity, art and music, and are winning all types of competitions. Partnerships between the schools and local tech companies (now a regular part of the landscape) are flourishing. In just a dozen years, AMIT has made a significant educational and community-wide impact in a periphery town that was previously struggling.
Recently, I visited three schools in Sderot—AMIT HaRoeh, an elementary school, AMIT Sderot Religious Jr. and Sr. High School, and AMIT Sderot Gutwirth, a secular high school. What stood out the most at HaRoeh elementary school was the enthusiasm of the principal and teachers. HaRoeh’s student body had dwindled to 65 kids and was almost closed five years ago. Now there are 260 kids in 1st through 6th grades with two classes per grade. The students hail from diverse religious, secular, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and the school accepts everyone.
How did this happen? The principal told me that he empowered the teachers to change the school, and that is just what they did. For example, the art teacher turned the drab hallways into beautiful murals and the math teacher added multiplication tables to each step on the many staircases in the school. On the day I visited, the children were celebrating Tu B’Shevat with dried fruits and other tasty treats while learning about its significance in Jewish history. The joy emanating from students and educators alike was palpable, which is quite impressive considering that the children live and learn under the constant stress of possible attacks. To help them cope, the school provides them with art, sports, and animal therapy and teachers receive therapy as well. In addition, all the school buildings are bomb proof so that the students’ daily studies will not be affected each time a siren blares.
English lessons begin in the 1st grade and the teachers have created four different lesson plans designed to teach based on the children’s needs. The school is a pioneer for the AMIT pedagogical system in Sderot with the teachers and principal determining the best way to implement the Gogya approach. Some of the classrooms have been transformed into Gogya-style classrooms, with soothing colors and new furniture. I was fascinated watching 4th grade students working on their individual robotics projects. In 3rd through 5th grades, the school offers an excellence program and has a partnership with Amdocs, a leading software company with a campus in the area. Students visit Amdocs weekly and learn advanced English and computer programming. The school has also created a partnership with Sapir College in Sderot, in which the children learn to write newsletters and papers. Sderot has been attracting more high-tech companies and the impact of better employment opportunities is noticeable. Everything I observed, from the way teachers are empowered to make change to the Gogya method of teaching is very impressive. In fact, HaRoeh recently was awarded the Education Ministry’s prize for outstanding education at a religious school. Need I say more?
I also spent some time visiting the religious junior and senior high school, where there are four tracks—a yeshiva for boys, religious high school for boys, an ulpana, the equivalent of a yeshiva for girls, and a religious high school for girls.
I met with some of the girls who are participating in the FTC—First Tech Challenge, a competitive robotics program. “It opened my eyes to new possibilities,” said Zeva, who takes part in the program. “Now I know I want to do something in high-tech.” Two boys who participate in the Space Lab program at school made it to the national finals, and they hope their experiment wins the chance to head to NASA and ultimately into space. Both boys were so excited by the prospect; one said the program has inspired him to become a scientist, while the other wants to be an engineer. The entire school (640 students) has an overall 88% bagrut graduation rate, with 40% of the student body studying math at 4/5 bagrut levels and 60% at 4/5 English bagrut levels.
Next, I visited AMIT Gutwirth, the secular high school, one of 11 schools in Israel recognized for educational excellence. Years ago, the school was quite average, classes were all taught in a frontal presentation manner, and there was a dearth of STEM and advanced courses; now it has a 90% bagrut rate and volunteerism is a core requirement to graduate. In fact, the students created a program called Café Gutwirth, which helps the elderly in Sderot with shopping, delivery of packages, and offers companionship. A few other noteworthy programs include the robotics program in partnership with the Elbit corporation and the SYL, senior young leadership program, in which girls study a few afternoons a week at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheva.
Before AMIT took over the management of the Sderot school system in 2006, the municipality realized that a radical change was needed. It looked for an educational network that would raise the bar and offer Sderot’s children the tools for a better future.
Thanks to AMIT, parents in Sderot want their children to attend a local school. With all the advanced courses in biotech, computers, engineering, robotics, and the arts, AMIT is leading the educational revolution in Sderot and beyond.
Shelley Labiner is director of marketing & communications at AMIT.
