SELF EXPRESSION THROUGH INTERPRETATION

Our students’ passion for learning is at the heart of our drama program. We greet their enthusiasm with open arms, teaching them how to present their best selves to the audience and to bring stage productions to life.

We foster a love of theater starting in the lower school, where students write and perform their own short plays in both English and Hebrew. These productions help build our students’ confidence by allowing them to showcase their knowledge and creativity.

Continuing in upper school, our students not only write and perform but also cast, light and choreograph entire productions themselves.

Our students’ appreciation for the theater continues well after they have graduated. Alumni of our drama program have gone on to earn degrees in theater and become celebrated playwrights, producers and set designers.

AP CAPSTONE TRACK

One of the most exciting programs at SSLI is the nationally acclaimed AP Capstone track. The AP Capstone program focuses on critical analysis, with an emphasis on credibility.

The Pre-Capstone program introduces our ninth graders to the fundamentals of fact-based research. The research topics are driven by the students’ individual interests. This encourages them to pursue interests and develop passions for topics they might not otherwise cover in high school.

AP Seminar, taken in the 10th grade, teaches our students to make evidence-based arguments by gathering, critiquing and evaluating information from multiple sources. AP Research (11th grade) then takes this one step further, emphasizing independent research as a way to develop and defend one’s own scholarly work.

EXCELLENCE THROUGH INGENUITY

At Schechter, we seek to give our students every opportunity to achieve their potential. Our engineering program provides the scaffolding they need to grow from curious learners to resourceful problem-solvers. The foundation for success in engineering begins in the Lower and Middle Schools.

The Engineering Track is a selective and award-winning 9th and 10th grade program. Opportunities to extend and apply engineering skills developed at the outset of high school continue through 12th grade. The goal of first year engineering is to introduce and experience civil, mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. Students learn through hands-on projects such as building bridges, and building increasingly complex circuits, by programming micro-controllers which in turn control sensors, LEDs, motors, switches and so on. Sophomore year’s curriculum is “Biomedical Engineering,” where students learn body systems, such as skeletal, muscular and circulatory. Halfway through each school year, Schechter engineering students are placed in teams, challenged to come up with a project that will help people or the planet and that is not a repetition of a product that is currently on the market. They are given a small stipend to purchase components and must create their invention within their budget. To stretch their budgets, students create custom-made components using the school’s fleet of 3-D printers.

Every year our students compete in the CIJE Young Engineers Conference and have taken home awards in multiple years. The CIJE Conference is a culmination of a year of coursework in the CIJE-Tech high school engineering curriculum. Students are tasked with conceptualizing, creating and engineering their own invention.

INSPIRING OUR SPIRIT

Our school celebrates music. Throughout the year, song and music bring our community together on many occasions as we celebrate holidays, rites of passage and life.

Music is the bond that holds our Kehila (community) together, from our youngest students in the Gan (Kindergarten) to our oldest high school Seniors. Throughout the year, Jewish milestones and holidays are celebrated with song and performances crafted by our talented musical directors for students and by students of all ages.

At SSLI, the music curriculum that starts in Gan ensures that all students learn to read music, play instruments and recognize important periods of musical history. Choirs in the lower, middle and high schools bring harmony and Schechter spirit to performances in school and venues all over Long Island.

LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Retreats are an integral part of our curriculum providing students unique learning opportunities and fostering school togetherness.

Experiential education is at our core. Our students receive a dynamic education which gets reinforced and expanded beyond the classroom walls.

Through our yearly grade trips, grade Shabbatons, and the highly anticipated High School retreat, students develop strong bonds with each other and a greater sense of responsibility towards their school community. They come away from these experiences with an increased sense of independence, a deeper understanding of our country’s history, a sensitivity to environmental issues and deeper connection to Jewish tradition.

BIG BROTHERS/SISTERS

Schechter knows that transitions can be tough for tweens and teens. Through the Peer Educators and Peer Connectors programs, middle school students and 9th graders meet regularly with trained high school students to learn how to handle a host of hot-button issues affecting today’s kids, including social media, time management, peer pressure, school safety, and more. Meeting regularly with high school peers gives each student a “big brother” and “big sister” to rely on for support, guidance and friendship. Many of these relationships continue long after graduation.

TWO ARE BETTER

“Tovim Hashnayim” (two are better) is an initiative in which students share joyful Jewish learning across grade levels.