On Wednesday, September 12 at Darchai Menachem’s “Meet the Teachers” evening, four staff members were recognized for their dedicated efforts and were presented with the prestigious Eisenberg Award.
Generously sponsored by Jerry and Sharon Eisenberg, the Eisenberg Award is a project of the Crown-Heights based Menachem Education Foundation and offers a monetary award to teachers who excel in implementing the innovative Zekelman standards for Judaic Studies and Data Driven Instruction in their classrooms.
Awarded annually to nominees who participate in MEF’s programming, the recognition honors top educators across the country and last year Darchai Menachem led the field with largest number of teachers from a single school to be honored.
“Darchai’s teachers really worked together as a team,” Rabbi Zalman Shneur, director of the Menachem Foundation noted. “They are so devoted to their students that when given the opportunity to bring in these newly developed skills they quickly adopted them and went full force.”
“Not only did they continuously assess and monitor their instruction and the level of student learning but they analyzed the data and created curriculum maps and individual action plans for each student, knowing at any time exactly where each one was holding.”
Rabbi Shneur also thanked Rabbi Eyal Bension, principal of Darchai Menachem, for being on the forefront of adapting new techniques in Chinuch.
A full-house of parents and teachers looked on as the awardees: Rabbi Mendy Hershkop, Rabbi Shuie Samuels, Rabbi Shmuel Geisinsky and Rabbi Meir Perelstein were presented the award by Rabbi Shneur and Mr. Jerry Eisenberg.
Mr. Eisenberg sponsored the award in memory of his brother Yaakov Velvel (Billy) Eisenberg, an acclaimed educator for over 33 years who’s first Yahrtziet is this month.
“The work of the Menachem Foundation here in your school and on Jewish children’s education in so many other schools is so important.” Eisenberg told parents. “I am honored to be a part of something that is such a real benefit to your children.”
Eisenberg was then thanked for his commitment to advancing Jewish education and presented with a beautiful Machzor for Rosh Hashana.
“The beginning of a new school year is an opportune time to recognize what has been accomplished until now,” Rabbi Shneur said. “But it is also a time to set our sights on the future. We at the MEF are excited about the many new schools that are participating in the Zekelman standards this year and hope to be able to award many more educators as they rise to the task.”
