More on Guiding Purposes.

Kadima Hebrew Academy's elementary school is a Solomon Schechter School. The middle school, because it is a joint project with Heschel West, is not. What makes a Schechter School? It's a good question. Rabbi Jim Rogozen, the Head of School of the Gross Schechter Day School, in Ohio, posits one the best explanations I've seen, here. The key language:

"But there's one more ingredient, one that is intellectually exciting and compelling. In Mishle (Proverbs) 3:6 we read: "B'chol drachecha da'ehu" — "In all of your ways know God." I take this to mean that all avenues of study, all areas of knowledge, can and should be seen as ways to comprehend the wonder of God and of the universe. Put another way, there is no such thing as "secular" or religiously insignificant knowledge; everything we learn can inspire us and help us along our path. It follows, then, that all learning is important (on the global level) and is ultimately impactful (on the personal level)."

I think that everyone at Kadima implicitly gets this, regardless of whether they are in the elementary school or the Middle School.

Unfortunately, the Schechter brand has lost some of its identity in California. Go East, and many, if not most, stakeholders have a very defined conception of what a Solomon Schechter education means. In Los Angeles, a Solomon Schechter school means that the school is associated with the Conservative Movement and thus more "religious" than a non-Schechter non-Orthodox day school. Of course, defining what the Conservative Movement is presents its own complexities.

This is unfortunate, because the guiding philosophy underpinning the Schechter schools--and Kadima--is quite meaningful.

We need to do a better job of articulating it.