Israel Arts and Science Academy: Difference between revisions

The Israel Arts and Science Academy (IASA) is a national, residential high school for bright and motivated Israeli students. It opens its doors in September of 1990. IASA was the first high school in the west which combined studies in: Science, Music, Humanities and Art. The students are immigrants and native-born religious and secular Jews and Israeli Arabs (Muslim, Christian and Druze. They come from over 100 communities across Israel. Our student body consists of approximately 300 students, including day students from Jerusalem, in addition to our residential students.

These students represent the best and the brightest in the country and are accepted without regard for their financial ability; 70% receive deserved scholarship assistance. They have the best ability and potential to contribute to future society. Attendance at IASA is a life-changing experience. The goals are excellence, leadership and community service. Pluralism and mutual respect are natural outcomes of living in the IASA community. The relationship between the teachers and students is deep and reinforcing. Admission is based solely on merit. Tuition is discussed only after the student is accepted. Scholarship assistance, if required, is then arranged.

Measuring the achievements of IASA graduates is a continuing work-in-progress. Ninety-five percent of our graduates go on to perform military service. Of the more than 1,000 graduates who’ve had enough time since graduating, approximately 25% have earned their PhD’s. This is strong evidence that IASA graduates will significantly contribute to the future academic leadership of Israel in many fields of endeavor.

“Talpiot” is the most exclusive program of the Israel Defense Force (IDF). Annually, Talpiot accepts only fifty of approximately 100,000 high school graduates. They must serve for nine years. Talpiot has been responsible for most of the innovations Israel has developed for use by the IDF. Despite the small size of IASA, more Talpiot members are graduates of the Academy than any other school.

Sh’nat Sherut is a voluntary year of public service graduates of Israeli high schools may undertake in addition to their army service. Nationally, 2.8% of high school graduates volunteer for this program. This past year, with permission granted by appropriate army offices, 42% of IASA graduates volunteered for Sh’nat Sherut. This is a result of IASA’s unique Crown Community Service Program. Every IASA student provides community service every Tuesday afternoon during his or her entire three years at IASA.

IASA's Music Department was shaped by the visions of three important educators: the Israeli composer and ethnomusicologist Andre Hajdu (student of Zoltán Kodály, Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud), as well as the composer and educator Michael Wolpe and the teacher of ear-training, Bat Sheva Rubinstein. The Music Department has produced a generation of young Israeli musicians, different from the mainstream of the Israeli music scene.

The studies in the Art Department consist of painting, sculpting, photography, and video art classes. Students also study the history of modern art and classic art. In their second year, students write their own academic paper about any art topic they choose. In their third year, students work on their final practical exhibit.

The Humanities Department

The Humanities Department was opened in the 2007–2008 school year. It was already opened in a partial experimental format in the school year of 2006-2007. The students learn by the "Great books" curriculum. Where the emphasizes are on reading primary sources, group discussions, commentary, analysis and academic writing. In the Department's "Unique Program", the students participate in several courses which are arranged in a chrono-historical order, from Ancient Greece to the Modern Era. Each course has a different dominant discipline, but the program is interdisciplinary in its nature. The students submit during every course several academic papers in a vary scale. Besides the "Unique Program", the students are obliged to three other requirements:

1. Study of a second foreign language: besides the mandatory English studies in Israel's school system, The Department's students are obliged to learn Arabic, French or Latin. Students with a background knowledge of another language may learn it instead.
2. Enhanced studies of two subjects: the student may choose between: History, Bible, Literature, Jewish thought and Philosophy. A student that wishes to study an exact science, may do so within the Science Department's "Secondary science" studies.
3. Writing a final dissertation: the students write a thesis in any humanities' field of knowledge. All of the dissertations stands in a very high academic standards, and are written under the instruction of M.A.'s and P.H.D.'s from academic institutes and from the school's staff. The Students often participate and win in competitions for remarkable dissertations held by the Ministry of Education and other research institutes.

The students often go on school trips, usually to locations which are relevant to the "Unique Program" studies (e.g. Judaean Desert, Jerusalem's Old City, etc.). Since the 2012–2013 school year, students and teachers of the department hold a "Book Club". Every month or so, all of the members read a literary work and conduct a meeting where they discuss and analyze the piece.

Alumni

Notable alumni include the Israeli Arab journalist Sayed Kashua, composers Aviya Kopelman and Matti Kovler, Eran Shir, the founder of Dapper.Inc. and others.

Saying that following Israel's actions in Gaza, "courageous civic activism" had become necessary, dozens of graduates of the IASA published a letter in December 2014 calling on Israelis to refuse serving in the IDF, become conscientious objectors and to stop what they view as oppression of Palestinians. Deputy Education Minister Avi Wortzman protested the letter of the alumni, saying, "The signers of the letter are using the name of the school to gain media attention, and this is a terrible act".

External links

• The Society for Excellence through Education official site
• IASA's official site
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