Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy
| Yeshiva University High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , NY, | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private High School, Yeshiva |
| Established | 1916 |
| Principal | Rabbi Mark Gottlieb |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Number of students | 300 (in the 2005-2006 school year) |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Lion and Moose |
| Accreditation | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Affiliation | Modern Orthodox Judaism |
| Website | www.yuhsb.org www.atclub.org |
The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy, also known as MTA or TMSTA , is a Modern Orthodox Judaism Jewish day school (or yeshiva), the boys' high school of Yeshiva University (YU).
History
The Talmudical Academy (TA), as it was originally called, was founded in 1916 by Rabbi Bernard Revel. He had become president of the institution that was to become Yeshiva University a year earlier, in 1915, when the "Rabbinical College of America" (a short-lived name) had been formed from the merger of two older schools, an elementary school founded in 1886 and a rabbinical seminary founded in 1896. As the elementary school soon ceased to exist, the high school is thus one of the oldest components of the University.
TA was the first Jewish high school in America, and the first ever to feature a dual curriculum, now standard in Jewish schools, of Judaic and secular studies. It was originally located on the Lower East Side, and moved to Washington Heights with the rest of Yeshiva in the late 1920s. The building originally planned for the High School alone was shared with the other schools of the University for many years before the campus expanded; today, that building is almost entirely occupied by the High School, and the other buildings of the University's main campus (including a dormitory for MTA students) surround it.
TA was later joined by a brother school, the Brooklyn Talmudical Academy ("BTA"), founded in the 1940s. While the Manhattan school remained, officially, "TA," it became popularly known as "MTA," the Manhattan Talmudical Academy, and, rarely, the Uptown Talmudical Academy, or "UTA." While the name "MTA" has never been official, it remains the most popular name for the school. Two girls' high schools were founded as well, Central Yeshiva High School in Brooklyn in the 1950s and a Manhattan school in the 1960s. Eventually, all four were eventually simply named by borough and gender, e.g., "Yeshiva University High School for Boys- Manhattan," but the popular names remained.
The Brooklyn schools, which had moved to a joint campus in 1967, were closed and merged in the 1970s into their Manhattan counterparts; still later, in the 1980s, the girls' school was merged into a Queens school. The latter is now called "Samuel H. Wang Yeshiva University High School for Girls" (or simply "Wang"), but is still commonly referred to as "Central," while the boy's school, since the 1970s, has been known as "The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy- Yeshiva University High School for Boys" (or simply "TMSTA" or, more recently, "MSTA"), but is still commonly referred to as "MTA."
The school's golden age was during the 60s and 70s. However, by 1999, Rabbi Norman Lamm, President of Yeshiva University, wanted to close the high school down. At that point, the students and faculty of the school had a mass rally, which helped sway Rabbi Lamm to not close the school. The school was still in trouble due to both financial problems and issues with students.
Rabbi Michael Hecht, who had been teaching at the school for many years, became Dean and effectively saved the school. In September of 2005, Rabbi Mark Gottlieb, formerly the Principal of Maimonidies Day School in Boston, assumed the role of Head of School, and vowed to take the institution in a new direction. This new vision, informally named "The NEW MTA", attempted to impose stricter dress codes, tighter restrictions on building use, and an overall crackdown on many activities that the MTA administration had let pass in previous years. This vision encountered some student opposition, and created a sharp divide between the administration and the students. Rabbi Gottlieb also envisioned an active Student Body, and so he formed the Student Government. The "New MTA" has not yet fully been implemented, and continues to be a controversial issue at the institution, due to the sweeping changes that Gottlieb is attempting to make at an institution which prides itself on its traditions. One change that has met with particular opposition from some is the creation of a separate Tanach class, which takes away time from the Talmud class, the focus of the Torah studies.
Current status
MTA is currently led by Rabbi Mark Gottlieb, Head of School; Mr. Yaakov Sklar, Principal; Dr. Seth Taylor, General Studies Coordinator; and Rabbi Mayer Schiller, Mashgiach Ruchani. Additional administrators include Gilbert Perl (who is stepping down at the end of the year to be a dean in Memphis), Rabbi Jon Green, and Rabbi Shalom Richter.
Values
The main value of the school is based on that of the university, Torah Umadda. This idea emphasizes teaching both Limudei Kodesh (Torah studies) and general (secular) studies. Limudei Kodesh classes are taught in Jewish studies including Gemara (Talmud), Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), and Halakha (Jewish law). These classes comprise the morning session of the day. In the afternoon session, the students participate in a general studies program. Many of these classes end with Regents or Advanced Placement tests.
Classes
The school offers morning classes in Gemara and Tanakh. In the afternoon the school offers secular classes, including an AP course in 12th grade. Students can take AP European History and AP American History in 10th and 12th grade respectively. The 11th grade may take courses in AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Biology, and AP Computer Science. Additionally, seniors have the option to take courses in Yeshiva College and Sy Syms School of Business.
Student activities
The students in the school are able to participate in many extracurriculars. On the athletic side, the school fields Varsity and Junior Varsity basketball, hockey, and softball, as well as baseball, wrestling, bowling, and soccer teams. For the more intellectually inclined, there are College Bowl, Torah Bowl, Mock Trial, Model UN, Model Congress, chess, Debate, Extemp, @Club (the computer club), and Math teams, as well as the Business and Finance Club. The students also publish a number of publications including The Academy News (school newspaper), Shema Koleinu (weekly Dvar Torah newsletter), The Scope (school magazine), Yagdil Torah (Torah essay journal), Currents (current events magazine), HaTzioni (Zionist publication), Pearls of Wisdom (book of students' literary works), and the Elchanite (yearbook).
Recently, the school has been sending "student delegations" to foreign countries during the winter break to promote jewish awareness and support Israel. In 2004, the students visited Palau (Micronesia), in 2005, Germany, and in 2006, Turkey and Israel.
Famous Alumni
Elon Gold - actor and comedian of Stacked fame
Alan Dershowitz - famed lawyer and author
Meir Kahane - attended BTA
Richard Joel (class of 1968) - President of Yeshiva University