A Diverse Faculty

by Anna Hardcastle

Despite the one hundred extra-curricular activities, extensive list of college acceptances and wide array of accelerated courses, one of the most prominent things that sets North Shore Hebrew Academy High School apart from other yeshivas is its diversely cultured faculty body.

Malcolm Forbes defined diversity as “the art of thinking independently together.” He further said, “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” NSHAHS is a school committed to Jewish orthodoxy; however, it receives teachers and instructors for its students with an open mind, regardless of cultural or religious background, contributing to its varied and vast faculty and administrative population. Headmaster Dr. Daniel J. Vitow prides himself on the contrast of his faculty conglomeration. He gladly says, “I believe that our planning and our daily functioning are much enhanced by the multiple perspectives that these individual and very different minds provide.”

Through the diverse population of faculty and staff, students of NSHAHS are offered an authentic look at the world they live in as well as the opportunity to prepare themselves for their future outside of the sheltered environment that a Yeshiva day school provides. Mr. Richard McManus, chemistry master at NSHAHS, says, “It is valuable that our students experience other points of view outside of the ‘cocoon’ of their own background.” Not only do students of NSHAHS have the unique opportunity to learn about other religions and customs from their teachers, but the knowledge is reciprocated; teachers themselves find themselves learning from their students. “One of the most interesting aspects of teaching at NSHAHS is the opportunity to observe the philosophical parallels among and the differences between Judaism and Christianity,” math teacher Mrs. Jodi Mondi says. “The aspect I admire most about Judaism is the intellectual component which I find is not as prominent in other religions.” English teacher Mr. William Muir, a Catholic, says, “I love working at NSHAHS and further learning about the origins of monotheism.” 

The faculty body at NSHAHS, comprised of a wide array of religious and cultural backgrounds, provides for open minds. As junior Benny Khakshoor says, “Learning about the backgrounds of my non-Jewish teachers only adds to my understanding of religion and Judaism as a whole.” Students and teachers alike find that the diversity on campus offers an expanded range of learning.