Gann Academy

History

Gann Academy was founded in 1997 as The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston by former head of school Daniel Lehmann. It was originally adjacent to Brandeis University. Lehman intended for the school to be a place to foster a sense of community among students from different forms and expressions of Judaism.

Casually nicknamed "New Jew," it opened with 48 students in the 9th and 10th grades. In the Fall of 1998, the school moved to the top four floors and basement of the Fleet Bank building (BankBoston at the time) at the intersection of Prospect Street and Main Street in Waltham, seeking larger facilities and a more permanent home. It used the basement of the local Temple Beth Israel for additional classroom space. The school changed its name in 2003 in honor of philanthropist Joseph Gann, who had donated $5,000,000. In 2004, Gann moved into a newly built 110,000 sq. ft. campus building in Waltham. The land the campus was built on was formerly occupied by the Murphy Army Hospital.

The 2005 documentary Hineini focused on the school, and one student's efforts to create a gay–straight alliance there.

Judaism

Gann Academy is a pluralistic day school with students and faculty coming from a number of different denominations of Judaism. There are students of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Secular, and non-denominational backgrounds.

Students have mandatory Tefillah two days a week but have a variety of different options as to what type to attend. The school as a whole keeps vegetarian dairy kosher, and students may not bring meat into the building.

Academics

The school has a student-teacher ratio of 5:1. In addition to general studies such as STEM, language and arts classes, the school's curriculum includes classes which focus on Judaism, Jewish history and the Hebrew language. The school's history program places a heavy emphasis on debate and civics. In 2007, Jonathan Golden, chair of the history department, described the school's approach as "a John Dewey-inspired experiment in democratic education." The school has an acapella group called the ShenaniGanns.

Athletics

Gann Academy offers the following in terms of sport:

• Basketball
• Yoga
• Fitness
• Farming
• Tennis
• Frisbee
• Hiking
• Table Tennis
• Volleyball
• Running
• Soccer

Campus

The school's Waltham campus was designed by architect Steve Friedlander.

References

References

1. https://www.gannacademy.org/page/about/gann-facts {{Dead link. (February 2022)
2. "Leadership & Trustees | Gann Academy".
3. "Gann Academy Tuition & Affordability Programs | Gann Academy".
4. (2018-06-26). "Words to Live By: Sacred Sources for Interreligious Engagement". Orbis Books.
5. "Boston's New Jewish High School is growing up". Haaretz.
6. Meyers, Helene. (2021-09-17). "Movie-Made Jews: An American Tradition". Rutgers University Press.
7. Liu, Eric. (2004-12-28). "Guiding Lights: The People Who Lead Us Toward Our Purpose in Life". Random House Publishing Group.
8. Philanthropies, Combined Jewish. (2005-01-01). "The Jews of Boston". Yale University Press.
9. Peterson's. (2011-05-01). "Private Secondary Schools". Peterson's.
10. (2011-04-02). "International Handbook of Jewish Education". Springer Science & Business Media.
11. (2021-06-17). "Gann Academy's ShenaniGanns a hit with Fenway fans at Jewish Heritage Night".