What Type of Student Does WYHS

Seek to Enroll?

WYHS wants to admit every student who applies to our school. By applying, a child is saying that he/she desires our 50/50 Judaic/college preparatory studies curriculum, and longs for our combination of academic challenge and spiritual inspiration. In the past few years, there has been a self selection of students applying to WYHS. In fact, almost all of the students who apply to WYHS are invited to join the student body.

Why would WYHS not accept a student? Firstly, if WYHS would actually hurt the student academically. Despite WYHS' multiple levels in each subject, not every student can handle a dual curriculum. It's not fair to take such a student, because he/she will not be able to graduate from our high school or gain acceptance to college.

Secondly, WYHS' most solemn responsibility is to protect its students. It is our duty to our parents and students not to accept a student who we believe would pose as a risk to other students, or take away from their experience at WYHS.

Lastly, WYHS' raison d'etre is to inspire Jewish teenagers to choose to lead Jewishly-committed lives. There are teenagers who will be turned off to Judaism by daily davening, a conservative dress code, and not starting what most Americans consider high school until after lunch.

WYHS loves parents, but in admissions, cares primarily about the students. Sometimes a parent wants a child to come to WYHS, but the child is not interested. It isn't fair to subject a teenager who really isn't interested in the demanding and all-encompassing WYHS experience.

G-d willing, WYHS is going to enroll its largest class yet in September. As our school enrolls, G-d willing, its first class of over 60 students, we are redoubling our efforts to make sure that we can deliver the same care and concern to every student as the day we opened our doors to our first classes of 18 and 25 students.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Perry Tirschwell