I transferred to TABC just this year, after two years at a different school. I’d like to show you our school through the eyes of someone new.
The first day I arrived at TABC, I was blown away. I thought the glass-walled Beit Midrash in the center of the school was stunning. It represents the fact that the Torah is at the center of this school. Indeed, I’ve felt ever since that the “Torah environment” at TABC is very prevalent throughout the day.
The amazing opportunities to both learn and live a Torah lifestyle are the reasons that I switched to Torah Academy. I was also looking for a place where I could make new lasting friendships. So far, my expectations have been exceeded.
Although you might guess that I’d be years behind my peers in both friendships and familiarity with the school, luckily that is not the case. I had met some TABC students this past summer at NCSY Kollel; this gave me a great chance to meet a good number of people in my grade.
On that very first day of school, my friends from the summer ran around the building looking for me. They really made me feel at home. In addition, all of the teachers introduced themselves to me. One of them even helped me get into the building. The accepting environment hasn’t stopped since that first day.
I especially love the fact that the schedule allows for a lot of time to learn Torah throughout the day, including many times which are optional, like breakfast, Mincha break, and night seder. These times throughout the day, combined with Gemara, Chumash, and Navi, contribute to the tremendous amount of learning going on in TABC every day.
Our school is also very conducive to a festive environment on Rosh Chodesh by requiring all of the students wear white button-down shirts. In addition, the school bought donuts for the entire student body.
The hardest part about TABC for me has been the workload and the limited time to get everything done. School ends pretty late, and when extracurriculars are factored in, it is hard to finish all of the work on time.
The workload is even harder to complete for people who commute. For example, I used to live a 10-minute walk from school; now I have longer than a one-hour bus ride! But I’ve been able to manage everything so far.
TABC did not have so many surprises to me, but there have been some pleasant aspects of the Yeshiva that my friends told me about beforehand and I did not fully grasp before actually coming to the school. For example, the faculty is so caring and nice, even to students who aren’t in their classes.
When teachers who know me (even peripherally) see me in the hallway, they say hello. Additionally, one teacher helped me outside of school hours, using his own time, when I did not know the procedure of taking a makeup test. Furthermore, on my first day in school, Mr. Poleyeff helped guide me and made sure I had all my textbooks and a place to put them.
The best part of the school is that it provides a very high-level education in all areas. The many different levels in both Shiur and in secular classes ensure that each student has the best high school experience he can possibly have.
One of the best experiences I have had with my Shiur was when we got to visit our Rabbi’s sukkah on Sukkot. We all shared words of Torah and listened to each other. All in all, that was a very nice bonding experience and got me better acquainted with the rest of my class.
Combining 11th and 12th grade for Shiur is something that I had previously been unfamiliar with. I think this is a great strategy. Getting to meet people a year older than me, who have already been in Shiur for a year, was definitely a rewarding experience. The 11th graders felt challenged to keep up with the twelfth graders.
While I already know a large percentage of the twelfth grade, I am very unfamiliar with the 9th and 10th graders. One program that helps to change this unfamiliarity is the Tzurba D’Rabanan Program, which is for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. Every day for about 30 minutes during the Mincha break, students in “Tzurba” (as it is affectionately known) learn Torah together.
This year, I basically only get to meet 9th and 10th graders at special events, but next year I will be in Shiur with the current 10th graders.
One event where I got to meet the current 9th and 10th graders was the Eitan Katz concert before Rosh Hashana. We all got to listen to great music and feel inspired together. A very exciting part of this was that I got to show my father around the school for the first time as a student. We enjoyed the music together.
After a student has graduated TABC, he will know the people in the classes above and below him very well, having been with them in Shiur for 2 years each. These are some of the people that we will be interacting with when we are alumni of the yeshiva, and this creates a great sense of unity.. This school is a place of loving and living Torah.
In summary, the environment at TABC has been very warm, and the academics, extracurriculars, and programs have been great. I am looking forward to the next two years!