Herzlia’s 83rd AGM was held in person at the Herzlia High School auditorium and streamed on Wednesday night, 31 May 2023.
Board of Governors Chair, Hayle Marks, opened the event and reflected on the past year and all we have achieved, saying that “Herzlia is a school with a commitment to being an all-inclusive institution in every sense of the word. Our academic results speak for themselves with our 2022 Matrics achieving an average of 3,5 distinctions per person which is truly astounding and we can be very proud of our offering.”
Andries van Renssen, UHS Executive Director, focused on the strategic priorities for 2020-22 and how Herzlia has evolved. He looked at Herzlia’s new three-year set of priorities — not that much different from the past one — but with several fresh environmental challenges, including the challenges of load shedding, post-Covid social realities, and the effects it had on our pupils, parents and staff. Some highlights shared from the past 12 months included academic results, school ranking, Jewish Life & Learning programmes and facilities upgrades across multiple campuses.
“We are very future focused now and we are a lot more comfortable with the changes because with change comes learning and the discovery of new opportunities. This excites us. If it leads to the success of our pupils reaching their dreams, then we have succeeded in our mission. It is all of your efforts that are ensuring the sustainability of the school for the next generation.”
2023 UHS Educator Award
The UHS Directors’ Educator of Excellence award is presented annually to an educator at Herzlia who has consistently made a significant difference in the lives of pupils as well as making a positive impact on their day-to-day lives at school.
“This year’s recipient, Lauren Palte, is an alumnus and over many years has proven herself to be a true Herzlian, always keeping the ethos of Herzlia top of mind in everything that she does. She started her teaching career at Herzlia in 2013 and has since made a remarkable impact on pupils, parents and staff. The recipient of this award is a talented and passionate teacher who takes huge pride in her work and has indeed worked magic in bringing out the excellence of her pupils.
She has served as Head of Grade 10 for many years with incredible insight, expertise and professionalism and this year she agreed to take over as Head of Grade 7 where she immediately took a firm hold of the reins and has already made a huge impact on these young Herzlia High School pupils.”
2023 Chairman’s Cup
The Chairman’s Cup is awarded annually at the sole discretion of the Chairman to an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to the life and well-being of the greater Herzlia community. Someone who has embraced and enhanced the special character of our precious school.
There are many deserving candidates for this award; we are fortunate to have many people who are committed to our school and who perform every day to the best of their ability. But there can be only one winner and anyone who has had the opportunity to interact with her will know how incredibly professional, honourable and committed she is. Taryn Bernstein stepped into her current role nearly two years ago but has been a valuable member of the Herzlia staff for many more years than that. She performs every day with discretion, integrity and the highest level of care and attention to detail. She always gives of her best and will go the extra mile to ensure that the information she provides is accurate, clear and thorough. She is respected by all who deal with her not only within the school environment, but also within the community as a whole.
2023-4 UHS Board of Governors
Mazaltov, Kol Hakavod and Behatzlachah Rabah to the incoming UHS Board of Governors and a special, warm welcome to newcomers Claude Hanan and Herschel Berkowitz
Hayle Marks (Chair), Leor Atie, Louis Benjamin, Herschel Berkowitz, Gary Davidson, Matthew Gruzd (Immediate Past Chair), Claude Hanan, Warren Kilborn, Melanie Levy, Sharon Levy and Gia Whitehead (Independent)
• Published in the July 2023 issue – Click here to start reading.
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