Presence

They're splitting the boys and girls schools.

Thanks for the news. We won't be moving up to the Baltimore area for another year or two, depending on when my company is moving, but that is the school my wife has been zeroing in on with her school research.

good job cub reporter. work on your spelling and perhaps the jewish times will be calling!

Fascinating - I cannot wait to hear more.

it is hard to type on my phone. bnos yisrael is NOT moving to BHU next year.

whoa.

good job at the liveblogging!

So basically we have a company who's CEO and Board of Directors was derelict and irresponsible in their duty, put the company on the brink of extinction AND ARE STIL ALLOWED TO RUN THE VERY COMPANY THAT THEY BURIED? Who does that?

This is a band aid at best. Until the real problem is addressed and life is breathed into the institution, they will be in the same spot in two years from now. The fish stinks from the head.....

As a former, full tuition paying parent I say kol hakavod to YR. What better time to make this announcement than right before Ta'anit Esther. Fast days, are days that we as Jews should take a moment and look at our selves with some type of retrospection. How refreshing is it that we have an institution that has decided to take a real serious and deep look at itself and what is all about? YR was not created for the purpose of providing only co-education. YR has never been about that, although some parents might choose not to see it that way. Part of the success of YR is it's dedication to excellence in both limudei kodesh and chol. On top of that, part of YR's demise comes from its success. Look how many family's have made aliyah, who once paid full tuition. How about the Kollel Mitzion? I understand that it's not what it used to be, but nothing like that has ever existed before in Baltimore. I can not thank YR enough for providing my kids with a high quality education while they were in Baltimore. It would be a shame if YR had to close its doors, just b/c some people can not see beyond a larger good, which is a devotion to Torah, Avodah, and Eretz Yisrael.

I for one am ecstatic about the changes. They seemed to really face the problems regarding the school head on - it was embarassing to hear some of the other parents complain and make derogatory comments about others in the community. I am new to the school so I do not carry all the baggage that others carry - I was so encouraged that the school's vision was so carefully considered and that they have a real plan here. I also was moved by the commitment all of the board had made to doing this correctly. I couldn't care less if they made some mistakes before, they got it right this time.

I think Richard Nixon is dramatically overstating his case. Rambam is hardly at the brink of extinction - the worst of which its administration can be accused is the delayed recognition of the need to broaden its appeal. Given the fact that everyone involved has more-than-full-time jobs with which to occupy themselves (at which they excel, in my view), this hardly rises to the level of impeachment, or whatever.

Also, the criticism ignores the wisdom in moving somewhat gradually, so as not to overly disrupt current operations.

Here is something I posted on the Facebook site:

Hi Everyone,
It's been a while. I am going to take a risk and "join" this group although it might give the mistaken impression that I agree with the message of this group.

As a former rebbe and someone who cares about each of you, as well as Rambam, I am saddened by what I have read here. There seems to be a combination of immaturity and a lack of appreciation of a decision that is religiously the correct one.
I hope that those of you who are truly open minded will read what I write and think about what I am saying. Let me clear that no one has asked me to write this. I am merely doing this becasue I care.

There are times in life when tough decisions have to be made. At those moments, one has to do what is logical not what is easy or what they wish they could do. Rambam is not surviving finacially. They can pretend that everything is ok, but it is not. There are two choices, let the school close or change to survive. The logical choice is to survive. Even if I were to agree, and I don't, that being coed was important, sometimes you amputate a limb to save the body.

Religiously, it is hard to argue with this decision. Last year, Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, a Rosh Yeshiva from Gush and the son-in-law of Rav Soloveitchik, made it clear that boys and girls should be separate. There are many statements of Chazal where it is clear that the mixing of boys and girls is a problem. The fact is, if the othodox part of modern orthodox means anything, and it should, then the fact that no serious posek or gadol of any haskafa advocates co-ed schools should mean something to you.
I hope you will read what I have written think about it and share your thoughts. Please have the guts to leave this post up and not delete it.

Rabbi Sommer

It would seem that securing and operating another school building for the boys would involve some significant amount of expense. Would those costs be outweighed by even a bigger-than-hoped-for increase in attendance?
Would prospective parents who are not in favor of co-education require a separate building, or would they be satisfied with just separating all the classroom instruction?

The pen anme of "Soon to be BT Parent" says it all. Why the rush to jump to conclusions? I do not deny that some of your questions are legitimate, but you seem to be out the door before waiting to hear any answers. I know Dr. Shloush and rabbi Lubetski quite well. I have no doubt that they have considered all of these issues at are confident that that they can, in fact, make the split without sacrificing academic integrity. While there are many wonderful peope involved with BT, I would also suggest that you be sure to recognize that the social environment at the school is very different from the one at Rambam. To ignore that would be a big mistake.

Running up a $1MM deficit, does not sound particularly professional to me. I was under the impression that YR ran a tight and professional ship. Running up this type of deficit and not letting parents know until it is threatening survival sounds like something one of the more “yeshivish” schools would do. This situation is very contrary to the reputation that YR has earned in our community.

“60% of families that looked at rambam but did not send their kids said it was because of the co-ed”. The operative word is “SAID”. I think that many parents (me included) use this as a simple, mostly inarguable point when asked why they did not choose YR. There are several other reasons why we do not send to YR, but the simplest and most expedient answer is that it is co-ed. I truly doubt that making this change will significantly increase enrollment. I wonder if the increase will be offset by the decrease in enrollment that this will cause as people in favor of co-education will consider other schools such as Beth Tfiloh, etc.

Josh: for the sake of the school, would you mind outlining your reasons for not sending to the school? Your anonymity is assured.

"Running up a $1MM deficit, does not sound particularly professional to me. I was under the impression that YR ran a tight and professional ship. Running up this type of deficit and not letting parents know until it is threatening survival sounds like something one of the more “yeshivish” schools would do. This situation is very contrary to the reputation that YR has earned in our community."

The difference is that Rambam is willing to admit to this problem and try to work out a viable and responsible way to get out of the problem.

As a Yeshivat Rambam student I am actually in favor of the changes. I think it's good that the school is becoming more frum. People try to say that co-education is okay, nothing will happen, but it really is not. From first hand account I will tell you that shomer negiyah is broken by many many kids, so religiously this is the right choice.

Mr. Nixon,

You seem to have quite an arrogant chip on your shoulders. I heard the same presentation you did. Since you seem to be one of those who love Rambam as it is, maybe you should count your blessings that David Sidransky kept your school intact all these years with the few students that exist here for a coed institution. But no, let's kill the messenger.

They said more was to come in 60 days. Maybe you will be made happy after you hear what will come in 60 days but I think it more likely you will carry your anger and arrogance well beyond Rambam and into other school(s) you will (or should) move too. Maybe they will welcome you with open arms.

Chill out....

I am very impressed with Rambam's choices and am thrilled that they are separating the boys and girls. I would like to see what happens within the next few years but will definitely consider Rambam when looking at schools for my daughter.

"I think that many parents (me included) use this as a simple, mostly inarguable point when asked why they did not choose YR. There are several other reasons why we do not send to YR, but the simplest and most expedient answer is that it is co-ed." - Josh

Josh makes a good point - there will continue to be significant ideological differences between Rambam and many of Baltimore's other days schools, even after separation. And Baltimoranians are fortunate in having a number of options that broadly reflect its citizens' variegated beliefs - if another school is a better fit for Josh and his kids, that's as it should be.

However, having temporarily served as a Rambam poster child, and having subsequently fielded a number of phone calls, my moderately informed impression is that there are quite a few parents out there whose thinking is in line with Rambam's ideals, but for whom co-education was an absolute non-starter.

I don't pretend to know what Josh's specific concerns are, but I imagine that some people would disagree with Rambam's policies on issues such as gemara/talmud classes for girls, organized sports programs, an emphasis on Religious Zionism, an explicit affiliation with YU, et cetera. On the other hand, people are different, and these positions or programs will probably actually attract other people who had been deterred by co-education. How the numbers will play out is unclear, but I am cautiously optimistic myself.

As former Bais Yaakov parents and as current Rambam parents, we are very optimistic about the future of the school. My husband and I chose to put our children in Rambam because of its high academic standards and because we agreed with the general hashkafa. We have been very concerned about the coeducation, yet we chose to send our children there, in the hopes that this situation would change. Many of my friends, however, would have never made this choice because of the coeducation. Hopefully, some of them will change their minds!
I was offended by people's assumptions that people who want separation of boys and girls will not be able to pay full tuition. This idea is ridiculous! We are very frum hard-working professionals who pay full tuition for our three children in the school. The type of people who will consider Rambam at this point are professionals who value education and are willing to sacrifice personal luxuries in order to pay tuition. Rambam will NEVER attract the yeshiva lane families who have 10-12 children and can't pay. Instead, Rambam will be gaining families who have a stonger devotion to Torah and mitzvos.

I think many of the parents at the meeting who disagreed with the new changes have their own personal agenda. To them, remaining co-ed is most important. They obviously are more concerned with their children "socializing" with the opposite gender than the survival of the school.

Leeba and Binyomin Berger

We are very proud of the administration and the board for having the courage to make difficult decisions during this difficult time. We look forward to the upcoming changes and are excited to hopefully see new families that will bring energy into our wonderful school. All of our children deserve a healthy school with a supportive parent body. I pray that with the upcoming changes comes a higher level of Kedushah for our school and all of our children that attend it.

I was asked by Greg, “for the sake of the school, would you mind outlining your reasons for not sending to the school?” Let me preface my comments by re-stating the YR serves a “niche market”, as does every orthodox school in our community. Orthodoxy is itself a niche of the broad Jewish community, and the various orthodox schools represent sub-niches within the Orthodox niche. That being said, I feel that the schools we chose for our children more closely serve the niche to which I identify. I purposely stated “more closely” as no school represents anyone’s exact religious, hashkafic, halachic, academic ideals, but we all must chose the school that represents our own ideology the closest. No criticism or denigration of any school is meant by this post, it is only to explain how YR is not the best choice for me. For others it is certainly the best choice and that must be respected by all.

First let me say that “I hate school”. To me secular academics are important, and certain things must be taught. However placing primary or equal importance to secular studies is not that important. College prep is great, but does it really matter that much. When I went to college and graduate school, I never felt that I could not keep up because I did not go to a school where secular academics were emphasized. I did quite well in college and grad school and most people who had similar grade school and high school education excelled in their post high school education. “All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten”. Do quality secular academics really determine success in life? I am not so sure.

I like to think I am a Zionist. While I may not fit into the contemporary or the traditional understanding of the term, I love Israel, support Israel and feel that every Jew has the same responsibility. However the contemporary manifestation of Zionism does not represent how I feel about Israel. It is not a way of life and is not something that can be taught. One cannot be taught to love something or someone; it must be something that is developed through personal experience. To me school is not the place for teaching or representing love of our land. It is something profoundly personal.

Some may view this as superficial, contradictory to the prior paragraph, and completely untrue, but here it is. I think that being yeshivish is important. Wearing a black hat, a white shirt and talking a little weird is not what I mean by yeshivish. What I mean is placing primary emphasis on torah study. Secular studies, Eretz Yisroel, Hebrew, and Ivrit are important and necessary, but the primary focus through High School should be learning Torah. YR’s focus seems to be Torah Umada, which is a fine philosophy, but to me, children don’t need all that much Mada when they are in grade school or high school. Mada can and should come later.

Actually, "Toah U'Madda" was not mentioned once last night. The "vision points" were Torah, Israel and academic excellence and communal responsibility. I think by Torah you mean gemara.

No, by Torah, I mean Torah. I do agree that the schools that we send our kids to place too little emphasis on non-gemara Torah learning.

Josh,

First of all, I take offense to your comment that one of the definitions of "yeshivish" is an emphasis on the learning of torah. Many of us love, respect, and learn torah, and are not "yeshivish."

Second, one of the messages delivered at the meeting last night was that part of YR's vision is a strong emphasis on torah. The school understands that this is critical, and must be part of the future of the school. There will be a renewed emphasis on torah values and torah study, including more in-depth learning. In addition, the school recognizes the importance of torah mentors/leaders, and will work towards having strong torah role models for the students. YR's renewed emphasis on torah will allow students to pursue Rabbinic careers, if they so desire.

The fact of the matter is, there are countless students in other schools in Baltimore who "don't fit the mold" - they don't come from families who wear black hats or white shirts, etc., but are forced to do so (via peer pressure or school policies). With the changes being made at YR, Rambam will be a breath of fresh air to these students, who will feel more comfortable in the YR environment without the constraints/pressures found in other schools. They will then be able to grow stronger in torah.

Regarding your comments on secular studies, the unfortunate reality is that the majority of the kids in orthodox schools in Baltimore are not receiving an appropriate secular education. There is too much emphasis on "yeshivish" shtik (others may refer to this as brainwashing, but I won't go there). Wear the black hat, wear the skirt that covers your toes, and you're "good to go." Middot don't mean a thing, and torah study, while taught, is secondary to "playing the part." The ultimate goal is for guys to learn in kollel and for girls to work 50 hours per week to support their husbands. While the kollel life is wonderful and justified for some who have the capability and strong desire to succeed in a Rabbinic profession, it is simply not practical or appropriate for the majority. Nonetheless, the ortodox schools preach this as the primary way of life. This is simply wrong. Kids are pigeon-holed and brainwashed (sorry, I had to use it) into thinking this is the only path to take. Rambam's vision is to allow students to chose the path that is appropriate for them. If they want to spend their life learning and teaching torah, they will be equipped to do so. If not, the strong secular education will allow them to pursue a chosen profession. The main point (and this is a key component of the YR vision) is that a YR education will afford unlimited opportunities to its students.

Josh,

Having attended Yeshivat Rambam for 13 years I would like to argue that Zionism can and should be taught in a school environment. I do agree with you that love for Israel is deeply personal, but through school activities and education that love can be deepened. My strong love for Israel has been deeply affected by my teachers and my peers throughout my years at Yeshivat Rambam. I plan to make Aliya, as do many of my fellow classmates. I accredit my deep love for Israel to the education and experiences that I received at Yeshivat Rambam.

To All,

I have read the comments with great interest. we are considering sending a child to yr. this is not our first choice,(as we "fit in" better with one of the other schools) but we feel that its in our childs best interest. we are thrilled that yr is considering seperate. However, I feel that many comments over yeshivish or mo, are a sign of the hostility between the two camps. a child should be taught at home that all jews are good jews. one can wear a black hat and be a terrible jew, and another can wear a knitted kippah and be a great jew. its a shame that the enviroment we are in today, does not allow for this understanding. Merkaz Harav showed that a jew is a jew, no matter what color his shirt, or what type of yarmulka he wears. Lets hope that yr, and all the schools are successful in every venture they pursue. lets also hope that tuition comes down at all schools so families can be free to be frum jews without the pressure of tuition prices. finally, lets be thankful that Britney seems to be doing better.

Chaim,

Let's see what we have here. You have no idea what I am planning to do, but of course the very thing you accuse me of being you so ARROGANTLY say yourself...let me get this right..."I think it more likely you will carry your anger and arrogance well beyond Rambam and into other school(s) you will (or should) move too"

Here are the facts:

You have a company that has mismanaged itself into a spiraling deficit and needs to restructure. So they ask the shareholders to bare with them as they try plan B after screwing up plan A. I have great respect for David and a few others on the board, however, this is akin to the CEO and Board of directors asking the shareholders to trust them and MAKE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AT ALL to the very group that saddled this company with the problem to begin with. When Ken Lay hid his financial mismanagement from the public, they didn't smile and say "yes please mess our lives up again with a new plan" I feel confident Chaim, that you were one of the many who believed Ken Lay needed to be replaced as he was no longer fit to run the company. Those changes are a no brainer, yet no one wants to talk about it. Strange.

As for Rabbi Sommer who I like and everyone else who is interpreting this move as a religious one, you obviously did not listen at the meeting last night either. This move was NOT made for religious reasons as you are saying...HOWEVER the bottom line in a polarizing community such as Baltimore's is perception is reality and therein lies the rub. By ASSUMING this is being done for religious reasons, you are clearly making the claim that Rambam is a failed experiment. (I do not think the board would agree with this as a religious move to the right). On top of that, there is no doubt that the school has not seen or understood the slippery slope that they have now jumped on. What will be acceptable behavior for the student body now, will be frowned upon in five years from now. Anyone who can't see that, is being intellectually dishonest. Please don't argue that "the hashkafah won't change because the administration and the board have said so" I would ask you to think twice being that it is the very same administration that has led us to where we are now...a place they said they WOULD NEVER go....

Rabbi Sommer, I saw what you had to say on facebook and would only ask, WHO WERE THE RABBIS WHO SAID YOU COULD HAVE A CO-EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL 18 years ago? I would suggest to you that they would still say that now....

Lastly Chaim, (and I hope you're not who I think you are) quit while you're behind...you are way out of your league with me....how's that for arrogance?

thank you richard nixon for saying what needed to be said. the rambam high school parents and students are extremely unhappy with the high school. educationally, the school is extremely lacking in both their honors classes as well as their regular classes. although they claim israel to be their centrality, israel programming is extremely limited. many schools and orginazations across the country have adopted sderot and every time a kassam drops in the negev stop what their doing and say a perek of tehillim. the relationship between the parents, administration, and teachers is sorely lacking in positive partnerships. until the board addresses the issues of the high school, the growth of the school will be extremely limited.

hi i am a 11th grader at rambam and its great to read all ur views but look at it from my class well not any more the boys and girls but we were told 2 yers ago our class wil not changed but once again we get lied to and betrayed we were all looking forward o a senior year tog and now it wont happen were getting kicked out of the building we love and have goten to know there are so many functions at ramabam tht are co ed tht may not happen or wont b the same like iac or america eats for israel or the willner tournament just havng the grls cheering and all there helps us out. we have all become so close and even alittle dependent on each other when ones havng a abd day we pick each other up when some thng happens were all there foreach other and now ur still trying to tell us we are a family dnt give me tht bs we will bairly see the grls and they wll b missed. i have also bin to ta and eshkol and this school has bin the best to me education wise and friend wise and now ur taking tht away

Although everyone seems to be on a different page about where Rambam stands religiously, you all seem to think that Rambam is the paradigm of academics. Having been in Rambam for thirteen years, I know better than most that the academics are not all they're cracked up to be. Teachers frequently don't show up/arrive late to class, the many young and inexperienced teachers have trouble controlling their classes, and few teachers truly care whether or not their students are learning. Next year, when the handful of teachers who do care are split between two campuses, it's going to be disastrous. I urge the parents who have taken academics as a given, and are focusing only on hashkafa, to seriously consider whether or not Rambam is the educational facility everyone assumes it is.

As a lifer (13 years) at YR, President of the Student Council and co-Valedictorian (yes... I'm stating credentials) I have been absorbing the issues and opinions involved. It is worth while to hear different perspectives, even if you know where you hold. I encourage people to read the comments and wallposts on this site and the linked FB group.

While I'm trying to stay out of the issue, its in my face so here's my take:

What is Rambam? A dysfunctional family with lots of problems, but its a place where kids and teachers alike come together and do amazing things. Everyone who has gone through the school understands and knows that. Rambam is a family with amazing people. That's its advantage. If the school continues to be one family that can provide for its students - I support it fully.
Their issue here is that they did not provide current parents with a plan early enough. Their lack of information in a timely manner to current students is nearly devastating.

I want my school to succeed. Even if it is pretty much separate. There is a lot to be discussed. I have tried to remain brief and general in this post. Good luck to all!

As someone very familiar w/ the kids in the school, I definitely feel for the kids. It is hard to have change, especially when it's been several times in such a short span. There are some truly special neshamos in YR who I feel great love and respect for (such as some of the writers of the posts above)and I can appreciate their frustration.

Having said that, putting aside the halachic/hashkafic issue aside, this is clearly what the school needs to do to survive and flourish. YR offers a tremoundous amount, but for many parents it is not even in the ballpark as long as it is coed. I know many of these families and they are far from being "right-wing" (for lack of a better term)families. Many of them went to Religious Zionist yeshivas in Israel (which by the way are separate). If they're so "right wing", trust me, there's other schools in the area that would be more down that road, so why would they send here? Clearly, this move is to attract families that share many of the same ideals, but won't do or even consider Co-ed. We are now a School that can be taken much more seriously to a larger segment of the community.

People can have different Hashkafos about the importance of Secular education, appreciation for the state of Israel ETC., but there are real strong halachic opinions to support both positions. The truth may hurt, but Coed does not=Religious Zionism. There are plenty of Schools both in America and Eretz Yisrael to back that up.

In spite of this, I realize it is a tough pill to swallow and hopefully when we see our school flourishing in the future, it will have been worth it.

I know that this is tough for everyone. No one likes change. No one likes HVAING to change. The reality is however that Ramabm will not survive without this change. There is plenty that makes Rambam unique from its competition and that will continue. I think that everyone should slow down, ask appropriate questions and work together to make it work out. Recriminations and accusations will get everyone nowhere. If everyone, faculty, parents and kids work together, Rambam will make it through this challenging time and end up a stronger institution.

Richard,

Not much to add to your Masters in Business dissertation. Unfortunately with all your business acumen, why even discuss any difference between a profit oriented Board vs a non profit Yeshiva Day School Board. Ask this question of your local Rabbi or maybe you have s'micha too to go with your MBA and you are a true Torah U'Madda maven with no need or desire to ask questions of a torah scholar. You could always go to Rabbi Donald Trump or maybe you gave him s'micha too. You have so much in common.

Chaim

i agree with the fact things had to change but how can u go to an 11th grade class at the end of their year b4 they are seniors and put this on them how r they sapose to make a decision its to late for anythng now if they didnt take sats yet or wanted early admissions or ever switch schools they cant now i would love to see this school become a great school and hope everythng ends up working out but as a junior becomnig a senior we got screwed y not tell us this when it frst started y not let us know eveythng thts going on can we work somethng out for the seniors next year what can we do?

Shulie,

You sound upset, bitter, and angry (to say the least). I'm a bit older than you and have gone through life, encountering many challenges along the way. When you face a challenge, you have 2 choices - surrender or attack. If you surrneder, you allow the challenge to overcome you. You've lost. If you rise up and attack, you overcome the challenge and are a stronger person because of the experience.

Shulie, I encourage you to "rise up" and take this like a man. Sure, there will be short-term pain. You'll see less of your female friends, etc. But you'll get over it - I guarantee it. And one day, you'll look back on this challenge and laugh, becuase I guarantee life will present significantly more roadblocks than this. Good luck!

Joe

Despite whether you agree with Rambam's changes or not the school really has no choice. The school administration and board is not really at fault for any changes taking place. However, whether there's anyone to blame (which I believe there is NOT) the situation is still present. Some people will feel comfortable with the "new Rambam" others won't. It's up to each individual student and their parents whether they wish to stay or go to a new school. Rambam won't be going back to the way it was, and there's nothing anyone (even the Rambam board) can do to change that. I suggest that each person should decide how to respond to the changes based on their personal feelings. There will be no universal solution. Current students' choices are to either stay or leave.
That being said nobody should say which schools parents are halachically allowed to send their kids to except that person's Posek. I know someone who graduated from Beth Tefiloh and is studying to get semicha. I also know people from TA who are as far away from their Judaism as can be imagined. Some will view the new policies as bad, others as good (I will not give my personal view because that's not the point here) but either way it's necessary for the school to survive. My point is that everyone should make their own decisions. I wish Rambam the best of luck and hope no matter how they change they will stay committed to Orthodox, Zionist Judaism as well as secular as well as religious studies.

joe

thanks for the advice but when ur older you do not wanan look back and have to laugh at how u struggled through your senior year and how it changed so much u want it to b ur best and most fun year and it has nothing to do with them being females they are apart of us were one were a class not boys and grls a class and once again lemme explain how we dont want to look back and laugh at this we want to go through our last year of freedom/not care bout life together as a senior class not gys and grls u wanna look back at the fun times not sad times because of the split im sure ud say the same if u were a junior going into senior sir look back at ur senior year how much fun u had bcaz u were all tog now take away half of u how much fun now

Chaim,

Once again while your personal attacks-which is exactly what they are in both posts-(did your Rabbi matir that for you?) are silly and smell of pseudo intellectualism, I can only laugh at the feebleness of your arguments. I'll review them for you so you can keep up...

"Unfortunately with all your business acumen, why even discuss any difference between a profit oriented Board vs a non profit Yeshiva Day School Board. "

Silly. You act as if fiscal mismanagement and questionable leadership is acceptable at a non profit institution, while it would be unacceptable at a for profit institution. Obviously, you could have used a Rambam education vis a vi economics. I suppose your Baltimore Rabbi was too busy running cover for Pedophiles than to give you good educational advice.

"Ask this question of your local Rabbi or maybe you have s'micha too to go with your MBA and you are a true Torah U'Madda maven with no need or desire to ask questions of a torah scholar."

Tell me if you have such disdain for Torah U'madah, how is it that you are even commenting on this issue?... another nosy Baltimore Jew putting his nose where it doesn't belong.

"You could always go to Rabbi Donald Trump or maybe you gave him s'micha too. You have so much in common."

As I said above Chaim, you are way out of your league here. It is obvious from your responses and personal attacks-very menchlach and the mark of a true Ben Toyrah by the way, that you really can't grasp the issue at hand which is quite obviously-how did it get to this point and how can the people who drove this situation to this point, be trusted to carry out this new agenda. It is quite evident that they can't be. There is a severe need for vibrancy and accountability which is sorely lacking at the highest levels and has been for quite awhile.

As I have said before, I believe the board of lay people have tried to fix the problem and should be commended, but s long as they ignore the real issue, this band aid will fail. At stake are educational lives of our children.

I am not one for personal attacks-I will leave that to you true Yiras Shamayim guys. I will only offer you this to save you from further embarrassment: Abraham Lincoln (he was a US President, Chaim) once said "better to keep your mouth closed and let everyone think you're a fool, than open it and remove all doubt." Heed the advice-it will serve you well and benefit your fellow man greatly.

One point that seems to be missing so far:

Schools (and shuls) are built on endowments, not tuition. To some degree, no matter what the school does to attract more families, its ultimate fiscal success will be based on its continued ability to fundraise. How this change solves that issue remains to be seen. It is not time to start celebrating or mourning, but rather to work together to reach out to people and foundations that want to support YR. Without placing blame, it is important to understand that the school needs benefactors. If the school had that kind of support, they wouldn't need to re-evaluate their approach or hashkafah or anything else. As a businessperson, I know the drill of looking at a company and its brand and retooling it to meet more customers needs and expectations. But this is a school, not just a business. The most well-run schools (fiscally) have buildings named for people. Until its called Yeshivat Rambam's "Goldberg Family" campus, don't expect the school to be financially sound. What we need to do is to help the school and its board find the "Goldberg Family" YR really needs.

The upshot of last night’s presentation is that YR is forced to make a market decision. That may sound uncomfortable to some, because YR brands itself as an institution for which ideology plays a central role. After all, shouldn’t ideology rise above market forces, and shouldn’t we stick to our guns no matter what? However, I would argue that the school has not lost its ideology, and that this is still the only logical and responsible approach. There is no hard-and-fast rule that says this school MUST exist in Baltimore. By all accounts, it should exist only if it is reasonably sustainable within the Baltimore community. Otherwise, it’s just a bad match; a square peg in a round hole. Taking Mr. Hobby’s presentation at face value, the board and panel groups considered as much during their deliberations.

What of this market-driven decision? The conclusion was not to close up shop but rather to make significant modifications to the school’s operations. Some people may feel that the school has chosen to ideologically “sell out” by making these changes. Or, to put it differently, they may feel that in fact the board and committees DID conclude that the Baltimore market cannot sustain YR (as it has existed to this point), and that therefore they would give it another shot with a new product. Under this view, the folks in charge are closing up YR1 and opening up YR2.

I, for one, do not believe this to be the case, prior mission-statements notwithstanding. To adopt the above view, one would have to maintain that a co-educational environment was part and parcel of the very essence of YR. I fully recognize that a segment of the school (perhaps as much as a large minority) indeed continue to feel that way. Reasonable minds will differ on this point. However, for the rest of us, the co-educational character of the school was a detail, a part of the “packaging” of the school, but not its essence. For some, that detail was a positive. For others, a source of ambivalence or an outright negative. For still others, a deal-breaker. But it was not a definitional element of the school itself. It was an added benefit or negative, depending on your perspective.

As I understand it, this market decision is necessary because of those for whom a co-ed environment was a deal-breaker. For these families, this prominent-but-non-essential detail rendered YR unviable, notwithstanding the school's core values. As such, it was getting in the way of the school’s success. Too many people who DO identify with the core, definitional aspects of the school were unable or unwilling to sign up for a school that was co-ed. Whether that is right or wrong is, ultimately, beside the point. The school is saying that it exists primarily to promote factors A, B, and C, and there are a whole lot of families who WANT a school defined by factors A, B, and C. But factor X is chasing away more families than it’s bringing in. I would think that any successfully-run business would ultimately conclude that it needs to change factor X, even though it may be painful to do so.

However, as we all know, the work is not done. Anyone who thinks that hordes of people are going to automatically come flocking to the school based on last night’s meeting is “out of touch,” to put it nicely. That’s because markets function best only when there is a free-flow of information. Skewed information leads to skewed decisions, and the market malfunctions. Rambam is the victim of skewed information. The school has developed unfortunate and, largely, unfair stigmas in our community, and it would be really, really distressing if those stigmas, developed over time, prevent parents and families from taking a fresh look at YR. Whether or not some of those stigmas and stereotypes have their basis in historical fact, the CURRENT fact is that the school is taking some pretty bold steps to grow out of its “childhood” (as was said last night). It may not be easy for some to break with convention, to go ahead and sign up for a tour and interview at a school that for so long has been “the other.” But if YR is continuing to define itself based on values that you share, you owe it to your kids to take another unbiased look at the school. In this regard, the earlier post by the parent considering sending his child to YR because it is in the child’s best interest is right on point. None of us would ever want to have to confront a child, later in life, and answer why we didn’t do everything within our power to give the child what was best for him or her. For many, YR may NOT be what is best for their children, for a wide variety of very legitimate reasons, and they may reach that conclusion even after additional consideration. But I can’t believe that social stigma and preconceived notions can ever be among those reasons, and nor should they prevent parents from living up to their responsibilities to make the best decisions for their children based on the facts. A parent would abdicate his or her responsibility by doing anything less. If enough people are strong enough to do right by their children, then I believe that the Baltimore market will ultimately validate that this was the right decision for the school.

This is a very interesting development; a move that I ultimately believe will help the school.

I have not looked at Rambam's finances in detail, but I have a major concern with the manner in which the "Rambam Community" has allocated its resources.

I personally believe that financially supporting schools is more important than supporting/building big shuls. The Shomrei Emunah building project has taken away a lot of dollars that could have otherwise been spent on correcting the financial situation of Rambam, and building it into one of the preeminent yeshiva day schools on the east coast.

It is clear to me that some people in our community value a glamorous building (make pretend five towns style) more than having a strong yeshiva day school.

The truly sad part about the arrogance shown publicly and by some here is just a little over a week ago we all suffered together all those precious young bachurim butchered while learning Torah at Mercaz HaRav.

The complete lack of a religious perspective is sadly lost among these parents and therefore transmitted down to their kids. Shame on these parents. I cannot blame the students for thinking as some of them do. They are confused and angry. With the disrespectful comments made by some parents at the meeting and some shared here who can blame the kids to be so off in their religious perspective.

Very sad. Rambam will overcome this and be stronger with G-d's help, these parents notwithstanding.

Anon,

If you want to discuss how our community allocates funding and balances competing needs vis a vis its schools, that's one thing. However, please don't single out Shomrei Emunah for your criticism; that's just unfair! Practically every other local shul has already expanded, Shomrei's building is by no means glamorous and a good portion of its members send their children to schools other than YR.

- Phil

I think many of the posts here have missed the central issues in the parents' reactions from last night’s meeting. My sense in the meeting was that there were two primary concerns raised by the majority of the parents. The first was that the change from co-educational to single-sex is considered by many parents to indicate a significant deviation, not necessarily from hashkafa, but from a clear emphasis on, and delivery of, academic excellence. The second main issue I heard repeatedly expressed was concern for the validity of the research data and the conclusions drawn from them.

The first issue and primary concern I heard was dismay over the perceived demotion in importance of academic excellence. I heard many people express concern about future academic excellence- a clear part of Rambam’s original mission and unrelated to its coed/non-coed status. The bullet points on academic excellence in the presentation were few in number, glossed over quickly, and clearly subsumed under the general concerns for sustainability. Although board members made promises to sustain existing programming in the short term (e.g., AP classes), some parents in the audience (and afterwards) expressed a significant skepticism. After the meeting, I heard many parents expressing disbelief that educational programming could continue at current levels in a two-school institution, much less improve.

Like many others, I am disheartened by the changes that I perceive to be a divergence from a goal of educational excellence. I believe that considering the decision to split the school as the one and only viable survival option has or will severely limit Rambam’s ability to offer tracked classes in middle school and high school, the potential for diverse AP offerings, and the ability to attract professional families whose educational goals for their children include admission to top-level universities and yeshivot. Even if Rambam were to survive under such a plan, I worry that the Rambam of the future will have little, if any, academic excellence about which to brag.

In addition, I believe that, despite the ‘gap money’ promised by private donors, the problems created by the two-school solution may worsen enrollments in both the immediate term, as well as in the 24 months projected by the Hobby group to be the anticipated turn-around time. Parents raised concerns regarding facilities, needing to "share" some of the talented faculty and resources across the campuses, and numerous logistics problems which will mark the immediate future (administrative issues to carpool to hot lunch to ball fields).

In addition to expressing apprehension for assurances given and decreased commitment to academic excellence, parents expressed doubt as to the validity of the conclusions drawn from the research that had been conducted. The process by which projected growth had been ascertained did not appear to be quantitative, much less reliable or valid. Although it is true that the venue did not allow for detailed discussion of the study process, it would have been helpful to hear that effective methods of sampling, survey design and validation, data collection, and methodological analysis were undertaken in the determination that there are 900 potential students who might come to Rambam, and that an increase of 100-110 enrollments was expected within 24 months. To many, there was insufficient evidence in the presentation to support the final conclusion of “If we build it, they will come.”

In addition to the lack of evidence for the conclusion, parents seemed to be bothered by the assertion that there was only one feasible option at this point. As we all heard, Mr. Hobby repeatedly asserted that the split-school strategy was the only possible option aside from immediate dissolution. To me, this approach seemed unnecessarily alarming and possibly disingenuous. Comments made by other parents (e.g., “Did you consider…”) indicated that others believed that additional options might exist that would better reflect academic integrity, fiduciary responsibility, and educational leadership. Yet perhaps the strategy was effective. Throughout posts today, most have accepted the assertion that there is no other option available.

I fear that our lack of a clear commitment to academic excellence and the careful consideration of valid data and potential options at this critical point will give serious pause to anyone concerned for their child's education. For parents whose children are not currently attending, I believe the proposed changes may actually deter them from enrolling their children.

Selecting a school for a child is often based on the match between the needs of the individual children and the present (and perceived future) school programming, rather than being based solely on ideology. Without evidence of the ability to provide quality programming in the short- and long-term, I fear that Yeshivat Rambam may dissuade current and prospective families who seek excellence in Judaic and secular academics for their children, thereby hastening its own demise.

The school seems to align themselves with Suburban & Shomrei. If the school wants to hit the new enrollment goals, perhaps they should reach out to other shuls in the community (especially those with Rambam families!).

Did Mr. Hobby consider whether tuition amount plays a role in choosing a school for one's child?

One of the things that troubles me about this discussion is that the same people (parents and children at Rambam) who are complaining about what a wonderful thing they are losing are the same people who just a few days ago were keeping enrollment down with negative comments and attitudes about the school. I do not think things have been perfect at Yeshivat Rambam, but what Jewish Day School is? By maligning the school for the past few years, the original founding parents and children, essentially caused their own problems. Teens at the school have admitted that when prospective students have come to see the school, they told them "don't come here, this place stinks". Parents complained to each other (and their children-but don't get me started on that topic) about their issues. All of this caused a downward spiraling effect. Morale at the school went down the toilet, and enrollment plummeted. I realize that the parents who started the school did a tremendous and wonderful thing, but by complaining as they did (do)-even if there are legitimate things to complain about, they caused the downfall of the school that they originally wanted.

Like many institutions, the board shielded (hid) from the parents the severity of the financial situation. Whether this was right or wrong is really water under the bridge. Although, if you simply look just at the number of family's from Rambam that made aliyah and were not replaced it would not take a genius to see that it had to have a financial impact. That being said, if the school had not gone out and done some real soul searching than its financial situation would have forced them to close in any case. Maybe y'all don't get it, but if YR doesn't do something to improve their financial situation then they will have no choice but to close down. While what is being proposed might be far from perfect for some, I guess those who have a problem with a lack of co-education will have to decide whether it is more important to allow a boy lying in a girls lap during class than not. Overall, the community wants something different. Wake up, Jewish People!

from a kid in 6th grades point of view, how do you think this feels? but half of them still are planning on going anyways to rambam because they have one thing that is important to keep the school going, and that is trust. they believe that rambam, if this financial boost works, will become what most of the parents want. even if we lose kids NOW when we separate, think of the financial gain in one or two years when we get triple the amount of kids we have now

To a worried parent: I don't see the concern that this will threaten academic excellence. As far as limudei kodesh is concerned, the classes have already been splt; moving to a new campus makes no difference (especially one that is so close by). The issue regarding AP classes is more of a valid concern, and I believe that at the meeting it was stated that in the short term this approach would cost more; but with classes of such small numbers, the school has ample room to grow without increasing costs. A grade with less than 10 girls has room to double without increasing overhead costs.

I don't know why everyone is saying that the school hid its financial situation. I am unfortunately relatively uninvolved with the Rambam board (due to my tireless service to Shomrei Emunah) and was well aware that the school was operating around an $800K deficit at the beginning of the year.

And, in response to Josh's comment above: I appreciate you explaining your reasons, thank you. I would say that based on what you described, you are not the type of family that Rambam is looking to attract with these changes. I think it's hard for some current Rambam parents to understand that there is a difference between you and other families (like mine), that are yeshiva-educated families but feel that the opportunity for a quality secular education is important in addition to a quality religious education.

This is fodder for an entire blog post, and actually gets to the root of why we (or at least I) ultimately decided to send our kids to Rambam. Briefly, I feel that your approach to Orthodoxy, while valid and certainly fine for you, is not how I would like to see my kids raised. It's more than an education, it's an approach to the world which I think we're cultivating. It's hard to express in a comment, perhaps I'll write up a post about it. But maintaining the "yeshivish" (as you put it) status quo is not what I'm interested for my family. Again, this is not meant in denigration of your approach, it's just a difference of opinion.

I agree with many points above.

I felt from the meeting the school wants to maintain the education as very similar to today but broke away totally that this education can only be accomplished by co-education. Academic excellence is not related to co-education. It is proven in Israel and other schools in the US. Co-education is a very passionate issue of those who have tied it to their religious Zionism or "modern" orthodoxy. It is a specific feeling to this group and cannot overcome the financial and other realities in this community and others out there.

Good luck to Rambam. They are doing the right thing and Hashem should bless them, may they grow, and those who feel so passionate about co-education, should settle down and take a step back and try to look and think at religious perspective pictures (like the massacre in Israel) far greater than co-education - their children deserve no less . I hope over time they can.

I agree with many points above.

I felt from the meeting the school wants to maintain the education as very similar to today but broke away totally that this education can only be accomplished by co-education. Academic excellence is not related to co-education. It is proven in Israel and other schools in the US. Co-education is a very passionate issue of those who have tied it to their religious Zionism or "modern" orthodoxy. It is a specific feeling to this group and cannot overcome the financial and other realities in this community and others out there.

Good luck to Rambam. They are doing the right thing and Hashem should bless them, may they grow, and those who feel so passionate about co-education, should settle down and take a step back and try to look and think at religious perspective pictures (like the massacre in Israel) far greater than co-education - their children deserve no less . I hope over time they can.

Greg - The most imprtant thing, as you said is "while valid and certainly fine for you, is not how I would like to see my kids raised". I tried to make the same point in my comment as well.

I am sorry that LB is offended that my views differ from his, but LB, if differing views offend you, you may want to want to become a hermit. Also, please read my comment again. I stated that yeshivish is "placing PRIMARY emphasis on torah study". Not just placing emphasis, but placing PRIMARY Eemphasis. Again, I apologize to LB that he is offended by my views, no offense was meant.

Greg,

I agree with you that the powers that be have stated X and Y. My question is not if they want to do that, my question is if they will do that. I think it is fair to say-as had been pointed out by numerous parents the other night, that what they have said in the past and what they have done are two different things. I do not think that fact is even up for debate and that is why the fear is there from existing parents.

That being the case, can you tell me that the current leadership has the backbone to stick to their commitments when it is obvious to all who have watched over the years, they have done anything but.

To all those holier than thou who are passing judgment on the past and current Rambam parents who have sent or are sending their children to Rambam-and by the way had the courage to do so in a grotesquely judgmental community-you know not of what you speak. You wrap yourselves around straight jacket judaism and assume that because it sounds frummer it is. Personally, I could care less if the school is co-ed or not. What I care about is the status quo. It seems incomprehensible to me that the school can be in this situation and no one will be held accountable. Because of that, it can only lead me to believe that when this experiment fails-and unless drastic changes are made, it will fail-we'll hear the "well we tried " refrain and have a pity party for what could have been.

The bottom line is without dynamic and charismatic leadership, the school will just be treading water and postponing the inevitable. How no one can see that baffles me.

A final thought to Tzioni-as for your pompous comment above:

"I guess those who have a problem with a lack of co-education will have to decide whether it is more important to allow a boy lying in a girls lap during class than not."

That is a very brave thing to say from Israel, having not been back here in years. I find the leap of co-education to a boy lying on a girls lap offensive and as someone who has been associated with the school for a lot longer than you were, I can attest to never witnessing these issues that you moralists like to throw out there. If you want to make a point about seemingly more religious issues, do so. But don't offend our sensibilities with blatant fabrications. It is beneath you.

If I can respond briefly to "a worried parent":

First off, your concerns about academic standards are absolutely valid, but I don't understand why you are so certain that the logistics aren't being reviewed, and efforts being expended, to ensure a continuity of academic excellence. Yes, this new approach brings challenges, but that hardly equals certain failure.

Similarly, while many people in the audience did ask whether other options had been explored - in many or most cases, the answer to that was that, in fact, they had. The working groups comprised fairly diverse viewpoints, but the people involved are serious and thoughtful, and a great deal of time and discussion was invested. The Tuesday night meeting format didn't really allow for a detailed repudiation of the alternatives, but my own conversations with working group participants leaves me very comfortable that other options were carefully considered.

Your last point is also correct - there is no way of knowing with certainty how many people will join Rambam as a result of this change. But when survey respondent after survey respondent after survey respondent says that co-education is a deal-breaker despite widespread recognition of Rambam's solid academics, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that, well, co-education is a deal-breaker.

Richard Nixon,

Just an FYI, as the YR meeting, Jay Hobby himself told of a situation where he found a boy lying on a girl's lap. He was shocked and immediately went to the school administration. Tzioni's comments are NOT a frabrication, but a reality. As a YR parent, I see girls/boys all too close to each other. I have no problem with supervised interaction between girls and boys, but the reality is that boys and girls at YR have far more "interaction" on school grounds than they should. Time for a reality check, Nixon. If you ask any HS student, they'd tell you that they have plenty of interaction (if they would be honest). Wake up! This type of interaction, besides for the obvious halachik problems, detracts from academics. There are hundreds of studies proving this point.

Joe,

I heard the comments from Jay hobby and have heard them from him before. I also heard him say he called 9 parents that day and 8 said they would look at Rambam again. Yeah, okay. As paul of tarsis said-to rome I'll be a roman, to the jews I'll talk as a jew, the heathens I'll talk as a heathen. If I had to sell something to the masses, I would say the exact same things....that doesn't make it true. Let me just say that is Jay Hobby found a different way to move the school, he would have sold you on a different bill of goods. By any means necessary-that's his job. Jay is a Jew and he did wonders selling Torah....hmmmm....That is all I will say on jay hobby.

Now do I agree that there are issues vis a vi this specific problem? Of course I do. I also stipulate here that the same issues go on with children who don't attend rambam with the only difference being that they are hiding and lying to their parents while they do it. I suggest both are problems. One I can control and one I cannot.

My comment was more to the point of doing so in class-which is a silly thing to say and even you must admit that...this is how rambam has been perceived in Baltimore and it won't change. Again I don't care about co ed...I care about not repeating the same mistakes we have made. If all that changed is locations, we are destined to fail....

Tricky Dick:

Just like a basketball coach has to constantly change their game plan and adapt to a game situation so does YR. I haven't been out of the school that long that I don't have an inkling about what is going on there and in the community in general. I would say that in Israel, separate education even in the public religious school system is a given at least at the high school level. Look, I have been a student in both systems. I enjoyed going to school with girls, but I certainly learned more in an all boys school. Studies seem to find the same thing consistently. Again, here you have YR which is run so much differently and better than a school like TA. I believe that your real problem is that you're afraid that your kids will end up in schools like you were in.

Tzioni,

A couple of points. One is I can't see how you missed what I said before. This isn't about co-ed-it makes no difference to me per se- this is about accountability and ensuring that we are not in the same position in 3 years from now. I won't repeat myself on that-read above....

Secondly, this isn't abut me and where I want to school so I am not really sure how that even became an issue. However now that you brought it up, I doubt you would be attending the same high school you went to if it was like it is today-a cautionary tale to be sure...but alas maybe I am wrong-I think I was wrong once.....

Richard Nixon: if I could attempt to paraphrase your comments: you want new leadership. Does the meeting in 60 days regarding the executive committee or whatever seem to be what you're looking for? It was somewhat vague, or I wasn't paying enough attention (or possibly both).

Greg,

Nice job on that. Honestly, after witnessing the situation the other night, I find it hard to believe that the hard choices that need to be made, will be. The track record on such decisions is very weak. The reason I can't take it too seriously is that 60 days from now leaves you very little time to get done what needs to get done if you want to do it right. Therefore I can't help but assume-and I grant you that is what it is an assumption-that in this "executive committee or whatever it was they spoke about- we are looking at a quasi vaad hachinuch or something like that-maybe lay people not rabbis or a mixture of both-who knows- to oversee this thing. Not only does that not accomplish what needs to be done, but it muddies the waters even more in that those of us who have lived here, know how the too many cooks in the kitchen thing usually works out. It is not good.

That being said, I will grant you that I have no clue what the plans are in this 60 day period or what will be revealed but it seems inevitable that the changes that need to be made can't be in such a short period of time until the next school year.

Greg, I hope they surprise me, but the odds are it will be the same old same old...and THAT is my ultimate concern and it should be to every other parent at YR.

I don't have kids in Rambam, but listening to this, I can replace Ramam's name with TA, bais Yakov, TI, or Bnos yisroel, and probably have similar type discussions about faults at the schools.

Nixon,

I cannot believe your method of communication. To even hint (I realize how blatant you are) what you were about belittling Jay Hobby vs Torah, is such a chillul Hashem on so many levels. I realize you won't, but you should take Chaim's advice and talk to a Rabbi and actually listen to him.

Unbelievable......

This is Baltimore. The reality is that this community is more about being frum than serving Hashem. Religious practice here is about fitting in and following the Rabbi and not about what kind of community G-d wants us to be. YR has now realized this. I hope they can bring their ideals to the frum community by making this change but it seems more likely that the community is changing them. Excellent Limudei Kodesh would have done more to help Rambam then separating the sexes.
Coeducation as an issue is a smoke screen ...there have been FAR WORSE issues involving boys and girls from TA and BY but it doesn't get blamed on the school because they are not coed. Proper behavior rests on proper education, which same sex school children are LESS likely to get.

Richard Nixon,

It is pretty sad that a nonJewish person had to publicly make a comment regarding the inappropriate behavior of students in the high school. It is a massive Chilul Hashem! What was even sadder, was that the parents themselves were in denial, as one said, "Are you sure these were students in our school?" (like they didn't know?) While I agree that this behavior goes on (in private) among students in all of the other schools, it certainly is not going on publicly on the grounds of the schools. This behavior should not be tolerated or condoned by the school. It is blatantly against halacha. The students and parents only have themselves to blame.

Barak Obama

For the record: I went to public school, and kids engaging in PDA on school grounds were regularly reprimanded for their behavior by teachers and administration.

Here is a thought to save some cash in Upper grades while offering more...

Offer Web-based electives (outsourced) to SUPPLEMENT the current course offerings.

The issue of Negiah in the grand scheme of things is not the huge issue here, sorry guys. I agree that Baltimore is a show town in terms of Yiddishkeit, who has the bigger beard, black hat etc. YR is falling in to that trap. The bottom line is that YR will hurt because of this change. How are they really gaining if now some parents are going to take their kids out? Where do the “middle of the road” people go?

Parent,

You can teach all the best Limeudi Kodesh in the world but it won't overcome parents who talk negatively about their religious schools or Shuls in front of their kids and act disgracefully in public even in front of community Rabbis.

Give me a respectful parent any day and effective Limeudi Kodesh will follow. The reverse in happening to some of these Rambam kids.

Also, I was told Jay Hobby is Jewish. Here we assume he was not. We are all full of stereotypes in some ways.

Let's make some facts clear as obviously havanah is an issue with some people.

Jay is a Jew and I stated such. I did not say anything more than that. I did not belittle him. I did say Jay sold his product-he is very good at it. I also questioned something he said on more than one occasion as to its veracity. I have been on the campus way too many times over the years and I have never witnessed this blatant head on lap situation and you must admit that it does seem very convenient that the person trying to push the agenda just so happens to testify that he saw this episode the FIRST moment he walked on campus. I would be interested to know how many times he had seen that since then.

As for rabbinical advice-that is not the issue here. If you would like to start that conversation elsewhere I would be MORE than happy to discuss it with you.

Greg I see this issue turning into the same as most things in this city and that's a shame. You have people who have no clue about what happens day to day, have been mikabel Loshon Hara and comment on it as if they have cornered the market on information. They offer their holier than thou religious advice to teach all of us who are lost in the wilderness what we need to know because they have all the answers-or their rabbi does. I think tzioni has some validity b/c of his past history, but he cheapened it with an unfortunate fabrication.

Let's be clear here for all the holy people and I don't think this has been talked about enough. THE REASON THIS IS BEING DONE IS B/C THE DONORS AND FOUNDATIONS WITH BIGGER MONEY WANTED TO SEE A PLAN-NOT BECAUSE OF ANY RELIGIOUS ISSUE...I agree with parent above-Baltimore is classic style over substance and it's so very sad.

I may have stated that Hobby was not jewish (I'm too tired to review this whole post), in which case I apologize for the misinformation. That's why comments are enabled.

Nixon: I have been on campus during school and have seen stuff that I would deem to be inappropriate. Maybe those kids parents thought it ok, but in school is a different story. Just as in public school, it's inappropriate. Many others I have talked to relate the same.

Granted, there are a lot of sterotypes and misinformation about Rambam (when my son switched, and I saw a rebbe he had a TA the next year, he asked me what Ezra was learning, and before I could answer he said, "Is he learning Chumash? Do they learn Chumash there?" I told him they hadn't finished the Koran, Chumash comes after that. ;) ). The people that believe and perpetuate them, I say, quite frankly, to hell with them. We all know what we're trying to accomplish here. I do think, and this was part of the discussion at the meeting, that Rambam needs to get coherent messages out about the school so that those who choose to listen will hear the truth.

And you are right: this is a business decision, not a religious decision (unless it was a religious decision disguised as a business decision, but we're already up to like 60+ comments...). If the market were going the other way, I'd be the one upset.

As for style over substance: religion *is* culture. That's what you're paying for when you send your kids to a private school. You're not really paying for education, although that's part of it. We are not purely rational beings, thankfully.

Greg,

Point is well taken. I agree that I have witnessed things I would consider inappropriate as well, but not of the sort that has been repeated here often and that is what I am referring to. We have all heard it about Rambam and I suppose some Jews are comfortable talking about what they don't know...but to your Rebbi point above-I think someone mentioned about Jews all being Jews-I think it works both ways and unfortunately, the kollel crowd never seems to fess up to their prejudices-I do stipulate that they exist on both sides of the aisle-one side just believes they have Torah-an exclusivity on Torah-behind them. Myself-i am consoled with Divrei Elokim Chaim....not sure everyone here would agree.

Part of Rambam's problem in the past 5 years has been VERY poor marketing. The message of their values and the marketing to the community has been lacking allowing negative and untrue stereotypes to persist. This new development is also doomed to fail if they do not properly market what they have to offer.
When I heard of all those families that toured Rambam and decided not to attend, I had to wonder if there wasn't something wrong with the interview process, the follow up, the people giving the tour. If they were hurting for students so bad why weren't they more aggressive at recruiting and refining the recruitment process?
Also I wonder what the consultants had to say about the current teachers and staff. Obviously if they recommended a change at the top this would only be presented to the Board and not the public...but you gotta wonder.

This is not directed at anyone in particular, but it's almost comical the criticisms leveled by parents at Rambam's academic programs, policies or administration when compared with some of the other schools in town. It's laughable, man (that one was for you, Bill S.).

Go take a look at BY or TA, take the tour and talk to the administration there, ask questions and form your own opinion. Talk to other parents who have or have had their kids in the schools, especially the ones who have issues. And then come back to me and let's talk. Seriously. It's ridiculous.

The only question I am left with: will we still be pushing the blue ribbon school aspect?

And Jay Hobby, who is not an observant Jew, is making up stories to push Co-education b/c? Obviously this guy spent a lot of time researching this topic (that's what he does for a living)and felt this was the way the school had to go. Unless he's an undercover religious fanatic.....hmm.

He also mentioned that 72% of Private Schools (not necessarilly jewish) and that another 8% want to go in that direction. Do you think he made that up?

Yes Ploni-that makes sense....since one thing may be true, they all must be..hmm.. This meeting was about selling an agenda to a parent body that doesn't subscribe to it per se...please don't tell me you are naive enough to think that they wouldn't do what they could and say what they needed to, to sell the issue to a skeptical crowd-it's not logical...

Parent,
I can tell you that I personally know a family that went to visit Rambam... There was never any follow-up with the family after the kids went to visit.. so of course if they do not change they wil fail.

BS"D
My wife and I are YR parents. We love YR. My son started his academic career at TA, my daughter at Bnos Yisroel. We switched to YR because of the high academic standards and we liked the fact that the school is well run, not heimish (i.e. disorganized) Same sex classes are the way to go for numerous reasons. The parents and students who are unhappy about the upcoming changes will find their niche at BT. As far as the deficit, I'd like to see the books before we pass on our opinions. A freilichen Purim everyone.

Yeshivat Rambam, as my family has known and loved it over the past decade, is now a failed experiment, and I truly mourn its loss. The shift to the right in Orthodoxy is happening all over, and it should have been apparent especially in Baltimore that this community could not continue to provide a growing number of students for a school that is co-ed. It is a shame, because the void that was the impetus for the creation of Rambam will now exist again.

For anyone on Facebook - take a look at the videos posted of the HS singing together. I personally look at that and see it as a beautiful thing. Whether I agree with why they were doing it doesn't really matter one way or another - just the fact that a group of students can sit and come together like that is amazing. My question is, in the new structure would such a gathering ever be tolerated? Would the parents who the new policy is supposed to attract allow their sons and daughters to even sit together like that, much less sing together? Would they allow their children to socialize on a daily basis with kids who would? My gut tells me the answer is no. And that I think is what has so many current Rambam families so worried about the change - it is not just a financial and educational decision. It is a decision that in order to work must change the hashkafa of the school as well. If it doesn't change it then the financial gains of more students will never be realized.

HK,

Although I understand your feelings and to some degree agree also, I am sorry you feel that way because the reality will hurt if people do not face it and help their kids through it. Some Rabbis in town could help also possibly a Rabbi Silber or Rabbi Gottlieb to talk it out. I have also been involved with this school for a number of years and I always thought the coeducation piece was its biggest danger, overarching the educational philosophy and sometimes in some parents minds, becoming the most important piece.

I welcome a school that still will offer a strong Torah and secular Yeshiva educational model and support for the state of Israel within 2 buildings. It works in Israel in the Religious Zionist arena, at YU and Stern and in other Day Schools in the US.

It is the new trend and I am sure (I have relatives in educational leadership in three of these schools in the NY/NJ area) if you asked many of the educational leaders at many "Modern Orthodox" co-ed Day Schools affiliated with YU, many would wish they could do exactly what Rambam will now do but would be afraid to say so for fear of some parents. I believe they like many others feel that boys and girls that feel, as their parents, that co-education comes first and foremost are more seriously challenged to reach a spiritual level. Possibly these parents are also not so interested in this but the leaders and many Orthodox parents do.

You are and probably will see more of this trend.

The future for parents who must put co-education within classrooms at the forefront will be to mix into the community day school systems that accommodate all philosophies and where co-education is shared as number one. It may be a compromise but the price to pay for making co-education number one on the list.

May be sad to hear but where it will go.If one does not like that choice they may just need to reassess the importance of co-education taking the number one seat.

Dear D,

Now we can add Kol Isha to the list. The answer is "No." This type of behavior would never be tolerated by the "new generation" Rambam parents. Unfortunately, you do not realize that these behaviors (Negiah, Kol Isha) exhibited are against HALACHA. They are not just simply chumras imposed by fanatical ultra orthodox jews. They are very basic halachos in shulchan orach. In the future, with the new vision plan, I am confident that the school will place more emphasis on following basic halachos.

Although many of the high school parents are upset, most of the elementary school and ECC parents are in favor of this decision. These students are the future of Rambam. The bottom line is, nobody in Baltimore is interested in a co-ed school where the students are not following basic halachos. I'm sure that Beth Tfiloh will have no problem with the boys and girls sitting on each other's laps and singing. That is always an option.

Barak Obama

Barak,

1. Let's not try and hype up the situation - noone was sitting in anyones lap in the video.

2. I am not saying that the singing is halachically right or wrong, my point is that it it is the reality for the majority of the current students and that is what causes the concern. If the potential new student body will not tolerate such behavior (whether rightly so or not) then only one of two things can happen: a) they decide not to come to the school in which case we are no better off than before or b) the school adapts and changes to accomodate them. Most parents and students who are expressing concern are worries about either of these happening. If the new families don't come then the school fails financially and closes. If the school changes then where do the changes end? How much will change in order to make accomodations and where does that leave the current population who is happy with the overall hashkafa of the school?

Dear D,

What you call "reality" for the current Rambam high school students, is against halacha, (as I've mentioned before) and can not be tolerated on the school grounds of an Orthodox school. Unfortunately, if your parents grew up this way, and encourage this type of behavior, then that is up to them to decide how you conduct yourself outside of school. The school will never put limitations on what is tolerated in your personal home. Nor will they impose any of the restrictions that are forced on other students (TA, TI, Bnos, Bais Yaakov) in the community (no internet, T.V., movies, knee socks, black hats).

As to your comment about the people who are "happy about the overall hashkafa of the school," there are a lot of things I would be happy about if I was not frum. It would be great to go into a store and buy whatever clothes I wanted or go out to any restaurant when I'm on a vacation. However, part of being a frum Jew is keeping basic halachos even if we do not understand the reason. I know that it is difficult for you to understand this point of view especially if you did no grow up in a family that has brought you up that way. This is not your fault. I think Rambam is finally realizing that they need to take a stand on these important issues. I wish you luck and Chag Sameach.

barak

you keep bringing up its not your fault it was how u were brought up and how the kids at rambam dont follow the halacha of negiah and kol isha but if you walk around this community yo will see plenty of by girls or ta boys with girls touching and doing all of these things you say rambam has issues with but it is not an issue of the school maybe you can take a shot at rambam becuase it is a coed school so of couse thats what goes on but its not about the school its about being a teenager its all part of growing up it doesnt matter were u go to school if you are in by ok so you will do it more behind closed doors but dont go take a shot at rambam while its a hole teenager problem rather the school bc there are plenty of people who hve gotten introuble in school for touching even a hi five

Shulie,

I agree that there is the same problem with teenagers in BY and TA ( TI and Ner as well). I went to Bais Yaakov a long time ago and know that each grade has its fair share of kids who are going to test the rules.

However, the percentage of kids in BY and TA who are doing what they are supposed to do is much larger than in Rambam. The majority of kids in these schools are not "doing things in secret." Yes it is a problem,that exists among teenagers,all over, however, when you put teenage boys and girls in the same school, certain things are bound to happen. Unfortunately, you are probably hanging out with the kids from these schools who are not keeping the halachos. You probably are not seeing the 80% who are following the "rules."

My kids are in Rambam, and I chose to send them there despite the coeducation. I am not some frumie fanatic. However, after several years of standing in carpool lines, and observing a variety of behaviors on the school campus, I realize that this change is necessary for the community. Many people have walked into the school and been turned off by the casual interactions between the boys and girls. I am confident that this change will attract the right people to the school. Shulie, you don't seem like the type of guy who would go to Beth Tfiloh, so I hope that you get used to these changes because I think they are going to stick.

Josh,
I believe it's computer language. Shuli's a great kid, but from a kid's perspective, their world is changing too fast. They have a certain comfort level w/ how the school has been (understably)and this all comes as a big shock. Shuli will be OK-he's a champ!

Barak,

You are experientially correct in every way.

Shulis points are interesting as he is trying to find a way to justify improper interactions and equating teenagers are teenagers. In TA and BY where they tremendously shelter and punish for almost any interactions, one would expect this behind the scenes behavior yet it only exists in a smaller way. In Rambam where the kids are together so much and are supposed to be taught how to properly interact, the excuses to do improper interactions do not wash in the higher proportions that exist.

Yes Rambam has many serious parents who try to teach their kids according to halacha in their interactions yet their are far too many who condone actions that would make their own shul Rabbis cringe if they saw it. These parents need to realize halacha is not to be picked and chosen among peer groups. It is halacha and parents must teach their kids consistently with the school or messes like this one are inevitable.

HK- I am saddened by your use of the phrase "moving to the right" with the conntation of senseless frumkeit for the sake of appearances. As Jews, it is axiomatic that we have one source for what is good and true, the Torah. As I have already mentioned, Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, the Rosh Yeshiva at Gush, said in a question answer session last year that schools should be separate. He is not, as I am sure you know a "right winger" he is a gadol b'Torah, who many Rambam respect in many ways. Why should this be different? Rambam is not "moving to the right", Rambam is making a decision that is in line with the views of every Gadol B'Torah accross the board. I challenge you to find me an exception. As Rabbi Lamm has said, modern orthodoxy does not mean to be moerately passionate, it means to be passionately moderate. We might difeer with others when it comes to Israel and secular studies, G-d forbid we should disagree when it comes to Torah. I recognize that Rambam is making this decision for other reasons, but all of us, of whatever hashkafa should apllaud a change that is more in line with CHAZAL. BE"H through this move there will be a strengthening of Torah and mitzvos in a way that will show that as Modern Orthodox Jews, we are as passionate about and committed to Torah as any other segment of Orthodoxy. I wish you all a Happy Purim.

I'm fairly certain that what took place in the video does not constitute kol isha, halachicly.

Shuli,

Since you will obviously miss your cheerleading squad, maybe the Bnos Yisroel girls will volunteer to cheer during your basketball games?

A meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday March 25th for 8th, 9th and 10th grade parents to discuss educational opportunities for our children. The meeting will take place at the Heather Ridge clubhouse at 8 pm.

ploni- thank you and you are right as kids go through middle school than to highschool they become comferetable with what they do every day its what we know best, now your telling us what you have done for the past 11 years is not right and were telling u you need to change right now how do you expect us to be able to change our every day lives in a matter of days or months. we have gotten used to seeing eachother every day and we have all become very close and still dependent on each other likei have said before. Some people are taking this as o you need the girls and o you need them to b your cheerleaders at your games no you are all wrong we are all humans we have gotten to know each other as people not sex this is what rambam has come to teach us we are all people not boys and girls. So if you think we want to be with the girls because we need them to come to our game or because we need girls you are wrong a friend is a friend we have become to be known as friends not shes a girl im a guy.

and of course if you go to by there are plenty of girls who dont talk to guys and of course the percentage are doing more of the right thing but there are plenty who are not and no i dont hang out with them but there are plenty who u would think are great girls who wouldnt do that and dont get me wrong they are great girls but you would be suprised on who is talking to boys and who is not and if you think barak that there are 80% doing right you are 100% wrong i went to ta i know the things that go on there there are more problems than rambam besides the drugs and alcohol problems there are more than 40% of kids atleast in ta that are not doing the right thing and dont tell me im wrong i am a kid and kids know wha there friends or what there friends of friends are doing or what they have done and to yr elem parent- playing in front of your friends is fun it has nothing to do with rambam girls or not but they care about our team and were and still are our best fans and always will be so i dnt need those bnos girls but there invited to come

I was trying to hold out to be the 100th post but I believe that even 99 is an all time "Presence" record, congrats Greg. My first comment needs to convey my respect for Shulie, unlike most of the adult posters he is allowing his name to be attached to his opinions,while not worrying about any possible negative consequences, that shows integrity. My second point is based on experience and discussions with friends in Jewish Ed. I have to believe that there are some students who are secretly relieved about the switch because now they will not have to experience the pressure a co-ed environment may present. For example I have a friend who teaches in a N.Y. high school where the classes are co-ed in the p.m. She watches daily as some of the girls leave her chumash class to put on make-up and sometimes even change clothes. I may be wrong but I can't believe that every single student is upset, although they may not want to share their view with others.

Happy and Safe Purim,
Donna Wach

Gary,

I wish you the best of luck with your meeting about "educational opportunities." I truly hope that this meeting is leshaim shamayim, and will focus on what is truly best for our kids, rather than what is the perceived best solution for bitter parents...

Greg, you have really reached all time heights, way to go. In any case, one other point here that the deniers just don't seem to get. The reality is that YR was/is faced with a choice because of their financial situation. To be financially viable they need another 150-200 students. How do you do that? Well, you take a look at what you are all about. It seems that what Jay Hobby found, was that there was a disconnect between the stated mission and vision of the school and what is really going on at the school. For the school, to attract the number of new students that it needs they found that co-education was a major barrier. The school is committed to a mission and a vision and going to this new format does not contradict that mission. I can recall that when Shomrei looked for a new rabbi there were those individuals like Gary and Tricky Dick who yelled and screamed and threatened. These people are just negative individuals who will always use scare tactics to prevent an institution and people to grow. The idea of maintaining the "status quo" in any institution or group is a fallacy. Organizations are dynamic and are always moving in one direction or another. Will YR be different in 3 years? I would hope so. I would hope that we were all different in three years than we are today, isn't that what Judaism is all about, growth and spiritual change? Purim Samaech and shabbat shalom to all.

Rabbi Sommer- How did you get "senseless frumkheit" from my post? Is that what "the right" means to you? I respect everyone's efforts at Torah observance, be they more or less stringent than mine. It is unfortunately a fact that many Orthodox Jews in Baltimore who themselves grew up educated in coed Modern Orthodox schools, and who are living examples of the success of such schools, now are unable to continue that tradition in a setting that they are comfortable with. Unfortunately, along with all the strained convoluted efforts that will be necessary in order to physically accommodate separate sex middle and high schools, it seems very far-fetched that a high level of academic achievement will be possible, especially given the challenges that the high school has already been facing.
Chag Sameach

To those considering switching to schools with less intense Torah programs and lower level of observance, you are giving your children a message. A message that a few extra AP classes and a co-ed environment trump Torah and serious observance. I would think long and hard before giving such a message.
HK- I went to a co-ed HS and did gain from the experince. Not all I gained was positive. Much of the boy-girl interactions were not al pi halacha, and there is much that I wish I could erase from my mind. As I suugest above, our relationship with HaAShem should trump all else in life. If our schools are instilling that idea, then they are failing in their mission. Purim Sameach

I should begin by noting that I don't have particularly strong feelings about co-education one way or the other. I do support the proposed changes, as it seems quite clear to me that separating the classes is necessary to generate the enrollment Rambam needs to maintain the standards of its already-excellent religious and secular education.

I absolutely empathise with the disappointment of so many of the students, the composition of whose classes is undergoing significant and widely unwanted change. I also respect the dismay of parents that philosophically prefer co-education. In many cases, they have invested significant amounts of time and effort hoping to build a school consistent with all of their ideals. It is understandably disappointing to learn that what has been a significant component of Rambam's identity needs to be sacrificed to allow other, more fundamental, goals to be reached. It is also hurtful for them to be told that co-education, which had been an explicit part of Rambam's mission, is now to be considered religiously inferior. Again, my impression is that the changes are ultimately necessary, and that they should convey some advantages as well, but I cannot overlook the distress that this is causing to many, many people whose association with Rambam far predates my own, and whose contributions to the school have been, in many cases, immense.

I do want to respectfully respond to the concern that HK expressed in his or her last comment - that "it seems very far-fetched that a high level of academic achievement will be possible, especially given the challenges that the high school has already been facing." Obviously, the quality of Rambam's education is essential. However, it is unfair to presume that the mere existence of logistical obstacles necessarily precludes surmounting them. There are a lot of very dedicated and very capable people working incredibly hard to ensure that the funding and resources will be there on day one to sustain and improve Rambam's academics. I don't know very much about the details that will be announced after the 60 day period, but I do believe that Rambam's professional and lay leadership has earned enough respect to allow it to develop and present its plan of action before it is summarily rejected as being "far-fetched."

Chag Sameach to all.

Meyer Shields

Greg,

As a first time writer, I have to say that your blog is excellent.

As a parent of several children at BT, I just want to say that I respect those of you who for reasons of hashkafa want to send your children to other schools, whether coed or not coed. But to correct some perhaps misperceptions that I see from this board, there are plenty of shomer shabbos families at BT, and in each of my children's classes there have been a decent number of shomer shabbos families. There are some pretty incredible rebbeim teaching at BT as well. True, most students are not shomer shabbos--but most at least have parents who care enough to send their children to day school. The academics are excellent. I hope that Rambam has success in drawing enough families to continue. But there will be many families, I'm sure, who when BT opens its new lower school on Old Court Road (reversing one of the silliest moves ever), those MO families who (1) want their daughters singing zemirot around the table with their sons rather than sitting quietly, (2) want their children to be prepared to make a living and support a family in a world where academic preparation is very important, (3) believe that it is ok to go mixed swimming and do not hold be shomer negia, and (4) generally view themselves as MO will find that there is another option for them.

Personally, I think that Rambam is making the right decision. The cohort of families these days willing to send their kids to a coed school is pretty small compared to the Baltimore frum community, and when the choice is between BT (which has so many programs and activities and such a longstanding reputation) and Rambam, more who go for "coed" would probably choose BT. B'ezrat Hashem, hopefully all of the schools will do well.

BT Parent- If someone chose to ignore kashrus or Shabbos, would they be modern ORTHODOX? How can you choose to ignore negiah and mixed swimming, both of which are biblically prohibited? If that is your definition of MO, thank G-d for the "move to the right".

I appreciate Meyer Shields' well-organized and thoughtful post. I agree that Rambam's leadership deserves our respect, I think my kids have recveived a great education at Rambam thus far and I am truly grateful. However this is why I characterize the chances of them pulling this project off by September with academic excellence as far-fetched (not impossible, but far-fetched): The high school has been in existence for quite a few years, with the administration being able to tweak it along the way as it has been evolving. During that period of years, it has developed into a good school, but with some serious problems. Just 2 examples: I understand the 10th grade has had barely adequate math instruction this year, with a total of 4 different teachers. Just this week, a high school trip to the Ringling Brothers Circus was cancelled a day before the trip because someone suddenly realized that there are some inappropriately dressed female acrobats in the circus (perhaps they could have asked them to don long skirts).
Now, 5 months before this new division of the school is supposed to occur, we are told that all the details are not yet worked out!( but they will be able to lay out the plan for us in 60 days, 3 months before school starts). I do not mean to be negative or overly-critical, but doesn't that sound far-fetched?
And all this is conveyed to us at a time of year when it would require almost super-human efforts on the part of any parent who would want to seriously investigate options at other schools for their children in time for the coming school year.
How could any parent be expected to make such an important decision in an informed manner with such a lack of meaningful information?

Rabbi Sommer-
I think it would serve everyone well if you took a few deep breaths, collected yourself, and realized that the tenor of your remarks do not serve the interests of Ahavat Yisrael. I do not believe that anyone other than a person's Rav,parent,spouse or
friend should be giving them Mussar. Do you think that all Orthodox Jews ("Modern" or otherwise) are born already observing all 613 mitzvot? Is it necessary to deride those who have attained the level of keeping Kashrut and Shabbat but not certain of the other Mitzvot? Perhaps those who have a lifestyle that does not meet with your approval would be better served sending their children to public schools?

I am very happy that this dialogue is continuing on strongly. I just want to inform readers/posters that the JT is planning on running an article on this topic. I plan to be contributing some gathered thoughts from around the blogosphere, facebook group, and community at large - including my own general opinion.

I think the opinions are generally moving in the same direction. Most people are approaching satisfaction with the caveat that Rambam does NOT lose any of its educational, extra curricular, or social opportunities. Rambam's administration and community at large is following the various views being expressed online, and are using them to address the concerns of students and parents in order to better accomodate their needs.

A hearty Yashar Koach to Greg (and of course my boy Shulie for boldly voicing his opinion).

At some point, I may create a non biased summary of all the opinions and thoughts expressed in a professional yet personal and sensitive way.

HK - You raise qood questions that I am not in a position to answer, because I'm not personally involved in these efforts.

On the other hand, Rambam is not simply starting from scratch now. There is already an established infrastructure in place, and the two campuses are close enough to allow teachers to move back and forth if necessary.

Speaking only for myself, I am certain that there will be hiccups along the way - I don't think anyone pretends otherwise. But I am equally confident that with steady parental support, the end result will be well worth the inevitable speed-bumps.

Good Shabbos -

Meyer Shields

Barak Obama,
As A student who strongly loves and supports her school, I feel very hurt by your comments. How can you generalize the entire high school student body by saying that we do not follow basic halachot! This is not true at all. According to many people, the singing that we did was within the ramifications of Kol Isha. Many poskim say that boys and girls are allowed to sing together if it is toward HaShem. I’m not sure what religion you come from, but in mine, Esah einei is a song that that is sung toward HaShem. I apolgize that you weren't able to understand that we were looking to Hashem for strength because our world was shattered and being ripped apart. I apologize that you are not on the same level of religiosity as these students; maybe you should spend some time in the high school so you can strengthen your connection to Hashem instead of wasting your time berating Yeshivat Rambam and infusing this blog with lies about how terrible the high school student body is. Also, if the singing is not under the guidelines outlined above the school does not encourage it. For example, In the high school Color War the team song was ONLY allowed to be sung by boys and not girls, I think this shows that the school does not encourage Kol Ishai in front of boys. I also do not understand what "casual interactions" and "inappropriate behaviors in the carpool line" you are referring to. I am a student in the high school who follows the laws of shomer negiyah and I do not see this happening very often. Maybe you just got confused between the high school students walking to class in the hallway and the ECC kids holding hands.
Also, just because the students may not be SO MACHMIR on some halachot we are still great kids. Kids in more right-wing schools should follow our lead in starting projects like America Eats for Israel, which brings great achdut to the community, and volunteering for a myriad of important organizations such as chai lifeline, WAITT etc. I am proud to be a Yeshivat Rambam student and I am sorry that you are ashamed to be a Yeshivat Rambam Parent.

I fear that Rambam's level of academics will be negatively affected by this split, especially for the girls. Most people expressing their concerns about the level of academics are worried from a financial point of view. I would like to point out that reduced class sizes can also greatly affect the level of the class. Having been in classes where I was one of two or three g