Aleh High School for Arts and Sciences - Lod. Israel

Established by the Edward D. and ANNA MITCHELL 

The Edward D. and Anna Mitchell High center for Sciences and Hi-Tech in Lod, was established by the Edward D. and Anna Mitchell in 1994 in order to enhance the progress of disadvantaged students majoring in the sciences.

 
The idea underlying establishment of the School is to seek out -- in such developing cities as Lod and other underprivileged Israeli towns students with promising abilities who, due to their low socio-economic status, family difficulties and the relatively low standards of their local schools are unable to realize their full academic potential. Confronting this situation head on, the Mitchell center provides for the close care of each student over the entire course of four years, and brings each of them to the peak of individual academic achievement.

It should be emphasized that these are students who cannot pay for extra studies beyond what the government allocates, yet they are accepted to our school and taught until they complete their matriculation exams.

Today, the school enrolls 673 students from grades 9-12; and this year sees our eigth cycle of graduates completing their studies, and to special efforts done by the Mitchell center.
 

Since we indeed are a relatively small school, our teaching and administrative staff get to know each and every one of our students very well. A guiding principle we religiously adhere to, which unites and defines us, is our "open door" policy. 

 Over the years, the students council has refined plans for activities  that enrich the social life of the students. It organizes traditional  social events, including Hanukkah parties, a torch race, a health day,  etc., and generates monthly single-page bulletins about each student,  as well as a center, newspaper.

 
We also view as a major goal the cultural enrichment of the students. Among the many extra-curricular activities held, are:

Theater Club, whose members go and see a play of their choice once a month.

Art & Photography Club, held at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

Choir and Group Singing, held at the school.

Drama Club

Two Musical Ensembles

German Language Teaching Club

Sport Clubs: including basketball, table tennis, yoga.

Science Clubs: such as for budding veterinarians and on medicinal plants, held in Tel Aviv's Beilinson hospital.

Thus it may be noted, with pride, that all of our immigrant graduate students from four graduating classes enlisted in the army to elite combat units, or to intelligence or other select units. We are justly proud of this impressive achievement which contributes to the absorption of immigrants into Israeli society.
 

Academically, the Mitchell center has set itself the goal of teaching the most advanced levels of studies in the regular curriculum. Special secondary-school programs designed by institutions of higher learning are made available to students so that they may keep abreast of the latest developments in their particular areas of interest. The school maintains close contact with institutions of higher learning such as Tel Aviv University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Technion-Haifa Institute of Technology and Bar Ilan University.
 

Our chemistry and physics majors are provided with programs that were created together with Tel Aviv University. Our biology students participate in numerous full-day seminars at the Weizmann Institute of Science on subjects both included in their regular curriculum and on novel advanced topics, such as DNA chips, and developmental processes in embryos. Biotechnology students visit leading firms in this industry to observe the making of pharmaceuticals and foods through state-of-the-art production techniques.
 

Arabic majors take part in special enrichment programs through which they become acquainted with Arabic culture and religion and they participate, of course, in the weekly youth program sponsored by the Army and the Ministry of Education. Environmental Quality, or Ecology, students take special trips to learn about environmental problems in Israel and possible ways of solving these problems. Computer majors prepare programming and other projects under the guidance of a professional expert working in one of the large international computer firms.
 

 A number of our students are actually taking courses towards their first degrees at Bar Ilan, and Tel Aviv and the Open Universities in parallel with their high school studies. Last year, Erel Garon, one of our tenth graders, won a prize for his work in the field of computers in the annual competition for young scientists held at the Science Museum in Jerusalem.

Physics, chemistry, biology and computer majors, under the guidance of their teachers, participate in the annual national academic "Olympics", and have won various prizes.

Interested students also participate in "The Art of Debating" in English, which is an international program. In the year 2000, our students were chosen to represent Israel among the teams participating in "The Art of Debating" contest held in Cyprus, and won prizes.

Our teachers are required to keep up with the latest information and techniques, and are involved in constant renewal efforts. For example, this year biology teachers taught parts of the required curriculum, on heredity and the immune system, via novel methods that combined Website and CD usage, which was developed by the Weizmann Institute. The teachers were invited to lecture on their experience to other teachers at national conferences held at the Weizmann Institute.

It truly is "a small great school".