By Yoni Binus
Last Sunday, 24 Heilicher alumni came together for the first meeting of this year’s Heilicher Alumni Board. The Board, made up of Heilicher alumni who are currently in high school and who applied to join, is an opportunity for alumni to support the school, gain leadership experience, and make an impact on their Jewish community.
It was absolutely amazing to see our former students come together and focus on the work at hand. Their energy, their thoughtfulness, their organization, and their poise all stood out as they chose committee work and got down to business brainstorming this year’s recommendations.
After hearing updates on Heilicher from the Head of School, they broke into four committees (Student Life, High School Preparedness, Jewish Life, and Alumni Engagement) based on interest and experience. In committee groups, they shared their Heilicher memories and high school experiences and begin formulating recommendations that could help strengthen Heilicher and continue to meet the needs of Jewish students in the Twin Cities.
At the end of the meeting, the committees presented their preliminary suggestions to the whole Board. From Israel education to an alumni mentor program for current students, their creative, impressive, and meaningful ideas set the stage for future work in refining a final set of recommendations to present to the Board of Trustees at the end of the year.
We ended the meeting by touring the Makerspace (which was something they requested after I mentioned it in my update at the outset of the meeting). The Board members asked great questions, and many reflected on how they feel the school has grown since their time here. They are proud of the school Heilicher has become!
A special thank you to Yonah Davis, Ethan Kahn, Zachary Weiser, and Nora Cornell who stepped up to take leadership roles on the Alumni Board and to keep the momentum going.
- Alumni
- Alumni Board
- Head of School
- Yoni 360
