The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, often referred to as CESJDS or JDS, is a private, pluralistic Jewish K-12 school in Rockville, Maryland.

The school's namesake is Charles E. Smith, a renowned local Jewish philanthropist and real estate magnate. The school was founded in 1969. The head of school is Jonathan Cannon.

With over 1,500 students, the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School is the largest private school in the D.C. area, according to the Washington Business Journal's 2007 Book of Lists, and is one of the largest Jewish day schools in the world.

Campus

The school is separated into two distinct campuses; the Lower School campus houses kindergarten through sixth grade students, while the Upper School houses seventh through twelfth grade students. The two campuses are distinct yet interrelated, and school functions take place regularly at both locations. The two campuses are located approximately three miles from one another.

The Lower School

Two wings of the School exist side by side: K-2 and 3-6. Each encompasses its own facilities for individual and collaborative study. An ovular Beit Midrash located at the entrance is regularly used for tefilah. Other notable facilities include the Great Books Reading Room, "Field of Dreams" Playground, technology labs, fully-equipped science classrooms and an expansive library with two designated working classrooms.

Since 1976, the Lower School has undergone three major renovations. The school now occupies approximately on and houses over 800 Lower School students.

The Upper School

A skylit central hallway, the "Cardo", is bracketed by imposing arches modeled on the archways in the ancient Jewish Quarter of Byzantine Jerusalem. This main thoroughfare is a lively meeting ground for Middle and High School students and teachers. The main thoroughfare showcases student art and other similar projects.

Throughout the structure are pieces of Jewish history and acknowledgments of the foundation of pluralism on which the school was established. The Beit Midrash features rounded stained glass windows circling a cupola based on Eastern European synagogue design, with each panel representing an essential principle of Judaism, including Torah, Neshamah (Soul), Kavanah (Spirit), Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) and Rachamim (Compassion). A woodworking motif--adapted to the space from one seen by seniors during their annual trip to Poland--frames the room. Jerusalem stone is featured throughout. Every doorpost in the school features a distinct mezuzah, designating each space in the building an intimate extension of home.

Adaptability and flexibility are hallmarks of the school, and are reflected in the way classrooms are organized: table are used instead of individual desks, which can be configured for group discussions, computer labs or hevruta-style learning. Each grade has a separate hallway so students can create their own informal communities-within-a-community. An atrium off the central skylit hallway is a place for picnic-style lunches, as well as subject review labs and mentoring sessions.

Spaces for the arts and athletics include the Daniel Pearl Memorial Gym which holds 700 and encompasses full-court basketball play. Art spaces are include a ceramics studio with five pottery wheels and state-of-the-art kiln, a professionally equipped photography studio and dark room and a recording studio.

Mission Statement

The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School of Greater Washington is an independent, community day school, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The School is dedicated to creating an environment in which students can grow to their fullest potential as responsible and dedicated members of the Jewish people, and of American society. Based on six basic Jewish precepts, the school's mission is to teach its students:

• Torah L?Shmah - ???? ????

...to become lifelong learners inspired by a love of ?learning for the sake of learning? through a rigorous comprehensive academic program of General and Judaic studies which places a priority on critical, independent and creative thought and expression

• Ahavat Torah - ???? ????

...to understand and appreciate the wisdom, spiritual depth and ethical guidance of Judaism.

• K?dushah - ?????

...to understand and appreciate the perception of God?s presence in the awe and wonder of our world, and how we can sanctify our lives through the practice and experience of the Mitzvot.

• Ahavat Yisrael - ???? ?????

...to form an inextricable bond with the Jewish people - past, present and future - to foster a sense of commitment to the State of Israel, and to appreciate and master the Hebrew language as the language of the Jewish people.

• V?ahavta L?Rayakha - ????? ????

...to create a caring, moral community based upon the concepts of B?tzelem Elokim (each individual is created in the image of God) and Derekh Eretz (ethical decency) in which members respect each other?s uniqueness and preciousness and are responsible for each other and the community.

• Tikun Olam - ???? ????

...to be passionate about preserving God?s world and making it a more compassionate, just and peaceful place through individual and collective commitment to programs of social action and public policy.

History

In the early 1960s, a group of dedicated lay and educational leaders in the Washington Jewish community recognized a growing need for a Conservative Judaism day school. ?With more nerve than common sense,? pioneers including Rabbi Zvi Porath, Joseph Mendelson, Rabbi Jacob Rosenberg, Caryl Holiber, Paul Berger and others founded the first Solomon Schechter Day School in the Washington area.

The school began with two faculty members teaching seven students in space borrowed from what is now Ohr Kodesh Congregation. The 1965 annual budget for teachers' salaries--a part-time secretary who worked at her kitchen table, books, school supplies and even jump ropes--totalled $17,000.

By 1971, a second facility had been added at Temple Shalom to accommodate an enrollment of 170 students and a faculty of 25. As the school's popularity continued to grow, additional sites were added. Leadership envisioned expanding the school beyond its original kindergarten-6th-through-grade model. After an in-depth evaluation to measure the viability of a kindergarten-through-12th-grade community school, additional grades were established.

Charles E. Smith worked tirelessly to raise funds to establish a Jewish day school to further that vision. By 1977, with a student body of close to 500, the school had moved to 1901 E. Jefferson Street in Rockville, the current location of its Lower School. Three years later, the School was named for Smith in recognition of his extraordinary contributions and continued fundraising activities on behalf of the school. Support from the United Jewish Appeal (now the Jewish Federation of Washington) was, and continues to be, essential to the school's renewed expansion and vitality.

By 1991 four wings had been added to make room for a student body nearly 1,000 strong. In 1997, the Board of Directors endorsed Operation Excellence, a two-phased project to expand and improve the school. In 1999, an Upper School campus was established at 11710 Hunters Lane, followed shortly thereafter by a renovation of the Lower School campus on East Jefferson Street.

CESJDS is now the largest Jewish community day school in the country, educating over 1,500 students in the Lower and Upper Schools combined. The student includes ;members from Israel, Iran, Russia, Eastern Europe, Mexico, South America and Central America, as well as the U.S.

Academics

Lower School Curriculum

Lower School students spend 60 percent of their day in General Studies and 40 percent in Judaic studies. In addition to a core curriculum, the academic calendar is dotted with holiday celebrations, visiting artists days, field trips and important school ?life cycle? events.

Judaic Studies

Lower School students are introduced to Judaics and Hebrew through a combination of classroom instruction and experiences. The study of Hebrew begins with Tal Am, a curriculum based on creating a visual and oral environment for learning. By the end of their first grade, children are comfortable reading out of the siddur (prayer book). In the third grade, students begin to study Ivrit b'Ivrit, in which every class in Judaics is taught in Hebrew.

Inspiring a spiritual connection to Judaism is central in the elementary grades. A sense of celebration surrounds tefilah. Children are encouraged to explore their ideas about God by exploring their own sense of connectedness to the world around them and their place in it. Most students take part in tefilah every day and a communal tefilah becomes central in the older grades.

The school believes that a connection to the state of Israel is integral to establishing a strong Jewish identity. By the fifth grade, the school begins to introduce the history and culture of Israel through classroom discussion, reading material and projects.

Pluralism and egalitarianism are expressed in the way CESJDS approaches study and prayer with respect given to the traditions of each family's practice are respected.

Upper School Curriculum

Upper School students follows a nine-period curriculum (run on a block schedule with 6 periods per day). The Upper School's academic focus is based on Torah L'Shmah, teaching students to ?become lifelong learners, inspired by a love of learning for the sake of learning?. The school places a priority on critical, independent and creative thought and expression in the classroom.

A challenging academic program is paralleled by the teaching of an appreciation for the spiritual and ethical guidance offered by Judaism. The school remains committed to creating a caring, moral community based on the tenet of "V?ahavta L?rayakcha? where each individual is respected for his uniqueness.

Central to students' experience at CESJDS is ?Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba Zeh," ?all of Israel is responsible for one another and for the community?. A commitment to community service is paramount with 80 recorded hours required for graduation, though students regularly exceed this requirement.

High School

Designed to prepare students for high achievement in college and in life, the dual-curriculum academic program for the High School is challenging. Students take from seven to nine academic courses within a rotating block schedule; a regular school day has six one-hour periods, and each class meets twice every three days. In order to ensure a solid foundation in both Judaic and General Studies, the school requires three Judaic and four General Studies core courses and two electives each year. Since all students take Hebrew, electives include Romance language courses as well as courses in the arts. The ninth course may be another core course, an elective, or a Study Hall.

Most departments offer three levels of High School courses: College Prep, Honors and Scholars. College Prep classes are rigorous and demanding, yet paced to promote the success of every student in our School. Honors classes offer students who are talented and interested in a particular discipline the opportunity to delve more deeply into the subject and to learn more sophisticated, discipline-oriented skills (e.g., literary criticism or mathematical reasoning). Scholars' classes offer gifted and dedicated students an intense academic experience. Although CESJDS does not offer AP courses because the school remains philosophically opposed to ?teaching to a test?, students often take AP tests.

"Early" Graduation

The Upper School curriculum is designed through a unique method whereby all High School seniors graduate after the fall semester, as opposed to continuing through the spring and graduating in May or June, as is the practice at most local schools. Students complete their High School studies in late January and graduate in early February, after which they are given the choice to go on two school-sponsored trips that mix education and tourism. The first trip is a week-long visit to Eastern Europe, during which recent graduates tour Poland and Prague, visiting concentration camps (including Treblinka, Auschwitz and Terezin), ghettos and other former centers of Jewish life destroyed by the Holocaust. Students then have the option of continuing on a three-month, whirlwind tour of Israel, guided by the Alexander Muss High School in Israel. The trip begins in Eastern Europe and concludes in Israel to emphasize the importance of the State of Israel in the history of the Jewish people, especially after the Holocaust. "Love of Israel" is also an integral part of the school's mission statement, and this trip ensures that all students who graduate from the Upper School will have an opportunity to visit Israel. The majority of graduating seniors routinely choose to embark on both trips.

Co-curricular Activities

Performing Arts

• After School Jazz Band
• Art Club
• Ceramics Club
• School Newspaper
• Media/Video Club
• Theater Tech Club
• Video/Photo Club

Middle School

• Collage Literary Magazine
• Musical Performance
• Middle School Knesset
• Chess Club

High School

• Lion's Tale (school newspaper)
• A cappella Choir
• Loa Ha?ari (Hebrew literary magazine)
• Melting Pot (Romance language magazine)
• Reflections (Literary magazine)
• Women?s Choir
• Grade Government (representation from each grade)
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• Junior Statesmen of America
• Business Club

Theater Performances

Fall Play

Winter Musical

Spring Workshops

Literary Awards

REFLECTIONS - received a Gold Medalist rating from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for its 2005 edition, the highest medalist rating CSPA offers; its Superior rank in the 2005 NCTE Program which Recognizes Excellence in Student Literary Magazines (out of 486 schools in the state of Maryland, Reflections was rated second in the entire State)

COLLAGE - Gold Medalist rating from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the highest medalist rating CSPA offers; First Place with Special Merit from the American Scholastic Press Association, the highest medalist rating ASPA offers.

MELTING POT - First Place with Special Merit from American Scholastic Press Association 12/2005.

LION'S TALE - earned a Gold Medal Certificate from Columbia Scholastic Press Association for the papers published between November 1, 2004 and November 1, 2005, an overall award for the paper.

Athletics

Fall sports:

• Cross Country
• Golf
• Boys' Soccer
• Girls' Soccer
• Girls' Volleyball
• Ultimate Frisbee (intramural)