Leap Of Faith
by Carol Eisenberg, President, Board of Directors
As a kid I always enjoyed the trapeze act at the circus. The beefy Papa
dangles by his knees with his chalky hands hanging free. The lithe
sons and daughters huddle, sparkling, on the opposite platform, each in
turn swinging out. Finally there is that breathtaking moment when they
let go of the trapeze, perform some incredible airborne feat, then –
incredibly – don’t plunge to the center ring below, but lock chalky arms
midair with a resounding thwack.. Phew. Fantastic.
I haven’t thought of the trapeze in years, but as I sat down to write this
column just two days into the new school year at Levey, the image
popped into my mind. That leap of faith and the satisfying thwack when it
proves successful are perfect metaphors for the feats of daring involved
in making a small independent Jewish Day School fly each year in
Portland, Maine.
So much of Levey is a leap of faith. Every year, the JCA and the Levey
Foundation make significant gifts to ensure that a Jewish day school is
available in our community. Every year our board pledges to spread
those funds and other gifts far enough to make the school affordable for
all who want their children to attend. Every year, we hire teachers and
staff, and every year the children come. More and more of them. This
year Levey has 43 children enrolled in pre-kindergarten through fifth
grade – more than 20 percent more than last year! We have a full- and
part-time faculty/staff of nine.
And when all of us make the leap together and lock arms midair, what
happens is more than a school, it is a community. We parents got just a
little taste of the community we will make together when we all gathered
in the first grade room for coffee and introductions on the first day of
school. There was such a nice mix of familiar and new faces, a buzz of
friendly conversation. It’s a wonderful feeling to be among a group of
parents who share educational priorities.
Levey’s ability to pull off the feats we undertake is due in no small
measure to the leadership of Ellie Miller. I am writing this column on
September 2, 2005, which has been deemed by Governor John Elias
Baldacci “Elinor Miller Day” in the State of Maine. Ellie Miller is someone
who makes leaps of faith her life’s work. The Governor has honored her
because of her multiple decades of service at Pine Tree Legal
Assistance, where she spent her first career. After two years combining
that important work with service as a part-time volunteer director of
Levey, Ellie has retired from Pine Tree and become the permanent
director of Levey Day School. Thwack. Phew. Fantastic.
BACK TO NEWS
As a kid I always enjoyed the trapeze act at the circus. The beefy Papa
dangles by his knees with his chalky hands hanging free. The lithe
sons and daughters huddle, sparkling, on the opposite platform, each in
turn swinging out. Finally there is that breathtaking moment when they
let go of the trapeze, perform some incredible airborne feat, then –
incredibly – don’t plunge to the center ring below, but lock chalky arms
midair with a resounding thwack.. Phew. Fantastic.
I haven’t thought of the trapeze in years, but as I sat down to write this
column just two days into the new school year at Levey, the image
popped into my mind. That leap of faith and the satisfying thwack when it
proves successful are perfect metaphors for the feats of daring involved
in making a small independent Jewish Day School fly each year in
Portland, Maine.
So much of Levey is a leap of faith. Every year, the JCA and the Levey
Foundation make significant gifts to ensure that a Jewish day school is
available in our community. Every year our board pledges to spread
those funds and other gifts far enough to make the school affordable for
all who want their children to attend. Every year, we hire teachers and
staff, and every year the children come. More and more of them. This
year Levey has 43 children enrolled in pre-kindergarten through fifth
grade – more than 20 percent more than last year! We have a full- and
part-time faculty/staff of nine.
And when all of us make the leap together and lock arms midair, what
happens is more than a school, it is a community. We parents got just a
little taste of the community we will make together when we all gathered
in the first grade room for coffee and introductions on the first day of
school. There was such a nice mix of familiar and new faces, a buzz of
friendly conversation. It’s a wonderful feeling to be among a group of
parents who share educational priorities.
Levey’s ability to pull off the feats we undertake is due in no small
measure to the leadership of Ellie Miller. I am writing this column on
September 2, 2005, which has been deemed by Governor John Elias
Baldacci “Elinor Miller Day” in the State of Maine. Ellie Miller is someone
who makes leaps of faith her life’s work. The Governor has honored her
because of her multiple decades of service at Pine Tree Legal
Assistance, where she spent her first career. After two years combining
that important work with service as a part-time volunteer director of
Levey, Ellie has retired from Pine Tree and become the permanent
director of Levey Day School. Thwack. Phew. Fantastic.
BACK TO NEWS
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Levey Day School
A Community Jewish Day School
