During the 2022-2023 school year, Rabbi Isaac Melnick, co-founder and executive director of Shorashim Academy, was selected as one of four fellows for the Drexel Fund Founders Program, out of over 60 applicants nationwide. The Drexel Fund Founders Program is a one-year paid fellowship specifically designed to support visionary educational entrepreneurs. Its goal is to assist fellows in turning their dream of establishing a new, sustainable, and high-performing private school into a reality.
In addition to the valuable support provided through the Founders Program, Shorashim Academy received a significant three-year start-up grant from the Drexel Fund. This grant comes with certain milestones outlined in the agreement, and the school is committed to achieving them. Furthermore, Shorashim Academy will continue to receive financial support from the Drexel Fund until the 2025-2026 school year.
Mrs. Ellen Koppel has over 20 years of experience working in private and public charter schools, ensuring a socially and emotionally safe school environment for all members of the school’s community. Expert at providing meaningful learning opportunities, Mrs. Koppel helps students become more emotionally and socially flexible, competent, sensitive, and aware.
Rabbi Isaac Melnick was educator-turned-director of the highly successful Torah 4 Everyone (T4E) afterschool program at Ben Gamla Charter School for 12 years. With his combination of strong leadership skills and financial accountability, the T4E program gained an outstanding reputation and grew to an enrollment of close to 250 students. Most recently, he was the Dean of the Brauser Maimonides Academy Middle School, where he supported teachers and helped create a more positive school culture.
Rabbi Dr. Gur Berman has a 20+ year career in education and over ten years of experience as a school leader in both private and public charter schools. Prominently, he was the principal of the Kendall and Plantation Ben Gamla Charter Schools. Most recently, he served as the Director of General Studies at Yeshiva Toras Chaim Toras Emes, overseeing the general studies education of over 1,000 students.
Rabbi Dr. Berman is particularly adept at assembling, supporting, and retaining motivated, loyal, and highly effective faculty and staff and working with that team to exceed the expectations of all school stakeholders. He adheres scrupulously to the concept that “authentic leadership begins at the top,” which requires personal values and integrity to inform all professional decision making. Focusing on building and maintaining relationships with staff, students, and parents, he follows a philosophy of respect and collaboration to achieve mutual goals.