Rabbis on campus? Music in bathrooms? One YULA High School? On February 5th, 2021, every member of the YULA community was notified that the YULA Girls’ and Boys’ schools will “merge and create one YULA High School,” with YULA Boys’ Head of School, Rabbi Arye Sufrin in charge. Since then, a number of effective changes have been made throughout the Girls’ Division that will leave a meaningful and lasting impact. 

The merger began in the 2021-22 school year, and with that came the adoption of YULA’s Three Pillars: Primacy and Relevancy of Torah, Uncompromising General Studies, and Character Development. Head of YULA High School Rabbi Sufrin states that “everything we have added and continue to add is guided by the Three Pillars…to inspire our students to grow in their spirituality, academics, and character.” In order to achieve this mission, a number of changes have been implemented at the Girls’ Division. First, students’ pictures are now hung up throughout the school to portray character development. Whether the pictures present the Girls’ sports teams or student activities like color war, a sense of community pervades the hallways. Classical music is also played in all restrooms throughout the Girls’ Division, adding to the stress free environment in school.

New Rebbeim have been added to the YULA Girls’ staff as a result of the merger. Although the Girls’ Division has exemplary Mechanchot, teachers, and women in leadership positions, there was a lack of Rebbeim, which has now been satisfied. Lauren Gabbay (‘22) states that this new addition “has been a tremendous enhancement [to the school] because it’s good to know that there is a Rabbi on campus to consult when I have any questions.”

In addition, with the record enrollment in both divisions this year, there is an increasing number of students who would like to immerse themselves in athletics at YULA. The Girls’ Division has added a Frosh Soph Volleyball team in addition to the JV and varsity teams and has also added a Fencing Team to meet student requests. YULA Girls now offers over ten sports teams. 

Last year, the Girls’ Division did not have a Guidance Counselor on staff. Over the summer, the Administration worked very hard to select someone to fill that void, hiring Dr. Eliana Rome, a very experienced and learned woman, who has a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute. Zahava Kaplan (‘22) says, Dr. Rome is “always willing to listen and it is very pleasant to have a guidance counselor back on campus.” 

Finally, shorter days have now been implemented. Prior to COVID-19, school began at 7:45 a.m. and ended at 4:25 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays and ended at 1:10 p.m. on Fridays. This year, girls begin school at 8:00 a.m. and finish at 4:00 p.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. on Fridays. The students appreciate the new schedule, as it adds more time to complete homework and participate in extracurricular activities.

The merging of the YULA Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools has many benefits, and as the new school year has begun, it has become clear that the many changes made are only the beginning of an exciting new journey for YULA High Schools. As Rabbi Sufrin clearly states, “mediocrity is unacceptable, and we will continue to focus on creating excellence in all areas.”