The Felicia Penzell Weber Jewish Community High School in Atlanta, Ga., is proud to announce the establishment of The Daniel Zalik Academy, a state-of-the-art science, technology, engineering, and design institute made possible by a generous grant by the Zalik Foundation Fund. The Zalik Academy will be housed in a MIT-inspired FAB LAB on The Weber School campus, a comprehensive facility directed by expert professionals and an array of technological resources. The Zalik Academy will support hands on experimentation in disciplines that include engineering, digital, 3D, fashion and multi-media design, robotics, architecture and science research. The Zalik Academy will launch in the upcoming 2018-2019 academic year with courses and programs that will be fully realized and enriched with the opening of the MIT-Inspired FAB LAB in August 2019.
Serving students at The Weber School, along with those attending partner Jewish day schools and other Jewish programs in Atlanta, The Zalik Academy is modeled after the highly innovative Mitchell and Guerin Academies at The Milken Community Schools in Los Angeles and will offer unparalleled educational opportunities unique to the landscape of public and private schools in the Southeast.
“We are deeply grateful to the Zalik Foundation Fund for its visionary investment in Weber,” says Dr. Michael Karlin, President of The Board of Trustees, The Weber School. “The Zalik Academy and the MIT-inspired FAB LAB will provide students with access to one of a kind professional expertise as well as unprecedented access to the tools and resources of its international classroom.”
Rabbi Ed Harwitz, Head of School, adds, “The Zalik Academy will enable Weber to provide a revolutionary educational model that expresses our mission as a Jewish community high school in new, dynamic ways. We are proud to offer this distinct opportunity for learning and leadership for students at Weber and beyond, ensuring that the Atlanta Jewish community produces the next generation of ethically informed Jewish scientists, engineers, tech specialists and designers prepared to leverage their learning in way that serves our community and the broader world.”
“We are humbled to establish The Daniel Zalik Academy to honor the life of our beloved brother. May his memory be a blessing. We hope it serves as a catalyst for The Weber School, attracting students with a passion for science, technology and design, and enabling them to leverage the FAB LAB tools, renowned faculty and resources,” said David and Helen Zalik, principals of the Zalik Foundation Fund. “Our dream is that The Zalik Academy enables Weber to serve its student body and the broader Jewish community. The investment is a testament to the school’s leadership and furthers our mission to improve Jewish education in a manner that empowers young minds to unleash their potential and better society.”
A MIT-inspired Fab Lab is a platform for innovation and invention, connecting to a global community of fabricators, artists, scientists, engineers, educators, students, amateurs, and professionals of all ages located in more than 78 countries in approximately 1,000 facilities. Because all MIT-inspired Fab Labs share common tools and processes, the program is building a global network, a distributed laboratory for research and invention.
Through the MIT-inspired FAB LAB network, students will become members of an international science and technological innovation community, engaging in collaboration beyond the confines of Atlanta and building long-term relationships with current professionals and future colleagues in Israel and worldwide. The Weber School is particularly excited with the opportunity for Zalik Academy students to work with leading scientists, designers and engineers through the Fab Lab network in Israel.
About The Weber School:
The Weber School prepares its students for success in college and in life, inspiring them to be knowledgeable, thinking, responsible Jewish adults, by weaving together the pursuit of academic excellence; a commitment to Jewish values, the Jewish people and Israel; and a responsibility to serve our community and improve our world.
The Weber School is a Jewish community high school serving students from all Jewish backgrounds. The comprehensive academic and co-curricular program develops student exploration, leadership, and social responsibility. Students learn in the classroom, off campus, and around the world guided by highly talented and devoted faculty who cultivate creative thinking and encourage student initiative.
About MIT Inspired Fab Lab:
Formed in 2009 to facilitate and support the growth of the international Fab Lab network as well as the development of regional capacity-building organizations, The Fab Foundation is a US non-profit 501(c) 3 organization that emerged from MIT’s Center for Bits & Atoms Fab Lab Program. Their mission is to provide access to the tools, the knowledge and the financial means to educate, innovate and invent using technology and digital fabrication to allow anyone to make (almost) anything, and thereby creating opportunities to improve lives and livelihoods around the world. Community organizations, educational institutions and non-profit concerns are their primary beneficiaries.
Contact:
Rise Arkin
(404) 917-2500
rarkin@weberschool.org
