Bialik College

Bialik College
Address
429 Auburn Road Hawthorn East, Victoria 3123 Australia
Coordinates	37°50′32″S 145°02′37″E / 37.8421°S 145.0435°E / -37.8421; 145.0435Coordinates: 37°50′32″S 145°02′37″E / 37.8421°S 145.0435°E / -37.8421; 145.0435
Information
Type	Independent
Motto	Step Forth With Courage and "Be Your Best"
Denomination	Jewish
Established	1942
Principal	Jeremy Stowe-Lindner
Grades	K-12
Enrolment	1,046
Colour(s)	Blue and Yellow
Website	www.bialik.vic.edu.au

Bialik College is a Jewish Day School located in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn East. School capacity is more than 1000 students, ranging from 3-year-old kindergarten to Year 12. Bialik offers the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). Established in 1942 in Carlton North, Victoria, the school has had a Zionist orientation since its inception, with the establishment of the State of Israel central to its identity.^[1][2] Bialik's approach to Judaism is pluralistic and cross-communal.

Facilities

Since the late 1990s, Bialik has added a building to house its VCE department, an Early Learning Centre, the 'Besen Family Art & Technology Centre' and the 'Gringlas Sports Centre' to its campus. Additionally, the school has established the Rosenkranz Centre For Excellence and Achievement, aimed at providing enrichment and extension programs for students.

A new drama studio opened in 2010 and the Evelyn Hellen Library opened in early 2011. In 2011, a new Jewish Life Centre, The Mifgash^[3], opened as part of the school's new Jewish Life and Informal Education initiative. The College has an award-winning Kitchen Garden, cafeteria (the Shuk ) and runs a school bus service.

In 2015, the Primary School underwent a major rebuild and is currently a multi-purpose and multi-sensory environment with a variety of learning and playful spaces.

Academics

Bialik College has offered the VCE since 1990; the school has consistently been ranked as one of the top 10 in Victoria.^[4] As of January 2016, the school has been ranked in the top 5 in Victoria for 19 out of 20 years.^[5]

Performing arts

Bialik College has a comprehensive performing arts program. All Primary School students are provided with an opportunity to learn a musical instrument and participate in orchestras and ensembles.

The Middle School offers a Drama elective in Years 7-10, with many students choosing to continue it for VCE. In 2016, a new Drama program was introduced in the Primary School for Year 3 students.

On alternative years the school presents a major musical, and produces a play. Some recent Bialik productions include Fiddler On The Roof, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, High School Musical, Aladdin and in 2016, The Golem. There is also an annual house performing arts competition, which is run by Year 10 drama students.

Jewish life

Jewish Life looks over the three departments within the college: Jewish Studies, Hebrew, Informal Jewish Education. Informal Education caters to the four pillars of Judaism, Zionism, Leadership and Health and Wellbeing. Informal Education is run out of The Mifgash, which represents the ethos of Bialik College in terms of pedagogy, outlook, and conforms to typologies held by Jewish Informal Education. Every Year 10 student attending Bialik College has the opportunity to travel to China and Israel for 'Chavayah^[6]'. The College was the first Jewish school in Australia to add an Asian component to the annual Israel tour. Students discover China's industry and impact on the world's economy, as well as the history of the Jewish community in Shanghai.

Student leadership

Bialik's leadership model promotes inclusivity as students are self-nominated for leadership roles. There are leadership opportunities at various year levels throughout the Primary, Middle and Senior schools. Every Year 5 student becomes a leader of the Primary School and can choose from a variety of portfolios that suit their personal interests. There are further opportunities for leadership in Years 9,10, 11 and 12.^[7]

House system

The three houses, Weizmann (Green), Szold (Yellow) and Herzl (Red), are mainly used for interhouse sports and are named for Chaim Weizmann, Henrietta Szold and Theodore Herzl.

Notable alumni

• Joshua Frydenberg, banker and Liberal member for Kooyong in the Australian House of Representatives since August 2010^[8]
• Anthony Goldbloom, founder and CEO of Kaggle
• Joel Fetter, Barrister and winner of the Supreme Court Prize at Melbourne Law School^[9]
• Dr Jordana Silverstein, author of Anxious Histories: Narrating the Holocaust in Jewish Communities at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century^[10]
• Nathaniel Lizak, recipient of the Young Investigators Best Oral Presentation for his work on the effects of MS treatments in slowing its progression, whilst studying Medicine at Monash University^[11]
• Rhodes Scholar Sarah Meyer an "Assistant Professor in the Forced Migration and Health Program, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and was named Research Director for AfriChild, a research center on children’s well-being based in Kampala, Uganda in January 2015"^[12]
• Josh Glanc, lawyer and comedian, Josh's hit comedy show 99 Schnitzels (Veal Ain’t One) sold out during the 2015 Melbourne Comedy Festival and ran for a second festival season in 2016^[13]
• Elise Hearst, successful playwright based in Melbourne and co-creator of acclaimed production, Bright World (2016)^[14]

References