Crown Family High School Program

Our unique and outstanding Crown Family High School meets on Wednesday evenings. This four-year program successfully blends formal and informal educational experiences and offers students the opportunity to study and to socialize with our Rabbis and teachers. Our school has taken the lead nationally in moving confirmation to a more modern and meaningful time in a child's life - at the end of twelfth grade. We also have one of the largest and most active youth groups in the country. Students in both the junior and senior groups benefit from the combination of educational and social activities and from their formal and informal interaction with the Rabbis, Cantor, Religious School Principal and advisors.

Crown Family High School Curriculum

Our High School program is open to youngsters in grades 9 through 12, whose parents are Temple members. We meet on Wednesday evenings and our faculty consists of the Rabbis, Cantor, Director of Education, and other qualified professional staff. The evening begins with dinner and social time, followed by Orr Shalom youth group meetings, and concludes with two educational class sessions.

The goals of the program are:

1. To provide students an opportunity to explore Jewish beliefs, practices, and traditions.
2. To instill values which promote the survival of the Jewish people and Jewish family.
3. To generate enthusiasm and love for the Jewish people and our way of life.
4. To provide students with the tools needed to function as articulate Jews on the college campus and beyond.

The courses offered all fall into the following categories:
• Bible
• Israel
• Hebrew
• Spirituality
• Anti-Semitism
• Jewish History
• Jewish Music and Literature
• Judaism and Contemporary Issues

Students in our High School have the opportunity to be involved in a large variety of formal and informal social and cultural experience. There is a trip to Israel every third year, participation in the National Convention of the North American Federation of Temple Youth, opportunities to participate in programs and retreats at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute and or Kutz Camp (both are UAHC camps).

Confirmation and graduation both occur at the end of twelfth grade upon successful completion of the program’s requirements.
For more information about the Crown Family High School Program, contact Sarah Hanuka, Director of Education in the Religious School Office at 773-435-1544 or email Sarah at sarah@sholomchicago.org.