alumni parents

Gene Jacobson’s Story

Our oldest child, Kara, now a proud graduate of SMDS-RJA and an 8th grader at Parkway Northeast Middle School, takes several challenging classes and continues to bring home a virtually perfect GPA. Socially, she's very comfortable with who she is and where she is going. That doesn't mean every day is perfect. That's rarely the case in the jungle of middle school. But she draws upon the confidence gained and the lessons learned at RJA - to be an individual, to question everything from multiple angles, to work both smart and hard, and to understand and appreciate the beauty of Reform Judaism.

I know now, having seen Kara transition to middle school successfully, that the educational component is well in place. But what I'm more appreciative of is the x-factor at RJA — the special feeling when you come into the school, the energy coming off every individual that says "welcome," that says "I'm in gear," and that says "I'm unique and interested and committed to personal growth." I feel it during the morning tefilot when the kids are singing. I see it in mitzvah projects done constantly by the kids throughout the school and in the community. And I feel it with every teacher and parent. Nobody is at RJA because they have to be - they are all there because they crave to be, and I see my investment in the school as probably the single best investment I'll ever make in my childrens' future!