Weber School Adds New Centers of Excellence

The Weber School has expanded its academic offerings with the addition of two new Centers of Excellence.

The Weber Academy of Business, Finance and Entrepreneurship pairs challenging academic study with practical entrepreneurial activities, setting students up for success in business studies at the university level and beyond.

The program emphasizes financial literacy, business management, entrepreneurial thinking, and ethical decision-making, all under the guidance of both academic experts and seasoned business leaders. Upon completion of the program, graduating seniors receive an honors diploma and special graduation cord at their commencement ceremony.

Led by Melinda Goodwin, a well-respected educator at the school, the program began as a partnership with ELI NextGen Seminar, an Israel-based organization that provides students with the opportunity to work with Israeli entrepreneurs. The Weber School was the first high school in the United States to launch the partnership, which now has multiple high schools participating across the country.

As part of the growing initiative, students have the opportunity to connect with young Israeli “Startup Nation” entrepreneurs during 15 lunchtime and enrichment sessions, held via Zoom. Most of the Israeli entrepreneurs are in their 20s and 30s with businesses in industries including cybersecurity, solar energy, and defense.

Several of the students have created their own businesses, and the input and mentorship from the Israeli entrepreneurs has been invaluable, according to Goodwin. A 30-hour internship with a business or nonprofit is also required and enables the students to apply classroom knowledge while gaining valuable workplace experience and professional references.

The program is comprised of five key components. First, students may select between Honors Economics or AP Micro/Macro Economics to facilitate building a strong foundation in economic principles and free market dynamics. Next, students take either AP Business Principles with Finance and/or AP Research for an introduction to marketing, accounting, finance, and business research skills. Third, the ELI NextGen seminar and local internships offer opportunities for students to learn from American and Israeli business entrepreneurs and business leaders. A fourth component emphasizes Jewish ethics and values, helping guide students’ approach to decision-making in business. Part of this component, as explained by Goodwin, is also understanding the evolution of Israel as a strong startup nation.

Finally, all students who graduate with this honors distinction are required to demonstrate mastery of the business principles they have learned through completion of a final project and presentation.

“The Weber Center of Excellence in Business, Finance, and Entrepreneurship provides our students with an exceptional opportunity to develop a strong academic foundation in all aspects of business studies for university while giving them practical experiences with real-world entrepreneurs and business leaders. Our strong emphasis on Jewish values in business coupled with the cooperation across our Centers of Excellence provides for creative learning experiences in and out of the classroom. Our goal is to enhance our students’ preparation and skills for a variety of careers,” stressed Goodwin.

There are currently 40 students at different points in the program. In addition to the Israeli entrepreneurs, experienced Jewish leaders, and entrepreneurs have also spoken to the classes. Most of the participating students plan to major in business as they head to their chosen universities in the coming years.

“This program has provided me with an opportunity to foster my love for entrepreneurship with hands-on experience and high-level, real-world insight into the business process. ELI gave me the space to try and fail, and has taught me how to create a business, while giving me the confidence to keep trying and reworking my ideas until I can succeed,” said Rafael Saitowitz, who will graduate this spring.

Matthew Grant, another graduating senior, said, “ELI and the overall business program have helped me significantly in finding the specific field of business I am interested in. It has also helped me find different strategies that are essential for a successful business while getting me out of my comfort zone and learning to speak to a group.”

The second new Center of Excellence is the Weber Writing Project, led by Vanessa Reid, a published author and well-regarded veteran English teacher at The Weber School. Reid described the program as “a creative lab and launch pad for future writers, scholars, and storytellers.

“I didn’t create the Weber Writing Project; the students did. As an English teacher, I observed their incredible capacity to express themselves creatively, and I wanted to provide an outlet for that expression. Every stage of development of the program, every new idea, every award is because of these amazing writers. When we let students express themselves and give them the tools and environment to foster writing for pleasure and purpose, they can do absolutely anything,” said Reid.

Through customized coursework, close mentorship, and college-level programming, students learn to craft powerful narratives, conduct meaningful research, and communicate with clarity and purpose across multiple forms and media. In this honors diploma program, students embark on a three-or four-year journey that begins with a broad introduction to writing across several disciplines, before moving into a selected track that focuses on creative writing, journalism, academic research, or film and screenwriting. The experience culminates with a self-directed graduation project that showcases each student’s strengths, originality, and passions.

According to Reid, “The Weber Writing Project emphasizes the value of written communication that is clear, creative, and connected to the larger world, where students learn to write and write to learn.”

A hallmark of the program is immersive travel. Each year, students step out of the classroom and into cities where stories, history, and culture live around every corner. As this article is being written, students are visiting London, England, where they are scheduled to visit Bevis Marks Synagogue, Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner, Oxford, and Stonehenge, among other sites, as they savor the city that has produced the likes of Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, and William Shakespeare. Other recent trips have included Savannah, where they visited the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home, toured Congregation Mickve Israel, explored Bonaventure Cemetery, and wrote on-site about the people and places they encountered, as well as New York City, where they followed in the footsteps of iconic authors and artists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Ellis Island, met with Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Alfred Uhry, and experienced “The Outsiders” on Broadway, seeing firsthand how a teenage writer’s voice reshaped American young adult literature.

During each of these travel experiences, students are observers, interviewers, and writers at work. Guided by faculty mentors, they keep daily journals, draft reflections, and gather details that flow back into their creative pieces, articles, and research projects.

Ramblings, the school’s literary magazine, was recently awarded the Georgia Certificate of Excellence by the Georgia Scholastic Press Association/University of Georgia and the Gold Medal Certificate by The Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The Georgia Scholastic Press Association called Ramblings “a beautifully curated publication that showcases student voices and an aesthetic sensibility.” Individual students in the writing program also won awards in categories such as fiction, short stories, personal essays and memoirs, and poetry.

“What an exciting time for The Weber School,” said Head of School, Rabbi Ed Harwitz. “Today’s teenagers are navigating an increasingly complex and fast-changing world. In response, Weber continues to expand its Centers of Excellence, strengthening the vibrant culture of teaching and learning required of a 21st-century Jewish community high school. Our talented and dedicated educators design distinctive programs that nurture students’ intellectual curiosity, initiative, and passions while providing multiple pathways for advanced study and earning an honors diploma distinction.

These two Centers of Excellence join the Daniel Zalik Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering and Design (DZA), Stan Kasten Academy of Sports Science and Management, Michael Kay Israel Fellowship, Michael and Andrea Leven Office of Student Service and Philanthropy, Israel and Global Education, and the Theatre and Music Academy to offer Weber students a number of pathways for honors distinction diplomas. All honors distinction recognition is based on completing a structured course of study that includes academic classes, electives, and advanced seminars.