YIR: The Epstein’s School’s 50th: A Golden Celebration
The foundational institution celebrated a half-century of molding young Jewish minds and building community.
Marking its 50th anniversary, The Epstein School hosted special events and programs for its supporters throughout the school year. The grand finale was the school’s annual gala in May, aptly named, “Celebration.”
The 50th Anniversary Celebration Chairs, Sara Kogon and Alli Halpern shared, “Celebration 2024 was a raging success – we hosted over 600 guests, our annual fundraising campaign far exceeded our anniversary year goal, and the night-of-the-event endowment fundraiser, Funding our Future blew past its goal in less than five minutes. To date, we have raised over $1.245 million this year.”
“Our year-long anniversary has certainly provided an opportunity to nurture the connections we have with families across our 50-year history; equally, it has provided an opportunity for us to bring our community together, allowing us to showcase our school, and for everyone to experience the magic that is Epstein,” said David Abusch-Magder, PhD, (Dr. D) Epstein Head of School.
Throughout the venue, decade vignettes depicted an era in the school’s history with original photos and accessories illustrating the time period. The 1970s included photos of friend groups, class photos with teachers, Rabbi Epstein with students during their milestones, and more. The décor included a lava lamp, disco ball, yearbooks from the 1970s, and other fun memorabilia.
The ’80s was a pivotal time for the school, moving to Sandy Springs and branching out into its own space. The photos and accessories highlighted the shift to digital pop culture, the prevalence of music videos, personal computers, cell phones, and more. During the ’90s, Epstein built a second building at its new home in Sandy Springs which elevated the trajectory of the school. The theme of construction for this vignette included building supplies, tools, and even the original shovel that broke ground on Colewood Way almost 30 years ago. To illustrate the 2000s, nearly 100 pictures accented the illuminated chain-link display wall with photos from classrooms, milestones, Shabbat, school plays, Maccabiah, and so many other special moments for the Epstein community.
comments