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Sept. 16, 2005
King David opens its doors
The new high school is a big milestone for the community.
KYLE BERGER
It has been several years in the making, but the Jewish community
of Greater Vancouver finally saw the doors of its brand new Jewish
high school open Sept. 6.
The King David high school (KDHS) was a project that had been discussed
for more than a decade in Vancouver, with many considering it vital
to the future of the community. It took, arguably, the largest campaign
the community had ever seen – with leaders from across the
region taking active roles – to set the construction ball in
motion. But the construction was completed and ready for the students
to start the 2005/'06 school year.
And the school has already taken some significant steps forward.
Enrolment for this year is currently at 137 students, 48 more than
last year.
"This place is so bright that it sort of has a feeling of optimism,"
said Perry Seidelman, the principal of KDHS. "It means everything
to these students to be in such a magnificent facility. They can
go as far as they can reach without limits."
The new facility includes two science labs, a fully loaded home
economics lab, a music and dance studio, a library, a large atrium
for school gatherings and wireless Internet access throughout the
building. As the school is located directly across the street from
the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, the school will
also use some of the centre's facilities, particularly the full-size
gymnasium.
"There has been a long history of trying to get this facility
built with a lot of different people and organizations contributing
over the years to bring it to this point," explained Dan Shmilovitch,
the recently hired executive director of KDHS. "Now we're there
and we're going to move forward in a very positive way. This institution
will become a tremendous contributor to this community."
The hiring of Shmilovitch was also a step forward for the school,
which had previously counted on the principal to run the educational
and business side of the facility.
"Put into Jewish context, the body and soul of the school have
to be working hand-in-hand and must be taken care of," Shmilovitch
said of his role at KDHS. "Perry is the heart and soul of the
school – the education side of the school. But you also have
to take care of the body of the school, which is the building, the
development, the fund-raising and financial management. Perry and
I are going to make sure it is the healthiest body and soul that
a Jewish institution has ever seen."
On Sept. 25, the school will officially celebrate its opening with
a dedication and appreciation night. Judy Mandleman, chair of the
event, said that the program will give the school the opportunity
to recognize some significant efforts put forth by many community
members to make KDHS a reality.
"The event is to appreciate [the] fact that we are here and
to appreciate all the people who were a part of getting us here,"
she said. "And we're also honoring history by honoring three
founding families in this community who had the vision and stuck
with it through difficult times – that's the Frankenburgs,
the Belzbergs and the Kahn family.
"Above all, the Diamond family stepped in and made this most
magnificent gift of more than $15 million," Mandleman continued.
"Leslie Diamond's philosophy was always, 'Build it and they
will come.' And that just really says it all. [The Diamonds have]
committed to the school and they stand behind the school 100 per
cent."
Although the opening celebration has been organized by invitation
only, due to limited space, the school will host an open house Oct.
16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for anyone wishing to tour the state-of-the-art
facility.
More information about KDHS can be found online at www.kdhs.org
or by calling 604-263-9700.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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