What if we created a new type of learning experience for our students - One where learning stemmed from students’ passions? Where each learning experience began by allowing students to ask questions, so we knew what they wanted to explore in a discipline, a time period, a book, or a Jewish text? And what if students didn’t just memorize information, but took newfound knowledge and skills and used them to make something beautiful or solve a problem in the real world? With such an educational model, students would construct meaning out of their studies, get to know their talents and strengths, and understand how they might live a fulfilling Torah life, while bettering the world. This is the kind of empowering learning students will engage in at The Idea School, a co-ed, Orthodox high school opening in Bergen County in September 2018. Schools across America from Pre-K to universities are embracing Project Based Learning and the movement to learn and guide students as individuals. Educators know that these models are about preparing our students for our changing world, unlocking the potential of each student, and making learning a lifelong, joyful process. It’s time for a paradigm change in Jewish education, so our children experience Jewish learning in deeply personal, meaningful, and resonant ways. We want our kids inspired by the mesorah, the tradition, they’ve inherited and excited to take their place as members of our communities. And we want our kids filled with ideas -- creative and innovative ideas, spiritually meaningful ones, and ones they can use to solve the world’s complex problems. We welcome you to The IDEA School, and invite you to join us as we reimagine Jewish education.