The Emery/Weiner School Admissions Booklet

Experience the Difference

The Difference Defined.

The Emery Difference is one of the most frequently repeated phrases that describes our school community. More than just a marketing tagline, it is a statement of who we are, what we believe and why we are unique among Houston-area schools.

So what is The Emery Difference?

• It’s a culture characterized by joy, humor, high energy, informality and occasional irreverence—all of which help effectuate a seriousness of ethical and academic purpose.

• It’s a profound sense of inclusion, connectedness and community, among and between students and faculty—regardless of individual differences.

• It’s an approach to religious and spiritual instruction that exemplifies vigorous pluralism and embraces machloket (literally, respectful disagreement).

• It’s a student-centered environment that promotes personal development, yet also inculcates awareness of and commitment to others, including the outside world.

Everyone is accepted for who they are. You can be the starting quarterback and the star of the musical and no one will question it. There are plenty of other great schools in Houston that might be bigger or have been around longer, but they are not as accepting, tolerant, bold and different as Emery/Weiner.” ­- Pauline Wizig ’13

The Emery/Weiner School is an independent, coeducational, pluralistic Jewish, college preparatory day school that serves approximately 450 students in grades 6 through 12.

Campus The Emery/Weiner School is located just outside the 610 Loop in Southwest Houston, near the Texas Medical Center, Meyerland and Bellaire.

$1 million and reflecting the economic diversity in our community. We are committed to the principle that tuition not be a barrier to enrollment. Students are accepted on a needs-blind basis.

Our 15-acre campus encompasses a Middle and Upper School. Facilities include state-of-the-art science and computer labs, a multi-court gym, outdoor sport court, weight room, multiple music and art studios, a 500-seat theater and a Black Box theater for smaller theatrical productions.

Technology

Faculty

One of the hallmarks of The Emery Difference is our acceptance of diversity in all forms. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion or sexual orientation. Our geographic diversity includes students from dozens of public and private schools from more than 30 Houston zip codes.

We recruit our faculty from at least three nationally renowned conferences each year. Despite a high number of graduate degrees and impressive academic credentials, our faculty has a unique ability to connect with kids.

Tuition Assistance

The Emery/Weiner School is equipped with SMART boards, LCD projectors and universal wireless laptop classrooms. Every student utilizes the PC and MAC computer labs.

Diversity

More than 25% of our student body receives need-based financial aid, totaling more than

Contact To learn more or to schedule a visit, please contact the Admissions Office at (832) 204-5900 or email admissions@emeryweiner.org.

Academics Not just teachers… mentors who motivate.

As educators, we acknowledge that our world is constantly changing. Never settling for good enough, we’re always striving to find the best ways to prepare students for collegiate success and lifelong discovery. School leaders travel the nation to find top-notch faculty who match our educational philosophy and are student-centered in their approach to teaching.

We blend traditional skills, such as writing, into a progressive learning environment that actively incorporates the newest and most effective instructional methods. Whether it’s using a Socratic-style arrangement of desks in classrooms, incorporating SMART Boards or other technology into teaching, or encouraging group work through Project-Based Learning, we are constantly implementing innovative ways to teach young minds.

With class average sizes of 14 and a student to faculty ratio of 7 to 1, personal attention is a priority at EWS. Our curriculum includes on-level, honors and advanced courses that are designed to support students on a broad learning spectrum.

Our Faculty Advisory Program is a crucial component of student life. Each student is assigned into an Advisory that meets regularly to discuss adolescent issues, have fun and form lasting relationships. The advisor is an advocate to provide the advisee with emotional, academic and personal support, or refer them to another adult when necessary.

Emery is a community where every interest, every passion and every curiosity is encouraged and supported in countless ways.”

- Brooke Kantor ‘10 (Harvard University, Class of 2014)

Colleges and Universities Not just college prep… collegiate success.

Our College Counseling staff is highly regarded for their expertise, accessibility and amount of individual time spent with students and their families. The college counseling staff are unmatched in their ability to help families navigate the often complex and overwhelming college application process.

To see a full list of colleges and universities our graduates have been accepted to, visit www.emeryweiner.org or scan this QR code now with your smartphone.

• We have a 100% college acceptance rate for our students. Each graduating class has earned merit-based scholarships averaging several million dollars annually.

• Over the last few years, 84% of students who took an Advanced Placement exam scored a 3 or higher, translating to college credit.

• Graduates from the past four years have been accepted to more than 200 colleges and universities across the U.S. and abroad.

Beyond helping develop their minds, we are helping instill a profound sense of self in our kids – a “self” that’s been pushed, pulled, nurtured & challenged so that our graduates leave Stella Link with a confidence they’ll carry for a lifetime.”

­- Stuart J. Dow, Head of School

A short list of the colleges and universities that EWS graduates have attended in recent years includes: • • • • • • • •

Brandeis University Brown University University of California at Berkeley Carnegie Mellon University Cornell University Duke University Harvard University Harvey Mudd College

• • • • • • • •

Emory University Indiana University MIT McGill University University of Michigan New York University Northwestern University Princeton University

• • • • • • •

Rice University Stanford University The University of Texas at Austin Tufts University Vanderbilt University Washington University in St. Louis Yale University

The Outdoor Classroom Not just field trips… learning journeys across the world.

Our learning environment is highly experiential with a great deal of educational travel spread out amongst three distinct trips.

• Retreat/Shabbatonim for each grade brings classmates together and builds bonds between students and faculty.

• Outdoor trips for Upper School students during the winter involve a unique combination of activities, including hiking, caving, camping, canoeing and rock climbing at places such as Big Bend National Park, the Texas Hill Country and Eagle Lake.

• Spring culture trips allow Middle and Upper School students to explore a variety of topics, such as civil rights, immigration and social justice. Travel destinations for the different grade levels have included New York City, Los Angeles, the Deep South, Galveston, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. During their senior year, students have many other unique experiential learning opportunities.

• World religions week allows students to participate in a week-long journey to discover the vast diversity of the world’s major religions by visiting various religious institutions around Houston and by attending presentations by community leaders.

• Internships in a variety of different professions within the greater metro area expose students to career opportunities and educational goals for the future.

• The month-long Anne and Don Graubart Senior Trip to Poland and Israel is the ultimate trip to cap off their time at EWS and the educational philosophy that guides all of our programming.

Some activities include riding camels through the desert, visiting Holocaust sites and swimming in the Dead Sea.

I’m not sure if I ever expre trip: It changed my life an a regional Anti-Defamatio twice a year. I have comm Middle East, all of which

essed my sincere thanks and appreciation for my senior nd has forever impacted me for the better. I spent time on on board during college, and I travel to Israel at least mitted my studies to international relations and the Emery gave to me.”

­- Abbie Kamin ’05 (Tulane University Graduate ’09)

My years as a student at EWS were the most intellectually st that I know will last a lifetime, and I developed a relationship

Campus Life Not just building teams... creating leaders.

Not just engaging minds... motivating curiosity.

Athletics is a key component of campus life at EWS. Our talented teams have won more than 30 combined district, regional and state championships. We take great pride in our teams’ success and go beyond teaching skills and fundamentals; we teach about life, making good choices, hard work and commitment.

We also have a phenomenal Fine Arts Program that includes instruction in visual arts, dance, vocal music, instrumental music and theater.

More than 70% of our student body participates in athletics, many of whom go on to play at the collegiate level. On or off the field, student athletes learn hands-on from some of the best coaches and one of the most respected trainers in Houston.

Athletic teams include basketball, baseball, cheerleading, cross country, six-man football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and volleyball.

Opportunities in music range from learning basic skills on piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, flute and saxophone, to the Advanced Instrumental Studies class where students perform more challenging musical arrangements, including jazz.

We also offer a coeducational, collegiate-style a cappella Vocal Ensemble that performs during assemblies and at greater community events.

• We offer four major theatrical productions as well as various student-directed productions throughout the year. In addition to acting, students also study directing, playwriting and film study.

What other school has a GAG day in which the faculty surprises the students for a fun, community building day? This is part of the reason why students are enthusiastic about attending Emery.”

- Taylor Bookstaff ‘13

timulating times of my life. I formed friendships with peers and instructors p with my community that has helped me in every facet of my life.”

- Yan Digilov ‘07 (Rice University Graduate ‘11)

• From the scenic designs to the lighting and sound plans, from the stage management to the costume changes, our students run all theatrical productions.

The Visual Art Department believes that through the experimentation of new media and the ability to take risks, students gain a better understanding of their true creative ability.

Electives include Drawing and Painting, Ceramics, Digital Photography, Darkroom Photography, Advanced Darkroom Photography, Sculpture, Studio Art Advanced and Advanced Placement Studio Art.

Not just clubs… student-centered life.

Clubs at EWS are as unique and diverse as our students, most of them organized and run by students themselves. With more than a dozen clubs in both our Middle and Upper Schools, students can explore interests in areas such as cooking, human rights, debate and philosophy.

Embracing Tikkun Olam (literally, repairing the world), our students frequently tutor at local schools, help refugees adjust to living in Houston, volunteer

at retirement homes, facilitate blood drives for our campus and community, assist at animal shelters and embrace numerous community-based projects.

Organizations such as the Student Government Association (SGA), National Honor Society and EWS Ambassadors promote leadership skills and high achievement among their members.

SGA representatives act as a forum between administrators, teachers and students, and encourage and formalize student communication.

Not just assemblies… spirited gatherings that inspire.

Weekly gatherings, known as Ma’amad for the Upper School and Kallah for the Middle School, are forums for connecting as a community and hearing students, faculty and outside speakers discuss ethics, spirituality, topics of world interest or unique aspects of art and culture.

We also believe that students learn best when they are having fun. During annual traditions like GAG Day, Opening Ceremonies or Field Day, you might hear lessons regarding character development delivered by faculty dressed in costume or our Head of School performing a drum solo on stage.

“The year’s Opening Ceremonies celebration to kick off the school year was inspiring for me, my kids and the School. We are really happy our kids are at EWS. The ceremony contained excellent messages on many levels, particularly the integration of old truths in a modern world. It was just great!” ­­- Glenn Lowenstein (parent with students in Classes of 2016 and 2018)

Culture As a Jewish day school, we’re often asked about our approach to religious and spiritual instruction. Our philosophy can be summarized in two words: vigorously pluralistic. We embrace the broad spectrum of Judaism and even those who exist outside of it. We encourage a free exchange of ideas—and even respectful disagreement—in the classroom.

Annually, all students take Judaic Studies as a part of their core curriculum. Topics are academic in nature and explore a wide variety of subjects, including Jewish texts, history and philosophy.

MISSION To educate and develop students whose intellect, moral character and Jewish identity provide a lifelong foundation for personal growth, commitment to the Jewish people and Tikkun Olam—improving the world in which we live.

Inclusive

9825 Stella Link

Houston, Texas 77025

(832) 204-5900

www.emeryweiner.org