AMIT Trailblazer Principal Tzippi Harpenes

AMIT Trailblazer

Principal Tzippi Harpenes has transformed a school for disadvantaged youth into an educational model.

BY HELGA ABRAHAM

When Tzippi Harpenes took the podium to light a torch at Israel’s 73rd Independence Day ceremony this year, her moving speech brought tears to the eyes of thousands of viewers. “I, Tzippi Harpenes, daughter of Nehama Tova and Rav Simha Fruchter, among the founders of Beersheba, light this torch in honor of my beloved city Beersheba, the AMIT network and, in particular, my students – my children, our children, our future and our hope. I love you, I learn from you, and I am proud of you.” Harpenes was selected as a torch-lighter for her pioneering work at AMIT Elaine Silver Technological School in Beersheba, for succeeding in keeping the school open throughout the pandemic. She went above and beyond her regular duties by accompanying one of her students night and day during long months of medical treatment. “Harpenes is more of a therapist than a principal,” says vice principal Koby Revivo. “She is like a second mother to her students.”

An educator all her life, Harpenes taught computer science for 25 years before she decided to change direction. “I considered doing a doctorate but a colleague/ mentor of mine persuaded me that I could do more good by taking the helm of a school.” In 2013, Harpenes took the role as principle of AMIT Elaine Silver – a small school for children at risk in one of Beersheba’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods – and made an immediate impact. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

“I decided to do a ‘happening’ for the fi rst day of school,” she recalls with a smile. “I ordered 300 balloons, laid out tables with pastries, dressed nicely, and waited for the students. No one came. Then at ten, fi ve students strolled in. They popped all the balloons with pocket knives, turned over the tables, punched holes in the tires of my car, and left!” It was clearly a test of strength but Harpenes was not about to give up. “The next day I wore exactly the same outfi t to send the message that we were starting anew, and stood waiting at the entrance of the school. When the same group of students turned up, I asked them why they popped the balloons. They said they wanted to show they were strong. I told them ‘you are strong and I want to learn from you.’ Of course they were also punished.”

Harpenes’ alternative approach to education which is based on building trust, learning from the students, and raising expectations, soon brought results. From a small school of 60 students, AMIT Elaine Silver now numbers 130 students, 60 percent of whom graduate with a high school certifi cate. “Before Harpenes arrived, all that we expected of the students was that they complete the standard years of schooling,” says Revivo. “But Harpenes raised the bar. She brought in a new spirit and a new belief that they could do greater things.” She also introduced numerous new programs: individual learning plans for each student, a one-to-one mentoring program, new high school tracks such as automative mechanics and design, enrichment classes such as landscaping and dog training, and a threeyear post-high school college program in computer science.

Tzippi Harpenes raised the bar. She brought in a new spirit and a new belief that they could do greater things.

Tzippi Harpenes with students

As standards changed, so did the profi le of the students. While the overall profi le still involves youth with a criminal record, low socioeconomic backgrounds, history of dropping out of school, etc., the general atmosphere has changed. “In the past, we used to have serious criminals here and I can honestly say that I used to be scared of the violent kids,” recalls Revivo. “But this is no longer the case.” The individualized learning plans and the mentoring program ensure that the students receive a constant high level of attention and support from trained educational and therapeutic staff .”

Grade 12 students Elimelech Hedri and

David Hai Saban both came from diffi cult backgrounds and are about to achieve their dream. They are graduating with high school certifi cates and have been accepted into a prestigious combat unit in the IDF. For Hedri, who comes from a family of 12 children and had skipped school for a couple of years before arriving at AMIT Elaine Silver, this is nothing less than miraculous. “I arrived here at the age of 16 with no knowledge of mathematics or English and no wish to study. I never thought it would be possible to achieve a high school certifi cate in two years. But Harpenes and the staff said I could do it.

My English teacher, Miri Werzberger, called me every day to get me out of bed, and in the end I succeeded. I don’t think this would have been possible in any other school. I am in the fi rst in my family to graduate from high school and

I am proud of it.” For his part, Hai Saban, who also comes from a large family, arrived at AMIT Elaine Silver with a history of drugs and unruly behavior. “I had been through a number of boarding schools and never wanted to study. But the staff here kept telling me, try, you can succeed. They gave me a lot of attention and, in the end, I did it.” Both students credit Harpenes with making their success possible. “She loves her students and is like a mother to us. What principal do you know,” asks Hedri, “keeps a drawer in her desk full of sweets and chocolates which the students can dip into whenever they want? It’s unheard of!”

Above: Tzippi Harpenes with with student Tzuriel Cohen

Below: Students Elimeleh Hedri and David Hai Saban

“ I am most proud of my students. But I am also proud to be a female principal in a man’s world

A unique feature of the school is its mentoring program, also known as the responsible adult model, in which the students choose a mentor who will accompany them throughout their school years and for another seven years post-school. In addition to getting the students through school, the mentors prepare them to enter the army, support them during their military service and help them when they begin to work and eventually marry. Any member of staff can serve as a mentor. Harpenes herself serves as mentor to numerous students. One of her mentorees, Tzuriel Cohen, needed to undergo a kidney transplant last year. Despite her busy schedule at school and at home as a mother of six, she accompanied Cohen to his medical appointments and stayed by his side when he was hospitalized. Previously, Harpenes was a mentor to Cohen’s older brother, Aviyad. “Aviyad came to us at 16 with three criminal fi les. He said he wanted to join a combat unit and we told him he would not be accepted unless he reformed and achieved his high school certifi cate. We built a plan for him, set goals, and worked with his probation offi cer and social worker to resolve his issues of violence. Aviyad is now an offi cer in the IDF and about to get married.”

While most schools in Israel operated primarily through distance learning during the pandemic, Harpenes managed to keep her school open throughout 2020. Citing Winston Churchill’s motto “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” Harpenes says that the crisis helped to increase trust between staff and students and made the school more aware of its strengths.

Asked what she is most proud of, she answers: “I am most proud of my students. But I am also proud to be a female principal in a man’s world (it appears that the majority of principals of schools for children with special needs are men), and I am proud that I was the fi rst educator and the fi rst representative of AMIT to be honored as an Independence Day torch-lighter.”