Unique Jewish high school to open for at-risk girls

Miryam Ghermezian Academy, in Bricelyn, Minn., will host grand opening on Sept. 6

By CARLY ETTINGER

Located in the southern Minnesota community of Bricelyn, the Miryam Ghermezian Academy (MGA) will be the first residential high school for at-risk Jewish girls in North America. This newly founded school will be a safe haven for teen girls who cannot connect with aspects of mainstream life.

MGA will be a place for Jewish girls to turn to if they struggle in public or private schools, or make self-destructive choices, according to the school’s founder. MGA aims to create a warm and nurturing atmosphere while providing individual attention to each student.

“The main goal is to give a girl a second chance in life and get her back on track, and provide her with the life skills and abilities to be a productive member of society,” the school’s founder and dean, Rabbi A.Y. Weinberg, told the AJW. As the first school of its kind, Weinberg said that it is “desperately needed.”

A grand opening ceremony will take place 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6 at MGA, 206 Quinn St., Bricelyn (the former Bricelyn school). Among those expected to attend are MGA board member Elissa Heilicher and former Sen. Rudy Boschwitz.

MGA’s parent organization is Project Extreme, a not-for-profit organization that has developed a variety of short- and long-term programs for at-risk teens and their families. In addition to being MGA’s founder and dean, Weinberg is executive director of Project Extreme.

The school is named for Miryam Ghermezian, the grandmother of Don Ghermezian, president of Triple Five, the Canadian-based company that owns the Mall of America. Together with his wife, Marina, Don Ghermezian became involved with Project Extreme after hosting a girls camp in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Weinberg said Minnesota was the perfect place for the school, because organizers were looking for “a remote area, but not too far from a thriving Jewish community.” Bricelyn is located south of the Twin Cities, near Albert Lea.

“They’re a warm, open community, which is helpful for these girls who need that type of warmth,” he said of the Twin Cities Jewish community.

Weinberg said MGA is still in its start-up phase. Currently, three students are enrolled in the program. The students live in a home in Bricelyn, while renovations are being made to the school.

The highly structured program varies from 14 to 18 months in length, depending on the needs of the student. Complete with mandated curriculum, the fully accredited, four-year high school also provides a supplementary Judaic cultural and spiritual program.

The school also educates through physical challenges, emotional growth, vocational pursuits and therapeutic guidance. Students have the opportunity to embark on field trips and outdoor activities, as well as internships, which the current students undertake once a week at Mall of America.

“It’s a custom-made program for each student,” Weinberg said. “It goes by level and girls have to move up in levels. And when they reach the level that they are ready to mainstream and go back into society, that’s when they leave. So it really depends on how the girl develops.”

Weinberg said he has high hopes for the future of MGA, but also recognizes that it takes time.

“It’s a process,” he said. “We have to do it wisely because we’re dealing with troubled teens, so you have to be able to provide the right programs… We’re not in a rush to do anything.”

High school age Jewish girls feeling troubled, from anywhere in the world, are eligible for enrollment and scholarships are available. Weinberg hopes to open a similar school for boys in the future.

For information, visit: projectextreme.org

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Carly Ettinger is an editorial intern at the American Jewish World.

(American Jewish World, 8.21.09)