Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
ShareFMS’s new building: a sneak peek
Click image to enlarge
   |
By ELLEN SCHUR BROWN
Editor, Family Section
The cornerstone outside reads 2010 – 5770. The stonework inside is reminiscent of columns of Torah text. The two-story entrance is enhanced with Jerusalem stone inside and out.
And that’s just the beginning of the new Fuchs Mizrachi School (FMS) Stone Campus, located on Shaker Blvd. East, just past Siegal College, north of The Mandel JCC, and clearly visible from I-271.
Most of the heavy construction is done, although workers were still polishing floors and finishing one of the science labs last week, as building committee chair Dr. Mark Kreindel gave the CJN an advance tour.
At 100,000 square feet, the new school doubles the space available to the Modern Orthodox Zionist day school at its site in University Heights. This school year, FMS serves 415 children in preschool to grade 12. The new building, built to hold up to 650 students, is scheduled to open in the fall.
The Beachwood building’s $24.5 million price tag is “fully funded,” according to head of school Rabbi Pinchos Hecht.
Construction costs will be paid by tax-exempt bonds issued through the National Jewish Federation Bond Program and backed by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. To repay the bonds, FMS created a building endowment which now totals $27.5 million: $10 million from the Jewish Community Federation’s Centennial Initiative, the rest from lead gifts by local donors. Hecht explains that the building endowment, managed by Federation, guarantees a 5% return, 3% of which will pay down the debt from the bonds over 30 years. Additional interest earned from the endowment will pay for building upkeep, programming at the school and scholarships.
A center for Torah study
Israeli artist David Moss worked with planners and architects Bialosky + Partners to give the school the feeling of being “wrapped in Torah,” says principal architect Jack Bialosky. “It was fun to collaborate on these aesthetic elements that have more meaning on a higher level that just a building.”
The most dramatic room, as befits a Zionist Orthodox day school, is the high-school beit midrash (hall of study). It is a round chamber lined with bookcases, with light streaming in through the three-tiered ceiling. A new Torah was written in Israel specifically for use in this building. Fuchs Mizrachi alumni in Israel attended the Torah’s completion ceremony earlier this year.
A green approach
Much attention was given to environmental concerns in construction of the new FMS building:
Mizrachi is applying for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification, which, if granted by the Green Building Council, will make the school one of the greenest building in Northeast Ohio.
“The Torah tells us we need to take care of our environment,” Kreindel explains.
The tour
Ducking under barriers of caution tape, Kriendel leads the way through the sections of the building, all decorated in soft, warm colors such as sand, teal and melon. The color palate came from plants and vegetables mentioned in the Torah, says Bialosky.
All classes will be housed in one building with separate wings for preschool, elementary, middle and high schools. FMS opted to keep all ages under one roof, rather than creating a “campus” with older students in separate buildings, because students told builders they wanted to be together.
Preschoolers will have a separate entrance to their wing that opens into a large play space with an inlaid walking track in the floor. Across the hall are classrooms for elementary grades and administrative offices. The middle-school and high-school classrooms are upstairs. The high-school wing contains science labs, an art room, a student lounge, new lockers, and office and lounge space for teachers.
Teachers and administrators are still talking about different approaches to bringing cutting-edge technology into the classrooms. FMS is recognized nationally as a leader in day school education, and that will be the focal message of future fundraising efforts.
With the new location as a showcase facility able to host all manner of events, Kreindel hopes the larger Jewish community will get to know Fuchs Mizrachi School a little better.
“We want the community to understand that they are welcome here,” says Kreindel.
ebrown@cjn.org
School debuts at Guardian of Zion dinner
Fuchs Mizrachi School’s 2010 Guardian of Zion Award Dinner will be the first event in the new building, honoring three couples who helped make the new school building possible.
Adina and Yehuda Rothner will receive the Guardian of Zion Award for their efforts running Camp Stone in summers.
Sharon and Dr. Mark Kreindel receive the Mike and Peppy Senders Outsanding Service Award for their committee work, particularly Mark’s work on the building committee.
Faith and Rabbi Binyamin Blau receive the Rabbi Melvin Granatstein Educational Leadership Award for organizing adult education programs in the community.
WHAT: Guardian of Zion Award Dinner
WHERE: The new Fuchs Mizrachi School gym, 26600 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood
WHEN: Sun., March 14, at 5
TICKETS: 216-932-0220, ext. 128.
And that’s just the beginning of the new Fuchs Mizrachi School (FMS) Stone Campus, located on Shaker Blvd. East, just past Siegal College, north of The Mandel JCC, and clearly visible from I-271.
Most of the heavy construction is done, although workers were still polishing floors and finishing one of the science labs last week, as building committee chair Dr. Mark Kreindel gave the CJN an advance tour.
At 100,000 square feet, the new school doubles the space available to the Modern Orthodox Zionist day school at its site in University Heights. This school year, FMS serves 415 children in preschool to grade 12. The new building, built to hold up to 650 students, is scheduled to open in the fall.
The Beachwood building’s $24.5 million price tag is “fully funded,” according to head of school Rabbi Pinchos Hecht.
Construction costs will be paid by tax-exempt bonds issued through the National Jewish Federation Bond Program and backed by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. To repay the bonds, FMS created a building endowment which now totals $27.5 million: $10 million from the Jewish Community Federation’s Centennial Initiative, the rest from lead gifts by local donors. Hecht explains that the building endowment, managed by Federation, guarantees a 5% return, 3% of which will pay down the debt from the bonds over 30 years. Additional interest earned from the endowment will pay for building upkeep, programming at the school and scholarships.
A center for Torah study
Israeli artist David Moss worked with planners and architects Bialosky + Partners to give the school the feeling of being “wrapped in Torah,” says principal architect Jack Bialosky. “It was fun to collaborate on these aesthetic elements that have more meaning on a higher level that just a building.”
The most dramatic room, as befits a Zionist Orthodox day school, is the high-school beit midrash (hall of study). It is a round chamber lined with bookcases, with light streaming in through the three-tiered ceiling. A new Torah was written in Israel specifically for use in this building. Fuchs Mizrachi alumni in Israel attended the Torah’s completion ceremony earlier this year.
A green approach
Much attention was given to environmental concerns in construction of the new FMS building:
- Most of the construction materials came from within 500 miles.
- 112 geothermal wells beneath the parking lot will keep the building at a constant temperature.
- Automatic lights dim or brighten depending on ambient light.
- Washroom sinks and toilets are automatic start and stop to conserve water.
- Cabinets and shelves are made of recycled wheat board that looks like unfinished particle board but feels smooth like Formica.
- Waste and packing materials were recycled throughout the construction process.
Mizrachi is applying for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification, which, if granted by the Green Building Council, will make the school one of the greenest building in Northeast Ohio.
“The Torah tells us we need to take care of our environment,” Kreindel explains.
The tour
Ducking under barriers of caution tape, Kriendel leads the way through the sections of the building, all decorated in soft, warm colors such as sand, teal and melon. The color palate came from plants and vegetables mentioned in the Torah, says Bialosky.
All classes will be housed in one building with separate wings for preschool, elementary, middle and high schools. FMS opted to keep all ages under one roof, rather than creating a “campus” with older students in separate buildings, because students told builders they wanted to be together.
Preschoolers will have a separate entrance to their wing that opens into a large play space with an inlaid walking track in the floor. Across the hall are classrooms for elementary grades and administrative offices. The middle-school and high-school classrooms are upstairs. The high-school wing contains science labs, an art room, a student lounge, new lockers, and office and lounge space for teachers.
Teachers and administrators are still talking about different approaches to bringing cutting-edge technology into the classrooms. FMS is recognized nationally as a leader in day school education, and that will be the focal message of future fundraising efforts.
With the new location as a showcase facility able to host all manner of events, Kreindel hopes the larger Jewish community will get to know Fuchs Mizrachi School a little better.
“We want the community to understand that they are welcome here,” says Kreindel.
ebrown@cjn.org
School debuts at Guardian of Zion dinner
Fuchs Mizrachi School’s 2010 Guardian of Zion Award Dinner will be the first event in the new building, honoring three couples who helped make the new school building possible.
Adina and Yehuda Rothner will receive the Guardian of Zion Award for their efforts running Camp Stone in summers.
Sharon and Dr. Mark Kreindel receive the Mike and Peppy Senders Outsanding Service Award for their committee work, particularly Mark’s work on the building committee.
Faith and Rabbi Binyamin Blau receive the Rabbi Melvin Granatstein Educational Leadership Award for organizing adult education programs in the community.
WHAT: Guardian of Zion Award Dinner
WHERE: The new Fuchs Mizrachi School gym, 26600 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood
WHEN: Sun., March 14, at 5
TICKETS: 216-932-0220, ext. 128.
 |
||
| Mumps shots only ‘precautionary,’ says doctor |
Submit news tips and story ideas
Do you have a news tip or a story idea? Click here to tell us about it.
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of clevelandjewishnews.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments. Registration is free.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
