Darca New High School – Bat Yam

Tichon Hadash Darca Bat Yam is a six-year middle- and high-school with some 580 students. As early as middle school, students study in Mofet tracks dedicated to advanced science and math, as well as robotics and veterinary tracks. The study tracks at the school are: Science & Engineering (Robotics), Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Social Science, Jewish Thought, Geography and Graphic Design. The Mofet, Mabar and Etgar tracks are all matriculating tracks, designed for students with different abilities and skills.

The school takes part in national and international competitions such as the FLL in Robotics, the Israeli Center for Excellence through Education, and the Ilan Ramon Space Team Program; as well as in activities run by Taasiyeda – Industry for Advanced Education, a non-profit educational association sponsored by The Manufacturers’ Association in Israel. All these activities are aimed at affording students various routes where they can shine, both individually and as part of a team.

One of the school’s chief goals is to nurture a feeling of belonging among all who enter its gates, students and teachers alike. Therefore, the school emphasizes involvement in the community, based on the belief that it is the school’s role to serve as an agent for social improvement, and that any student who contributes to the community is benefitted and enriched by the experience. Another subject which the teaching staff focuses on is Jewish and Zionist identity. The subject is covered through educational programs and the annual school trip. The school also boasts an active and engaged student council.
Taking part in the city of Bat Yam’s educational system, the school practices the Bat Yam model of personal education – a personal and group empowerment model for the city’s youth. Even before the two recent reforms in education, Ofek Hadash and Oz Letmura, the Bat Yam model of personal education taught us that an educator and homeroom teacher who wishes to serve as a role model for his students must make time to get to truly know them, both by home visits, one-on-one talks, and group discussions about the issues important to each age group. Personal education creates a school atmosphere conducive to a good dialog between teachers and students.

The school staff comprises many new teachers alongside veteran, experienced ones, all of whom are united in their commitment to the students’ and the school’s success.