Choosing a girls jr. high in Cleveland - HELP!

IF we move to Cleveland, where should I send my daughter: Hebrew Academy/Yavne or Mosdos?

I keep hearing really different stories.

Some people say one school has lax supervision, but other people say the warmth of the other school is more important. Some people say a school has girls who are heading off the derech and bad influences, others say both schools do and it's better to be in a school where girls don't have to feel the need to hide as much about where they're holding. Some people say the academics are bad at one of the schools; other people say they're about the same.

I'm so confused and not sure where to turn. It seems everyone has really strong opinions and I'm having trouble finding straight answers.

We're BT yeshivish, very mainstream and "normal." My daughter's a good student, a little shy but doesn't have trouble making friends. I want her to have a school where she really looks up to the teachers and works hard. After sem, I'd like her to ideally get a degree and have a professional job (obviously that's up to her though), so I want to make sure she's prepared academically for college-level work. But I feel the most important thing is having friends who are serious about their Yiddishkeit.

So, if you were me...where would you send your daughter?

Moderator Joined: Aug 14 2005 Posts: 4555 Location: Ohio

HAC, based on what you are saying. Do you have time to visit the schools before you enroll her?
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Active Poster Joined: Aug 15 2010 Posts: 76

lots of issues in both schools. Hac is where I'll be sending mine. No garauntee in either-lots of tefillos needed.

I went to hac/yavne and loved it!! any questions about it?

For college prep, definitely HAC. However, there is something very very special about Mosdos. The yiras shamayim of the teachers is unbelievable, and they truly focus on middos and chesed. But, at this point the girls are not prepared for college when they graduate. There are many parents in the school who are baalei teshuva, and all are rather yeshivish. HAC has more of a variety of students. It's a tough decision. Hatlochah.

Thanks for your replies!

I visited both schools. Liked them both.

When I was a kid, I went to very good public schools in upper middle-class suburbs, where the academics were excellent, and the academics at HAC did not seem to be of that caliber. Am I wrong?

Amother, what are the "issues" I should know about? Hannah, please tell me about your experiences at HAC and why you loved it!

It's really hard to know what to do.

Thanks so much for your input!

hi, im the amother from above.

I loved school because I loved the diverse mix of girls.... Though everyone comes from different types of families, everyone is really nice and gets along well. The school also has boarders from different communities who stay with families in Cleve, which makes it even more diverse. I liked the teachers and administration. and really just had lots of fun. I went to hac from preschool- 12th grade. I dont know about how the education compares to public schools, but compared to other frum bais yaakov schools, it definitely has a reputation for providing an excellent education. Though not all graduates go on to college, those that do are prepared. The school even offers a number of college courses to seniors, and I was able to earn a significant amount of credits this way.

For a frum school, I'd say the education at Yavne is pretty decent. They're limited in what they can offer because of the size of the school though.

I know that at least during my time there (5 plus years ago) there was a HUGE off the derech rate. Many if not most of the girls in Yavne watched movies and listened to radio, and a good chunk talked to boys as well, even though their families did not approve. (And yes, some of my high school classmates smoked, drank, and or did drugs.) Of my class, I'd say probably 1/4 is not frum anyone, 1/4 is much less frum than they started out, and about 1/2 remained the same. The same could probably be said about the grade above me and at least 2 grades below me. At least during my time, HAC didnt have the best track record with keeping girls frum and inspired about yiddishkeit- the first hashkafa classes were only even offered in 12th grade, by which point many girls were already lost.
But--- one thing I can definitely say about Yavne- I was given a VERY VERY VERY good background in halacha, chumash, navi, historia, etc... I left yavne knowing a ton of information inside and out- so I think the Jewish subjects taught are on a very high level, even if they didnt leave you inspired to actually want to keep them.

Then again, at least during my time at yavne, my grade at mosdos was on a pretty low level, many got expelled because of misbehaving with boys, etc... so just because they didn't have a TV at home (or signed a paper that they didn't), didn't mean that they really were so perfect in their yiddishkeit either.

I honestly wouldn't send my daughter to either, which is quite problematic if living in Cleveland, because mizrachi doesn't even come up on my radar as a possibility.

Signed,
I learned in HAC from Kindergarten until high school graduation.

Yikes it is so not that bad. And btw I can probably guess which grade u are based on what ur describing. What year did u graduate?

OK I'm terrified now!!!! Shocked

Moderator Joined: Aug 14 2005 Posts: 4555 Location: Ohio

The girls I know from Modos and HAC are not what I am hearing described here. Very eidel, nice girls at both schools. But Mosdos is definitely not college prep.

What grade is your daughter going into? That may make a difference in where you send her. I can give you more information ince I know the grade she will be going into.

It also matters which neighborhood you are living in. What about other children in the family?

My daughter would be going into 7th. She has a younger sister (3 years younger).

I have boys who I'm pretty sure would go to Mosdos.

I'm not sure which neighborhood. Either Cleveland Heights or University Heights. From what I hear there's a mix of kids from both schools in those neighborhoods?

Moderator Joined: Aug 14 2005 Posts: 4555 Location: Ohio

Cleveland Heights is definitely more yeshivish, black hat. If your boys are going to Mosdos, you would most likely be more comfortable in that neighborhood. (Home prices are a lot lower, also.)

there are many mosdosers in university hts.! Especially in the younger grades. A whole bus of girls, a whole bus of boys. Our community kollel has really helped build the community. In University HTs. there is more of a mix of kids from all the schools, but everyone gets along beautifully. It's also very safe here.

The only place I would suggest not moving to, if you send to Mosdoa, is Beachwood, due to lack of busing sometimes.

The incoming 7th grade class to Yavne I think will be be split into two classes. The class was split in elementary. There are around 34 girls right now in that grade. There are a lot of good girls in the class. I do not know the girls going into Mosdos for that grade. University Heights has a good number of family who send their children to HAC/Yavne and also to Mosdos. If you buy in Univeristy Heights, Yavne is within walking distance. I found the houses are not as crowded in the University Heights/Beachwood area. In Cleveland Heights, the houses seem closer together and not as big.