Perelman Jewish Day School has developed a strong reputation in the Philadelphia area over the years. And with the opening of a groundbreaking new facility called the Horowitz Family Center for Innovation and Imagination, school leaders hope that its reputation will grow even more.
The center opened at the end of 2024, making this school year the first full one during which it will be operational.
It features a science lab, a sound studio, an art studio, two labs for building, a fabrication lab equipped with a 3D printer and robots, a library and a lounge for fifth graders.
Dr. Emily Cook, the principal of PJDS’ Stern Center, the school’s kindergarten through fifth grade wing, said that the center originated from a plan formed by the previous head of school, who wanted to help redefine what Perelman offers its students.
“We began looking at one piece that would enhance the educational work that we do and highlight it,” Cook said. “This project came from that process, [asking] what’s at the heart of what we do? And how can we showcase that in a space that is conducive to student learning and engagement, and accessing the various modalities that we want teachers to be able to do to really integrate curriculum?”
Perelman focuses heavily on cross-curricular work, which makes the center ideal for helping students transition between subjects.
“The space is magnificent in its ability to allow students to do so many different things,” Cook said.
While the school isn’t saying exactly how much the Center for Innovation and Imagination cost, Head of School Mitchell Daar said it is a multimillion-dollar endeavor. It was made possible by donations from Ruth and Richard Horowitz, Nancy and Martin Black, Jane Dobkin, Michael Landau, Liz and Matthew Kamens and Gayle and David Smith.
“We wanted to create something that as many students could use as possible. We vetted a lot of different architecture firms and put together a program that matched our vision and worked collaboratively with our educators and the architecture group to help bring our vision to light,” he said. “We reached out to a small group of really valued donors that we have at our school, and they funded it, which was amazing. They saw what an impact it would have on generations of students to learn in this type of way and just make our school that much more attractive to families across Philadelphia.”
Since the space opened last winter, it has become a much-loved part of the Perelman campus, and it has been integrated into some parts of the lessons that already existed.
The fourth graders at Perelman have a unit on natural disasters, and they now use the sound studio to record mock news reports on natural disasters for part of the final presentation. The fifth graders enjoy using their own lounge area, which brings them out of the fifth-grade floor and into the general area of the school more often. Students at Perelman also begin to learn coding as kindergarteners, albeit with entry-level methods. The new technology available in the center is making that process easier for all grade levels.
“It’s definitely become a centerpiece of the school in so many different ways. Teachers are excited to bring their classes in and collaborate, and the team that works in the space is really wonderful and already doing collaborative work with the teachers,” Cook said. “I think they’re excited to bring their classes in and do more. Before we even opened it, we had teachers saying, ‘When can we bring our classes in?’ and ‘What can we
do there?’”
Overall, the Perelman community is excited to begin its first full school year with the Horowitz Family Center for Innovation and Imagination as a part of the school. Daar said that students, parents, teachers and the rest of the Perelman family are happy with
the result.
“The space is beautiful and the bones of it are amazing,” he said.
