Both formal and non-formal educational methodologies are utilized throughout the school day. Shabbat retreats (Shabbatonim) reinforce the learning which takes place within the classroom – and the inter-generational, family education activities transport that learning back to the home.

 

Agnon also believes in the precept, Al tifros min ha-tzibur (“Do not separate yourself from the community”). Students connect to the wider world in Cleveland and in Israel; tzedakkah (usually understood as “charity” – the more literal translation is “righteousness”) is raised as students in every grade come to see their responsibilities to those whose needs are greater than their own. Social action projects are undertaken within the Jewish and non-Jewish community, to underscore the fact of our interconnected world.

 

Our younger students enjoy grade-level field trips, as our middle schoolers look forward to special “milestone” events. Each year the 6^th grade participates in a four-day science camp, while our 7^th graders explore Washington D.C. in a whirlwind three-day tour. Our 8^th graders take off for a trip of a lifetime on their Trip to Israel in the spring; during those 17 days, so much of what they’ve learned and experienced at Agnon comes alive. History and poetry, Hebrew and culture are explored in the Negev, the Golan Heights, the Galil and of course in Jerusalem.   One participant summed it up as only an 8^th grader can: “Now I get it!”