Cory Chargo has been appointed as the new head of school at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Monmouth County. Photo courtesy Linda Glickstein
May 20, 2008
Cory Chargo, the head of school at a community Jewish elementary day school in Connecticut, has been appointed the head of school at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Monmouth County.
Chargo, whose appointment becomes effective on July 1, succeeds Chaya Friedmann, who is leaving the position of school director after a 20-year tenure.
A onetime social worker who later earned a graduate degree in Jewish education, Chargo was principal of Judaic studies at Yavneh Day School in Cincinnati and head of school at the Maimonides Academy in Danbury, Conn.
He, his wife Abby, and their two children, Emily, five, and Lev, one, are in the process of relocating to Marlboro.
“I’m very excited about coming to Monmouth County, which has such a large Jewish population,” Chargo told NJ Jewish News. “I’m equally as excited to work at Solomon Schechter, which has a great reputation and is already a strong icon in the community.”
The school’s board of trustees board has expressed its faith in Chargo’s abilities.
“Chaya Friedmann leaves behind her a terrific legacy for our new head of school to build on,” said Marc Epstein of Middletown, president of the board of trustees. “We expect great things and are dedicated to seeing them realized. We welcome Cory to our school and to our community.”
Chargo is committed to bringing more technological advancements to the school, which opened in 1979 and currently has 202 students in the nursery through eighth grades.
“I want to bring the school further into the technology era and to make sure the teachers receive the proper help to integrate it into the curriculum,” he said. “This kind of technology benefits the teachers and the students, and it’s important to make it relevant to both groups. Today’s technology has so much to offer as a teaching tool.”
It’s also another way to show the community the high standards of the school, he added.
“We want the community to be aware of what a wonderful private school this is, and that it provides more than Jewish education,” Chargo said. “The school will continue to have a solid curriculum, but we want more people to know about it.”
An improved Web site might help spread the message: Chargo said he may consider posting elements of the curriculum, along with the various colleges that former day school students attend and the high scholastic scores many have received.
Chargo, who plays the trumpet, piano, and guitar, also would like to see an expansion of the school’s music program.
“Music and arts education always enhance the learning process,” he said. “It reaches students on so many different levels and helps them explore and enrich their educational experience.”
Chargo also plans to reach out to the community, and will visit many of the county’s Jewish agencies, synagogues, and community groups.
“I want to partner with everyone,” he said. “When you reach out to others, you help yourself.”
Chargo grew up in a small town in rural Minnesota with a “non-existent” Jewish population, he said. In high school, his first of many trips to Israel proved life-changing.
“Going to Israel changed everything for me,” Chargo said. “I found more personal meaning in the Jewish religion and was overwhelmed by the involvement of Israel’s Jewish communities in the many different events that affect their lives, whether it was politics, agriculture, or education.”
In 1982, he received bachelors’ degrees in Jewish studies and social welfare from the University of Minnesota. He then worked in the mental health field and earned a graduate degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1986.
While he was a practicing social worker, Chargo also taught in synagogue religious schools.
“I found a particular form of gratification in the field of Jewish education,” he said.
Between 1991 and 1996, Chargo served as the director of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization in Minnesota and Georgia. His interest in Jewish education continued to grow, and in 1998, he received a graduate degree in Jewish education from Hebrew Union College in New York City.
Chargo’s next stop was Cincinnati, where he served as principal of Judaic studies at Yavneh Day School for four years. In 2003, he became head of school at the Maimonides Academy, a nondenominational Jewish day school serving children in nursery school through grade six.
Chargo is also at work on a book about ethical behavior and teaching curricula; three years ago, he created an ethics curriculum to help teachers and students cope with bullying behavior.
“The whole family is excited about this next chapter in our lives,” Chargo said. “The school doesn’t need to be ‘fixed,’ because Chaya has done a wonderful job. And now, my responsibility is to add my own experience and make the school even better.”
--TOP--
- Comment: comments@njjewishnews.com
