The Hebrew word kadimah means moving forward. Indeed, we are moving forward as a Federation and Jewish community. As the Executive Director, I’ve found the past three and half years to have been an excellent time to learn, work smarter, and work with others to find the right path forward.
The programming we are undertaking in Youth Development offers a good illustration that gives me confidence about a brighter and more vibrant future. Camp Ideal is once again a robust summer program. I’m pleased that Abbee LaPlace is stepping into the Camp Ideal director’s position. Over the last two years, Abbee was instrumental in working with Dan Ravitch and Shirlee Greenwald to reimagine Camp Ideal into the success it is today.
This summer, the Federation is building on Camp Ideal’s success with a new youth development program for children ages three to five. I’m excited to announce that Mina Cowen is joining our professional staff as the director of the newly formed camp. Please see her article here.
Mina is a dedicated and knowledgeable educator with extensive professional experience in early childhood development. She is a superb teacher with a proven track record of success in driving student growth and achievement.
Mina’s accomplishments include her wide-ranging experience as a summer camp director and a music and language arts teacher. Mina is skilled in developing playtime with purpose through structured social-emotional learning in a warm and caring environment using various methods, including the Montessori and Reggio approaches.
Mina has taught first and second grade here in our very own South Bend Hebrew Day School and in many schools in Toronto, Canada, where she is originally from.
She has a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and received her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies at York University in Toronto. In addition, Mina attended a Seminary at Neve Yerushalayim in Jerusalem.
Please join us in welcoming Abbee LaPlace and Mina Cowen. Our summer day camp programs are in good hands.