Greenfield Hebrew Academy Hosts DeKalb County Special Olympians

ATLANTA, GA March 14, 2004--For the 17th year in a row Penny Eisenstein, Greenfield Hebrew Academy's Director of Physical Education and Boni Powell, DeKalb County's Director of Special Olympics, have worked together to produce the Dr. Larry Bregman Special Olympics, a unique day-long event hosted by GHA and attended by Special Olympians from DeKalb County.

This year, 59 developmentally challenged students from Montgomery, Medlock, and Hightower Elementary Schools in DeKalb County will cross county lines to enjoy a "dry run" for three track-and-field events before the actual County Special Olympics take place on April 14, 2004. Although the participating DeKalb County students come from different schools each year, Greenfield Hebrew Academy's commitment remains the same year after year: seventh grade students will serve as personal escorts to the individual athletes and the eighth graders will run the three events (standing long jump, softball throw, and 50 meter dash).

The day's sporting events are preceded by the Opening Ceremonies at 9:30 AM and followed by a shared meal, as honored guests and GHA students eat their lunch together, provided by GHA, in the school's cafeteria. The Dr. Larry Bregman Special Olympics, like the Bregman Educational Series at Jewish Family and Career Services, were named after the late Dr. Larry Bregman, a pediatrician who was dedicated to helping the disabled. "Not only was my father dedicated to educating adults through programming here in Atlanta for the developmentally disabled, he also was very concerned about the physical fitness and health of children with disabilities," noted Penny Eisenstein, GHA's Director of Physical Education and Dr. Bregman's daughter.

What's special about this event, is that it gives two very different segments of the public a chance to meet. And when there is not a conflict with Passover, GHA's students attend DeKalb County's Special Olympics, happy to root for their new friends.

The Greenfield Hebrew Academy (www.ghacademy.org), established in 1953 and the oldest Jewish day school in Atlanta, is an independent community school serving Atlanta's diverse Jewish population. Its student body, which spans pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, comprises the full range of synagogue affiliations, religious traditions and socioeconomic levels, and comes from North Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, and DeKalb counties.

GHA was the first Jewish day school in the country to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Honors awarded the school include the Exemplary School Award by the US Department of Education; the National School of Excellence by the Council for American Private Education; the Jerusalem Prize for Exemplary Achievement in Zionist and Torah Education by the World Zionist Organization; First Place Regionally in the national Continental Mathematics League, and Blue Ribbon of Excellence award by the US Department of Education.    





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