Dan Ferat, new Director of Ethical Education for our Society, shares his thoughts about our Sunday School.
What are your priorities as Director of Ethical Education?
As the new Director of Ethical Education, I have very few priorities for this year beyond making sure that everything moves smoothly—the classes, the programs, the field trips. I have no intention of changing anything that Sabine set up from last year, 
at least until I am completely familiar with everyone in the school and everything they do, which should take me at least this school year.
What changes would you like to work toward?
I am trying to move much of our paperwork and files to an online platform, mainly using Google Suite. This would also include having a separate but connected presence for the Sunday School on the Internet. We have one of the best Ethical Education programs in the New York area, and I would like to get the word out there about what we do as well as to attract new families to come and join us.
What are the biggest strengths of our Sunday School?
The biggest strength of our school, the foundation of the school itself, is our teachers and teaching assistants. We have such a creative, well-informed, and skilled faculty, which I am so thankful for, because they make my transition into this position so much easier! I have also been pleasantly surpris
ed at how many of our youth members are involved and
how dedicated they are to the jobs they have taken on, not just helping the teachers with classroom management, but taking on teaching roles themselves. I know this not only from my observations of the classes, but also from the reports of my daughter, who is in the Senior Class this year.
What else would you like to say about this role or about the Sunday School?
A Sunday School program is a lot of work. I knew that coming into the job, but I wasn’t fully aware of all the different roles I must play as the Director of Ethical Education. The only way I have been able to start doing any of this has been with all the support of the Ethical Education Committee, especially Anne Wallman; the assistant Director of Ethical Education, Aimee Kass; and, of course, the aforementioned faculty and staff. We really have a wonderful and supportive community and I am looking forward to a great year.
