Honoring Excellent Educators Awards 2017

American Friends of Ariel and the City of Ariel hosted an extra-special Honoring Excellent Educators Award Ceremony this year, celebrating over 25 years of our initiative to honor and support Ariel’s best teachers. This year, Ariel’s dedicated friend Lowell Milken and family were in attendance of the ceremony he bestowed upon Ariel decades ago – a true honor after a busy day of touring Ariel.

Hundreds of family members, friends, and parents attended this year’s ceremony, held at the Ariel Regional Center for the Performing Arts.

AFA Executive Director Avi Zimmerman and Ariel Department of Education Chairman Ilana Nulman were the masters of ceremonies, leading the event in both Hebrew and English.

After an introductory video from Ariel’s Teacher Day this past year, the ceremonies opened with introductions from Mayor Eliyahu Shaviro and the head of the Ariel Parents’ Assocation, followed by a performance from the ORT Yuvali Ariel school choir.

Avi and Ilana began by announcing the winner of the Sarah Cohen-Orgad Prize for Zionism. This year, the prize was awarded to the students and faculty in charge of the WWII Veterans’ Museum program – a special project in Ariel designed to commemorate and honor Jews who fought against the Germans during the Second World War.

Lowell Milken then took the stage, describing his and his family’s drive to support Education projects around the world. After Lowell’s moving address, ceremonies began honoring this year’s Excellent Educators, who were introduced not only by Avi and Ilana, but via short films about their lives.

This year’s honorees included:

Gali Harlevi, Principal of the Rakefet Preschool and Kindergarten
Merav Finkel Dror, Vice-Principal and Mathematics Teacher at the Nachshonim Elementary School
Chava Danieli, Science Teacher at Aliza Begin Elementary School
Chava Hedia, Mathematics Teacher at Bernard Milken Elementary School
Miraleh Moreshet, Special Education Teacher at Or Zevulun Religious Elementary School
Shimrit Ne’eman, Special Education Teacher at the ORT Yuvali Ariel Middle School
Daniella Yanai, Civics Teacher at the ORT Ariel High School

Mayor Eliyahu Shaviro, Lowell Milken and Avi Zimmerman presented each honoree with their awards as the crowd cheered.

The show ended with performances from the singing and dancing crews of the Celebrate Ariel Performance Troupe, ahead of Ariel’s 40-year celebrations in the US later this year.

What a night! To see more photos of this year’s incredible ceremony, click here.