Updated: Jan. 23, 2020
Gesher Jewish Day School, in Fairfax, announced it has hired a new head of school. Aviva Walls will take up the position in July, succeeding Dan Finkel. The school’s board picked Walls from a pool of more than 20 candidates after a nine-month search, the school said in a statement released Jan. 17.
Walls is the current dean of students at the modern Orthodox Shalhevet School in Los Angeles. At the school, she helped to increase enrollment from 160 pupils to 260 pupils, according to the statement.
Jennifer Scher, director of institutional advancement at Gesher, said she expects to see a 16 percent increase in enrollment next year. Gesher has 116 students in pre-k through eighth grade.
“[Walls] comes to the table with a plethora of admissions experience,” Scher said. “We’re excited to have her come aboard.”
So Walls’ experience with increasing enrollment while also focusing on the quality of education made her the ideal choice, Scher said.
“We’re excited to have her move us forward on this very strategic path. She completes the puzzle into making a successful leadership team for the school,” she said.
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This story was updated to correct the percentage of increase in enrollment next year and the reason Jennifer Scher said Walls is the ideal choice.
