\u201cStudy after study shows that the most effective way to develop and maintain Jewish identity is to go to Jewish day school,\u201d he said. \u201cOur students can continue to develop their Jewish identities and turn into the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a high school that stands up to the other amazing independent schools in the area,\u201d he added. \u201cThis means that students can have a top-notch Jewish education combined with a rigorous and enriching academic experience. They get the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldsweig is KDHS\u2019s third head of school, having started the position last fall, after Russ Klein retired. Klein was at the helm from 2008 to 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this job, I found a community that I didn\u2019t know I had,\u201d Klein told the Independent<\/i> last year, as his tenure was winding down. \u201cThat was beyond special. I really do think of this job, this position really, as a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
Klein had taken over the position after Perry Seidelman retired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2001, Seidelman was hired as principal of Vancouver Talmud Torah High School \u2013 one of the iterations on the path that led from Maimonides High School, which was started in the 1980s, to KDHS. With 30 years prior experience and his approach to education, he was a key to the successful establishment of King David.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout Perry, there would be no school,\u201d Larry Goldstein, president of the Jewish high school during the transition period, says in The Scribe<\/i>\u2019s Jewish Education in BC issue. \u201cIt\u2019s as simple as that. Perry gave the credibility to other parents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith growing interest in the school, a decision was made to build a permanent structure with financing from the Diamond Foundation,\u201d Seidelman writes in The Scribe<\/i>, which is the journal of the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia. \u201cIt was to be built on a property at the southeast corner of 41st Avenue and Willow Street, directly across Willow Street from the Jewish Community Centre. Extensive discussions were held with the JCC administration, as intentions were to use the JCC for some programs, notably the JCC gymnasium for PE classes and the Norman [& Annette] Rothstein Theatre for drama productions.\u201d<\/p>\n As enrolment grew, Alex Monchamp, who had been a teacher at the high school since its Maimonides days, was hired as vice-principal, according to The Scribe<\/i>. Monchamp now holds the title of deputy head of school.<\/p>\n \u201cI joined King David in July 2001,\u201d Monchamp told the Independent. \u201cI\u2019d only been living in the city for a few months, and I saw a small newspaper ad for a small independent school looking for a half-time English and drama teacher. It was my first teaching job in BC!\u201d<\/p>\n When asked why KDHS has proven successful, while previous versions of the high school struggled, Monchamp said, \u201cI think the main turning point was the year I started, and the school had its biggest Grade 8 class, which I think was 25 or 26 students. Those connected to the school and who were vital in its foundation and ongoing viability made a real concerted effort to engage with the community and make a case for the importance and need for a sustainable Jewish high school. However, the real risk, the real investment, was when those Grade 8 families, and the families that came after, invested their most important resource \u2013 their children \u2013 in our school.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen our families started to see that need and started to trust in the school, it allowed the school to grow and become more stable,\u201d said Monchamp. \u201cStability turned into slow but steady growth, to more students, more teachers, and then our home on Willow Street. However, the building itself did not cement our future \u2013 it was also the school\u2019s investment in good leadership and dedicated teachers that secured the future we enjoy today.\u201d<\/p>\n When Monchamp joined the high school, there were fewer than 70 students, programming was limited and there was no permanent school building, he said. Growth has occurred in multiple areas.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are obvious measures, like our student population is over 270 students, we have a vibrant arts program, a strong athletic program and our programming offers our students many ways to explore what they know, what they can do and who they\u2019ll become,\u201d said Monchamp. \u201cAll of that happens because we continue to have a team of outstanding teachers and dedicated adults who work extremely hard.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ultimate measure is not where our students go to university, the grades they earn or even how many of them are in the building each day,\u201d he added. \u201cThere are bigger schools, there\u2019s no shortage of kids going to university and no one is ever going to care what your math mark was in Grade 10. The true measure is that our students discover and develop their capabilities, figure out who they are and what it means for them to be Jewish in this world. In a world of uncertainty and change, our students have the capability to adapt and grow and the values and foundation to be a good person.\u201d<\/p>\n KDHS\u2019s director of development, Esther Mogyoros, who has worked at the school for the past 11 years, echoed Monchamp\u2019s belief that there is more than one component to the school\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the years,\u201d she said, \u201cKing David has grown not only in student enrolment but also in its physical presence, thanks to the expansion of the east campus, made possible by the generosity of the Diamond Foundation and our supportive community. Our reputation has been built on a strong foundation of chesed programs, regular volunteer initiatives, and active participation in celebrations and community events. We take pride in nurturing students who not only excel academically but also continue their educational journeys and give back to the community long after graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Mogyoros and Monchamp said the best part of their jobs is when they connect with others.<\/p>\n \u201cConnecting with students, parents, grandparents and the community at large,\u201d said Mogyoros. \u201cBuilding relationships and sharing my passion for Jewish education, Israel and the importance\/impact of King David in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe best part is when I can connect with a student, chat, find out more about them and then, if I can, find ways that I can support them,\u201d said Monchamp. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t happen nearly enough in a typical day, but I love it when it does.\u201d<\/p>\n One of Monchamp\u2019s standout moments at the school is when KDHS would take the Grade 9 students to Washington, DC, every spring to visit the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d spend a full day at the USHMM, which is a lot, and our students always came away with information or artifacts they hadn\u2019t encountered before and at times it was very emotive,\u201d he said. \u201cThe trip also included a day at many of the Smithsonian Institution museums. It was always a treat to watch the kids see real historical items, like the Wright brother\u2019s plane, the ruby shoes from The Wizard of Oz or Prince\u2019s guitars. History is always more relevant to kids if they can get up close to it and connect to their own stories and memories.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the past 20 years, there have been challenges, notably, the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere was so much unpredictability and an immeasurable amount of learning we had to do on the fly,\u201d said Monchamp of that time. \u201cDespite the numerous challenges, it is moments like that which demonstrate what our school is all about. The overarching goal was what it has always been: putting our students first. And when that was our guiding principle, we figured out the rest…. It was also vital that our families trusted us. Before, during and after COVID, we have consistently demonstrated to our families that we take our role in their children\u2019s growth very seriously and that we always perform in ways that support and benefit their growth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThroughout those difficult years,\u201d said Mogyoros, \u201cour school\u2019s resilience and compassion shone through \u2013 not only in maintaining academic standards but also in supporting one another emotionally during a time of unprecedented uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n Monchamp hopes the school continues on its current path, becoming \u201ca student-centred learning environment.<\/p>\n \u201cLearning is an active experience and is most successful when students are actively engaged and can apply what they know and can do to their own experiences and contexts,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have already seen the tremendous benefit of this shift. It\u2019s what is keeping our school competitive and on par with other Vancouver independent schools and it\u2019s setting up our students for their future successes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal,\u201d said Mogyoros, \u201cis to empower students to be confident in their identities, excel in their chosen paths, and take pride in their Jewish heritage, traditions and love for Israel. We strive to inspire them to make a meaningful difference in the world around them.\u201d<\/p>\n JWest is central to the high school\u2019s future. The three-phase development project at 41st Avenue and Oak Street will see the construction of a much-expanded JCC, a new home for KDHS and two residential towers.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a new building where we can continue to develop our programming, where we can engage our students and where we can host real \u2018home games\u2019 in our own gym in front of as many students and parents as possible is incredibly important,\u201d said Monchamp. \u201cThe school is still very young and a new facility will allow it to continue to shape its identity. Additionally, our community can continue to take pride in the school and all of the many interconnected Jewish organizations in the city. I think the symbolism of one large, proud hub for the Jewish community sends not only a very strong message, but, more importantly, a unified message, one which the community can use as a foundation for its future.\u201d<\/p>\n Mogyoros agrees.<\/p>\n \u201cA larger campus will open doors to more programs, providing students with enhanced opportunities for learning, creativity and personal development,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are especially excited about the addition of more space and new sports fields, which will enrich our athletic and extracurricular offerings and foster a vibrant, dynamic environment for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to see the school continue to grow,\u201d said Goldsweig. \u201cNext year, we will be the biggest we have ever been. So many families have chosen to give their kids a Jewish high school education. We are so appreciative and hope that many more continue to make the same decision.\u201d<\/p>\n The head of school says he has been warmly welcomed into the community, with Friday night dinner invitations every Shabbat, \u201can amazing staff,\u201d a board that \u201chas been supportive every step of the way,\u201d and parents who \u201care dedicated to the success of the school and their children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe most impressive group of all has been the students,\u201d Goldsweig said. \u201cThey are so inspiring, and I know our future is in good hands.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"photo](\"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/apr-25-milestones.25.KDHS-1-Nicole-Grubner-and-Gordon-Diamond_inauguration-of-the-new-school-on-Willow-Street-2005.png\")
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