View our Real Talk. Real People. Podcast Series
Growth happens
when courage meets conviction
Mayaan Academy is a boarding program for high school girls, offering an academically, emotionally, and spiritually empowering environment.
I am searching for belonging
I am craving change
I am ready to feel
And I am ready to fight
Maayan Academy is a place of
bravery, strength, and growth.
A school where girls become
capable, determined, and connected young adults.
We watch as our students
Learn
State-accredited high school.
Our academic program is legitimate and inclusive.
With small classes and a focus on
differentiated and experiential learning, the girls at Maayan feel stimulated, satisfied, and successful.
Discover
Connect
Meet the Team
Chaya Aviva Katz
Founder/Dean
Being an educator in various positions for over 25 years left me with something beautiful. I have come to recognize that aside from my students’ growth, I too have grown and gained from them tremendously.
To me, every child is a world. A world of connection, a world of social and emotional needs, a world of their very own. I founded
Maayan to help that individual world. Not only to educate academically, but to help students feel confident, comfortable and in control every day of their lives.
Goldie Schechter, MA, LPC
Clinical Director
Goldie brings with her a deep well of experience and passion for working with teens and families. She has been running therapeutic groups and seeing clients for the past 12 years at Yad Rachel, maintains a thriving private practice in Lakewood, NJ, and serves as the Clinical Advisor for WeeCare Preemies. Since 2020, she has also worked with teens in a camp setting, further deepening her understanding of adolescent emotional development. In addition, Goldie is a professor at The Institute for Special Education at Sara Schnerer, where she helps shape the next generation of clinicians and educators.
“It was a really big, scary change, but it was one of the best decisions of my life – coming here”
– Maayan Hero
We meet you where you’re at emotionally and academically.
“We draw, sketch, have art… they work it out so that we can all sit and listen”
“If I have to miss a class, I’m actually sad – I love it!”
We learn here that a spiritual connection stems from emotional stability.
“Maayan taught me that growth is something satisfying”
“Now, when I say Tehilim, I actually know what I’m saying”
We are a snow globe of security, an ideal environment for growth.
“It’s a place away from my house with other girls who understand.”
“Everyone is always looking out for each other; we’re like a huge family.”
We focus on giving to others while still helping ourselves.
“I learned how to honestly see the good parts in a lot of people”
“I’ve learned a lot about myself and working on becoming a better person”
We collaborate with you, checking in on the progress of your self-created goals.
“This is the kind of school where they’ll say – ‘what do you think is going on’ – and they’ll guide you into finding what needs to be worked for you.”
“I feel like I’m working toward a goal every day”