Rabbi Ari Segal, head of school as of August 1, introduced a new science teacher and new building administrator and executive asistant in this e-mail sent to the  Shalhevet community Tuesday, July 12.

Dear Members of the Shalhevet Community,
  
It is my pleasure to continue to share with you exciting developments for the upcoming school year. As such, I would like to introduce you to two of our newest members of the staff: Dr. Jay Smallwood, Chemistry and Biology teacher, and Eli Schiff, Building Administrator and Executive Assistant.
 
Dr. Jay Smallwood
 
Jay Smallwood comes to Los Angeles via Amarillo, Texas where he was born and raised. After completing his undergrad in chemistry at University of North Texas, he came to Los Angeles to attend UCLA where he published several papers on the quantum mechanics of chemical reactions in fluids, receiving his Ph.D. for this work. Dr. Smallwood has many years of experience teaching science and math at all levels, and has spent the past year teaching chemistry, math, and physics at Touro College Los Angeles, an Orthodox university in West Hollywood. In 2005-06, he spent a year living in rural Japan teaching English to middle school students as a member of the JET Program. He feels strongly about his role as a mentor to students and brings an intimate awareness of what it takes for students to succeed at the next level. He is a firm believer that all students must know the fundamentals of science both to properly understand its relationship to emerging technologies and to navigate current moral issues in the field. He is excited to be a member of the Shalhevet community. Now in his eighth year in Los Angeles, he is also passionate about writing poetry and, recently, painting in encaustic. 
 
Eli Schiff
 
Born and raised in NY, Eli Schiff has been living in Los Angeles for over 3 years now. After graduating from Yeshiva University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Eli soon got a job working for Ernst & Young, one of the biggest accounting firms in the world. He worked there for more than two years until deciding to move out to Los Angeles at the end of 2007. Shortly after moving to LA, Eli got a job working at JconnectLA, a non-for-profit grassroots organization for young, Jewish professionals, and worked there until July 2010. He went back to NY the following month to marry his new wife, Chari Pere. Having enjoyed working with the Jewish community, Eli then got a job teaching the 7th grade at Temple Ramat Zion in Northridge. He also began tutoring one-on-one Bar Mitzvah lessons with Hebrew Helpers. Eli is very thrilled to be working with the Shalhevet family.
 
 
We are very excited about our new additions as this continues our pattern of filling staff openings with first-rate talent.
 
Sincerely,
 
Rabbi Ari Segal