Meet our Administrative Team
Rabbi Adatto is originally from Los Angeles, where he attended YULA for high school and served as Regional President of West Coast NCSY. He holds a master’s degree in Jewish Education and Administration from Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Education and smicha (rabbinic ordination) from Jerusalem’s Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg z’l. Before moving to San Diego in 2005 to join SCY High’s inaugural faculty, he was a member of the Valley Kollel in Los Angeles for five years — where he was involved in adult Jewish education — and was a faculty member of the pluralistic Kehilla Jewish High School in Palo Alto, CA. He studied in America and Israel’s premier Torah institutions, including Yeshivas Beis Yisroel for three years, the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem for four years, and Ner Yisrael in Baltimore, MD. Rabbi Adatto was also a founding member of Rav Reuven Leuchter’s Kollel Mei HaDaas in Jerusalem, and continues to have a close relationship with Rav Leuchter, the premier mussar educator of our time.
What Rabbi Adatto is truly known for, however, is not just his credentials and immense Torah knowledge, but his great care for every individual student and his calm demeanor. Rabbi Adatto guides each student to maximize himself academically, religiously, and as a human being, spending countless hours meeting with students one-on-one discussing every aspect of their lives. His capacity for empathy and being “where the students are” is tremendous. Being Sephardi and coming with an appreciation of people’s differences, Rabbi Adatto infuses SCY High with a respect for individuality and uniqueness. Students come from a variety of religious backgrounds, and all feel comfortable and able to grow at SCY High. This is evidenced by the variety of programs our graduates attend during summers and post-high school, including serving in the Israeli army and attending intensive yeshiva programs.
Rabbi Adatto approaches each student as a world unto themselves and constantly conveys the importance of striving toward the best version of yourself — consciously building yourself as a person. The definition of success for each student is specific to who he is and to his individual needs. He is often quoted as saying, “For one student a B+ could be our biggest success story, while for another it could be our biggest failure — it just depends on where each student started and what each student needs to achieve.” Every class and program that Rabbi Adatto runs at SCY High is built upon student involvement. Students are encouraged to explore ideas and ask questions, and to extract a personal lesson and application to their lives. He strives to help all SCY High students find meaning in their Judaism, making it alive and relevant for them.
From its inception, Rabbi Adatto (along with Rabbi Goren and later Rabbi Shalem and Rabbi Simon) envisioned SCY High as a warm and welcoming community. Bringing their childhood experience of camping and wilderness exploration to the school, Rabbis Goren and Adatto initiated the concept of a five-day-long Leadership and Bonding Retreat which kicks off every school year. Through this retreat, Rabbi Adatto and the rabbinic faculty consciously create opportunities for students to cultivate relationships with each other and with the rebbeim before they ever step foot in a classroom.
Another highlight of the school year is the Big Bear Shabbaton. In addition to enjoying a Shabbat away together and skiing and snowboarding on Sunday, students share an emotional Seuda Shlishit where each student shares a personal struggle or vignette connected to a theme. This unique opportunity for high school boys to be emotionally open and vulnerable, while being simultaneously supported and encouraged by peers, is an important and intentional part of SCY High. This powerfully bonding experience has been hand-crafted by Rabbi Adatto and his team over the years.
The result of Rabbi Adatto’s hard work and dedication is a community where everyone feels valued for what they contribute and students feel supported to step out of their comfort zones. Students are encouraged to take leadership roles and even pass these leadership roles down when they graduate, in a way actively participating in nurturing the next generation of leaders.
Rabbi Adatto lives in San Diego’s College Area neighborhood with his wife, Ariella, and as many of their seven children who happen to be home at any given time.
To contact Rabbi Adatto, email madatto@scyhigh.org
Rabbi Simon was born and raised in Los Angeles. He received his smicha from Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg z’l of Jerusalem and holds post-graduate certificates from Yeshiva University in Educational Technology and Experiential Jewish Education. Rabbi Simon previously served as the San Diego Director and West Coast Associate Regional Director for NCSY, where his creative approach to encouraging students to engage with their Jewish identity brought the San Diego chapter and the West Coast region to national prominence. While working with NCSY, he concurrently taught at SCY High, leveraging his NCSY connection with the students and his creative educational approach into an engaging classroom. After spending two years in Israel teaching at American yeshivot and seminaries, studying for a secondary rabbinic ordination, and engaging in various creative endeavors —such as launching and developing curricula for Next Step Israel Internships and serving as the Artist In Residence at the Kol Ha’Ot Educational Art Gallery in Jerusalem — Rabbi Simon returned to SCY High in an administrative capacity, using his creativity and talent to help SCY High continue to innovate. He also serves as a member of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County’s Teen Mental Health Planning Committee and was previously a member of the San Diego Jewish Teen Initiative Steering Committee. He appreciates working at SCY High because of its unique educational vision and focus on the development of every individual, as well as the school’s appreciation of creative educational initiatives. Rabbi Simon and his wife, Chava, live in San Diego’s College Area neighborhood with their three children. To contact Rabbi Simon, email asimon@scyhigh.org
Morah Chana grew up in Oakland, California. After finishing high school, she moved to Israel, where she studied at Midreshet Nishmat in Jerusalem. She received her Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Hebrew University, taking several classes in biblical grammar on the side. Morah Chana knew she was going to be a teacher from a young age and has tutored kids since she was in high school. She earned her teacher’s certificate in advanced mathematics from Herzog College, and she worked as a math teacher in Israeli high schools, first at a small, boys’ yeshiva not too different from SCY High, and then at a large military high school in Be’er Sheva.
Morah Chana has always had an affinity for the Hebrew language, in particular the etymological history of the language and its connection to other semitic languages. Her favorite part of teaching is to watch a student struggle through material and figure out exactly which bit of information he needs in order to succeed.
Morah Chana and Rav Netzach completed the Strauss-Amiel program, a shlichut preparation program under the auspices of Ohr Torah Stone. They arrived in San Diego with their three children – Betzalel, Arava and Chaviv – in August 2022, and live in La Jolla, where they run the Shabbat and Chag youth programming at Congregation Adat Yeshurun. To contact Morah Chana, email csapir@scyhigh.org
Rav Netzach Sapir was born in Jerusalem, and grew up in Berkeley, California. He attended the Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco, a pluralistic Jewish High School where he met his wife, Chana, and was Gabbai of the Orthodox Minyan (and captain of the Frisbee team). After high school he moved to Israel and studied at the Hesder Yeshiva of Otniel, a small town in the southern Hebron hills. He served as a lone soldier in a reconnaissance unit in the IDF (Isuf Kravi). Rav Netzach completed a four-year BA in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Shalem College in Jerusalem. After graduating, Rav Netzach and his family returned to Otniel, where Rav Netzach continued his own studies in the Kollel and began to teach in the Hesder Yeshiva. During this time, Rav Netzach also taught elementary school students in the after-school Talmud Torah, instilling in his 4th graders a passion for memorizing entire chapters of Mishnah. He received his teacher’s certificate from Herzog College in Gush Etzion, and worked as the youth director in Otniel, organizing informal educational programming and activities for the town’s teenagers.
In 2022, Rav Netzach and Chana completed the Strauss-Amiel program, a shlichut preparation program under the auspices of Ohr Torah Stone. They arrived in San Diego with their three children – Betzalel, Arava and Chaviv – in August 2022, and live in La Jolla, where they run the Shabbat and Chag youth programming at Congregation Adat Yeshurun.
Rav Netzach enjoys playing guitar and mandolin, and would love to join you for a game of Ultimate Frisbee. He misses his garden in Otniel, but looks forward to learning to surf during his time in San Diego b’ezrat Hashem.
Feel free to be in touch! nsapir@scyhigh.org
Rabbi Bogopulsky was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He received his smicha (rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Berel Wein, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Shaarei Torah, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from St. Thomas Aquinas College. He and his wife, Leah, served communities in both Binghamton, NY, and Charleston, SC, before moving to San Diego in 1996 to assume the pulpit of San Diego’s oldest Orthodox Synagogue, Beth Jacob Congregation. Even though it has been a few years since his days as a student at MTA (Yeshiva University’s high school for boys), Rabbi Bogopulsky still channels his youthful energy and warm personality to teaching and building relationships with our boys. Showing up with Leah’s fresh-baked treats, hosting shiur Shabbatons, and knowing every detail about the Yankees’ roster make him beloved amongst the boys. He and Leah are blessed with five children who live with their own families both in Israel and the U.S. Rabbi Bogopulsky is the author of two books, “Developing a Torah Personality” and “Raising a Community, Our Families and Ourselves.” When he’s not helping people grow, he loves helping other things grow; specifically tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchinis, and whatever else Leah allows in the backyard. To contact Rabbi Bogopulsky, email Rabbi@BJSD.org
Mr. Boss was born and raised in San Diego. He earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences and his teaching credential from the University of California, Riverside. While pursuing his B.S., he organized study groups for his peers and realized that he had a talent and passion for clearly articulating abstract scientific concepts. This led him to pursue a career in education. Mr. Boss has been a professional educator at the high school level for 12 years and is currently completing his master’s degree in biology. In addition to teaching science and math classes, Mr. Boss is the SCY High faculty advisor for the Garden Club, sharing his love of gardening and the outdoors with his students. He has guided them through projects which have reshaped the landscape around the school. Mr. Boss says that he loves working at SCY High because “the young men are very intelligent and driven, and the small school environment helps build meaningful relationships.” To contact Mr. Boss, email NBoss@scyhigh.org
Originally from the Philippines, Dr. Medrano earned his master’s in Pure Mathematics and his Ph.D. in Mathematics from UCSD. He has been a math lecturer at both UCSD and SDSU and is an adjunct professor at Mesa College. Dr. Medrano’s math articles have been published in many prestigious journals. He enjoys teaching at SCY High because the small class sizes allow him to focus on the individual students. Dr. Medrano takes particular pride in helping students build a comfort zone with math, something that can be challenging for some. Students comment that Dr. Medrano’s calm and quiet demeanor is disarming and has totally changed their relationship with math. To contact Dr. Medrano, email our office at info@scyhigh.org
Coach Mills was born and raised in San Diego. He excelled in baseball, basketball, and football from a young age which provided him with outlets that helped him grow as a person. After studying Business Management at San Diego City College, he ran a commercial cleaning company for five years, but his passion has always been sports and helping others grow. As a young adult, he spent years playing travel basketball and coaching both in California and throughout Mexico. Nine years ago, he brought his coaching talent, dedication, character, and enthusiasm to local Jewish schools, and many of SCY High’s current seniors have been coached by him for the past seven years. Through sports, he cultivates perseverance, personal responsibility, teamwork, and school spirit. “Coach Ray,” as he is affectionately known, builds up our boys on and off the court. He loves teaching youth “because sports teach lessons for life.” Coach Ray has most recently led SCY High boys to a division championship in flag football and has regularly coached our boys in basketball and cross country to winning seasons. To contact Coach Ray, email our office at info@scyhigh.org
Rabbi Reich was born and raised in Edison, NJ. He received his smicha (rabbinic ordination) from Yeshiva University’s RIETS as part of their honors program. He earned his B.A. in History from Yeshiva University, where he also completed a Certificate Program in Pastoral Mental Health Counseling from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. He and his wife, Brooke (and their four young children), have since 2018 served the Adat Yeshurun community in La Jolla, where he was recently installed as Senior Rabbi. Rabbi Reich’s high school experience — attending a small all-boys school that was successful in teaching not just the intellectual aspects of Judaism, but the emotional and spiritual aspects as well — serves as his guiding light in his teaching at SCY High. In and out of the classroom, he strives to develop his students’ neshama (soul) and ruchnius (spirituality). He benefited from very close relationships with his high school rebbeim, and he values forging these relationships with his SCY High students. In class, he tries to bring much “geshmack” (enjoyment) to the learning because “learning Torah is the most enjoyable thing in the world.” To contact Rabbi Reich, email rabbireich@adatyeshurun.org
Mr. Rushing is originally from Virginia. He studied at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and has had one-man shows at San Diego State University, San Marcos State University, and the San Diego Museum of Art. Currently his work hangs in the Michael J. Wolf Gallery in San Diego, the Heritage Art Gallery, and the Reginald Ingraham Gallery in Los Angeles. Mr. Rushing teaches adult art classes at his studio and uses his unique blend of artistic talent and teaching insight to cultivate the artistic ability of our boys. Under Mr. Rushing’s guidance, students have held a public showing of their artistic creations and have discovered previously untapped talents in various artistic disciplines. He loves teaching at SCY High because the longer day allows him to teach high school after his gallery hours. He appreciates the opportunity to see the students flourish and develop over the course of the year. To contact Mr. Rushing, email our office at info@scyhigh.org
SCY High School is an Orthodox Yeshiva High School for boys located in San Diego, CA. For more about us, click here.
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