Ms. Jody (Jody Marriott Bar-Lev)
Administration
Administration
jody@theacademy.bz

Jody Marriott Bar-Lev, Head of School, co-founded The Academy in 2002 in order to provide children of the Fox Cities and surrounding communities with the highest standards of academics within a nurturing environment of educational differentiation, ensuring that every student's individual learning needs are met.  To further this mission, The Academy later became associated with a most respected and rigorous international academic college-preparatory  curriculum.

Born in San Diego, California, Jody was educated in England, achieving honor grades in the O-level examinations which entitled her to enter university in the United States at the age of 16.  After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Social Resources, and a minor in veterinary sciences, Jody pursued post graduate courses in education and communications and worked in the media, including the BBC and local CNN, both in the U.S. and Europe.   As President of Cool Green World, a not-for-profit environmental and animal welfare educational organization, Jody worked with prominent individuals, such as Jane Goodall, in the production of educational documentaries.

The international aspects of her background, education and work provided her with the global experience and perspective necessary to successfully create an institution providing international standards of curriculum and models of educational excellence.   Under Jody's leadership, the standards of The Academy were recognized by the accreditation awarded to the school in 2005 by the University of Cambridge, International Examinations Department, England - a department of the world-respected University of Cambridge.  The Academy was the first school in the entire United States to receive this accreditation for the full primary through high school curriculum.  The Academy has also been recognized as an official Core Knowledge school for the Preschool through 8th grade curriculum - one of the first schools in the nation to receive this status for the 3- and 4-year old preschool programs.

Jody continues to lead The Academy in its focus on excellence in education, continually working to further  programs of international curriculum and professional development for faculty that ensure the ongoing highest standards of education and instruction for every student.  In order to enhance her own educational skills, Jody was recently accepted into the prestigious Institute of Education, University of London, UK for the Masters program in Education Research.  She is a member of the European Council of International Schools and was invited to participate in their International Leadership and Management Program.  Jody has also been invited to work with Elders of the Lakota tribes of Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River reservations in South Dakota to develop a sister school to The Academy which will combine the Lakota Culture and the academic model of The Academy.

Jody lives in the Fox Cities with her husband, Dr. Avi Bar-Lev, and their 11 year-old daughter, Shaeli.