Brandeis Magazine

Roni Leff Kurtz writes, “We are beginning to feel like empty nesters as our oldest son, Ezra, is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania and our second son, Isaac, is spending a gap year in Israel before enrolling at Brandeis. Our younger sons, Aaron, a sophomore in high school, and Yoni, in seventh grade, are still at home.” Roni serves as principal of early childhood education at Brauser Maimonides Academy, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Debbie Mintz, director of the Students FIRST Project in Chittenden County, Vt., and a longtime employee of Howard Center’s Child, Youth and Family Services, received the Juanita Evans Memorial Award for Contributions in School Mental Health. The award, presented by the Center for School Mental Health at its annual conference in Arlington, Va., recognizes an individual who has significantly impacted the advancement of school mental-health policy, research and/or practice.