Testimonials

…My name is I Darrell Head had the opportunity to work with Michelle R. Yisrael, her friends call her Amirah, when she was the principal of Asa Philip Randolph Alternative High School. She coined the school’s motto…. AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL WITH A MAGNET SCHOOL MENTALITY.

The school was an overwhelming success because of Amirah’s love of GOD and her compassion for those students who are truly left behind due to a myriad of unfortunate circumstances and situations. Amirah made sure that the entire staff shared her vision and understood the needs of students enrolled in school.

Personally Amirah was the best administrator I’ve worked with. She lets you work in a laid back, easygoing yet highly efficient and effective environment. In a school environment where any child could potentially be the cause of a volatile situation, we were not stressed. The atmosphere in which she developed set was the perfect learning and working environment. Since most of the staff were parents Amirah always made family a priority.

Amirah’s administrative leadership was successful because she involved parents, teachers, and students. Plus, she was as involved as the rest of us, unlike most administrators. All of these entities are critical toward a student’s success. I would love to work with her again.
Darrell Head
Former Teacher
Asa Philip Randolph Alternative High School

…I am so honored to write a testimonial about Ms. Yisrael. She had a plethora of strategies to overcome an educational system, which was not supportive to its teachers. She is an advocate for teachers and understands the significance of our jobs. Teaching is one of the most stressful careers one may have. As an administrator, Amirah was able to get the most out her staff because she allowed them to give input and implement various techniques to achieve a positive learning environment. The students were also an integral part of achieve the positive learning environment in which she created. Feeling valued, appreciated, and the fact that she actually valued our opinions, our needs, as well as our desires created a comfortable and familial learning environment for students as well as teachers. She understands that since we are thinkers passion about our work, that teachers having an input was very important. Working with Amirah, one never felt as a subordinate, we were all on the same team. In effect, we wanted worked hard in order to ensure our students were successful. Alternative education gives teachers an opportunity to use various devices to help students become successful, and we were allowed to do just that. Thereby, the environment at Asa Philip Randolph Alternative Linc/Prologue High School was fantastic. I can contest that parents, students, as well as teachers felt that way.

Rochelle Sims
Former Teacher
Asa Philip Randolph Alternative High School

…Michelle R. Yisrael, whom I fondly call Amirah has help so touched so many. Always careful to surround them with good teachers, she has earned the love and respect of most of us. Our children need small nurturing environments which she so delicately created. I take this time to thank her for helping to raise children of value.

Dear Emah Amirah,

Just in case you didn’t know, you have deeply impacted my
life in many positive ways. Among other things, you set the
foundation that taught me the basics for creating and
running my own afterschool program and for building
workshops. Emah Amirah, you taught me so much that I was
able to make that up in other areas. You showed me good
examples of multi-task parenting and you are a role model
portraying many of the attributes that I hope to obtain and
strenghten, while I journey through life as a mother and as
a woman. Thanks for everything you do.

PS. everyone deserves a break, but I’m glad you’re back.

Love you very much.

Sincerely,
Yakira James
Former Parent/Employee
Youthwatch Educational Services
Summer Programs

Former Parent
The Israel Academy
Courtenett Jolliff

…I want to say thank you, there is no way I would have been able to do the things I am doing right now. Having a good mentor, whether parent, teacher, or otherwise cannot be matched. I am 23 years old, devoted father, college graduate, and businessman. As so many others I am able benefit from the sacrifices in which Michelle R. Yisrael, or Sister Amirah as we call her are. It was been a blessing to have had the experience of such a great mentor, teacher, substitute parent. I have been able to use the things I learned an the values instilled in me she, Sister April, Sister Jamillah, Brother Kadu, Sister Hadassah, and others. I am happy to be able to now do the same for others. I am an accomplished businessman because I was given my first experience at The Israel Academy. I was allowed to operate a store out of my locker. Many seeds were sown in us when were young. Right now I am reaping the benefits of those seeds. One of my current mentors, said that the same wind blows us on us all, the way in which we deal with the wind and those issues is what makes us different. I was taught well how to deal with the wind as it often blows challenges and difficulties my way by the hard word and sacrifice of The Israel Academy staff. I can only imagine the level of sacrifice that was made to educate my peers and I. I do know though, that we were family. I am here to tell anyone who wants to listen that Sister Amirah has impacted the lives of so many of us in such a good way. At the time, none of us knew that her influence would actually influence us for the rest of our lives. I was taught personal development when I did not know it. I am appreciative of their efforts. I am now self motivated, and have learned to work, as they did, in an incredible way; not for the money but for the principle. I was taught to work for the good of the people. They taught us that knowledge is not power, instead knowledge with action is power.

Rajneesh Ali
Former Student
The Israel Academy

Do you have a testimony?

If you are a former student, parent, teacher, or other staff member of The Israel Academy, or Asa Philip Randolph Alternative Linc/Prologue High School, please leave your testimonial at the bottom of this page.