LYNN – The Marblehead Jewish Community Center will honor Lynn’s Ford K-8 School and Marblehead’s Cohen Hillel Academy in early April with the Leonard P. Zakim Humanitarian Award for their work over the last 18 years to bring students from the two North Shore communities together in both culture and education.The award will be presented to the two schools at the JCC’s annual Interfaith Seder on April 1.The Zakim Humanitarian Award, named for the former Executive Director of the Anti Defamation League Leonard Zakim, is presented each year to those who further interfaith understanding in recognition for their courage and respect of human dignity.Through the two schools’ Building Bridges program, students of all backgrounds and religions have been working together for the better part of two decades to help one another succeed and understand the cultural differences that exist between students living in Lynn and Marblehead.Started as a reading program where Cohen Academy students read to younger Ford students each Friday, the program has since expanded exponentially to include a number of events, programs and celebrations throughout the school year.In the past, the two schools have worked together on musical productions; dance lessons, clothing drives and book fundraisers, along with academic programs.Students travel between the two schools on a regular basis and even celebrate holidays, such as Hanukah and Kwanzaa, together so they can learn about one another’s beliefs.”They have been a big part of what we do at our school, and I think we have been a big part of what they do at their school too,” said Ford Principal Claire Crane. “It is refreshing to see. We have built a bridge to Marblehead.”One of the most successful programs the two schools have engaged in is the CHAMP tutoring program, where Cohen Academy seventh and eighth graders tutor Ford third and fourth graders who may be at risk of failing the math portion of the MCAS exam. The Cohen Academy students are trained to help the younger students with the problems they are having in the subject, which has resulted in improved test scores at the Ford in recent years.Cohen Academy teacher Karen Madorsky says that her students take a real interest in helping the Ford kids succeed on their tests and, with the help of Swampscott resident and former Burlington teacher Becky Shephard, create files on each Ford student so that they know they are targeting that individual’s specific needs.While the tutoring program works to help kids at the Ford, the program goes both ways as each school provides services to the other throughout the school year.”It is a program that goes both ways,” said Madorsky. “We get plenty of help for them, too. We benefit in many ways.”The JCC’s annual Seder will feature a choral performance from both schools, and participation from both Lynn Public Schools representatives and Cohen Academy officials. Ford students will attend the program with their families to learn and experience Jewish tradition first hand.The event will have the theme of freedom this year, and the story of exodus will be told during the service, led by Rabbi Steven Rubenstein of Temple B’Nai Abraham in Beverly and Cantor David Aronson of Temple Sinai in Marblehead.For the two schools, the award is a sign that the humble reading program started 18 years ago has grown into a successful entity that helps strengthen the bond between two North Shore communities.”I think it is a wonderful thing to be recognized through this community partnership,” said Marorsky. “Although it has taken different forms over the years, it is nothing new. It has grown and grown in wonderful ways, and we all can benefit from it.”The event will take place Tuesday, April 1 from 6-9 p.m. at the Marblehead JCC. Cost for the catered dinner and Passover service is $18 for adults and $10 for students. Reservations are required and space is limited. Visit www.jcc.com or call 781-631-8330 ex. 114 for more information.