Hillel Head of School Reflects on “Rollercoaster” First Year

JEWSIN THED

Dr. Darin S. Katz

HILLEL

Katz began planning the school’s fall reopening in April.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

When Dr. Darin S. Katz was announced as the incoming Head of School for Hillel Day School last December, nothing could have prepared him or the school for what was to come. But soon after the pandemic shut down in-person learning at schools across the country last spring, Katz, who hadn’t officially started in his new role yet, began leading the effort in planning a return to in-person school.

His plans have been successful: Hillel has continued to offer in-person learning for its nearly 400 students this school year with options for at-home instruction; 90% of students are learning in person and 10% have chosen to learn remotely.

“We began working on our reopening plan back in April,” Katz said. “Even though I was not officially the head of school, I knew I wanted to lead the effort because I was going to be leading the school through the pandemic.”

Hillel had several task forces, including one devoted to the reopening of campus and another one planning for the educational program. The groups met weekly and planned for every aspect of the reopening.

Hillel’s health and safety protocols for this school year were centered on how the school could get students and teachers safely back in the building while minimizing disruption to the school year and planning for when there would be a positive case within the school community. Early in the school year, two separate instances of positive COVID cases tested the school’s emergency lockdown procedures.

All individuals at the school ages 3 and up wear masks all day. Hillel also divided into different “communities,” or groups split up by grade. The communities enter and exit the school from different doors and stay separate in the school building to minimize any possible contact.

“If there is — God forbid — a positive case in second grade, the other communities wouldn’t be affected because students from other grades don’t really come in contact with the second grade,” Katz said.

Plexiglass was installed in the main office and around other common areas, and hand sanitizer stations are at every entrance. Hillel also transformed some larger rooms in the school into classrooms, so students could spread out more.

According to Katz, it was “extremely important” that students not only felt safe and comfortable being in school but also understood how important it is that they follow all health and safety protocols.

“Our students have been amazingly compliant with everything we asked them to do,” Katz said, “because they’re happy to be here. They don’t want to be home. They want to be in school with their friends and with their teachers, and they understand that for that to remain, they have to do their part.”

Katz’s mission coming into the role as head of school has transformed because of COVID, and it is expected to transform again once COVID is over.

“Prior to COVID, I said that my No. 1 goal this year was to ‘meet, ask, listen and learn,’” Katz said. “Meet as many people as possible, ask questions, listen to answers, and learn about the history and culture of Hillel Day School.”

During the pandemic, Katz said meeting people is still an important goal, but certainly much harder. “So right now, my No. 1 goal is to lead our community through this pandemic, and we are successfully navigating this as best as possible,” Katz said.

Post-COVID, Katz wants to help everyone feel comfortable returning to what “normal school” feels like, including taking down all the plexiglass, moving the classrooms back to where they were, and returning conversation to how students can be best educated in 2021.

The week following Hillel’s winter break, Jan. 4-8, Hillel will have a full week of remote instruction schoolwide to allow for students to quarantine in case their families are traveling over winter break.

“I’m asking them to be back in the Metro Detroit area by Dec. 31, and then to quarantine from that point forward and closely monitor the health of everyone in their house,” Katz said. School will reopen for in-person learning Jan. 11.

Regardless of an anything-but-ordinary first year in his new role, Katz said he feels blessed to be the head of school at Hillel during this time.

“This has been a rollercoaster of preparing for this school year, getting to know parents and students, and learning about the community while trying to lead a school through probably the biggest challenge it’s ever faced,” Katz said. “I have felt a tremendous amount of support and gratitude from our community, and that has really helped me to lead during a difficult time.”