16 | DECEMBER 31 • 2020

W

hen 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 stu-
dents 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 educa-
tional 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 dis-
ruption 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 communi-
ties wouldn’t be affected because students
from other grades don’t really come in con-
tact 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 cer-
tainly much harder. “So right now, my No. 1
goal is to lead our community through this
pandemic, and we are successfully navigat-
ing this as best as possible,
” Katz said.
Post-COVID, Katz wants to help every-
one feel comfortable returning to what
“normal school” feels like, including taking
down all the plexiglass, moving the class-
rooms back to where they were, and return-
ing 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 quar-
antine 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 prepar-
ing 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 tremen-
dous amount of support and gratitude from
our community, and that has really helped
me to lead during a difficult time.
”

IN
THED
JEWS

HILLEL

Dr. Darin

S. Katz

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

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

Hillel Head of
School Reflects on
‘Rollercoaster’
First Year