On Monday, Jan. 9, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy (HBHA) experienced what will go down in history as its most chaotic and disastrous day. The cause of this distress? The chilling absence of Director of Student Services Netta Krashin and Learning Specialist Laura “Sev” Severin.
As they walked into school that morning, students and teachers alike immediately sensed that something wasn’t right. When students made their way to first period Study Hall, they were faced with a sight worse than any they had previously encountered: a sign that read “Student Services is closed. See Mrs. [Jean] Bratt for an alternative Study Hall location.” Once Bratt and the students had recovered from their initial shock and tears, they were able to discover that Sev and Krashin had left behind nothing but an email of vague warning.
By the time this discovery had been made, the school was already reeling from their absence; the building’s walls had already caved in nearly seven inches, and multiple faculty members were found wandering confusedly up and down Nall Ave., unsure how to make their way back to life as they previously knew it.
English, math, and theater teacher Micha Margolies reflected on the “nightmare,” “with Sev and Mrs. Krashin out, it [was] utter chaos. I wouldn’t say it was like fire and brimstone, exactly, but it was the closest equivalent without us just getting all burned alive. I had students coming in just screaming and shrieking, not having any idea of what was going on. I thought that I was capable of just educating students on my own, but without the assistance of Sev and Mrs. Krashin, it was basically like trying to herd cats for six consecutive hours.”
Middle and Upper School Administrative Assistant Jean Bratt agreed with this sentiment, sharing “the [students] walked with their heads down. They walked close to the walls because they didn’t know what to do. We had to do some breathing exercises [to help them] stop crying. Then we sat for a while, to kind of decompress for a while and stabilize. Then I had a place for them to go and it work[ed] out okay. You know, it’s a process. It’s difficult. So hard.”
When the dreadful day finally concluded at 3:40 p.m., the school was in utter disarray. All were relieved to escape the horrors but were apprehensive to discover what would be left of the school the following morning. Would there be any school left? Maybe it burst into flames or disintegrated completely?
The HBHA community was pleased, then, to discover that Sev and Krashin had returned the next morning, restoring the school to its previous glory, the walls back in their upright positions and all tears wiped away.
Margolies recalled “[upon their return,] we had a parade that was on par with [former President] Obama’s 2009 inauguration, we just kind of celebrated for hours. I know we had just had Winterims week, but I’m kind of disappointed that Mr. [Todd] Clauer made us have classes on Tuesday [Jan. 10]. We all just needed [to] celebrate this momentous occasion and to spend that time in thanks, appreciating the majesty that is Sev and Mrs. Krashin returning to us.”
“At the celebration, we were all celebrating Sev and Mrs. Krashin coming back” said sixth grader Zach Hardy. Sixth grader Evelyn Brand added “It was amazing. There were flags that had [Sev’s and Mrs. Krashin’s] names on them. Everything was happy, and we all celebrated. We are very thankful that they are here, for almost every day of the year, because it’s really bad when [they’re not at] school. It’s crazy mayhem.”
Although Principal Clauer insisted that the regular class schedule continue, senior Alexis Davis said “I saw Mr. Clauer at the parade, singing and crying along with the rest of us. There is truly nobody who does not appreciate how great Student Services is.”
Once the parade had been marched and many happy tears were shed, HBHA returned to its regular schedule, possessing an even greater appreciation for Student Services and its two heroines.
“Without them,” Margolies said, “the school falls] apart. I know the school’s technically called “Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy,” but I think it should really be called “SKHA” or “Sev and Krashin Hebrew Academy. They’re just the best.”
