Ties Make School Special

THERE’S NO MISTAKING Ryan, Jake and Nate Koral’s arrival at the Himel Branch on Fridays for Grades 3, 1, and JK, respectively. Each of them wears a tie, choosing from the selection of 50-odd ties they’ve accumulated between them.

“We celebrate Shabbat every Friday and the kids wanted to do something special for it at school,” says mom Rachel. “That’s why we fell in love with Bialik and the community. We’re traditional and the school was the perfect fit for us.”

A teacher before focusing fulltime on her family, Rachel worked at Associated Hebrew School teaching nursery school, JK and SK. Both she and her husband Michael, an entrepreneur who runs a cryptocurrency exchange, attended Jewish day school themselves, so they really wanted their kids to have that experience too.

“When the holidays come around, the kids know the songs and traditions,” says Michael, pointing out that it’s not just the academic education Bialik provides, but also the Jewish cultural learnings that are important.

With Nate starting JK this year after being home without the experience of daycare or nursery school, and the isolation of the pandemic, the couple was anxious about the transition. Turns out, his regular exposure to Bialik by accompanying Rachel on school drop-offs and pick-ups for his brothers made it easy. “He just walked in and had the best day ever,” she says.

The Koral family is now fully comfortable at Bialik. The boys are thrilled when they see their two older cousins, who attend at the Himel East facility. And Rachel’s sister, Bethany Baram, works in Admissions at the branch.

Rachel is active in the Himel PTA, where she is focused on paying it forward to other families new to the community. “I want them to feel welcome and make it the best experience.”