Following a summer without a Hebrew teacher and an administrative scramble, Hadassa Slager said she was hired for the job during teacher workshop week, just a few days before the start of the school year.

Slager taught English as a foreign language in Israeli high schools and was most recently teaching early childhood education. She said she’s looking forward to teaching older students.

Slager also said she knew about the position in the early summer and didn’t plan on taking it until she heard the Hebrew classes were in jeopardy.

“I heard they couldn’t find a replacement teacher and they were maybe going to cancel the program. I felt I had to save it,” Slager said. “I couldn’t imagine high school without Hebrew.”

Principal Scott Meyers said other specialized positions, such as in math and science, were also hard to fill, but Hebrew posed a different challenge.

“When it’s a specified subject area that (teachers) teach, it can always be difficult to find somebody,” Meyers said. “Obviously then with Hebrew, because there’s no large program that has Hebrew teachers come through it, we try to work with the community.”

Slager said she is still working on her curriculum because of the short notice, and plans to focus on writing and grammar.

“I’ll focus a little more on writing, a little more on grammar to improve their speech, and a lot of speaking and use,” Slager said.

Sophomore Adi Dahan is in Slager’s first hour class. She said she’s adapting to the different teaching style and looks forward to the grammar unit.

“Last year, we learned how to speak, but (now) I’m hoping to learn more grammar,” Dahan said.

Meyers said Hebrew is crucial to Park because of its deep-rooted history and connection with the community.

“It’s a part of who St. Louis Park is,” Meyers said. “It’s also nice to partner with other entities; getting to know a little about our neighbors and getting to know a little bit more about our community.”