Principal Planned a Gathering. She Got an Appreciation

By Sruly Meyer – COLlive

This past week, a very special celebration took place to honor Mrs. Chaya Laine of Bais Rivkah High School, commemorating her remarkable journey spanning over 50 years in the field of education.

Mrs. Laine’s story is nothing short of extraordinary. Her father, Rabbi Gutman Baras, resided in Rokiškis, Lithuania, a town where the revered Rabbi Shmuel Levitin, sent by the Rebbe Rashab, played a significant role in the many locals becoming close to Lubavitch.

During the war, Mrs. Laine’s parents fled to Russia and eventually found themselves in a displaced persons camp, where she was born. Through a series of incredible miracles, her family was rescued and arrived in Brooklyn in the 1950s.

Upon their arrival in New York, the family settled in Crown Heights, where Mrs. Laine’s father worked in Hashgacha on Long Island. Seeking guidance, he turned to the Rebbe, who advised them to become involved in Rabbanus, leading them to establish a community in West Hempstead.

While attending Bais Rivkah, Mrs. Laine faced the challenge of commuting back and forth, prompting her to switch to Beth Jacob Teachers Seminary on S. 8th Street in Williamsburg, where she completed her formal education.

After working briefly for her father, teaching in West Hempstead, Mrs. Laine sought the Rebbe’s guidance on pursuing a degree in education. The Rebbe advised her to enroll in a local college, and she subsequently obtained her degrees in education from Queens College.

In 1971, Mrs. Laine married Rabbi Eliezer Laine, and soon after, she was asked by the principal of Beis Yaakov to teach at their high school in Williamsburg. She remained there from 1971 to 1979. In 1979, Morah Chana Gorovitz, then the dean of Bais Rivkah, invited Mrs. Laine to join their teaching staff.

She taught at Beis Rivkah until 1987 when she assumed the role of English principal at the high school—a position she held for an impressive 33 years until her retirement in 2020. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that it was time to retire.

To mark this significant milestone, a grand retirement party was organized, where Mrs. Laine was presented with an exquisite silver fountain for Kiddush, creating a deeply meaningful evening.

However, Bais Rivkah requested Mrs. Laine’s continued involvement as a teacher and consultant during the transitional period, which lasted for an additional three years and recently concluded.

As her tenure came to an end, Mrs. Laine desired to host one final event to commemorate this special year of Hakhel. Unbeknownst to her, her husband and the staff had planned not just a Hakhel gathering but also a celebration of her five decades in Chinuch.

The news quickly spread among the teachers, and each of them eagerly wanted to share how Mrs. Laine had positively impacted their lives and guided them. The celebration proved to be a beautiful occasion, allowing everyone to interact and bid a proper farewell, acknowledging her incredible influence on the staff, students, and Beis Rivkah as a whole.

During the event, one of the teachers asked Mrs. Laine, “How did it feel to be a principal?” To which she humbly responded, “I don’t know how a person is supposed to feel, but I do know that it was hard work, and I was solely focused on the task at hand.” For Mrs. Laine, it was never about status; it was always about the work itself.

“When my wife first joined Beis Rivkah, the passing rate for the Regents test was approximately 45%, resulting in only a small number of students receiving a state diploma,” Rabbi Laine shared with COLlive. “Within just a few years of Mrs. Laine’s tenure at Beis Rivkah, the passing rate rose to close to 90%, with the majority of students able to obtain a state diploma.”

Rabbi Laine recounted an incident where concerns were raised about placing too much emphasis on English studies, prompting them to question whether they should reduce its significance. They sought the Rebbe’s guidance on the matter, and his response was unequivocal: “They should strive for the highest level of achievement that would result in a diploma from the state.” The Rebbe did not merely suggest working towards this goal; he stressed the importance of striving for excellence.

Mrs. Chaya Laine’s incredible journey in education and her tireless dedication to Bais Rivkah High School have left an indelible impact on the school, its staff, and countless students. As the community bids farewell to this esteemed educator, they do so with profound gratitude for her unwavering commitment to nurturing young minds and empowering future generations in the pursuit of knowledge.