For many, school is a stepping stone. For some, it’s a place to return home. At Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy (HBHA), four alumni have found their way back — this time as teachers and mentors. Three new teachers join the faculty, and one longtime teacher is celebrating 12 years in the classroom, marking 24 years at HBHA as both a student and educator.
Ariel Brudoley: Rediscovering Torah at home
Ariel Brudoley, a 2017 HBHA graduate, credits his time at the school for igniting his passion for Torah study, a journey that began in Rabbi Berel Sosover’s class.
“Being in Rabbi Sosover’s class was transformative for me,” he said. “He introduced me to a world of Judaism I hadn’t seen before.”
Brudoley said that this experience, along with the values instilled at HBHA, shaped him into the person he is today.
“More than anything, HBHA made me a mensch,” he said. “The culture and values I grew up with here taught me to always respect everyone and be kind, even when that wasn’t common practice elsewhere.”
After graduating from HBHA, Brudoley studied at a yeshiva in Israel, continued at Yeshiva University in New York and eventually transferred to the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, New Jersey. He credits HBHA teachers like Rabbi Meshulam Twersky and Rabbi Avi Weinstein for pushing him to step outside his comfort zone and pursue these experiences.
“My teachers at HBHA always encouraged me to challenge myself in supportive ways, which prepared me for big decisions, like choosing to go to yeshiva, an environment I had never been part of before,” Brudoley said.
Following his studies, Brudoley worked as a Judaics teacher and administrator at Heilicher Jewish Day School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This experience deepened his appreciation for the hard work and passion it takes to succeed in education.
“I realized how rewarding and intense this job can be — it’s not easy, but it’s incredibly fulfilling,” he said.
Now, as HBHA’s Talmud teacher, Brudoley hopes to inspire his students just as he was inspired.
"It's disorienting to return as a teacher — my responsibilities have completely shifted, and my old teachers are now my colleagues — but it also feels like home,” he said. “HBHA is where I became who I was when I left for yeshiva, and now I’m bringing all I’ve learned since then back to help my students.”
In addition to teaching Talmud, Brudoley is also involved in Jewish curriculum-building. As a writer for the Jewish Learning Institute’s curriculum department, he is currently developing a course on prayer for high schoolers.
Matthew Kavanaugh: From science student to teacher
Matthew Kavanaugh, a 2014 HBHA graduate, took a different route, one rooted in science and academia. After earning his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, he entered a dual M.D.-Ph.D. program at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Now, in the final stretch of his Ph.D. in anatomy and cell biology, Matthew has returned to HBHA to teach upper school chemistry.
"HBHA taught me the work ethic that prepared me for medical school," he said.
Kavanaugh points out that many early college students suffer in silence, not taking advantage of available resources.
“HBHA gave me the confidence to advocate for myself, not just when I'm falling behind, but to seek out further opportunities,” he said.
As a former tutor for HBHA students, Kavanaugh discovered his passion for teaching. As he transitions from tutoring to teaching full classes, he is discovering the nuances of classroom dynamics and finding ways to connect through shared experiences with his students.
“I’m finding common ground and building rapport with the students to create a strong foundation for learning,” Kavanaugh said.
He hopes to spark students’ curiosity about the world around them.
“I want my students to look at everyday phenomena, like bread rising, and ask, ‘Why?’” Kavanaugh said. “Science is everywhere; you just need to learn to see it.”
Like Brudoley, Kavanaugh reflects on the strange feeling of being on the staff side of the HBHA experience.
“It’s exciting to be a part of the school as it evolves. It has changed, but it’s still HBHA,” Kavanaugh said. “It’s enlightening to see all the work my teachers put in behind the scenes to create my HBHA experience — I love and appreciate HBHA and what it did for me. So when I had the opportunity to give back, I thought, ‘Why not?’”
Sam Matsil: Returning as athletic director
For Sam Matsil, a 2016 HBHA graduate, athletics has always been a defining part of his life. Now, as the school’s new athletic director, he’s come full circle, returning to lead the same program that shaped so much of his high school experience.
“Some of my best memories from HBHA were on the court,” Matsil said. “I’ll never forget the senior night when we won one of our few basketball games that season. It was one of the best games of my life.”
Matsil credits HBHA’s inclusive athletics program with giving him opportunities he may not have had elsewhere.
“At another school, I might not have been able to play basketball, but at HBHA, the athletics program welcomes all students who want to participate, and that inclusivity gave me confidence,” Matsil said. “Those experiences on the court weren’t just about the games — they were about building friendships, learning teamwork and gaining leadership skills.”
After graduating from HBHA, Matsil pursued a degree in sports management and business administration at the University of Kansas, where he honed his skills in event management and sports administration. His career path has taken him through various roles in the sports industry, but the opportunity to return to HBHA to lead its athletic programs was one he couldn’t pass up.
“I always knew I wanted to stay connected to sports, but the chance to give back to HBHA felt special,” Matsil said. “This place played such a huge role in shaping who I am, and I want to pass that experience on to the next generation of students.”
Now, as athletic director, Matsil is looking forward to helping students experience the same personal growth that he did, both on and off the court. He hopes to build an athletics program that not only strengthens students’ physical abilities but also instills values like resilience, teamwork and leadership.
“For me, athletics is about much more than winning games. It’s about building character and community,” Matsil said. “I’m excited to be back at HBHA, and I can’t wait to see how the students grow both as athletes and as individuals.”
Micah Margolies: Celebrating 12 years of teaching
Micah Margolies has been teaching at HBHA for 12 years, the same amount of time he was a student at the school. After graduating from HBHA in 2008, Margolies earned a degree in secondary English education from the University of Kansas. Although his initial plan was to teach in a public school, a serendipitous opportunity brought him back to his alma mater.
“Howard Haas, the former head of school, reached out to me when I was finishing my student teaching,” Margolies said. “He even came to watch me teach at Overland Trail Middle School and offered me a job. It was really special that he kept tabs on what graduates were doing.”
As he celebrates 12 years of teaching, Margolies reflects on how quickly time has passed. “It’s wild to think I’ve been here as a teacher for as long as I was a student,” he said. “Now I’m teaching seniors who were in kindergarten when I started. Watching them grow up has been incredible.”
Although it happened years ago, Margolies recalls the same excitement Brudoley, Kavanaugh and Matsil felt when they were able to experience HBHA as a staff member instead of a student.
“When I started teaching here, my childhood teachers were my colleagues, and now there are teachers here who I taught when they were students. That full-circle moment is something special,” Margolies said.
When reflecting on his teaching philosophy, Margolies notes the importance of interactive learning, a hallmark of his own experience as a student at HBHA.
“Everything here is highly interactive, and that’s how I run my classroom,” he said.
If my class is going well, the students are leading discussions or activities, and I’m just facilitating. My most memorable experiences as a student were all about those interactive projects, and that’s what I try to replicate for my students.”
One of Margolies’ proudest moments as a teacher involved a unique project born out of an English lesson on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” While discussing the novel, a student made a connection to the Passover song “Dayenu.” This sparked an idea, and together, the class created “Frankenseder,” a parody Seder that wove the story of “Frankenstein” into Jewish traditions.
“It was an organic idea that tied into Jewish themes, and we ran with it,” Margolies said. “It’s a great example of what we can do here — make learning both fun and deeply meaningful.”
Looking ahead, Margolies is committed to continuing his work in the classroom and exploring ways to innovate within education.
“I want my students to leave here feeling like they had a meaningful, immersive experience,” he said. “My goal is for them to stay connected to the HBHA community and look back on their time here with fondness.
“HBHA shaped me into the person I am today,” he continued. “It’s meaningful to give back and help the next generation of students grow.”
Full circle: Evidence of HBHA’s legacy
The return of these alumni as educators highlights HBHA’s influence not only on academic achievement but also on character and community. Two other current staff members — one (Alexa Cohen) a graduate and another (Elisa Pener) who attended for many years — further emphasize connections some alumni and former students feel to the school.
These individuals have all come back not only because of the school’s academic rigor but also because of the opportunities and sense of belonging they experienced as students, they said. The shared traditions and community values continue to inspire them as teachers.
HBHA alumni are invited to share stories about their meaningful connections to the school by emailing Cristina Cowan at .
