This summer, many students found themselves experiencing a different summer than what they had envisioned. Unfortunately, many students’ original summer plans were derailed due to COVID-19 and they were forced to replan their summers. A majority of students remained in New York City, some students went on vacation with family or friends, others went to their summer homes, and a minority of students attended camps. 

A couple months ago, New York City was the hotspot for COVID-19, therefore, many Ramaz students fled to their summer homes during Zoom school. Although New York City was at one point a critical area for COVID-19, most students stayed in New York City over the summer. A poll sent out to thirty students shows that 43.5% of students remained in New York City for the summer. On the other hand, 21.7% of students left the city for their summer homes. Ethan Davidovitch ’22 described his time at a summer home as, “normal and carefree. When I went to the beach and to town, everything felt the same [as a regular summer would] except everyone was wearing masks.”

During a ‘normal’ summer, students use their free time to travel, either on traveling programs with other teens or with their families. This summer, there were not many travel programs available for teens; however, some students did spend their summers on vacation. 30.4% of students went on vacation with their families or friends. A majority of students who went on vacation went on road trips and a minority flew on planes to places within the country. 

During a regular summer, the majority of the student body attends different camps or programs. Many camps closed this summer but some camps were opened and some students were still able to attend camp. According to the poll, 4.3% of students attended camp. Norma Mattout ’22 worked at Camp Seneca Lake this summer and said, “Camp was definitely a different experience this summer. It felt so unnatural to remind my campers to social distance and to wear masks, but taking precautions to stay healthy did not stop us from having fun.” The way students handled their changed summer plans proved their resilience and dedication to finding new ways to safely enjoy their summer vacations.