As the first quarter of hybrid schooling at Ramaz comes to a close, it is essential to look back on what areas the administration could improve upon to ensure the well-being of the students and faculty. Over the summer, the administration decided on a system where Sophomores and Seniors would be in school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the Freshmen and Juniors would be in school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They decided to have Freshmen in school three times a week to be with their teachers and their peers more in person. The days the other grades spent in school were chosen based on the size of the class. Now that the school has used the plan for a prolonged period, I think the administration should switch the Juniors and Seniors to more in-person-days. 

Last year, Coronavirus deprived Seniors of grade bonding time during their last year of high school. This year’s system allows Seniors, and the other students, to see each other much more than last year but still not as much as in previous years. Switching the days in which Seniors and Juniors are in school will allow Seniors to maximize their time in school together. Just as the Freshmen need to be in school more often to meet each other, the Seniors should be in school more often to bond as a grade for their last year. Caitlin Levine ’21, a member of this year’s Senior class, said, “I would like to be in the building three days a week. Next year I will miss my friends and teachers and would like to spend as much time as I can in the building learning and conversing.” Seniors feel that time to spend with each other is running out and would be happy to spend an extra day in person.

The Junior grade presents many challenges, and students feel that they are overloaded with work and tests and do not have enough time to do it all. When students go to school in-person, they, especially people who live far from the upper east side, spend a lot of time commuting. If Juniors were only in the building for two days, they would have more time to finish all of their work and sleep more. Jack Cohen ’22 said: “By not going to school, you get more sleep time in the morning and more time to be productive after school.” Reducing the number of times juniors come to school will help relieve much of the stress many students have.

Besides benefiting the Seniors and Juniors, the switch would also help the Freshmen who are still relatively new to the school. I remember the conversations I had as a Freshman with the Seniors who tried to show us the ropes. Even though there isn’t as much cross-grade interaction because the building is split by grade, students from different grades still interact with each other while on the bus, walking to school, or during lunch. Relationships between Freshman and Seniors are essential to help the new students acclimate to the school.

A small and easy change that would benefit the seniors, who are trying to make the most of their last year, the juniors, who are struggling to find time for all their work, and the Freshman who need to learn how to be a successful Ramaz student is to switch the in-school days of the juniors and seniors.