Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, last year students were divided between zoom and in-person classes. Ian Bernstein ‘24, who has been a Ramaz student since kindergarten, was one of three students in this year’s rising tenth grade who were virtual last year.

The Bernstein family thought it was best to keep Ian and his sister Maya ‘27 at home to help prevent them from getting the virus. When Ian was asked what his least favorite part of virtual learning was, he replied, “the worst part of the being on Zoom the whole year, was how teachers just sometimes kind of forgot that there were kids on Zoom, and they just didn’t really teach us as much as they did the rest of the kids. It was slightly better when there were other kids on zoom as well, but not optimal.” Even though Ian did not like zoom very much, he thought the best part of being online was the extra sleep because there was no zoom for tefillah after first period. Ian thought that going back to sleep during davening was one of the best parts of a zoom day. 

Ian missed a lot this school year, including lunches with friends, and so much more. Although Ian was online for the year, he still managed to go on the ropes course trip and the trip to Camp Kaylie. “It was a little bit hard not to know people, but also it was kind of fun to say hi to new faces, and say hi to faces that I already knew.” This year, because Ian will be back in school, he will have the opportunity to get to know the “new” kids in his grade that he was not able to interact with last school year. 

Ian feels that it is safe for him to return to school this year because he was vaccinated earlier this summer. “I’m really excited to be back in school with my friends. At the same time, I am nervous because I haven’t been to school in almost two years,” says Ian. When asked how he was preparing for the upcoming school year, Ian replied that he is, “going to start organizing school supplies and going to try to put together a sleep schedule.” Ian explained that the worst part of going back to school is waking up early and maintaining a healthy sleep schedule.

One of the main things Ian is excited about is, “seeing people and knowing the teachers by their faces.” Ian thinks that the school’s vaccination policy, “is a very smart decision for the school.” Ian added that, “it is a smart decision that the school decided to keep masks as a requirement. I don’t like wearing a mask, but I would rather not contract Covid.” This policy allows Ian to return to school and hang out with people with a decreased worry of getting Covid or giving it to others. 

When he returns to school, Ian is most looking forward to being with his friends again, and making new friends and memories. While getting to know the school will take some time, Ian is looking forward to in-person classes where he can have direct contact with his teachers on a daily basis. Ian is confident that this school year will be better than his last.