With the school year in full swing, and students getting acclimated to their new classes, many people around Ramaz have been wondering: What happened to health class? Health with Ms. Dreisinger is listed on numerous students’ schedules. However, there is no teacher in sight.
Associate Principal Ms. Miriam Krupka provided insight into the situation. “We were informed by Ms. Dreisinger late in the summer that she wouldn’t be returning this year,” she stated. While students have been enjoying a free period during their health class time slot, this situation is not permanent. Ramaz is currently in the process of interviewing possible replacements. Ms. Krupka explained: “The interview process is more extensive than people realize…we want someone who can discuss issues of peer pressure, sex education, drugs, and alcohol in ways that there is someone who people really trust.” The administration isn’t, as Ms. Krupka maintained, “just calling someone up and getting them to teach,” rather thoroughly interviewing each candidate to find the best fit for such a crucial job teaching about sensitive subjects. At the moment, any scheduled health class is a free period. Yet, the administration still included it on the schedule in order to make students aware that later on in the year, there will be Health Education during that time slot. Ms. Krupka said that the health block is acting as a “placeholder,” and right now, she “hopes everybody’s enjoying some of their free time.”
There are mixed opinions on health class among Ramaz students. Some believe that it is both necessary and enlightening. Ari Goralnick 24’ shared, “I think health education is important because it taught me crucial ideas about sleeping and about how to actively go about my day as a teenager.” However, not all students are in agreement. “I feel like in the past, what I have learned in health class has not been the most practical or substantial information,” says Jack Friedman 26’. “However, I do recognize that the class has the potential in the future to teach us really important things about our lives, especially as teenagers.”
Beyond searching for a new teacher, the administration is looking into temporary alternatives for health class. For freshmen, the health curriculum plays a significant role in learning to manage time and stress, as it is a fundamental part of students’ acclimation to high school. Without Health Education, the current freshmen are being unintentionally deprived of this important learning experience. For this reason, Ms. Krupka told Rampage: “We are looking into for freshmen, potentially bringing in an outsourced company that will do some executive functioning skills like stress management and test preparation.” In the future, before the health teacher is hired, there is potential for a different kind of program for freshmen. In the meantime, the student body will continue to enjoy their free periods during health class for as long as they last. Despite the hopefully brief hiatus, the student body looks forward to continuing health class in the future.