Thursday, December 7, 2023
The Student Newspaper of Greenhills School
School tests new exam schedule EVA BERNSTEIN ‘25 Managing Editor, Print Students and faculty will adjust to a new exam schedule to wrap up the first semester, with all eight classes meeting for 90 minutes each over a four day period. There have been conversations regarding this transition for years, and the exam schedule was at the forefront of Head of Upper School Deano Smith’s mind when he served as Dean of Academics from 2019 to the middle of the 2022-2023 school year. “I seriously was looking at the exam schedule and trying to find ways to recover some instructional time while still honoring people having exams, because there is data that shows that a cumulative final exam is a useful exercise to go through, particularly when we are preparing students for college and looking at courses that are pretty intense,” Smith said. Talks of the transition were further bolstered by the pandemic.
chance to fully wrap up the semester. “As a semester teacher, I often feel like not having that week to formally conclude the semester with my students can feel like getting washed out from underneath us, so it’s a really nice opportunity to have some real closure for semester classes,” wellness teacher Sara LeBlanc said. “In Foundations of Fitness, we will be doing some peer project sharing for our final project. Students will be creating workouts and then they’ll share feedback with each other. Culminating activity-wise will be fun Winter Olympic themed activities.” The new schedule was also created with logistical convenience in mind, especially for families with both middle and upper school students, as pick up and drop off will be the same times. Additionally, upper school students do not need to be present during their free periods. Although families may enjoy the newly consistent schedule, students may feel less flexi-
“Since the pandemic, we have noticed fewer teachers giving final exams and it felt like we maybe weren’t using that week for the best,” Dean of Academics Susan Beamish said. “There has been a lot of reflection about what we’ve been doing and following the trends and patterns that we see in the building to really keep the students’ well-being at the front of our minds,” Teachers are now able to use a 90-minute class period as time for a final exam or for other cumulative activities, like projects or presentations. “In English class, oftentimes you’ll have a final paper, and this [new schedule] gives time to reflect on that paper and get peer feedback during exam week,” Beamish said. “The goal is for that week to really feel like a wrapping up of the whole semester in all of your classes. I’m excited to see what some of the wellness classes are doing. The goal is to have some sort of culminating activity for all the work that’s been done throughout the semester.” Many times, semester long classes do not have a final exam, so teachers do not get the
bility in their schedule due to required attendance for classes that would not traditionally have final exams. “In some ways, the freedom will feel like a bit of a loss to upper schoolers in particular,” Beamish said. “You will probably be in the building more than you were in previous exam weeks. Having two classes back to back might be an adjustment, especially if you have an exam in both of those classes.” This loss of freedom is in fact being felt by students. “Let’s say it was the last period of the week, and I have orchestra, which I would not usually have a final in, but I can’t be on break yet because I’m stuck at school not taking an exam,” Violet Weizer ‘25 said. “Being at school when I don’t have an exam is also taking away from my time to study.” Teachers will also have to adjust to the new schedule, as they may choose to create different exams for each section of the classes that they teach. “If there are three different calculus
classes, each class will take their test in their classroom during their class time, so you might have some people taking it on Monday and others taking it on Thursday,” Beamish said. “For students that will mean figuring out how to prioritize their time when studying and realizing that how they study could look different from their classmates based on their schedules.” Some students have expressed concerns about there being multiple versions of tests for the same class. “First of all, it’s a lot more work for the teachers since they have to make more exams,” Weizer said. “I don’t think that’s fair to them. Also, what if the exams are varying levels of difficulty? That’s not fair to us as students who are all taking the same class.” The Academic Office hopes to balance these adjustments by creating lower-stress test taking environments. Students will be taking their exams in their usual classroom with their class-
Graphic courtesy of Greenhills School
mates in their period. “I’m hopeful that it takes a little bit of stress off of students,” Beamish said. “Sitting in a gym with 100 kids taking a test can be really stressful, so being able to take that test in your own classroom with the classmates you are used to being around and having your teacher more accessible will hopefully lower stress levels during that week.” Testing accommodations will be available, however, students with accommodations feel an increase in stress due to the new schedule. “It’s pretty inconvenient because according to my accommodations, I don’t have to take two tests in one day, but with this new schedule, I’m going to have to do that.” Skyla Shea ‘25 said. “It’s also going to be hard for me to access my accommodations because I’m going to be going from one test to the next test quickly and if I’m not able to finish my test during the class time, I’m going to have to come back later, which is just ten times harder.”
Coaston through questions
New York Times columnist discusses polarizing political climate IZZY BARU School Editor Jane Coaston, New York Times opinion columnist and host of the podcast, The Argument, visited Greenhills for a panel engaging in conversation with seniors from the Campaigns & Elections course. This was Coaston’s second visit to Greenhills and she covered topics ranging from civil discourse to advice for families discussing controversial political topics. I spoke with Coaston, prior to the student-led conversation, on her views of the current political and media landscape. Izzy Baru: Do you think controversial topics should be discussed in the classroom? Jane Coaston: “I think so. Often it’s a performance issue. It can be really creative when teachers don’t specifically talk about a topic but rather talk about something that resembles the political issue, for example, pulling a quote from an older piece of liter-
ature for students to discuss. I really want people to feel open and want to talk about important issues. But, I remember growing up and going to high school in Ohio, and an anti-gay marriage bill was passed. All my classmates were so happy about it but I felt like I was dying inside. I wasn’t out yet, but I knew that I was queer, and that I was at this catholic school in Ohio. I knew that this bill wasn’t good. But back then, saying something felt like social suicide in some ways. Do you really want to tell people your most intimate secret in high school? No. Because you can’t separate that classroom from the rest of the school, so, how are you going to have this open conversation without other kids talking about it outside of class?” IB: What are your thoughts on social media feeding misinformation and people struggling to create their own individual political opinions?
CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS Campaigns and Elections seniors interview the New York Times’ Jane Coaston about the current polarized American political climate, how to have conversations with those one doesn’t agree with, journalism, reliable sources, and social media. “It was such an honor to be up there with her,” said panelist Lucas Nor ‘24. “It’s not every day you get to talk to someone who works at the New York Times.”
JC: “I have a bunch of friends from college, and one of them posted something that I really disagreed with. I realized this is someone I’ve known for a long time and wondered if I should correct them. The answer is never. It gets really complicated, especially with social media. We flatten who we are into an easy, digestible medium for other people. You become a combination of this and that, and it’s like you are performing for an audience. But you don’t have to be the same person. You could be a totally different person 5 years from now. It’s not just misinformation, it’s how people
Graphic by Megan Peng
are conflating who they are on social media.”this open conversation without other kids talking about it outside of class?” IB: What do you hope viewers will take away from your conversation today? JC: “For students, you’re allowed to have complex opinions that you don’t need to share. You’re allowed to say that you don’t want to talk about a certain topic. You should be able to feel comfortable having complex opinions. You can change your mind all the time. Don’t be afraid to be wrong and say you were wrong. It’s a mark of confidence.”
Volume 24, Issue 2
“Diversity is more than a week”
ODEI to provide programming throughout school year
ARYA PRAHBAKER ‘26 School Staff “Diversity has always been an important part of Greenhills traditions,” said Kelly Williams, Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “Although it has taken many forms over the years we hope that this year students will find it a more immersive and exciting experience.” Greenhills has taken many steps over the years towards creating a more inclusive and diverse school environment. Diversity Week has provided a dedicated time to celebrate and learn about various cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. However, over the years, it became apparent that a one hour class is not enough to raise awareness, impact, and understanding for the community. This year, the Diversity Office has decided that bringing up this awareness should not be confined to a single week but should be integrated into events throughout the year. Williams along with the Diversity Office faculty have worked to improve students’ experience during Diversity Week. Through feedback from students and faculty, they were able to create a more immersive system. “Based on the feedback we received, the concept of dedicating an additional hour every day for students to engage in diversity-related activities or discussions felt similar to having a fifth daily class, which was both tiring and difficult,” said Williams. “Having the time more spread out makes it easier for everyone to absorb and think about the ideas presented at diversity events rather than just rushing through them.” The Diversity Symposium has taken different forms throughout the years, including Diversity week. Alexandra Dasilva ‘26 believes that the new form of diversity will contribute to students’ growth and their learning experience. “I think having Diversity Week being spread out over the entire year is beneficial because now we can apply these principles throughout the year and incorporate activities and events into our daily lives,” said Dasilva. “When Diversity Week was at the end of the day, it was hard to engage in. I feel like it took a part out of my day, instead of adding to it like it was intended too.” Before the pandemic, the school used to dedicate a full day to Diversity day, similarly to Service Day. But after the pandemic, the format changed into a week for diversity. Ethan Hess ‘26 shares his past experiences with the Diversity Symposium from before and after the pandemic. “When I was in middle school, before the pandemic, we used to have a full day dedicated to diversity. I enjoyed Diversity Day more because instead of rushing through topics we were able to go around and learn about different topics,” Hess said. “I don’t think,within just an hour, you can get people to fully understand a topic,which is why I prefer having a Diversity day over this new idea.” Nina Olson ‘26 talks about her takeaways from Diversity Week last year and how it helped her shape every day decisions she makes. “I remember, in the past years, we learned about microaggressions. This taught me more about the topic and how different phrases can be harmful to people,” Olson said. “Now I’m able understand what could possibly be harmful to say that I didn’t know before.” With a new format of the Diversity Symposium, the Diversity Office hopes to make discussions surrounding diversity more engaging and leave students and staff with a deeper understanding of what diversity means to the schools community. “Diversity at Greenhills has always been a priority, and educating students on subjects from speakers and during class discussions,” said Williams. “The Diversity Symposium reflects the commitment of our school community to create an inclusive and culturally aware environment that helps students to thrive. As we begin the Diversity Symposium, we look forward to the opportunities and growth it will bring this year.”