The Rampage
Ramaz Community Reacts To 9/11 Assembly
SYLVIE RAAB ’26
A change in format for Ramaz’s annual 9/11 assembly sparked controversy among students about how best to commemorate the tragedy. While the assembly was held following tefillah, some students expressed disappointment with the shortened time period.
The assembly featured Jamie Lassner ’82, a Ramaz alumnus who was a first responder EMT at the World Trade Center during 9/11. Lassner discussed his experience on 9/11 and drew comparisons to October 7th and the ongoing war in Israel.
Later in the day, seniors traveled to the Lower East Side for a day of service. They packed Rosh Hashanah meals and heard from Hatzolah members, Jewish community leaders, and elderly citizens who were impacted by the 9/11 attacks.
Seniors who went to the day of service expressed that it allowed them to further connect to 9/11. “It was a very meaningful experience and it was great to help out the community, especially on such a momentous day,” Francesca Sisskind ’25 said.
Lassner’s speech “was eye-opening,” Ezra Werthenschlag ’28 said. “I was able to appreciate his first-hand experience on 9/11, and he really made me feel that there is a deep comparison between the situation in Israel and 9/11.”
Other students said they felt the September 11 attacks and the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel each deserve its own assembly. “The majority of my Hebrew class thought that on 9/11, October 7 was discussed too much,” Nate Berman ’26 recounted. “They thought that on 9/11, the speaker should focus on the terrors that happened that day rather than drawing parallels to current events.”
There were also differing opinions between students and faculty about how 9/11 should be highlighted. “I thought the assembly was good, but I thought it was really short and that the school could have done more to commemorate 9/11,” Sarah Kleinhaus ’27 said. “I think that it would have made more sense for it to be during a FLEX period because it would have added more emphasis
to the event.”
Rabbi Dov Pianko, the organizer of the event, said he decided to shorten the event in recent years because of student feedback. “For many years we had much longer and intense assemblies, and had a special commemoration in 2021, at the 20th anniversary. In the last few years, the feedback we got from students was that this was something that should be commemorated and noted in a serious way, but didn’t need a full 40-60 minute assembly,” he said. As a result, the administration changed the structure to a 15-20 minute assembly after tefillah to start the day with a commemoration.
Organizers were satisfied with the speaker’s approach, but emphasize the importance of student feedback for the coming years. “I was happy with the speaker, the behavior of the students, and the overall feeling of the day,” Rabbi Pianko concluded. “I would be curious how students felt. I am always interested in student feedback for this past assembly, and any future assemblies and programs. We don’t always know what is best, but we do try.”
OPINION
I’m
Sick Of This!
ORLI RABBANI ’25
Each August, as Ramaz students prepare for the upcoming school year, students open the newly updated student handbook to see what kind of rules have been added or adjusted. This year, to the student body’s surprise, the new residency policy was introduced. This policy has been the source of many issues in the first two weeks of school.
The residency policy states that if students miss ten percent of their classes in a given class, the highest their grade can be is a B+. If a student misses twenty percent of their classes in a given class, the highest their grade can be is a C+. No matter how strong the student is academically, if they miss a certain percentage of classes, their grade gets hit.
CONTINUED ON PG. 7
FEATURE
Spotlight: Emergency Medicine
RACHEL BULLER ’25
This past summer I volunteered in the Maimonides Medical Center Emergency Department. As a New York high school student, finding opportunities for hands-on clinical exposure is exceedingly difficult. Through the Maimonides Health Scholars Program, I was able to assist in an emergency room in the heart of Brooklyn, taking vitals, delivering blood cultures, and providing food, water, blankets, and pillows to patients in need.
While tripping over stretchers and blood pressure cuffs, I learned the ins and outs of what it means to work in emergency medicine.
CONTINUED ON PG. 5
New Mincha Mandate For Ramaz Community
This year, Ramaz has introduced a new Mincha policy, requiring each grade to attend Mincha one day a week. While Mincha attendance has always been encouraged, this is the first time in recent years that it has been made mandatory.
“One of the things I noticed is that Mincha was very, very loose and there was a lot of confusion as to if students had to go to Mincha. I liked the fact that it was less coercive, but I didn’t like the fact that there were some people who never went to Mincha,” Rabbi Frank, principal of the Upper School explained. “People should be aware that there is a Mincha minyan in the school that they should be a part of.”
In addition to offering an opportunity to enhance spirituality at Ramaz, the policy has its practical benefits. For faculty members, gathering the entire grade at the same time offers an unexpected opportunity for communication.
“The policy re-enforces the idea that prayer is a communal thing that we do together,” 11th grade grade dean Ms. Miriam Gedwiser noted. “It happens to be very convenient in terms of time to have the whole grade together. If we need something from them or just need to tell them something, this time is really nice.”
While the administration views the new requirement as a step forward for community and spirituality at Ramaz, students have mixed reactions. For some students, like Nate Berman ’26, the new policy is perfectly balanced. “I like that Mincha is required only once a week. Some days should be optional,” he commented.
Others, however, feel that there is still room to improve, especially when it comes to Mincha attendance on days when it is not required. “I think that although the new Mincha policy offers Mincha to all grades every day, it is not sufficiently encouraged to go ev-
ery day,” Asher Rosenfeld ’26 said. “This isn’t ideal because if the administration would encourage students even when it isn’t their day, it would cause them to go to Mincha more, thus enriching their relationship with Hashem.”
Some younger students like that this time to build a connection with Hashem has been added into the schedule. “Swhere I have time to think about that relationship is very meaningful,” Theo Berman ‘28 said.
Although there are some issues that are yet to be worked out and some varying opinions among students about the policy, mandatory once a week Mincha seems to be here to stay. “It’s an important lesson to learn for when you are an adult,” Rabbi Frank said. “Training the muscle of making a minyan is a good thing.”
Club Fair!
Club leaders gathered in the auditorium on Tuesday, September 24th, to recruit new members, primarily freshman and sophomores, to their clubs. Evey club had a booth with juniors and seniors prepared to answer questions, and QR codes which are used for joining the clubhubs and the group chat. For students, Club Fair is the perfect opportunity to explore all of the amazing extracurriculars that Ramaz has to offer, and to find clubs that are related to their interests.
Bella Herman ’27, who is interested in joining The Rampage and Book Club, stated, “It's really fun and it's a good opportunity to see all of the clubs at Ramaz.” Club leaders also seemed to agree with this.
Some club leaders, however, didn’t appreciate the loud music that played during the club fair. Gianna Goldfarb ’25, who is head of the Photography Club, The Rampage, Chamber Music Ensemble, and College Bowl said, “I think that it would have been easier if they hadn’t had such loud music. It was very difficult to communicate with interested members because everyone was trying to shout over it.”
Bianca Harmetz ’26, the head of the Psychology club, enjoyed the music. Harmetz said, “I really enjoyed the music at club fair because it brought a lot of energy and people were dancing and having fun which made for a better environment.”
Overall, Club Fair was a successful event that allowed students to explore Ramaz’s many extracurricular opportunities.
The Rampage
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
GIANNA GOLDFARB ’25
LINDSAY CHUBAK ’25
GRACE KOLLANDER ’25
RACHEL BULLER ’25
LAYOUT
GIANNA GOLDFARB ’25
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
MEGAN ACKERMAN ’27
CHLOE ARCHIBALD ’27
RACHEL BULLER ’25
LINDSAY CHUBAK ’25
NOA ESSNER ’25
GIANNA GOLDFARB ’25
SARA KLEINHAUS ’27
GRACE KOLLANDER ’25
SYLVIE RAAB ’26
ORLI RABBANI ’25
The Rampage is the student newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School. It is published on a monthly basis. Letters to the editors may be submitted to rampage@ramaz.org. Letters must be signed and may be edited to conform to The Rampage style and format. The opinions expressed in The Rampage are of the author’s alone, and do not represent the views or opinions of Ramaz, The Rampage, or its editors.
SYLVIE RAAB ’26
SARA KLEINHAUS ’27
New Year, New Test Policy (Again)
MEGAN
This year, the make-up test policy has “a 5% change,” Rabbi Frank, principal of the Ramaz Upper School, stated. If one were to miss a test, the first make-up test has no penalty and no consequences. The second make-up test in the same subject would result in a three-point deduction and the third make-up would result in a six-point deduction.
Last year Rabbi Frank created a new policy: Students are only allowed to take a maximum of three make-up tests per semester. Make-up tests are administered after school on Wednesdays and “under no circumstance will any test be given before the test is administered,” the Ramaz Handbook stated
This discourages students from abusing the make-up system and from missing a certain amount of tests. With the Ruvna app and tapping
in these past two years, the administration is able to tell what time students show up to school and “a later arrival to school on the day of the test counts,” according to the Ramaz Handbook. If a student decides to study all morning and show up a little before the test it will be counted as a make-up test .
While the administration views the make-up test policy to be very straightforward and good for the education of the students, the students have mixed reactions. For some, the new makeup test policy adds pressure and is unreasonable. Abby Maksin ’27 said, “Things come up like being sick or important events that students can’t control especially over the course of a semester.” Students shouldn’t have to force themselves to show up to school to take a test when they are sick, affecting their academic perfor-
To Be Or B
mance and even putting other students at risk of getting sick. Another student believes that “there needs to be somewhat of a makeup policy but… Ramaz needs to be a bit more flexible and take this added sense of pressure off the students.”
However, there are students who think the new policy works really well. Esther Dishi ’27 said, “[The new policy] doesn’t feel too overwhelming and the school is understanding of particular situations that require make-up tests excuses.”
This new make-up test policy might be controversial now, but only time will tell if it will have a positive impact on the school. Students and administrators alongside each other will just have to wait and find out the impact of this new policy.
CHLOE ARCHIBALD ’27
The Ramaz administration put a new attendance policy into place for the 2024-2025 school year. The policy states that if you miss 10% of your classes, the highest letter grade you can receive in that class is a B+. If you miss 20% of your classes, the highest letter grade you can receive is a C+, and so on.
In an interview with Rabbi Frank, he said that the motivation behind this new policy is as follows: “The overall goal is we want everybody in school. And we understand that sometimes people are going to miss school for all kinds of reasons, sick, Bar Mitzvah, mental health day, whatever. So I think that in order to get to feel like you're fully succeeding in school, you should be in school 90% of the time.” This policy can be confusing to some, as it is dependent on class attendence, not necessarily on daily attendence. For each course a student has, they have a certain number of classes, which differ depending on the subject. So, if a student is out sick on a day that they have a less frequent class, that absence has much more of an impact than it does missing a class that meets 5 times a week. Depending on their schedule and Ramaz programming, if a student misses a total of 12 days of school, they might still be eligible for an A+ in certain classes, but will only be able to get as high as a B+ in others.
However, Rabbi Frank claims that he "will take into account these discrepancies if it comes to missing more in one class than another." The policy also states that if you are at a school sponsored event such as a Ramaz sports game, choir trip, play rehearsal, UN rally, etc., the attendance policy does not apply. This alleviates stress for students and gives them the freedom not to think twice before participating in a cool club, rally, or other such activities.
Rabbi Frank wants the students involved in school and at school extracurricular activities and this policy supports that. “It is really up to the parents to decide when students can miss school. My goal, my job, is to create a school community where people are here learning as much as possible and are all under the same roof.” Rabbi Frank’s ultimate goal is to have a present student body who are involved and feel unified and together during the school day.
New Israel Initiatives
This year, a big question on many of our minds is how we can continue to support Israel from the United States a year after October 7. On Thursday, September 5, the entire Ramaz Upper School gathered for an assembly called “hineni l’yisrael,” “Here I am for Israel.” During this assembly, Ramaz students heard about four new, different initiatives to support Israel.
The first one, presented by Rabbi Schiowitz, is about how during the month of Elul, every Judaic studies class will have an opportunity to dedicate their learning in honor of different groups of people affected by the war. The 9th and 10th grade are focusing on communities that were attacked on October 7, the 11th grade on soldiers, and the 12th grade on other relief workers. Hannah Katz ’27 stated, “Acknowledging the different kibbutzim that have been affected due to October 7 helps us get into a good frame of mind before we start learning, and helps us remember that even though we are far away we are still connected to our brothers and sisters in Israel.” Some students, however, have
found that this initiative was harder to keep up with because of the chaos of the rest of the day. When asked about this initiative, Eleanor Goldfarb ’27 said, “I completely forgot about it.” This was mainly because, although it was a good idea, it was hard to remember each JLT class to think about that specific kibbutz in the chaos of the day.
The second initiative is about continuing to daven for the hostages and soldiers, as well as the people of Israel. Every day, we have been saying Mi Sheberach for the hostages during davening, and have been reminded to pray for Israel by teachers praying in our minyanim.
The third initiative, presented by Ms. Krupka, is about the new Understanding Israel class which all ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students will take. The Understanding Israel class is a new version of the Israel class that we had last year, designed by Dr. Lekht, Dr. Hertzog, and Mr. Adelman. Ms. Krupka showed a Venn Diagram with three different areas of what it means to be a Ramaz zionist graduate:
knowledge of Israel, love of Israel, and the skills to advocate for Israel. This course is designed to teach students facts of Israel and skills to advocate for Israel, which both relate to our love for Israel.
The fourth initiative, presented by G.O President Stella Hiltzik ’25, was to wear blue and white on the following day, Friday, September 6th, so that we can keep Israel at the front of our minds.
Thea Katz ’25 said, “I think it's nice that they started talking about Israel early on the first days of school. They are making it clear that it is a priority early in the year.” The fact that Ramaz started out the year shows that Israel will continue to be at the front of our minds a year after October 7.
Ramaz has shown a clear dedication to continue supporting Israel in every way possible through these initiatives. Katz said, “It's hard to tell how these initiatives will play out, but it's definitely good that Ramaz started discussing Israel early in the year.”
ACKERMAN ’27
SARA KLEINHAUS ’27
Meet The Editors!
Gianna Goldfarb:
My favorite article would have to be Appreciate the Little Things which I wrote for The Gianna Report, for the sheer amount of height puns I managed to cram into such a short article.
I’m most excited about designing the layout for each issue of The Rampage this year. I cannot stress enough how much I love designing layout.
My most involved club outside of The Rampage is Photography Club, which I have been in charge of since last year.
My favorite book that I’ve read recently is either The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle or Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. Both are beautifully written, but they are completely different. The Last Unicorn is a very bittersweet tale in contrast to Perfume, which is pretty messed up.
My hidden talent is that I can make clothes. Also, I can quote virtually every single episode of Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse.
Grace Kollander:
My favorite article that I wrote for The Rampage has to be The Times They Are A-Changin. The new extra-time policy, when it was first implemented in 2023, was a hot topic and really interesting to report on. Plus, I loved crafting that creative title from Bob Dylan’s famous song.
I’m really excited to take The Rampage to the next level this year and to have an amazing group of dedicated writers from every grade.
I would say my most involved club outside of The Rampage is XeVeX, the Ramaz Math Publication, or the tennis team.
I’d recommend The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. We read it in Dr. Honig’s 11th-grade Literary Seminar class and I loved it.
My hidden talent is that I can ride a bike with no hands.
Lindsay Chubak:
My favorite article that I wrote for The Rampage is the one I wrote about the Israel mission I took part in last year. Getting to share my experiences on this impactful mission was especially meaningful as it allowed me to inform the student body about the incredible opportunity the Israel mission was.
I’m really excited to get to actually help produce The Rampage beyond just writing articles -- be it editing, leading meetings, helping do layout, whatever it is I’m looking forward to it
My most involved club outside of The Rampage is definitely Parallax, which I get to edit now and is totally amazing.
Picking a favorite book is such an impossible question, but more broadly, I love reading murder mysteries. If you’re looking for a book in that genre, come talk to me!
My hidden talent is that I’m a pro at eating tiramisu. Caffeine and dessert in one? Yes, please!
My favorite article that I wrote for The Rampage is definitely my recap of the Chamber Choir Shabbaton; I loved being able to relive the incredible weekend and relay my experience with others.
I’m most excited about the Purim issue. While it is always enjoyable to write articles to be included in the issue, I am very excited to be a part of crafting the issue as a whole.
My most involved clubs outside of The Rampage are for sure the High School Choir and Chamber Choir.
My favorite book is “Fermat’s Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World’s Greatest Mathematical Problem” by Simon Singh.
My hidden talent is that I can recite 228 digits of pi and the periodic table of elements.
Rachel Buller:
SUMMER SPOTLIGHTS!
Emergency Medicine
RACHEL BULLER ’25
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1
Prior to my time volunteering, I was under the impression that the ER would feel like a factory: an efficient system of treating patients, providing them with what they need as quickly as possible, and hurrying them out of the ER. I was mistaken. On my first day, I immediately noticed the true care and empathy that the staff showed the patients. I especially learned from the Patient Care Technicians (PCTs), who, while the physicians were running between patients, were able to focus on the less pressing yet equally crucial needs of the patients. They are true heroes.
The PCTs not only provided continuous assistance to those in the ER but also served as mentors for the Health Scholars. As they taught us to accurately measure oxygen saturation and smoothly maneuver the hospital beds, they embodied the values that should be at the forefront of healthcare. We were then able to apply these lessons to our own volunteering.
While transporting a 99-year-old man who was suffering from respiratory issues to the CT Scan, I noticed that his kippah had fallen off his head. I saw the troubled expression on his wrinkled face and understood that it was my duty to bring him to ease. Although it was a tiny act compared to those of the medical professionals who surrounded me, as soon as I returned the kippah to his head, the man’s tube-covered face lit up with joy, and he cracked the most thankful and genuine smile. With minimal medical training, actions like this were my unique way to contribute to the lives of others.
The ER provided me with several meaningful moments, and the incredible experience that I gained allowed me to learn first-hand about the field while enjoying the process.
Orly Gallo: Assisting An Artist
LINDSAY CHUBAK ’25
Lindsay Chubak: Can you tell me a little bit about what you did this summer?
Orly Gallo: Okay, so this summer, I had an internship working for artist Carole Feurman. I did anything she needed me to do. I did it for three days a week. I would get on the train at nine, I got off the train at six. I was in the office from about 10 to five. It was at a studio in Bushwick. I did it for four weeks
LC: What are some of the things she would have you do?
OG: It was a range. I made shipping labels to send out because she had just published a book by the author, Rizzoli. It's a big thing in the art world. So we packed those up in boxes, and we sent them out to people who bought them and to schools and museums so they’ll know her and so she’s a known artist in history. And then some days I went into the studio where, like, everyone did everything. I tried a bunch of different things. I did chasing, and that's basically sanding, because these sculptures are made out of resin, so they have these little air bubbles and seams and stuff. So you have to sand everything down, because this resin is really smooth. And I also did some taping, so that way when they go get airbrushed they don’t get paint on the areas that shouldn’t be painted. I didn’t get to airbrush the actual paintings but they taught me how to airbrush. I just doodled with an airbrush for like, an hour and a half. But, you know, it was still really fun. One day, I got to place crystals on the swimming cap of one of her big sculptures that was being sent out. So that was super cool and a little bit scary, because someone paid a lot of money for that, and it was like, I was like, it was crazy.Yeah, that was basically most of what I did.
LC: How were the people you worked with, the other artists in the studio?
OG: They were great, they taught me so much. They taught me how to put like leaf on stuff, like gold leaf or silver leaf, or whatever it is. They taught me how to airbrush. I would just chat with them, talk about my life and their life. They advised me never to pursue a career in art. Three separate people who all work in different things. They all told me “don’t go into art” and to go to college and get a good degree.
LC: What was your favorite thing from your internship?
OG: Definitely not the 5:30 trains. I never recommend taking those. They're rush hour trains, which are the worst. Especially at Union Square Station, which I think the pits of hell were based on. Super fun. But no, I think my favorite was just talking to everybody there, because everybody was so different. There was this one girl who I ended up sitting with a lot. She and her family came from Columbia when she was 17, so it was interesting to hear her story and just hear about their lives.
Breaking Ground: How I Got Down And Dirty In Cyprus
GIANNA GOLDFARB ’25
If you are unfamiliar with the saying “You have to lick a lot of rocks before you lick a bone,” don’t worry: I made it up. Unfortunately, when it comes to archaeology, it’s sometimes true. Let me explain:
This summer, I spent a month in Cyprus participating in an archaeological field school called The Prastio-Mesorotsos Archaeological Expedition, affiliated with the University of Edinburgh and the College of Southern Nevada. Most participants attended one of these institutions, but our ages varied widely–from a high school student (just me) to a PHD candidate. We worked on Prastio-Mesorotsos, a multi-period site dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, which offers one of the longest sequences of a single habitation anywhere in the archaeological world. During the field school, I received training in a range of fieldwork techniques relating to site and regional survey, excavation, and topographical and landscape analyses. Off the field, I was trained in advanced analytical methods for studying recovered artifacts and ecofacts, such as ceramics, chipped and ground stone tools, animal bones, archaeobotany, human osteology, and illustration.
The first two weeks were spent exclusively learning Cypriot prehistory, geology and ecology, archeological techniques off the field, and how to identify and interpret chipped stone, pottery, ground stone, bone, and other types of artifacts. It was really interesting. If you need to identify a Cypriot pot, call me up. These skills, as intended, proved invaluable when I was actually in the field.
My typical dig day looked a little something like this: I would wake up at 4:00-4:30, thank God that we got so fortunate with the accommodations (we were all supposed to sleep on a roof for a month, but thankfully, something went wrong, so we stayed at a hotel with AC and one roommate each), and get ready to leave for
5 AM sharp. So, at 5:00, Sunday to Friday, I was downstairs and ready for the hour-long drive to site, trowel in hand. We got to site at 6:00, separated into our groups, and headed to our trenches to excavate for three and a half hours until breakfast on site. It was disgustingly humid every single day. I needed to keep my water bottles in the freezer for two days before I could bring one to site so it would last me a whole day. It was hot and tiring. The days we had to do field illustrations were the worst. Imagine sitting in the scorching sun trying to measure and draw a clump of rocks and dirt to render it precisely. It drove everyone insane.
Most of the days were spent troweling a little bit, then sweeping the dirt off of dirt, sieving through the dirt for bones or chipped stone tools (no pottery though because my trench was at the pre-pottery Neolithic stratigraphical level), and then repeat. I got so much dirt in my lungs. Dirt gets everywhere and it makes it hard to tell if certain things you find are actually archaeologically significant, or if they are just random dumb rocks. That’s where the saying I made up comes in. When I first started and was not quite sure yet how to identify bone in the field (having only ever seen it after the dirt was removed), I was advised to lick it, because bone is porous and animal bone will feel sticky on your tongue. Thankfully I learned how to identify bone in the field without licking within a few days, but I licked a lot of rocks. A lot.
After breakfast, we continued our work until 12:15, when we stopped for lunch, and then drove back to the hotel. When we got back to the hotel we had two hours of post-excavation
Cora Sugar: Lawyer Up
GRACE KOLLANDER ’25
to do, which involved cleaning the pottery, bone, chipped stone, and ground stone tools we unearthed earlier and cataloging them. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my archaeology experience and living independently abroad for a month. I learned a lot, experienced a different side of Classics, and lived out my childhood dream of being a treasure digger. I found a bunch of cool tools and bones, but the coolest thing I found was part of a cruciform figurine (a little dude carved out of polished bone in the shape of a cross, but made thousands of years before Jesus). It was the first one on the site and they think it is from the Chalcolithic era. It was an incredible program and I am so glad I participated.
During the summer leading up to her senior year, Cora Sugar 25’ interned at the New York County Supreme Court. Cora had the opportunity to learn about the law, witness trials firsthand, and study many cases. Cora spent one month in this internship, working five days a week from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
A typical day in Cora's internship began with her arriving at the courthouse, followed by a discussion with the director of the internship program who would explain to them what was going on that day in the courthouse. After that, she could observe any case of her choice. Finally, after a lunch break, the interns, focused on their project, which involved finding job opportunities for incarcerated individuals. Cora, along with the sixteen other interns contacted various companies to invite their representatives to a job fair they were working to create for the formerly incarcerated people, from the people part of the Alternatives to Incarceration program. The job fair, organized by Cora and her fellow interns, provided a platform for those in the Alternatives to Incarceration program to meet company representatives and hopefully secure employment.
Cora remarked that “one of the many fascinating things I was able to see on my internship was the Harvey Weinstein trial.” This was interesting for Cora because she has “heard of his cases for a really long time so it was so cool seeing his high profile case first-hand.” Overall, Cora is really happy she had this internship.
ORLI RABBANI ’25
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1
I’m Sick Of This
This, however, means that for classes that meet four times a week, a student can only miss five days of classes before their course grade is impacted. While there are exceptions for this rule, including club trips, missing a few days of school has become detrimental to students. These five days are intended to be sick days, but a student is not in control of how many times they get sick. Saying “just wear a mask” does not solve the problem as it doesn’t optimize the health of the sick student. Missing a day of school is always nerve wracking. Having to catch up on notes while recovering from a cold or getting over jet lag has always been extraordinarily stressful for students. Now, students cannot even get sick or go on vacation without having to worry about their grade. Getting a cold or going on vacation can result in your grade dropping dramatically and undeservedly. The residency policy is turning out to be dangerous for students who are forced to pick their grades before their health.
As the school year has unfolded, more and more students have been dropping like flies with a painful and miserable cold; I myself am a victim of this virus. In fact, the senior grade WhatsApp chat sent out a poll titled Are you sick? This poll resulted in over twenty seniors saying that they are sick. As the conversation continued, seniors stated that they are still going to go to school - sniffling, sneezing, aching, coughing, and fever ridden - because they don’t want their grade to be taken down. This means that their virus is going to spread to countless other students and teachers around the school, leaving them to suffer in the building because they don’t want their grade to be lowered.
While there are students with attendance issues, good students should not be penalized for getting sick every once in a while. It is completely human to fall ill to a cold and we’re being told to pick between our grade and the right to sit in bed shivering, sneezing, and being sick. If we pick our grade, we hurt other students. If we pick our recovery, we hurt ourselves. No one wins and it’s all because of the new residency policy.
Let kids be sick.
Ramaz Round Table:
WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR SUMMER READING BOOK? DID YOU THINK IT WAS A GOOD CHOICE?
Summer reading assignments at Ramaz are often books that relate to what students read in class the year before. For example, I was assigned Madeline Miller’s Circe to read the summer before my sophomore year in connection to Homer’s The Odyssey, which my English class had read at the end of freshman year. My class spent a grand total of three days discussing Circe before writing an in-class essay about it and then moving on to the next book on the syllabus. The brevity of time spent discussing summer reading assignments is not conducive to learning either reading or analytical skills, which is why these assignments should focus on books that will make students more well-rounded and worldly. This aim is already manifest in several aspects of the Ramaz curriculum. For example, sophomores read Beowulf, which has remained a part of the Ramaz curriculum despite being a heavily esoteric text because it is a traditional, canonical text. Reading Beowulf, by default, makes students more well-read and knowledgeable of different literary genres.
Students go to Ramaz knowing that their four years there will shape them into individuals who can engage meaningfully with the world, whether in religious, secular, intellectual, or advocacy settings. This is why Ramaz is one of the only high school whose students are required to take music and art for three years, why it capitalizes on its location in Manhattan to extend learning beyond the physical classroom, and why it urges its students to attend rallies post-October 7th and to be vocal in their support for Israel. Similarly, when assigning summer reading, the English department should assign books that they feel are essential for students to read in order to be familiar with a wide array of authors and subjects, as is central to the Ramaz mission.
This summer, the sophomores were assigned “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe as the summer reading book. This book is about a man named Okwonko who lives in Nigeria as colonialism starts. Okonkwo is very dedicated to the traditions of his people, and is devastated by colonialism's impacts on those traditions. Overall, I felt like Thing Fall Apart was not a great pick for summer reading. The book was very hard to get through, and was at times hard to understand and needed more historical context. It was hard to really enjoy the book without more historical context, and there were several chapters that were pointless in depth descriptions of their rituals which were very hard to get through. I think that summer reading should be something that is both enjoyable and not too complicated, while also having depth and deeper meaning. Things Fall Apart was the kind of book that if we had read in class I would have liked and appreciated, but as a summer reading book was a little bit hard to access and appreciate.
I think that summer reading should be classics that are both enjoyable and have depth to analyze at the beginning of the school year. Summer reading shouldn’t be painful to get through and hard to understand, but should also provide a reasonable challenge.
NOA ESSNER ’25
SARA KLEINHAUS ’27
The Gianna Report:
I’m Gonna
Wing It
It is that time again, dear Ramaz family. It is the time Summer’s gentle caress perverts into Autumn’s biting blows, cruelly bringing in a new semester on her wings and your last year reading my glorious and extraordinarily important opinions. Yet as we amble forth, we inevitably gaze back (sometimes fondly, mostly not), reminiscing the road once traveled. It seems as if ‘twere yesterday (last year) when a star, nay a genius, was born as my ‘promising’ satirical career took off. But enough of this nostalgic stalling (I swear it will only get worse as my senior year progresses, and I apologize). My favorite fashion designer, Edna Mode, says, “I never look back, darling; it distracts from the now,” and that is exactly what I intend to do. I shall focus (to the best of my very poor ability to do so) on this upcoming turbulent school year and whatever changes come with it (and there is a big one).
Resolute in my newfound venture to pay more attention to whatever, I decided to pay a visit to school because, contrary to popular belief, I do not live there. It is libelously untrue. I am not a teacher. I have departed from that life. I was at school for an “optional” college workshop. As I strolled through the halls, with my head totally not in the clouds, seeking teachers to greet after a whole summer apart, I heard a noise, plane as day, that instilled the fear of God in me (no, it was not [insert any teacher’s name here] telling me to go to davening) and wrenched me out of my hazy stupor better than my alarm clock ever could.
To be quite frank, it is like being in a REDACTED airport. Being in a family of five, I can confidently attest that nothing inspires terror quite like a family vacation. The rush to and in the airport is harrowingly fearsome. Despite arriving the mandatory three hours pre-departure, the almost Pavlovian fatherly response to the airport announcement bell–the neurotic jump to attention and the frantic familial hustling–is a familiar experience. And that chime is now practically identical to the new announcement ding-dong Ramaz installed. They want to engender the anxious airport feeling of getting through security and then hearing that you accidentally left a child behind at check-in, Mom…. Whenever they call me to the office over the loudspeaker, I am not going to know if I am in trouble, or if my seat got upgraded from those horribly uncomfortable blue chairs (although knowing myself and the principle of parsimony, but mostly knowing myself, I suspect it might always be the former). Will I finally be moved up to first class, despite not donating the required funds, or will I get chewed out for failing to pull down my Ramaz Skirt™ after it “accidentally” got caught in my leggings post-bathroom trip? Will they tell me my group is boarding, or will they tell me what room to go for my grade assembly? As I take off with spirit, dear Ramaz family, the question I wish to leave you grappling with is: once you have heard it, do you think the new PA chime lands?
