When Riverdale abruptly switched to a remote style of learning in March of 2020, the schedule was quickly transformed into one that accounted for a new at-home lifestyle. Transitioning into the 2020-2021 school year, the Riverdale schedule was adjusted for a second time, but this time it was more permanently constructed with a later start time, classes three times a week, a second activity period, a one-week schedule rotation, and virtual athletics practices for the entirety of the year. Although the schedule and programming adjustments have resulted from a hybrid style of learning, many faculty and students have come to prefer some of the changes the school has made.
In early February a student questionnaire was sent out to the school, allowing both students and faculty to evaluate the school experience in a virtual/hybrid setting versus what it had previously been like before the coronavirus hit. Middle and Upper School math teacher Mr. Jeremy Clifford, a member of the team who created the survey, explained that students and faculty feel there have been a tremendous number of improvements to this year’s schedule.
“It's definitely fair to say that overall students like this year’s schedule more than the previous one.” Mr. Clifford said. “It's two very different kinds of school situations, one with the pandemic and one where we’re in more of a normal mode, but I think there were aspects of this year’s schedule that students certainly appreciated: the later start, the greater consistency, and a little bit more free time.”
Dean of the Class of 2022 and Spanish teacher Ms. Susan Polise has felt as though she has missed out on all the daily interactions with both students and faculty this year. “With remote learning, you really can't have that quick check-in,” she said. “However, my meetings now with my students have tended to be longer and I have been able, with the schedule being more open, to see more students in a given day and have more sustained, meaningful conversations.” Although interactions with her students have been a lot less frequent, Ms. Polise feels they have increased in quality and have even been a lot more personal.
“I think we’ve gotten to see one another’s personal lives a little bit more, in a good way,” Ms. Polise said. “And, in that need to feel connected to people, I think that the conversations with students and other faculty have been in some ways deeper and more sustained, and overall different than what they were on campus.”
Ms. Polise also mentioned some of the added challenges she has faced in the classroom as a Spanish teacher. “Spanish adds specific challenges because we are very often a cross graded class, which means that students are rarely in the same place at the same time ever,” she said. “It’s really challenging to navigate that duality of engagement with students.” In addition to all of the difficulties that have come with a hybrid learning environment for her cross-grade classes, Ms. Polise has faced even tougher challenges when teaching in person to her lower-level Spanish classes. She explained that a huge part of learning Spanish is being able to read lips and see movements, and so wearing masks has been a real obstruction to the learning of her students. However, she has seen a lot of improvements in the conversational skills of her students and feels that breakout rooms have been a positive addition to the class, providing students with frequent opportunities for group work and discussion.
In addition to the school day, after school sports have faced many modifications this school year. Director of Athletics Mr. John Pizzi explained that, although rules of social distancing have taken a toll on the productivity of practices, the true difficulty for Riverdale athletes has been having to switch to a sports season with no way to execute and practice their skills in a competitive setting. “The biggest challenge is no competition,” Mr. Pizzi said. “We’re not able to compete against other schools, and I know that’s a tough thing for our athletes.”
Although the element of competition has been removed from this year’s sports seasons, Mr. Pizzi mentioned that there has been a lot of positive change to the skills of the individual athletes. “At our in-person practices, because we’ve had to be 12 feet apart, we have focused in a lot more on skill development [...], and I think it’s something that’s going to carry over to next year when sports return to normal. The beginning of the season is going to focus more on skill development than preparing for the first game, because that base of skills carries with the students for the whole season,” he said.
In addition to the faculty, Riverdale students have also felt a huge impact from the changes to this year’s schedule. Track athlete and junior Julia Jarvis has reaped a lot of the benefits from having a less overwhelming schedule this year, especially as a three-season athlete throughout high school. “I think to some degree, having a less rigorous schedule has been helpful because when we reflect back, most athletes were gone almost 12 hours a day, especially for track athletes who typically run all three seasons. And that’s a very tough thing to keep up with. However, I really miss having a place and a team to go to after school and I think having a strong relationship with all your teammates is really special.”
Jarvis has also felt as though her schedule has opened up immensely this year and has really provided her with the opportunity to become involved in more classes and extracurriculars.“I really like that there is more room for personalization in the schedule this year. Especially as upperclassmen, we have that extra period to take a sixth class or to do an extra activity, and before I do not think there was enough time in our schedule to add a lot else,” Jarvis said.
With all the challenges the Riverdale community has faced from the coronavirus pandemic, the school has made a strong effort to put the needs of students and faculty first. Although so much has been lost in a hybrid learning environment, there have been many notable benefits as a result of a more flexible and open schedule.
