Daniel Demessie ‘24 | Brendan Schlitt ‘24
May Term has finally returned to EA after two years of long awaited anticipation. Many students will be participating in this unique experience for the first time, as only the Class of 2022 has had the opportunity to participate in May Term due to the lasting effects of COVID-19.
Photo courtesy of @ea1785 Instagram Account
Ryan Klein, Director of May Term and US Math teacher, states, “I’m excited to get back to it. It’s been two years since we had one, so it’s always fun to end the year on that note and give the kids a different experience and learning atmosphere than what they are used to.” Many students agree with Klein. Logan Schlitt ‘23 says, “I believe that May Term is a great way to end the year and take some of the weight off your shoulders from finals and relax after a busy school year.” Tanuja Murray, Form Dean of the Class of 2024, adds, “I think it is nice to explore the interests that are not the normal subjects that we have and not worrying about tests or quizzes.”
While some students view May Term as an opportunity to decompress, others, like Jack Riley ‘24, are eager to explore their passions outside of the classroom. Riley notes, “I chose the Spain May Term because it felt like a good way to step out of my comfort zone while experiencing a different part of the world.” Schlitt expresses a similar opinion, “I chose the May Term trip to Ireland because I thought it would be a fun experience to travel overseas with some of my friends and explore Irish culture. I also thought that the itinerary had some cool activities that I have never done before and I am definitely looking forward to it.”
COVID-19 has caused the May Term program to make adjustments to some courses. “Initially, what the plan was that the sophomore class was going to go to Outward Bound in North Carolina, but they couldn’t accommodate us due to difficulties with COVID, so we had to finagle to accommodate that large group,” explains Klein. “Disconnect to Connect” was created in replace of Outward Bound, so students would have the opportunity to participate in a similar experience. Klein adds, “Disconnect to Connect is our largest course…They have 82 kids in that course. The second most popular is Parks and Rec with US History teacher Anna McDermott and US Biology teacher Jenn Jones. They have 35 seniors in that class, so that’s a really fun class.”
COVID-19 has played a significant role in the logistics of May Term’s foreign trips as well. When asked about the reason why there were open slots in some of the trips, Klein discloses, “There wasn’t much difficulty filling the trips, every trip is going to run. And they have good numbers, each trip is 13 or more students. The difficulty is probably that some people still have a little fear of COVID and the unknown that goes along with traveling overseas. The other factor is that I think people are just kind of excited to be on campus with our teachers and do some really cool things around the Philadelphia area that they have not been able to do in recent years.”
Many students are excited to embark on their first May Term experience. “I can’t wait for my first May term because I know that it’ll be a great experience. It’s going to be a great opportunity to spend time with my friends outside of an academic environment. I think it’s great that EA provides its students with this chance to explore and travel, both the world and as an individual,” says Jacob Kim ‘25.