Emiola Enakhimion ’24 | Cassidy Ott ’25
From ice cream socials, to spirit week, and the infamous Outward-Bound trip to North Carolina, many events were planned before the pandemic to help integrate freshmen into high school and create a bond between classmates. However, with the enforced restrictions brought about by COVID, many of these events have been canceled, modified, or postponed to a later date. Due to the ongoing Covid Pandemic, the Classes of 2024 and 2025 have not become as close as Classes of 2023 and 2022 did in their first years of high school because of the fewer number of bonding events. However class integration, especially through grade-wide activities, is incredibly important for students’ sense of belonging and formation of friendships. While we very much appreciate EA’s great efforts into creating some class events and a sense of normalcy, building class integration and bonding needs to be a higher priority, especially as the pandemic continues.
Integration-wise, the freshman and sophomore classes were directly affected the most by the pandemic. Coming out of an eighth grade that was half virtual and into a strange, highly-restricted freshman year with few class events, things were going to be different. Marcus Childs ‘24 says, “I feel that our grade gets along fine within our own separate friend groups, but we only really come together when forced to for things like AIS/Haverford day or class meetings. Sometimes I feel like I don’t know half the people in my lounge.”
Going through slightly uncomfortable experiences encourages students to talk to people outside their bubbles and meet new people. Missing key events like Outward Bound, movie nights, or a freshman dance had a large impact on the two classes. Because the underclassmen did not receive that, many classmates may feel estranged or keep to their own social groups. This is especially true for students transferring into ninth and 10th grade as they didn’t have pre-established friend groups or relations at EA. While some students are noticing a lack of unity, 10th Form Dean Tanuja Murray says, “Honestly the sophomore class is full of amazing students, so they have been managing just fine so far.”
In contrast, seniors were able to experience normal class-wide events as freshmen and sophomores, and credit these gatherings for creating a greater sense of unity and familiarity within their class. “Our four years in high school together and all the events that came with it helped us bond as a senior class. Our lounge is always lively and I feel like I could at least name every person’s face I came across,” states Kelly Feuzeu-Mekoue ‘22. Shared class experiences definitely play a part in class bonding and allow students to become a cohesive group. Most juniors and seniors feel comfortable talking to each other and share the bond of being in their final years of high school.
Photo courtesy of @ea_2022_ Instagram
From an administrative perspective, planning around a pandemic has been extremely difficult. Freshman Form Dean Max Kelly shares his opinions on the topic, saying, “For our class, we tried to do the best we could. I’m more excited for the spring as the weather gets nicer, and we will make up for what we missed in the fall.” Regarding what will be done differently in the future for the incoming freshmen, Murray comments, “There will be dances, Outward Bound, cupcake wars, and other fun activities. Even though COVID has made grade bonding activities difficult to plan, there have been plans to make the second half of the school year better than the first. Bake-offs and freshman fun nights with fewer restrictions, are just a few events that could be happening in the foreseeable future.”
The underclassmen have formed their own kind of distinct bond navigating through COVID, such as through the study halls in the wrestling room and constant mask reminders. While this provides many stories and conversations, it isn’t the same as the numerous traditional class events that are defining parts of the EA experience. Although we recognize that EA is doing its best to get back to normal and plan fun gatherings, having a high level of class integration requires many more events that foster interacting with new people and getting out of one’s comfort zones in exciting and engaging ways.