Goodbye Old Homeroom, Hello New Homeroom

Homerooms, which used to be a regular occurrence on the calendar, were designed to build a community at Stuyvesant, communicate announcements, and connect students through various guided bonding and social-emotional activities. However, this school year, the administration decided to rebrand the school’s longstanding homeroom system, renaming it “Administrative Distribution” and changing many aspects of regular homeroom that students were accustomed to. 

Administrative Distribution, which used to be monthly, is now set to occur only when deemed necessary by the administration, as the previous homeroom activities did not receive enough positivity and adequate engagement from students. “As far as I know, [...] there will be fewer or no planned activities,” Art teacher Jane Karp stated in an email interview. As these unfavorable activities operated at the cost of valuable instructional time, Administrative Distribution will now be held only when there are schoolwide announcements or events that need to reach everyone, including OMNY card distribution, the celebration of Stuyloween, and Valentine’s Day. Though many regarded these 10-minute homeroom intervals as a minor part of their Stuyvesant experience, this sudden change raises a variety of concerns as well as mixed emotions from the community. 

Many students who had experienced traditional homerooms enjoyed the old homeroom system as it provided a space during a stressful academic day where students could converse with their peers. Sophomore Aashi Modi believes homeroom was a great way to take a break and bond with friends. “I don’t really like [the new homeroom system] because homeroom used to be a break in the middle of the day. Also, I have friends in homeroom, so I looked forward to it,” he explained. Because she had already established relationships with her homeroom peers, Modi also believes the new homeroom will affect her relationship with her friends. “I think the people I was friends with in my homeroom [will] probably be affected because a lot of them I don’t have classes with. I only see them in homeroom, so the amount that I talk to them has decreased.”

Junior Ronghe Guo shared a similar sentiment, adding that the extra time served as a much-needed break. “I always enjoyed homeroom for the extra few minutes of free time that day, but if Administrative Distribution occurs way fewer [times], it will definitely be disappointing.” As minimal as it may have been, homeroom was one of the few moments in the day for relaxation that many students found useful.

For current freshmen who have never experienced homeroom before, the sudden change to Administrative Distribution may have been harder to adapt to. “I think it was definitely a little confusing [the second day], because we had to share the room with multiple other classes, and my homeroom didn’t really know where to gather,” Freshman Chloe Yau stated. Due to their unfamiliarity with the school environment as new students, freshmen have a harder time navigating the school, and abrupt changes in rooms cause even more confusion. Furthermore, having to share classrooms creates an uncomfortable environment, restricting freshmen from bonding, especially with the restricted time they have together with the new homeroom system.

Changing the traditional homeroom system was also difficult from the teachers’ perspectives. One of the largest changes regarding homerooms is that teachers will be swapped on a rotation basis. Because homeroom teachers will continuously switch, each homeroom won’t receive a designated teacher throughout the school year as they had in the past. This change is receiving valid criticism from teachers, who feel as if the already diluted process of getting to connect with students during homeroom is further stunted through the lack of engagement. “As difficult as it was in the past for me to get to know any students in my homeroom, other than the few I already knew from my classes, now it will most likely be impossible,” Karp admitted. This is a major change, as the majority of homeroom periods in previous years have been dedicated to such activities. Additionally, a large part of the current sophomore, junior, and senior classes at Stuyvesant have had the same homeroom teacher for every term they have been at the school, so the new rotation of homeroom teachers will bring about a sudden change for all.

The removal of homeroom, which was previously a social period, prompted many to question how its role in fostering social interaction between students may be changing. With planned activities reduced, new teachers every term, and fewer overall meetings, it is uncertain whether the new system will facilitate or discourage socialization. “I think it might be worse for the freshmen because they [don’t] get to know each other as well because they get [fewer] homerooms. Also, the connection between the Big Sib and the Little Sib deteriorates because there’s [not much of a] connection anymore because there’s no homeroom,” Junior Max Xiao stated. The reduction of homeroom raises a huge concern for underclassmen relationships with their upperclassmen, especially because the Big Sib program is a huge part of assisting incoming freshmen with getting used to the school building and community.

While the new system aims to be more efficient and streamlined, not everyone is persuaded that the change was necessary. “I don’t see why we took it out in the first place. Organizations like ARISTA and Big Sibs, we could utilize them a lot more if we had homeroom. When I was talking to my friend in ARISTA, we were trying to figure out how we could increase ARISTA’s outreach. We realized we can’t go into homerooms anymore and tell freshmen about ARISTA because we don’t do homeroom anymore. We had to talk to guidance counselors to tell freshmen to, but it would’ve been a lot easier if an ARISTA [representative] could’ve gone into each homeroom and just said stuff about ARISTA,” stated Modi. In that way, the removal of homeroom may seem counterintuitive, removing an easy way to access announcements from organizations targeted at aiding the student body.

The idea of integrating homeroom specifically for freshmen is supported by Big Sib Anika Tapadar, who has experienced its benefits in her freshman year. “I think homeroom [is] better for freshmen. If anything, it could be something like a guidance push-in, where it could just be for freshmen, which I think would be more helpful. For freshmen, it’s a good way to bond with Big Sibs and learn more about the school there. If [the old homeroom system] was just for freshman classes, it would be more beneficial,” stated Tapadar. Her idea of a homeroom specifically for freshmen allows for an opportunity for Big Sibs and Little Sibs to bond, preserving the mentorship that upperclassmen provide for the incoming classes. 

Homeroom serves not only as an opportunity for students to connect, but also as a crucial time for freshmen to feel welcome at Stuyvesant. The connection with Big Sibs allows for a smoother transition to the school, which homeroom has had a huge part in creating. Although homeroom is a short period of time in an individual’s Stuyvesant experience, it has remained an important staple for many, and only time will reveal the full impact the new homeroom system will have on students and teachers alike.