Outgoing Big Sib Chairs Leave a Legacy

With the announcement of the incoming 2020-2021 Big Sib Chairs, the outgoing chairs, seniors Harper Andrews, Kristie Chu, Victoria Wong, Frank Yang, and Patrick Zheng, reflect on the changes they have introduced while leading the Big Sib Program.

One major change that the chairs implemented was the addition of food tours to the annual homeroom picnics, which are held before the start of the school year. The chairs had heard complaints from previous years that the picnics at Battery Park were underwhelming, especially for the Little Sibs. “[People] were saying that the snacks people were buying just weren’t enough, though the picnics were advertised more as a lunch,” Wong said. “Instead of buying snacks, though some Big Sibs still did, we made Big Sibs split up their Little Sibs into groups [and] show their Little Sibs the area around Stuy [and] places they could eat during their freshman year. Together, they would choose a place to eat, and then eat there, and then come back to Battery Park for the games.”

Many of the Big Sibs expressed their support for this change. “I really enjoyed the food tour! It gave the Big Sibs of each [homeroom] more personal time with their Little Sibs, as opposed to having to deal with a large group of Little Sibs and not being able to get to know any that well during the picnic because you're responsible for so much,” senior Corinne Pita said in an e-mail interview.

Senior Kaitlyn Lau added that the food tour allowed the Little Sibs to become more familiar with the area around Stuyvesant. “Compared to […] the traditional snacks and games, I liked how the food tour played out. It’s great that we get to show them the diversity of the food options we have near Stuyvesant. The food tour also gets the Little Sibs more accustomed to Stuyvesant’s neighborhood, which really helps them feel more comfortable as they’re transitioning to high school,” she said in an e-mail interview.

Though the food tour was mostly well-received, it was difficult to execute due to space limitations. “Even when you split up all the freshmen into two days and into morning and afternoon groups, there are still too many of them. It got pretty congested, and there were too many people everywhere,” junior Alan Guo said. “For example, by [the] time we got to Whole Foods, it was completely packed, so we all went to Ferry’s and then back to the park, so we couldn’t give them the full experience of the food tour.”

The outgoing Big Sib Chairs also improved the Big Sib orientation this year, as they added ASPIRA and Black Students League (BSL) presentations. “We included them because we thought it was important for inclusivity and making sure Stuy is a really safe place for all the new people,” Zheng said.

Many Big Sibs found the presentation important in the context of the SHSAT and racism at Stuyvesant. “It was a good presentation on racial sensitivity and very relevant to issues at Stuy,” junior and current Big Sib Chair Aki Yamaguchi said in an e-mail interview.

In addition, the chairs have improved the strike system, which had been criticized for its lack of transparency in past years. Previously, Big Sibs who received strikes were marked down on the strikes spreadsheet and were not notified about them. “Because we are so diligent about [strikes], we send out e-mails notifying [Big Sibs]. We also allow them to reply if they think the strike is not correct, and we will fix it,” Wong said.

Furthermore, the chairs have implemented a systematic approach to tracking attendance. “In the past, there have been problems [in which] certain Big Sibs have come into question about whether or not they should continue to be Big Sibs,” Andrews said. “This year, we tried to establish a more concrete way of evaluating them at the end. We are currently doing homeroom evaluations, and we also did a much better job, at least we think so, keeping track of who was where and when people didn’t show up to stuff.”

Despite this, there are still improvements to be made in ensuring that all attendance is effectively recorded. “Honestly, I didn't always remember to send attendance photos for the homeroom, and I didn't really get reprimanded for it,” Pita said. “I don't blame the chairs, however. They were all very busy people who had a lot to keep track of, so I just think attendance by Big Sibs is a responsibility better kept for [homeroom] leaders, and they should report if one Big Sib has been constantly absent from homeroom, and that’s when the Chairs should step in and take responsibility.”

Overall, the program left a positive impression on the Little Sibs, as the new changes allowed the Big Sibs to support their Little Sibs more. “I felt as though the Big Sibs program was a lot of help,” freshman Ella Chan said. “They definitely have more insight as to what I should do.”

While the Little Sibs gained valuable knowledge of the Stuyvesant environment from their Big Sibs, the Big Sibs developed valuable friendships with their younger peers. “I forged close bonds with many of them, and a few of them even became my classmates,” junior Ian Lau said. “My favorite part of being a Big Sib is seeing how capable my Little Sibs are and how much their perseverance and diligence can inspire me. It’s been such an honor being able to watch them find their niche in Stuyvesant.”

Senior Zuwei Li agreed and said in an e-mail interview, “The experience wasn't that different from year to year, but every wave of [the] new incoming class brings me more joy because I am able to witness the community at Stuy flourish under my watch.”

Throughout their term, the 2019-2020 Big Sib Chairs worked closely and effectively as a team to accomplish their goals this year. They found it rewarding despite the fact that their new responsibilities meant sacrificing the experience of forming relationships with Little Sibs. “Sacrificing the relationships with Little Sibs we could have had makes me want to work harder as a Big Sib Chair because it’s like I’m sacrificing something I know was really meaningful to me. I now have the ability to touch a lot of people, from Little Sibs to Big Sibs,” Chu said.

The chairs also found the experience of leading the program memorable. From planning to organizing events, they gained valuable insight into leading and impacting others. “It’s nice to be behind the scenes and understand how the decisions get made, why we decide to go ahead with certain events, and why we make certain decisions […] as opposed to before when I was on the other side,” Yang said.

Zheng added on, “One thing that you realize as a Big Sib Chair is how much your voice actually matters. Being a Big Sib, it matters a lot, as you are speaking to your Little Sibs, and you are trying to influence them, but as a Big Sibs Chair, you are influencing the Big Sibs.”

Reflecting on this past year, the Big Sib Chairs are grateful to have formed meaningful relationships with one another beyond just being co-Chairs. “I just had a lot of fun working with the four others because they are really great people,” Andrews said.