Stuyvesant’s Summer of 2021

From simply exploring NYC to traveling to St. Lucia, Stuyvesant students had eventful summers despite ongoing COVID regulations. Here is an overview of Stuyvesant’s summer of 2021.

What did you do this summer?

If you traveled abroad, where did you go?

- Canada

-The Bahamas

- St. Lucia

- Costa Rica

- England

- France

- Germany

- Italy

- Estonia

- Latvia

- Lithuania

- Sri Lanka

Most traveled to place within the United States: Northeast (New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts)

If you stayed in the city what did you do?

Stuyvesant’s Reads

- “Snow in August” by Pete Hamill

- “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins

- “The Sun Is Also a Star” by Nicola Yoon

- “Living Dead Girl” by Elizabeth Scott

- “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig

- “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah

- “A Revolutionary for Our Times: Rosa Luxemburg” by Stephen Bronner

- “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

- “Chainsaw Man” by Tatsuki Fujimoto

- “The Overstory” by Richard Powers

Stuyvesant’s Soundtracks of the Summer

Albums

- “SOUR” by Olivia Rodrigo

- “Are You Alright?” by Lovejoy

- “After School Session” by Chuck Berry

- “Donda” by Kanye West

- “Yellow” by Kang Daniel

Artists

- Mitski

- Isaac Dunbar

- MF Doom

- Fleetwood Mac

- Lucy Dacus

- Lorde

- BTS

How did COVID-19 impact your summer?

“I spent most of it at a sleep-away camp, and that day-to-day routine was very much transformed by state COVID regulations, but still since it was akin to quarantining, we got plenty of social opportunities lacking in the city.”

“​I was barely able to get outside very much, both because of COVID and because my parents simply were not as willing to have me leave the house, so I guess I didn't get to have as much fun as usual since I was cooped up at home so much.”

“We were going to travel abroad, but the cases in that country were starting to rise again.”

“I couldn’t travel, but I took that as an opportunity to explore NYC.”

“I suppose it warranted more free time at home as we cannot necessarily travel. Subsequently, it warranted a lot of learning, such as [...] learning to cook and learning Spanish.”

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MEMORABLE MOMENTS

“I spent three weeks at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy Summer Intensive in Connecticut taking various dance classes from Bolshoi Ballet Academy staff. I also took Russian language classes there. It was incredible to be immersed in that culture and learn about the Russian ballet technique while also adjusting to dorm life and connecting with other dancers.” —Zoe Chun, freshman

“I got really into running (even though I suck at it) and am now motivated to improve my stamina and running pace, which is fun since it’s the first time I’ve taken interest in a ‘sport’ before.” —Eman Sadiq, sophomore

“Saw some Capuchin monkeys!” —Nora Archer, senior

“The women’s photography exhibit at the MET was fantastic: lots of interesting framing, clever messaging, and excellent curation.” —Levi Simon, junior

“I went mushroom picking a lot in Pennsylvania this summer. There were so many mushrooms this year! I also jumped into an ice pool in Latvia, which was interesting (never doing that again).” —Alexandra Ruinsky, freshman

“Visited a very quaint store (in the small town of Denton, Texas) that sold various old/antique things like old records, old family photos, old military equipment (even pickelhaubes), old instruments, old knick-knacks, etc.” —Nicolas Smulansky, freshman

“I met Isaiah Zagar, a famous mosaic artist, while I was on a tour in Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens!” —Abigail Jin, freshman

“My parrot, Dodo, learned how to fly up stairs!” —Samantha Ruinsky, freshman