Interschool Members Say Smaller Communities are Closer
Students from the Interschool single-sex schools, Brearley, Browning, Chapin Collegiate, Nightingale-Bamford and Spence bond during annual sophomore trip to Frost Valley, Jan. 18, 2020. While physical gatherings for the Interschool community have not occurred while schools have been closed, many have been able to stay connected online. (Aldo Troiani)
Some members in the New York Interschool consortium have found that communities are becoming closer, even though they are physically farther apart than ever before. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, schools have been forced to close their facilities and start online courses. The ease of access to online platforms allows both students and faculty the opportunity to communicate with each other easier.
The Interschool is a collection of schools in New York that consists of The Browning School, The Brearley School, Chapin, Collegiate School, The Dalton School, The Spence School, Nightingale, and Trinity. The Interschool has led several events, such as the Coffee House.
Director of the New York Interschool Brandie Clarke believes that the Heads of Schools are becoming closer.
“In a way, the silver lining of this experience is that our schools are working together more closely than ever,” Ms. Clarke said. “The Heads of School have always had regular meetings and have shared many resources and ideas. Since the beginning of the pandemic, they have been talking at least once a week.”
This situation has brought some communities closer, though they are physically apart. The New York Interschool faculty is now meeting more frequently than before. They are becoming closer since they all share the same goal.
“We all want everyone to succeed and for students, families, and faculties to get the information they need and to make sure our schools are safe and accessible for everyone,” Clarke said.
If communities set up appropriate times to meet, this situation could lead to more connections between larger groups. Students that have set up communication platforms with their friends find it easier to keep in touch with them.
“I noticed that after the quarantine, my small friend group seemed to communicate more,” Liam M. ’22 said. “ I also noticed that my class did not communicate as much as when we were at school.”
With online class discussion, the only way which many students are contacting each other, some are relying more on their personal friend groups to make up for the lack of communication. Students are also able to keep in touch with classmates through events organized by other members of the school.
This situation could have long-lasting impacts on both large and small communities, which may take a hit if they cannot set up times to meet digitally. Some larger communities could also see a disconnect between their members due to a lack of physical interaction. However, some students feel that this severing of connections will not be permanent.
“Quarantine has allowed us to see the true value of the physical connection we all miss,” Christian K. ‘21 said. “Due to this, after the quarantine, the community will come back stronger than ever. We've learned more about each other's personal lives through randomly interrupted Zoom calls, found a way to connect together even when separated by hundreds of miles, and learned to stay emotionally connected no matter the physical gap in distance.”
Because of the separation imposed by quarantine, many may realize the value of physical interaction, and will most likely be closer to each other when such interaction is allowed again.
“Our communities will no longer be so firmly grounded in physical locations, they have started to gain the ability to transcend this space and act as a pure social connection,” Christian said.
Connecting more is not a trend only experienced by larger communities, but by friend groups as well.
“I find myself communicating with friends more now because of the lack of activities. They have more free time, and I have more free time, so there are more opportunities to talk.”
During quarantine, meeting new people is more difficult while staying close to friends and community members is much easier.
“After this, it’s probably going to be harder to meet with new people,” Liam said. “Friend groups are going to be much closer, and it would feel awkward to intrude.”
Many communities are feeling closer than ever due to being able to see another side of their members. Communities have been forced to interact in a completely different way that is not the most ideal for many. Although this situation has led to a large physical disconnect, many feel that they were able to understand a new side of their compatriots and feel closer as a community.