January-February Issue IV

12 back page
SDEI SECOND
Design by Cynthia Zhang ‘24
lavender’s lens
What will be the future of
virtual learning?
By LAVENDER HUANG ‘22
QUARTER REPORT
Updates on the accomplishments and future goals of Baldwin’s student-led
affinity organization, the Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
By STUDENT DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE
It’s 2021: the COVID-19 pandemic
is far from over, but the start of
the second semester begs the question,
“What will be the future of
virtual learning?” With most of
Baldwin returning to in-person
learning, will the virtual learning
option continue in years to come?
One part of Baldwin that may
change drastically because of the
virtual precedents set in 2020 is how
and what we consider a “snow day.”
February 1, 2021, was a proper snow
day- all classes were canceled- yet
on February 2, another day of heavy
snow, all classes moved online.
While Baldwin Wired is now a viable
option for our learning, the
significance of this wired snow day
cannot be understated. Before Baldwin
Wired became part of everyday
life, February 2 would’ve simply
been a second snow day in which
students could stay home and relax.
SDEI:
The Student Diversity Equity and
Inclusion (SDEI) is a new committee at
Baldwin, created to connect our affinity
clubs, improve the diversity climate here at
school, and be a transparent representation
of the student body. If you want to learn
more about SDEI and our mission, check
out our section in the handbook or email us
at sdei@baldwinschool.org.
We started the year with our first
Brown Bag Lunch on Modern-Day White
Supremacy. Following the attack on Capitol
Hill, we wanted to highlight some
historical events and teach about white supremacy
groups and white supremacy on
social media. Arianna Channer’s presentation
was put together with help from Dr.
Biss.
The discussion afterward was
thought-provoking and eye-opening; it was
wonderful to hear the student body’s ideas.
We’d also like to extend our gratitude to
Mr. Kountz, Ms. Allen, Ms. Koster, and
Mrs. Reed for their attendance and support.
Stay tuned as we have more Brown
Bag Lunches on sensitive topics to help
prepare us for Building Bridges Day!
ASIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION (ASA):
-Arianna Channer
ASA has been discussing current
events, such as Asian representation in
American politics and Affirmative Action.
We also facilitated a follow-up discussion
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check us out online at
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after SDEI’s first Brown Bag Lunch.
Recently, we created an Asian Food
Cookbook and continue to have casual
conversations together. Currently, we’re
watching the movie 3 Idiots.
ASA plans to continue hosting weekly
meetings to discuss social issues regarding
the Asian community. Please, keep an
eye out for our cookbook!
-Helen Li, Melody Gui, Indeera Pujar,
Melody Hao
BLACK STUDENT UNION (BSU):
BSU continues to discuss current
events relevant to our personal lives and
our lives at Baldwin. We met with Middle
School BSU during quarter two, which was
a fulfilling experience, as we got to know
more about our younger Baldwin sisters.
Additionally, we worked on a video to
celebrate the women who supported Martin
Luther King Jr., which we hope was as
fun and educational experience for you as
it was for us.
We created a service project in honor
of MLK Jr. in partnership with Service
League. The project is developing “activity
videos” to serve as positive enrichment for
children in underserved communities. We
hope that you signed up to be part of that
service experience!
We are always thinking about fun
events for Woke Week and Black History
www.hourglassnewspaper.com
@hourglassnewspaper
Month. An exciting idea is to host a Black
Writers Read-In Event. Stay tuned for
more information!
BUILDING BRIDGES:
-Asia Blocker, Natecia Greenidge,
Sky Knox, Brianna Wright
Building Bridges has begun planning
Baldwin’s 5th annual Building Bridges
Day, set to take place on April 22. Currently,
our senior committee meets weekly to
create the day, and facilitator training sessions
have just begun.
-Hana Ahanger and Sophia Tavangar
HISPANIC STUDENT ASSOCIATION (HSA):
HSA has been meeting during G-block
two Mondays each month. We’ve been discussing
themes and ideas for Brown Bag
Lunches and are planning to host one soon.
We’ve also discussed making a recipe
booklet to share with our community to
debunk the stereotype that all Spanish food
is the same from each country. We’re planning
future fundraisers!
-Isabel Garcia and Aleida Skogland
JEWISH CULTURAL ALLIANCE (JCA):
Now that several Jewish holidays
have passed, but with Passover coming
up soon, we plan to meet in the
next two weeks to continue our discussion
about antisemitism in our world.
If we can ever meet all together,
we hope to arrange more events,
like a mock Passover Seder or a re-do
for Hanukkah Harry. We’re also planning
to raise awareness/inform members
on how to combat antisemitism.
-Lily Altman, Rani Bleznak, Zoe
Lebowitz
The concept of working through the
snowy weather is not new to Baldwin.
On a snowy day this past December,
Upper School students were
told to Zoom into their classes if
they had a major assessment, even
though it was a declared snow day.
While many students may object to
having class on a day that would
otherwise be a day off, the option
of continuous online learning could
be beneficial. Even after the pandemic,
the ability to be “wired”
whenever and wherever could provide
students with more scheduling
flexibility for instructional time.
For example, suppose a student is
feeling unwell and cannot attend
school in person, but is well enough
to participate in classes from the comfort
of home. In that case, Zooming
could be an effective way to attend
important classes, albeit remotely.
Furthermore, teachers would also be
able to teach classes via Zoom instead
of having to find a substitute teacher.
These practices could, and already
do, redefine what we think of when
we hear the word “school.” If Baldwin
decides that switching to Zoom
is an acceptable alternative to days
off, then the “real” snow days when
students have no classes become not
only a safety measure, but a break
that the administration decides to
be necessary. Would this new definition
of snow days be something
that continues in the coming years?
If not, are certain days required
online learning days this year?
The decision to change snow
days into virtual days completely
takes away the spontaneity and
excitement of an actual snow day.
[ CONTINUED on the WEBSITE ]