The first day of school in Rye brought joy and big changes.
“Good morning!” and “Happy first day!” exclamations from staff members outside the high school entrance were followed by reminders for students to put their cellphones away now that New York state has passed a new bell-to-bell phone ban.
Sixth and ninth graders entered their schools for the first time with nerves and excitement at 7:30 a.m. for tours and orientation before the older students arrived. A group of ninth grade girls stopped outside the high school entrance to compare schedules and write down their classes on index cards.
“I’m doing digital music, and I’ve never done that before,” said one student when asked what classes excite her.
Rye High School Principal Andrew Hara expects that the newly introduced International Baccalaureate curriculum will be a big success. The program includes advanced course offerings designed to help develop critical thinking and research skills. Hundreds of RHS students are taking IB classes this year, and Business Management is one of the most popular.
Middle and high school students were met with reminders of the new phone ban, which forbids them from using smartphones in school. The goal of the new legislation is to minimize distractions from learning. Last year, an eighth grader said, students could keep their phones in their bags and if they needed to use them, they would have to go to the administration offices.
“Every student has been assigned a locker this year,” Hara said. “They weren’t using lockers in the past, but they’re using them [now] because that’s where they’re supposed to store their cell phones.”
An infographic posted on Hara’s Instagram page (@principalhara) explained that juniors and seniors may take their phones when leaving the building for lunch or free periods. The page also includes a “Ladder of Consequences” for students who are seen with their phones on school grounds. When students are seen using their phones three times, they must then drop off their phone in the assistant principal’s office every day.
“Not gonna lie, I feel like the school might forget about [the phone ban] soon, and I know a lot of students are probably going to carry their phones either way,” said one ninth grader.
At Midland Elementary School, parents snapped photos of their children and waved goodbye, watching as their kids walked onto the blacktop to find their classes.
Midland Principal James Boylan was there greeting the students. How did he feel at the start of another school year? “No complaints,” he said. “The sun is shining the first day of school; it’s fantastic.”
Renovations underway at Midland and Osborn Elementary Schools include the installation of modular units.
“We’ve got a lot of construction going on, but it’s all fantastic,” Boylan said. “Five new classrooms, a new learning commons, a new playground courtesy of the PTO.”
Soon the kids made their way inside; the frenzy outside subsided and calm was restored.
Another school year had begun.
