Grace Huisking, 12 – “We should probably have two principals, because I want my principal to know my name.”

Sarina Trivedi, 10 –  “6th graders are not going to feel comfortable going to a brand new school where they are going to be overwhelmed with the drop schedule and walking in the same hallways as high schoolers. They are already overwhelmed with learning where their classes are and opening a locker.”

Jeremy Lavine, 12 – “Personally, I suppose if I were to say anything about it, the way it was explained to me by an unnamed administrator makes it seem like a pretty good idea. I suppose some of the teachers have the right to be offended since they were kept out of the loop too long. So, if there was one thing they could have done differently it might have been transparency.”

Kavi Singh, 12 – “I guess that it’s too early to really judge how these changes are gonna go. Some people love change just because change is usually seen as a positive thing, but that’s obviously not always true. You have to look back into the schools history and see what’s worked and what hasn’t. The change to how our schedule works now was a positive improvement back then. What worked before didn’t work as well as it does now. But there’s clearly room for improvement, because I still have issues with how my typical school day goes and I’m definitely not alone there. I’m not sure if these changes have been done before, so if that’s the case, there’s no real way of judging how these changes are  gonna go. Kids are just gonna have to see once it’s in place.

Collette Quigley, 11 – “ It’s really unnecessary. It does more harm than good.”

Diarra Smith, 12 – “I think that although there’s a grade difference between middle school and high school, that doesn’t change whether one principal or two principals can set authority for all the kids”

Ryan Kelly, 11 – “ I think 17 and 18 year olds need to be disciplined very differently than 11 and 12 year olds so I think it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Joyce Silva, 10 – “It’s stupid and not going to work.”

Jamie Luo, 9 – “I mean I’m fine with it, I just don’t understand the need to do it.”

Vicky Cuttita, 10 –  “I think it could be very anxious for the middle schoolers as well because they are younger and being in the hallway with seniors could be very nerve wracking.”

Jessie Malo, 12 – “I think that one principal could potentially unify the middle school and high school and help ease the transition between the two. However, it may be difficult for them to keep up with everything going on in both schools.”

Martin Svider, 11 – “Having supervisors for the curriculum is a waste of money and the taxes will go up. We already have department leaders.”

Jared Childs, 12  – “I honestly don’t really care about it because I’m going to be gone, off to college in a few months”

Danny Crawford, 11 – “I really don’t see the need to change anything. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

Dana Gomes, 10 – “I don’t think that the high school and the middle school should be treated the same since they are completely different ages and maturity levels.”

Jillian Luftman, 10 –  “I think our school works fine with two principals…”

Zack Weinberg, 11  – “ We are losing many experienced administrators once this restructuring comes out and we are blue ribbon so I hope they figure out something that everyone can agree on before we lose more people.”

Isis Kirkland, 12 – “I don’t see why out of all things, this is what they want to change. I also don’t understand how everything is supposed to switch over so quickly. I think the BOE needs to actually consider how it will affect students, and slow down.

Anthony Maurice, 11 – “To be honest I feel that it is not a good idea as our taxes are already high enough as they are. With adding more supervisors and one less principal it’s really gonna kill our taxes going up and putting a 12 year old with a 18 year old is just not a good idea.”

Sophia Pappalardo, 10 – “The principal will also have a hard time focusing because he/she is probably going to be overwhelmed taking on the duties of two jobs.”

Allie Eisenberg, 10 – “It’s important for the high school and the middle school to be two separate schools…It’s [the restructure] only beneficial for the high school specific classes.”

Alexa Levine, 10 – “The bell schedules aren’t going to work because the kids are gonna be scared of being in the same hallways as the high schoolers.”  

Jenny DeStefano, 12 – “Even though I won’t be actually in school for any of the proposed changes, I think that the Board is disregarding how the students in question would feel about the switch. Middle school and high school are very different places despite being the same physical building, so it is unfair to split one principal’s attention between two schools.”

Chloe Siohan, 12 – “I think it’s too much too soon, and it needs to be thought over a lot more. Parents’ and kids’ voices need to be heard more.”

Devin Croake, 12 – “I feel as though having one principal for both Glen Rock High School and Middle School is not a good idea. I believe that the range from sixth to twelfth grade would be too much for one person to handle, and the issues that these children face are too different. I believe having one person for each school that can properly address the students’ problems would be best. I also find it valuable that there is one person in each section of the building to deal with anything that may come up…Personally, I couldn’t even imagine going from something so constant to something where the order of classes and the rooms each class is in changes everyday.”

Jordan Carr, 12 – “Although I won’t be here, I think it’s too much for one principal to be in charge of 6-12th graders. It’s also a rushed decision and they should take time to really think about it.”

Karina Roze, 12- “I think that the restructuring of the middle and high school is going to make a decently big difference. I think that there are too many changes going on all at one time, and it is unclear what the effects are going to be on the kids. I will not be in the school next year but I’m excited to watch from the outside in”

Caroline Goldenberg, 12 – “I don’t think that the new changes will necessarily be negative. However, I am a bit concerned about the implementation of one principal to oversee the middle school and high school. Although I understand the district’s re-envisioning of the roles of Assistant Principals, I do remember, when I transferred to GRHS, one of the things that made me feel most welcome was that I felt the principal really made an effort to get to know me and other students. I’m not sure how easily that will happen if one principal is directing both the middle and high schools. While I absolutely respect the district for their efforts to improve the middle and high school systems, I do feel the changes may be moving too fast. I’ve heard concerns expressed by parents that they may have not received the information they desire about the impacts of the plan in time to vote, or they were unable to attend the BOE meetings, but still would like to be informed.”