Tension filled the air as history was made on Tuesday.  On September 18th, the Class of 2019 gathered in the Moriuchi Room to participate in the new and improved Intensive Learning selection process.  In past years, the process had been privately conducted by Upper School faculty members; however, a lack of transparency and widespread skepticism surrounding the “randomness” of the selection process contributed to the school’s decision to make the process public.  In an article outlining the changes to the Intensive Learning Selection Process this year, WordsWorth’s Andrew Rowan wrote:

The process is as follows: students are randomly assigned a number within a group based on their grade and how many times they have traveled. Students within a group will select their trip of choice from available programs when called by their assigned random number. Seniors who have not traveled will be the first to select on Tuesday, September 18, followed by everyone else on subsequent days.

WordsWorth covered the senior selection process via Facebook Live.

Although members of the senior class were eager to make their selections, an air of nervousness was felt throughout the Moriuchi Room the day of the selections.  

When asked about his thoughts on the public selection process, Senior Blake Wiener said, “[The new process] is okay.  It’s a little nerve-wracking, because you don’t know if you are going to get your [trip]. It’s rough with the random numbers.”  

Senior Micaela Coll agreed with Wiener’s sentiment that the public process was stressful.

While many who were selecting further down on the list anxiously awaited their turn, the choice was easy for Jordan Edelstein, who had the first overall choice.  “I knew there was no pressure, because I was going to get whatever trip I wanted,” Edelstein told WordsWorth on a Facebook Live stream.

Despite the anxiety that gripped the Class of 2019, the new selection process certainly appeared to be a success.  In recent years, many juniors and seniors complained that they had been waitlisted for on overnight trip or placed into local trip (1:03) even though they had priority because they were upperclassmen.  The new process, it appears, has solved that problem. At the end of the first selection day, open spots remained in each of the overnight trips, which meant that every senior who wished to go on an overnight trip received their first choice.

  Upper School Director Meredith Godley celebrated the occasion in a tweet:

Senior Ethan Barr had slightly more to discuss before selecting an IL trip.  Barr, who has several life-threatening allergies, said he needed more time review the trip options with his parents to ensure his safety: “I did not have enough time to talk to [my parents], but I think [the new process] helps people who already know what trip they want to go on, because it makes the process a little bit shorter.”

One major ripple effect of the selection process becoming public was that students were able to strategize with their friends in an attempt to get on the same trip.  Regarding the widespread organizing, Senior Kendall Connolly told WordsWorth that it caused “unwanted tension within the grade.” Not only was planning ahead with friends a common theme throughout the Class of 2019, but also within the Class of 2020. When asked about the decision-making amongst friend groups, Junior Bubble Lyu said, “When I see all my friends getting a trip, and I’m not on it, I feel bad.”

On a more positive note, Junior Jackie Barr, who will be traveling to Florida, said, “I liked the new process better, because I liked how you could see what everyone is choosing and talk to your friends.”

Senior Mya Corsey summed up the new process well: “It was more stressful than I thought it was going to be … Overall, it worked out pretty well for the people that signed up for overnight trips.”

Despite the added stress of the public process, many Juniors and Seniors were still able to go on their first-choice trips. For members of the Class of 2020 that did not receive their first choice trip, they will certainly get a fair chance next fall.