STUDENTS RESPOND POSITIVELY
TO REGENTS CANCELLATIONS
By Sophia Sewpersad
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The New York State Regents are a series of exams that are required for New York State students to pass in order to graduate and receive their high school diploma. There are two different subsections for the type of diploma that a student can receive in the state of New York: the Regents Diploma, which requires a student to pass five different exams (English, any topic of Mathematics, Global History, US History, and any topic of Science), and the Advanced Regents Diploma, which requires a student to pass nine different exams (English, all three subjects of Mathematics, Global History, US History, one Physical and one Life Science, and any language other than English).
In June and August of 2020, the NYS Regents were cancelled to protect students from contracting and further spreading COVID-19. As a result, the NYS Board of Regents placed a waiver on students’ transcripts, which resulted in students not needing to take their previously scheduled Regents to pass high school.
According to an article by Chalkbeat titled “NY Cancels Most Regents Exams in Response to Biden Administration’s Refusal to Scrap 2021 Standardized Tests” by Reema Amin, “New York is canceling most spring and summer high school Regents exams. State education officials approved the move on Monday… Only Regents exams in Algebra I, English, living environment, and earth science — required under federal rules — will be administered this June.” This recent cancellation of the required NY Regents exams for two years in a row has been due to the fact that “These changes aim to minimize distress of students, parents, teachers, and administrators, in what we know has been an extraordinary year,” said Commissioner Betty Rosa.
Bayside High School English teacher Ms. Segall agrees with cancelling the Regents this year, saying, “…a lot of students are not up to par because they are dealing with a lot at home and not focusing or studying as they should and some teachers are being limited in their teaching as well. I do not think it is wise to have this test taking place amid a pandemic.”
As for the students, Bayside High School sophomore Rodney Silvero says, “The June Regents should not happen. These are strange and difficult times and the June regents would only make things more difficult. School should be fully open when Regents occur so that all students are able to take the test easily and normally, not during remote learning amid a pandemic.”
Personally, the struggle of remote learning during this pandemic has taught me how to be a lot more organized and how to manage my time better. However, due to the new environment with my parents working at home as well, it is continuously proving to be tough, which is a situation many students can resonate with.
Whether it is a small impact or on a much larger scale, the struggles of remote learning have taken a toll on all students. Bayside High School junior Katelynne Huynh says, “Remote learning has been a good experience because I can work at my own pace. However, the homework and classwork have been a challenge, causing me to go to sleep at 3-4 am.” On top of piling homework, there may still be one big challenge awaiting ahead.
With the addition of having to take the Regents exams, whether it be online or in-person, stress levels of students continue to grow.
MAYORAL CANDIDATE ANDREW
YANG PROMISES CHANGE
By Jassi Kalo
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In January of 2021, Andrew Yang announced his candidacy to become the next mayor of New York City. After his parents immigrated from Taiwan in the 1960s, Yang was born and raised in New York. Raising his own family, Yang's life began to revolve around New York as he became an attorney, entrepreneur, and founded his own non-profit organization called Venture for America (VFA). Hoping to make an even bigger impact, Andrew Yang recently launched his political campaign to become our next mayor.
According to an article from Yang 2020 titled “The Freedom Dividend” written by Andrew Yang’s political team, his campaign is strongly focused on American unemployment. To remedy this, Yang proposed the “Freedom Dividend”, a monthly universal basic income of $1,000 to every American adult over the age of 18, while also supporting the idea of private health insurance to ensure medicare is available to all. Yang also proposed a version of the “Green New Deal” that would reduce dependence on fossil fuels through a carbon tax and support for nuclear power.
Yang's other policies include support for abortion rights, LGBT rights, and stricter gun control. According to a YouTube video by Andrew Yang titled “Why I'm Running - Andrew Yang”, he was named a “Champion of Change” by former president Barack Obama and an Ambassador for Entrepreneurship.
Yang also states that he will help those struggling with money issues by creating a People's Bank “so it stops being so expensive to be poor,” he says. He wants to make an impact by making an attempt to end poverty.
Although many people agree that our economic state is in need of help and change, there have been differing opinions about Andrew Yang and his hopeful proposals as mayor. Bayside High School junior Tiffani Germain says, “This [“The Freedom Dividend”] is a good idea, but I do not think that would be sustainable in the long run.” She goes on to say that “what NYC has been through has affected us all and has made it quite stressful, turning lives upside down. However, with a new mayor I hope normalcy can soon begin again.”
However, Bayside High School junior, Karima Bacchus says, “There needs to be a change... people are suffering economically even more now due to the pandemic.” She believes that offering money to those in need is most definitely a start towards normalcy and improving our economic state.
Similarly, Bayside High School junior Kayla Butler is in support of bringing New York out of this money crisis. She says, “I believe it is a good thing. However, he should explain where the money would come from.” Butler appreciates the sentiment behind Yang’s ideas, but believes he should publicize further information about the issue.
In addition, some people are unsure of what to expect from Yang, yet they still do support the idea of change. Bayside High School junior Nicole Meselsohn says, "... this past year showed me that we needed a change in how everything is run in New York (and the country), so I think a new mayor might be a good way to start to see how things can become."
To conclude, Andrew Yang is a true New Yorker with many new ideas and solutions to tackle COVID-19 and our economic issues to bring NYC back to normalcy. The election for a new mayor does not begin until June of 2021, but Yang is already preparing his next steps for the city.