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The Student News Site of Baruch College Campus High School
Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:14:08 +0000
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Mayor Mamdani: New York’s Hope?
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Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:10:38 +0000
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As Mayor Zohran Mamdani nears his first year in office, New Yorkers are starting to see how his campaign promises have turned into actual policies.
Since taking office in January, Mamdani has focused on issues such as affordable housing, transportation and city services. Baruch High School students interviewed on this mostly had positive opinions of Mamdani, but each person pointed to different parts of his time in office.
Mamdani became mayor after previously serving as a New York state assemblyman from Queens. During his campaign, he focused heavily on making New York more affordable. Some of his campaign ideas included freezing some rents, making buses free, expanding child care and creating city owned grocery stores. His use of social media also helped him connect with younger voters and made his campaign different from more traditional political campaigns.
Aldrin Gazio, a junior, said he generally supports Mamdani but admitted he hadn’t done much research into his accomplishments.
“I’m going off kind of vibes here, in a way. I haven’t gone too much into the research aspect of it,” Gazio said.
Gazio also said they liked having a younger mayor and felt that New York was moving in a good direction. Gazio said they were interested in the idea of free buses because public transportation can be difficult for people who cannot afford it.
Alfredo Flores, a senior, pointed to the city’s emergency snow shoveling program as their favorite accomplishment. The program paid New Yorkers to help clear snow during emergencies. The student also mentioned Mamdani’s support for small businesses.
“I think we’re prospering as New York,” Flores said.
Jose Luis Hernandez, another junior, focused more on housing and said Mamdani’s rent policies stood out to them because of the effect high rent can have on families.
“I feel like it helps my family and helps a lot of other families, considering that landlords like to raise prices and how that can destroy families and stuff,” Hernandez said.
The Mamdani administration has also released its first Mayor’s Management Report, which measures the performance of city agencies. The report says the city repaired 229,000 potholes, a 27% increase from the previous fiscal year, while affordable housing completions increased to 26,971. However, the report covers the entire 2026 fiscal year, meaning it includes six months from former Mayor Eric Adams administration and six months from Mamdani’s.
The report has shown some improvements, but there are still problems for the administration to address. City and State reported that ambulance and fire response times increased during the fiscal year.
As Mamdani approaches his first year as mayor, his administration still has time to work on the promises that helped him prosper in the election. The students interviewed mostly viewed his performance positively, but their answers also showed that people notice different accomplishments and have different expectations for what he should do next.
Mamdani’s approach to leadership as New York’s youngest mayor in over a century is a topic of much contention. But Hernandez, and many others, believe “He’s putting us in the right direction.”
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Taking a Quick Look Up: A Review of “Chasing Clouds”, an Exhibit a the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:59:20 +0000
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How often do we look at the sky? The sky is an ever-present backdrop to our environment, no matter where we are in the world. But the sky isn’t consistent either; it is constantly changing as the sun, the stars and the clouds move. The sky never looks the same way twice. So how do we look at something that we know will never be able to be seen that way again?
“Chasing Clouds” exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
That’s the question that The Met’s exhibit “Chasing Clouds” attempts to answer. The exhibit is made up of images of clouds from all around the world, by several different artists. It shows a variety of different paintings of clouds from throughout the 19th-century as well as early attempts to photograph the sky and catalog clouds with technology. By contrasting these two different ways of capturing clouds, the exhibit is able to show both a romanticized and a scientific version of clouds and of the world as a whole.
Besides traditional paintings, there are also many different sketches and watercolors of clouds. There were contributions from several different artists, such as John Singer Sargent, Joseph Michael Gandy and John Constable, all capturing different places from across the world. These works were done very quickly, within a matter of minutes, purely for the purpose of capturing the sky and the clouds at a very specific moment of time. Clouds are not a stationary thing, they are constantly moving– which does not make them easy to capture in a painting that will take days or months to complete. These short-form pieces of art give the viewer a quick glimpse of how the world looked at a certain point in time – a time that we can never see again.
Even today, we are still trying to find ways to capture a hyper-specific instant in time. Nazlima Talukder, a senior at Baruch, said that she uses “stories and Instagram notes…they have a temporary photo that only lasts a day, and then it goes away. But you have that memory, like, posted.” Additionally, in permanent forms of art, Talukder said “sometimes I also put my emotions into my artwork. So if I’m, like, feeling sad, I’ll use, like, blue colors or, like, cooler-toned colors. If I’m feeling more joyous, I’ll use lighter tones, like yellow, green, red.” Even though it has become easier to recreate moments with reference photos, etc., there is still something to be said for the value of quick sketches done in the moment. As Talukder said, “you’re really capturing the in-the-moment feelings. So you’re really living in the present. You’re not thinking of, like, future problems…And that’s, like, a very fleeting thing. It’s really difficult to capture compared to, like, if you put a lot of time and effort into, like, a longer piece.”
Anna Wierciszewski, another senior at Baruch said that “when you make a sketch, you create something really fast, you focus and you put all your energy into that one thing, that scene or thing that most stands out to you – so it’s basically a lens of how you find things important or how you see things and you don’t have time for all the frills and the details, so that might not be as important to an artist when they want to show something to their audience. So with those clouds, obviously the artist is kind of doing their own thing too, cause those clouds are not gonna wait on him to finish the painting, so he adds his own little touch to it and that makes it personal, and that makes it different from anything that he could see.”
Beyond the contrast of paintings and sketches, the main dichotomy in “Chasing Clouds” was the juxtaposition between the abstract representations of clouds and the photographs that literally captured clouds just as they were. In the 19th-century, photography was just beginning to be developed. Photography was not the quick thing that it is today. Photos took a long time to set up, and it was a complex process to develop the photos, especially when it came to photos of the sky.
The Great Wave, Sète (Gustave Le Gray)
One of the earliest photos in the exhibit was taken in 1853 by John Beasley Greene of the Nile River in Egypt. But in this photo, there are no clouds visible at all. In fact, several of the early photos in this exhibit seem to be unrelated to clouds. However, in the case of many of these early photographs, the skies were “painted out” in order to bring the viewer’s attention to the subject of the land, as early photographs of the sky could turn out strange and distracting. The photograph entitled “La Ciotat”, taken in 1860 by Edouard Baldus is another prime example of this phenomenon. However, another photographer Gustave Le Gray took a different approach, and made a point of including the sky and clouds in his photographs. In his photograph “The Great Wave, Sète” taken in 1857, there was a separate photograph just taken of the clouds that was then printed on top of a photo of the ocean. Several of these early photographs of clouds were used for meteorology and to further scientific discoveries about clouds, not to mention that they were taken using the new technology surrounding photography. These photos show a more scientific approach to capturing clouds. In a time of new invention, similar to the rise in new technologies we are seeing in our present day, creatives began to adopt a more scientific mindset.
And the same thing is happening today. Baruch senior Erica Moore said that she sees the world through a lens that is “sometimes science, sometimes art, because like sometimes, you know, there’s stuff like AI slop…so in those kinds of experiences, I’m like, I can’t, I have to look for the source, like I’m like source, what’s your source? What’s your evidence, you know?”
Our environments and the world around us are never constant, now more than ever. With the rise of new technology and the landscape of the world constantly changing, it’s hard to stay present and be able to focus on little things that make up the backdrop of our lives. Like clouds. The “Chasing Clouds” exhibit shows us a multitude of ways to capture clouds, but it also reveals the different ways that we interpret and try to represent our vision of the world to others. Whether it’s through photography, sketches, paintings, or posts on social media, we all have ways that we try to record and document the world we live in as we move through it, and “Chasing Clouds” tells us that this is not a new pursuit.
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“Self Imposed Surveillance State”: Why Advocates are Pushing for an AI Moratorium in Schools
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Mon, 22 Jun 2026 04:47:05 +0000
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As New York City schools adjust to life after the cell phone ban, a growing organization of parents, educators and advocates against AI are asking officials to take another major step: pause the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms.
Kelly Clancy, an editor, parent and grassroots organizer, is leading a push for a two-year moratorium on AI in public education. In an open letter to school leadership, Clancy’s organization argues that school districts are rushing to integrate AI tools without understanding their long-term cognitive impacts—effectively repeating the exact mistakes made with smartphones a decade ago.
“We knew 10 years ago that cell phones were really bad for attention,” Clancy said. “And we did nothing about it.” The petition urges officials to temporarily halt the integration of AI in classrooms while researchers, educators and policymakers evaluate its impact on learning, privacy, mental health and child development.
Clancy continued, “There was a whole decade of kids who had phones… and there was never any sort of central message. We know that there were really terrible impacts.” She points to research indicating that the constant distraction of screens has actively hindered cognitive development across an entire generation. While the recent phone bans have been a massive success—restoring social interaction and classroom participation—advocates worry that districts are undermining this victory by pushing one-to-one laptops and AI tools into every lesson plan.
The Cognitive Harms
The argument for a two-year pause on AI isn’t just about screen time; it’s about how fundamentally different adolescent brains can develop when focused on screens. While AI tools may be helpful shortcuts for adults who already know how to think critically—a process called cognitive offloading—Clancy warns that for students, the technology poses a deeper threat: cognitive stunting.
Clancy explains, “[Cognitive stunting] means that you never develop those neuro pathways to begin with. There’s also a lot of research talking about how it’s leading to the cognitive flat lining, the lack of diversity in terms of thought and it’s streamlining the types of language that’s used.”
For student writers, this “flattening” of language is alarming. Beyond the academic shifts, advocates are raising flags about severe mental health risks, data privacy concerns and the rise of cyberbullying and deepfake harassment tied to AI tools in schools.
Clancy points to a real-world example of an adolescent who died of a drug overdose, whose ChatGPT logs revealed a tragic truth: the student would alternate between asking for math homework help, seeking relationship advice and asking how high he could get on specific substances.
Without human interference, these platforms can quickly become a buffer rather than a tool for genuine support.
Clancy continued, “A two year moratorium would allow us to figure out where AI is, because right now we have no idea–there’s no list–it would allow us to figure out what we want and what our goal is in terms of a public education system that prepares kids to live in the world. And it would help us make sure that we’re not making the same mistakes that we did allowing phones in the school.”
Furthermore, there are data privacy risks also at hand. Large scale tech corporations rely heavily on data mining to train and refine their models to feed back to students and therefore turning student work and interactions into corporate property.
“Tech bros’ incentives align with enriching their shareholders,” Clancy said. “What they want is to create a generation of kids who are hooked and addicted to their products, and they want to mine your data. Those two things are not commensurate with the goal of public education.”
The Double Standard: AI in Grading and Lesson Planning
One of the most contentious aspects of the current AI system in schools is the transactional environment it creates between educators and students. While students face strict consequences or accusations of cheating by utilizing AI, a growing number of teachers are turning to the very same technology to generate lesson plans, worksheets, and even provide feedback on student work.
Clancy calls the reliance on AI grading software “educator malpractice,” arguing that it dismantles the very foundation of the learning process.
“The world doesn’t need 50 more essays on Macbeth,” Clancy said. “What the world needs is 50 more humans that have written essays on Macbeth and thought about that process. The only way we can make that process worthwhile is if we entrust educators to evaluate it.”
According to Clancy, automated grading programs reduce nuanced writing to baseless, superficial feedback.For students, the argument is simple: if they are putting in actual human effort into their assignments, they have a contractual right to demand that their work be read and analyzed by a human.
Keeping the “Human” in Public Education
A common defense for AI adoption in schools is the pressure to make students prepare for a future that is dominated by advanced technology and AI.
However, Clancy points out a stark contradiction among the technology’s founders, There’s a Wall Street Journal article where they asked all of these AI executives how they’re educating their kids in the age of AI, and not a single one of them said that they were having their kids learn how to use AI.”
Clancy continued, “The people who want to make money off of you using AI—they’re not doing that for their kids. I believe in investing in a system where I would be happy if my kids went to any school. I want to build something that’s for all kids, not just for my kids.”
As the job market shifts, the exact skills that cannot be mechanized such as deep analysis, original writing and empathetic human connection are proving to be the most resilient. Clancy notes that while technical fields like computer science are facing intense job market corrections, fields that require human thought and analysis remain vital.
Ironically, the pushback against over-digitization is increasingly coming from students themselves. While the initial reaction to cellphone bans and Yondr pouches was met with frustration, the reality on the ground has shifted. Without the constant anxiety of what students can be described as a self-imposed surveillance state, where any minor mistake might be recorded and uploaded to various social media platforms, classrooms and lunchrooms have naturally become more lively and collaborative.
Ultimately, the call for an AI moratorium is an effort to protect, strengthen and ensure the longevity of human connection. While technology can optimize tasks, students ultimately thrive on structure, routine and real relationships built with educators—not with algorithms.
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It’s Been Wild – The Seniors’ Last Pitches
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Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:42:38 +0000
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The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” drifted across the pitch as friends, family and underclassmen gathered along the foul lines, arms full of decorations and hand-painted posters. It was senior night for the varsity girls softball team and before the first pitch was thrown, there were already tears.
For Eliza, the emotion was understandable. She’s been playing softball since she was seven years old – more than a decade of early practices, tournaments and innings that added up to something she’s still trying to put into words.
“A little sad,” she said, though her smile told a fuller story. Her parents and sister were in the stands and the highlight reel in her head runs long, including three home runs in a season alone.
Her coach, Breman, remembers her time on the team, “I have no idea what I’m going to do without Eliza leading off every game. She’s amazing.”
Z has been playing with the Blue Devils for three years and senior night hit her with a particular weight. She’s grateful for the friendships she has made, for the games she’s learned to cherish and especially Coach Breman. She’s even found inspiration to keep playing in college.
“Softball holds a very special place in my heart,” she said.
Shamer joined the team as a freshman and has watched herself grow in ways that go beyond her stats. What she values most aren’t the wins — it’s the bonds. Friends made their way uptown to cheer her on and she credited the seniors around her for setting the tone all year: putting in the time, putting in the effort, “genuinely caring about each other and the game”.
Coach Breman has coached softball for six years and this senior class holds a place “unlike any other” in his coaching tenure. None of them had ever played real softball before they walked into tryouts freshman year. He took them in anyway. What followed was something he described as “amazing.” His softball team made it to the quarterfinals two years ago, then the semifinals last year, fueled by a group that brought “positive energy every single day”.
Coach Breman said, “I have never had a group that came in and never played a sport. The growth from that — it’s been wild.”
His favorite part of coaching, he’ll tell you, isn’t the trophies. It’s about being part of a group as they learn from each other, bond and become more than teammates. And this group, he says, gave him all of that and more.
As the pregame celebration wound down and the music faded out, the moment carried the particular sweetness of something ending well. Dimples and contagious smiles all around, through the tears. For these seniors, the regular season may be over, but what they built here will last a long, long time.
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Leaf It to Me: Matcha Recommendations in NYC
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Tue, 02 Jun 2026 03:24:46 +0000
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Before matcha, coffee was all the rage in New York. Many people, including me, have already known about matcha before any of the matcha trends.
Matcha is known for having many health benefits and it contains less caffeine than coffee, while also offering a good amount of energy for the day. Matcha is considered an acquired taste due to the different and complex flavor profiles.
There’s a lot of matcha in New York but it’s pretty hard to find good ones. There are many qualities to look for before buying a cup from a shop. I think it’s important to see what milks they use. As well as the syrups, the color of the matcha and what powder they use before I accidentally pay $10 for an unsatisfactory matcha.
Here’s a list of the tried-and-true matcha places from a matcha connoisseur. This list consists of places all over the city, including the price range.
Sorate – 10/10
Locations: SoHo and Flatiron
Best for: traditional tea ceremonies without actually going to Japan
Price: $$$$
My Go-to Order: House Matcha Latte with whole milk and agave syrup or Matcha Coconut Water with agave syrup
Sorate is a nice tea house where you can see your matcha being whisked right in front of you. Sorate gives you this traditional experience instead of that busy and overstimulating feeling you get when you walk into a coffee shop. Sorate doesn’t offer any specialty drinks so if you like a simple matcha, this is the place for you. The best thing is that there are three types of matcha powders that you can choose from, depending on your taste. Gelato is also served in Sorate, as well as Hojicha and simple tea for people who want to try other drinks.
Matchaful – 7/10
Locations: West Village, SoHo, Nolita, Williamsburg
Best for: specialty drinks that are high quality
Price: $$$
My Go-to Order: Double Matcha Cold Foam
Matchaful is either a hit or miss due to the amount of matcha they put in. Personally, I prefer a matcha that is very vibrant and green so I usually have to ask for extra matcha and unfortunately it’s an extra charge. Matchaful works with a Japanese tea farm where they grow plants without pesticides. Their plant milks are made in store and have their own delicious treats. They also have a bunch of specialty drinks and seasonal options so I would say it’s a good place to try something new.
Mika’s Direction – 9/10
Location: Midtown/Koreatown
Best for: customizing your own matcha profile
Price: $$
My Go-to Order: Hinata Matcha Latte with Vanilla
Mika’s direction is a Japanese owned cafe that makes amazing matcha lattes. They whisk your matcha right in front of you which is a great experience especially if you’re a beginner matcha drinker. They offer many specialty drinks and seasonal options where they use very high quality matcha. They have three matcha options that you can choose from, depending on your tastes. If you want to try something else, they also offer Hojicha lattes, regular americanos, cookies and regular teas. Besides food and drinks, they also sell materials to make matcha at home, which is a great addition to the store!
Choji – 10/10
Location: NoHo
Best for: desert-like matcha
Price: $$
My Go-to Order: Jasmine Matcha or Vanilla Matcha
This is another store for people who like specialty drinks. The store has seating with cushions where you can get comfortable while waiting for your matcha since this store is quite popular, especially with their Fig Cream Matcha. Depending on what you get, the price can range from $7-$10. Besides matcha, they also offer bubble tea and fruit teas for something different. I love their Jasmine Matcha as it has a nice Jasmine flavor, while also not overpowering the matcha flavor. Again, Choji has hand-whisked matcha which makes it better.
Noa, a Café – 8/10
Location: Midtown/Koreatown
Best for: high quality matcha with a cozy ambiance and fresh pastries
Price: $$
My Go-to Order: Matcha Latte with almond milk, vanilla syrup, and extra matcha
This cafe is actually in a hotel lobby which contributes to its nice cozy ambience. To top it off, their matcha is pretty nice especially because it’s hand-whisked. There’s many especially matchas such as the banana cream matcha. I like to ask for a little extra matcha since the syrup can be a little overpowering. Fortunately the baristas are very nice and accommodating so don’t be afraid to ask for a little extra!
La Cabra – 4/10
Location: SoHo, East Village, Bushwick
Best for: minimalistic scandinavian style cafe
Price: $
My Go-to Order : Matcha Latte with Oatmilk and Simple Syrup
I would say this place is pretty average. They do use matcha from Kettl, which is another good matcha place but somehow the matcha is off. I’ve bought from here multiple times just to force myself to like it but it doesn’t work. The oatmilk somehow overpowers the matcha flavor and all you taste is the clay-like flavor from the milk which isn’t really yummy. I don’t know if it’s the matcha powder or the milk, but not for me.
MXDIN (Mixed Ingredients) – 9/10
Location: Lower East Side
Best for: real ingredients and clean drinks
Price: $$$
My Go-to Order: Matcha Latte with simple syrup
I think their matcha is pretty great since there’s a nice balance of the matcha and milk. I feel like MXDIN is more of a health focused cafe because they use clean ingredients. There’s not many options on the menu which are simple for people who are indecisive. There’s a few specialty drinks such as their watermelon matcha and coconut water matcha. They also have coffee options.
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Are You Better Off? An Introspection of Yondr Pouches
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Sat, 30 May 2026 00:06:41 +0000
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It’s been eight months since the Yondr pouch initiative began at schools across New York State. The morning ritual is now muscle memory: walk in, tap CASS ID, click the magnetic lock, and drop a dead device in the Yondr pouch. But as the initial groans of “phone-withdrawal” have faded into a dull hum, a more complex question has emerged in its wake. Are you better off?
In a recent poll conducted on the official 411 Press Instagram account, a staggering 62% of students voted “No” when asked if the new system worked. However, 15% voted “Yes” and 23% remained unsure. While this data does not include the entire student body nor staff, it does incite debate. Although over half of the poll participants voted no when prompted, that sentiment does not seem to reflect the overall boost in morale I have observed over the past few months.
Return to Analog:
Students viewing previous yearbooks together.
Students are now picking up hacky sacks, playing cards and sharing word search puzzles. While at first this shift felt like a fit of nostalgia, it soon became the new normal. Without phones, students are presented with a rather rare opportunity to engage with each other in real life.
Senior Nathalee Chimbay reflected on how the Yondr system changed the way she spends her free periods.
“I feel like I am better off in a way because I’m talking to way more people than usual, but it still feels weird not talking it out whenever I have free time and having to go down the lobby to unlock it.”said Chimbay.
One of the activities Chimbay has returned to is word search puzzles, “I always did them as a kid with my uncle, and recently started getting back into it by finding random books in the teacher’s room. It’s fun to find the words and really makes you think where it could be if it’s vertical, horizontal, or even backwards.” said Chimbay.
Card games have also become pretty popular around school as during a free moment students can easily pull out a deck of cards and gather into large groups. Senior Ryan Xiao believes the absence of phones has strengthened connections between students.
“I think we are able to engage with one another more as opposed to everyone just doing their own thing. Social interactions are very important to build community,
and Baurch does this very well because we are such a small school, but with the added bonus of no phones, we are even more interconnected.” said Xiao.
Though for Xiao, card games also carry a personal meaning, he says, “Card games are generally very fun, and they are universal. I play with my grandma, and I wanted to bring a part of my culture to school. I’ve noticed my friends have enjoyed the games and grown into them as well, so it’s become a staple for us.”
Student mentors and mentees meeting in the hallaway.
Meanwhile, senior and hacky sack enthusiast Julian Avellaneda says activities like hacky sack have become an outlet for students adjusting to life without constant access to their devices.
“I think we are better off without our phones because without them, people communicate more. I don’t care either way, but I think other people are opening up and actually interacting with each other.” said Avellaneda.
Avellaneda explained that the physical nature of hackeysack is part of what makes it so appealing and exciting.
“I love playing hacky sack because it promotes teamwork, and it’s something you can do on the go. It’s way better than just getting stimulated by your phone–I think the physicality of it is what makes it more popular. Without our phones, we are a bit antsy, but a hacky sack gives us an outlet.” said Avellaneda.
While students are finding their own ways to adapt, the administration sees these hackeysack circles and card games as a direct result of their policy goals.
The Teacher View:
While students focus on the social shift, faculty members are observing a change in “brain work.” Science teacher Angela Oldenburg believes the ban has made for “fruitful” discussions, even if it meant sacrificing tech-based tools like Kahoots.
Students collaborating in the hallway.
“I think in a nutshell, it’s easier to teach because there are less distractions,” Oldenburg said. “For science, the curriculum is a lot more heavy on scientific literacy… You have to read something, look at data before you have your response. I think using technology can help those skills, but I think those skills need to come from you first.”
Oldenburg also highlighted the importance of critical thought in the age of AI. “We have to be smart to know how to use technology to our advantage, but before you can do that, you have to think for yourself first.”
A Policy of Empowerment or Policing?
Despite the general consensus of benefits, Baruch’s administration acknowledges that the method—the pouch itself—is a point of contention. Assistant Principal Diana DiRico admits the situation is complicated.
“ It’s complicated—I absolutely think we are better off with a cellphone ban… the presence of cellphones in academic environments has long been causing distractions,” DiRico said. “However, the Yondr pouch itself is not necessarily the best mechanism. It is a semi-flawed plan; It would be nice if we could allow young adults to have access to their phones to use responsibly during their free time.”
DiRico noted that while she loves seeing the cafeteria become “chattier” and her board
games being used more, she understands the plight of the student body. “I never want
students to feel like school is policing them because the goal is to always empower them—and Yondr pouches happen to be a bit of both.”
Striking a Balance:
As the school year nears its end, the debate continues. Is the “authentic connection” DiRico describes tangible whilst also maintaining digital autonomy? For now, the “No” votes on Instagram suggest students aren’t totally sold, but the lively circles of card games and conversations in the hallways suggest that, socially at least, the “buzz” of Baruch has never been louder.
“I look forward to [phones] not dominating so much of our attention,” DiRico concluded. “Can we strike a balance?”
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Regents: The Beginning of the End?
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Fri, 29 May 2026 23:57:47 +0000
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Ask almost any New York high schooler about Regents exams, and you’ll probably get a less-than- enthusiastic response. However, new policies could mean that these state-required tests will soon become an anxiety of the past.
The first New York State Regents Examinations were administered in 1865 to eighth grade students. It wasn’t until 1878 that high schoolers began taking them, and from then until the late 1900s, different subjects and versions of the tests were administered as high school curriculums changed.
Over the years, examinations in art, Latin, and agriculture among others circulated through the subjects that were offered, but many were discontinued. In 1979, the Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) were introduced that allowed students to take tests that assessed their basic proficiency in the areas of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies to earn a “local” high school diploma as opposed to the Regents diploma. RCTs stopped being administered in the summer of 2018 and since then there have only been minor changes made to the Regents that we take today.
In November of 2024, state officials released a timeline for a proposed plan that would mean that New York students would no longer be required to pass Regents exams to earn a diploma starting in the fall of 2027. It’s been two years since this information was first unveiled, but the details since then have been vague.
We talked to Principal Perez-Katz, who is a part of a fellowship called “New, Now, Next” that is working on the proposed Portrait of a Graduate, a new standard that would be phased in to measure students’ academic progress and character building through projects, internships, and more. (Under the proposal, students could demonstrate skills through presentations, long-term projects, work-based learning experiences and other alternatives to standardized testing.) Perez-Katz is optimistic about this new standard and how it could look for Baruch.
“New York State is one of the only states in the country that still has exams as a graduation requirement, so it’s a pretty antiquated system,” Perez-Katz said. “Because there’s so many schools in New York City, one school can’t do all the things, and so if there’s some flexibility in helping schools identify what they do well, [The Portrait of a Graduate] can really, at its best, provide different pathways for students to demonstrate proficiency.”
Ms. Perez-Katz’s comments highlight one of the major arguments behind the proposed changes: allowing schools to offer more individualized ways for students to prove their understanding beyond standardized testing.
However, Ms. Perez-Katz brought up the question that we are all wondering: are the Regents Examinations really ending? Perez-Katz doesn’t think so. “The misunderstanding that’s going around is that the Regents are going away,” she said. “My understanding is that they’re not going away. There will only be one diploma, so that is being phased in. It’s just going to be a Regents diploma.”
There are mixed reactions to the changing of graduation requirements in New York, and as the state sorts out the future of Regents and other plans, these feelings will continue to evolve. As of right now, New York state is saying that the Portrait of a Graduate will be phased in starting in the fall of 2027 for freshmen in high school. At Baruch, we may see the effects soon.
Whether the Regents examinations disappear completely or are defined by a new meaning, the graduation requirements that have shaped generations of New York students will certainly look distinctly different for years to come.
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Achieving Excellence: A Conversation with Our 2026 Valedictorian and Salutatorian
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Fri, 29 May 2026 23:52:48 +0000
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As time slips away and graduation approaches, naturally, the entire Baruch student body wonders—who are our next valedictorian and salutarians? This year, those honors are bestowed upon: Valedictorian, Ryan Xiao, and Salutatorian, Hiba Lahfid.
While both students reached the top of their class, they both have had incredibly personal journeys that reveal the determination and resilience behind the accolade. In a conversation with both Xiao and Lahfid, we discussed the reality behind their accomplishments:
What proved to be the most challenging aspect of your high school career?
I think the most challenging aspect of my high school career was for sure staying motivated. At times, motivation was just not super high and especially seeing other people not trying as hard or being more relaxed about school work, it really demoralizes me and makes me feel like I shouldn’t be working as hard. [Xiao]
Coming from parents who did not finish their schooling in America, I grew up without much academic guidance — not because my parents didn’t care, but because they simply didn’t have familiarity with the American educational system. The most challenging aspect was that every project, every homework assignment, and every deadline was completely on my own. Nonetheless, I was never short on emotional support from my parents. [Lahfid]
How did it feel to be awarded valedictorian?
I was very shocked because I had heard from the grapevine that it would be someone else. So I just completely gave up and didn’t really expect it, so definitely surprised, but also just happy because I feel like I put a lot into school and to see it finally pay off was very nice. [Xiao]
Which teacher or staff member had the biggest impact on you and why?
Ms. Benowitz and Ms. Grove—honestly, they are both my school mothers. Both were there for me whenever I needed. Ms. Benowitz was always willing to listen, read through my college supplements and serve as a true mentor. Ms. Grove was the person I could go to for anything, a shoulder to lean on throughout the college process and across the last couple of years. She supported me in every way possible. [Lahfid]
What advice would you give your freshman yourself?
I would say to, in spite of all things, work harder. I mean everything will work out in the end, and all the hard work will pay off, so it will all be fine even if it doesn’t feel like it. As much as I’ve already accomplished, a part of me feels as if I could’ve accomplished more. [Xiao]
Don’t overwork yourself. I stressed over school and grades far too much, and I’ll admit that I feel somewhat burnt out now. At the same time, I would still encourage that younger version of myself to keep putting in the hard work and commitment because it does pay off eventually. So, I’d also say: Keep going. [Lahfid]
How do you want to be remembered by your peers?
I think I want to be remembered as someone who was hardworking and who put in that effort. And someone who just never gave up, even in the face of obstacles. Positively. [Xiao]
In a positive manner. I had fun with the people I’m close with in high school! [Lahfid]
As they prepare to lead our class one last time at graduation, their stories serve as a reminder that while the titles are prestigious, the characters they have built along the way is the true reward. It has been an incredible privilege to watch and work alongside both Xiao and Lahfid over the years. We are all proud and cannot wait to see what the future looks like for the two—no doubt it will be bright.
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A Day of Culture, Color & Community: Baruch’s Annual Art Show
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Fri, 29 May 2026 13:02:22 +0000
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Inside Aneta Hawrylewicz’s inspiring art show, bright canvases lined the walls, with other mounted sketches of artwork that each student had the privilege of taking part in. One of Hawrylewicz’s favorites, the manuscript-inspired pieces, gave insight into the community and many different cultures at Baruch.
Last month on April 22nd, Ms.Hawrylewicz’s annual art show turned the school’s gym into a gallery filled with community pride and imagination. With the help of Baruch’s amazing parent-teacher association committee, students and teachers were able to gather and celebrate months of hard work. The showcase of artwork served as a reflection of stories and cultures that make up the student body itself.
Every piece carried its own personality—whether it was the abstract paintings covered in loud colors or the carefully sculpted clay figures. However, a specific captivating sectio