Oracle Summer 2020

By: Susan Benjamin, Grade 11 We’re coming home! Adelphians of all ages are excited to head back to school in September, but perhaps no one is more excited than Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn Head of School Ms. Iphigenia Ro- manos. For the past several months, she and her staff have been working to ensure a safe return to the building for students and families for the Academy’s historic 158th academic year. Ms. Romanos recently spoke to The Adelphi Oracle to reflect on the distance learning experience as well as to share some insight as to what students can expect in September when they return “home” to Adel- phi. Q: How do you feel Adelphi responded to the sudden need for distance learning? A: In the face of tremendous and unprecedented adversity, I am proud to say that Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn acted quickly and deci- sively to keep our students and their families safe. By moving up our scheduled spring break to mid- March, we were able to spend the time necessary to implement an entirely digital platform of educa- tion that kept students and their teachers engaged in synchronous learning throughout the school day. In a time of great uncertainty, Adel- phi was able to keep things as close to normal as possible for those who depend on the Academy for stabil- ity. Q: What kind of feedback did you receive from students and par- ents about the transition to distance learning? A: The response from so many of our students and parents was over- whelmingly positive. There is no doubt that Adelphi’s innovative approach to distance learning kept our families actively engaged from the very beginning, which was ex- tremely important as we all at- tempted to navigate through un- charted waters together. Q: What are you most proud of in terms of launching this new pro- gram amid a global crisis? A: I think I am most proud of the fact that Adelphians of all ages were able to adjust to the distance learning program so quickly and utilize so much new technology that will prove to be a valuable resource for all stu- dents and staff moving forward. Q: What was the process like for you personally? A: It was certainly a challenge working from home all the time, but I will say that thanks to daily Zoom and Google Meet video ses- sions I was able to maintain regular contact with students, parents and staff, so I still felt very connected to everyone. Continued on page 7 V O L U M E L X X , I S S U E 4 THE ADELPHI ORACLE INSIDE THI S I SSUE : Founded 1863 8515 Ridge Boulevard Bay Ridge Brooklyn, New York 11209-4307 We’re on the Web! adelphi.org Follow Us @adelphiacademy Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn School News 1-11 Summer Scoop 3-6 Of the Months 8-9 A Moment of Science 12 Gamer’s Guide 12 Sports 13 Talkin’ Tech 13 Food 14 Fashion 14-15 Comics 16 Head of School Ms. Romanos met with Oracle Co-Managing Editor Susan during the summer for an exclusive interview as Adelphi Academy prepares to re-open in the fall. S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 Q&A: Adelphi’s Head of School Ms. Romanos’ Leadership Gets Adelphians Set to Return ‘Home’