It was in March of 2020 that Cresskill students and teachers were thrust into chaos, and away from the known, the normal, the usual. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic shut down our school, and parts of the world as we knew it, for almost 18 months. Then came Hurricane Ida that devastated the Cresskill Middle and High School building, flooding the structure and preventing the much anticipated return to in-person school.

After much effort by the school administration and local authorities, during the second half of the 2021-2022 school year the Chodae

 Church, Mosaic Christian fellowship building, was secured as the temporary home for the Middle and High School. Now, when the trials and tribulations seem to be over, students and teachers can compare their Chodae Mosaic building experience with that of the Cresskill High School building.

Based on a representative sample of students and teachers, it seems that Cresskill High School inhabitants have a clear and unambiguous preference. While Chodae holds some merit, and is even remembered with some fondness, students and teachers unanimously agree that studying at the Cresskill High School is the better option.

Chodae’s open and communal structure is seen as both an advantage and a disadvantage. The large spaces allowed for more interactions, and hence for the social aspect of school to really flourish, for students and teachers alike. High school history teacher Ms. Wieme remarked that “there are staff members that I haven’t seen once this year, but I would see regularly at Chodae.” Though socializing was an advantage, it came at the price of a loud environment throughout the entire day. The noisy setting prevented classes from running smoothly. High school math teacher Ms. Kenny recounts, “students couldn’t hear me, and I couldn’t hear the students.” Students were distracted easily by the disorder and like sophomore Omer Tal, “had a much harder time learning, and paying attention.” 

Being back in the Cresskill building with individual classrooms is a relief to all members of the community. Each room is a protected unit with its own blackboard, and content is shared more smoothly and efficiently. Without the struggle to hear and be heard, teachers can make deeper connections with their students. Junior Maddie Morgan said that “realizing it is back to normal, it is time to really focus on [school] and take it seriously, it’s not just easy-breezy anymore.”

While some students miss the shorter school days when they were at Chodae, most of them, along with teachers, agree that the longer lessons allow for increased effectiveness. Senior Shani Gal noted that to make the longer days seem less daunting after such a long time of simpler schedules, the school could have slowly eased the students and teachers back to the full time classes, giving everyone a taste of what’s to come while gradually increasing the length of the days.

The consensus is this: even though the Chodae environment was more lighthearted and fun, teachers and students are grateful to be back in their building, with more structure, order, and an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and growing.