Administration welcomes student input for parliaments and enrichment days 

Parliaments and enrichment days are both times when students have an opportunity to relax during a hectic day of classes or after a busy month of studying. 

Although in past years QSI had advisory periods, parliaments (used to be called pods) started when schools went remote at the start of the pandemic. According to Principal Meredith Inbal, they were important because teachers needed a way to check-in with students that wasn’t about academics and students needed some down time to connect with each other. 

When students returned to the building, Inbal saw the benefits of parliaments and kept them going.

“Every student in the school should have the opportunity to have at least one adult know them well and for them to trust and know that there is at least one adult who will advocate for them,” Inbal said. “Parliament is meant to be that place.”

Student opinions about the benefits of parliaments are mixed. Some like them the way they are while others think changes should be made to improve them. Lissandra Ferrante, a sophomore, said, “I don’t really enjoy pod because I’d rather hang out with my friends or go to clubs I want to go to.” 

Enrichment days, which happen on the third Friday of each month, are also a time for students to have fun and make connections. A teacher committee plans out events and activities for each enrichment day. 

“Enrichment time, which can encompass clubs and organizations, activities based on interest, in-depth learning experiences, etc. is a way to create space in the school calendar for the things we often don’t have time or space for in our core content courses,” Inbal said.

Administration is very interested in student input and suggestions for both parliaments and enrichment days. According to Inbal, both “are designed with students in mind and meant to instill a sense of joy and belonging.”

“We are always open to change, so if there is something about any of these activities that can be improved, we hope students will let us know,” she said.

Some students would like to see changes to enrichment days. Ferrante and Naqiya Moore, also a sophomore, suggested that enrichment days should include more fun activities such as going out to parks and learning about different movements, such as how we can help climate change. Ferrante added that she “really enjoyed the last enrichment day which had painting and origami.” 

Jhoanny Gonzalez, a senior, suggested ideas such as “an arts day, puzzle making day or puzzle solving day, and a knitting day.”