Are BCA traditions such as hallway privileges, trips, and more here to stay after a two-year hiatus? As BCA returns to normalcy after two years of masks, strict health measures, and assigned study halls, students have experienced many changes and have earned more freedom. As all grades adjust to a more regular environment, administration has since made policy changes, and updates within the school.

This is a complete shift from the Covid stricken school years students have been accustomed to, which consisted of one-way hallways, classroom study halls, mask mandates, separation in classroom settings, and more.

“After 2 years of restrictions, it is refreshing to be able to talk to friends, get work done, and study in areas other than commons and the auditorium,” says Clara Barsoum, a junior in ABF. 

However, BCA is still implementing 9th-period study halls, where students are required to report to their assigned study hall location. Nevertheless, students believe that this is just the beginning of offering routine privileges to students across all grades. 

“During my free periods, I find myself more productive, motivated, and social with the freedom to go outside and visit friends compared to being in assigned study halls”.

Not only does the end of assigned study halls benefit and allow students to spend downtime in different areas, and meet up with friends, but now teachers don’t need to look after study halls in their classrooms during their free time. 

Additionally, college visits have returned for juniors and seniors during application season for the first time since 2019. Representatives from colleges have come to BCA to discuss college life, applications, and the school itself. This year, not only do students have the opportunity to meet with college admissions officers right here in BCA, students can visit college campuses, tour schools, and attend informational sessions. 

“Having the opportunity to meet admissions officers in school without having to travel to far lengths makes it convenient to express concerns and questions, especially in smaller groups.” 

BCA has announced the Philly Express College Tour which will occur at the beginning of October where students get to visit colleges such as Drexel University, UPenn, Temple University, and Villanova University. Hopefully, this will be the start of the return of college visits which provide students with a unique opportunity to explore possible schools they are interested in applying for.

Nevertheless, not all updates to BCA have been uplifting. One example is the discontinuation of reduced lunches. During the entirety of last year, all students were able to purchase free lunch through the Reduced Lunch program that was implemented during the height of the pandemic so students were ensured balanced meals. 

However, as the pandemic dies down, lunch is becoming charged and has gone back to pre-pandemic costs, priced at $4.75. Though, students may be eligible for free lunch depending on household income.

Finally, new rules regarding driving and car usage have been implemented. As for this year, seniors are not permitted to use their cars during school hours, including lunch hours. This is a big shift from previous years as seniors who had access to a vehicle were allowed to go out for lunch and leave campus in their cars, whereas now seniors are only allowed to walk to nearby food places. It is not known yet if this policy will remain for good, but students hope that this is only a temporary modification.

Ultimately, many of the new updates to BCA rules, since the decline of Covid, have shown positive outcomes and have students eager for more freedom and normalcy within the school. Nevertheless, there is still more to be done to return to pre-pandemic life.