A Virtual Sorting Ceremony
2020: The Year of Many Virtual Experiences
June 7, 2021
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to attend Hogwarts and be sorted into your house for the rest of your school years? The sorting ceremony at UAIS, although not as magical as Hogwarts’, is something all students look forward to each year.
The 2020-2021 school year has definitely brought challenges and struggles to this aspect of the student body at UAIS. Many students are known for the bonds created through the undying determination to create a welcoming environment for all freshmen and underclassmen.
The Olympics, which take place twice a year, are one of the events students most look forward to in the year. One important moment within Olympics is the sorting ceremony and getting placed in your house for the next 4 years. Freshmen get placed into one of the six houses: Owl, Tiger, Croc, Wolf, Fox, or Shark.
Usually, the sorting ceremony takes place on the third day of school. All students gather in the cafeteria, sitting with their house members, while freshmen stand on the stage waiting for their house assignment. 6 students get called to the front and are given a letter. On the count of 3, each student opens the envelope and finds their house color and cohort.
This year, however, the sorting had to be done completely virtual. Our Physics teacher, Mr. Battaglia, took time out of his class to hold a personal sorting ceremony through their Teams Meetings.
Although not ideal, our House Ambassadors created a variety of ways to welcome the freshmen. Some houses created videos welcoming their new house members. Mr. Battaglia played these in an effort to introduce the freshmen to some of the people in their house. Other houses used time in their first official house meeting to call out all the freshmen and show them how excited they were to have them.
Despite the difficult circumstances, 77% of those who filled out our survey said they felt very welcomed to their house. And, to no one’s surprise, almost everyone who participated in this survey is super excited to meet their fellow house members in person.
I want to get the full UAIS experience and feel like I’m part of my house!
— Lila Niespolo, Croc House (Grade 9)
As a school, the students take pride in their close-knit bonds and relationships they create through the AMES inter-grade meetings.
We cannot wait to continue the tradition of the 6 houses, Olympics, and our AMES meetings. The students have felt extremely grateful to have had such an amazing adaption to the pandemic.
