Building the perfect schedule, or even a sufficient one, is a challenge all Upper School students are sure to encounter each year. Paperwork, meetings, signatures, and internal debate mark the add-drop and registration season.

In March 2020, Registrar Matt McCaw, was forced, along with everyone else, to virtualize the Registry process. Meetings were on Zoom, paperwork was waived. But now, with the Upper School back in person, McCaw has gone analog again.

“I felt that I was out of step with the rest of the school by staying on zoom and creating a lot of new logistical issues that can be handled in person,” McCaw said. Meeting on Zoom also creates a lot of difficulties with paperwork and permissions and signatures.”

McCaw explained that while Zoom was convenient for students, waiving the necessary paperwork to add or drop a class was not positive. To join or leave a class during the ‘add-drop period,’ a student is required to collect the signatures of the teacher and department chair, their advisor, and a parent or guardian. Due to remote learning this process was waived.

“Teachers need to know about changes to the rosters, that’s our main issue. Teachers need to know the size and their load. If teachers are preparing a class of 12, and five of those students have already initiated drops,” McCaw said, “their being aware of the paperwork helps them prepare.”

McCaw also explained that advisors need to be kept in the loop as they are responsible for ensuring a student not only fulfills their graduation requirements, but maintains a full and challenging schedule.

Additionally, McCaw says parents should be aware of their students’ schedules. “We want parents to at least be aware, if you’re joining woodworking, for example, maybe your parents want to know,” McCaw said.

Though his meetings are now in person, Zoom has become ubiquitous, and McCaw says that he is happy and willing to work around a student’s requirements. “If you’re having trouble and you can’t attend the meeting, I’m always perfectly happy to do a zoom meeting, which I don’t think we would have done in the past.”