CESJDS sent out an announcement on May 7 saying that they scheduled a COVID-19 vaccine clinic to take place on Friday, May 14 at the Upper School. The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, May 10 for children 12-15 years old. 

Nurse Heather Greenblum is excited about the vaccine clinic. She explains that the process to set this up was relatively simple.

“We have done a flu clinic through Safeway before, and the pharmacy actually contacted us asking if we would want to have a COVID-19 clinic,” Greenblum said. “Within an hour, we [the nurses] sent an email to …Head of School Rabbi Malkus and all the principals asking what they think of this idea. Everybody wanted to do this and jumped on board.”

Some of the students who are 16 and older have already been vaccinated, so this news particularly affects the middle school and ninth-graders. Greenblum encourages all unvaccinated students to take advantage of this opportunity.

“We are definitely inviting and encouraging all the ninth-graders to get vaccinated, ” Greenblum said. We also want to encourage any of the 16-year-olds and up who have not been vaccinated yet to come. In theory we could get the whole high school vaccinated.”

Freshman Jonah Beinart is happy that he can finally get vaccinated. He says he will feel a lot safer as he is the only person in his family who is not vaccinated. 

“I will feel a lot safer going to school and other places when I am vaccinated,” Beinart said. “Unless there is an actual medical reason, it makes sense that JDS created the rule that everyone must be vaccinated next year. Frankly, it is to keep everyone safe and it is a very reasonable rule.”

Interim High School Principal and Dean of Students Roslyn Landy agrees that the vaccinations are very important for the good of the community. She thinks that the vaccinations will make everyone at the school more comfortable and hopes that people will be able to gather together.

“Vaccinations help not only the person who is being vaccinated, but the community around that person,” Landy said. “So if we are able to vaccinate everybody in the Upper School, how wonderful would that be for starting next school year.”

The entire high school being vaccinated will also bring a sense of normalcy back to the JDS community. 

“If we can have every student and teacher vaccinated it would significantly change our [social] distancing and how we operate in the building,” Greenblum said. “We could possibly reopen the library, gym and electives again. There are lots of things that we are definitely talking about and it’s exciting to think that next year is going to be a lot easier for everybody.”