Before I developed a coffee addiction, I had a Genesis addiction. Specifically, I had a Genesis gradebook addiction.

The straight line of grades (which had to be all As of course) embedded themselves in my head as I refreshed the page over and over again. It didn’t matter if I was in class or had just woken up, the tab was always open, an everlasting reminder of what I’d dedicated my life to. When people started whispering that the grades for a test had finally come out, I’d bolt to my Chromebook and frantically log into Genesis to see if my precious grades had changed (would my 89.4 finally become an A-??). If the dreaded words “You do not have rights to this URL” popped up, I’d be thrown into a frenzy, mentally begging every being imaginable to let me see my grades. 

That all changed this school year. 

Now, when I’m sitting in English hoping my math grades will be released, I log into Genesis and see harsh bold letters declaring “The gradebook is not available at this time”.  When someone tells me during second block that grades are out, I don’t sink to my knees in appreciation; rather, I ask them why they had to force me into an excruciating day of calculating how every potential test grade could impact my final average. 

Ridge High School has officially blocked Genesis during school hours. It isn’t even a question of being on school wifi — the website is entirely blocked — meaning unless there is a secret underground way, no Ridge student is accessing their grades during school, even on their phone. 

The question is why? The most plausible explanation is that students constantly checked their Genesis gradebook during class time, making it a hindrance to learning. Blocking it during school would eliminate this issue and lessen the time teachers have to spend on Hapara closing students’ tabs. Blocking the gradebook part of Genesis rather than the site as a whole still enables students to access essential information like their schedules and passes. 

Further, perhaps the Ridge administration wanted to quell students’ obsession with their grades. By making grades less accessible during school, students would become more and more used to not constantly checking them, which in theory could lessen the grade-addiction. However, this could have the adverse effect of making students more jittery and anxious to check their grades when out of school. They could spend the whole school day calculating their potential averages, ending up only more stressed out as a result. Students interviewed by RDA agreed, explaining that they were “appalled by the current state” and “wanted to change things”. 

The effects of this new genesis blockage aren’t clear yet, but one thing is — Ridge students are addicted to their grades. In a school where GPAs and colleges have been equated to the meaning of life, students race to place as many APs as they can on their schedule and believe that anything below a straight A average is subpar. Ridge has been toxically competitive for years — a place where students’ mental health and sleep schedules come as a second question to their test results. 

People have known that change has been needed for years. Still, every class of freshmen that comes in is just more grade addicted than the last. The pressure to do well is crushing, and somehow, students are expected to thrive under it. 

We need to start calling attention to this — calling attention to the fact that it isn’t normal to be addicted to your grades. This school needs a mindset shift — not just a Genesis blockage. 

When will we reach our breaking point?