Each new year, people around the world take the opportunity to make resolutions, setting a goal for what they hope to accomplish. It’s a wonderful time to reflect on the highs and lows of the past year and also to reach for personal growth in the coming year. 

However, each person interprets New Year’s resolutions a bit differently, and the five administrators at Rider High School are no different.

Dr. Cody Blair hopes to find a less hurried balance between work and his personal life in 2020. To finish up his second year as Rider’s principal, Blair is looking to “find ways to better serve and develop our students and staff.” 

A former English teacher, Vice Principal Amanda Mann plans to finish her dissertation and earn her Ph.D. this year with the possibility of becoming a principal in the future. Mann also has taken up yoga classes and, like Blair, is trying to find the perfect work/life balance.

“I think if we (Americans) don’t have balance outside of work, then we’re too busy to do a good job at work,” she said.

A poll from Insider magazine revealed that the majority of Americans will hope for positive health-related changes in the new year, and the administrators are no different.

Vice Principal Sally Mroczkowski wants to get healthy this year, which for her encompasses eating better and losing weight. In both her work and personal life, she hopes to abide by the quote, “It’s better to be kind than to be right.”

Not everybody believes in New Year’s resolutions. Vice Principal TiAda Radtke feels that resolutions can be silly and are often disregarded after a couple of weeks. Instead, she and the other administrators work weekly to set both short and long-term goals for the school. For example, the plan right now is awarding students who are representing Rider in an exemplary fashion with treats such as group breakfasts.

“We’re always looking at things like that that we can implement,” Radtke said.

Dr. Troy Farris didn’t set New Year’s resolutions this year either because he doesn’t feel that he would stick to them. However, that doesn’t mean that there’s not room for personal growth.

“Personally, I’d like to lose a few pounds,” Farris said. “That’s what I always do, so we’ll see if I accomplish it.”

Radtke and Farris are not alone in their skepticism. According to an article written by the New York Post, only 8 percent of people will keep their New Year’s resolutions for the entirety of the year, calling Jan. 12 the day that most people drop the ball on their “new” self.

So the question is, right now, is the concept of “New Year, New Me” old news? Is it too late to hope for lifestyle changes and dreams coming true? Forbes Magazine suggests setting goals and not setting resolutions is a better way to guarantee consistency in 2020. Perhaps the new phrase should be “New Year, Better Me?”