REBOOT, Rebranded: A New Look into a Student-Led Group

REBOOT, a group run for students by students that empowers them to take charge of their digital lives, has rebranded. This summer, as its leaders were brainstorming plans for the 2025–2026 school year, they decided to update the REBOOT acronym. 

Historically, REBOOT has stood for “Rethinking Ethical Behavior Online (for) Oneself Together.” Now, the acronym is short for “Resetting Ethical Boundaries on Our Technology.” Student leaders agreed that whereas the earlier name summarized the group’s focus on ethics and online behavior, it was wordy, and sometimes difficult to remember. This new name calls the group to consider boundaries with technology — when they use it, for what purpose, to what end. 

“We believe that this phrasing better highlights our dedication to reclaiming the power in our digital world by teaching students to think ethically about technology and bring change in their communities,” says Ava Builione ’26, REBOOT’s president. 

“There is no more important work for the Ethics Institute to accomplish than to empower students to ethically navigate their rapidly changing virtual world,” says Director Karen Rezach. “Issues around the values of authenticity, privacy, and responsibility will present the greatest challenges in our students’ lives — today and in the future — and the work of REBOOT will empower each student to meet those challenges with confidence.” 

Alicia Regnault, Educational Technology & Support Specialist and REBOOT advisor, says REBOOT helps set clear limits of technology, so that it enhances student lives without eroding their values. “Resetting ethical boundaries helps us guide technology with responsibility instead of letting it guide us,” she says. 

REBOOT has big goals for 2025–2026. After creating an award-winning podcast, hosting student summits, and running assemblies — some of the group’s accomplishments last year — REBOOT intends to double down on its efforts to involve the school community. The group will center on relevant technology topics appropriate for each grade (group chats for fourth- and fifth- graders, for example), work to increase the amount of video content it’s producing, and create a network of other schools focused on pressing ethical issues with social media and AI. 

“The leadership team is looking forward to another year of empowering students to engage with technology ethically,” said REBOOT President Ava Builione ’26. “We hope to continue embracing the benefits of technology while also thinking deeply about the potential dangers the digital world comes with, and encouraging students nationwide to do the same.”