By Kendall Fawcett ’12,  Feature Editor

Ahhh, high school: the beginning of young adult lives, where we break out of our shells and are molded into respectable, well-doing citizens. Although Newark Academy is not the type of school where you will be thrown into a locker, have a “kick-me” sign taped to your back or will be given a swirly, it can still be a pretty intimidating place for new students.

As if the high expectations and rigorous curriculum were not enough, most new students enter NA knowing barely anyone, or in some cases not knowing anyone at all. This year’s freshman class is unbelievably shy, and trying to even speak to new kids with the premise of writing an article for the paper was like pulling teeth. However, the few brave freshmen that voiced their opinion about the transition into NA had nothing but positive things to say about their new school. There may be some bias in the fact that most newbies night not want to say anything negative about their new school or their peers, but they were optimistic nonetheless.

Eric Schewd ’14 stated that he immediately saw, “that everyone was really nice and friendly” at NA.  Serena Najjar ’14 observed the same thing. “I walked in and saw all these cheery faces not only excited to see their friends they have missed all summer, but actually excited to learn.  I couldn’t believe that now I was one of them.”  Of course the socializing was not the only thing noticed by new students. NA’s academic standards seem to make quite the impression as well. Najjar colorfully expressed how surprised she was with the “overflowing rate of intelligence” in her classes. Serena Gupta ’14 agreed, stating that she enjoyed “all of the freedom [at NA], but the homework is hard.”

Aside from the different views of the freshmen class, the spirit of Newark Academy’s student body has made quite the lasting impression on new students. So as we begin a new school year and get wrapped up in our extra curricular activities and abundance of schoolwork, remember: something as simple as a smile in the hallway goes a long way.

Read: A Lifetime at Newark Academy