By Alexander Serratelli ’12 & Jake Wieseneck ’14, News Editors

On Thursday, September 22 Newark Academy officially broke ground on a multimillion-dollar renovation. The construction is part of “the Campus Master Plan.” Last revised in 2007, the Master Plan seeks to propell the campus into the 21^stcentury. Thorough deliberations by the Board of Trustees, Advancement office, numerous community committees and administration have brought this project to fruition. To honor the new developments in the Master Plan, a “Ground Breaking” ceremony took place in the Simon Family Field House.

Today, and for the near future, our school will be characterized by the construction outside its walls. Although the sounds of CAT machines are exciting, what does this noise really mean for Newark Academy? To help give us further insight into our future, we consulted with Board of Trustees Chairman Mr. Jonathan Olesky ’74, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Properties Committee Mr. Wayne Kent ‘85 and Director of Institutional Advancement Lisa Grider.

According to Mr. Olesky, the plan will play out in three predetermined phases, the first of which is currently underway. “By next September, there will be thirteen new classrooms and one multipurpose room all surrounding a courtyard,” Mr. Olesky noted. The “multipurpose” room will have a capacity of over one hundred students to facilitate gatherings such as class meetings. Adjacent to that room will be a general space for students to gather during free time. Mr. Olesky indicated that hallways will be constructed with an aim to create more common areas. He described how the Simon Family Field House has been used in ways not directly intended by the planners. “Originally, this space was just going to be a large hallway,” said Olesky; “upon completion, students used it as a quiet place to relax or study.” Additionally, rooms eighteen through twenty-one will be converted into science labs. In total, phase one will add over 18,000 square feet to the main building. Mr. Kent, who spend countless hours as the head of the Board of Trustees Steering Committee for the Master Plan, commented, “progress is fantastic, beyond expectations.”

In 2013, Newark Academy will begin an eighteen-month overhaul of athletics facilities. First, the football and Varsity soccer fields will be converted to turf fields, complete with lights and fencing. To complement these changes, NA will construct an athletics building with restrooms and a Senior Grill. Lastly, NA will begin construction on the Middle School and the cafeteria.

The third, and final phase, will include only one major change: an expansion of the Auditorium. In total, the construction will facilitate one hundred fifty new seats – allowing enrollment to increase to as many as six hundred students. To retain its intimate student-teacher ratio, the administration plans on employing around half a dozen new faculty members if and when enrollment increases.

On the financial side of things, Ms. Grider made clear that “Newark Academy will not build under deficit.” She posited, “such a decision could result in tuition hikes.” Ms. Grider affirmed that NA’s fiscal house is in order, citing three seven-figure contributions in the past ten years. “In fact,” she noted, “these are three of the largest gifts in the history of the school.”

Total construction should take over five years to complete. Last Thursday’s “Groundbreaking Ceremony” perfectly captured how the school will build to the future. During the ceremony, Mr. Austin addressed the community. He emphasized two words that define the goals of Newark Academy and its students, “rise and flourish.” In new spaces like these, members of the community – Parents, faculty and students – will have an opportunity to rise and flourish as Newark Academy moves towards a very promising future.