By Jake Cohen 14, Staff Writer

Among the many changes to our school schedule, like trimesters to semesters and spring finals to no spring finals, the addition of a “mini-term” is yet another change that has been implemented at the Academy. This “June Term” will take place during the last nine days of the school year (from May 29 to June 8). Upper school students have already chosen their specific courses out of a selection of more than twenty, and nearly all received one of their top three choices. For the middle school, different organized activities and capstone trips will fill up their June Term schedule. The June Term also gives students opportunities to fulfill their immersion requirements through school trips. This new addition to the school year will provide students with new opportunities and will be an excellent addition to the school’s academic program.

June Term has been received well by students. It evens out the lengths of the fall and spring terms. It has unique opportunities, and sophomore Will Delaney calls it “a new, fun, educational way to wind down a busy school year.” Sophomore Tyler Goff agrees, saying “it gives me an opportunity to take a class that I would not normally be able to take during the school year.” It is exactly these opportunities that make June Term so special and distinctive for Newark Academy students. Often it is difficult for students to take all of the courses they want due to the limit of 6.5 credits per year. This limit is obviously important schedule-wise and work-wise, but it can be an obstacle for students who want to expand their horizons. The June Term gives students a chance to spend nine days studying something different and of interest to them.

The chance to complete an immersion requirement during June Term is another great component to the new program. For example, in years past the French immersion trip to Fontainebleau was during spring or summer break so that it would not interfere with school. While this clearly made sense, it also interfered with any students who wanted to participate in spring sports, not to mention family vacations or other events. Now that the French trip is during June Term, these students are getting the opportunity to use designated time for immersion programs. This is exactly the point of the June Term—to give students an opportunity to really focus on something they love but may not be able to do during the school year.

The June Term has already been met with overwhelming support and success, as nearly every student was able to take their first, second, or third choice of course out of their ten selections. Newark Academy is a school that enjoys taking the road less traveled (e.g. the IB diploma program). June Term is just another example of the Academy’s willingness to experiment for the betterment of the school. Only time will determine the true consequences of the new schedule, but the future of June Term at Newark Academy is a bright one.