By William Ulrich ’14, Staff Writer

When a person excels in any subject, it is nice for that person to be rewarded for his or her time and effort.  Newark Academy has traditionally been quick to recognize the achievements of all of its students in the community.  Morning meetings are often filled with announcements of specific students and community members in regards to recent accomplishments.  Another form of recognizing students has been the annual senior award ceremony, but this event will discontinue starting next year.  Instead of giving out many awards that pertain to every aspect of life at Newark Academy, there will be only four overarching awards.  This is disappointing because the school will not award and thank those students who have reached excellence in a specific area, but instead rewards those who have done well at everything.  Four awards are not enough to cover every significant achievement at Newark Academy.

Academics are where students contribute most of their time, but some do more than others. Some students are willing to go beyond the requirements and excel past their classmates.  Those are the students who currently receive and deserve awards.   Not only do they gain a better understanding of the material, but also they have become an example for the rest of the class and can help make classes run more smoothly.  To have a standout student in a subject leads other students to strive for excellence because they know it is attainable.  If an intelligent student contributes so much to a class, then there is no reason not to recognize his or her contribution.  That contribution may be most important in a single subject, but if there are only four possible awards, there is a great chance that they will be overlooked.  With five major subject areas, one award will not suffice.

Athletics are another fundamental part of Newark Academy life.  A significant proportion of students choose to concentrate on sports rather than academics and are still able to thrive at the Academy.  Athletics present rigorous time commitments that leave students tired after practice before they even begin their night’s homework.  Even with the stress that comes with athletic commitments, students stick with their sports teams through four long years of high school. Some even become captains as upperclassmen, giving them the responsibility of assisting the coaching and leading of the team.  In order to become good leaders and to excel at athletics, students often work over the summer and independently so that they can become even better.  This kind of work ethic deserves an award, and awards have always been given to those in the senior class who most deserve it.  If the usual numerous sports awards are not given out, then the various possible athletic achievements will not be recognized as properly as they should have and otherwise would have been.

Arts are another crucial part of the Newark Academy community.  Students within the arts department lead the community in the advancement of culture and creativity.  The artists of the Academy have work presented throughout the school and they give performances on almost a weekly basis for the enjoyment of the rest of the community.  They put a significant amount of effort into perfecting their work, often for very little reward. Artists persist despite their course load.  The best artists are like varsity captains, as they lead by example for those who are part of their group.  Their steadfast dedication of these students leads to the overall growth of the whole program.  Newark Academy’s Arts Department is filled with many talented students who study many different areas of the arts. These distinct areas often lack comparison and many awards are required to cover all students involved who deserve one.

Although many people argue that awards are superfluous, they are deeply important because they recognize the ways in which specific students have led the development of the ever-growing and expanding Academy.  Without recognizing the assistance of these students, it would be as if the school were taking that special dedication of many students for granted even though it far surpassed that of others.  When a student is given an award, it is not a symbol of his or her superiority, but of the school’s gratitude for his or her service in any field within Newark Academy.  Limiting the number of awards to four would simply constrict the recognition of the great achievements of the student body.