By Sivi Satchithanandan ’15, Staff Writer

Newark Academy is in the midst of an overhaul of its upper school courses. The proposed changes cover every department. They range from minor tweaks, such as changing the name of Acting Skills to Introductory Acting Skills, to major transformations like dropping the IB Math Higher Level course.

The changes proposed also include dropping the AP aspect of AP/IB Language, adding two new computer science electives (“Mobile Application Design and Engineering” and “Advanced Computer Science: Design and Engineering”), adding  new English electives (“Coming To Voice: Black American Literature” and “Sense of Place”), adding a new science elective (“Behavioral Biology”), changing some of the health requirements, creating two humanities courses that will branch off of IB History (“IB History HL: Europe and the Middle East” and “IB History HL: Asia and Oceana”), and finally, splitting IB Economics into a two year course.

The leading force behind these plans is the Curriculum Committee: a group of teachers from the school’s different departments, administrators, two juniors, and two seniors. The committee convenes to discuss the proposals. Members then vote on whether or not to send them to Mr. Austin, who makes the final decision.

Two course changes illustrate the breadth and depth being added to the curriculum. “Behavior Biology” is a brand new course, which gives upperclassmen the chance to explore the nervous system and biology behind human behavior. This two-semester course provides another science elective covering material not previously taught at the Academy. On the other hand splitting IB Economics into a two-year course will allow seniors to explore in depth areas such as international issues in macroeconomics, development economics, and advanced microeconomic topics. The use of mathematical models and case studies will facilitate a thorough understanding of current economic debates.

Many of the changes being considered are driven by outside forces. The proposal to drop IB Math HL, for example, is due to feedback from many Newark Academy alumni that the course’s non-calculus topics are not needed in the majority of their college classes. Mr. Blaskopf has taught IB HL ever since it was first implemented at the Academy. He said, “What colleges want is a major factor. American universities don’t teach a broad based course – they’re all very specific. If we can’t give the course the two years it deserves, then by dropping it, we’re serving more of the students better in the long run.” Similarly the idea to create an extension of IB History is in part because of global trends. Ms. Fischer, currently teaching IB History, said, “It’s largely because of the rising influence of Asia and Oceana and the impact these regions have on the world.” She cites a second reason closer to home as well: “I think that it’s also because our school population has a lot of students of Asian and South East Asian descent, and as it stands, there isn’t a course that provides the opportunity to learn about their own history.” Newark Academy’s ultimate goal is to make every course pertinent and applicable for the students as they move on to college and beyond. According to Mr. Kanerack, the conception of “Mobile Application Design and Engineering” aims to do just that: “the course is a way to make application designing more relevant to the students’ day-to-day life to see how the knowledge can impact the world around them.”

While Mr. Austin hasn’t approved these proposals yet, students have positive outlooks about the upcoming changes. Junior Shivani Pandiri stated, “I was surprised to hear that Math HL is being dropped, but if the change helps us for college classes and gets us prepared, then it’s for the better.” With respect to making AP/IB language solely IB, she said, “it will make the class more focused and give us more time to delve into the material instead of spending time trying to cover topics on two different exams.” Curriculum Committee member Zach Gross ’14 is enthusiastic about the upcoming changes, “all the proposals are well thought out, intelligent moves that would definitely strengthen the curriculum and benefit the school as a whole.”

Newark Academy strives to fulfill its mission statement of “contributing to the world engaged individuals instilled with a passion for learning”, and these proposals are doing just that.