By Megha Poddar ’15, News Editor

As the year winds down, the Newark Academy community anxiously awaits the final two weeks of school when the high school will be taking part in the second June term in the history of the Academy. Last year, Newark Academy test-ran the new mini term, where students were engaged in a rigorous and intensive two-week study of one course or subject. Although various classes such as Exploring Opera, Musical Composition as Self-Expression, Dreams Deferred, Environmental Problem-Solving, The 1960’s: Film, Music and Upheaval, were not offered again this year, the new term brings with it four new and intriguing courses.

All in all, the Academy’s first year with June term came with great success and excitement. Mr. Griffin, head of the June term committee, said, “I was very pleasantly surprised with just how positive the student responses were with over 90% being very satisfied with the experience.” He added that, “I think the chance of being hands-on with the learning was the most valuable part of June term.” While the 3-D Printing students were busy creating objects with the Makerbot machine, the Food and American Identity class toured an organic farm to explore foods important to American history. Mr. Torson, the faculty advisor for the Environmental Outdoor Sculpture course, believes that, “by actually constructing a large piece of artwork, the students definitely learned the magnitude of such a project and the effort it requires.” From field trips to projects, every course included aspects of experiential learning, which enhanced the information and course overall.

While many courses are repeating from last year’s June term, the faculty and the June term Committee presented four new classes to the catalogue.

Can You Dig it? Introduction to Archeological Study, led by faculty advisor Ms. Zabukovec and a guest instructor Dr. Larry Coben, will focus on the basics of archeology and will even include a local dig in the near community. The class will be primarily taught by Dr. Coben who is a top expert in the field of archeology with degrees from Yale, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania. He was willing to come in to introduce something that has never been taught at Newark Academy and that is not usually offered to high school students, as Mr. Griffin said. Ms. Zabukovec added that, “Archeology has always fascinated me. I offered to help because I am also interested in it, but I am not necessarily an expert.”

Another new course is Walking Manhattan: Up Broadway from the Battery to 190^thSt. With several field trips to New York City, Newark Academy students and the two faculty advisors, Mr. Parlin and Mrs. Acquadro, will actually walk the full length of Manhattan and dig deep into the city’s greater place in the world. Mrs. Acquadro believes, “the class is really Mr. Parlin’s baby.” She was inclined to help because, ”both of us have a really strong kinship to New York.” Mr. Parlin, who proposed the June term class, said, “My hope is that everyone has an enhanced interest in and appreciation for the city by the end of the class.”

A third class From “Father Knows Best” to “Modern Family”: Analyzing and Creating Sitcoms about the American Family was inspired by Ms. Lifson. The students in the course will not only watch and analyze television, but they will also create a sitcom of their own. Tyler Park, a junior, picked the course as his first choice and said, “The great thing about June term is that you can do something that you enjoy while learning something new. I think this course will definitely accomplish that for me.”

Finally, Creative Writing: Using the Monomyth to Write Your Masterpiece examines the monomyth by blending many departments at Newark Academy, with Mr. Alford handling the technical aspect, Ms. Morin bringing in the Humanities features, and finally Mrs. James topping it all off with her Creative Writing knowledge. The monomyth was discovered in 1949 by  Jason Cambell, who argues that a basic pattern can be found in stories, movies, and the media in the modern world that follows a hero’s journey.  Ms. James, speaking on behalf of the faculty, said, “We thought it would be an exciting opportunity for students if we combined Jason Cambell’s monomyth with creative writing and technology. Personally, I am looking forward to giving the students an opportunity to express themselves, which is not always present during their academic year.” The course will culminate in the students publishing their monomyth on a Kindle.

For students new to Newark Academy this year, primarily freshman, there has been a lot of anticipation building. Ben Goodman ’16, a new student, said, “I have heard many stories so I expect June term to be a little more relaxing and casual than the normal school year.” Camille Lopez, another new freshman, added that, “It seems like a great way to open students up to different subject matters and I can’t wait.”

With June term only a few weeks away, Newark Academy students in grades nine through eleven can expect a successful term with a number of interesting classes and experiences that will last a lifetime.