By Sanya Bery ’17, News Staff Writer

There are times at Newark Academy when it feels like one’s voice is sinking in a sea of six hundred other voices. However for thirty minutes every year, each voice has a chance to be heard during student voice proposals. It is during this time that students at the Academy have a chance to change anything, whether it be what they wear, what they eat,  or what they learn. In fact, voice proposals have already changed many facets of life at the Academy. In January, the students proposed their newest set of changes.

Student voice proposals are a long-established tradition at Newark Academy. Vihar Desu ’15, a member of the Student Council, highlights, “Voice proposals are important because they give students the opportunity to give their input on school policies and procedure, to make changes in order to benefit the community, and improve the relationship between the student body and the administration.” One morning meeting each year, students suggest ideas regarding what they think will not only benefit themselves, but also improve the community. The Student Council looks over all the voice proposals, and what are deemed as the best and most feasible ideas are presented to the administration. The administration then votes on the proposals and if they are passed, they are implemented the following year.

Whether it is obvious or not, voice proposals have visibly changed Newark Academy. For example, casual Fridays, the three-assessment rule and frozen yogurt are all previous voice proposals that were passed. A new voice proposal that will be implemented this year is a week of wearing sweatshirts during Winter Shminter. In previous years, open campus, no homework on weekends, and casual clothes everyday have been suggested by council members to the administration without much success. While the council has yet to decide on which voice proposals to present to the administration this year, the process has begun. A voice proposal that was very popular was to have grades online. This would mean that students would be able to access their grades and averages on Canvas or another website. Another common voice proposal was to implement “buzz in” areas in the school where students can enter.  After having seen the outcomes of many years of voice proposals, Lauren Whelan’ 14, Vice President of the Senior Class, believes that they  “are extremely important within the Newark Academy community: they epitomize the culture of student contribution, and truly allow our voices to be heard in a formal manner.”

Voice proposals are a way for the community to strengthen its ties between students and faculty. They allow students to speak their mind and make a difference, something very unique to the Academy. Voice proposals show that everyone has a voice, and when one uses it, it can make a difference.