By Dean Tan ’18, Staff Writer

For almost six months now the Donbass region of Ukraine, consisting of the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, has been in a state of war. With the deaths of 3,475 people and the displacement of over 600,000 people, this conflict has decimated Russians, Ukrainians, combatants and civilians alike. With several separatist groups springing up and declaring themselves as independent republics, turmoil and mayhem continue to cause chaos in the area.

Russia has also been accused of sending several paramilitary groups and civilians to lead the combat, though Putin has denied these allegations. As of late August, Russia was reported to have sent artillery and military personnel across the border. When several Russian soldiers were caught across the border, the Russian military claimed they were there by accident. Several foreign troops, including Chechens, Cossacks, and central Asian groups have also assisted in the fighting.

On the other side of the conflict, the Ukrainian government and pro-Ukrainian citizens have fought back. Recapturing several cities from the initial pro-Russian assault in July, the Ukrainian forces are continuing to quell the unrest. With backing from NATO and the United States in condemning Russia’s actions, the Ukrainians have received non-lethal military equipment and humanitarian aid. However, students remain skeptical of the long-term benefits of these efforts.

Despite the chaos occurring in the area, Newark Academy students remain conflicted over how much involvement the US should have in the conflict. Anu Sharma’15, leader of Think Tank, a student run current events discussion club, reported “there is polarity in the opinions of whether or not the US should get involved and how much”. Their discussion, based on the conflict, was largely critical of Putin’s actions in general. “The UN should be putting more effort towards stopping Putin from violating UN rules and agreements”, said Sharma when asked about the ultimate conclusion of the discussion but conceded that it was a “hard task”.

Newark Academy faculty as well have been using their classes, specifically the IB History SL class as a method for examining the tensions in the area in the context of World War I. Ms. Sarah Fischer, Humanities teacher at Newark Academy, has been using her class discussion posts in this way and reported that she is “impressed with the level students are aware of [the conflict]”.  When asked about the faculty reaction to the chaos, Fischer stated that it has “certainly been a hot topic in the humanities department, especially among the IB History teachers” whose discussion has revolved around how to integrate the conflict into the curriculum.

While Newark Academy students remain inconclusive as to what role the US should have in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the discussion will definitely be continuing in the classroom. With the benefit of the classroom discussion led by the humanities department, opinions will most likely develop. For now however, students remain conflicted.