By Claudia Hyman’16, Staff Writer

Sometimes the prospect of doing extra curricular activities with our busy Newark Academy schedules is daunting or seemingly impossible- but these four Newark Academy students prove otherwise. In our tight knit community, you might think you know all there is to know about your peers, but the diversity of talent exemplified by these students may surprise you.

Mary Kate Drew’16: Competitive Irish Step Dancing
It didn’t take long for Mary Kate Drew to know that Irish step dancing was something she wanted to do. In fact, it all began at the mere age of three as she watched her brothers and sisters take lessons as well. As she sat and watched, she began to move her feet and “try to copy what the older kids were doing. My teacher, Peter, noticed that and one day asked if I wanted to learn how to dance. I’ve been hooked ever since.” And now, thirteen years later, Mary Kate has emerged as an extremely talented and competitive Irish step dancer, competing in world class, national, and regional competitions.
The sport, while in certain cases can be team oriented, mostly focuses on solo dances. At a Feis, which is the name for an Irish step dancing competition, one performs solo with the exception of at major competitions, (world, national, regional), where there are team dances as well. These major competitions go by the word Oireachtas. While many would find the task of performing in front of an audience daunting, that is an aspect that Mary Kate loves. “I love the competition aspect of it and being on stage.” She says when answering why she chose to do it competitively rather than for fun. In fact, Mary Kate loves the sport so much that she plans to do it for as long as she can- through the rest of high school, college and some time afterwards. “Most dancers compete until mid twenties, so I’ve got about eight to nine more years of competing in me!” she says excitedly. For Mary Kate, the sport is not just a commitment; it is a life long passion and love for not only Irish step dancing, but competition as well.

Meghan Meijer’17: Club Volleyball
For Meghan Meijer, volleyball came naturally. During freshman year, Meghan tried out for the national level of the Allegro volleyball club team- and on her first try was accepted. This is a huge accomplishment since national is the most prestigious, rigorous, and competitive division of club. The other two levels are regional and area. National, with a huge time commitment of five or more hours a week, can’t be done without a true love for the sport itself.
While some might consider it a burden to have to do after an already long day at school, Meghan feels the opposite. “Its something I look forward to after school,” she explains. And with a similarly positive attitude when asked about managing schoolwork, school volleyball, and club volleyball, she said, “Last year I’d get home sometimes at around 10:30. It’s hard to manage, but ultimately you get used to it.” Meghan’s positive attitude has helped her manage the commitment, and the commitment has helped her manage her time better as well. With long nights ahead of her, Meghan is forced to work ahead and avoid procrastination, giving her the ability to put her all into both schoolwork and volleyball- making her the amazing player she is today.

Jake Mcevoy’18: Singing
Jake Mcevoy is a freshman who is an extremely talented singer. While for most of us, our singing talents don’t stray far from a few minutes in the shower, Jake spends roughly six hours a week focusing on and improving his voice.
Jake takes singing lessons, is a part of Academy Voices, Diminuendo, Mens Choir, Concert Choir, and the All Eastern Choir. The All Eastern Choir is outside of Newark Academy and is a competitive, yearly performance, where you have to audition to get in. Singing wasn’t something Jake always knew he loved to do. In fact, “I actually started to really like singing in seventh or eighth grade.” Since then, he has become a vital part of Newark Academy’s many choral groups. When asked what his favorite part is about his commitment to singing was, he talked about how the social aspect makes it fun and enjoyable and he looks forward to practicing after school. Not only does Jake become a better and better singer each year, he becomes a better performer as well. “Since I performed last year, I’ve learned it’s more about the performance rather than just singing.” I think I speak for the whole Newark Academy community when I say I look forward to hearing him sing and perform for the school this year!

Elina Hoffman’16: Volunteering at the “Harmony Education and Life Partners” in Irvington N.J.
Elina Hoffman started last spring volunteering at a center in Irvington N.J. While many outside of school curriculars are competition driven, Elina’s is purely out of a passion to help and make an impact on kids in neighborhoods surrounding us. She learned of the opportunity through a family friend who had volunteered there several times before, and already having a love for kids, knew it would be a great way for her to give back to the community.
Previously, she had worked lots with kids through Lego Club (at Newark Academy) and often babysitting. “It seemed like a very good opportunity to work with children who could use a little help.” Says Elina. At the facility, volunteering can consist of a few different tasks. Some days she plays with the infants and on others she works with elementary school students on their homework. Elina especially loves to work with the students. She loves to see how “curious they look and eager to see new faces and new people. It just goes to show how influenced they are and how much potential is in every single one of them…” says Elina when asked to describe a meaningful moment that she has taken away from volunteering.
Elina has learned that by helping students at such young ages, she has the ability to influence and impact them for the better. She describes the importance of her and the other volunteers visits to the kids when she says how with “… a tiny bit of love and care from all the staff and volunteers working there and how no matter how small, everything you do has the potential to affect someone’s life for the better… or worse but lets stick with better.” she jokes. Ultimately, volunteering at the facility has given Elina insight into the influence an older person can have on kids, and how to use this influence positively. If one is interested in volunteering, more information is available here.