By Erin Eagle ’17, Staff Writer

During an action-packed period at Newark Academy, students and faculty participated in Revolution Week, a fun and educational way to learn about global issues.  Each of the five days focused on a specific cause (medicine, education, social justice, the environment, and homelessness) and was intertwined with fun activities all day long.  For me, the highlight of the week was Homelessness Day, in which I, as a member of the Community Service Council, paired up with the Student Council’s Homelessness Committee to create a successful day-long event. The goal for the day was to educate the school community about all types of homelessness issues, especially those occurring in the New Jersey and New York area.  Because there are so many homeless people right in our “backyard,” highlighting those who seem invisible to us is extremely important.

The most vital part of the planning for this day was providing both fun and effective activities for students.  A member of the Student Council and the leader of the Homelessness Committee, Aman Patil ‘17, said that he “tried to plan activities that would be fun, interesting and new, while they still displayed a message and showed how prevalent homelessness is in our community.”  To start the day off, 29 students wore red t-shirts to school, visually showing the 29% of homeless people in Essex County.  The shirts were also educational, displaying specific facts and statistics about homelessness.  In the hopes of bringing awareness to the community about the reality of this issue in a fun way, we planned the construction of a blanket fort, which would represent the shelter a homeless person might live in.  In the morning we collected a “blanket and a buck” from students and faculty and used the proceeds to build a huge fort in the great hall.  This gave all students a chance to donate blankets and come together, while also gaining a better understanding of the cause by the end of the day.

After collecting 80 blankets, I am proud to say that our goal was achieved; we helped 80 individuals in need of warmth in the winter.  The participation of so many members of the Newark Academy community during Revolution Week did improve the lives of a tiny portion of the homeless population; however, the issue obviously does not stop here.  Although Revolution Week sparked some awareness of homelessness, the Newark Academy community can constantly strive to improve shelters and conditions for the homeless.  Ms. Fischer, the faculty leader of the Community Service Council, strongly believes in this issue and looks forward to battling homelessness with events like the Solidarity Sleep-Out, designed to raise money and awareness by having participants sleep in the school for a night.  Hopefully, in the future, the Newark Academy community will continue to be mindful about this issue that touches the lives of billions across the globe.