By Lila Rimalovski ’15, Humor Editor

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the merits of council’s attempt to educate the student body on current issues plaguing our generation. This attempt culminated in “Revolution Week,” which consisted of four consecutive days followed by a lone Monday solely dedicated to raising awareness on various issues. This ‘lone Monday’ caused quite the commotion, specifically among the senior class. “I just don’t get it,” explained Riley Kolek ’15. “Education Day [the day moved to the following Monday] should be the most important. That is the day that deserves unity and connection… why do all of the other days get to be together? Is council trying to say something about the importance of education nowadays? I left that Monday feeling betrayed.” Kolek wasn’t the only one who shared this opinion.

While unnoticed by most of the school community, students of all grades gathered in Mr. Austin’s office on that Monday afternoon to protest this scheduling change. A youth education activist, Sanya Berry ‘17, explained “education is NOT the cause that will be pushed back, again. It is time that we place education first, not last.” In response, council issued a formal statement detailing that “the day was moved because of harsh weather conditions, not at all reflecting our opinion of the importance of education.” The activists ignored this explanation and furthered their protest, now visible on Twitter and the old Newark Academy website.

The other event of the week that generated the largest amount of debate was the blanket fort, created to gather blankets for the homeless and raise awareness for the cause. While seemingly jolly and fun, the intentions of this act were questioned by many opinionated members of the school. Mr. Gilbreath felt personally attacked and invaded, as the Great Hall was occupied with blankets preventing his 2:30 lacrosse workout for one whole afternoon. Many in-school couples expressed feelings of distrust and betrayal because their one spot to do homework ‘in privacy’ was invaded by underclassmen and middle schoolers. The most significant complaint came from Ms. Duzak, who discovered that 13 different students claimed they were late to school due to ‘blanket fort collapses.’

After consulting many students at the end of the week, I asked them to recall all five causes that were addressed on each day. Only 3 students named them all correctly. Two freshman named “Giant Colon Day,” seven sophomores named “Social Injustice Day,” and 14 seniors said Friday was “Silent Rave Day.” All in all, I was impressed by the creativity of the students. Whether or not Revolution Week was revolutionary, I still don’t know, but I do look forward to council’s attempt in the following years to address prominent issues worldwide.