By Charles Pan ’18, Commentary Editor

https://youtu.be/4fBrxCLAYzI

In July 2014, the Rise and Flourish campaign for Newark Academy, led by Ms. Grider and the Advancement Office, announced its intention to start planning and constructing a new Middle School Wing in Spring 2015. The new, two-story, 26,075 sq. ft. building is set to be built on the softball field behind the arts wing at the beginning of Spring 2016. This addition to the Newark Academy campus will include ten new classrooms, three new science labs, a large commons area for each of the three grades, and faculty offices. It will also be connected to the main campus via the airlock in the arts wing entrance. This is the third part of the pledge of the Rise and Flourish campaign, the other two having been the new Upper School Wing and the renovations of sports facilities (Kacur Field and Coursen Field).

However, this decision to construct a new section of the school certainly raises some questions. As noted in the Rise and Flourish 2014 newsletter, the construction will not begin until the $22 million donation threshold is reached. Mr. Ashburn, the Middle School principal, explains in this newsletter: “Our program and curriculum outgrew our physical space a long time ago.” However, with more than 50 classrooms in the main campus already, and some of them not being used during any particular period, is there really not enough space for the Middle School students? Certainly this concern cannot be attributed to a shortage of classrooms.

According to the report, the new Middle School wing would also provide a special commons area for each grade. Mr. Ashburn notes the reason for this in the Rise and Flourish July 2014 newsletter: “We wanted to make sure that they could have fun. Middle School is a time when you could make or break a student’s love of learning.” Currently, the Middle School Common Room does provide a spacious area for socializing, but it is also known to be mostly dominated by eighth graders. However, this should not be a key motivation for building a new wing. Firstly, sixth and seventh graders have the option of using classrooms in the current Middle School wing as socializing spots if the Common Room seems unfriendly to them. If this does not appeal to them, there are many areas within the school that the grades could adopt as their commons areas, including the octagon within the arts wing, the band/chorus room, or even the Rose Auditorium, which is largely unused during the school day. It should also be noted that the sophomores do not have their own designated commons space. Another advantage to having a single Middle School Common Room instead of three separate commons areas is that it fosters and encourages Middle School unity and pride among the three grades, something that is emphasized during Middle School Field Day and Spirit Week, when the Middle School as a whole competes against the other grades.

However, there are students who do favor a Middle School wing. Spencer Glassman ’19, a recent graduate of the Middle School, explains, “I think it would definitely be more convenient to have a new Middle School wing because it would reduce walking and the distance between classrooms for Middle Schoolers. I constantly found myself walking from one end of the school to another. With a new wing, all my classes could be in one area.”

But the rest of the students do not view the project as favorably. Matt Wei ’16, a senior who has been a student at Newark Academy since 6^th grade, suggests, “There are plenty of empty classrooms in the New Wing during school, so maybe Upper School classes could shift many of their locations into the New Wing, therefore allowing the Middle School to take over the classrooms near the cafeteria.”

An anonymous sophomore who never attended Newark Academy’s Middle School took a slightly different point of view. “It depends on the size of the Middle School and how many people apply. If Newark Academy started accepting students for the sake of increasing the number of students instead of credentials, obviously that isn’t good. But if NA’s number of middle school students was to double in time, then it would certainly be beneficial to build a new wing as long as the money spent is reasonable. But I do feel that some of the money should be used on improvements and renovations within the main campus that would affect both the upper school and the middle school to have a better overall growth.”

Paul Brown ’17 offered another perspective on the growing population of the Middle School. “If they accept more people into the Middle School, there would be more ‘lifers’ and less room for people applying for ninth grade. Essentially, it makes it a lot harder for people who didn’t go to the Middle School to get accepted, and a middle school application is not as good an indicator of ability as a high school application.”

Certainly a recurring theme in these opinions is the growth of the size of the Middle School. If the Middle School were to double its numbers within the next few years, it would undoubtedly be beneficial to build a new wing for them. But a twice-as-large Middle School would also have enormous implications for Newark Academy as a whole. Not only would a new wing have to be built, but expansion to parts of the main campus, such as the cafeteria or the Rose Auditorium or even art rooms, would have to be made to accommodate the incoming students. In addition, more teachers and more staff members would have to be hired, which could provoke a change in Newark Academy’s rising tuition. Not only that, but a larger Middle School could require an increase in the number of sports facilities, a change in Newark Academy schedules, a new approach in many Newark Academy activities such as Spirit Week, and many other revisions. So if Newark Academy goes ahead with its plan to build a new wing and increase the size of the Middle School, it should be prepared to see some big changes not only to Middle School life, but to Upper School and faculty life as well.

This article reflects the opinion of one staff writer, not The Minuteman as a whole. To share your opinion, comment below!