By Lydia Yeshitla ’17, Staff Writer

It’s that time of the year again: millions of people across the world are trying to improve their lives by establishing a New Year’s resolution. For the most part, these goals are effortless to make, but hard to keep. For some, such resolutions are simply viewed as a form of amusement, and for those, such goals aren’t taken seriously at all. But despite the negativity you may hear regarding the pointlessness of New Year’s resolutions, the faculty at Newark Academy seem to think quite differently, with a mind set on achieving their objectives in 2016.

In the English and Humanities Department, the staff was eager to disclose their New Year’s resolutions, as Dr. DeSanta shared her clear-cut goal to read more for fun and get a puppy for her and her fiancé. Likewise, Ms. Graham had a bundled New Year’s resolution, as she made it her utmost duty to “marry Scottish actor, Ewan McGregor, and smash the patriarchy in the year of 2016.” Similarly, Ms. James set a narrowed goal for herself to accomplish, as she hopes to finish writing her new book this year. In like manner, Mrs. Schottland was quick to note that she would commit to one goal this year: to organize her checkbook. With the possible exception of Ms. Graham, all had set a precise, and somewhat realistic goal to which they would hold themselves accountable in 2016.

That said, there was a remarkable number of teachers who, in fact, were unable to set such narrow New Year’s resolutions for themselves. Mr. Bitler, for example, gave a rather broad resolution to “continue being a good father and husband.” Miss Gabb set a nonspecific goal to “take better care of myself.” As well, Dr. Fall also set a very general resolution to “continue living a joyous life.”

It seems as though there are two types of resolutions set by the NA faculty: those that are narrowed and targeted, and those that are broad and less confining. After listening to the teachers who made resolutions belonging to the latter category, I found that people tend to set more general New Year’s resolutions because doing so reduces the pressure of having to achieve a specific goal.

Ms. Graham brought up a good point when she disclosed that she “usually makes resolutions at the start of the school year in September, rather than setting them at the beginning of the New Year.” Among the loads of work and tasks that come at the beginning of the New Year, such resolutions can oftentimes be abandoned, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t set resolutions at any point in the year. And despite the negative remarks that New Year’s resolutions never really end up getting accomplished, it’s still worthwhile to engage in the amusing process of setting them. All in all, my one piece of advice to the Newark Academy community regarding New Year’s resolutions can be summed up with the following quote: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”