By Trisha Bala ‘22 and Ava Cole ‘22, News Editors

Members of the class of 2022 after going down the chocolate slide

Image courtesy of the Yearbook

They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. For students at Newark Academy, the absence of school events for the past year and a half has led to a newfound appreciation for school spirit and community.  

Newark Academy started off the school year with its annual back-to-school barbecue and a chocolate-filled senior initiation, a tradition that the class of 2021 was unable to experience due to the pandemic. Stella Gilbert, school president and member of the class of 2022, talked about the significance of senior initiation: “Senior initiation meant the world to me this year. It was such a perfect image—the entire class of 2022 finally sliding down together after facing so many hurdles as a grade… It makes me so hopeful and excited for more events to come.” Senior Nick Kotzen added, “It was fun to be back at school spending time with my friends. It was something I think all of us missed last year and we’re all super happy to be able to get back to some form of normalcy.” Normalcy is the goal, after all, and everyone at NA is hopeful for the day when this word truly describes life at school. Vittoria Socolof, another senior at NA who spent the second half of junior year at the High Mountain Institute in Colorado, described her time at the barbeque as “the best way to start the school year. I definitely missed grade events and talking to people who I don’t usually talk to and I didn’t realize how much the restrictions of last year affected that.” 

While the school was able to hold events over Zoom last year, there is no substitute for face to face interactions and the sense of community that physical proximity can bring. At this year’s barbeque, students felt the unique NA spirit that was lacking the previous year. Senior Molly Culligan was especially glad about the optional mask policy outdoors, saying,“Being able to see everyone’s faces made the whole event that much better.” 

Over 95% of those who are eligible within the school community are vaccinated, a number that speaks to NA’s commitment to safety as well as a commitment to community. It’s safe to say that NA is back on the track to restore school events and traditions, something that the class of 2022 is eager to experience during their last year here at the Academy.