By Lily Sternlieb ‘24, Feature Editor

Image of Newark Academy Construction Site

As I near my final year at Newark Academy, I can’t help but reflect on how our school has changed. Over the past seven years, we’ve had two Upper School Principals, dozens of new teachers and I don’t know how many athletics directors. But recently, I’ve been feeling like Newark Academy has changed in a more fundamental way, almost becoming unrecognizable, at least physically. Gone are the days of two by two faded pictures covering brick hallways, or accidentally sending English essays to the ILC printer. It seems that a steady beat and rhythm has been coursing through this freshly minted NA: the sweet sound of construction. I decided to investigate students’ perspectives on the changes occurring within the school. Most students are overwhelmingly positive about the modifications to NA’s physical landscape. Alix Fliegler ‘26 said, “I feel like the construction will be worthwhile to the NA community. The changes they have already made to NA are great additions, so I have no doubt that the rest of the construction will be beneficial.” Many students, like Alix, believe that the slight inconveniences concerning construction are minute compared to the larger benefits of renovating the school. Charlie Goldstein ‘25 wrote: “The recent construction is a positive next step to modernizing a physically outdated institution.” I think it’s true that Newark Academy needs to continually outgrow itself, searching for improvement between every floorboard and office space. 

Some students haven’t even been affected by the changes taking place at Newark, the tri-colored carpet in the front entrance going unnoticed. An anonymous student stated, “It hasn’t really affected my life. I don’t really care about it.” Alex also commented that the “construction has not affected me too much.” If only, my dear readers, I could share this experience. 

Many students feel that student life has suffered as a result of the construction. An anonymous senior said, “The main issue is the athletics hallway being blocked off and having to instead commute through the athletics courtyard, resulting in an added travel time that can be irritating at times.” It’s true that traveling from class to class has become more difficult since construction has started. If you ask me, I’d rather navigate through South Orange Ave.’s early-morning congestion than walk down the halls of the new wing when there’s a freshman traffic jam. While these are without a doubt champagne problems, another anonymous source had a more holistic view of the whole process: “My feelings are mixed on the construction because while the idea of new spaces seems great, the process is dreadful for the students to constantly listen to. On top of that, most of the new spaces will not be for student use, making the added noise a ‘lose-lose’ situation for the students.” This student brings up a pretty good point: none of the new construction will improve student lives.

When asked if they could add one physical addition to the school, students responded with answers including an aquarium, a zip line from the middle school to the tennis courts and more adaptable student furniture/student spaces.

It’s weird to think that I’ve been here almost a decade and that five years from now this school could look completely different. Maybe that’s why I’m struggling so much to come to grips with this new construction. I’ve always thought that when I leave NA, the school would stay frozen in time, a living emblem of my teenage years. But what if it’s ready to move on? To outgrow its past and its time teaching me? And what if I’m not? What happens then?