By Anna Hope Emerson ’16, News Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Taylor Smith ’14.
Spirit Week and Homecoming Weekend have always held a special place in the culture of Newark Academy. Students of all grades anticipate the spirit-filled week, which culminates in the community cheering on sports teams, participating in fun events in the lower parking lot, and coming together for the Upper School Homecoming Dance that night. However as our school progresses and changes, our traditions change and modify to suit our needs as a community. This year, though the majority of Spirit Week remained the same, the Student Council introduced a few changes, most notably the addition of Bucket Brigade and the “B the 1” run.
Why the addition of Bucket Brigade? Well, as Hannah Zack ’14, Student Council President, explained, “In the past few years Spirit Week lasted four days, but this year we were very lucky to get the full week. We have tried out different events to fill the gap on the fifth day, so hopefully Bucket Brigade sticks!” Unlike the other competitions such as Ping Pong and Knock Out, which highlight the skills of individual people in each grade, Bucket Brigade offers a chance for a large number of students to get involved with the excitement of Spirit Week. The event tested each grade’s cooperation with each other. During the event, a line of students poured and filled water into each other’s cups, and the grade that filled up their bucket first won. Jake Furst, a member of the sophomore Student Council said, “Bucket Brigade is very team oriented. Council hopes that this new competition is received well by the community, as we believe it unifies the grades in a new and exciting way.”
Another major addition to Homecoming this year was the “B the 1” run, a 5k hosted by the Alumni Association. Usually, the Alumni Association hosts a breakfast for the class representatives on the morning of Homecoming, bringing the alumni back to campus early in the day. However, since Homecoming is later this year the Alumni Association needed something else to draw the alumni back to campus, so they decided to try a 5k. “It’s called the B the 1 run because our appeal to alumni is to be the one to make a difference at NA”, said Ms. Mulligan, of the alumni office. “We thought the run would be a good way to start the Homecoming Day, for everyone”. The proceeds from this run went to the annual fund, directly benefitting the entire community. Morgin Goldberg, the Vice President of the junior class, reflected, “The run was a great success. We were all really happy to help out with the run and we hope that everyone embraces the run as a new tradition.”
The events of Homecoming Day also included a senior grill, a men and women’s soccer game, a field hockey game, and a football game. Mr. Gertler, Director of Alumni Relations, said, “Homecoming was definitely an enjoyable, spirited event for all, bringing back old members of our community and supporting our sports teams.” After a full day of athleticism, food, and a one of a kind wrecking ball bouncy castle, the students were invited back to the school in the evening for the annual Homecoming Dance. This year, the decorations took on the theme of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, an American classic. The fantastic decorations and unique theme definitely set this year’s dance apart from past years.
All in all, the new aspects of Spirit Week and Homecoming this year helped to enhance two of our school’s most enjoyable and memorable traditions.
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