By Charles Pan ‘18, Staff Writer

As the 2014-2015 school year opens with fresh new possibilities and opportunities, Newark Academy welcomes four promising new teachers to its Math, Science, and English departments. Coming from different and interesting backgrounds, they are next in line to help Newark Academy students aim high and achieve their goals. Here’s a little bit about them.

Ms. Caitlin Berkefeld joins Newark Academy as an Upper School biology teacher after teaching likewise at Kent Place. In her free time, she likes to cook, go to the gym, and play for her town’s club soccer team. Her favorite movie is Wall-E, her favorite TV show is Scandal on ABC, and her favorite book is This is Where I Leave You. She has four goldfish and a maltese dog. She is the head coach of the JV girls soccer team. She decided to teach at Newark Academy because she was excited about teaching in a co-ed environment as well as having the opportunity to coach soccer.

Ms. Elizabeth LaPadula rejoins Newark Academy as the head 8^th grade English teacher to continue her previous period (1997-2010) at Newark Academy. Before returning, she had identical twin boys (Joseph and Richard) and worked at the Red Oaks School teaching younger children. She likes to read in her free time, preferably in a reclining chair with some chocolate. Her favorite movie is Jaws, which she says she’s seen about 30 times, and the original Star Wars trilogy. She also likes a lot of murder mysteries. Her favorite TV shows are Doctor Who (“I’m a David Tenant person”) and Breaking Bad. Her favorite book is Under the Net by Iris Murdoch and the Chronicles of Narnia. She is currently a member of Cum Laude and the lead advisor for the Middle School Newspaper. She came back to Newark Academy to work with people who she’s worked with for quite a number of years. She also says that Newark Academy has taken care of her in a number of ways and she wants to give back to the community.

Dr. Thayer joins the Newark Academy math department after teaching for the past 15 years at Summit High School and The Beacon School in New York City. In his free time, he likes to play guitar, cook, and read books. His favorite movie is Young Frankenstein, his favorite TV show is M*A*S*H, a show that he would watch all the time while growing up, and his favorite book is Foundation, a science fiction novel that stuck with him. He has two cats. He decided to come to Newark Academy because he has been a public high school teacher for 15 years and felt like he wanted a change to a private high school and he was excited by the opportunity to work at Newark Academy.

Mr. Jacobsen joins the Newark Academy math department after doing seven years of tutoring and ten years of working at a hedge fund in Manhattan. In his free time, he likes to bike, play with his cats, play tennis, play piano, and go on vacations. His favorite TV show is The Walking Dead and his favorite book is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. He has two cats, named Zeno and Fermi (after the philosopher and physicist respectively). He came to teach at Newark Academy because “it’s one of the best schools and it’s a place where people can do so many things.”