By Rahul Kaul ’12, News Editor

Newark Academy has gone through a face lift.  New carpeting in the Great Hall, a modernized heating system, a renovated cupola and a brand new interface on the Newark Academy website are all changes that were made to the school this past summer.   These improvements cannot really compare to the broader-reaching changes for Newark Academy in the future, as expressed in the Master Plan, yet these are small changes that students will notice everyday when walking through the halls of the school.

The new changes this summer were a part of “routine, but significant maintenance,” explains Head of School Mr. Austin.  The more pleasant atmosphere created by these changes, including improved skylights and greener sports fields, is indisputable.  Changes like these, says Mr. Austin, fall “kind of in between the [realm of] Master Plan and maintenance.”  When questioned as to how the more positive atmosphere may affect student performance, Mr. Austin suggests that such an atmosphere will help students, but only in a “secondary way.”

While most students speak positively about improvements to the school like the new swing in the arts courtyard, some are unsure about the aesthetic choices of a few changes, such as the bold new pattern of the Field House carpeting.  Sophomore Dillon Denehy disagrees with such students, believing that “the Great Hall is better looking now and offers a better first impression for people coming through the doors on tours.  Red and black is definitely better looking than plain old grey. ”

Other students complain that while they appreciate the maintenance, there are still many small fixes that are needed around the school.  Senior Thomas Henshall points out that “the money could be used for something more important.  We could reupholster the chairs in the auditorium, as an example.”  In other parts of the school, such as the Eberstadt Room, which was generously redone with Newark Academy Parents Association funds ($15,000 to be specific),  the money was clearly well used.

However, some parts of the community, such as returning seventh and eighth graders, find that the changes have not yet affected their daily lives at the Academy.  Eighth grader Nick Murray claims that the “big changes seem to be for the Upper School and the new sixth graders. Anyway they have not had an effect on an educational level.”

In addition to the maintenance work this summer, Mr. Austin reminds students that Newark Academy will be gearing up for new construction on campus soon. Mr. Austin is confident that “we’ll have a shovel in the ground by late next spring,” to start new construction, consistent with the timeline he gave the Minuteman last year.   The plans for new construction included input from a dedicated faculty and student design committee that made recommendations for construction plans based on the eight schools they visited over the summer.  Hopefully the new construction will build on the campus’s identity and continue to reflect the culture of Newark Academy.