By Lily Sternlieb ‘24, Feature Editor

Photo Courtesy of the Senior TOK Slot D Class (Rounika Nuni & Alexa Jacob), where students playful brought a cake to class apologizing to Mr. Vinikoor for talking too much 

For 1000 days and 1000 nights, I’ve lived and breathed Newark Academy. I’ve spent hours reviewing Chemistry problems with Mr. Erlandson or eating lunch with my favorite teacher from freshman year. With a student body smaller than the word count of this article, Newark Academy is known for its strong community. And the foundation, the pillar of that community, is the student-teacher connections. 

I’ve been at Newark Academy for a long time, some (or at least my therapist) would definitely say, for way too long. What I’ve learned though isn’t necessarily about geometry proofs or the Gilded Age—I forgot all that stuff a long time ago. It’s about people. Over seven years I’ve learned how to forge relationships and friendships with the most unlikely and improbable of groups—and by that I mean teachers. As I near my final months in the hallowed halls of the academy, I find myself reflecting on how student relationships with teachers have evolved over the totality of our educational experience at NA. 

In full disclosure, I’m not aiming to delve into a deep, sappy introspective or a boring “weighing the pros and cons” essay. I’m not interested in writing about anything with that much substance. Instead, I’m simply going to open the doors to the reflections of the soon to be extinct species that is the class of 2024.    

During the course of my investigation, I spoke to several seniors and got their perspectives on student-faculty connections. Inchara Hosanagar 24’, resident marathon-runner and gym-rat said: “In the beginning it was more of a traditional teacher-student relationship and I was really nervous to meet with my teachers. However, with every passing year I find myself gravitating more to them and seeing them as friends.” Inchara makes a great point, as we spend more time at NA, the more comfortable we are in putting ourselves out there and getting to know our teachers. I can speak from personal experience here, and say that Newark Academy doesn’t cultivate the conventional student-teacher relationship, where students find it difficult to develop personal connections or a rapport with the faculty. And personally, I’ve really benefited from the relaxed relationships that develop and agree with Inchara that it’s pretty unique to NA. 

Yearbook connoisseur and Steve Lacy enthusiast Vivian Zhang ‘24 followed by saying, “they have become my friends. I’m not afraid to express my true self and now I feel a lot more open.” While I may not be as emotionally evolved as Vivian, I can still manage to pick up most of what she’s putting down: working relationships, like most things, get better with time. Friends of mine who have been at NA for seven years are still closest to the middle school faculty, who they visit weekly to reminisce about the perils of 7th grade American Studies and the ups and downs of the infamous “common period”.  Honorary senior and IB Bio virtuoso Ms. Celente had her own two cents to add to the discussion: “I think that’s the best part of the job, having a relationship and a rapport with the students. Trying to pass our love of the subject and then build human connection out of it. You give students the space to make mistakes and show them that you’re on their side. In the end, we’re in this together.” Geez, no wonder, she’s one of my favorites! Ms. Celente’s at the top of the faculty food chain in my book. Or was it the food web? As Ms. Celente can attest to, I’m not exactly known for my attention to detail, or for that matter, my listening skills. 

I’ll be honest, Newark Academy students often develop tension with their teachers. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed, unheard and we don’t know who to turn to. I get that feeling, in fact I’m probably the physical embodiment of that feeling (hence the therapist). However, my friendships with faculty are probably the most gratifying to me because we came together even if we started by standing on opposite ends of the classroom. So here’s my advice: take it or leave it, I don’t care. Either way, I’m out of here! Try your best to bridge the gap between teachers and students, then walk across the bridge you’ve built. The grass will be greener on the other side and who knows, maybe the grades will even get better!