By Leah Gershgorin ’27, Commentary Editor

As the first few weeks of the new school year were coming to a close, and students began submitting more and more assignments, grades once again became a prevalent topic on everyone’s minds. This year, however, students were surprised when they realized they were no longer notified once graded assignments were posted to MyNA. Now, students have to remember to check their progress on their own, instead of relying on a notification that provides everyone peace of mind. 

The decision, which caught many students off-guard, raised questions about the reasoning behind it. When asked what ultimately led to this major change, Head of School Mr. Tom Ashburn stated, “Many students who received notifications of posted grades during class would become obsessed with the grade and disrupt the lesson.” Newark Academy’s recent efforts, such as the new schedule, have been focused on student mental health and maximizing the productivity of class time; it has been apparent to teachers and faculty that such notifications have put up a barrier in progressing towards this goal. 

While this explanation sheds light on the reasoning behind the shift, it’s yet to be proven effective. Charlie Goldstein ’26 mentioned, “Unfortunately, people have been saying that this change has had the opposite effect: attaching students to their grades more, as they do not know when grades have been posted — a habit that I have noticed myself falling into.” Instead of checking grades only when receiving notifications, students now constantly open MyNA during class and check not only one assignment, but all classes. This detracts from even more learning time, and creates a greater distraction than notifications had before. 

I, among many others, do not believe this change to be optimal for the NA community. I find myself checking MyNA more often than I used to, which has led me to obsess more over my grades, overshadowing NA’s past attempts at bettering the overall mental health of the community. Nonetheless, according to Mr. Ashburn, the administration is willing to alter this change through voice proposals and/or feedback from the school counselors. A potential solution would be to release grade notification summaries at the end of the school, around 2:35, so students will not constantly check their progress during classes, and still have enough time after school to meet with teachers if necessary. Although this change may sound plausible, Mr. Ashburn noted that “the logistics in the MyNA software would make this a difficult fix,” not because of NA itself, but because of Blackbaud, the software corporation MyNA is built on. 

Overall, in my eyes, turning off MyNA graded assignment notifications has not been effective. While the intent to reduce classroom distractions and support student mental health is commendable, this change has unfortunately increased anxiety and the constant monitoring of grades. I have to admit, I probably checked my grades once or twice while writing this article. Hopefully, NA will be able to implement a solution that allows students to be fully present in classes while being duly informed on their performance.