By Rebecca Gorelov ’14, Staff Writer

As the end of the school year approaches, senior projects are underway. During this time, soon-to-be graduates pursue an area of interest. Senior projects provide departing Newark Academy students with opportunities to learn more about themselves as well as particular enterprises or activities of interest. The inclusion of senior projects is a way to test the independence of graduating students before they depart for college. This year the class of 2011 brings along with it a wide variety of unique senior projects ranging from internships in New York to hikes in the mountains of the Southwest.

Some seniors went about choosing their projects by venturing out of their comfort zones. Emily Heller is working for four days at an organic farm in Vermont. She will be planting different crops, feeding animals, and selling produce at a local market. Emily stated in regard to her motivation for choosing her senior project, “I wanted to do something completely unlike me. I have never experienced the rural way of life and this would be a great opportunity to do so.” Since she lives in a suburban area she is not sure where her food comes from. This truly will be a perfect way to “learn more about…the process behind growing the food that [she] eat[s].”

Another senior completely stepping out of his comfort zone is Jake Zack. For his project, Jake will study “Silent Meditation.” For four days he will stay at the Dharma Drum Buddhist retreat center. During this time he will take a vow of silence and learn how to meditate for long periods of time. He will be living with monks and will not be able to have any form of entertainment with him on his journey. He chose do to pursue meditation because he wanted to do something different and challenging. He says, “I am hoping that I am much calmer, much more at peace with myself, and much more tranquil once I leave.” He is fascinated by philosophy and thinks studying a different religion will help him in his philosophical studies.

Most seniors chose their projects with an eye on pursuits later in life. For example Liza Seiden strives to work in the wedding industry, so for her project she will work at Martha Stuart Weddings. To really get a feel of working in the bridal industry, Liza has been employed in a wide variety of jobs from filing and organizing to viewing a new bridal line. Her goal in this internship is to, “gain a wide range of knowledge of everything ‘wedding’..[as of now] I am getting a good grasp on all the different aspects of it.”

Another senior who chose his project based on future ambitions is Jordan Jett. Jordan will work with Board of Trustees Head Jonathan Olesky to learn about investing. He says, “I chose this project…to see if [investing] appealed to me.” Mr. Olesky is serving as Jordan’s mentor and is also the Track and Field coach at Newark Academy. He will teach Jordan to research retail stock and compare his data to that of analysts. The last phase of this project is to meet with investors that Mr. Olesky knows in New York City. Jordan hopes that this experience will clarify whether he truly wants to pursue investing.

Former Minuteman Editor-In-Cheif Ashley Ulrich decided to pursue her passion for writing in her senior project.  Ashley will be spending two weeks interning at The New York Times Week in Review. During her internship she will attend meetings with different editors, writers, and graphic designers of the Times. Even though she remains unsure whether she wants to work in journalism after college, the internship encapsulates her studies at Newark Academy and her projected college study plan. She is not sure what to expect from the internship but says that “hopefully a senior project is a fun, invigorating, but short view at a real business in production.”

As opposed to an internship, seniors are also presented with the option of participating in the “Southwest Trip.” In this project, a group of 11 students will travel to parts of Utah and Arizona. They will hike in Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, and the Grand Canyon. A portion of the trip will also be dedicated to a several-day-long canoeing trip. Like most seniors participating in the Southwest Trip, Sasha Reznikova is doing it to get out of her comfort zone. She says, “I wanted to do something I have never done before and most likely will not do again.” Sasha believes that it will also be a great bonding experience. Even though most of the seniors have been with each other since freshman year this trip is an opportunity to bond with fellow student outside of an academic setting.

Aside from  studying for AP and IB exams as the year winds down, seniors participate in something fun. Most are counting down the days until their senior project begins. Not only are the projects a fun way for the students to learn but they are a way to prepare them to be independent at college.