By Danielle Sidi ’14, Staff Writer

Even though cleaved by the CollegeBoard and Christopher Columbus, Spirit Week 2011 maintained high energy. Starting off on a Friday, Spirit “Week” bridged Columbus Day weekend, PSAT/Explore test, and even a rainy Senior Mountain Day. Hannah Zack ’14, sophomore class president, claimed this year the school was, “More unified and spirited than ever! Since Spirit Week days were broken up, it technically seemed like the event lasted longer, and it was a lot of fun”. Students compared it to last year’s spirit level, and all of them thought that this year everyone had a lot more spirit.

Medieval Middle School surprisingly came in a close second to Juniors of Oz, by winning their skit, however the class of 2013 attained yet another victory in the Spirit Week event. Samantha Sidi, middle school council member, said, “Although we started out on a rough patch in the beginning, because of a combination of middle schooler’s energy, our good decorations, and the middle school skit, we were able to come closer to winning Spirit Week”.

President of the upper school, Shane Neibart ’12, was impressed with everyone’s friendly and spirited attitude. Christian Pinto ’13 said, “We had a lot more sportsmanship this year.” School Council hopes this trend continues next year, and is looking to return to a more traditional, continuous 1-week schedule.

The scheduling of Spirit Week is not the only aspect that is going to change for 2012. After a visit from the fire department, and the threat of a $15,000 fine, NA’s traditional decorating ideas will have to be adapted to remain with local fire codes. Historically, annual grade decorations included covering the walls with theme filled accessories, paper, and signs. Fire regulations state that no more than 10% of wall surfaces can be covered with flammable materials, forcing a new level of innovation for next year.

Was Spirit Week this year a success? Although some students believed that in 2010 it was more fun, many agreed this year our school spirit was incredible. The Newark Academy students overcame the awkward “more than a week” span of spirit, and the temptation to show competitive behavior. It truly showed that “Newark, Newark, we are ready”.