By Christopher P. Davis ’12, Editor-in-Chief

The first half of the Spring Semester was unlike many that the more seasoned members of the community have experienced in recent memory – a New Jersey winter without snow. Nary a snow day, nor session of “snisbee” (snow frisbee) or “sn’improv (you guessed it, snow improv) was to be had. While this winter may have been mild, the accomplishments of the Newark Academy community during these weirdly warm days have been equally remarkable.

In the realm of Sports, it seems as a community, these past few months we have had basketball on the brain. “Linsanity” has swept across tri-state area, with New York Knick and Harvard graduate Jeremy Lin standing tall as an example of a true scholar athlete. On the hardwood, the scholar athletes of NA’s Men’s and Women’s varsity basketball teams both have had tremendous seasons. The triple header of Women’s Varsity, Men’s JV, and Men’s Varsity capped off with the 2^nd Annual Blacklight dance shaped up to be a night few Minutemen will forget. The Women’s team’s success has been unprecedented – a feat worthy of a Disney movie; their eight-woman squad scored their way to the State Championship game.

This year’s #Occupy themed Coffeehouse showcased the wide-ranging artistic talents of the community. Performances were wide ranging, from poetry to Clare de Lune, stand-up to Jason Mraz covers, and even at 9:07pm, infamous NA garage band “Panic Switch” took to the stage for the last time. (Or so they promise.) Although he didn’t perform at Coffeehouse, Coleman Hughes ‘14 took his class act (and trombone) to the house band at the 54^th Annual Grammy Awards.  This winter was not just limited to success on stage and in the field house; even NA’s Mock Trial team earned its second consecutive Essex County Championship, defeating school rival MKA, and team arch-rival Seton Hall Prep to bring back the verdict.

When we return from Spring Break on March 26^th, the class of 2012 will have a scarce 28

class days before Senior Check-out, the start of AP/IB Exam season, and after that Senior Projects. While seniors will be interning locally and in NYC, trekking their ways through Utah, scouting out Civil War battle sights, and even learning to bake, the underclass will be embarking upon NA’s first ever June-Term.

Although it is hard to believe, this editorial marks the last online edition for the staff of the 2011-2012 Minuteman. In our first editorial last spring we outlined our belief (and goal) that Empathy is the Soul of Good Journalism. It is this belief that guided the staff and editors as we have shaped our content over the past year. Each issue we have strived to focus on the human element, interviewing students, faculty, and alumni aiming for as diverse a set of perspectives as possible in every article.

As a staff, we are grateful for the comments our articles have received both online and in the halls and are proud of the debates our work has fostered. We also appreciate the hundreds of “likes” our work has received on Facebook from readers.

This year’s staff is currently putting the finishing touches on our annual magazine Minuteman Life. 40 pages and in full color, the magazine will go to press over Spring Break and be distributed before, for the 72^nd time, a new staff takes over The Minuteman.

Sincerely,

– The Editors and Staff of The Minuteman