Category: Commentary
-
(My)NA Without Notifications
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…
-
Not Tradition — Strategy: Why Spirit Week 2025 Worked
By Ari Romanoff ’29, Commentary Staff Writer Newark Academy’s Spirit Week 2025 was the best in recent memory — not because of tradition, but because of intentional risk-taking, careful logistics, and a strong refocus on community. But the real question was: could these new strategies actually bring spirit back to NA? This year’s School Council,…
-
The End of History
By Sophie Hu’26, Editor-In-Chief While I surveyed the incredibly flat plains of Grand Teton in search of elusive elk and moose on my family’s summer trip to Montana and Wyoming, the guide told the group about the history of the park. As an aside—somewhere between the arrival of Native American groups and the arrival of…
-
Does 30 Minutes Make A Difference?
By Leah Gershgorin ’27, Commentary Editor My five-year-old sister loves to sleep in. She was known for being “the late girl” at her preschool; on the weekends, my family keeps quiet in the mornings so she can get her beauty sleep. Recently, she started kindergarten, so her sleeping habits were interrupted by my dad’s “get…
-
Advice from Upperclassmen: Should You Do the IB Diploma?
By Sophia Mu ’27, Commentary Editor Newark Academy was the first school in New Jersey to implement the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program in 1991, and it remains the only independent school in the state to offer it. Instead of stacking up as many Advanced Placement (AP) courses as possible, students at NA select from…
-
Mental Health: NA Students Lead the Conversation
By: Dina Drogin ‘23, Commentary Editor On April 5, 2022, I sat in the newly renovated Coraci Hall and listened as six of my enthusiastic classmates presented speeches, arguing about why they should each be the next Newark Academy Upper School president. While each speech contained unique anecdotes reflecting the candidates’ personalities and catchy slogans…
-
Reimagining Oscar Worthiness
By Allie Singh ‘25, Commentary Staff Writer Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences votes to decide which movies are regarded as best in class. The Academy Award for Best Picture is viewed as the most prestigious award and highest honor in filmmaking worldwide. While certain technical standards must be adhered to…
-
Science is Slipping Through Our Fingers
By Emily Qin ‘25, Commentary Staff Writer I bet you didn’t know thaton November 18th, Earth experienced its longest partial lunar eclipse in over five hundred years, also known as 2021’s Beaver Moon. Scientists all over the world, from the United States to Mexico to Thailand, were eager to witness this historic event, and some…
-
Exam Advice
By Catherine Orr ‘22 and Dina Drogin ‘23, Commentary Editors As we transition into December, holiday cheer should be in the air. But in the halls of Newark Academy, the excitement is masked under a less cheerful feeling: the impending stress of exams. The weeks leading up to winter break are a notoriously polarizing time.…
-
Newark Academy is Requiring You to Get Vaccinated
Dina Drogin ‘23, Commentary Editor On August 23, 2021, the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. A week and a half later, Newark Academy released a statement requiring all students over the age of sixteen to be vaccinated by November 1st. Those who are not yet of age must be vaccinated within sixty days of…