NA’s

Chameleon and Jazz Collective Earn Top Honors at Mingus Festival

Newark Academy’s top-tier big band, Chameleon, and jazz combo, the NA Jazz Collective, each took first place in their respective categories at the 15th Annual Charles Mingus High School Competition and Festival held at The New School of Jazz in New York City on February 18-19.

Q: What advice would you give to new students who want to get involved in NA Arts?

MJ: I’d say don’t hesitate to at least try getting involved in it. Even if it feels intimidating in the beginning, there are people who will support you along the way, and you can really learn a lot. There’s always so much to learn from your peers.

AV: My study of Eastern and Western music is more like the two lenses of my glasses that work together to give me this whole scope of music that I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t done both. I think the most important thing I’ve always tried to take away from music, at the end of the day, is that it’s supposed to be fun. I’ve found that at NA. I would tell anyone starting out with music to remember that no matter what, remember to enjoy what you’re doing. It makes the experience that much better.

RISING FROM THE ASHES: Svan Mura ’24 Gets Published in Collection

From more than 5,500 pieces submitted to a contest on the New York Times Learning Network, junior Svanfridur “Svan” Mura ’24 was chosen to have a poem published in Coming of Age in 2020: Teenagers on the Year that Changed Everything. Svan’s poem, “Dear Generation Z,” is part of a collection that includes diary entries, comics, photos, poems, paintings, charts, lists, Lego sculptures, songs, recipes and rants from teenagers across the country, showing how they coped with the global pandemic, national political divides and controversies surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It’s an incredible honor to be included in this collection alongside so many amazing works and beautiful pieces of art,” Svan says. “I love this book as a snapshot of all the often-repressed anxieties, joys and raw talent of my generation. The pandemic and other struggles in 2020 really put pressure on these feelings, and so many people turned that pressure into amazing works of art.”

Svan’s poem was inspired by a New York Times podcast about lodgepole pines, which require fire to release their seeds. “They can only grow out of ashes,” says Svan. “Nature can be incredibly poetic, and that metaphor reminded me of this contest and inspired me to write this poem for it.”

Newark Academy Students Earn 56 Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

Twenty-five Newark Academy students earned a combined total of 56 Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards in the 2023 regional competition. Five students received a Gold Key, the highest award; 15 students earned Silver Key accolades and 15 students nabbed Honorable Mention honors. In addition, Vivian Zhang ’24 was awarded two national gold medals for her drawing “Home” and painting “Pressure.” Her piece “Home” will be exhibited at Carnegie Hall. Marina Chernin ’23 also received recognition at the national level with a silver medal for her critical essay “Violence in Decolonization: A Weak Substitute for Power.” The Scholastic Awards is the nation’s longest-running recognition program for students in grades 7 through 12 for creativity and excellence in various categories of arts and writing.

Regional Arts Awards

GOLD KEY

Anouk Hemingway ’25

Vivian Zhang ’24* (2)

SILVER KEY

Kieri Keys ’24

Amy Wang ’25 (3)

Vivian Zhang ’24

HONORABLE MENTION

Natalie Blake ’26 (2)

Ivie Drogin ’25

Kieri Keys ’24

Amy Wang ’25

Vivian Zhang ’24 (3)

Writing Awards

GOLD KEY

Marina Chernin ’23* (2)

Olivia Palker ’24

Suved Wali ’24

SILVER KEY

Izzy Becker ’24

Natalie Blake ’26

Siyona Bordia ’25 (2)

Lola Cantillon ’23

Marina Chernin ’23

Talia Elwyn ’26

Matthew Higgins ’25

Jeff Kunzweiler ’25

Zinnia Magill ’24

Svanfridur Mura ’24

Olivia Palker ’24 (5)

Yulin Tang ’26

HONORABLE MENTION

Izzy Becker ’24

Natalie Blake ’26

Alex Dang ’26

Eddie Ho ’25

Inchara

Hosanagar ’24 (3)

Abby Hsu ’25

Angela Huang ’27

Kieri Keys ’24

Jeff Kunzweiler ’25

Olivia Palker ’24 (3)

Lily Sternlieb ’24

Sanjita Tumu ’27