Outreach Spring 2015 by Newark Academy

outreach N E WA R K A C A D E M Y

S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

Intellectual

play

POWER, Intellectual

Beyond the Classroom

“As a tennis player, I’ve always been interested in the importance of mentally preparing for a match, of getting into the right state of mind,” says Dylan Flanagan ’16.

coaches in Training A

s a student in The Art of Coaching: Beyond the Xs and Os, one of 23 June Term courses

offered this school year, Dylan will explore how impactful coaches inspire their players and how the skills of coaching can be applied beyond the playing field. Created by Spanish teacher Lynne Barker and mathematics teacher Arky Crook, both experienced varsity coaches, The Art of Coaching allows students to learn and to practice the skills of effective team management and motivation. The course includes case studies, debates, and on-the-field scenarios, and it promises to be great fun. Lynne is looking forward to sharing her passion for coaching with students. “I can’t think of a better way to spend nine intense days,” she says, “than guiding each student as they hone their personal coaching style through hands-on practice, in collaboration with their peers – all through the medium of play.”

Intellectual

POWER, Intellectual

play

Read the full story, beginning on page 27.

SPRING 2015

contents FEATURES Lessons from Abroad

Intellectual Power, Intellectual Play

IN THIS ISSUE Perspectives

NA News

Advancement

Alumni News

Class Notes

Like NA on Facebook; Follow NA on Twitter @newarkacademy; Visit NA on the web at www.newarka.edu

outreach spring 2015 Donald M. Austin Head of School Lisa Grider Director of Institutional Advancement EDITOR Debra Marr Director of Communications A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R S Marci Kahwaty Kristin Walpole David Beckman CONTRIBUTORS Jerome Bess ’40 Matthew Gertler ’90 Ted Gilbreath Peter Gruenberg ’81 Laura Hazlett Jeff Vinikoor BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chairman Jonathan D. Olesky ’74 Executive Committee William Bloom Jeffrey Kaplan Patricia Budziak David D. McGraw ’77 Laura White Dillon Larry S. Wieseneck Kim Hirsh ’80 Jane Wilf Suzanne Willian Trustees Donald M. Austin Lauren Hedvat ’01 Maria Rice Bellamy ’85 Glenda McNeal Betsy Dollinger Bernstein ’86 Samir Pandiri John H. Bess ’69 Sujata Pandiri Lawrence G. Cetrulo ’67 Sandra Peinado Jeffrey H. Cohen ’81 Richard R. Redmond ’77 Samuel W. Croll III ’68 Alexander M. Rose ’96 Mary Ellen DeNoon Mark Rosenbaum Scott L. Hayward Tiffany Taylor Smith Patrick B. Wang Emeriti Louis V. Aronson II ’41 K. Kelly Marx ’51 Paul Busse ’38 John L. McGraw ’49 Robert Del Tufo ’51 Robert S. Puder ’38* William D. Green ’69 Gary Rose William D. Hardin ’44* William T. Wachenfeld ’44 A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N B O A R D O F G O V E R N O R S John H. Bess ’69 President Amanda Addison ’06 Sean Allen ’03 Lara Samet Buchwald ’01 Daniel Cronheim ’72 Jacqueline Lipsius Fleysher ’93 Peter Gruenberg ’81 Lauren Jacobs-Lazer ’98 Gillian Javetski ’07 William S. Kaplan ’69

Jennifer Mandelbaum ’11 David Mazzuca ’03 Edward Pursell ’02 David Rattner ’03 Jed Rosenthal ’93 Alexander Senchak ’02 Brian Silver ’09 Andrew Somberg ’07 Glenn Waldorf ’90

Emeriti Lance Aronson ’74 Jeffrey J. Silverman ’82 J. Richard Beltram ’41 William S. Stroh III ’48* Leo M. Gordon ’69 Richard M. Watson ’50 Newark Academy Office of Institutional Advancement 91 South Orange Avenue • Livingston, NJ 07039 Telephone: 973.992.7000, Fax: 973.992.8962 E-mail: dmarr@newarka.edu • Website: www.newarka.edu *Deceased

PERSPECTIVES 3

FROM DONALD M. AUSTIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

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Play of the mind is essential to a first-rate education.

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The Power of Play AND ITS IMPACT ON SUCCESS AND CREATIVITY Two decades ago, I heard the classicist and musician David Porter give a talk to a group of high school students in New York. Porter had worked as a legendary professor as well as president of Carleton and Skidmore colleges. Throughout his distinguished career, Porter integrated the study of those two disciplines, performed frequently, and inspired students to make connections across art, literature and the humanities. During his talk that day, Porter spoke about the value of play in developing our minds. “Play of the mind may be the most important thing in creativity.” For most of the talk, he sat at the piano, speaking and making music, interspersing comments about how we hear and learn with examples from his own playing. It was a powerful and memorable lecture.

eachers and psychologists have long recognized the importance of play in the development of young people, but in this ferociously achievement-oriented time, middle and high school students are pushed to abandon play for hard work and specialization. This is short-sighted and not much fun for today’s students, who are so busy that they have far less down time than previous generations. While high academic standards may contribute to the pressure our students

feel, Newark Academy integrates play into much of what we do. Morning Meeting often features lighthearted announcements and performances of all kinds. Humor has a role in every classroom, and experiential learning requires students to adapt, assume unfamiliar roles and innovate. The close relationships between teachers and students inspire playfulness that often begins in the classroom but regularly expands to other intellectual pursuits. Of course, the arts and athletics – built

upon a foundation of play – are central to the Newark Academy experience. In the following pages, you will read about how Newark Academy students and teachers have pursued their passions in ways that fall outside of realms usually associated with schools. Many demand creativity, skill, and determination. What they have learned and enjoyed as a result demonstrates the truth of Porter’s statement: “Play of the mind” is essential to a first-rate education.

To learn more about research on play, see this TED Talk by psychiatrist Stuart Brown of the Stanford School: http://blog.ted.com/stuart_brown_play/ OUTREACH spring 2015

NA NEWS

FACULTY FOCUS

Andrew Alford (Computer Science/Technology) earned an honorable mention from the literary journal, Glimmer Train, for his entry in their Short Story Award for New Writers competition.

Jessica DeSanta (English) earned a doctorate in English from the University of St. Andrews. To defend her dissertation, she traveled back to Scotland, where she shared her work on food and taste in the writings of Virginia Woolf and Hélène Cixous with colleagues and examiners.

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS

Caitlin Berkefeld (Science) was honored by the Sussex County Community College Foundation with a Legacy Award, recognizing her commitment to education, to Sussex County Community College and to her community.

Sarah Fischer (Humanities) was selected to present at the National ServiceLearning Conference in Washington, D.C., in April. Her presentation was titled How to Talk About Inequality: Designing Meaningful Reflection.

Vanessa Jimenez Gabb’s (English) Weekend Poems was included in Time Out New York’s list of “10 chapbooks to read now.” Chapbooks are small books of 20 to 40 pages in which a writer may explore a single theme or present work prior to publishing a full-length book. NEWARK ACADEMY

Alexis Romay (Spanish) celebrated community and literacy by reading alongside Montclair Public Library Director David Hinkley, Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson, and The Wire actor Frankie Faison. The event was part of the Montclair Public Library’s town-wide Little Read marathon. At an accompanying event co-sponsored by Montclair State University’s Latin American and Latino Studies Program, Alexis discussed his experiences growing up in Cuba. He was joined “virtually” by author Julia Alvarez (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents), who read from her novel In the Time of the Butterflies.

WAXING PHILOSOPHICAL

Five Nights of Plato

Bill Blaskopf and wife Fran traveled to Haiti with a church group to bring supplies to communities in need. They also brought NA T-shirts and gently used sports uniforms to distribute.

CLAYTON S. ROSE ASSUMES BOWDOIN COLLEGE PRESIDENCY Former NA parent Clayton S. Rose, PhD, was elected president of Bowdoin College, effective July 1, 2015. Rose is currently a member of the faculty at Harvard Business School. Clayton and his wife Julianne have two sons: Garett ’03, a graduate of University of Chicago and University of Chicago Law School; and Jordan ’05, who graduated from Dartmouth College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

FORMER TRUSTEE DAVID GRANT AUTHORS NEW BOOK Former Newark Academy Trustee David Grant recently published The Social Profit Handbook: The Essential Guide to Setting Goals, Assessing Outcomes, and Achieving Success for MissionDriven Organizations. David, a former president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, now consults for organizations that have social or educational missions.

Dr. Richard DiBianca

FORMER FACULTY NOTE

Imagine sitting in a philosophy class with a group of talented intellectuals, debating the meaning of life and other big questions without worrying about the grade you’ll receive at the end of the term. A group of parents and alumni recently did just that, participating in the Evening Philosophy Seminar series. Upper School Principal Dr. Richard DiBianca and faculty member Peter Reed collaborated to lead the seminar’s five sessions focused on “Virtue, Love and Truth: Three Dialogues of Plato.” At each of the five meetings, the group gathered around a Harkness table, a carefully chosen location that offered a visual metaphor: at each session, an idea was in the center of the table, to be discussed and questioned by all. “There was a great energy in all of the discussions,” Rich said. That energy lasted well beyond the sessions themselves, with spirited email dialogues between gatherings. Rich and Peter facilitated each discussion, reminding the group that they were there not primarily to teach but to act as fellow students and thinkers. “It’s amazing to see how each person in the room brings up a different piece of the text,” said Peter. “The seminar format allows us to have academically rigorous discussions on a leisurely schedule.” The philosophy seminar also gave parents a feel for the Newark Academy experience that students have in their classes. “When I teach, I want my classes to be conversations, rooted in the text,” said Peter. “The tone was very much the same with the parent and alumni group.” There may be other seminar series on the horizon. These texts and topics are evergreen, and Rich and Peter are collaborating on ways to approach future series focused on philosophy classics. “I think it’s important to ask big questions and ponder big ideas,” Rich said. “In this age of math- and science-focused curricula, it’s important to note that many of these areas have their roots in philosophy.”

OUTREACH spring 2015

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NA NEWS

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Let us stand up. Let us be a concerned generation. Let us remain awake through a great revolution. … We still have a long, long way to go, but at least we’ve made a creative beginning. – Martin Luther King Jr.

REVOLUTION SOLUTIONS

Students at NA are passionate about making this world a better place. Channeling that passion into new, unconventional ways of raising awareness of social and environmental issues was the inspiration for Revolution Week, organized by NA’s school council. “Revolution Week was an experiment in developing innovative ways to raise awareness, money and fun for five causes: education, medicine, homelessness, environment and social justice,” said Matt Thekkethala ’15, school council president and one of the creators of Revolution Week. Each day’s activities focused on one of these five causes and included Morning Meeting presentations, fundraisers, discussion groups, hall displays and movie screenings. Many different student groups and organizations collaborated in the effort to find unique, revolutionary ways of getting the community involved in exploring important issues and thinking about new ways to tackle them.

LEADING THE WAY A SUMMER CHALLENGE FOR SENIOR LEADERS They will sleep in yurts, share personal experiences with classmates, engage deeply in self-reflection, and take on physical challenges in a wilderness setting. This is how a group of 16 Newark Academy students will kick off their senior year when they arrive at the Pocono Environmental Education Center this August for Peer Leadership orientation. For nearly 30 years, NA’s Peer Leadership Program has provided leadership training for seniors – and a lifeline for overwhelmed freshmen – by matching small groups of ninth graders with pairs of senior mentors called Peer Leaders. The application process is a rigorous one – including a written submission, interviews and faculty recommendations. The 16 seniors who succeed in their applications are then

required, as their first responsibility in their new role, to attend the three-day retreat. Comfort zones are tested at the retreat by physical challenges, such as a ropes course and other outdoor activities, which promote problem solving and illuminate group dynamics. Personal reflection and group sharing broaden students’ views of themselves and their classmates. By successfully navigating orientation challenges, peer leaders often come away from the experience saying that they’ve become more adaptable, better organized and better listeners – all of which make them stronger leaders, according to Carol Spooner, who has headed the Peer

MIDDLE SCHOOL

MakerSpace IS ON THE MARK If you like a book you’ve read, you can tell a friend, write a review or … create a video trailer? The Hawkes Memorial Library staff offers Middle School students the opportunity to share their favorite books through unique digital projects – with some pretty cool results. Each semester the “MakerSpace” group invites sixth-grade students to develop technology projects based on their favorite Young Adult books available in the library. The students attend MakerSpace group meetings once a cycle, collaborating with peers and advisors to plan, design and build their digital projects, which they later present at a Middle School Morning Meeting. Final projects may include original videos, collages, bookmarks with QR codes that display embedded videos, or webpages dedicated to the students’ selected books.

Leadership program for 23 years and is director of counseling. “The personal exploration and group bonding that occurs during the orientation are accompanied by concrete lessons and direction on leadership – an examination of group dynamics, tactics for resolving conflict, facilitating groups, etc.,” says Carol. At the conclusion of the retreat, students will use what they have learned about themselves and their fellow peer leaders to choose a partner for the upcoming school year. Kerry Winiarski, director of college counseling and faculty advisor for the program, describes the selection process.

“The kids decide on their own method for selecting partners. They are in a room where over the course of the retreat we’ve been hanging up large sheets of paper that demonstrate leadership profiles and the results of personal characteristic inventories. They rely on this information to find ‘workable pairs’ in the group. Sometimes the process happens naturally and other times it’s a lengthier examination of who brings what to the table.” Each year’s class of peer leaders is different, but one thing remains constant: students depart orientation possessing a new sense of self-awareness, a deeper knowledge of their fellow leaders and a plethora of tools to lead their ninth-grade mentees through the bumpy terrain of freshman year.

NA NEWS 8

DECORATED GENERAL TO DELIVER COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS On Sunday, June 7, U.S. Army Brigadier General Stuart W. Risch ’80 will return to Newark Academy as Commencement speaker. Brig. Gen. Risch is Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations at Army Headquarters in the Pentagon. Among his many previous accomplishments, he served as commander of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia, and as a litigation attorney in the U.S. Army Litigation Division, working with the Department of Justice to represent the Army

before various federal courts. He was deployed to the Middle East several times, serving in operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. During his years at Newark Academy, Brig. Gen. Risch played football and baseball and was a member of the Key Club and Spirit Club. He went on to earn a BA from Lafayette College and a law degree from Seton Hall University. He also holds two master’s degrees in law and strategic studies. Before entering active duty, he practiced law in the private sector with New Jersey-based law firm Dwyer Connell & Lisbona.

n s, E me Ja

glish Faculty

Te ss

S SE

SHOWC OG A L B

You may know that NA archivist Blackie Parlin is an accomplished photographer, but did you know that faculty member Stephanie Acquadro (English) is too? Would you have guessed that Bob Bitler (Science) is writing a “physics thriller” or that Bob Mallalieu (Library/Media Services) plays the dulcimer? Newark Academy’s talented faculty, students, staff and alumni now have a new showcase for their creative work. The Writing, Art and Music Blog (affectionately called WAM!) is NA’s online forum for sharing creative projects and works-in-progress. It started in 2013 as a place for student and faculty writers to share their novels-in-progress during National Novel Writing Month, but it quickly grew to incorporate all forms of art. Visit the site on any given day and you might find a short story written by a faculty member, verses written by student poets or photographs contributed by alumni. “One of my favorite aspects of the blog is discovering the hidden talents of students and colleagues,” said English teacher Tess James, the founder and curator of the site. “Alumni contributions are also particularly compelling because they give current NA students and families the opportunity to see what NA graduates are doing now,” she added. Students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to contribute their writing, art or performance videos to be featured on WAM! Email submissions to Tess at tjames@newarka.edu.

NEWARK ACADEMY

THEME-BASED COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMMING MAKES AN IMPACT!

COMMUNITY SERVICE COUNCIL

Showing Solidarity for Homeless Youth

DIRECTOR Sarah Fischer (Humanities)

Each year, more than 2 million young people are homeless in the United States and more than 5,000 lose their lives on the street. With such alarming statistics in mind, Newark Academy’s Community Service Council chose to focus the spring semester’s service programming on the issue of homelessness. Their pivotal event was the Solidarity Sleep Out in March. More than 70 students signed up to sleep outside, raising more than $20,000 in support of Covenant House, an organization that helps homeless youth escape life on the streets. The night was filled with opportunities to learn about the issue of homelessness and to participate in fun events like skits and a shelter-building competition. The NA Outdoors Club provided tents for the night and showed students how to set them up.

FACULTY GRADE COORDINATORS 12TH GRADE:

Sandy Palmer (Science) 11TH GRADE:

Aaron Weiss (Languages) 10TH GRADE:

Marina Graham (English) 9TH GRADE:

Andy Ryan (Science) STUDENT EXECUTIVE BOARD Nina Pusic ’15 Sam Rosenberg ’15 Courtney Cooperman ’16 Bryan Wilensky ’16 GRADE REPRESENTATIVES

Making Ends Meet

Brandon Dempsey ’15 Jenna Tobey ’15 Olimpia Kane ’16 Paige Willian ’16 Brittney Tong ’16 Erin Eagle ’17 Joelle Gross ’17 Dean Tan ’18 Brahm Wieseneck ’18

The Community Service Council’s theme during the fall semester was food insecurity, the problem of limited or uncertain availability of healthy, safe foods in households across the Unites States. Service-based programming included monthly trips to St. Ann’s Soup Kitchen and NA Day at the Food Bank. The Community Service Council also partnered with school clubs to host a Food Insecurity Discussion Series, addressing topics such as the impact of food insecurity on health and the pros and cons of food stamps. The Community Service Council will continue to work with other NA groups to develop programming that encourages students to connect their service efforts with their personal passions and interests. OUTREACH spring 2015

Immersion by the Numbers The Immersion Experience,

a requirement for graduation since 2013, has created myriad opportunities for students to move beyond their comfort zones

TRIP LEADERS

and grow as a result. The

18 teachers and 10 alumni have accompanied students on immersion experiences.

numbers – and the memories – are quite amazing! Since 2009…

636

IMMERSION EXPERIENCES have been completed by NA students.

A TRIP TO PONTEVEDRA, SPAIN, IN 2009, led by faculty member Maria Teresa McNeilly-Anta ’93, was the inaugural Immersion Experience trip at Newark Academy and served as a model for the hundreds of excursions that have followed during the last six years. That trip also served as the model for the creation of other faculty-led immersion trips, each of which is guided by one of three themes:

NEWARK ACADEMY

have completed

LINGUISTIC-CULTURAL IMMERSIONS

5 21

COUNTRIES

The most popular destinations are Spain, Guatemala, and France. Other countries visited by NA students include Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Senegal, India, Costa Rica, Laos, Ecuador, Peru, Switzerland, Cameroon, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Grenada, and Cambodia.

have completed

SERVICE-LEARNING IMMERSIONS

CONTINENTS Five of the seven continents – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America – have been reached by students on immersion trips.

8 21

Parlez-Vous?

LANGUAGES Students have visited countries that speak Spanish, French, Portuguese, Mandarin, Khmer, Thai, Wolof, and English.

have completed

WILDERNESS IMMERSIONS

OUTREACH spring 2015

NA NEWS 12

The Art of Losing

Elizabeth Merrigan’s ’16 essay “The Art of Losing” has been recognized by the National Council of Teachers of English for a 2015 NCTE Achievement Award. In “The Art of Losing,” Liz, a lifelong curator, details her insatiable desire to collect and preserve the moments in her life. In this excerpt she looks back at her nine-year-old self, describing what happened when she caught fireflies one summer night and did not release them:

Summer came … and the fireflies began to appear, wandering stars close enough to steal. The subject of my obsession may have changed, but the urge had stayed. My brother and I caught fireflies together with cupped hands above and below, so as to coerce them to land without the risk of harming them. In truth, it was a cruel method – we gave them the illusion of choice. But we had empty bug-catching cages to fill, and that was all that mattered. One by one we chased them down, believing their signals were meant for us. To them our hands would have been malignant black holes, opening up to swallow their bright futures. But in July, when I am turning nine, I am at the top of the world. I am the spider in the chandelier, owning the lights. When it was time for me to go to bed, I set the cage on my nightstand and carefully counted my fireflies. After setting the room to darkness and burrowing under the covers, I stared up at the ceiling, waiting to fall asleep. But from the corner of my eye, I saw a flash from the heated shadows, followed by urgent, yellow-green replies. I crawled out of bed, turned on the light and peered through the screen of the cage. All but five of the fireflies had escaped. When I looked around me, they were clinging to the creamy walls, circling the lampshade, beating at the window blinds. I stood there, panicked. I wanted desperately to catch them and bring them back to safety, but I didn’t want to wake my brother, who was sleeping in the top bunk. With difficulty, I closed my eyes and went to sleep. The next morning, I studied the pail and cried. The remaining fireflies had died, becoming crunchy, overturned corpses lying on the bottom of the cage, as irrelevant as nail clippings. The ones who had escaped, chasing life, I had no idea where they ended up. They, too, were gone forever. I’ve come to realize that growing up is about your priorities changing, your collections evolving.

NEWARK ACADEMY

Jonathan Lee

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE TIMES TWO Jonathan Lee and Amos Machanic Jr. Bring NA Dancers to Their Feet! Acclaimed dancer and choreographer Jonathan Lee spent a week at Newark Academy teaching, coaching and dancing hip-hop as Newark Academy’s 2015 Artist-In-Residence. Lee has worked with recording artists including Madonna, Gloria Estefan and Mariah Carey as a backup singer, dancer and choreographer. His theater credits include West Side Story, The King and I, and Miss Saigon. He teaches hip-hop in New York City. Lee was joined by guest artist and former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater star Amos Machanic Jr. Machanic spent the week preparing student dancers to perform selections from the iconic Alvin Ailey work Revelations at the NA spring choral concert. On the final day of their visit, Lee and Machanic collaborated on a stunning and memorable Morning Meeting dance performance titled Justice. Set to the Grammy awardwinning song Glory from the film Selma, the piece explored the idea of different generations coming together as a powerful force for social change.

LEARNING AND DANCING HISTORY Amos Machanic Jr. (center), a longtime member of the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, spent a week at NA teaching four student dancers choreography for selected elements of Ailey’s Revelations. Tiana Barkley ’17, Summer Peace ’19, Jacqueline Taylor ’20 and Jonathan Charette ’18 performed the pieces at the spring choral concert in April. Jacqueline, the youngest student in the quartet, found Ailey’s work deeply inspiring. “It showed me that anyone can push the boundaries and excel at life in any way they wish if they really put their heart into it,” she said.

Amos Machanic Jr.

Alvin Ailey Collaboration

The annual Artist-in-Residence Program encourages NA students to explore creativity and artistic expression through extended interaction with a professional in the visual or performing arts. Past artists have included musicians, filmmakers and playwrights. During their visits, the artists teach classes, share their craft in workshops and enrich the school community at large through their participation. OUTREACH spring 2015

NA NEWS 14

NEWARK ACADEMY

ARTS

Nearly 60 NA students in grades 6-12 participated in the winter production of Urinetown: The Musical, winner of three Tony Awards and one of the most uproariously funny musicals of recent years. The NA student cast was delightful in the hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water was worth its weight in gold. With a live orchestra, led by NA Choral Director Viraj Lal, the show played to packed houses for the three nights of its run in February.

NA NEWS

ATHLETICS

Parenting Athletes A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND By Ted Gilbreath, Director of Athletics By now the anecdote of college athletes reflecting on their worst memories of youth and high school sports is well known. It seems to be a universal experience, crossing all sports and impacting boys and girls alike: the dreaded car ride home from a competition with parents whose questions and observations after a tough loss or poor performance served only to rub salt in the wound. Add to this the litany of stories about poorly behaving parents driving their kids out of sports altogether and it can seem that youth sports in America are rapidly becoming an unpleasant experience for everyone involved.

NEWARK ACADEMY

FOR ATHLETIC NEWS AND UPDATES www.newarka.edu/athletics goNAMinutemen

@NAMinutemen

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Empower your children to value the process and enjoy the journey with their teammates.

hat makes the situation all the more complicated is the fact that most of these parents are well intentioned, see tremendous educational value in sports participation and just want their kids to have great experiences. So how do they end up crossing the line? Many of those dreaded car conversations are simply the result of a parent wanting their child to have an opportunity to reflect on their play. What, then, is a parent to do when it comes to their involvement in their children’s athletic endeavors? Should they follow the model of Golden State Warriors Head Coach and former NBA player Steve Kerr’s parents, whom he credits with “backing off and letting me play”? Or is there a model that promotes more positive ways to be actively involved? To answer that question, here are some parent behaviors that sports psychologists recommend for positioning young athletes to get the most out of their participation in athletics: BE RESPECTFUL ON THE SIDELINES.

Athletes can’t focus on the game if they are embarrassed by your behavior in the stands. It also detracts from the fan experience – no one wants to sit next to a raving lunatic. GET A LIFE! Have hobbies outside of

your child’s sports and separate your selfesteem from your child’s individual success in sports. SPEND YOUR TIME AND MONEY WITH APPROPRIATE EXPECTATIONS. Remember

that all of the club coaches, recruiting service coordinators, trainers, etc., are business people. No matter how talented,

qualified or well connected they are, at the end of the day they are selling you a product or service and are not, ultimately, responsible for the end result. DON’T TRY TO LEVERAGE YOUR CHILD’S PARTICIPATION IN ATHLETICS. In reality,

a very low percentage of athletes will even play collegiate-level sports, let alone earn a scholarship. Only 3.3 percent of high school basketball players and 1.9 percent of high school soccer players play in college – and they’re not all on scholarship! KEEP WINNING AND LOSING IN PERSPECTIVE – FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD. Empower your children to value

the process and enjoy the journey with their teammates. Remind them that they will only have this opportunity for a short while. Parents of student-athletes should

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keep proper goals in sight: having fun, developing life skills and honing the game. Also remember that athletes do not intentionally screw up! If a mistake was made during a game, your child feels worse about it than you do. WORK WITH THE COACH. Encourage your

athlete to talk directly with the coach if there is an issue. If parental involvement is needed, always be constructive in your comments, always speak in a private setting and never discuss the other athletes on the team. Parents who use these guidelines to inform their approach to parenting – and rooting for! – their high school athletes will contribute positively to the growth of their children as student-athletes and will more successfully mesh their dual roles as parents and spectators. NA

DOING THEIR PART! Minutemen parents are a positive part of the athletic experience at Newark Academy and their role is more than filling the stands with red and black gear and the air with enthusiastic cheers. They take on a number of key roles to help free up coach time for the x’s and o’s. Parents deliver snacks and drinks to the sidelines to keep athletes hydrated and fueled and they supply meals, such as pizza and sandwiches, for late-night games. Parents also plan “Senior Days,” which honor senior players during their last NA career games, coordinating photo opportunities, making banners and purchasing flowers for senior moms. Minutemen teams conclude their season with banquet celebrations – complete with food, speeches and awards – all coordinated by proud moms and dads. “NA parents are very supportive,” says Ted Gilbreath, director of athletics. “They show up in the rain, they take on the logistics for events and travel, and they’ve spearheaded much of the senior recognition activity that takes place in our programs.” OUTREACH spring 2015

NA NEWS

ATHLETICS

A PAIR OF MINUTEMEN ARE LEADING THE POLAR BEARS! The Bowdoin College men’s and women’s lacrosse teams received major contributions from a pair of former Minutemen. At press time, Emma Beecher ’12, had a team-leading 24 points for the women’s team, while her classmate, Brandon Rothman ’12, led the men’s program with 12 goals.

On Track IT’S PRETTY AMAZING TO BRING HOME A WIN FROM AN INDOOR TRACK MEET. IT’S EVEN MORE AMAZING TO DO SO WITHOUT HAVING AN INDOOR TRACK TEAM! NA track and field athletes Johnny Capobianco ’16, Sam Fishbein ’17 and Rohan Bendre ’17 thought it would be fun to pull an informal team together and compete in a winter meet. The rest is history… The spring track and field season was still months away when Johnny, Sam and Rohan came up with the idea one day in the workout room. “We thought it would be great to have a goal for the off-season,” said Rohan. The boys pitched the idea of forming an informal indoor track team to Director of Athletics Ted Gilbreath. Then they found a meet in NA’s conference, gathered 15 runners, jumpers and throwers, and enlisted English teacher Kaitlin Fitzpatrick (Coach Fitz) as their coach and chaperone at the meet. The “team” trekked down to Lawrenceville one weekend in February and faced stiff competition from schools with established indoor track teams. “When we saw how well our sprinters did in the preliminaries we realized that we could really be competitive,” said Johnny, describing the performance of Vihar Desu ’15, Noah Wagner-Carlberg ’15 and Josh Martin ’16. Newark Academy went on to earn first place in the overall boys team rankings. Could there be a future for this team? Don’t rule it out: there was an indoor track club at NA a few years ago that could be revived, and these athletes have come off their win eager for more.

NEWARK ACADEMY

A STRONG SHOWING Carter Beardsley ’13, a New York University sophomore and member of the men’s track and field team, took fourth in the shot put with a throw of 13.95m at the Roadrunner Invitational hosted by Ramapo College. He also placed 10th in the shot put at the 20th Annual Monmouth Season Opener.

AN HONOR DESERVED Former Lady Minuteman Adrienne White ’11,now a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, was named to the 2015 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship All-Tournament Team.

LEADING ON THE LINKS As co-captain of Williams College’s men’s golf team, Jake Goldenring ’11 turned in an impressive 2-over par round that helped catapult the Ephs into the lead at the Rhode Island College Spring Invitational. The RIC Invite was Williams’ first victory of the season.

#GOMINUTEMEN

In case you missed it... HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WINTER ATHLETICS SEASON

‚ The Middle School wrestling team finished the season undefeated at 7-0.

‚ Wrestler Brendon Seyfried ’15 earned 2nd place at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) district championships.

‚ Wrestler Steven Bonsall ’16 won the Essex County Championship title for his weight class.

‚ Fencer Veronica Czyzewski ’18 brought home state championship gold in sabre from the NJSIAA/Bollinger individual weapon tournament.

‚ Swimmer Danning Hu ’20 broke the New Jersey state

women’s 400-yard individual medley record for her age group. She also broke a 10-year-old state record for the 200-yard backstroke!

Go to www.newarka.edu/athletics-news for more news and updates.

Lessons from Abroad TWELVE NA FACULTY MEMBERS TRAVELED TO INDIA OVER SPRING BREAK

Dispatches from the streets of New Delhi to the Himalayan foothills included impressions of four NA faculty members on their recent trip to India and how the experience will impact them as educators. The 10-day trip featured a homestay, service projects, and mountain trekking.

il Stourton; ily and trip leader, Ne (l to r): the Singh fam row t Firs se. ; hou die ain ardwaj, Elaine Bro of a traditional mount , Trip Guide Puran Bh ulty members in front ussa Fall, Kevin Bunch Mo Newark Academy fac , Lal j Vira , son nd iarski, Dan Erla gan Lopretto second row: Kerry Win cino, Rob Rezvani, Me l Reeves, Beth Spara che Ra r, che Fis rah Sa balcony:

Beth Sparacino, Humanities Faculty

Every Picture Tells a Story Beth Sparacino’s experience in India will have a tangible impact on her classroom and inform her approach to shaping young minds:

“

Taking a Closer Look On the most basic level my experience with ethnocentrism was tested as I experienced new situations and had to use the mental tools I give my students to experience the situation before judging it. So when I saw poverty in the city and in the mountains, I first worked to think about how the material deprivation was different from the nonmaterial values of the people where family and community seemed paramount. Watching children collect bottles in the train station was heart wrenching until I watched longer and saw them playing games of tag and keep away. Revolution by Region I returned from India with clear examples for my students of a country going through an industrial revolution, one region at a time. To illustrate this I will use my pictures of a family breaking rocks by the road for a construction project with hammers and women carrying straw on their backs to contrast with the city streets that are crammed with cars and horse-drawn carts.

”

ENTHUSIASTIC

sponsors The India immersion trip is the third faculty travel experience sponsored by the Newark Academy Parents Association. In 2008 a group of NA teachers visited Israel and the inaugural trip was so successful that the NAPA Board made it one of the organization’s priorities to continue raising funds for future faculty travel. Three years later, Cuba was the destination for a second NAPA-sponsored trip.

“NAPA strongly believes that investing in our faculty’s personal and professional development, to further enhance and deepen their understanding of global issues and world cultures, directly enriches our children’s educational experiences in the NA classroom.” – NAPA President Sujata Pandiri

Elaine Brodie, Chair, Arts Department

Inspiration All Around It is no surprise that the Taj Mahal left Elaine Brodie awestruck, but the creative inspiration she found in an alley studio in the town of Agra was a little less expected.

“

After our visit to the Taj Mahal, we were taken to a studio on a little back street of Agra where family-run ateliers are still at it, recreating sections of the Taj Mahal that need repair, using the original materials and techniques. It was in one of these studios that the process was explained and demonstrated. A design is drawn on the marble; stones are selected and hand-cut. Each design is then fitted and fine-tuned. The marble is painstakingly carved and the stones then set into the negative spaces. Finally, the whole surface is sanded and polished. I was given the opportunity to watch the process and to carve some of the marble myself. While I won’t be able to offer my students these materials, I am certainly excited to apply this technique to my ceramic classes, using clay as the marble and colored slips to act as the inlay colors.

”

“As I sat outside that farmhouse, it certainly didn’t seem as though we were sitting in a country of 1.2 billion.” Dan Erlandson, Science Faculty

Reflections From a Farmhouse The pollution and population issues faced by the Indian people left Dan Erlandson with many unanswered but important questions.

“

We went from multi-lane highways in Delhi, where the incessant honking of cars and lorries did little to nudge the wandering cows, bicycles and rickshaws, to barely-paved single lane roads, where the liberal use of the horn ensured that the oncoming traffic could hear us. After a meandering and circuitous journey from the city of Shimla, our group experienced a homestay in Himachal Pradesh, one of the 29 states in India. We stayed with a local family in their farmhouse. India will surpass China as the world’s most populous country in the near future. But as I sat outside that farmhouse, it certainly didn’t seem as though we were sitting in a country of 1.2 billion. How will the other 28 states of India deal with this population problem? At the foothills of the Himalayas there was no evidence of the visual aspect of the garbage problem in India. But one has just to look into the culverts, gullies and tributaries that lead into the rivers to see the huge visual impact that disposable items have made on the ecosystem. Plastic rears its ugly head in a major way. Himal Pradesh has banned plastic bags, but that will not address the throw away bags from chips, candy, snacks, and packaging of all kinds that create a huge scar on the landscape. The question remains: is this just a visual, aesthetic pollution or are there further ecosystem impacts that will result?

india ITINERARY Sarah Fischer, Humanities Faculty, Director of Community Service

Two Lessons in Service The service aspect of the India trip reinforced for Sarah Fischer two important concepts related to effectively serving communities in need – lessons that she intends to impart to her students as they go about their own service projects.

“

Know the Need The service organization we worked with in India communicated directly with families and community leaders to assess the village’s most urgent needs. We learned that there were a number of families in our village too poor to afford even government subsidized food, so we pledged to sponsor these families’ meals. Had we not been guided in our service by direct community feedback, our own Western values probably would have seen us cleaning up trash or donating more clothes to the villagers; well intentioned, but not as impactful as our work ultimately was.

Think Globally, Act Locally The experiences working with the families and schools in our village will directly impact how I engage NA students in discussions about service on campus. Once our students have thought critically about their experiences, I want to help channel their passion into service work locally. While we might not all be able to travel abroad, we can all benefit from what our community members have learned and how issues of social justice seen abroad also affect our local communities.

”

Faculty member Neil Stourton spearheaded the planning of the India trip. A seasoned traveler with several visits to India already under his belt, he coordinated a life-changing adventure for his colleagues. His experience made him a valuable source of support to them as they immersed themselves in the culture of India. Day 1 Arrival in New Delhi and afternoon of sightseeing Day 2 Visit Taj Mahal and lunch at Taj Hotel Day 3 Fast Shatabadi Express train to Kalka and then toy train to Shimla Day 4 Explore Shimla and evening drive to Hot Springs Day 5 Shiva cave and drive or walk to the village of Thali Day 6 Morning to explore sustainable ways, mid-day rafting, and community project Day 7 Trekking trip to Chindi and drive to Mahunag temple and village Day 8 Trek to Shanthal and yoga Day 9 Day hike into hidden forests of the Himalayas and drive to Shimla Day 10 Drive to Chandigarh for sightseeing and return to New Delhi Day 11 Early sightseeing in New Dehli and return to Newark

ADVANCEMENT 24

Day of Giving NA Students Celebrate 50 Years in Livingston! The entrance to the room was decorated with balloon arches offering a festive welcome to red-and-black clad student volunteers who poured through the doors to participate in Newark Academy’s Day of Giving. Created to help mark the anniversary of the establishment of NA’s campus in Livingston, the Day of Giving sought to celebrate this milestone with demonstrations of generosity, featuring a student phonathon, a social media campaign and spirit wear.

Michael Wang ’20 said, “It gave me a chance to see what I will be able to do to help my school in the future.” This sentiment was echoed by Michael’s classmate, Andrew Wilf ’20, who said, “It made me feel good and not just because of the chips and brownies. I liked knowing people were still connected to NA even though they might live far away and never get to visit campus.” Joe Miller ’20 appreciated the opportunity to help the school that gives him so much. “It gave me a chance to give back to the community in a real way. Not just posing for a picture or showing up in a video, but by getting behind the scenes and doing the more challenging work.” Student callers were supported in their efforts by parents who helped oversee the busy calling room, and the kids enjoyed incentives throughout

‰ NEWARK ACADEMY

Approximately 40 Middle and Upper School students spent the day making phone calls to alumni, parents and alumni parents to secure financial support for the Annual Fund. The experience of making phone calls on behalf of their school had a positive impact on students.

“ ”

WHO ANSWERED THE 24-HOUR CHALLENGE ?

It made me feel good and not just because of the chips and brownies. I liked knowing people were still connected to NA even though they might live far away and never get to visit campus. – Andrew Wilf ’20

80% Alumni (Nearly half were from the Classes of 2001-2014)

the day in the form of refreshments and

prizes for their hard work.

“Single day events to facilitate giving

Lisa Mulligan, director of annual giving.

“The nature of a concentrated period in which

our students, parents and alumni would have the

opportunity to share generously of their time and

financial resources, while connecting with one another

in support of NA, seemed a fitting way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our move to Livingston.”

The event, however, was more than a symbolic

6.5% Alumni Parents 3.5% Faculty & Staff

‰

are becoming more and more popular,” says

10% Current Parents

Embroidered Minutemen and the bold-faced letters “NA” graced the attire of enthusiastic students who made contributions to the Newark Scholars program and then demonstrated their support by wearing NA gear.

gesture – the results were real and amazing. The

Day of Giving raised $43,250 for the Annual Fund

from more than 200

NA donors, representing the most money raised and the highest number of gifts received for the Annual Fund in a 24-hour period.

The phonathon was accompanied by a comprehensive social media campaign conducted via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as by email outreach conducted by class reps and staff members. Leading up to the event, the student body joined forces with Blackie Parlin to make a video promoting the Day of Giving.

OUTREACH spring 2015

ADVANCEMENT 26

‘‘

500 GIFTS, STORIES

Campaign facts, figures & friends

Newark Academy has a lot of friends! Nearly 500 contributions have been made to the endowment and capital projects that

PROGRESS REPORT

comprise Rise & Flourish’s initiatives. Each of these gifts has a story. Here Patrick

345 campaign conversations with supporters

Wang and Vickie Yin, current parents, share their story:

493

$22,314,570 pledged over five years toward a goal of $30 million

gifts and pledges received

$43,000 is the average gift made over five years

1 1

construction projects are finished

scholarship funds have been fully endowed

DID YOU KNOW ?

facts

”

project to come

project is set to begin

Our daughter Crystal has flourished at Newark Academy and, as her parents, we’ve become appreciative of its excellent academic environment, dedicated faculty and staff, and the friendly and diverse student body. One of our life goals is to improve access to education, which we believe is the key to fulfillment for the younger generation. We are keenly aware that the cost of delivering a high-quality education makes it less affordable for many families. For these reasons, we chose to participate in the Rise & Flourish campaign by making a gift to the Newark Academy endowment. In doing so, we have provided support for the school’s financial aid programs, so that deserving students can enjoy NA’s unique education regardless of their financial means.

“full-ride+” scholarships awarded

The name Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy came from a speech given by founding trustee Alexander McWhorter on June 25, 1792. Rise & Flourish has made possible the first expansion of academic space on the Livingston campus.

In its history, NA has

received nine gifts of $1 million or more; four of them have been made to Rise & Flourish.

No long-term debt has been accrued for

Rise & Flourish construction projects. Gifts and pledges have paved the way! NEWARK ACADEMY

Long after the final class bell has rung, many Newark Academy students delve deeply into pursuits that demonstrate their passion for the intellect in ways that are creative, quirky and immeasurably fun. This devotion to intellectual challenge reflects an ethos common among the NA community, who know that a good time is had when the mind is engaged.

Intellectual

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POWER, Intellectual

by Jeff Vinikoor Chair, Humanities Department

Intellectual exploration is par for the course within the walls of Newark Academy

“Our goal,” says Upper School Principal Dr. Richard DiBianca, “is to fan the flames of intellectual engagement, or to light the fire in the first place.” This achievement is made possible by teachers who are passionate about their subjects, by an academic program that values learning for its own sake, and by an atmosphere that honors the individuality and autonomy of each student. From the classroom, intellectual exuberance spills out into the hallways and beyond. Whether discussing Shakespeare at a Harkness table or politics at the lunch table, NA students find great joy in exploring ideas. “You are as likely to hear two eighth graders walking down the hall discussing fiscal policy as hear them talking about video games,” observes Rich. Middle School Principal Tom Ashburn agrees: “For our students, intellectual engagement is fun. It’s a way for them not only to interact with their peers but also to understand the world better in all kinds of ways that you would not expect from them.” “Ultimately,” says Rich, “it’s the passion and quality of experience inside of the classroom that sparks an interest in pursuing ideas outside of the classroom.” For many students, this spark yields a commitment to activities that become more than typical teenage diversions, and it is these that are featured in the pages that follow.

ome students compete in battles of the mind, others in battles with nature. Some pursue the arts, others the sciences. Some seek to enrich the lives of those in the school community, others the lives of those around the world. But all engage with purpose and have come to discover the joy that springs from wholehearted commitment to intellectually challenging and fun pursuits. Of course, NA students are not alone in these pursuits, nor do these end when one ceases to be a student. Indeed, one hallmark of a Newark Academy education is a passion for lifelong learning, and the school’s faculty and alumni are engaged in exciting forms of intellectual exploration and achievement as well.

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Halle Abraham ’15

LEADER AMONG

leaders When, as a junior, Halle Abraham ’15 first learned of Autumn Adeigbo – a celebrity stylist who sought to create an ethical fashion line – she was intrigued.

deigbo dreamed of creating an African-inspired women’s wear collection that invested in the future of African women, and Halle

was inspired by this socially conscious vision. Halle came to learn that, in order to develop her leadership skills, Adeigbo had received a yearlong fellowship from the Global Good Fund, a nonprofit organization that matches future leaders with mentors and investors who share a commitment to social impact. After studying the organization, Halle applied for and received a seven-week summer internship working closely with the group’s chief operations officer. During the internship, Halle learned both about managing a small enterprise and about herself as a leader. “I noticed that articulating my insights on the intersection of international relations and the social good comes naturally to me,” she says. Among her many responsibilities, Halle was tasked with interviewing fellowship applicants – a challenging job for the rising high school senior who had only recently arrived at the organization’s headquarters near Washington, D.C. “I was encouraged to lean into discomfort and was told that I was trusted.” Halle says that her internship taught her “how to network and create long-lasting relationships.” Indeed, near the end of her work, Halle met a previous intern who had founded the Collegiate Leadership Collaborative, an organization that matches social entrepreneurs in high school with mentors in college. Halle now sits on the executive board of that organization, advancing a mentorship program that will support the next generation of emerging leaders.

“ and

”

SHE BECAME ENRAPTURED BY THE CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES OF FABRIC

Mollie Wohlforth ’15

Designer Seamstress

“There’s a good bit of shape geometry needed to figure out how to make a skirt or shirt fit a three-dimensional person using two-dimensional fabric,” says Mollie Wohlforth ’15, who first discovered the fabric arts during summers spent helping her grandfather work his loom.

hen Mollie received a sewing machine

every Newark Academy theatrical production

as a gift in the 10th grade, she became

since she was in seventh grade. Kristin Duszak,

enraptured by the creative possibilities of fabric,

the assistant to the dean of students and head

scouring sewing blogs in order to learn about

costumier, praises Mollie for her eye for detail

the art. “The first thing I made with my machine

and commitment to the theater. “Mollie makes

was a skirt,” Mollie recalls. “I used a circle skirt

alterations seem effortless,” says Kristin, “and

pattern where you basically just cut a large circle

will often go home after a dress rehearsal

out of a piece of fabric and sew the edges, but

with a gigantic armload of clothing and return

I added in a zipper and a waistband, which

everything in the morning ready to go for that

were both rather complicated, especially for a

evening’s show.”

beginner.” Even though Mollie mismeasured the zipper and placed it upside down, she still wears the skirt. And since then, she has created many

“I’m more interested in visual arts and art history

more articles of clothing, including at least a

as a major,” says the multi-talented artist – she

dozen of the garments she wears regularly.

does hope to maintain her skills and join a

In addition to designing and sewing her

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While Mollie doesn’t think that she will formally pursue fashion in college or beyond –

sewing club. “It’s wonderful,” says Mollie, “to

own clothing, Mollie has pursued her interest

feel so completely comfortable in something

in fashion by working as a costumier on nearly

you’ve made yourself.”

Alexis Romay, Language Faculty

CUBAN

and Activist

Writer

“

Growing up in Cuba, on the other side of the “Sugar Curtain,” Newark Academy Spanish teacher Alexis Romay could only dream of the level of intellectual freedom enjoyed by students at NA.

ducation in Cuba,” notes Alexis, “is very dogmatic, the antithesis of intellectual power, intellectual play.” In fact, Alexis doesn’t recall having

an inspiring teacher until his sophomore year in college, when one professor finally encouraged him to think for himself. Although he had limited access to the literary giants who would later shape his own work as an author, such as Guillermo Cabrera Infante and Jorge Luis Borges, Alexis took an early interest in storytelling and poetry. As a young adult in Havana, he found that writing in verse allowed him “to cross certain lines protected by a cryptic tone that would make it easier to defend my work and myself against government censors.” Today, when his English-speaking friends ask him what he writes about, Alexis jokes, “Cuba, literature, and other tropical diseases.” Yet his articles, novels and poems, which have been published in Spanish, English and Italian, shed light on the enduring challenges faced by the Cuban people under the Castro regime. Critics have praised his work as smart, fresh and bold. “A brilliant novel in which the author elegantly plays chess with his readers” is how critic Teresa Dovalpage described Alexis’s latest book, The Cuban Opening. She added that the book “captures two periods of time in Cuba, each with its own color, lexicon and anxieties.” This reflects Alexis’s desire to, in his words, “give a voice to the voiceless Cuban people.” In addition to teaching Spanish, Alexis directs the NA Global Speaker Series, and he brings to both endeavors a passion for exploring politics, thus ensuring that students have the opportunities he was denied in Cuba. “When you grow up surrounded by the protective cloak of freedom of expression,” he notes, “you may take for granted the right to have your own thoughts, and voice them publicly without fearing immediate governmental repercussions. I never forget that in order to be able to speak and write without looking over my shoulder, I had to vote with my feet.” You can check out Alexis’s writing at his blogs, belascoainyneptuno.com and mixingmemoryanddesire.com, or in one of his three published volumes: “La apertura cubana” (“The Cuban Opening,” 2014), “Los culpables” (“The Guilty,” 2010) and “Salidas de emergencia” (“Emergency Exits,” 2007).

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“ ” bass fisherman EVERY DAY ON THE WATER IS A NEW DAY AND A NEW PUZZLE

Matteo Moretti ’17

CREATIVE

Three and a half years ago, along the banks of Nomahegan Lake in Cranford, New Jersey, Matteo Moretti ’17 caught his first largemouth bass. “

hrilling” is how the sophomore angler describes the feeling of catching his first “bucketmouth” – the term

fishermen, like Matteo, use artificial lures rather than live bait, and they must know not only how to select the right lure, but

that experienced fishermen use to describe the North

also how to read the temperament of the fish, gauge the

American freshwater fish that Matteo had bested. “I enjoyed

weather, identify a fertile spot on the lake, and adapt to change.

fighting that fish so much,” he recalls, “that I knew I had

“Every day on the water is a new day and a new puzzle,”

stumbled upon something that would stick with me for

observes Matteo. “Some factor has changed from the

the rest of my life.”

previous day and some factor will change in the next day.”

Several months later, Matteo purchased his first

As a way to document his successes and share his

bait-casting rod and reel, and since then he’s been, well,

passion with others, Matteo started the NJ Bassin’ YouTube

hooked on the sport. He is now part of several junior

channel, which currently has more than 325 subscribers and

bass fishing clubs in New Jersey and has competed in

contains videos that have been watched more than 12,000

tournaments around the state. This year, after a grueling

times. He also co-founded the Fisheries and Wildlife

eight-hour state championship event at Manasquan

Conservation Club at Newark Academy. “Fishing has

Reservoir in August, Matteo placed fifth in the state in

taught me a great deal about respecting our environment,”

his age group, and he has plans to participate in the high

says Matteo. “That is why I practice catch and release.”

school state championship tournament as well. “One of the reasons I enjoy bass fishing is because it

As a leader of the club, Matteo seeks to inform his peers about the sport and to educate them about the importance

is a challenge,” explains Matteo. “Bass fishing is a puzzle,

of wildlife conservation. He hopes that “we can all, as a

and the most challenging part about becoming a successful

community, preserve the beautiful environment that

bass fisherman is learning how to solve that puzzle.” Bass

surrounds us.”

NA Chess Team 34

strategy

CHAMPIONS OF

“

CHESS REQUIRES PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS AND UNYIELDING PERSEVERANCE

During his day-long visit to Newark Academy as a prospective student, Michael Lim ’17 recalls playing chess in the dining room with a number of students on the Newark Academy Chess Team.

”

he group’s enthusiasm for the game excited Michael,

at the national championships in 2013, relishes what he

and when he and his twin brother Matthew decided

calls “the camaraderie, the friendship, the fun” of the group.

to enroll at NA, they quickly joined the team. Three years

He has been asked to join other teams but has remained,

later, in 2013, Michael, Matthew and several of their

proudly, a member of the NA squad.

teammates advanced to the National Junior High School Championships and took first place, a remarkable achievement by any measure. At a time when interest in chess is increasing globally, the NA team offers all students, from beginners to highly-ranked players, the opportunity to develop their chess acumen under the guidance of two faculty coaches: humanities teacher Joe Ball, who has coached the team for more than 20 years, and science teacher Bill Hobson, who himself won the New England Junior Championship at age 16. Regular guest coaches, including Grandmaster Magesh Panchanathan, also support the players’ development. The team meets weekly, although many players engage in substantial daily practice. Joe and Bill are quick to point out that learning to

Idnani ’21 represented the NA team at the National

problem-solving and concentration skills, a strong memory,

Scholastic K-12 Championships. As a team of only two,

and unyielding perseverance. “The games are long and

often competing against schools represented by teams of

grueling and often stressful,” says Bill, “but then the product

five or more, they secured fifth place. Their mother, Nidhi,

that results can be viewed as a work of art.” Joe agrees and

delights not only in the boys’ successes but also in their

remarks how impressive it is to see a rambunctious teenager

participation in the program. “Playing with other members

sit down at a chess board and concentrate intensely,

of the chess team motivates them to do their best,” she

For the students, representing their school at

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play

is bright. This year, sixth-grade twins Taran and Roshan

play chess well has many advantages. Chess requires

sometimes for three to four hours or more at a time.

Intellectual

Looking ahead, the future of chess at Newark Academy

says. “Reciprocity and collaboration are perhaps the two strongest attributes they find in the team.” Joe echoes

tournaments has been especially meaningful. Jeremy

Nidhi’s sentiment when he notes that chess is more than

Glassman ’16, who played alongside Michael and Matthew

just a game. “Chess,” he says, “can be life changing.”

advocate for Childhood Brittney Tong ’16

Nutrition As the fourth-grade students at Park Elementary School in Newark finished performing their skits on the health benefits of eating vegetables, Brittney Tong ’16 couldn’t help but smile.

n the quality of the students’ skits and in their enthusiasm for the undertaking, Brittney could finally see the fruits of her many months of planning. She knew that her work in the weeks ahead

would make a difference in the lives of these children. That afternoon, the students were engaging in an activity from E.A.T. (Education. Action. Transformation.), a program that aims to help elementary school students learn about and adopt healthy eating and exercise habits. Brittney developed the program in pursuit of the Girl Scouts Gold Award, the highest achievement in the Scouts. Girls who seek to earn the award must identify and research an issue, develop a project to tackle that issue, and implement that project successfully. Alarmed by the rate of childhood obesity in New Jersey, Brittney chose to focus her project on improving children’s health. Brittney has been teaching E.A.T. at the Park School since mid-winter. During the twicemonthly sessions, students not only learn about nutrition and physical fitness but also, with the help of a cadre of Newark Academy student volunteers, make and enjoy nutritious (and, as Brittney notes, delicious) snacks. At the end of the program, each student receives a cookbook with recipes. Brittney has chronicled her experiences online at www.learntoeat.weebly.com. Brittney’s mentor for the Gold Award is Newark Academy health teacher Megan Lopretto, who earned the Gold Award herself when she was a Girl Scout in high school. Megan has greatly enjoyed working with Brittney throughout the project’s development, refinement and implementation. She has been impressed by Brittney’s drive and the impact of her work. “She definitely has the personality and skills to make this program a success,” says Megan, “and something that will be continued in years to come.”

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“

”

THE GREAT THING ABOUT OPERA IS THAT THE ART FORM COMBINES MANY OTHER ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES

Andrew Pulver ’20

performer

WORLD-CLASS OPERA

Andrew Pulver ’20 was three years old when he first performed in front of an audience.

e remembers receiving a standing ovation. “That’s where it started,” says Andrew, who began voice training in the second grade. Today, Andrew has emerged as a rising star in the professional

opera community as a boy soprano. “The great thing about opera,” says Andrew, “is that the art form combines many other artistic disciplines such as vocal performance, drama, orchestral music, costume and set design, history, and literature.” Fortunately, Andrew has had many opportunities to explore the genre. Last year, he co-starred in Nico Muhly’s Two Boys at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. This year, he played the title role in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince with the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In that role, he worked under the direction of Francesca Zambello, one of the world’s leading opera directors. Andrew, whose voice has been described as “pristine,” has enjoyed the challenge of performing with professional opera companies. “In opera,” he explains, “every soloist is expected to know by heart the words and music on day one of rehearsals.” Once rehearsals begin, success requires tireless commitment as well as the ability to interact effectively with a slew of directors, designers and support staff. Rehearsals generally run from late morning through early evening, but in spite of the long hours required, Andrew has greatly enjoyed learning from and befriending others in the field. While Andrew is passionate about opera, he hopes to perform in other genres as well, including Broadway musicals; he has his eyes set on the role of Tony in West Side Story. Andrew also enjoys performing for people in assisted living facilities and at church, and he has performed at a number of fundraisers. “It is incredible how people respond emotionally to the human voice,” he says. “I enjoy sharing the gift of music with other people.”

“ writer

”

HIS SHARP OBSERVATIONS REFLECT HIS PROBING VIEW OF THE WORLD

James Blume ’19

AWARD-WINNING CREATIVE

“I have journals filled with words I love, ideas that I think are interesting, and stories waiting to be written,” said James Blume ’19, the first Newark Academy student to win a National Gold Medal in writing in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

is winning story, Are Rabbits Feet Really Lucky? explores the relationship between a child narrator and his teenage brother during their summer vacation. James began writing stories as soon as he could put pen to paper and, like many talented writers, he is a voracious

reader. He has found that he is frequently inspired and influenced by the works of other authors, whose ideas animate the story elements in his own mind. “There are authors whose styles I love and try to emulate, like Haruki Marukami,” remarks James. “I spent last summer reading plays because I find it really interesting how playwrights use dialogue to build character. I also love short stories because of the economy it requires to tell a complete story.” James’ latest pieces are based on John Darnielle’s novel Wolf in White Van and the Bhagavad Gita. English teacher Alexandra Mahoney has helped steward his development as a budding wordsmith. “James has a minimalist’s style in his writing,” says Alexandra, “and his sharp observations reflect his probing view of the world and his willingness to reflect on how we as humans make meaning within our lives.” In class, she observes, “He appreciates the abundance of sarcasm among his witty peers who tend to thrive on an ongoing game of intellectual take-down.” James’ passion for reading and writing is well known among his peers, and he says that writing is one of the most important parts of his life. “If I am in the mood to write a good a story,” says James, “I will put it above doing my homework.” He earnestly continues, “Luckily for me, I am very fast at doing my homework, so it has not affected my school work.”

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andPublisher

Vanessa Jimenez Gabb, English Faculty

New York Poet

Many members of the Newark Academy faculty engage with enthusiasm in intellectual avocations. Standing out even among this exceptional group is English teacher Vanessa Jimenez Gabb, whose creative talents and hard work have resulted in her emerging as a formidable literary force in New York City.

ritics have lauded Vanessa’s poetry, which has been

their creativity and willingness to take intellectual risks. The

published in two chapbooks as well as in both print

best moments in the classroom, she says, are “when my

and digital literary journals. Of her first chapbook, Weekend

students and I reach that level of mutual trust, where we

Poems, critic Leesa Cross-Smith wrote, “Gabb’s writing is

open ourselves up to trying new ideas out, to thinking in

at times gritty and dirt-in-your-teeth, at times strikingly

ways that are new. That moment a student has an original

pretty, at times both.” In addition to writing, in 2012 Vanessa

and interesting idea and is excited about exploring it and

co-founded Five Quarterly, a publication that recruits five

sharing it is a special moment.”

guest editors each season, who then choose five poems and five pieces of fiction for publication online. Thus far, guest editors, who are intentionally selected from diverse backgrounds, have included everyone from high school students to construction workers to acclaimed writers. Writing and publishing professionally has had a profoundly positive impact on Vanessa’s work in the classroom. “I’d like to think working creatively translates to teaching creatively,” she says. Indeed, since arriving at Newark Academy three years ago, Vanessa has sought to foster a creative spirit in each of her students, who together form a community of authors and audience. “Writing can be a solitary enterprise,” notes Vanessa, “but it can be a collective experience, as well. I hope I communicate a sense of the collective in the classroom.” As a faculty advisor to the Minuteman and to the Performance Poetry Club, Vanessa shares her passion for words with students outside the English classroom. Additionally, in 2013 she co-created a June Term course in which enrolled students become the guest staff of Five Quarterly’s annual fiction and poetry electronic chapbook contest. During the intensive two-week course, students not only choose the two winners of the contest

You can check out Vanessa’s writing at her blog,

but also take on the roles of editors, designers and

www.missgabb.tumblr.com, or in one of her two published

marketers for the publications.

chapbooks, “Midnight Blue” (Porkbelly Press, 2015) and

Not surprisingly, Vanessa’s students have found her to be an inspiring instructor, and she in turn has celebrated

“Weekend Poems” (dancing girl press, 2014). “Five Quarterly” is online at www.fivequarterly.org.

Bob Mallalieu Director of Library & Media Services

music

Old-Time

Revivalist “I always enjoyed folk music, but in the early ’90s, I became increasingly drawn to a traditional form of music called Old-Time Music,” says longtime Newark Academy librarian, teacher and Director of Summer Session Bob Mallalieu.

ld-Time Music developed in the rural mountains

members and, each winter, sponsors the Pocono Winter

of the American South during the 19th and early

Dulcimer Fest, a gathering of performers, teachers and

20th centuries. The tunes, which are usually played

fans. Bob has also released five recordings and regularly

by an ensemble of stringed instruments, are uniquely

performs at concerts and living-history events.

American, blending English and Scottish melodic phrases with African syncopation. In order to pursue his interest, Bob, an experienced guitar player, learned how to play several instruments

In 2014, Bob brought his passion for Old-Time Music to NA. During June Term, he offered a course on the Appalachian mountain dulcimer. Twenty-four students signed up for the class and learned basic strumming patterns

common in the Old-Time Music tradition. First he picked

and songs. At the end of June Term, they performed for

up the banjo and taught himself how to play in the

their peers at Morning Meeting. “The mountain dulcimer is

clawhammer style, a rhythmic strumming style created by

easy to play,” says Bob, “and it gives us a means of connecting

African-American slaves. Then he learned the Appalachian

with music and passing it on to the next generation.”

mountain dulcimer, a narrow string instrument strummed by hand. Finally, he mastered the hammered dulcimer, a trapezoidal instrument with strings animated by small mallets. As Bob became involved in the Old-Time Music

As much as he enjoys teaching and performing OldTime Music, Bob is equally appreciative of the history and stories that accompany the tunes. “I recently discovered an old hymn with a beautiful melody put to the lyrics of Alfred

community, he sought to support it by co-founding the

Lord Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar,” reports Bob. “Add a

Pocono Dulcimer Club, which seeks to promote the playing

dulcimer, guitar, mandolin, flute and some harmony, and its

and teaching of Old-Time Music. The club has scores of

ability to touch people becomes profound and enjoyable.”

Intellectual

POWER, Intellectual

play

“

”

I’VE NEVER HAD SO MUCH FUN DOING WORK IN MY LIFE

NA Mock Trial Team

powerhouses

LEGAL AND RHETORICAL

On a cold winter afternoon, a group of Newark Academy students dressed in dark suits and skirts boarded a bus for the Essex County Courthouse in downtown Newark.

aving spent months scouring affidavits, preparing witness testimonies, refining opening statements and developing a deep understanding of civil procedure, these students, members of the Newark Academy Mock Trial Team, were

headed to the 2015 Essex County Mock Trial Championships, hoping to walk away with a first-place trophy for the sixth year in a row. Despite homework that remained to be completed after the night’s event, the competitors remained focused on the trial because, as Asia Moore ’16, one of the team’s plaintiff lawyers, explains, mock trial competitions are intensely fun. “The rush of adrenaline that courses through your veins when the judge sustains your objection or when you successfully crush a witness on cross examination is something extraordinary,” Asia says. That evening, she and her teammates once again secured the Essex County title for Newark Academy. Humanities teacher Benson Hawk, head coach of the Mock Trial Team, says that his primary task in preparing students for success on the courtroom floor is training them to think on their feet. “Chiefly,” he explains, “this involves giving them a superior command of the facts, and having them learn the rules cold.” The students then must practice for trial extensively, applying their knowledge in real time while using rhetorical and theatrical skills appropriate for judge and jury. Achieving success, says Benson, requires a tremendous investment of time and energy from the students. Alec Rubman ’16, who served as a plaintiff witness this year and hopes to earn a spot as a lawyer in the future, agrees. “The most challenging part of mock trial is the workload,” Alec says. “Despite this, I love being part of the team. We are an incredibly close-knit group.” Asia adds, “I’ve never had so much fun doing work in my life.” Not surprisingly, many students who compete on the Newark Academy team go on to win legal internships later in high school and to earn spots on their college teams. Loryn Helfmann ’12 decided to try out for the mock trial team at Yale precisely because of how much she enjoyed her experiences at NA. She now competes for Yale’s team as an attorney, sits on the team’s executive board and plans to attend law school. Loryn readily recognizes the value of her experiences on the NA team. She recalls that the most challenging aspect of her participation was public speaking. “It wasn’t something that came naturally to me, and it was definitely frustrating at times,” she says. “But I think it was also the single most valuable skill I developed during my time at Newark Academy.”

“

”

JOSEPH ENJOYS THE SURPRISES THAT ARE PAR FOR THE COURSE IN HIS FIELD

Intellectual

POWER, Intellectual

play

Alumnus Joseph Isaac ’10

Fulbright Street Art

scholar

“The practice of street art and graffiti writing are each culturally significant aspects of Melbourne’s local heritage,” says Joseph Isaac ’10.

s the recipient of a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship, Joseph has been discovering and studying the diverse works of art on the streets of Australia’s capital, a city known for the

richness and diversity of its public artistic expressions. Specifically, he is spending the year analyzing the medium from a cultural as well as legal perspective alongside a cultural criminologist at the University of Melbourne. Unlike the works studied by many art historians, the objects of Joseph’s analysis can change at a moment’s notice. “On my first few days here I was taking pictures of work by different artists within the city,” he explains, “and I came across a Keith Haring mural that in less than 24 hours after I had taken pictures of it had been defaced and tagged.” While this ephemerality presents difficulties for the cultural historian, Joseph enjoys the surprises that are par for the course in his field. Joseph recently graduated with a degree in the history of art from University of Pennsylvania, yet he first encountered the formal study of art history at Newark Academy. “Mr. Abbey was the first teacher who showed me that studying art history was possible,” recalls Joseph about his junior-year humanities teacher, “and it was a great set-up for my senior-year art history class with Ms. Galvin, which pretty much solidified my interest.” Joseph also fondly remembers the many classes he took in the Arts Department at NA, including ceramics, photography, drawing and creative writing. Joseph’s work in Melbourne will include conducting interviews with artists and writers throughout the city as well as drafting a position paper related to graffiti regulation. Thus far, Joseph reports that his year has been both enriching and enjoyable. “I’ve been experiencing the city in really dynamic and interesting ways,” he says. One of the images in Melboune that Joseph is studying is a mural by the artists Rone and Wonderlust from Everfresh Studio. NA

‰

ALUMNI NEWS 44

NA ON THE ROAD THIS YEAR Each stop on our alumni travels featured a different outing – from bowling to the theater – but they all brought together local alums to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and reconnect with NA.

Where We’ve Been… Seattle

Washington, DC

San Francisco

Lucky Strike October 16, 2014

Poppy October 15, 2014

Circle Bistro and the Kennedy Center November 13, 2014

Washington, DC

San Francisco

Los Angeles

Matchbox, Chinatown February 3, 2015

Urban Putt March 19, 2015

Hollywood Improv March 21, 2015

ALUMNI DAY OF SERVICE On Saturday, April 25, alumni in New Jersey, San Francisco, and Boston gathered to give back to their local communities on NA’s second annual Alumni Day of Service. Benefitting from the efforts of these civic-minded alums were the Community Food Bank of NJ, the San Francisco Food Bank, and Rosie’s Place, a homeless shelter for women. “Volunteering at Rosie’s Place is a very clear reminder of the power of people in the community supporting each other when they need it most,” said Alex Senchak ’02, the Boston day of service organizer. “It does not matter where you are – New Jersey, Boston or San Francisco – we can all find someplace to engage and lend a hand.”

Where We’re Going…

MAY

‰

Our annual New York City social, “Down by the River,” returns with a trip to the Boat Basin, W. 79th Street. Join us for warm weather, fun and friends.

‰

JUNE

NYC Meet-up at the Boat Basin

Commencement and Old Guard Reception

Alumni Lacrosse Dig out your stick and get back to campus to show the current Minutemen laxers how it’s done. NEWARK ACADEMY

30 MAY

Just before we celebrate the newest members of our alumni community, we celebrate those of 50 or more years.

RECONNECTING WITH THE NA SPIRIT by Peter Gruenberg ’81, Member, NA Alumni Board of Governors When I think back to my four years at Newark Academy, it’s the little things that make me smile – conversations with friends and teachers; driving to South Carolina with the tennis team accompanied by Ed Rose, my Latin teacher and assistant coach; or hiking the Appalachian mountains with five friends for our senior project. These experiences and relationships helped shape my way of thinking.

have had the recent good fortune of re-experiencing life at NA through the eyes of my daughter, Carly, who graduated in 2012. While the school has experienced a physical transformation over the years, the vibrant spirit of the NA community remains the same. A key goal of the Alumni Association Board of Governors, of which I recently became a member, is to reinvigorate and deepen alumni connections to the school so that this community spirit can continue to thrive. We realize that many alumni want to get involved but are constrained by busy schedules or geographic challenges. The Board is

hours we spent giving back were filled with great conversations and laughs. A Day of Service has spread to other parts of the country as well. Through the efforts of Andrew Somberg ’07 in the San Francisco area and Alex Senchak ’02 and Gillian Javetski ’07 in the Boston area, NA hosted two similar events on the same day. We would love to expand this event into more NA hometowns. If you are interested in organizing A Day of Service in your area, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Matt Gertler (mgertler@newarka.edu) or me (psg4@optonline.net) to discuss how to get started.

Alumni Basketball and Soccer

Boston Red Sox Join us at Fenway to root for (or against – whichever the case may be) the Red Sox while connecting with other Beantown alums.

Relive the glory days and join us for one of our alumni event mainstays. It’s always a good time, whether you’re on the court or the pitch!

28 NOVEMBER

‰

JUNE

facilitating opportunities for the NA community to connect in meaningful ways, with an increasing number of regional events and growing alumni participation. These events – both where we’ve recently been and where we’re headed soon – are listed on these pages. There is one event in particular that I’d like to highlight: the Alumni Day of Service. There was a great turnout for the second annual Day of Service in April, at the New Jersey Community Food Bank in Hillside. Alumni from more than four decades worked alongside current NA students fulfilling their community service requirement. The two or three

OCTOBER

‰

Homecoming and Reunion

We’re getting ready for our annual trip down memory lane. Come back to check out what’s new, check in with old friends and see some of your favorite faculty. If your graduation year ends in a 5 or 0, this is YOUR party, so save the date!

NOVEMBER

Morristown Meet-up

Add to your holiday cheer with an alumni gathering in Morristown – it’s local and it’s free!

OUTREACH spring 2015

ALUMNI NEWS 46

THE “WANT ADS” ARE DEAD! When it comes to finding a job or transitioning to a new position, surveys strongly indicate that networking is where it’s at. With up to 80 percent of jobs found through networking, both young and seasoned professionals would be wise to practice their handshakes and put on those sticky name tags. Newark Academy and the Alumni Association Board of Governors (BOG) recognize the increasingly important role that networking plays in the professional success of its alumni. Staff and volunteers have intentionally expanded alumni programming to include workshops and events that focus exclusively on networking topics, as well as a variety of regional events that facilitate the networking process.

SEE WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE NA NETWORK SO FAR THIS YEAR…

NA INTERVIEWING NIGHT It’s never too soon to network! In November the BOG partnered with the College Counseling Office to offer an NA Interviewing Night. The evening gave current juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience a diagnostic mock college interview and, through a panel discussion, to gain a first-hand perspective on the college interviewer’s evaluation process. NA alumni who conduct interviews for their college alma maters, such as Achilles Kintiriglou ’96, participated in the event. “Frankly, interviewing is extremely difficult,” says Achilles, “and NA students are better prepared by understanding what questions are generally asked and how interviewers evaluate them after the interview.” Senior Kevin Mittal attended the event and found it very helpful. “The feedback I received made me more aware of the subtle mistakes I tended to make,” Kevin says, “and because of those suggestions, I was more articulate and confident in the real interview than I would have been otherwise.” As an added benefit, the event fosters connections between NA alums and current students. “I really enjoyed talking to alumni about their experiences at NA and their respective colleges,” says senior Anu Sharma.

NEWARK ACADEMY

ONLINE & SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING If you can’t make it to a regional event you can still network with fellow alumni on the Internet and social media. NA graduates congregate on LinkedIn and the Newark Academy Alums Facebook page. Interships.com hosts a Newark Academy page for alumni seeking internships and entry-level positions. The NA Alumni Mobile App puts the alumni directory at your fingertips and includes a “find nearby alums” feature and an up-to-date listing of events. Visit the alumni website or see the upcoming events calendar on pages 44-45 for the next opportunity for YOU to network with other NA alumni.

NETWORKING NIGHT One of the BOG’s most popular events, Networking Night, took place in January at The Penn Club of New York. More than 130 alumni registered for the event and even more arrived as walk-ins. The evening featured a question-and-answer session with Amanda Rubenstein Black ’97, a buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue; Lauren Kay ’07, CEO of The Dating Ring; Pater Wagner, a technology recruiter for Affinity Resource Group; and Steve Ochs ’81, senior vice president of marketing for National CineMedia. Prior to the panel discussion, attendees enjoyed cocktails and perused career tables manned by experts in nearly two dozen fields including finance, media, fashion, education, law, arts, nonprofit and entrepreneurism. Lara Samet Buchwald ’01, the event organizer, says, “This is one of the best-attended events we have each year, and it drives home the importance and the warmth of the entire NA alumni network. People have a wonderful time mingling at Networking Night itself and the event often leads to long-lasting connections that wouldn’t have otherwise come about.”

REGIONAL VISITS Did you join NA for bowling in San Francisco or pizza in D.C.? Did you come to the Hollywood Improv to see Greg Fitzsimmons or join us to root for the Sox in Boston? Alumni regional events, while not exclusively networking events, create a perfect setting for reconnecting with old friends, meeting new ones, and uncovering NA contacts who can identify internship opportunities, assist with job searches or advise on career transitions.

SMALL BUSINESS NETWORKING WORKSHOPS “Networking is crucial for the success of small businesses,” says Director of Alumni Relations Matt Gertler. “Our workshops not only help alumni and parents build new business relationships, but they also give them the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges as small business owners.” The workshops are held multiple times throughout the year and are open to alumni, current parents and alumni parents. In addition to providing networking opportunities, each meeting features a guest speaker addressing topics relevant to entrepreneurs. Recent presentations included “Small Business and Intellectual Property – What All Owners Need to Know” and “Network Security, Cloud-Based Computing and Data Storage: What It Means for Your Business.”

OUTREACH spring 2015

ALUMNI NEWS 48

NETWORKING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS! Networking isn’t easy. It requires hitting the pavement, attending events and making small talk with often dozens of strangers. But if you’re questioning whether it’s worth the effort, consider the stats:

A whopping 90% of all jobs are never advertised. Up to 80% of jobs are found through networking. Employee referrals have the highest applicant-to-hire conversion rate: 40%. Employees who obtain work through networking have greater job satisfaction, with 47% staying with an employer for more than three years. 94% of recruiters are using, or plan to use, social media networking for hiring. Employers benefit from networking, too! 67% say networking as a recruitment tool shortens the hiring process and 51% say it’s less expensive to hire employees found through networking. 98% of recruiters have hired someone from LinkedIn. More than 70% of 18- to 34-year-olds found their last job through a social network.

NEWARK ACADEMY

JENNIFER MANDELBAUM ’11

Young Alum, Deep Loyalty From the moment she entered Newark Academy in the ninth grade, Jennifer Mandelbaum felt an instant connection to the school community.

o it was no surprise that, during her college years at Boston University, she felt much nostalgia for NA. As a Class Rep, Jennifer worked with the NA Advancement Office, encouraging her former classmates to attend events like Red Sox games, the Head of the Charles Regatta and theater outings. In a city several hours and hundreds of miles from Newark Academy, getting together with fellow young alums made home feel a little closer. After graduating from BU in three years, Jennifer took advantage of some of the resources available to young alumni entering the professional world. Along with social events, she began to attend NA’s professional networking events. In fact, following Jennifer’s NA Senior Project experience at Saks Fifth Avenue, she was welcomed back for an internship there after college. Jennifer now works at Ogilvy & Mather as a member of their Associates program, an 18-month rotational program in account management and strategy. She points to two Newark Academy events that have provided

JOIN THE GROWING NUMBER OF CLASS REPS Nathaniel Rosengarten ’35 Paul Busse ’38 Robert Lee ’44 Robert Cronheim ’46 Marvin Rothman ’47 K. Kelly Marx ’51 William Van Winkle ’52 Edward L. Levitt ’55 Stephen Knee ’58 Douglas B. Slade ’59 Frederick Katz, Jr. ’60

Curtis Cetrulo ’61 Peter C. Papademetriou ’61 MacKinnon Simpson ’61 Bernard J. D’Avella, Jr. ’62 Peter Artaserse, Jr. ’63 Charles A. Fischbein ’63 Michael R. Yogg ’64 Van S. Stevens ’65 Jonathan Epstein ’66 Matthew Leone ’67 Stephan G. Kravitz ’68

Franklin C. Phifer, Jr. ’68 John H. Bess ’69 Leo M. Gordon ’69 William D. Hardin, Jr. ’71 Mark Menza ’71 Daniel D. Cronheim ’72 Harry Hazelwood III ’72 Lance T. Aronson ’74 Donald C. DeFabio ’76 Robin Lechter Frank ’76 Thomas Hennigan ’77 (continued on page 50)

support and motivation: the NYC Networking Night and the Women of NA Luncheon. “There’s something special about connecting with an NA alum in the professional world, knowing that they are willing and determined to help where and when they can,” she says. She has been particularly inspired by the Women of NA honorees and notes that these successful, accomplished women often thank the school for giving them the encouragement they needed to pursue their dreams. This year, Jennifer strengthened her commitment to Newark Academy by joining the Alumni Association Board of Governors. Jennifer and many other young alumni have found NA’s professional network – from in-person networking events to LinkedIn groups and the NA Alumni Mobile app – to be an invaluable resource in building their own careers and reputations. NA

ALUMNI NEWS 50

“

REMEMBERING Catherine Lynham, Lower School Director FROM THE 1969 POLYMNIAN

Mrs. Lynham, director of the Lower School and teacher of the Upper Intermediate, is well remembered by everyone she has ever taught. Such trusty old axioms as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be,” “Confession is good for the soul,” and “The longest way around is the shortest way home” will live in her ex-students’ minds forever. Her old standby, the renowned Milne Arithmetic, is remembered with awe, if not terror, by scores of students while more recent but less interesting textbooks have been forgotten. Mrs. Lynham’s effective and aggressive teaching methods will always symbolize the Lower School to anyone who ever has attended it. FROM MICHAEL FRANKEL ’54

I started at Newark Academy in 1947 at the age of 11. Born in Newark, I had attended Avon Avenue grammar school, a different genre to say the least, through the fifth grade. Mrs. Lynham was my homeroom teacher that first year at NA; she made such an impression on me that I can picture her as clearly as if it were yesterday. Coming from a “tough” public school environment, I had no idea what to expect, but Mrs. Lynham made it clear there were rules and they were meant to be followed. If you followed them, all went well, but if you didn’t, you knew immediately you had crossed the line. Strong-willed, Mrs. Lynham was tough but fair, and you always knew where you stood with her – an important lesson to learn while so young. Yes, other great teachers impacted me in my seven years at NA, but it was the great start I got with Mrs. Lynham which influenced me most.

The longest way around is the shortest way home.

JOIN THE GROWING NUMBER OF CLASS REPS

Margery Gering Feinberg ’78 Michael Schneck ’79 Kim S. Hirsh ’80 Arthur Williams IV ’81 Kristen Brask Martin ’82 William E. Markstein ’84 Kimberley Griffinger Wachtel ’85 Betsy Dollinger Bernstein ’86 James C. Schachtel ’86 Melissa Dollinger Shein ’88 Stacey Bradford ’89 Matthew T. Gertler ’90 Troy Powell ’90 Glenn A. Waldorf ’90 Richard L. Worth ’91

Timothy E. Herburger ’93 Jed S. Rosenthal ’93 Pamela Helfant Vichengrad ’94 Rasheea Williams Hall ’95 Jason S. Granet ’96 Andrew Slutzky ’96 Amanda Rubinstein Black ’97 John Gregory ’99 Asha Talwar ’99 Alison Poole Lasher ’00 Colin R. Griggs ’01 Brian McGaughan ’01 Joshua Jacobs ’02 Marcelo C. Porto ’02 Alexander C. Senchak ’02

Lauren H. Anderson ’03 David R. Mazzuca ’03 David N. Rattner ’03 Evan P. Sills ’03 Kathryn Pagos ’04 Stephanie Reingold ’04 Louise Ball Schutte ’04 Danielle Gruenbaum White ’04 Jonathan Alloca ’05 Gabriel Gaviola ’05 Molly McGaughan ’05 Bridget Duffy Raines ’05 Julia Appel ’06 Ilana Mandelbaum ’06 Sarah Marcus ’06

”

Asia Stewart ’06 David Doobin ’07 Catherine Pfeffer ’07 Emily Simon ’07 Andrew Somberg ’07 David Frank ’08 Alexa Gruber ’08 Lynn Olesky ’08 Maximilian C. Staiger ’08 Andrew S. Binger ’09 Christina A. Colizza ’09 Rebecca Curwin ’09 Shannon Lam ’09 Brian L. Silver ’09 Lisa Fischer ’10

A REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST

Commemorating the 75th Reunion of the Class of 1940 by Jerome Bess ’40 Seventy-five years ago, I graduated with the class of 1940. The school then consisted of one colonial red brick building with a small athletic field on First Street in Newark. At that time it was an all-boys school and offered a wonderful classical education.

n 1940, we had just come through the worst depression in our history. At the Academy, our main business was getting a good education, going to college and then going on to an exciting and productive career. But on December 7, 1941, America changed forever. The bombing of our naval fleet in Pearl Harbor affected the lives of millions of people, including the boys graduating from NA during that era. Most of us were eligible for the draft during our sophomore year in college. I enlisted in the Army Air Forces and was given a deferment until needed. The Air Force called me at the end of my sophomore year for induction and flight training in Texas then shipped my group to Italy soon after the U.S. Army made the first incursion into German-occupied Europe. I flew a C-47 in the 69th Troop Carrie Command of the 12th Air Force. We dropped paratroopers and supplies to ground forces all over Italy, pushing the Germans north and out of Italy into Austria. Then came “D-Day.” After the war, I finished college and pursued a career in the new and exciting industry of television. After 13 years in TV

management, I spent the next 30 years on Madison Avenue in the advertising business. (Yes, I was one of those “Mad Men”!) This remembrance of things past is really a preface to give meaning to what I want to say about the 75th anniversary of my 1940 graduating class. We grew up in different times – often referred to as “kinder and gentler times.” Newark Academy was a small all-boys prep school with terrific teachers. I still remember the name of every teacher I had during my four years at NA plus their teaching styles and the little habits and special ways they got through to me. Unfortunately, we lost too many classmates during the war, including several from the varsity basketball team I played on for three years. After the war, there was not much communication or information shared among my classmates. I never see a name in the class of 1940 listing in the class notes section of the Outreach magazine. I hope there are some classmates still out there somewhere who share the same satisfaction I get in seeing and hearing about the growth, success and prestige Newark Academy has achieved over the past 75 years. The beautiful campus in Livingston, the multiple buildings and athletic facilities and the expanded and talented faculty would make the “old boys” (remember NA wasn’t co-ed then) from that small school on First Street in Newark as proud of the school today as I am. NA

Patrick Kelly ’10 Brian McHugh ’10 Jordan I. Jett ’11 Jennifer Mandelbaum ’11 Jourdan McGhee ’11 Shane S. Neibart ’12 Carissa E. Szlosek ’12 SaVonne Anderson ’13 Matthew Cowen ’13 Jai Ghose ’14 Thomas Pan ’14 Lauren Whelan ’14 Jacob Wieseneck ’14 OUTREACH spring 2015

CLASS NOTES 52

1935 80th Reunion Contact: Nathaniel S. Rosengarten (303) 300-9903

1938 Contact: Paul Busse (732) 785-7785

1940 75th Reunion

1944 Contact: Robert Lee (973) 398-1335

Jim Anderson retired after serving as pastor of several Presbyterian churches and now resides in Glen Allen, VA, with his wife of 63 years, Bette. Jim served as a hospital corpsman during WWII and graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1948. Ed Atkins reports that he has lived in the same house in Rockville, MD, since 1962. He has macular degeneration and depends on his wife for transportation, which limits his participation in alumni events. During WWII, Ed served in the Navy aboard aircraft carriers and subsequently wrote a book about his experiences, called On Which We Serve: Where Life-Lessons Are Learned. While serving on the USS Antietam, he ran into Joe Baker at the

NEWARK ACADEMY

port of Tsingtao, China, where the latter was serving as a Marine. While at Mangrove Bay in Jupiter, FL, Bob Lee bumped into brothers Marshall and Bill Van Winkle ’52. They were visiting their sister Dorothy, who was celebrating her 92nd birthday. They enjoyed their brief impromptu First Street reunion! Bert Natelson enlisted in the Navy shortly after graduation. He completed a number of training programs before he was able to finish college. After his father’s death, he entered into the family business, a chain of retail clothing stores. He married in 1950 and has three children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He is retired and his son has taken over the family business. After 30 years of practicing medicine, Bill Haynes retired in 1998 and enrolled in the LaSalle graduate School of Theology in Philadelphia. He remains very involved in his local Trinity Church and continues to serve as chaplain for the Princeton Officers Society. Bill is finishing a five-year term as president of

the Princeton University Class of 1950 and recently retired from his work as a volunteer professor of cardiology for medical school students.

1945 70th Reunion

1946 Contact: Robert Cronheim rdc@cronheim.com

1947 Contact: Marvin J. Rothman mrothman1@aol.com

Marvin Rothman reports that he, wife Doris and the entire Rothman family are doing well.

1955 60th Reunion Contact: Edward L. Levitt eezyed@comcast.net

Jim Bonomo, Anthony DePaul and Ed Levitt are planning events around their 60th Reunion. They look forward to seeing their classmates in October.

1958 Contact: Stephen Knee shknee@hotmail.com

1959 Contact: Douglas B. Slade Dslade542@aol.com

1960 1950

55th Reunion

65th Reunion

Contact: Frederick Katz Jr. katzjr@optonline.net

1951 Contact: K. Kelly Marx (973) 376-0777

1952 Contact: William Van Winkle billvw7334@aol.com

1961 Contact: Curtis Cetrulo curt.cetrulo@gmail.com Peter C. Papademetriou papadem@cs.com MacKinnon Simpson MacKinnon96816@gmail.com

LOOKING FOR YOUR CLASS REP? Just look for your graduation year to find your rep’s name and contact information. Then be sure to reach out to share the latest on what’s happening in your life or just pick up the phone to say hello.

We Fondly Remember

Bud D’Avella ’62 with granddaughter Eloise

Now fully retired, Albert Del Negro and his wife Patricia live on Spa Creek in Annapolis, MD. He keeps busy serving on the board of Ballet Theatre of Maryland. He also joined the Londontowne Symphony Orchestra as assistant principal horn player.

1962 Contact: Bernard J. D’Avella bdavella@comcast.net

Bud D’Avella and his wife, Elaine, announced the arrival of their third grandchild, Eloise Ophelia D’Avella, born December 21, 2014, to his son Anthony and his daughter-in-law Sandi.

1963 Contact: Peter P. Artaserse PArtaser@aol.com Charles A. Fischbein Cafpac@earthlink.net

Richard Greene ’34 March 2, 2015

Steak and wine night with the Class of ’69

Michael Yogg’s book, Passion for Reality: The Extraordinary Life of Investing Pioneer Paul Cabot, was named a top-ten book of the year by Financial Advisor magazine.

1965 50th Reunion Contact: Van S. Stevens drvanstevens@comcast.net

In February, Jim Asher, Jeffrey Garrod, Ken Gersten, Wayne Greenstone, Ray Pasquin and Van Stevens met at Duo restaurant in New York to discuss plans to return to Newark Academy in October to celebrate their 50th Reunion. They hope to see as many of their classmates as possible. The Class of 1965 was the first to graduate in Livingston.

Elbert (Rusty) Husted III ’38 February 1, 2015

1967 Contact: Matthew J. Leone mleone@colgate.edu

David Teiger ’47 November 30, 2014

1968

Daniel Evarts III ’48 January 27, 2015

Contact: Stephan G. Kravitz sgkravitz@gmail.com Franklin C. Phifer fphifer@hecht.com

1969 Contact: John H. Bess bessjh@gmail.com Leo M. Gordon gordon43b@gmail.com

Members of the Class of 1969 get together three times a year for an evening of steak and wine. See the above photo from the first Steakfest of 2015, submitted by Leo Gordon.

1964 Contact: Michael R. Yogg michaelyogg@gmail.com

1966

1970

Contact: Jonathan I. Epstein jonathan.epstein@dbr.com

45th Reunion

ß ß

Gerard Remsen ’55 January 27, 2015

Norman Lueders ’56 February 14, 2015

Daniel Rosen ’56 December 9, 2014

Albert D. Mason ’57 March 24, 2015

Trevor Melamed ’97 September 17, 2014

James Crawford Former Trustee January 16, 2015

CLASS NOTES

West Virginia State Senator Kent Leonhardt ’72 (far left) celebrates with supporters on election night

1971 Contact: William D. Hardin whardin@ptd.net Mark J. Menza markmenza53@gmail.com

1972 Contact: Daniel D. Cronheim dan@cronheim.com Harry Hazelwood III drhazelwood@massmed.org

Kent Leonhardt was elected West Virginia State Senator, defeating a 16-year incumbent. Senator Leonhardt began his term in January 2015, representing West Virginia’s second senatorial district. He and his family also operate a

farm in the area. Kent is a retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel.

1973 Donald (Toby) Herbst lives with his wife on the outskirts of Santa Fe, where he is an art dealer specializing in antique Native American art. He is also a charter member of the Good Guy Dealer Association and president of the La Tierra Guardians, an environmental organization dedicated to the preservation and rehabilitation of native habitats. Toby has discovered and recorded numerous Native American rock art sites and rediscovered the Lost Comanche opal mine. Donald is the co-author of the book The Flag in American Indian Art.

1974 Contact: Lance T. Aronson lancetrezevant@aol.com

1975 40th Reunion Walter “Toby” Herbst’s ’73 Native American rock art discovery NEWARK ACADEMY

Scott Schaible ’82 and Vida Buchalter Harband ’82

1976

Maria Bonomo ’82 and Vida Buchalter Harband ’82

1980

Contact: Donald C. DeFabio drdefabio@aol.com

35th Reunion

Robin Lechter Frank ontheqt1231@aol.com

Contact: Kim S. Hirsh KHirsh@jfedgmw.org

1981 1977 Contact: Thomas E. Hennigan njtomh@gmail.com

Contact: Arthur Williams IV artiekid@aol.com

1982 1978 Contact: Margery Gering Feinberg margiegf@aol.com

1979 Contact: Michael I. Schneck Mschneck@schnecklaw.com

Contact: Kristen Brask Martin kbcolesfamily@comcast.net

While visiting colleges with her son last fall, Vida Buchalter Harband met up with classmates Maria

LAST JANUARY, nearly 100 NA alumni gathered in Morristown to honor Wayne Shiele, who recently retired after teaching and coaching at a number of schools including Newark Academy. The event drew three decades of Newark Academy All-State performers, All-Americans, State Champions and even an Olympic Champion, Chris Jacobs ’83. Whether they knew Wayne as his student or on the field, everyone considers him to be a friend.

Congratulations, Wayne!

preferable treatment with an Internet service provider.”

Troy Powell ’90 has added Scooby, Rascal and Tigger to his family

Bonomo in Miami and Scott Schaible in Denver. Julie Bick Weed lives in Seattle and does freelance work for the New York Times. She volunteers her time, helping underrepresented minorities and first-generation students write college application essays and apply for scholarships. She plays tennis on a local women’s tennis team thanks to her early training at NA with Mrs. Newman!

1984 Contact: William E. Markstein WEMarkstein@gmail.com

1985 30th Reunion Contact: Kimberley Griffinger Wachtel kgwachtel@gmail.com

1986 Contact: Betsy Dollinger Bernstein bdb1@mac.com James C. Schachtel jschachtel@verizon.net

Linz Shelton with fiancé Dave Pashman ’90 and Hedwig and the Angry Inch writer John Cameron Mitchell.

1988

1990

Contact: Melissa Dollinger Shein msheinus@yahoo.com

25th Reunion

Jeremy Nachtigall and his wife, Lauren, welcomed a baby daughter, Jordyn Brooke, on December 17, 2014. Mom, dad and older brother Jacob are very excited to introduce her to the Newark Academy community!

1989 Contact: Stacey L. Bradford stacey.bradford@gmail.com

After 11 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, Sarah Coyne left the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s Office and joined New York law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Named one of the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s Office’s “brightest stars” by the Wall Street Journal, Sarah joined the white collar crime practice at her new firm. Debevoise has represented many of the world’s largest financial institutions and is growing its cybersecurity practice.

Contact: Troy Powell troy256@mac.com Glenn A. Waldorf GWaldorf@bell-environmental.com

Dave Pashman announced his engagement to Linz Shelton after using the Valentine’s Day performance of the Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch as the backdrop for his proposal. He hid the ring in a show prop and popped the question during a backstage visit with the show’s actors and writer. Dave, who is lead counsel for Meetup.com, was a key member of the team of technology lawyers representing New York internet companies that went to Washington, D.C., in May 2014 to advocate for net neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission, Congress and the White House. As Dave explained in a Wall Street Journal interview, net neutrality is important because technology companies “want to compete on product and service, not on [their] ability to negotiate

Troy Powell and his wife, Katie, just celebrated one year with their new rescue dog, Tigger. After some early challenges he has settled in nicely with their other two rescue dogs. Troy looks forward to celebrating with his classmates at their upcoming 25th Reunion!

1991 Contact: Richard L. Worth richardworth2001@yahoo.com

1992 Still living in Los Angeles with his wife, Zarin, and daughters Jemma (5) and Aanya (2), Ryan Jaffe just wrote, directed and produced his first feature film, This Is Happening, starring James Wolk, Mickey Sumner and Academy Award-winning actress Cloris Leachman. Ryan reports that making a movie was the experience of a lifetime and he cannot wait to share it with everyone. An op-ed piece co-authored by Salamishah Tillet appeared in the New York Times in February. The article theorizes that domestic violence can be a precursor to other types of violent acts. OUTREACH spring 2015

Lauren Jacobs-Lazer ’98 RAISING FUNDS AND AWARENESS For almost 10 years, Lauren Jacobs-Lazer ’98 has coordinated the Walk for Vision in New Jersey, which raises funds for the Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Foundation. The organization and the New Jersey-based Walk hold special meaning for Lauren, who was diagnosed in 7th grade with uveitis, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the eyes. More than 20 years and nearly 20 medications later, Lauren has lost the vision in her right eye, but maintains 20/20 vision in

Laura Centurrino ’97 and her husband, James Messier

her left and has discovered that the disease is now in remission. The Walk for Vision raises awareness of ocular inflammation diseases and funds research for cures and treatments. Each October Lauren and more than 200 fellow

Ryan (13), and she still talks to Juliet Costa Seymour and Suzanne Paragano Kane.

walkers do their part by raising $60,000 at the event held in Verona Park. Lauren’s family is always there to support her, and she welcomes the participation of interested NA alums. Lauren is a member of the Alumni Board of Governors. She is a medical social worker at Morristown Medical Center and resides in Morris Township with her husband, Adam, and their children Benjamin and Hannah.

She was also recently named to the Safe Magazine list of 50 Global Heroes Who Help Stop Sexual Violence Against Children. Salamishah is an associate professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. She and her sister Scheherezade Tillet ’96 are the co-founders of A Long Walk Home, a Chicago-based national nonprofit that uses art to educate, inspire and mobilize young people to end violence against girls and women. NEWARK ACADEMY

Since September 2011, Greg Kraut has been a principal and managing director in the New York office of Avison Young Commercial Real Estate. Avison Young was recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for three straight years and in 2014 became a Gold Standard winner.

1993 Contact: Timothy E. Herburger burgermac@mac.com Jed S. Rosenthal jedrosenthal@gmail.com

Sandra dos Anjos Hulik recently became a boardcertified behavior analyst. She works with autistic children both in schools and in private practice. Sandra lives with her husband Bill and their sons, AJ (15) and

Liz Maccie published a novel, Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy. The novel is loosely based on her experiences as a student at Newark Academy.

1995 20th Reunion Contact: Rasheea S. Williams Hall rasheea@hotmail.com

1996 Contact: Jason S. Granet grizo1222@yahoo.com Andrew Slutzky andrewzky@gmail.com

1997 Contact: Amanda Rubinstein Black amandahblack@gmail.com

Rob Fleissner and his wife, Kim, are “beyond excited” to

1994 Contact: Pamela Helfant Vichengrad pamelavich@hotmail.com

Rob Fleissner ’97 welcomes Brecken, Cameron and Grayson

Brian F. McGaughan bmcgaughan@gmail.com

Lara Samet Buchwald’s ’01 baby daughter, Anna

introduce their three boys to the world. Brecken Robert (4 lbs. 9 oz.), Cameron Paul (4 lbs. 14 oz.), and Grayson Christian (4 lbs. 6 oz.) were born on March 1, 2015. Mom and Dad are completely in love with them. Laura Centurrino married James Messier on July 26, 2014 in Essex Fells, NJ. Her brother Kevin ’00 was a groomsman and classmate Bree Rosenfelt Ben-Ami was matron of honor.

1999

Arielle Goldfischer Newcombe ’03 welcomes baby Max Levi

Jodi Schiele Arden lives in New York with her husband, Matt, and their two rescue dogs. After graduating from Emory University, Jodi stayed in Atlanta, where she worked at Turner Broadcasting for eight years. She moved to New York three years ago and serves in a consumer marketing role at USA Network.

2000 15th Reunion Contact: Alison Poole Lasher alisonklasher@gmail.com

Contact: John C. Gregory Jcg681@gmail.com

2001

Asha K. Talwar asha.talwar@gmail.com

Contact: Colin R. Griggs cgriggs13@yahoo.com

Noah Gold is engaged to Ariel Roth. The bride and groom are both attorneys. Noah is an associate with Lum, Drasco & Positan, LLC, in Roseland, NJ. The wedding is scheduled for August 2015. Lara Samet Buchwald and her husband, David, welcomed a daughter, Anna, on March 16, 2015.

2003 Contact: Lauren H. Anderson lauren.h.anderson@gmail.com David R. Mazzuca david.mazzuca@gmail.com David N. Rattner drattner07@gmail.com Evan P. Sills evan.sills@gmail.com

2002 Contact: Joshua S. Jacobs joshua.s.jacobs@gmail.com

Arielle Goldfischer Newcombe and her husband, Jonathan, announced the arrival of Max Levi Newcombe on January 29, 2015. Weighing in at 6 pounds, Max is looking forward to being a part of NA’s class of 2033.

Marcelo C. Porto mark.c.porto@gmail.com Alexander C. Senchak alex.senchak@gmail.com

Jason Morman announced his engagement to Lindsey Doren. The two plan to wed on September 6, 2015, in Buffalo. Krupa Savalia has been chosen to speak at the TEDxLincolnWomen 2015

event, which will explore bold ideas that create momentum in how we think, live and work. The live webstream will take place on May 28, 2015.

2004 Contact: Kathryn Pagos katie.pagos@gmail.com Stephanie T. Reingold simma.reingold@gmail.com

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OUTREACH spring 2015

Louise Ball Schutte louisehira@gmail.com Danielle Grunebaum White dwhite@hillviewcap.com

2005 10th Reunion

Teddy Aronson ’07 MOVING BEYOND CULTURE SHOCK

Contact: Jonathan J. Allocca jonathan.allocca@gmail.com

Matt Brodie ’06 and fiancée Danielle Soffer

Gabriel Gaviola gabe.c.gaviola@gmail.com

2007

Molly McGaughan molly.mcgaughan@gmail.com

Contact: David Doobin doobind@gmail.com

Bridget Duffy Raines Bridgetpraines@gmail.com

Teddy Aronson ’07 brought Somaliland home to NA. Teddy

Catherine Pfeffer catherine.pfeffer@gmail.com

Sam Gordon and Catherine Bradshaw became engaged in November. They are planning a July 2016 wedding.

Andrew Somberg asomberg@gmail.com

a school focused on preparing young people to lead the

2006

2008

struggling young country, formed more than 20 years ago.

Contact: Julia Appel appel.julie@gmail.com

Contact: David Frank david.frank44@gmail.com

Ilana Mandelbaum ilana.mandelbaum@gmail.com

Alexa Gruber alexa.gruber@richmond.edu

Sarah Marcus sarmar88@gmail.com

Lynn Olesky lynnolesky@gmail.com

Asia Stewart asiamstewart@gmail.com

Maximilian C. Staiger mstaiger41@me.com

In March, Matt Brodie proposed to Danielle Soffer on Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara. They are planning an August 2016 wedding.

Lynn Olesky has worked in the luxury fashion industry for the past two years. She recently started a new job in planning at Saks Fifth Avenue’s corporate office. She lives in Hoboken and loves spending time with her family and friends (many of whom are NA alums!). She and her boyfriend, Ian Leyden ’03, recently began volunteering at St. Hubert’s Animal Shelter in Madison, NJ.

spoke to NA Middle School students about the year he spent teaching at the Abaarso School of Science and Technology, a boarding school for students in grades 7-12

Emily C. Simon emily.c.simon@me.com

in Somaliland. He talked about the environment at Abaarso,

He described the culture shock of living at a school where students go to pray at the on-campus mosque during

‘‘

breaks throughout the day. On one occasion, classes at the school were cancelled because the country was experiencing

a drought and the president of Somaliland had declared a

national day of prayer in an effort to receive more rain. Teddy offered this advice to his Middle School audience:

Cultures may seem very different

’’

around the world, but we can learn so much from them. I learned as much from

my students as they did from me.

Reach out and explore other cultures. It’s more than worth it.

Haley Douds and Andrew Holmberg became engaged in February. They plan to marry in Vermont in September 2016.

2009

2010

2011

Contact: Andrew S. Binger abinger1990@gmail.com

5th Reunion

Contact: Jordan I. Jett jordanjett13@gmail.com

Christina A. Colizza christina.colizza@gmail.com Rebecca L. Curwin rebecca.curwin@gmail.com Shannon R. Lam shannonrlam@gmail.com Brian L. Silver briansilver0711@gmail.com

Brian Silver spent the last two years working at The Goldstein Group, a commercial real estate brokerage company in Paramus, NJ. He currently lives in Hoboken and plans to attend graduate school at New York University in the fall.

Contact: Lisa Fischer lfischer@gwmail.gwu.edu Patrick O. Kelly patrick.o.d.kelly@gmail.com Brian P. McHugh McHugh.brian10@gmail.com

Kendra Kobler began working as a senior analyst for business development for Delos, a consulting, research and real estate development firm. Delos places health and wellness at the center of workplace design and construction.

Jennifer Mandelbaum jmande15@bu.edu Jourdan McGhee jourdan.mcghee@gmail.com

Newark Academy shared Coursen Field with the Colby College men’s lacrosse team for a practice during spring break in March. Whit Harwood and Cillian Connor ‘14 both play for the Colby Mules. The team then headed to Virginia, where they beat Washington & Lee University in a thrilling 12-11 victory.

Jennifer Mandelbaum graduated magna cum laude from Boston University in just three years! She is currently working at Ogilvy & Mather in the Associates Program, a competitive 18-month rotational program in account management and strategy. Jennifer also serves on the Alumni Board of Governors for Newark Academy. (Read more about Jennifer on page 49.)

2012 Contact: Shane S. Neibart ssneibart@gmail.com Carissa E. Szlosek szlosek@wisc.edu

Keshav Poddar ’10 IMPROVING HEALTHCARE IN INDIA Keshav Poddar is working in India as a field research associate for

me on the finer points of Indian culture

Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). J-PAL is a research

(e.g. explaining why it was deeply offensive

center at MIT that uses a global network of researchers to answer

for me to eat with my left hand rather than

critical policy questions in the fight against poverty. Keshav writes:

my right hand in one patient’s home), and I

“My project is focused on improving detection rates of

teach them some potentially useful skills like

tuberculosis and reducing patient default on tuberculosis medicine

basic literacy with programs like Word or Excel, or

in rural villages and urban slums, where the existing healthcare

show them how to write a proper resume. They continue to hope

delivery infrastructure is quite rudimentary.

that I will develop a finer appreciation for Bollywood movies, and I

“The best part of my job has definitely been spending time with the team of local staff members. The vast majority of them have not completed formal schooling beyond 12th grade and none of

continue to hope that they will stop asking me to take them out to the cinema and endure four hours of the same. “Even more than the experience of working amidst poverty,

them can speak conversationally in English. They travel six days

it is this plainly unjust imbalance of opportunity that constantly

a week on motorbikes to far-flung villages or impossibly congested

reminds me just how lucky I was to be born in a particular time

slums, in the blazing heat or pouring rain, to conduct two-hour

and socio-economic context. My hope is that at least some of

interviews of tuberculosis patients who could potentially have drug-

my local staff eventually gain something from their relationships

resistant strains of the disease.

with me, and not just the other way around. All in all, my time in

“The staff members mock and correct my broken Hindi, while I do my best to help them out with English grammar. They instruct

India has been tremendously challenging and rewarding, and I’m excited about what the future may bring.”

CLASS NOTES

Thomas Pan tpan14@gmail.com Lauren Whelan Lmw025@bucknell.edu Jacob Wieseneck jwieseneck@gmail.com

Will Pheloung’s ’12 video game creation

Shane Neibart is finishing his junior year at Duke University where he is majoring in biomedical engineering. He is also the treasurer for the Duke chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Shane recently secured a summer

HOMECOMING & REUNION October 17, 2015 Celebrating Classes Ending in 0 and 5!

NEWARK ACADEMY

research fellowship in the field of biomechanics and molecular biology at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering.

2013 Contact: SaVonne Anderson savonneanderson@gmail.com

a startup shoe company. The company’s mission is to put comfortable but fashionable pumps on the market. The patented shoes have unique soles and heels that prevent the slipping and discomfort associated with most high-heeled shoes.

Matthew Cowen mcowen95@gmail.com

2014

Nicole Andrzejewski started working for Claire Flowers,

Contact: Jai Ghose jghose360@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTORY

Will Pheloung earned an internship with Microsoft for the summer. An avid gamer, Will recently exhibited a video game at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Jake Wieseneck ’14 at the NA podium

Jake Wieseneck returned to NA during Generosity of Spirit Week to talk about how freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania is going – specifically in his chosen area, the UPenn Civic Scholars Program. The Civic Scholars Program provides Penn undergraduates with a sustained four-year experience in civic engagement and scholarship. Jake talked with current NA students about the program and about the community service experiences at NA that formed the foundation for his interest in the Civic Scholars Program.

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