‌engaged individuals instilled with a passion for learning‌
Newark Academy will contribute to the world engaged individuals instilled with a passion for learning, a standard of excellence, and a generosity of spirit. — Newark Academy Mission Statement
Our Mission Is Our Mantra Established just before the Revolutionary War began, Newark Academy promoted enlightenment and inclusivity. Our founders believed that students of all backgrounds could be educated to become engaged citizens—a value that has been explicitly demonstrated over the last two decades. We have had record application numbers. Our students are thriving in a balanced program that combines first-rate academics with high-quality arts and athletics. New initiatives are reinforcing our historic commitment to diversity, to global citizenship, and to experiential learning. As a result, Newark Academy graduates have been transformed from promising young people to thoughtful, productive citizens who succeed not only in college but also in life. Our mission is our mantra. Because of this mission, our caring community, and our devotion to excellence, today’s students both rise and flourish in our nearly 50-year-old facility. They
shine on the field and on the stage and are excited by the possibilities new spaces offer. Though many receive financial assistance, many more will benefit when we increase our endowment from adequate to robust. Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy is about making an already wonderful place even better, honoring our heritage, and providing the best possible experience for today’s and tomorrow’s students. I believe Newark Academy is a microcosm of what we would all like to see the world become. When you invest in Newark Academy, you invest in the future leaders of society. I invite you to be a part of this defining moment in our history: Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy. —Donald M. Austin Head of School
Encouraging students to use their INTELLECTS for the greater good
Newark Academy takes students on an intellectual jour ney that leads to a per manent love of lear ning. Through their studies and interactions, they lear n to see themselves as citizens of a ver y big—yet ever shr inking—wor ld.
Ad Lumen
T
wo years before the Declaration of Independence was adopted, Newark Academy was founded as a distinct college preparatory school. Clearly ahead of its time, Newark Academy welcomed students from a wide array of backgrounds, inspiring them with the motto Ad Lumen, meaning “Toward Enlightenment.” Newark Academy remains committed to the spirit of our motto as we instill in students a global perspective, empowering them to develop depth of character, innovative thinking, and a commitment to service.
Coaxing forth the creative spirit that abides in every student
With exceptionally talented teachers to guide them, Newark Academy students explore music, dance, fine ar t, and theater—all of which connect them to the wor ld and shape a greater understanding of humanity.
Taking Creative Risks
T
he beginner and the gifted artist are equally at home at Newark Academy, where appreciating beauty is as important as creating it. An extraordinary array of choices awaits every student. No matter where one’s talents lie, Newark Academy helps each student find and develop those talents—in a supportive and caring community where creative risktaking is a celebration.
Promoting joy and health through movement and teamwork
It’s about life and lear ning. It’s about strength and health, camarader ie and spor tsmanship—and spir ited competition. Through athletics, NA students develop attr ibutes that will ser ve them well for the rest of their lives.
An Energized Community
W
hether they are Middle School students exploring their interests or Upper School athletes participating in one (or more) of our 23 varsity teams, students develop the attributes of cooperation and leadership, commitment and perseverance. Practices, meets, matches, and games provide a living laboratory where students hone skills they will use in college and beyond.
“May this Academy rise and flourish…promote useful learning…and diffuse far and wide the beams of that sun of liberty, which has arisen in the western hemisphere.” —Reverend Alexander MacWhorter, 1782
Reverend Macwhorter’s words have withstood the test of time. Lyrical in their prose and prescient in their mandate, they set the stage for what continues to be an extraordinary school where students thrive and grow. Two hundred and thirty years have passed since our founding trustee uttered those words, and with each passing decade, we have risen to challenges, asserted our strength, upheld our values. When the British troops burned the school down. When enrollment dropped at the end of the Civil War. When the Great Depression caused economic turmoil. Each challenge gave us an
opportunity to rise—and consequently our students flourished—just as Reverend Macwhorter intended. Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy provides another opportunity to triumph. The time has come to transform Newark Academy into a school whose facilities and endowment mirror the extraordinary experience already in place. With your help, we can do more than ever to ensure today’s and tomorrow’s Newark Academy students flourish—no matter where their lives lead them.
The Campaign for Newark Academy
Endowment.............................................................................................................................. $7.5 million Capital Projects..................................................................................................................... $22.5 million
Upper School Academic Center
Middle School Expansion
Auditorium Renovation
Athletic Facilities Upgrade
CAMPAIGN TOTAL..............................................................................................................$30 million
Jane Wilf Trustee “Newark Academy had what we were looking for,” says NA Trustee Jane Wilf, mother of three Newark Academy students. She and her husband Mark have made the largest single gift in the history of Newark Academy—$2.5 million—to address the school’s needs for construction, renovation, and expansion. “Newark Academy is a diverse community that provides a nurturing environment where each child is an individual,” Wilf added. “Mark and I are particularly excited about the Middle School expansion. So many great things can and do happen in our Middle School. We want the buildings to reflect the quality of the education.”
Rise & Flourish: Our New Upper School and Middle School “Fulfillment of this vision includes…creating dynamic spaces for students and faculty at all levels and in all disciplines.” —excerpt from the Newark Academy Strategic Plan
Jane Wilf Trustee “Newark Academy had what we were looking for,” says NA Trustee Jane Wilf, mother of three Newark Academy students. She and her husband Mark have made the largest single gift in the history
The International Baccalaureate Program “The IB program allowed me to grow my mind from both an intellectual and a philosophical perspective. It gave me the confidence to know I could handle any task, tackle any challenge.” —Shannon Hedvat ’03
of Newark Academy—$2.5 million—to address
Newark Academy was the first New
the school’s needs for construction, renovation,
Jersey school to offer the International
and expansion. “Newark Academy is a diverse
Baccalaureate (IB), a pre-university
community that provides a nurturing environment
curriculum respected around the
where each child is an individual,” Wilf added. “Mark
world. Students in the IB program are
and I are particularly excited about the Middle
challenged to think deeply and pursue
School expansion. So many great things can and do
knowledge on a higher level. A discovery-
happen in our Middle School. We want the buildings
based experience including advanced
to reflect the quality of the education.”
study, community service, and art and athletic activities, IB creates critical thinkers, creative problem solvers. Newark Academy IB graduates are admitted to some of the most rigorous colleges and universities in the world.
Rise & Flourish: Our New Upper School and Middle School Newark Academy moved to its current campus in 1964, having outgrown our former building and needing more space both indoors and out to fulfill our educational mission and serve our students. The picturesque 68-acre wooded campus in Livingston has served us well, and we have been responsible stewards of our resources, prudently planning each improvement, carefully managing the way improvements are funded. The McGraw Arts Center (1992) and the Simon Family Field House (2001) are perfect testimonials to the power of generosity as well as our commitment to providing an exceptional and balanced experience for our students. What has always distinguished Newark Academy, however, has little to do with bricks and mortar. We are a caring, inclusive, respectful community of learners. Supportive relationships are paramount: our teachers are passionate about cultivating the strengths within each student, inspiring global citizenship, and celebrating the power of intellectual engagement.
“Newark Academy’s principles—excellence, hard work, honor, decency, fair play, love of country, duty to serve and to give back— have been shared with students through the years and continue to be at the core of the Newark Academy experience.”
—Philip Kaltenbacher ’55
“Fulfillment of this vision includes…creating dynamic spaces for students and faculty at all levels and in all disciplines.” —excerpt from the Newark Academy Strategic Plan
After half a century without upgrades to our academic facilities, the time has come for our school building and its classrooms and labs to reflect the level of intellectual engagement we practice. A thoughtful and inclusive strategic and master planning process has allowed us to create a vision for tomorrow that will dramatically enhance the NA experience for our students and teachers and ultimately for new families who will consider Newark Academy for their children. With your help, we have built a new Upper School Academic Center and are transforming our Middle School. Flexible Space for Varied Instruction
With 13 classrooms and several more intimate spaces for independent or small group learning, the new Upper School Academic Center provides dynamic, flexible learning spaces that make possible a quantum change in educational delivery. Teachers may now vary their instruction and their instructional setting based on the lesson of the day. State-of-the-art technology is allowing teachers and students to connect to the world beyond. Informal gathering spaces, large and small, are inviting and purposeful. New office spaces honor
our commitment to the faculty members—how they interact with each other and with their students. The Power of Middle School Education
The transformation continues as we completely refurbish our Middle School. NA Middle School teachers have always been passionate about inspiring young adolescents. With respect, trust, and understanding as their most effective tools, they encourage students to take creative risks, to think more critically, to grow in confidence, to reach higher. Our revitalized Middle School will endorse and uplift what is already a leading-edge program. With additional classrooms, science laboratories, and more inviting common areas, teachers will have the opportunity to approach their students and their subject matter in innovative ways. There will be space to move. Space to meet in small groups. Space to learn what it means to be part of the school community as well as part of the greater world. Middle School students will have a state-of-the-art place of their own, where they will be free to explore, learn, and grow.
Jeff Vinikoor Chair, Humanities “There is a great seriousness of purpose at NA, with a lot of fun mixed in,” says Jeff Vinikoor, who, because of Newark Academy’s “unrivaled generosity,” was able to earn his master’s degree at Columbia University’s Teachers College as a Klingenstein Fellow. The Klingenstein program develops globally focused educational leaders. “Everyone recognizes we’re here to help students grow as individuals inside and outside the classroom. By supporting the professional development of its faculty, Newark Academy attracts and retains great faculty members. Ultimately, that support translates into a better experience for the students—which is what really matters. This is a wonderful place to work.”
Rise & Flourish: Growing our Endowment
The Newark Scholars Program Proud of our heritage and loyal to the city Newark Academy first called home, we established the Newark Scholars Program in 2012. Thanks to the generosity of a loyal alumnus, who jumpstarted the program while the funds are being raised, six highly qualified students from Newark will receive full scholarships to attend Newark Academy. The Newark Scholars will be selected from qualified applicants in grades six through nine; they will receive tuition, books, transportation, equipment, field trips, immersion, enrichment, and more. The program will increase our ability to attract and retain the very best and brightest young scholars from our founding city.
Rise & Flourish: Growing our Endowment At Newark Academy, we are crystal clear about what matters. We help deserving students who need financial assistance. We support our faculty. We commit resources to attracting and maintaining a diverse student body. We are both proactive and innovative— implementing programs and ideas that will give our students a better, more transformative experience. These values are mandates of our mission, traditions as old as the school. Fiscal prudence is in our collective DNA, and we have avoided going into debt, even when making big moves or launching new initiatives. Programs and opportunities such as the Immersion program, the Faculty Housing program, and the Newark Scholars program, however, require increasing resources. The key to fiscal strength going forward, and to sustaining and advancing a distinctive and transformative NA experience, is a robust endowment.
“Endowment is the lifeblood of the school and the key to our future. Our endowment needs to be significantly larger if we are going to continue to attract the best and the brightest from across all segments of society and fulfill our commitment to diversity.”
—Pamela Huttenberg, Past Parent and Former Trustee
What Endowment Can Do
With a larger endowment—ours stands at approximately $22 million—we will be able to fund, in perpetuity, many of the programs we care most about. An endowment is a pool of invested funds, the proceeds of which are used to fulfill needs, make realities out of dreams. As the economy wavers, the number of students whose parents can afford to pay full tuition dwindles. The families of bright, talented students from every socioeconomic background are increasingly seeking financial assistance. Just imagine if the income from our endowment allowed us the financial freedom to attract and admit the most promising students from virtually any ethnic, racial, or economic background. We would be able to shape the most diverse student body in northern New Jersey and offer unlimited learning opportunities for our students. Planning for Tomorrow
A more substantial endowment will also allow us to do more for the passionate teachers whose inspirational work with students lays the groundwork for their success in college and beyond. An increased endowment will bolster our financial strength, enabling us to continue to
pay our faculty members well and offer educational and professional development benefits—the kind that attract and retain the nation’s best teachers. Through Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy, we seek to increase the size of our endowment to $30 million, both through outright gifts and planned giving. Endowed Fund for Faculty Housing
Newark Academy values its faculty and makes it a priority to ensure that these talented individuals are rewarded for their efforts in and out of the classroom by making available a range of personal and professional development opportunities. The Endowed Fund for Faculty Housing, created in 2007 and generously funded by Jay A. Kislak ’39 and former NA trustee and parent Andrew Senchak, provides qualifying faculty with financial assistance in the purchase of their first home. The Fund aims to relieve some of the financial burden associated with buying a home for the first time in northern New Jersey’s expensive real estate market. The fund offers a unique and valuable benefit that aids Newark Academy in attracting and retaining talented faculty members.
Maya Hayes ’10 Soccer is Maya Hayes’ life. Now an elite athlete at Penn State, she was a member of the national team that won the 2010 Women’s Championship and participated in the World Cup in Germany. Maya has been playing high-level soccer since she was six. Four of those years were spent at Newark Academy, where Maya said she loved the close-knit and diverse community and learned important lessons about being a member of a team. “Newark Academy challenged me academically and athletically. I learned a lot about time management, having composure, and being a leader on the field and off.”
Rise & Flourish: Honoring a Proud Tradition
Maya Hayes ’10
Serving Others
Soccer is Maya Hayes’ life. Now an elite athlete at
As busy and dedicated as they are to their
Penn State, she was a member of the national team
teams, game schedules, and academic
that won the 2010 Women’s Championship and
commitments, NA students participate
participated in the World Cup in Germany. Maya has
in meaningful volunteer activities. All NA
been playing high-level soccer since she was six.
students develop a sense of purpose and a
Four of those years were spent at Newark Academy,
citizen-leader mindset through community
where Maya said she loved the close-knit and
service projects such as the SCEEP
diverse community and learned important lessons
Olympics, food drives, enrichment events
about being a member of a team. “Newark Academy
with local children, and other opportunities.
challenged me academically and athletically. I
We require students to spend a minimum
learned a lot about time management, having
of 10 hours each year serving others, but
composure, and being a leader on the field and off.”
many do much, much more. In 2011–12, Newark Academy students tallied more than 14,000 hours of community service.
Rise & Flourish: Honoring a Proud Tradition Newark Academy is deliberate in the way it combines academics with the arts and athletics for a rich, balanced experience. All three reach students at different levels, cultivate different skill sets, teach different lessons. Besides the obvious health advantages associated with being a member of a team, athletics—especially at Newark Academy—benefit students in many other ways. The short-term nature of an athletics season, for example, makes it the perfect laboratory for goal-setting exercises, which can be broken down into measureable increments and tested for their success by season’s end. Newark Academy student-athletes learn the value of teamwork, of self-discipline, of camaraderie, of seeking excellence. Team captains develop invaluable leadership skills as they learn how to motivate their teammates, hold their peers accountable, and inspire a winning spirit.
“It’s absolutely mission critical, given the value we place on athletics as part of our balanced educational program, to address the outdoor athletic fields and the track. They will make a difference from a competitive perspective and ultimately in our ability to attract top-notch students to the Academy.”
—Joe McGrath ’81, Trustee
An Impressive Record
Minuteman teams and individuals achieve success on the field and in the pool, on the court and on the mat—as well as in the classroom. In 2011-12, 42 students participating in 19 different sports won first team honors at the Conference, County, Prep, or State level. During the same period, 10 teams won championships. One of our outstanding swimming athletes holds 10 individual or relay school records, and a basketball standout became only the 12th student in NA history to score 1,000 points in a season. Many of our athletes continue to distinguish themselves on the fields and courts at the college level. With outstanding teams and individuals, and dedicated coaches who are former professional and college-level athletes, it makes sense for Newark Academy’s athletic facilities to mirror the quality of its programs. To Honor Today’s Athletes and Attract Tomorrow’s
Newark Academy’s Simon Family Field House includes the beautiful, multi-use Kirby Gymnasium as its centerpiece. It also includes a six-lane pool and the Danco Fitness Center. Other facilities include the
Cetrulo Fencing Center and a dedicated wrestling gym. When families visit our indoor facilities, they are impressed by their quality. Outdoors our students enjoy 10 tennis courts and eight additional fields for softball and baseball, lacrosse, soccer, field hockey, track, and football. The grass fields for football and other field sports, however, need more than a facelift. Often unusable in inclement weather, our fields force us to cancel or postpone practices and games—and our track has not been resurfaced in nearly 15 years. Moreover, our enthusiastic fans deserve more up-to-date accommodations when supporting Minuteman teams. With the help of Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy, we are installing artificial turf and lighting on two existing athletic fields and resurfacing the existing track encircling Coursen Field. We will renovate the stadium bleachers at Coursen Field and also construct a concession/restroom building. These outdoor upgrades will make a strong statement about the value we place on our athletics programs. They will help us attract the next generation of talented studentathletes and elevate school spirit among all of our fans.
Sam Peinado ’11 Harvard student and NA alumnus Sam Peinado has always enjoyed performing. He entered Newark Academy in seventh grade and immediately got involved in theater—as an actor, stage manager, sound and lighting designer, and even a writer. “I chose Newark Academy because I could be myself. I could be in the theater, play lacrosse, be captain of the mock trial team—do it all,” Sam said, adding that Rose Auditorium was not only a place to perform but also a place that powered the strong sense of community that distinguishes Newark Academy. “We need a space where our community can gather and grow and flourish.”
Sam Peinado ’11
The Artist-in-Residence Program
Harvard student and NA alumnus Sam Peinado
A perfect example of the power of
has always enjoyed performing. He entered Newark
philanthropy, the Newark Academy Artist-
Academy in seventh grade and immediately got
in-Residence program has since 2008
involved in theater—as an actor, stage manager,
been a meaningful gift that involves
sound and lighting designer, and even a writer. “I
students in in-depth experiences
chose Newark Academy because I could be myself.
where they can explore their creativity.
I could be in the theater, play lacrosse, be captain of
A mime and performer, a dancer and
the mock trial team—do it all,” Sam said, adding that
choreographer, a playwright, and a jazz
Rose Auditorium was not only a place to perform
musician—so far—have all visited Newark
but also a place that powered the strong sense of
Academy for an extended period of time.
community that distinguishes Newark Academy. “We
They perform and showcase their work,
need a space where our community can gather and
but more importantly, they teach classes,
grow and flourish.”
run workshops, and inspire students by becoming part of the fabric of the school.
Rise & Flourish: Renovating Rose Auditorium First and foremost, Newark Academy is a community. Amidst the challenge of classes, the high expectations, the busy schedules, students here have a sense of belonging. Twice a week, we come together as a school first thing in the morning to celebrate and nurture our community—sharing triumphs and concerns, showcasing talent. For decades, Rose Auditorium has represented the heart of Newark Academy—serving not only as the gathering place for our entire school community but also as the venue for our performing arts. Rose Auditorium is where our talented students truly shine. Dance recitals, concerts, plays, musicals, morning meeting, and the major academic events of the school year all happen in Rose Auditorium. As our student body has grown and students’ artistic endeavors have expanded, however, the auditorium has fallen short in its service. Time has taken its toll, and many of today’s standard theater amenities related to technology, from lighting to curtains to acoustics, cannot be retrofitted. The seating capacity no longer accommodates a student body that has grown nearly 50 percent since the auditorium was constructed.
“Newark Academy works hard to strike a balance for students. Giving kids exposure to the arts adds to their understanding of the world around them, introduces them to new cultures and adds dimension to their character as they grow older.”
—Paul DeNoon, Parent
The Value of the Arts
Along with academics and athletics, we place a tremendous value on the power of the arts to fulfill our mission. By participating in the fine and performing arts as artists or spectators, backstage or on stage, students discover the power of artistic expression as they are exposed to a range of styles and genres. With its wonderful studios for the fine and performing arts, classrooms and world-class art gallery, McGraw Arts Center, which opened in 1992, provides an outstanding venue for practice and creativity. Rose Auditorium, on the other hand, is simply not equipped to help our students shine the way they deserve.
Through Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy, we plan to expand and renovate Rose Auditorium. When prospective families visit our new facility, they will be able to imagine their children performing on its wonderful stage. They will be drawn in by our evident passion for and commitment to the performing arts. Our exceptionally talented and dedicated arts faculty will finally be able to push the envelope even further, showcasing student talent in more exciting and creative ways…before audiences who will be seated in a comfortable, state-of-the-art performance space.
How Students become their Best Selves
This is a monumental moment in Newark Academy’s history and an amazing opportunity for those who believe in what we do. Driven by a distinctive mission, and uplifted by centuries of shared history, we provide a transformative experience for our students. Not since our move to Livingston in 1964, however, has there been a more perfect time to transform and reinvent Newark Academy—not our approach to education but rather the places where learning takes flight. We also have a wonderful opportunity to
better support deserving students for whom Newark Academy is out of financial reach. As a cohesive community, we have come together to envision tomorrow’s Newark Academy. You can help us fulfill our vision and make a measurable difference in the lives of our students. By helping us build and renovate and grow our endowment, you will be funding the most meaningful progress we have made in almost 50 years. Newark Academy would not be what it is today without the forward-thinking parents and alumni of yesterday. To transform tomorrow, we must begin now, with Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy. Please consider supporting Newark Academy; help us today for the sake of tomorrow’s students—and ultimately tomorrow’s society. —Jeffrey Kaplan Campaign Chairman
Ways to Support Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy There are many ways to make a difference for students and faculty by making a gift to Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy. Those who do will be participating in what is clearly one of the most important endeavors in our school’s history. Alumni, parents, friends, and others may choose to make a single gift, spread their contributions over a period of time, or choose a deferred giving option. Every gift matters.
• Gifts of Cash • Appreciated Securities (including closely held stock and mutual funds)
• Bequests • Retirement Assets [IRA, 401(k), 403(b)] • Life Insurance Policies
• Life Income Plans (including charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable lead and annuity trusts)
• Real Estate • Personal Property • Corporate Matching Gifts
Naming Opportunities
For those who wish to honor a family member, pay tribute to a friend, or commemorate someone who inspired them, there are many permanent naming opportunities for facilities, scholarships, and endowments.
For more information on Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy, contact: Office of Institutional Advancement Newark Academy
973.992.7000 ext. 320
91 South Orange Avenue Livingston, New Jersey 07039 973.992.7000 www.newarka.edu