Newark Academy LUMEN Spring 2022

S P R I N G 20 22

LUMEN THE

MAGAZINE

OF

NEWARK

ACADEMY

LEANING INTO THE FUTURE: NEWARK ACADEMY TAKES ON CRYPTOCURRENCY AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

FROM THE EDITOR

This issue of LUMEN is also available online.

To view the interactive experience, visit: www.newarka.edu/lumen

SPRING 2022

39 CONTENTS

F E AT U R E S

39 In Blockchain We Trust: NA Community Members at the Forefront of Cryptocurrency

9 Student Entrepreneurs

IN THIS ISSUE

4 NA News

9

20 Arts

23 Athletics

34 Faculty Focus

50 Alumni News

51 5 More Over 50 Years

58 Class Notes

24 VISIT NA on the web at www.newarka.edu LIKE NA on Facebook @newarkacademy FOLLOW NA on Twitter @newarkacademy FOLLOW NA on Instagram @newarkacademy FOLLOW NA on LinkedIn @newarkacademy

LUMEN SPRING 2022 Donald M. Austin Head of School

FROM DONALD M. AUSTIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

Lou Scerra Senior Director of External Affairs and Strategy EDITORS

Dr. Renée Walker Director of Communications and Marketing Julie Kayzerman Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing ASSISTANT EDITORS

David Beckman Lou Scerra CONTRIBUTORS

Jim Coe Sherrie Negrea Spencer Cowley Evan Nisenson ’99 Callie Prince BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Executive Committee Samuel W. Croll III ’68 Chairman Lawrence G. Cetrulo ’67 Secretary Patricia Budziak Marika Alzadon ’89 Lauren Hedvat ’01 Donald M. Austin Wayne D. Kent ’85 John H. Bess ’69 Robert Marcus

The Joy of Being Together

Trustees Millwood Hobbs, Jr. Rohit Bawa ’93 Rebecca Moll-Freed ’94 Debra Caplan Andrew Kogan ’90 David Castelblanco Lisa Powers David Crall Valerie Radwaner Virany Ajay Dhankhar Michael Rockoff ’87 Robert Fink Melissa Tassé Anjali Gupta Dr. Kalenah Witcher ’87 Karen Guy-Smith Elizabeth Christou Woodall Kimberly Hobbs

We recently held the first large in-person gathering on

campus for visitors in more than two years when we hosted

Emeriti Louis V. Aronson II ’41 Nancy Baird Harwood ’75 Paul Busse ’38* K. Kelly Marx ’51 Robert Del Tufo ’51* John L. McGraw ’49 William D. Green ’69 Robert S. Puder ’38* William D. Hardin ’44* Gary Rose William T. Wachenfeld ’44

a reception for incoming students and their families.

More than 300 people came together as teachers, coaches, parents and students spoke with admitted students and

their families about what makes Newark Academy unique.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS

The level of excitement was high as prospective students

Rebecca Moll Freed ’94 President Sydney Hershman ’11 Amanda Addison ’06 Allison Hyans ’11 Nicole Andrzejewski ’13 Lauren Jacobs-Lazer ’98 Michele Chiles-Hickman ’86 Jordan Jett ’11 Asha Talwar Coco ’99 Katherine “Katie”Johnson ’11 Daniel D. Cronheim ’72 Steve Lozowick ’63 Justin Garrod ’93 Kathleen Mangunay Pergament ’95 Kumar Ghafoor ’10 Ed Pursell ’02 Susan Goldberg ’79 Jed Rosenthal ’93 Peter Gruenberg ’81 Lena Hill Ryals ’94 Rasheea Williams Hall ’95 Alex Senchak ’02 Jade-Addon Hall ’98 Alexandra Swanson ’09 Shannon Hedvat ’03 Pamela Helfant Vichengrad ’94

heard about classes and signature programs like Immersion, Capstone and June Term. They also got to walk around the

building, many for the first time. But the most meaningful

parts of the evening were the face-to-face interactions, often without masks since COVID-19 numbers have receded so

sharply. Even though many were new to the community, there were immediate connections, thoughtful exchanges, and an

Emeriti Lance Aronson ’74 Leo Gordon ’69 J. Richard Beltram ’41* Jeffrey Silverman ’82 John H. Bess ’69 William Stroh ’48* Richard Watson ’50

overwhelming sense of the joy of simply being together.

*Deceased Newark Academy Office of Communications and Marketing 91 South Orange Avenue, Livingston, NJ 07039 Telephone: (973) 992-7000 Email: communications@newarka.edu www.newarka.edu

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While the Newark Academy community has unquestionably

distinguished alumnae over the decades. In faculty news, there

the best version of NA is in person, when we can see and hear

distinguished leadership as Upper School Principal.

handled the pandemic very well, this moment reminded us that each other, talk and laugh together. It finally feels like we are

gradually returning to something closer to normal, and that is a welcome change!

This issue features profiles of Newark Academy alumni on the

forefront of digital and financial innovations, including crypto-

currency and the mysterious world of NFTs. In the same spirit of entrepreneurship in the digital age, several current students

are tributes to Dr. Richard DiBianca as he completes 24 years of

Finally, we hope to see a strong turnout from class years ending in 0, 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 at our first in-person spring reunion on Saturday, June 4, 2022.

Wishing you all the best for a healthy and productive summer season.

who have started their own businesses are profiled here.

We celebrate in this issue several important milestones.

Snapshots of 50 years of coeducation are captured in profiles of

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

JUNE 2008

Head of School Donald M. Austin Celebrates 15 Years Since assuming the role of Head of School in 2007,

Donald M. Austin has overseen numerous changes and

Global Speaker Series

facilities and academic programs. His tireless leadership

guished individuals from around the world

improvements at Newark Academy, both in terms of

has opened up new avenues for learning, transformative

experiences and athletic excellence. This timeline details some of those milestones over the last 15 years.

Series Committee has brought distin-

to address the NA community, enriching

students’ understanding and broadening their intellectual horizons.

MAY 2010

JUNE 2010

FEB. 2012

Rise & Flourish: The Campaign for Newark Academy

June Term

The Jam

Rise & Flourish, the largest fundraising

final two weeks of the year with June

Term, when each student enrolls in an

community came together through an

Between May 2010 and December 2019, effort in the Academy’s long history,

raised $41,522,562. The capital campaign funded the construction of four major

capital improvement projects – the Upper School Academic Center, Wilf Middle School, Coraci Performance Hall and

athletic facility upgrades – and increased the NA endowment by 33 percent.

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Since its inception, NA’s Global Speaker

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Newark Academy reimagined the

intensive course on a single topic. June

Term courses engage students in handson experiences, empowering them to

grapple with challenging ideas, see connections between concepts and reality, make mistakes, and learn from them.

Three hundred members of the NA

online jam to engage in honest conversation and generate ideas that guided the school’s next strategic plan.

JUNE 2008

JUNE 2008

OCT. 2008

Middle School Capstone Experiences

Faculty Travel Initiative

Immersion Experience Requirement

each academic year with a Capstone

first of three Faculty Travel Initiatives

NA Middle School students finish out travel adventure for each grade. Typically taking place over several days and nights away from home, Capstone Experiences combine historical sightseeing with

activities that promote teamwork and intellectual risk-taking.

Eleven faculty members traveled to

Israel and the West Bank as part of the sponsored by the Newark Academy

Parents Association (NAPA). With the

goal of investing in faculty professional development to enhance the global

aspects of students’ education experiences in the classroom and increasing

exchange opportunities, NAPA also sent 14 faculty members to Cuba in 2011 and 12 faculty members to India in 2015.

The NA Board of Trustees, administration and faculty added a new graduation

requirement for all NA students to undertake at least one significant, off-campus Immersion Experience between ninth

and twelfth grades. The options include a two-week wilderness-type experience, a three-week culture/foreign language

experience, a three-week service experience, or participation in an approved

semester or summer immersion program.

(See more on page 8.)

SEPT. 2012

SEPT. 2012

SEPT. 2012

Newark Scholars Program

Upper School Academic Center

Kacur Field Renovation

Program to provide full scholarships for

opened in the fall of 2012 and encom-

renamed Kacur Field in honor of faculty

NA established the Newark Scholars

up to six students each year who live or attend school in Newark, NJ – in honor

of Newark Academy’s original location.

Students designated as Newark Scholars receive the full cost of tuition, fees, books, transportation, equipment, required field trips, the Immersion

Experience and summer enrichment.

The Upper School Academic Center passes 18,500 square feet of new

construction and 2,500 square feet of renovated space. It includes 13 class-

rooms, two faculty department offices, a multipurpose area, several small-

The newly renovated varsity soccer field, member and coach Jeff Kacur, opened in the fall of 2012, featuring artificial turf, new lighting, a new scoreboard and spectator seating.

group collaborative learning spaces and a commons area.

(Continued on page 6)

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

SEPT. 2013

SEPT. 2014

SEPT. 2014

Coursen Field

Community Service Program Reorganization

STEM Experiences Program

was reorganized to focus on three

opportunities to engage in the world

A revitalized Coursen Field was

introduced in the fall of 2013, featuring a turf field, concession stand, new

lighting, spectator seating and new facilities for track and field events including pole vault.

The NA Community Service program primary goals for students: to build a

lifelong passion for service, to use service as a mechanism for self-awareness,

and to integrate service as a learning opportunity.

Program to provide students with of science through field research,

on-campus clubs and competition

teams, off-campus internships, and

university-based summer programs.

JULY 2020

JULY 2020

SEPT. 2021

Coraci Performance Hall

Equity and Inclusion Summit

opened in the summer of 2020, is a

Summit outlined 12 key recommenda-

Growth in Enrollment, Financial Aid and Diversity

The Coraci Performance Hall, which 700-seat facility that has been completely rebuilt to accommodate the

increased size of the NA student body for Morning Meetings and for dance,

choral, orchestral, jazz, and theatrical

performances by outstanding student artists throughout the school year.

Newark Academy’s Equity and Inclusion tions and 60 strategies for creating

greater equity and inclusion at Newark

Academy. Following the virtual Summit,

NA continues to evaluate and enhance its

programming for students, to hire diverse and culturally competent faculty, to provide faculty professional development, and to offer opportunities for open and transparent conversations through

Diversi-teas and other school events

during which all community members will know that their perspectives and voices are valued and heard.

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NA established the STEM Experiences

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Enrollment and financial aid have

significantly increased over the past 15

years. Enrollment numbers jumped from 546 students in the fall of 2007 to 652

students during the 2021-2022 school year and financial aid increased by 120

percent, going from $1,475,523 in 2007 to $3,246,772 in 2021. The overall

percentage of students of color grew

from 22 percent in 2007 to 58 percent in 2022.

AUG. 2017

OCT. 2017

JULY 2019

David Teiger ’47 Gallery for the Studio Arts

Wilf Middle School

Cetrulo Family Fencing Center

opened in August 2017 as part of a reno-

the fall of 2017 and houses two floors of classrooms, laboratories, offices and

received several physical and techno-

The David Teiger ’47 Gallery for Studio Arts vation and rededication of the former

The Wilf Middle School wing opened in

common spaces that accommodate the Middle School faculty and students.

McGraw Gallery. The Teiger Gallery is a

Classrooms were equipped with Apple TV

modern home to exhibitions throughout

technology and smart boards, which

the school year featuring NA student art and the work of highly acclaimed artists

from around the world. It provides exhibition space, museum-quality lighting, and

have since been implemented unilater-

The Cetrulo Family Fencing Center

logical renovations in the summer of

2019 – including new, specialized flooring and five strips for electronic scoring – making it one of the finest fencing centers in the country.

ally throughout the school.

the technological capabilities to exhibit digital as well as traditional visual arts.

Looking forward, Mr. Austin will now lead Newark Academy into the celebration of its 250th anniversary!

250 NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

FRANCE IMMERSION TRIP

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E ›››

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

TYLER LORENZ ’22 FlyingTy

T

he next time you take off in a plane,

check to see if any helicopters are around –

you might spot senior Tyler Lorenz ’22 up in

the air, snapping away at you with his camera.

Outside of NA’s halls, Tyler prefers life sky-high, freelancing as an aviation photographer who documents aircrafts from inside and out. He even partakes in aerial photography, including airto-air photos taken from helicopters, usually above airports.

“I have always had a love for aviation, but I developed a love for photography around six years ago,” Tyler says. “Once I started combining the two, I realized it was something I loved doing.

I have really enjoyed my time in the aviation photography community as well as with the organizations I have been able to work with giving my photos to.”

Tyler says he’s learned about the importance of building strong personal relationships to expand his business network, which has set him up for future opportunities. Moving forward, Tyler wants to grow his business by selling a larger variety of works, rather than just his photos. He aspires to eventually donate portions of his proceeds to various charitable causes.

Tyler Lorenz ’22

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CAROLINA DIAS-SOTIRIOU ’25

F

Fire’s Eye Studios

reshman Isabella “Carolina” Dias-Sotiriou

’25 often thinks about Mr. Rezvani’s sixth-

Carolina runs Fire’s Eye Studios, a platform she founded in August 2020 to sell a variety of her artwork. While she mostly sells paintings that use a fluid art technique, she also sells abstract paintings.

“For as long as I can remember, I have had a dream of having my own business because I wanted to create my own way in the world,” Carolina says. Running her own business has taught her some valuable life lessons,

grade math class, where she first learned how to manage money – a lesson that has proven

useful in her current business endeavors.

including the power of marketing. “It doesn’t necessarily matter what you sell, but rather how you sell it,” she says. “We have all seen the ‘abstract painting’ that has sold for $5 million dollars, Carolina Dias-Sotiriou ’25

but may really be worth $5. What people don’t see is the art that’s worth $5 million dollars, but actually sells for $5. The difference between how these two pieces sell isn’t really about the work itself, but rather how it is marketed. People don’t just want to see art, they want to see an artist, a story and a reason to buy your painting other than it just being beautiful.”

Going forward, Carolina hopes to establish her own distinct, never-before-seen style of art, to become widely known for it, and eventually to have her art featured in museums. “I have always had ambitions for something of my own that will take me somewhere bigger,” she says, “and I hope this business can take me there.”

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

RYAN KIM ’22

Run for Opportunity

R

Along with a hometown friend, Ryan formed Run For Opportunity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to use proceeds from annual 5K runs to provide educational opportunities through accessible technology to underserved communities around the world.

yan Kim ’22 was disappointed when he

found out his service immersion trip to

Antigua, Guatemala was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020.

But his disappointment was short-lived: he quickly began formulating a plan to

take action, despite the lockdown.

In 2020, Run For Opportunity hosted its first event, a virtual 5K run to raise money for From Houses to Homes, the organization Ryan had planned to serve on his immersion trip to Antigua.

The virtual 5K hosted over 65 participants and raised more than $3,300 for the organization to provide COVID-19 relief and to fund the construction of a school.

Following this initial success, Ryan’s nonprofit hosted its first in-person 5K run in 2021. With over 170 participants, the event raised more than $7,000 to build a technology hub for students in Krobo, Ghana.

Ryan Kim ’22

Through these experiences, Ryan says he has learned the importance of being proactive. With no one else to provide direction or set deadlines, Ryan and his partner learned to hold each other accountable for the work they needed to complete, including sending promotional emails, creating a website, developing a social media presence, working through legal forms, getting sponsors, securing timing systems for the run and more.

“I believe that today’s education will shape the nations of our future,” says Ryan. “Increased opportunities to create, learn and explore will ensure that innovation in these countries has no limit. Through our annual 5K runs, we hope to promote physical fitness while supporting a good cause at the same time.”

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ANIKA VERMA ’22

S

Dare2Dye

enior Anika Verma ’22 decided to hop

on the national tie-dye trend during

quarantine in June 2020. She made an

eye-catching sweat set, and once her friends

and family saw it, they began to request

tie-dye pieces for themselves.

Anika began posting her tie-dye work on Instagram, and one thing led to another – including the formation of her company, Dare2Dye. Soon after, she began getting orders for her customizable tie-dye apparel from all across the country.

In addition to customizable tie-dye clothing, Anika launched an exclusive OPTIMISM line, featuring rainbow patches, bright colors and smiley-face embroidery that was dedicated to bringing attention to mental health support for teenagers. A portion of the profits from this line was donated to K2K, a nonprofit organization of which Anika is a founding member, which brings together high school students to mentor kids with special needs.

“Even though it’s a lot of hard work, it’s very rewarding to follow my creative passions while contributing to my community,” Anika says. “Having the ability to make people happy while giving them the clothes they want gives me joy!”

While Anika credits her drawing and International Baccalaureate (IB) art classes with helping her channel her artistic side, she notes that her IB economics class enhanced her knowledge of cost of production, nudge theory and consumer behavior – all of which were essential for growing her business.

Anika Verma ’22

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

MAX ALTER, LOREN ASHFIELD, MAX GORBATY, ARYAN MISHRA ’22

In January 2021, they created AMG Capital Management, LLC, an asset-management company, with each of them serving as a managing partner. “Beyond discovering and analyzing new investing strategies, we have learned a lot about how investment funds are structured,” Max Gorbaty says. “We didn’t want to simply pool money in a personal account, so we opened a specialty investment account tied to a legal partnership. Doing so, we managed to have an account with margin and advanced options trading privileges.”

AMG Capital Management, LLC

M

embers of the Class of 2022 Max Gorbaty,

Aryan Mishra, Loren Ashfield and Max Alter often discussed stock market news and

personal holdings with each other at meetings

of the NA Student Endowment Committee and the Stock Market Club. Eventually,

these conversations led the four friends to establish an investment fund together.

Loren Ashfield ’22, Aryan Mishra ’22, Max Gorbaty ’22 and Max Alter ’22

Through running AMG, the four have gained career experience and had opportunities to meet with industry professionals for advice on how to advance their business. In the future, they plan to raise enough funds to hire a hedge fund incorporation lawyer, which will allow any accredited investor to join their fund. In addition, the group aspires to trade different types of assets, such as cryptocurrencies or futures.

“We’re confident that no matter what happens with AMG, our experience with the company will help us succeed in college and advance our careers,” Max Gorbaty says.

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MILLER BURNS ’22

M

Miller’s Casual Furniture

iller Burns ’22 was bored when he was

stuck at home during 2020’s COVID-19

lockdown, so he began surfing YouTube and

stumbled upon a video on drop shipping.

Soon after, he decided to try it out himself.

Now, Miller runs his own eBay business hub, Miller’s Casual Furniture, ordering furniture from suppliers and listing the products on his webpage. When he receives a customer order, Miller ships the item directly from his supplier, never touching the products but serving as the middleman who turns a profit.

“The original purpose of my business was to make a little extra money during a time when I needed a hobby while stuck at home,” says Miller. “Now, the business experience – such as communicating with customers, returning products, recording sales and managing money – has been my greatest gain.”

This real-world experience complements what Miller is learning in the classroom; for instance, in chemistry class he learned Microsoft Excel, which he uses to record each sale and to calculate profit, sales and growth. Additionally, Miller attributes his confidence in talking on the phone with customers to NA’s culture of creating open dialogue through effective communication.

“My favorite part about having this business is the feeling of getting an order and selling to real people,” Miller says. “I also love getting on the phone and feeling like the ‘CEO’ of sorts.

Regardless if I continue this business in the long term, I know this experience will help me with future ventures and give me a leg up.”

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

A Spectacular Semester in

South Africa

imon Pearl ’23 had only been out of the country once before he became the first Newark Academy student to spend a semester studying in Africa.

S

With Simon’s academic interest in global leadership, attending the School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) as part of Newark Academy’s Off-Campus Study program was a no-brainer.

Still, he had to decide which campus to attend: should he stay close to home at the Washington, D.C. site or try something completely out of his comfort zone?

“No one’s ever done it, so I just kind of decided to go for it,” Simon says about his decision to participate in the SEGL program, which was held at

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Simon Pearl ’23 is the first NA student to spend a semester on the African continent.

the African Leadership Academy (ALA), a pre-university campus located on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Although Simon was nervous about going to a strange place without knowing anyone, he truly surprised himself and is proud of how he immersed himself in the new community despite his typical instincts to keep to himself.

During the Fall 2021 semester, the SEGL program welcomed 16 American students into the ALA community as they learned and lived alongside Simon visits Victoria Yards, an

outdoor complex of stores and restaurants, with other SEGL and ALA students.

students from all over the African continent. So as to fully integrate the two programs, the SEGL students were not housed together but were each placed on a separate floor among ALA students. Simon, who dormed with a Nigerian roommate, says his favorite part of the entire experience was being warmly embraced by so many new people from a different community. “[The experience] was really just about the people for me,” he says. “I made a lot of friends.

I didn’t even know how much I could gain from just meeting so many new people. I’m happy I was able to just really jump into the community.”

As part of the program, Simon had the opportunity to take an Ethics and Leadership course and African Studies – which included experiential learning opportunities such as a visit to Robben Island Prison, where former South African President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was jailed, and a trip to the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the nation’s highest court.

Simon was even elected to be the SEGL representative on the ALA Student Government, where he admired the proactive decision-making of his African peers. Of course, he also had some time to explore the wildlife on an epic African safari.

“There’s a whole continent’s worth of diversity in one school, which is pretty amaz-

‘‘

Above: Simon at the Hall Spirit

Night, a series of competitions between the six ALA houses.

Right: Elephants spotted during a safari at Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa.

ing,” explains Simon, who says being in the minority afforded him opportunities to have interesting conversations about race in America and a rare perspective into what people think of the United States from the outside. “It was such a unique thing that provided great character and empathy development. It was

a really interesting perspective to get and to live in for three months.”

While Simon acknowledges that some students might be hesitant to participate in OffCampus Study and sacrifice three months away from their friends at NA, he notes that there is a whole world of opportunity to be explored,

and all the comforts of home will still be there upon return.

“I think it’s great that NA recognizes that there’s some things that just can’t be replicated [at home],” he says.

“I’m really glad that they not only allowed me to go away, but they actively encouraged me to participate in an OffCampus Study program.”

There’s a whole continent’s worth of diversity in one school, which is pretty amazing. It was such a unique thing that provided great character and empathy development. It was a really interesting perspective to get and to live in for three months.”

–Simon Pearl ’23

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

THREE NEWARK ACADEMY STUDENTS ARE

NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS

Each year, approximately 1.5 million high school students take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and enter the National Merit Scholarship Program – an academic competition that recognizes and provides scholarships to high scorers.

Newark Academy is proud to announce that seniors Siddharth Chalasani, Melanie Kramarchuk and Skywalker Li joined 15,000 students as 2022 National Merit Finalists.

In addition to NA’s three finalists, 22 seniors were named Commended Scholars for placing among the top 50,000 students who entered the competition: Lucas Alland, Max Alter, Loren Ashfield, Matthew Catrambone, Sophia Chen, Katherine Fishbone, Lauren Freed, Stella Gilbert, Maximillian Gorbaty, Serin Hwang, Amaani Jetley, Dhruv Kapur, Ryan Kim, Mason Kung, Amanda Lei, Emma Lu, Saif Prabhu, Brandon Recce, Emily Swope, Asha Toolsidas, Samantha Witt and Albert Zhou.

Seniors Siddharth Chalasani,

Melanie Kramarchuk and

Skywalker Li were named

National Merit Finalists.

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Twenty-two NA seniors

were recognized as National

Merit Commended Scholars.

NA NEWS

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SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Homecoming & Spirit Week

It was so wonderful to welcome everyone back to the NA campus for Homecoming! There were food trucks, music, campus tours and more! #NApride

NA Reaches New Heights

Konrad Czyzewski ’22 shows off his #NApride at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania over spring break!

Follow Us to Stay Updated on All Things NA

Puzzle Contest Winner

Congratulations to Kaya Patel ’22 on winning the school-wide @jiggypuzzles and @american_heart contest! Kaya’s design is now available for purchase at jiggypuzzles.com.

Kaya’s piece was designed to show-

case that the hobbies and activities we do in our free time can illuminate our hearts. Whether it’s something big or small, the moments of our day that we take for ourselves are valuable and empowering.

Instagram: @NewarkAcadem

y

Engineering Class Boat Race

A culmination of the “design within constraints” curriculum, students take an interdisciplinary approach using math, physics, engineering and research skills to develop a plan for a boat, while being constrained by time and budget.

Facebook: @NewarkAcadem y

Twitter: @NewarkAcadem

y

LinkedIn: @NewarkAcadem y

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

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ARTS

STUDENT-MUSICIANS FEATURED IN GLOBAL CAMPAIGN In the midst of discovering their passion for music, three Newark Academy

saxophonists were given the unique opportunity to meet and be mentored by professional musicians in New York City.

The exciting opportunity came from Vandoren, a French manufacturer of reeds, mouthpieces and accessories for clarinets and saxophones. As part of a global campaign, student musicians from local schools traveled to New York City to

participate in a photoshoot and one-on-one meeting with a professional musician.

Newark Academy Jazz Director Julius Tolentino, who is endorsed by Vandoren,

facilitated the experience for Noah Gezahegn ’25, Camille (Millie) Hacking ’26 and Noah Tamiso ’27.

“This opportunity was very impactful for our students,” says Julius,

who was also featured in the campaign and paired with a stu-

dent mentee. “It allowed them to look at the big picture of

where musicians have come from and where they aspire

to be. That feeling of not being alone and finding

commonalities with others when dedicating

yourself to music was something we all got out

of participating in this campaign.”

Noah Gezahegn was matched with Jimmy

Greene, a Grammy Award-nominated saxophon-

ist, composer and educator; Millie was mentored by

Susan Fancher, an internationally recognized concert

saxophonist; and Noah Tamiso was paired with Chien-Kwan

Lin, a world-renowned classical saxophone pedagogue at the

the saxophone?

Noah G: A couple of years ago, we had an assembly at school where they

were showing us all these different

instruments. When they showcased the saxophone, I knew at that

moment that I wanted to play it. I had seen it played so many times and had

always liked how it sounded, and I was excited for the opportunity to play it.

Millie: When I was nine years old,

I watched my brother’s school jazz

concert for the first time. I loved the

music and it looked like so much fun.

There was this one soloist that played the saxophone and was amazing.

I loved the sound and knew that I wanted to give it a try.

Noah T: I had to choose an instrument

in third grade for music class. I played the piano at the time, and the violin when I was younger. This time, I

wanted to choose a woodwind instrument. I saw and heard all the instru-

ments and decided to pick the alto sax because of how it sounded compared to all the other band instruments.

esteemed Eastman School of Music.

Q: Who have been your musical

in this Q&A.

NG: I think my biggest musical inspi-

Learn more about our students’ musical journeys Newark Academy Jazz

Director Julius Tolentino All photos by James Korn

‘‘ 20

Q: Why did you choose

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inspirations?

ration was my elementary school band teacher. He was the one who taught me how to play saxophone and he

helped me discover my love for the

instrument.

I think my biggest challenge was at the beginning. I was learning to play a new instrument, so at the start, seeing that I wasn’t playing very difficult music was a little disincentivizing. As I got better and started playing more difficult music, I was able to appreciate my improvement.”

– Noah Gezahegn ’25

SPRING 2022

MH: My original inspiration was the soloist at my brother’s concert who inspired me to give it a try. Without that soloist, I wouldn’t even be

playing the saxophone. Beyond that, however, my older

brother has been a great

inspiration. He is two years

NG: It was an honor to meet Mr.

Greene and work with him during the

Vandoren campaign. From my time with him I learned to enjoy the moment and enjoy what

you’re doing, whether it’s

playing an instrument or

doing another activity. I also

older than me, plays the

learned to always be willing to

school jazz band.

be afraid to ask questions

trombone and is in the NT: One of my musical

inspirations is Bruno Mars.

His music has good beats and I think he’s a really great singer

and songwriter.

Q: What was it like to be paired with a professional mentor

through this campaign and

what did you learn from

them?

learn and improve and to not when I need help.

MH: Being paired with a

professional mentor was so much fun, and Ms. Fancher

was really inspiring. I really enjoyed talking with her

and having the opportunity

to make music together.

NT: Meeting up with Mr.

Lin in New York City

Noah Gezahegn ’25

was a great opportunity to engage with a professional saxophone player and

learn about his unique musical journey.

The best part about our meeting was

playing a duet together, which I especially enjoyed. I learned that a passion

for music can lead to a variety of different possibilities in the future, and it really opened my eyes.

Q: What have been some of the

biggest challenges you’ve faced so far in your musical journey?

NG: I think my biggest challenge was at the beginning. I was learning to

play a new instrument, so at the start, seeing that I wasn’t playing very diffi-

cult music was a little disincentivizing.

As I got better and started playing more difficult music, I was able to appreciate

my improvement.

(Continued on page 22)

HERE @ N A Sophomore Duet Earns Superior Medals at NA’S FIRST THESPIAN FESTIVAL APPEARANCE Newark Academy acting students Kieri Keys ’24 and David Silliman ’24 earned Superior Medals – the highest level of achievement – for their acting duet as part of the school’s first appearance at the New Jersey Thespian Festival in January 2022.

The NA Theatre program inaugurated 10 members to its first International Thespian troupe earlier this academic year, and NA was joined by 400 other schools from throughout New Jersey in the regional competition.

With their accolade, Kieri and David are now invited to perform their scene in June 2022 at the International

Thespian Festival in Indiana, where they will compete for scholarship opportunities.

“We were thrilled to get a superior awarded score for two of our members,” says Director of Theatre Arts Rachel Shapiro Cooper. “This is just the beginning for us and I am so grateful that I get to do this work with our students at Newark Academy.”

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(Continued from page 21)

‘‘

Noah Tamiso ’27

We had a group project where we were given a song to play and were able to add whatever parts and instruments we wanted to. It was enjoyable because we were able to make it our own.”

– Millie Hacking ’26

MH: The two biggest challenges in my

Beyond that, when I’m trying to get to

not making it into saxophone, and

more advanced songs, rhythms and

play saxophone in fifth grade at my

It’s tough, but when I finally master

musical journey have been originally

COVID-19. First, not being chosen to elementary school was hard, but I

didn’t let that stop me and worked

around it. Second, COVID-19 has been

a big struggle. There were many Zoom

classes, and when in person, there were often many study halls instead of band

because there were too many people to be together. But we worked through it

and managed to have an outdoor COVID-safe concert.

NT: Sometimes learning new techniques like

vibrato is really difficult

for me. I have to use my mouth, tongue and

air flow to get it just

right. I feel that this is what makes

vibrato difficult to master.

Millie Hacking ’26

NT: I loved it when I

the next level in playing music – with

played in an end-of-

difficult notes – it takes longer to learn.

cert at school, where

that song, it’s worth the effort.

Q: Do you have any favorite musical memories so far?

NG: My favorite musical memory was

when we were taking band classes vir-

tually because of the COVID-19 pan-

demic. We had a group project where we

were given a song to play and were able to add whatever parts and instruments

we wanted to. It was enjoyable because we were able to make it our own.

MH: My most fun and favorite musical memory is my winter concert saxo-

phone duet in sixth grade. My friend and I did a “Rudolph the Red-Nosed

Reindeer” duet where we wore deer antler headbands and blinking red

noses. It was so much fun, and we still joke about it!

‘‘

the-year band conall the bands, Upper

School and Middle School, joined

together to play

at one giant concert. It was fun

playing with so

many different people in

front of a large audience.

Q: What other musical things do you hope to do when you’re older?

NG: I hope to keep playing the saxo-

phone as well as piano, and play at open mics, jazz bands and concerts.

MH: I hope that when I’m older I’ll be

able to perform in one of the Upper School concerts!

NT: As I get older, I want to get into the

high school jazz band and participate in

competitions. Beyond that, I will just see where my musical journey takes me.

I loved it when I played in an end-of-the-year band concert at school, where all the bands, Upper School and Middle School, joined together to play at one giant concert. It was fun playing with so many different people in front of a large audience."

– Noah Tamiso ’27

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Jayden Zhou Brings the U.S. a Bronze PLACES THIRD AT THE JUNIOR PAN AMERICAN GAMES IN TABLE TENNIS Jayden Zhou ’23, along with his teammate Sid Naresh, captured a bronze medal for the United States in the two-person table tennis team event at the first-ever Junior Pan American Games, which took place in Colombia in December 2021.

‘‘

It’s one of the coolest things ever to represent your country, but to bring home a medal from the first-ever Junior Pan American Games and add to the medal count of the entire U.S. – it feels good to sort of leave my mark on history.”

– Jayden Zhou ’23 “It’s one of the coolest things ever to represent your country,” Jayden says. “But to bring home a medal from the first-ever

Junior Pan American Games and add to the medal count of the entire U.S. – it feels good to sort of leave my mark on history.”

While Jayden has been on U.S. National Youth Teams since

he was 12 years old, this experience was only his second tournament representing the

Jayden Zhou ’23, Sid Naresh and Coach Cory Eider

A multi-sport event for athletes under the age of 21,

the Junior Pan American Games welcomed more than

3,800 athletes for the 2021 competition. Jayden is 16 and Sid is 17, making the U.S. team one of the youngest.

The U.S. team won against Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals,

despite initially being down 0-2 in matches and facing long odds for a comeback. Jayden and Sid fought back to complete the

upset, consecutively winning a doubles match and two more sin-

gles matches to claim the bronze medal. In a dramatic showdown, Jayden defeated the 23rd-ranked junior in the world in a singles match to complete the feat.

United States overseas. Jayden’s success in the sport has quickly forced him to

become a master at time management, keeping up with his schoolwork

between practices and full-day

competitions.

“This was definitely the hardest test of my

time management and accountability skills,” he says.

“Those things are already challenging as is, but when

you have to get up at 5:30 a.m. every day to prepare for

tournaments, you have to learn how to plan ahead and

manage your time because you have so little of it.”

Looking ahead, Jayden is eyeing a run to make the U.S. Olympic Table Tennis Team in the next couple of years: “If we want to make a push for the Olympics, we have to start now.”

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A MINUTEMEN DYNASTY: NA Tennis is a New Jersey Powerhouse

Each year, high school tennis teams around the state prepare for the upcoming season with a common motivating

factor in mind – to beat tennis powerhouse Newark Academy. Year after year, both Minutemen boys’ and girls’ tennis are the “teams to beat,” thanks to the programs’ long-standing history of success.

that the higher the expectations, the more they thrive.

“We focus on what we can control,” Lou says. “We can control our effort, we can control our play, and we can just try to do our best to be a little bit better every single time out on the court. If you’re thinking about getting a little bit better every day, a lot of the pressure takes care of itself.”

A Statewide Legacy

The boys’ tennis team earned its most recent Tournament of Champions title in the spring of 2021.

The boys’ varsity program holds an astounding 14 Tournament of Champions (TOC) titles, 36 state group titles, 27 conference titles and 21 county titles.

Meanwhile, the girls’ team has eight TOC titles, 25 state group titles, 10 conference titles and nine county titles.

Additionally, NA has sent 69 student-athletes to play tennis at the collegiate level.

Current Varsity Head Coach and Senior Director for External Affairs and Strategy

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Lou Scerra and Assistant Boys’ Varsity Coach and Upper School Principal Dr. Richard DiBianca, are proud to continue the tradition of excellence initiated by former head coach Arky Crook, who was at the helm of both programs for over 30 years.

“The tennis programs are built on a couple of key cultural values,” Lou says. At the core, “tennis is a team sport.

I think other people see it as an individual sport, but at NA we try to preach that ‘we’ is greater than ‘me.’”

By prioritizing team triumphs over individual accolades in everything they do, the Minutemen have been able to continuously maintain a dynasty throughout the years, with the upperclassmen leaders instilling the team’s goals and culture within the underclassmen early on.

As the “team to beat,” the Minutemen often enter each match facing greater expectations and pressure than their opponents. While some might fold under the pressure, the NA tennis teams have proven

The Tournament of Champions has long been the pinnacle of New Jersey high school tennis – as the best of the best compete against each other during the season’s finale for the title of top team in the entire state.

The boys’ tennis team has cemented itself in the New Jersey record books, holding the state’s most TOC titles with 14. Also impressive, the girls’ program has the second most TOC wins in the state with eight – seven of which were won consecutively between 1996 and 2002.

During the Fall 2021 season, the girls’ team posted a 16-4 record, advancing to the TOC semifinals.

The boys’ team’s most recent victory came in the spring of 2021, completing an undefeated season with a commanding 25-0 record.

“When we won the TOCs last year, it was a defining moment for the current

players,” Lou says. “We hadn’t won it in five years, which doesn’t seem like a long time, but [the current Minutemen] were all proud to have joined a long list of Newark Academy tennis players who did that for our school.”

Looking ahead, the boys’ team will attempt to grab one last TOC title in June – the final year of the tournament, after the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association voted to eliminate the competition.

“I think eliminating TOCs will change what tennis seasons look like in the future,” says Lou. “It’s disappointing to have the tournament come to an end. I think we’ll want to find other ways to have that level of competition for our players and for our program.”

Still, the teams’ history of success has turned NA tennis

With a total of 10 courts, the tennis facility is a top-of-the-line home to boys’ and girls’ tennis.

into a household name, attracting new players to the school and drawing interest from current students who want to be part of the community. With varsity, junior varsity and middle school teams playing on 10 excellent courts, about 25 percent of NA students play tennis.

HERE @ N A 2021 – 2022

MINUTEMEN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Several Minutemen teams made their mark during the Fall 2021 and Winter 2022 seasons, garnering a combined total of 14 championship titles:

State Champions

Boys’ varsity cross country Girls’ varsity tennis

With such strong involvement from the NA community and a culture of lifting one another up, the tennis teams have naturally developed an extremely loyal alumni base, which in turn provides current student-athletes with mentors and role models.

This past boys’ season, several NA alumni submitted videos of inspirational messages to motivate the team prior to their TOC matches. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the tennis season, Newark Academy Athletics Hall of Famers Rahman Smiley ’98 and Jamal Parker ’98 spoke to the teams about what they learned from their time with the Minutemen: what it was like to be on a team, to be a leader and to be part of something bigger than yourself – sentiments often echoed by other alumni.

“Our alums always come back,” Lou says. “It’s something we’re very proud of.

I think that both the players and coaches who are here now are just honored to be part of the tradition and want to build on it.”

Girls’ varsity volleyball Boys’ varsity fencing

Boys’ varsity swimming Girls’ varsity swimming Division Champions Girls’ varsity soccer Wrestling

Prep Tournament Champions Boys’ varsity cross country Boys’ varsity winter track Boys’ varsity swimming District Champions Boys’ varsity fencing

Middle School Athletic Conference Champions Middle School boys’ soccer Middle School girls’ tennis Follow the Minutemen

Instagram: @NA_Minutemen Twitter: @NAMinutemen

Facebook: @NAMinutemen

Stay updated on all Minutemen news at www.naminutemenathletics.com

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BOUND Eleven Newark Academy seniors intend to compete in college-level athletics next year.

See photos from their signing days on social media @NA_Minutemen.

A. Konrad Czyzewski ’22

University of Notre Dame Fencing

B. Selah Dungey ’22

University of Chicago Track and Field

C. Nathan Drogin ’22

Princeton University Golf

D. Nicolas Kotzen ’22 A

B

C

D

E

F

Columbia University Tennis

E. Nate Campbell ’22

Swarthmore College Lacrosse

F. Lauren Hardman ’22 Swarthmore College Field Hockey

G. Chase Clark ’22

Bentley University Basketball

H. Michael Pyo ’22

Haverford College Fencing

I. Maya Lily Knoller ’22 G

H

I

J

K

Gettysburg College Swimming

J. Ali Elmasry ’22

Columbia University Swimming

K. Brandon Cortez ’22 Fordham University Swimming

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CATCHING UP WITH MINUTEMEN ALUMNI:

Jocelyn Willoughby ’16 Gears Up for Her 3rd WNBA Season Take a dive into the Newark Academy basketball record books and you’ll find many appearances of the name

Jocelyn Willoughby ’16: 1,707 points, 766 rebounds, 303

steals, 275 assists, three conference championships, and the title of 2016 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year.

After graduating from NA, Jocelyn took her skills to

University of Virginia (UVA) and led the Atlantic Coast

Conference in scoring during her senior season, but still managed to prioritize her love of learning, completing her undergraduate degree in just three years.

With a history of such dominant success on the court, it was no surprise when she went on to be a first-round draft pick in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Now she is preparing for her third season with the New York Liberty

while also pursuing a Master of Public Policy at UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

LUMEN recently caught up with Jocelyn to reflect on her time at NA and discuss

her journey to becoming a professional basketball player.

›››

Jocelyn Willoughby ’16 currently plays in

the WNBA for the New York Liberty.

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Jocelyn Willoughby (Continued from page 27)

Q: Can you describe your athletic

experience at Newark Academy?

JW: Athletics has been a huge part of my life and was definitely a central

part of my NA experience. As a freshman and new student at NA, I played

basketball in the winter and ran track in the spring. Being a part of those teams helped me find a sense of belonging

and my niche in the school community.

My NA athletic experience was very

successful, but what made all of my

milestones so memorable and mean-

Jocelyn led the Minutemen to three conference championships in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

surrounding me. During my sophomore

athlete. I’m incredibly grateful for my

ingful was the supportive community year, I remember my classmates

crowded in the bleachers, holding up signs and erupting into cheers when I scored my 1,000th point. I also

remember being humbled, and a little

embarrassed, by the standing ovation I

received during Morning Meeting when it was announced that I was named

New Jersey Girls Basketball Gatorade

and supporting me along the way.

Q: What are some lessons you’ve

learned or taken with you from

Newark Academy that have helped you succeed in your professional career?

Player of the Year. And of course, when

JW: The academic rigor of Newark

Intent to attend the University of

and hone in on my time management

I finally signed my National Letter of

Virginia, it meant everything to have my teachers, other faculty and staff,

counselors, coaches and family there to celebrate the moment.

NA was an incredibly supportive and

nurturing environment that allowed me to grow as a person, a student and an

‘‘ 28

experience and the people surrounding

LUMEN

Academy pushed me to be disciplined

skills. These skills helped me tremen-

dously in college and now in my professional career. I learned to work hard, to take the initiative to go the extra mile, and to be consistent in whatever I do.

These principles have translated to me finding success and continuing to develop as a professional.

Q: Did you always aspire to be in the

WNBA? When did you realize that getting drafted to the WNBA was within reach?

JW: Actually, no. It wasn’t until either

late in my high school career or early on in my college career that I began saying that I wanted to play professional basketball overseas. The idea of traveling

the world, being immersed in a different culture, while also making a living made playing overseas seem like an

attractive lifestyle. At that time, this was something I said, rather than

believed. I definitely hadn’t considered the WNBA. I wasn’t fully confident and

hadn’t begun to realize the player I had the potential to be.

Midway through my college career,

I actually began committing to the idea of being a professional in the WNBA,

though my sights were still set on playing overseas. At the end of my junior

My NA athletic experience was very successful, but what made all of my milestones so memorable and meaningful was the supportive community surrounding me.”

– Jocelyn Willoughby ’16

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year, I watched the 2019 draft and saw players that I had competed against

get drafted. That’s when it clicked for me that I could do the same. That

night, I googled the date of the 2020

draft, put it in my calendar and set the

been chosen and be able to celebrate

April 17, 2020.

Zoom, virtually with my “village” –

goal that I’d hear my name called on

Q: Were you surprised to be drafted in the first round? What did that moment feel like?

JW: I was expecting to be picked either later in the first round or early in the

second. However, on the night of the draft, I wouldn’t let myself get my

that moment with my parents and, via friends, family, coaches, teachers

spanning from my childhood to college.

I was really happy and proud of the fact that I accomplished my goal.

Q: Are you still close with any former

coaches or faculty members at NA? If so, with whom?

hopes up. I kept reminding myself that

JW: Yes! I keep in touch mainly with

guaranteed. With each pick, I held my

faculty member Mr. Joseph Ball. Coach

this was business and nothing was

breath in anticipation since I didn’t know when I would hear my name

called or which team would ultimately choose me. That being said, I wasn’t totally surprised by being drafted

where I was, although I was surprised by how everything worked out. I was

drafted by Phoenix, and later that night I was traded to New York.

Once I was selected, there was a mix of

emotions. Initially, I felt relief and could finally exhale. But foremost, I felt

extremely grateful and blessed to have

Coach Liz Bona and former humanities Bona regularly checks in and we still

bond over basketball. I appreciate her

for helping me maintain a connection

to the NA girls’ basketball program. For example, it was really nice to be able to meet some of the players when they

came to Brooklyn for a Liberty game.

Mr. Ball lives in Richmond, an hour

away from the University of Virginia, where I study, so we’ve been able to

connect a couple of times and bond

over our love for sports, learning and

reading. Mr. Ball even joined and supported my virtual book club last year.

Jocelyn signs her letter of intent in 2015 to play Division I basketball at the University of Virginia.

‘‘

Playing basketball has also taught me critical lessons about leadership, culture, teamwork and group dynamics that have enabled me to successfully navigate other professional settings.”

– Jocelyn Willoughby ’16

Q: Why is participating in athletics so important for students to experi-

ence, whether or not they aspire to continue in college and beyond?

JW: Aside from physical fitness and

well-being, there are so many invalu-

able things to gain from participating in sports. One of my favorite things about playing basketball is the relationships you develop. I’ve been fortunate

enough to meet many phenomenal

people through sports, some of whom have become mentors, dear friends

and family. Additionally, playing sports has given me many tools that are

transferable to other areas of my life, including time-management,

resilience, confidence, discipline and

quality communication skills. Playing basketball has also taught me critical lessons about leadership, culture,

teamwork and group dynamics that have enabled me to successfully

navigate other professional settings.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

JW: My plan is to continue playing in the WNBA with the New York Liberty. I also look forward to playing professionally overseas during the off-season.

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Ryan Fish ’27 Golfs on the World Stage

Newark Academy seventh grader Ryan Fish ’27 has had quite the year on the links.

Among several golf tournaments this past year, Ryan found himself at the 2021 U.S. Kid World Golf Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina in July – one of just two boys

representing New Jersey at the event. Ryan went up against 155 competitors from over 15 countries and finished in the top 100.

“It’s been a pretty big deal for me to go out and play,” Ryan says. “It’s more than just a tournament; there were a lot of kids from all around the world.” It’s meant a lot to him, he says, “to not only

represent your country, but your state and where you come from.”

In October 2021, Ryan was a key leader on Team Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club, a team

of eight kids, ages 9-13, representing New Jersey for the first time in the PGA Jr. League United States National Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona. In order to earn an invitation to this event, Ryan and his team won both the PGA Jr. League New Jersey state title and the Regional PGA Jr. League Championship in New York. Ryan was one of just 96 kids in the nation to compete in the three-day tournament, which was televised on ESPN+. Ryan’s team topped the 11 opposing squads in the skills competition, and they placed eighth overall on the course.

In preparation for these national tournaments, Ryan spent three weeks in the summer training at golf camps in North Carolina with Wake Forest University head coach and former PGA Tour player Jerry Haas.

While there, Ryan not only improved his golf IQ but also gained valuable life skills in how to treat and interact with others, according to

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his mother, Kimberly Gallo.

Ryan says he also became resilient and mentally tough while carrying his golf bag in the North Carolina summer heat for four hours each morning.

Ryan, who has been golfing since the age of three, loves the technical aspect of the game.

“I like how you have to have a certain mentality for it,” he says. “You can’t just pick up a club and whack balls down the range and expect to be good.

You have to be thinking about how you’re going to approach the hole, how you’re going to hit the ball, how certain ways you hit the ball affect the outcome of it.”

While Ryan has made strides on the links this past year, earning spots at the New York, Florida, Williamsburg Classic and Hawaii State Championships, his proudest recognition came from the White House.

In the spirit of giving back to the sport, Ryan earned the prestigious President’s Volunteer Service Award for performing over 100 hours of service in 2021.

With one more year in the NA Middle School, Ryan is looking forward to competing on the Minutemen golf team in the Upper School. “I’m really going to work hard and do my best to represent Newark Academy as a really good golfer,” he says. “I hope to show people what I’m capable of.”

It’s been a pretty big deal for me to go out and play. It’s more than just a tournament; there were a lot of kids from all around the world.”

–Ryan Fish ’27

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EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Alyssa Lee ’24, Inchara Hosanagar ’24, Anya Vashisht ’24 and Seamus Woodard ’28 make bracelets to sell for the Loveland Foundation during NA’s Day of Action.

Group reflections are also conducted before and after service events to help inform the final Service Outcomes.

Reflecting on Lessons Learned Through Service COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM ADOPTS A DEIJ FRAMEWORK

By Callie Prince

In June 2020, the Newark Academy community came together at the Equity and Inclusion Summit for open and honest conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ), and to work toward creating a more inclusive environment at NA.

Among the many recommendations that came out of the Summit was a thorough review of NA’s curricular offerings and departmental policies and procedures to determine how they can best support the school’s mission to promote equity and inclusion. This review included a detailed assessment of NA’s Community Service Program, and over the past year the Office of Community Service has leveraged the review’s findings to implement two key changes: the Service Opportunity Approval Process (SOAP) and Service Outcomes.

SOAP charges the Community Service Council with reviewing students’ proposals for NA-sponsored service opportunities.

After reviewing the proposals and meeting with student leaders, the Council shares its recommended programming with NA’s administration. A three-tiered process, SOAP enables students to self-reflect and work as a group to educate the NA community about the equity and inclusion goals that underlie particular acts of service.

“The SOAP program ensures that students are intentional with their service work,” says Community Service Council member Matthew Catrambone ’22. “We want students to thoughtfully address social issues they care about, instead of telling them what to focus on. We do so by asking questions so that our service projects are sustained efforts with proper respect to the communities we’re serving.”

Another notable change is in the format of the required reflections that students submit at the conclusion of each service experience. Now called Service Outcomes, the updated requirement prompts students to view service as a critical part of NA’s equity and inclusion work by having them reflect on five learning outcomes closely aligned with NA’s Community Commitments for Belonging: build advocacy, cultivate critical and ethical thinking, develop character, encourage collaborative leadership, and foster innovation and creative problem solving.

Kaya Patel ’22 explains how the Service Outcomes represent a shift in NA’s approach to service: “While we often focus on the hours or levels of service, part of community service is acknowledging that we gain just as much as we give in the process. Although we usually think of service as something to solely ‘help’ others, we build many important skills from these experiences, and it is important to reflect on that.” Kaya adds that approaching service from this mutualistic perspective removes some of the power imbalances often associated with service, promoting the formation of long-lasting partnerships and relationships with others in our community.

“The new service learning objectives allow students to think beyond how to address the symptoms of systemic inequities and injustice and focus critically on ways to combat the root causes of those issues,” Kaya says.

The DEIJ review also concluded that language is important when doing service, and the SOAP and Service Outcomes have both been adjusted to use more inclusive terminology. “Being aware of the language we use helps us to change how we think about the communities we are serving,” says Director of Community Service Sarah Fischer. “Our goal is to build equitable partnerships where we acknowledge and celebrate what both parties bring to the table. Our conversations need to be framed around ‘doing with’ instead of ‘doing for.’”

Ultimately, the DEIJ review of the Community Service Program and the newly implemented changes emphasize the importance of relationships and the strength found in community, moving the focus from solely what NA students do for service and towards what they learn from it.

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STEM

Experiential Learning Leads to School-wide Tech Solutions

By Sherrie Negrea

Students at Newark Academy no longer have to worry

about whether their new teachers or classmates will know how to pronounce their names.

Since last spring, students have been able to record their names on a new website developed by Eric Weng ’21 for his International Baccalaureate (IB) computer science project. More than 60 percent of students at NA have already recorded their own name pronunciations within the platform.

The project was initially proposed by NA’s Instructional Technologist

Stephanie Hammond

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Stephanie Hammond, who pitched the idea to students in the IB Computer Science class. Stephanie had considered buying a commercial product for the same purpose, but she had found it too expensive.

“The academic staff loved the concept of it, given the diversity of our community,” Stephanie says. “And having a student embrace this was just perfect.”

Eric, now a freshman at the University of Virginia, spent two years building the website – called MyName Pronunciation Pal – after agreeing to take on the project in Fall 2019. He worked closely with both Stephanie and his computer science teacher, Andrew Alford, to

design and launch the site by the time he graduated in 2021.

“Learning to work within a team and organize a project was definitely a very useful skill to have,” Eric says.

“That’s something that’s not typically taught in a coding class.”

Two years ago, Andrew began inviting NA staff to suggest ways students could use their programming skills to address technology needs at the school. Through this experiential learning, students in his classes have not only created tech solutions for school staff, but have also worked on projects for family members and community organizations.

What made Eric’s project unique was that he not only built a functional website but also created a platform now used by students.

“There are a lot of projects that are successful for the IB that land a student a respectable grade, but they don’t necessarily end up being used,” Andrew says.

Andrew’s current students are now tackling a new set of issues, such as finding ways to increase attendance at NA athletic events and creating a platform for students to buy or donate textbooks.

For athletic attendance, Rahul Arora ’23, a junior in the computer science class, is designing a website to monitor the numbers of students at events, rather than having faculty track attendance manually. Students attending events would scan their ID cards, accruing points to become eligible to win prizes, such as athletic

Andrew Alford

merchandise. Rahul, a member of the cross country and swim teams, is working with the NA Athletic Department on the project and hopes to have the website completed by the end of the Spring 2022 term.

Meanwhile, Rahul’s classmate Sophia Chen ’22 is building an online platform for students to sell or donate their used textbooks. She says the website would appeal to students who find buying new textbooks for their classes expensive and time-consuming.

Sophia, who will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology next fall, hopes the website will be operational by the time she graduates from NA. Working on the project, she says, has been “a great opportunity to think about how we can use what we’ve learned and create something that would be helpful to a larger community, rather than just learning theory.”

Andrew says the projects in the IB course not only give students a way to apply their skills but also teach them how to work with a client.

“It’s one thing to write code recreationally where you’re in total control,” he says.

“But it requires a different level of maturity to put your skills to use for someone else who doesn’t think the way you do and who may say, ‘I know you can code, but can you use your skills to do it my way?’”

Brandon Recce ’22 NAMED TOP 300 REGENERON SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH SCHOLAR Newark Academy senior Brandon Recce ’22 has been named one of the top 300 scholars in the 81st Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS), the nation’s

oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. With this recognition, Brandon becomes the first NA student

to reach this level of the competition, earning the accolade for his project

“Quantitative Analysis of the Impact of Highly Skilled Immigrant Workers on American Innovation.”

“Being named a Regeneron STS scholar is an affirmation of my work as much as it has

given me a lot of confidence to continue pursuing ideas and research that inspires me,” Brandon says.

As a second-generation immigrant, Brandon found a passion in evaluating the impact

that immigration has on the economy. After reading published works on the impact

of immigration on innovation, Brandon realized he could extend their findings through his own research. He downloaded several online datasets from public government sources (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Patent and Trademark Office) and, using instrumental variable analysis, was able to show a causal relationship

between the number of issued H-1B work visas and the number of patents produced.

He also used machine learning-based topic analysis to identify two sectors where immigrants had the largest impact: computer science and optoelectronics.

Regeneron STS recognizes and empowers the most promising young scientists in the nation who are exploring and developing solutions to our most urgent challenges.

A total of 1,805 students around the country entered the competition this year. For his

placement among the top 300, Brandon will receive $2,000, and Newark Academy will also receive $2,000 to use toward STEM-related activities.

Brandon is now in the running to be named as one of 40 finalists, who each receive

$25,000 and participate in the final competition in March 2022. The top prize for the most promising emerging STEM leader in the United States is $250,000.

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SITTING DOWN WITH AN NA ICON

Upper School Principal Dr. Richard DiBianca Steps Down after 24 Years and Returns to the Classroom Full-Time Dr. Richard DiBianca, affectionately known as “Dr. D,” first joined Newark Academy in 1998 as Upper School principal. Throughout his tenure, Dr. D has been a transformative force, shaping NA’s culture and program with a blend of joyfulness and intellectualism.

A true stalwart of the Newark Academy

coaching 33 seasons with the boys’ and

in Pennsylvania, and then left for five

community, Dr. D has been a leader in

girls’ varsity, junior varsity and Middle

years to do doctoral work, to see if I

the formation and growth of signature

School teams.

wanted to be a professor and work at

experiences such as the Immersion Experience, the Off-Campus Study Program, June Term, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and many others. Even still, Dr. D has found time to work with students directly inside the classroom – he’s taught IB Philosophy, Theory of Knowledge, IB Mathematics and Geometry throughout the years. Outside the classroom, Dr. D is also a beloved tennis coach,

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After 24 years at the helm of the Upper School, Dr. D is stepping down to return to the classroom at the end of the 2021 - 22 academic year. We sat down with Dr. D to reflect on his distinguished career as Upper School principal.

Q: How did you end up at Newark Academy?

Dr. D: I had been an upper school

principal for a couple years at a school

the college level. I didn't like it as much as secondary school. So I decided to do a national search and interviewed in New Jersey at this little school called Newark Academy. And they sort of had me at hello, as they say, because the thing that was most compelling about the school was the all-student interviews. I went into an open room and I was interviewed by about 10 students with no adults,

‘‘

I come from the tradition of progressive education, which means you focus on the individual as opposed to big, standardized experiences for everybody, and you focus on experiential learning as opposed to textbooks. ” – Dr. Richard DiBianca, Upper School Principal

Dr. D: It’s such a powerful way to end the year. We thought we could tap

into the faculty’s energies and things and I thought, “This is a high-quality

are the things they remember more

they didn’t always teach and allow

place that puts students first.”

than what chapter they covered in a

kids to do a deep dive for two weeks

Q: So, did you always want to be a principal?

certain course.

and end with a product. We wanted an

Q: How about the Off-Campus Study program?

authentic experience. So we thought

Dr. D: No, no, no. Teaching was just an

experiment. It was a job that sounded

Dr. D: I’ve been the off-campus study

that was so much more of an interesting, joyous, interactive way to end the year than exams.

Q: Not many principals would come to a school and eliminate 25 AP courses. Tell me about that.

kind of like a neat thing to do after col-

guy since the beginning. 131 kids have

lege, and I really liked it. I liked to be

done that so far. The more experiences

able to teach a whole variety of classes.

we offer kids that are transformative,

I liked to be able to coach, and then I

the more we’re helping them grow

just ended up moving toward some

into healthy, energetic, visionary

leadership opportunities. I liked the

young folks.

sonally because they’re so content-

directing of a division because I could

Q: You’ve played a pivotal role in several academic programs such as the creation of June Term, how did that come about?

focused, so externally-minded and so

stay in the classroom, and I could focus on kids and the program. I could keep my hand in a whole bunch of different things, so it was a good match for my varied interests. The leadership

Dr. D: That was a huge win for me per-

much less authentic than IB. Another big win was growing the intellectual aspects of the IB Program, especially the Extended Essay and Theory of

part just kind of happened organically.

Q: What are your proudest accomplishments?

REFLECTIONS FROM Donald M. Austin Head of School

Dr. D: I come from the tradition of

progressive education, which means you focus on the individual as opposed to big, standardized experiences for everybody, and you focus on experiential learning as opposed to textbooks.

So anything we can do that moves kids in those directions – and we’ve done a bunch – is what I’m most proud of.

Q: Like the Immersion Experience?

Dr. D: Yes, I think those things are what

kids remember. When you take a risk –

going to Nepal on an Immersion trip or even building houses in Costa Rica – those are the things that are so transformative that students come back and they’re just different kids. Those

(CONTINUED)

For the past 24 years, Dr. Richard DiBianca has served with distinction and dedication as

Upper School principal at Newark Academy. The school we are today owes much to him and his

student-centered vision and leadership. Generations of NA students have turned to Dr. D for wise counsel and have been inspired by his unwavering commitment to excellence.

Dr. D is, above all, devoted to our students. An idealist, he believes that a great school can equip

students with transformative skills and experiences to make the world a more just and equitable

place. His perpetual goal has therefore been to guide students to become thoughtful, independent-minded adults, who will not only succeed in their chosen fields but also become principled

contributors to society. Yet, Dr. D balances his idealism with a pragmatic understanding that, in an imperfect world, organizations and people need to make compromises. These facets of Dr. D’s outlook have been consistently expressed in his work as a school leader.

Among Dr. D’s lesser known talents is his wicked sense of humor. Faculty and staff have enjoyed

his scripts for the annual Rookie Review, and the more elaborate productions he has co-authored, such as last year’s acclaimed mockumentary, “Test Site Story,” a hilarious send-up of our COVID19 travails.

For his years of dedication and hard work, the entire school community is grateful and indebted

to Dr. DiBianca. He has frequently said that the best part of his day occurs when he is teaching or coaching. While we will miss him in his role as Upper School principal, we can nonetheless be confident that he will be happy to return to teaching full-time in the fall.

NEWARK ACADEMY

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FACULTY FOCUS

SITTING DOWN WITH AN NA ICON (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35)

Knowledge. I’ve loved how they’ve grown. We had 10 diploma kids my first year and now we have somewhere between 60 and 70, depending on the year.

Q: What other achievements are you particularly proud of?

Dr. D: Cutting exam days from 10

to one per year, changing the class schedule from eight daily 41-minute periods to a collegiate model and creating class deans. My male colleagues who are older will tell you that the thing I should be most proud of was revising the faculty dress code. better teacher.

college process that’s prioritized

When I think of Dr. D, I think

of three things: a lively and playful sense of humor, a

quiet and knowing repose,

and an enthusiasm that proves

virtually indefatigable.

Together, these qualities compose a pedagogical triumvirate that

would put Ms. Frizzle to shame.

Dr. D is an educator in the highest

sense of the word, and that nobody can deny. For him, the processes of living and learning are coextensive

and consubstantial, and all his students are challenged to approach

the classroom as one of life’s ulti-

mate arenas. If, as the saying goes, “education is not the filling of a

pail but the lighting of a fire,” then

Dr. D is a pyromaniac. I hope to one day be half the teacher he is.

I

Dr. D: There’s kind of an obsession

with the college you go to and the

Ben Zimmerman ’19

LUMEN

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in this role?

Wearing a tie doesn’t make you a

REFLECTIONS FROM

36

Annika Inampudi '21, Dr. DiBianca and Monica Zhang '21 at the Class of 2021 Commencement.

SPRING 2022

to such an unhealthy degree. And that makes it really challenging for Upper School students to deeply enjoy and dive into the experience of their four years, because some just see it almost as a transactional relationship. They

REFLECTIONS FROM Frederick Von Rollenhagen English Faculty

From the start, Dr. D’s in-depth understanding of scheduling,

curriculum and adolescent development gave him the tools to become an ideal

principal. Dr. D arrived at Newark Academy when newly appointed Head of School

Penney Riegelman was urging us to pursue an audacious set of institutional goals.

It’s no coincidence that our standing in the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools community rose dramatically as our program and pedagogy underwent rigorous review and revision upon Dr. D’s arrival.

Always a champion of Upper School students, Dr. D. encouraged in them an

autonomy that would ensure success in their college careers. Just as important, he made a point of creating learning environments where students would be

academically challenged without being overwhelmed by their responsibilities.

As a result, we have several policies that safeguard student mental health when it comes to testing and homework.

Underscoring the contributions Dr. D has made to our program is the fact that he is one of NA’s best spokespersons – eloquent, on-target and imbued with a wry

sense of humor. Dr. D’s presentations to all constituencies communicate what is the Newark Academy ideal. Just as when he arrived 24 years ago, he is always

helping to push us toward our best selves so that we may create a better school for the students we teach.

REFLECTIONS FROM Alizah Rizvi ’20

In my freshman year, I was sent before the Newark

REFLECTIONS FROM

Nancy Celente Director of Summer Programs

Academy Honor Council. I remember feeling

There are so many qualities that have made Dr. D an amazing Upper School

principal and colleague. Dr. D is an exceptional communicator with families –

always finding the right balance of clear messaging and a warm welcome. Every time I attended an Open House or parent event with Dr. D, I always felt such

gratitude and appreciation that he was representing us. There were countless

times I listened to him and thought, “I really want my child to come here, to have the experience that he is describing and to be a part of this community.”

From my perspective as an NA teacher, administrator and parent, Dr. D has

continued to operate and lead the Upper School with an eye toward intellectual

engagement, a strong sense of balance, and a keen understanding of adolescent

development. His ability to always bring a conversation back to “what is in the best interest of the students” has been a constant in his leadership. With high expectations for all students, he has helped them to navigate high school and

to mature – to see themselves as more independent, capable and confident

people. Dr. D’s impact on these individual students and on the NA community is far-reaching and long-lasting.

and skills are. If a kid feels like you’re

get Johnny into Cornell. But that’s a

in their corner, that’s half the battle

failed understanding of what educa-

in getting them to have a good educa-

tion is. We make Johnny a better

tional experience.

Johnny. We give Johnny better skills.

Q: Who are some colleagues who have influenced you?

the heck college he goes to and make Johnny a great, reflective and ethical citizen when he is an adult.

Q: What are some lessons you’ve learned throughout your time at NA?

Dr. D: I think when I was earlier in my

career, I prioritized curriculum over relationships, so that my job was to

protect the teacher’s ability to teach what they needed to teach. But I think having had decades worth of kids come back to hang out from my old

character while walking into Dr. D’s office. He

greeted me with unexpected warmth and told me that, regardless of my action, I was still a “good kid.” Despite barely knowing me at the time,

Dr. D believed in me. Five years later, that still

means more to me than he could ever imagine.

During my sophomore year, Dr. D told me that I

was a “humanities kid,” a phrase that changed the course of my life. On his recommendation, I spent my junior and senior years pursuing higher-level coursework in the humanities. In my senior year,

I was lucky enough to have Dr. D as my IB Philosophy HL teacher. Although I always enjoyed the subject,

his instruction is the reason I have chosen to major in philosophy in college. Somehow, even in my sophomore year, Dr. D knew me better than I knew myself.

Dr. D’s unyielding support was only made more

give us money and we’re supposed to

We make Johnny succeed at whatever

ashamed and fearful, even questioning my own

Dr. D: Joe Ball and Tim Blackburn,

from whom I learned to have a deep respect for my students and material;

apparent when he made a spreadsheet weighing

out the pros and cons of my college acceptances – something he had no obligation to do, but still did

because he genuinely cared. Even after I graduated from NA, he advised me through my decision to transfer institutions.

I’d like to thank Dr. D for being not only my

principal and teacher, but also my mentor and

friend. I would not be the student or person that I am today without him.

Arky Crook, from whom I learned the importance of culture to the long-

too much to do and not enough time,

term success of any program; and

that’s anxiety-producing. That’s an

Deb Tavares and Scott Jacoby, from

awful way to live. But the opposite is

whom I learned the importance of

not healthy either. If you have way too

joy in the classroom.

much time and nothing to do, that’s

Q: What is your workplace mantra?

boring. So how do you learn to live so

Dr. D: I’ve always had this sort of

school and this school, the ones that

mantra that students should live their

come back are the ones that you had

lives between boredom and anxiety.

relationships with. So in some ways it

I got that from an old professor who

doesn’t really matter what the content

wrote a book on it. When you have

you can match up your time with your responsibilities? Living between boredom and anxiety – I think it’s just a healthy way to encourage kids to live.

Adults, too.

NEWARK ACADEMY

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NA NEWS

NEWARK ACADEMY NAMES CATHERINE ATWELL as Upper School Principal

Newark Academy has named Dr. Catherine “Cathy” Atwell to the role of Upper

School principal, as Dr. Richard DiBianca steps down from the position at the

end of the academic year. Dr. Atwell

will begin her tenure on July 1, 2022.

Cathy has taught and served in a variety of

administrative capacities at the Marlborough

School in Los Angeles, including dean of student

research and head of Marlborough’s Honors Research in

Humanities and Social Sciences program. In 2018, she was recognized by Honored, a nonprofit dedicated to spotlighting the role teachers play in transforming students’ lives.

“It’s clear that NA is a special place – a school that lives its mission and values, prioritizing kindness, inquisitiveness, diversity, experiential learning and belonging,” Cathy says.

Learn more about Cathy here.

SETH LIEBERMAN JOINS THE MINUTEMEN as Director of Athletics Newark Academy has named Seth

Lieberman as its next director of athletics. Seth comes to the

Minutemen family from the Barrie School, where he was the director

of athletics, health and wellness.

He was recently named the 2022 Maryland

District 2A Athletic Director of the Year.

Previously, Seth was director of athletics at

Saint Mary’s School, Trinity School and the Cannon School.

Seth holds a master’s degree in athletic administration from Springfield College, where he was the women’s rugby head coach, and a bachelor’s

degree from Clark University, where he was an Academic All-American swimmer.

“It was clear in my visit to campus the passion that everyone has for athletics,”

Seth says. “I look forward to being part of Minutemen Nation!”

Learn more about Seth here.

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H E RE @ NA

From Profe TO DOCTOR! Congratulations to Newark Academy Spanish teacher Nelly “Patty” Pascal for officially earning her doctorate in Mesoamerican studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

After nearly a decade of work, Patty successfully defended her dissertation, Mayan Myths and Rites Contained in the Medicinal Texts of the Ritual of the Bacabs, in January 2022. She graduated with an Honorific Mention for Outstanding Student and Research, and her dissertation was nominated for the university’s highest award, the Alfonso Caso Award for Best Dissertation of the Year.

During her research, Patty translated and interpreted a manuscript of 237 pages from the Garret-Gates Mesoamerican Manuscript Collection, written in Mayan Yucatec in Latin characters at the end of the 18th century. This is the first translation that correctly deciphered the codex and shed light on the medicine and religion of the indigenous people of the Yucatan Peninsula at the end of the Colonial Era.

“I am very proud of this accomplishment,” says Patty. “I have dedicated all this work to the authors of this manuscript who finally have been understood more than 200 years after writing this precious literary work as part of their resistance to the oppression and survival of their culture, despite the challenges they faced.”

NEWARK ACADEMY

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In

IN BLOCKCHAIN WE TRUST:

2009, Bitcoin (BTC) became the world’s first cryptocurrency – a new digital currency built within an encrypted, peer-to-peer payment

system that enables users to securely transfer money. Today there are over 12,000 different cryptocurrencies. As a wave of enthusiasm over cryptocurrency, or “crypto,” now sweeps the globe, this new evolution of money has piqued the interest of Newark Academy students, faculty and alumni. From classroom discussions and future business aspirations to our entrepreneurial alumni leading innovation in the industry and investigating critical topics in the financial world, the NA community has immersed itself into cryptocurrency and its potential.

Richard Stilliard

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ALUMNI LEADING INNOVATION Money is historically built on a system of mutual trust established among a buyer, a seller and a central bank, whom the buyer and seller trust to help manage the transaction. Cryptocurrency is different: it’s not controlled by any central party and is instead built on mutual trust directly between the buyer and seller. All transactions are recorded through the use of a blockchain – a digital ledger – instead of a bank. This results in several key differences from ordinary currency: cryptocurrency is decentralized, self-regulating, permanently recorded, and publicly viewable – enabling transparency and trust.

In 2016, NA alumnus Roshan Shah ’98 quickly began to realize that crypto and blockchain were going to change almost everything across nearly all industries, and knew he had to get involved early. Later that year, he co-founded Decimal Digital Currencies LLC, a hedged cryptocurrency mining and blockchain development company, as a new venture – he is still primarily involved in real estate, both as a Principal of Avison Young, the fastest growing commercial

NA COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THE FOREFRONT OF CRYPTOCURRENCY

‘‘

Never before has humanity had the means to exchange, custody, control, or otherwise make use of value nearly instantaneously, globally with no borders, and without having to trust an institution or government…”

– Roshan Shah ’98

“but that won’t and can’t, by design,

nothing to slow the pace of new proj-

ever happen to Bitcoin.” Unlike tradi-

ects launching or the rate of new

tional forms of money, the supply of

investments coming into the industry,

which can be continuously increased,

and many of the largest institutions

cryptocurrencies maintain a limited

in the world are quietly incorporating

supply that helps to drive up the value –

blockchain into their business.”

basic supply-and-demand economics.

Roshan Shah ’98

real estate advisory firm globally, and with his own real estate investment vehicle. “Never before has humanity had the means to exchange, custody, control, or otherwise make use of value nearly instantaneously, globally with no borders, and without having to trust an institution or government whose interests may not always be aligned with the owner of the asset,” he says.

“US dollars are in a period of high inflation now, which puts the value stored there at risk,” Roshan notes,

While the lure of speculative profit is

While there are already many passion-

partially driving investment in the

ate and long-time members of the

space from consumers, Roshan also

crypto community, the currency itself

says there is a massive influx of

is essentially still in a phase of early

finance and traditional tech talent

adoption. “The opportunity has

entering the industry. This is a very

attracted all kinds of dishonest

strong indication that there is more

actors,” Roshan says, “from fake

innovation and growth to come, as

companies to hacker groups to rogue

other industries start to explore the

nations. And this is a real risk, espe-

potential of crypto.

cially for new entrants to the space.”

In fact, a common misconception of

Despite explosive growth and massive

cryptocurrencies and blockchains is

wealth creation in a short period of

that they are all built to function for

time, Roshan notes that the industry

the same use case. This technology

is still extremely new and immature.

is already being used to run games,

Still, this hasn’t deterred many people

prevent voter fraud and track a large

from buying in big. “The crypto world

variety of data aside from financial

is electrified,” he says. “The recent

transactions. This widespread usage

downturn in coin markets has done

raises another important question: how do we establish regulations?

WHAT IS CRYPTO?

NA alumna Samantha Altschuler ’14, currently a student at Harvard Law

“Cryptos are decentralized digital currencies that use blockchain technology to allow for a global system of peer-to-peer transactions, meaning that they can't be controlled by a government or a bank because the users control their monetary value.”

– Aryan Mishra ’22

School and co-president of the Harvard Law School Blockchain & FinTech Initiative, recently explored that question in the Stanford Journal of Blockchain Law and Policy, in a paper titled “Should Centralized Exchange Regulations Apply to Cryptocurrency Protocols?” In her paper, Samantha (CONTINUED)

NEWARK ACADEMY

41

IN BLOCKCHAIN WE TRUST:

COMMUNITY AND OPPORTUNITIES

currency can power new digital

If there was a defining image capturing

Roshan and Samantha both believe

markets. (Read more on page 44.)

the crypto frenzy that has captivated the global collective consciousness, it would be an NFT. These tokens, most recognized as cartoonish digital images, are perhaps one of the most misunderstood yet buzzworthy items

through cryptocurrency. The owner retains usage rights and, like any owner

properly regulate these emerging markets efficiently to achieve the goals of financial regulations.

While at NA, Samantha was a member of Mock Trial and Model Congress – two key involvements that led her to pursue law school. As a law student, Samantha became

across industries,” says Roshan. “NFT-

most of business, social and legal data

of-a-kind art piece, which is purchased

ized exchanges impacts our ability to

“NFTs can and will be transformational

An NFT is a non-fungible token, mean-

token is completely unique, like a one-

blockchain technology and decentral-

future of ownership claims.

powered technology can do a better job

games – that cannot be replaced. The

addresses how misunderstanding of

NFTs offers more opportunities for the

within the crypto space.

ing that it is a digital asset – art, videos,

Samantha Altschuler ’14

that the blockchain technology behind

of an original art piece, would be able to profit from speculation if the value of their NFT rises over time and they decide to sell it.

Artist and NA alumnus Danny Cole ’18

than the legacy systems of today across management: tracking deeds to property, managing personal information, lending and collateralization.”

Samantha concurs: “While there have certainly been some examples of NFTs that have turned out to be little more than fads, NFTs can also be incredibly powerful tools for fighting forgery, ensuring royalty rights and cultivating communities.”

series explode in this digital world –

CRYPTO IN THE CLASSROOM

with 10,000 of his unique creature

Like many tech innovations in their

has seen his “Creature World” NFT

art pieces monetized within just over 12 minutes of their release. Danny’s ability to create a lucrative “Creature World” community around his popular NFT collection is just one example of how crypto-

youth, crypto is still very new and arguably misunderstood.

“As crypto becomes more mainstream, I hope to see improved education so that both the public and our representatives in government better under-

interested in blockchain as the evolving regulations on decentralized platforms were a natural topic for her to explore.

“Having a private, secure, trustless system for validation opens a world of possibilities we cannot even imagine,” Samantha says. “I have seen blockchain technology used for refugee aid, financial inclusion, censorship resistance and protest, and I firmly believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

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WHAT ARE NFTs?

“Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are media files that live on a blockchain, amounting to verifiable ownership of works of art. Once these digital assets are purchased, buyers typically get full access to the artwork and content the creator has attached. NFTs are the bridge between ‘old’ and ‘new’ art value systems. NFTs have already revolutionized the value of art in the economy and will continue to do so as the crypto market soars.”

– Anika Verma ’22

NA COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THE FOREFRONT OF CRYPTOCURRENCY

‘‘

While there have certainly been some examples of NFTs that have turned out to be little more than fads, NFTs can also be incredibly powerful tools for fighting forgery, ensuring royalty rights and cultivating communities.”

– Samantha Altschuler ’14

stand this technology and all that it

had heard a lot about,” says James.

these are newer opportunities for stu-

has to offer,” Samantha says.

“The most fascinating thing I have

dent involvement, Samantha recalls

learned about is that blockchain works

that NA helped foster the innovative

off of other people’s computers.”

spirit that has helped her succeed and

With rising news coverage and interest among his students, Stilliard enjoys

pursue an interest in blockchain.

bringing discussions about cryptocur-

Seniors Max Gorbaty ’22, Aryan

rencies into his economics classes.

Mishra ’22, Loren Ashfield ’22 and

“I felt like Newark Academy gave me

“When teaching about scarcity and

Max Alter ’22 also have crypto on

an incredible advantage when I arrived

asymmetric information as a potential

their radar. As founders of the asset-

at college, and at law school as well,”

cause of market failure, I’ve been able

management company AMG Capital

Samantha says. “I’d encourage those

to connect these discussions to

Management, LLC, they aspire to even-

interested in the industry to explore,

Dogecoin’s fluctuations and even

tually trade cryptocurrencies as part of

sign up for some newsletters and listen

address the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT

their work. (Read more on page 14.)

to podcasts.”

collection craze as it relates to behav-

Richard also thinks interested students

ioral economics,” Richard says.

can use social media and the internet

As financial investing is becoming

to expand their crypto knowledge and

more popular across society, another

apply it both inside and outside the

trend is rising with it: investing

classroom, pointing to the sev-

by kids.

eral YouTube channels dedicated to educating people

Richard sees increased inter-

about crypto and keeping

est in investing among his

people up to date on devel-

students. “There is definitely

opments in the space.

a significant number of NA students who have invested in

“I think crypto has already

crypto and NFTs and are knowledgeable about them,” he says.

“However, it is also a riskier and more volatile asset than traditional stocks and shares. Investors should do their own research and only invest what they are prepared to potentially lose. These are some of the discussions that my students and I continue to explore.”

disrupted traditional finance, Anika Verma ’22 chose to write her IB Extended Essay on how the advent of NFTs in the digital art market has revolutionized the value of art in the economy. “The art market has endured many transitions in which the relationships between dealers, creators, buyers and experts have changed over

and I think banks, financial institutions, central bankers and policymakers recognize that,” Richard says.

“I fear that with growth, unforeseen problems will continue to emerge in the future. But I do think that crypto is here to stay and there are some real benefits to the growth and development of cryptocurrencies.”

Sixth grader James Hou ’28 is among

time,” Anika says. “I was fascinated by

the NA students who are exploring the

the intersection of the art world and

Roshan believes the future will be

crypto space. He chose to research

the economy.” (Read more on page 13.)

positively transformative. “Crypto and

cryptocurrencies and how blockchain works for a social science fair project in his humanities class. “I chose to research cryptocurrency because it was an interesting current event that I

Other NA students who have an interest in crypto and investing can join the Finance Club for opportunities to

blockchain are going to change almost everything across nearly all industries,” he says.

learn alongside their peers. While

NEWARK ACADEMY

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I

By Evan Nisenson ’99

I

April 2021, Sotheby’s held its first non-fungible token (NFT)

online auction, allowing buyers to own a unique piece of digital art

stored on a blockchain, a digital ledger of transactions. The innovative sale fetched a total of $16.8 million, piquing public interest as the digital assets made a significant impact on the art world.

Through NFTs, artists previously constrained to physical walls are finally launched into a global gallery of endless opportunity.

Two of these emergent and notable artists are Newark

now” button, the Creature World team curated an inter-

Academy classmates Danny Cole ’18 and Jake McEvoy ’18.

active experience for exploration, a journey through

Danny and Jake co-created the exceedingly popular

one or more of the NFTs.

Music-makers, artists and dreamers of dreams,

Creature World project.

This past August, 10,000 of Danny’s unique creature art

pieces were born into the digital NFT world, all of them

minted in a little more than 12 minutes. The process

a Creature World metaverse before the minting of

It was immediately apparent that this wasn’t a typical

NFT project, and word spread quickly about Danny’s

unique art and vision. “Creature World is different largely

because it didn’t start as an NFT project,” explains Jake,

of minting turns a digital file into an asset on the

who co-founded the project and is responsible for

cryptocurrencies, also known as digital payment systems

agement and creative assistance. “Creature World

While most NFT projects launch with the click of a “mint

physical art since Danny started it, while he and I were

blockchain, which is then able to be traded or sold using

(see page 42), on a digital marketplace such as OpenSea.

general management, partnerships, community manhas been a creative project encompassing events and

NFT

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in high school at NA. We used NFTs as another means

of distribution for creativity and it’s opened up the door for so much more. One of Creature World’s goals is to

create art pieces you can step inside and exist within.

Upon stepping out, you can look back at your artwork and

see the artifacts of your journey immortalized within the content of the art piece. Creature World also focuses on creating participatory art experiences for those who

hold our creatures; these are blockchain-based games and experiments that require you to collaborate with other creature owners to unlock a certain reward.

That reward is always a physical or NFT art piece from the Creature World.”

Danny Cole ’18 brings his unique creature art to the NFT space.

Months later, Creature World continues to grow at a

everyone’s surprise and delight, changed his Twitter

tremendous rate as Danny expands his art and vision

profile at one point to showcase his own creature.

and the dialogue around it – and as more and more

people want to be in on the conversation. The Creature

But the most exciting thing about Creature World is that

World team has curated an active and close-knit com-

the journey has just begun. When Danny isn’t creating

munity providing art and connection. Join the Creature

himself, he is collaborating with others. He recently

World Discord, a home for the community’s digital

discussions, any time of the day and you’ll find conversations taking place between people around the world.

One of art’s greatest powers is bringing people together, and Creature World’s opportunities are as limitless as

teamed up with clothing brand Advisry to create an

eye-catching Creature World clothing line. Many pieces immediately sold out upon release and made GQ’s list of best new menswear.

Danny’s creativity.

There is palpable excitement surrounding the Creature

ties as well – people like marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk,

and unique qualities of NFTs. From NA to the global

Danny has captured the interest of some large personali-

entrepreneurs and co-founders of Gemini Cryptocurrency Exchange Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, and even former NBA star and sports analyst Shaquille O’ Neal, who, to

World project, as Danny aims to create art that viewers experience in new ways, tapping into the importance stage, all eyes are on Creature World, as Danny and

Jake pursue their passion and share their talents with the real world.

NFT

NEWARK ACADEMY

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A DVA N C E M E N T

MEET NA’S NEW

Chief Advancement Officer In February 2022, Newark Academy welcomed Dr. Rose McSween as its new

chief advancement officer. In her role, Rose leads the Office of Institutional Advancement and the school’s upcoming capital campaign.

Q:

What do you consider the most exciting aspects of your role?

Rose: My role is to lead our advanceRose previously served as the executive director of development and Centennial Campaign manager at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. Prior to Fordham, Rose worked at the Bronx Charter School for Children, Saint David’s School, Loyola School, Little Red Schoolhouse and Grace Church School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, a Master of Business Administration from New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business, a Master of Arts in educational leadership and technology from New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and a doctorate in educational administration and leadership from Fordham University. Rose is an alumna of Dwight-Englewood School. She is also the proud parent of four children, who attended independent schools in New York.

Q:

Why did you choose to come to Newark Academy?

I’m excited about the opportunity to work with our team on a significant undertaking, which is what Don has asked me to do. Engaging all of the talented people in this community — the teachers, administrators, staff, parents, alumni and trustees — in the creation of a best in class culture of philanthropy excites me.

Q:

What was your career path before coming to NA?

Rose: The arc of my career resembles a horseshoe within the field of education.

I attended high school at Dwight Englewood, went off to Dartmouth

and in March 2020, I decided to leave New York City. After living in Greenwich

College, and then was invited by

Village for 25+ years, I moved to the Catskills. A few months later, I was fortu-

Dwight-Englewood to come back as a

nate enough to be connected to Newark Academy for the Chief Advancement

teacher and three-sport varsity coach.

Officer role. The more I learned about Newark Academy, the more attractive this

I just loved teaching and coaching!

professional opportunity became. I guess you could say…the rest is history.

After a few years at Dwight-Englewood, I explored financial services as part of

What are your impressions of NA so far?

Rose: Newark Academy’s community is very welcoming and friendly. I’m learning how the school lives its mission and core values — which is compelling to me in my effort to advance the institution. Among the many new colleagues I am fortunate to be meeting at Newark Academy, I especially admire our Head of School, Don Austin. He is a strong, experienced leader as well as a caring person with whom I can collaborate well.

LUMEN

for our 250th anniversary campaign.

Rose: Working from home during the pandemic gave me a lot of time to reflect

Q:

46

ment team and help the school prepare

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Citibank’s credit and financial analysis training program. I worked for roughly 15 years in finance/investment banking at Citi, GE and the Related Companies, before leaving the workforce for a few years to parent my children. Once all of the children were in school full-time, I pursued graduate school at NYU Steinhardt and then went on for my doctoral degree at Fordham University.

Q:

What drew you to fundraising and development in education?

Rose: My children. As a young parent, I wanted to get involved in my children’s schools. Research shows that children perform better in school when their parents are actively involved as volunteers. So, I approached the development director at one of my children’s schools and asked if I could help with annual

that I do. I also seek to help those who need support. As a parent, colleague, professor and coach, I am fully invested in continuous learning and improvement. My love of learning dovetails closely with the ethos of the Newark Academy community.

Q:

Q:

If there is anyone, living or dead, whom you could have dinner with, who would that be and why?

Rose: Nelson Mandela and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Decades of imprisonment under South Africa’s

When you’re not working, what do you do for leisure?

brutal apartheid regime did not break Nelson Mandela’s spirit or commitment to his mission. In fact, the hardship made him stronger. I distinctly

fundraising. It went well, and I began

Rose: Time with my children and our

remember the day he was finally freed

pursuing full-time roles in develop-

extended family. I have a large family,

— I cried. And then what Justice

ment. My first development job was

and many of them are right here in

Ginsburg — or the notorious RBG as

at Saint David’s School on the Upper

New Jersey and the Tri-State area. In

my daughters would say — achieved

East Side of Manhattan. I’ve never

terms of hobbies, living in the Catskills

in her lifetime to overcome all the

looked back.

allows me to hike and bike often. I’m

challenges that she faced as a Jewish

an avid reader and am currently read-

female, particularly at Harvard Law

ing Thanks for the Feedback: The Science

School during that time, gives me

and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by

hope that if I stay focused, I can break

Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen from

through barriers of all sorts.

Q:

What traits define you?

Rose: Entrepreneurial, determined, and caring. I think outside of the box.

I commit to excellence in everything

the Harvard Negotiation Project. I also enjoy listening to all kinds of music and often work and cook with classical music playing in the background.

Q:

What do you hope to accomplish in your first year at NA?

Rose: This year will involve a lot of listening, learning, meeting people and reflecting to generate a plan for Newark Academy with Don Austin. My work depends on authentic relationship building, trust and communication, so it’s a multifaceted process that takes time for the community to embrace. This summer will give us a chance to start crafting the fundraising portion of NA’s 250th anniversary.

Left: Rose McSween with her daughter Rebecca McSween and Rebecca’s fiancé Timothy Barron on a hike at Lands End in San Francisco.

NEWARK ACADEMY

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A DVA N C E M E N T

TOTAL # OF DONORS

ALUMNI CLASSES MADE AT LEAST 1 GIFT

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»

$275,507 » 391 65

TOTAL DOLLARS RAISED

91

PARENTS MADE A SECOND GIFT TO THE ANNUAL FUND

NEWARK ACADEMY

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ALUMNI NEWS

Letter from Rebecca Moll Freed ’94 PRESIDENT, ALUMNI BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Loving Empowering fulfilling

valuable

visionary Lifesaving

Transformative lucky

Enriching

grateful

life-shaping

Enlightening

These are the words that Newark Academy alums have recently used to describe their time at NA.

When I first began my term as president

or attend a BOG event for the very first

As we continue to move through the

of NA’s Alumni Board of Governors

time over this six-month period.

spring, the BOG is looking forward to

(or the “BOG,” as we affectionately call the group), I was hoping that the remainder of 2021 and early 2022 would be filled with in-person events. Like many of you, I was looking forward to being on campus, seeing some of my favorite teachers and connecting with other alums face-to-face. We were fortunate to hold several in-person events safely during 2021. The BOG was also able to successfully pivot to virtual events when necessary. (With leadership from Evan Nisenson ’99 and Alumni Relations!)

We have had a lot of positive feedback regarding our recent BOG events: the Minuteman Golf Outing, Homecoming, the NYC Alumni Rooftop Event, the

Here is what some first-time attendees

“I attended. It is amazing, and the tour are saying:

The school has grown so much since

guides we had [at Homecoming] really captured what the school is about.”

got such a kick out of “Ithehadkidsfun[at– ICollege Interview Night] … super impressive!”

job on Networking Night …

“Great It was fascinating to learn about the

yes, you read that correctly! – on Saturday, June 4. We will be celebrating class years ending in two and seven, but we are also inviting back the years who missed their in-person reunions in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

(Class years ending in zero, one, five and six – we are talking to you!) We are currently in the process of planning what we know will be a wonderful celebration. Stay tuned for details!

Whether you graduated from NA in 2021, 1938 or anywhere in between;

professional journeys of different alumni.

whether you live in New Jersey,

the East Coast to the West.”

are an NA lifer or attended NA for a

I made many great connections from

California or overseas; whether you couple of years before graduating; whether you have attended dozens

Young Alumni Morristown Meet-Up,

50

Reunion, in-person and on-campus –

College Interview Night and Networking

We certainly hope that these 47 alums

of BOG events or have yet to attend

Night, to name a few. One of the best

will participate in future events and

your first – the BOG looks forward to

parts of these events was the fact that

encourage their NA classmates to do

welcoming you back home!

we had a total of 47 alums participate in

the same.

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5 MORE OVER 50 YEARS: NA Continues to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Its Return to Coeducation The Fall 2021 issue of LUMEN featured profiles of five alumnae from

the past 50 years in honor of Newark Academy’s permanent return to coeducation in 1971. In this issue, we’re continuing the celebration with five more alumnae profiles.

Adrien Wing ’74 Professor of Law As part of the initial group of 49 girls who came to NA in 1971, Adrien was doubly in the minority, as both a girl and one of the few Black students.

It was that experience that afforded her a smooth transition to Princeton University, where she was again one of the earliest Black women to attend.

“NA will always be a magical place to me for how it helped raise me in so many ways,” Adrien says. “As a lawyer and now law professor, I have been comfortable and have excelled in high-powered situations where I am still a double minority – nearly 50 years removed from my high school experiences.”

While at NA, Adrien was instrumental in the creation of the Black Student Union, and she also participated in field hockey, volleyball, basketball and track. Her fondest memories are from the French and literature classes she took with former faculty member Joe Borlo.

After graduating from Princeton, Adrien went on to earn a master’s degree from UCLA, followed by a law degree from Stanford in 1982. She practiced international law in New York City for five years before joining the faculty of the University of Iowa College of Law, where she has taught since 1987.

There, she is currently the Bessie Dutton Murray Distinguished Professor of Law, associate dean of

(Continued on page 52)

NEWARK ACADEMY

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ALUMNI NEWS

(Continued from page 51)

the International and Comparative Law Program, director of the Center for Human Rights and director of the France Summer Abroad Program. She lives in Iowa with her partner, James Sommerville, whom she’s known for 42 years. Together they have seven children, and so far 17 grandchildren.

Despite the geographical distance, Adrien has remained a vital member of the NA community. She received the NA Alumni Achievement and Women of Newark Academy Awards, has been a loyal donor, and is now serving on the school’s 250th Anniversary Steering Committee.

Nancy Baird Harwood ’75 Executive Coach Alongside Adrien, Nancy was a true pioneer in creating equal opportunities for female students at NA as part of the first coed class entering in 1971.

“One of the unique parts about being in this first group of girls was that we ended up having to pave our own way,” Nancy says. “So if we wanted a sports team, we had to say so. We had to tell the administration, ‘There needs to be girls in the play.’ Those were all opportunities for us to stand up and look around and say, ‘This is important.’ The school was very receptive, really listened to us and found a way to do it.”

Sometimes it was a little bumpy, Nancy recalls. “Our gym uniforms were truly hideous for the first two years!”

Oftentimes, there was only one female student in a class – something Nancy

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experienced again at Princeton University, and in her jobs on Wall Street, where men frequently far outnumbered women. “Sometimes I went back to being the only female in the room and I’d already learned to find my voice [at NA],” she says. “I knew how to stand up for what I believed in and to ask for what I needed. I’d already learned that I could be a leader and effect change.

So those were amazing opportunities to give someone at 14 years old.”

Nancy became NA’s first female Student Council President, played sports all four years, and was featured in drama productions and singing groups. After graduating from Princeton, Nancy began a career at JP Morgan, where she ultimately became the global head of human resources. Eventually, Nancy left JP Morgan to form The Boda Group, a leading executive coaching and leadership development company.

Nancy’s ties with the NA community remain strong to this day: her sons Whit ’11 and Ned ’13 both graduated from NA, she served on the Board of Trustees for 22 years, and she is now on the 250th Anniversary Steering Committee. “Of the places that I have committed my time and resources, Newark Academy is the one where I thought I could make the biggest difference,” she says.

Scheherazade Tillet ’96 Photographer, Art Therapist and Activist Scheherazade enrolled in a Newark Academy photography course her senior year – the first year it was introduced into the art curriculum for NA students.

Now she uses her photography as a vehicle to empower women and girls.

Scheherazade is a photo-based artist, curator and feminist activist who explores the themes of Blackness, play, freedom, trauma, and healing. Her work has been exhibited at Columbia University, Rutgers University, Express Newark, Project for Empty Space, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Cut, The Washington Post, and Vice. She is currently the executive director of A Long Walk Home, a nonprofit that she founded with her sister Salamishah Tillet ’92, which uses art to empower young people to end violence against girls and women.

“Some of my early foundations at Newark Academy allowed me to follow my own path,” Scheherazade says. “Working at the domestic violence shelter where I taught art to children for my senior project was one of the most transformative experiences of my life, and I was able to understand the power of youth to lead.” she says. “This project served as an entry point to do the work that would eventually develop into what I do now.”

Scheherazade recalls that the field trips she took while at NA, led by English teacher Alexandra Mahoney, were formative and inspiring. In a full-circle moment, Alexandra, alongside English teachers Kristin Nwokedi, Samantha Wilkerson and Neil Stourton, took Upper and Middle School students on a field trip to visit Picturing Black Girlhood: Moments of Possibility, an international exhibition at Express Newark, that she co-curated with Zoraida Lopez-Diago.

“I wanted to photograph those moments where people are just celebrating and honoring Black girls as a community,” Scheherazade says. In envisioning her work, she often asks herself, “How do I transform a space to really empower Black girls and let people know the ranges of the diversity of what Black girlhood is?” Scheherazade also had a solo exhibition of lens-based work, Scheherazade Tillet: Black Girl Play, on view at Project for Empty Space in Newark from January

Photo courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

22 through April 1. With A Long Walk Home, Scheherazade and Salamishah’s most recent project is The Black Girlhood Altar, a sacred site assembled by Black girls in Chicago, commemorating Black girls and young women who have gone missing or been murdered. Additionally, A Long Walk Home is a founding partner of the Black Girl Freedom Fund, a 10-year philanthropic initiative designed to invest in the lives and livelihoods of Black girls and young women throughout the country.

“We center healing at the forefront of everything,” Scheherazade says.

better questions. Few students ever encounter this kind of teaching, even beyond high school, and to be exposed to it at such a formative time in one’s education is remarkable.”

After graduating from NA, Elisabeth pursued art history, receiving a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She currently works as an assistant curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, where she has been employed for the past 12 years.

She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.

Elisabeth credits NA’s rigorous academics and enriching extracurricular activities for teaching her how to fully and deeply invest in a variety of passions and commitments at the same time.

“Rather than ‘multitasking,’ what I learned through the caring but uncompromising guidance of every teacher was how to love many things at the same time but still give each my attention and focus,” she says.

Elisabeth Sherman ’02 Curator Elisabeth recalls taking AP Art History during her senior year at NA with Dean of Students Pegeen Galvin. “It was my first exposure to the academic discipline that would be the center of my future studies and professional career,” she says. “Ms. Galvin showed me that art could be so much more than a hobby – that it is a lens through which we understand history and humanity and a necessary force in imagining the future we want to build.”

For Elisabeth, the extraordinary faculty was what truly defined her NA experience. “I can still recall so many papers I wrote, debates we had in the classroom, creative and crazy mnemonic devices deployed and poems analyzed, nearly 20 years later,” she says. “Even more importantly, I remember the times I was given constructive criticism and taught how to think more analytically and ask

Jodi Feinberg ’11 Nurse Practitioner NA was always a place where Jodi could challenge herself. She still remembers the support she received from Bill Hobson in his rigorous IB Chemistry course as she prepared to pursue nursing school after graduation.

“I loved the environment in NA, where we were always encouraged to push ourselves,” Jodi says. “I liked building relationships with my teachers and

being involved in the school through the Peer Leader Program.” Participating in Minutemen Athletics also crafted fond family memories – both Jodi and her brother Cory Feinberg ’13 spent many Saturdays playing lacrosse in the spring, and with their parents in the stands, the four would spend the day together at NA. Jodi went on to earn a degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating summa cum laude, and was awarded the inaugural President’s Engagement Prize, a $150,000 oneyear grant to better mankind. During that fellowship, she designed and implemented a pilot program for home-based cardiac rehabilitation through a home-care agency to improve care transitions for patients after cardiac surgery or hospitalization.

Jodi later received a master’s degree from New York University to be an adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner in 2019, graduating summa cum laude.

While working toward her master’s, Jodi gained clinical experience as a cardiac ICU nurse at NYU Langone Health, and after graduation she began working there full-time as a nurse practitioner in the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program. She was recently promoted to nurse practitioner program manager; in addition to her clinical responsibilities, she leads the operations and strategy for growth, manages the national accreditation and research initiatives, mentors nurse practitioner students and leads the hospital-wide nursing education for her program.

“I’ve always been passionate about healthcare and working with cardiac patients,” Jodi says. “During high school at Newark Academy, I volunteered in a hospital and worked as an EMT. I love building connections with my patients and taking on new challenges to provide high-quality, patientcentered coordinated care.”

NEWARK ACADEMY

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ALUMNI NEWS

FROM NA MOCK TRIAL TO LONDON LAWYER Austin Mahler ’10 builds a career off NA experiences

By Jim Coe

Austin Mahler ’10 arrived at Newark Academy as a freshman

in the fall of 2006 ready to engage in his educational experience at every possible opportunity. Not content to sit back as a spectator, Austin threw himself into life at NA as a

student leader both inside and outside the classroom. He served as a lawyer on the Mock Trial team during all four of his years at NA, paving the path for his future success. Austin

went on to earn degrees from Cambridge University and the London School of Economics and currently works as a barrister at 2 Temple Gardens in London.

“That was very good practice

Montclair State University.

Congress and the Tech Crew.

respect and connection his

for what I do now,” Austin

When it came time for high

Mock Trial advisor Benson

NA teachers fostered in the

says. “It was as much a lesson

school, one program in par-

Hawk remembers Austin as

students to be equally forma-

in what not to do as what to

ticular drew him to NA: the

a crucial transitional figure.

tive. The faculty’s willingness

do. It certainly gives you the

International Baccalaureate

“He and his family helped me

to engage in discussions with

confidence to stand up in

Diploma Program.

build up Mock Trial into a real

students prepared him for

program – and he did that

college, for the Cambridge

by simply being willing to

Union Society – where he

show up and demonstrate the

served as president in 2012 –

leadership needed to take

and for his professional life.

otherwise diffident people

“There was an expectation

and really get them to see that

of maturity that teachers

they can be a winning team,”

showed the students and a

Benson says. In the decade

willingness on the part of the

following Benson and

teachers to be treated as

Austin’s collaboration, NA’s

equals by the students (and to

Mock Trial team has experi-

treat the students as equals),”

enced new heights of success

Austin says. “If you disagreed

and commendation. “Austin

with a teacher, it was the

ushered in our first Essex

beginning of a discussion; it

County championship,”

wasn’t ‘shut up and sit down.

recalls Benson, “which then

You’re a student and you’re

turned into a decade of Essex

wrong.’ I think that, more

County championships after

than any specific CV item,

his graduation.”

is the aspect that prepared

front of a room of people without notes and make sure you know something backto-front well enough to call someone out when they’re lying to you about it. And if there is any key to the skill of cross-examination, it’s that depth of familiarity with the material you have to work with.”

It was running. It was running well, and NA was the only school in the area that really invested in the IB program,” Austin says. “My interest was always to have some international-facing life path.

Whether that was to focus on international law — and my master’s is in public inter-

A future in law seemed a fore-

national law because that is

gone conclusion by the time

the area I was drawn to — or

Austin left Solomon Schechter

whether it was to live over-

Day School for Newark

seas or to go overseas. I knew

Academy in eighth grade.

I wanted to be a lawyer.” NA’s

“I wanted to be a lawyer

IB program set him up to

since I was quite young,”

achieve that goal.

he explains. Wowed by his first civil court experience at 10 years old, Austin later took part in a mock trial/moot court summer program at

54

“The IB program was set up.

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Newark Academy benefited from Austin’s efforts time and again. In addition to Mock Trial, he also served on Model

Along with his experiences in the IB program, Mock Trial, Model Congress and Tech Crew, Austin found the

me most for the paths I’ve gone down.”

HERE @ N A NA Mock Trial and Model Congress 1. Mock Trial Tops the County

Newark Academy Mock Trial was undefeated throughout this year’s season and became Essex County Champions for the first time since 2017. With this victory, Mock Trial advanced into the North Regional Second Round of the State Tournament, concluding its season as one of the top teams in the state.

1

2. Model Congress Impresses in the Northeast

Eleven members of Newark Academy’s Model Congress traveled to Boston to compete at Harvard Model Congress, the nation’s oldest and largest congressional simulation conference. Three NA students earned awards for their debating skills and for co-authoring bills on a broad spectrum of pressing federal issues: Isabela McNeilly-Anta ’23 garnered Best Delegate and gaveled in House Education and Labor Committee; Marina Chernin ’23 won Best Delegate and gaveled in House Energy and Commerce Committee; and Mason Kung ’22 earned Honorable Mention in House Financial Services Committee. At the Yale Model Congress, Isabela won the Best Legislation Award for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Three students also earned Honorable Mentions in their respective committees: Marina and Juliet Bu ’23 in Education and Workforce, and Arjun Khanna ’23 in Homeland Security.

2

Women of NA Luncheon A Celebration of Women at Newark Academy

Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Return to Coeducation Newark Academy Campus Saturday, June 4, 12 p.m.

Register at www.newarka.edu/reunion

NEWARK ACADEMY

55

Campus View

‘‘

My favorite spot on campus is sitting around any of NA’s three authentic Harkness tables (Rooms 1, 2 and 407). Sitting around a single table

unifies a class and its purpose. Its oval shape is a democratizing force, empowering students to engage with their teacher on equal footing.

It also allows everyone to see each other. No hiding. A Harkness table is the family table at Thanksgiving filled with endless food...for thought.”

– Upper School Principal Dr. Richard DiBianca

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NEWARK ACADEMY

57

C L A S S N OT E S

1944 CONTACT:

Robert Lee (561) 747-4331

1946 CONTACT:

Robert Cronheim rdc@cronheim.com

1952 70th Reunion CONTACT:

William (Bill) Van Winkle billvw7334@aol.com

1955 CONTACT:

edward L. Levitt eezyed@comcast.net

1958

1963

CONTACT:

CONTACT:

Stephen Knee shknee@hotmail.com

Charles A. Fischbein cafpac@Earthlink.net

1959

1964

CONTACT:

CONTACT:

Douglas B. Slade dslade542@aol.com

michael R. Yogg michaelyogg@gmail.com

T.C. (Charlie) Abbey could only see him now!) He is also the prefect of discipline and the Model United Nations sponsor for Harvard Model Congress Asia. Michael and Patti are not quite ready to retire, as “teaching like the world depends on it” is still too much fun.

1967 1960

1965

CONTACT:

CONTACT:

Frederick Katz, Jr. katzjr@optonline.net

Van S. Stevens drvanstevens@gmail.com

1961

1966

CONTACT:

CONTACT:

Curtis Cetrulo curt.cetrulo@gmail.com

Warren G. Soare wsoare@optonline.net

Peter Papademetriou papadem@cs.com

michael Wagner and his wife, Patti, continue to teach for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) at Yokota High School outside Tokyo. Patti teaches AP Language and AP Literature and is editor of the school newspaper. Michael teaches English Language Arts for grades 10, 11 and 12. (Oh, if

55th Reunion CONTACT:

matthew Leone mleone@colgate.edu

1968 CONTACT:

1962 60th Reunion CONTACT:

Bernard J. D’Avella, Jr. bud@davellafamily business.com

Stephan G. Kravitz sgkravitz@gmail.com Franklin C. Phifer, Jr. fphifer@hecht.com After more than 42 years in medical practice and 49 years in the medical field, Peter Schwartz has finally retired completely. He did it gradually over the past five years by cutting back on his hours and, for the last three years, changing venues and

NO STOPPING YOU! HOW TO WIN THE GAME OF LIFE Roger Flax ’61, Author Roger Flax’s book No Stopping You! How to Win the Game of Life was recently released in paperback by Hachette Books. Roger’s book takes readers through actionable items to achieve success and shows how to develop the relationships to do so.

As an executive coach, speaker, author and corporate consultant, Roger has impacted millions. In 1970, he founded one of America’s most successful leadership consulting firms, which has since conducted thousands of programs for over 400 major international companies. Entertainment and sports have also played a major role in his career – he’s written four screenplays and several hundred songs and has competed in tennis tournaments since the age of 10. In 2013, he was nationally ranked in senior platform tennis. Prior to that, he went undefeated in four years of high school regular season competition, led the University of Maryland to an ACC championship and a top 10 NCAA ranking, and was recently elected to New Jersey All-20th Century Tennis team.

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only working 1.5 days a week.

“It feels great, and now I can devote plenty of time to hobbies and other interests developed over the past few years,” Peter says. He notes that he owes much of his success and happiness to the foundations of learning and study that he acquired at NA.

1969

secretaries of agriculture.

The education he received at NA certainly played a role in his success, he notes.

1974 CONTACT:

Lance T. Aronson lancetrezevant@aol.com

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1975

CONTACT:

John H. Bess bessjh@gmail.com

CONTACT:

William J. York wyork@smallfeat.org

Leo m. Gordon gordon43b@gmail.com Will Green, trustee emeritus and former chairman of the Board, recently met with Ray Cruitt, founding chair of the NA Humanities Department and former director of development, for lunch in Charleston. The occasion was to send Will off with good wishes for his move from Charleston to Cary, NC, to be near his family.

1971 CONTACT:

William D. Hardin, Jr. whardin@ptd.net mark menza menza613ha1@aol.com

1972 50th Reunion CONTACT:

Daniel D. Cronheim ddc@cronheim.com Harry Hazelwood III drhazelwood@massmed.org Kent Leonhardt was elected as president of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

He was re-elected last November for a second term as commissioner of agriculture for West Virginia, and is one of 12 statewideelected commissioners/

1976 CONTACT:

Donald C. DeFabio drdefabio@aol.com Robin Lechter Frank ontheqt1231@aol.com Francey Burke reports that the 2021 Burke Motor Group Car, Truck and Cycle Show was a great success, raising money for the Cape May County Coast Guard Community Foundation.

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1978 Anne Herbst continues to exhibit her artwork at Far Out Gallery in San Francisco.

Her most recent exhibit was titled Oceans and Bones.

For more information visit www.faroutgallery.com.

Amy Sue Lebovitz recently reconnected with Peter Feinberg, Steve Spinner and Ken meyers on organizing some philanthropic work focused on curing cancer and solving community food insecurity.

1979 CONTACT:

michael Schneck mschneck@schnecklaw.com

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1. Eric Walker ’87 and his wife, Celeste, along with Loren Selig ’87 and her husband, Todd, attended Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at the Colonial Theater in Boston.

2. “Oceans 3”, one of Anne Herbst’s ’78 paintings that was part of the Oceans and Bones exhibit at the Far Out Gallery in San Francisco, CA. 3. Whit Harwood ’11 got married on September 25, 2021, with his brother and best man, Ned Harwood ’13, by his side. (See Nancy Harwood ’75 profile on page 52.)

4. Associate Dean of Student Life Kristin Duszak, Director of Community Service Sarah Fischer and Humanities Teacher Callie Prince reunited with Francesca Badalamenti ’18 and Daniel Teytel ’20 while at Rutgers University for the Model UN Conference.

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We Fondly Remember Edward Wyckoff Williams ’94 March 2022

1980

1987 35th Reunion

CONTACT:

Kim S. Hirsh khirsh@jfedgmw.org

Loren Selig and her husband Todd invited eric Walker and his wife Celeste to break quarantine, seeing Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at the Colonial Theater in Boston.

1981 Beverly Ann Pickering Former Faculty Member March 3, 2022 Arthur Lichtenberger ’47 February 20, 2022 Howard Rigby, Jr. ’47 January 30, 2022

CONTACT:

Arthur (Artie) Williams IV artiekid@aol.com Artie Williams recently started a new role as head of business development at Disciplined Alpha, a longshort equity hedge fund.

Eugene (Gene) A.Chiappetta ’80 January 23, 2022 Donald Canfield ’54 January 11, 2022 Wayne B. Schiele Former Faculty Member January 6, 2022 William Lee Gibson ’67 January 5, 2022 Donald Holtzman ’46 December 31, 2021 Allan Galloway ’44 October 6, 2021

CONTACT:

Lara Coraci Basile ljc@norpak.net matthew mcTamaney mattheynow@yahoo.com melissa Dollinger Shein msheinus@yahoo.com

1984 Philip Bradley Davis ’70 January 27, 2022

1988

1991 mikelle Bliss was named a member of McGlinchey Stafford.

1992 30th Reunion Salamishah Tillet returned to NA as the Black History Month speaker on February 24 in the Coraci Performance Hall. She discussed art, history, gender, race relations and the role of public monuments. Salamishah then met with students in a breakout session following her enlightening talk.

CONTACT:

William e. markstein wemarkstein@gmail.com

1989 CONTACT:

Stacey Bradford stacey.bradford@gmail.com

1985 CONTACT:

Kimberley Griffinger Wachtel kgwachtel@gmail.com

1986 CONTACT:

Betsy Dollinger Bernstein bdb1@mac.com James C. Schachtel jschachtel@verizon.net michele Chiles-Hickman was recognized with a 2021 Gold New Jersey Realtors Circle of Excellence Sales Award.

Donald Stroh moved back to London with his wife, Tracy, and their son, Ryan (now 12), after three years in Singapore.

He has enjoyed reconnecting with classmate Jason marino and keeping in touch with other friends from NA back in the United States. He welcomes any contact from other alumni living in or visiting the UK!

1990 CONTACT:

Glenn A. Waldorf gwaldorf@bellenvironmental.com

1993 CONTACT:

Timothy e. Herburger burgermac@mac.com Jed S. Rosenthal jedrosenthal@gmail.com Suzanne Kecmer penned a chapter of Mission Matters: World’s Leading Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Top Tips to Success. The title of her chapter is “Kids Fintech: The Time Is Now to Help Our Children Make Their Own Online Purchases.”

1994 CONTACT:

Pamela Helfant Vichengrad pamelavich@hotmail.com

Gary Kalisch ’65 September 30, 2021 Frank Henderson ’69 April 30, 2021

Wayne B. Schiele Former Faculty Member and Coach January 6, 2022

S. Hoyt Patterson, Jr. ’44 February 13, 2021 Michael Lytwyn ’67 April 8, 2020

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Beloved teacher and coach Wayne Schiele, affectionately known as “Shiels,” served as a Newark Academy faculty member and coach from 1972 to 1998. While at NA, Coach Schiele led the wrestling and football teams to multiple state championships. He touched countless lives during his years teaching and coaching at NA and beyond and will be greatly missed.

WATCH!

1995

2000

CONTACT:

CONTACT:

evyan Turner evyanturner413@gmail.com

Alison Poole Lasher alisonklasher@gmail.com

Reena Shah appears in the film India Sweets and Spices, which can currently be viewed on Hulu.

2001

Director of Alumni Relations Evan Nisenson ’99 caught up with plastic surgeon Dr. Smita Ramanadham ’98 about her time at NA and career in medicine.

Scan this QR Code to watch the video.

CONTACT:

Colin R. Griggs cgriggs13@yahoo.com

1996 CONTACT:

Jason S. Granet grizo1222@yahoo.com Andrew Slutzky andrewzky@gmail.com Scheherazade Tillet’s solo exhibition of lens-based work, Scheherazade Tillet: Black Girl Play, was on view at Project for Empty Space in Newark from January 22 through April 1.

Brian mcGaughan bmcgaughan@gmail.com misa Dikengil gave birth to her third baby boy, Jack Dikengil Lewis, on July 12, 2021.

2002 20th Reunion CONTACT:

Joshua Jacobs joshua.s.jacobs@gmail.com marcelo C. Porto mark.c.porto@gmail.com

1997 25th Reunion

Alexander C. Senchak alex.senchak@gmail.com

2004 CONTACT:

Danielle Grunebaum Barrett dlsimon85@gmail.com Kathryn Pagos katie.pagos@gmail.com Stephanie Reingold simma.reingold@gmail.com

2003 CONTACT:

1998 CONTACT:

Jack A. Hyman jahyman@gmail.com Lauren Jacobs-Lazer laurenjacobslazer@gmail.com Smita Ramanadham smitar2280md@gmail.com Jenna Smith Schwerdt jenna@smithdesign.com Jenna Smith Schwerdt was included in Graphic Design USA’s People to Watch list.

1999 CONTACT:

John Gregory jcg681@gmail.com Asha K. Coco asha.talwar@gmail.com

Lauren H. Anderson lauren.h.anderson@gmail.com David n. Rattner drattner07@gmail.com

2006 CONTACT:

Julia Appel appel.julie@gmail.com

Louise Ball Schutte louisehira@gmail.com

Sarah marcus Hansen sarahmarcushansen @gmail.com

Adam Pitel, CEO of MagnaPower Electronics, was included in the 2021 NJBIZ Forty Under 40 list.

Brandon Hedvat bhedvat@gmail.com

CONTACT:

Amanda Rubinstein Black amandahblack@gmail.com

years since he opened The Law Offices of Daniel F. Deraney.

2005

Ilana mandelbaum Sterling ilana.mandelbaum@gmail.com Asia Stewart asiamstewart@gmail.com

CONTACT:

evan P. Sills evan.sills@gmail.com

Jonathan Allocca jonathan.allocca@gmail.com

Rob Grant was spotted in HBO’s hit show Succession, playing the role of Bun Mountford in the episode titled “Tern Haven.”

Gabriel Gaviola gabe.c.gaviola@gmail.com

Ian Leyden and his wife Lynn Olesky Leyden ’08 welcomed a baby girl, Violet, in April 2021, the eighth grandchild of Jon ’74 and Susan Olesky.

On January 2, Daniel Deraney and his wife, Michelle, welcomed their first child, Layla Georgette Deraney, at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and 20 inches. Most recently, Daniel, Doug Vollmayer, Jamal Gorrick, michael Calcara and Brandon Lawrence have been teaming up to tackle fitness goals on the Peloton and passing on tips and advice for parenthood.

Daniel is celebrating seven

Sam Olesky welcomed a baby boy, Ethan, in April 2021. He lives in Asheville, NC, with his wife, Laura, and their other two children, Jane (3) and Leia (6).

Bridget Duffy Raines bridgetpraines@gmail.com

Haley Douds Holmberg is enjoying life in Dallas (never thought she’d say that!) and welcomes any NA visitors who may be passing through.

Her son, Tait, is almost three, and Haley will be welcoming another little boy to their family in April. She is excited to become a family of four! marissa Paragano is director of product management for Peacock Commerce and started an Instagram account dedicated to tequila, called Tequila Encyclopedia. She was recently interviewed by evan nisenson ’99, speaking about her career and her interest in and knowledge of tequila.

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C L A S S N OT E S

BeCOme A CLASS AmBASSADOR! Class ambassadors perform a valuable service to the NA alumni community. They communicate school and class news, support key initiatives such as Reunion, and encourage participation in the Annual Fund. Sign up online at www.newarka.edu/classambassador.

2007 15th Reunion

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CONTACT:

David Doobin doobind@gmail.com Catherine Pfeffer catherine.pfeffer@gmail.com emily Crystal emily.c.simon@me.com

2008 CONTACT:

David Frank david.frank44@gmail.com Alexa Gruber Kitchin alexa.gruber@richmond.edu maximilian C. Staiger mstaiger41@me.com

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Lynn Olesky Leyden and her husband Ian Leyden ’03 welcomed a new baby named Violet in April 2021. Violet is the eighth grandchild of Jon ’74 and Susan Olesky.

2009 CONTACT:

Andrew S. Binger abinger1990@gmail.com

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Christina A. Colizza christina.colizza@gmail.com Rebecca Curwin rebecca.curwin@gmail.com

5. Former NA faculty member Ray Cruitt with Will Green ’69.

6. Lynn Olesky Leyden ’08 with Emmett (2) and Violet (1).

7. Head of School Donald M. Austin, Dr. Salamishah Tillet ’92 and Director of Equity and Inclusion Rochelle Edwards.

8. Yana Shulman Levine’s ’02 daughter Evelyn Faye Levine sporting some NA gear!

9. Pictured left to right: Sam Olesky ’03, Laura Olesky, Jane Olesky, Leia Olesky, Jon Olesky ’74, Susan Olesky and Ethan Olesky.

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Shannon Lam Webster shannonrlam@gmail.com Brian L. Silver briansilver0711@gmail.com

2010 CONTACT:

Lisa Fischer lisasuefischer@gmail.com Patrick Kelly patrick.o.d.kelly@gmail.com Brian mcHugh mchugh.brian10@gmail.com After an involuntary threeyear medical hiatus from 2014 to 2017, Brian Simontacchi is still playing the trombone and loving it. Brian participated in his third album with bandleader and saxophonist Allen Lowe this past April, and will be performing at Birdland Jazz Club in Midtown with Evan Sherman. In a way, Brian’s career has come full circle, as Mr. Tolentino introduced the two musicians all the way back in 2009 to help Brian make his college prescreening recording. In fact, in early March 2020, Brian and Mr. Tolentino both found themselves working together once again in Josh Evans’ Big Band at The Django (Roxy Hotel), which would be their last gig prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. Brian lives in Jersey City and is having a blast doing what he loves.

2011 CONTACT:

Sydney Hershman smhershman@gmail.com Jordan I. Jett jordanjett13@gmail.com Jennifer mandelbaum jmande15@bu.edu

Jourdan mcGhee jourdan.mcghee@gmail.com

nicholas murray nsm407@gmail.com

Whit Harwood married Sarah Scrudato on September 25, 2021, in Woodstock, VT, with his brother ned Harwood ’13 as his best man.

Zachary Persing zcpersing@gmail.com

2012 10th Reunion

matthew Thekkethala matt@learnforlife foundation.org

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2016 CONTACT:

CONTACT:

Christopher P. Davis davis.cp@gmail.com Shane S. neibart ssneibart@gmail.com Carissa e. Szlosek szlosek@wisc.edu

2013

Courtney Cooperman courtneycooperman @comcast.net Jacob Furst jacobfurst20@gmail.com Joshua martin martinjoshua029@gmail.com elizabeth merrigan elizabeth.merrigan16 @gmail.com

CONTACT:

SaVonne Anderson savonneanderson@gmail.com

Samuel Vazir samvazir@gmail.com

nicole Andrzejewski nicole@go.wustl.edu

Bryan Wilensky bryanwsemail@gmail.com

matt Cowen mcowen95@gmail.com

mackenna Woods mackennavalle@gmail.com

ned Harwood reconnected with classmate Greg Ruda at the wedding of Ned’s brother Whit Harwood ’11.

2017

11

10. Upper School Principal Dr. Richard DiBianca met up with a group of young alumni in Providence, RI: (from left to right) Amit Kundra ’19, Peter Swope ’20, Monica Zhang ’21 and Ben Zimmerman ’19.

11. Newark Academy Middle and Upper School students visited Scheherazade Tillet’s ’96 “Picturing Black Girlhood” exhibit at Express Newark in March. Salamishah Tillet ’92 joined the group to show them around.

5th Reunion CONTACT:

2014

Chloe Yu chloeyu@college.harvard.edu

CONTACT:

Jai Ghose jghose@andrew.cmu.edu Thomas Pan tpan14@gmail.com Lauren Whelan lmw025@bucknell.edu Jacob Wieseneck jwieseneck@gmail.com

2015

2018 Francesca Badalamenti reunited with Associate Dean of Student Life Kristin Duszak, Director of Community Service Sarah Fischer, Humanities Teacher Callie Prince, and Daniel Teytel ’20 during the Model UN Conference at Rutgers University.

CONTACT:

madeline DeLamielleure maddydelamielleure15 @gmail.com Jasmine Gamboa jgamboa19@amherst.edu

Cosimo Fabrizio can be seen playing guitar in a band scene in season four of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

WATCH! Jason Luks ’05 is an accomplished performer, choreographer and educator. Director of Alumni Relations Evan Nisenson had a chance to chat with him about his time at NA and career journey.

Scan this QR Code to watch the video.

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Q R L Q X H 5 -XQH

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2022 REUNION – Celebrating years ending in 0, 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7

Celebrate and Reconnect with NA! LEARN MORE: www.newarka.edu/reunion