13
CONVOCATION 2012 IT TAKES A VILLAGE The Newark Academy community enjoyed a time-honored academic tradition during the school’s Convocation Ceremony on Monday, September 10. Head of School Donald Austin formally welcomed students and faculty to a new academic year as he led the opening ceremony in the Rose Auditorium. The morning’s speeches centered on a common theme: the enduring impact of students’ relationships with Newark Academy faculty. School Council President Nicole Andrzejewski ’13 offered a current student’s perspective: “Psychiatrist Carl Jung once said ‘One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.’ We are really lucky that our teachers are both – brilliant educators and warm mentors. These people are exactly what make Newark Academy so special.” John Bess ’69, president of the NA Alumni Board of Governors, presented the convocation address. Bess reflected on and recounted those aspects of his own life that were shaped by his years at NA. He fondly remembered the teachers, friends and coaches: “Perhaps you’ve heard the expression, ‘It takes a village.’ Well, a lot of my village was here. I recognize it may not always be easy for each of you to deal with the day-to-day pressures and realities of school and growing up in 2012. So embrace the village that is Newark Academy and take full advantage of everyone here who is investing so much time in your current and future success. One day you will realize what NA has meant to you and that a part of who you are was shaped here at NA. It’s a wonderful moment of recognition, when the deep emotional connection you have to this place comes fully to the surface in a profound and enduring way.”
A YEAR IN BELLA ITALIA Neil Stourton, English faculty member and IB coordinator; and Kirsti Morin, Humanities faculty member and their two children spent the 2011-2012 academic year in Viterbo, Italy with School Year Abroad (SYA). The family enjoyed the opportunity to live in Italy while Stourton taught classical literature to juniors and seniors at SYA Italy. Newark Academy is part of the School Year Abroad association, a consortium of 43 top U.S. independent high schools who have demonstrated a strong commitment to foreign language instruction and global education. “At NA we challenge our students to immerse themselves in entirely new surroundings. It was wonderful to challenge ourselves as a family the same way,” said Stourton. The city of Viterbo is 50 miles north of Rome but it felt like it was a million miles from home at first. “We went through some initial homesickness,” Stourton admitted. “But as we made friends, picked up the language, and found the best cappuccino, it soon became home for us; the real culture shock was coming back!” Stourton and Morin describe the experience as professionally re-energizing and returned eager to share their experiences in the classroom. They took the long way home, traveling through India and China, so they have plenty of stories to share with NA/SYA alums.
Don Austin, John Bess ’69, Jon Olesky ’74 and Matt Gertler ’90
OUTREACH fall 2012