Newark Academy

Newark Academy is a coeducational private day school located in Livingston, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1928.[6]

For other uses, see Newark Academy (disambiguation).

Newark Academy
Address
Newark Academy
Newark Academy
Newark Academy
92 South Orange Avenue

Livingston
,
NJ
07039

United States
Coordinates40°46′44″N 74°21′40″W
Information
TypeIndependent Coeducational
MottoAd lumen
(Toward Enlightenment)
Established1774
FounderAlexander Macwhorter
PrincipalTom Ashburn (Middle School)
Dr. Richard DiBianca (Upper School)
Head of schoolDonald Austin[1]
Faculty78 FTEs[2]
Grades6–12
Enrollment599 (as of 2018-19)[2]
Average class size13[3]
Student to teacher ratio7.2:1[2]
Campus68 acres (280,000 m2)
Color(s)     Red and
     Black[4]
Athletics23 sports[5]
Athletics conferenceSuper Essex Conference[4]
Team nameMinuteman[4]
RivalsMontclair Kimberley Academy
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[6]
New Jersey Association of Independent Schools[7]
PublicationPrisms (literary magazine) LUMEN (alumni magazines)
NewspaperThe Minuteman[4]
YearbookPolymnian
School fees$1,670[8]
Tuition$40,945 (2018-19)[8]
Websitewww.newarka.edu

Newark Academy is one of several pre-Revolutionary War schools still operating in the United States and is considered the seventh-oldest private school in the country and the second-oldest day school in the state of New Jersey (behind Rutgers Preparatory School).[9] The Academy was founded in 1774 by Alexander MacWhorter, a leading cleric and advisor to George Washington, and was located on Market Street in Downtown Newark. Temporarily closed after being burned by the British during the Revolutionary War, the school reopened in new quarters in 1792. In 1802, the Academy opened a separate division for girls, but the innovative program was closed in 1859. After 1929, it moved to First Street in the Roseville section of Newark. Finally, in 1964, the Academy moved from Newark to its current location, a 68-acre (280,000 m2) campus in Livingston, and became fully co-educational in 1971.[9]

As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 599 students and 78 classroom teachers for a student–teacher ratio of 7.6:1. Students of color represent 50 percent of the student population.

According to the 2012 High School Challenge in The Washington Post, Newark Academy ranked 6th nationwide, and 1st in New Jersey.[10] In their 2018 rankings of private High Schools, Niche ranked Newark Academy second in New Jersey.[11] It received an A+ for teachers, academics, clubs & activities, and college prep. Niche ranked it as the sixth best private high school in the New York City area.[12]

Mission and motto

The school's mission statement is as follows:
Newark Academy will contribute to the world engaged individuals instilled with a passion for learning, a standard of excellence, and a generosity of spirit. The school's motto is Ad lumen ("toward the light").

Campus

Newark Academy is located on a 68-acre (280,000 m2) campus in northern New Jersey.

The Hawkes Memorial Library, opened in 1974, houses a 23,000-volume collection, as well as a vast periodical and microfilm collection.

The Elizabeth B. McGraw Arts Center, which opened in 1992, contains three studio art classrooms (ceramics, drawing, and painting), a darkroom, a band/orchestra room, choral room, dance studio, a "black box" theater and an art gallery.

The Morris Interactive Learning Center, opened in 1995, houses 18 iMac computers, a multimedia system (interactive whiteboard and projector, Blu-ray DVD system), and scanners and printers for student and faculty use.

The Geochron (Geochron Global Time Indicator), which was purchased in 2004, is located in the main entrance hall, and shows at any given moment where it is light and dark in the world.

The William E. and Carol G. Simon Family Field House, which opened in 2001. This 57,000-square-foot (5,300 m2) athletic center houses a gymnasium with three basketball courts, a six-lane pool with spectator area, a four-lane track and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Wrestling and fencing gyms are located in the main building.

The Upper School Academic Center opened in the fall of 2012 and encompasses 18,500-square feet of new construction and 2,500-square feet of renovated space and includes 13 classrooms, two science labs, a multi-purpose area, several small-group collaborative learning spaces and a commons area.

The most recent addition is the Wilf Middle School wing, which houses two floors of classrooms, laboratories, offices and common spaces that accommodate the Middle School teachers and students. Classrooms have Apple TV technology and SmartBoards, which have since been implemented unilaterally throughout the school. During the construction of the new middle school, Newark Academy also renovated all of the sciences labs, starting with the second floor natural science and chemistry rooms, and moving on to the first floor physical science room. These rooms, as well as the laboratories in the middle school, have been endowed with state-of-the art lab equipment.[13]

There are plans to build a new auditorium in the next few years, which would be equipped with better theater technology, have more seating, and be better structured for performances.

Newark Academy's outdoor facilities include courtyards with seating areas, two baseball diamonds, a softball field, an all-weather track, a field hockey area, two lacrosse and soccer fields, two football fields, one basketball half court, a cross country course and 10 tennis courts.

Newark Academy's campus is bordered by woods along the Passaic River. In September 2002, the school marked the opening of The Carol J. Heaney Nature Trail, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) system of hiking trails and outdoor classrooms.

The school has embarked on initiatives to minimizing its impact on the environment. Current initiatives include increased recycling efforts, the introduction of energy-efficient lighting, exploration of renewable energy options, Passaic River clean-up and maintenance of a campus vegetable garden.

Faculty and administration

Newark Academy's faculty has an average of 17.5 years teaching experience, and 85 percent of the 78 teachers and administrators have advanced degrees; nine have earned doctorate degrees.[14] All faculty members are experts in their fields. Teachers are available to meet regularly with their students, and the students thrive in this environment where collaboration is not only allowed for, but encouraged.

In 2007, Donald M. Austin was appointed as the 49th Head of School for Newark Academy. He previously served as resident director for School Year Abroad in Rennes, France. He earned an undergraduate degree in English and French from Georgetown University, and a master's of philosophy in French studies from New York University.

Austin's team of administrators includes Richard DiBianca, Ph.D., upper school principal; Tom Ashburn, middle school principal; Pegeen Galvin, dean of students; and Frederick Von Rollenhagen, dean of faculty.

Most notable among the staff at Newark Academy is Blackwood Parlin. Mr. Parlin instructed at Newark Academy for over 50 years and currently serves as the school's archivist.

Student body

As of the 2019–20 school year, Newark Academy had students from 89 communities in grades 6–12. There were 429 students in the upper school and 188 students in middle school. Students of color represent 50% of the student population; international students from countries including Eritrea, India, Singapore and the UK bring a truly global perspective to the community. More than $3 million in financial aid is rewarded annually to families with demonstrated need. 15% of students receive financial aid. The average financial aid awarded is $28,818.

Class of 2017

The 2017 graduating class included 101 students, including 32 National Merit Commended Scholars and 6 Semi-Finalists, 3 Hispanic Scholars and 39 graduates who earned IB Diplomas.[3]

Class of 2018

The 2018 graduating class saw 101 students, including 26 National Merit Scholars and 35 IB diploma recipients. Of the national merit scholars, 17 commended scholars and 9 semi-finalists. There were 3 Hispanic Scholars. Approximately 90 percent of the students of the Class of 2018 took at least one IB course.[15][16]

Class of 2019

The 2019 graduating class includes 107 students, including 31 National Merit Scholars and 30 IB Diploma Candidates. Approximately 90% of the Class of 2019 is enrolled in at least one IB course.

Academics

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate students must complete four years of English, three years of humanities, three years of mathematics, three years of laboratory science, proficiency in a second language (level 3), one year of arts, three June Terms, an immersion trip, 40 hours of community service, and a senior project.

Academic Offerings

Newark Academy offers a wide variety of classes across disciplines and at many different levels. Newark Academy offers many IB and AP classes, but also has Non-IB or AP college level classes in Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Non-Euclidean Geometry, and Number Theory.

Newark Academy is part of the Malone Schools Online Network, a group of elite independent schools across the countries that offer classes online via webcam in conjunction with one other, run by teachers at the different schools.[15] MSON offers many college level and elective classes such as "Are We Rome?," "Creative Writing in the Digital Age" and "Positive Psychology." [17]

Newark Academy also offers an Independent Studies program for seniors. Seniors may elect to take a self-designed full-year course of a topic of their choosing. Students work with a faculty advisor, and often one other student who helped design the course, throughout the year researching the topic at hand and culminating in a final project. Courses in the past have focused on feminism, American modern judicial history, amongst other subjects.[15]

Advanced curricula

Newark Academy is the only independent school in New Jersey that offers both the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate Diploma (I.B.) programs.[18][7]

Advanced Placement

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) offers high school students the opportunity to do college-level work. Successful achievement on the culminating exams may result in credit or advanced placement upon matriculation to college.[19] Newark Academy offers coursework leading to 21 AP exams in all five academic disciplines.

International Baccalaureate

In 1991, Newark Academy became the first school in New Jersey to grant the International Baccalaureate diploma.[20] The I.B. diploma is awarded following successful completion of a rigorous two-year curriculum. There are 80 members of the Classes of 2018 and 2019 are pursuing the full IB diploma. Approximately 90 percent of the Class of 2019 is enrolled in at least one IB course.

College Placement

The most frequently attended colleges for the graduating classes of 2015-2018 are in order: New York University, The University of Pennsylvania, Washington University in St. Louis, Emory University, The University of Michigan, Syracuse University, and Cornell University.[21]

Athletics

The Newark Academy Minutemen[4] compete in the Super Essex Conference, which includes public and private high schools in Essex County and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[22] Prior to the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had previously participated in the Colonial Hills Conference which included public and parochial high schools covering Essex County, Morris County and Somerset County in west Central Jersey.[23]

Newark Academy offers a total of 23 sports programs over the course of the school year.[4]

  • Fall sports: men's and women's soccer, field hockey, women's tennis, men's football, and men's and women's cross country running.
  • Winter sports: men's and women's fencing, swimming, men's and women's basketball, men's wrestling, and women's volleyball
  • Spring sports: golf, baseball, softball, men's and women's lacrosse and track & field, men's tennis.

Middle School students are required to participate in at least one sport each season, although interscholastic competition is not compulsory. Newark Academy's Men's and Women's Tennis programs, coached by William "Arky" Crook, The Star-Ledger Coach of the Decade for the 1990s, have enjoyed success at the state level for years. Students in the Upper School are not required to play a sport but approximately 86% choose to do so.

From 1984 to 1989, Newark Academy was the site of the Livingston Open, a Grand Prix tennis circuit tournament. The Grand Prix was the only professional circuit from 1985 until it was succeeded by the ATP Tour in 1990. The tournament was won by Andre Agassi in 1988, earning him the seventh title in his career.[24]

Publications

Currently, Newark Academy has four publications: the student newspaper, "The Minuteman" in publication since 1941; the newspaper's annual magazine "Minuteman Life"; the yearbook, "The Polymnian"; and the literary magazine, "Prisms". Newark Academy also publishes an alumni magazine, "Lumen", twice a year.

Notable alumni

References
  1. Welcome, Newark Academy. Accessed October 8, 2016.
  2. School data for Newark Academy, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed October 20, 2017.
  3. Quick Facts, Newark Academy. Accessed March 30, 2016.
  4. Newark Academy, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 7, 2015.
  5. General Information, retrieved February 26, 2013
  6. Newark Academy, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed April 19, 2020.
  7. List of Member Schools, New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. Accessed August 13, 2017.
  8. Tuition & Financial Aid Archived 2018-06-21 at the Wayback Machine, Newark Academy. Accessed November 2, 2017.
  9. Warner, Ray. "Newark Academy: '29 vs. '73; Preparing for Princeton", The New York Times, November 25, 1973. Accessed September 12, 2012. "Academy officials say that the school is the seventh oldest independent secondary institution in the nation and the second oldest in New Jersey."
  10. Staff. "The High School Challenge". Accessed July 7, 2012.
  11. https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/s/new-jersey/
  12. https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/m/new-york-city-metro-area/
  13. https://www.newarka.edu/page/about-na/news--social/construction-updates-
  14. "Newark Academy Quick Facts". Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  15. https://newarka.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/85/download/download_1668455.pdf
  16. https://www.newarka.edu/page/about-na/quick-facts
  17. http://maloneschoolsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/MSON-Catalog-2018-19.pdf
  18. "Adding the International Baccalaureate to the Mix". New Jersey School Boards Association. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  19. "About Advanced Placement Testing". Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  20. Newark Academy, International Baccalaureate. Accessed July 22, 2007.
  21. https://newarka.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/85/download/download_2508793.pdf
  22. League & Conference Affiliations 2016-2017 Archived 2012-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 10, 2017.
  23. Home Page, Colonial Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive, as of November 19, 2010. Accessed December 15, 2014.
  24. Livingston, NJ, U.S.A. August 07 - 13 1989, ATP World Tour. Accessed July 8, 2015. As of date accessed, results are listed for 1998-2014 from another tournament under past champions.
  25. Ryan Adeleye, Carolina Tar Heels. Accessed November 13, 2009.
  26. 2015-2016 Homecoming & Reunion, Newark Academy. Accessed August 14, 2016. "Awards presentation and ceremony for 2012 alumni award winners. Join us as we honor Dr. Norm Schafler, Tommy Hennigan '77, Jennifer Choe Groves '87 and Joe Scarlett '62"
  27. Staff. "Newark Academy to Honor Dead", The New York Times, September 13, 1951. Accessed November 2, 2017.
  28. 2013 Commencement Speaker Announced, Newark Academy, April 5, 2013. Accessed August 11, 2013. "Newark Academy is pleased to announce the 2013 commencement speaker. This year, NA will welcome back lawyer, legal crisis manager, consultant, author, weekly political columnist, media commentator and alumnus Lanny J. Davis '63."
  29. Staff. "Leo M. Gordon", Official Congressional Directory, 2007–2008, p. 855, Government Printing Office, 2007. ISBN 9780160788796. Accessed August 11, 2013.
  30. Maynard-Parisi, Carolyn. " Maplewood Rolls Out Red Carpet for Local Movie Stars; Maplewood Theater hosts a premiere of Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, featuring two hometown boys." Archived 2012-12-14 at the Wayback Machine, SouthOrangePatch, June 12, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2012. "South Orange teen Jared Gilman and Maplewood resident Wyatt Ralff, actors in the critically acclaimed Wes Anderson film Moonrise Kingdom, will be on hand for a special local premiere of the film on Thursday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Maplewood Theater.... A 6th-grader at Newark Academy and a student of Acting with Emily on Baker Street, Gilman has been performing for years but this is his first movie role. Not too shabby, considering that his co-stars include the likes of Bill Murray, Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand."
  31. Seeges, Sandy. "Last Open for Gimelstob: New Vernon tennis player has tough match in Roddick", Daily Record (Morristown), August 28, 2007. Accessed September 3, 2007. "The 30-year-old Gimelstob, a graduate of Newark Academy, has known for a while that his career was coming to an end."
  32. Wilson, Dennis. "Matt Gutman to Be Honored by National Football Group", Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times, March 21, 1996. Accessed September 9, 2017. "Westfield's Matt Gutman will be honored by the Essex County Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame at the annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet to be held at Mayfair Farms in West Orange. A senior at Newark Academy in Livingston, Gutman is the Minutemen's honoree for the Chapter's prestigious scholar-athlete awards which are presented to 28 outstanding players who excel not only on the gridiron but also in the academic classroom."
  33. "Justice Alan B. Handler To Retire From the Supreme Court" Archived 2005-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Judiciary, June 4, 1999. Accessed April 27, 2008.
  34. April, Robbie. "West Orange's Maya Hayes is Signed to Sky Blue FC - Women's Professional Soccer Team", TAP into West Orange, February 17, 2014. Accessed April 18, 2020. "Sky Blue FC, a women’s professional soccer team that plays in the National Women’s Soccer League, has announced that it has signed West Orange-born Maya Hayes to a contract.... Also during this time, Hayes played high school soccer for Newark Academy in Livingston."
  35. Litsky, Frank. "The Seoul Olympics; Swimmer Outraces His Past", The New York Times, September 18, 1988. Accessed April 11, 2008. "At the age of 12, Chris Jacobs of Livingston, N.J., tried cocaine for the first time.... When the lost child survived junior high school, his parents enrolled him at Newark Academy, a private day school."
  36. Colonel E. Lester Jones, NOAA. Accessed December 20, 2007. "He received his educational training at the High School in Orange, New Jersey and at Newark Academy."
  37. Kaiser, Robert G. "Stacey Kent: A Name, And a Voice, That Lingers", The Washington Post, April 18, 2004.
  38. Staff. "T. N. M'CARTER SR., FOUNDED UTILITY; Former President of Public Service in Jersey Dies – Lawyer, Ex-Legislator", The New York Times, October 24, 1955. Accessed July 23, 2011. "Mr. McCarter was born in Newark on Oct. 20, 1867. He received his early education at the Newark Academy and prepared for college at Dr. Pingry's School in Elizabeth."
  39. Parker, James. The Old Army: Memories 1872–1918, p. vii., Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN 0-8117-2897-8. Accessed July 21, 2011. "In 1864, James Parker began his schooling at Englewood Academy, Perth Amboy, New Jersey.... Parker, an intelligent individual, was well-educated, attending the Newark Academy; the well-regarded Phillips Academy of Andover, Massachusetts; and the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York."
  40. Friedlander, Eric; and Grayson, Daniel. "Daniel Quillen", Notices of the American Mathematical Society, Volume 59, Number 10. Accessed March 19, 2013. "His mother, in particular, was very ambitious for her sons and sought out scholarships for Dan which carried him first to Newark Academy, an excellent private secondary school, and then (a year before finishing high school) to Harvard, where after his undergraduate degree he became a graduate student working under Raoul Bott."
  41. History of the Treasury: William E. Simon Archived 2006-12-06 at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 29, 2006.
  42. Gus Stager (USA) Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, International Swimming Hall of Fame. Accessed February 19, 2008.
  43. "Memorial Joseph A. Sullivan ’59", Princeton Alumni Weekly. Accessed December 29, 2017. "Bo came to Princeton from Newark Academy, where he captained the football team and excelled in other student activities."
  44. "Richard Thaler '63 Gives Us A 'Nudge'", Newark Academy Outreach, Fall 2009, accessed August 28, 2012.
  45. "Nobel in Economics Is Awarded to Richard Thaler". Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  46. Staff. "Newark Academy begins 215th year", Bernardsville News, September 8, 1988. Accessed March 30, 2016. "The speaker will be the Judge Franklin S. Van Antwerpen, a 1960 graduate of Newark Academy, who was recently appointed a U.S. District Judge by President Reagan."
  47. Ragozzino, Joe. "Jocelyn Willoughby signs with University of Virigina", Essex News Daily, November 20, 2015. Accessed April 19, 2020. "Newark Academy senior Jocelyn Willoughby had cause to celebrate on National Letter of Intent Signing Day this month. Joined by family, friends and coaches, the East Orange resident signed her National Letter of Intent to play basketball for University of Virginia."
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