Fascinated by an interview with the playwright ... - Newark Academy

Newark Academy
91 South Orange Avenue
Livingston, NJ 07039
Phone: 973.992.7000
Fax: 973.992.8962
www.newarka.edu
E-mail: outreach@newarka.edu
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outreach
NEWARK ACADEMY
Whether Whether learning learning to prepare fine pastries
or or following following in the the footsteps footsteps of a surgeon, surgeon,
Senior Senior Projects Projects expand expand the the NA NA experience.
experience.
SPRING 2005

SENIOR PROJECTS 2005
Volunteer Work with
During their senior projects, Rebecca Groverman ’05
and Julia Cross ’05 befriended Conrad and Viper, dogs
well on their way to becoming eyes for the blind. As
a witness to the transformation that takes place when
a blind individual gains confidence and independence
through partnership with a dog, Rebecca describes it
as “truly amazing experience.”
in Morristown
Contents
24
26
28
30
Features
16 Senior Projects
A Creative Solution
by Alexandra Mahoney
24 Cooking Class
Emeril’s Got Nothing on Them!
by Debra Marr
26 The Arizona Trip
Twenty-Two Years and Going Strong!
by Alexandra Mahoney
28 An Unforgettable Ride
by Jon Olesky
30 Rebuilding Lives
Tsunami Relief Work in Sri Lanka
by Tracy Robinton ’05
Departments
2 Perspectives
4 Viewpoint
7 NA News
14 From the Archives
34 Alumni Gatherings
35 Class Notes
Check out the latest alumni news! www.newarka.edu
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outreach
SPRING 2005
Elizabeth Penney Riegelman
Head of School
Fred McGaughan
Director of Institutional Advancement
EDITOR
Debra W. Marr
Director of Communications
C ONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Blackwood Parlin Nancy McGaughan
Alexandra Mahoney Keri Nowicki
Ed Manigan John Olesky ’74
Tracy Robinton ’05
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
William D. Green ’69
Chairman
David G. Hardin ’73 Gerald Lustig
Vice Chairman Vice Chairman
Julianne Rose Ernest W. Loesser
Secretary Treasurer
Lynda Baccoli Jonathan D. Olesky ’74
Anne Essner Anita Porto
Randy Frankel Richard Redmond ’77
David N.W. Grant E. Penney Riegelman
Nancy Baird Harwood ’73 John B. Rubinstein ’64
Noreen Hassan Dr. Andrew Senchak
Wayne D. Kent ’85 Robert Silver
Joseph McGrath ’81 Jeff Silverman ’84
Carrie Somberg
Emeriti
Louis V. Aronson II ’41 John L. McGraw ’49
Paul Busse ’38 Robert S. Puder ’38
William D. Hardin ’44 William T. Wachenfeld ’44
ALUMNI BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Leo M. Gordon ’69
President
Need name of VP
Vice President
Scott N. Newman ’73
Secretary
Lance Aronson ’74 Jane Florin Langendorff ’80
Betsy Dollinger Bernstein ’86 Andrew J. Mulvihill ’81
Harris Cohen Richard Rapp ’71
Nita Dang ’90 Jed Rosenthal ’93
Leslie Abney Ford ’74 Amanda H. Rubinstein ’97
Kim S. Hirsh ’80 Van Stevens ’65
Ian Josloff ’90 Richard Szuch ’80
Pamela Helfant Vichengrad ’94
Emeriti
J. Richard Beltram ’41 William C.H. Stroh III ’48
Richard M. Watson ’50
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Abbie Moore Design
PHOTOGRAPHY
Robyn Craig Jerry Millevoi
Outreach is a publication for Newark Academy alumni.
Published by the Office of Institutional Advancement
Newark Academy, 91 South Orange Avenue
Livingston, New Jersey 07039
Telephone: (973) 992-7000, Fax (973) 992-8962
E-mail: outreach@newarka.edu; Website: www.newarka.edu
Readers’ comments are encouraged; please send them to the
editor at the postal or e-mail address above.
Perspectives
FROM THE
Head of School
Each September for the past 15 years, Fred McGaughan, our director of admission, has assured the faculty that he has
assembled the best student body ever. So far, he has been right every year. This summer, Fred has changed hats and
offices to take on the challenge of managing the Academy’s advancement, alumni and marketing endeavors. He will
bring NA’s characteristic combination of intelligence, talent and spirit to his new role. Here’s a taste of his perspective.
Elizabeth Penney Riegelman
FROM THE
Director of Institutional Advancement
Three Cheers for NA!
As most of you know, Newark Academy is a place where hard work meets high hilarity –
I’ve never worked in a place that, at its core, believes so much that life is a joyous experience.
Some great examples of this come from Spirit Week cheers that resound in morning meetings
and pep rallies each October. My favorite cheer involves the cheerleaders exhorting various
constituencies to shout out, “We’re Ready!” This cheer dates back to the early ’90s when
Mary Burg was revitalizing the cheerleading squad. The squad will ask, say, the junior class,
the question, “Juniors, Juniors are you ready?” to which the juniors reply with gusto, “We’re
ready!” But the best, most typically NA-like conclusion to each segment of this cheer is the
funky dance the cheerleaders break into as everyone in the building sings and dances to the
words “Boogie, boogie, boogie, ah boogie down!”
Even Blackie Parlin (or should I say especially Blackie Parlin) gets into the spirit of things. One year he spoke at morning
meeting and taught the community what he considered to be an enthusiastic yet fittingly erudite cheer that went like
this: “Retard them. Retard them. Make them relinquish the ball!” And leave it to the kids to come up with their own
cheers. Our rival may be wearing the color blue while NA sports the red, and in keeping with spirit, sportsmanship, and
of course good humor, the NA students holler, “Red is very good; blue is not so good!”
I share this with you, because as director of institutional advancement, I suppose I’m a cheerleader, and right now NA
faces one of the biggest challenges in the school’s history: We simply must, now, ensure the long-term health of this great
school by building the endowment. Please call us, write us, and visit our school or our website to show your support for
this wonderful place. Are you ready? Then let’s “Boogie Down!”
signature needed
Fred McGaughan
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Viewpoint (of a graduating senior)
SAM WEINREICH ’05
T.C. Abbey Oration at
Commencement
JUNE 12, 2005
TIME DOES SOME FUNNY THINGS TO THE MIND.
IN ANOTHER FOUR YEARS WE WILL HAVE
FORGOTTEN THE THINGS WE VOWED WE’D NEVER
FORGET, AND WE’LL BE LEFT WITH OUR 16 LINES
OF INITIALS AND JIBBERISH, PUZZLING OVER
THEM LIKE HIEROGLYPHICS, LIKE THE KEY TO THE
HEART OF SOME LONG-BURIED CIVILIZATION.
And so it has become of primary importance for me to
take this time to make some accounting of the time I’ve
spent here, while I am still, to some degree, able to do so.
I understand a little bit about the cutting room floor of
human consciousness, and I know that it is only a matter
of time before my subconscious has managed to reduce
the incredibly vivid range of experiences I’ve had here
into a single odious montage, most likely soundtracked
to Blink182. I give most of you around two years before
you’ve convinced yourselves that your lives here really
did revolve around the twin axes of Homecoming and
Prom, and you begin to have more and more trouble
distinguishing your bona fide memories
of high school from the plotlines on
Saved By the Bell. I am not saying that it
is wrong for us to be nostalgic, but it is
important that we know exactly where
we stand. They love to tell you that the
winners write the history books, but
what they forget to mention is that the
winners’ children never once bother to
read them.
And so, Class of 2005, I ask you the only question that
I think can possibly matter at a time like this: what were
you doing all this time? How, honestly, did you spend
your four years as a high school student? Your 1,461
days. Your 35,064 hours. Can you account for all that
time with dances and elections and tests and homework
and parties and dates and all of the other garbage they
told us that high school was all about? I didn’t think so.
So where is the rest of it? Where is all of the time that
seems to have already fallen into the crevices between
neurons? I am going to give you my answer today, but
I sincerely hope that you will, at some point, take the
time to arrive at your own conclusions.
For my part, I spent the overwhelming majority of my
high school years – of my entire childhood, in fact – in
one of the following two conditions: (1) I was bored
(2) I was waiting for something to happen.
does
funny things
to the mind.
‘‘Time
So let’s take a moment to admire boredom for a little bit.
Only in a bizarre place like modern America would I feel
the need to defend my favorite state of mind. Because
only a nation as strange as ours would manage to arrive at
the very odd idea that that which is boring is automatically
not worthwhile. In this culture of instant gratification we
have a tendency to plot our lives like action movies: we
rush around all day doing “interesting” things (usually
involving explosions and vast quantities of hair gel) and
then arrive at a whole that is completely devoid of value.
Which is why I believe that it is boredom that creates the
value in our lives. Think about the friends you have made
here – how would you characterize the
ones that are the very closest to you?
They are the people with whom you
spend time almost by default, when
there’s nothing else going on. They are
’’
the ones into whose houses you walk
uninvited. In short: they are the ones
you enjoy being bored around the
most. I’d like to tell one story that I
think may illustrate my point. It takes
place, as it happens, during a speech – freshman year
convocation, in fact.
I had the good fortune to be sitting next to a dear friend
of mine who is now sitting among you. Alas, we were not
then the fully developed paragons of wisdom and virtue
that stand before you today. Around the 25th minute of
our distinguished speaker’s speech, we looked at each
other. We were bored. With the skill born of long practice,
we took stock of the resources at our disposal. They were
slim. We had the change in our pockets and the light
brown programs they gave us at the door. Wordlessly,
my friend took his program and deftly folded it into a
kind of origami bowl. Wordlessly, I took the bowl away
from him. I then tore my program into a bunch of
triangles of light brown oak-tag and put them all into
his bowl. I took one and put it into my mouth, and then
offered the bowl back to him. He took one, bit into it,
and grinned at me. By the conclusion of convocation,
5

6
we had eaten every one of our improvised corn chips.
I share this anecdote with all of you as a way of telling
you that these are the moments to treasure in high school
– these are the things that are lasting, and valuable, and
permanent: not the things that we did because we had
to, but the things we did when we had nothing else to do.
I would be remiss if I failed to address the academic
portion of our stay at the Academy, but surprisingly it
is here that I do not exactly know what to say. It is as
if I have been called upon to speak about my hair color,
or my height. The education I have received here has
become such an integral part of my
sense of myself as a human being
that I can no more imagine being
without than I could imagine
being deaf or blind. I can, however,
at least speak for all of us when I
thank our teachers for making us
the people we are today. We
walked into high school bored,
a statue
from one side
of campus to
‘‘Move
the other...
yes, and waiting for something to
happen to us. We walk out men
and women with a sense of purpose and a sense of our
place in the world. You are the ones responsible for providing
us with that. Our professors may give us jobs and
careers, but I don’t think any of us will ever again have our
minds so thoroughly shaped, molded, and recast – at least
until we get married.
And now we are going off to college. Not only will we be
learning with our new communities, but we will be living
with them, and thus every one of the non-events that
form our life will occur within their figurative walls. This
makes it all the more important that we learn how to
spend the vast amounts of time in which there is nothing
particular going on. Frankly, I have been pretty unimpressed
with some of the college campuses I’ve visited. I’ve seen a
lot of students who seem more preoccupied with protecting
their grade-inflated GPA’s from actual academic standards
than with doing anything interesting. I guess not everyone
is as adept at being bored as all of us. But just in case
you’ve forgotten what you’ve learned here, I’ve decided to
take some time to give you just four suggestions of things
to do and not do in college when you’re bored.
1) Change something. Move a statue from one side of
campus to the other if you have to.
2) Many of your schools have an endowment of over a
billion dollars that it invests in a variety of ways. That is a
whole lot of money, and such sums of money can impact
the world. Have an opinion about what your school does
with its endowment. Does it support
industries with oil policies that will be
unsustainable for our generation? Maybe
(gasp) write somebody about it.
3) Read something worth reading.
’’
4) Get outside. If you’re going to school
in a city, see a play. If you’re not, go for
a hike.
5) Don’t watch television. It’s a narcotic.
I’ve made it this far in my speech without invoking a
single dead white guy, but I’m about to break the streak
by appropriating the words of the great 20th century
philosopher-poet John Lennon. He said: “Life is what
happens while you’re busy making other plans.” If I
could ask you to take one thing from your four years here,
I would ask you to remember that life’s waiting rooms are
just as formative experiences as its doctors’ offices. That’s
the way I’ve come to think of high school – as one gigantic
waiting room. We were each thrown together by chance
with 97 other individuals who just happened to have
the same appointment time – 5:30 p.m. on June 12, in
the year 2005. The classics were our magazines, and the
chairs were just as uncomfortable as they always are. And
so, to the Newark Academy Class of 2005 AD, I have
only one thing left to say: the doctor will see you now.
NA News
Acting Governor Richard Codey
Addresses Newark Academy Graduates
Richard Codey, Acting Governor of the State of New Jersey, delivered the
commencement address to 98 graduates during the June 12th ceremony
in the Simon Family Field House.
Codey, a champion for health care and mental health issues, and an advocate
for education and the rights of women and minorities, began his career in
state government as an assemblyman in 1973 at the age of 26. In 1981 he won
election to the State Senate, and in November 2003 he was elected to the
Office of Senate President.
When Governor James McGreevey resigned last year, Codey, as Senate
President, assumed the powers and responsibilities of the Office of Governor.
In this capacity, he has worked diligently to restore integrity, stability and a
sense of purpose to the governance of New Jersey.
He has made ethics in government a primary focus of his administration’s
policy agenda and has insisted that his fellow legislators heed the demand of
our citizens for accountability and credibility in the institutions and people
entrusted with governing our state.
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THE BENEDICTION
by Emily Litwin ’05
A traditional benediction is a blessing,
a prayer. While Newark Academy has
no religious affiliation, we should not
deny ourselves a moment of idol
worship as we sit at the feet of our
beloved teachers — our mentors and
our friends. One of the greatest
things about this school is the number
and breadth of its gurus: from
the intellectual sages to the artistic
virtuosos to the dodge-ball masters,
we’ve got them all.
If we take with us the wisdom and
common sense our teachers have
proffered, we will have gone a far way
towards immortalizing them. My wish
today is that for the next four years
— for our whole lives, really — we can be
in a place as open and as generous
as NA, a place committed to learning
and to the benefits of community.
Class of 2005
COLLEGE DESTINATIONS
Ryan Adeleye
Davidson College
Richard Ainsley
University of Durham (UK)
Jonathan Allocca
Fordham University
Corinne Almquist
Middlebury College
Faryn Altschuler
Cornell University
Jenna Bagnoli
University of Southern California
Betina Bethlem
University of Pennsylvania
Sam Birnbaum
Carleton College
Danielle Blake
University of Pennsylvania
Michael Calcara
Wake Forest University
Jason Cali
University of Pennsylvania
Erin Calma
Carnegie Mellon University
Christina Capatides
Georgetown University
Jason Chan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Julien Cobert
Duke University
Catherine Coggeshall
Wake Forest University
Arielle Confino
Washington University in St. Louis
Annie Connors
Boston University
Juliane Corman
Barnard College
Julia Cross
New York University
Ashley Cyburt
University of Richmond
Brendt de St. Paer
University of the South
Daniel Deraney
State University of New York-Albany
Komal Desai
George Washington University
Sarah Dobro
Skidmore College
Pallavi Doddakashi
University of Maryland-College Park
Jacquelyn Dorsky
Brown University
Bridget Duffy
Philadelphia University
Avi Dunn
Johns Hopkins University
Serena Eber
Wilkes University
Jaclyn Emanuel
University of Miami
Alice England
Sheffield University (UK)
Yulian Fedulov
Carnegie Mellon University
Brett Finkelstein
Brown University
Johanna Flyer
University of Rochester
Daniel Forman
George Washington University
Mark Fritze
Gettysburg College
Gregory Fullenkamp
Union College
Gabriel Gaviola
Georgetown University
Kimberly Goldfarb
Lehigh University
Robert Gordon
Harvey Mudd College
Jake Gorelov
Williams College
Jamal Gorrick
Harvard University
Rebecca Groveman
Mount Holyoke College
Aviad Haimi-Cohen
Brown University
Samy Hamdouche
Stanford University
Lawrence Jewkes
Aston University (UK)
Michael Khidekel
School of Visual Arts
Sarah Kirk
Middlebury College
Priya Kothari
Carnegie Mellon University
Daniel Kott
Washington University in St. Louis
Brandon Lawrence
University of Virginia
Max Levy
Virginia Technological University
Emily LiMandri
Johns Hopkins University
Emily Litwin
Carleton College
Jason Luks
New York University
Melissa Mandelbaum
University of Maryland-College Park
Molly McGaughan
Hamilton College
Christine McKeon
Barnard College
Joli McTerrell
Temple University
Arunima Mekala
Syracuse University
Kristen Mulgrew
Hampshire College
Bobby Oboodi
Cornell University
Eva Olesky
Cornell University
Timothy Orr
Yale University
John Ostrow
Bucknell University
Sean Payne
Stevens Institute of Technology
Jacqueline Peyser
Cornell University
Elizabeth Pfeffer
Colby College
Michael Pickoff
Sarah Lawrence University
Naveen Reddy
Boston University
Matthew Reichel
Brown University
Julia Reisen
Oberlin College
Christopher Resler
Amherst College
William Richardson
University of Richmond
Tracy Robinton
Cornell University
Odette Rodrigues
Harvard University
Jordan Rose
Dartmouth College
Nicholas Schifano
Villanova University
Ariel Schvarcz
Emory University
Amy Sherman
Lehigh University
Justin Silver
Tufts University
Scott Simontacchi
Vanderbilt University
Jenna Slutsky
Barnard College
Jacquelyn Snyder
Skidmore College
Sarah Stewart
University of Pennsylvania
Adam Subhas
Haverford College
Nina Suda
Columbia University
Sarah Taylor
Drew University
Timothy Ullmann
Northwestern University
Daniel Urban
Columbia University
Douglas Vollmayer
Pennsylvania State University
Melina Ward
Middlebury College
Samuel Weinreich
Williams College
Stephen Wentz
Wake Forest University
Christine Werner
Lehigh University
Adam Yeung
Lehigh University
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PERFORMING ARTS
A Funny Thing Happened
On the Way to the Forum
On March 3, 2005, the play A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum returned to the NA stage after 32 years. The first production was
directed by former faculty member Hampton Abney and featured Nancy
Baird Harwood ’75 in a leading role. Nancy is currently a member of NA’s
board of trustees.
The spring 2005 production was directed by Scott Jacoby and featured
several faculty and staff members, along with a very talented cast led by
Michael Pickoff ’05, Corinne Almquist ’05, Ted Gibson ’06 and Scott
Simontacchi ’05. Despite challenges from Mother Nature, the show must
and did go on... and it was spectacular!
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was originally a book
written by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbert. The real funny thing is that
Burt Shevelove was an NA graduate, Class of 1933.
Former cast members, from the 1973 production, were invited to this
year’s performance. Suzanne Citron Pitts ’73, who played the role of
Gymnasia, fondly recalled:
1973
...32 YEARS LATER
My career on stage began when I was one of the
Kent Place girls that came over to try out for the
Variety Show of 1969. This was back in the day
when Newark Academy was all boys and had to
import the (female) talent. Although my part as a
“chorus girl” was not spectacular, a truly spectacular
thing did occur. I fell in love with the stage, Newark
Academy, and mostly the stage manager, Doug Pitts.
I transferred to NA in 1971 when it went co-ed and
have such great memories of Li’l Abner, Music Man,
Forum, and all the fun in everything Hampton
Abney produced and directed.
2005
1973
1973
1973
2005
Tony Argibay ’09 presents
athletic equipment to the
school principal as a show
of gratitude for the tour and
cultural exchange
For many years, Newark Academy students have traveled
on school sponsored spring break trips. Of the nine trips
conducted this past year, Señor Gomez’s trip to Costa Rica
was one of two international trips, and the only trip that
was open to middle school students.
Since Señor Luis Gomez joined the NA community in
September 1992, he has organized and led a total of
11 trips to several different Hispanic-American countries.
This year was the
SPRING BREAK
A Costa Rican Journey
with Señor Gomez
by Keri Nowicki
third such venture
to Costa Rica and
involved the largest
group in Señor’s
history – more
than 40 students
from grades six
through nine.
The group traveled
to four different towns, each in a different ecological area.
The first day was spent at the capital city of San Jose,
followed by two days at La Fortuna, in the valley of
volcanic mountains, then on to the Pacific beach resort
of La Fiesta in Puntarenas, and finally to the mountain
town of Monteverde, on the edge of the Cloud Forest.
One of the highlights was the tour of a typical Costa Rican
high school, La Fortuna Secondary School. Our group
of students was divided into smaller groups and given
tours of the academic school led by their Costa Rican
contemporaries, followed by a trip down the road to
check out the school farm.
While the merit of the athletic teams’ spring trips is
evident – they serve as valuable pre-season training
opportunities – international trips give students the
opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture
and experience the language in a way that cannot be
taught in a classroom. And by traveling within several
different ecological environments, as Señor Gomez’s
groups do, the students not only experience different
ecosystems but learn about the socio-economic diversity
within the country, as well.
During the tour of La Fortuna Secondary School, NA
students were given the chance to interact with the Costa
Rican students on a personal level, giving them a raw view
of life outside of the United States. At first glance, life in
Costa Rica may seem unfortunate, with the imposing, steel
security fence around the school ground and the notion of
secondary school itself being optional, but after getting to
know their tour guides, Newark Academy students learned
that the Costa Rican students do not consider themselves
under-privileged. Charlotte Rosen ’08 summed it up
well, “Though they were poor in supplies, their way of
life was pure and rich.”
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Faculty Focus
Lee Abbey, humanities department chair, was this year’s
summer sabbatical recipient. He plans to explore the
origins of the Industrial Revolution in his travels to
Great Britain.
Stephanie Acquadro, upper school English and film teacher,
traveled to Paris to explore the landscape of French film classics.
Dan Erlandson, AP/IB environmental studies teacher,
has earned a grant from Earthwatch to study biodiversity
in Africa.
At the end of this past academic year, Mary Helen
Emmerich closed the payroll book for the last time. After
29 years in the business office at Newark Academy, Mary
Helen looks forward to enjoying more time with her
growing family. She will be missed by the NA community.
Those sentiments are reflected in the recollections of two
of her longtime colleagues:
From Sam Goldfischer, Director of Business and Finance:
“Four heads of school... four business managers... hundreds
of employees... thousands of students. Mary Helen
Emmerich has served them all – with a positive attitude,
a kind word and a smile. Newark Academy has been as
much a part of Mary Helen’s life, as much a part of her
sleepless nights and as much a part of her pride, as her
husband, three daughters and 10 grandchildren have been.
When I arrived at the Academy in December 1991, Mary
Helen lent an experienced shoulder. Since then, she has
lent me her ear in crisis and her wisdom when I’ve been
faced with a dilemma. On good days and bad, we’ve
Mary Helen Emmerich is Moving On
Lydia Masterson and Carol Spooner recently traveled
to Colorado for an intensive workshop on counseling
and peer leadership strategies.
Fred McGaughan, formerly the director of admission,
has been appointed director of institutional advancement
and Kathleen Cronheim has been named
associate director of institutional advancement. The
admission office will now be directed by Kathleen
Sigrist, a three-year veteran of the Newark Academy
community.
Science teacher Sandy Palmer and her husband
welcomed their first child into the world on April 25
– a beautiful baby girl, Willow Maxine.
Blackie Parlin and his wife, Joan, traveled to Morocco
in June as part of a travel grant awarded to Blackie
two years ago for completing his 45th year of teaching
at the Academy.
David Pasquale, English teacher and head coach of
Newark Academy’s basketball and baseball teams,
has accepted a position as athletic director at Gill
St. Bernards School, beginning in September 2005.
The Business Office Team:
Sam Goldfischer, Mary Helen Emmerich,
Sandy Marano, Keri Nowick
worked side by side and throughout it all, she has freely
extended her friendship and her loyalty. It’s amazing to
think that her 29-year career at NA all began with a phone
call to a “Temp” agency.”
From Sandy Marano, Business Office Assistant:
“When some people are having a difficult time falling
asleep at night, they count sheep. Since coming to
Newark Academy, I count Mary Helen’s grandchildren,
recalling their names and the families they belong to!
Mary Helen has been such a strong, wonderful friend
during my nine years in the business office. At difficult
times, she always put things into perspective with her
often repeated phrase: ‘In 10 years is this going to matter
to you?’ I will truly miss her daily friendship and advice
and wish her all the beauty and happiness a retirement
with the one you love has to offer.”
We wish you good health and a joyous time in your
retirement!
The 2005 spring varsity boys and girls athletic
teams produced two team records and two winning
playoff trophies.
The boys tennis team won the State Non-Public B trophy
for the 27th consecutive year and climaxed their record
run with a Tournament of Champions victory, their third
straight overall tennis championship. NA has won this
trophy eleven times since it was inaugurated in 1992.
In achieving these milestones, the boys completed
a sterling 29-0 record and presently boast a 68match
unbeaten streak.
The boys baseball team continued its
winning ways with a 19-11 record this
year, which included a 10-2 victory over
THE SPORTS REPORT
End of Year Highlights
Princeton Day School for the State Prep B title and an
appearance in the State Non-Public North B championship
game against Paterson Catholic.
Two of NA’s girls varsity teams set records for victories
this spring. The lacrosse team had an all-time best record
of 10-6 and played very competitive games against Top
Twenty opponents Ridge, Oak Knoll, Kent Place and
Pingry. The softball team established a new singleseason
mark for wins with a 16-9 record,
including a victory in the first round of
the North Non-Public B softball playoffs.
Overall, our spring athletic teams
achieved a very successful cumulative
won loss record of 91-60.
Congratulations to all of our athletes and coaches for a job well done!!
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From the Archives
The
play, which will no longer be on Broadway when
this column appears, centers on the conflict between
Sister Aloysius, the head of a Catholic grammar school,
and Father Flynn who is suspected by Sister Aloysius of
having an improper relationship with a young altar boy.
I have nothing to say here about the central issue or the
plot; my focus is on Sister Aloysius.
Sister Aloysius sees her young charges as willful, the fruit
of Original Sin, despicably in need of suspicious oversight
and use of the switch. When a young teacher reports that
a boy has had a severe nosebleed, Sister Aloysius suspects
that the bleeding was self-inflicted for some devious
Learning Not To Be
Sister Aloysius
by Blackwood Parlin
Fascinated by an interview
with the playwright and
actors in “Doubt,” I went
to see the play, with
no thought that I would be
prompted to a number
of recollections of my student
and early teaching years.
purpose. She counsels the young teacher to cultivate
sternness and is proud that the students are in terror
of her. She is magisterial, humorless, menacing, and
a believer in corporal punishment. Affection, love, and
compassion are alien to her manner. In her narrow
way she wants what she thinks is best for her students,
but she shows no hint of fondness for any of them.
I had a few such troglodytes as teachers and as teachercolleagues
at the outset of my professional career. Most
of my teachers in my boys’ school threw objects in class –
erasers, chalk – and Mr. Cornet, in times of extreme
provocation, would throw the Bible. However, most of
the masters
had a sense
of humor, so
if they hit
a student
between
the eyes
with an
eraser,
they could
graciously accept appreciative
applause from the class. But there
were mean ones. And at NA, too.
When I started teaching, I had very clear intellectual
goals for my classes. When a friend asked me my goals
in my first week of teaching United States history, I said
I wanted to make clear the philosophical differences
between the world views of Thomas Jefferson and
Alexander Hamilton. I still think that is an excellent
intellectual beginning for United States history.
I had given no thought, however, to what I wanted my
personal relationship to the students to be. Early on I
threw a few pieces of chalk and erasers, because that
was my model. And I remember that my first, very first,
words to my senior class were, “Listen carefully, and I’ll
tell you how to pass the course.” I knew I had scared a
lot of them and that seemed perfect.
My teaching philosophy was shaped by three events early
in my career. Once, when I had lunch with the saintly
Otto Huddle, I asked him to give me his best advice
derived from a long and distinguished teaching career. He
thought a long time and said, “Just when you feel you’d
like to kill a kid, sit down and talk; you’ll never
feel the same after the talk.”
Then, there was my encounter in the first week with
_______. I’ll call him “T” for “tough.” In one class, “T”
kept putting his feet up on the seat of the student in front
of him. Frequently, he deliberately kicked the rear of the
student. “T” was totally unresponsive to my subtle
communiqués of displeasure, rolling eyes, a disapproving
gesture. So, without missing a beat of my learned lecture
on Jefferson’s considerable trust in the goodness of man’s
nature, I kicked “T” very fiercely in the calf. I was pleased
that for the rest of the class “T’s” torment of the classmate
ceased. After class, however, “T” confronted me. He towered
over me, and his chest kept pushing me back, and he said
with a threatening tone, “Don’t ever kick me again.” I
confess here for the first time that “T” scared me. I gulped
and managed to say with a tone of menace, “And don’t
you ever again put your feet up on the seat of another
student.” My heart was racing; I was scared; I should have
gotten an Academy Award for faking fierceness.
At home I sat late into the evening, smoking (yes, another
confession) and reflecting on the episode. I started by
thinking, “I don’t kick people; that’s not me. I don’t even
throw chalk at people. Why am I taking this posture in
my classroom?” When I went back to school the next
day, I was well on the way to defining the style of teacher
which I wanted to be. Thank you, “T” – you helped me.
Finally, in my first year, a group of seniors confided in
me that their friend “W” was into heroin and they asked
for my help. I knew about heroin only because I had read
the Autobiography of Malcolm X which described Malcolm’s
early years in Harlem. In my helpless and naïve way I
tried to help “W” and remained a friend until he ultimately
took his own life some years later.
Again, I remember with great immediacy my late evening
pondering and the realization that sometimes the great
philosophical conflicts of history don’t mean a damn, and
what is essential is that a teacher embrace a student with
affection. In the play Doubt there is a masterful portrayal
of a young nun, Sister James, who has the instinct for this
cardinal principle of teaching which Sister Aloysius tries
to bully out of her.
All fine teachers sometimes need a bit of the magisterial
power of Sister Aloysius but must never surrender the
instinct which Sister James had – to regard the student
with affection. NA 15

16
A CREATIVE SOLUTION
by Alexandra Mahoney
From trading on the floor of
the stock exchange to observing
a laparoscopic cholecystectomy,
from scuba diving four miles off
the Jersey coast to accompanying
a field representative from the
Screen Actors Guild on the set
of “The Sopranos” – senior
projects at Newark Academy
present an extraordinary
opportunity to experience life
and pursue dreams beyond the
academic realm.
senior projects
An Idea Was Born
The History and Philosophy
of NA’s Senior Project
“The senior project was born in the early ’70s as both a solution
and an opportunity,” explains John Limmer, one of two faculty
founders of the senior project tradition at Newark Academy. The
“solution” part addressed the problem of teaching seniors in
the spring after they’d gotten into college: it just wasn’t working.
The “opportunity” part spoke to an educational philosophy, more
prominent during the early 70’s, that embraces the importance of
learning outside of the classroom. Getting students out from
behind their desks and into the world was a fundamental part
of the philosophy behind the value of the senior project, and it
remains so today.
“It was in the air,” says Joe Borlo, the other faculty founder, referring
to the educational climate of the ’70s in which both students and
institutions were willing to take risks in hopes of finding innovative
and exciting ways to educate young people. The idea of a spring
project initiated autonomously by the senior and conducted offcampus
was drifting about the independent school circuit at the
time. Apparently Newark Academy sometimes likes to boast that
it was the first independent school to employ a senior project
program, but this assertion cannot be proven.
Still, the idea was controversial: many teachers thought such a
nebulous plan a waste of time; students ought to be in class.
The very first incarnation of the senior project consisted of minicourses
which offered non-traditional subject matter, like writing
a science fiction novel or building a bird-house. This idea failed,
though, because the essential problem of keeping a senior happy
and engaged during the final months remained.
Some Faculty Favorites
• Shadowing a surgeon
• Biking in China
• Interning with a massage
therapist
• Serving as a volunteer fireman
• Learning equine massage
• Canoeing the Delaware
• Investigating the 1906 San
Francisco earthquake
• Working on the floor of the
New York Stock Exchange
• Assisting a wild animal
veterinarian
• Researching dolphins in
Florida
• Interning for the Daily Record
• Living in a convent
• Producing a CD in a recording
studio (a group project)
• Working for the Georgia Sea
Turtle Conservation
SENIOR PROJECTS
17

From Blackie Parlin on his
son’s senior project
“My son, Andrew Parlin ’79, wanted
to experience a utopian commune.
He made contact and spent a week
or so on each of two, The Farm in
Tennessee and a Christian commune
founded in Georgia in the 1940s by
a bi-racial group. I knew that on The
Farm there would be “hippie types”
and wondered about drug use.
I called the local sheriff, explained
my son’s assignment and purpose and
then said, ‘I trust my son’s maturity
and ability to take care of himself, but
I want to know if there is danger on
The Farm.’ He said, ‘Well, Suh, I hate
to tell you but there is some marijuana
in every community these days, but
the folks on The Farm are good-hearted
and your boy will be safe.’
Andy found both communal societies
to be fascinating in their organization,
leadership and policies, but he
discovered that communal living was
not for him.”
“The senior project offers the opportunity to learn about a new and exciting
enterprise or activity, in depth, for up to four weeks. In taking up such an
opportunity with both enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility, seniors will have a
chance to test themselves against the world in a significant way,” states the
2005 Senior Project pamphlet. Sometimes the new and exciting enterprise unexpectedly
becomes a first stepping stone on a path of personal or professional significance
as the graduate moves from Newark Academy’s community into the larger world.
a utopian commune
“We needed to do something for them,” explains Joe, hitting
on another fundamental element of the senior project idea.
In its conception, the project respects rather than limits
the senior poised uniquely on the cusp of independence
and adulthood. His duties to his academic education are
complete, and he anticipates the challenges and joys of
college life a few months away. A 1979 document explaining
the senior project guidelines states:
“Each high school wrestles with the problem of providing
a productive and meaningful experience in the spring for
seniors who have been accepted to college. Your thoughts
look ahead to the future and the routine of classes seems
unimportant. Newark Academy believes that the senior
project is a creative solution.”
The document acknowledges the uniqueness of the spring
senior’s mentality and describes an opportunity tailored
especially for this potentially fertile mindset.
So Headmaster Bradford and Assistant Headmaster Manning
agreed to the experiment. The senior project was initially
voluntary; it became a graduation requirement in 1975.
And thus a thirty-year tradition was born.
Into Practice
The senior project survives into the 21st century and,
thankfully, remains true to its roots both in philosophy and
structure despite our more conservative times. Certainly
the parameters of what is permissible have evolved a bit.
Students are no longer allowed to hitchhike to Nova Scotia.
The project’s objectives, however, remain the same: the
experience offers students an opportunity to do something
they would not ordinarily be able to do and/or it offers
students an opportunity to explore a potential professional
interest. John Limmer affirms that we value both approaches,
the creative and the practical.
In fact, the nature of the project is more process-oriented
than product-focused. The challenge for seniors of initiating
an idea, finding a reliable sponsor, and completing the
project’s requirement remains at the heart of its merit.
This process generally brings a multitude of obstacles and
a frequent need for revision. Even projects which might
not necessarily make an engaging magazine article fulfill
the objective of allowing seniors to “test themselves against
the world in a significant way,” as the 2005 Senior Project
pamphlet states, through the process of generating and
executing their project.
The project contains some general guidelines. A student
may not work for a family member. A project “must have
the promise of personal growth and learning,” as stated
again by the current pamphlet. Cleaning out an uncle’s
attic (a VERY early proposal) lacks a certain educational
component. Students must have adult supervision in some
form when devising an outdoor experience. Inexperienced
students who, camping by themselves, getting caught in
rain, contracting dysentery and returning two days later,
certainly learned something but didn’t follow through with
their plan. Today students can travel with an organization,
like Outward Bound or the National Outdoor Leadership
School. Mr. Parlin laments these restrictions on outdoor
experiences, as he fondly remembers students in the ’70s
independently biking or canoeing along the eastern
’93
Suzanne Paragano-Gawron ’93
Senior Project: Intern for a
Radio Station
While the daytime hours at WDHA
weren’t all that exciting – copying and
gopher tasks and such, it was Friday
night Metal Night with Cheryl Richards
from 10-12 pm and the Saturday night
All Request Show with Manny Glynn in
the same time slot that really made the
project interesting. Suzanne was able
to work in the control room with the
hosts, answering phones for requests
and occasionally getting some air time
herself. The leftover concert tickets and
free T-shirts from the DHA van onlocation
give-aways weren’t bad either.
This experience created networking
opportunities, Suzanne attests, and also
provided some tricks of the trade that
she took into her job at college where
she worked at the campus radio station.
“At DHA I learned things like different
ways to talk so I wasn’t ‘umm’-ing and
‘ah’-ing all the time,” Suzanne recalls,
after putting her toddler down for a nap.
“I was able to go on-air immediately in
college.” Also during college Suzanne
worked as a summer intern at Mercury
Records in the publicity department.
After graduation and before motherhood,
Suzanne earned a living booking concerts
for the Agency of Performing Arts,
now called Creative Artists Agency, the
second largest booking company in the
nation. For Suzanne, the senior project
provided the unexpected bridge between
an adolescent obsession with heavy
metal music and the career in the
entertainment industry.
SENIOR PROJECTS
18 19
’79
a radio station

20
Stephanie Reigngold ’04
Senior Project: Making Glass
Beads for Jewelry
“I racked my brain for weeks trying to
figure out something to explore for
my senior project. I wanted to do something
new that I probably would never
have the opportunity to try at any other
point in my life. I came across glassblowing,
which at first sounded exciting,
but later learned I would not really have
a hands-on experience. I then found
Lisa Joy Sachs’ website; she is a jeweler
in Jersey City who makes her own lampworked
glass beads. After I set up an
interview, I realized that this was a
perfect senior project because I would
be making glass beads and even be able
to keep some of them for myself.
I learned how to heat up the glass,
make beads, prevent cracks, and string
together necklaces, bracelets, and
earrings. After taking two classes and
working endless hours in the studio,
Lisa Joy approved of most of the beads
I would make. This meant that my beads
were used in her jewelry and being sold
in necklaces and bracelets at art shows
up and down the East Coast. This was
a wonderful and rewarding experience.
I not only learned how to make glass
beads but gained insight into the art
world and the business world. In addition,
I am now a glass bead maker and
hope to apprentice again next year at
college for a different jeweler.”
glass beads for jewelry
’04
seaboard. Over thirty years, the school has learned,
however, that having a mentor or sponsor gives students
a much greater chance for a rewarding project. The
2005 pamphlet states in bold and italics that “The most
important guideline is that the project involve learning
from a mentor/sponsor who is experienced in the student’s
area of interest.”
Today, projects need to be approved by the upper school
administrative staff. “The project should be a new experience
or an extension of a student’s experience, not a
repetition… A project acceptable for one student, or one
approved in a prior year, may be the right project for
another student.” These guidelines strive to push students
to experiment with new experiences and to take risks in
unfamiliar environments.
The Disappointments
Of course with risk comes the potential for disaster.
More often than disaster, though, a project just doesn’t
deliver on its promises. Perhaps a sponsor doesn’t follow
through. Perhaps a student is used only to complete
boring office filing or other mindless tasks. Faculty member
Cathy Pursell warns seniors, “Only students who have well
thought-out projects and who have planned well in advance
get a lot out of their projects. Also the sponsor or group
the student is working with needs to fully understand the
principles and philosophy behind the senior project.”
Students learn that they cannot always control whether
a circumstance is fulfilling or not. Many learn hard lessons
about the adult world.
(name) ’05
’05
“The senior project experience was an extraordinary look into non-academic life.
The skills I learned are wonderful tools that I will have forever and the taste of
adult life helps me better plan out my future. I thank those at Newark Academy
for entrusting the seniors with such freedoms to pursue our interests in such an
adult manner. This was a unique ending to a beautiful four years of academics.”
Dennis Vasquez ’92, Newark Academy’s college counselor,
expresses remorse about his own lack of creativity
when approaching the senior project requirement in
1992. He worked at his uncle’s dental clinic in Los Angeles,
helping him perform cleanings and exams and such.
Dennis writes,
“In my days, it seemed as if students took the value
of senior projects for granted – it was just another
hurdle and space-filler before graduation. Now, I am
pretty envious of the creative ideas many seniors
come up with to make senior projects actually fun
and productive.”
Sometimes the disappointments are instructional; sometimes
they are just disappointments. The senior project
is not a life-changing event for everyone.
The Surprises
Some surprises look like disappointments. Pegeen Galvin,
who currently monitors the senior projects, remembers
a student who wanted to be an architect. He developed
a project in which he worked in a firm that constructs
architectural models. The student soon discovered that
his hands were simply too big to be able to work with
such small objects.
There is one common type of surprise generated by the
senior project: “You start with one thing,” says Joe Borlo,
“and you come back with another!” Joe remembers a
student who went to live in and study a Zen Buddhist
monastery in New York State. Unbeknownst to the young
’74
social welfare
Dave Hosseini ’74
Senior Project: Exploring a
Variety of Social Welfare Sites
“My senior project could not have been
more prescient in terms of how my later
life would unfold, and also seemed to
be a perfect bookend to a time in my
life that was not always happy.
Because of the generosity shown to me
by Newark Academy faculty members
and especially by a few select non-profit
agencies during the personally trying
times of my adolescence, I thought
that perhaps I would like to enter the
service professions. With the help of
many people, I devised a schedule [for
my senior project] which brought me
to such places as a drug rehab program,
a school for the deaf, a center for
delinquents, and a Bowery mission. All
this was capped by a stay at a spiritual
commune in Canada.
The impressions stuck; I have spent the
last two and a half decades working in
social services, including a 10-year
stint as executive director of a mental
health agency. Currently, I am public
policy advocate for an association of
mental health non-profit agencies. I
remain eternally grateful to Newark
Academy on many different levels.”
SENIOR PROJECTS
21

22
Lindsy Rollenhagen Zook ’93
Senior Project: Living with a
Mennonite Family in
Pennsylvania
“For me, the senior project proved to
be far more than just an NA tradition.
It ended up being a life-changing experience
and one I will always treasure.
Twelve years ago I lived with an Amish-
Mennonite family, the Nissleys, in
Paradise, Pennsylvania to learn about
their community and way of life. I
learned far more than I ever anticipated
I would, and before long I realized that
my senior project would fulfill more
than a graduation requirement.
After graduating from NA, I returned to
Paradise to live with the Nissleys for the
summer before heading to Virginia to
attend Sweet Briar College. I knew that
one day, if possible, I wanted to return
and live in Lancaster County. After four
years at Sweet Briar, one year in Boston,
and six years in Vermont, my prayers
were answered and a dream was fulfilled.
On June 21, 2004, I returned to Paradise
to live. My neighbors are the Nissleys.
On July 30, 2005 I married Jimmy Zook,
a man to whom I was introduced by a
Nissley daughter. On the bottom of our
wedding invitation appeared the verse:
‘The Lord hath done great things for
us; whereof we are glad’ (Psalms 126:3).
Having had the opportunity and privilege
to attend Newark Academy and
benefit from one of its traditions is most
certainly one of those ‘great things.’ My
senior project remains one of my fondest
memories and experiences.”
a mennonite family
’93
man, the monastery ran a chocolate factory, and while he
entered expecting to learn about the somber practices
of Buddhist monks, he, instead, became skilled in the art
of chocolate-making!
Finally, we teachers are surprised. That is, of course,
why we teach. Joe remembers how the project approval
committee wanted to reject a project proposed by a
student who planned to work in the fashion industry.
The committee thought the subject matter was “too
superficial.” The project was approved nonetheless and
the student had a superior experience learning the ins
and outs of the fashion industry.
The range of surprises the project precipitates can hardly
be enumerated here. Feel free to write and tell us what
surprises your senior project has brought you. Sitting in
on advisor groups in the last weeks of school and listening
to seniors tell about hours of monotonous painting at
Habitat for Humanity or showing a close-up, graphic video
of a cat being neutered is very inspirational indeed. In fact,
several summers ago, I searched out a midnight bakery
apprenticeship in artisan bread-making so I could taste a
little bit of the excitement of stepping out of my routine
and my comfortable places to take a risk and discover
something unexpected. I love the taste of a well-shaped
baguette at four in the morning.
Let us not lose the meaning of the lessons the senior
project brings us. As we shape our adult lives around
responsibilities and the familiar, let us step outside those
routines and those tired places, take a risk, and see
what surprises we find.
N A
the new jersey jackals
’98 Justin Michael Petite ’98
Senior Project: Intern for NJ Jackals Baseball Team
Art Wynne ’79
Senior Project: Cross Country Train Travel
When Justin submitted his application for an internship position for the NJ Jackals baseball
team, the stadium wasn’t even built yet. “I loved baseball,” says Justin, “and becoming a sports
manager was a major aspiration at the time.” Justin’s timing for getting his foot into the door
of the world of baseball management could not have been better. Since the stadium was under
construction, Justin filled in wherever there was a need: for a receptionist, a development
person, a salesman. He put in office time answering phones, making cold calls to potential
sponsors, and selling tickets.
Eventually, though, the assistant manager, Hank Manning, needed a clubhouse manager. So Justin took on
responsibility for overall baseball operations, which consisted of, as he explained, “a lotta laundry, bringing
equipment on and off the field, shining shoes, making sure uniforms were in good order, and ensuring a
steady flow of food to hungry ball players.” The reward came in his close interaction with all of the players,
with the excitement of hanging out in the dug out day in and day out.
The unexpected opportunity demanded far more hours than the project required. Justin chose to quit the
Newark Academy baseball team and work for the Jackals beyond the requirements of the senior project. He
was given a paid job through the summer and for the following summer as well. During college he landed
a paid internship working for the Baltimore Orioles, helping with the public relations end of the baseball
machine. And today, though Justin primarily earns a living working as in a different field, he carves out time
to work for the Orioles, operating the scoreboard during home games. As a current member of the production
crew, Justin makes use of the technical skills he learned in college as a computer science major. He enjoys
seeing the game from so many vantage points. Justin’s not hanging out with the players in the dug-out these
days, and the excitement of his role is a little less immediate and a little more abstract. “But the scoreboard
drives the stats of the game,” Justin explains, “and accurate stats are a crucial part of the game.”
“The senior project allows students to ‘try on a career’ when the stakes aren’t high,”
says Dean of Students Pegeen Galvin. “There is a freedom in the senior project:
it doesn’t go on your transcript and it doesn’t have to appear on a resume.”
a train ride
“Given the parameter: Your senior project must involve something you cannot do
in a classroom, five of us (Steve Zargham, Matt Rankin, Jerry Guss, John Rees and I)
left Newark Penn Station to ‘see the USA the Amtrak way.’ We took a three-week train
trip around the country spending time in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New Orleans,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago--not to mention a lot of time on the
train! We even had an unscheduled 16-hour stop in Sanderson, Texas, just north of
the Mexican border, on our New Orleans to Los Angeles leg as a train derailment
ahead of us had closed the track. This gave us a chance to practice some foreign relations
with a group traveling on the train from Switzerland, as well as brush up on the
Spanish lessons we had with Mr. Abney while watching a New York Yankees game
broadcast from Mexico in Spanish. All in all, we had a great time!”
’79
SENIOR PROJECTS
23

24
2005 Cooking Class
Emeril’s Got Nothing on Them!
by Debra Marr
SENIOR PROJECTS 2005
For Jackie Dorsky, Pallavi
Doddakashi, Amy Sherman and Dani
Blake, the quest to find the “right” senior
project evolved in a most unexpected
way. At an NA bake sale fundraiser in
support of Ms. Luxemburg’s advanced
dance class, the girls purchased some
chocolate raspberry brownies that were fantastic. The rich, mouthwatering mounds
of chocolate, teeming with the luscious, savory berries were prepared by pastry
chef Dolly Rosen, mother of ninth grade student, Charlotte. The senior girls,
convinced that they would love to learn how to cook like that, asked Dolly to
sponsor their senior project.
Now for some, the thought of baking brownies and scones might seem
frivolous. Not so, with Dolly Rosen in charge. A graduate of the French Culinary
Institute in New York, Dolly enthusiastically planned a serious curriculum for her
“students” that not only included preparing sumptuous feasts (omelettes, spiced
waffles, cakes, gelato, popovers and cheesecake) but also included taking a number
of field trips (even to see a movie) to expand and enhance the overall experience.
“We visited Raymond’s Restaurant in Montclair, said Jackie, “And when we
took a tour of the kitchen, I was shocked to see how small a space the chefs had
to work in.” Dolly’s kitchen, on the other hand, is of mammoth proportions for a
residential one, but with all the charm of a French bistro. Two large bookcases
overflowed with every type of cookbook imaginable, confirming that an avid cook
lived there. Clearly, Dolly’s home was the perfect venue for the four girls to learn
the art of cooking and Dolly was the quintessential teacher.
Reflecting on her senior project, Pallavi said, “The experience was unbelievable!
From trips to the city to visit a cooking school, the chocolate factory and a cake store,
to the imaginative tea parties and pizza days– I would not have traded projects with
anyone.” Jackie, Amy and Dani agreed that their last experience at NA together was
not only a unique learning adventure but a chance to solidify their friendship before
heading off to different colleges in the fall.
N A
25

26
1974
SENIOR PROJECT 1974
In 1974, the senior project at Newark Academy shared
the same objective that it does today. It had to be a
learning experience in something that you had not done
before. The variety of project ideas for our class ranged
from the practical to the extraordinary. One student elected
to take a course in typing, many others worked in family
businesses and several more, the adventurous types,
mapped out challenging hikes and camping trips. Jeff
Pollack and I agreed to do a project together but the idea
was not entirely our own. In fact, we would become the
unskilled labor in a brilliantly crafted plan conceived by
one of Newark Academy’s most well-traveled, worldly
and gifted thinkers, Blackie Parlin. Our senior project
would be a bike trip. But Mr. Parlin’s idea was not
without a motive!
An Unforgettable Ride
by Jon Olesky ’74
“The Sting”
Mr. Parlin had just bought a new bike, a Schwinn
Paramount, to make a transcontinental trip that
summer. Blackie’s new bike cost what some people
would spend on a nice used car. Of course he needed
to sell his old bike, and that’s where I came in. His
bike was a three-year-old Raleigh Professional with
Campagnola Neuvo Record components and 15,000
miles on it. I was the buyer; a kid new to biking,
who just found out that he needed a good road bike
for his senior project. It was the Newark Academy
senior project equivalent of “The Sting.”
Jeff and I planned a trip that would involve two bikes,
two round-trip plane tickets, two foreign countries,
two international student IDs, over a dozen youth
hostels, one boat ride, one hitched ride in the back of
a tractor trailer (actually the bikes were in the back…
with the beer… we were up front), 250 miles of
cycling, 80 more in a beer-hauling 18-wheeler and,
most importantly, a learning experience in something
that we had not done before.
Biking Through The Netherlands
Our itinerary began at Newark Airport three hours
before flight time. We arrived early, not for security
reasons, but rather to allow ourselves enough time to
pack our bikes in the large cardboard boxes provided
by the airline. In general terms, our trip would take
us to the Netherlands for two weeks and to the
southern part of England for a third. We would fly
into Amsterdam and home from London.
For the entire period, we stayed in youth hostels, where
guests were expected to help with basic chores like
cleaning bathrooms, sweeping floors, preparing meals
and cleaning up. We packed light enough to carry all
of our belongings in two panniers and one handlebar
bag. Breakfast and dinner were served at the hostels
and we bought lunch each day so that we did not
need to carry any food as we traveled.
We mapped out a large clockwise circle through the
Netherlands. Beginning in Amsterdam we headed west
to the coast where the countryside rests dangerously
low against the North Sea. From there we traveled
north, up the coastline and then inland to Den Oever.
There we cycled northeast across one of the world’s
longest dikes, the Afsluitdijk. Over 20 miles long, it
separates the North Sea from the IJsselmeer. Continuing
with our circle, we traveled south into the rolling pine
forests of the Sand Plains, one of the most central
regions in the Netherlands and one of the few that
is above sea level. We passed through delightful little
towns where residents went out of their way to make
us feel welcome. I recall one man who approached us
while we were looking at a map on the side of the
road and offered some freshly baked chicken and
local directions. Both the directions and lunch were
unexpected yet greatly appreciated. He was a complete
stranger and a perfect host. The towns all had
memorable names, some funny and some odd; Sneek,
Wolvega, Meppel, Zwolle, Epe and Arnhem. Arnhem
would be as far south as we would go. From there we
turned right and headed east to the industrial city of
Utrecht, continued on to The Hague and then turned
south for a short leg down to the coastal city of Hoek
Van Holland. There we would get off our bikes and
board a ferry for Dover, England nearly six hours away.
From Dover, we made our way up to London where,
in a completely tourist frame of mind, we stayed for
several days.
The British Route by Train
We were more stationary in England, and if we traveled,
it wasn’t by bike. We were losing our fascination with
biking. Despite all of the “training” that we had done
prior to our trip, we were tired from the last two weeks
of pedaling our 60-pound plus bicycles all over the
Netherlands. We even talked about “accidentally” losing
them in one of Holland’s many inland canals; a freaky
cycling mishap where both bikes would be lost forever
in a watery crash, while both riders escaped dry and
unharmed! We didn’t think anyone would believe us,
but the fictional exercise kept our minds off our growing
dissatisfaction with the sport.
When we found ourselves in the mood to travel again
(by some means other than bicycling), we took the train
from London down to Canterbury, spent the afternoon
visiting all the obvious attractions and caught the last
train back to London at the end of the day. Back in
London we started making preparations for the trip
home. We debated again about leaving our bikes behind
and even though I had just purchased mine from Mr.
Parlin, I was especially tempted, thinking I would be
completely content if I never rode it again. Thankfully,
better judgment prevailed and we brought them home.
The trip was over, it was a fantastic experience but we
were tired – tired of biking, tired of living out of pannier
bags, tired of eating youth hostel food and quite frankly
a little tired of each other. We had met the requirements
of our senior project and we were ready to come home.
Mr. Parlin’s Bike Lives On
Culturally, this trip was a gem. Most unforgettable
were the Dutch and English people, the ones who gave
us directions and food, who shared wonderful stories
about their lives, who always spoke English because
we could not speak Dutch and who made us feel as
welcome as family.
For nearly a year after I was home I did not ride Mr.
Parlin’s bike. We needed a little time apart. I am happy
to report however, that over the past 30 years I have
remained actively involved with cycling and I can thank
Mr. Parlin for sparking that interest in the spring of
1974. I still have his bike. It is a beautiful example of
cycling from a generation ago; the sport and equipment
have changed a lot in 30 years. I have repainted it and
maintain it carefully. It has been with me on dozens
of bike trips throughout New Jersey and New England.
Today the bike has
nearly 30,000 miles
on it and while I own
two newer bicycles, I
still ride Mr. Parlin’s
occasionally. NA 27

28
SENIOR PROJECTS 2005
Almost synonymous with the
senior project is the annual
ARIZONA TRIP
led by John Limmer.
John first took a group of students to the American South West
in 1983. “The core of the experience,” says John, “is to get away
from civilization.” Students learn about an area of their own country
not by passively observing, but by doing and experiencing. John
likes the dramatic difference of the landscape from suburban New
Jersey: “It’s so different it’s almost like another planet.”
twenty-two years and GOING STRONG!
The trip consists of a four-day river jaunt, visits to the “Crown Jewels
of the Southwest,” or Arches, Bryce, and Zion National Parks, and
finally a hike in the Grand Canyon. “The kids think it’s all about
hiking and surviving,” John muses,” but really it’s about gaining
a knowledge of the land, a knowledge of geology, a knowledge of
human history, and a familiarity with the Native American history
of this area in particular.” John says he likes to “sneak in” the
information around the fire at night when the students are all
exhausted and defenseless.
John just completed his 22nd trip and has kept a written journal of
each one. Currently, he is trying to compile a photographic record of
each trip, and he invites people to send in group pictures, particularly
from years ’91–’96.
His 25th anniversary trip is coming soon. Will these trips extend
beyond the 25-year mark? Who can tell? If it’s up to him, John says,
“The kids can’t wear me out! I know how to pace myself. I might
wear them out, but they can’t wear me out!”
Send in your photos and reflections about how much the Arizona
trip has meant to you; perhaps you’ll see them in a 25th anniversary
article in Outreach. Bring it on! NA 29

30
by Tracy Robinton ’05
rebuilding lives
SENIOR PROJECTS 2005
TSUNAMI RELIEF WORK IN SRI LANKA
Fourteen days, 26 people, 98 hours of manual labor and two houses later, my life has been changed
forever. Hours after finishing my last AP exam, I boarded a plane at JFK Airport and, two days
later, arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka. When I filled out my senior project proposal form, I said my
job and goal was to build houses for tsunami victims. However, soon after arriving in Colombo and
driving for hours down the coastline, I realized that a different job needed to be done.
My mother and I joined a group of 24 other volunteers in Sri Lanka, all working with an
international volunteer organization called Global Crossroad. The group consisted of people
spanning a wide age range and hailing from countries like Zimbabwe, Ireland and the United
States. Our initial drive from Colombo to Galle, the city that our project would take place in, was
about five hours long. Sri Lankan roads are governed by no laws or traffic lights but instead by a
lot of beeping horns that seemed to be used for no reason at all other than to disturb
pedestrians and wake sleeping children. Shortly after my arrival in Sri Lanka, I learned that the
“chaos” on the roads is actually tame compared to the disorder wrought by the tsunami.
When the tsunami struck on the day after Christmas, the country of Sri Lanka, along with many
neighboring nations, was left paralyzed. There was no warning and the tsunami struck so quickly
and so hard that nothing could be done. City walls, shops, houses, and just about everything
else in sight was ruined. One colossal wave destroyed parts of Sri Lanka and much of South Asia,
sweeping away dreams and bringing pain and suffering to thousands of people and families.
I saw this devastation on that first drive down the country’s back. The entire coast resembled a
war zone. It was rare to see buildings or homes completely intact; the roads were lined with tents
and filled with rubble.
On the program’s first full day, the project leaders discussed their goal with us: we were to
complete a house and dedicate it. For two weeks, we were on the work site from 8:30 a.m. until
four in the afternoon. The heat was nothing like I had ever experienced; we spent the whole day
in 100-degree weather, with no air-conditioning, fans, or even a breeze to relieve us.
While there were very few skilled workers in the group, by the end of the trip we all had learned
the basic skills to build a house: from digging the foundation to putting on the roof. And we
didn’t work alone: the neighbors, who were victims of the tsunami and had their houses
destroyed and rebuilt by past groups, were there beside us. They provided us with energy by
baking bread and making tea; they provided extra hands and joined in on assembly lines and
with whatever else we needed. Everyday at two o’clock, we were joined by a rush of kids. They
would come in their pristine white school uniforms and start digging and sifting and pitch in to
do whatever else was needed.
Nothing prepared me for what I discovered on my trip to Sri Lanka. The images on television
and in the newspapers do not come close to showing the damage of the tsunami. While six
months have passed since the tsunami hit, a lot has been done but so much more is needed. The
sides of roads remain in shambles; rubble and tents line the streets; the refugee camps provide
little shelter as the heat has displaced people from their tents. The work was intense; no one on
the trip had ever worked that long and that hard in his or her life. I never expected to work so
hard, sweat so much, smell so bad, eat so little and yet I would do it all again.
At the end of the two weeks, we achieved our goal. On the final day, in a very emotional
ceremony, we dedicated the homes to two very grateful families. And in the end, while we gave
these families new homes, I’d also like to think that in a small way we also gave them the ability
to restart their lives. NA rebuilding lives
31

32
Minuteman Golf Invitational
Wild Turkey Golf Club, Crystal Springs Resort
MAY 24, 2005
More than 100 golfers enjoyed a sunny day on the challenging Wild
Turkey Golf Course at Crystal Springs Resort, playing to benefit
Newark Academy. Prizes were awarded to the various foursomes
for longest drive, lowest score, and closet to the pin among others,
while the satisfied golfers enjoyed the cocktail reception. There
were silent auction items including threesomes at Baltusrol,
Hollywood, and other area courses, as well as raffle prizes including
four iPods. Everyone enjoyed the day filled with golf, friendship, and
fun, raising more than $50,000 and making this year’s Minuteman
Golf Invitational our most successful golf outing to date.
4
1
2
3
5
6
7
8
1: Richard Szuch ’80 and
Andy Mulvihill ’81
2: Ian Josloff, Wayne Kent and
Gayle Wieseneck
3: Ed Cohen, Stephen Cohen ‘83,
Harris Cohen ’83 and Robert Mayer
4: Eileen Fishman, Barbara Green,
Betty Newman and Sue Gurtman
5: David Green ’83, Jed Rosenthal ’93,
Reid Rosenthal ’99 and
Jared Kanter
6: Gayle Wieseneck, Jane Florin
Langendorf ’80 and Beth Burns
7: Andrew Neiman, Burton Schlecker,
Scott Newman ’73 and
Mark Schlossman ’76
8: Sam Goldfischer and Lynda Baccoli
opposite page: Stephen Knee ’58,
Fred McGaughan and Peter Behrle ’69
33

34
Alumni Gatherings
Alma Mater
Lunch
NEWARK ACADEMY
EBERSTADT ROOM
APRIL 28, 2005
1: Penney Riegelman and
William Stroh ’48
2: Roger Kopstein ’48 and
Micky Gilman ’47
3: Robert Cronheim ’46,
Alan Moscowitz ’46 and
Donald Holtzman ’46
4: Augustus Baker ’32 and
Harris Cohen ’83
5: Pache Barcliffe ’96 and
George Kondak ’54
3
4
1 2
5