Media Release: Newark Academy Kicks Off its Historic 250th Anniversary Year at The Newark Museum of Art

Livingston Township Councilman Edward Meinhardt and Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon, an alum of NA’s Class of 2002, were in attendance to celebrate the historic milestone.

Newark Academy returned to its origin city of Newark — which was the Academy’s home for 190 years — in honor of its connection to the Brick City. This work includes the recent installation of a new plaque commemorating the school’s founding, which was installed at the site of its first location in the now Harriet Tubman Square, a stone’s throw from The Newark Museum of Art.

Livingston Township Mayor Michael Vieira congratulated Newark Academy on the school’s anniversary. “On behalf of the entire township of Livingston we want to offer our sincere congratulations to Newark Academy on their 250th anniversary celebration. Livingston is honored to be the home town of such an extraordinary school and campus,” he said. 

United States Senator Cory Booker also congratulated Newark Academy in a letter to the school. “Since 1774, Newark Academy has stood as an unwavering pillar of support for its students. Over the years, Newark Academy has expanded, reached its goals, and exerted its efforts to ensure that all are able to learn in an inclusive environment where they are challenged and empowered to change the world around them,” Booker said.

Newark Academy has maintained strong ties to its origin city through several service-based initiatives and curricular activities. Most recently, NA’s Office of Community Service “adopted” and is currently furnishing two apartments in the transitional housing center at the Apostles’ House. It is also in the process of creating a student tutoring program at the Thirteenth Avenue School. At Newark Academy, Humanities Teachers Callie Bond and Jim Coe developed Newark-specific lessons in their American Experience classes which include a field trip to the New Jersey Historical Society for artifact analysis and The Newark Museum of Art for workshops examining African-American history and contemporary art and history around Newark.

Founded in 1774, Newark Academy resided in Newark for 190 years in four separate locations: Harriet Tubman Square; at the intersection of Broad and Academy Streets; at the intersection of High (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard), William and Shipman Streets; and finally along the historic Morris Canal on First Street in the Roseville section, until the building was cleared to make room for Interstate 280 in 1964. That same year, Newark Academy found its current 68-acre home on South Orange Avenue in Livingston, NJ, where it continues to be a leader in independent school education, building upon the legacy of excellence it cultivated while in the Brick City.

For more information about NA, visit www.newarka.edu.