The Innovation in Teaching and Learning Fellowship Program supports faculty who propose, develop and implement projects seeking to transform the Newark Academy student experience in significant and meaningful ways. Fellows receive financial support and additional resources to help enhance their instructional practice, funded through donations to the endowment. These were the 2025–26 fellows:
Caitlin Ciampaglio
Science Department Chair
Use of Grant: The grant funded the International Baccalaureate (IB) Collaborative Science Project field trip to Hershey Park, on which students from multiple IB science courses conducted hands-on physics experiments on roller coasters and other rides. The grant covered transportation, park admission and specialized equipment including accelerometers, data-logging devices and measurement tools that allowed students to collect real-world data on motion, forces, energy transfer and gravitational effects.
Outcomes: Students who participated showed significantly deeper understanding of abstract physics concepts because they experienced them viscerally — feeling centripetal force on the carousel, observing energy conservation on roller coasters, and calculating the effects of actual G-forces on their bodies. The collaborative experience brought together students from IB physics, IB chemistry and IB biology to see how scientific principles interconnect in real-world applications. In her words: “Receiving this grant was more than just funding a field trip. It was an investment in making science come alive for our students. Watching IB students analyze real acceleration data from a roller coaster they just rode, debating experimental design while still catching their breath from the ride, showed me what authentic STEM education looks like.”
Dr. Moussa Fall
Upper School French Faculty
Use of Grant: With this grant, Moussa traveled to Dakar, Senegal, to learn from peers at Cheikh Anta Diop University and the West African Research Center. The grant was also used to integrate film as a core pedagogical text, shifting toward a more immersive, skills-based, and culturally responsive model of language instruction.
Outcomes: The integration of French films into the curriculum significantly increased student engagement while strengthening linguistic proficiency and intercultural understanding across multiple levels of French instruction. In his words: “When language learning is paired with film, students do not simply study French — they experience it, question it and connect it to the world around them.”
Sarah Fischer
Director of Community Engagement
Sally Toffey Fellow
Use of Grant: The grant allowed Sarah to develop a portfolio-based model for the NA community engagement graduation requirement to expand students’ options for authentically reflecting on both experiential and academic learning. A primary objective was to explore moving from hours-based tracking to outcomebased assessment, in alignment with field best practices.
Outcomes: Students developed deeper reflection and stronger learning outcomes during the pilot of the portfolio based reflection model. In her words: “Receiving the grant allowed me dedicated time to research and design solutions to long-standing challenges within the Community Engagement program. The opportunity to focus on a single initiative, engage in professional development, and develop meaningful solutions was invaluable. Most rewarding was collaborating with students to co-create solutions while supporting their skill development.”