Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020-21 by The Pennington School

Fall/Winter 2020–21

WELCOME 2021 OPENING DURING A PANDEMIC • FOCUS ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION • ALUMNI SURVEY RESULTS

Amazing summer camp experiences designed specifically for students ages 10 to 15+ Summers @ Pennington

offers a wide array of options for children and teenagers with almost any interest under the sun. From improv to photography to soccer to boxing to engineering to robotics to mountain biking to camping—there’s something for everyone! Designed for campers in middle and high school, our specialized small-group summer programs allow students to devote a full week (or more) to a subject that they love. All of our camps are student-centered, providing plenty of personalized attention to every camper. Camps run from June 21 to August 20. Learn more at penningtonsummers.org.

Arts Sports and Wellness Outdoor Adventure STEM ii

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

CONTENTS Cover image by Stephanie Balazsi

Features:

4. R EOPENING THE

PENNINGTON SCHOOL DURING A PANDEMIC:

Learn how the School successfully mitigated the effects of the COVID-19 crisis and remained open for in-person classes all fall.

22. D IVERSITY, EQUITY, AND

INCLUSION AT PENNINGTON:

Integral to the mission and values of our institution, DEI principles are being examined and strengthened in every aspect of our community.

32. B OARDING STUDENTS THRIVE ON CAMPUS:

Residential life benefits not only students, but also the faculty members who live alongside them. And boarding students are uniquely prepared for life at college and beyond.

44. A LUMNI SURVEY RESULTS: Inspiring findings and fresh insights are revealed from the summer 2020 online survey.

Also Inside: 8. New Faculty 12. Special Events 14. Middle School News 20. Fall Play: Twelfth Night 24. Upper School Athletics 30. Homecoming 38. Parents for Pennington News 39. Board of Trustees News 40. Alumni Internship Spotlights 50. Class Notes 61. In Memoriam

Fall/Winter 2020–21 • Volume 61, No. 2 Head of School William S. Hawkey, Ph.D. Editor Lori G. Lipsky Director of Communications and Marketing llipsky@pennington.org 609–737–6156 Communications Team Julia Corrigan, digital media marketing associate Tina Lambdin, graphic designer Emma Wells, communications associate Assistant Head of School for Community Life Chad Bridges Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives Charles D. Brown Director of Admission and Financial Aid Sharon Jarboe Head of the Middle School Chrissie Knight

Contributing Writers Jonell Adu-Gyamfi ’22, Tamara Alito, Margo Andrews, Karen Balerna, Emily Barkley ’21, Chad Bridges ’96, Brooke Buchanan, Jane Bott Childrey ’89, Lexi Childrey ’21, Katelyn Coates, Julia Corrigan, Dolores Eaton, Deborah Fermo, Alex Gutierrez ’21, Caroline Hall, William S. Hawkey, Lisa Houston, Suzanne Houston, Chrissie Knight, Shivant Krishnan ’21, Tracy Kuser, Matthew Lepre ’21, Sammi Moonay ’21, Patrick Murphy ’80, Erin O’Connell, Scott Peeler, Jo Prockop, Alicia Reed, Christina Riso, Jessie Shaffer, Samantha Stern-Leaphart, Erica DeKranes Torsiello ’10, Paige Tourangeau ’21, Cynthia Wallace P’ 20 ’23 ’26, George Ward ’88, Emma Wells, and Susan Wirsig Contributing Photographers Tamara Alito, Margo Andrews, Stephanie Balazsi, Karen Balerna, Jane Bott Childrey ’89, Katelyn Coates, Julia Corrigan, Dolores Eaton, Caroline Hall, Lisa Houston, Jim Inverso, Chrissie Knight, Tracy Kuser, Carol Lipson, Keri Marino, Wendy Morris, Patrick Murphy ’80, Erin O’Connell, Oliva Schroeder-Positano ’21, Tim Scott, Jessie Shaffer, and Susan Wirsig Printing Prism Color Corporation

The Pennington School 112 West Delaware Avenue, Pennington, NJ 08534 609–737–1838 www.pennington.org All materials copyright © 2021 by The Pennington School unless otherwise noted. The cupola logo is a registered trademark of The Pennington School. The Pennington School®, registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Opinions expressed in Pennington Magazine are those of the authors, not necessarily those of The Pennington School. The Pennington School admits students of any race, religion, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, physical disability, national and ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and financial aid programs, employment policies, and athletic and other schooladministered programs.

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LETTER FROM THE

HEAD OF

SCHOOL

This year, we faced one of the greatest challenges that we have had to face in our long and storied history—determining how to safely reopen our campus during a worldwide pandemic. As we began planning for our 183rd year at Pennington last spring, I must admit that it felt a bit daunting. We had to consider every aspect of health and safety for all constituents of our community, we had to reinvent our daily schedule, and we had to figure out the technology that would ensure every student had the best possible access to our teachers—all while offering our full curriculum and remaining committed to our mission of developing individual excellence in all of our students. In these pages, I hope you will discover all the ways in which our students, teachers, staff members, parents, and alumni were a part of this successful endeavor. We continue to face every challenge together, with our core values to steer us. Honor, virtue, and humility are the values that serve as guideposts for us—both in times of crisis and in times of calm. It felt incredibly joyful to be able to welcome students back to campus this fall. Despite the masks and social distancing, it was wonderful to see classrooms back in action! I believe I speak for everyone in the Pennington School community when I say that I will never again take a day on campus for granted. I am grateful for all of the planning and new technology that allowed every teacher to include all of our students in the classrooms, even if they are learning from home, and for our parents and donors, who make the Pennington experience not only possible but also outstanding—even during a crisis. In this magazine, you can read details about how we managed to reopen our campus safely even while many schools remained remote across the nation, how our students embraced new restrictions and protocols while still competing in athletic contests, performing onstage, and welcoming guest speakers, and participating in many special gatherings. We held several exciting alumni events and invited alumni speakers to join us to share their rich viewpoints and expertise. As I write this letter during the winter break, I am looking forward to 2021—a new year filled with promise and hope. And although many of our School activities were reinvented or reimagined this year, the one unchanging and fundamental element that ensured our success from the beginning is the unflagging and undiminished Pennington School spirit. Hail, Pennington, hail! Yours in Pennington,

William S. Hawkey

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

n September 11, we officially opened the 2020–21 academic year with the traditional Convocation ceremony, presented this year as a virtual event. Although the ceremony kicked off a new school year under very unusual circumstances, it set the tone for a School determined to uphold its cherished traditions while inventing new ways to celebrate them all as a community. This year’s speakers included Peter Tucci, Pennington’s Board chair, who represented our alumni, past parents, and the Board of Trustees; Aimee Zou, the Middle School student representative; Kenza Idrissi, who represented this year’s senior class; and Lida Castro, last year’s Otte Award winner for teaching, who represented the faculty and who is also chair of the World Languages Department. They all set a wonderful tone for the virtual program, during which Dr. Hawkey introduced his theme for this academic year, “Perspectives.”

CONVOCATION Prior to the beginning of the Convocation ceremony, Dr. Hawkey asked for a moment of silence in honor of those men and women who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

“Whether we are contemplating our place on the planet or in our own global community on this campus, our ability and desire to understand other points of view are critical to our survival and to our flourishing.”

—Dr. William S. Hawkey, Head of School www.pennington.org

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

REOPENING

he Pennington School faced many new challenges during the spring and summer of 2020 as the administration and faculty worked together to figure out the best way to reopen our campus to students and faculty last fall—still in the midst of the ongoing pandemic that forced us to close the campus last March. Months of careful planning went into our reopening guide, Pennington Prepared, that was published on the School website in August. As this magazine went to press, we are happy to report that it was a great success, with only a handful of positive cases emerging among the Pennington community between mid-August and the end of 2020.

But the main way we managed to keep everyone at Pennington safe and healthy this fall was through what Dr. Hawkey named the Pennington Compact: A Commitment to Community. This document asked Pennington community members to pledge to consider this community first when making decisions that could affect anyone’s safety and well-being. The School’s core values of honor, virtue, and humility require all of us to place the health and safety of the community as a whole over our own individual needs. In order to minimize risk and do our best to maintain a safe environment for all, Dr. Hawkey asked every member of our community to take this pledge to heart, and the results speak for themselves.

THE PENNINGTON

SCHOOL

DURING A PANDEMIC

We knew that having some cases on campus was inevitable, but we were ready to face that challenge too. Faculty and staff members were trained to conduct internal contact tracing so that we could begin tracing close contacts immediately— sometimes even before the local health department. This helped us quickly identify and isolate any potential exposure and contain or circumvent possible community spread of the virus.

Guiding Principles on Reopening Dr. Hawkey’s leadership team, with input from two new committees formed last March, a Health and Safety Committee and a Pandemic Committee, quickly determined some overall guiding principles to the efforts to reopen campus safely. The Health and Safety Committee included the School physician and other doctors as well as our Health Center staff. Pennington’s plans were and continue to be based on current health and safety guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and the Governor’s Office for the State of New Jersey, as well as return-to-school guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The School has been committed to following these guidelines and even going beyond standard procedures when possible in an effort to protect the well-being of the Pennington community. As new information becomes available, it may require us to change certain protocols. We took a very conservative approach, adopting as many of the protocols as possible to keep our community safe. These committees both met twice a week during the months of planning for the reopening of campus. The main protocols everyone follows are physical distancing of at least six feet at all times, mask-wearing, and frequent hand-washing, with sanitizer provided outside of classrooms and at the entrance of each building. In addition, the School hired new service providers to clean all high-touch surfaces throughout each school day, and to clean and disinfect every campus space each day after classes end. Parents are also required to complete a daily health questionnaire each day their child comes to campus, and everyone receives a temperature check upon arrival. Outside visitors, who have been very limited since the campus reopened, must also follow these same guidelines.

Teaching and learning in this era of COVID-19 is no easy feat. In addition to the new Compact, a great number of physical and programmatic changes had to be put into place before we could welcome anyone back onto campus.

Creating a New On-Campus Environment: Teaching and Learning during COVID-19 Planning for this new academic year was anything but business as usual. With timely feedback from students, parents, and teachers, we tried to imagine what our campus could look like if we were able to return to in-person/on-campus instruction in September, and we devised a solid program for an enriched online experience if we could not. Our objectives centered on creating a more robust learning environment while preserving as much of the special Pennington community experience as possible. We got busy immediately, improving everything from air handling/HVAC to ordering personal protective equipment. Every single department in the School went into planning mode in May to figure out how we could conduct classes more safely, more comprehensively, and more engagingly. We quickly determined that in order to conduct classes in person and on campus, we would need to reduce the number of students and employees on campus. We have used a hybrid-learning model for our students all fall. Hybrid learning is an umbrella term that includes three teaching and learning modes: in-person, blended (students learning in person while some classmates are simultaneously learning at a distance), and all distance learning. There are two cohorts of students, with each on campus for alternating weeks. Cohort A is Grades 8, 9, and 10, and Cohort B is Grades 7, 11, and 12. Grade 6, our youngest students, are on campus during both weeks. Each week, Wednesdays are set aside to focus on communitybased programs: community-wide remote meetings, Chapel, Advisory meeting times, faculty office hours, club meeting times, and time for faculty professional development. Wednesday is an entirely remote day, as all large gatherings

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are suspended at this time. We changed the schedule for that day in order to give students learning from home a break from being on their screens all day, every day, and to allow every class to meet on the other four days, instead of the typical rotating schedule that dropped one period each day. This hybrid model was adapted from the distance-learning one that was used in the spring of 2020 and enhanced, keeping in mind the three main principles of connection, continuity, and sustainability.

On-Campus Environment and Upgraded Technology

Last spring, we measured every classroom space on campus and identified how many students could be in each while maintaining the physical-distancing guidelines of being six feet apart (in all directions!). We also had engineers examine our HVAC systems in each building, and study common spaces such as hallways, entrances and exits to each During on-campus weeks, students attend building, and dormitories. Right away we all of their classes each day, with a break for determined the need for some tents on lunch. Extra help is still available each day but campus in order to house larger classes and is now conducted remotely. Lunch periods allow provide more space for lunch. Each tent has students to choose from a variety of delicious zip-away sides, doors that close and lock, options in the dining hall, individually served heating and air conditioning, and the same and packaged. Disposable and compostable technology as in our typical classrooms. One cutlery is being used, and students eat in tents thing they didn’t have when students arrived for lunch periods so that they can spread out. back on campus was flooring—but as the grass During any study hall periods, students are turned to mud underfoot it quickly became also assigned to spaces that allow for physical apparent that we had to add that as well. As fall distancing. moved to winter, a few of the tents that were During distance-learning weeks, students connect no longer needed were removed, which also Temperature-check kiosk to live classes from home. Though the students allowed us to double up the heating for the are physically separated from each other and ones that remained during the coldest weather. In addition, from their teachers, these classes are conducted synchronously many spaces were converted to be used as classroom spaces over Zoom and feature the same student-centered approach for this academic year, including the Silva Gallery of Art, the that Pennington is known for. On distance-learning days, students Wesley Forum, the Student Center, and the Stainton Hall take four synchronous classes one day, and three the next. Lecture Center. Wednesday remains the Community Day built into each week’s One new piece of technology that is in every classroom, schedule. Afternoons are spent working on long-term projects including our tents, is a new 360-degree and other assignments individually and in small camera called an Owl. The Owls swivel to groups. focus on the person speaking in the room, The weekly schedule was developed to allow a so that students connecting to classes from shift into full distance learning for all students home can follow the discussion going on in if that should become necessary. Although a very similar way to being in the physical the schedule was designed to pivot to all distance classroom. We ordered these last spring, learning without much disruption to the anticipating they would be in high demand daily and weekly rhythm, this school year will later in the summer, and we were right. We continue to require flexibility in order to be also upgraded and expanded the School’s WiFi the most responsive to the health and wellness significantly to support student and teacher needs of our School and the community. needs. With state-of-the-art technology in every We added upgraded UV filtration to our HVAC classroom (including the new tents), a revised systems, changed the ways we use common schedule, a very low student-to-teacher ratio, spaces on campus (such as dorm lounges, and our small class sizes, we were able to the Student Center, and Meckler Library), and differentiate the learning experience to meet added other items to help maintain the highest our students’ needs as much as possible and levels of health and safety on campus. All in all, continue to offer Pennington’s full academic we spent about a million and a half dollars to program. Our teachers’unwavering commitment reopen our campus as safely as possible this fall. Owl camera to every student’s individual success and their One last piece of technology we obtained—and then tweaked— dedication to developing their potential are constants that have was our temperature-checking kiosks. Shortly after they spanned decades at The Pennington School.

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Drama students in the Diane T. McLarty Black Box Theater

arrived on campus, we realized that a very important feature that allowed us to test large numbers of students quickly, facial recognition, did not work when people were wearing masks–— which, of course, everyone is–—all of the time. A software adjustment solved this problem. Another issue we became aware of in late September was the fact that the kiosks are sensitive to the outdoor temperature and do not work perfectly in colder weather, making it necessary for us to move them to indoor locations.

Extracurricular Activities Pennington students have been able to participate in the typical variety of clubs, activities, performing arts, and athletics—with some important changes. Our drama program continued to thrive, and despite the challenges of presenting to a live audience during COVID, performing arts students presented this year’s Fall Play, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, as a radio play. Students rehearsed via Zoom and in small groups, adhering to all School safety protocols. Scenes were filmed one at a time and then edited together and played as a live broadcast on show nights. The Costume Crew was as inventive as always, and the Tech Crew managed some inventive staging. As this magazine went to press, rehearsals were beginning for the Winter Musical, The Theory of Relativity. For more about the Fall Play, see pages 20–21.

Our student-athletes began practicing over the summer, and Upper School teams even managed to compete against other schools and teams in the fall, while following all recommended safety precautions. Each fall team played a limited schedule this year, but the real joy is the fact that the student-athletes have a chance to be together in the sports they love. For updates on individual team sports, please see pages 24–28.

Looking Ahead Due to the fact that the course of the COVID-19 virus is still unpredictable and the state and federal governments’ responses continue to evolve, we must remain as flexible as possible to allow us to respond quickly to changing circumstances. Dr. Hawkey and Pennington’s faculty believe that face-to-face instruction is the best goal to work towards, and much of our planning has focused on this model; however, we also know that as things change, we must adapt to new circumstances as they are presented to us. Although we cannot anticipate everything that spring will bring, we are grateful to have enjoyed a robust and fulfilling on-campus experience this fall for our students, and we look forward to the day when all can be back on campus at the same time. Until then, we will remain vigilant and continue to be committed to developing individual excellence in all of our students.

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NEW FACULT Y

The Pennington School welcomes nine new faculty and staff Stephanie Balazsi joined the Pennington community as the new executive assistant to the Head of School. Balazsi, who holds a B.A. in communication from Bryant University, was formerly the administrative assistant to the head of upper school at Princeton Day School. Prior to her roles in the private school setting, she was the executive assistant to the presidents of First Choice Bank and Brunswick Bank & Trust. Balazsi lives in Pennington. Julia Barrett teaches Middle School history. A graduate of Boston College, Barrett majored in international studies with a minor in education. Barrett, who grew up in upstate New York, has also lived in Australia, Kenya, South Africa, France, and Washington, D.C. She teaches seventh-grade American history and government, as well as academic skills. Barrett lives on the Pennington campus.

Top to bottom: Anna Leader, Dawn Nelson, Shawn Nicosia, and Camille Osborne

Top to bottom: Stephanie Balazsi, Julia Barrett, Tiernan Close, Delonte Egwuatu, and Jennifer Helmrich

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Tiernan Close returned this fall to teach history; formerly she worked here as a religion and world history teacher from 1998 to 2007. Close holds a B.A. in religious studies from Hartwick College, and an M.A. in biblical studies and a Ph.D. in global studies from Drew University. From 2009 to 2012, she taught at St. Matthew’s Preschool in Pennington. While pursuing her doctorate at Drew University from 2014 to 2020, Close also co-taught in the graduate school, obtained a certification in conflict resolution and leadership, and served as the vice president of the Rangeley Lakes Historical Society in Maine. She lives in Pennington.

Hailing from Washington, D.C., Delonte Egwuatu teaches Spanish and is Pennington’s assistant director of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Egwuatu earned a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, and he began his career in the office of the Consulate General of Liberia. For the past three years, Egwuatu taught Spanish, English, and history at his alma mater, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Maryland. He also co-founded an international education company, Black Beyond Borders, which endeavors to foster intercultural relationships through inspiring, equipping, and connecting young leaders throughout the African diaspora. Egwuatu lives on the Pennington campus. Jennifer Helmrich joined the Health Center as the director of health services. She came to Pennington with twentytwo years of pediatric nursing experience. Helmrich holds a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University and a master’s degree from New York University. She started her career as a pediatric intensive care nurse, and went on to work as an advanced practice nurse in a pediatric emergency department. Helmrich has also served as a pediatric nurse practitioner at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Prior to coming to Pennington, she worked at Princeton Day School. Helmrich lives in Hopewell. Anna Leader, who teaches English and French, grew up in Luxembourg. After earning a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from Princeton University, she worked at an education nonprofit in Washington, D.C. Leader has also written several award-winning novels, poems, and plays (see sidebar for more about her most recent play!). She lives on the Pennington campus.

ANNA LEADER’S

new play debuts at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg

Dawn Nelson, born and raised in Mercer County, teaches compensatory skills in the Cervone Center for Learning. She attended St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where she received her master’s degree in education, as well as her certification to teach students with learning differences. For several years, Nelson taught at McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County, NJ, and she has experience tutoring students of all ages. She lives in Yardley, PA. Shawn Nicosia, who teaches in the Cervone Center for Learning, is returning to The Pennington School, where she worked from 1994 to 2002 as a house parent, compensatory skills teacher, and counselor. Originally from upstate New York, Nicosia earned her B.S. in education from the University of Delaware and her M.A. in counseling from The College of New Jersey. She has also worked at Lawrence Middle School as a math teacher. Nicosia lives in Doylestown, PA. New York City native Camille Osborne is the new administrative assistant to both the dean of faculty and the dean of academic affairs. Osborne holds a B.A. in history from Iona College and an M.S.Ed. in elementary education from St. Joseph’s University. Osborne previously worked at the University of Pennsylvania and Bucks County Community College. Most recently, Osborne was the administrative coordinator of teacher education at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Education. She lives in Yardley, PA.

Anna Leader, teacher of French and English, is a creative wunderkind. She won Luxembourg’s national literary contest for young authors three times, and her literary translation work has garnered numerous prizes. Most recently, Luxembourg’s national theater commissioned Leader to write a play about the coronavirus pandemic. Her play, Deliver Us, debuted at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg in early October to a live, physically distanced audience. Deliver Us features a series of conversations between delivery nurses and women going into labor. The play contains three timelines, each set in a unique moment of crisis: 2020, 1962, and 1918. In 2020, a millennial agonizes over the consequences of having a baby amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, economic collapse, and climate change. In 1962, a housewife gives birth under the cloud of impending nuclear war. And in 1918, an unmarried woman faces her own mortality as she goes into labor while fighting the Spanish flu. With COVID-19 as the cornerstone of Deliver Us, Leader articulates the anxieties of the current era while gracefully drawing parallels between other crises of the past century. The Spanish flu serves as a natural analogue, but Leader also seeks subtler historical connections. A conversation with her grandmother, who gave birth to Leader’s father in 1964, inspired the play’s third timeline. “She told me how stressful it was to give birth during the Cold War. I hadn’t even thought about that. Nothing happened, there was no huge nuclear crisis, so we forget about it,” said Leader. “But imagine having a shelter in your garden, really thinking the world is going to end, and you’re pregnant. That felt like an existential crisis.” The backward progression through the play’s three timelines illuminates both the social progress and the intensifying anxieties of the last century. “The existential crises are getting bigger and worse. They don’t just threaten humanity; they threaten the fate of the entire planet,” said Leader. She added that quality of life has improved for many people since 1918. “A woman now can do so many things that a woman in 1918 couldn’t do,” she said, also citing the fall in worldwide infant mortality rates since the early 1900s. “There have been a lot of improvements. But the overlying existential terror has escalated.” Leader, who was born in the United States and raised in Luxembourg, has written since childhood, and she has penned a number of award-winning poems, plays, and novels. Despite her literary accolades, teaching remains Leader’s primary focus and passion. “I learn so much from teaching. Preparing a lesson and diving deep into a text or its context, I find so exciting,” said Leader, who studied comparative literature at Princeton University. “Teaching gives you a chance to get everyone’s input and everyone’s views on life, and I think that’s so important. And it’s emotionally engaging too, because you’re handling so many different students’ needs. There’s nothing that replaces that.”

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FRESHMAN ORIENTATION

We are proud to report that Peer Leadership, a long-standing leadership and peer mentoring program, remained committed to offering a (safe) welcoming experience during the first few days of school in 2020 despite unusual conditions. The traditional Freshman Orientation, normally an entire day off campus, was replaced by week-long short daily check-ins and activities. Senior Peer Leaders met every day with random and different groups of freshmen, allowing stress-free introductions, get-to-know-each-other games, tours of campus, and Q&A sessions, all while remaining masked and physically distanced. Taking advantage of the hybrid-learning model, gatherings took place on campus as well as remotely. A highlight of Orientation was a virtual escape-room experience. Switching up the small groups each day made it even easier for freshmen to make new friends, as typically happens during Orientation. By the end of the week, freshmen were able to select friends old and new, and the faculty directors customized their Peer Groups. Groups of approximately twelve freshmen, each group led by two senior Peer Leaders, continue to meet every week, in person when the freshman cohort is scheduled to be on campus, and remotely in the evening during the freshman cohort distance-learning weeks. The senior Peer Leaders are adapting games, discussions, and activities for their groups, and they are also learning key elements of leadership during these unusual times, especially the important characteristics of empathy and flexibility. We are so very proud of their commitment to The Pennington School, the Peer Leadership program, and—most important—to the freshmen. –by Erin O’Connell

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1. In the last week of August, boarding students arrived on campus to begin the new school year. Prefects greeted all the new and returning students. 2. In the beginning of the school year, a number of Pennington students launched the “TPS, Vote!” initiative. They worked hard through October to register their peers to vote and provide information. 3. On September 16, Girls’ Tennis had a special practice! Coach Ken Palumbo filled half of the court with a bunch of fun prizes for the players to aim and hit with the ball. As each player approached the net, Coach Palumbo gave them individualized coaching as well. 4. On Wednesday, September 23, Olivia Bottomley ’22 presented a 3D-printed mask she created to the Pennington community during her Applied Science talk, “Using STEM Skills to Solve COVID Challenges.” During the talk, Bottomley explained the process and technology she used to design the product.

5. Artist, designer, and educator Yaroub Al-Obaidi opened the 2020–21 Global Studies Speaker Series with his presentation, “Rebuilding New Life: Photo Memories from Iraq,” over Zoom on Friday, September 25. As a Global Guide for the Penn Museum, Al-Obaidi shared with students his long journey as a refugee from Iraq, through Syria, to Malaysia, and finally to Philadelphia. 6. Brooke Boland ’12 delivered a presentation to Pennington’s Applied Science students on becoming and working as a physician assistant (PA) on Wednesday, September 30, over Zoom. As a board-certified physician assistant specializing in dermatology, Boland described why she chose the career, explained the rigorous academic path, and shared advice for aspiring medical professionals. 7. During the last weekend in September, boarding students did a little tie-dyeing with Nurse Samad.

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

8. On September 30, students and faculty enjoyed a delicious meal outdoors to celebrate the MidAutumn Festival! 9. It certainly was an afternoon to remember for Director of College Counseling and residential faculty member, Scott Doughty, and his pilot, Jack Wang ’21, an international student from China. The two of them spent a beautiful fall afternoon flying from nearby Trenton-Mercer Airport to New York City. 10. Residential students enjoyed a beautiful night outside on October 2, watching a movie projected on the outdoor classroom tent. 11. The Pennington cheerleaders chose the theme of a “pink out” to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month at the football game vs. Hopewell Valley on October 17. 12. On October 21, Frank Kelly P’24 delivered a presentation to Pennington’s Applied Science students about using STEM skills to solve global problems in the energy

industry. Kelly enjoyed a thirty-year career as a chemical engineer in the energy sector, working largely in technology deployment and research and development. In his presentation, Kelly told stories about applying STEM skills such as optimization mathematics in projects ranging from analyzing molecules in crude oil to delivering gasoline to a network of gas stations.

to the day’s theme—here students display their Pennington pride by sporting their Pennington red and black gear.

13. The Intersectional Feminism Club hosted a Wear Purple Day on October 23 to support domestic violence survivors and help spread awareness.

18. Environmental Science students enjoyed a day in Lewis Brook on Monday, November 9, sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates (they had some good finds, despite the cold weather!), measuring stream flow, and taking in the beautiful weather!

14. The Class of 2021 had a great time at their Senior Bonfire on Saturday, October 26! The group met at Shady Brook Farm for a safe night out as a group. 15. In late October and early November, students, faculty, and staff celebrated Spirit Weeks for each cohort of students on campus during the weeks surrounding Homecoming. Each day, students showed their School spirit by dressing according

16. Our residential students had their own private Halloween party at Shady Brook Farm on October 29. 17. Seniors on the Field Hockey team dressed up as Coach Wendy Morris during their practice on Halloween.

19. This summer, Minghao “Anna” Zhang ’22 worked remotely with a professor at Imperial College London to develop a glucose prediction model for patients with Type 1 diabetes. On October 28, Zhang delivered a presentation in Pennington’s Applied Science speaker series on how she used machine learning to create the model with the programming language Python.

20. On Friday, October 13, tribal activist Trinity Norwood delivered a presentation via Zoom to students in the Global Studies program about the history and presence of Indigenous cultures in New Jersey. Norwood, a citizen of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, works to spread awareness of her tribe’s culture and modern influence. 21. On Monday, November 9, Pennington residential students and families had their first “Faux Formal Dinner.” What is Faux Formal Dinner? It’s a delicious and elegant formal dinner menu without our organized family seating arrangements! 22. A group of students participated in Run for the Cure on Tuesday, November 10. This annual race, hosted by the Peer Leaders, was held both virtually and on campus this year over the course of two weeks. 23. On November 11, more than seventy people remotely screened the documentary The Sacrifice Zone about pollution in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood and the

activists fighting for environmental justice. After the film ended, a student panel that included Bella Pitarresi ’21, Lauren Woodroffe ’22, and Isaiah Muse ’22 shared reflections and posed questions to the film’s director, Julie Winokur. The event was co-sponsored by the Sustainability Committee, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office, and the Religion Department. 24. The Rev. David Hallgren and his daughter, Anna Hallgren ’24, dropped off Thanksgiving food donations to the organization Arm in Arm in November. 25. On November 11, nine Pennington seniors signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to play Division I sports in college. The students are Jack Borden (soccer, Lafayette College), David Curtiss (swimming, NC State University), Kylie Daigle (soccer, Rutgers University), Ben Eckerson (swimming, Virginia Tech), Oliver Gassman (swimming, University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Stas Korzeniowski (soccer, University of Pennsylvania), Jordan Mahony (soccer, American

University), Babacar Niang (soccer, Wake Forest University), and Julian Thomas (rowing, Dartmouth College). 26. Twelve students participated in a virtual Model United Nations conference, ConnectMUN 2020, on December 5 and 6. The group was assigned to represent Iceland and South Africa. The following students participated: CJ Caponi ’22, Maggie Clarke ’23, Jonathan Eaton ’22, Sydney Francis ’22, Soren Lloyd ’24, Ananya Madireddy ’24, Tessa Matson ’22, Robert Moran ’21, Jai Raman ’24, Zoe Rodriguez ’23, Elias Sebti ’24, and Maygala Selvisudhakar ’23. 27. The residential community bonded during a gingerbread decorating contest on Tuesday, December 15.

30. On December 18, Pennington’s Alumni and Development Office hosted a webinar for college-age alumni titled, “Gaining an Edge: Top Executives Offer Insight for JobSeeking Success.” The panel of leading executives described the qualities and experience they look for when hiring an intern or a graduate right out of college. Attendees heard from Dan Mahony P’18 ’21, senior vice president, global supply chain transformation and Latin America, Estée Lauder; Neal Manowitz ’89, deputy president, imaging products and solution— Americas, Sony Electronics; and Mary Ross P’22, managing director, JP Morgan Investment Bank (photo shown here).

SPECIAL EVENTS

28. On December 10, Junior Proctors and Middle School students participated in a speedy gift-wrapping competition. 29. A few students in the Aerospace Club put together a rocket and launched it on Friday, December 18. 13

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS 14

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Middle School LAUNCH

This year’s group of twenty-five Junior Proctors spent time on campus in August training to become great group leaders, as well as getting ready to greet Middle Schoolers in style on Wednesday, September 2, during LAUNCH. Middle School Launch was a one-day gathering for all students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 to welcome students who are new to Pennington as well as to welcome back returning students. Each year, a new group of Junior Proctors create and supervise activities designed to help students break the ice with each other, while getting a lot of exercise and having great fun. This year, the Junior Proctor program is headed by Karen Balerna and Elliot Coates.

This year’s Junior Proctors have risen to the challenge of having to coordinate both weekly on-campus and virtual activities. On-campus activities have consisted of high-energy games such as a scavenger hunt, a ‘JP’ hunt, Capture the Flag, and Name that Tune. Other activities included sharing notes of gratitude and walking a portion of the Run for the Cure as a group. Virtual activities have included large group games of Among Us, Holiday Jeopardy, and Mafia. Despite seeing only some of their Middle School students every other week, the JPs have managed to forge strong bonds with their groups. Every other week, two Junior Proctors volunteer to speak with the Middle School community. They have shared their passions in the areas of sports,

drama, cheerleading, and community service, just to name a few. Some have also revealed the strategies and techniques they have used to navigate the trials and tribulations of the pandemic. The Middle Schoolers really enjoy hearing their JPs talk so honestly and openly about their experiences at Pennington. In the new year, the Junior Proctors will plan a blood drive with the American Red Cross (to be held in February) as well as devote some time to work specifically with the eighthgraders as they prepare to transition to high school.

www.pennington.org

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

Physical Science Katelyn Coates challenged the students in her Physical Science class with an engineering design project the week of October 26. The students had to save Halloween by creating “grabbers” to pick up spilled candy. Luckily, their creative designs saved Halloween!

Grade 8 English Lisa Houston’s English 8 class did a gallery walk in October using quotes from Fahrenheit 451. Students displayed their favorite quotes from the book around the classroom and they examined the quotes each had chosen, commenting, connecting, or questioning their peers about their choices. The class had just finished reading the novel by Ray Bradbury.

El Día de los Muertos During the first week in November, Middle School students in Tracy Kuser’s Spanish A class learned about El Día de los Muertos (in English, Day of the Dead). As part of their study, students learned how to make “papel picado” (perforated paper) and they each created their own altar in celebration of someone special. Creating papel picado is an ancient tradition of the Aztecs, who used to carve similar designs into the bark of trees. The altars created for Día de los Muertos symbolize the fragility of life, among other things. 16

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Artorama Class Makes Masks Nothing can stop Artorama creativity—not even a pandemic! Caroline Hall and Lisa Houston led the sixth-graders through their exploration of making masks. This semester, the masks were for eyes only, to fit with their required COVID-19 protective masks, and focused on the super powers of our sixth-grade superheroes.

Halloween Parade Middle School students celebrated one of their favorite holidays of the year with their annual Halloween parade on November 2. A multitude of creative costume designs were on display, and prizes were awarded for most creative, most sustainable, and most scary costumes.

www.pennington.org

BANNED BOOKS

by Tamara Alito

The entire Middle School participated in Banned Book Week activities this fall. Banned Book Week is an annual event that highlights and celebrates our freedom to read. All grade levels had excellent conversations on censorship, the First Amendment, and the right to access information. The eighth-grade students completed an in-depth study of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and then researched, prepared, and delivered arguments, in debate format, for and against removing books from the library shelves, citing examples from their chosen summer reading books. The very wellcrafted debates were held in the classroom as well as over Zoom, with both sides being presented fairly and with passion. Who could argue with these ideas presented by our students? “ Just as schools teach children, books can educate many kids about events from the past and present, and show us ways to help our future.” “ In the case of books that magnify the culture or the pride of a nation, of a community, of a race, or of a religion, we should recognize and understand them as a part of a diverse identity that must be respected, but there are those who criticize it because they don’t match with that vision or because they don’t have the same beliefs.” “ It’s time to stop shutting down topics in literature that only may not be suitable for some. It’s time to open up our minds to the idea that others have different opinions and to respect them. Don’t silence voices that aren’t yours!” “ Books provide people with another perspective, and if children don’t have access to certain books, they will never have the chance to understand others.” “ By taking books off the shelves because they contradict people’s perspectives, children are left with one voice in the community, and it takes away their chance to put themselves into others’ shoes. Everyone is different, and parents and adults should not decide what other people’s kids should read based on only what they believe themselves.”

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Junior Proctors Model Gratitude On November 19, the Junior Proctors wanted to do something to model giving to others so they walked a loop of the Run for the Cure route with the Middle School. Afterwards, they gathered to write down all the things they are grateful for in the Pennington community and created a gratitude graffiti wall!

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

Middle School Retreats Grades 6, 7, and 8 ventured to Kunkel Park in Pennington during the weeks of November 9 and 16 for their annual Fall Retreat. Each grade had its own daylong retreat and worked with Project U.S.E., which helped the students work on their communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Whether it was communicating without words, engineering rope games that required balance and precision, or sharing more about themselves, the teams had fun while learning new skills that expanded friendships and brought the group closer together. The afternoons and mornings of collaboration culminated with a task to earn “money” to use in the “Hardware Store” to purchase building materials for a bridge construction project. Earning the money could only be achieved by working cooperatively on challenges. Once the building commenced, each team also produced their own advertisement to show off their unique bridge. Needless to say, each grade was filled with engineers, actors/actresses, leaders, and collaborators—who showed their ability to demonstrate teamwork at its best!

Book Talks The sixth-grade Humanities classroom brimmed with excitement as students shared their love of reading in early November. After hearing from our now-mobile librarian, Tamara Alito, about the many wonderful books they could explore, these students zoned in on choices that piqued their interest and then spent the first quarter of the year reading and annotating the novels. When presentation time came, students prepared elaborate Google Slides discussions to demonstrate their understanding and interest their audience. In addition, students tapped into their individual creativity to develop a project that connected to their novel. From elaborate LEGO® scenes to dioramas, iMovies, innovative board games, and art work, the sixth-graders immersed themselves in the world of books by sharing their newfound knowledge and stories. Their love of reading was showcased with their in-depth work and attentive listening; each day the whole class took journeys in their imaginations to brand-new worlds filled with intriguing characters.

www.pennington.org

Twelfth Night Director’s Note by Suzanne Houston

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Last spring, in the midst of the pandemic, we learned so much about what is possible when artists come together. We successfully filmed and produced both the Spring Play and the Middle School Play via Zoom. As we closed out the school year with so much uncertainty before us, one thing I was certain about was the Fall Play. I wasn’t exactly sure how we would do it—but I knew we had to try. We were going to come together and put on another play. Somehow. After much thought, I chose Twelfth Night. This hilarious, romantic comedy, with a few serious undertones and delightful songs, fit the bill perfectly. We could work around the physical constraints of doing theatre in the time of COVID, and focus instead on the characters and the words. We could include students learning from home. Our version of Twelfth Night was set in a 1920s radio station. Our at-home audience was able to participate like a studio audience, watching the radio play being performed and recorded at our fictional radio station, WTPS.

a tent, in a mask, in the same room together, or through technology. Our afternoons in the Black Box this fall (in person or via Zoom) were the most normal, comforting, and invigorating part of attending hybrid school in a pandemic. We are beyond thrilled that we could create a show and be able to share it with you. This fall, I have been joking that it’s my senior year, as it is my fourth year teaching at Pennington. I started with this year’s graduating class—this extraordinary, creative, and talented class. They have done so much within the constraints that we were forced to work under, more than I could have hoped for, and always amid smiles and laughter. I will miss them tremendously. However, through their performances, leadership, and creative efforts they have set the stage for the underclassmen to follow in their footsteps and put on many more plays together—no matter the circumstances. Thank you for tuning in, and we hope you enjoyed the show!

Initially, rehearsals were a bit strange—everyone in masks, attempting theatre games while socially distant. Getting to know new students by just their eyes and voice was tricky. When you’re acting, should you look at the OWL camera or the audience? There were some growing pains, but once we broke through that initial weirdness and got up on our feet and into character we were transported to the world of Illyria. Seeing the cast gather, laugh, and interact was incredible. Bringing Shakespeare’s characters to life, figuring out how to stage a play with people in the room as well as people participating from home on a screen was challenging... and beautiful. Putting on the detailed costumes created by our Costume Crew and working on an imaginative set built by our Tech Crew were some of the completely normal and wonderful things that got us through this very strange time full of newness and uncertainty. It has been said that “theatre is life.” Theatre connects us and inspires us. It restores us. It is a place to escape, a place to come home to, a place to see and hear stories we might not otherwise know. It gives our imaginations a much-needed workout, especially after long school days on Zoom. And even if you aren’t watching a play while sitting with others, the experience can still be fulfilling and restorative. The lovesick Duke Orsino starts the play with the line, “If music be the food of love, play on!” Well, for us theatre folk, and for all artists, creating and collaborating are the food of life—and we need it now more than ever, to “covive” and survive. The entire Twelfth Night company is so grateful to be part of a School community that understands that artists must create, especially during a pandemic...whether in

www.pennington.org

DIVERSITY,

EQUITY, AND

INCLUSION AT PENNINGTON

he Pennington School is deeply committed to fostering a community that is not only diverse, but also inclusive and equitable—a School where all students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni can find a true sense of belonging. Efforts to address these principles began in earnest in the early ’90s, with student clubs and a new multicultural affairs coordinator. The School’s efforts have grown stronger each year since then, but they were not enough to completely fulfill this aspiration. In 2017 Head of School Bill Hawkey elevated the position to Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and added it to his senior leadership team. Samantha SternLeaphart, who has been on Pennington’s faculty since 2011, was appointed to this expanded role. In addition, Hawkey created a DEI standing committee to maintain and expand existing programs as well as to develop several new initiatives that address the many aspects of DEI work in an independent school. In the fall of 2020, Delonte Egwuatu joined the Pennington faculty to teach Spanish and become the assistant director of the DEI office as its responsibilities grew. The summer of 2020 was unique for many reasons: the global pandemic, a contentious presidential election in the United States, and the momentum of the Movement for Black Lives kept the DEI office very busy. The Black Student Union met regularly over the summer to discuss the murder of George Floyd and to provide support as students grappled with the aftermath and how the dignity of Black lives played out in the news and media. The DEI office also partnered with the Alumni and Development office to create a series of events for Pennington’s Black alumni; this began with summer online meetings, organized by decade, where alumni could reconnect with each other and the School. These meetings continued into the fall and have developed into a robust Alumni Diversity Committee that is ready to take action and support the School in all of its DEI efforts. The DEI office also worked with Parents for Pennington to create a new affinity group, Black Parents at Pennington, and also offered a morning coffee where parents could learn more about the DEI office. While students and alumni were engaged in these conversations, Pennington’s faculty and staff members were invited to read books or listen to podcasts over the summer in an effort to bolster their DEI and social justice knowledge. When faculty and staff returned to campus to get ready for the academic year, they had a daylong workshop with Jen Cort, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant who focuses on DEI in education. Cort’s interactive presentation helped Pennington employees think about how to navigate challenging conversations and left them with practical tools that they can use to foster safe and inclusive educational spaces on campus. Six faculty members attended the NAIS People of Color Conference virtually this year; we have sent a contingent for many years. The DEI committee has continued to support professional development by offering a series of workshops that educate and empower faculty and staff on a variety of topics surrounding race, identity, and belonging. The School has committed to expand professional development in these areas. The students hit the ground running when classes resumed in the fall. The DEI student groups (see box for complete list) each hold weekly meetings via Zoom and have kept busy with numerous initiatives, awareness drives, and joint activities. A particularly powerful event was a joint meeting held by the Black Student Union, Our Minds Matter, Intersectional Feminism Club, and United People of Many Colors. The students organized this discussion to talk to each other about the intersection of mental health, teen relationships, and the relationship of Black teens to these issues. This PHOTOS: Top: Samantha Stern-Leaphart, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion; Bottom: Delonte Egwuatu, assistant director of the DEI office

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

event embodied the importance and impact of meaningful DEI work; students were able to share their personal experiences in a safe space, and learn from the different voices and perspectives in the room. Though this was intended to be a one-time activity, the students found it so powerful that at least two more of these meetings have been scheduled. Students have also been able to participate in a variety of virtual conferences this year; they attended the Mid-Atlantic Region Diversity Conference and helped plan and participate in Colorition; and six students attended the virtual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference in December. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to the mission and values of our institution, and the School administration is determined that we live up to those values in every aspect of our community. The newly formed Board of Trustees ad-hoc committee on DEI attests to the importance of this work in every facet of the institution and ensures that The Pennington School is taking a holistic and comprehensive approach to its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

DEI STUDENT GROUPS Black Student Union

Our Minds Matter

Chinese Student Union

Pennington Jewish Community

Exchange of Many Cultures Eye to Eye Intersectional Feminism Club

Spectrum: LGBTQ+ Affinity Group United People of Many Colors

Learning Difference Alliance

SUSTAINABILITY NEWS

by Margo Andrews

It was a busy fall in the world of sustainability! On campus we managed to continue running our composting program, returning to a focus on kitchen food waste in response to changes in how meals are being served due to COVID-19. In concert with that effort, a group of students performed trail maintenance in the woods between Lewis Brook and faculty housing on Green Street. The hope is to eventually create an extensive trail network that loops through this uncharted piece of wildlands on our campus. And driven by the known benefits of being outside—for both our mental and physical health—a number of outdoor classroom spaces throughout campus were established or improved to facilitate socially distanced classes. Finally, as the School garden was readied for its winter slumber, two sets of harvests in September and October yielded a bounty of produce that was delivered to the Delaware Valley Food Bank, yet another partnership that we are excited to continue. The Green Team was an active force at the School and organized a couple of events in October around the theme of cleaning up our waters. The first was a campus cleanup, in which more than two dozen students and faculty participated, hauling bags and bags of trash from the School pond, Lewis Brook, and the surrounding area. Everything from soccer balls and shoes, to many pounds of glass and plastic bottles, and even a microwave, were removed from the environment. Later that week, a small group participated in Clean Ocean Action’s annual Beach Sweep. For the second year running, students and faculty walked the shore at Belmar, picking up and cataloguing trash for inclusion in a statewide dataset that is passed along to policy makers. We were particularly happy with a special event in November that represented a successful collaboration among the Sustainability Committee, Religion Department, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office. The Sacrifice Zone is a new documentary drawing attention to the excessive pollution in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood and the activists who are fighting for a clean and healthy environment. Following a remote screening of the film, three students took part in a Zoom panel with the film’s director, Julie Winokur. The conversation was eye-opening and inspiring and pushed us to examine our personal roles and responsibilities in the struggle for environmental justice. www.pennington.org

US FALL ATHLETICS 24

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Coach: Ken Palumbo

GIRLS’ TENNIS The 2020 Girls’ Tennis season started with many new rules that at first seemed difficult, but instead brought our team closer together. We only played six matches and were very competitive in all of them. We had five weeks of practice leading up to our first match. Those five weeks created a lot of competition, a tremendous amount of support, and an extreme amount of fun. We had three seniors who were also captains: Kristen Bancroft, Safa Morrison, and Anjollie Ramakrishna. They were excellent captains and thoroughly contributed to the closeness of our team. They were great leaders and friends to all. Our team welcomed Polaris Hayes at No.1 singles and Praslin Hayes at No. 2 singles. The twins were an absolute delight to coach and have on our team. Their desire to win was second to none. Lauren Decker returned at No. 3 singles. Lauren always gives her all at practices and matches while wearing a smile. Newcomers Gia Villegas and Amelie Halgan rounded out our starting lineup. They were both eager to learn and fit in perfectly. Maygala Selvisudhakar was our swing player for Varsity and JV. Congratulations to all on a great season!

During a 5K (3.1 mile) cross country race, an athlete/team will make an initial race plan. Ultimately, they will have to adjust and adapt to course conditions, weather conditions, and their opponent’s strengths. This happens individually and as a team. If ever there was a season where “adapt” was the theme, this was it. In simple terms of wins and losses, our meets were compressed into one month (October). Both the boys’ and girls’ teams had identical records of 1–3. For the boys, that lone victory was a close two-point win over Princeton Day School after a tough loss to them earlier that month. The captains of both teams did a fine job. Seniors Tyler Kingsbury and Will Cooper led the boys’ team in all aspects, and An-lin Sloan proved to be a perfect fit for the girls. The most positive thing that has come out of adapting to COVID-19, perhaps, is the reminder that the real value and (as Coach Ritter believes) intent of high school sports is simply to be together every day. Running, exercising, being outside, together—it was palpable. The feeling of camaraderie, of being a true team, came together during our final meet at PDS. After months of dealing with the virus, and many days of hard rain, the Saturday morning of the meet was a beautiful crisp autumn day! Everyone supported one another—cheering them on along the course—the boys cheering for the girls and the girls doing the same for the boys. We had our mojo going as everyone achieved a personal best or season’s best on that day! The perfect end to a perfectly imperfect season.

CROSS COUNTRY Coaches: Richard Ritter and Marisa Ferrari

www.pennington.org

GIRLS’ SOCCER

Coaches: Dr. William Hawkey and Patrick Murphy ’80

Pennington’s Varsity Girls’ Soccer team came into the 2020–21 season with a high level of confidence and excitement that they had planned to pour into a challenging slate of fifteen regular season games that included their traditional overnight trek to the McDonogh School in Maryland as well as new opponents, including several of this year’s top teams in New Jersey: Rumson–Fair Haven Regional High School, Red Bank Catholic High School, Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, and East Brunswick High School. The pandemic forced the cancelation of the majority of the team’s original schedule as well as the NJISAA State Tournament and the Mercer County Tournament, preventing the Girls’ Soccer program from taking shots at adding their sixteenth Prep A title and twelfth MCT crown. Pennington’s Varsity Girls’ Soccer team pulled off a convincing and memorable victory over the number-one ranked team in the state, Hunterdon Central High School, by a score of 2–0. A scrappy Archbishop Ryan team offered the girls a formidable opponent on the road, when Pennington broke a 1–1 tie after halftime to win, going away, by a score of 3–1. Two victories over the Hun School set the girls’ record at 4–0 for the season. Games that were scheduled with Bishop Eustace, Princeton Day, Hopewell, and Moorestown Friends School all had to be canceled. Pennington Girls’ Soccer bids a fond farewell to nine seniors whose impressive legacy will live on powerfully as we continue to carry the Pennington Girls’ Soccer program going forward. Those amazing seniors are Kira Cafferty, Kylie Daigle, Ella Davidyock, Molly Gibbard, Molly Kain, Sophia Kavulich, Hannah Klein, Jordan Mahony, and Shealyn Tirendi.

BOYS’ SOCCER

Coaches: Chad Bridges ’96, Sean Davies, and Ryan Stokes

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Coaches: Wendy Morris, Lauran Hocquaux, and Kendall Storcella

FIELD HOCKEY Pennington Field Hockey players, coaches, and managers were very grateful to have been able to enjoy a season, albeit an abbreviated one. On August 31, we began preseason, which progressed until we reached Phase III, when the girls could scrimmage and play games against other teams. Varsity finished the season with a 3–3–1 record, with wins over Princeton Day School and the Hun School of Princeton. We fielded two teams (Varsity and JV) with a total of 31 girls. The Junior Varsity team enjoyed playing a number of very close and exciting games, culminating with a 1–3–1 record for the season. The team captains this year were seniors Sammi Moonay, Emily Barkley, and Sophia Cano. On October 20, we celebrated our nine seniors in an exciting senior game win over Hun. The team raised a record amount of money, $950, through a virtual GoFundMe page for our Play 4 a Cure game against Stuart Country Day School on October 28. Thank you to our field hockey families, who supported this incredibly important cause—the National Foundation for Cancer Research. We also participated and ran as a team in the School’s 5K Run for the Cure. Coach Morris, Coach Hocquaux, and Coach Kendall are so proud of the girls and grateful for their endless enthusiasm, work ethic, and team spirit throughout the season. The ability to play field hockey definitely brought some normalcy to an otherwise unconventional fall season.

Despite a COVID-shortened season, the Varsity Boys’ Soccer team enjoyed an undefeated and unscored-upon 2020 campaign. The nationally ranked program and six-time defending Mercer County Champions were once again led by a talented group of seniors, starting with co-captains Stas Korzeniowski and Babacar Niang. Joining them were seniors Jack Borden, Aiden Normand, and Mason Brown, each of whom will have the opportunity to take their talents to a college field next year. Korzeniowski, Niang, and Borden were honored as All-American Watchlist recipients for the 2020 season, and Niang received FirstTeam National All-American honors. Despite being unable to play its normal schedule and compete for a return to the NJISAA Prep A State Championship, the team was happy just to have some semblance of a season together. With a majority of the team returning next year it should be an exciting 2021 season. www.pennington.org

Coaches: Jerry Eure ’75, Blair Thompson, Adam Cooley, and Long Ding

FOOTBALL

While the unpredictable times caused a short season (1–2), Pennington’s football program did not back down, and team members gave their all throughout every game and practice. Led by a great senior group and two tremendous senior captains, Zach Young and Xavier Brooks, the twenty-six young men on the team continually made the coaching staff proud. The seniors set a good example for our underclassmen in many ways with their grit, effort, and determination. Players and coaches were grateful to be able to compete in varsity and junior varsity games. Through competition and practice, the team learned that football is not just about drills and conditions. Football teaches the lesson that you don’t give up! Although the season was limited and cut short, it was rewarding for all. The coaching staff wishes the best for our seniors as they move on from Pennington. The underclassmen are eager for next year. Go, Pennington!

The fall 2020 season of Pennington Cheer was like no other. We started our preseason camp on the front lawn of Old Main, and for the rest of the season we practiced on the baseball field. We had twelve returning members, three captains, and seven new cheerleaders from every class. Due to the pandemic, we had a senior water polo team member join our team because the swimming pool was closed. The group adjusted to COVID-19 like champs. No mats, no stunting, no gymnastics, and potentially no games, but the group danced, innovated, bonded, and cheered while wearing masks and keeping social distance at all times. Despite all the changes and challenges, we had a fantastic and memorable season. We were able to participate in a Pink Out football away game and, for the first time in Pennington’s history, the Pennington Cheerleaders cheered, danced, and celebrated together with the Pennington Varsity Field Hockey “Senior Night” home game. Another first was this year’s virtual Homecoming pep rally. Rather than performing live, we videotaped our cheers in front of the different athletic fields and facilities to introduce each of the fall sport videos. 2020 offered many opportunities for our cheer team to rise up, adapt beautifully, and persevere with positivity.

CHEERLEADING

Coach: Kathy-Lynn Kelly

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Michael T. Martin Aquatic Center:

PENNINGTON’S POOL

gets a major renovation

n September 2020, Pennington completed an extensive renovation of the Michael T. Martin Aquatic Center pool. The pool was originally built in 1962 and although upgraded over the years, this was the first complete renovation of the facility. Although this work had been on Pennington’s project list for the near future, the plan was accelerated when the pool started showing signs of leaks throughout the cast iron plumbing under the deck. Work started on the project in February 2020 and took seven months to complete, slightly delayed by the pandemic. The extensive upgrades include a new deck; completely new plumbing; new walls and plastering inside the pool; new tile work for the black lines at the bottom of the pool; new stainless steel gutters and overflow gutter system which has made our pool more competitive (faster); new SR Smith starting blocks with wedges and a custom Pennington ‘P’; new pump room filters and holding tank, which cleans the pool water almost three times faster than before; underwater speakers; custom red and black tiling around the perimeter of the pool; and (still to come) fresh paint on all interior walls, bleachers, and lobby entrance to the pool. Coach George Ward is pleased with the results of the work, and Pennington swimmers are already using the beautiful upgraded facility. www.pennington.org

PENNINGTON’S HOMECOMING 2020 was a weeklong series of virtual events bringing alumni from across the world together. We kicked off the week’s activities with meditation and launched Pennington’s first-ever virtual 5K Walk/ Run, where alumni seized the opportunity to meet the challenge as they chose their own route and participated over the course of the week. We had amazing alumni speakers for our “National Security Today” and “The Art of the Hustle: Creating Your Path to Success” panel talks. The Alumni Diversity Committee created a meet-and-greet opportunity for our Black Student Union, and we held a spirited alumni vs. faculty trivia competition with lots of laughter and good banter. (The most creative trivia team name prize went to “Honor, Virtue, Humiliation”!)

Alumni Celebrate

VIRTUAL HOMECOMING 2020 2

The fun continued with Laughter Yoga, creating some much-needed endorphins. And if endorphins weren’t enough to lift the spirits, Dr. Hawkey hosted a wine tasting with alumni featuring Passalacqua Winery out of Sonoma County. On our last day of events, Dr. Hawkey’s Perspectives presentation provided a special state-of-the-School update on the opening of campus, and John Biddiscombe ’63, president of the Alumni Association, along with Jane Bott Childrey ’89, director of alumni relations, closed out the week with an alumni address highlighting the results from our alumni survey. Although we all missed the energy and spirit we have when we come together on campus, we were delighted to have alumni from around the globe participate in the virtual celebration. Thanks to all who joined in and made it another memorable, albeit different, Pennington Homecoming!

PHOTOS: 1. Jennifer Wheeler Faber ’86 P’18 and Dan Faber P’18 join fellow alumni and Head of School Bill Hawkey as they enjoy the wine tasting offered by Passalacqua Winery.

2. Kathy Kaufman Plessett ’88 leads alumni in a fun and invigorating laughter yoga class. 3. Alex Wolf ‘87 shows off his new Pennington T-shirt to celebrate his completion of the 5K walk/run challenge, which he participated in virtually from his home in Florida. 4. Current junior Mame Baffour-Awuah participated with fellow students and young alumni in a careerfocused panel conversation,“The Art of the Hustle: Creating A Path To Your Success” led by speakers Celeste Jackson ’06 and Erin Simon ’10. 5. John Biddiscombe ‘63, president of the Alumni Association, led the annual alumni address and shared the important outcomes from 2020’s alumni survey. 6. Maggie Feldman-Piltch ’10, founder and CEO of #NatSecGirlsSquad, held a talk, “National Security Today,” where she discussed revolutionizing the national security industry for women and creating competent diversity in the defense workforce. 30

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ArtSpires COME TO PENNINGTON

taken down preemptively for public safety. ArtSpires is a part of HVAC’s ongoing initiative “Out of the Ashes: Art Emerging from Fallen Trees.” The programs in this initiative upcycled ash wood from trees cut down in Hopewell Township, turning the raw wood into works of art. For the ArtSpires project, local artists used their skills in painting and sculpture to transform pillars of wood into beacons of creativity and resilience.

“The unprinted sides represent the bird calls that we hear but can’t see where they are coming from,” said Moore.

printmaking process to design his whimsical spire featuring local birds on two sides. The other two sides of the spire were left bare, exposing the raw beauty of the ash wood.

said Samantha Lambdin ’24, who collaborated with her mother, Tina. “It was a great summer project, and I was able to paint outside with my mom.” Each side of the Lambdins’ spire features a mural representing one of the four seasons.

Teacher of Art/Artorama Caroline Hall began by carving her ArtSpire, primed it with acrylic paint, and then detailed the spire with oil paint pens. Hall drew inspiration from the natural lines within the wood, creating a striking contrast between the lines and shapes through the use of black and white paint.

In mid-November, some new art popped Jamie Moore ’03, teacher of history, used a “I really enjoyed working on the ArtSpire,” up on the front lawn of The Pennington School. Three ArtSpires, pictured below, were crafted by faculty members Jamie Moore and Caroline Hall, staff member Tina Lambdin, and her daughter, Samantha Lambdin ’24. These works are part of the Hopewell Valley Arts Council (HVAC) ArtSpires project, in which the four artists participated over the summer.

These three spires are temporarily displayed on the Pennington campus, and other spires can be found around the town of Pennington. The spires were auctioned off during a monthlong auction from November 19 to December 19, and the proceeds supported the artists and the mission of HVAC. Every spire was sold at auction and over $29,000 was raised!

ArtSpires was inspired by the loss of native ash trees in North America, due to the spread of the emerald ash borer beetle, an invasive species that feeds on ash trees. The emerald ash borer has had a devastating effect on Hopewell Valley’s ash trees. Trees everywhere from forests to public areas to private yards were infested, and many trees that were not yet infested with beetles were

Created by Jamie Moore

For more information about the ArtSpires project, visit www.hvartscouncil.org/artspires.

Created by Caroline Hall

Created by Tina Lambdin and Samantha Lambdin ’24

www.pennington.org

BOARDING STUDENTS

THRIVE ON CAMPUS

“My favorite part about boarding at Pennington is that I can be with my friends every day, where we play sports together and help each other with homework. The close community enriches my after-school life because I have people to hang out with.” —Jack Wang ’21

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Benefits of Boarding

“Every student at Pennington has at least one hall parent living on the hall—some halls have three hall parents,” said Assistant Director of Residential Life Caroline Hall. She added that the residential faculty at Pennington have a combined 540 years of residential experience! “At Pennington, we have a two-to-one ratio of residential students to residential faculty, so there is always someone available to help you with your work, talk about life, or just care for you while experiencing high school,” said Bridges, who described the residential faculty as caring and dedicated. “Many of these faculty members will also be your teachers, coaches, and advisors, in addition to being your hall parents.”

At The Pennington School, about twenty-five percent of the student body lives on campus, from grades eight through twelve. “The advantages of being a boarding student are endless,” said Chad Bridges, who is the assistant head of school for community life and dean of students. Living away Boarding students enjoy greater access to Pennington’s from home during the high school years helps campus facilities, including the dining hall, fitness students develop habits of mind that benefit them in center, music practice rooms and recording studio, college and into adulthood. Boarding students learn art studios, Makerspace, classroom valuable time management spaces, pool, gymnasium, and and self-care skills, and their lounge areas. academic work benefits from “One advantage of being a structured evening study halls boarder at Pennington is being This year, to make residential with teachers on hand. “You able to collaborate with my life as safe as possible, boarders learn to be responsible for friends and peers at any time. arrived in August and quarantined yourself, from waking up on campus for fourteen days in the morning, studying at I feel very well prepared for before preseason and orientation night, cleaning your room, college. Being able to board activities began with the day student and doing your laundry,” said has helped me develop time population. Many of the boarders Bridges, who added that these were assigned to single rooms management skills, confidence skills are actively developed in for this year, and other COVIDin navigating new experiences, the boarding program. mitigation protocols included and independence.” allocating specific spaces for each Socially, the extra time spent student in shared bathrooms, on campus allows boarders to —Chloe McKain ’23 enhanced cleaning of all dormitory form deeper relationships with group spaces, restricting visitor fellow students, and they gain access to campus, and enforcing social distancing valuable experience living in a dormitory. “Living and mask-wearing safety measures. with your friends in the dorms is incredibly rewarding,” said Bridges. “Lifelong friendships are made in our residential community.” Boarders also gain inDining dependence and self-confidence and are better prePennington’s Dining Hall offers a large variety of pared for the emotional demands of college. healthful choices each day for students and employees. Pennington partners with Sodexo Dining Services to A 2017 TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools) provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner—plus snacks study quoted by Forbes magazine found that “78% and a late-evening mini-meal—seven days a week of boarding school graduates felt well-prepared for for boarding students. the non-academic aspects of college life, such as independence, social life, and time management, “We have a very dedicated staff who really love to be compared to 36% of private day and 23% of public creative with our menu offerings,” said Food Service school students.” Bridges agreed: “I have had countless Director Don Toner. “We are also proud of the fact alumni who were boarders come back and share that every meal is prepared fresh from scratch.” with me how easy it was for them to transition to college.” Dining looks a bit different this year, but students still

Dormitories Pennington has three dormitories: Old Main, Buck Hall, and Becher Hall. The three dormitories on campus comprise ten residence halls.

RESIDENTIAL LIFE

iving on campus with a wide variety of people of all ages and from all backgrounds can expand students’ perspectives and better prepare them for life in college and beyond. Pennington’s residence halls are home to a diverse community that comprises students and faculty members from many different parts of the United States and all around the globe.

have no shortage of options. “We have had a great deal of positive feedback on the variety of foods that we currently offer,” said Toner. This year, COVID-19 safety protocols mean that Sodexo staff serve all of the meals, although some 33

items such as fruit, yogurt, and dessert are available to grab and go. All meals are takeout-style, with minimal seating available in the Dining Hall. Disposable, compostable packaging ensures meals are safely handled and easy to pick up. Tents are available steps away with plenty of space and fresh air to allow students to eat together in smaller groups. Breakfast and dinner are available this year for boarders and residential faculty only, and Dining Services serves about one hundred people at each of these meals. Students with specific dietary concerns need not be concerned about finding something to eat. “We work with individuals on a one-on-one basis to accommodate special dietary needs and food allergies,” said Toner. “Vegan meals are a speciality, and some people try these foods just to sample something completely different.” Dining Services offers a variety of special meals throughout the week and the school year, which everyone loves. Thanksgiving dinner and the Chinese New Year celebration always feature festive dishes. “On November 16, we served a traditional, family-style Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, including several types of fresh-baked pies,” said Toner. Weekend meals are particularly appreciated. “On the weekends we kick it up a notch at brunch and serve up house-made cheesecake and ice cream sundae bars for dessert after dinner,” said Toner. In typical years, boarding students also enjoy weekly Formal Dinners, during which boarders and residential faculty gather together in formal dress to share an evening meal. This tradition is so meaningful to both residential students and faculty that this year, “Faux Formal” dinners were invented and shared via social media.

Weekends at Pennington Pennington offers a robust schedule of fun and enriching activities every weekend, and the community is engaged on campus seven days a week. “Weekends on campus allow residents to truly experience an even stronger level of community, while at the same time affording them opportunities to expand their interests and abilities,” said Keri Marino, director of weekend activities. Before the pandemic, Pennington offered trips on the weekends to malls, movie theaters, performing arts centers, ice rinks, mini golf courses, and trampoline parks. Students also had

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

opportunities to go on excursions to New York City and Philadelphia, where they could visit museums, aquariums, and zoos, and see Broadway shows and professional sporting events. “We’ve also done paintball, a skydiving simulator, archery, axe throwing, laser tag, and go-kart racing,” said Marino. Although some trips and closely packed group activities are not yet possible this year, the residential life team has made every effort to coordinate fun and safe activities for boarding students. Marino named outdoor movie nights, scavenger hunts, tie-dye, trivia nights, bike rides, and hikes as just a few of the weekend options. “There have also been healthy competitions against the faculty in tennis, dodgeball, and volleyball,” added Marino. And, of course, during typical years students can sign out to spend weekends with friends who are day students, or even go home for a visit. The weekends also give boarding students more opportunities to connect with residential faculty. Half of Pennington’s teachers live on campus and are therefore accessible before and after classes, as well as in the evenings and on weekends. Marino, who also serves as a hall parent and teacher of Spanish, said that weekends at Pennington give residential faculty the opportunity to get to know their students outside of the classroom and more fully appreciate their individuality. “The spirit of The Pennington School thrives in residential life, providing each student with an individualized learning experience suited to their own talents,” she said.

The Faculty Perspective Residential life benefits not only students, but also the faculty members who live alongside them. Living on campus creates holistic experiences for residential faculty, entrenching them in the Pennington community and helping them forge well-rounded relationships with students and with each other. “All residential faculty are full-time teachers and coaches,” said Hall. “We work with the students in many different areas of their lives.” “The experience of living on campus has been incredibly rewarding,” said Lida Castro, hall parent and the chair of the World Languages Department. Castro has served as a hall parent for nine years. “My family and I have grown in a community that values diversity and encourages respect for each other.”

“When a faculty member starts a teaching and residential career at Pennington, we recognize that it can be a lot to adapt to in the first month of school,” said Hall. Every faculty member is connected with a peer mentor, and they also have a plethora of support from dorm heads, fellow hall parents, the Residential Life team, and administrative leaders. Living on campus has enriched Castro’s life and her teaching. “I get to know students better, understand their backgrounds, and have better tools to make my teaching stronger and rooted in their real-life expectations and experiences,” she said. Hall agreed that living on campus has transformed her life for the better: “I didn’t even know boarding schools existed when I was in high school. And now, I couldn’t think of a better place to be, and a better place to raise my son.”

A Home Away from Home When students live at The Pennington School, they do not simply live in a dormitory: they live within the Pennington family. “Boarders live within a community, with families, children, and new experiences open to them,” said Castro. “Boarding students have the opportunity to learn from role models and enjoy enriched experiences with the faculty families living on campus. These are incredibly important elements which strengthen our sense of community while giving the boarders a good deal of independence.” Pennington is a safe haven for students, where adults attend to their needs with love and care while also helping them build self-reliance and confidence. “We are their fairy godparents, here to swoop in, mold, and help their true parents raise wonderful human beings,” said Hall. “We are here to make your children feel welcome, at home, and comfortable, but we are also here to teach them a few life skills, encourage their independence, and lead and guide them in this journey of growing up.” The boarding community is the heart of The Pennington School, and boarding students receive everything that a Pennington education has to offer, from a top-notch education and competitive athletics programs, to individually tailored support and nurturance, as well as exciting weekend activities and delicious food. “Living in one of the safest towns in New Jersey, we also have a 24/7 health center, activities all of the time, and an amazing dining hall facility for students,” said Bridges. “We have created an environment where students feel that Pennington is truly their home away from home.” –by Emma Wells

“My favorite thing about boarding at Pennington is the amazing space we have created with people of all backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Such exposure allows many students including myself to see another perspective of the world, exchange cultures, increase our knowledge, and gain a sense of open-mindedness.” —Mame Baffour-Awuah ’22

MY HAPPY PLACE

by Jonell Adu-Gyamfi ’22 My favorite thing about boarding is being put in a position where I am in charge of myself. I was always fairly independent, but being fourteen and coming to boarding school taught me to hold myself accountable for a lot more things because my parents weren’t around to hold my hand. I believe it’s a beautiful type of discipline because you grow into this new level of self-awareness and maturity that you really couldn’t develop elsewhere. And I know one hundred percent that I will be more than equipped for my future.

Jonell Adu-Gyamfi ’22 and Sydney Francis ’22

One advantage of being a boarding student is definitely accessibility. This is probably my favorite thing because The Pennington School especially creates a family environment where you can access almost anything in close vicinity. We have an amazing residential faculty community and I consider them my second family. If I have a question or need, I can simply knock on my dorm parent’s door and they would be more than happy to assist me. School is also extremely accessible because, well, we live here! I don’t have to worry about who’s going to give me a ride to school, or who can pick me up super late from a track meet. Everything is right where it needs to be, and that sense of convenience is amazing to me. I definitely feel more than prepared for college—not only because of the structure of some of my classes but also because of the residential program: having roommates, going to a dining hall, walking to class, etc. All of these aspects will be ones I will come across in my college days, and I am so accustomed to that lifestyle because I will have been doing those things for four years prior. College is big on shared spaces and Pennington is too. Pennington’s residential program teaches you to respect other’s spaces because some of them will be shared, and to value your own privacy and take care of yourself—not only physically, but also mentally. One of the top things that the Pennington residential program has exposed me to has been the diversity of students itself. Pennington is where I got to meet international students from China, Vietnam, Senegal, the Bahamas, the list goes on. I also met domestic students from Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and even other parts of New Jersey that I’ve never even heard of. College is going to be filled with individuals from all over, and having already befriended, networked, and learned from the ones at Pennington, I will find that college will be an easy transition in that respect. This weekend activity is relatively new, but I’ve been loving going on bike rides. Typically on a Saturday afternoon, my close friend, who lives across the hall from me, and a faculty member will ride through the town of Pennington. This is a passion I genuinely enjoy because you take time to appreciate the land around you, and you get to observe the grandest scenery or the most minuscule detail. I love the refreshing air as I ride and the jokes my friend and I exchange with faculty members. That is truly my happy place and I’m so glad that Pennington offers an activity like this, which is just one of many that I love. www.pennington.org

HomeFront Holiday

To celebrate this accomplishment, the School community gathered at the Campus Center Plaza after school on December 11 for a tree lighting. After a few brief remarks and well wishes for a wonderful 2021, Head of School Bill Hawkey led the countdown to the lighting of the tree. Then, the Peer Leaders loaded the hundred holiday cheer bags into a bus, and Pennington faculty and staff members packed an abundance of warm winter coats donated by the community into a van, all to be delivered to HomeFront.

AT PENNINGTON

Lessons and Carols On the evening of Monday, December 14, the annual Service of Lessons and Carols was reimagined in a virtual format. Although the service was conducted over Zoom, the holiday spirit of Lessons and Carols was very much alive. As always, the service invited Pennington community members to listen to scripture and other readings, as well as music presented by student vocal and instrumental ensembles.

The night’s program was full of heartfelt contributions from faculty and students. 36

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In addition, Pennington’s dining services provider, Sodexo, donated 150 dinners to the clients of HomeFront living in local motels. According to Connie Mercer, HomeFront’s CEO, the families living at the motels are the ones hardest hit by the pandemic. “They have one room for the whole family, kids are trying to participate in remote school, and there’s nowhere to cook or play.” HomeFront is a Mercer County not-forprofit organization devoted to ending homelessness and poverty in central New Jersey, and the School expects to continue the tradition of the beloved holiday party next year and for as long as it is needed in the community.

Hanukkah Party

HOLIDAYS

For the last twenty-six years, The Pennington School has worked in partnership with HomeFront to provide a festive holiday party on the Pennington campus for over four hundred local community members facing homelessness or living in poverty. This year, however, the celebration looked a little different. On Friday, December 11, the Pennington Peer Leaders organized and helped pack one hundred bags filled with items donated by our students, families, faculty, and staff. The entire community collected everyday necessities and gift items as well as art supplies for all ages from infants to adults. The School also collected coats during the week of December 7 and had major

success! The History and Social Studies Department even used their holiday gift budget to purchase eleven men’s and women’s coats for the HomeFront Coat Drive.

The Pennington Jewish Community hosted a virtual Hanukkah party on Wednesday, December 16. Students and faculty members celebrated Hanukkah together with music, crafts, and a dreidel tournament! The PJC distributed gift bags containing dreidels and instructions, as well as some Hanukkah gelt (chocolate coins) to students in advance of the party so that all could participate.

The Pennington School Orchestra, the Pennington Singers, and the Pennington School Jazz band performed a wide selection of Christmas music, including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Joy to the World,” and “Christmastime is Here.” SoundProof, Pennington’s new a cappella group, sang “Carol of the Bells” in their inaugural performance. Faculty members, students, and Head of School William S. Hawkey delivered readings, and School Chaplain David Hallgren gave a moving homily. While keeping the tradition of Lessons and Carols intact, the service

brought the Pennington community comfort, warmth, and much-needed celebration just before the Winter Break.

speech. Teacher of Music Donald Dolan provided information about Cum Laude’s history and motto, and Dean of Academic Affairs Scott Peeler introduced the faculty members in Pennington’s Cum Laude chapter. Nathan Van Yperen, chair of the Religion Department, was the program speaker. Cum Laude Chapter President Lisa L. Houston then formally inducted the students.

The Cum Laude Society is an international organization dedicated to recognizing academic achievement in secondary schools. There are 382 institutions in the Society; most are independent schools.

The new members of Pennington’s chapter of Cum Laude are William Bernal, Sophia Cano, Xingrui Chen, Matthew Cooper, Kailey Dierk, Alexander Huang-Menders, Shivant Krishnan, Minghao Li, Rohit Pothacamury, Trinity Pryor, Olivia Schroeder-Positano, and Haichuan Wang. Congratulations to these students on this academic achievement!

After an invocation from the Reverend David Hallgren, Head of School William S. Hawkey gave a welcome

Pennington students connect with students in Malawi refugee camp

Pennington students saw the first fruits of their efforts during two recent outreach initiatives. A group of students in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp were taught introductory math lessons led by Pennington students Jack Wang ’21, Ellie Fermo ’23, Frani Pendus ’23, Elliot Overhiser ’22, Sindhu Yaramosu ’22, Gloria Liu ’23, Kira Cafferty ’21, Chris Ly ’22, and Mia Cresti ’22. In addition to math lessons, the Pennington students led a three-part lesson series on solar power, which is an emerging source of power in Africa. Juniors Daisy Hutnik and Ariana Colner kicked off the series, teaching how solar panels convert solar energy into electrical energy. Juniors Mateo Castro, Rowan Karp, Elliot Overhiser, and Max Gibbard followed with a hands-on lab that guided Dzaleka students through the process of connecting a motor to solar power to move a toy car.

The final session in the series was led by Matt Cooper ’21 and Avery Sichel ’22 and focused on applications for solar power in Africa. All of these lessons were delivered over Zoom using Pennington-refurbished iPads. The forty thousand residents of the Dzaleka Refugee Camp come from five neighboring countries and are often fleeing a natural disaster or civil unrest in their home country. The relationship between The Pennington School and Dzaleka gives Pennington students an opportunity to use their STEM skills to solve real-world problems and to help our global citizens. Wirsig plans to take a student group to Malawi when the COVID-19 crisis is over.

MALAWI PROJECT UPDATE

A few years ago, Susan Wirsig, director of Pennington’s Applied Science Certificate Program, established a collaborative relationship with a school in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, Africa. Wirsig then applied for and received a $4,590 grant from the Toshiba America Foundation to support a project bringing iPad technology to children living in the camp. Over the last two years, Pennington students worked to refurbish broken iPads, which were then donated to the camp.

CUM LAUDE SOCIETY

welve Pennington School seniors were inducted as student members of the School’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society during a virtual ceremony on the evening of October 13. Students inducted are within the top ten percent of the class, as determined by grade point average, and the School views selection for this membership as one of the highest honors it can confer.

www.pennington.org

PARENTS FOR PENNINGTON NEWS by Cynthia Wallace P’20 ’23 ’26

Many of our parents feel they are weathering the global pandemic well, and feel very blessed in that regard, but one consistent feeling is the desire to create more joy—at home, in the School, and in our community. This idea inspired the theme of this year’s spring Red & Black Bash, “Bursts of Joy.” This virtual event will take place Saturday, April 17, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. Between now and then, watch for “Bursts of Joy” for parents, students, faculty, and staff in the form of retreats, special treats, and safe gatherings. The Parents for Pennington board wishes your family a safe and healthy 2021.

SAVE THE DATE

he Parents for Pennington group has been extremely busy during the fall and early winter. Our mission includes providing community-building opportunities for our parents and students while supporting the tremendous efforts of faculty and staff. Best known for our parent class parties every fall, the PfP had to reimagine these gatherings this year as smaller and safer new parent and class level off-campus coffees. We have also sponsored twelve parent clubs this fall, including the newly formed Black Parents at Pennington affinity group and the No-Buy Club.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2021

New Parent Clubs from PfP in 2020–21 Black Parents at Pennington Affinity Group Black Parents at Pennington affinity group offers a time for Black or African-American parents of Pennington students to come together and share their experiences. The goal of this group is to support Black parents as they shepherd their children through an independent school education, and to give Black parents a stronger voice in creating an equitable and inclusive School community. Organized by: Samantha Stern-Leaphart (Director of DEI)

No-Buy Club Parents for Pennington hopes you and your family will support our annual Red & Black Bash, which will be held virtually on Saturday, April 17, 2021. This year, our Bash will be a “friendraiser” rather than a fundraiser. Our theme for the evening, “Bursts of Joy,” recognizes the sense of loss we have all experienced this year and invites us to create moments of joy in all of our lives. More information about Parents for Pennington and the Red & Black Bash will be shared in the coming months. Until then, stay safe, save the date, and start spreading the joy as we welcome hope in the new year.

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

This “club” is actually an avenue for Pennington parents to donate, lend, or request free items to and from others using the digital platform Padlet. You can donate household items, toys, tools, and much more. You can post an offer or make a request here: http://bit.ly/NoBuyGroup Organized by: Julian Kim P’23

Fiber Arts Club Knitters, crocheters, spinners, and stitchers of all kinds are welcome to get social as the group works on various projects. Beginners welcome! This group meets virtually on a regular basis. Organized by: Lisa Hardt P’24 ’27

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

NEWS Katherine Q. Rosa P’21 ’23

Cynthia Wallace P’20 ’23 ’26

Katherine Rosa recently retired from JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she most recently served in the senior position of global head of alternative investments, wealth management. In her more than twenty-five years with JPMorgan, Rosa served in numerous capacities of increasing responsibility, including managing director of the private equity group and chief operating officer for North American sales and service. Rosa is the chair of the Leadership Council of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and in that capacity is an ex-officio trustee. She is also on the advisory council of the Pablove Foundation, focused on supporting the fight against childhood cancer and supporting affected families. Rosa received her undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College.

A committed parent volunteer, Cynthia Wallace became our PfP president for this year. As a PfP leader in 2019–20, Wallace worked closely with the entire PfP Board, fostering communication and helping deliver quality results. She was heavily involved in many capacities surrounding 2020’s virtual Red and Black Bash, which was very successful after having to shift to an online event at almost the last minute. In other volunteer roles, Wallace is the fellowship team lead and vice chair of the pastoral council of St. James Roman Catholic Church in Pennington. She has a B.S. in technical graphics from Purdue University.

Celeste Jackson ’06 An attorney from New York City, Celeste Jackson ’06 has enjoyed worldwide experiences that she brings to bear in her current role as an associate at Linklaters LLP, a large London-based international law firm. She is involved in the finance area, assisting with international transactions of all types. Jackson has degrees from Duke University, including a B.S. in political science and African and African American studies, as well as a J.D.

Cecilia Rouse Nominated to Chair Council of Economic Advisers for President Biden Cecilia Rouse P’21, a member of the Pennington School Board of Trustees since 2017 and Pennington’s 2020 Commencement speaker, was nominated by Joe Biden in December to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, an agency within the Executive Office of the President of the United States that is charged with offering the President objective economic advice on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy. The Council bases its recommendations and analysis on economic research and empirical evidence, using the best data available to support the President in setting the nation’s economic policy. She previously served on the CEA under President Obama, and will be only the fourth woman, and first Black woman, to lead this agency. Rouse is currently dean of Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. She writes, “This is a moment of urgency and opportunity unlike anything we’ve faced in modern times. The urgency of ending a devastating crisis. And the opportunity to build a better economy in its wake—an economy that works for everyone, and leaves no one to fall through the cracks.” www.pennington.org

ALUMNI INTERNSHIP

SPOTLIGHTS ERIC BROADWAY ’18

Albright University Major: Environmental Science Interviewed by Emily Barkley ’21

Broadway wasted no time after graduating from Pennington to find an internship in environmental science. Broadway credits his interest in the subject to Dr. Andrews’s class, which opened his eyes to a more selfless way of thinking. Before college, in the summer of 2018, he found an internship at Pflaumer Brothers, Inc., a local chemical company. In his first summer with the company, Broadway performed chemical analysis tests and recorded sample data. He enjoyed his experience so much that he returned the following two summers and expanded his role to include carpentry work. Then, when college campuses shut down in March, he was grateful to pivot into a salaried position at Pflaumer Brothers in their accounting department. He encourages all new Pennington graduates to expand their networks and get as much work experience as possible to help jump-start their careers.

Cyber security is an industry that is in constant demand, and not affected by global recessions. Childrey spent her summer internship this past year as a software developer in IBM’s cyber security department. Specifically, she worked with the IBM “Ask CISO Anything” platform. Although the pandemic caused Childrey to miss out on being on site at the corporate headquarters, she still gained valuable experience, learning a coding language called Python and helping to design the interface. She enjoyed being able to take the lead and direct the two teams that play pivotal roles in designing the code and creating the user interface. Her favorite part of it all was presenting the project update to the CISO team. Childrey has greatly enjoyed the experience and hopes that, if she ever returns as an intern, she can take part in the annual trip for interns to Disney World (which was unfortunately canceled this past year due to the pandemic)! 40

Pennington graduates will not be stopped from pursuing their goals and reaching for their dreams! This past year, despite the challenges and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, our college-age alumni used their creativity and perseverance to land some impressive internships and jobs. Current Pennington seniors interviewed their former classmates, and here are some of their inspiring stories, lessons learned, and highlights from internship experiences in 2020.

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LILY CHILDREY ’18

University of North Carolina Major: Computer Science and Economics (minor in Chinese) Interviewed by Lexi Childrey ’21

AKEYA FORTSON-BROWN ’18

University of Richmond Major: Business Management (concentration in Business Administration) Interviewed by Sammi Moonay ’21 When Fortson-Brown first looked for an internship, she did not meet the requirements for many. Undaunted, she decided to explore companies that spoke to her interests in finance, entrepreneurship, and social justice. She eventually discovered Financially Brave—a social media marketing company empowering and educating women on investing—and she knew she had found a great fit. She reached out to the company’s CEO and founder, Alexis Howard, to inquire about internships and discovered that the company had never had interns before. Fortson-Brown was asked to become the first intern for the California-based company, and she worked remotely from March through August 2020. She was responsible for conducting research, creating social media content, and implementing social media strategies. Being their first intern and helping to lead and develop an internship program for the company was very satisfying. “I was able to see what it takes to build a company from the ground up.” Fortson-Brown knows that the mentor and champion she found in Alexis Howard is the most valuable outcome of her experience.

JENNA KRAUSE ’17

Rutgers University Double Major: Electrical/Computer Engineering (minor in Computer Science) Krause began her college career thinking she would become a biomedical engineer but discovered her love for electrical and computer engineering. “I had no idea about programming until Mr. Horsley recommended I take a software engineering class with Mr. Coakley my senior year. I was good at it!” She completed her first internship in 2019 at Norfolk Southern, a freight railway company in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she worked on electrical systems and circuitry for track operations. She helped fix broken equipment on site to avoid buying new or sending parts out for repairs. Through this experience, which came with a monthly housing stipend and salary, she discovered that she would like to pursue technical consulting in order to use her strong technical skills as well as to have interaction with clients.

Have you had an interesting college internship or early work experience that you would like to share with us? Send us a note about your experience at alumni@pennington.org.

Prudential’s tagline was once “Get a piece of the rock,” and Tony Morency claimed his piece of that rock in the summers of 2019 and 2020 as a finance intern in Prudential’s PGIM division in Newark, New Jersey. At TCNJ, Morency had taken a finance class and met a fellow student who referred him to this paid internship. The internship gave Morency a good view into how corporate finance works. His biggest takeaway came from a lunch with some of the company’s top executives, who encouraged the interns to explore their passions and interests in their careers: “They told us if we ever feel stuck or bored in a job or career, don’t be afraid to try something new.” Morency also learned the importance of strong networking: “You need to keep up with the people you meet. You need to keep in touch with them and treat those relationships with care so they will continue to open doors for you.” Where will his next door lead? He isn’t sure if it will be in corporate finance, real estate, construction, or private investments, but he’ll be able to use all of the skills he learned last summer to his advantage.

FEVEN NEGUSSIE ’19 Barnard College Major: Political Science Interviewed by Paige Tourangeau ’21

TONY MORENCY ’17

The College of New Jersey Major: Finance (minor in Economics) Interviewed by Matthew Lepre ’21

The Wight Foundation in Newark, New Jersey works to provide educational opportunities to middle-school-age children who may not have the chance otherwise—an organization that is deeply rooted in Negussie’s life. After benefiting from being part of one of the foundation’s programs in middle school, Negussie decided that she wanted to give back to the organization which is so dear to her. She now plans to get a law degree after she graduates from Barnard and wanted to try her hand at teaching and inspiring other young minds through her summer internship. As a teaching assistant for the Wight Foundation’s programs, Negussie taught a middle school class about geography, history, and social justice. Even though it was taught entirely over Zoom, she found the role to be very fulfilling and enjoyed the many personal connections she created with her students along the way. She also found a new perspective on balancing her personal and work life. Although the summer internship was over, she was asked to continue her role and is currently still teaching while attending college. www.pennington.org

ALUMNI INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHTS

ALEX SALTSTEIN ’17 Stevens Institute of Technology Major: Computer Science and MS in Software Engineering Interviewed by Shivant Krishnan ’21

Snowboarding has always been a passion for Ward. When he realized global warming might accelerate the snow melt at his favorite mountains, he decided that something had to be done! After taking Dr. Andrews’s environmental science class at Pennington, Ward knew he wanted to make a difference in the environment. During last summer’s lockdown, he secured an internship with the Environmental Commission for Pennington Borough, where he worked on creating a document called an ERI (Environmental Resource Inventory), an index of natural resources. This work included compiling, organizing, and editing hundreds of pages of tables, maps, and text about the environmental features of the town. Ward admits that it was challenging doing the internship completely online, and meeting with people virtually wasn’t always ideal. Overall, it was a great experience and he was honored to play a part in the town’s efforts towards sustainability. 42

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Most people are familiar with book fairs from elementary school; but how does that type of event continue during the pandemic? Saltstein discovered on LinkedIn an internship at Scholastic that was aimed at addressing this exact challenge that the educational publishing company was facing. Saltstein applied on a whim and was given a great opportunity to use his skills in computer science and software engineering to help the company change the format of book fairs by developing technical communication and lightning-web components. He encourages new Pennington graduates to apply to many places for internships and first jobs: “Don’t get fazed by rejection; it takes a ton of outreach to get a response.” He also credits Mr. Leib from his days at Pennington—especially his mantra of “Don’t just get the code to work; make it efficient”—for instilling a love of learning and desire to find solutions to difficult problems, both of which are helping him find success in his blossoming career. Saltstein has been offered a full-time position with Scholastic after he graduates this spring.

MAX WARD ’19

Salve Regina University Major: Environmental Studies Interviewed by Alex Gutierrez ’21

JAMAR TUCKER ’18

Wentworth Institute of Technology Major: Construction Management (minor in Real Estate Development)

Tucker found his internships with Hensel Phelps by chance while waiting for a friend at a college job fair. He has had two internships with the construction company, working as a field engineer and currently as an office engineer. In his current position, he manages the mountains of paperwork involved with working with subcontractors and serves as the liaison between the architect, owner, and subcontractors. Tucker has also learned about the importance of communicating well through different vehicles. When he was on site, it was easier to communicate in person, but when he transitioned into the office, he worked to improve his email, phone, and Zoom skills. Among many highlights, Tucker’s greatest accomplishment was completing an undercut drawing for an entire hotel, which involved drawing every floor that was being installed. The company has been so impressed with his work that they have worked out a schedule with Wentworth to keep Tucker in his position almost full-time. Hensel Phelps provides housing and a stipend for expenses, and receiving a check each week has only added to Tucker’s sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with his exceptional experience.

Did you know that for the cost of a monthly cup of coffee, you can make a big impact on the lives of Pennington students and teachers? By making a recurring monthly gift to the Pennington Fund you become a member of the Cupola Latte Society. Making a difference for our students and teachers is as easy as ordering your favorite beverage. What is the Cupola Latte Society? The Cupola Latte Society is made up of generous and loyal Pennington alumni, parents, and friends who sign up to make a recurring monthly gift to the Pennington Fund. Monthly gift amounts can be the cost of a cup of coffee...or any amount you choose. Why should you make a gift? There are lots of good reasons to support Pennington. Your gift has an immediate impact on teachers, financial aid, athletics, the arts, and more. Every gift is important, is needed, and matters. Small, recurring gifts all add up to helping today’s students and dedicated teachers. What is the benefit of recurring giving? Recurring giving is flexible, convenient, and sustainable. Your gift is entirely customizable (just like your drink). You choose the amount and how you want to pay. It’s simple, easy, and effective! “I hope you will join me in becoming a member of the Cupola Latte Society! The Pennington community was, and still is, a huge part of my life. Coming to Pennington as a freshman was like a breath of fresh air. I had a true sense of belonging and I formed several lifelong friendships. Donating to the Pennington Fund on a monthly basis is the best way for me to make the biggest impact on students today—I want them to have the same amazing experiences that were so meaningful to me.” — Timothy Johnson III ’03

Make a recurring gift to support Pennington’s students and join the

Cupola Latte Society today! www.pennington.org

OUR ALUMNI HAVE SPOKEN:

What you said, and

Last fall, The Pennington School

conducted an alumni survey to learn how our graduates feel about their experiences, and to discover more about their interest in staying involved and connected at Pennington. We heard from many alumni, representing a range of ages and experiences in giving, volunteering, and staying connected to the School. We are so grateful to all who took part in the survey. Your voices, stories, and perspectives inspire us!

TR ANSFORMATIONAL & POSITIVE

STUDENT EXPERIENCE 93% ++ are very

positive

88%

about their student experience

SCHOOL AND COMMUNIT Y

91% are

proud

to have attended

63% feel a strong

sense of belonging to the community

FACULTY MAKE ALL

THE DIFFERENCE

a2 + b2 = c2

said their experience was

transformational

–– 44

ALUMNI PRIDE IN THE

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

94%

say faculty had a huge influence

54%

stay connected

because of faculty and coaches

what we learned, from the 2020 Alumni Survey

VOLUNTEERING

INVESTMENT IN ACADEMIC

STRENGTH & CORE VALUES

& CONNECTING WITH STUDENTS

59%

Top areas of giving

want to

volunteer

interest at Pennington:

Top 2 volunteer interests:

Speaking on campus

Mentoring students

plan to support Pennington in the coming year

stories

about fellow alumni

donation

impact

appreciation

believe their giving has an impact

more 82% want news and

79%

75%

Academic Pennington Programs Fund

COMMUNICATIONS & COMMUNITY MATTER

PHILANTHROPY

feel their gifts are appreciated

Financial Aid

MEANINGFUL & REWARDING

79%

90%

would like an

online alumni directory www.pennington.org

CELEBRATING

ALUMNI VOLUNTEERS Robert Carroll ’79 Donna Kottcamp ’79 P’20 Class Agents Donna Fell Kottcamp and Robert Carroll are both longtime alumni volunteers and donors, and make a dynamic team as class agent volunteers. They first got started as volunteers in 1984, when they helped organize the Class of 1979’s fifth reunion, and have been friends and involved alumni at Pennington ever since. They have worn a number of volunteer hats and been able to see the School from a range of vantage points over the years. Both have served on the Alumni Association Board, for which Carroll served as president, and Kottcamp recently experienced the School as a proud Pennington parent (her son Daniel graduated in 2020). As class agents, Carroll and Kottcamp co-lead their class reunion and giving efforts. Having enjoyed and valued their own connections with the School and community, they want to promote and encourage other alumni to get involved and reconnect. “Our goal is to connect as many people to Pennington as we can in meaningful ways.” A number of visible School leaders (including Chair of the Board of Trustees Peter Tucci ’79 P’16 ’16) are graduates from 1979, and Carroll admits, “We have a bit of an edge when it comes to boosting class involvement given our strong bench!”

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Carroll and Kottcamp share a wonderful sense of humor, a deep appreciation for Pennington, and a commitment to giving back through service. They bring complementary styles to their volunteer work: Carroll leverages his strategic business approach and sales orientation, and Kottcamp cultivates meaningful personal connections with classmates and reflects on her recent experiences as a Pennington parent. Kottcamp reminds her fellow alumni, “Volunteering is much more than making calls or helping out with events. I get so much back from the experience. I have made amazing new friends and consider this community like an extended family. It is never too late to get involved and reconnect!” We agree—and are so grateful for Carroll and Kottcamp’s years of service to the School. Carroll lives in Yardley, PA, and is the president of his family-owned business, R.E. Carroll, Inc. in Trenton, NJ. Kottcamp is a computer scientist and lives in Ewing, NJ. Photo above: Donna Kottcamp ’79 P’20 (pictured on the right) and Robert Carroll ’79 (pictured on the left) celebrated their 40th reunion in 2019 with 1979 classmates, including Pennington’s Chair of the Board of Trustees Peter Tucci ’79 P’16 ’16 (pictured between Donna and Robert).

Coltrane Stansbury ’92 Alumni Association Board Alumni Diversity Committee Coltrane Stansbury is an alumni leader who has served as an active member of the Alumni Association Board since 2015. His story of reconnecting with Pennington as an alumnus is poignant and reflects the authenticity and sincerity he demonstrates in his volunteer role. For Stansbury, getting involved with Pennington as an alumnus held a certain significance and took time to consider. “I realized that this was part of my own journey of healing and reconciliation from my time as a student,” he said. Stansbury’s experience as a Black student at Pennington in the late ’80s and early ’90s left him feeling like a visitor in someone else’s world. Overall, he experienced a lack of trust and cultural sensitivity at the School during his years there. About a decade ago, he had come to campus to attend an event and was sitting in his car, not feeling convinced that he really wanted to go inside and be part of things. “I was sitting there in the parking lot and Dr. Hawkey (then dean of faculty) walked by at that moment and saw me. He knocked on my car window and said, ‘Hey, Coltrane! Are you coming in?’ When I told him I wasn’t sure, he said, ‘You come and join us when you feel

he results of our 2020 Alumni Survey demonstrated how meaningful it is for alumni to be able to give back to the School through volunteering. Alumni volunteers span the generations and serve in a variety of roles. The alumni volunteers profiled here are just a few of the very many who help build a strong and connected School community and ensure a bright future for Pennington students. THANK YOU! We are so grateful to all of our volunteers!

ready.’ It took me another three years to feel ready, but Dr. Hawkey’s understanding and appreciation of my journey back to the Pennington community was very meaningful.” Director of Alumni Relations Jane Bott Childrey ’89 also played an important role in Stansbury’s story. “She was a welcoming and encouraging voice as I was building my new relationship with the School.” Now, as a member of the Alumni Association Board, Stansbury is helping to change the landscape of the Pennington experience for today’s students. As an alumni leader, Stansbury has helped Pennington create the Alumni Diversity Committee, on which he also serves, and he is proud of the work the committee is doing in concert with the Board of Trustees to give diverse students, faculty, and alumni a stronger voice. “I believe in the philosophy that the most revolutionary approach to change is education. We are responsible for helping future generations embrace compassion, community, peace, equity, and justice for all. I am committed to that work at Pennington.” And we are very grateful for his deep commitment, generous support, and volunteer leadership at our School. Stansbury lives in Edison, NJ, and is the vice-president of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Macmillan Learning

Nana Young ’08 Alumni Diversity Committee Nana Young represents the younger generation of alumni poised to become the School’s future volunteer leaders. She initially found her path to involvement as many do—by chance and circumstance. In 2019, a dear friend and fellow Pennington graduate encouraged Young to attend Pennington’s annual New York City Holiday Reception. The connections she made there with alumni volunteers and School staff members sparked her interest in volunteer work for Pennington, particularly with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). After continuing those conversations, Young realized that she wanted to step in and get involved as part of the newly formed Alumni Diversity Committee. Young’s service orientation and strong commitment to helping others are deeply rooted in her values. That was clear when she was a student at Pennington and served as a Peer Leader, always involved with the HomeFront and Crop Walk for Hunger programs. Participating in the Race for the Cure with her mother stands out as an especially meaningful memory for Young during her time at Pennington. Young is passionate about the work the Alumni Diversity Committee has embarked on to help mentor, connect

with, and increase resources for Black students at Pennington. As a graduate of Princeton University, Young points to the professional and counseling services designed to support Princeton’s Black student community as examples she hopes Pennington’s committee can consider (albeit on a different scale). She brings many strengths and talents to her volunteer role; chief among them is her belief in the power of optimism and generosity. She said, “I was taught, and I believe in, ‘Eat the fish and spit out the bones’ positivity.” This outlook—combined with her incredible intelligence, diplomacy, and warmth— make Young an influential role model for Pennington students and young alumni. We are very grateful for all she does for Pennington and hope she will stay involved for decades to come. Young lives in Princeton, NJ, and is currently an applied data ethics fellow at the Center for Applied Data Ethics in San Francisco.

If you would like to learn more about volunteer opportunities for alumni, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Jane Bott Childrey ‘89 at jane.childrey@pennington.org for more information about the many different ways you can get involved.

www.pennington.org

Meet two Pennington alumni and members of the Francis Harvey Green Society who chose gift planning to further the School’s mission to develop individual excellence in all of its students. Their stories remind us that these gifts provide financial benefits at any stage of life and career.

Eliot Terborgh ’61 is a longtime donor to

Pennington, with over 37 consecutive years of support, and joined the FHGS in 2018 when he made Pennington a beneficiary of an IRA. He has had a long career as a senior executive and entrepreneur in the wireless technology industry, currently serving as CFO for Mobile Health, a Bay-Area company focused on employer health rewards and education. Terborgh received a B.A. in economics from Colby College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he later was a Center for Entrepreneurship faculty advisor and instructor. At Pennington, Terborgh has served as a volunteer leader on the Alumni Association Board and is currently a class agent, promoting and organizing reunion efforts for his class. He lives with his wife, Cris, in Atherton, California.

“ As I look back, there is no question that Pennington made a huge difference in my life by boosting my confidence and self-esteem and giving me the skills and academic grounding that allowed me to excel in college and graduate school. I knew I wanted to ensure that others continue to experience the same quality education and student experience that was so instrumental to my personal and professional success. I decided to make Pennington a beneficiary of my IRA to make a lasting impact on the School’s future.” 48

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Creating a Pennington legacy “Pennington, as both a school and as a community, is an important part of my life. Although I am still in the early years of my professional life, joining the Francis Harvey Green Society has given me a way to make a big impact and express my deep gratitude for all that Pennington has done for me—and so many others.”

Erica DeKranes Torsiello ’10

is one of the newest members of the FHGS, joining in 2020 when she made a bequest provision for Pennington as part of her estate planning. Erica is not only an engaged and generous alumna; she also now serves as the assistant director of the Pennington Fund. She is a graduate of the University of St Andrews and has her master’s degree in global affairs from New York University. Torsiello’s passion for philanthropy, education, politics, and social justice has led her into a burgeoning career in fundraising and nonprofit management. She and her husband, Dan, live in Allentown, New Jersey, where she was recently elected to Borough Council.

The Francis Harvey Green Society

recognizes donors who have expressed an enduring commitment to The Pennington School by including the School in their estate plans or by establishing a life-income gift. Consider becoming a member of the Francis Harvey Green Society by donating a life insurance policy or naming Pennington as a beneficiary of a qualified retirement account or will. Your gift will make a lasting impact at Pennington for future generations of students. To learn more about creating your legacy and joining the Francis Harvey Green Society, please contact Christina Riso, director of capital projects and gift planning, at christina.riso@pennington.org or 609–737–6141.

www.pennington.org

CLASS NOTES

1 3

Celebrating new unions

6 7

5 PHOTOS: 1. Coleman Betlyon ’10 and Maggie Wardell ’10 with faculty member Lisa Houston

and new arrivals

2. William Wojciechowski ’09 and wife Katherine Hill 3. Scott Hill ’10 and wife Anne Quinn Hill

8 9

4. Gwendolen Wilson Torrens ’85 and Raul Torrens with their daughter Alyssa ’12 at her wedding 5. Lauren Smart Ellerson ’07 and baby girl Noa 6. Logan holding baby sister Collins Hayes; daughters of Adrienne Markison Tosti ’07 and Marcello Tosti ’07 7. Bowin, baby girl of Shannon Roche Markison ’11 and Colin Markison ’11 8. Jennifer Osolinski Ramsdell ’10, her husband, Dustin, and daughter Eleanor Iris 9. Curren Mac and new little brother Van Kess, sons of Jen and Sean Cavin ’98

www.pennington.org

1940s Jim McKee ’48 has been enjoying his time lounging on the deck in his Pennington gear—at 90 years old and counting! He sends his congratulations to all the graduates of 2020 on their acceptances to so many great colleges and universities!

Kate Bornstein ’65 was quoted in Daniel Bergner’s New York Times Magazine article “Neither/Nor” published on June 9, 2019, which addressed people who identify as nonbinary and their movement for acceptance. The article quoted Bornstein’s 1994 book, Gender Outlaw: “I know I’m not a man...and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m probably not a woman. The trouble is, we’re living in a world that insists we be one or the

“Perhaps we should arrange a Pennington gathering sometime? Anyone interested in camping? Email me!” —Matt Colender ’88

1960s Everett Maguire ’61 visited with his daughter and family in Baton Rouge, LA, last year. She is a professor of theater at Louisiana State University. Baton Rouge treats Halloween like a mini Mardi Gras with streets blocked off for hundreds of kids and adults. Fun times (although maybe not so much this year)! Abe Abadi ’62 is looking forward to reaching out to all of his classmates as the newest reunion chair for the Class of 1962. Keep your ears open for his call! Please send updated phone numbers and email addresses to alumni@pennington. org to make sure he can reach you as the class plans for the upcoming 60th reunion celebration. Abe has been spending his retirement writing a memoir about his early teaching days, as well as working on his golf game. Ben Shinn ’62 was privileged to officiate at the memorial service for his dear friend and Pennington classmate Bob Carroll ’62 in November 2020. Just a month earlier, Ben had officiated for the wedding of Raechel, Bob’s granddaughter, in Austin, TX.

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

other. All my life, my nontraditional gender identity had been my biggest secret, my deepest shame.” Kate was also a featured performer on the June 25, 2020, Selected Shorts podcast episode, “Shout It Out: The Stonewall Uprising.” Kate is an actor as well as an activist.

1970s Jim Mentis ’73 still works at Jilco Equipment in Cranbury, NJ, and is hoping to retire next year, which may or may not happen since his middle daughter is planning a “royal wedding” in June! He is looking forward to the pandemic passing so he can get back to seeing his “Penn Sem” pals in person again. Take care and stay safe! Donna Fell Kottcamp ’79 is the proud parent of a Pennington graduate! In the midst of this crazy year her son, Daniel, graduated from Pennington as a member of the Class of 2020 and started at Lehigh University School of Engineering (from his bedroom). While he got caught in the worst time for starting college, he managed to turn his senior internship into a part-time job making, troubleshooting, and repairing computers for a small local

company. Donna is sending out good vibes for a better 2021! Peter Tucci ’79 and his wife, Lisa, were recently appointed to the Board of Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Tulane’s School of Public Health is the country’s first—and one of the most prestigious—schools of public health. The Tuccis felt that it was important to join the Board at this time given the important work that Tulane is doing to address the COVID-19 pandemic and combat the virus. (Peter also serves as the chair of the Board of Trustees at The Pennington School.)

1980s David Woolverton ’80 continues to serve as senior pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Lancaster County, PA; as affiliate professor of leadership studies at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Myerstown, PA; and as a consultant for clergy and churches experiencing conflict. In July, he completed a doctoral program and was granted a Doctor of Ministry degree in conflict leadership. His book, Mission Rift: Leading Through Church Conflict, is being published by Fortress Press and planned for release this July. The book equips clergy and churches on how to lead positively through conflict situations. Andrew Khanchit ’84 (Chih Hsien Chung) writes that his Jittrapat Kindergarten School is performing well with 212 students attending in the first semester. Despite the serious COVID-19 situation around the world, Thailand remains the safest country in Asia. Matt Colender ’88 is living in Hampstead, MD, with his wife, Marcia, and their three children, Nate (17), Faith (14), and Josephine (Josie, 11). He reflects, “It makes me think of the Talking Heads song where David Byrne sings ‘...in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife.... well, how did I get here?’ Truly it is a blessing.” He works two miles from home as a financial advisor for Edward Jones and enjoys working with families to help them achieve their financial goals. In his spare time he has also run several marathons,

including in New York City and Boston, and he loves to go camping at the beach or in the mountains with the family (in their pop-up camper) every summer. He is still in touch with classmates including Steve Poreda ’88, Warren Cohen ’88, and Tim High ’88, and he is happy to see so many Pennington friends on Facebook! Matt suggests, “Perhaps we should arrange a Pennington gathering sometime? Anyone interested in camping? Email me!” Jane Bott Childrey ’89 is amazed at how fast time flies as her youngest daughter, Lexi, will be graduating from Pennington this year. Jane is supporting her as she tackles her college applications and appreciates that she is able to spend her senior year boarding on campus. Jane’s elder daughter, Lily Childrey ’18, is heading off to South Korea to study abroad this March and has been connecting with Pennington alumni there. Jane is working remotely, getting in shape, and had a chance to take a masked walk with classmate Kate Winkler ’89 and say hello to Kate’s mom—former faculty member, Betty Anne, by phone. (Jane is the director of alumni relations at Pennington.)

1990s Antoinette Borromeo ’92 had the girls (Anisa Talwani ’92, Kimberly Borden Perri ’92, and Lori Lake Height ’93) over for dinner with lots of laughs and some tears as they reminisced over their Pennington days and how much they miss Meaghan McLaughlin ’92. They are all doing well and feel blessed that they still have the beautiful friendships that started so many years ago at Pennington. Carlos Wyre ’92 is creating his own entertainment during the pandemic by rehabilitating a sailboat he acquired at no cost on Craigslist. With a little elbow grease and his mechanical skills, he got most of the electronics up and running! When he isn’t working on his sailboat, he is flying down to Trenton to meet with Pennington senior Jack Wang, who is also an aviation enthusiast. Carlos has been volunteering as Jack’s mentor, providing tours of the control tower and a plane.

First Row–Left to Right: Jim McKee ’48; Steve Poreda ’88 joined Matt Colender ’88 on his family camping trip this summer. Second Row–Left to Right: Donna Kottcamp ’79 and son Daniel Kottcamp ’20; Anisa Talwani ’92, Kimberly Borden Perri ’92, Lori Lake Height ’93, and Antoinette Borromeo ’92 Third Row: Matt Colender ’88 and Pennington friends AJ Genovesi ’87, Warren Cohen ’88, and Steve Poreda ’88 at the Lockn’ music festival a few years ago. 53

Chad Bridges ’96, Hakeem Reynolds ’96, and members of the Class of 1996

James Griffith ’95 is an assistant professor and advisor to the chair in the department of philosophy at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. He started about five weeks before the pandemic hit Turkey, so it’s been...strange. “Hi to all my mid-’90s folks!” Davonne (Larry) Mobley ’95 has created Silverback Trust Group (silverbacktrustgroup. com), a partnership which brings together a number of innovative corporations, banks, and nonprofits including Mims Motors and the World Fund for Development and Planning. Chad Bridges ’96 and Hakeem Reynolds ’96 organized a class holiday happy hour this past December. Members of the Class of 1996 grabbed their favorite drinks and shared memories, life updates, and some holiday cheer! Jen and Sean Cavin ’98 welcomed a new addition to the family. Curren Mac became a big brother on June 16, 2020. Say hello to Van Kess! [Photo on page 51]

Gulsun “Gu” Cavusoglu ’07

2000s Anthony Betancourt ’03 just received his Ph.D. in educational psychology. He plans on championing the importance of receiving a quality education, especially for the many students with learning disabilities, in a supportive, inclusive environment that features small, targeted classes. He credits his success to the quality of education he received at Pennington: “The nurturing and supportive environment allowed me to thrive even with my learning disabilities.” Patrick Chai ’03 is an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center. He currently serves as the technical lead for their Mars architecture team. Patrick was recently featured in the Johnson Space Center’s Houston We Have a Podcast, a podcast series discussing the challenges of sending humans to the red planet. Chris DeRose ’03 has jumped back into news, lifestyle, and feature television with station KTVQ after three years of successfully freelancing as a producer, writer, and host in Los Angeles. KTVQ is the CBS affiliate in Billings, Montana, and is the anchor station for the Montana Television Network, which broadcasts over several western states. He has been working as a reporter with Q2 since early May, and he recently started training as the station’s newest weather anchor. You can watch Chris by liking the Q2 Facebook page, which streams every news broadcast, and you can follow his many adventures on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @chrisderoseq2. Burton Emerson ’04 passed away on October 26, 2020, after battling a chronic illness. Tremendous thanks go out to all the Pennington alumni and friends who prayed for him during his final days.

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Send your update and news to pennington.org/community/ alumni/class-notes, or email Director of Alumni Relations Jane Bott Childrey ’89 at jane.childrey@pennington.org.

Tree house built by Jacob Levy ’09

Lindsey Scannapieco ’04 was the focus of the July 16, 2020, Movers & Makers program on WHYY-TV 12, the Philadelphia/ Delaware PBS affiliate. Lindsey is the managing partner of Scout-US, an urban design and development practice interested in reimagining how once-neglected places can be transformed. Caroline Tuttle ’04 was married in Philadelphia this past October. She and her husband, Chris Eichfeld, honeymooned in Vermont and have a new home in Yardley, PA. If she wasn’t already busy with wedding planning and running her father’s dentistry business, Caroline and Chris also undertook a kitchen renovation this year to make their new home perfect! Kimberly deLeon ’06 just received a promotion within the Nike organization to senior merchandising manager for women’s lifestyle apparel for Footlocker, which is the company’s biggest wholesale account. Corina Kwami ’06 is starting a new job at Purpose as creative producer. This is a leadership role for their Voices Incubator, and is funded by the Gates Foundation to help change the national conversation around poverty and economic mobility. The role includes stakeholder management and opportunities to bring together the arts and sciences and push the boundaries on impact measurement and narrative change. Corina will be based in the UK for the foreseeable future. Gulsun “Gu” Cavusoglu ’07 will be returning to the great city of brotherly love and sisterly affection, Philadelphia, as the new Philadelphia community director of Venture for America (VFA).

VFA is a two-year fellowship program for recent college graduates who want to work at a startup and/or create jobs in American cities. Gu’s move comes after five years of being bi-coastal, living and working in both New York City and San Francisco, serving as a senior college persistence advisor at an education-based nonprofit that is dedicated to ensuring that low-income college students of color successfully graduate from top-tier colleges across the nation. Gu is very excited to once again serve the Philadelphia community and take this next career step! Lauren Smart Ellerson ’07 welcomed her beautiful baby girl, Noa, to the world on October 4, 2020. [Photo on page 51] Buddy Gardineer ’07 and his lovely bride, Gabrielle Henn, tied the knot this past June in a small ceremony. They have purchased a home in Princeton, New Jersey, where they look forward to growing their family. Adrienne Markison Tosti ’07 and Marcello Tosti ’07 welcomed their second daughter, Collins Hayes, this summer. Logan is loving being a big sister! [Photo on page 51] Christopher Anderson ’09 recently published a historical novel, The Stolen Crown, which includes a special tribute to Pennington’s history teacher, Mark DiGiacomo, who helped shape Anderson’s writing. Jacob Levy ’09 decided to fulfill his childhood dream to build an epic treehouse while most people were doing small projects or baking during lockdown. Jacob “told everyone it was for my niece and nephews but, let’s be serious, it was for me.” After three months of construction, he finally finished the 16 x 16–foot structure, which stands 11 feet high and features a 90-foot zipline for exiting! William Wojciechowski ’09 married Katherine Hill this past October in Las Vegas, NV, and had a lovely honeymoon in Key West, FL. [Photo on page 50]

www.pennington.org

2010s

Coleman Betlyon ’10 and Maggie Wardell ’10 were married this past September with current Pennington faculty member Lisa Houston officiating their wedding. [Photo on page 50, courtesy of APGCollective]

Scott Hill ’10 married Anne Quinn Hill this past June in Southampton, NY. They are living in Virginia and are expecting a son in February. [Photo on page 50] Dontae Johnson ’10 posed with his teammates to celebrate during the 49ers vs. Giants game last fall.

Dontae Johnson ’10 (#27) posed with his 49ers teammates

Jennifer Osolinski Ramsdell ’10 and her husband, Dustin Ramsdell, welcomed Eleanor Iris “Ellie” Ramsdell into the world on April 22, 2020, in Baltimore, MD! [Photo on page 51]

Devon Zimmer ’14 received her combined B.S. and M.S. degrees from the George Washington University School of Business in 2019. She graduated magna cum laude with a double major in marketing and information systems and a master’s degree in information systems. She is now employed by BlackRock as an analyst in their New York office.

Erica DeKranes Torsiello ’10 won her election to Allentown Borough Council. She is one of the youngest council members in Allentown’s history. She is committed to listening, learning, growing, and working for her community. (Erica works at The Pennington School as the assistant director of the Pennington Fund.)

Alana Cook ’15 joined OL Reign with fellow Pennington alumna Amber Brooks ’09 for the 2020 summer season. Alana plays for Paris Saint-Germain during the regular season and was called up this past winter to prepare with the US Womens’ National Team for their game against the Netherlands.

Shannon Roche Markison ’11 and Colin Markison ’11 welcomed their baby girl, Bowin, this past September. The couple reside in Pennington, NJ, and love that Bowin is just around the corner from her cousins Logan and Collins Tosti, the daughters of Adrienne Markison Tosti ’07 and Marcello Tosti ’07. [Photo on page 51]

Erica DeKranes Torsiello ’10

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

Kevin Maley ’16 is teaching third grade at the Prodigy Learning Center in Philadelphia and coaching freshman boys’ basketball at Germantown Academy. Austin Petolillo ’16 started a website called Trenton2Philly Hoops that covers Philadelphia-area Division I college basketball, which gives him credentialed access to all of the games. Austin interviewed a Villanova basketball player prior to the season at Madison Square Garden. [see photo below] Ali Zimmer ’16 received her B.A. from University of Chicago in 2020. Her degree is in political science, with the following achievements: summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and political science honors.

Scott Meggitt ’17

Austin Petolillo ’16

Collette King ’17 is living in Boston and working as a product manager at HubSpot. She was lucky enough to be back on campus to see her younger sister, Jackie King ’21, play in a senior field hockey game. Collette has kept in touch with many Pennington friends during quarantine. Scott Meggitt ’17 has worked with the Surf City Beach Patrol (SCBP) for six summers now and was one of the lifeguards on duty over the weekend of June 27 when a banner plane crashed into the water. With his quick actions, he was able to help save the pilot. Lily Childrey ’18 is heading to South Korea to study in March 2021. She’s excited to meet Pennington alumni in Seoul. Danny Pontoriero ’18 is entering his third year at CU Boulder as an environmental design major with a minor in art practices. In April, Danny was chosen as an Environmental Design Ambassador. The ENVD ambassadors are students who serve as liaisons between prospective students, parents, and the university, and help promote the program and provide connections. Michael Zachor ’18 and Ryan Totaro ’18 collaborated on music during quarantine, which is now available for listening on streaming services everywhere (Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp, etc.)! Their band, Patio Bear, released a debut album, Shaking Hands. Brian Keating ’18 and William Harding ’19 also made wonderful artistic contributions to the project: “Together, we found an amazing creative outlet, inspired (and enabled) by our time at Pennington, during the craziness and emotional tumult of quarantine. I hope y’all can give it a listen!” Rachel Domb ’19 is a Northeastern sophomore and has started her own mission-driven, eco-friendly, plant-based snack company, Rooted Living, which uses no plastic in its packaging. Her entrepreneurial project won the top prize of $2,500 from the university’s Husky Startup Challenge, winning out over eleven other young companies created by students for the fall 2020 competition. Matthew Robertson ’19 has released a thirteen-song album called B3RT that he recorded himself. You can check it out on SoundCloud, Apple Music, and Spotify.

FORMER

FACULTY Terry and Karen Martindell Buxton ’79 are living in North Carolina, where they have been for the past quartercentury. Terry is enjoying his retirement after more than forty years in education, and Karen continues to work coaching endurance athletes. Now that their two children are grown and off into careers of their own, the Buxtons are getting a chance to travel more, with a recent highlight being the Pennington international students’ reunion in Thailand. Paul and Carla Hausman are living in a fifty-five-plus community in Carla’s hometown of Hanover, PA. They are proud parents of Heidi, who was a graduate of Perkiomen in 1980. Paul began his tenure at Pennington in 1958 and became dean of students in 1964. They were married in 1964 and left in 1970 and went to Perkiomen, where Paul became dean in 1971 and assistant head of school a few years later. Carla taught social studies and became head of the department. They retired in 2004 in their first-owned house and moved to Hanover in 2016. Robbi Uzupis spent her days before COVID-19 substituting at Pennington. Since then, she has been getting to know her granddaughter, Emily, and finding her way around the city of Chicago. Emily is a firehouse junkie, so on sunny days, they bring their lunch and sit outside the firehouse across from Wrigley Field. “We wait for the doors to open so she can see the fire truck leave. She yells, ‘Help is on the way!’ I love being Grandma Robbi!” Dean and Kathy Waters are staying safe and enjoying all the great facilities in their Sun City community in South Carolina.

Matthew Robertson ’19

Former faculty member Melissa Kiser has moved to Jacksonville, FL, where she now lives just a mile away from her son, David Mesrobian ‘01, and daughter-in-law, Anne Coxe Mesrobian. “My many connections in New Jersey—those at Pennington among them—will ensure that I come back to visit often. I hope my former students and colleagues will keep in touch and will look me up when down this way, too.”

www.pennington.org

BEYOND GRATITUDE We often hear from alumni about the important impact Pennington’s teachers, coaches, and advisors have had on their lives. Our faculty members bring authentic care, individual attention, and deep educational expertise to their work, which defines the Pennington experience and culture. In the 2020 Alumni Survey, alumni were eager to honor those teachers who helped shape, guide, and inspire them. Here are just a few notes of gratitude—of the hundreds we received—which illustrate the extraordinary impact of our faculty.

“ Mr. Winkler was not only a great teacher, but also a great golf coach who taught me so much about sportsmanship, manners, and how to treat others with compassion and reason.”

All the faculty had an impact on

me and taught me that diversity is a good thing; our differences make us stronger. This mindset becomes an invaluable tool as you grow and move into new situations and environments. The Pennington experience made me a better, stronger, and more confident person. —Nathaniel Shephard ’74

“ Mr. Ritter is someone I

—James Buchanan ’01

“ The Center for Learning writing program and Ms. Prockop’s extra guidance are the primary reasons I made it through college. In college, I never had any issues writing papers or taking tests thanks to those important skills she taught me.” —Timothy Arbeiter ’04

Dean Waters had a profound role

continually cite as one of my biggest role models and he is responsible for so much of who I am today. He not only helped me to realize my love for running (I have gone on to run the New York Marathon), but he also helped me to grow as a person and reach my full potential.”

in my life, not only forming me as an athlete but also as a student. He was the single greatest teacher and coach I’ve ever had. He was there for me no matter the circumstance, and he cared to the core about my well-being and my future. He is a man of integrity and someone I have always looked up to.

“ Nancy Fox was a wonderful writing teacher. She created a safe space for students to take risks and write from their hearts.”

—Lisa Pizzarello Bosken ’99

—Robin Versh ’91

—Gianna Russo ’07

“ Ms. Houston and Mr. Liwosz are two of the faculty members who were most important to me; they ensured a safe environment for me and for other students of marginalized backgrounds.” —André Jackson ’09

Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2020–21

“ Jerry Eure was the coach, teacher, and

mentor who introduced me to The Pennington School. He was like a father away from home. He was extremely instrumental in my development as a young man. He taught me not only on the football field but also off of it as well. The life lessons that I learned from him I still carry with me today.” —Brian Wynder ’02

“ Dr. Castro and I connected on a cultural level. And, as my advisor, she would give me meaningful and realistic advice that guided me through my next steps after Pennington.”

Mr. Leib was my advisor and got

me interested in computer science. He promoted thinking critically about things but also maintained the atmosphere of fun and excitement that is often lost in more “serious” STEM discussions. I feel that his influence is a big part of the reason why I am so interested in my current field. —Duncan Zavanelli ’16

—Luisa Andrade ’18

I had so many wonderful teachers who influenced me—so much so, that I became a teacher! Mr. DiGiacomo’s American history class was the first class I had when I transferred to Pennington. He was a teacher who cared and wanted me to do well. He also helped me through the loss of my father in my sophomore year. Because of him, I now teach American history at Miami Country Day School. —Paige Scharite ’09

“ Mrs. Clancy-Healy made me realize that I could do well in math and even helped me enjoy math. She was the first math teacher I had who made me look forward to going to class. She taught me to never give up and I loved that she was available after school for extra help.” —Hayley Wolford-Grabowski ’06

“ Mr. Bridges was my club soccer coach but also a mentor at the School. He helped me develop into the best individual that I could be, from both an academic and athletic perspective, and I still keep in contact with him today.” —Tara Hessenthaler ’17

“ Mrs. Doughty was loving and caring. She always reminded me that one negative thing in life doesn’t define you. She was —Mekhi Muse ’19 always there if I needed to talk.”

FACULTY TRIBUTES

“ Dr. Cervone and Mrs. Garry were my saving graces for accepting me into the Learning Center program. My public school wanted to put me in special ed classes, and then I was thrown out of another prep school for poor grades. But finally I attended Pennington. I still can’t figure out what they saw in me back then! I’m getting choked up looking back at how terrific so many of the staff and teachers were at Pennington!” —Jim Wolf ’81

Thank you for another record-breaking year for

Pennington’s Scholarship Classic!

The stars aligned for our community to come together (safely and outside) in October 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Scholarship Classic. Thanks to our generous sponsors and participants, we set a record in the amount raised to support student scholarships at Pennington!

The P e Sc

ool ch

ington S nn

a r s hip C l a

We are very grateful for all of our Scholarship Classic donors, sponsors, and players who, together, have helped raise over $750,000 since the event’s inception in 1995. A special thank you to our 25th Anniversary Gold Sponsors:

Save the date!

Scholarship Classic on June 14, 2021!

James E. Major, Jr. ’40 R. Bruce Poynter ’44 Eugene R. Gladston ’46 Harriet Reynen S’47 Lawrence K. Reynen ’47 Sydney R. Klinepeter ’48 Charles G. Bristol ’49 Dorothy S. Wigod S’50 FTS Allan Blauth ’51 Robert E. Hullfish ’58 Andrew A. Kmiecik ’59 Harriet Schafer S’60 Robert G. Carroll ’62 Roger F. von Roth P’69 Charles J. Potts ’70 Leonard E. Genet ’72 David Ely ’76 Jeffrey D. Finch ’78 Louise Miller S’80 George F. Ruch P’80 ’83 FFS

In Memory

Jonathan Z. Shalom ’82 Joyce V. Couch P’83 Dianne Clair P’89 Thomas Rickette P’90 Christina Saltstein S’90 Jamie Brown-Wright ’92 John A. Maier, Sr. GP’03 ’05 ’13 Burton Emerson ’04 Mark Biedron P’08 Mildred Levy GP’09 Ravi C. Adams ’10

In Memoriam With sadness we remember the following members of the Pennington community who died or whose death we learned of since the publication of our last magazine:

Danielle S. Kwami ’10 Stephen J. Galvano P’12 Carl L. Krause P’13 ’17 Abdou Niang P’21 Nancy Davison FTS Barbara Gladstone FF John S. Kuhlthau FT Lori Miller FFS Charles A. Sayre FT

P–Parent; GP–Grandparent; S–Spouse; FF–Former Faculty; FS–Former Staff; FT–Former Trustee; FFS–Former Faculty Spouse; FTS–Former Trustee Spouse

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