Panther
JUNE/JULY 2013
Pride
Ranney School Welcomes Head of School Dr. John Griffith
On July 1, Ranney School welcomed Dr. Griffith, former Head of School at Battle Ground Academy (BGA) in Franklin, Tennessee, as the Fourth Head of School at Ranney. Dr. Griffith attended Ranney School’s 49th graduation exercises and introduced himself to the Class of 2013, the school’s newest alumni. His wife, Dana, and their four-year-old daughter, Claire, recently relocated back to the Northeast and are looking forward to being closer to family and to Dr. Griffith’s New Jersey roots. “Dana and I could not be more excited about the move to a wonderful community and joining a school of the caliber of Ranney,” said Dr. Griffith. “I have been so impressed by the talented faculty, a strong administrative team, successful alumni, committed Trustees, supportive parent community, and, especially the school’s bright and engaging students.” In the spring of 2012, the Board of Trustees, led by President Jamie Price, commenced a five-month search process, which generated widespread global interest. “Dr. Griffith’s outstanding record of achievement and accomplishments combined with his superb academic preparation have made him the ideal candidate to uphold the vision for academic excellence established by our founder Russell G. Ranney, as well as the school’s mission, and embodies the perfect qualities to follow the great legacy of excellence created by Dr. Lawrence S. Sykoff,” said Mr. Price. During his tenure at BGA, Dr. Griffith served in two different roles, first as Headmaster working with the President of the School and, for the past four years, in the traditional role of Head of School. At BGA, he managed a budget of approximately $15 million, an $8.5 million endowment, and a physical plant of 60 acres on two campuses (with total land holdings of 95 acres). He has led a capital campaign of $6 million for a visual arts center and athletic and wellness center. His programmatic accomplishments included the implementation of a new technology planning process, including redoing all campus infrastructure, movement from PC to Apple, and planning of a 1:1 iPad and MacBook K-12 program. Dr. Griffith’s passion for teaching is reflected in having been twice awarded “Most Influential Teacher” at Montgomery Bell Academy. He also taught an English Literature class at BGA. Dr. Griffith holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Middlebury College in English, a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in English (Modern British Literature) from Oxford University and a M.A. from Columbia University in Educational Leadership. His experience at BGA, a K-12 coeducational day school similar to Ranney in size and structure, included campus expansion, program development, and the creation of new technologies in teaching and learning. Dr. Griffith also guided the school through two successful strategic plans. Before his role as Headmaster at BGA, Dr. Griffith’s experience was rooted in academic leadership as Upper School Head at the Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio. In addition to receiving the NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring Heads, the National Endowment for the Humanities grant to attend faculty development institutes and seminars, and a Fulbright Memorial Fund Fellowship, Dr. Griffith was selected for the Klingenstein Heads of Schools program for 2013. According to Mr. Price, “Dr. Griffith has a track record in creating environments that help young people flourish – in academics, the arts, and athletics. His own character and values are aligned with our school’s mission, and he has the desire to pursue our firm commitment to excellence.” www.ranneyschool.org 1
Congratulations to the Class of 2013!
On June 14, Ranney School held its 49th Commencement Ceremony at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theater. The 50 graduating seniors celebrated success at a school that has offered fond memories, new friends, and a well- rounded education for as many as 15 years. Valedictorian James Soldati (Rumson; Washington University in St. Louis) addressed his classmates and members of the audience, speaking about growing up at Ranney as a lifer. “We embody the pillars of Ranney School precisely. We are a representation of the excellence and well-rounded intelligence that this school stands for,” he said. “What we must do is harness the grand opportunity that we’ve been given and all of the great tools we have to attain success in the future.” Salutatorian Christina Kalinowski (Monmouth Beach, Boston College) also addressed her fellow classmates, describing their class as diverse—comprised of athletes, artists, academics and philanthropists—with a strong sense of community. “The bond between us is rooted in the attributes of dedication, compassion, ambition, and willingness to collaborate shared by all members of our class.” To conclude her speech, Christina encouraged her classmates to always remember Ranney’s motto: Knowledge, Vision, Honor. Before receiving their diplomas, the following members of the graduating class were honored with awards: Continued on page 3:
www.ranneyschool.org 2
Graduation Award Recipients: The Headmaster’s Cup – James Soldati (Rumson; Washington University in St. Louis) The Gershom Tomlinson Humanitarian Award – Peter Bontempo (Highlands; University of Notre Dame) & Alexandra Seneca (Colts Neck; New York University) The Faculty Prize – Kendall Torpey (Colts Neck; Georgetown University) & Roey Hadar (Fair Haven; Georgetown University) The Ann Kappel Citizenship and Service Award – Molly O’Neill (Red Bank; Northeastern University) The Robert Paulus Leadership and Perseverance Award – Matthew Callahan (Rumson; New York University) The Margaret Mahon Award – Veronika Fischer (Rumson; University of Southern California) The Ranney School Leadership Award – Jordan Hesslein (Red Bank; Emory University) The Lawrence S. Sykoff Award- Benjamin Puvalowski (Matawan; New York University) & Rachel Burstiner (Holmdel; Babson College)
www.ranneyschool.org 3
Knowledge. Vision. Honor STUDENTS “MOVE UP” AND “CROSS THE LAWN” On June 3, the 35 students who make up the Class of 2025 were celebrated in the traditional Kindergarten “Moving Up” Ceremony. To show what they have learned this year, students put on performances for their family and friends and recited a series of poems. This year, kindergarten students were introduced to French, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish through music and singing. The students performed “Old McDonald” in all three languages and also sang the days of the week in French to the tune of “Frere Jacques” and the months of the year to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Next, the students gave the audience a lesson in Mandarin Chinese by counting to 10 using one hand. Finally, students showcased their Spanish skills by translating phrases called out by Senora Cordero from English to Spanish. The students ended their performance by singing “This is My Time” and “Movin’ On Up” in celebration of moving up to first grade. Fifth-grade students concluded their time in the Lower School on June 6 at the “Crossing the Lawn” Ceremony. Throughout the ceremony, the 53 fifth-graders recited “I Am Poems” where they described their passions and characteristics about themselves. After an official welcome from Head of Middle School David Fischer, the Class of 2020 performed “Shine Your Way” before crossing the Great Lawn to the Middle School building, surrounded by teachers, families, Lower School students and friends who cheered them on.
CLASS OF 2017 CELEBRATED AT EIGHTH GRADE RISING CEREMONY On June 11, the Class of 2017 celebrated the completion of Middle School at the Eighth Grade Rising Ceremony held in RSPA Panther Hall. One by one, the 77 students that make up the class processed into the ceremony, while their families, friends, teachers and administrators watched them with pride. Before receiving their individual promotion certificates, several awards were presented. Congratulations to the following award recipients: The Trustees’ Award for Excellence: Jillian Ross (Rumson), Joseph Mahoney (Colts Neck) and James Wolfe (Fair Haven) The Tushar Bhatnagar Award: Liam Fitzmaurice (Spring Lake) and Taylor Gill (Red Bank) The Middle School Leadership Award: James Wolfe and Aidan Denver-Moore (Red Bank) The Ann Kappel Memorial Award: Max Chalnick (Marlboro), Evan Schultz (Colts Neck), Christopher Nivera (Holmdel) and Leigh Brandt (Shrewsbury) Middle School Panther Perseverance Award: Alanna Boland (Carteret), Craig Callahan (Rumson), Leigh Brandt and Anthony Moscato (Matawan) www.ranneyschool.org 4
SHANE KEENAN (TINTON FALLS) Shane Keenan ’17 led the charge in a comeback win in the championship game of the Mid-Atlantic Soccer Showcase League (MSSL) Memorial Day tournament at Fort Dix this past spring. Shane is a member of the Ocean Lightning U14 soccer club and is looking forward to playing for the Ranney Panthers in the Shore Conference next fall. The team was down 2-0 in the title game when Shane scored their first goal and then assisted on the second goal to tie the game. The Lightning then scored with less than one minute left to take the championship. The tournament included top 20 teams from New Jersey, New York and Virginia and the victory extended the team’s unbeaten string to 15 games this spring. Shane is attending an Olympic Development Program training camp this month.
STEVEN JACOBSON (COLTS NECK) Ranney junior Steven Jacobson has accomplished his goal of writing a book before the age of 20. At 17 years old, Steven has published his first novel, “One Last Season”. The member of the Ranney School baseball team combined his love for writing and baseball to create a novel that is both inspirational and entertaining to sports fans and non-sports fans alike. According to Steven, the novel revolves around an aging catcher who ultimately has to compete for his position against his estranged son, whom he hasn’t seen for 20 years. The owner of the team, a comedic cross between George Steinbrenner and Donald Trump, orchestrates the competition between the 43year-old and his son in this story of reconciliation and redemption that also explores many of the issues facing Major League Baseball today. Steven was recently featured in the Asbury Park Press, APP.com and Patch.com for his success. “One Last Season” is available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.
Asbury Park Press www.ranneyschool.org 5
BEN PUVALOWSKI (MATAWAN) Congratulations to senior Ben Puvalowski who ended his career at Ranney on a high note, earning a Basie Award for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama” for his portrayal of Sir Toby Belch in the Upper School’s production of “Twelfth Night” back in November. The Basie Awards, similar in presentation to Broadway’s Tony Awards, honor excellence in Monmouth County High School Dramatic and Musical Theatre. An evaluation committee of professional actors, singers, directors, choreographers and graduates send four adjudicators to assess each production. Previously nominated as an eighth-grade student in 2008 for his role in You Can’t Take it With You, Ben has received many awards for his accomplishments both on and off stage at Ranney. He has collected multiple forensics awards along with serving as a mentor to Middle School forensics students. Ben was also recently awarded the Ranney School 2013 Departmental Award for On-Stage Theater and the 2013 Ram Sheila Bharara Communications Award.
SUMMER SPOTLIGHT Summertime at Ranney has been nothing short of fun, rewarding and exciting for the 597 participants this year. There have been a number of performances, sports camps, academic and talent-development courses, trips to desirable locations around New Jersey and fun activities along the way! A few highlights so far have been: Robotics: Fourth-, fifth– and sixth graders were introduced to Lego® Mindstorms® Nxt programming. Over a period of two weeks, students learned about mechanical design and function of robots through hands-on building and discussion. Music Conservatory and Performing Arts Academy Showcase: After just two weeks of instruction from Mrs. Tess Nielsen and Dr. Dorothy Sobieski, performing arts campers entering grades 3-8 put on a two-hour performance. The Intermediate and Advanced Orchestras played a variety of challenging tunes, including hits from the Beatles, Katy Perry and Broadway. The Performing Arts Academy featured a musical troupe of 12 vocalists who performed skits from Matilda, Cinderella and more. Talent Show: Every summer, campers enjoy showcasing their talents in front of their friends, family members and counselors. Students sang, danced, and had a blast on stage. TV Newsroom Course: Campers spent two weeks learning the world of broadcasting. After learning the skills needed to be on camera, the students worked together to create their own newscast which they were able to take home to share with their family members and friends. Color Wars: Campers of all ages divided into “red” and “blue” teams for the day to compete in a variety of fun-filled activities. This event brings together all Ranney campers and allows them to learn teamwork, responsibility and encouragement. Counselor –In-Training Program: The Counselor-InTraining Program for 14-year-olds has proved to be a great success this summer. The program has included special camp and trip activities, along with CPR training and assisting staff in everyday tasks. With an emphasis on leadership skills, accountability and responsibility, these future counselors are learning what it takes to be a great counselor for a variety of age groups. www.ranneyschool.org 6
Ranney School Spring AthleƟc Award Winners Upper School SoŌball Most Valuable Player Sophia Calve ’16 Coaches Awards Rachel BursƟner ’13 Whitney Kelly ’14 Carly Ansell ’14 Madison Acker ’15
Golf Coaches Awards James SoldaƟ ’13 Kyle Woolley ’13 Michelle Krameisen ’16 Daniel Blumenkrantz ’16 Ireland Clancy ’15 Remi Rohl ’15 Peri Rohl ’16 Most Improved Steven Allen ’14 Jeeda Ani ’15
Boys’ Lacrosse Annual Award Mackie Marcellino ’14 Coaches Awards Mamoun Chater ’13 Josh Pelman ’14 Mike Stavola ’14 Most Improved Jake Palecki ’15
Girls’ Lacrosse Coaches Awards Kayla Birde ’13 Veronika Fischer ’13 Ashleigh Shay ’13 Most Improved Isabelle Heckler ’16 Sportsmanship Natalie Lombardi ’16
Baseball Coaches Awards Corey Natofsky ’16 James Geraghty ’16 John Mejia ’15 Madison Price ’13 Sportsmanship Award Steve Jacobson ’14
Boys’ Tennis Most Valuable Player Nelson Chan ’16 William Held ’15 Coaches Awards Josh Weakley ’14 Paul Sondhi ’13 Most Improved Karl Brand ’16
Track Most Valuable Player-Girls Kate Crilly ’16 Most Valuable Player-Boys Ronnie Geraghty ’14 Ryan Eaddy ’15 Coaches Awards-Girls Samantha Samuel ’14 Gillian Veralli ’15 Brooke Fromkin ’15 Coaches Award-Boys Mostafa Meleis ’14
Junior Coaches Cup Awards Joseph Esquivel-Murphy ’14 Madison Boyan ’14
Headmaster Senior Award Veronika Fischer ’13 Jordan Hesslein ’13
AthleƟc Director Award Grace Wilgucki ’15 Madison Boyan ’14 Erin Kennedy ’16 Veronika Fischer ’13 John Mejia ’15 James Geraghty ’16 Joseph Esquivel-Murphy ’14 Jesse Zucker ’13
Blue & White Leadership Award Rachel BursƟner ’13
Golden “R” Prize Kayla Birde ’13 Madison Price ’13 Jesse Zucker ’13
Panther Pride Award James Geraghty ’16 Ashleigh Shay ’13 Kenna Conley ’14 Grace Wilgucki ’15
Athletes of the Year Brynn Bresnahan ’13 Madison Price ’13
Award of RecogniƟon Dana Rizzo ’13
Eugenie B. Edwards Spirit of Tennis Award Rachel BursƟner ’13
Ranney School Spring AthleƟc Award Winners Middle School
Baseball Coaches Awards Mike O’Hare ’17 Stephen Hawthorne ’17 Ryan Ba sta ’19 Most Improved Robert Johnson ’17 Sportsmanship Award Evan Kumar ’17
Golf Coaches Awards Kaitlyn Serpico ’18 Abigail Granata ’18 Amanda Serrapica ’18
Boys’ Lacrosse Most Valuable Player Ian Dobrzynski ’17 Coaches Awards Eric Stavola ’18 Luke Grover ’18 Most Improved Alex Roberts ’18 Sportstmanship Ma Saker ’17
Girls’ Lacrosse Most Valuable Player Olivia Nisbet ’17 Coaches Awards Taylor Gill ’17 Grace Hofferber ’17 Julianna Poupard ’17 Most Improved Gianna Cappillo ’19 Sportsmanship Kyra Conley ’17
SoŌball Most Valuable Player Rachel Macnow ’17 Coaches Awards Maggie Pearson ’18 Hope Schoenhut ’17 Most Improved Leigh Brandt ’17 Sportsmanship Award Anna Csiky ’17
Boys’ Tennis Sportsmanship Awards Kevin Xia ’17 Bret Silverstein ’17 Adam Mohamed ’17 Coaches Awards Chris an Pacifico ’18 Joseph Mahoney ’17 Most Improved Jacob Greller ’18
Track Most Valuable Player-Girls Abigail Boyan ’18 Most Valuable Player-Boys Liam Fitzmaurice ’17 Coaches Awards-Girls Bri any Hofferber ’17 Shana Fitzmaurice ’19 Coaches Award-Boys Toby Savage ’18 Most Improved-Girls Emily Sallus o ’18 Most Improved-Boys Jack Crilly ’19 Sportsmanship Awards-Girls Tara Ryan ’17 Ka e Juhase ’18 Sportsmanship Award-Boys Chip Johnson ’17
Outstanding Athlete Awards Abigail Boyan ’18 Liam Fitzmaurice ’17
Panther Pride Award Ian Dobrzynski ’17 Taylor Gill ’17
Sportsmanship Award Markar Kirkorian ’17 Leigh Brandt ’17 Kaytlin Serpico ’18 Chris an Pacifico ’18 Ethan Gavin ’19 Shayna Field ’19
AthleƟc Director Award Joe Mahoney ’17 Shane Keenan ’17 Olivia Nisbet ’17 Alex Roberts ’18 Sam Metzger ’17 Victoria Cuciniello ’18 Shana Fitzmaurice ’19 Liam Kennedy ’19
Blue & White Award Markar Kirkorian ’17 Grace Hofferber ’17 Marissa Mahoney ’17 Ma Torpey ’17 Bri any Hofferber ’17