Middle School News

On some rainy October days, Middle Schoolers ventured out on Retreat. They packed their sleeping bags and left their technology at home to immerse themselves in nature and to build character and community. Sixthand seventh-graders dodged most of the raindrops to enjoy various group activities and cabin life at a campground. Meanwhile, eighth-graders had a more rugged experience at another campground, where they pitched tents, cooked their own meals, tended their own campsites, played team-building games, and admittedly escaped the rain for a while to go bowling and see a movie.

Beginning the year with LAUNCH, Retreat, and weekly advisory times builds our safe and nurturing community while also guiding students into the lifelong work of knowing themselves, taking care of each other and stretching to learn new things.

Above: The eighth-graders engage in one of several Retreat activities. When the students do their part to work in sync with each other, they are able to equally rise in a circle as a whole group.

Left: Middle School LAUNCH activities give new and returning Middle School students time to make new friends and ready themselves for the school year—all while having fun.

Math 6 students did hands-on problems during the first week of school to get their problem-solving muscles back in action. “Try/fail/try again” became a normal process until they found the solution.

For ten years, The Pennington School has been celebrating International Dot Day — a day created to encourage creativity, courage, and collaboration. International Dot Day was established by educator Terry Shay in response to The Dot, a story written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. The book by Reynolds tells the story of a “caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to ‘make her mark.’” What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe.

Middle School English teacher Lisa Fitzpatrick introduced this tradition to the School after reading The Dot a decade ago. Students in the Middle and Upper School took some time to create their own “dots” on September 16 after the book was read aloud in Middle School Chapel and in Caroline Hall’s art classes/ club. Fitzpatrick says the dots symbolize each student’s ability to “make their mark” at the start of the school year. At the end of the day, the walls in Stainton Hall and the art classroom were full of unique, colorful dots.

On Thursday, October 31, Middle School students participated in the annual Middle School costume parade and contest. The event started out with teams of students (by grade) participating in Halloween-themed relays. Some of these included a mummy wrap, in which students spun around in circles trying to wrap toilet paper around their bodies, and a throw-and-catch game, where students quickly threw fake insects into buckets to try to catch as many as they could.

After winners were declared, the students circled the Lecture Center in Stainton Hall to show off their Halloween costumes. Judges carefully examined each outfit before selecting the winners.

Students had a great time dressing up and having a little fun on Halloween!

In the week leading up to Homecoming, students, faculty, and staff celebrated Spirit Week! Each day, there was a new theme for the students to follow in order to show their School spirit. Spirit Week kicked off with some amazing red, white, and blue outfits. On Tuesday, students sported outfits from different time periods with Decade Day. On Thursday, the School went all gray! On Friday, our community showed off their Pennington gear for the Pep Rally.

Sixth-grade students metaphorically trekked across the world to the Middle East during the second quarter in Humanities classes. As a culminating activity for the unit, students engaged in learning center activities. They deepened their understanding of Islam by delving into reading about and practicing prayer rituals, investigating the Qur’an, and rendering arabesque drawings on a model of a mosque. Students also experimented with Arabic writing and studied dress styles. This “journey” broadened their understanding and cultural knowledge of their neighbors around the world.

At the end of October and the beginning of November, the Middle School celebrated El Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, particularly in the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. Sixth- and seventhgraders in Spanish 1A immersed themselves in this important holiday by creating their own ofrendas, or altars, in honor of a loved one or a famous person who has died, adding pictures or artifacts in that person’s memory—hobbies, career, favorite foods, and more. Students were required to add multiple elements of a traditional Mexican altar. They had a great time thinking about how to celebrate the life of the person they chose to honor and learning about the specific characteristics of the holiday at the same time.

In November, several Pennington Middle School students participated in a qualifying test for the American Mathematics Contest 8 (AMC 8). The top seven scorers on the qualifying test went on to represent the School in the contest on November 12. The AMC 8, a sixty-year-old mathematics competition for Middle School students that attracts 350,000 participants annually, is designed to cultivate the mathematical capabilities of the next generation of problem-solvers. This year, six eighth-graders and one seventh-grader represented the School. Of those competing, one student received a Gold medal, two earned Silver, and one scored Bronze.

We are very proud of these students for their impressive mathematical talents, which were recognized in this national contest.

Pennington seventh-graders created beautiful fleece scarves for the clients of HomeFront during their Advisory period. These proud Pennington elves thoughtfully knotted, rolled, and bundled up the scarves with colorful yarn. It was one of our ways to add a little extra warmth this holiday season! (top photo)

Sixth-grader Clementine Bowden organized and ran a coat drive for the clients of HomeFront in December. She collected four large moving boxes of coats; most were for children from infants to age 10.

On December 11, twelve Middle School students in the Middle School Singers and Instrumental Lab electives spread some holiday cheer by performing a number of hit songs for the Hopewell Valley Senior Center. About fifteen senior citizens from the area enjoyed coffee, tea, and snacks while the Middle School students played instrumental music and sang holiday songs.

Some performances included instrumental versions of “Jingle Bells,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Little Drummer Boy,” and “I Have a Little Dreidel.” Middle School Singers performed “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” “Silver Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” and more.

The students came decked in holiday gear and even put on reindeer antlers to go along with the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Patrick Conroy ’25 also read his favorite poem about Christmas. The students did a wonderful job, and the audience members were grateful for their concert.

On December 16, during the weekly Middle School Chapel, faculty members and students took time to explain their holiday traditions. Two sister faculty members, Lisa and Suzanne Houston, explained what Advent is, and how their family celebrated it growing up. Upper School student Jack Giacobbe ’22 presented the meaning of the Advent wreath and then lit the ceremonial candles. Following the discussion about Advent, Mrs. Cusack taught students about Hanukkah and shared her own family traditions. She also invited Upper School and Middle School students to light the menorah.

Many religious traditions use light to symbolize hope. Pennington School Chaplain David Hallgren ended Chapel by reminding students to bring hope and joy to others this holiday season.

The Middle School Secret Snowflake/ Holiday Party was a success!

Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue for these “makers” to show hobbies, experiments, and projects. We call it the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness.

Glimpse the future and get inspired!

Soccer Coaches: Ryan Stokes and Andrea Popel

The Middle School soccer season was very successful. The coaches are very proud of everyone for not only the on-field statistics we had but also the statistics that can’t be measured. Some of these qualities the team showed were hard work, determination, dedication, and effort. There were two new coaches this year, but everyone adapted very well and bought into the team philosophy. The motto for the team was, “There are only two things you can control in this life and that is your energy and effort and I want the very best of both you have to offer each day.” The team finished 12–1–4. The A team was 9–0–1. The B team was 3–1–3. We scored 50+ goals as a program.

As a team, we had fun and got better as a team and as individuals each day. Coach Stokes said, “These kids gave me memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. They are a great group of students. I am excited to see what the future holds for all of them.”

Field Hockey Coach: Mary Roseen

The Middle School Field Hockey team was a small, feisty group this fall who put forth great effort during the season and improved with each opportunity. Many

Soccer–A Team Red Raider Award–Justin Davidyock Coaches’ Award–Drew Bridges

Soccer–B Team Red Raider Award–Jayce Hulme Coaches’ Award–Olivia Lee

Field Hockey Red Raider Award–Teagan Walsh Coach’s Award–Samantha Lambdin Coach’s Award–Mei Mei Castranova

Cross Country Red Raider Award–Emerson Ross Coaches’ Award–William Arthur

players were new to the sport, and they worked diligently during each practice to learn the game and develop their skills. The team was led by a dedicated group of eighth-graders, including goalie Teagan Walsh, defenders Samantha Lambdin and Emily Howe, midfielder Mei Mei Castranova and forward Danielle DiDomenico. Seventh-graders Charlotte Close and Alice Singh contributed to a capable defensive unit, and Eliza O’Neil made great strides on offense. Newcomer to the team Caroline Sirolly anchored the midfield, sharing her love of the sport with fellow sixth-graders Catherine Vincent, Clementine Sanderson-Bowden, Amelia Buck, and Evie Argiropoulos, who all made significant contributions on the field throughout the fall. The games against Princeton Day School, Stuart, and Cranbury School were highlights of the season when the offensive players created many scoring opportunities and the defenders held strong throughout the contests. In addition to their hard work on the field, the team put on a great performance during the 2019 Homecoming Pep Rally and demonstrated incredible School spirit and sportsmanship throughout the season.

Cross Country Coaches: Melissa Gurick and Tyhesha Elmore

The Middle School Cross Country team had a fun and very successful season. All of our runners reached their personal goals to run farther and faster throughout the season. Just as important, they strengthened their mental endurance by pushing themselves through difficult workouts, by courageously running two miles through rugged terrain and unfamiliar courses, and by not quitting even when they felt they could not run another step. Cross country appears to be an individual sport, but these team members supported each other and developed wonderful friendships along the way. They demonstrated true team spirit and commitment!