Pennington Magazine - Spring/Summer 2023

SAVE the DATE!

this fall for a fun-filled weekend of reconnecting with old friends, sharing treasured memories, and making some new ones! All alumni are welcome to attend, and classes with years ending in 3 and 8 (e.g. 1968, 2003) will be celebrating milestone reunions. We hope to see you there!

CONTENTS

Features

GRADING FOR EQUITY:

During the 2022–23 academic year, all Pennington School faculty members were engaged in a yearlong study of their grading practices and how, if grading was done differently, it might offer a more accurate assessment of a student’s performance.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE:

Students now conduct yearlong biological and chemical studies in laboratories found in the campus watershed and School garden.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:

Zach Mannheimer ’95 uses innovative 3D printing technology to build houses in rural communities.

PENNINGTON FOOTBALL:

Milestones and celebrations highlight the longest-running football program in New Jersey.

CLASS

OF 2023:

The Horizon Experience, Senior Week and the Senior Prize Ceremony, Baccalaureate, the Senior Celebration, and Commencement

Also Inside:

2. From the Head of School

10. Springtime Community Celebrations

12. Middle School News and Athletics

17. Parents for Pennington News

30. The Arts at Pennington

36. Upper School Athletics

48. Faculty News

52. Middle School Graduation

60. Class Notes

69. In Memoriam

Head of School

William S. Hawkey, Ph.D.

Editor

Lori G. Lipsky

Director of Communications and Marketing llipsky@pennington.org

Communications Team

Meghan Coates, communications associate

Tina Lambdin, graphic designer

Julia Molchansky, digital media marketing associate

Robert E. Martini Associate Head of School

Chad Bridges

Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives

Charles D. Brown

Director of Admission and Financial Aid

Sharon Jarboe

Head of Middle School

Chrissie Knight

Contributing Writers

Margo Andrews, Chad Bridges ’96, Peter Chase, Jane Bott Childrey ’89, Meghan Coates, Laura Doughty, Dolores Eaton, William S. Hawkey, Lisa Houston, Suzanne Houston, Chrissie Knight, Tracy Kuser, Lori Lipsky, Julia Molchansky, Sarah Pawlowski, Alicia Reed, Jessie Shaffer, Elizabeth Swiderski ’06, and Jessica Lockhart Vincent P’26

Contributing Photographers/Artists

Margo Andrews, Karen Balerna, Erica Bridges, Meghan Coates, Stephanie Cohen, Jennifer Cordone P’26 ’29, Dolores Eaton, Stephanie Heyeck, Lawrence Hibbert P’23, Jim Horan, Taylor Jennings, Kathy-Lynn Kelly, Susy Kim, Tracy Kuser, Tina Lambdin, Joselle Lamoutte, Keri Marino, Adam Materasso, Julia Molchansky, Wendy Morris, Patrick Murphy ’80, Erin O’Connell, Susan Paige, Laura Pedrick, Mike Schwartz, Tim Scott, Peter Secrest ’13, Jessie Shaffer, Christopher Sirolly ’23, Kendra Sisserson, Ryan Smith, Nate Van Yperen, Zuyi Wang, 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 PenningtonMagazine are those of the authors, not necessarily those of The Pennington School.

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Cover image by Ryan Smith

A letter from the Head of School

The Pennington School

William S. Hawkey, Ph.D., Head of School

To all Members of the Pennington Community:

The end of every academic year brings a sense of closure to me and to many of my colleagues here at Pennington. Seeing the glowing faces of seniors on Commencement day, watching the junior class as they step forward in the “moving up” chapel ceremony and when they receive their senior crest to attach to their black blazers, recognizing eighth-graders as they rise to Upper School—all of these occasions remind me of how much can be accomplished in one short span of nine months. As I said in my Commencement address, few members of the Class of 2023 arrived at Pennington ready to take on solo parts, but I have seen so many of our creative and talented students soar to new heights throughout their years on our campus.

That brings me to a special recognition—a reminder that this is the class that started their first year of high school full of optimism and hope, ready for almost anything that lay ahead. But in March of that ninth-grade year, the world came to a halt at the onset of what was to be a pandemic that lasted longer than expected. Our resilient students, led by resourceful teachers, socialized with each other online and learned how to be contributing members of virtual classrooms and an entire virtual community that included clubs, theatrical performances, making music and art, and much more. They juggled all of this while their parents were figuring out how to manage their own jobs, find enough toilet paper, and keep everyone safe and healthy. And now they are ready for everything that lies ahead!

So I write this letter with a heart full of gratitude for Pennington’s close community, for its exceptional teachers and dedicated staff, for the expectations of our students that inspire us each day, and for the families and friends that provide the foundation for all of this. I am deeply grateful for all that we have and share, and for our ability to persevere and succeed with honor, virtue, and humility. The story of the Class of 2023 is one that will never be forgotten.

My very best wishes to you all for a happy and restful summer.

COMMUNITY DAY 2023

Community Day 2023 was held on Friday, April 28, and gave students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to gather together on campus, reflect, and have important conversations about topics like empathy, mental health, and stress management.

The day began with performances from Pennington’s talented music department, which shared choral and instrumental selections from the previous night’s Spring Concert. The stage was then taken by the day’s three presenters: Dr. Matt Bellace, Dr. Michael Fowlin, and John Morello. The three men gave a joint introduction to the theme of the day—“The Stories We Tell...to Ourselves...to Others, and to No One”—each sharing personal anecdotes from their time on the road as professional speakers and their own experiences with anxiety, depression, and related difficulties over the years. Students met with their advisors afterwards to discuss the presentation before breaking into groups to see the speakers individually.

The Stories We Tell...

to Ourselves...to Others, and to No One

Dr. Fowlin’s workshop in the Lecture Center was called “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me,” and he shared his personal journey through creative storytelling with the Middle School and ninth- and tenth-graders. John Morello presented a oneman show to the Upper School students, sharing monologues and different characters that touched on topics including mental health and substance use. Dr. Matt Bellace met with the Middle School and eleventh- and twelfth-graders separately in the gym, discussing stress management and even having students take center stage to combat nerves speaking in front of a crowd.

The entire School came together to finish the day as a group, with all students sitting in a circle and sharing their favorite moments. It was a thoughtful, inspirational day for all members of the Pennington community.

Pennington’s teachers consider best practices for assessing student achievement

Grading for EQUITY =

Faculty development at The Pennington School is continual, important, and essential to maintaining teacher excellence. During the 2022–23 academic year, all Pennington School faculty members were engaged in a yearlong study of their grading practices and how, if grading is done differently, it can be a more accurate assessment of a student’s performance. More equitable grading practices could also better motivate students to learn by objectively capturing what they truly know and can do. Dean of Faculty Deborah Fermo noted, “We create many opportunities throughout the year for our teachers to engage in intentional and collaborative professional development that examines best practices. This benefits all students and is critical to who we are as educators and as members of the Pennington community.”

The coronavirus pandemic offered Pennington’s educators new insights into teaching and learning, both inside the traditional classroom and outside, when students had to learn and work from home. One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic for our School was the formation of a small committee of faculty members to discuss every aspect of distance learning and the best ways to address it for Pennington’s students. This Distance Teaching and Learning Committee (DTLC) met daily, and was able to consider Pennington’s curriculum and academic policies through a new lens. Debbie Fermo, Chrissie Knight (head of Middle School), Scott Peeler (dean of academic affairs), and Jo Prockop (Edmund V. Cervone Endowed Chair and director, Cervone Center for Learning) were charged with creating a framework of best practices that could be engaged while the School was in the distance-learning environment, but which had far-reaching implications for teaching and learning into the future. One of the practices they agreed warranted further study was the idea of grading for equity.

This academic year, Pennington’s teachers have been assessing the ideas behind grading for equity and discussing how we grade at Pennington, using the book Grading for

of Independent Schools, and Stanford University’s Challenge Success. Feldman earned his B.A. from Stanford University and a master’s degree in teaching and curriculum from the Harvard School of Education.

Why do we need to reconsider grading practices?

Feldman explains in a Harvard Graduate School of Education audio EdCast, “If you look at it from the viewpoint of the student, so in a typical day in middle school or high school, students are seeing five, six, even more teachers each day. Every teacher is usually doing their own approaches to grading, and many of them become idiosyncratic. Although every teacher has deep beliefs that they’re trying to imbue in their grading, and send certain messages and values to students, and trying to build a certain kind of learning community, every teacher is doing it differently. From the student, it adds to my cognitive load. I not only have to understand the content and try and perform at high levels of the content, but now I also have to navigate a grading structure that may not be totally transparent, and may be different for every teacher, and particularly for students who are historically underserved and have less education background, and fewer resources and sort of understanding of how to navigate those really foreign systems to a lot of our students, it places those additional burdens on them, which we shouldn’t do.”

Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters,

and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms by Joe Feldman as a guide. Feldman’s career in education spans over twenty years, and he has worked as a teacher, principal, and district administrator. He is the founder and CEO of Crescendo Education Group, which has partnered with the National Education Association as well as the American Federation of Teachers, National Association

Grading for equity refers to the teaching practice of ensuring that all students are evaluated fairly and without bias in terms of their academic performance. This means that grades are determined based on the students’ mastery of the course material and not on their behaviors. Assessing behaviors can unconsciously influence a teacher’s assessment of how much a student knows and has learned. Grading for equity means focusing only on students’ understanding of the curriculum, while the important discussions about other aspects of their performance, such as homework completion, timeliness, effort, and participation could take place in other formats like conferences or report card comments. This combination could be a more holistic way of evaluating a student’s overall performance in a given class.

Equitable grading has three pillars: accuracy, biasresistance, and intrinsic motivation. Grades must accurately reflect only a student’s academic level of performance, exclude nonacademic criteria (such as behaviors), and use mathematically sound calculations

and scales, such as the 0–4 instead of the 0–100 scale (Harvard Ed. magazine, summer 2019).

Grading for equity requires teachers to use objective and transparent grading criteria that are consistently applied to all students. For example, grading rubrics can be shared with students that outline the specific criteria and expectations for different levels of performance, which allows students to assess their own performance before submitting their work.

Ultimately, grading for equity is about promoting academic excellence and ensuring that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or circumstances. It requires a commitment from teachers, administrators, and the wider School community to provide a supportive and inclusive learning environment that values learning for the sake of learning and promotes success for all scholars. It also complements our School’s mission to develop individual excellence in all of our students.

The topic of grading for equity and what it means for The Pennington School was introduced during the August 2022 faculty workshops that began before the start of classes, and teachers have continued working collaboratively through Feldman’s book in “teacher teams.’’ These teams cross disciplines and were intentionally created to offer times for Pennington’s teachers to learn and grow from and with one another. At least once a month, the teacher teams met to discuss a chapter of the book, guided by discussion questions designed to motivate reflection about why teachers grade the way they do and how their grading practices reflect what they value in the classroom.

On January 2, 2023, one of two full days set aside to do more meaningful work as a full faculty, Fermo welcomed Dr. Liza Talusan to campus as guest speaker for a day of faculty professional development which was both enlightening and thought-provoking. Talusan is the author of the acclaimed book The Identity Conscious Educator: Building habits and skills for a more inclusive school . Her work with Pennington was focused on the four steps she identifies as necessary to build a more inclusive classroom.

Talusan began the day with an activity to identify the types of identities and experiences that teachers may have familiarity with and/or distance from. Her discussion question was, “How might your proximity inform and have an impact upon your teaching, leading, learning, advising, or coaching?” At the end of the session, she invited the

faculty to move to action by introducing a framework of “start, stop, change, and continue.” Teachers then spent some time in small teams to reflect upon Talusan’s presentation and share their experiences with one another.

Talusan’s framework bridged nicely into afternoon discussions about Chapters 7-10 of Feldman’s book. The discussion kicked off with the following quote from Grading for Equity:

If grades are here to stay, we want them and our grading practices to promote the best and most aspirational thinking of what our students are capable of as learners, regardless of their race, their first language, their family’s income, or their previous educational experiences, and to similarly support the best of what we are capable of as educators. We want grading to be truthful, dignifying our students by telling them exactly where they are academically and what they need to be successful. We want our grading to interrupt structures and patterns that have made the high achievement of some student groups, and the underachievement of other groups, predictable. We want our grading practices to continue to facilitate the success of those student populations who have been relatively well-served and our improved grading needs to specifically support those groups who have been historically underserved.

Using this as inspiration, the teacher teams then spent the rest of the afternoon reflecting on how timeliness, effort, the fairness of a 0-100 point scale, and other common metrics affect, either positively or negatively, equity in our Pennington grading practices. Teachers were encouraged to explain how they feel about their own teaching and grading practices and were challenged to think creatively about their role in fairly assessing their students’ learning.

On March 27, the Pennington faculty engaged in the second day set aside for faculty professional development. First they took a look at the successes and challenges of The Sanford School, outside of Wilmington, DE, where that school’s teachers began their work with Grading for Equity four years ago. As a result of their work, Sanford has landed on school-wide grading best practices that have changed the landscape of how students receive feedback about their learning. A group of four department leaders from Sanford joined the Pennington faculty for a short panel discussion, followed by discipline-specific breakout sessions. The panelists engaged in conversation with the various departments around reflection questions that addressed the 4-point scale and the 100-point scale in terms of feedback for the student. They also discussed the idea that averages may or may not reflect a student’s overall understanding of the course material. Other important questions discussed were the ways teachers can give students feedback about their classroom behaviors that aren’t associated with a grade, and creative ways to assess student performance that are resistant to the types of biases that can present themselves in the classroom.

By the end of the 2022-23 academic year, the Pennington faculty were ready to talk about School-wide and department-level grading best practice initiatives to be implemented during the 2023-24 academic year. This

aspect of faculty professional development challenged each teacher to reflect on their deep beliefs about what they value with regard to student performance in the classroom, and it has been very meaningful work that will undoubtedly improve upon the student experience. As you already know, Pennington teachers aim to develop individual excellence in all of our students. We owe it to them to provide accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational ways to assess how they are learning and growing in our classrooms.

BThree former Peer Leaders from the Class of 2022 (Mame, Lauren, and Evan) stopped by the Peer Leadership class on January 6! The alumni shared stories about their experiences, challenges, and rewards as student leaders while offering advice on the college process and tips for success in the first months as a new college student.

COn January 7, a group of residential students had the choice of seeing either the Broadway musical 1776 or the play Death of a Salesman

DCollege-aged alumni were invited to stop by for lunch in the Dining Hall and catch up with former teachers and classmates on January 11.

EPennington juniors Tristan, Riya, and Quaadir organized a “Teacher Climate Change Social” on January 11 in the library to share stories about their

experiences with climate change, discuss their understanding of the issue, and learn from each other and the students.

FJuniors and seniors from Pennington’s Public History and Honors Thesis Seminar classes visited Lawrenceville’s Stephan Archives on January 19 to learn about how other institutions organize and share their historic collections with students and the public.

GAn outer space-themed Cotillion was held on Saturday, January 21.

HJoselle Lamoutte took students to NYC on January 26 to see a Spanish play by Federico Garcia Lorca called La casa de Bernarda Alba as part of the AP Spanish Literature and Culture class. The play is one of the 38 texts they read this year!

IDr. Alyssa Sharkey P’25 spoke to students in the Applied Science and Global

Studies Certificate Programs on Friday, January 27. She gave a presentation titled “Global Health Challenges and Strategies.”

JGloria Lui and Frani Pendus from the Class of 2023 gave a detailed presentation on Friday, February 3 about their work with Women in STEM Solving Problems (WISSP) and how they helped design and create a patent-pending product for women in Malawi.

KIn early February, residential students spent the afternoon ice skating at the Mercer County Park Skating Center.

L Chapel on February 7 was hosted by the Black Student Union. Students and teachers shared incredible music, poetry, and personal stories that illuminated definitions of Black excellence.

MAt the end of February, twelve Pennington students competed at the Philadelphia Model United Nations conference.

NThe Junior Proctor-sponsored American Red Cross Blood Drive held on March 1 was a huge success!

OThe College Counseling Office and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion held Pennington’s inaugural HBCU Night on March 29, 2023. Keynote speaker Calvin L. Butts, Jr. and a panel of college students (including Makenna Urbanek ’22 and Julienn Harris ’22) talked about their experiences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and what sets the schools apart.

POn Friday, March 31, The Pennington School welcomed the founder of Social Awakening, Max Stossel, to campus to speak with students and parents about technology and social media usage.

QOn Saturday, April 1, some students in the Chinese classes visited Chinatown in New York City with Ms. Wang. They experienced authentic Cantonese cuisine, practiced Chinese table manners, learned about the history and stories of generations of Chinese at the Museum of Chinese in America, and enjoyed traditional Chinese ink painting in honor of the Qingming Festival.

RDr. Kim Clabbers P’23 spoke to students on Friday, April 14, about her work as an orthopedic surgeon and the kinds of medical cases handled by orthopedists.

SOnce a month, students in the Community Service Club help prepare bags of groceries for families in Mercer County at the Hopewell Valley Food Pantry. On April 19, a group of seniors and sophomores helped out.

TTina Alt ’88 spoke with Applied Science students on Thursday, April 20, about the many kinds of professions in the healthcare field and her journey to becoming a physician’s assistant.

UAlix Samuel ’11 returned to campus to speak with students from the Global Studies Certificate Program and the United People of Many Colors club about her role as officer of employee engagement and workplace giving at the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

VTuesday, April 25, was our Moving-Up Chapel! In this tradition, the seniors leave the front rows of the church during Chapel, and the eleventh-graders take their places.

WTwenty students will play on athletic teams in college next year; see pennington.org/athletics/alumniathletes for a complete list.

SPRINGTIME COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS

GRANDPARENT AND VIP DAY

APRIL 21, 2023

Grandparents joined us on campus for this annual event, which included entertainment on the plaza, a special lunch, leadership presentations, tours—and, most importantly, quality time with their Pennington grandchildren!

Grandparents, alumni, parents, students, and friends showed their Pennington spirit at our signature springtime community celebrations. Thanks to all for taking part in the festivities!

ThePenningtonSchoo l ScholarshipClassic

28th Annual Scholarship Classic

JUNE 12, 2023

BCC LUNCH

MAY 20, 2023

Alumni, parents, students, and friends came together for the Black Community Connections Lunch this spring. The event featured student artwork, networking breakouts, and a special presentation from Sean Woodroffe P’22 (Executive Vice President & Chief People, Culture, and Communications Officer at Lincoln Financial Group) and alumna Lauren Woodroffe ’22 on the importance of resilience.

With support from over one hundred players (golf, tennis, and pickleball!) and our generous sponsors, this year’s Scholarship Classic raised over $54,000 in net proceeds to support student scholarships at Pennington. Special thanks to our Scholarship Classic Committee and our platinum sponsor, the Long Motor Company, for making this another successful year!

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

During a week in February, Middle School students and teachers focused on the Pennington Honor Code and how it related to their daily lives as well as the norms and expectations that the community has been following throughout the year. During special Advisory meetings, the students learned about honor codes in general, as well as the Pennington Honor Code specifically.

Each Advisory focused on a particular piece of the Honor Code and created skits to teach their section to the rest of the Middle School during that week’s Community Meeting. The skits covered real-life scenarios such as how to include new students in friend groups, academic honesty, proper classroom respect, and many others, all to illuminate how the Honor Code affects day-to-day life at the School for individual students and the community as a whole. The day after the presentations, students were given time during their Class Meetings to reflect on what they had learned throughout the week.

In mid-January, Junior Proctors made fortune cookies with the Middle School students to celebrate the Lunar New Year!

As the month of January came to an end, students in Grade 6 humanities classes created “me museums,” collections of mementos and artifacts that the students curated to share more about themselves than we see in School.

Middle School students competed in a mini dodgeball tournament on Friday, January 27, during Junior Proctors. The final game pitted the entire Middle School against the Junior Proctors!

Smile Squad delivered valentines across campus with the message “Thank you for giving your heart to TPS!”

Our Minds Matter club members spoke about mental health in Middle School Chapel on Monday, March 5. Members shared personal stories, poetry, and reflections on ending the stigma surrounding mental health and the importance of taking care of ourselves and each other.

During the week of March 5, 109 MS students, teachers, advisors, and administrators participated in a March Madness-style rock, paper, scissors tournament. The battles took place throughout each day in the hallways, between classes, and before and after the school day. The final competitions of two groups of Elite 8 took place in front of the whole Middle School on March 10, the Friday before spring break. It was a great way to build community and finish the week with some fun!

Middle School students in Spanish B had the chance to test their Spanish skills by going to Tortuga’s Mexican Village in Princeton for lunch on March 9. They all ordered in Spanish and spoke Spanish throughout the meal.

Both Odyssey of the Mind teams advanced to the State

competition held on April 1, and one team then advanced to the World competition in Detroit, Michigan.

The first project for the Middle School Costume Crew elective was a sewing project that required learning skills including using a pattern, cutting fabric, hand stitching,

and sewing buttons. This exercise was to get everyone warmed up to create costumes for the Middle School spring play, TheManyDisguisesof Robin Hood.The final result? These adorable stuffed owls!

Working in groups, sixthgrade students designed a model of a human body in

their Life Science class that displayed three body systems (respiratory, circulatory, and digestive). Each group member chose a single system they were responsible for on the whole-body model. Students had to ensure that their system’s associated organs and molecules were represented, and they needed

to describe the system’s main function accurately.

Middle Schoolers ventured north for their traditional ski trip on February 10. This was the first day together on the slopes since the pandemic began, so it was a celebratory wrap-up to our Honor Code Week.

The Many Disguises of R bin Hood

By Brian Guehring

M id dle S chool d irector ’ S N ote

by Shanti Hastings-Kimball ’23

My Middle School play experience as an eighth-grader is one of my favorite memories at Pennington, and the theater was the first environment I truly felt comfortable in. Throughout the rest of my years here, Theatre at Pennington has continued to create an open environment where I discovered my passion— directing—which led me to have the opportunity to direct this year’s Middle School play. When given the news, I was beyond excited but also nervous, as I hoped to bring this year’s cast the same experience I had—which to me seemed like an impossible task.

I knew I wanted to choose a fun, spirited play that had important meanings. Eventually, I came across this lighthearted classic with a twist written by Brian Guehring. After reading it I knew that The Many Disguises of Robin Hood was the one, and so off to work we went. Thank you to all of the actors, techies, and other students who helped with this production. It would not have been possible without all of you and your hard work. Another huge thank-you to Mr. Secrest for his guidance and support throughout this whole process. Lastly, I would like to thank Ms. S. Houston for the continued support and directorial opportunities she has given me throughout my five years here at Pennington.

SWIMMING Head Coach: Lynn Shields | Assistant Coach: Chris Thiel

n What an amazing group of hardworking and dedicated swimmers we had this year! With a team record of 3-2, each swimmer improved their times and their skills. At the Ranney Invitational, the girls’ team came in third overall, and the boys’ team came in second overall. We are very excited to see what next year brings and wish the eighthgrade swimmers the best of luck as they move on to Upper School.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL Head Coach: Patrick Murphy | Assistant Coach: Elizabeth Roehm

n The girls’ team had a fun and rewarding season in which they improved and played some exciting basketball throughout. A 5-4 record and a thrilling 38-33 win at Hun summed up a great season.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL Head Coach: Bernie Gurick | Assistant Coach: Matthew Mysliwiec

n Both boys’ teams had exciting and enjoyable seasons this winter. Throughout the season, the players showed improvement and continued to develop their skills as they gained a greater understanding of the team concepts needed for success.

GIRLS’ LACROSSE Co-Coaches: Elizabeth Roehm and Marianna Carella

n Thirteen students participated in MS Girls’ Lacrosse, and we finished with four wins, one tie, and only two losses. Major accomplishments this season included winning over PDS 12-9. We had many players new to lacrosse, so we had an exciting year of learning about the sport together and seeing the great progress of players throughout the course of the season.

BOYS’ LACROSSE Head Coach: Chauncey Farrington | Assistant Coach: Alex Gibbons

n The team had a great journey in the spring of 2023. The small size of this group of boys, with a wide range of experience in the game, helped them gel into a team. Each young man had the responsibility to work hard for his teammates and play their own role well. The boys showed up engaged every day and helped one another learn to be better players and teammates. At the beginning of the season, many of the players were “dipping their toes” into this game. By May, the squad was going into competitions with the expectation of not just holding their own, but also of winning. The coaches wish the eighthgraders the very best of luck, and they look forward to another spring with our returning players.

WINTER HIGHLIGHTS MS ATHLETICS

WINTER AND SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

Parents for Pennington’s annual Red and Black Bash held on April 15 was a shining example of the Pennington community spirit. Parents, faculty, and staff were treated to a fun evening in a transformed Sparks Gymnasium, where they enjoyed good food, festive drinks, and a tremendous amount of fellowship. Whether browsing the many unique items and experiences in the silent auction or engaging in a fast-paced bidding war during the live auction, Pennington parents found time to relax and connect amid the starry decor. The event was capped off with this year’s Fund-a-Need project, the Fitness Center Fix-Up, which raised funds to fully renovate Pennington’s fitness and wellness center with state-of-the-art equipment, new flooring, paint, fans, and light fixtures. The reimagined space will be tailored to meet the needs of all students, clubs, teams, faculty, staff, and even parents. The Red and Black Bash raises funds that allow Parents for Pennington to continue underwriting programs that strengthen the student community and help build connections among the parent population.

PfP Red and Black Bash Committee (photo above)

L to R front row: Holly Kotler P’27, Vandana Bhanote P’23 ’26, Melinda Van Dillen P’27, Diane Blumenthal P’25, Karin Sanderson P’25

L to R back row: Sejal Doshi P’26, Julian Kim P’23, Jessica Vincent P’26, Lisa Stone-Hardt P’24 ’27, Joy Hall P’25, Irene McGraw P’25, Katie Bailey P’29, Kate Klukowski P’25

classes use campus watershed and garden as laboratories

—by Peter Chase

A student who takes Environmental Science with Dr. Margo Andrews is in for an experience—and it happens to be a valuable experience that mirrors what environmental scientists do in the real world. And Dr. Andrews should know—her first job out of college was as a watershed ecologist in Baltimore City, Maryland.

During her first couple of years teaching the class, students did a lot of work in and around the School pond. But in 2017, when construction of new parking lots impeded her students’ access to the pond, Andrews began taking them down to Lewis Brook, a stream located on the north side of campus, to conduct water-based labs. She attended a workshop at The Watershed Institute and established a data-sharing partnership through their StreamWatch program. Andrews saw a chance to incorporate even more lab work into her course, and it was the same type of work she herself had done as a professional in her field.

Students now conduct yearlong biological and chemical studies, which focus on monitoring the water quality of the stream and determining surrounding environmental impacts. To perform these important labs, students collect and analyze several benthic macroinvertebrates, such as the commonly found crayfish, but also rarer species including damselfly and cranefly larvae. Andrews said that, initially, students can be hesitant to reach into the water to pull out these creatures. However, after a short time, her students happily put on their boots and waders to walk down Green Street and trudge through the water.

As Andrews points out, students benefit greatly from the School’s unique geography, as the campus is bisected by two major watersheds, both of which flow into the Atlantic. Lewis Brook eventually feeds into the Raritan River, which runs past New York City; on the other side of campus, water from Lowellden Pond heads south to the Delaware River and travels past Cape May.

Along with work in the School’s stream and pond, Andrews’ Environmental Science students spend time in the Lewis Brook woods, thanks to a new network of trails built by Pennington students along with Head of School Bill Hawkey and Board Chair Peter Tucci, and they also use the School’s vegetable garden as an outdoor lab. Students conduct soil studies and develop a green thumb or two, learning firsthand about sustainable farming practices and taking the lead on spring and fall plantings. The garden is open to all Pennington community members, and many take advantage of the delicious fresh

produce during the growing months. All leftover food is donated to food banks in Lambertville.

For the last few years, Andrews has also coordinated a program for School-wide composting of our kitchen’s food waste— an estimated 2,000 pounds worth annually. Initially carried out daily by advisory groups, members of the Green Team now take the lead on transporting the buckets via golf cart to an open heap compost site on campus. The resulting high-quality, natural fertilizer is available for use by anyone in the community. These and other efforts helped the School recently achieve recertification at the highest level of The Watershed Institute’s River-Friendly program.

It’s easy to see why Margo Andrews’ Environmental Science course has been added to Pennington’s list of lab sciences— and there are no better labs than the ones found outdoors on our campus!

“It’s great to see students acting like kids again,” says Andrews, who joined Pennington in 2015. “They get excited to see snakes and frogs and fish, and even aquatic worms and leeches!” ”

2023 LUNAR NEW YEAR

Lunar New Year is an important cultural and traditional holiday that is celebrated in China, South Korea, Vietnam, and many other countries and communities across the Asian communities. This January marked the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit across most of the Asian diaspora, and the Year of the Cat in Vietnam.

At Pennington, students celebrate this holiday by gathering with friends, enjoying traditional foods, exchanging red envelopes and other gifts, and participating in other activities, such as a trip to a local restaurant for a favorite meal. These celebrations also provide opportunities for our international students to share their customs with their American friends and to promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation. With a special Chapel service, decorations all around the campus, and delicious foods in the dining hall, Lunar New Year is celebrated by the entire Pennington community!

Captions for photos: The East Asian Student Union led a special Chapel to celebrate and educate the community about the Lunar New Year; The campus was beautifully decorated by generous Pennington parents!; Students had the opportunity to practice their Chinese calligraphy in honor of the holiday; A group of residential students celebrated the Lunar New Year with a trip to KPot, a Korean barbecue and hot pot restaurant.

ACADEMIC NEWS

by Scott Peeler, Dean of Academic Affairs

Each year, the Pennington School Academic Committee considers changes to the programs offered by the School. We are happy to share the following updates for the 2023-24 school year:

First, we’re pleased to announce a new Ninth-Grade Seminar. This semester course will be team-taught by members of the Computer Science/Engineering and Health Departments. The computer science component of the seminar will introduce students to leading edges in the world of digital technology, such as artificial intelligence, coding, 3D printing, interactive art, and robotics. The health curriculum will address the physical, mental, social, and emotional challenges of high school and adolescence.

Second, above and beyond the already wideranging offerings in each department, we’re excited to announce new course offerings for the 2023-24 school year. English electives in Journalism and Creative Writing are now also available to juniors. A yearlong, post-AP honors course in Data Structures has been added to the Computer Science curriculum, and Python coding and Cybersecurity will be offered, alternating with Software Engineering I and II. Two Religion courses also return to the program in 2023-24: Climate Change and Ethics of Jesus. Two new History courses first offered this past year are being offered again

next year: The American Dream and African America and Organizational Behavior.

Finally, after recently adding several junior and senior honors courses to the curriculum (e.g. Discrete Math, Thesis Seminar, Senior Seminar in Drama, Data Structures), Pennington’s Academic Committee has decided that honors and Advanced Placement courses now will garner the same grade point average (GPA) added weight of .33. This change supports the fact that AP and honors classes both offer challenging academic coursework for our students.

HONOR SOCIETIES

The Arts and Language Honor Societies Induction Ceremony was held on Monday, January 9, in the Wesley Forum. Outstanding eleventh- and twelfth-grade world language students were inducted into five different societies: Chinese National Honor Society, French National Honor Society, German National Honor Society, Latin National Honor Society, and Spanish National Honor Society. Students excelling in the arts were inducted into the National Art Honor Society, International Thespian Society, and Tri-M Music Honor Society. The program included a welcome from Head of School Bill Hawkey, a special presentation about summer language study abroad by Peter Chase, teacher of German, and two student instrumental performances. Jiani Wan ’24 played “Rosemary’s Waltz” by Richard Rodney Bennett on the keyboard and Jai Raman ’24 played a jazz selection on the saxophone. Congratulationstoallthenewhonorsocietyinducteesonbeingrecognizedfortheir achievements!

CUM LAUDE

The Pennington School inducted eleven seniors as student members of the School’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society in June. Students inducted are within the top twenty 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.

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

The newest members of The Pennington School’s chapter of Cum Laude (pictured below) are Maggie Clarke, Lauren Decker, Zoe Eaton, Suhani Gharia, Leanne Griffiths, Jiayi Huang, Claire King, Garren McCauley, Elena Nechay, Evin Roldan, and Heidi Vander Schaaff.

Twelve seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society in October 2022. Those students are Isabel Adams, Benjamin Clabbers, Isabella Fermo, Gordon Grandbouche, Jinze Hong, Beatrix Kim, Yuda Li, Gloria Liu, Chloe McKain, Kyle Meinhart, Francesca Pendus, and Dailan Xu.

Congratulationstothe23studentslistedaboveontheiracademicachievements!

German National Honor Society Inductees

Jonah Celentana ’24

Owen Doughty ’24

Suhani Gharia ’23

Benjamin Graziano-Kastner ’24

Sofia Gruson ’23

Jinze Hong ’23

Maya Meehan-Ritter ’24

Hunter Shaffer ’24

Chinese National Honor Society Inductees

Maggie Clarke ’23

Ryan Knab ’23

French National Honor Society Inductees

Jack Bluni ’24

Sophia Farajallah ’24

Leanne Griffiths ’23

Shinyi Li ’24

Kendall Malmros ’24

Chloe McKain ’23

Nicholas Moran ’23

Mar Ndiaye ’24

Camrie Plummer ’23

Lucas Sweetman ’24

Sadie Wright ’23

Latin National Honor Society Inductees

Garrett Hardt ’24

Emily Howe ’24

Aurora Hu ’23

Samantha Lambdin ’24

Hengchao Xia ’24

Spanish National Honor Society Inductees

Alexander Botero ’23

Alexander Brackin ’24

Justin Davidyock ’24

Sophia Farajallah ’24

Polaris Hayes ’24

Praslin Hayes ’24

(listcontinuestopright)

Kieran Karp ’24

Dowon Zio Kim ’24

Maya Meehan-Ritter ’24

Shayna Mehta ’24

Edward Molner ’24

Nkechinyelum Nwoye ’24

Sanjana Padmanabhan ’24

Thomas Weaverling ’23

Zixi Yu ’24

National Art Honor Society Inductees

Quyen Quyen Chia ’23

Isabella Fermo ’23

Sofia Gruson ’23

Caleb Hibbert ’23

Aurora Hu ’23

Samantha Lambdin ’24

Yingying Peng ’24

Leah Reichert ’23

Tri-M Music Honor Society Inductees

Garrett Hardt ’24

Jai Raman ’24

Mia Seyfarth ’24

Hunter Shaffer ’24

Jiani Wan ’24

Chenxu Xu ’24

International Thespian Society Inductees

Isabel Adams ’23

Ahja Bates ’23

Owen Doughty ’24

Suhani Gharia ’23

Emily Howe ’24

Ananya Madireddy ’24

Sandhya Mahadevan ’24

Shayna Mehta ’24

Edward Molner ’24

*Sanjana Padmanabhan ’24

*Sean Sprague ’23

Teagan Walsh ’24

Jiani Wan ’24

Thomas Weaverling ’23

*HonorThespian

Including The Pennington School in our estate plans allowed us to craft a meaningful legacy at a School we hold dear. Since joining the Francis Harvey Green Society in 1998, our experience as members has deepened our connection to the Pennington community.

Spotlight:

Francis Harvey Green Society Members

Mary Anne and Jorge Guerrero P’94

Mary Anne and Jorge Guerrero P’94 are proud parents of alumnus Sebastian ’94, and they have given back to Pennington with their service, leadership, and generous philanthropy for the past twenty-five years. From the start, they have been active volunteers and visible advocates for the School—both served as parent volunteers, Jorge served on the Board of Trustees, Mary Anne collaborates with the World Languages department, and they are currently members of the Pennington Leadership Council.

Now, they are helping to spread the word about the important role that planned gifts play in securing a vibrant future for Pennington. “As members of the Francis Harvey Green Society, we want others in the community to know how easy—and meaningful—it is to include The Pennington School in your will. These gifts are critical building blocks that contribute to the School’s endowment, and they provide tax advantages to donors and help them to achieve their financial goals.”

For more information on the benefits of making an estate plan or life-income gift, please visit pennington.giftplans.org or contact Director of Capital Projects and Gift Planning Lindsay Guinan at 609–737–6149 or lindsay.guinan@pennington.org.

SPRING BREAK TRIPS

Pennington students take advantage of every opportunity to expand their perspective—even over spring break! In March, groups of students and faculty traveled to Europe to immerse themselves in the languages and cultures they’ve been studying in class. (On page 43, read more about how some of our athletes made the most of other spring break trips!)

Nine students who study French at Pennington traveled to France with teachers Lauran Hocquaux and Nate Van Yperen for host family experiences in Meaux and Loches. In Meaux, they stayed with host families from our sister school, Lycee Bossuet. When the Pennington group traveled to Loches to visit our sister school, Saint Denis International School, the coordinator said they “brought the sun with them!”

Twelve Latin students traveled to Italy with stops in Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. The students and faculty members Wendy Morris, Peter Secrest, and Ryan Vogt visited spots like the Accademia Gallery (where they saw Michelangelo’s David), the Colosseum, the Vatican, and Pompeii, to name a few. After ten days, the group returned home on March 23!

OnFriday, May 26, Pennington celebrated the diverse community on our campus with its second annual Culture Fair! Students, their families, and School faculty and staff all contributed to the day’s events, which included art activities, and “Table Talks,” where students gathered in small groups to discuss how diversity shapes Pennington’s community; Showcase cultural performances; and a bustling World Market near Meckler Library.

During the Showcase, students shared music, dance, and clothing from their cultures. Ziyi (Tracy) Wang ’25 played the hulusi, a traditional flute-like instrument commonly played by the Tujia people of China. The Pennington Dance Troupe, which included Jiwoo Kim ’26, Helena Roque Cohen ’27, Siwen (Stephanie) Zhao ’25, Yufei (Rain) Piao ’25, and Moyang (Eliza) Zou ’25, performed dances from South Korea, China, Mexico, and the United States.

Theatre students who will soon be traveling to London shared some of the Shakespeare scenes they have been preparing to perform on that trip. This group of actors included Gabby DiRusso ’24, Zoe Eaton ’23, Mari Grandbouche ’25, Gabby Hall ’25, Shanti Hastings-Kimball ’23, Sandhya Mahadevan ’24, Alex Marinzoli ’25, Garren McCauley ’23, Shermel Morgan ’25, Vanessa SamayoaRamos ’25, Kae Sanders ’25, Sean Sprague ’23, Teagan Walsh ’24, and Nico Wang ’25. Cassandra Hanstveit ’28 presented a custom ceremonial dress and robe from her home culture, the Kalmyk people of the Russian Federation.

The World Market brought tables of delicious food, creative activities, traditional artifacts, and beautiful art to the campus, and visitors had their passports stamped as they traveled through the international experience. Overall, there were twenty-two cultures represented, a true testament to the thriving global community at Pennington!

CULTURE FAIR

Spotlight: Alumni

Zachary Mannheimer ’95

This Pennington graduate traveled from the stage to the construction site and is putting a new spin on economic development, using innovative 3D printing technology to build houses in rural communities.

achary Mannheimer ’95 checks all the boxes of a quintessential Pennington graduate forging a successful path— following his dreams and passions, check; making a difference in the community, check; embracing the entrepreneurial spirit and building a business, check.

Mannheimer is the founder and CEO of Alquist 3D, an innovative construction company using 3D printing technology to bring affordable and sustainable housing to economically distressed and underserved communities. The company has made national headlines for its early work and its creation of the first 3D-printed, owner-occupied home in the United States (in December 2021). The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, and Architectural Digest have all touted the company’s mission and its partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

Alquist 3D is quickly growing and currently expanding operations into Iowa, Florida, Missouri, Texas, and Virgina, with more to come. The company’s plans include debuting a new 3D concrete printing curriculum for community colleges in the Midwest and integrating the use of more sustainable concrete like “hempcrete” to sequester carbon in the coming months.

Given his present-day professional milieu, it may be surprising to look back at Mannheimer’s time at The Pennington School, which he devoted to a pursuit of writing, drama, and the arts. He says, “I really found my voice and developed my passion for creative writing and plays at Pennington in classes with Ms. Fox and Mr. Burns.” He left his mark on Pennington’s theatre program, creating the first-ever senior play written by a student. Mannheimer produced, wrote, and directed the work entitled Theophany, which launched the beloved tradition of senior play development that continues at the School today.

After attending Muhlenberg College, Mannheimer spent a decade in the New York City theatre scene before making a move to Des Moines, Iowa, to develop a community approach to economic development that would bring artists, volunteers, and leaders together. From this work, he eventually founded Atlas Community Studios, an organization dedicated to helping rural communities across the country with social and economic development projects. During his travels from state to state, Mannheimer had a realization, “The one thing Atlas couldn’t solve was the overwhelming need for housing, which was palpable everywhere we went. My drive has always been focused on creating

community, but you can’t have community if you have nowhere to live.”

With a renewed sense of purpose, Mannheimer began researching the best way to solve America’s housing crisis and quickly connected the dots, gaining insight from the use of 3D-printing technology in industrial-scale construction in Europe. He founded Alquist to create sustainable and affordable housing, knowing that this new approach would provide substantial savings in building costs. The savings of this approach go beyond the cost of the construction and materials. “We can save anywhere from 5% to 20% of the cost of the home by 3D-printing walls using concrete. More importantly, to many homeowners, these houses require 50% less energy use than traditional homes,” said Mannheimer. All of this resonates strongly in an economy where the average cost for a traditionally built wood-based house has increased by $25,000 over the past two years alone.

The early results from the company’s efforts are impressive, and Mannheimer believes that he and others leading in this space have just scratched the surface of what is possible. One thing is certain: there is a limitless demand for these houses. Alquist receives ten to twenty requests for 3D-printed homes per hour from around the world!

Mannheimer lives with his wife and children in Iowa City and comes back to the Pennington area on occasion to visit with extended family. His work appeals to a younger generation, and he has plans to speak with current Pennington students about his journey and Alquist 3D in the coming year, offering a great deal of inspiration that we know will help ignite the imaginations of our students as they forge their own paths to success.

How does 3D printing in construction work?

For a home’s walls, concrete is laid out by robotic arms or gantries in long layers, usually about two to three inches thick and twelve inches wide, using multiple types of printers. The process of printing the walls is approximately two to three times faster than manual construction—the shell of a 1,500-square-foot home takes just under twenty hours to print.

Scan the QR code to watch the “printing” process in action in this popular YouTube video from Alquist 3D’s Director of Printing Technologies Aiman Hussein.

THE ARTS at PENNINGTON

From January 17 through March 30, 2023, the Silva Gallery was proud to host the inaugural event of a yearlong celebration of the life of J. Seward Johnson II, sponsored by the Johnson Atelier and the Hopewell Valley Arts Council. “The Bond of Inspiration: An Exhibition of Works by India Blake Johnson and Seward Johnson” was celebrated by the Pennington community and the public with a reception on Thursday, February 9. Lynn DeClemente Losavio, program officer for the Johnson Atelier and long-time assistant to Seward Johnson, gave a talk sharing stories about how Johnson lived his artful life.

In 2020, the world lost J. Seward Johnson II. A resident of Hopewell Valley and the son of Robert Wood Johnson (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson), Seward Johnson II was an artist who worked in many artistic disciplines and was regarded as an internationally renowned sculptor. He was a mentor to many local artists and the founder of Grounds For Sculpture and The Seward Johnson Atelier (TSJA) in Hamilton, NJ.

Prior to gaining recognition as a sculptor, Seward Johnson was a painter who worked primarily on canvas with acrylics. As his career as a sculptor flourished, his painting projects subsided except for one unique format: painted trays. Johnson collected trays from antique shows to use as canvases for his homey, intimate scenes.

In 2017, Johnson’s passion for painting trays accelerated after an exhibition with his daughter, India Blake Johnson, in Rome. Johnson was so inspired by her work that he explored the inspiration of her lens and reimagined her photographs as a continuation of his Midnight Snack Art. At that time, Johnson expressed a deep desire to see his works exhibited together again with those of India, highlighting the bond between father and daughter as artists.

If you missed the show on campus, you can visit hvartscouncil.org/ sewardjohnson/ for more information about the Seward Johnson: CelebratingtheEverydayprograms and activities throughout 2023.

Chapter 23

Closing out the 2022-23 school year was the student exhibition, Chapter23– the final chapter of our 2022-23 story in the Silva Gallery. The work in this exhibition included the strongest work for each student who chose to represent their artistic efforts to the community. Level one through AP Studio Art students all participated in this unique presentation of drawing, painting, photography, multimedia, and ceramics.

SILVA GALLERY OF ART

Director’s Note

Frank L. Baum’s beloved story The Wizard of Oz was first published in 1900 at the height of the Gilded Age. In 1939, MGM studios released the Hollywood version, starring a then-unknown young starlet named Judy Garland. The film featured original songs such as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and the exciting new look of Technicolor. For many in our audience, this story and film featured greatly in our childhoods. We waited each year for CBS to air the film on TV around Thanksgiving. The depiction of a wicked witch in almost any story after the film’s release looked like the Wicked Witch in the film. We sang the songs in elementary school concerts, and we had nightmares about the flying monkeys. It’s a story woven into the DNA of our country and a joyful escape in our collective imaginations.

by Suzanne Houston

When we first started work last November, we learned that many of the students working on the show had never seen the movie, nor read the story. They didn’t know who Dorothy was, what the Lollipop Guild was, how Glinda traveled, or how mean a tree could be. We watched the film to learn about the vivid characters and worlds that are in this story, and what comes to mind for most people of a certain age when they hear the words The Wizard of Oz .

There are several stage adaptations of the story, and the one we staged, first produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in England in 1987, is closest to the film in terms of the songs and story. But we didn’t want to simply recreate the film. We wanted the story to look and feel original while also paying homage to the quintessential look and feel of the story that so many of us grew up loving.

Dorothy’s adventure to Oz and back again is not exactly as it first appears. She has a literal whirlwind trip to a strange land beyond the rainbow, and not everything she encounters is real. Is it? There’s a familiarity with the people and situations she encounters, yet everything seems different and new. Therefore, two themes I wanted to highlight in our production were “things are not what they seem” and sustainability. We repurposed and upcycled many costume pieces and items from our stock. We also created costumes out of things one might not initially consider clothing, such as garbage bag wings, bubble wrap skirts, and yogurt container hats. Bits of fabric from costumes of the past and present appear on different characters. The various backdrops painted on the threesided set pieces spin and unfold to represent several locations.

In the 123 years since this story was first published, there have been many speculations, ideas, and controversies about Mr. Baum and why he wrote the story—and I’ll leave that for a history class to dissect. When I think of The Wizard of Oz , I remember watching the film at the Princeton Playhouse before it was torn down, singing the songs, and always crying a little when Dorothy clicks her heels and says, “There’s no place like home.” There’s an old adage that says you can never go home again, and I would like to respectfully disagree. With stories as vivid and meaningful as this one, we can all explore the realms of imagination and also go home again, if only for a moment in our minds.

[Photos left to right: Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, Dalian “Susie” Xu ’23; Scarecrow, Micah Bowser ’24; Dorothy Gale, Zoe Eaton ’23; The Wizard of Oz, Jiani “Jelly” Wan ’24; Tinman, Alex Marinzoli ’25; Cowardly Lion, Garren McCauley ’23; Wicked Witch of the West, Teagan Walsh ’24]

Rough Draft

WrittenbyAhjaBates,ZoeEaton,ShantiHastings-Kimball, IanHuizer,NickMoran,LinhPham,andDailan(Susie)Xu

DirectedbyAhjaBates,ZoeEaton,IanHuizer,NickMoran, LinhPham,andDailan(Susie)Xu

“

Welcome to the 24-hour New York Theater Competition, where freelance playwrights work in teams to write and produce a play in just twenty-four hours. With such little time, everyone must work as a team to create the best work for both the professional jury of dramatists and the public attendees. Winners of this competition are sure to become an overnight sensation!”

RoughDraft is the fifteenth Spring Play under the leadership of Mr. DiGiacomo and Mr. Moore, written as part of the fifth Senior Seminar class taught by Ms. S. Houston. The class sought a title that summarized the totality of the play, and after the name RoughDraft was identified, the authors were all happy that it revealed multiple meanings. This play developed from the melting pot of creativity by this particular class of seniors, with distinctive voices and unique stories to tell. Nothing is ever fully a final piece of art, and the writers in the NYC 24-hour competition are racing to complete their rough draft.

SPRING CONCER T

This year’s Spring Concert was held on the evening of April 27, 2023, in Sparks Gymnasium. The impressive program was organized by Don Dolan, director of instrumental music, and Jim Horan, director of choral music. The event included performances by the Middle School Singers, the Pennington Singers, the Middle School Instrumental Ensemble, the Upper School Orchestra, String Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, the Treble Tones, SoundProof, and the Jazz Band. Music selections ranged from classical to contemporary; there was something for everyone! Seniors Zoe Eaton, Leanne Griffiths, Beatrix “BB” Kim, Garren McCauley, Nicholas Moran, Michael Petrane, Patrick Powichrowski. Maygala Selvisudhakar, and Dailan “Susie” Xu were honored for their years of participation and contributions to the music program. Highlights from this concert were also performed the following morning to kick off Community Day activities.

WINTER HIGHLIGHTS WINTER HIGHLIGHTS US ATHLETICS

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Head Coach: Carmen Cook | Assistant Coach: Kelly O’Connell

n 18 wins and 6 losses this season

n Won the championship in the Peddie 3-Day Tournament, which featured teams from all over the East Coast

n Morgan Matthews ’24 reached the 1,000 point milestone in a win over Franklin High School.

n Reached State Prep B finals

n Had a 3-game winning streak over three large group 4 schools: Hillsborough, Franklin, and Trenton Catholic

n Morgan Matthews led the team in scoring with a 22.4 average; Izzy Augustine ’25 was second with a 12.8 average.

n The Trentonian named Morgan Matthews as Prep Player of the Year, and Coach Carmen Cook was named Prep Coach of the Year. Macayla Rodriguez ’23 and Izzy Augustine were selected First Team All-Prep!

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Head Coach: Chandler Fraser-Pauls ’11 |

Assistant Coaches: Adolphis Gaffney, Ryan Stokes, and Harold Spears

n 13 wins — the most in a season since 2017-18!

n First NJISAA Prep A State Tournament win in program history!

n First MCT/MCI first round win since 2014-15

n Corey Miller ’23 named Prep Player of the Year by The Trentonian

n Brandon Russell ’25 named First-Team All Prep by The Trentonian

n Coach Chandler Fraser-Pauls ’11 named Prep Coach of the Year by The Trentonian for the second year in a row

SWIMMING

Head Coach: George Ward ’88 | Assistant Coaches: Scott Doughty and Taylor Jennings

n Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Swimming enjoyed another season of success!

n Boys’ team finished 8-1

n Girls’ team finished a third consecutive season of being undefeated with a 9-0 record

n Both teams finished second at the NJISAA Prep B State Championships.

n The team says goodbye to eight swimmers in the Class of 2023 including Elena Nechay, BB Kim, Evin Roldan, Summer Partridge, Piper Dubow, Amelia Stevenson, Gracen Ward, and Alex Botero.

INDOOR TRACK

Head Coach: Rick Ritter | Assistant Coach: Christian Bancroft

n Shane Tomlinson ‘25 threw (shot put) quite well and opened the season with a personal best throw of 42’ during our season opener at Ursinus College, competing with 1500 athletes.

n Competed in the Bishop Loughlin Games, which hosts athletes from throughout the northeast at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island

n Attended three regular-season, multi-team meets at Peddie, placing third at two of them, and two at Princeton University (hosted by Princeton High School)

n Competed in Mercer County Championship on January 21 and the Prep State Championship meet on February 8

n The team peaked at the right time for the seasonending State meet; both teams combined for 10 personal bests!

n Perri Rubin ‘23 took third in the Bs in the 3.200m while running personal bests in both the 3,200m and 1,600m. Also in Prep B, Shane Tomlinson took first in the shot put, Drayton Kolaras ‘23 took first in the 800m, and Tyler Hope ‘24 took third in the 55m with a personal record. They led the boys’ team to a strong third-place finish at the meet!

ICE HOCKEY

Head Coach: Tom Horsley | Assistant Coach: Jay Hayes

n Very dramatic season, with the largest graduating class in over 10 years!

n 10 out of 16 games ended in a tie or were decided by one goal.

n The outcome of half of those games was determined by a goal in the last two minutes!

n Qualified for the league playoffs for the second year in a row

n Seniors included co-captains Wolfie Meinhart and Chris DeLellis along with Ryan Knab, Simon Patel, Nate Wallace, and Gavin Calhoun

SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

BASEBALL

Head Coach: Steve Kowalski | Assistant Coaches: Byron Kou, Ryan Stokes, and Chris Wirth-Kenyon

n Finished 18-2 (setting School record for most wins in a season!)

n Won against 2022 Prep A champion Pingry (10-1)

n Won game against cross-town rival Hopewell Valley 6-0 on Senior Day

n Undefeated against all the other Mercer County prep schools: won against Peddie, Lawrenceville, and PDS (twice!)

n Our pitchers threw two no-hitters (Landon Hallet ’25 vs. Blair and Caleb Hibbert ’23 vs. Hopewell).

n Won the 2023 Prep B Championship vs. Rutgers Prep 2-0!

BOYS’ TENNIS

Head Coach: Ken Palumbo

n Ranked as the #1 overall prep school team in the state and finished the season in the top 5 of all schools in the state

n Undefeated for the third season in a row with a three-year record of 32-0

n Finished second overall at the MCT tournament

n Ishan Gupta ’24 won an MCT Championship for the second year in a row.

n Dhruv Ramaswamy ’25 won an MCT Championship.

n Senior Josh Finkle finished with a record of 37-6 at #1 singles with a Prep B Championship; Nikolas Chase ’23 finished with an excellent overall record at doubles; Declan Karp ’25, Rishabh Ramaswamy ’26, and Shubh Gangrade ’26 all had wonderful years helping us go undefeated; and Garrett Hardt ’24 helped the team playing at various positions.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Head Coach: Carl Corino | Assistant Coach: Jay Hayes

n 7 wins and 10 losses

n Reached the semi-final round of the Prep B State tournament

n Earned the eighth seed in the upper bracket of the Mercer County Tournament

n Evan Levy ’23 made his 500th save against Hun in the first round of the MCT.

n Nicky Esposito ’24 scored his 100th goal in the season finale against Peddie.

n Andrew Rosa ’23 finished the season with 70 points (goals + assists).

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

Head Coach: Wendy Morris | Assistant Coaches: Tim McGeeney and Grace McGeeney

n Finished the season with a 13-4 record! The girls scored a total of 220 goals with seven different players scoring in the double digits!

n The team was the top seed of the “Invitational Bracket” of the MCT Tournament and came up just short, 14-15 in OT, in an amazing game in the finals against WWP North.

n Hailey Adamsky ’24 was the team’s leader in goals and assists: 61 goals, 33 assists.

n Seniors Ellie Fermo, Abby Goodrich, and Claire King were the team captains.

n Ellie Fermo and Hailey Adamsky were selected to Prep B 1st Team, and Olivia Davis ’24 won a Prep B Honorable Mention.

n We wish the very best to Isabel Adams, Abby Goodrich, Charlotte Granato, Ellie Fermo, Claire King, Summer Partridge, and Latajah Grant (manager) as they venture onto college!

n The seniors on this team are the last of the athletes to have experienced a completely missed lacrosse season on account of the pandemic during their ninth-grade year. They worked tirelessly to make up for lost time and have been rewarded with an impressive culminating season.

TRACK AND FIELD

Head Coach: Rick Ritter | Assistant Coaches: Kara Bottino, Nick DeRosa, and Emily Lunger

n Boys’ team’s record was 7 wins and 8 losses

n Girls’ team’s record ended with 9 wins and 5 losses, with a nice 73-57 win over Hun

n Three triple-jumpers — Olaya Delgado Alvarez ’24, Angelyn Li ’26, and Jenny Zhu ’25—each earned a PR at the Mercer County Championships.

n Delgado Alvarez came in sixth, earning a medal.

n The 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams competed at the Penn Relays.

GOLF

Head Coach: Tom Horsley | Assistant Coach: Matthew Mysliwiec

n After losing their first four matches, the team bounced back to win four of their final seven matches.

n Memorable three-stroke win over Hun

n Sophomore Matthew Sanderson and senior Nick Kempe led the team in scoring.

n Seventh-place finish at the Mercer County Tournament and third at the State Prep B Tournament

n Kempe, Charlie Adams, Patrick Riley, and Tate Buccellato finished their Pennington careers playing their best golf, and leave behind a host of talented undergraduates who will build on the success of this year’s team.

Spring training was in full swing for the baseball team over the break. The group traveled to Pasadena, California, to prepare for the upcoming season. The Pennington team played against the Pasadena High School Bulldogs and watched a baseball game at UCLA. It was a great team-building experience and set the stage for a successful spring season!

SPRING BREAK TRIPS

The Varsity Golf team held its spring training for one week at the Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC during spring break in March. Their hard work paid off as the team made a run at the State Prep B Title, held on May 18.

Photo left to right: Coach Horsley, Alex Brackin ’24, Grady Adams ’25, Ryaan Shah ’25, Grayson Levy ’26, James Bradley ’26, Liam Hyndman ’24, Matthew Sanderson ’25, Andrew Hofacker ’26, Coach Mysliwiec

KICK-OFF! Get Ready for

Pennington Foot ball

Milestones and Celebrations

The upcoming athletics season marks several meaningful milestones for Pennington’s football program. From welcoming new faces to preparing for community celebrations, let’s take a look at what’s on tap for this fall…

Passing the Whistle

In spring of 2023, The Pennington School announced that Michael (Mike) Watkins was appointed as the head coach of its football program. Watkins takes the reins from Jerry Eure ’75, better known to all as “Chief,” who is lauded by generations of players and whose long tenure of 31 years as head coach is studded with impressive milestones.

Watkins joined The Pennington School in the fall of 2022 with a tremendous depth of experience, having served most recently as the director of athletics and head football coach at Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, PA, where he helped build a thriving program. A Kean University graduate and four-year defensive back starter, Watkins has dedicated the past two decades of his career to both developing talent on the field and identifying potential off the field.

When he first joined Pennington’s ranks this past fall, Watkins served as assistant head coach for varsity football and saw firsthand the positive team culture that Eure and his coaching team have developed over the recent decades. Pennington’s mission of developing individual excellence in all its students, combined with the football team’s ethos, was a major draw for Watkins. He saw student-athletes who are team-oriented, eager to learn, and held to high expectations on and off the field.

Watkins, whose role at Pennington also includes serving as an admission counselor and athletic liaison for admission, knows that building exceptional teams starts with thoughtful recruiting. Identifying potential student-athletes who are, first and foremost, a good fit for the School is essential, but attracting talent to Pennington is only part of the equation. Ensuring that these students will thrive academically at the School and grow as part of their team is an equally important component of success. For Watkins, developing student players who are well-rounded and teamminded includes encouraging the football team members to branch out during the offseason, play other sports, and take part in a wide range of School and community activities.

In addition to his recruiting and coaching strengths, Watkins brings a tremendous set of college and university

connections to Pennington. He has developed networks across the country, including with programs at Syracuse, Penn State, Michigan, Clemson, and West Point, and he enjoys helping students continue their love of the game in college.

152 Career Wins

Going forward, Eure will continue to serve as Director of Athletics for Pennington, a role he has held since 2007. And while he remains involved with the football team and program in that capacity, this coaching changeover provides an opportune moment to reflect on just a few of Eure’s many career highlights and celebrate the impact he has had on decades of student-athletes.

During his years at Pennington, Eure demonstrated his athletic prowess and made significant contributions to football, baseball, and basketball. After graduating in 1975, he earned a football scholarship as a running back to the University of Wyoming, eventually returning to Pennington in 1986 to serve as assistant football coach. In 1992, he was named head coach and took the helm— building a legacy as one of Pennington’s most beloved faculty members.

Among the many accolades and milestones in his storied career, it was a great accomplishment for Eure to lead Pennington’s football teams to three consecutive NJISAA State Championships in 1992, 1993, and 1994. He has been named Coach of the Year by local media eight times; he was also named the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Coach of the Year in 1994. In 1996, he was inducted into Pennington’s Athletic Hall of Fame, recognizing his exceptional achievements in coaching and his many contributions to the School’s athletic program. Eure’s influence on the football program’s success over the past three decades is illustrated in part by his remarkable 152 career wins as head coach. Yet, it is the personal impact he has made on the hundreds of students under his tutelage that truly defines his legacy. Alumni and families regularly share their appreciation and make gifts in his honor, noting the encouragement, guidance, and life lessons they gleaned from Eure’s caring approach. Standout football alumnus Dontae Johnson ’10, currently a cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers, is among the many alumni who have attributed their success in the game to Coach Eure, noting that his own time at Pennington with Eure taught him important lessons both on and off the field.

Celebrating 143 Years and Looking Ahead

During Homecoming and Reunion Weekend this October, the School will celebrate this important transition, recognizing the impact that the football program and its celebrated coaches have had for over 140 years. The Pennington School holds the record as the longest continuous football program in the state of NJ (the program started in 1880) and, during that time, coaches like Jerry Eure, Bill Long, and Harold Poore left indelible marks on Pennington athletics.

This fall’s celebration also includes a special tribute to the players who were part of the 1992 undefeated State Championship team, many of whom graduated in the Class of 1993 and will celebrate their 25th reunion this fall.

Mike Watkins is grateful to build upon Pennington’s long tradition of excellence as he takes on the head coaching role and looks forward to leading the charge for the next era of the program’s success. He sees the long history and strong affinity from past players and families as great assets for continued growth. His vision for the future of football at Pennington goes beyond developing grounded athletes and successful teams; it is a community-building platform and can instill School pride and connection as much off the field as on.

Watkins is excited for the upcoming season and hopes to meet more alumni, friends, and family who have been involved with the football program to thank them personally for their continued support and commitment to the team. With the fall fast approaching, we know for certain that Watkins has the ball and is going long, and we are cheering him on all the way to the end zone!

—by Alicia Reed

Each year, a number of Pennin gton’s football program alumni go on to play as members of college teams, including these graduates from recent years:

Xavier Brooks ’21, Ursinus College

Josh Stegich ’21, Denison University

Zach Young ’21, Lafayette College

Rickey Eng ’20, Wesleyan University

Max Ward ’19, Salve Regina University

Dante Wilson ’19, Franklin & Marshall College

Louis Hurd ’18, Denison University

Cory Pelzer ’18, Hobart & William Smith Colleges

Steven Kopits ’18, Franklin & Marshall College

Hunter Meyer-Hanover ’17, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Nyhsere Woodson ’17, Rutgers University

Joe Gallagher ’16, Franklin & Marshall College

To learn more about our student athletes from all sports who pursued collegiate athletics after graduation, please see our full list at pennington.org/athletics/alumni-athletes.

The Pearl Family Stadium:

Celebrating a Family Legacy and Honoring a Legendary Sports Producer

This fall, The Pennington School will honor the memory of a legendary sports producer, Michael (Mike) Pearl ’61, with a dedication ceremony of the Pearl Family Stadium. The newly named and upgraded stadium will feature a beautiful perimeter fence and stately entryway to the Tom Liwosz Turf Field, a three-level redesigned press box, and electronic scoreboard—all to be installed this summer. Bob Pearl ’63 generously directed this significant gift from his brother’s estate to Pennington with a vision of leaving a meaningful family legacy that pays tribute to the important role the School played in launching his brother’s illustrious career and in both of their lives.

Mike Pearl was one of the most influential figures in sports television, but almost always behind the scenes. For over four decades, he shaped the look and feel of broadcasting at CBS Sports, ABC Sports, ESPN, and Turner Sports, serving as an executive-level producer for almost every major sport and sporting event. He left his mark on the MLB, NBA, NFL, World Cup, Super Bowl, Olympics, Triple Crown, US Open, and more. His induction into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015 and 16 Emmy Award wins are mere snippets of the vast accolades he garnered throughout his career.

Mike was a visionary, known for his ability to spot talent and introduce innovative show formats. However, it is his fierce loyalty to and care for the people he worked with and met that define his legacy. Bob says of his brother, “Mike was a down-to-earth and low-key guy. Of course, he had huge success in his career, but no matter how busy or in-demand he was, he always had time for people. He was an amazing friend to all who knew him.”

With his estate, Mike wanted to make a significant impact on community and young lives. For Bob, directing this transformational gift to Pennington was a way to do just that. The upgrades and additions to the stadium directly contribute to Pennington’s student experience, athletic programs, family and community gatherings, campus sustainability, and School pride.

The Pearl Family Stadium, Mike Pearl ’61 press box, and Bob Pearl ’63 scoreboard are more than just opportunities to pay tribute to an impressive career and connections to the School. This gift honors the memory of a man who touched the lives of so many—in the place where it all started. “This gift has a story behind it,” Bob says. “This is where everything started for Mike. His love of sports grew here. He was always out on the field watching and reporting on games. Somehow, as a junior, he used his skills of persuasion to convince the School to build him Pennington’s first-ever press box! This thing was like a little shack on the side of the field, but Mike loved it! He made all of his reports to the Trenton papers from there. That experience at Pennington—being able to find and pursue his passion, believing in himself—set him on an unstoppable path. I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to honor his memory than by giving the next generation of students an opportunity to discover their love of the game!”

Now, over sixty years later, the same passion and vision from Mike Pearl are shaping the future of the athletic experience at Pennington, and we could not be more grateful! We hope you will join us this fall at Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, October 6-7, for the official Pearl Family Stadium dedication!

Mike Pearl ’61 (left) accompanied by brother Bob Pearl ’63 (right) at the 2015 induction ceremony for the Broadcaster Hall of Fame.

FACULTY NEWS

Nathaniel Van Yperen

For the past four years, Dr. Nathaniel Van Yperen has been combining his loves of nature, travel, and religious studies to enhance Pennington’s curriculum as a teacher and Director of the Religion department.

Before joining The Pennington School, Van Yperen studied and worked on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, as well as in the upper Midwest at Gustavus Adolphus College, before coming east to Princeton where he earned a master’s and Ph.D. at Princeton Theological Seminary. At Gustavus Adolphus he developed and taught courses on environmental ethics, Martin Luther King Jr., and religion and ecology.

All along his way to Pennington, Van Yperen has been exploring another passion: writing.

Focusing again on the role of ethics and religion in nature, he has written several short essays, a chapter for the anthology The Land Speaks:NewVoicesattheIntersectionofOral andEnvironmentalHistory called “The Public Significance of the Private Farm,” as well as a book of his own. In 2019, Van Yperen published Gratitude for the Wild: Christian Ethics in the Wilderness , a volume that focuses on religious ethics and environmental challenges. Van Yperen investigates, among other things, the contrast that exists between governmentmandated environmental protection and those who reject limits placed on wilderness. In this book, he refers to the Wilderness Act of 1964, which placed numerous areas into the National Wilderness Preservation System. Van Yperen had an opportunity to spend a week at one of the very first areas placed into this system, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, where he explored one of the most completely preserved mountain ecosystems in the world. His journey inspired his recently published article “In and out of the wilderness” in Iowa State University’s

Flyway:JournalofWritingandEnvironment

Van Yperen reflects on Bob Marshall’s belief that whereas art and architecture, music, and poetry can be enjoyed as an outsider, one who takes in nature first-hand is all-encompassed by its beauty.

When one considers all this work, it’s safe to say that Van Yperen brings a lot of firsthand knowledge to his classes at Pennington. Along with the sophomore requirement Religion and Ethics, Van Yperen teaches an introduction to philosophy and a course called Nature and Experience. Most recently, he has been coteaching a course with our environmental science teacher, Dr. Margo Andrews, that combines both of their passions: Climate Change and Storytelling in Religion and Science. When asked what has been particularly rewarding about teaching Pennington students, he replies that he relishes moments where students latch onto an idea and decide to do something about it. He recalls how a student once came to him with a different angle on the assigned paper prompt,

Holly Jones

—by Peter Chase

that Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was not a declaration of independence, but a cry of lament. Instead of taking a defensive stance, Van Yperen encouraged his student to “write that essay”! What followed was a compelling and meaningful argument by the student that showed that she had found her voice. These are the types of “lights switching on” moments that compel Van Yperen to continue to build diverse religion offerings that students choose to take because they’re interested.

One of those very opportunities was the summer Wilderness Seminar, first offered in 2021. The trip combined four days of backpacking and eight days of canoeing, with intermittent stops along the way to read religious and philosophical texts and discuss all that they were learning and observing. Rather than taking place in a dry, climate-controlled classroom, classes were held trail side, sometimes under plastic tarps due to heavy wind and rain. Van Yperen discovered that the lessons learned from such demanding conditions helped to solidify all the students gained from the texts and discussions. The seminar proved so rewarding for the participants that he hopes to offer it again soon, and share his passion for wilderness exploration with his Pennington students to enrich their experience both in and out of the classroom.

Holly Jones is a longtime member of the History and Social Studies Department at Pennington. We often refer to her as the economics teacher, and—behind the scenes—Jones has carved out quite a niche for herself in the world of economics education in the United States.

Before economics became her focus, Jones, currently in her thirty-first year on Pennington’s faculty, taught a slew of courses since she began at the School in 1992. These have included the history of the U.S., modern Japan, specific periods such as the post-WWII era, and colonial Latin America. For a number of years, Jones was the chair of the History Department. And for several years, Jones has taught courses in both AP Micro- and Macroeconomics, as well as Introduction to Economics.

In the late 1990s, Jones attended her first AP Reading for macroeconomics, typically an eightday summer retreat somewhere in the U.S., where professors and teachers grade–or “rate” – the written portions of AP exams. Jones quickly moved up in the College Board’s ranks, first becoming a table leader, where she led up to a half-dozen raters working on a particular question. For a decade, Jones then served as a question leader, which included the training of dozens of raters on a particular question as well as overseeing the quality control of their work. The College Board then offered Jones the position of question leader for all overseas AP Macro exams, a position that allowed her to hire her own staff. After doing this for a few years, Jones became the first-ever AP Macro exam leader and, since 2020, she has served as the assistant chief reader for all AP Macroeconomics exams.

These leadership roles during the summer reading session have allowed Jones to enrich the Pennington economics student experience. For seven years, she has also been an active writer on the exam’s test development committee. Her roles on these committees have included writing questions, hiring staff, and assigning question-writing to other developers.

Not only does Jones teach Pennington students, but she also spends time educating her colleagues in her field and facilitating their teaching. As Pennington’s College Board liaison, Jones is the online listserv’s monitor, answering teacher questions from around the country, posting lesson plans, and writing articles on economics education. She has presented on this topic in New York, Baltimore, and St. Petersburg, FL, at various meetings of the National Conference of Economic Educators, and she has contributed materials to publications including a leading economics textbook: Krugman’sEconomicsfortheAP®Course

In an effort to continue her journey as a learner, Jones is very much looking forward to her trip to Peru this summer. As part of a contingent of twelve social science educators at the college and high school levels, Jones will travel for seventeen days with GEEA, the Global Economic Education Alliance, to the capital of Lima as well as to outlying areas, where she will learn more about Peru’s economy. Jones will be sure to return to her economics students with a new wealth of knowledge after visiting with professionals from the banking and mining industries, as well as those from universities, and students from grades K-12.

Despite Jones’ many outside interests and activities, she is still very much part of our Pennington family. Her husband, Blair Thompson, has taught English at Pennington since 1980, and their son Will ’21 was a Pennington lifer. Jones and Thompson, along with their dog Lacy, also live on campus as members of our residential life community.

Peter Secrest ‘13

Who teaches three levels of Latin in the Middle and Upper Schools as well as Grade 9 English? Who is a dorm parent, and serves as both the costume director for the Fall Play and advisor to the Middle School Play, and then says that he’s up for a challenge—so he starts a master’s degree program? And who, after all of this, then feels that he still isn’t doing enough, so he takes on a new role of assistant director of residential life?

That would be our very own Peter Secrest ’13, a true “home-grown” product. Secrest first joined The Pennington School as a sixth-grader and was a “lifer,” graduating in 2013. He then majored in classical studies and drama at Tufts University, joining the Pennington teaching faculty soon after finishing his degree. “I knew as a senior at Pennington that I wanted to be a teacher,” says Secrest. “After working as the Middle School director for TheLion,theWitch, and the Wardrobe , I enjoyed it all so much that I knew that I had to work with young people.”

There are also a few other reasons, or other people, who figured prominently in Secrest’s decision to go into teaching: Lisa Houston, who directed many of the shows that Secrest had been involved with; and Wendy Morris, one of his former Latin teachers. Because he had so many positive experiences as a student, Secrest feels that his institutional memory helped him to feel welcome and experienced as a first-year teacher when he joined the School in 2017.

When asked what it is about Residential Life that appealed to Secrest so much that he wanted to play a bigger role, he pointed to the idea of how being in a community where you live, work, and learn is really special. “We really are a multinational, diverse group of people, students, teachers, and families, who support each other. We’re able to learn so much about each other and about ourselves.”

Secrest sees his role and that of other dorm parents as skill-builders. To this end, he has continued to develop a boarding community curriculum that includes activity-based Sunday night Residential Life meetings with all boarders, as well as the monthly formal dinners on Monday nights.

Secrest’s Pennington experience has also been a true family affair. Not only does Secrest feel that he has formed close relationships with his colleagues, but he also has relatives with ties to the School. His brother, Tim ’14, is also a Pennington alumnus. While visiting his former teachers just last year, Tim, who currently works as a theater lighting designer in California, stopped in at the School’s technical theater shop and promptly built a sturdy wooden table for his former teachers’ outdoor fire pit! Elizabeth Secrest, his mother, has been working for several years for the School’s dining services provider, as the front-of-house and catering supervisor. Faculty and students greatly appreciate her incredible baking skills! “I am happy to see my mother every day, and I think it’s nice for the students to see my mom and me interact. I gave her a big shout-out on her birthday at formal dinner, and the students loved it!”

Secrest recently completed his master’s degree, an M.Ed. in education, culture, and society from Rutgers University. And as this magazine went to press, he was just appointed to the position of assistant director of the DEI office.

Meet:

Class Committee Volunteer

Christa McGuire ’98!

Christa has been a dedicated class committee volunteer for over two decades and is a consistent and generous donor to the Pennington Fund. As a member of the Class of 1998, she is celebrating her 25th reunion this fall and is spreading the word to classmates and other alumni in major reunion years to join the festivities at Homecoming and Reunion Weekend on October 6–7. She says, “Coming back for this weekend is very special. You not only see friends and classmates, but you also connect with alumni from across the generations. Some of my favorite moments have been hearing about the School from before my time. Also, if you haven’t been back in a while, you won’t believe how the campus has changed!”

Christa is a New Jersey resident and has dedicated her career to helping others as a volunteer in various hospitals and assisted living organizations.

If you want to make a gift to the Pennington Fund in honor of your reunion or consider becoming a Class Committee volunteer, please contact Director of the Pennington Fund Brooke Buchanan at brooke.buchanan@pennington.org or 609-559-5203.

I love Pennington!

Staying connected to teachers and friends, and meeting new generations of alumni, has made this School feel like a family to me over the years. Since my very first Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, I realized how fun and rewarding it is to be part of these special community celebrations. Serving as a Class Committee volunteer and making a gift each year to the Pennington Fund are two ways I give back to this School that has done so much for me.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Pennington School held a graduation ceremony on the evening of June 8 for the 44 students completing studies in its Middle School. Head of School William S. Hawkey offered opening remarks, and then Katharina Koppenhofer ’27 gave the First in Scholarship Address. Head of Middle School Chrissie Knight addressed the audience of Middle School students and families before Middle School Dean of Students Tracy Kuser presented each graduate. As the diplomas were formally granted, eighth-grade faculty advisors spoke about each of the students. Robert E. Martini Associate Head of School Chad Bridges then welcomed the graduates to Pennington’s Upper School, and Rev. Hallgren offered the benediction. The Middle School Instrumental Ensemble and Middle School Singers added joyful music to the event.

GRADUATION

CLASS OF 2023

Senior Horizon Experience

Seniors in the Horizon program spent the first two weeks in May on campus participating in special workshops, seminars, and hands-on learning that were developed to excite and engage them with life beyond high school. Guest speakers offered great advice and information. Events kicked off on May 1 with a class lunch and resumé development session, and the week continued with mental and physical health and wellness rotations, career development speakers, community service, and a presentation with members from the FBI. The second week of Horizon provided opportunities to learn essential life skills, including financial literacy, etiquette, dorm room cooking, home economics, car maintenance, nutrition and exercise, and more. There was a presentation and Q&A with entrepreneur and real estate agent Max Lomas '17, and students also had the opportunity to hear from recent Pennington graduates about life in college. After the second week, the seniors ventured out for a real-world experience of their choosing. See some highlights below:

Frani Pendus and Thomas Weaverling at Corporación Imagina in Armenia, Colombia

Their goals: to immerse themselves in Spanish, teach English, and learn about Colombian culture

“We stayed with a host family who were so welcoming and absolutely lovely; they showed us the beauty of Colombia and its culture. A highlight of the trip for me was riding horses through the mountain and forest in Salento as well as seeing Filandia, the town that inspired the Disney movie Encanto

Ceah Nguyen at World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Her goal: to learn more about the World Bank and a career in international social development

Zachary Tomlinson at Jefferson University Hospitals in Center City Philadelphia/Abington

His goal: to understand the inner-workings of hospital and healthcare management

Senior Week was full of highlights for the Class of 2023, starting with prom at the Adventure Aquarium on May 27. Tuesday’s Senior Chapel gave students the chance to reflect on and share memories from their years on campus. The Advancement Office celebrated the soon-to-be alumni with a yearbook-signing party afterwards, as well as by presenting each student with a rosette at their Alumni Bridging ceremony the next day. The Senior Prize Ceremony* took place on Friday, preceding the traditional Baccalaureate service which invited each student to use their education to make a positive impact on the world. Friday evening ended with the Senior Celebration for the Class and their families, where not even a sudden storm could dampen the excitement!

*Please visit pennington.org for a complete list of awards.

SENIOR WEEK

UPPER SCHOOL

The Pennington

School held its 182nd Commencement

Exercises on Saturday, June 3. Head of School William S. Hawkey, Ph.D. granted diplomas and certificates to the 114 members of the Class of 2023. This year's Commencement speaker was Michelle King P’13 ’14 ’16 ’21 ’23, who spoke about her five daughters' different experiences at the School. Francesca Pendus (valedictorian) and Dailan Xu (salutatorian), also shared moving remarks with their class. Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

COMMENCEMENT

Our five girls needed a school that was more than a collective of students with the same goals and the same make-up; they needed a school where the adults on campus would look above, beyond, and inside each one of them and ask questions, give feedback, and help each discover what was at her core in order to grow in self-awareness.

“

”

PHOTOS: 1. Lisa Pachence ’03 and her husband, Randy Gornitzky, welcomed a new family member in November 2022, Wesley Emmett Gornitzky! 2. Julianne (Jules) DeLorenzo ’07, who is a current Pennington faculty member, and her husband Alex welcomed August James Sargeaunt, born on March 8, 2023. 3. Will Wojciechowski ’09 and his wife, Katherine, welcomed their daughter, Olivia Cole, this past winter.

4. Colleen Mullaney ’00 and her husband, Ray Vlug, welcomed their second baby, Fox Matthijs, in October 2022.

5. Daniel Rossi ’04 and his wife, Julia, live in Arlington, VA, and welcomed their first baby, Paige, in May 2022.

1960s

Llewellyn Berry ’63 attended Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa with Pennington alumni Milt Zentmayer ’63 and Donald Spivack ’64. After graduating from Parsons, he returned home to Washington, DC, and started a program for high school juniors and seniors called the Urban Journalism Workshop. The half-day intensive program allows students to work as reporters, interviewers, and photojournalists, covering local news and creating a magazine. Now retired, he teaches photography classes over Zoom and is a photographic artist and chief exhibit curator at Friendship Gallery in Chevy Chase, MD. He and his wife live in Middle River, MD in Baltimore County.

1980s

Jane Bott Childrey ’89 traveled to Colorado earlier this year to meet with alumni in the area. She reconnected with Katherine Kaufman Plessett ’88, and the two spent a lovely afternoon at Kathy’s home and toured Aspen together. Jane also spent time on the slopes with Ted Morton ’89 in Steamboat Springs, CO. It was wonderful to see both of these Pennington friends after thirty-five years!

Nathan Walker, Ph.D. ’88 (pictured to the right in tan blazer with OSU colleagues) is a professor at Oklahoma State University doing cutting-edge research in the field of turfgrass pathology. His research has been consistently funded by the United States Golf Association over the past two decades. He has been involved in developing the grasses presently on Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles stadium), Churchill Downs Inner Track (site of the Kentucky Derby), the Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium at The University of Arkansas (voted best collegiate football field in 2022), and at State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals stadium and site of the most recent Super Bowl), as well as many golf courses and sports fields worldwide. He was a keynote speaker last month at the 2023 Australian Sports Turfgrass Conference in Adelaide, Australia and was in Tokyo last winter helping to plan for the 2025 International Turfgrass Research Conference.

Bob Mueller ’71 has retired from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection after forty years as a research scientist. Retirement has allowed plenty of travel and time to enjoy watching grandkids playing sports and growing up. Bob and his wife, Andria, live in Warrington, PA.

Tony Costa ’78 was joined by John Grayson ’78 in January at a Mexican restaurant in Arlington, VA, to start planning for their Class of 1978 45th reunion. They shared innumerable stories of the past and caught up on their latest news and plans for the future. Getting together in person is the best! Their class had a strong turnout for its 40th in 2018, and Tony and John are counting on even more classmates returning this October for Homecoming and Reunion

1990s

Nancy Bernard ’96 took a trip to Barcelona, Spain and Marrakech, Morocco. She danced on the Palmiere Desert road and ate lots of tajine in Marrakech. In Barcelona, she enjoyed some delicious vermouth and yummy tapas and toured all over, meeting the amiable local people.

Weekend 2023. They look forward to planning this year’s festivities and hope that next time they meet, their Pennington SWAG will garner them some free tacos!

Kelvin Turner ’78 was commissioned as an Elder of Change Church in Westampton, NJ, on September 18, 2022.

Kimberly Marchesi Denning ’79 and her husband, John, have recently relocated to Austin, TX, after twenty years of living on the West Coast. Other than the triple-digit heat, they love living in the Lone Star State! Denning works in the tech industry and is the vice president, global total rewards at Meta. They have a daughter who lives in Seattle, and a son in the Army who is stationed in Turkey on assignment with NATO. The Dennings live with their two adopted dogs (high maintenance terrier mixes) who rule their lives. Kimberly spends a lot of time in NJ with her family, including three great nephews, and is excited to return to Pennington for her next major reunion.

2000s

Colleen Mullaney ’00 has had an eventful couple of years! At the end of 2021, she decided to make Ray Vlug the happiest guy in the world and married him. At the end of last year, they welcomed their second baby into the world. Fox Matthijs was born in October 2022. Colleen hopes all is well with the Class of 2000! [See photo #4 on page 60]

Michael Gervasoni ’02 is married to an amazing woman named Alessandra and has a happy, healthy baby boy named Artes!

Jen Mugnano Mackin ’03, lives in Charlotte, NC , with her husband DJ and their daughter Mack. They recently moved into a new home in one of the city’s historic neighborhoods. They are preparing to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary and their daughter’s second birthday.

Lisa Pachence ’03 and her husband, Randy Gornitzky, welcomed a new family member in November 2022, Wesley Emmett Gornitzky!

With fiery red hair and pale skin, they don’t know whose genes he has, but they’re hoping he loves athletics like his parents. As business owners, they’re busy managing the balance of it all, but they always make time for what’s important! [See photo #1 on page 60]

Julianne Burkhardt Stokes ’03 wrote and illustrated her third children’s picture book, Ski Bird and Powder Piggy: Race to the Top. Living in the mountains of Colorado, she was inspired to create the book, which focuses on safety and features a skiing bird and snowboarding pig. Since the book’s release in the fall of 2022, she has made appearances in classrooms, library story times, and bookstore events. Julianne and her husband have three children who all participate in ski racing.

2000s

Daniel Rossi ’04 and his wife, Julia, live in Arlington, VA, and welcomed their first baby, Paige, in May 2022. [See photo #5 on page 60]

Corina Shika Kwami, Ph.D. ’06 is a Renaissance woman who continues to build bridges between the arts and sciences, music and engineering, and jazz and sustainability. She is a frequent speaker on The Discovery Channel, Smithsonian Channel, and the Science Channel, sharing insights on some of the world’s most pressing infrastructure challenges. She was a guest speaker at the United Nations’s “Big Brainstorm” to inspire hundreds of young people developing solutions to tackle sustainable development. With a foundation for engaging different audiences through storytelling, this past month she performed at the Royal Albert Hall with the band Wildcard, where her storytelling and voice garnered national and international recognition.

Julianne (Jules) DeLorenzo ’07, who is a current Pennington faculty member, and her husband Alex welcomed a baby boy to the family. August James Sargeaunt was born on March 8, 2023, and his big brother Jack is thrilled about the new arrival. [See photo #2 on page 60]

Julia Helms ’07 started 2023 as a married woman! On October 8, 2022, she married her husband Justin in a ceremony with her brother, Alex Helms ’08, as a groomsman and Stephanie Moses ’11 as a bridesmaid. The couple honeymooned in New Zealand and hiked the 20K Tongariro Alpine Crossing over breathtaking volcanic landscapes. They are settling into their new home in Yardley, PA, with their dog, Noel, who loves the new yard. Julia plans to reconnect with even more Pennington friends this year. She is also volunteering in a leadership role for the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) and reading homework to support the youth at Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County.

Kathryn Moore Brown ’09 and husband Josh Moore bought a twentyacre farm in Cream Ridge, NJ. They plan on starting a therapeutic riding facility with programs for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities and hope to develop programs for active military, veterans, and first responders.

Jacob Levy ’09 produced a coffee table book called Movement At The Still Point: A Ode to Dance. It features photography by Mark Mann and is being published by worldrenowned Rizzoli International. The book captures 142 artists whose impact and legacy span many generations and disciplines. Images of Misty Copeland, Andy Blankenbuehler, Tiler Peck, Chita Rivera, Sara Mearns, James Whiteside, Carmen De Lavallade, Kyle Abraham, and many others, show the strength, beauty, and resolve of these artists in a time of incredible uncertainty.

Will Wojciechowski ’09 and his wife, Katherine, welcomed their daughter, Olivia Cole, this past winter. So far, she has been an easy baby, and the parents have adjusted to parenthood very well. They are hoping to make it to Homecoming and Reunion Weekend as a family.

[See photo #3 on page 61]

COLORADO

Alumni from the Denver area gathered in February 2023, including those pictured above (l to r): Jennifer Cervone ’92, Jane Bott Childrey ’89, Kim Ellis Stein ’89, Paul Lynch ’92, Jill Lynch, Lori Brewster Bowes ’88, Christopher Herbert ’19, and Hunter Meyer-Hanover ’17.

FLORIDA

As part of Pennington’s events in Florida this past February, alumni reconnected at a reception in West Palm Beach, including (photo above to the left) Robert Petcove ’87, Monique van Leeuwen-Perry ’86, and Alex Wolf ’87.

In Sarasota, Board member Kathy Rosa P’21 ’23 and husband Carlos hosted an alumni lunch at their home. The gathering included (Photo to the left, from r to l): Kathy Rosa P’21 P’23, Stuart Ullman ’70, Karl Kaufmann ’69, Keith Brunner ’69, Bruce White ’69, Linda Birdy G’27, Head of School Bill Hawkey, Charles Taub ’67, Missy and Peter Brown ’65.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

In March, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Lizzy Swiderski ’06 and Pennington’s Maureen Iorio and Nancy Brunner joined sixteen young alumni for a regional get-together in Washington, D.C.

2010s

Kevin Maley ’16 is coaching boys’ basketball and teaching math at Perkiomen School, which recently won the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Championship.

FORMER FACULTY

Kathy and Dean Waters P’95 ’98 opened their lovely home in Sun City, SC, and visited with Director of the Pennington Fund Brooke Buchanan this past spring. After so many years as part of the School’s residential community, Kathy and Dean are thrilled to be part of a vibrant retirement community. They are very active and engaged in a variety of activities and, among other athletic pursuits, Dean plays on a senior softball team. They stay in touch with many dear friends from Pennington and are very proud of their alumnae daughters— Tracey Waters ’95 and Dana WatersMullen ’98, who both work in education. The family hopes to come back for a visit to Pennington very soon!

Stephanie Balerna ’22 met with Jane Bott Childrey ’89 while Jane was visiting Aspen, CO. Stephanie enjoyed her time in Aspen working for a yoga retail establishment and was looking forward to working as a lifeguard this summer at LBI and playing soccer at Gettysburg College this fall.

Join us!

The Asia Alumni Festival is back, and we are excited to reconnec t with alumni around the world! Head of School William S. Hawkey and Board of Trustees Chair Peter Tucci ’79 P’16 ’16 invite you to join them in Seoul, South Korea for this celebration! The weekend will include networking over delicious meals, presentations by guest speakers, visits with beloved faculty, an awards ceremony, and plenty of time to explore the magnificent city of Seoul with your fellow alumni!

Our gratitude to our Honorary Festival Chair, Chairman Byeong Park P’08 ‘12, whose leadership makes this event possible.

To register, please visit www.pennington.org/SeoulFestival or contact Director of Alumni Relations Jane Bott Childrey ’89 at jane.childrey@pennington.org or 609–737–6144.

BOARD of TRUSTEES N EWS

Rev. Ronell Howard was confirmed as the newest member of the Pennington School Board of Trustees at the Board meeting in January 2023. Howard earned her B.A. in English literature from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and then a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she received the Jagow Award for Excellence in Homiletics and Speech.

Upon graduation from Princeton Theological Seminary, Howard served as a pastoral resident in the Transition into Ministry Program, funded by the Lilly Endowment, and was ordained in the American Baptist Churches USA of Metropolitan New York.

A native of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Howard was raised in New York City. She became a United Methodist and was received as an Elder at the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. While serving as a United Methodist pastor in Norwalk, CT, she facilitated the joining of two churches to form Cornerstone Community Church, and she previously served as the lead pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Piscataway, NJ. She was appointed central district superintendent of the United Methodists of Greater New Jersey in November 2022.

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In Memoriam

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

Charles S. Hunt ’38

Tim Osborne ’40

Edgar J. Lombardi ’41

Bunny Nepon S’46

Gerald D. Nepon ’46

John Abel ’48

Theodore P. Hubert, Jr. ’51

Frank C. Anguella, Jr. ’54

Gerard Naples ’55

Clement Valko ’56

Jerry E. Morris ’58

Wayne N. Smith ’63

William W. Marsland ’64

Morris C. Tyrrell ’65

Gregg W. Boehne ’66

Jeffrey W. Widman ’68

Rita L. Woolverton P’78 ’79 ’80

Eric J. Hubscher ’79

Robert Wilson P’85 GP’12

Larry Siegel P’87 ’91 GP’29

Whitney Hanlon Lowrey ’88

Betty Burns P’91 ’93 ’98 ’00 FF

The Hon. Neil H. Shuster P’98

Margery Brubaker GP’99

Heidi Marie Cahoon-McEwen ’99

Eileen A. Castranova P’03 ’11 ’13 ’24

Beverly Moore GP’03 ’05 ’13

James McCue P’07

John Connors GP’08 ’10 ’15

Jackie Rund GP’11

Robert E. White, Jr. P’13

Rose Iorio GP’17 ’18

Ron Meyerson GP’22 ’24

Linda Finkle GP’23

James Peters GP’26

Rosa Lee Eickhoff FTS

Charles Greeno FFS

S–Alumni Spouse; P–Parent; GP–Grandparent; FF–Former Faculty; FTS–Former Trustee Spouse; FFS–Former Faculty Spouse