The Pennington School Fall/Winter Magazine 2022

Features:

16. A SALUTE TO 50 YEARS SINCE WOMEN RETURNED TO PENNINGTON:

In 1973, The Pennington School returned to a coeducational model. Read about what that year’s students and teachers had to say about this auspicious development!

26. LOVE, LEGACY, AND LIFELONG CONNECTIONS:

Truly a Pennington valentine story, two alumni become the first legacy couple to marry in the history of the School.

Head of School

William S. Hawkey, Ph.D.

Editor

Lori G. Lipsky

Director of Communications and Marketing llipsky@pennington.org

609–737–6156

Communications Team

Meghan Coates, communications associate

Tina Lambdin, graphic designer

Julia Molchansky, digital media marketing associate

Robert E. Martini Assistant Head of School for Community Life

Chad Bridges

Assistant Head of School for Advancement and Strategic Initiatives

Charles D. Brown

Director of Admission and Financial Aid

Sharon Jarboe

Head of the Middle School

Chrissie Knight

CONTENTS

37. PENNINGTON SCHOOL ARCHIVES:

New classes offer students a rich education in the importance of history and artifacts.

Also Inside:

6. New Faculty and Staff

10. Homecoming and Reunion Weekend

22. Special Events

32. Middle School News

36. Malawi Projects Update

42. Fall Play: She Kills Monsters

44. Fall Concerts

48. Upper School Athletics

60. Class Notes

Contributing Writers

Victor J. Barnett, Chad Bridges ’96, Meghan Coates, Jane Bott Childrey ’89, Laura Doughty, Dolores Eaton,William S. Hawkey, Lisa Houston, Suzanne Houston, A. Melissa Kiser, Chrissie Knight, Tracy Kuser, Lori Lipsky, Gretchen Overhiser, Sarah Pawlowski, Alicia Reed, Jessie Shaffer, Elizabeth Swiderski ’06, and Jessica Lockhart Vincent P’26

Contributing Photographers/Artists

Karen Balerna, Erica Bridges, Meghan Coates, Stephanie Cohen, Dolores Eaton, Alene Frankel P’26, Freepik.com, Lisa Stone Hardt P’24 ’27, Jim Horan, Jim Inverso, KathyLynn Kelly, Julian Kim P’23, Susy Kim, Tina Lambdin, Keri Marino, Julia Molchansky, Patrick Murphy ’80, Erin O’Connell, Sanjana Padmadabhan ’24, Mike Schwartz, Tim Scott, Peter Secrest ’13, Jessie Shaffer, Christopher Sirolly ’23, Nate Van Yperen, Susan Wirsig, Tess Zabele ’24

Printing: Prism Color Corporation

The Pennington School

112 West Delaware Avenue, Pennington, NJ 08534 609–737–1838 www.pennington.org

All materials copyright © 2021 by The Pennington School unless otherwise noted. The cupola logo is a registered trademark of The Pennington School. The Pennington School®, registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Opinions expressed in Pennington Magazine are those of the authors, not necessarily those of The Pennington School.

The Pennington School admits students of any race, religion, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, physical disability, national and ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and financial aid programs, employment policies, and athletic and other schooladministered programs.

38. “A SCHOOL WITH A REAL HEART” is the story of Victor J. Barnett, and his transformational experience at The Pennington School during World War II.

Cover image by Susy Kim

16.

26.

38.

37.

Grandparent and VIP Day

Each spring, we welcome Pennington grandparents and other very important people in our students’ lives to campus for Grandparent and VIP Day

If you would like more information or want to be sure that we have the correct contact information to include your child’s grandparents when we send the invitation, please contact Wendy Ward at wendy.ward@pennington.org or 609–737–6121.

The Pennington School

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

Dear Pennington Families and Friends,

As you may know, I like to choose a theme each academic year to guide some of our activities and consider elements that unite us as a community. This year, I chose “ The Power of Stories,” and this issue of Pennington Magazine is full of stories that I hope you will find as interesting and inspiring as I have. There are stories of our students engaging in meaningful work in our community and abroad, a story about the reintroduction of coeducation at The Pennington School in 1973, the story of a young boy who found himself at Pennington during World War II and never forgot his experience, and even the story of two legacy Pennington alumni—the children and grandchild of other Pennington alumni—who recently married (Pennington’s first marriage between legacy alumni!). Our student performers tell stories when they act or sing onstage, and our student-athletes had many championship stories to tell this fall. I enjoy reading all of the stories alumni write about what they are doing since they graduated, whether that was just last year or many years ago.

As I reminded everyone at this year’s Convocation ceremony in September, I love to listen to our students’ stories about classes, personal experiences, successes and failures, you name it. Alumni love to return to campus for Homecoming and Reunion Weekend to share what moved them, shaped them, and transformed them while they were here, and I’m lucky enough to hear those stories. I have one more short but sweet story to tell. Back in 2009, on the very first day of a new school year, a new ninth-grade boy found himself following a group of kids to the gym right after eating lunch. Before he knew it, he was joining a pick-up basketball game with peers from the Middle School and some others in his own grade. One young girl caught his attention. She appeared so confident, carefree, strong-willed, and (of course he would say now) “pretty cute.” They said all of two words that day to each other, “Hi!” and “Hey!” and they rarely spoke again during their high school years. When young Sam got home after that first day of school in 2009, his mom asked how his day had been. Instead of dismissing his mom’s question (which I know that none of our students would ever do when their parents ask how their day was), Sam instead said, “The day was great; I think I met the girl that I’m going to marry.” A pretty bold statement for a thirteen-year-old to make! Well, Sam Goldberg from the class of 2012 married Ellie Jarboe ’14 in September, just about thirteen years to the day after they met in 2009 in the gym here at The Pennington School (see page 60 for photo).

It has been a very busy first half of the year at Pennington, and events are in full swing for this 2022-23 academic year. I hope you will enjoy reading more about these activities— and many more—that together tell the story of our institution, both past and present.

During Spirit Week in October, faculty and staff had fun on a day themed “Dress like Bill!”

CONVOCATION

The Pennington School formally opened its 185th academic year with its annual Convocation ceremony on Friday, September 9. A brass quintet played as the students entered by grade, followed by the formal academic procession of faculty and trustees.

The program began with an invocation from Chaplain David Hallgren, followed by the national anthem. After welcoming remarks from Chair of the Board of Trustees Peter J. Tucci ’79 P’16 ’16, there were greetings from various School constituencies, beginning with faculty representative Samantha Stern-Leaphart, assistant dean of students; director of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and teacher of English. Helena Roque Cohen ’27 addressed the audience as a representative of the Middle School, and Sung Min Hwang ’23 was chosen to represent the Upper School.

In his Convocation address, Head of School William S. Hawkey introduced this year’s theme, “The Power of Stories,” and related a couple of his own favorite anecdotes from around campus. “For me, the beauty of stories is far-reaching,” said Dr. Hawkey. “Stories help to form our beliefs. Stories shape us and help us to see other perspectives. Every emotion under the sun can be experienced through stories, which add richness to our lives.”

Dr. Hawkey also took the time to emphasize the School’s long-standing traditions and the importance of the School’s core values of honor, virtue, and humility. He invited the community to make their own positive contributions:

I want to challenge each of you to make a difference while you are here. It could be a small thing or something of great impact, but even the effort, I believe, will be rewarding.

”

—Dr. William S. Hawkey, Head of School

NEW

FACULTY STAFF AND

Welcome to Pennington!

Christian Bancroft joined The Pennington School as a day faculty member teaching Upper School English. They received their B.A. in English and creative writing from Texas A&M, an M.A. in English and creative writing from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. from the University of Houston. Bancroft most recently taught at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania.

Isabel Berko is teaching Middle School Spanish as a day faculty member. She earned her B.S. degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and most recently taught Spanish at Notre Dame High School.

Kara Bottino is teaching Upper School biology as a day faculty member. She received her B.S. from The College of New Jersey, and her most recent teaching positions were at Hong Kong International School and Western Reserve Academy.

David Checo joined Pennington in September as an HVAC maintenance technician working in the Operations Department. He comes to Pennington from Merwick Care & Rehabilitation, and prior to that he worked at the Hyatt Regency and Marriott Residence Inn.

Brian Claus joined our day faculty community as a teacher of Upper School physics. He received his A.B. from Harvard University and taught most recently at Carver Public Schools and the Art of Problem Solving Academy. He is currently a master’s degree candidate at Rutgers University.

Brenda Cole, our new chief financial officer, joined Pennington in July 2022 with rich experience from both corporate environments and private schools. She received her B.A. from Xavier University and most recently served as the director of finance and operations and CFO for Holy Child School at Rosemont.

Sean Davies came on board in February 2022 as admission and summer programs coordinator and moved into the role of director of summer and auxiliary programs. Davies previously worked at Princeton Junior School and has organized athletic and academic programs at PEAC Fitness.

Noemi DeLeon joined Pennington as custodial supervisor. DeLeon has been with Commercial Cleaning for over seven years with growing responsibilities. She has also worked as a medical secretary and a phlebotomist.

Julianne (Jules) De Lorenzo ’07 is excited to be back at Pennington as a Middle School counselor. De Lorenzo earned her B.S. in psychology from The College of New Jersey and then an Ed.M and M.A. in mental health counseling from Columbia University before completing a Ph.D. in mental health counseling at Pace University. She has worked in hospitals, private practices, and shelters.

Nicholas DeRosa joined our residential community and is a teacher of Upper School history. He received his B.A. in government and law and international affairs from Lafayette College and his M.S. in secondary education from Saint Joseph’s University. Most recently, he taught at Villa Victoria Academy in Ewing.

Jill Dionne has been working at The Pennington School for about eight years in a part-time capacity, and we were delighted to bring her on full-time in June as our new administrative assistant to operations.

Lindsey Goldenbaum is the assistant to both the dean of academic affairs and dean of faculty and joined Pennington in late November. She previously worked in administrative and teaching positions at the Valley Day School, Hovione LLC, and Lutheran Elementary School. She earned her B.A. from Bloomsburg University.

Lindsay Guinan joined Pennington’s Advancement office in July as the director of capital projects and gift planning. Her most recent advancement roles were at Villanova University, Princeton University, and the Orr Group.

Jay Hayes is a new member of our day faculty community teaching Middle School mathematics. He earned his B.A. from Bowdoin College and worked in securities trading for ten years before transitioning to a career in teaching. Most recently, he taught at The East Harlem School at Exodus House.

Taylor Jennings joined our residential community and is the School librarian. She earned her B.A. in business management from Moravian College and a master’s degree in library and information science from Rutgers University. She worked most recently at the Plainsboro Public Library.

Michelle Johnson, who had been working at Pennington part-time, joined our community as a full-time school nurse after spending ten years as a labor and delivery nurse for Capital Health Systems.

Christen Jones is Pennington’s new director of development. Prior to joining us, she served as director of advancement at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart and held various positions at The College of New Jersey, where she oversaw that school’s first comprehensive campaign.

Kate Kehoe ’03 is a new day faculty member in the Cervone Center for Learning. She received her B.A. from The College of New Jersey and has spent the last fourteen years working for Readington Township Public Schools.

Juliana Ketting is a teaching fellow in the Cervone Center for Learning. She earned her B.A. in English and classics from Union College and is currently working on her master’s degree in intellectual disabilities and autism at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Joseph Kleber joined Pennington in March 2022 as director of operations. His most recent role was director of facilities at Educational Testing Service in Princeton.

Emily Lunger joined Pennington’s residential community and is a teacher of French in the Upper School. She has a B.A. in French and anthropology from Pomona College.

Adam Materasso is Pennington’s new director of college counseling, adding an additional position to this important department. He received his B.A. from Drew University and a master’s degree in private school leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. Materasso joined The Pennington School after spending nineteen years at the Ranney School.

Kristin Rotondo Maynard ’04 earned her B.A. at Arcadia University and a master’s degree in education at Saint Joseph’s University. Maynard returned to Pennington as a faculty member in the Cervone Center for Learning after eighteen years of working primarily in elementary schools.

Sarah Pawlowski joined the Office of Advancement as the digital content specialist. Prior to joining Pennington, Sarah worked at Womanspace, Inc. and SAFE in Hunterdon, and volunteered with EASEL Animal Rescue League, demonstrating her passion for mission-driven nonprofits. She earned her B.A. from The College of New Jersey.

Michael Pietras is a fine woodworker who has hand made gifts for the Kennedy family and for Britain’s royal family. He was co-owner and proprietor of Washington Crossing Woodworkers and Worthington Fine Woodworking before joining Pennington’s Operations Department in August.

Elizabeth Roehm is a new member of our residential community and is a teacher of Upper School mathematics. Roehm earned her B.A. from Boston College in mathematics and secondary education, and a master’s degree in education from the University of Notre Dame. Most recently, she taught at St. John Interparochial School in Louisiana.

Lilian Sampaio P’22 is administrative assistant to the Advancement office. Previously, she worked as an operations and administrative assistant at Share My Meals in Princeton. She earned a B.S. in biology from University of Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Dave Schulz is assistant director of operations. Previously, he worked for thirty years as the assistant manager of the electric department at Educational Testing Service.

Benjamin Sulton is a teacher of Upper School English and a new member of our residential community. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from The College of New Jersey and completed his teaching practicum at WestWindsor Plainsboro High School South.

Elizabeth Swiderski ’06 returned to The Pennington School as assistant director of alumni relations. Swiderski earned her B.A. in communications from Rosemont College and her M.A. in writing studies from St. Joseph’s University. Prior to working at Pennington, she was director of national community partnerships at Soles4Souls, Inc.

Michael Watkins joined us as a day faculty member in the role of admission counselor and athletics liaison. He earned his B.A. from Kean University. This will be Watkins’s sixteenth year coaching football. Before arriving at Pennington, he served as director of athletics at Bishop McDevitt High School in Pennsylvania.

Brooke Wilkinson joined The Pennington School as director of health services. She received her B.S. in human development and psychology from the University of California, Davis and a B.S. from Columbia University as well as an M.S. in nursing from Columbia. Most recently, Wilkinson worked at New York Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital as a pediatric nurse practitioner.

Frederick Williams joined Pennington’s security team after a twenty-year career with the Princeton Police Department. He graduated from Centenary University with a B.S. in business administration. Williams has worked extensively with students, faculty, and staff at Princeton’s public and private schools.

Christina Williamson joined our day faculty community as a teacher of Middle School history and government. She earned her B.A. in political science from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from the Delaware Law School at Widener University. Williamson worked in corporate defense litigation for many years before earning her M.Ed. at the University of Pennsylvania in secondary education/social studies.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Adam Materasso leads College Counseling team

Following a national search, Adam Materasso joined The Pennington School as director of college counseling in July 2022. Materasso arrived at Pennington after a nineteen-year tenure at Ranney School in Tinton Falls, NJ, where his most recent role was dean of enrollment management and college counseling. He was a member of that school’s senior leadership team and board of trustees, and was responsible for the enrollment, recruitment, and retention of students. Previously he served as associate head of upper school, dean of students, and as a college counselor. He also worked as director of student activities, associate director of summer programs, class dean, and as an upper school Spanish teacher. Materasso was a key member of Ranney’s strategic planning committee, and he was a member of the school’s academic council. At one time or another, he was involved in almost every aspect of that institution. He attended Drew University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Spanish. He earned his master’s degree in private school leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is also fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian.

Materasso’s appointment is a result of an important strategic decision to expand Pennington’s College Counseling Office this year in order to better serve all of our Upper School students. Materasso reports directly to Bill Hawkey as part of the senior leadership team. Dr. Hawkey says, “Due to an increase in enrollment at The Pennington School, we believe that it is important to increase the focus on our college search process, and Adam’s deep experience as a school leader as well as his involvement in the Association of College Counselors at Independent Schools (ACCIS) will guide us as we strengthen our program further. It is evident to me that he is highly respected by his independent school peers, and I am delighted about the many ways in which Adam is already helping us continue to elevate our programming.”

Lisa Houston appointed as Director of Advisory and Student Activities, Grades 6-12

In her new position, Houston’s mission is to guide all students to be more active and participatory in the extracurricular life of the School, and she ensures that students have a variety of opportunities and ways to be involved. She is also a resource to faculty members who need help engaging with advisees or members of their classes, teams, or halls. She also supports student clubs and helps Samantha Stern-Leaphart with communitywide DEI initiatives. In her new office in the Student Center of the MMAC, she works with Joan Moore and Sandy McNichol (of Sodexo) to create an inclusive and comfortable space for students. Houston is also responsible for shaping an updated advisory program to better complement other signature programs at Pennington such as Peer Leaders, Junior Proctors, Hall Prefects, and Sophomore Character and Leadership Development.

Houston’s vision for the advisory program is to enhance its alignment with Pennington’s mission to develop individual excellence in all students. The aim is to balance an advisory curriculum that rolls out to each grade level as the year ebbs and flows, and is responsive to the needs of students, the School community, or possible world events as they arise. Houston designed a Pennington Circle of Personal Excellence with six topics to address in each grade level during advisory periods. Over the course of their Pennington careers, students will become more aware of their own strengths and gain improvements in each of these areas. Houston will also focus on building resources and support for faculty advisors, who have taken on more prominent roles in students’ lives since the pandemic began. Teachers and advisors will collaborate to work on their own skills and brainstorm.

In her role supervising student activities, Houston welcomes ideas from any students who would like to start new clubs. Pennington now offers over 90 student clubs and activities, including a growing number of Middle School clubs, but there are still new ideas generated all the time. She enjoys talking about the history of longstanding clubs such as United People of Many Colors or Dramatic Society and what they have empowered students to do on campus, and to see how newer clubs like Intersectional Feminism Club, Black Student Union, and the STEM options make a difference here on campus and throughout the community and world. On her wish list for the future? Making more time in our daily schedule to support student meetings and events; she is hopeful we will see that coming soon!

Tracy Kuser now Middle School Dean of Students

Tracy Kuser joined the faculty in the 2018-19 academic year to teach Middle School Spanish. She was appointed as Middle School Dean of Students effective July 1, 2022. In her new role, she spends a lot of time with students and develops partnerships with teachers and families, which she loves to do. The new position has changed her day-to-day schedule quite a bit; she teaches fewer classes and uses that time to have conversations with students and meet with other faculty members about Middle School students under her care, all with the goal of creating opportunities that foster growth. Classroom teaching continues to be the highlight of her days, however. Her favorite aspect of her new job? Getting to know students in a deeper way. Kuser explains, “I love talking with the students and helping provide opportunities for them to learn and grow, both as individuals and as community members. I also really love helping to develop community events for the Middle School where students can enjoy being together, engage in meaningful activities, and have fun!”

Peter Chase

Chase’s second book of articles was recently published. The book (145 pages) is a collection of his second year of weekly articles (articles 53 to 104)

on German etymology that appeared in the Germanlanguage newspaper Neue Presse USA . This year, the cover art (see photo above) was created by our very own Zoe Eaton ’23! It’s a family tree of the Germanic family of languages. Congratulations to our faculty author on his expanding body of published work.

BOARD of TRUSTEES

NEWS

The Pennington School is delighted to announce the appointment of two new members of the Board of Trustees, effective fall 2022.

Chandra “Binky” Sanders P’25 is a senior procurement specialist for the animal health global supplier management unit of Merck, the American multinational pharmaceutical company. In this role, she manages teams in the United States and Germany in support of Merck’s animal health products. She splits her time between the US and Germany. Prior to joining Merck, Sanders was employed by Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical multinational, as a global medical buyer and procurement specialist.

Sanders earned a B.A. in public administration from California State University, and an M.B.A. degree from Centenary University. She completed additional professional coursework at both Fairleigh Dickinson University and Rutgers University. She is an active parent volunteer, now in her second year as the Boarding Parent Representative for the School’s parent association, Parents for Pennington (PfP). Sanders is the mother of Mykaela Sanders ’25, and they reside in Hillsborough, NJ.

Vandana Bhanote P’23 ’26 joins the Board in her role as this year’s president of Parents for Pennington, the Pennington School parent association. Bhanote earned a Pharm.D. degree from Rutgers University and has worked in marketing for Johnson & Johnson. She was also a committed parent volunteer at her children’s previous schools, where she served on fundraising gala committees. She is a past president of Princeton Common Ground, a group comprised of local private schools that brings to campuses speakers of interest to parents.

Last year Bhanote chaired Parents for Pennington’s Red and Black Bash, an event that grossed over $100,000 in support of The Pennington School. Bhanote is is married to Sandeep Bhanote, and they are the parents of Saniya ’26 and Siddharth ’23; the family resides in Princeton, NJ.

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend was bursting with Pennington pride as alumni, students, family, and friends gathered for a weekend of celebrations!

In October 2022, Homecoming and Reunion Weekend brought hundreds of Pennington community members together for a weekend full of friends, food, and fun! Over the two-day event, the campus was buzzing with activities. We captured some of the special moments in this year’s Homecoming and Reunion Weekend scrapbook…enjoy!

On Friday night, students kicked off the weekend in style with a spirited Pep Rally as alumni celebrated their reunions and reunited with old friends at the Brews and Barbecue party. Pennington’s Gold Guard alumni (those celebrating their 50th Reunion and beyond) gathered on campus for cocktails, after which members of the Class of 1972 made their way to Emily’s Cafe for a 50th Reunion dinner.

Class of 1972 Reunion

#PenningtonPRIDE

Saturday’s events began with the Head of School Breakfast and Awards Program, where Dr. Hawkey welcomed guests and presided over the annual awards ceremony. Distinguished alumnus Bruce J. White ’69 P’94 ’97 received Pennington’s highest honor, the Tower Award. He was joined by his son, Robert White ’97 (who was celebrating his 25th reunion), and daughterin-law Lori for the special occasion. A number of other alumni were honored with awards and a new class of inductees were welcomed into Pennington’s Athletic Hall of Fame (see page 14 for more details).

The weekend program included an afternoon gathering of class committee volunteers and a luncheon and tour of Meckler Library’s Archives and Special Collections Room for Gold Guard alumni. There was plenty of time for guests to cheer on our athletic teams and visit student tables on Homecoming Row. The day came to a close with the All-Alumni Party on the Corson House lawn, where alumni from across the generations as well as past parents gathered for a glorious fall evening of festivities.

#PenningtonPRIDE

Honoring Alumni for their

Achievements and Service

During this year’s Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, nine outstanding alumni were recognized for their achievements and service:

Order of the Tower Award

Bruce J. White ’69 P’94 ’97 was the 2022 recipient of Pennington’s highest honor, the Tower Award. The Order of the Tower recognizes alumni, teachers, or friends for outstanding service to The Pennington School or to the wider community.

Four extraordinary alumni athletes were inducted into

Pennington’s 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame:

Congratulations to our newest Athletic Hall of Fame inductees!

Adam Curtis ’92, Adrienne Markison Tosti ’07, Keri Washington-Bah ’07, and Maureen Wells ’07 gathered with friends, family, past coaches, and teammates at the official induction ceremony on Saturday, October 15.

Adam Curtis ’92 was instrumental to Pennington’s three state soccer championships during his years on the team. Curtis was also an All-State lacrosse player in both 1991 and 1992.

Adrienne Markison Tosti ’07 enjoyed success on the tennis court at Pennington, winning over 100 matches and consistently ranking within the top 200 players nationally by the USTA.

Head of School Award

Senator Rudy Boschwitz ’47 was honored with the Head of School Award, which recognizes alumni whose dedication and contributions to The Pennington School have helped further the principles of honor, virtue, and humility.

Alumni Achievement Award

Timothy O’Brien ’87 (pictured right) and Mitchell Sloane ’87 (pictured left), both celebrating their 35th reunion, received Alumni Achievement Awards for their impressive careers and service to the School and their respective communities.

Alumni Service Award

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Charlotte Henderson Carey ’06 and Erin Simon ’10 (not in attendance) received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for their impressive professional achievements.

Christina McKitish ’02, Jesal Trivedi ’07 (not in attendance), and Xinwen (Cathy) Xu ’17 were given the Alumni Service Award in recognition for their generosity and service to the School.

Keri Washington-Bah ’07 triumphed as a member of the soccer and basketball teams. She brought the soccer team to victorious Prep A State Championships four years in a row. In basketball, she was a top scorer with a record 250 points in her senior year.

Maureen Wells ’07 was a standout on the field hockey and softball teams. In her junior year, Wells recorded a new record in field hockey with 16 assists for the season. In softball, she helped bring the team to the state finals to continue their nine-year streak.

50 years

A salute to since women returned to Pennington

—by A. Melissa Kiser

Perhaps it was the walls of Old Main retaining decades-old echoes of young female voices that created a welcoming atmosphere. Or maybe Pennington was simply fortunate in the personalities of the students involved. Whatever the reason, in 1972–73 the School seemed to have experienced few of the complications a number of previously all-male schools and colleges were having as they made the transition to coeducation.

It wasn’t the first time there had been girls on the Pennington campus, of course. The Pennington Female Collegiate Institute, a coordinate entity, had been established in 1853, and Old Main’s east wing had been constructed specifically to house its students. By 1910, however, parents’ educational preferences were reverting to single-sex institutions, and the New Jersey Methodist conferences designated their two schools accordingly: boys would stay at Pennington, and girls would attend Centenary Collegiate Institute in Hackettstown.

About sixty years later, circumstances had changed. In a brief 1987 memoir, former headmaster Nelson M. Hoffman recalled that the idea of making Pennington coeducational had arisen soon after his tenure began in 1970. “It was my opinion, as well as that of many others,” he wrote, “that for the ultimate survival of the School such a move had to be made.” After discussion with alumni, parents, trustees, and faculty, girls were invited to apply for the fall term of 1972. Hoffman hired recent college graduate Nancy Ewing to direct various activities for the female students and be hall parent for the female boarders.

When she came for her interview, Cindi Quigley ’75 learned that if she accepted the offer of admission, she would become the School’s first female boarding student (since 1910, at least), and being that kind of pioneer appealed to her. After a brief period as the sole student resident on Grace Hall, Quigley was joined by four other boarding girls, including Lynne Brashier ’73, the sole female member of her graduating class. There were female day students, too, and Hoffman noted that within a few years there were almost as many girls as boys in the student body.

Former assistant headmaster Donald Robertson was a young teacher in his first year as dean of students in 1972–73, and he credits the positive attitude of those first girls who “did a lot to make [coeducation] work,” knowing when they came that they would be a small minority. Robertson says that the addition of girls also helped Pennington to attract high-quality female teachers.

Female students from those early years came to Pennington for the same reasons as the male students. Some knew of Pennington through the Methodist church or through family connections—maybe a father or brother who had attended the School—but most sought the smaller classes and greater academic challenge offered. Hoffman observed that “the level of academic ability at the Pennington School had always been rather high, but . . . both boys and girls were attaining higher standards than they would have without each other.” Like their male counterparts, Pennington’s girls also found benefits beyond the classroom.

Kathy Chan ’77, who came as an eighth-grade boarder at the midpoint of that first year of coeducation, remembers that the female students bonded, even across class years, because they were such a small group. The daughter of Puerto Rican and Chinese-American parents, she was pleasantly surprised by the racial, cultural, and geographical diversity she found at Pennington, which she called “a warm place to be” and where she developed long-lasting relationships. She describes her five years at the School as “some of the best years of my life.”

Records indicate that when Clara Mun-Wai Ma Hsu ’75 came to Pennington from Hong Kong in the fall of 1973, she was the School’s first female international student. She echoes a sentiment expressed by a number of alumni as she says, “Pennington was a second chance for me.” Able to make up math and

science classes that she had been discouraged from pursuing in Hong Kong, she also blossomed with her study of music and played the organ in Shaw Chapel.

From the standpoint of fifty years later, with Pennington girls’ athletic teams having won numerous championships in basketball, swimming, tennis, and softball—not to mention the multiple Prep B, Prep A, and Mercer County titles in girls’ soccer—it’s surprising to realize how limited girls’ sports were at first. That first year, physical education for girls, another responsibility assigned to Ewing, was mostly a matter of gym classes, but by the following year small teams in field hockey, softball, and basketball are pictured in the Penseman. A formal girls’ tennis team didn’t begin until 1989, so when accomplished tennis player Carin Kraut Cohen ’78 came to Pennington as a freshman, she had to create her own success. By the time she was a senior, she was the number one singles player and captain—of the boys’ team!

Was it all smooth sailing? Well, no. The Grace Hall bathroom included male urinals for a while, and the first time a female student needed in-patient care at the infirmary, a bed had to be installed in a quickly emptied storeroom to give her accommodation separate from the male patients. Formal dinner the first year featured what today seems an oldfashioned custom, at least for a school dining hall; whenever the female students came in, all of the boys and men were

required to stand up. “It was so embarrassing,” Quigley says, “when all we wanted to do was blend in.” The practice was abandoned the following year. And there were a few pranks. Quigley remembers the deafening fire alarm sounding in the wee hours. As the Grace Hall residents quickly trooped downstairs with hall parent Ewing (and her panicked cat), they found the male boarders, who had pulled the alarm, assembled and waiting to see the girls in their pajamas. Ewing says she quickly learned that the girls on her hall were quite capable of hijinks, as well.

A half-century later, it is almost impossible to imagine Pennington without its female population, although older alumni and local residents remember the all-boys days. There may have been a few former Female Collegiate Institute students still living in 1972, but we have no record of their reaction to the news that there would once again be girls on the Pennington campus; only the walls of Old Main would remember. The transition back to coeducation was an altogether happy one.

The generations of young women on campus since 1972 have played an invaluable role in making the School what it is today, and Pennington salutes them on this fiftieth anniversary of their arrival!

Grace Hall: from left to right; Peggy Irish, Lynne Brashier, Miss Ewing, and Cindi Quigley.

dedication of the 1973 Pennington yearbook, Penseman

“ My years at Pennington gave me valuable experiences, guidance, and skill sets that have shaped my life. Staying connected, volunteering, and making a leadership gift each year are important ways I choose to give back to the next generation. Visiting campus and remembering my time at Pennington connects me to the shared community values of honor, virtue, and humility, which I carry with me throughout life.”

—Julia M. Helms ‘07

Meet Julia M. Helms ’07!

Julia is a dedicated Class Committee volunteer and 1838 Society member (recognizing her leadership giving to the Pennington Fund), and she served as the 2021-22 Alumni Chair for the Pennington Fund Committee. As a loyal donor and active volunteer, she is excited to see the growing participation in annual giving to Pennington over the years. She says, “It makes me so proud of my fellow alumni to see more and more of us making gifts to the Pennington Fund each year. No matter the dollar value, I think alumni are happy to do whatever we can to pay it forward for the students of today and tomorrow.”

Helms, a healthcare marketing professional, is the associate director of omni-channel experience strategy and planning at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she has spent the last eight years of her career. She was married in October 2022 and lives in Yardley, PA with her husband Justin, dog Noel, and cat Mimi. Her favorite Pennington memories are a class trip to Japan and performing in her friends’ senior one-act plays in the Diane T. McLarty Theater.

If you want to learn more about making a gift to the Pennington Fund or volunteering, please contact Director of the Pennington Fund Brooke Buchanan at brooke.buchanan@pennington.org or 609–559–5203.

PARENTS for PENNINGTON

Parents for Pennington began the school year in full swing! To kick it off, we held class welcome parties which were very well-attended. It was nice to meet new parents and spend time catching up with returning parents. At the end of September we welcomed parents to the first in-person Back-to-School Nights since 2019 and provided meals and snacks before the evening meetings began.

During our general meeting in September, we introduced the 2022-23 PfP board members and the various clubs we are hosting throughout the year. Clubs are a great way for parents to get involved in the Pennington community. This year we are hosting both morning and evening book clubs, a walking club which meets several times a week, a tennis club, a DEI interest group, and more. After taking a hiatus during the pandemic, the Courageous Conversations club also returned. Courageous Conversations meets for periodic discussions with Susie Paige, Pennington’s director of counseling, about sensitive subjects related to parenting teenagers. Our Indian interest group was responsible for the beautiful decorations in the MMAC during Diwali. Many thanks to the parents who helped decorate! Our first wine club event was a resounding success with a blind-bottle wine tasting; the wine labels were hidden, and attendees selected their favorite wines before

SHOW YOUR LOVE. LEAVE YOUR LEGACY.

NEWS

by Jessica Lockhart Vincent P’26

February is a special month of the year when we express our love and appreciation for all we hold dear. One way to show your love is by considering how your estate and gift plans can maximize the impact of your philanthropy in support of all the people, causes, and organizations—like The Pennington School—that you care about the most.

With a little planning and lots of heart, you can ensure that Pennington’s mission to develop individual excellence in every student will transform lives for generations to come.

the labels were revealed. More events are in the works! It is never too late to join one of our clubs—if you are interested in more information, please e-mail us at pfp@pennington.org.

Homecoming provided another opportunity for Parents for Pennington to gather our community together. We held a tailgate on campus in between the football and soccer games. The tailgate was a great way for parents of students of all ages to get to know one another.

There is a full roster of parent coffees this year. While the primary goal of these coffees is to give parents an opportunity to gather in person and socialize, Parents for Pennington often invites speakers to address the group on a variety of topics. Previous topics have included the transition to high school and internet and social media safety. Future topics include course selection and extracurricular offerings for students.

Planning for the Red and Black Bash is underway. This year’s Bash will be held on April 15, 2023, in Sparks Gymnasium. We are hoping that many of you will join us for a “Starry Night” and support the Pennington community. See you there!

♥

Interested

We know that decisions about estate plans and charitable giving are personal and important ones. Whether you would like to make a gift for immediate impact or leave a legacy to support the School in perpetuity, we can help you learn more about options that may meet your financial and philanthropic goals. For more information on opportunities for gift planning at Pennington, please contact Director of Capital Projects and Gift Planning Lindsay Guinan at 609-737-6149 or lindsay.guinan@pennington.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS

This year’s enthusiastic Junior Proctors began their training on Thursday, August 25. C Prefects prepared to meet new and returning boarding students. D The Peer Leaders participated in a three-day retreat to prepare to welcome the class of 2026.E A special, all-School Chapel service was held on Tuesday, September 13, in honor of emergency service workers and those who lost their lives during the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. F Boarding juniors and seniors enjoyed a midnight bowling trip on September 11. Earlier that day, all boarders had fun challenging their minds and bodies at Grit ‘N Wit, where they worked together to solve problems and tackle physical obstacles. G Pennington’s first formal dinner took place on Monday evening, September 19. H Grade 12 students gathered before dawn on September 16 to enjoy an outdoor breakfast and watch the sunrise together, setting the scene for a great senior year ahead. I Residential students participated in the Hopewell Valley Arts Council Color Fun Run on a beautiful September weekend. J The fall Upper School activity fair took place over three days in mid-September. Students could choose from more than 90 activities and organizations to join! K The sixth grade had an opportunity to meet with a class in Kenya over Zoom on October 4. The students in both countries brought items that were important to them to discuss their cultural similarities and differences. L Boarding students enjoyed a trip to sunny Point Pleasant Beach on September 25. M The girls’ cross country team had the opportunity to meet virtually with NCAA champion and coach Sara Slattery and Olympian Molly Huddle. N Pennington students and faculty enjoyed a delicious meal from a local Ethiopian chef at a dinner workshop hosted by Isles in Trenton. O On Wednesday, September 28, Michael Savchuck ’12 presented to STEM students about his career path and work in the field of structural engineering. P Boarding students enjoyed roller skating on October 2 at a local rink. Q The new Upper School Book Club held its first meeting on October 19. R Ecology students enjoyed the sun at Mercer Meadows while learning about grassland and forest habitats, prescribed burning, and invasive species management. S This year’s Ninth-Grade Fun Night kicked off with a pizza party and a video created by the Peer Leaders. Ninth-graders dressed in red and black, played games on the turf, and, as night fell, students gathered around lanterns in groups to share stories and get to know each other better. The night ended with sundaes from a local ice cream shop, Uncle Ed’s. T Students with a special interest in poetry joined teacher of English Stephanie Cohen to travel to the Dodge Poetry Festival on Friday, October 21. They were able to enjoy seeing poets including Joy Harjo, Patricia Smith, Cindy Smith, Ellen Bass, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Sandra Cisneros, and Jake Skeets. U Halloween was celebrated early the weekend of October 21 when residential students had fun crafting haunted houses and other edible treats and enjoyed a pumpkin-carving contest. V Peer Leaders sponsored a “Pink Out” day on October 21 to raise money for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

B

W Pennington’s Diwali celebration on October 24 included delicious food for lunch, great music, and beautiful handicrafts. X On October 28, Latin classes participated virtually in Classics Day, hosted by Montclair State University. They heard from experts all over the world in different breakout sessions!

Y The College Counseling and Math departments celebrated Halloween in style! Z The Aerospace and Aviation Club successfully launched a rocket on the morning of November 2! 8 On November 4, Paul Decker P’23 spoke with STEM students about his career and how data and technology help to guide public policy. 9 On November 8, a team from Operations came to the design engineering class to give a lesson on how to safely use power tools. The students used these tools in their final group project. : Students of the BSU attended the Malcom Bernard HBCU Fair on November 13! They were very excited to attend. ; Pennington’s Upper School History Club took a weekend trip to Washington, DC. They visited all of the monuments honoring our nation’s veterans. < Cassidy and Lia, members of the class of 2024, helped pack food for local families in need at the Hopewell Valley Food Pantry. = Sophomores in Honors English classes took a field trip on November 16 to see Death of a Salesman on Broadway. a The week before Thanksgiving, Mr. Leib’s advisory split into two teams to buy items for the food drive, competing to see which team could come the closest to $50. For the first time in the ten years of this tradition, a team hit $50 exactly! b On November 29, the Junior Proctors held a Barnes & Noble book fair to raise money and collect books for the annual HomeFront holiday event. More than 100 new books were donated in one evening! c On December 10, Community Service Club members Evin, Sophia, Grace, Deethya, and Maya helped deliver a holiday brunch prepared by Sodexo for HomeFront residents. d Pennington School grandparents were invited to campus for a special holiday tea on December 14. The event was hosted by the Grandparents Committee of the Pennington Fund. e Collegeaged alumni were invited back to the Pennington campus to reunite with their former teachers and enjoy lunch in the Dining Hall on December 15.

BANGKOK ALUMNI GATHERING

This December, alumni from Thailand gathered for a dinner at the Grand Hyatt in Bangkok hosted by Head of School Bill Hawkey. Joining the Pennington festivities were Board of Trustees members Stephen Tan ’73 from Hong Kong, and Jae Heo ’08 and Dan Mahony P’18 ’21 from Singapore. Many thanks as well to Ratchanee TrillitMamanee ’90 and Thirachart Viravan ’86, who generously helped organize the lovely event. Assistant Head of School for Advancement Charlie Brown and Director of Admission

Sharon Jarboe accompanied Dr. Hawkey on this long-awaited post-pandemic trip to visit with members of Pennington’s international community. We hope to see many more alumni next year with the return of the Asia Alumni Festival planned for November 2023 in Seoul, South Korea.

For an album of photos from this trip, visit pennington.org/bangkok-2022 .

Pictured above – Front Row (L to R): Nopadol Tarmallpark ’92, Trustee Jae Hyeok Heo ’08, Viwat Trillit ’86, Andrew Juthapornmanee ’84; Middle Row (L to R): Visit Poolvoraluk ’93, Supat Praisankul ’88, Thirachart Viravan ’86, Nopawan Tarmallpark Butler ’94, Chris Butler S’94; Top Row (L to R): Betty Poolvoraluk S’93, Director of Admission Sharon Jarboe, Ratchanee Trillit-Mamanee ’90, Head of School Bill Hawkey, Trustee Stephen Tan ’73, Assistant Head of School for Advancement Charlie Brown, Trustee Dan Mahony P’18 ’21. Also in attendance not shown above: Danucha Veerapong ’88 and Dhanachok Viravan ’90. (S = spouse)

Pictured left: Dinner with alumnus Kachorn Chiaravanont ’86 and Khun Chanita Chantarasap, manager of the Bangkok United Football Club.

LOVE, LEGACY, and LIFELONG CONNECTIONS

Pennington history was made on a glorious November day last year when two alumni, Alexandra (Alex) Jingoli ’11 and Kevin Smolar ’12, said “I do.” The couple’s wedding represents the merger of two Pennington legacy families whose collective ranks boast eight alumni who represent three generations. This auspicious marriage is the first time in the School’s history when two “alumni of alumni” have married—merging two families with lifelong connections to Pennington.

“This is a meaningful moment for all of us,” says Head of School Bill Hawkey, who was in attendance for the special day. “These two families have roots at Pennington that have now blossomed into an extraordinary relationship. This union is a beautiful celebration of Alex and Kevin and their love for each other. It is also a poignant illustration of the power of Pennington’s commitment to community, family, and our core values.” The historic event was also captured in a symbolic resolution from Pennington’s Alumni Association Board presented to the couple following their wedding.

Bride Alexandra Jingoli ’11 is the daughter of alumnus Michael Jingoli ’85 (who serves as First Vice Chair on Pennington’s Board of Trustees) and granddaughter of the late Joseph Jingoli, Sr. ’53. Her uncle, Joseph R. Jingoli, Jr., also attended Pennington as a member of the Class of 1977, transferring before graduation. Groom Kevin Smolar ’12 is the son of alumnus Tom Smolar ’76. The couple’s wedding party was filled with Pennington siblings and friends, including Joseph Alesio ’12, Sam Goldberg ’12, Steven Hawkey ’12, Joseph Jingoli ’15 (brother of the bride), Katelyn Smolar ’13 (sister of the groom), Keith Smolar ’08 (brother of the groom), and Adrienne Tosti ’07. In addition to Head of School Bill Hawkey, the reception at Jasna Polana in Princeton, NJ was packed with Pennington friends. Brooke Boland ’12, Ellie Jarboe Goldberg ’14, Matthew Lamb ’10, Saif Naqvi ’14, Tyler Osterman ’12, Gianna Russo ’07, Brett Schenkman ’15, and Marcello Tosti ’07 were in attendance. Alex and Kevin were moved to have so many Pennington family and friends together for the celebration.

Since both of our families have connections to the School, we assumed we would have lots of Pennington folks at our wedding. But when we started making our plans and lists, even we were surprised with just how much ‘Pennington spirit’ was going to be in the room! It was wonderful to see everyone together and have so many different connections stemming from Pennington all in one place.

—Alex Jingoli '11 ”

“

Although only one class year apart, Alex (Class of 2011) and Kevin (Class of 2012) did not get together during their years at Pennington. But with the vast network of Pennington family and friends on both sides, it was only a matter of time until their paths crossed while they both attended Quinnipiac University. One of those family links that predestined their meeting was from Tom Smolar’s (Kevin’s father) days at Pennington in the late 1970s, when he and Alex’s uncle (Joseph Jingoli, Jr.) carpooled to campus together. Tom says, “As kids, we lived just two streets away from the Jingolis. They are a wonderful family, and we all knew each other growing up.” There were many other “small world” moments; for example, when the couple started dating, Kevin was the roommate of Steven Hawkey ’12, Alex’s friend and classmate.

The origins of these Pennington connections that led to this special day started almost a century before. Three generations before Alex and her brother Joey (Class of 2015) came to campus, the Pennington legacy began with their grandfather, Joseph Jingoli, Sr., who graduated from Pennington in 1953. Alex’s father, Michael Jingoli, who graduated in 1985, remembers hearing his father and his older brother talk about Pennington, and reflects on how he was molded by the experience. “My entire family had positive experiences at Pennington, both academically and socially. From my time there, I took away the feeling of really being a part of something. I learned that my contribution as one of many in a community, no matter how big or small, is impactful. That was a life lesson for me that I have imparted to my children.”

Joseph Sr., who passed away in 2012, was behind the commercial real estate and the construction company, along with his wife Frances, which was founded by Joseph Sr.’s grandfather in 1922. Today Michael and his brother, Joseph, are fourth generation of the family at the helm of JINGOLI, an ever-expanding global company. They have taken the JINGOLI family of companies across North America, branching into energy as well as the gaming industry with their ownership in Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Michael is delighted that both of his children, Alex and Joey, are now the fifth generation of Jingolis to collectively move the company forward and build stronger businesses. Alex has followed in her father’s footsteps, being the CEO of the largest woman-owned Electrical Testing Company in the northeast alongside her business partner, Joseph S. Vasta.

Father of the groom Tom Smolar '76 had a similar positive experience at Pennington. “I am very proud that all three of my kids followed in my footsteps and went to Pennington. Of course, I gained a great deal from my time there…but I can’t lie, being there when the School went from all boys to co-ed was definitely a highlight!” He graduated with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and, in similar fashion to Michael Jingoli, joined the family-owned business started by his father, Leo Smolar. Today, the Smolar Group is an exceptionally successful McDonald’s franchise based in New Jersey. Kevin and his siblings (Keith Smolar ’08 and Katelyn Smolar ’13) are all part of the family business, and both Kevin and Keith are third generation, McDonald’s-approved owner operators, who have added ten additional restaurants to the business and have been critical to the company’s recent growth.

Kevin and Alex agree that coming from families with similar mindsets and values is an important part of what they have in common. Alex says, “We both think in terms of family first. I think that is something we both also appreciated about our Pennington experiences—it was always about everyone being together and inclusivity. Caring about community is really important to both of us.”

When reflecting on how Pennington helped them prepare for being part of two thriving enterprises, both Alex and Kevin point to the support and attention they received from the Edmund V. Cervone Center for Learning. Kevin says it was a critical part of his journey. “My CS advisor, Ms. Uzupis, was really caring and taught me not only how to be a good student, but also how to be a good person. She is a very important

Proud father Tom Smolar ’76 and brother Keith Smolar ’08 join the Commencement stage to present Kevin with his Pennington diploma in 2012. (Not shown, sister Katelyn Smolar ’13)

person in my life, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.” This was true for Michael Jingoli as well. He says, “I came to Pennington lost, without confidence and direction, but with constant guidance and encouragement from ‘the doc’ (Dr. Edmund V. Cervone) and his team, I was given the tools I needed to deal with my learning difficulties, gain confidence, and go on to lead a successful life both personally and professionally. Pennington is and has always been committed to the individual needs and learning styles of each student. This innovative way of teaching has created lifelong learners in our children, who each thrived in school, their careers, and beyond.”

Beyond their Pennington histories, shared entrepreneurial spirit, and like-minded values, the Jingoli and Smolar families are also School champions and generous donors. The Smolars have been leadership donors over many years to the Pennington Fund and made significant gifts in support of financial aid, the Cervone Center for Learning, and Pennington athletics.

The Jingoli legacy at Pennington is defined by exceptional generosity. Michael has served on the Board of Trustees since 2004 and assumed the role of First Vice Chair in 2019. Peter Tucci ’79 P’16 ’16, Chair of the Board of Trustees, has worked closely with Michael and the family over the years and says, “Through their philanthropy and leadership, Michael and Angela have been transformational for The Pennington School over the decades. Their contributions created the footprint of the campus we have today, which has paved the way for our current

campus planning, and I am sure I speak for our entire community when I say how lucky and grateful we are at Pennington to benefit from their vision and generosity. The Jingolis are the real deal when it comes to investing in our mission.”

The family’s gifts to the School have been extensive, making notable contributions to the Building for the Future campaign, establishing the Jingoli Family Gallery within the new Yen Humanities building, and contributing lead gifts to the campaigns for both Stainton Hall in 2006 and the Campus Center in 2004. Over the years, they have also hosted alumni events, been stalwart supporters of the Pennington Fund and the Scholarship Classic event, and encouraged the next generation to be part of their philanthropic legacy. “The memories we have all made as part of the Pennington community and that are shared amongst our family, and now with the Smolars too, are immeasurable—and will be part of all of our lives for many years to come,” says Michael Jingoli. “Pennington reinforced the importance of the values of honor, virtue, and humility in our family, and cemented the giving back within our family that is the basis for the various philanthropic endeavors that are so important to us.”

Alex and Kevin were both introduced to their families’ philanthropic principles from the start and plan to follow in their parents’ footsteps. Alex says “Doing what you can for others and giving back to those who helped you is just part of what we both learned from early ages. I try to seek out ways to be of service, big or small, in every part of our lives.”

So how do these alumni patriarchs feel about their children marrying and the merger of their family legacies? As was the case for himself, Tom Smolar knew that the friends and connections Kevin would make during his time at Pennington would shape his future, and Tom was delighted to learn of Kevin’s special relationship with Alex. Tom says, “I think Kevin was in love with Alex before they ever even spoke. They are such a great couple, and I was thrilled when they finally connected. I know their lives will be filled with love and joy.” Michael Jingoli agrees and says, “It is exactly what I hoped for my only daughter—to find a partner with the same family values, one who is hardworking and of moral character. I know they will guide each other on a path of family cohesion and togetherness needed to impact, encourage, and lead future generations to come. We are also collectively hoping for a fourth generation of Jingoli and third generation of Smolar Pennington alumni to continue our family legacies...stay tuned!”

—by Alicia Reed

Joey Jingoli ’15 receiving his Pennington diploma from father Michael Jingoli ’85 and sister Alex Jingoli ’11.

FALL CHAPEL PERFORMANCES

This fall, Teacher of Music Jim Horan organized a series of student, alumni, musicians-in-residence, and music department faculty members to perform during the weekly Chapel services and provide beautiful music for the School community to enjoy from October all the way through to the winter break in December. This new series began with a performance by the Middle School singers, who sang a wonderful version of “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper on October 10. We are grateful to Mr. Horan for his vision and creativity, which greatly benefited the Chapel program this year. The music added a lovely element to the weekly gatherings.

s

Highlights from this Chapel performance series are showcased below:

OCTOBER 11

Patrick Powichrowski ’23 played “Ave Maria” on his violin. At this Chapel, students from the South Asian Student Society also made a presentation about two major Hindu festivals: Navratri and Diwali.

OCTOBER 25

OCTOBER 18

& & & & &

Thanks to the generosity of a donor, The Pennington School was delighted to welcome five musicians-in-residence, the Mirari Brass Quintet, to campus, and they performed in Chapel during their three day residency. Their visit also included both a performance for the community and time spent working closely with our musicians during classes and ensemble rehearsals.

Dr. Dolan played David

N. Johnson’s “Trumpet Tune in D” on the organ. This week’s Chapel recognized seniors inducted into the Pennington School chapter of the Cum Laude Society.

NOVEMBER 1

Middle School teacher and alumnus Tom Littwin ’12 performed a classical bass selection from Ernest Bloch’s From Jewish Life (1924) called “Prayer.”

NOVEMBER 7

Before their evening performance on November 14, the instrumental ensembles previewed their music during Middle School Chapel. They also played a preview for Upper School students the following day. The String Ensemble played the first and third movements from “Three Renaissance Dances,” arr. by Lloyd Conley: Allemande and Saltarello.

NOVEMBER 14

As a preview of this fall’s Vocal Concert, Pennington Singers performed “You Raise Me Up” by R. Løvland and B. Graham; arr. by J. Horan.

NOVEMBER 29

Jim Horan performed “O Come All Ye Faithful” (composer John Francis Wade) as the prelude; Lisa and Suzanne Houston performed “County Roads” (composers Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver) together as the postlude.

DECEMBER 5

The Middle School Singers performed a medley of traditional holiday songs at the Middle School Chapel, bringing cheer to all.

DECEMBER 6

The following day, Molly Nelson ’20 returned to campus to serenade us with Joni Mitchell’s “River.”

CUM LAUDE

Twelve Pennington School seniors were inducted as student members of the School’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society on October 18. Students inducted are within the top ten percent of their class, as determined by grade point average, and the School views selection for membership as one of the highest honors it can confer.

The new members of Pennington’s chapter of Cum Laude are Isabel Adams, Yuda Li, Benjamin Clabbers, Gloria Liu, Isabella Fermo, Chloe McKain, Gordon Grandbouche, Kyle Meinhart, Jinze Hong, Francesca Pendus, Beatrix Kim, and Dailan Xu.

Congratulations to these students on their hard work and academic achievement!

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

HOPES AND DREAMS

READ, RELAX, REJUVENATE

Students in the new MS elective Read, Relax, Rejuvenate took advantage of a beautiful fall day to read during class on the School’s new Lewis Brook Trail that was built last year by our own community members.

As their Pennington journey began in sixth grade, students in Mrs. Shaffer’s advisory began bonding immediately. This was evident in a photograph of them nestled inside their cubbies, and the pictures they shared with each other of their lives outside of school, including friends, families, and vacations. They reflected about their hopes for the year ahead. Marker to paper, they all thought carefully during those early days about their most important hope for the year to come, inscribed it, and enthusiastically jumped up on the outdoor classroom bench to pose for the snapshot.

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

The sixth-grade class has been able to foster a connection with a class in Kenya through the organization Creative Connections, and the two groups met virtually on October 4 to learn more about each other’s cultures. After introductions, pairs of students in each country presented artifacts—items they felt were important to them—and explained their significance. Pennington students learned about how Kenyan students brought water to their homes in dried gourds, and the Kenyan students learned about ice hockey, though they have never seen snow! The classes bonded over shared interests in pets and sports—particularly soccer. Students came forward at the end of the meeting to reflect on their time together. Everyone was grateful that technology allowed them to connect from around the world, with one Kenyan student putting it plainly, “It’s good to be friends.”

On November 8, the classes met again to talk about art they had made and learn more about each other’s lives.The meeting ended with an international, virtual dance party!

MS RETREATS

Being outside and away from campus gives students opportunities to stretch themselves and grow as individuals as well as a community. The entire Middle School went on a day-long retreat at the Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) on October 12. A couple of weeks later, Grade 8 students went on a two-day/one-night retreat also at the PBC. Their days were filled with adventure course games, low-ropes courses, hikes, and high-ropes courses. While the Grade 8 retreat added goals of perseverance and resiliencebuilding, both retreats aimed to grow communication skills, individual and group problem-solving abilities, collaboration, good citizenship skills, and team-building. Tackling challenges together can bring forth our more authentic selves, so students also got to know each other better. The experiences and work done on retreat and any time outside of the classroom bring positive benefits to the classroom as well as to students’ lives beyond Pennington.

LIFERS

On October 27, Pennington lifers Gracen, Zoe, Dray, Palmer, Alex, Patrick, and Jake visited the sixth-grade humanities class to discuss their journey from Middle School to Upper School. Some of the group dropped onto the bean bags in the classroom for old times’ sake before they departed.

HALLOWEEN & MONSTER MASH DANCE

Middle Schoolers celebrated Halloween with a Monster Mash Dance on Friday, October 28, and a parade on Monday, October 31.

DAY of the DEAD

Students in Spanish A finished their study of the Day of the Dead with a culminating project: creating altars to celebrate the life of someone famous or someone they know who had died.

SMILE SQUAD

Last year, in an effort to spread kindness on a regular basis and exercise their gratitude muscles, a small group of students, along with their advisor, began sharing their care to the community through random acts of kindness. The group decorated cubbies with kind words, “tinseled” the classroom doors, developed a teacher trivia Kahoot played at the end-of-year Community meeting, and created a bulletin board in support of Ukraine with flower petal contributions from all Middle School students. This year, Smile Squad blossomed into a membership of twelve, and the kindnesses have continued. Their first deed this year was decorating all Middle School cubbies for Halloween. This group reminds us all that “kindness is something that anyone can give without losing something themselves.”

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

The eighth-grade Global Perspectives class just finished their first installment of the researching and writing process. With the help of Laura Doughty, School librarian, they researched and discussed media bias, factual reporting standards, and author credibility. In the end, they learned about the importance of knowing where the news is coming from, whether it is on social media or through popular news networks, magazines, or newspapers. The topic of their research was fast fashion and the impact it has on people and the environment. Students used their research to create a short informational video about the topic.

OUTDOOR CLUB

Started a couple of years ago, the Outdoor Club became one of our first inter-seasonal activities, along with Walking Club. Middle School added inter-seasonal activities this year to provide additional after-school opportunities between the athletic seasons. Between the fall and winter seasons, Outdoor Club members spent most of their afternoons on bikes exploring the Pennington campus and local parks. They broke into small groups to find and map bike paths around campus, staying in contact with their walkie talkies. They wrapped up this session with a ride and Vito’s pizza.

BEYOND CLASSROOM

The Malawi Projects

are one way that Pennington students collaborate to make a contribution to the global community. Dozens of students work after school on a variety of projects designed to improve living conditions for refugees in the Dzaleka camp in Malawi, Africa. An enthusiastic group of students traveled there in June 2022 to deliver some of the items and find out more about how they can continue to help. A second trip is currently planned for June 2023.

Students refurbished iPads and delivered them, complete with educational apps, to students in Malawi.

Students have designed a water filtration system that uses local resources and a designed plastic part to filter gray water for reuse. Residents at Dzaleka live on less than 9L of water per day, and gray water makes up 60-80% of household waste water. The Pennington filter has the potential to significantly improve water supply at the camp, and the team is currently investigating how to produce the plastic part locally in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Menstrual hygiene is a big issue that keeps girls out of school for lack of proper products. Pennington students designed a hybrid sanitary napkin as well as a business model for young women in Africa to make and sell their own products, solving one problem and offering a self-sustaining means of earning an income. Go to www.wissppad.org to learn more about the project and to watch testimonials and project implementation videos.

Desks designed by Pennington students, built with sustainable materials, and produced to their specifications in a factory in Malawi, were picked up and delivered by the group in June.

Interested in learning more?

For the price of a cup of coffee ($5), you can listen to stories of teen refugees living in Malawi. The Untold Gallery was created by Pennington students to bring these stories to you. Find out why the refugees left their home country, what day-to-day life is like for them at the camp, and what their dreams are for the future. Pennington students conducted these interviews while they visited the refugee camp in June 2022. Prepare to be inspired! All proceeds from the Untold Gallery support the Malawi projects. https://www.untoldgallery.org/

Students “LEARN BY DOING” in the Pennington School Archives and Special Collections Room

The Archives and Special Collections Room, located within Meckler Library, offers a beautiful display of historic Pennington School artifacts and documents as well as active storage spaces. Our collections tell the long and storied history of The Pennington School and also provide students a rare opportunity to work firsthand with historical material and objects, which is an experience of great value in the increasingly digitized world. Unlike many archives, which are a repository of rarely seen documents, faded photos, and dusty objects, classes held in the Pennington School Archives are where “learning by doing” is required! As part of the history department, classes are offered in public history and honors thesis writing, which allow students to discover history for themselves and to share it with the larger community.

As seniors, students can take courses that take them deep into the world of history and primary documents. In two courses, entitled Interpreting School History and Exhibiting School History, students explore how archival materials and objects convey meaning on their own and, more importantly, as part of a larger collection. Using the School’s archives and collections, students are able to put their primary-source research skills to work finding and interpreting information from letters, ledgers, yearbooks, photographs, and other historical documents. Students create

exhibits, tours, and other visual and written information that encourage visitor engagement and enrich the larger community’s experience of the School’s Archives and Special Collections.

Honors Thesis Seminar is a class for juniors and seniors who wish to pursue serious academic research in history at the honors level, writing substantial papers that are submitted for publication. Students in this class use our archives as a lab to understand the process of research and how archives, with their rich resources, can be used to help us understand our past. Students may then choose to write their research papers on a topic concerning the School’s history. Recent topics include the history of the Cervone Center for Learning and the long history of international students at Pennington. Students gain further skills by engaging in interviews with alumni and collaborating with other departments on campus. The results of their efforts help us to weave a richer and more detailed narrative about our School’s history.

Our unique “working archives” give students the chance to do the work of historians in active and meaningful ways and provide them with unique research opportunities, writing, and communications skills that will benefit them in college and throughout their careers.

A School with a Real Heart

The Pennington School has a long and honorable history of openly embracing students and families from all backgrounds—religion, race, socioeconomic status— since its inception in 1838. This history is important to Pennington and integral to its mission of developing individual excellence in all of its students, and it is a point of pride for Pennington’s students and families, alumni and alumni parents, and all of its employees.

One of the most poignant stories in the School’s long history stands out—the story of two little boys, cousins, who arrived at The Pennington School during WWII. Their parents, terrified of the Holocaust unfolding in Europe and the implications for their Jewish families, sent their precious boys to the United States on a ship, not knowing exactly where they would end up or if they would ever see and hold their children again.

Adrift and alone, the boys first traveled from New York to Chicago, then to several other destinations, relying on the kindness of strangers at various schools to take them in and find them a seat in a classroom and a room in which to sleep. Unable to take a cent out of England because of the war restrictions and without any income or sponsor, the young boys were unable to stay anywhere for more than a few months before being uprooted again.

Finally, miraculously, they arrived at The Pennington School. Dr. Francis Harvey Green had recently retired but remained influential (as he has to this day) and very involved with the School as headmaster emeritus. The two little boys, Herman Martyn and his younger cousin Victor Barnett , were immediately swept up by Dr. Green and the School’s administrators and teachers and welcomed warmly into the community. Although Pennington was a Methodist school that (at the time) conducted religious chapel services on every school day and on Sundays, the fact that the boys were Jewish did not affect their status in the Pennington community, and they felt accepted and included in all aspects of School life. Living in the Lower School Lodge with its matron, Mrs. Conner, eating in the dining hall, going to classes with their peers, and engaging in athletics with Coach Harold Poore, who was the director of athletics, the two boys felt they had finally found an American home—and it was one they never forgot. They were placed together in seventh grade, although Victor was just nine or ten years old and Herman eleven or twelve, and they settled into a new life in New Jersey.

Photo above: Victor Barnett, about age 9, at The Pennington School with classmates and house mother Mrs. Conner in 1944.

one student’s transformational experience during World War II

—by Lori Lipsky

School Lodge: this building was the dormitory for all of the boys in Pennington’s Lower School (it was moved in 2015 to make way for the restoration of Wesley Alumni House); the younger Pennington boys enjoying group life under the sympathetic guidance of the house mother; Coach Harold Poore

The question of who would cover the boys’ tuition and expenses was never mentioned to them or to their parents—not at that time and not after the war when things had stabilized for the families. The Pennington School had invited them in because it was the right thing to do; it was then and still is now part of Pennington’s moral code for people to care for one another and to give back to those less fortunate. Dr. Green found nearby homeowners to take the boys during School breaks when the campus was closed, including one “vacation” on a local farm for Thanksgiving that inspired Victor and Herman to escape in the dead of night and head back to campus.

In order to preserve their dignity and encourage their budding independence, Dr. Green created small and simple tasks, such as sweeping the hallways or outdoor paths, that the boys could complete to earn a quarter each week. In this way, he enabled them to earn some spending money and put them on a similar footing to their peers. Entrepreneurial from a young age, Herman and Victor decided to start their own small business. Carrying their supplies through the narrow Pennington streets, they knocked on neighboring doors and offered to shine shoes. They were surprised by their early success, and their confidence grew along with the profits of their first business venture. On the occasion of Victor’s 80th birthday, Herman surprised him with a handsome, handmade shoeshine kit engraved to commemorate their first business together (see photo below of the kit, now ensconced in Pennington’s Archives and Special Collections Room, a gift from Victor to the School).

Shoeshine kit: Presented by Victor Barnett to former head of school Penny Townsend, in June 2014. The shoeshine kit was given to Victor by his older cousin, Herman Martyn. The box is inscribed, “Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of The Victor-Herman Shoe Shine Service, Pennington, New Jersey, 1943. Presented to the Co-Founder, Victor Barnett, on the occasion of his 80th Birthday by Co-Founder Herman Martyn, 5th April 2013.”

Photos from left to right, top to bottom: Former Headmaster Francis Harvey Green; Mrs. Conner; Lower

Although it is not clear now how Victor and Herman found their way to Pennington, it is certain that the School had a transformative effect on their lives. In a recent telephone call, Victor explained that he attended eleven schools before eventually graduating from Horace Mann in New York City, but that his time at Pennington was a “profound experience.” Of all the schools he attended, The Pennington School is the one that he thinks about most, though he spent less than two years here in total, and he is always eager to hear about how students experience Pennington today.

In recent years, before the Covid pandemic, he hosted groups of seniors interested in learning more about business as part of their Horizon experience. Victor and his wife, Helaine, graciously invited the students to a beautiful luncheon at their home and offered them much food for thought as well.

New York Reception a Huge Success Thanks to Victor Barnett

The New York City reception, hosted by Victor Barnett, was held on Monday, April 19, at the Metropolitan Club in New York City. The Metropolitan Club, called “the city’s grandest palazzo” by The City Review, was a remarkably beautiful venue for the event. Victor Barnett spoke eloquently about his years at The Pennington School, its effects on his character, and how wonderful it was to find a “safe haven” at the height of World War II. We are happy to have the opportunity to print the text of his remarks.

“At the end of 1938 and during 1939, as the darkness of World War II approached, German parents of Jewish heritage, with heavy hearts and tears in their eyes, gave to their children the gift of life and freedom, as they placed them on what became known as the kindertrains or kindercraft, to be taken to the hoped-for freedom and safety of Great Britain.

Victor, who was last on Pennington’s campus about forty years ago, hopes to visit the School this spring to see how it has changed since the 1980s when he last visited.

Barnett’s continued dedication to Pennington was evident when, in 2004, Victor and Helaine hosted a lovely reception in New York at the spectacular Metropolitan Club. Lyle Rigg was headmaster at the time, and he was delighted to welcome the Pennington community to this special event, where Victor spoke eloquently about his experience during World War II and the safe haven he discovered at The Pennington School. Victor’s remarks from the Metropolitan Club reception were originally printed in the Summer 2004 issue of Pennington Magazine and are reprinted here:

And likewise as dark clouds gathered over the British Isles in late 1939 and 1940, after the fall of Dunkirk, and after the beginning of the barely round-the-clock bombing of Great Britain, and the possibility of invasion and defeat seemed very real, children in the thousands and tens of thousands were sent across the ocean to the hoped-for freedom and safety of the United States of America.

My name is Victor Barnett and I was one of those children. The ship upon which I traveled to America, Duchess of Athol, was torpedoed upon its return voyage, as were all 12 other Cunard Duchess liners on similar Atlantic duty within the year.

Those were dangerous and scary times. My arrival in America was a momentous event for me at age 7, and the some three and a half years in this country were possibly the most colorful and memorable times of my life. This

Horizon experience: Victor with a group of Pennington seniors in 2019 in his New York City home

was a period I shall never forget, and a period that greatly influenced me.

After our ship landed we traveled from city to city, with no funds by way of support, searching for permanent shelter and a means of education. We applied everywhere for help and sustenance. And finally the heavens opened—I know not how—and we discovered The Pennington School in New Jersey, a true haven.

Tom Brokaw called Americans of that era ‘The Greatest Generation,” and that is how I felt and how I feel about The Penningtonians of that era…the very greatest.

Here you had a then just-over-century-old school, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church, headmastered by the renowned Dr. Francis Green, recognizing man’s responsibility to man, one’s responsibility to and for each other, opening its door and hearts to two little Jewish refugee boys. No special applications, no scholarships, and no ‘Who do you know’ to get us in. But just opening its doors and saying ‘Come in, come in. Stay with us. Learn with us. We will take care of you.’ Astonishing, just astonishing!

I remember warmly the love of Mrs. Conner, our house mother, and the true home she provided for us. I remember vividly Dr. Green and my teachers as they challenged us to learn. I remember Coach Poore as he challenged us to develop our bodies and to play and compete. And I even remember being encouraged to take a moment to stop and pray, in our own way, and to realize that there was perhaps a greater being above.

Most importantly, in such a stressful time of our lives, because of Pennington, we could laugh and sing, and, in our childlike way, be carefree. We were able, because of their grace, to retain our own self-respect, our own sense of worth and our own individuality. There were no strings attached, no conditions, nothing expected in return.

And then in May of 1944 in the middle of the night we were awakened, whisked to the Pennington Train Station; a train was flagged down, we were taken to New York City, somehow loaded as the only civilians onto the

100 percent troopship, HMS Mauretania, and brought back to England, landing just six days before D-Day and the beginning of the onslaught of the German buzz bombs. And my Pennington experience was at an end.

This is the 60th anniversary of my leaving Pennington, a school I shall never forget. Not only for its education and experience, but for what it represented to me as a caring and meaningful member of God’s community.

I am honored to be here today and to be able to welcome you to this Pennington reception. I thank you for allowing me to share with you, from my perspective, the kind of heritage, caring, and special nature of this unique institution, as seen through the eyes of a child and recalled through the memory of an alumnus, who was indelibly influenced by his experience.

I commend you for your support and participation, and I challenge you to enjoy directly, or through your children, the experience of, the special relations from, and the special character of this great school—a school with a real heart that takes itself beyond the standard parameters of traditional education and teaches us how to live our lives as members of the broader community.”

Helaine Barnett, former Pennington Headmaster Lyle Rigg, and Victor J. Barnett in 2004.

SHE KILLS

MONSTERS

by Qui Nguyen

Director’s Note

by Suzanne Houston

She Kills Monsters is likely a play you have never heard of; however, it is currently the second most-produced play at high schools and colleges around the world, just behind Our Town . Part of its popularity is the exploration of issues that many young people face today—family, loss, identity, friendship, otherness. Young people are drawn to this play because they see themselves in it. Qui Nguyen wrote this play as a tribute to a childhood friend who helped him assimilate to America from Vietnam, and eventually find his voice as a writer—all through playing Dungeons and Dragons. It is performed by hundreds of theatre groups a year. During the height of the pandemic, it was even reworked to be performed virtually. When I first read it, I fell in love with the characters, its humor, and the setting of the 90s. Even more important, I could see our students performing it.

Part of our process for this play was looking back at the 1990s for historical context; even though the 90s feel familiar to some faculty, it’s ancient history to our students! We researched 90s pop culture, what it was like to be a high schooler then, the similarities and differences, the fashion, and what it was like to be a gay teen or any kind of outsider. For many young adults in the 90s, it was an amazing era for music, TV shows, and films. You were able to drive more than one person in your car the day you got your driver’s license, and you didn’t have a cell phone. But for anyone on the outside of the norm, it wasn’t always that great. For all of the progress that took place in the 90s, gay teens were ostracized, bullied, and, in some cases, harmed or even killed. Our cast and crews had a difficult time wrapping their heads around that. We had conversations in rehearsal about how to deal with the 90s view of queerness, as well as other “outsiders” represented in the play. Faculty members Samantha Stern-Leaphart and Lisa Houston led a workshop with the entire company on representation and the themes in the play. And although this play includes big topics, it is most of all a play about people, some of whom happen to be gay, and some with other struggles in their lives. There is strength in the fact that the characters in the play can be whoever they want to be inside the game. They are strong, powerful, magical themselves. The game world is their escape, just as seeing a play or reading a story can be. For our drama students, putting on this play, or really any play, is their chance to shine, to enjoy themselves, to get the word out that the world is changing, and to recognize that this might feel uncomfortable at times, or it might feel triumphant. So, we all leaned into the story of Tilly and Agnes and all of their friends and their demons. We can all be safe and brave while making the world better.

INSTRUMENTAL CONCERT

On Monday, November 14, Dr. Donald Dolan conducted the School’s fall instrumental concert at 7:00 p.m. in the Stainton Hall Lecture Center. First the Orchestra performed “Allegretto” from L. van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 , arranged by Vernon Leidig. Then the String Ensemble performed Three Renaissance Dances, arranged by Lloyd Conley. This was followed by Pennington’s Instrumental Lab, which played “Turkish March” from The Ruins of Athens by Beethoven, arranged by Bruce Peterson. The Wind Ensemble then performed “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by G. Weiss, H. Peretti, and L. Creatore, arranged by Paul Cook. The Pennington Jazz Combo played “All the Things You Are” by Jerome Kern, and the Rock Ensemble followed with “Gingerbread Boy” by Jimmy Heath, arranged by Larry Dunlap. The evening’s final performance was Pennington’s Jazz Band, which played “Any Way You Want It” by Steve Perry and Neal Schon, arranged by Paul Murtha. A spectacular night of music was enjoyed by all who attended!

VOCAL CONCERT

The Fall Vocal Concert took place on December 7 in the Meckler Library Reading Room. Performers included the Middle School Singers, who gave a rousing rendition of a “We Will Rock You” medley before launching into the festive holiday favorite “My Favorite Things.” The Pennington Singers then sang “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” “Mary, Did You Know?” and “You Raise Me Up.” Pennington’s own a cappella group, SoundProof, then sang “As The World Caves In” before the Middle School Singers returned to perform “Rise Up Shepherd” and a “Do You Want To Build A Snowman?” medley. The evening concluded with the Pennington Singers and their version of “Celebrate Me Home”/“Christmas Time is Here.” A lovely night of music and camaraderie was enjoyed by students and audience alike.

The award-winning Mirari Brass Quintet performed at The Pennington School on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Engaging and eclectic, the Mirari Brass Quintet brings a spirit of joyful collaboration and innovation to music spanning many centuries and genres. The commissioners of multiple new works for brass, the group performs a spectacular tightrope act, balancing intensity with levity and refined virtuosity with pure fun. Through generous funding from Brenda Martini O’loughlin and Thomas O’loughlin P’19, The Pennington School brought this group to campus for three days as musicians-in-residence and shared the fun with the greater community by hosting a free, public concert on October 26 in the Meckler Library.

Founded in 2009, Mirari has performed extensively across the United States, forging connections with audiences through lively and polished performances. The group has performed and presented outreach programs in thirty states as well as held residencies at numerous universities including Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Kentucky, Ohio State University, Cornell University, SUNY-Potsdam, and many more. Mirari has also been featured at a number of major conferences and festivals including the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference, the International Trombone Festival, and the International Trumpet Guild Conference. In 2017, the group made their first international trip to China, performing concerts and presenting educational outreach programs in Beijing, Haerbin, Dalian, and Chongqing.

BRASS QUINTET

In addition to being outstanding performers, the members of the Mirari Brass Quintet share a unique passion for music education, and they are all collegiate professors of music. The group relishes and seeks out extended time to interact with young musicians by leading master classes, offering group and individual instruction, and presenting clinics on topics such as brass fundamentals, the art of chamber performance, and entrepreneurship. Through their educational endeavors, the Quintet examines all aspects of life as an artist and helps to foster the development of complete musicians. Individually, the group members have been on the faculty at colleges, universities, and music festivals and camps all over the United States and overseas.

SARAH PARADIS, trombone • PEYDEN SHELTON, trumpet • STEPH FRYE-CLARK, tuba • MATTHEW VANGJEL, trumpet • JESSIE THOMAN, horn

Photo: Pennington students Luke Nolte ’26 and Helmut Chen ’24 play trombone with Mirari trombonist Sarah Paradis.

PROLOGUE AP Studio Art Exhibition

Ibou Ndoye Leboone Lipone

Embracing this year’s School theme “ The Power of Stories,” we thought it appropriate to title this year’s first show PROLOGUE. A prologue in literature refers to a separate introduction of a literary work, and can also generally refer to an event or action that leads to another. In both cases, this title aptly describes the work in this exhibition. Last summer, each AP Studio Art artist responded

Born in West Africa’s most progressive capital city, Dakar, Senegal, Ibrahima Ndoye has combined modernism and traditionalism to create a style unique to himself. Ibrahima, commonly known as “Ibou,” grew up as the oldest child in a family of four boys in the suburbs of Dakar. Ibou’s mother made her living as a dressmaker while his grandmother worked as a tie-dye artist. Regularly surrounded by colorful African textiles and fabrics, it is not surprising that Ibou says he “socialized with art and cohabited with colors” from a very young age.

“The mediums I use to create my paintings resonate with the stories; that is the reason why I paint on glass windows, carpets, canvases, and whatever the environment provides. Patterns, forms, motifs, lines, signs, colors, and scraps of fabric are part of the visual language that enables me to articulate the stories of the voiceless.”

Embracing the shutdown of the pandemic as a time for him to vigorously create, much of the work in this show was made during the past three years and was shown to the public for the first time at Pennington’s exhibit. Ndoye’s art is inspired by stories from an immemorial oral tradition and African street scenes. “Leboone Lipone” is a Wolof call and response word that means “once upon a time.” This expression is used by storytellers to engage the community in artistic conversations, which is what Ndoye’s work does in this show.

A reception, open to the public, was held on Friday, October 21. Ndoye gave an artist talk about his work to the assembled group, and even spoke to Pennington’s Senegalese students in their native Wolof. He returned to the School to conduct gallery talks about themes and processes for visual art students. Ndoye also conducted talks in French to give our students learning French an opportunity to use their language skills in a real-world setting right on Pennington’s campus.

to a series of prompts and created visual reactions to each one, pulling from their own context and life experiences. Each series of work, along with the artist's statement, introduced viewers to the foundation or pre-story of that artist. This work also provided a variety of entry points for each student’s final portfolio. The prompts were designed as springboards to provoke ideas and encourage

complex thinking. After completing such an exercise, students are poised to more deeply consider the focus of their work, which leads to the creation of a very personal and skillful portfolio.

Below: Students gathered to celebrate the artists featured in this show on Friday, October 7, 2022.

Left to Right: TheFulaniFlutePlayer; the artist with PlayingChess,TheSpiritinMe (detail)

UPPER SCHOOL

FALL ATHLETICS

FOOTBALL

Coach: Jerry Eure ’75

Assistant Coaches: Blair Thompson, Adam Cooley, Dave Hallgren, and Michael Watkins

• One of the most improved teams in several years, making tremendous progress while playing a challenging schedule

• Won against Rye Country Day School for the first time ever

• Had a thrilling win over Peddie School

• Finished with a 6-3 record overall

• Leadership of the seven senior players helped carry the team

VARSITY CHEER

Coach: Kathy-Lynn Kelly

• The two youngest captains the team ever had produced the most cohesive dance/stunting routine Pennington has ever seen!

• Organized the Pep Rally and rocked the Homecoming routine

• Pink poms were added to the Pink Out with pink bows in proud support of breast cancer awareness month in October.

• Cheer games, cheer duels, and good fun were exchanged with the George School cheerleaders.

• Pennington’s Birdcage partnered with the cheerleaders and mascot to raise the fan base to the highest level of Pennington spirit.

GIRLS’ TENNIS

• Team finished as Prep B Champions

• Team finished third at MCTs

• Another winning regular season

• Polaris Hayes ’24 went undefeated while winning the MCTs and Prep B Championship at #2 singles.

• Praslin Hayes ’24 won the #1 singles Prep B Championship.

• Olivia and Grace Craig ’26 won the #2 doubles Prep B Championship.

• Lauren Decker and Amelie Halgan, both seniors, were exceptional captains and team leaders.

• Girls’ team ended with a 7-3 record

• Boys’ team ended with a 1-6 record

• Many personal best times set at the Peddie Invitational

• Ninth-graders Luke Nolte and Monte Huffman medaled at the Shore Coaches Invitational.

• Strong showing at Mercer County Freshman/ JV meet at Robbinsville High School

• Senior Perri Rubin, a first-year runner, placed 5th overall at the State Championship meet.

Coach: Richard Ritter Assistant Coach: Nick DeRosa

Coach: Ken Palumbo

GIRLS’ SOCCER

• Team had an undefeated season (17-0-1) for the second time in program history (over 40 years!)

• Brought home a 13th Mercer County Tournament Championship

• Won the program’s 21st State Prep Championship

• Seniors Reagan Amberson (captain), Ava Brass (captain), Ellie Fermo, and Abby Goodrich helped lead the team.

• Junior forward Morgan Kotch set a singleseason School scoring record with 40 goals.

• Kotch named Prep and Area Player of the Year, and Coaches Hawkey and Murphy named Prep Coaches of the Year by The Trentonian

Coaches: Bill Hawkey and Patrick Murphy ’80

ATHLETICS

FIELD HOCKEY

Thanks to all ofourfans! US

• Ended season with a 8-6-1 record

• Qualified for the MCT Championship Bracket, with wins over undefeated Hun and season win over Stuart

• Ava Vecchione ’23 and Emma Nelson ’24 were selected to the Prep B 1st Team.

• Students recognized by Central Jersey Field Hockey Coaches Association (CJFHCA):

1st Team — Vecchione

2nd Team — Nelson Honorable Mentions — Gracen Ward ’23 and Claire King ’23

• Sammy Lambdin ’24, in her first year ever playing goalie, had 100 saves on the season!

• High-scorer Gracen Ward ’23 had 12 goals, and sophomore Devan Tirendi was close behind with 10.

Coach: Wendy Morris Assistant Coach: Lauren Hocquaux

BOYS’ SOCCER

Coach: Chad Bridges ’96

Assistant Coaches: Sean Davies and Ryan Stokes

• Finished season with a 14-4-1 record

• The team was led by seniors Nick Kempe, Conor Coyne, Juan Borges, Naseer Stevenson, Elias Di Bello, Phil Ross, Ricky Li, Ricky Porras, Evan Levy, Wolfie Meinhart, and Patrick Riley.

• Won 7th straight and 8th overall Mercer County Tournament

• Finished the season #1 in Mercer County and NJISAA Prep A Finalist

• Students named to NJISAA Prep A First Team — Nick Kempe ’23, Conor Coyne ’23, and Kieran Karp ’24

The

Pennington School joins the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL)

The Pennington School Athletics Department is pleased to announce that the School has been approved by the members of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League for entry into the MAPL beginning in the fall of 2023. As stated in its mission:

“The Mid-Atlantic Prep League was founded to unite independent schools with similar academic and athletic philosophies with the goal of fostering healthy athletic rivalries, meaningful competition, and the values of sportsmanship. The league will explore other options for enhancing student and faculty interaction beyond the athletic arena in order to support the mission of the league and foster the educational goals of the institutions.”

The Pennington School will join Blair Academy, The Lawrenceville School, The Hun School, The Peddie School, Mercersburg Academy, and The Hill School in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League. All of our Upper School varsity and junior varsity teams will participate in the league, which will allow them to play a competitive schedule with schools holding similar academic and athletic perspectives. Pennington athletes will continue to participate in the NJISAA State tournament and Mercer County Tournament when appropriate. You can learn more about the MAPL at maplathletics.com.

New TEAM mascot!

In the last Pennington Magazine, we announced that Pennington's athletic teams are now named the Red Hawks. We are working on a new mascot logo to go along with the name change.

logo design competition

If you are an artist or designer and feel inspired, please send your ideas for a new mascot logo to communications@pennington.org by March 10, 2023! All logo designs must include a rendering of the red-tailed hawk and the words "Red Hawks" and either "Pennington" or "The Pennington School." All ideas submitted will become the property of The Pennington School and there is no compensation for any of the artwork submitted or used by The Pennington School.

Holiday spirit shines bright at Pennington

When students and faculty and staff returned to campus following Thanksgiving break, they were greeted by beautiful holiday decorations, including a magnificent live tree courtesy of Parents for Pennington.

The annual service of Lessons and Carols was celebrated on December 13. Pennington’s brass and string ensembles performed, along with the jazz band and some special guest musicians. Vocals were provided by the Middle School Singers, the Pennington Singers, and SoundProof. Interspersed with the carols were readings by faculty and students from both Middle and Upper School.

The Middle School celebrates the holidays with its own traditions each year, as well. In their Community Meeting on December 6, faculty members Dr. Elmore and Ms. Cusack shared the customs of Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, and students participated by lighting the ceremonial candles. They were invited to join the PJC Hanukkah party on December 14 and held a celebratory holiday party that included theatre and music performances as well as a Secret Snowflake gift exchange on December 16.

The Pennington Jewish Community Club (PJC) hosted its annual Hanukkah celebration on the morning of Wednesday, December 14, in the Silva Gallery of Art. An annual event, the party shared holiday traditions and invited everyone in the Pennington School community to enjoy latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot(jelly doughnuts), compete in dreidel tournaments, and decorate their own dreidels. A klezmer band, organized by Garrett Hardt ’24, played live music throughout the event with Garrett on the tuba, Jai Raman ’24 on tenor saxophone, Lucas Medina ’25 on the piano, and Patrick Powichrowski ’23 on the violin.

LESSONS & CAROLS HANUKKAH

HOMEFRONT HOLIDAY

This year, students at Pennington once again partnered with HomeFront, a not-for-profit organization working to end the cycle of poverty, to provide support to local families and individuals in need during the holidays. This is the twenty-eighth year that the School has banded together to demonstrate our care and commitment to members of the larger Mercer County community during the traditional season of giving.

The HomeFront Holiday event is a Schoolwide endeavor organized by the Peer Leaders and faculty leaders Erin O’Connell and Nate Van Yperen. Students, faculty, and staff “did their bit” and put together large bags bursting with holiday warmth. Advisories, offices, and families signed up to sponsor families and bring in donations. The bags included toiletries, toys, masks, blankets, activities, and more, sent together with personal holiday wishes. Packages were created for 80 families and 180 individuals in total. In addition to the holiday bags, the School ran a coat drive in December, collecting new and lightly used outerwear for men, women, and children. Money earned from the December Barnes & Noble book fair, organized by the Junior Proctors, also purchased books to put under the tree at HomeFront’s Ewing campus.

On Thursday, December 15, students and faculty finished collecting and packing the bags, and brought two buses full of generous gifts to HomeFront the following day. Although the pandemic changed the broader outlines of this event, the Peer Leaders helped decorate the HomeFront campus with ornaments donated by ninth-graders and decorations created by Middle School students and ensured that all participating families would enjoy a wonderful start to the holiday season.

YOUNG ALUMNI INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHTS

Our young alumni are pursuing their career goals and exploring possibilities with some impressive college internships. Here is a look at four recent graduates who shared more about their recent internship experiences from this past year.

How did you find your internship?

KEVIN DURFEE ’19

Lafayette College | Mechanical Engineering Major Internship in Mechanical Design at ASML

I met an alumnus from Lafayette who is currently employed at ASML. He shared his experience working there and explained to me some of the amazing technological advancements that ASML has achieved in the semiconductor industry. He helped me get my foot in the door.

What work and projects have you undertaken as part of your internship?

I worked on developing new designs and optimizing existing tools. One of my main tasks focused on interfacing. With the massive scale, elaborate design, and nanometer precision of the ASML lithography machines, assembling all the components and ensuring that they interfaced together was crucial.

RYAN HARRIS ’19

Vassar College | Economics Major Internship in Wealth Management (Summer Analyst) at Morgan Stanley

I found my internship through Vassar’s alumni network and the connections I made during my first two years of college. I was responsible for creating presentation materials for the private markets team at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Other duties included weekly database updates, assisting with project management tasks, and working with external consultants.

What have you learned from this internship?

What advice do you have for Pennington students who want to pursue similar types of internships during college?

I expanded and applied my knowledge of engineering and design and learned about lithography and semiconductors. Being able to work in a concurrent engineering environment also proved to be advantageous and served as an excellent opportunity to practice navigating an industry that is evolving. Get an early start looking into undergraduate research or project team opportunities at your college. Employers love to see this experience, especially for those interested in STEM field internships. At Lafayette, I’m a member of the Formula SAE Motorsports team (along with fellow alumnus Avery Sichel ’22), where we design and build race cars. During my interview, I was asked in-depth questions about that and believe it is one of the reasons I was selected for this internship.

An important component of the internship was attending a senior speaker series where I listened to senior executives at the firm talk about their career paths. They were a wealth of information, and I learned about the challenges they faced and their advice for those of us starting out in the same industry.

Talk to as many people as you can about what they do, whether it is alumni, parents of friends, or older students who have completed their internships. Connecting with other alumni and knowing people in this field helped me demonstrate my strong interest in this work during the interview process.

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

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ARI KULKA ’19

University of Florida | Accounting Major

Internship in Forensic and Litigation at FTI Consulting

After my junior year, I wanted more experience in business and applied for several internships at well-regarded firms. I became interested in the forensic and litigation consulting sector and interviewed with FTI for an internship on their risk and investigation team.

I worked on cases where we reviewed financial statements, emails, and other evidence that may implicate fraud or embezzlement. One of the most interesting tasks was reverse-engineering financial statements and reconciling clients’ documents.

LINDY LIU ’20

Cornell University | Art History, German Studies Major

Internship with Sotheby’s Shanghai

I applied to be a business analyst in Sotheby’s Shanghai office online. I had two rounds of interviews with HR and the administration team.

instagram.com/thepenningtonschool instagram.com/doc.hawk

I maintained the financial databases and office operations for the China team in the administration department and facilitated the compensation and recruitment analytics for human resources. I also prepared files for the Chinese Work of Art Department premium collections upcoming auctions and as requested by clients.

I gained the trust of my superiors by completing my work and showing enthusiasm in helping and learning from others. I was successful because I solved problems efficiently, took advantage of every moment, and showed eagerness in my work. I learned that effort is the key to earning respect. The letter of recommendation I received from FTI helped me to get into my master’s program, an important step in my career path to becoming a CPA.

Start making connections right away. As soon as you are settled in at college, attend career fairs and meet with professors during their office hours. Even if putting yourself out there is not natural for you, going outside of your comfort zone will only help you grow and understand yourself better.

I learned about the detailed processes in the art auction industry. In addition to applying my knowledge of art history, I was exposed to and developed best practices in office management and data analytics for daily affairs. This internship allowed me to improve my communication skills by working with colleagues in various departments.

STUDENTS!

I think interdisciplinary programs offered in college are a great way to explore your interests. I would encourage making the most of resources on campus like career development offices. Try some new things; it is exciting, and you might find new career paths and great opportunities.

CLASS NOTES

PHOTOS: 1. Ellie Jarboe ’14 (daughter of Director of Admission and Financial Aid Sharon Jarboe) and Sam Goldberg ’12 were joyfully married on September 10, 2022, on Long Beach Island, NJ. 2. Dustin Vile ’09 and Rachel Costas ’14 were married on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at Philadelphia Distilling. 3. John Wright ’02 was married to Kelly A. Lenarski of Hopewell, NJ on August 5 on the beach in Cape May. 4. Alix Samuel ’11 married her college sweetheart Mark Orans in Princeton, NJ at Updike Farmstead on June 4, 2022. 5. Marly Faherty ’08 married Doug Crisona this past spring in California and had a wonderful group of Pennington friends in attendance. 6. Julia M. Helms ’07 married Justin Doyle in October 2022. 7. Alexandra Jingoli ’11 (daughter of Trustee and alumnus Michael Jingoli ’85) married Kevin Smolar ’12 (son of alumnus Tom Smolar ’76) on November 11, 2022. 8. Brielle Wilson ’09 married Chris Tolmeijer on April 30, 2022, at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, FL. 9. Madeline Scherer ’10 married Nicholas Bolton on September 24, 2022, in Spring Lake, NJ. 10. Cyril Akita ’09 with his wife and children, Kenzie and Jaxon. 11. Lauren Ellerson Smart ’07 welcomed a new addition to the family! Remi Lynn Ellerson was born on August 13, 2022. 12. Buddy Gardineer ’07 and wife Gabi welcomed all 8 lbs. 11 oz. of son Charles Maximilian Gardineer (Max) on October 28, 2022, at 11:46 p.m.!

and new arrivals!

1960s

Edward Asher ’63 retired from a long career in real estate development. He reinvented himself as “The Doctor,” an on-air personality at thebluegrassjamboree.com. He is on the air every Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. with his show, “Classic Country with The Doctor!”

1970s

Tom Preston ’64 celebrated 53 years of marriage in June 2022. This past July, he and his wife Susan moved from their home of fifty years in western NY to Midlothian, VA. They are enjoying their new home and wonderful neighbors. Tom has been enjoying retirement—spending time with his five grandsons, traveling, and learning the art of woodworking. He and Susan both remain in good health and are looking forward to this next chapter of life in Virginia.

Bill Balderston ’65 has been living in Oakland, CA for nearly forty years. He was visiting his family in New Jersey on a regular basis until the pandemic. He has been a high school teacher for over thirty-two years and is now semi-retired but still in the classroom in nearby Alameda, CA.

Jeff Sickles ’66 volunteers as a dog walker for the Pet Pals No Kill Animal Shelter in St. Petersburg, FL. His home was in the path of Hurricane Ian, but, other than damage to his car, he and his wife came out of the storm safely.

Bill Cronheim ’68 celebrated fifty years of his business, Entertainment Systems Corporation, in January. It’s a full service production company that offers sound, lighting and video rentals, sales, installation, and events.

Clara Hsu Ma ’75 created a music video with the Glammas Wrap on YouTube. The Glammas Wrap is an artistic bilingual collaboration between Clara Hsu (poet), Colleen Quen (couture), Greg Landau (Grammy-nominated music producer), and Wangyuxuan Xu (cinematographer), and was performed by the Grant Avenue Follies, a cabaret troupe composed of women ages 66 to 87. The Glammas Wrap celebrates the richness of the Chinese American experience through music, language, fashion, and dance.

1980s

Patrick Hagerty ’82 recently joined Epicor Software as the senior manager of customer service with responsibilities for support teams in the United States, Mexico, and India. Patrick and his husband Joseph recently celebrated their five-year anniversary and are planning to build a container home in Bucks County, PA. The photo is from their trip to Newquay, UK to visit with Joseph’s family.

Marah Garry Walsh ’82 led a trip to Alaska for three families which included Pennington alumnae Kristy Tan ’81, Hope Walsh ’19, and Trinity Pryor ’21

David Carroll ’84 relocated from the Columbus, OH area to Raleigh, NC in July 2022. He loves being just two hours from the beach and the mountains.

1980s

Jane Bott Childrey ’89 has experienced a difficult year with the passing of her husband, Wyc. Her family held a touching memorial service to celebrate his life on their 26th wedding anniversary in May 2022. Jane and her family are thankful for the many Pennington friends who have surrounded them with love during this time.

Kate Winkler ’89 was joined by fellow Pennington alumnae this past summer for a casual night out in Charlotte, NC at The Village Tavern. The group included Lily Childrey ’18 , Jane Childrey ’89, Stacy Mackin Melton ’07, and Tasha Barclay ’86

1990s

Zachary Mannheimer ’95 started his company, Alquist 3D, two years ago. The business aims to solve the housing shortages in economically distressed communities by creating a new workforce and dropping the cost to construct a home. Last year, they 3D-printed their first two homes to be owner-occupied in Virginia. They planned to print two more homes with Habitat for Humanity in Newport News, VA. Alquist is in a funding phase and has plans to expand to other states in 2023.

Julia Kara Martinson ’99 took a new job as a caregiver for senior citizens with Always Best Care Senior Services of South Philly. She loves working with the senior population and being a caregiver. She enjoys living in Center City Philadelphia near Rittenhouse Square.

2000s

Matt Zinsser ’00 completed the Atlantic City Ironman this past September in 7 hours and 42 minutes. He is a former 500-yard swimming competitor for Pennington. He not only continues to swim, but also enjoys challenging his golf skills on championship courses like Spyglass and Pebble Beach.

John Wright ’02 was married to Kelly A. Lenarski of Hopewell, NJ on August 5 on the beach in Cape May, and the couple recently moved to Lawrenceville, NJ. (See photo #3 on page 60.)

Left to right: Kate Winkler ’89, Lily Childrey ’18, Jane Childrey ’89, Stacy Mackin Melton ’07, Tasha Barclay ’86.

2000s CONTINUED...

Kylee Rossi Flynn ’05 was named as the fourth head women’s soccer coach at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. She has overseen an impressive run of success as an assistant coach for ten seasons at MU, including the last six as associate head coach. She has been instrumental to MU winning eight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season titles and qualifying for six NCAA Tournaments since 2013.

Will Carey ’06 ran the TCS New York City Marathon on November 6, 2022, in a little over 3 hours (3:05:16 to be exact)! He ran alongside his fellow W.P. Carey Inc. employees in partnership with the W.P. Carey Foundation and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Buddy Gardineer ’07 and wife Gabi welcomed all 8 lbs. 11 oz. of son Charles Maximilian Gardineer (Max) on October 28, 2022, at 11:46 p.m.! Max and mom are doing well! (See photo #12 on page 61.)

Julia M. Helms ’07 married Justin Doyle in October 2022. The couple lives in their new home in Yardley, PA. (See photo #6 on page 60.)

Lauren Ellerson Smart ’07 welcomed a new addition to the family! Remi Lynn Ellerson was born on August 13, 2022.

Noa is excited to be a big sister! (See photo #11 on page 61.)

Jesal Trivedi ’07 was tapped by Ford Motor Company to lead their next generation product team focused on creating new mobility products and services for rideshare, autonomous, and electric vehicles. He is excited to contribute his experience and skills to the next generation of transportation!

Marly Faherty ’08 married Doug Crisona this past spring in California and had a wonderful group of Pennington friends in attendance: Coleman Betlyon ’10, Jes Therkelsen ’98, Rebecca Wardell ’07, Jack Faherty ’14, John McComb ’07, Ava Therkelson Kuhlen ’01, Bayard Gardineer ’07, Maggie Wardell ’10, and Alison Cuccia ’07. (See photo #5 on page 60. Photo credit: Jasmine Fitzwilliam)

Dustin Vile ’09 and Rachel Costas ’14 were married on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at

Philadelphia Distilling. Former Pennington chaplain and faculty member the Rev. Chuck Coblentz officiated at the wedding, which was full of Pennington alumni and parents. The happy couple resides in Santa Monica, CA. (Also see photo #2 on page 60.)

Brielle Wilson ’09 married Chris Tolmeijer on April 30, 2022, at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, FL. The happy couple resides in Jersey City, NJ. (See photo #8 on page 61.)

Cyril Akita ’09 is married with two children, Kenzie and Jaxon. He and his family reside in Atlanta, GA, and he is an aftersales market manager for Genesis Motor America. (See photo #10 on page 61.)

Cameron MacMillan ’09 made a big career step. He was named vice president of engagement and innovation at Celebrated Experiences, a fifty-person luxury travel company that specializes in vacation planning to the United Kingdom, Wales, Ireland, and Italy.

Pictured from left to right: Wendy Vile and former Trustee Tim Vile P’07 ’09 ’12 ’15, Lee Whipple ’09, Hank Littlefield ’09, Rev. Chuck Coblentz, Evan Vile ’12, Mike Allen ’09, Kim Gravalis ’09, Dustin Vile ’09 (groom), Rachel Costas-Vile ’14 (bride), Andrew Vile ’07, Julia Barbuscio ’14, former faculty member Stephanie DeSouza P’15, Danny Silva ’09, Margaret Sproul P’14 ’15, and Heather and Gerard Kunkel P’08 ’13.

ALUMNI REGIONAL GATHERINGS

Young Alumni Meet-Up in New York City

In September 2022, young alumni from the New York City area attended a casual gathering. Hosted by Steven Hawkey ’12, Terry Choi ’13, and Clare Long ’16, alumni representing classes from 2011 to 2020 gathered at Rosa Mexicano in Union Square to catch up, share favorite Pennington memories, and enjoy a night of delicious food and drink!

[Photo L to R: Nyhsere Woodson ’17, Megan Long ’18, Lily Childrey ’18, Julia Miller ’18, Andrea Amaro ’17, and Robert O’Connell ’16]

Young Alumni Meet-Up in Boston

This past November, eleven young alumni joined together for a night of fun at Pennington’s first-ever Young Alumni Meet-Up in Boston. Attendees shared a drink at Dillon’s, talked about their lives since graduation, and made some new memories.

[Photo Front Row L to R: Avani Prakash ’22, Max Close ’22, Elizabeth Adams ’21, Kira Cafferty ’21, and Horacio Cruz-Mendoza ’19; Back Row Pictured L to R: Missy Paragamian ’14, Emily Paragamian ’12, Kira Botelho ’16, Josh Song ’21, Tarun Kumar ’21, and Thomson Estabrook ’19]

New York City Holiday Reception

The annual New York City Holiday Reception, a beloved winter tradition for the Pennington community, took place in December at the Electric Room at Dream Downtown. Over a hundred alumni, parents, friends, and faculty members joined in the festivities! The event, generously sponsored by Mary Ross P’23, brought together friends new and old and ushered in the holiday spirit.

2010s

Madeline Scherer ’10 married Nicholas Bolton on September 24, 2022, in Spring Lake, NJ. The couple went through an unimaginable time leading up to their wedding. On June 1, 2022, Nick underwent brain surgery, and has since been diagnosed with brain cancer. (See photo #9 on page 61.)

Anita Dam ’11 was a recipient of the State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship in 2017 for Bangla. Due to her achievement, she was invited to attend a special dialogue session on U. S. -India Higher Education on April 12, 2022, at Howard University. The session’s distinguished guests included Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Alix Samuel ’11 married her college sweetheart Mark Orans in Princeton, NJ at Updike Farmstead on June 4, 2022. They met at the University of Michigan on the first day of Spanish class their first year and have been together ever since. (See photo #4 on page 60.)

Ellie Jarboe ’14 (daughter of Director of Admission and Financial Aid Sharon Jarboe) and Sam Goldberg ’12 were joyfully married on September 10, 2022, on Long Beach Island, NJ. They met at Pennington in 2009 and became friends who started dating seven years ago. (See photo #1 on page 60.)

Robert Liam McNeil ’17 was sworn in as a police officer in October 2022 and will be working with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC.

Lily Childrey ’18 graduated from UNC Chapel Hill and is now working at Goldman Sachs in New York City.

Alexandra Jingoli ’11 (daughter of Trustee and alumnus Michael Jingoli ’85 and granddaughter of the late Joseph Jingoli, Sr. ’53) married Kevin Smolar ’12 (son of alumnus Tom Smolar ’76) on November 12, 2022, at Jasna Polana in Princeton, NJ. The wedding party included Joseph Alesio ’12 , Sam Goldberg ’12 , Steven Hawkey ’12 , Joseph Jingoli ’15, Katelyn Smolar ’13, Keith Smolar ’08, and Adrienne Tosti ’07. Many Pennington alumni, parents, and friends attended the ceremony to celebrate the merging of these two legacy families. (See photo #7 on page 61 and story on page 26.)

Lauren Brown ’15 recently moved with her partner from Boston, MA to Denver, CO on the first leg of what will be two years of living in five different states across the US. After their stint in Colorado, they will be living in Kealakekua, HI, Salt Lake City, UT, Bend, OR, and Seattle, WA.

Thomas Horsley ’16 joined sister Kat Horsley ’18 and father and faculty member Tom Horsley P’14 ’16 ’18 as members of the Toros Adult Ice Hockey Team to play against the Mooseknucklers, a team that includes alumnus Nick Hill ’07 and Pennington staffer Rob Harris. The Toros won the game, perhaps because they had three Pennington representatives versus two!

Catherine Carnevale ’17 is the assistant women’s soccer coach at Montclair State University after playing there for five years.

Madelyn Seibel ’18 was named the 2022 IWLCA Division III Scholar-Athlete of the Year for lacrosse. Madelyn graduated summa cum laude from Gettysburg College in 2022, with a major in physics and minors in mathematics and business. Her lacrosse team was ranked second in the nation last season and were Centennial Conference Champions. She also earned All-Conference Academic Honor Roll three times and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. She earned the Dr. George Miller-Dr. Richard Mara Senior Prize in Physics and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Chi Omega. She currently attends Northwestern University Graduate School for engineering.

Nicholas D’Amour ’19 is the US Open Champion in archery. Last year, he triumphed against the legendary Brady Ellison in the Men’s 2022 US Open Recurve Archery Championship in Malvern, PA. D’Amour shot tens in eight out of nine shots to secure the gold medal.

Sydney Gibbard

’19 is the student body president in her senior year at Penn State University and was the final speaker at the Class of 2026 convocation ceremony in the fall. Gibbard shared anecdotes from her first year at Penn State and echoed previous speakers’ emphasis on personal growth to the audience of over ten thousand people. She ended the night by leading the first-year class in a rousing “We Are” chant.

Austin Shah ’19 and Chris Auld ’90 connected during Shah’s summer 2022 internship at Stifel, where Auld is a managing director. In addition to both being Pennington alumni, Shah currently attends Vanderbilt University, Auld’s alma mater.

2020s

Stas Korzeniowski ’21 is sharpening his soccer skills as a team member at the University of Pennsylvania. He and his teammates had a great season this year as their program was ranked 16th in the country when this magazine went to press. He was tied for first on the team for points with eight goals and six assists. As a first-year student, Korzeniowski was named an All-Ivy Honorable Mention.

Trinity Pryor ’21 visited with Emily Waters, a former Kent College of Canterbury student who visited Pennington as part of the exchange program in Middle School, in NYC. Their friendship began so long ago and still continues to be strong today!

Daisy Hutnik ’22 was selected as one of the thirteen first-year students in the 2022 cohort of the National Scholars Program at Clemson University. She was selected in part for her commitment to leadership and service, and she continues to be involved in extracurricular activities at Clemson.

Rafa Ponce De Leon ’22 bolstered Villanova’s men’s soccer team as an addition to the final roster. He was added in July 2022 as an incoming first year.

In Memoriam

John O. Grimm ’38

Karolyn R. Poynter S’44

Donald W. Brown ’47

Benjamin H. Cranston ’47

Dwight J. Duryea ’47

Jay R. Hodes ’47

Robert M. Housekeeper ’47

Harris W. Lewine ’47

George Terrat ’47

James R. McKee, Sr. ’48

Alfredo Leon ’49

Russell M. Shivers ’49

Robert K. Smyth ’49 FT

Robert W. Handley ’50

Walter C. King ’54

Fred B. Hazlett ’56

Jeanie Hazlett S’56

James L. Krause, Jr. ’62

Joseph W. McCormick ’62

Doris M. Ursic P’69 GP’98 ’01

Robin Sophonpanich P’73

Craig A. Woods ’73

Barbara Harman P’76

Hilda L. Bastecki P’80 GP’04 ’14

Michael T. Natale ’81

Elizabeth J. Garry P’82 GP’19 FF

Cebrina C. Eke ’85

David S. Kern ’86

Emanuel Wolf P’87

Stephen Baldwin ’89

Elizabeth Gervasoni S’91

Priscilla Rucks P’01

Matthew C. Damico ’06

Mina Oundjian GP’09 ’11 ’14 ’17

Kenneth J. Huth GP’12

Jack Gardiner GP’13 ’14 ’21

Lawrence O. Graham P’21

Virginia Peckham GP’21 ’24

Marie Hutnik GP’22 FF

Philip A. Urban ’22

Neil Vander Borght GP’23 ’25

Purification Torrero Manas GP’27

Ross Contiliano FF

Emil Bretzger FF

Ralph Veenstra FF

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

P–Parent; GP–Grandparent; S–Spouse; FF–Former Faculty/Staff ; FT–Former

ThePenningtonSchoo l ScholarshipClassic

The Pennington School Scholarship Classic

June 12, 2023

The Bedens Brook Club, Skillman, NJ

Golf, tennis, pickleball, lunch, auctions, prizes...this event has it all!

Come join us on the links and courts for the annual Scholarship Classic. Treat yourself to a day of fun in the sun while supporting student scholarships at Pennington. All experience levels are welcome.

We hope to see you there!

Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

For more information on registration and event sponsorships, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Jane Bott Childrey ’89 at jane.childrey@pennington.org.

Platinum