Middle School Athletics Spirit Week For the first time, the Middle School held Athletics Spirit Week from October 27-29, leading up to Friday Night Lights (October 30). “In the past, there were Spirit Days throughout the school year when individual teams requested dress down days,” explains Middle School Dean of Students Barrington Fulton. “Some of the captains suggested a week for the whole Middle School, so now there is a chance for equity. Some teams may not have been aware they could request a Spirit Day, so this was an opportunity for all teams and all students, not just those students who are on a team.” The schedule of Spirit Days was based on game days, since all Middle School teams had a game during the week. Grade 6 also had a Spirit Day, practicing Mega-V Ball on the football field prior to playing the game during halftime of Friday Night Lights; Mega-V Ball, a popular part of Middle School Director of Athletics Gerry Vanasse’s Mega-V Summer Day Camp, is a faster, more exciting version of dodgeball.
Cum Laude Society Inductions As part of the Upper School Fall Awards Assembly on September 25, Pingry welcomed its 13 newest members of the Cum Laude Society. Established in 1906 as the secondary school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa (the country’s oldest collegiate honor society), The Cum Laude Society honors academic excellence and scholarship among its 382 member schools, and it recognizes individuals who demonstrate a love of learning and respect for honor, integrity, and character. Membership in this prestigious academic organization is limited to 20 percent of each Pingry Class, with half elected as juniors and half elected as seniors. Pictured from the Class of 2016: Brad Hong, Charles Zhu, Victoria Morin, Rachel Wu, Kathryn Coyne, Mark Shtrakhman, Holly Butrico, Dillon Noone, Alexa Buckley, Sophia Cortazzo, Reshmi Kotla, Aaron Cooper, and Jackson Artis.
Dr. Pingry’s Birthday Pingry celebrated the birthday of our School’s founder on Friday, September 25, one day before his actual birthday. As part of the festivities, students could answer three questions about Dr. Pingry for a chance to win a prize in honor of his 197th birthday.
AFS Student: Gian Marco Visani Pingry’s partnership with AFS (American Field Service) brings an exchange student to the School each year, and the 2015-16 AFS student is Gian Marco Visani from Faenza, Italy. Along with his warm welcome by the Pingry community, Gian Marco has two families to support him during his 10-month stay: his host family, Flavio Mansi and Patricia CerisolaMansi, whose son Flavio is in Grade 7, and his AFS family (he is one of this year’s 37 New Jersey AFS students from around the world). The Mansi family has helped ease Gian Marco into American culture—Flavio has given him insights into being a new student at Pingry, and, given their shared custom of late-evening meals (the Mansis moved to New Jersey from Mexico City), the family’s late dinner hour helped to make him feel at home. Pictured: Gian Marco Visani and Upper School French teacher Kelly Jordan P ’04, ’06, Pingry’s AFS Advisor since 1994, at a welcome party on September 24. WINTER 2015-2016
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