A Culture of Teaching Excellence: A Journey Through Part II of Peck's Strategic Plan

A Culture of Teaching Excellence

A journey through Part II of Peck’s Strategic Plan

A Culture Teaching Excellence of

We commit to creating a faculty culture of ongoing growth and development and to rewarding teaching excellence.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

The second in our three-part series tracing the implementation of our 2015 Strategic Plan, this issue highlights how high-quality, inspired teaching practices lead to a dynamic learning environment and strong adult role models for today’s Peck students. We continue with Part II: A Culture of Teaching Excellence.

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A Roadmap Through the 7 Aspirations of

A DYNAMIC TEACHING AND LEARNING CULTURE

We resolved in the 2015 Strategic Plan to ensure that the growth mindset flourishes at Peck by establishing ongoing faculty growth and professional development as an institutional priority. Teachers who approach their own professional development with creativity, inspiration, and perseverance become role models for their students, who are developing the agency and excitement needed for a lifetime of learning.

One such framework for growth is the faculty Deep Dive—a self-directed yearlong process that promotes profound personal development, self-reflection, and a ‘ripple effect’ of innovation and energy in the classroom.

MODERN TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHING TECHNIQUE

At Peck, technology in the classroom isn’t an end unto itself. Technology is merely an aid, like any other classroom tool, used to enhance the process of learning. When used strategically, technology can push students to explore new worlds and help teachers find inventive ways to present subject matter. Peck’s 2015 Strategic Plan aspires to equip all teachers with the appropriate technologies to enhance presentation, facilitate collaboration, and ignite discussion. Ultimately, the right tools can prompt students to become creators of their own original content.

LEARNING IN

a committee of teachers devised a tailored reflection and growth staff at various stages reimagines faculty goal-setting best encourage and support picture’—take risks, push perspectives and reflect—while mission-centric. Faculty ‘stretchy’ goals and spark within a framework observation, and collaboration.

of Part II of the Strategic Plan

process for professional growth that can serve faculty and in their career. This process goal-setting and evaluation to support teachers to think ‘big push themselves, find fresh reflect—while also remaining Faculty are emboldened to set spark innovation and creativity that balances reflection, observation, documentation, collaboration.

STUDENTS AT THE CENTER

AGILE CURRICULAR REVIEW AND REFLECTION

Peck has always operated under the philosophy that ongoing curricular review and reflection is imperative to remaining mission-focused. The 2015 Strategic Plan takes this concept to the next level. The review and reflection process has evolved to become more open, adaptable, and organic within Peck’s teaching culture. Operating at the highest level of curricular and cultural analysis, the Academic Council has emerged to become a working group of school leaders who play a dynamic role in maintaining the vibrancy of the educational program.

TRANSPARENCY IN COMPENSATION

AND EXCELLENCE IN THE TEACHING COMMUNITY

Peck purposefully takes time to acknowledge and appreciate the members of the community in order to ensure that every person is known and respected. The 2015 Strategic Plan aims to bolster the practice of professional recognition by finding meaningful ways to honor loyalty and excellence in teaching. Peck’s Teacher Leader program acknowledges expertise while also serving as a vehicle for advanced career development.

Student-centered learning is most successful when teachers think inventively, model a growth mindset, and believe in their students’ innate capacity to lead. The 2015 Strategic Plan bolstered student-centered learning at Peck by calling for additional project-based opportunities and assessments using digital technologies. This framework for multidisciplinary, collaborative, essential-question-based learning is typified by the fifth grade’s yearlong civilizations project.

Peck’s 2015 Strategic Plan aims to improve communication and transparency surrounding faculty compensation. By introducing a banded compensation system (one that is informed by objective data based on a national sample of peer schools), faculty are better positioned to have more meaningful conversations about career development and professional growth.

Dear Peck Community,

WELCOME TO THE SECOND ISSUE OF OUR THREE-PART SERIES highlighting the implementation and outcomes of our 2015 Strategic Plan: Explore. Excite. Engage. This issue highlights a pillar near and dear to both my own heart and to the long-term success of The Peck School. In this installment, we focus on A Culture of Teaching Excellence.

Since our founding in 1893, our teachers have been the hallmark of the Peck experience for thousands of students. It is our teachers who mentor, who nurture, and who deliver a foundational and inspiring educational program to our students. It is our teachers who impart the essential life lessons day in and day out to our students. It is our teachers who drive our character education program. It is our teachers who cultivate lifelong connections for Peck students, past, present, and future. Our teachers are, without a doubt, the glue that has long held our school together and who will continue driving it forward.

I believe firmly that the best schools are always looking for ways to improve, to grow, and to evolve. The best teachers have the same drive: what they did the year before might have been great, but what happens the next year can always be better! This ongoing growth is achieved through a culture of reflection, tenacity, and teaching excellence. Schools should always consider the professional growth and development of faculty to be a strategic priority in both the day-to-day life of the school and in long-term strategic planning, which Peck has always done and will continue to do in the future.

When I think about teaching excellence, it is the names and faces of Peck teachers that first come to mind. Peck’s past and present is filled with legendary teachers, names that are synonymous with our school. I’ve been privileged to have worked with many since becoming Peck’s Head of School—and in this letter, I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer at least one example of an iconic Peck teacher: Mr. Jim Cross. Next year, we will celebrate Jim’s retirement as he calls the 2019-20 academic year his last after 37 years at Peck.

Like so many others, Jim will leave behind a lasting legacy of teaching excellence. He truly exemplifies a growth mindset, and has found ways to continue pushing himself—including moving from the history classroom to the math classroom to seek a new challenge. Jim has never taken the easy route, never rested on his laurels, and always said ‘yes’ to everything asked of him. You will be able to learn more about Jim’s storied career in the Spring 2020 issue of the Peck News

In this issue, you will read about other iconic Peck teachers. You’ll learn about the great lengths all Peck teachers go to stretch themselves in the annual goal-setting process. You’ll see examples of the incredibly engaging, student-centered projects our teachers are designing for the classroom. And you’ll be amazed by an alumna who has made quite a name for herself in the field of education. Enjoy this inspiring issue on the culture of teaching excellence at Peck, and I look forward to seeing you on campus soon.

Warmly, Andrew C. Delinsky Head of School

Part II: A Culture of Teaching Excellence

Peck’s success is predicated on the continued strength of our faculty. Delivering a meaningful and dynamic program requires inspired, creative teachers who model the best pedagogical practices and who are encouraged to innovate. Informed by current research on how children best learn, teachers must continue to evolve instructional strategies. In our 2015 Strategic Plan, we commit to creating a faculty culture of ongoing growth and development and to rewarding teaching excellence.

Prioritize ongoing faculty growth and professional development to support a dynamic teaching and learning culture.

Reimagine the faculty goal-setting and evaluation process to ensure teaching excellence at all levels.

Support a shift to more student-centered learning, including projectbased opportunities and assessments utilizing digital technologies.

Strategically equip teachers with proven and relevant technologies to enhance teaching and learning.

Create a more fluid process for, and culture of, ongoing curricular review and reflection.

Create meaningful rewards for teachers honoring both loyalty and excellence in teaching.

Create a more transparent and structured faculty compensation system.

From Delivery to Discovery: Student-Centered Learning

THE PSYCHOLOGIST JEAN PIAGET HAS HAD AN INDELIBLE IMPACT ON THE FIELD OF EDUCATION. He was fascinated by the origins of knowledge and was particularly interested in the cognitive development of children. Where others saw kids on a playground simply at play, he saw young learners in the act of exploration and discovery.

Piaget’s focus on how individuals develop, rather than on how individuals are influenced in their development, stimulated a reformation in education. Information delivery is being eclipsed by information discovery, which lies at the heart of The Peck School’s emphasis on student-centered learning. Student-

centered learning at Peck shifts students from assignments to experiences that authentically engage them. They are guided to become active, responsible participants in their own learning.

Peck’s 2015 Strategic Plan envisioned this shift to more studentcentered learning for all grades, which includes more projectbased opportunities. That promise is overwhelmingly visible on a day-to-day basis and the result is that students are increasingly making meaningful connections between in-class learning and the real-world problems around them. Peck is not only providing an education in all the necessary subject areas, but Peck is also infusing students with the lifelong ability to ask essential questions and dig deeper into subjects and solutions.

In addition to cognitive benefits, student-centered learning carries a host of emotional benefits. It is a teaching and learning approach that explores the intersection between experience and ideas, and so factors in the range of feelings encountered as students embark on projects, research, and assignments.

Throughout the learning process, students progress through states of uncertainty,

Information delivery is being eclipsed by information discovery, which lies at the heart of The Peck School’s emphasis on student-centered learning.

optimism, confusion, frustration, doubt, clarity, a sense of direction and confidence, as well as satisfaction or disappointment. Students become more accustomed to this range of emotions, which better prepares them for lifelong learning and contributes to their sense of perseverance and grit.

The real world increasingly demands this mindset, as well as the self-direction to conduct research on a daily basis. Having the comfort level to ask questions and dig for answers is an essential skill

in high school, college, and life. That’s why the student-centered approach at Peck also incorporates the concept of essential questions— thought-provoking queries designed to stimulate the search for deeper meaning. At the beginning of each academic year, this structure sets the stage for discovery, collaboration, and multidisciplinary project-based learning opportunities.

This year, fifth-grade students at Peck began with the essential question, “What makes a civilization?” While they explored this question in history classes, studying the key qualities of successful ancient civilizations, they also connected this question to their yearlong multidisciplinary project asking what it would take to sustain a civilization underground.

Last year, the fifth grade’s yearlong project involved building a civilization on Mars, and each year the faculty team will vary the location and parameters of the project while still maintaining the general civilizations theme. Grade 5 teachers in all subject areas are encouraged to tap into the civilizations theme to design their own non-traditional, student-centered units of learning.

To introduce the theme in English class this year, the fifth grade read City of Ember, a book set in an underground civilization. The underground society suffers from incompetencies and incivilities that threaten its survival. Knowing the qualities that define a robust civilization, students wrote their own underground civilization story and created visual representations of their underground setting, characters, and the problems they faced.

As students studied mythology, they paid particular attention to how different cultures harbor different beliefs about what inhabits the underworld. They are also writing skits that depict the variety of notions and superstitions various cultures maintain regarding the underworld.

In their art classes, fifth graders also encountered the underground civilizations theme. As they explored the concepts of form and function and looked closely at architecture as an art form, they were inspired to design their vision of practical or necessary underground buildings. After sketching their concepts and then rendering them as 3D digital models, they laser-etched and

painted a facade of their buildings from mat board.

In their science classes, fifth-grade students are examining the benefits and constraints that might be imposed when attempting to seed and grow plants underground.

The underground civilizations topic has also found its way into other disciplines such as math, history, and technology.

The end result of this strengthened focus on student-centered learning speaks to the ultimate goal of education: that students will master the art of their own learning, that they can infer what are the important questions, and that they are confident in their ability to find their own answers.

Disciplina ad Docendum: Learning in Order to Teach

WHAT DO A PETRI DISH, a container of yogurt, and Peck’s faculty development program share in common? They can all be described using the word culture.

The word culture means many different things, and one of the more dynamic uses is when biologists use the term to describe a “living system that is being maintained in conditions suitable for growth.” That particular definition may not have been top of mind when the second pillar of Peck’s 2015 Strategic Plan was written, but it most certainly applies to the outcome.

To foster the behaviors and norms that underlay a thriving culture of teaching excellence, a school must establish conditions suitable for continual personal and professional growth.

During the past several years, Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development Chris Weaver and members of the Academic Council have breathed new life into the process of faculty evaluation and professional development at Peck. They have evolved the process into a tailored system that truly sustains growth and positions teachers as role models for lifelong learning.

“If we want the kids to take on big goals and be stretchy and be aspirational and think outside their comfort zones, we can’t have a faculty that always colors inside the lines. For faculty to teach kids to think big, we have to take risks and be engaged in that type of a learning process ourselves,” said Weaver.

“For faculty to teach kids to think big, we have to take risks and be engaged in [an aspirational] type of a learning process ourselves.”

CHRIS WEAVER Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development

A stretchy goal draws one outside of their comfort zone. Stretchy goals may take a while to accomplish or may offer some surprises along the way. The traditional notion of setting a SMART Goal (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) is appropriate for accomplishing routine tasks—but to truly create an invigorating growth mindset, SMART goals can’t handle the heavy lifting.

Weaver explained, “Our teachers don’t only set box-checking goals. For Peck to continue fostering excellence in teaching, we need to sustain a culture of missiondriven innovators. We have teachers with the agency and mindset to take on big things. You can’t necessarily conform your

goal to an acronym, because you might not know all the steps ahead of time or how long your goal will take to achieve. That’s what happens when you embark on something big and interesting.”

Third Grade Teacher Katie Bruno has embraced stretchy goals with a passion. After 10 years at Peck, and with an already-established reputation of teaching excellence, Bruno could easily rest on her laurels. However, she has done just the opposite with her professional development. In the process, she has invigorated the Responsive Classroom initiative at Peck as well as made other improvements to her curriculum and student interactions.

“Peck is unique in that the faculty are asked to dream big and have ambitious goals,” Bruno said. “We are encouraged to think outside of the box and ask ourselves why we do what we do and explore best practices. Two years ago, I investigated the Responsive Classroom (RC) teaching approach during a Deep Dive and learned how to implement it in my classroom. Utilizing RC practices has had a tremendous effect on my classroom and my teaching. I believe my class is now a stronger community filled with greater respect, empathy, and confidence.”

In a nod to our school credo Disciplina Ad Vivendum (Learning for Life), Peck’s

dynamic continuum of professional reflection and growth has been dubbed Disciplina ad Docendum, or, “Learning in Order to Teach.” The process serves all members of the Peck community and includes both concrete and stretchy goal setting, collaborative class visits and coaching, thoughtful reflection, process-oriented evaluation, and a more intensive Deep Dive for faculty with more than three years experience at Peck.

All along the way, faculty are given the agency to look for common threads and alignment between their

individual aspirations and the needs of their students and curriculum.

The Peck School makes a strong distinction between the notion of faculty evaluation and faculty growth. Everything that is evaluated does not necessarily inspire or spur growth. By emphasizing stretchy goals and inspiring agency in the growth process, Peck has successfully laid a foundation to create and sustain a culture of teaching excellence. A culture is not just a group with common aims and aspirations; a culture is a growing, living system. At Peck, faculty are continuously learning in order to teach.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Five Ways to Set Better Goals

Stretchy goals can have the biggest impact and cause the most growth, but they’re also the hardest to achieve. Chris Weaver, Peck’s Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development, offers up five ways to set, and achieve, better long-term stretchy goals.

TAKING THE PLUNGE:

The DEEP DIVE

TAKING A “DEEP DIVE” IS A nautical term that has been floating around for centuries. It is only within the last several decades, though, that it has entered the lexicon in a more terrestrial fashion. Today, most people commonly think of a deep dive as a chance to explore something meaningful in depth (but on land), using research, exploration, investigation, curiosity, and creativity.

At The Peck School, professional development is more than just a box to check. As a result of the 2015 Strategic Plan, Peck has made faculty growth and development an institutional priority. A faculty committee under the direction of Chris Weaver, Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development, has redefined the process of professional reflection and growth.

In addition to the annual professional development goals set forth by the school, teachers embark on a more comprehensive journey starting in their third year at Peck (and continuing every four years after that) when they plunge into a Deep Dive. The process typifies Peck’s dynamic teaching and learning culture.

When they take their Deep Dive, faculty members propose a yearlong course of study and engagement. Ideally, their Deep Dive will bring an aspect of transformation to Peck’s teaching and learning plan. They work with Weaver to vet their plan and refine their goals, ambitions, and final product as the year plays out. They often stretch outside their comfort zones and their evolving work process serves as an inspiring example for Peck students who are taught to “fail forward” and learn from mistakes.

FOR KINDERGARTEN TEACHER KRISTIN YOUNG, her Deep Dive is very hands on.

After researching and reading about American Sign Language (ASL), Young learned that many students thrive in multiple areas when taught ASL. She embarked on a journey to first teach herself sign language and then increasingly teach and incorporate ASL in the daily aspects of her classroom. Young felt that her students would embrace the physicality and pictorial expression of ASL and that it could have cognitive benefits as well.

ASL uses eyes, bodies, faces, hands, and emotions to express. Using ASL boosts self-confidence and self-esteem. It helps with expressing emotions and helps with expressive and receptive language skills.

Sign language also requires focus. When Young is showing students how to form letters with her hands, they need to look and pay attention. Signing incorporates a multisensory approach to learning. Students are always active participants in the process.

As Young explained: “Our essential question in Kindergarten is

A DEEP DIVE FROM THE KINDERGARTEN

ALL HANDS ON DECK

‘How do we learn?’ We all learn differently. What better way to teach the Kindergarten this than through sign language?”

“I feel strongly that my deep dive will benefit our Kindergarten program because a child’s vocabulary and literacy skills are just emerging. So why not teach such hungry minds another language?” Young explained. “My students are so excited and feel extremely proud when they are able to speak without using their voices. I am so proud of my students for learning ASL—I truly believe that I am creating a more empathic community of learners.”

KRISTIN YOUNG’S KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS SPELL OUT “I LOVE MRS. YOUNG!”

AS SECOND GRADE TEACHER SASHA SCHREINER DESCRIBES IT: “You have to go into a Deep Dive expecting obstacles along the way. You have this great idea about what you want to focus on, but as the Dive plays out you have the freedom to shift or modify what you are interested in developing. Your Deep Dive may or may not end up with a finished product, but the process will most certainly be enriching for yourself and Peck. For me, there were a lot of unknowns when I started the process, and aspects of my plan changed. I never felt defeated, but I did feel a little bit lost early in the process and that’s OK.”

Schreiner set out to explore ways in which she could enrich Peck’s second-grade creative writing curriculum with research-

A DEEP DIVE FROM THE LOWER SCHOOL

BRAVING CREATIVE WATERS

based tactics that encourage students to become more prolific and creative in their writing—as opposed to being reactive to writing prompts and prescriptive assignments.

She started with an analysis of the curriculum at other schools, consulting with former colleagues and master teachers, and soon found a myriad of methods to approach creative writing. This exploration ultimately led her to the work of Jennifer Serravallo, a former Staff Developer at Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, and a prolific writer on methods for inspiring children to write authentically.

With this new focus, she settled upon the idea of using “mentor texts”—pieces of literature that both teacher and student can return to and reread for many different purposes. Mentor texts are both studied and imitated, and encourage students to try different strategies and to take risks. She is now piloting the use of picture books and chapter books to develop specific skills with the hope that students will become more daring and creative writers.

“Writing requires a lot of bravery,” said Schreiner. “Everybody thinks of writing as free-form and creative, but it’s actually a really brave skill. It’s very hard to put yourself out there. When we ask students to be creative, we are asking for something different than being informational. We are asking them to go beyond the factual nature of something.”

SASHA SCHREINER USES MENTOR TEXTS TO DRAW HER SECOND-GRADERS DEEPER INTO THE CREATIVE WRITING PROCESS.

SCOTT BEIL, UPPER SCHOOL ART TEACHER, is working to bring the myriad resources, museums, and art history at our disposal in the tri-state area into a central database so teachers of all disciplines can utilize art as a prompt for learning in any subject area.

“I’ve always viewed teaching art as a multi-faceted role,” explained Beil. “One component is to find ways to make art more of a classroom presence across the curriculum and to help infuse some creativity and some art history to enhance what’s being taught in other disciplines.”

Beil is pulling his Deep Dive thesis from some of his past professional development experiences in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum. His project is entitled “Connecting Collections” and he seeks to build a digital bridge between the museum and the classroom. His goal involves visiting local museums and working with Peck’s Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development Chris Weaver as well as with individual teachers to find touchpoints where works of art could benefit their specific curriculum.

During the summer, Beil will create the database and organize works by museum so if a class is studying, for example, ancient cultures in fifth-grade history, they can locate a list of complementary works for in-class viewing and discussion (or, better yet, go visit them in person).

A DEEP DIVE FROM THE UPPER SCHOOL

TURNING ART INTO AN ANCHOR

“Deep Dives typically are a yearlong exercise, but for me, I see this as a pilot and something that can continue to grow. I love the idea of generating excitement amongst our students for art and its importance in the regular curriculum,” said Beil.

“Peck sees teacher development as an active experience, and it’s a personal one. The Deep Dive is so exciting because it shows how invested the school is in fostering a culture of lifelong learners. If faculty are taking on a challenge, or making a stretch, it benefits the whole community. This is something really unique to Peck that I haven’t seen in other schools—and it’s awesome.”

UPPER SCHOOL ART TEACHER SCOTT BEIL IS BUILDING A DATABASE THAT HELPS TEACHERS FIND MUSEUM ARTWORKS TO COMPLEMENT CLASSROOM LESSONS.

Academic Council 2.0 THE PECK FACULTY

AT PECK, THE ACADEMIC COUNCIL has emerged as a dynamic force in what has become an agile, transparent, and inclusive process of responding to the current academic needs of the community.

Through the work of the 2015 Strategic Plan, the council has transformed to become both highly tailored and highly efficient. Chris Weaver, Peck’s Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development, in conjunction with a faculty-led committee, reinvigorated the Academic Council’s structure to become more action-based and adaptive, and to allow for more faculty involvement.

“The big question is, how do you get things done in a school?” asked Weaver. “You have the administration, which is a small number of people with a limited capacity to change things unless a lot of other people are working with them. The Academic Council is a vehicle for promoting agency among the faculty to move things forward they think are important.”

Proposals may be submitted for consideration by any faculty or staff member, who then, in turn, would lead a subcommittee in partnership with the council. These subcommittees delve into the topic at hand, often reaching out to different constituencies for feedback. The setting of the Academic Council, then, acts as an internal testing ground to surface any issues or perspectives that remain unconsidered.

This structure allows the council to move forward on multiple initiatives simultaneously, as well as providing leadership opportunities for faculty.

Sub-committees

of the Academic Council:

UPPER SCHOOL SCHEDULE:

“The Academic Council provides a forum for us to receive useful suggestions and feedback as we review possible improvements to the Upper School schedule. The diverse faculty input helps ensure that we have carefully considered the impact of any proposed changes.”

Amy Papandreou Upper School Math Teacher

HARKNESS 2.0 :

“Just when I think I’ve tested all sides of something, the Academic Council provides a totally fresh perspective. It was like having a Harkness meeting about Harkness. I really like that the Academic Council allows us to take ownership of the direction our school moves in and ensures we’re all rowing the same way.”

Virginia Savage Upper School English Teacher

LOWER SCHOOL BOUND BOOKS:

“Through the guidance of the Academic Council, the Lower School faculty began a thorough reflection on this Peck tradition. Interesting and thoughtful conversations occurred during faculty meetings, and everyone had the opportunity to express himself/herself.”

Katie Bruno and Adriana Sykora Lower School Teachers

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

“It is here that ideas become action steps, and eventually, processes in the classrooms. Together, the Lower and Upper School faculty, administration, and staff vet the initiatives and tweak them for ultimate success in the classroom. The Academic Council enabled Ms. (Antonia) Pelaez and me to learn more about Essential Questions and how they could advance the teaching and learning at Peck. We investigated the pedagogical benefits, conferred with K-8 Humanities teachers, wrote an implementation plan, and presented it to the council, where it was approved.”

Chelsey Carr

Upper School English Teacher

THE UNCONFERENCE AT PECK: TEACHERS TAKE THE LEAD

Peck faculty returned from Thanksgiving Break to a professional development work day with a twist, as administrators brought the unconference format to Peck. Widely used across various industries, unconferences are participant-driven meetings that create space for peerto-peer learning, creativity, and collaboration. These decentralized setups are open and flexible, resulting in a dynamic agenda, high-energy participation, and valuable spontaneous conversations. Convening an unconference simply requires a high-level guiding theme (at Peck’s unconference, the theme was “What and How We Teach”), and—of course—engaged, informed participants interested in sharing their expertise and learning from the expertise of others.

Guided by its strategic plan goals, Peck is finding ways, both big and small, to prioritize faculty growth by re-imagining faculty in-service days, providing unique opportunities for development, and encouraging teachers to embody a growth mindset.

Peck’s Mission in Motion

IN THE SUMMER OF 2018, Dr. Jennifer Price ’86 became the fourth Head of School at Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, MA. Known informally as BB&N, this co-educational day school, like Peck, is one of the top independent schools in the nation. Price embraced the opportunity to return to her roots and work in an independent school after almost 20 years of highly acclaimed service as a teacher, housemaster, principal, and, ultimately, a superintendent of schools in the Massachusetts public school system.

Price’s inspiration for entering the field of education actually began during her formative years at Peck. “There is no doubt that Mrs. [Betty] Marsh was an instrumental part of my choosing education as a career,” she related. “Mrs. Marsh was the most influential person in my entire education’s trajectory.”

Marsh’s influence on Price extended well beyond the classroom. She is quick to point out that her early years at Peck were quite difficult personally, and that Marsh was an early adopter of the “whole child” approach to education. Marsh cared as much for Price’s social and emotional well-being as she did for her academic success.

JENNIFER PRICE ’86

Price attended Peck as a Kindergarten student but then relocated to England for two years. She returned to Peck for her third-grade year and that’s when she had the pleasure of studying with Marsh for Grades 3, 5, and 6. During what became a rocky period in her young life, her parents divorced and her beloved classmate and good friend Andy Gaffney passed away. With two sisters at home (aged one and three), Price assumed responsibilities and pressures well beyond her age.

Price remembers, “Mrs. Marsh was a true advocate and supporter. She and my mother had a deal. If I had a rough night, my mother would call Mrs. Marsh and I would be given a ‘mental health day.’ She was not only an excellent teacher but she understood that if kids are not able to be fully present at school due to other reasons, those needs have to be addressed as well.”

Placing students at the forefront and extending her concern beyond the classroom has been the hallmark of Price’s storied career. She has dedicated her life’s work to mentoring students, fostering teaching excellence, and championing the studentcentered experience.

After earning a degree in public policy from Princeton University and a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in education from Boston College and Harvard University, respectively, Price entered the public school system as a teacher of history and a coach of softball and field hockey. While working at Maynard High School in Massachusetts, she was twice named Teacher of the Year. She went on to become principal of Newton North High School where colleagues and families praised her for her “pioneering mindset, which guided the implementation of an innovation laboratory, professional learning communities, a black and Latino scholars’ program, and a first-generation college mentoring program.”

At the apex of her public school service, Price served as Superintendent of North Andover Public Schools. Nearly 5,000 students across eight district schools benefited from her care, dedication, and attention. She was celebrated for implementing initiatives that bolstered rigor in the classrooms, professional development for faculty, and diversity and inclusion among students.

Price believes she can build on her work in the public school sector with even more focus in an independent school setting. “I did not get into education to perpetuate the societal inequities that already exist. And I strongly believe independent schools

can do that work,” she explained. “I believe we have a societal obligation to open our independent schools to a wide variety of kids—a diverse group of kids. I also believe we are preparing all of our students to live and thrive in a diverse society, and if we don’t create that for them within their education or their formative years, how are we going to expect them to be able to work and live in a global, international, diverse space—and hopefully lead in that space when they leave us?”

Price believes that the ability to work collaboratively with your colleagues and to work across disciplines is paramount to a culture of teaching excellence. She often asks herself, “Are we supporting kids socially and emotionally so that they can bring their authentic selves to school? Learning is a progression, and often the best learning comes from your challenges, not your successes. In my life, it has been the challenges that have made me stronger professionally and as a leader, not the stuff that came easily. This harkens back to Peck. After my parents divorced, I received financial aid from Peck. I see that as an incredible investment in my future. Peck was a transformational experience for me, and education should be transformational— it should take kids who need additional support and, through education, transform their lives.”

“I left Peck very empowered as a young woman,” Price explained. She found this empowerment not only through the interest Marsh showed in her overall development but also through support from Ms. (Ann) Van Voorhis in girls athletics and her wonderful woodworking teacher Dr. Lenno Mbaga.

Price feels there was nothing like woodworking at Peck to teach students to persevere. “When a student breaks a board they must exercise patience and persistence,” she explained. “They are often collaborating on projects and every student is allowed to progress at their own level, which is what we now call

differentiated learning. Usually, there is a final product at the end of a unit that the student can display. All of the aspects of learning that we now consider instrumental were modeled then.”

Price’s commitment to perseverance and learning from adversity were brought to an extreme test on September 11, 2001. Her mother and step-father were tragically killed on United Flight 93, only 18 days after the birth of her first child. Though the years following that horrific event were shadowed by bouts of private grief, confusion, and anger, she found strength in her partner Katya, her children (eleventh-grader Charlie and eighth-grader Elsie), her dedication to students, and the support she received from her community.

“At the time, the Peck community reached out in a very supportive way, and although I couldn’t respond at the time, my family was incredibly grateful for the support we received,” she recalled. “The Peck community supported us for many years afterward, and I will always be grateful.”

Price paid all that support forward by ultimately becoming a president of the Families of Flight 93, an organization dedicated to sustaining a permanent memorial to the victims of the United Flight 93 crash in Shanksville, PA. In an interview 10 years after the September 11 attacks, she stated her main motivation for becoming more public in her grief was that she found solace in her connection to others and the simple mantra that you can, “Think of others and do a good turn every day.”

Jennifer Price is Peck’s mission in motion. She is a profound example for Peck students through her life-long commitment to the transformational power of education, her perseverance and strength in the face of obstacles, her dedication to equity and inclusion, and her daily practice of consideration of others.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Virginia Savage ’05: Returning Home

Virginia Savage ’05 has returned home to Peck to teach seventh-grade English. Read more about the influence that both the novelist Harper Lee and The Peck School had on her decision to pursue a career in education. “As a student at Peck, I learned quickly the value of authenticity, compassion, and a powerful voice.”

JENNIFER PRICE ’86 (MIDDLE ROW, FAR LEFT) IS WITH MRS. MARSH (BACK ROW, LEFT) IN THEIR SIXTH-GRADE CLASS YEARBOOK PHOTO.

CAMPUS NEWS

Seven Peck Groups Advance to State History Competition

On March 9, 40 Peck students in Grades 6 to 8 showcased their National History Day (NHD) projects at the regional level of this history competition. These students were chosen to exhibit their work from the whole of their respective classes that created a wide variety of projects for the annual Peck NHD competition earlier in the year. Of those who presented and answered questions from NHD judges, seven projects were selected to progress to the state level of competition in May.

“A big thank you to all of the students and parents who took time out of their first day of March Break to attend the National History Day Regional Competition,” said Sue Longenecker, Upper School History Teacher. “Your time, effort, and support are very appreciated!”

Projects Advancing to NHD State Competition

EXHIBITS:

• Individual Exhibit, The Brooklyn Bridge, by Ava DiPasquale ’21

• Group Exhibit, The Influenza Pandemic of 1918: 100 Year Anniversary, by Kirsten Lytle ’19 and Mallika Reddy ’19

LIVE PERFORMANCE:

• Individual Live Performance, American Pirates or Patriot Privateers?: How the Salamander Bites the (Achilles) Heel, by Marshall Herman ’19

WEBSITES:

• Individual Website, The Apollo Missions, by Kay Lyon ’19

• Individual Website, The Radium Girls: Get a Job, Lose a Life, by Isabella DiPasquale ’19

• Group Website, The Indian Salt Marsh, by Avery Santomassimo ’20, Kathryn Cepeda ’20, and Abbie Van Cleef ’20

RESEARCH PAPER:

• Research Paper, The Stock Market Crash of 1929, by Alexandra Ouzounian ’19

AVA DIPASQUALE ’21 (THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE)

PHYSICS? GIVE ME A BREAK!

At The Peck School, perseverance goes hand-in-hand with design thinking. Nowhere is this more evident than in the annual bridge design and bridge-breaking unit of instruction in eighth-grade physics classes. This year, eighth-graders Addysen Downey, Bennett Crosby, Devon Nugent, Franklin Mau, James Thomas, Jordan Cheung, Pierce Malloy, and Trip Pendy advanced to compete in the 2019 Annual Bridge Breaking Assembly. Amidst the sound of snapping popsicle sticks and cheering classmates, Addysen set a new student record. Her bridge held an astounding 359.5 pounds of weight before it collapsed under the pressure. With a mass of only 103.39 grams, her bridge design achieved an efficiency rating of more than 158,000 percent.

Mini-Mester Turns Four

Peck’s Mini-Mester—a weeklong, design-intensive learning experience stimulating creativity and critical thinking—completed its fourth year in January 2019. During Mini-Mester week, Upper School students balance shortened classes in their regular subjects with project-based mini-lessons tailored for each grade.

“The projects they participate in require their math, science, writing, research, and computer skills, as well as the kind of intensive collaboration, out-of-the-box thinking, and creativity that fosters the growth mindset necessary in today’s world,” said Daisy Savage, Head of the Upper School.

This year, fifth-grade students designed and constructed actual working models of pinball machines. Sixth graders worked in teams to design chariots that could accommodate at least one passenger and have a mechanism to support locomotion. Seventh graders were given the task of scripting, filming, and editing a silent movie that explores one of The Peck School’s core values: respect, loyalty, perseverance, empathy, responsibility, or honesty. Eighthgrade students studied the concepts and logistical issues of arrivals and departures within certain contexts, with the goal of engineering real-world solutions that address any potential weaknesses they uncover.

Peck’s Day of Service

In February 2019, The Peck Parents Association (PA) hosted Peck’s first Day of Service. Together, students, parents, and teachers assembled 140 toiletry kits, 80 cold weather packs, 120 lunches, 60 fleece blankets, 60 “Bundle Up” kits, and countless greeting cards and drawings for our Morristown-area neighbors who needed a helping hand during February’s cold, blustery weather.

Seeking a meaningful way for our community to come together and give back, PA Community Service Chairs NaTishia Aromire and Ashley Lan ’98 organized the event in support of Market St. Mission and Bridges Outreach (both NJ-based non-profits serving the homeless community), and Color a Smile, which distributes cheerful drawings to senior citizens, troops overseas, or anyone in need of a smile.

PA COMMUNITY SERVICE CHAIRS NATISHIA AROMIRE AND ASHLEY LAN ’98, WITH TEACHER JIM CROSS

GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE!

Peck’s annual Kindergarten Holiday Performance is a timeless tradition that transcends its literal definition. It is a framework that teaches students empathy and interpersonal communication skills, such as how to use emotion to express feeling, and that listening and reacting is just as important as speaking. The stage is a safe space for children to learn to improvise, to think on their feet, and to build confidence. Through performance, students see one of life’s most important lessons—that in teamwork, everyone has a role with something to contribute.

In December 2018, Peck’s teachers adapted the children’s book Goodnight, Construction Site for the Class of 2027’s holiday show—a fitting choice given that Peck’s campus is undergoing the final stages of construction with The Peck Commons and related site work.

“The kindergartners (who often mimic the construction workers they see during recess) were excited to take on construction roles in our performance,” says Kindergarten Teacher Maribel Mohr. “Often found hammering the playhouse on the playground, or moving dirt, the children have been fascinated as they watched the project evolving, since the start, right before their eyes. Goodnight, Construction Site was the perfect fit for this class!”

During the performance, kindergartners also expressed themselves with music and creative movement under the guidance of Lower School Music Teacher Lisa Wichman. They incorporated collaborative musicmaking while playing rhythm instruments and singing “Las Posadas,” used creative movement with scarves while singing a Hanukkah song, danced a traditional Diwali dance, and rang melody bells to the traditional Christmas carol “Silent Night.” Promoting Peck community and unity through music, the audience joined in singing the finale at the conclusion of the program.

Mot d’Honneur dans

la Classe de Francais

Modeled after Middlebury Language School’s Language Pledge® a promise to speak only the language being studied for the duration of the program—Peck’s eighth-grade French students signed their very own Mot d’Honneur at the start of the second semester in January 2019.

French Teacher Tyler Moseley says, “Our French room has now turned into a completely immersive space for our soon-to-begraduates. They’re building language fluency from the basics of asking to borrow a pencil, to sharing their stories about what they did over March Break!”

LEAPIN’ LIZARDS!

Peck students performed one of the world’s most-loved musicals in February 2019, as they adapted Annie Jr. for Peck’s Old Gym stage. This beloved show is a shortened version of the Tony-award winning musical Annie, which has spawned numerous professional theatrical and film versions around the world. Annie (played by Samantha Schnur ’21) is a plucky young orphan living in a home run by cranky Miss Hannigan (played by Alexandra Ouzounian ’19). With equal parts determination and charm, she sets out to find her parents—and instead, finds a new home and family with billionaire Oliver Warbucks (played by Zachary Kalafer ’20), his personal secretary Grace Farrell (played by Addysen Downey ’19), and a lovable mutt named Sandy (played by Liza Rogers ’21).

Director Andrew Lyman, Upper School Music Teacher, said, “Annie Jr. helped create the largest cast and crew we’ve had so far, with 50 students as members of the show. With the majority of the cast in fifth and sixth grades, we have a firm foundation of students excited about theater for years to come. From day one, this large cast embraced the experience of creating a musical. The students were extremely serious and dedicated, displaying respect for each other and a willingness to try something new.”

WINTER ATHLETICS

BASKETBALL

Captains:

(Girls) Ella Budenbender, Kay Lyon, Elsa Spoor

(Boys) Jack Wells, Kai Andersen

Season Highlights:

(Girls) Peck’s Girls Basketball season was marked by incredible growth, excitement, and learning.

Several players enjoyed sinking multiple three-point shots per game, and the whole team continuously maintained strong defensive play—especially as one of the few schools that plays man-to-man defense in girls’ basketball. (Boys) Peck’s Boys Basketball Team maintained a high work ethic in all practices and games, leading to a steady season marked by good growth, leadership, and positive attitudes.

Paul Salerno and Johnny Riley (unofficial seventhgrade co-captains) will be strong anchors for the program next year.

ICE HOCKEY

Captains: Bennett Crosby, Hudson Honeker, Trip Pendy, Kate Siedem

Tournament(s)/Finals: “Frozen Four” Co-Champions

Season Highlights: Peck’s Ice Hockey Team had a tremendous season, emerging with a win in the GMCJSCA Frozen Four semi-finals. (The finals were canceled due to weather.)

WRESTLING

Captains: Jack Bolton, Charlie Medd

Season Highlights: In each match, wrestlers won every head-to-head matchup, every contested takedown, and every defense takedown. For the first time, Peck’s wrestlers entered the GMCJSCA County Tournament, emerging with impressive individual results.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Captains: Isabella DiPasquale, Lulu Field, Liz Sterlin

Tournament(s)/Finals: 3rd Place Win, Peck Annual Tournament.

Tournament MVP: Isabella DiPasquale ’19

Season Highlights: Peck’s Girls Volleyball Team was a cohesive group of athletes that displayed stellar sportsmanship, true grit, and maintained a season marked by strong defense and good service.

Mining the Museum in Fifth Grade

EIGHTH GRADERS GLIMPSE THE FUTURE

For more than 35 years, Peck students have been touring the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an up-close look at artifacts from the ancient civilizations they study during history class. Such a visit brings long-past human civilizations back to life—forging a link from past to present, and inspiring reflection and new perspectives.

This year, fifth-grade teachers took the Met trip one step further with their Mining the Museum project. Invited to channel their inner archeologist, students hunted for artifacts that speak to one of the eight features of a successful civilization. Each advisory group was given a map to an ancient civilization

in the museum. After finding and examining an artifact in the exhibit, they explained why it demonstrated features of a civilization and extrapolated its purpose. They also sketched the artifact and presented their findings to their peers, a process which illuminated some of the similarities and differences found between ancient civilizations around the world.

The initial idea for the Mining the Museum project grew from Upper School Art Teacher Scott Beil’s professional development Deep Dive into building a digital bridge between museums and the classroom. (For more about his project, see page 12)

In April, Head of School Andy Delinsky and the Class of 2019 donned hard hats for a sneak peek at The Peck Commons! The eighth graders, who have recently enjoyed several new and renovated spaces like the 7th & 8th Grade Commons, won’t be around for the highlyanticipated new building’s opening this fall—but they look forward to creating new memories there when they return to campus as alumni.

From The Old Gym to a New View for Lindenwold

In what felt like a mere moment in time, Peck’s Old Gym was dismantled as part of the final stages of the campus transformation. The community watched on a live construction feed, as with each brick removed from the Old Gym, a new view of Lindenwold was exposed to South Street for the first time in more than 60 years. This project, along with others, marks an integral component of Peck’s 2016 Master Plan, which is grounded in Peck’s 2015 Strategic Plan goals, and is being realized through The Peck Promise Campaign.

The space occupied by the Old Gym will become a beautifully landscaped open area that will serve as a central quad between the Lindenwold mansion, the new Peck Commons (to be open in fall 2019), and a new entryway expansion to The F.M. Kirby Family Lower School.

The Old Gym has held countless memories for Peck families from performances and assemblies, to Commencement ceremonies and athletic matches, to the family dining program and community celebrations. Opened in 1958, it served the Peck community nobly until the needs of our students, program, and community outgrew the restrictions of its physical space.

As we look forward to the next exciting chapter in Peck’s history, we know that the community bonds and educational experiences nurtured through the years will only continue to grow to greater heights in the new and renovated spaces on campus.

Peck’s Got Talent

For decades, the annual talent show has entertained and delighted the Peck community. The talent show has largely been at home in Peck’s Old Gym, on a stage that has also held countless gatherings, performances, and ceremonies since the building’s construction in the late 1950s.

This year, in March 2019, Peck’s Upper School Talent Show marked the final student performance in the Old Gym—a spirited send off for a building that has served the Peck community for decades. With the construction of The Peck Commons, the talent show will next year have a new home befitting the growing needs of our teaching and learning community.

The event was a spirited showcase of the qualities we admire in our Upper School students: camaraderie, respect, courage, and joy.

During the talent show audition process, students were invited to bring their creativity as well as their talents—leading to a show line-up that included a “Baby Shark” dance mix, Rubik’s cubes solved with speed, and glow-stick choreography. Eighth-grade emcees wrote a hilarious construction-themed narrative as they introduced performers, entertained the audience between acts, and kept up the show’s energy and lightheartedness.

At the end of the show, Head of School Andy Delinsky encouraged the audience to take in the Old Gym one last time, and know that they were experiencing a special moment in Peck’s history.

LOWER SCHOOL STEAM WEEK

Each spring, Grades 1-4 embark on a handson interdisciplinary learning experience that culminates in the Lower School STEAM Expo Week for parents at the end of April. During STEAM Week, students not only debut their final projects to parents, they also explain their decisions and lightbulb moments experienced along the way. Emphasizing the learning process over the final product, Peck’s Lower School STEAM program empowers students to engage with the world and solve problems through innovation.

Grade 1 combined their study of animal behavior patterns with sequential programming. Grouped into pairs or teams of three, students programmed a sequence of commands to move their Bee-Bots around a robotics mat to define the different ways an animal may care for its young.

Grade 2 leveraged the intersection of sports, science, and design to build handheld obstacle courses. While designing and building their projects, students explored dog agility courses, followed elements of the engineering design process, and learned firsthand how different properties of materials affect motion.

Grade 3 rebooted their social studies unit on the 50 States to incorporate engineering and architecture. Students built working models of themed amusement parks tailored to their particular state of study, opening up a new perspective on the unit’s guiding question, “How does geography shape people?”

Grade 4 went beyond the books to study how sailboats capture wind and energy to move across water. Using an iterative process, they designed, prototyped, and tested miniature sails on a track made from fishing wire and a box fan. They learned how to use accumulated data to inform their engineering decisions as they progressed from shape to shape, and material to material.

It’s a Bird, It’s

a

Plane, It’s SuperPeck!

PECK PARENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF GATHERED in force on the night of February 23 to celebrate the proud spirit of our community at the Parents Association’s annual spring fundraiser.

The event’s superhero theme reflected our community’s fun-loving nature, as the committee’s marketing lead-up (complete with fun videos featuring Peck students!) inspired everyone to look for their inner superheroes. Guests were invited to wear attire in honor of the fictional or real-life superheroes that inspire them.

Peck parents not only looked like superheroes at the fundraiser, but they also played the part with their incredible generosity and consideration of others with auction and raffle bids, as well as this year’s Raise the Paddle initiative. Raise the Paddle was intended to support a new playground designed with the input of Peck students—and it accomplished that, with flying colors!

Thanks to a host of hardworking Parents Association chairs and volunteers, the night was a super celebration of true Peck spirit and the bonds that unite our community together. With gratitude, we compliment all of our PA volunteers on a wonderful evening!

Event Chairs: Kim Honeker and Alison Sorrentino

Treasurer: Karla Calder

Auction: Tina Cassanelli and Sylvie Downey

Raise the Paddle: Virginia Cepeda and Janet Pearce

Ad Journal: Ashley Lan and Laura Sahazizian

Marketing: JeanAnn Morgan-Liftin

Decorating: Alison Sorrentino

Student/Teacher Adventures: Ginny Lysiak and Jen Powers

Wine Pull: Arianne Sikora, Melinda Vieser, and Molly Whipple

Special Raffle: Carrie Kurtzman and Megan Rogers

Linden Giving Tree: Kelly Shields and Gina Zarro

Check-in/RSVP: Sarah Heck and Sarah Neuhoff

EVENT CHAIRS ALISON SORRENTINO AND KIM HONEKER

RAISE THE PADDLE CHAIRS JANET PEARCE AND VIRGINIA CEPEDA

AUCTION CHAIRS TINA CASSANELLI AND SYLVIE DOWNEY

Creating space for teaching excellence

LISA WICHMAN, PECK’S LOWER

SCHOOL MUSIC TEACHER , can picture herself standing in the center of her new classroom on the lower level of The Peck Commons. She can imagine the light flooding in through the windows and the sound of music floating in, too, from the outdoor amphitheater just outside her doors. It’s a thrilling vision and one that will be a reality just a few months from now.

“Teaching in a space that’s engineered for music, for our curriculum, for our passions—that’s the ultimate dream,” Wichman explains. Upper School Music Teacher Andrew Lyman agrees. “Working in an environment that inspires us to teach creatively allows us to give the best of ourselves to our students,” he said.

The intention to drive Peck’s academic curriculum toward student-centered learning, project-based opportunities, and meaningful digital technologies was a key driver of the 2015 Strategic Plan. Falling under the pillar of “A Culture of Teaching Excellence,” these goals support a broader vision of prioritizing ongoing faculty growth. Professional development is about more than sending faculty to conferences and keeping up-to-date on pedagogy—it’s also about providing the space, the tools, and the room they need to learn and discover.

Head of School Andy Delinsky explains, “Delivering a meaningful program requires inspired, creative teachers who are encouraged to innovate. Creating these enhanced spaces gives them room to grow and thrive, which absolutely invigorates our students to do the same.”

Indeed, the four new spaces that opened in the fall of 2017—the redesigned Kindergarten, the Osborn Idea & Design Lab, the Robotics Lab, and the 7th & 8th Grade Commons—have quickly become integral to their respective programs. The Robotics Lab, for example, supports Peck’s award-winning FIRST® LEGO® League competitors, giving them space to not only build and engineer, but to hone their teamwork and problem-solving skills.

The Higgins Library, renovated in the summer of 2018 to become a more versatile, collaborative space, has seen extensive use of new technologies like a green screen for filming and flexible furniture for group work or independent study.

“The library can be what it needs to be at any given time,” says Librarian Mary Kate MacVicar.

This summer’s upcoming work will finish the new Peck Commons building, add an expanded science lab and administrative spaces to the The F.M. Kirby Family Lower School building, and create a beautiful outdoor quad. New sixth-through-eighth-grade science labs will complete a STEAM Wing in the Caspersen-Tomlinson building, housing the Upper School’s science, math, visual arts, robotics, and woodshop programs along one corridor. This subject-based clustering of classrooms creates myriad opportunities for cross-curricular projects and team teaching. “To have science labs next to math classrooms and art studios naturally builds connections across programs,” says Upper School Science Department Chair Tim Loveday.

Peck has already seen the physical improvements to campus working in a virtuous cycle: a renovated classroom or an

The Peck Commons Lower Level Plan

enhanced piece of technology allows a teacher to think inventively about a new way of presenting a topic, which inspires students to approach problems in new ways and using new techniques, which themselves are supported by the space or technology.

Jen Garvey, Lower School Technology, Innovation, & Design Integrator, adds, “Our students are encouraged to explore and find new opportunities to design something more effectively, ethically, or efficiently. The Osborn Idea & Design Lab allows students to take their ideas further, providing them with the tools to rapidly prototype their designs in ways that would be difficult otherwise.”

The 2016 Master Plan, which emerged from the 2015 Strategic Plan, created the blueprint for the campus transformation that began in 2017 and is slated for completion this fall. It is being funded by The Peck Promise Campaign, a fundraising effort that will continue through December 2019. For more information, please visit peckpromise.org.

The F.M. Kirby Family Lower School Addition (proposed design)

The Peck Commons Upper Level Plan

The Peck Commons Active Staircase

The Peck campus is tran

The reimagination of our campus focuses on giving faculty the space to and giving our whole community

PLAYGROUND (PROPOSED DESIGN)

THE PECK COMMONS PERFORMANCE & ASSEMBLY SPACE

INDECORE LAB IN THE PECK COMMONS (LOWER LEVEL)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION

sforming before our eyes.

teach creatively, giving students the tools to innovate and problem-solve, the inspiration to redefine excellence.

THE PECK COMMONS DINING ROOM

GR. 6-8 SCIENCE LABS IN CASPERSEN-TOMLINSON (PROPOSED DESIGN)

ENHANCEMENTS TO THE F.M. KIRBY FAMILY LOWER SCHOOL (PROPOSED DESIGN)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION

GO PRIDE

Peck students distinguish themselves as creators and community builders, as leaders and lifelong learners, and as contributors to a better world on a daily basis. While we often see their efforts on campus, we wanted to recognize just a few students who are generously sharing their time and their talents with the greater Morristown-area community and beyond.

During the 2019 winter ski season, second-grader CARTER MCMAHON participated in three races with the volunteer-run Pocono Alpine Ski Educational Foundation (PASEF) at Camelback Mountain. He was the youngest skier on the team, and he enjoyed the challenge of skiing gates for the first time! Always focused on consideration of others, Carter also asked his friends to donate to the American Red Cross in lieu of gifts for his seventh birthday in October 2017. His whole class was invited to his party—and he ultimately raised more than $1,235 that went entirely to the American Red Cross for hurricane victims.

Third-grader EMMY PRUITT competed in the Jersey Optional Gymnastics Association’s state gymnastics meet in February 2019, placing seventh in the floor exercise and eighth on the balance beam for her age group. She was very proud of her beam routine, as she stuck her back walkover for the first time in competition all season!

Fifth-grader FORD TUFANKJIAN made his operatic debut as Amahl in the perennial favorite Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti. The one-act opera was featured during the Continuo Arts Foundation’s annual “Christmas Time in the Eternal City” production in December 2018. Ford is a member of the Children’s Choir of NJ (Serenades), and has been a soloist in a production of “Jubilate Deo” by Dan Forrest, as well as in the Sounds of Summit concert with the Summit Symphony. He will be performing with his choir at Carnegie Hall in May.

CARTER MCMAHON ’25

FORD TUFANKJIAN ’22

EMMY PRUITT ’24

ERIKA AVERY ’23 was recently accepted into the Primo Coro Choir of the New Jersey Youth Chorus, following a rigorous audition. The choir, based out of Chatham, performs throughout NJ. Recently Erika and the other members of the Primo Coro Choir were honored to perform for NJ music teachers at the New Jersey Music Educators Association Conference in East Brunswick. “Erika rehearses every Monday after school with other third- and fourth-grade choral students,” says Lower School Music Teacher Lisa Wichman. “I’m incredibly proud of her achievements.”

SOPHIE CHENG ’21 has been swimming competitively since kindergarten and is part of the Somerset Valley YMCA swim team. In February, she participated with her team in the New Jersey YMCA Silvers Championship. Of the 27 teams participating, her team emerged with a championship win. Her times also qualified her for the New Jersey State YMCA 12/Under Championships, where she earned three personal best records!

In December 2018, sixth-grader GIANNA PILOTO performed with the New Jersey School of Ballet in the holiday favorite The Nutcracker at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown. This was her second year dancing in the alternating cast as a Soldier. Gianna has been dancing for several years, having studied with Gotta Dance (jazz and ballet), the NJ School of Ballet Intensive Program (ballet, pointe, character, hip-hop, jazz, and contemporary), and the New Jersey School of Ballet (ballet and pointe). Her other professional dance roles include a Snowflake in The Nutcracker with performances by the Moscow Ballet.

ERIKA AVERY ’23 (BACK TOP ROW, SECOND FROM LEFT)

SOPHIE CHENG ’21

GIANNA PILOTO ’21

BEN BROWN ’21 recently made his culinary debut on FOX’s MasterChef Junior, a reality cooking show featuring talented young chefs aged eight to 13. After much hard work and ingenuity, Ben not only made it into the top 10, he also impressed the judges, including Chef Gordon Ramsey, at almost every turn! (Check out Peck’s school blog to watch Ben give a cooking demo, and get a few of his recipes— including one for his Fried Oyster Sliders!)

Eighth-grader PIERCE MALLOY participated in the “You Be the Chemist” state-level challenge in April. Supported by the Chemical Educational Foundation, the chemistry challenge celebrates and elevates the science of chemistry to inspire ongoing study and careers. This is Pierce’s second year participating in the competition, and he hopes to continue his study of chemistry in the years to come. “It intrigues me to see how things are made on the tiniest, tiniest level, and how things interact,” said Pierce. He was runner-up to first place, and will serve as an alternate at the national competition if the first place recipient can’t compete.

DANYA SPOOR ’21 (and her sister Elsa ’19) qualified for the Junior Olympic Nationals in Track & Field by competing in the 800m and 1500m in July 2018. Danya also qualified for Junior Olympic Nationals in Cross Country in December, which was held in Knoxville, TN. She finished the season in the top 25 nationally in the 800m and 1500m, and she finished second at the Junior Olympic Cross Country Nationals meet against a field of about 225 girls—and was awarded All-American status. Additionally, and for the third time, Danya was honored in January at the USATF Athlete of the Year Awards Banquet for athletes who achieve distinction in the state of New Jersey.

JAMES THOMAS ’19 recently attended the Buffalo Star Swimming Short Course Team Invitational in December 2018—his biggest meet so far. He swam the 100m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, and 200m free relay, and qualified for finals with his 100m and 200m breaststroke. James began competitive swimming seven years ago for Noe Pond Club, and has been swimming with Berkeley Aquatic Club for the past four years. He plans to continue swimming at Pingry next year.

BEN BROWN ’21

PIERCE MALLOY ’19

DANYA SPOOR ’21

JAMES THOMAS ’19

In December 2018, LIZ KHIDEKEL ’19 danced the illustrious role of little Clara in a production of The Nutcracker at Montclair State University. Liz is a member of the Verona School of Classical Ballet, which produced The Nutcracker, and was founded by Alissa Kossov, a graduate of the esteemed Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. With a strong program of nurturing dancers as they grow into ever-more challenging parts, the school holds annual public performances in classical ballet. Liz has been taking ballet since she was four (having progressed from her first part in The Nutcracker as a Snowflake.) She hopes to continue her dance career with the Kent Place Dance Ensemble, as well as with her ballet school.

In her eighth-grade speech, Liz said that “Even though I only danced the first act, it was the most exciting—and simultaneously, the most stressful—experience of my life. I think a big factor in my dancing that day was my motivation. It reminded me of what the future held if I truly had the determination to be better.” For her eighth-grade capstone project, Liz created a documentary about The Nutcracker and the overall lifestyle of a dancer.

First-grader ARVIND RAMAKRISHNAN performed at Carnegie Hall in April 2019 after receiving the gold medal prize for his piano performance at The Golden Key International Music Festival. He performed (and won) in the same music festival the prior spring, as well. This was Arvind’s second time playing at Carnegie Hall.

LIZ KHIDEKEL ’19

ARVIND RAMAKRISHNAN ’26

Photo

Courtesy of David Wilcomes

FACULTY NEWS

Micro:bits Meet Hummingbird Bits in Schwartz’s Class

Before expanding his fifth graders’ horizons in the world of physical computing, BRUCE SCHWARTZ, Director of the Osborn Idea & Design Lab, spent a day conjoining micro:bits and Hummingbird Bits during Gary Stager’s notable “Invent to Learn” workshop. The workshop promotes strategies and teaching methods which prompt the complex problem-solving that occurs during project-based learning.

Micro:bits (microcontrollers) are at the cornerstone of the fifth-graders’ yearlong technology class teaching physical computing—building interactive physical systems by pairing hardware and software that can sense and respond to the analog world. Hummingbird Bits (different types of microcontrollers), along with a variety of new sensors, allow students to expand their programming reach. This expanded toolkit is crucial as students devise and develop infrastructure technology for their open-ended “Underground Civilization” culminating project.

“Every day it’s something different,” said Schwartz. “I’ve never heard my students yell out ‘Mr. Schwartz! I did it!’ or ‘Look what I just did!’ as much as during this portion of my class. The kids love it.” Schwartz also presented to the NJAIS Technology Steering Committee about how students use these tools within the civilizations project.

Code As Art

After exploring the intersection between artistic creativity and innovative coding, Director of Technology, Innovation, & Design KEVIN GRIESHABER is devising ways to share what he’s learned—and to teach Peck students how to use code to create algorithmic, or generative, art.

“I’ve used some of these concepts in my Friday Activity Coding Class in the past,” said Grieshaber, “and I am always looking for new ideas about integrating code and art. [Upper School Art Teacher] Scott Beil and I hope to

explore ways we can connect some of this with the Upper School art program.”

Grieshaber took two master class workshops in Creative Coding in February with noted Brooklyn artist and designer Phillip Stearns, and was also accepted into the month-long ITP Camp that takes place in June. ITP Camp is coordinated through ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program), located in the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. It is grounded in the belief that ‘making’ is fundamental to thinking, and

ALGORITHMIC ART, CREATED WITH ARDUINO COMPUTING PLATFORM

invites creative and tech-savvy people to collaborate in an unconference format—to experiment and challenge themselves, hear cutting-edge speakers, and collaborate with people of diverse disciplines.

SCHWARTZ BUILT A HUMMINGBIRD BITS DEMONSTRATION BOARD FOR HIS STUDENTS

Carr Interns at Center for Teaching and Learning Starr

Publishes Article in NAIS Magazine

Communications Specialist

CHRIS STARR has recently published an article in the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) spring magazine, Independent School. Starr’s article features Peck as an example of how school leaders can effectively employ the essence of institutional identity to lead a community through a period of transition.

To read the article, scan the QR code:

To further her Deep Dive into “Re-imagining Academic Reading,” Upper School English Teacher

CHELSEY CARR interned at the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in early April. The CTL is a K-8 independent demonstration school in Edgecomb, Maine founded by educator and Global Teacher Prize winner Nancie Atwell. The school is nationally known for its award-winning teaching, research-based methods, educational outreach, and innovative curriculum. Teachers hailing from across the U.S. and several other countries have participated in CTL’s internship program, which affords teachers the opportunity to observe, collaborate, and confer about literacy instruction.

“A positive result of the Upper School’s reading zone initiative is a resurgence of independent reading habits amongst Peck’s fifth-through-eighth-grade students,” says Carr. “The goal of my Deep Dive is to find ways to harness the energy and momentum of the reading initiative’s independence, and bring aspects of it into the eighthgrade English classroom—thus, re-imagining whole-class academic reading. Literature circles provide voice and choice as opposed to teacher-selected texts. This experience is designed to focus on essential questions, enduring understandings, and learning outcomes.”

FACULTY NEWS

Vallario

Shares Best Practices at NJAIS Reading Conference

Peck’s Lower School Reading Director, CAROLYN VALLARIO , shared best practices with peer reading specialists at a recent New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) roundtable. She discussed Assessment-Based Teaching and the use of accurate and reliable assessment tools (such as The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System and Running

Records) to assess reading levels, document and track student progress, and ensure that students are matched to the right books.

She also discussed Peck’s use of the Orton-Gillingham (OG) multi-sensory methodology in teaching phonics and reading, and the importance of having all teachers trained in OG (as are all of Peck’s Lower School classroom teachers). In addition to providing a consistent set of expectations and assessment through grade levels, the OG methodology ensures that young readers continually receive tailored literacy instruction that best fits varying developmental learning needs.

Vallario said, “Peck students have shown immense success in auditory, kinesthetic, and visual learning through the Orton-Gillingham approach. They’re eager to learn using manipulatives and we are reaching all types of learners, which is key to nurturing a lifelong love of, and affinity for, reading Our students have shown progress in grade-level benchmarks throughout the year, and continue to show an increased appetite for independent reading.”

Chan Awarded Fellowship From NJ State Council on the Arts

English Department Chair SARAH CHAN has been awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for her recent work of prose written during the summer of 2018, while on a trip taken through Peck’s Ben Alexander Grant for Faculty Enrichment. The work is a collection of short stories about growing up in Brooklyn, and is one of only five prose selections and one of 12 overall chosen for a fellowship.

“I am very grateful to Peck for encouraging me and my fellow teachers

to grow personally through its summer faculty grant,” Chan said. “At first, I wondered how I would re-enter, revisit, and re-envision these halffinished poems and stories I had not looked at for years. Then I jumped in and experienced what my students sometimes experience when facing a writing assignment: a progression from fear, confusion, and defeat to a state of self-reflection, persistence, and openmindedness. Ultimately, I followed the advice that I give to my students when revising; I tried to stay true to the voice in each piece and write about what I know.”

Exploring Civil Rights in Savage’s Class

After March Break, Upper School English Teacher VIRGINIA SAVAGE returned to her classroom equipped with powerful experiences, notes, and artifacts about civil rights history. She had visited several Civil Rights museums and monuments in Montgomery, Alabama, including the non-profit Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI)

Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice. She explored the EJI’s “Community Remembrance Project,” a poignant component of EJI’s efforts to acknowledge and humanize victims of lynching. The EJI’s efforts have helped its community make notable progress with race relations.

“I can have an immediate, tangible impact on both Peck’s Inclusion, Equity, and Justice work and the seventh-grade curriculum,” Savage said. “Prior to March Break, seventh graders completed Part One of our To Kill a Mockingbird unit. Returning to school with photographs, stories, Supreme Court cases, and other information about the efforts made to confront our history will help students better understand the text and recognize still-relevant themes and stereotypes. Better yet, this trip allowed me to bring back information that will inspire students to take action against societal inequities and fight for any issue of justice or humanity that moves them personally.”

Baby News

Congratulations to Third Grade Teacher KATIE BRUNO and her husband, Joe, on the birth of their daughter Sadie Elizabeth Bruno! Sadie was born on March 17. Big brother Samson ’27 was ecstatic to welcome his baby sister home!

Recruiting and Retaining Excellent Teachers

In an effort to recruit, support, and retain the highest quality faculty, Peck created a more transparent and structured compensation system and also created opportunities to honor and promote teachers for both loyalty and excellence in teaching.

Teacher Leader Program

Peck created a way for teachers to be ‘promoted’ as educators without having to leave the classroom to pursue administrative positions. The Teacher Leader Program, born from the 2015 Strategic Plan, creates a role for teachers to steward targeted professional development for their colleagues at Peck, and to be compensated as such for those efforts. This new program is a clear pathway for teachers to also pursue their own growth, both within the classroom and as leaders in the field of education.

Peck Teacher Leaders inspire students, colleagues, and the larger community and are viewed as thought leaders in the broader independent school community. They are subject-matter experts who are champions of professional growth among the faculty. Peck Teacher Leaders are present in multiple areas of the school and are exemplars of Peck culture and tradition.

The application process for this program is thorough and thoughtful. To be eligible to apply for the designation of Teacher Leader, a Peck teacher must first have a minimum of seven completed years of instructional experience (with two of them at Peck), and hold an advanced degree or National

Board Certification, and/or have extensive professional development experience.

Applicants are evaluated on the basis of their classroom skills such as content knowledge, classroom culture, and measurement of student growth and development; professionalism, collegiality, institutional advancement, and professional growth and development; and community involvement. Currently, two faculty members hold the designation of Teacher Leader, with several more exploring the application process.

Banded Compensation System

The Peck administration made several changes to the process by which raises are determined and how compensation is communicated. Under Peck’s new compensation system, faculty are aligned within a banded system based on years of teaching experience when benchmarked against a national sample of peer schools. Through both a total compensation model and the transparency of the new banded system, faculty see clearly how they are compensated relative to peers with similar experience levels.

“We now have a mechanism in place that ensures our faculty members are always well-compensated compared to peer schools on a national level,” said Director of Finance and Operations Andrew Schneider. “Given Peck’s thoughtful new banded salary system, coupled with an industry-leading benefits package, we work hard to make sure our exemplary teachers never feel they must leave Peck to seek out higher compensation elsewhere.”

Associate Teacher Program

In its efforts to prioritize ongoing faculty growth and professional development to support a dynamic teaching and learning culture, Peck’s 2015 Strategic Plan identified an opportunity to start from the ground up with the creation of the Associate Teacher Program.

At its core, the Associate Teacher Program is an immersive opportunity designed for emerging teachers who are ready to take the next step toward becoming world-class educators in elementary education.

Associate Teachers are paired with Master Teachers in Peck’s Lower School for the duration of this one-year, full-time program. Under their mentorship, participants refine their teaching technique and strategies, collaborate with leading educators, and regularly reflect on their teaching practice.

Honoring and Celebrating Teaching Excellence

Acknowledging our faculty and staff for their dedication and loyalty is an essential practice at Peck. Our teachers bring an extraordinary amount of enthusiasm, vibrancy, and care to our classrooms. They carry out our mission with purpose and shape our school into a ‘home away from home’ for students and their families. The 2015 Strategic Plan aims to bolster our practice of meaningful professional recognition.

Faculty Appreciation Ceremony

At an annual all-school assembly in January, faculty and staff are recognized for their years of service to Peck.

The Peck Crystal Apple: “Because They Cared”

Faculty and staff with 10 years of experience at Peck are honored for their dedication with the Peck Crystal Apple at the Faculty Appreciation Ceremony in January.

The Peck Chair

At each faculty and staff member’s 20-year anniversary at Peck, he or she is presented with the engraved Peck Chair at the annual Welcome Back Dinner in September.

The Disciplina Ad Vivendum Award for Teaching Excellence

Peck’s Disciplina Ad Vivendum Award is the top honor given to inspirational teachers who personify the school’s mission to promote learning for life. It is presented by the President of the Board of Trustees at the annual Welcome Back Dinner in September.

As they grow in skill and experience, they will take on increasing responsibility in the classroom and hone the mastery needed to become a head teacher.

At the end of this program, all Associate Teachers will have developed portfolios documenting their progress as teachers. The Peck School also provides ongoing professional development and support.

The Associate Teacher Program is guided by two primary objectives: to create a rich learning environment where talented new teachers can work alongside experienced professionals in creating the best possible education for Peck students, and to

The Ben Alexander Faculty Grant for Faculty Enrichment

This endowed grant reflects Peck’s consideration for ‘the whole self’—and is an opportunity for teachers with three or more years at Peck to explore personally enriching interests and embody the growth mindset. After receiving a grant, faculty serve a threeyear term on a committee to evaluate future grant applications.

The Walker D. Kirby Faculty Speaker Award

Announced annually at Commencement, this award is a grassroots vote for teaching excellence. Each year’s graduating class chooses the teacher to be honored, and the winner delivers the faculty address to the graduates. The Kirby family established the award in honor of the late Mrs. Walker D. Kirby (a longtime Peck parent, grandparent, Board member, and devoted volunteer), because of her profound respect for the Peck faculty.

provide beginning teachers with broad support for growth, reflection, and career development as they enter the next phase in their careers.

“The level of collaboration I have with other teachers has been invaluable,” said Erin Wolters, Second Grade Associate Teacher. “I have had the opportunity to work with teachers in different departments, disciplines, and grade levels—which not only gives me a greater breadth and depth of experience as an educator, but is also energizing to be part of such highly effective teaching teams.”

REUNION

On March 2, more than 100 alumni and friends gathered for one last time in Peck’s Old Gym to celebrate the end of an era and the next chapter in Peck’s exciting history.

This reunion marked the Old Gym’s final event, as it was deconstructed just two weeks later to make way for the final stages of our campus transformation. (See video of the Old Gym coming down at www.peckpromise.org!)

With a festive Mardi Gras theme, guests enjoyed New Orleans-inspired food and drink, a jam session with former Athletic Director Don Diebold’s band, Half Past Dead, and the opportunity to autograph ALL the walls one last time. Alumni from as far back as the 1950s enjoyed reminiscing with friends about their memories of the Old Gym, including lunch tables that came down from the walls, graduations and Sings, gym classes, and athletic competitions. Head of School Andy Delinsky gave tours of the rising Peck Commons, thrilling alumni as he showed off the nearlycompleted spaces and explained the changes that await students in the fall of 2019.

For the past 50+ years, Peck graduates have enthusiastically signed their names to the backstage walls of the Old Gym stage.

Memories

We’ve preserved their signatures in photos for an art installation in the new Peck Commons.

Introducing our Alumni Class Reps

Alumni: you’re the eyes and ears of life after Peck—and some of your former classmates have graciously volunteered to work with our alumni office to help Peck remain in touch with you! We are so grateful to these alumni and their efforts to keep you connected to the school, so the school can be connected to all of you. They’ll encourage you to send the school updates including contact information, career and personal milestones, and photos. If you’d like to join in the fun, please email alumni@peckschool.org and let us know you’d like to be a Class Rep, too!

CLASS OF 1950: ALDYS (CHAPMAN) DAVIS noscale@mac.com

CLASS OF 1954: SUSIE (MARCKWALD) MACKAY matemmackay@aol.com

CLASS OF 1965: PETER MALIN AND SUSAN (NICHOLS) FERRIERE peter@themalingroup.com susanferriere116@gmail.com

CLASS OF 1971: STEWART CUTLER stewart.cutler@barclays.com

CLASS OF 1973: ANNE (LEBUHN) MACCOWATT maccowatt@aol.com

CLASS OF 1989: CHERIE ALCOFF calcoff@avenuecapital.com

CLASS OF 1992 WICK MCLEAN wickmclean@gmail.com

CLASS OF 1996: BROOKE (WORTHINGTON) HOUK brooke.worthington@gmail.com

CLASS OF 2001: KEN LOPIAN ken.lopian@gmail.com

CLASS OF 2003: TAYLOR (WORTHINGTON) WILLIAMS taylorworthingtonwilliams@gmail.com

CLASS OF 2010: SERENA NAJJAR serenanajjar96@gmail.com

CLASS OF 2012: JACQUIE JAKIMOWICZ jjakimow@bu.edu

CLASS OF 2016: TJ PAREKH parekh_t@delbarton.org

CLASS NOTES

1950s

ALDYS (CHAPMAN) DAVIS ’50 writes that she has been a Garden Club of America Horticultural Judge Emeritus for 27 years—and is still digging in the dirt!

HOPE (PHILLIPS) HAZEN ’56 is showing the spring collection of Worth New York and spending lots of time with her two-year-old grandson.

1970s

DILLARD KIRBY ’73 writes that he’s still plugging away at the F.M. Kirby Foundation office. “I keep up with several Peck classmates, including WILSON COMPTON ’73 , who is on our foundation’s Board. I drive by Peck’s campus to and from work daily, and I am amazed at the transformative nature of the current campaign/buildings project.”

1980s

On April 9, Our Shoes, Our Selves by AMANDA (MACKENZIE) BENCHLEY ’83 hit the shelves. Read about her Peck story and her journey to becoming a published author in the Fall 2018 issue of Peck News

In July 2018, DR. JENNIFER PRICE ’86 was named Head of School at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, MA.

CHERIE ALCOFF ’89 is living in NYC and still enjoying her work in private equity at Avenue Capital Group. Her son Gregory just turned five and is very excited to start kindergarten this fall at Saint David’s School, where he will attend with Magnus, the son of ERIK CASPERSEN ’84 !

KIRK MATERNE ’89 and his wife Anna are excited to report their son Stewart ’28, will be joining their daughter Grayson ’24 at Peck this fall.

LAURA “HOAGIE” (HOAG) HAY ’89 writes, “Here is a photo of 5-year-old Wilson at our favorite spot, Duxbury Beach, MA. We’re fortunate to live just a few miles from this

STEWART AND GRAYSON (KIRK MATERNE ’89)

CHERIE ALCOFF ’89

MAGNUS (ERIK CASPERSEN ’84) AND GREGORY (CHERIE ALCOFF ’89)

beautiful slice of heaven where we (my husband Alex, Wilson, me, and our dog Schooner!) go for long walks as much as possible. I’m the Director of Major Gifts and Capital Campaign for a community arts school, South Shore Conservatory. My husband is in wine distribution and sales. And Wilson is eagerly awaiting his transition from the Early Learning Center at the Y to his full-day kindergarten class this fall. Hope some Peck friends will join us for some beach fun this summer!”

MARK DIXON ’89 writes, “I’ve been a forensic chemist since 2001 and am currently with the Oklahoma City Police Department Crime Lab. I earned my BS in chemistry from The University of Oklahoma and my MS in forensic science from Oklahoma State University. I’ve been married to my wife Ingrid for 17 years and we have three children, Isaac (15), Aaron (8), and Sabrina (5). My wife is a nurse and is working on her PhD in nursing.”

1990s

SHANNON (BARRY) O’GRADY ’90 writes that her family recently moved to Lehigh Valley, PA and they are so happy with their new home! Her husband Chris continues to work at Fidelity Investments in NJ, and Shannon teaches part-time in the local district and does some private coaching on the side. Their kids are thriving in the gifted and talented program at their new school and enjoying sports. Daughter Teagan (7) was a star on her soccer team and son Riggins (9) is an excellent swimmer and excited to try baseball this spring. They also adopted a lab mix puppy in October who is bringing a new spring to the step of their senior dog!

LAUREN (WORTHINGTON) MORSE ’94 and her husband Rob are thrilled to share that their son, Harrison, will be joining Peck’s Kindergarten class in September. Harrison is an amazing big brother to little Layla, who turned one in April!

KATIE BROWN FENSTERMAKER ’98 is having a blast living in Mendham, raising her five-year-old daughter Colby and three-year-old son Sloan, along with a 135-pound mastiff and a seven-pound chihuahua. She and her husband Blake spend a lot of time with ANDREW BRUEN ’03 and his wife Callie, and get to see ASHLEY (KAZMEROWSKI)

LAN ’98 and her family often. She also speaks with VANI (RAO) DETJEN ’98 , who lives in Seattle and just welcomed a second little girl, and EMILY (BROEMAN) FARNUM ’98 , who lives in CT with her two children.

MARK DIXON ’89

WILSON (LAURA HAY ’89)

HARRISON (LAUREN [WORTHINGTON] MORSE ’94)

2000s

SUSIE (SWEENEY) BERLACHER ’01 teaches at Malvern Preparatory School in PA, an all-boys Augustinian school for grades 6-12. She is one of the faculty advisors to the awardwinning print and online newspaper, The Friar’s Lantern. She also coaches three sports (middle school water polo, lacrosse, and swimming) and teaches four ninth-grade literature and composition classes and one senior elective called Media Literacy and Journalism.

EMILY (SIMON) CRYSTAL ’03 , her husband Matt, and their son August welcomed a baby girl, Poppy, in September 2018. In January 2019, Emily started a new job as a construction project analyst for Katerra East.

LILY (DOWNING) INFANTE ’05 enjoyed time with classmates PAULINE EICHLER ’05 and GABRIELLE MASUCCI ’05 at her September 2018 wedding in Greensboro, VT.

KENNETH NYAMEKYE ’06 writes that work as a firefighter has been phenomenal: “Last July marked one year on the job for me. Over the past year and a half, I have been blessed to see and do a lot of fulfilling things so early in my career. Along with running into burning buildings, I have been fortunate enough to extricate victims out of car accidents as well as dissuade a man from jumping off of a highway sign. I am truly enjoying myself in my career. I appreciate the consistent challenges that the career offers because it is a constant reminder to always be prepared.”

NYASIA JONES ’07 is a first-year medical student at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Rutgers University).

CAMERON SIMON ’08 has been working at Morgan Stanley since graduation from Boston College in 2016 and is enjoying being an uncle to his sister’s (EMILY [SIMON] CRYSTAL ’03) two beautiful children.

KOBBY ADU-DIAWUO ’09 writes, “After several months of interviews, I’m happy to share that I will officially be moving to Los Angeles starting in July 2019! I will be working at a private equity firm called Ares Management, and I am tremendously excited for the growth and development that will take place as a result of both my position at Ares and living on the west coast.”

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Alumni—you are the eyes and ears of life after Peck! We love to share your stories, ensuring that the Class Notes section remains your go-to pages! Connect with your class rep, or email us at alumni@peckschool.org.

AUGUST

POPPY AND

(EMILY SIMON CRYSTAL ’03)

NYASIA JONES ’07

PAULINE EICHLER ’05, LILY (DOWNING) INFANTE ’05, AND GABRIELLE MASUCCI ’05

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2010s

BELA PAREKH ’10 is working full-time in consulting and applying to medical school. Bela recently returned to Peck for the school’s alumni Mardi Gras reunion, and caught up with Coach Sue Sweeney.

MARCUS JONES ’10 is living in Boston after graduating from Colby College in 2018. He worked as an accounting assistant at Lanco Scaffolding Inc. over the summer and then began working as an analyst at AGC Partners, a technology investment bank.

ELEANOR FLEMING ’11 graduates this spring from UC Berkeley’s Division of Data Sciences as a Data Science Major with a Domain Emphasis in Cognition. She will then begin a career at BlackRock on the risk analytics technology side of the asset management firm. In an interview for a Berkeley student profile, she said, “With data science, if you have an understanding of the baseline, you can explore many different avenues without ever feeling like you’re veering offcourse. [This] major gives me the tools to be able to change disciplines; if you have the tools to analyze data, that makes you valuable whichever industry you end up in.”

PRINCE ADABLAH ’12 spent his spring semester studying in London. Since September, he has also served as an equity research analyst for BLK Capital Management, a student-run hedge fund started at Harvard University. This summer, he looks forward to interning at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in global investment banking.

We’re featuring the high school, collegiate, and professional athletic achievements of our alumni in a new touch-screen Alumni Athletic Gallery in the Diebold Athletic Center. Submit your note at www.peckschool.org/athletes

ELEANOR FLEMING ’11

BELA PAREKH ’10

MARCUS JONES ’10 (FOURTH FROM LEFT)

PRINCE ADABLAH ’12

BELLE GIBBONS ’12 is currently studying political science at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. She will intern this summer at J.P. Morgan Chase in their Markets Division.

AMANDA COSENTINO ’12 is studying in Milan this spring and is an incoming investment banking summer analyst at Manhattan’s Greenhill & Co.

KATIE COYNE ’12 , majoring in philosophy at Yale University, coaches an after-school running program for elementary school girls in the greater New Haven community.

JACKSON HOIT ’12 spent his spring semester in Rome studying business and will be interning this summer as an investment banking analyst at Boston’s Moelis & Company.

JACQUIE JAKIMOWICZ ’12 is currently in Barcelona for the semester studying communications and art history. A junior at Boston University, Jacquie was named a recipient of the college-wide Team R Capstone Award from the College of General Studies (CGS) in October. The Capstone Project is an all-encompassing research term paper representative of the culmination of the CGS educational experience. Her group constructed an action plan for creating a sustainable Boston public transportation system. In Boston University’s Capstone Award Winners news release, it is noted that the winning group “combined a passionate commitment to a sustainable future with a keen understanding of the economic and environmental costs that accrue from poor transit planning.”

HUNTER KRONK ’12 , a junior at the University of Miami, competed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men’s Division III 2019 Regional Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama in March.

AMIRA MIYAJI ’12 graduated from the University of California San Diego with a degree in political science. In January, she ran the Carlsbad Marathon, and also works as an instructor at Pure Barre San Diego

In April 2018, MALCOLM SUTHERLAND ’12 delivered a TEDx Talk at the University of Rochester about his battle with Ewing’s Sarcoma and the creation of his non-profit organization, Make Some Noise: Cure Kids Cancer, Inc., which has raised $2 million for pediatric cancer research since 2009. Watch his TEDx Talk on the Make Some Noise Facebook page at @MakeNoise4Kids.

MALCOLM SUTHERLAND ’12

AMIRA MIYAJI ’12

JACQUIE JAKIMOWICZ ’12 (THIRD FROM LEFT)

IN MEMORIAM

Peck extends its sympathies to the families and friends of the following members of our community:

CAMILLA (ADAMS) MCCLAVE WITMAN , January 2, 2018; mother of Margaret (McClave) Snowden ’59, Wilkes McClave III ’61, Patricia (McClave) Jackson ’64, and Madeline R. McClave ’72. See Tribute to Mrs. Witman on page 59.

STEPHEN (TERRY) HAINES PLUM III ’61 , December 10, 2018; son of the late Dr. Malcolm Plum ’31, brother of John Plum ’63, the late Robert Plum ’64, and Nancy Plum ’67.

JAMES E. ROGERS , December 17, 2018; father of current parent Ben Rogers, father-in-law of current parent Megan Rogers, and grandfather of Sara Rogers ’17, Teddy Rogers ’18, Liza Rogers ’21, and Maggie Rogers ’23.

JUNE HOPE AFANASSIEV , January 6, 2019; mother of current parent Lara Devieux, mother-in law of current parent Dimitri Devieux, and grandmother of Preston Devieux ’23, Zachary Devieux ’26, and Joelle Devieux ’26.

MARK EMMETT KELLEY , January 12, 2019; father of Lower School Math Coordinator Jennifer Hogan.

EILEEN O’CONNELL BROWN , January 30, 2019; mother of former faculty member Barrett Brown, mother-in-law of First Grade Teacher Jeannie Brown, and grandmother of Eoin Brow n ’03, Gareth Brown ’04, and Kelsey Brown ’06.

DEAN CHAPMAN DURLING JR. , February 22, 2019; son of former parent Dean Durling, stepson of former parent Liz Durling, and brother of Margaret “Posey” Durling ’17.

DAVID J. FARRIS , February 28, 2019; father of former Trustee Jennifer Moss, fa ther-in-law of former parent Frederick Moss, and grandfather of Sarah-Louise Moss ’07, William Moss ’1 0, and Hunter Moss ’16.

SHIRLEY MOFFITT , March 26, 2019; mother of current parent Carlene Pruitt, moth er-in-law of current parent John Pruitt, and grandmother of Emmy Pruitt ’24 and Jay Pruitt, a me mber of the Class of 2017.

JIM ROGERS

The Peck Promise Campaign Grandparent Co-Chair

Peck grandparent Jim Rogers had a catchphrase: “Play me or trade me.” Put me to work, use me to my fullest potential, he meant, or send me somewhere where I can do just that.

Jim was happy to be put to work on Peck’s behalf. He was, among many other roles, one of The Peck Promise Campaign’s two Grandparent Co-Chairs, and he passed away unexpectedly on December 17, 2018. He was grandfather to Sara ’17, Teddy ’18, Liza ’21, and Maggie ’23.

Jim joined the campaign team in March 2018, jumping onboard enthusiastically to rally his fellow grandparents to support the campaign. He happily lent Peck his time, his passion, and his vast fundraising expertise, as he felt strongly about investing in the future for his grandchildren and for future generations.

Indeed, though Jim enjoyed a storied career as a lawyer and an energy executive, he also leaves behind a deep and lasting philanthropic legacy. He was chairman of Duke Energy, which gave him a uniquely informed perspective on climate change and drove his work toward developing renewable power sources. In 2015, he published a book, Lighting the World, which offered practical public and private solutions for addressing deep economic disparities and lifting the world’s poorest out of poverty.

Jim’s focus on energy access for all and the teaching, mentoring, and activism that it inspired in him and others will reverberate for generations. As Global Vice Chair for The Nature Conservancy, he raised more than $5 billion dollars for issues like water conservation, land protection, and preserving natural resources.

Jim was also a champion of the Charlotte, NC area, leading an $83-million campaign to revitalize the city with new museums. Jim and his wife M.A. made contributions at Queens University in Charlotte to fund the Rogers Health and Science Building, and Jim was instrumental in bringing the Democratic National Convention to the city in 2012.

To bring this wealth of knowledge to Peck’s fundraising efforts was a true honor to campaign leadership. Head of School Andy Delinsky says, “We are

deeply appreciative of and grateful for the chance to work with Jim. In a short time, he left an indelible mark on this campaign, and we are proud to continue with the work that he considered vital to the future success of our school.”

Betty Marsh, Jim’s fellow Grandparent Co-Chair, agrees. “Jim was quite fond of looking at the work we did together as an investment in the future. The idea that we should leave the world a better place than we found it can be applied to all aspects of life. He simply felt it was his duty to help, and he did so happily.”

Jim measured himself by what he called ‘The Grandchildren’s Test,’ asking himself, “Will my grandchildren be proud of what I did?” Jim remarked, “My hope is that they’ll say he played an important role in our future.”

It’s clear that, through his remarkable work ethic, his deep commitment to philanthropy, and his joyous and warm personality, Jim passed this test with flying colors.

Jim is survived by many loved ones, including his wife, M.A.; his son and daughter-in-law, current Peck parents Ben and Megan Rogers; and his grandchildren Sara Rogers ’17, Teddy Rogers ’18, Liza Rogers ’21, and Maggie Rogers ’23. He also leaves behind two daughters, a brother, two sisters, four additional grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

CAMILLA MCCLAVE WITMAN

Former Trustee (1987-1990), Former Staff (1969-1987)

Throughout Peck’s 126-year history there have been individuals whose names echo through time. We often feel we know them, regardless of having never met them. Camilla (Adams) McClave Witman surely is one of these individuals. For more than 30 years, Camilla served Peck in almost every capacity: volunteer, registrar, receptionist, nurse, development and admissions officer, and public relations aficionado. Former Board President Robert ‘Stretch’ Gardiner explained that “Camilla was the glue that held Peck together—she was an unsung hero of the school and an institution unto herself.”

As noted in the 1987 Peck News, “She IS the personification of The Peck School.” To mark her retirement from Peck in 1987, then-Headmaster Rudy Deetjen commissioned a portrait of Camilla, which currently hangs in Lindenwold. Upon her retirement, Camilla was elected to and served a three-year term on Peck’s Board of Trustees.

Camilla’s introduction to Peck began in 1955 when her eldest daughter, Margaret ’59, began school. Soon following in their sister’s footsteps were Wilkes ’61, Pam ’64, and Madeline ’72. Camilla immediately got involved with the Mothers Association (now called the Parents Association) by accepting (and excelling in) myriad leadership roles, culminating as its president for two years from 1965-1967. Later, she would formally join Peck in as many different roles as one could imagine. She was always there to offer a hand, lend an ear, welcome a stranger, or give strategic advice. Camilla’s keen insight and vision to see each child’s unique potential to thrive at Peck were her hallmarks, and speak to her positive and lasting influence within the Peck community.

In 1981, the school yearbook, The Linden, was dedicated to Camilla, as voted on by the graduating eighth-grade class. A poem composed by students accompanies the dedication in the yearbook. It aptly describes the breadth of her involvement, warmth, and impact on all who knew her.

Camilla is survived by many loved ones, including her children Margaret (McClave) Snowden ’59, Wilkes McClave III ’61, Patricia (McClave) Jackson ’64, and Madeline R. McClave ’72.

CAMILLA WITMAN

CAMILLA WITMAN (LEFT) WITH PATTY DEETJEN (MID), WIFE OF FORMER HEADMASTER RUDY DEETJEN, AND BETSY MICHEL (RIGHT), FORMER BOARD PRESIDENT

LINDEN DEDICATION, 1981

Mrs. McClave has worked for many a year Wiped away from cheeks many a tear. She answers calls. Cleans cuts from playground falls. She’s a person who’s helpful, warm, and kind. Good to speak with, if you have a cloudy mind. She’s gentle when it comes to fixing bruises. And she’ll play in the mother-daughter hockey game whether she wins or loses.

As our days at Peck draw slowly to an end.

Mrs. McClave will be remembered as a friend.

— CLASS OF 1981 —

BELOW ARE A FEW TRIBUTES FROM MEMBERS OF OUR PECK COMMUNITY WHO KNEW CAMILLA:

“ Camilla was the heart and soul of The Peck School—embodying its values, traditions and core principles. When prospective parents crossed Lindenwold’s threshold, Camilla embraced them wholeheartedly, extolling the school’s virtues and the excitement of being part of the Peck family. Embracing the ideals of inclusivity and diversity, Camilla encouraged families from all walks of life to participate in the Peck experience, thereby expanding the school’s depth and breadth. Warm, caring, cheery, and fiercely competitive, Camilla was not to be deterred in her mission to make Peck the ‘best in its class.’”

Betty Marsh | FORMER FACULTY, PAST PARENT, AND BOARD PRESIDENT

“ Camilla was one of the most gracious women I ever knew and her ability to remember names was absolutely amazing. My favorite memory is when my daughter Megan ’91 fell by the Lindenwold front door. Camilla and Kirty Heald (Director of Development) took her to the hospital for stitches (it was a major split!). Camilla insisted that only the head of surgery would do (a Peck parent)—no emergency doctor for one of her own! This was before cell phones and an official school nurse! Incidentally, this whole accident began when Megan tripped on a mat on the walkway to the front of Lindenwold’s front door. When Camilla got back to school she threw away the mat and there has never been a mat there since!”

Kay Malone | FORMER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI, PAST PARENT, AND BOARD MEMBER

“ Thirty-five years ago, when we were searching for the best school for our daughters, we had no knowledge of the independent school model. So we were delighted when we met Peck’s Director of Admissions, Camilla McClave Witman, who warmly welcomed us, answered our many questions, and guided us through the admissions process. We could not know at that initial meeting that Camilla would become a dear friend to us, and we enjoyed a close bond with her throughout her tenure at Peck. She was much more than an administrator at the school; she was a consistent presence at parent events and was very much engaged in the community at Peck. John and I will always remember Camilla fondly as an elegant lady who treated everyone with kindness and a genuine sense of caring. She truly embodied Peck’s values and the pursuit of consideration of others.”

Annette Worthington | ADMISSIONS ASSOCIATE, PAST PARENT, AND FORMER BOARD MEMBER

Peck News

SPRING 2019

The Peck School

247 South Street Morristown, NJ 07960-7381

973.539.8660 peckschool.org

Head of School

ANDREW C. DELINSKY adelinsky@peckschool.org

EDITORIAL STAFF

Director of Strategic Communications

HEATHER BURCHFIELD hburchfield@peckschool.org

Associate Director of Strategic Communications

JEN CLEARY jcleary@peckschool.org

Communications Specialist

CHRIS STARR cstarr@peckschool.org

Receptionist

JENNY HUNT

Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations

JOAN SMITH MYERS

Campaign Director

LAUREN SPIRIG

Advancement Associate

SUSAN YUHAS

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Jason Jones Photography, At Home Studios, Anthony Puopolo, The Peck School,

The Peck School Archives, Peck Faculty, Current Parent Stacey Breaks, Peck Parents, Peck Alumni

ARTICLE CONTRIBUTORS:

Heather Burchfield, Jen Cleary, Andrew Delinsky,

Joan Myers, Lauren Spirig, Virginia Savage, Chris Starr, Chris Weaver, Sue Yuhas

PRINTING:

J. S. McCarthy Printers

ART DIRECTOR: Greta G. Chinnadurai

ADMINISTRATION

Head of School

Andrew C. Delinsky

Director of Strategic Communications

Heather Burchfield

Director of Athletics

David Carlo

Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

Erin Ceder

Director of Technology, Innovation, & Design

Kevin Grieshaber

Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations

Joan Smith Myers

Head of the Upper School

Daisy Savage

Director of Finance and Operations

Andrew Schneider

Head of the Lower School

Nina Sharma

Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development

Christopher Weaver

PARENTS ASSOCIATION

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Stefanie Bolton, President

Melissa Bartoli, Vice President

Susan Santomassimo, Secretary

Carlene Pruitt, Treasurer

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Edward James Foley IV ’85, President

Daniel Honeker, Vice President

Janet S. Pearce, Vice President

Thomas J. Pryma, Treasurer

Holly P. Brown, Secretary

Andrew Delinsky, Head of School*

Carter Marsh Abbott ’89

Stefanie Bolton, PA President*

Mark C. Bush

Brian D. Crosby

Mahmoud Elassir

David Hepp

Philip Kim ’90

Carrie Kurtzman

Marc M. Manahan

JeanAnn Morgan-Liftin

Souren G. Ouzounian

Jai G. Parekh

G. Michael Pendy

Patrick C. Ramsey

Subhadra Shah

Elliston Hensler Siedem ’82

Charles Sorrentino

Casey Wells

David T. Welsh

* Ex Officio member

This year, the Day of Giving is a spirited competition:

We’re aiming to raise at least 175 gifts on this single day in order to unlock a $10,000 gift from an alumni donor!

The Downy or Redhead team that records a greater number of donations wins a coveted dress-down day for the current Peck students on that team! Does your team spirit stand the test of time? Show us on June 6! Want to volunteer and help make the Day of Giving a success? Email alumni@peckschool.org and join in the fun!

The Downy-Redhead Day tradition was established by former girls’ Athletic Director Taz Brower in the 1951-52 school year. The Redheads won the first year, with a score of 1,215 to 1,175.

That year, there were 175 students enrolled at Peck— the number of gifts we want to raise in a single day!

247 South Street | Morristown, NJ 07960-7381 peckschool.org

To learn more, visit peckpromise.org or scan here

lived

Join us in supporting The Peck Promise Campaign and leave your legacy on the Peck campus.

All donors of $1,000 or more to The Peck Promise Campaign will be honored on permanent campus signage—the Peck Promise Paw. This recognition will proudly hang outside of the gleaming new Peck Commons Dining Room in gratitude for the hundreds of Peck community members who made this grand vision into a reality.