The Pingry Record - April 2020

ON THE WEB: students.pingry.org/ record

THE NATION’S OLDEST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

Volume CXLV, Number IV

April 20, 2020

Students Put on Chicago KYRA LI (III) This year, Pingry’s Drama and Music Department performed Chicago, the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, on February 20, 21, and 22. With its show-stopping music

by John Kander and choreography

by Bob Fosse, Chicago has won 6 Tony Awards, 2 Olivier Awards, and a Grammy. Chicago was written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, who was influenced by the true stories of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner, two women whom were suspected of the murder of their lovers. This musical follows these two women as they commit their crimes and find their way to freedom.

The musical opens with the Overture, which is directly followed by “All that Jazz.” In this scene, the vaudevillian, Velma Kelly (Nicole Gilbert ‘20), is shown shooting her lover, and the ambitious Roxie Hart (Nina Srikanth ‘20) is also shown shooting her partner in her affair, Fred Casely (Zach Burns ‘23). Roxie’s husband, Amos Hart (Alex Kaplan ‘21), initially takes the blame, but when he discovers that Roxie had lied to him, he tells the police the truth and Roxie is sent to prison. When Roxie talks to Velma and Matron “Mama” Morton (Ola Weber ‘20) in the Cook County Jail, she realizes that she will need a lawyer in order to be set free, so she finds the best lawyer in Chicago, Billy Flynn (Ore Shote ‘21), who, however, is also Velma’s lawyer. As the story progresses, the characters reveal their true intentions and desires. But in the end, Roxie and Velma both end up free of charges, and the last scene depicts their duo Vaudeville show.

This year, the pit was visible on stage and was also included in some scenes. Directed by Dr. Moore, the pit consisted of students, teachers, and hired professionals. In the weeks leading up to the performances, the pit practiced weekly. The cast also came together with the pit for a Sitzprobe, a rehearsal dedicated to integrating the singers with the pit.

The crew also was a major element in making the show what it was.

With the help of Mr. Napolitano and Ms. Barakat, the students put a lot of effort into building the set and working in the booth, where the lighting and sound was controlled.

The costumes were also a major element in the production. Stage manager, Julia Guagliardo ‘20, says, “Finding costumes was really enjoyable. Mr. Napolitano and the costume team worked very hard to find costumes that fit with the time period and costumes that worked well

The Quarantine Edition

Read about how Pingry is handling Covid-19 on Page 2 with our set.”

Overall, Chicago was an amazing experience for the cast, crew, and teachers that were involved. Nicole Gilbert, who played Velma, said, “Chicago was my favorite Pingry production. It was a hard show to be in and to direct because there are so many elements to it, but the cast and crew really pulled it off and made it a very rewarding experience.” The show also taught everyone involved many different skills. Senior Julia Guliardo states, “The musical taught me a plethora of skills that I will take with me. Working with such a large group of people was challenging at times but overall showed me how powerful collaboration is. It was so wonderful to be given the opportunity to work hand in hand with both other students and teachers.”

COVID-19: Page 3

When the Peace Candles Blows Out Monica Chan (V) presents her view of racism against Asian Americans in the US

Cal Mahoney (V) Wins LeBow ZOE WANG (IV) On February 21, 2020, six finalists took part in the annual Lebow Oratorical Competition.

The competition was created by classmates of Dr. Robert H. Lebow ‘58 in honor of his passion for public speaking. Dr. Lebow used public speaking to support the global need for healthcare reform while he traveled to developing countries to provide medical services with his wife, Gail. His legacy is celebrated to this day by members of the sophomore and junior classes, who write and deliver 4 ½ to 6 ½ minute speeches for his namesake competition.

COMMENTARY: Pages 5,7

The preliminary round took place over two days, where 21 students competed for six spots in the final round. There were two rooms with two judges each, and the top three scores from each room advanced.

The speeches, which ranged from persuasive to informative, were judged using a rubric that focused on the flow, organization, and delivery of the overall speech. This year’s finalists were Noah Bergam (V), Cal Mahoney (V), Alex Kaplan (V), Ajuné Richardson (V), Carolyn Coyne (V), and Martine Bigos (IV).

Bigos spoke first with her speech titled “Schlemiel, Schlimazel.”

She juxtaposed herself with the character Garry from NBC’s Parks

INVESTIGATIVE, Pages 4,6

Prorating the Priceless

Has the Pingry Record Gone Soft?

Noah Bergam (V) considers Pingry’s tuition in the light of current events and how he believes the school should respond

Eva Schiller (V) takes us back to old Record issues and questions what’s been lost

and Recreation. Garry is known as a klutz by his co-workers and is thought of as nothing more than the little mistakes he makes. Bigos looks back on her own experiences, acknowledging that she too has her moments. Nevertheless, she stressed the importance of not being “defined by your worst mistakes.”

The next speech was Bergam’s “Big Fish in the Pingry Pond,” which he began by discussing students’ lack of participation in September’s Global Climate Strikes and Pingry’s general taboo on politics.

CONTINUE READING on Page 2

New Staff The Pingry Record is looking for freshman/sophomore illustrators, photo editors, & layout editors!

Email: nbergam2021@pingry.org or bweisholtz2020@pingry.org

THE PINGRY RECORD

2

SCHOOL NEWS APRIL 20, 2020

CORONAVIRUS CANCELS SCHOOL ANDREW WONG (IV) and MEGHAN DURKIN (V) On Thursday, March 12, amid concerns over COVID-19, Head of School Matt Levinson announced that Pingry would adopt a remote learning model through April 13. This closure has since been extended to May 15. Schoolsponsored activities, including athletics, were suspended as well, in hopes of keeping the Pingry community safe. This news followed the cancellation of multiple spring break trips, including the French exchange program and the athletics trips to Florida.

Prior to Spring Break, as New Jersey reported its first case of COVID-19, Pingry prepared for likely disruptions as a result of the virus. Mr. Levinson assembled a task force, led by Associate Director of Operations, Safety, and Strategic Initiatives David Fahey, to monitor the situation as it evolved. This model “allows us to act with deliberate speed and care in our decision-making, while also being nimble and adaptive to changing circumstances,” said Mr. Levinson.

So far, the biggest challenge for the task force “has been the speed at which [COVID-19] has unfolded.”

While spreading from China to South Korea to Italy, the virus had seemed to be a distant threat.

However, by late March, the United States had over 27,000 confirmed cases; that number has since topped 700,000.

As Pingry does its part to slow the spread of COVID-19, a new reality of social distancing has affected faculty and students.

Governor Phil Murphy ordered a statewide lockdown, which urges people to stay home and shuts down all non-essential business, leaving vacations cancelled, standardized tests postponed, and malls empty. Pingry’s remote learning model aims to continue fostering educational growth while keeping Pingry and the greater community safe. Teachers make use of virtual classes and online assignments to help make remote learning engaging and effective.

Mr. Tim Grant, a chemistry teacher, explained the “need to try to create a classroom feel where everyone can feel heard and be involved,” as

he believes “a class does involve the transfer of information, but much more importantly it must have the feeling of community.” For many teachers, including Mr. Grant, effectively using remote learning will be a “journey that to me looks like I’ve been air-dropped into the Amazon and I can’t imagine what comes next. The journey will be both scary and exciting with many new discoveries.”

Upper School Director Ananya Chatterji echoed this sentiment in an email to Upper School students, expressing the faculty’s shared hopes for the extended closure.

She explained that transitioning to online learning “is NOT going to be perfect. Everyone knows this, and no one––not a single one of us––expects that this will go smoothly. We are hoping to treat it like an adventure: something we can try our best at, knowing there will be pitfalls and successes. Most of all, adventures should be fun.

So our hope, as a faculty, is to have fun with it.”

Students will also have to adapt to new circumstances, not only academically, but also in terms

Cal Mahoney (V) Wins LeBow (cont.)

of extracurriculars. With delayed athletic seasons that face possible cancellations, students look to make the best of the unexpected situation. Mr. Grant, who coaches girls’ varsity track, explained his realization “that [he] must give enough information so that each athlete can learn how to coach themselves.” Both students and coaches must find “some gems against the rubble,” as they stay in shape and prepare for a potential season at home. Along with sports, clubs face new challenges, as they hope to keep members connected online.

Furthermore, this new territory of remote learning changes has changed the students’ social experience. Sanjana Biswas (V) said, “I’ll miss my friends the most and just the experience of being in school. As much as we complain about it, we all have fun talking to our friends during lunch and flexes and going to class.” However, she added, “It’s pretty easy to stay in touch through FaceTime and text.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, the Pingry community stays hopeful yet

cautious. Students and faculty alike promise to remain open and positive throughout these uncertain times. Gia Kalro (V) believes that while “we’ll have a lot of trial and error, eventually it will all work out.”

In a matter of weeks, everyday life in the United States and abroad has been replaced by social distancing and self-quarantining.

Nevertheless, during this time of uncertainty, both Pingry and the global community have stressed the importance of staying calm and maintaining hope. Mr. Levinson encourages students “to have fun, try new things, be creative, and take the time to get outside for some fresh air,” while finding “ways to build community remotely, whether it’s around a shared interest like a club, or around a passion project.” He asks the community to “be patient as we all discover new ways of learning and being in community together.”

Lebow Excerpts The LeBow Oratorical Competition has been a cornerstone tradition of the Upper School for over a decade. Unfortunately, its final round, which gets most of the attention, only has room for six speakers––which leaves many well-written speeches from the first round without an audience. As such, The Record decided to reach out to speakers from the first round and give them the chance to publish excerpts from their speeches. Below are four excerpts we received: Brian Li: The humanities serve as the foundation for human civilization.

They teach us how to think critically and creatively. They facilitate empathy and compassion. We communicate more clearly, understand cultural values, and are introduced to new perspectives through the humanities.

Humanistic education has been the core of liberal arts since the ancient Greeks, challenging students through art, literature, and politics. The humanities bring clarity to the future by reflecting on the past. Perhaps most importantly, they allow us to explore and understand what it means to be human. We need, now more than ever, to be able to understand the humanity of others. And while STEM is undoubtedly beneficial for humankind, we cannot sustain the neglect of the humanities for much longer without suffering severe consequences. With revolutionary technology like AI and genetic engineering, the humanities are essential to ensure that we progress ethically and morally together.

The six LeBow finalists

He expressed his hope that Pingry students can embrace more timely and less universally agreeable political discussion, in the classroom, clubs, and ultimately, in the LeBow competition itself. Noah suggested that “debate isn’t about winning—it’s about learning . . . disagreement is tiresome and messy, but it’s necessary nonetheless.”

Next, Mahoney delivered their speech entitled “Cancelling Cancelling.” They began by relaying a memory of their first minor fender-bender while on their way to school. Mahoney recognizes that “mistakes are inevitable when someone is new to something, but how you respond to them is up to you.” They explain that in today’s society even a small misunderstanding can lead to someone being “cancelled.” Closing the speech, Mahoney affirmed the idea that a person’s mistakes should be treated with kindness in order to help them learn.

Then, Kaplan described how

drama became his passion in his speech “The Pursuit of Passion.”

It all started in fifth grade when he signed up to act in the Lower School’s rendition of The Wizard of Oz. He emphasized that the older he gets, the harder it is to weave his passion into his schedule, as a result of society’s focus on “nonpassions.” Ultimately, Kaplan affirmed that he can have the profession he wants, while also enjoying his passion.

Richardson’s (V) “The Color of Music,” which highlights her identity as an African-American through her changing taste in music, followed. She grew up listening to artists like John Legend and Ne-Yo. Though, as her music taste started drifting from her family’s roots, her friends and family started calling her “white,” which caused her to struggle with her identity. Now, she is back to listening to the music of her childhood and is proud to embrace her identity as a “young black woman.”

The final speech was Coyne’s “Tell Me About Yourself.” In her speech, she addressed the question “Who are you?” She explained that most people’s usual responses include quick, generic facts instead of more unique and revealing personal principles. Coyne emphasized the need for everyone, including herself, to be alone sometimes in order to take care of themselves and learn more about who they truly are.

At the end of the assembly, Cal Mahoney was declared the winner and Ajuné Richardson was made the runner-up. Ultimately, the Lebow Oratorical Competition is a great tradition at Pingry that continues to provide students not only the opportunity to present their talents in public speaking, but to also spread a message they are passionate about.

Andrew Wong: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” A question many of us in this room have heard in countless interviews, and yet it is a question that can reveal so much about ourselves. So, where will we be in 10 years? In 10 years, we will have found ourselves going through the entire college process and graduating Pingry. We will go to and then graduate from college. We will have the rest of our lives will be splayed out in front of us, ready to grasp in our hands, as we enter the real world, ready to be the next generation of business people, engineers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, world leaders, and so much more. That answer seems pretty easy and straightforward, right? In reality, not so much.

Lauren Drzala: As time went by, I was falling behind on work because I could not write at all, leaving me frustrated in school. In addition, my mental health was at an all time low. I began to isolate myself, believing that no one could really understand how I was feeling. It was like I was falling and no one was there to catch me. On top of that, I was told I could not play my sport this winter, nor could I play the piano, an instrument that I have been playing since I was nine. I felt out of control and just had to watch the train wreck happen. I thought my friends had moved on so I tried to, but I just felt stuck. Left behind. I was in this mind set for a while, but it wasn’t until I realized that I could not give up on myself and settle for this empty feeling that my life started getting back on track. This triggered a uphill battle to try and climb my way out of the dark.

Aneesh Karuppur: We are always told that “small steps will lead you to your goal” and “you won’t even know how much effort it really takes if you do it one step at a time”. But people forget that for this advice to work, you have to actually be looking at your feet and making sure that every step is in the right direction. Otherwise, you simply aren’t going to notice until

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Pingry Communications

THE PINGRY RECORD

COVID-19 APRIL 20, 2020

When the Peace Candle Blows Out MONICA CHAN (V) I have always believed in activism and utilizing our freedom of speech to speak up about topics which are important.

While I have been lucky enough to be able to avoid the violent discrimination resulting from the coronavirus toward Asian-Americans, I’ve been pretty vocal about some of the hate crimes that have happened to members of my community, as well as the wider Asian community worldwide. There was the stabbing of a Burmese family in a Sam’s Club; a gun drawn at a Korean university student who had confronted someone for posting coronavirus pamphlets on his dorm room door; man killed as a result of suspected foul play from his neighbor; people beat up in Philadelphia and New York City for not wearing a mask; and the ones who got beat up for wearing one.

Unfortunately, these instances only name a few examples.

Comments online about these hate crimes are dominated by people saying things like, “Wow, now you know how all the other minorities feel,” or my personal favorite, “You’re mad now that you got your honorary white person card revoked, huh?”

This comment struck me. I think I always subconsciously felt it, but I feel like Asian-Americans aren’t always treated as people of color (POC) in this country. Rather, I view that we are treated as people of color when it is advantageous for a certain view, and viewed as beneficiaries of white privilege at other times. It’s why the system of affirmative action in universities goes against us, but also the same reason we are encouraged to “stand together as minorities” when other groups have their own activist movements. It’s also

why politicians use us as a “model minority” for other minorities when those politicians cannot provide adequate support for broken systems.

A large part of this sometimes-POC sometimes-white-privilege dynamic stems from a certain Asian-American community wide unwillingness to “make trouble.” For instance, one of my AsianAmerican friends encountered a situation where a racist comment was made, and when I encouraged her to speak up, she said her parents didn’t want her to make

trouble. This problem with being afraid of conflict is something I’ve heard countless times. It’s why a lot of the hate crimes that are happening now aren’t being reported on by major news media networks like CNN, MSNBC, or FOX. I feel like most of the country mistakes Asian-Americans’ unwillingness to bring about conflict with us not encountering any.

As a leader of the Asian Student Union, this time has brought many questions to me from other members of the community. “What should we do?” and “How do we stay safe?” are all things that younger students, and friends outside Pingry have asked me. I don’t have the answers, and part of me feels like I should as someone who is vocal about

Asian-American topics. These aren’t questions I’ve had to ask myself until now. I started the ASU with my friends to enact dialogue and some shift in thought, even if it was just among members of our small Pingry community. I wanted to encourage my peers to recognize and stand up for discrimination, but most importantly to find the courage to stand up for themselves regardless of their identifiers. I never could have expected that the greatest test of my activism would come now. Suddenly, as if overnight, the sphere of these discussions have left the little safe haven that I have helped create in Room 310 at a small private school in Basking Ridge.

They feel much more real now, which is scary at the same time as it is empowering.

That call to action we’ve been waiting for, that spark that we’ve been hoping will ignite, finally came. It’s time for us to enact the change we wanted to see in our own communities.

I’ve faced a lot of criticism from those around me, those who think I’m being too vocal about the situation at hand, those who think my words aren’t constructive action against the crimes being committed. I’ve even been told that the racism that we are seeing as a result of the coronavirus is justified due to the horrible actions the Chinese government is taking against Africans in China. However, groups pointing fingers at each other is the thing that is least constructive. Racism is racism, no matter which group is committing it, and it should be condemned, not based on the political climate in which it takes place, but for the morals that we as a society have been trying to progress.

With statewide stay-at-home orders currently issued in at least 42 states, we should take into consideration the factors that could compromise the effectiveness of this quarantine.

Inspired by the simulations created by the Washington Post and the YouTube channel 3Blue1Brown, I wanted to further investigate how human behavior––specifically, visiting friends––can impact the spread of COVID-19 under a quarantine environment.

I created a simulated environment of 100 households, where only interactions between family members and oneon-one visits with friends can cause infections. The user can change various parameters, such as the average days between visiting friends, and observe how changing these variables affect the spread of the virus.

The simulation suggests that in the world of social distancing, the frequency of visiting friends has a greater impact on the spread of the virus than the size of a person’s social network (simulation results shown at the end of the article).

Someone who visits the same friend every other day spreads the virus faster than someone who visits one friend every four days in a ten-person social network. Based on the simulation,

reducing the number of friend visits during quarantine by a factor of two could have an effect comparable to halving the infection rate of the virus.

Below are my findings from the simulation (100 simulations were run for each setting): 1) Doubling the average time between friend visits from 2 days to 4 days caused the virus’ average spread to decrease from 51% to 29% of the population.

2) Halving the infection rate for both friend visits (from 20% to 10%) and family members (from 40% to 20%) resulted in a similar reduction in virus’ spread from 51% to 27% of the population.

3) Decreasing the number of friends (i.e. the social network) from 10 to 1 caused the virus’ average spread to decrease from 54% to 40% of the population.

While someone might think it is

EVA SCHILLER (V) When remote learning first started, my English teacher said something along the lines of: “When something bad happens, everyone wants to write a poem about it.”

That line stuck with me because she had a point: the positive, uplifting poems I come across are often completely overshadowed by the thousands of mournful, angry, and disillusioned poems that flood my inbox and fill the pages of my English books. Not only that, but these poems are some of the most famous of all time. T.S. Elliot’s “The Waste Land”––shaped by the devastating aftermath of WWI–– and Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”––a cry against capitalism, exploitation, and oppression––are both considered some of the greatest American poems of the 20th century. Hundreds of years after his death, Shakespeare’s poems of tragedy and heartbreak continue to attract millions of readers. Why do we gravitate so strongly towards this type of poetry, despite its cynicism?

For one, these poems are, in their own way, just as beautiful as uplifting ones. Their impeccable use of language reaches out to us and evokes powerful feelings of empathy. Some connect to our deepest fears, while others spread important messages of social justice.

However, these poems serve an even greater purpose: they provide a sort of catharsis for both poet and reader, which allows both sides to process and release some of the fear, sadness, and anger that they carry.

With this in mind, it dawned on me that in a few decades, COVID-19 will not just find its way into the history books.

It will appear in our novels, art galleries, and poetry anthologies. Just like WWI shaped the poets of the early 20th century, this virus is actively shaping us and our way of recording the world. I noticed it first in my own work.

One of the first assignments I received

after Spring Break was to write an ode.

At first glance, this is a pretty easy assignment (just pick something and write a whole bunch about how much you love it). But I failed to realize just how difficult it was to pick a topic I could truly express love and passion for.

I had spent weeks focused on negativity: the speed of the virus, the thousands dying, the newfound stress of online school, and the utter lack of human connection. This pandemic has taken its toll on all of us, and I know I’m not the only one struggling to think about anything but that growing darkness. So, when I opened up my laptop to write my ode, I was at a complete loss. I knew I could easily write about the widespread panic, loneliness, and paranoia, but in the interest of keeping my sanity, I knew better than to go down that road.

So, I took the obvious next step: closed the computer, FaceTimed a friend, and complained about the assignment.

Our conversation was long, but only one thing I said during that call really mattered: “I don’t want to write about coronavirus! I want to write about literally anything but.” Anything but. In these two words, I had found an ode (which I aptly titled “Ode to Anything But”), and had found the perfect loophole: a way to translate my fears into a poem without getting lost in the darkness that we find so easy to write about. To me, that made it even more special.

In times of crisis, the universe is practically screaming at us to write poetry. So, if it helps you to process this new and uncertain world, then write about coronavirus. Find a way to capture the isolation and the paranoia, the mournfulness, anger, and disillusionment. But, every once in a while, try to look past the madness and write about Anything But.

Volume CXLV, Number 1

Mitigating the Spread of COVID-19 in Quarantine JULIAN LEE (V)

Poetry in COVID-19

3

completely benign to visit just “one” friend every other day, such behavior by an entire population can still result in an exponential growth of the virus.

For example, if someone infects the one friend they are visiting during quarantine, that friend would then infect their entire family, and these family members would infect their own friends.

This simulation helps to quantitatively demonstrate an obvious yet powerful fact about social distancing: to ensure that our quarantine proves effective, it is essential that we work towards minimizing the frequency of visiting others.

Editors-in-Chief

Brynn Weisholtz Noah Bergam

Assistant Editors

Vicky Gu Meghan Durkin Eva Schiller

Layout Editor

Justin Li

Cartoon Editor

Monica Chan

Photography Editor Copy Editors

Rhea Kapur Martha Lewand Aneesh Karuppur Dean Koenig Brian Li Brooke Pan

Junior Layout Editors Andrew Wong Mirika Jambudi Kyra Li Faculty Advisors

A graph from Julian’s original, open source simulation

Meghan Finegan Megan Jones

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Monica Chan (V), Julian Lee (V)

THE PINGRY RECORD

4

INVESTIGATIVE APRIL 20, 2020

An Investigation of Teacher Turnover at Pingry JUSTIN LI (V) In the last year-and-a-half, the departures of teachers such as Mr. Peterson, Ms. Taylor, and Mr. Thompson did not pass without controversy and speculation. Despite the uncertainty clouding most of these departures, it is undeniable that each one of these teachers, and every faculty member at Pingry, offers something unique to the community; this year, the absences of these teachers have made us especially aware of this fact.

As such, their departures left many of us feeling disappointed, and in many cases confused.

By speaking one-on-one with a few students, I have gleaned that the effect of these recent departures and the broader issue of teacher turnover is a topic students want to discuss. Aneesh Karuppur (V), for example, tells me that he is specifically “concerned regarding the number of departures each year, as it hurts the continuity throughout the years, as well as the solidity of Pingry’s teaching style and curriculum.” He also mentions that “as more and more of the Magistri faculty leave each year, it’s very important to secure replacements who will be able to stay at Pingry for similarly long periods of time.“ The foundation of an effective education, especially at Pingry, is the student-teacher relationship, and the concerns of Aneesh and many others raise important questions about Pingry as an educational institution.

However, it is important to examine whether concerns like these are even justifiable. Looking past the particularly conspicuous departures in recent years, is teacher turnover really an issue at Pingry? Is the administration doing enough to make Pingry a place where teachers want to teach, and keep teaching?

There is no observable trend in the proportion of faculty departing from 2012-2018, but 2019’s proportion is abnormally high

all three campuses (I chose to exclude administrators since their turnover does not necessarily fit within the scope of my investigation and a large portion of administrators also taught classes in other departments). I added the department totals to obtain a total number of teaching faculty, making an effort to avoid double-counting faculty members who appeared in multiple departments, such as Mr. Lear or Ms. Thuzar.

I found that from 2012 to 2018, the proportion of faculty departures remained relatively consistent. The only notable feature of the graph occurs in 2019, where 9.4% of total teaching faculty departed and the graph indicates a significant upward spike, giving some justification to the recent concern.

Nevertheless, I don’t believe that this singular spike, which could very likely be an outlier, indicates any overarching issue with teacher turnover at Pingry.

Humanizing the Investigation

Looking at the Numbers To begin my investigation, I took a quantitative approach. In search of a reliable faculty database, I spoke with Dr. Dinkins, who informed me that such a resource was not readily accessible and instead advised me to look through past yearbooks. While yearbooks would not allow me to examine metrics, like average faculty tenure, using them in combination with departing faculty articles in The Record’s annual commencement issues allowed me to generate an annual proportion of departing faculty. This statistic would provide a broad picture of teacher turnover each year, which I could further categorize by department.

At home, I laid out the yearbooks I had accumulated on my bookshelf from 2012 to 2019 and recorded the number of Upper and Middle School faculty in each department each year, as well as the number of Magistri across

However, it is notable that the number of Magistri has declined rather steadily since 2012, a trend that affirms Aneesh’s concern that fewer and fewer of Pingry’s faculty are holders of this prestigious distinction.

I decided it might also be interesting to see the differences in faculty retention across departments; I observed that the department that seems to retain its faculty the best is the arts department, which sees an average 5.47% of its faculty leave each year since 2012. By my metric, the language department seems to be the worst, with an average percentage at 11.04%, which doubles that of the arts department

The number of Magistri at Pingry seems to be steadily decreasing

The proportion of teachers leaving the Language Department each year is twice that of the Arts Department

Epidemiology Math Problems NOAH BERGAM (V) In these confusing times there’s a certain sense of power that comes with understanding, or at least trying to understand, the situation we find ourselves in. I certainly felt that when, a few weeks ago, I took a look at some of the mathematics of disease modeling––an absolutely fascinating,

While quantitative analysis can be informative, I do not feel it is sufficient to survey an issue as nuanced as teacher turnover solely by the use of statistics.

In an effort to humanize my analysis, I spoke with US Director Chatterji, who was familiar with many of the recently departed faculty and could give me a more personal outlook on the issue.

We talked first about the measures Pingry takes to incentivize teachers to keep teaching at Pingry. While she pointed out that Pingry has no formal incentivization program, she stressed the importance of “conversation” to faculty retention. She says that “teachers want to teach at Pingry because of its emphasis on human relationships.” She cited the numerous instances in which she had written recommendations for teachers applying for positions at other schools: by speaking about their experience and perhaps making a change to what they’re teaching, their office space, or the number of seasons they coach, these teachers were often happier and chose to continue teaching at Pingry, even with other job offers on

the table.

She also made an important distinction between the types of departures, saying that “[Pingry] can’t hold all people. Our goal is not to retain people who are leaving because of retirement, marriage, or other life circumstances.” Instead, she believes that the more important number to look at is how many teachers are moving to other schools in pursuit of something Pingry wasn’t providing. Mr. Karrat or Dr. Chin-Shefi are examples of teachers who could fall into this category. Looking at departures from this lens, there does not seem to be a trend or major issue, with an average of 2.5 faculty moving to different schools each year and the rest leaving for largely unpreventable reasons.

The third category of departures is dismissals. While often the most dramatic and memorable, this is the category over which Pingry has the least control, as the school cannot control the behavior of its faculty. Nonetheless, I chose to look into an area where Pingry can exert at least some influence over the frequency at which they are forced to dismiss teachers: the hiring process. Ms. Chatterji explained that Pingry posts job openings in various locations, including job search websites, as well as on the “Employment” page of pingry.org. Mr. Dinkins, and now Ms. Holmes-Glogwer, in collaboration with department chairs, then sorts through resumes and applicationsfrom these various channels to identify qualified candidates. If the number of dismissals is actually an issue, which I don’t have the data to conclude (the Record does not write departing faculty articles for dismissed faculty), perhaps Pingry is losing its ability to attract candidates who, once hired, can continue to uphold the standard that Pingry expects from its faculty. Eva Schiller (V) also mentions that “there seems to be very extreme punishment for certain teachers without widespread preventative measures being made across the board,” and I concur that clearer guidelines for faculty conduct might help reduce the number of necessary dismissals.

Conclusions?

Ultimately, though, I believe this investigation indicates that the Pingry administration seems to be doing their best to retain faculty. As the statistics I gathered show, recent concern likely stems from last year’s unusually high departure rate, and while the number of Magistri does seem to be declining, there is no way to say it will not rise again in the near future.

At the same time, teacher turnover is an important issue to monitor, and investigations like this one can allow us to hold the school accountable if an abnormal teacher turnover rate begins to more conclusively tarnish the Pingry experience.

1) In epidemiology, R0 (“the basic reproductive number” or “r-naught”) is defined as the maximum number of new cases expected per infected person. The R0 of COVID-19 has been estimated to be 2.28 (Zhang, et al). An infected individual is expected to cause ß new cases per day. This is essentially the “birth rate.” Meanwhile, δ is the expected proportion of cases dying on a given day. This is essentially the “death rate.” Describe R0 in terms of ß and δ.

2) Does R0 tend to decrease, increase, or remain the same as a virus grows in an isolated population? Why or why not?

3) Consider the following differential equation to describe the spread of COVID-19:

albeit daunting, area of study.

I recommend checking out Julian Lee’s article on his original disease

In this article, I present three epidemiology thinking problems, in ascending

where ß and δ have the same values defined in problem 1.

This is essentially a fancy mathematical way of saying that the rate at which the infection spreads is dependent on the number of people infected as well as the difference between the virus’ birth and death rates. In what ways does this model oversimplify real-life disease spread?

orders of difficulty, meant to put you in the position of the disease modeler.

ANSWERS AT https://students.pingry.org/record/2020/04/18/epidemiology-math-problems/

modeling application, which describes the effects of visiting friends in a quarantine (his application is a randomized agent-based model as opposed to the more top-down mathematical models you’ll see here).

THE PINGRY RECORD

COMMENTARY APRIL 2020, 2020

5

Prorating the Priceless Editorial

.

NOAH BERGAM (V) The Pingry tuition for the 201920 school year was $42,493. Lunch cost $1,378. Those are significant numbers in my life, numbers that, for over six years, have hovered over my head, acting as a reminder of what doesn’t go to my younger siblings each year.

Those numbers are especially relevant in the era of remote learning. Assuming the very likely scenario that the rest of the school year is remote, it appears students are on track to lose out on both tangible and intangible aspects of an expensive educational experience.

This problem, of course, isn’t unique to Pingry. Many universities have issued refunds on room and board and meal plans in the wake of this change. I believe Pingry ought to follow suit and prorate our SAGE Dining meal plans––and while it is unlikely that we could receive a partial refund on the less quantifiable intangibles that we lost this year, it’s a conversation worth opening up … especially if this remote learning situation continues into next fall.

I remember back in seventh grade when some friends and I tried

to break down the cost of Pingry life into an hourly rate. It came down to about $30 an hour, and we joked about how much we were getting robbed by DEAR time––but even back then I think we understood this metric wasn’t the end-all-be-all. The years since have only affirmed that for me: in a normal Pingry hour, you’re getting a lot more than what’s on the schedule. In fact, I would argue that most of Pingry’s value comes down to the stuff you don’t expect: the triumphs and the failures, the conversations, the relationships, the journey as a whole. We cannot and should not try to assign dollar values to those kinds of experiences.

Such is the paradox of the educational product: for students, the beneficiaries, Pingry is a priceless experience, but for our parents, the customers, it is a hefty investment with a fairly clear goal: “success” in a high-quality educational environment. In my experience, the student and parent perspectives mix like oil and water––where the external parental perspective sees a clear-cut result, the internal student perspective sees the fruits of a complicated learning process.

The issue we now face critically disrupts the learning process and the experience as a whole, which makes it much easier for students and parents alike to take a critical stance on Pingry as a product. Of course, we are fighting it. We are trying our best to believe in the intangibly valuable educational community, and to an extent, we’re succeeding … but at the end of the day, Google Hangouts can’t replace the little things that make real school real: the fast-paced conversation of class, the

small talk with teachers, the time with friends, the work-home separation. A screen can’t project all those priceless dimensions of the Pingry experience.

But can we prorate the priceless?

Can we somehow reimburse students for the intangible education that they lost, while still keeping faculty paychecks running? The answer, especially in the wake of this unforeseen disruption, is probably no. Neither universities nor private high schools have even entertained the concept, citing the argument that, despite the drop in quality, they are still doing their best to provide educational resources remotely.

That being said, if school is unable to resume in the fall, that changes the game, since tuition adjustment

would be an act of foresight on behalf of a “new” product rather than an after-the-fact reaction in the midst of chaotic change.

In any case, there are two requests we as students can and should make, in the event that remote learning extends to the rest of this year and potentially beyond.

For the Board of Trustees: please prorate our Sage Dining meal plans.

If we are not receiving a service that our parents paid for, we deserve reimbursement. In addition, please consider the prospect of “prorating the priceless,” for both this semester and, if need be, next semester––even if other institutions have dismissed this idea, it is certainly worth deducing and communicating its

viability.

For Mr. Levinson: please address both parents and the student body on this topic. Tuition matters, and in times like this, when the product of Pingry is being tested in unforeseen ways, it ought not to be taboo.

The prospect of refunding some portion of school costs is a matter of goodwill and care for the community.

It is the kind of action that recognizes the state of our education not only as a journey in life but as a financial investment that ought to be respected.

The Mental Health Stigma MIRIKA JAMBUDI (III) Four out of five people will be affected by a mental illness or neurological disorder at some point in their lives. Whether you or a loved one is affected, the mental health crisis has touched the life of every single human, placing mental disorders in the foreground of global health issues.

However, despite the extent to which mental illness permeates our society, significant improvement will not be possible until we erase the stigma surrounding it. Mental illnesses aren’t uncommon, so why are we still speaking about them in hushed tones and behind closed doors? Why don’t we send our ‘thoughts and prayers’ to people suffering from debilitating bouts of mental illness? And why are we so afraid to speak up about our mental health problems?

The answer lies deep within centuries of cultural stigma. In the Middle Ages, mental disorders were thought to be a punishment from God or a form of demonic possession.

People who displayed symptoms were burnt at the stake or locked up as a means to control them. Although science and philosophy have since shown that mental illness is a medical condition, thousands were still persecuted in Nazi Germany due to their condition. Even more recently, people with mental disorders have been cast aside and locked away in insane asylums because others were afraid of them. They were thought to be crazy, violent, and dangerous.

Since then, society has shown some progress. Doctors and medical

organizations now recognize mental illness as a genuine health problem that can be treated using therapy, medication, self-help, and rehabilitation. Treatment and support systems are more available than ever

before; and yet, the people who need them may never receive them because of this prevailing cultural stigma. The false perceptions and stereotypes surrounding mental illnesses isolates victims and only makes them sicker. This is common around the world, with the stain that mental illness carries making people afraid to disclose their problems to their families. As a result, they end up hiding symptoms and sweeping their illnesses under the carpet, which only hinders recovery. People

are so afraid of being seen as “crazy” or “weird” that 60% of people with known mental health disorders never end up receiving help from a mental health professional (Worldwide Health

Organization). This is even worse in developing countries, where that percentage reaches 90%.

In addition, media and popular culture paint a misleading picture, through fear-mongering movies like “Split,” which present a character with a dissociative identity disorder as dangerous, or shows like “13 Reasons Why,” which dehumanize characters with depression and glorify suicide.

With negative portrayals consuming youth entertainment, there aren’t enough positive portrayals that accurately describe what it’s like to

have or support someone who has a mental illness. Misrepresentation and underrepresentation are what leave people uneducated in the subject

m a t t e r , making them p e r h a p s more likely to distance from friends who have mental health problems– as we are always scared of things we don’t understand.

So, when someone confides in a loved one that they are suffering, the reactions are often insensitive.

Even in families who understand

and legitimize mental illness, there is hesitancy around getting professional help because it makes people feel that they have failed. In reality, mental illnesses are never a personal failure—they are real illnesses that reflect nothing about the character of a person. We must treat sufferers the same way we treat people with other illnesses: with kindness, empathy, and concern. But widespread change can only happen through education and awareness. The issue lies in a lack of knowledge and understanding, and teenagers are particularly afflicted.

Especially in high school, the stressful atmosphere and clash of cultures creates a community where illnesses go untreated all the time. Therefore, it is our generation’s responsibility to help educate parents and students on the reality of mental illness. We must stop speaking in hushed tones and, instead, create an accepting and supportive community. As students, it is our responsibility to step up and be there for our friends when they need it, show empathy and concern, and foster an open dialogue between parents, students, teachers, and healthcare professionals about mental health.

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Monica Chan (V), Monica Chan (V)

THE PINGRY RECORD

6

INVESTIGATIVE APRIL 20, 2020

Has The Pingry Record Gone Soft?

EVA SCHILLER (V) A metapoem is a poem about poetry.

The poem, somehow, has crossed the fourth wall and recognized itself as a sequence of words and letters. It can then evaluate itself, and even criticize itself. Think of this article as something of a meta-article: an article about articles. Specifically, an article about the credibility of The Pingry Record.

Are we openly and accurately reporting Pingry news, or have we––as my title indicates––gone soft?

Perhaps I should clarify what it means to “go soft.” I define it as ignoring relevant topics for the sole purpose of avoiding controversy and protecting the Pingry ‘brand.’ I should also clarify that The Pingry Record is not, nor has it ever been, an organ of the administration. All content and

all editorial decisions come from students and faculty advisors. As Director Chatterji informed me, “the administration does not provide input into what the Record covers.”

Nonetheless, based on issues from the last fifteen years, the Pingry Record is undeniably less provocativet han it used to be. The following are examples of controversial and problematic topics found in old issues, all of which I believe are not appropriate for a 2020 issue.

1. An opinion piece called “The Real Zero Tolerance Policy,” which appears on page three of the January 2003 issue. The article, which is publicly available on the Pingry website, discusses racial issues at Pingry, as well as political correctness and racist politicians. It takes just one quick skim of the article for a modern day

reader to spot multiple points of contention. In addition to its subject, the piece includes biting quips about racial inequality, as well as racist statements (written ironically) and uncensored racial slurs. Clearly, this is in no way acceptable for a 2020 issue, nor should it be. However, it certainly demonstrates just how significantly the culture of Pingry, and by extension, the Record, has changed in past years.

In addition to publishing controversial articles, older issues of the Record report a coarser version of Pingry news.

2. The April 2004 issue dedicates a front page headline to the news that “Financial Aid Funds Will Not Meet Students’ Need.” An editorial on page two, and two additional articles on page four further explore the problem

An excerpt from the April 2009 Record issue

and criticize the “moral message... the school [is] sending if qualified applicants cannot attend Pingry due to financial need.”

3. The April 2004 issue also includes a rather harsh letter from former Assistant Headmaster Adam Rohdie, who “...ask[ed] the editors to rethink what is at the core of Pingryʼs Honor Code.”

4. The April 2009 issue includes a student interview featuring expletives and a joke about anorexia (in response to the question: “Mary Kate or Ashley”).

It is important to note that the aforementioned cases are not consistent with every single article and issue published during these years. As Student Body President Brian Li (VI) noted, “the content of the paper ebbs and flows as leadership transitions from year to year.” However, I chose to highlight the most controversial articles because they set the previous limitations of The Pingry Record.

Topics that were once considered in bounds are now considered out of bounds, making it difficult to deny that the Record has developed into a “softer” establishment.

This could be due to a number of reasons: cancel culture, increased awareness of diversity and inclusion, and rising political polarity have found their way into Pingry and beyond within the last ten years. As a result, we all have to be more conscious of how our actions affect others, and the Record has come to reflect that. Just this year, the editorial staff took steps to ensure that our opinion remained

A Look at Pingry’s Academic Life CHRISITINE GUO (IV)

neutral on difficult topics such as teacher-student relationships. As an editor, I can attest that other hot topics––TikTok Honor Code violations and racial slurs still floating around on campus––are also, by some unspoken rule, not within the bounds of Record material (ironically, in mentioning them, I run the risk of crossing that boundary).

That said, a softer Record is not necessarily a bad thing.

The internet age puts us all in the spotlight, amplifying the impact of small actions that would have gone unnoticed pre-social media. This makes the new decade a difficult time for daring or accusatory articles. A kinder and gentler Record could perhaps indicate that “students are more considerate of the community, and how their words might impact those around them,” Director Chatterji points out.

Of course, I in no way advocate the curses, racial slurs, and insensitive comments I found in older issues of the Record. However, the candor of the content I cited, despite fostering controversy, did increase its appeal and create a genuine time capsule of the Pingry community. I respect those articles for their openness. At the end of the day, the Record staff has the power to impact the opinions of the Pingry community, and if we can’t discuss hard topics openly, nobody will. Thus, as an editor, I feel it is our responsibility to learn from past articles and recapture their candor, while still retaining a higher level of cultural respect. If we do so tactfully, we could paint a more raw and genuine picture of Pingry.

Before Spring Break, The Record sent out a randomized poll to students asking a series of questions about academic life. We received 32 responses (about 5% of the Upper School student body). Below are six pi charts showing some of the results. See more of the data and Christine Guo’s (IV) analysis on RECORD.PINGRY.ORG.

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Monica Chan (V), Eva Schiller (V)

THE PINGRY RECORD

COMMENTARY APRIL 2020, 2020

7

The Light Behind the Dress Editorial

BRYNN WEISHOLTZ (VI) As the sun rises each morning, I wake to see the light peeking through the shades in my bedroom window. In front of that window hangs a gown, my senior prom gown, draped from a hanger with nowhere to go. April 22nd was supposed to be the night of my senior prom, a night that my friends and I have looked forward to since walking through the clocktower doors many years ago. I find myself in a state of limbo, walking from floor to floor and room to room all within the walls of my home. I silently wonder, how can my senior year be slipping away this quickly?

Is this really happening? What can I do to turn the shadows of the moment into light for what will ultimately be?

As events started to get cancelled, part of me could only focus on the negatives of this tumultuous turn of events: no prom, no fashion show, no senior prank day, and possibly no graduation. The suddenly unnecessary prom dress casts a shadow on my outlook for the rest of

my senior year and beyond. Towns that once were bustling with open businesses and families walking the streets now look more like ghost towns as masked people stop their cars for curbside pick up from their favorite local restaurants. How is life supposed to return to normal?

Will we ever shake hands and talk to strangers on the street again? Will our town centers thrive once more?

As quarantine continued and classes began, I developed a

morning routine, returning some normalcy to my day. I wake up, brush my teeth, put in contacts, and then start my commute: walk down the stairs, take a sharp right and then a quick left, and I have arrived at my destination, my classroom.

While my classes don’t have the same level of energy virtually as they did when on campus, I know students and teachers alike are giving their all to remain upbeat and engaged. We hold on to what we

can in the midst of what appears to be life spiralling out of control, and when the day ends I return to my room to see light coming through my prom dress in my window.

The shadow of my prom gown is a subtle reminder of the darkness we all feel as a community, born from the uncertainty and loss of the familiar and the known, the expected and longed for, the mundane and extraordinary––but I choose to see the light. I choose

to focus on the moments when the sunlight escapes and shines through the shadows, illuminating the silhouette of my dress and reminding me to embrace the here and now, to be thankful for those around me, and, above all, to be hopeful for the joys of life that will emerge in the days and months ahead.

While the world is at a sociallydistanced standstill, the ways the public has been able to shift into this new norm is nothing short of remarkable. In what felt like a blink of an eye, we’ve connected via our computers, reached out to old friends, checked in on our grandparents, and found appreciation for what was. We have embraced the unexpected family time that was once thought as long gone. My brother, another graduating senior, now lives at home for the first time in four years, bringing back game nights, family dinners, movie nights, wiffleball games in the backyard, and walks through our neighborhood.

Though I miss seeing my friends, having passing conversations in the hallways with teachers, and occupying Mr. Ross’ office, we as a community are making the best of everything. I continue to be inspired by those around me and optimistic for our collective futures. In light of this, I took down my prom dress from the window and let all the light shine through.

Why Pingry Needs to Remove AP Courses ANEESH KARUPPUR (V) A few weeks ago, I got to participate in my first Pingry Career Day; I found it to be just what I expected.

The alumni were engaging, knowledgeable, and insightful, and my only complaint was that I didn’t get to spend enough time with them.

Overall, it was a great experience.

But, as I left each room, I thought about the speakers’ thoughts on college education and the value of Pingry. Most said they did not learn the knowledge they use on a daily basis in college or at Pingry, but instead entirely on the job. To these speakers, their college education was more of a logic exercise than a specific skill-set.

Of course, this heavily depends on the line of work one goes into. Somebody interested in researching computer science would obviously find it beneficial to study computer science in college, while somebody planning to work in an oil field would find a chemical engineering major useful as well.

Though, in the panels I attended— entrepreneurship, medicine, and management consulting—only a few of the speakers had degrees that specifically related to their fields.

The skills that were oftcited by my speakers were logic, communication, and problem solving. While a college education can help develop these skills, they are learned through practice rather than lectures.

This made me think about the value of Pingry’s curriculum in a modern workforce from a student’s perspective. The number of fields that rely on technology to do the bulk of the work and calculations is already high and constantly increasing. The understanding of a process has become more

exam last year, and I found that simply memorizing all the events and dates is much more helpful for the exam than understanding why something happened. If I had never taken World History 9 or 10, I would probably have an exceedingly shallow knowledge of World History based on the exam. My AP Calculus

definitely a well-taught and engaging class, the curriculum is tied to the AP course schedule, which means the course can’t go into as much depth as I might have liked. In AP Physics this year, we glossed over some in-depth analyses of topics like rotation and air resistance because of the number of topics that need

important than simply memorizing the result. So, is the typical Pingry class supportive of that goal?

The answer is complicated and depends on who you ask. The College Board would probably wax and wane on how useful its AP Exams are, but given its insistence that the SAT is a meaningful predictor of student competence, I take it with a grain of salt. I took the AP World History

BC exam featured problems about counting the number of plankton in water; if a real ecologist was studying those organisms, I would hope they weren’t using vague estimation methods like the ones the AP asked me to use.

But does this formulaic learning extend to Pingry’s AP courses themselves? Some, perhaps, more than others. While AP Calculus BC is

to be covered for the AP Mechanics exam. This is in no way the fault of the teachers; it’s just that the AP tends to reward specific application of knowledge (that often has little real-world significance) rather than sound logic, good communication, and problem solving skills that one might actually use in a job.

Pingry’s courses are meant to prepare students for specializing in

college, but I often feel as if those courses ought to be more organic and less tied down.

Here’s a radical solution: get rid of AP-designation courses.

Numerous independent schools have eliminated AP courses entirely, and I don’t think it’s too revolutionary for Pingry to follow suit. Pingry prides itself on letting teachers develop their own curriculum. Non-AP classes, such as Biology II Honors, tend to include case studies and real-world projects, while AP United States History has to speed through Reconstruction to get to the 1920s

by March.

Pingry teachers could have much more control over their lesson plans and replace tests with papers, essays, and projects (as I discussed in my last opinion here). Pingry can still host AP exams for students who want to demonstrate their aptitude for colleges; it just shouldn’t have to teach to the test.

I don’t expect Pingry to drop all AP courses tomorrow and replace them with totally faculty-and student-driven ideas. However, I hope that Pingry takes note of the changing world and skillsets and ultimately realizes that the College Board’s outdated conceptions might not be sufficient anymore.

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Monica Chan (V)

SportS

April, 2020

8

Spring Sports Update

PRANAV JHA (VI) Note: This article was written before the transition to remote school, and the subsequent cancellation of spring athletics around the country. We have decided to publish this article because it is still worth recognizing the talent of our student athletes.

As spring begins, sports teams are gearing up for the new season.

Coming off a successful campaign in 2019 and led by a talented senior class, Big Blue is likely to continue its excellence on the playing fields this spring.

Girls’ Lacrosse Girls’ lacrosse is headed into the spring coming off an extremely successful campaign in 2019.

The team won its second straight Central Jersey, Group 1 Sectional title. This spring, Girls’ Lacrosse Coach and Director of Athletics, Carter Abbott, is at the helm of what looks like another very capable roster. The team is led by a pair of four year starters: University of Pennsylvania commit Alyson Feeley (VI) and Stanford commit Emma Capanna (VI). “I am really looking forward to getting back with the girls for my last season, we want to get the three-peat in the State Sectional,” Capanna said.

this year, I want to help the younger guys and set a good example for them,” Lee said. While Matt Lee leads the team in experience, he is not alone. Fellow seniors Anthony Rubino, Tyler McLaughlin, and Shane Shannon will be key contributors to the team’s success.

McLaughlin has added some speed to his pitch, clocking in at 83 mph, while Thomas Santana (IV) is headed into his sophomore season having already thrown over 200 pitches at the varsity level. Between McLaughlin and Santana, Big Blue is in safe hands on the mound. Offensive talent is scattered throughout the roster, but we will likely see Matt Lee, Anthony Rubino, and Ryan Smith (VI) taking the lead. The trio has struck for 90 runs in the past three seasons and looks to wrap things up in style in their final spring with Big Blue.

Softball

Nicolette Brigante (VI) hits a grand-slam in last years’ SCT quarter-final

Softball comes off a 17-7 overall record. Loaded with upperclassman talent, the team is looking to improve from last year’s run and has its eyes on the Skyland Conference title. A wave of junior talent will supply a steady supporting cast for four-year starter and all-county selection Nicolette Brigante (VI). “I’m really excited about this season, we have a lot of returners. Personally, I want to get to my 100th hit. That would symbolize all the hard work I have put in the past four years. All the extra work after practice and all the hours I have poured in, I’m chasing that 100,” Brigante said.

Boys’ Tennis Boys’ tennis enters the spring after an exciting state tournament run in 2019. They finished as NonPublic “B” state finalists, ending

Hugh Zhang (V) against Newark Academy the season with a 12-6 record overall. With four freshmen on the nine-player varsity squad, there will be plenty of opportunity for underclassmen to thrive. Junior captain Hugh Zhang will lead a group of talented players this season as they look to make it over the hurdle in this year’s state championship.

Golf Golf enters the season after a clean sweep of the county tournament in 2019. The boys finished 15-4 while the girls wrapped up at 11-5. The reigning county champions have returning seniors Burke Pagano, Alec Bliemel, and Ian Larson on the boys’ side. “We have a really talented team coming off a county title last year, so hopefully we can get some more trophies on the shelf,” Pagano said. Senior Ashley Lu and junior Zara Jacob will headline the girls’ team. Lu and Jacob hope to pass their experience down to the underclassmen, with four talented sophomores returning from last season.

Track and Field Track and field is returning strong yet again. The girls’ team is led by top pole vaulter Caroline Dannebaum (VI) and skilled long distance runners, Nikki Vanasse (VI) and Ryan Davi (V). “This year we are looking to win our conference meet. We have a strong group of seniors who have been really successful and we want to instill a competitive environment among the younger grades,” Dannenbaum said.

There has been widespread excitement amongst the community this year regarding athletics, and attendance at games have been much higher than in prior years. Our teams have been thriving off this school support.“It definitely helped our team during the fall, having good crowds and the support of our classmates and teachers at games this fall. We try to give that back by going out to as many games we can to support all the other teams,” noted girls’ soccer captain and Gettysburg recruit Leah Mangold. The spring season is shaping up to be incredibly strong, and our teams will continue to push boundaries!

Girls’ Lacrosse celebrates its Sectional Championship

Boys’ Lacrosse Boys’ lacrosse is coming off a 9-8 overall record, having gone 3-1 in Skyland Conference play. Last year the team was in transition, as they were accustomed to competing for the Non-Public State Championship, but this spring will be no transition season.

The team is led by senior captains Kalman Kraham, Ben Peacock, and Matt Korth. Kraham, a Lafayette Lacrosse recruit and all-state player, has tallied 103 goals and 33 assists in the last three years.

“This year I am excited for the opportunity to get back on top, all the guys around me have been working really hard and as a captain I just want to make everyone better around me,” Kraham said.

Last year, the girls fell just short of the Somerset County title. “We’ve been in the county finals the last few years but this time around I want to show up and win counties.

We are ready,” Capanna remarked.

Baseball The baseball team is entering its second season with Coach Ross in the lead. Last year, the team played one of the toughest schedules in the state and finished 7-10. However, the team is still optimistic for this season, led by four-year starting short-stop and Tufts recruit Matt Lee (VI). “Of course the goal is winning a county championship, but in my last season I want to leave a winning legacy for the teams to come. I’m less focussed on stats

Caroline Dannenbaum (VI) races to the finish line

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Bruce Morrison