The Pingry Record - November 2020

THE NATION’S OLDEST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

ON THE WEB: students.pingry.org/ record

November 13, 2020

Volume CXLVI, Number I

Convocation— United and Stronger than Ever EMILY SHEN (V) One of the most memorable and cherished traditions at Pingry is Convocation, a ceremony marking the school’s commitment to the Honor Code and a kick-off to the academic year. It was started in 1987 by Mr. John Hanly, the headmaster from 1987 to 2000. Mr. Hanly’s passing this year is a considerable loss, and Head of School Mr. Levinson acknowledged his significant impact on Pingry.

Each year, students arrive at the auditorium in formal attire, sitting alongside their peers and teachers.

However, due to new social distancing measures only seniors could be seated in Hauser. Other students and faculty members watched the ceremony remotely, either in their advisory locations or at home. Senior faculty member and Magistri Mr. Miller Bugliari ‘52 delivered the invocation, emphasizing that this year is a year of “testing”—a test of our community’s determination, resolve, and will.

After Mr. Bugliari, Student Body President Nolan Baynes (VI) lightened the mood by telling the Pingry community about a movement he started called “#respectfulsnowday,” an Instagram hashtag that demanded for snow days in a “polite” manner.

However, the movement halted when it shifted from a hilarious tradition to serious conversations with Mr. Jake Ross, former Dean of Student Life. Although the fire of his first social media movement was extinguished, Baynes used that experience to fuel another one.

Baynes spoke up about the racial injustices in the country, specifically the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor.

In contrast to #respectfulsnowday, this story stemmed from genuine concern, confusion, and pain. When he expressed these emotions to the Pingry community, he found immense support in meetings, emails, and messages between the school’s leadership and students. This time, supportive actions were taken; Baynes emphasized the importance of voicing one’s genuine concerns and speaking out against injustice to spark change. The Honor Code teaches us that it is our responsibility, as CONTINUE READING on Page 4

Student Body President Nolan Baynes (VI) addresses the community at Convocation.

Pingry Anywhere Launches

ANDREW WONG (V)

As a tumultuous 2019-2020 school year came to an end this past June, and the COVID-19 pandemic stretched into yet another month, many members of the Pingry community were questioning if in-person learning would be possible in September.

With teachers, administrators, and students desperately wanting to go back to school, Pingry Anywhere, the framework to try and facilitate school in the era of COVID-19, was created.

The goal of the project was simple: get Pingry safely back in session this fall. However, it was less clear at first how this would be done. Head of School Mr. Levinson underscored the enormity and complexity of the task, summing up how Pingry Anywhere needed to “strategically [align] all dimensions of the School, from teaching and learning to technology to operations and facilities.” A leadership team, consisting of various teachers, administrators, and outside consultants, overseen by Mr. Levinson himself, was formed to manage this Herculean endeavor.

Throughout the summer, Pingry was transformed into a construction site, as facilities staff worked daily to install plexiglass safety barriers, set up massive outdoor tents, and convert the Hyde-Watson gym into a massive cafeteria. Student volunteers and faculty members spent countless hours

OPINION: pp. 2-3, 15

On Ruth Bader Ginsburg Eva Schiller (VI) discusses what we can learn from the late great Supreme Court Justice.

packaging and distributing thousands of face masks and shields for the entire Pingry community. Within classrooms, the tech team installed speakers, microphones, cameras, and TV monitors to facilitate Pingry’s new hybrid model of learning. Teachers rewrote their curricula to make sure that their plans for the year could happen in both hybrid and remote environments.

As September approached, these preparations were finished. After a great summer-long effort by Pingry faculty and staff, Pingry Anywhere was ready to be unveiled to the community.

On September 14th, Pingry students walked back into campus to begin a school year like no other. Each student was required to fill out a pre-screening form before arriving on campus, wear a mask and shield, and try their best to spread out. Classes were hybrid, with some students joining via Zoom from home. After so many months of preparation, Mr. Levinson said of the occasion, “ it was just so uplifting and gratifying to see months of planning come to fruition to bring our community back together.”

Students were also extremely happy to be back, even if everyone did have to wear masks and shields.

“It was by far the oddest school day I’ve ever had,” said Dean Koenig (VI).

“Seeing hundreds of faces in the same building for the first time in months, I thought there was no way in-person

INVESTIGATIVE: p. 9

PingryAnywhere Compared to Other Hybrid Models Zoe Wang (V)

Evaluating Our Research Program Jessica Lin (VI)

learning would last more than a few weeks.” While many students and faculty were initially doubtful about how long Pingry Anywhere would last, the new hybrid model proved to be extremely successful and resilient to an uptick of local COVID-19 cases.

Daily information on the spread of the virus was provided via the Pingry Anywhere dashboard, and the addition of weekly COVID testing provided by Mirimus Labs has helped to further ensure student safety.

Now almost two months into the new hybrid model of learning, Pingry Anywhere has proven to be a reliable system for learning during the COVID-19 era. As Mr. Levinson says, Pingry Anywhere has “strengthened the sense of belonging that students feel as part of the Pingry community and has allowed us to come up with new ways of delivering on our promise of excellence.” Mr. Fahey, director of Pingry’s Health and Wellness Task Force, agrees, speculating how “maybe the future of Pingry Anywhere is the future of education!” In the weeks that lie ahead, the limits of Pingry Anywhere will most definitely be tested, as the nation prepares for a possible winter spike in COVID-19 cases. Nonetheless, thanks to the flexibility of Pingry Anywhere, regardless of what happens, Pingry students and faculty can be assured that they will be well protected, and the school will adjust to whatever circumstances arise.

Students Receive Recognition at Fall Awards Ceremony MIRIKA JAMBUDI (IV) On Wednesday, September 30, the Upper School gathered together in Hauser and over Zoom to celebrate student achievements and exceptional academic effort in the 2019-2020 school year.

The ceremony started with recognizing the Form VI students who were distinguished for their scores on last year’s PSAT/NMSQT exam by the National Merit Scholarship Program. This year, thirty-three Pingry students were named National Merit Commended Students, a significant increase from last year. A total of fifteen seniors were recognized as National Merit Semifinalists, allowing them the chance to advance in the selection process and potentially become finalists in the spring. These seniors were Noah Bergam, Joseph Castagno, Monica Chan, Zara Jacob, Rhea Kapur, Aneesh Karuppur, Dean Koenig, Jemma Kushen, Julian Lee, Justin Li, Guanyun Liang, Helen Liu, Katherine Overdeck, Eva Schiller, and Avidan Shah.

Following these distinctions, Upper School Director, Ms. Chatterji, presented the Citizenship Prize, which is given to one student in each CONTINUE READING on Page 4

Write for us!

COLUMNS, p. 8

Freshest Bops of College App Season Monica Chan (VI) and Rhea Kapur (VI) talk Frank Ocean, Lana Del Ray, and more.

We’re always looking for new writers for both our print and online media. Reach out to us if you have any ideas for articles or questions about joining!

Email: recordsubmissions@pingry.org

Photo Credits: Pingry Communications, Olivia Hung (V), Monica Chan (VI)

THE PINGRY RECORD

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COMMENTARY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

The Unspoken Crisis at Pingry

EMMA DRZALA (V)

With my face shield in one hand and mask in the other, I stared at the campus in awe on the first day of school. I wondered how Pingry would be able to pull off full days with almost all the students, faculty, and staff in person. Everyone had witnessed the results of COVID-19 and seen how other schools wouldn’t dare to invite their students in for full days.

However, as I entered the school, I was able to see how Pingry beat the odds and was capable of staying open. Seating areas were taken away, tents were put up outside, and not a single plexiglass divider was out of place. Countless meetings and emails were set up informing students about the importance of wearing our masks; we learned about every precaution the school was taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as Pingry sought to keep their students healthy.

Pingry has been finding innovative ways to ensure its students’ safety, including a weekly coronavirus test and required face shields or goggles in hallways. We have been reminded of social distancing, and the repercussions if we don’t follow guidelines; within a few weeks, the freshman tent

closed, the junior area was taken away, and the decision to have study halls during flex seems inevitable.

However, even with these extreme rules in place, Pingry is continuing the one thing that will diminish all the rest of the school’s efforts: athletics. As a member of the girls’ tennis team, I have experienced the risk of athletics firsthand: while all coaches are making an effort to enforce social distancing, it doesn’t prevent the contact on the field or court. Groups of kids still run together or touch the same ball, and it makes me question why specific protocols need to be followed during the school day if, from 3:45-5:15, everyone will be together without masks.

For some students, face shields impair learning, but it has been made clear that the whole student body will be punished if we do not wear them. Students are reprimanded for sitting together outside during lunch if they are not far enough apart.

Yet, when they run six inches from each other during athletics, there is no consequence. If there are no repercussions for breaking social

distancing rules during athletics, these exceptions should also be enforced during the day. So, if all students get tested for coronavirus each week and are allowed to interact during athletics, why are we not allowed to have three people at a table outside?

The problem goes behind just athletics at Pingry, but also outside of school. All athletic teams, including contact sports, continue to participate in games with other schools, who may have less strict COVID guidelines. While I am not making the case for lifted regulations, I believe Pingry needs to reassess its priorities. It can be as simple as keeping athletics within Pingry, instead of risking students’ safety by coming into contact with other schools. As the winter season draws near, Pingry needs to decide whether it wants to put more of an emphasis on sports or in-person learning.

As much as I have loved returning to tennis, and being with the team, these athletics increase the risk of an outbreak; Pingry is indeed playing with fire. Other schools have closed because of positive tests on athletics teams, and it is only a matter of time before Pingry experiences the same.

On Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Everything We Have To Learn EVA SCHILLER (VI) When I heard of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing, I immediately took to Instagram. My first post was a simple black screen with white letters: “RIP RGB. A legend.” Trust me, I know . . . In my haste, I had instead memorialized “Ruth Gader Binsburg.”

Oops. Minutes later, I reposted a Tweet frantically wondering whether President Trump should be allowed to nominate her replacement.

Looking back, it isn’t hard to find the flaws in my actions. After a single pathetic attempt to recognize the value of her life, I dove immediately into the political implications of her death, and I’m not the only one. Of the hundreds of Instagram stories I tapped through that night, the vast majority were about the vacancy she had left. Painfully few gave proper recognition to the incredible space

she had filled during her career. Is this woman – who is a feminist icon, who fought relentlessly for a chance to succeed, who gave her entire adult life in service to future generations of Americans – worth so little? Of course not.

I’d prefer to believe that in the sheer panic and emotion of the moment, staring down a loss that could impact our political environment for decades, we were thrown off balance. Our feardriven self-preservation instincts emerged, and we forgot that it was not only a Justice we had lost, but a human.

While unacceptable, our lackluster response is understandable. Over 200,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S., and the murders of innocent Black people have been shared across social media; migrants are dying in camps on our borders, and Uyghurs are dying in camps abroad. Justice Ginsburg

was a Jewish woman – there was a record high of 2,107 antisemitic hate crimes in 2019 according to the Anti-Defamation League. Each of these causes is crucial and demands our attention, but our increased awareness comes at a cost: when I say I feel myself becoming a bit desensitized to death, I don’t think I’m alone. It feels more comfortable to forget to mourn and instead turn to face problems that affect the living. In the case of RBG, this meant forgetting to celebrate her accomplishments and instead focus on her death’s repercussions.

With all of that said, we do not have to continue this way. We can acknowledge the political changes brought about by Justice Ginsburg’s death but still take the time to honor her life properly. With this in mind, I deleted the ‘Gader Binsburg’ post and the frantic tweet and began thinking of ways I could properly process the

Technical Dilemmas

MEGHAN DURKIN (VI)

I fill my time with endless technological stimulation; when the weekly notification pops up, informing me of an alarmingly high screen time, I’m embarrassed. I balance my phone on my laptop to watch two shows at once, fall asleep clutching my laptop more often than I’d like to admit, and wonder how numerous hours have passed, it’s dark, and I’m still on a “quick Netflix break.”

It’s normal though, right? Everyone is constantly on their phones; there is simply no downtime from technology.

Phones offer a nice distraction, an endless Band-Aid that coats our worries with instant gratification and content. That’s our normal, and I find it fascinating.

So, when the recent buzz around The Social Dilemma surfaced, I grabbed my phone, opened Netflix, and sat down for a watch. The documentary explores the negative impacts of social media, from its ramifications on mental health to its addictive properties. Not only does The Social Dilemma stress the cruel motives behind social platforms, but it also uses the creators of these platforms to deliver the message. These creators range from former executives at Twitter and Facebook to the former president of Pinterest and numerous other early team members from the world’s most popular social media platforms. It’s scary that even those who helped build these “tools,” fear the damage they’ve inflicted.

Unfortunately, there is no group more at risk from these technologies than teens; the platforms we’ve inherited present one of our greatest challenges as a generation, especially in terms of mental health. As The Social Dilemma mentions, the rise in suicide rates for teens has skyrocketed since the birth of social media. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates increased 56% over the last decade, a distressingly rapid

death of one of my idols. I admit it’s a difficult task: the “Notorious RBG” deserves more than even the most reverent Instagram reposts. Yet, sitting in my room with only a phone, laptop, and page-long to-do list at my disposal, I have little else to offer.

So, what next? I believe that the best we can do is try to learn from her words and incredible career. I’ll start us off with three examples.

First, on the direction of women’s rights: “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.

It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” Justice Ginsburg believed that workplace equality stemmed from educational equality and reproductive rights; she argued against excluding pregnant women from the workplace and helped determine that schools funded by taxpayers couldn’t bar women. She has also been a powerful advocate of the Supreme Court Case Roe. v. Wade and equal wages. While her accomplishments for women are incredible, her legacy is in our hands: if we don’t continue pushing for abortion rights and workplace equality, we will quickly lose momentum.

Second, on dissenting: “The greatest dissents do become court opinions, and gradually over time their views become the dominant view. So that’s the dissenter’s hope: that they are writing not for today, but for tomorrow.” In our increasingly divided government, there is significant pressure to fall in line with the party’s ideals and save

increase.

Though there is nothing new to the claims that social media is “harmful,” The Social Dilemma got me thinking: if we know how harmful it is, why can’t we stop using it? Here’s my thought: we can’t stop using social media because even those who tell us to “put the phone down” can’t help but force us to use it more and more.

Take Pingry’s social media presence for example. While we are constantly told to get off our phones, or focus in class, the school itself uses social media platforms to endorse itself or inform its community. With the addition of Pingry Plus this year, a platform directly aimed at students, the irony cannot be lost. The same people that urge students to waste less time on our phones, give us more reasons to use them.

Thus, more than anything else, The Social Dilemma opened my eyes to the greater hypocrisy of social networking.

The platforms are created by those who denounce using it, are criticized by schools who profit from it, and complained about by older generations who swarm to the platforms. And through it all, we are the generation that ultimately suffers for it.

It’s terrifying to think we never free our minds from our screens; we inhibit the wandering of our thoughts and contemplation of wants by filling our space with social media. We watch videos while we eat breakfast, listen to podcasts while we walk, and play music while we exercise. Though, I’d like to think it’s not exactly our fault. These platforms, created by an older generation to monopolize on the weakness of a younger one, are meant to be addicting. Even Netflix, the greatest time-suck of them all, knows we aren’t the ones at fault.

‘radical’ ideas for less tumultuous times. As Ginsburg’s message of dissent suggests, I don’t think that ‘settling’ – whether that be for former Vice President Biden or President Trump – means shelving those discussions entirely: we can accept the situation of today, but continue to argue progress for tomorrow.

And third, on nonpartisanship: in her tribute to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, she says, “We disagreed now and then, but when I wrote for the Court and received a Scalia dissent, the opinion ultimately released was notably better than my initial circulation…

It was my great good fortune to have known him as a working colleague and treasured friend.” Ginsburg’s willingness to see the human behind the opposing political opinion is reminiscent of Pingry’s stance on political discussions: that we have much to gain from listening to the other side. I too believe that as long as our political differences do not involve hatred or discrimination, Ginsburg’s friendship with Scalia is a powerful model to follow. By engaging in discourse, we stand to learn about each other’s perspectives and refine our own; after all, democracy cannot exist in an echo chamber.

So yes – write tweets, post Instagram stories (and check for typos!), be vocal about your concerns, and rally for change, but do not forget to look back and appreciate all that trailblazers like RBG have already accomplished.

There is much to learn.

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Evan Wen (IV), Olivia Hung (V)

THE PINGRY RECORD

COMMENTARY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

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America: The Land of Contradiction SYDNEY STOVALL (VI) The last time I expected the name “John Adams” to pose any relevance to my life was at 3:00 PM on May 15th, 2020. As I submitted my AP U.S. History exam, a wave of relief flooded over me. For the time being, the 18th-century terms and events that I had previously drilled into my brain faded away; obsolete words became distant memories in an instant. Flash forward two months, and my daily routine is now consumed with virtual conversations, some light reading, and, of course, a whole lot of binge-worthy TV. Unlike Avatar: The Last Airbender and the infamous Tiger King, my favorite quarantine obsession is not one that many would consider a trending topic. As my summer came to a close, I reverted back to my past self, accumulated the last embers of my burnt-out APUSH mind, and proceeded to watch the John Adams miniseries.

Although the show mainly served as a supplement to my class’s first unit on the American Revolution, it was drastically different from the more traditional history documentaries we often watched in class. Even from the perspective of an APUSHstudent, I could tell that the John

Adams miniseries had a lot to offer to both a history student and a person who appreciates good television.

The acting, the set design, and the cinematography in the show really interested me both as an actress and a performer on stage.

It represented history in a way that depicted characters as complex, relatable human beings, not just individuals defined by a textbook.

The show outlines the founding of America through John Adams’ perspective. Viewers observe the fiery nature of John coupled with the calming yet powerful demeanor of his wife, Abigail. Thomas Jefferson maintains his composed charm, while Alexander Hamilton commands the treasury with fierce confidence. The show begins with the Boston Massacre, an event that helped spark a series of protests, conventions, and ultimately, a revolution. For many Americans, that night was the culmination of years of British suppression and unequal representation. People of all ages and occupations banded together to demand justice.

The events following the Boston Massacre show stark similarities to our nation’s response to the racial injustices that occurred this past summer. While Black Lives Matter is certainly not a new topic, our nation’s

attention to anti-Black sentiments erupted like never before, and much of this surge in social consciousness is attributed to protests. Much like the Boston Massacre, for many Americans, the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery were breaking points after years of injustice.

Perhaps one of the most jarring scenes in the first episode of John Adams depicts the brutal tar and feathering of tax collector John Malcolm. While there is clearly no justification for the terrorization of an individual, these moments of heightened energy accurately reflect the anger many Americans felt. To be compelled to inflict brutality on an individual clearly conveys one’s urgency and determination to demand justice. We as Americans idolize these figures as true patriots who place freedom and justice over all else, engaging in potentially dangerous actions as a means to implement change. However, changes often contradicts itself depending on the underlying circumstances.

Although the Black Lives Matter protests and the Revolutionary War-era protests were both rooted in the fight for equality, the former is deemed as controversial to many Americans. The rioting and looting exhibited during the BLM protests is

deemed unpatriotic, yet the violence committed by the angry civilians of the 18th century is acknowledged as the pinnacle of American’s fight for freedom.

The right to protest is ingrained within our country’s DNA. By giving us the agency to improve our nation, protests allow us to form a more intimate relationship with

will happen after the election. During these closing days, emotions are running high. There’s no doubt that America faces challenges it has never seen before. The global coronavirus pandemic, economic chaos, glaring racial injustice, and crime in our streets have all contributed to a general unease about what lies ahead.

Many believe that the future of our republic rests in the outcome of this election, and many believe that, should things go awry, it could quite possibly mean the end of our storied history. A quick scan of recent headlines from media outlets only confirms our nation’s general anxiety over our future: “The Threat to Democracy” from CNN, “I Fear We Are Witnessing the End of American Democracy” from the New York Times, “Can American Democracy Be Saved?” from The Atlantic, and so forth.

While one may attribute these headlines to media sensationalism, the underlying tension and conflict that permeates our society right now

cannot be understated. Republicans vs. Democrats, the rich vs. the working-class, urban vs. rural.

Divisions are incredibly evident in our modern society. If we are to continue down this road, perhaps the Founding Fathers’ warning that “united we stand, divided we fall” will indeed come to fruition. So how do we stop this slow burn to the end?

In Federalist Paper No. 10, Founding Father James Madison writes of the dangerous yet fundamental nature of division, stating that “a zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government … an attachment to different leaders contending for pre-eminence and power … have divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them more disposed to vex … rather than to cooperate for their common good.”

When the Founding Fathers first created our republic, they understood that division and factionalism would be a threat to our nation, but they had a solution.

In enshrining the virtue of free speech within the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers intended for citizens and government to overcome such division through civil discussion and compromise. Yet, as shown by the chaos in our nation today, we’ve failed to live up to these ideals.

We’ve thrown civil discussion out the window in exchange for glorified shouting matches, replaced the debate of ideas with insults, and instead of seeing those on the opposing side as fellow Americans, we treat them like they are our worst enemies. The symptoms of this are everywhere, be it in the First Presidential Debate, TV political panels, social media, or sometimes even within Pingry’s own community.

In spite of these tensions, I implore you, Dear Reader, to keep in mind the ideals of our republic and try to navigate the future after the election with some sense of civility. Rather than turning political debates into melees, as we all have been guilty of at some point, try listening to the

our surrounding environment. The strength to demand change and place oneself into a cause greater than their own existence gives America its power. Shouldn’t we uphold these same ideals to all individuals? Or will America’s cherished values remain applicable to a select few?

A Letter to a Post-Election America

ANDREW WONG (V) By the time this article has been published, you will hopefully know who the next President of the United States is––either Joe Biden or Donald Trump. But does that mean months of incessant conflict will finally come to an end?

As America wakes up from this nightmare of an election and picks up the pieces, you, the reader, along with the rest of our nation, will now have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.

Perhaps the candidate you rooted for did not win. Or maybe they did. You may be thrilled at what has occurred, or you might be getting ready for the impending apocalypse. Whatever happened with the presidential election, however, the task at hand is straightforward: we must begin the process of rebuilding the broken ties of a deeply divided nation.

Writing this in October, with less than three weeks to go before the general election, I don’t have that privilege of hindsight to see what

ideas of the opposition. Change the news or the radio to a different source and listen for a bit. Attend a Pingry Politics Club meeting, and listen to your peers discuss various political topics in a safe environment. Or engage in some casual conversation with peers who have opposite views on certain issues and try to find common ground. Who knows? Maybe you will realize that your ideas were a bit flawed, or come up with better counterarguments to the opposition by learning from them.

Such things cannot occur, however, if we continue to regard our opposition as personal adversaries. At the end of the day, we all are Americans. We all salute the same flag and enjoy a common set of freedoms and liberties. As we set about rebuilding a fractured nation, let’s push forth past our differences and halt America’s downward spiral into faction.

Skimming the Pages NOAH BERGAM (VI) I get a lot of snail mail these days.

Almost each letter falls into one of two categories: college advertisements or campaign literature from the local Malinowski vs. Kean election.

College season and election season. What a fun combination.

One moment, I’m skimming through my second copy of UChicago’s “The Life of the Mind,” and the next, I’m bouncing between Toms, comparing the “Dangerous Pelosi Liberal” to the Pingry grad who is purportedly “bought off by the healthcare industry.” But really, my

investigation is more cursory than thorough. Smooth pictures, flashy text, the ephemeral feel of fresh ink—then it’s off to the pile, and I return to my college essays to spend hours tweaking the prose of a single paragraph.

Marketing yourself and your content is a draining process. I think we all know it. Every little detail seems to matter so much as we craft applications, performances, newspaper layout—and yet, when we absorb the content of others, we naturally skim and simplify, reducing hours of someone’s painstaking work into a fleeting glance.

To an extent, such behavior is warranted. The Internet, and, by extension, the world, inundates us with enough content and worries to last each of us literally thousands of lifetimes. Sometimes I feel like I’m barely staying afloat in the great ocean of information. I feel like my laptop, operating on eight measly megabytes of marginal storage. One more Zoom call, one more Chrome tab, and I’ll crash.

I suspect this is a common apprehension among our student community. We’re all overworked, keeping tabs on a thousand different endeavours in and outside the

classroom. All the while, we’re trained to chase leadership and become the best at whatever we do—but we’re not all that disposed towards appreciating the things that others do, whether it’s trying out a peer’s club, or reading a student publication, or cheering on a friend at a sports game.

We can all fancy ourselves to be stars in our own respective realms, but ultimately, we’re bound to be part of the audience more often than we are to be on stage, and it would benefit our school culture to take that concept to heart a little more often. We ought to truly consider who we are as audience members, as

readers, fans, and listeners. Is your experience in this community just a cursory flip through fancy pages, or is it something deeper, more connected and appreciative of the things your peers create?

Somewhere along the line, I stopped immediately recycling the snail mail. A guilt-induced pile started developing on my desk, and it just keeps growing. Whether it’s hoarding, or appreciation, I don’t know. They’ll be disposed of soon enough—but I try to give them at least a second glance.

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

THE PINGRY RECORD

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COMMENTARY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Club Spotlight Pingry Credit Union Officially

Pingry Allyship Collective Hopes to Unify

Launches

Community

BRIAN LI (V)

The Pingry Credit Union is a studentfounded and student-run club that aims to increase and promote financial wellness throughout the Pingry community. As Club President Jason Lefkort (VI) described, “financial wellness” has different meanings for different people—faculty, staff, and parents may interpret it as financial health, while students may define it as “greater financial independence."

The original team members hoped to meet these varied needs through a “standalone credit union.” However, upon realizing that this was infeasible, the Pingry Credit Union decided to partner with Affinity Federal Credit Union to offer its services to the community. This would allow them to cater to the Pingry community in its entirety.

In a few weeks, the Pingry Credit Union will officially launch its services and go live with their signup webpage, providing the community an opportunity to register for an account and engage with the Credit Union’s services.

When a Pingry community member makes a credit union account, he or she will receive a variety of the benefits that come with a typical credit union.

Where banks primarily try to profit off of customers, a credit union works for the individual by redistributing profits to its members. Other benefits include lower loan rates and higher savings rates. The student-led Pingry Credit Union team is also offering specialized merchandise, discounts to local businesses, raffles for amazing products, and even more!

As for the team’s main goals for this school year, Lefkort said spreading “greater awareness throughout the Pingry community is a priority.”

The team hopes to have more people understand what the Pingry Credit Union is and what it has to offer.

They also aim to expand financial wellness, and ultimately, have it play a “significant role in the Pingry experience.”

During COVID-19, the Pingry Credit Union was forced to reshape its future plans. The official launch would have directly involved people on the Pingry campus with a launch party, but that was infeasible for this year. Discount cards also posed a challenge at first, as the standard process of contacting local businesses could no longer be followed, but the team was able to pivot and successfully connect with businesses remotely.

Furthermore, in past years the group’s partnership with Affinity Federal Credit Union has provided Pingry students with internship opportunities that did not require a separate application process. This was also halted during the pandemic; however, the Pingry Credit Union hopes to begin offering internships again in the near future.

Led by Lefkort, Co-Vice Presidents Julian Lee (VI) and Justin Li (VI), and faculty advisor Mr. David Rushforth, the Pingry Credit Union is looking forward to a successful launch this year, and hopes to see a rapid increase in financial wellness within the Pingry community.

BROOKE PAN (VI) Following the burgeoning civil rights movement over the past several months, seniors Monica Chan (VI) and Luc Francis (VI) are carrying the momentum into the Pingry community with a new student-based group. The Pingry Allyship Collective (PAC) has outlined a specific goal: to improve the community in all aspects of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) through collaborative education.

“PAC will act as the missing liaison between the administration and the current student-led DEI groups and programs,” Chan said.

While the creation of the club cannot be attributed to any individual event, the ideas behind the club largely arose in response to the tragic murder of George Floyd.

Shortly after news of the event was made public, “the leaders of the Asian Student Union (ASU) reached out to all the student leaders saying that [they] should come together to have a meeting and an open dialogue about these issues,” Francis said, “And so we just came together one day as a group—really at that point, we were just friends, leaders within the community—talking and having an open dialogue . . . but eventually, we realized that the action we all felt we needed to take could be answered with the Pingry Allyship Collective.”

The PAC welcomes any students who are interested in learning more about DEI issues in our community, drawing awareness to those issues, and brainstorming solutions. With

Convocation­—United and Stronger than Ever (cont.)

EMILY SHEN (V) members of the Pingry community, to use our strengths to create substantial impact and stand up for what is right.

The next speaker, Honor Board Chair Meghan Durkin (VI), began her speech by describing a news broadcast, which consists of 25 minutes of news and a kicker: a 5-minute positive bookend that leaves viewers “a sweet taste in their mouth to walk away with.” Although this year has felt like the negative

news of the first 25 minutes, Durkin argued that we are now at the kicker, where the Pingry community has the opportunity to “redefine and bolster our values.” This year, the Honor Code is growing with the community to create a positive and compassionate environment; when there are challenges or obstacles, the Pingry community still upholds the Honor Code’s fundamental values of honor and integrity. At the end of Durkin’s speech, advisory and Honor Board representatives from the Middle and Upper School came to the

stage to present Durkin and Baynes with copies of signed pledges that affirmed the students’ commitment to the Honor Code.

Then, Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Edwards ‘78, P ‘12, ‘14, ‘18 delivered his speech; he used Einstein’s saying of “in every difficulty lies opportunity,” but one’s mindset determines if a situation is one or the other. Despite the unpredicted difficulties, what lies at the heart of Pingry remains unchanged — our support and care for one another. He encouraged the students to approach the difficulties with an open mindset and an opportunistic outlook.

Mr. Levinson then recognized the twenty-five Magistri faculty members, who have served at Pingry for at least 25 years. He recounted a story about flat tires, highlighting the importance of seizing opportunities to learn from and understand each other.

Following Mr. Levinson’s remarks, members of the Pingry community joined together to listen to, and hum, “Old John Pingry.” As students and faculty exited Hauser and their advisory locations, each community member was reminded of our community’s values and traditions.

its group-based education, students can learn about a diverse array of topics in a safe and welcoming environment through the various projects available. These projects encompass all topics relating to DEI, ranging from advisory activities to Pingry publications, in hopes of educating members of the specific project and the greater Pingry community. For instance, junior Isabella Briones (V) has begun work on PAC’s first project: to create a “glossary of terms about DEI that are specific to Pingry, such as defining the differences between an affinity group or student union.” “We can publish that to be accessible to the wider community,” explained Chan, “I’m really excited about our first project which will be presented during our first meeting.”

At each of these meetings, students can either join existing projects such as Briones’ or form their own, all under the guidance and support of the PAC leadership team. This team is comprised of roughly 25 student leaders of affinity groups, student unions, student government, diversity groups, and more. Their role is to oversee project assignments and production, and serve as a helping hand to anyone who needs it. As the meetings progress, the PAC hopes to provide a comprehensive list of projects that can meet anyone’s specific interests.

While the projects aim to address specific issues extensively, as part of broader discussions about DEI, “the goal of the projects isn’t to grill people,” Francis said, “The main goal

of PAC is to make DEI available for as many people as possible and make it commonplace. We’re all Pingry students and we all understand that we have a lot of work to do—we have homework, clubs, sports—so the project structure of our group basically allows people to pick what projects they’re interested in and are willing to commit to.”

PAC was created with the intention of making the opportunity to contribute to DEI accessible to the Pingry community. The leaders have worked for months to provide avenues through which students can create tangible change. Too often community service is regarded as a requirement rather than a responsibility; by engaging the student body with meaningful DEI initiatives, PAC hopes to create lasting change and foster a culture of community-based learning and improvement. Everyone, regardless of previous involvement in DEI, is greatly encouraged to participate. If interested, please contact mchan2021@pingry.org or lfrancis2021@pingry.org for more information!

Students Receive Recognition at Fall Awards Ceremony (cont.)

MIRIKA JAMBUDI (IV)

poetry, memoir, and more.

The annual Fall Awards ceremony is a celebration within the Pingry community of student achievement, excellence, and honor. It serves to recognize the efforts that every individual puts into school every day. The Pingry community looks forward to another year of student achievement and hard work, and congratulates all the students honored at the ceremony.

grade who best represents the Honor Code’s spirit. Afterward, the Faculty Prize was awarded to students who showed dedication and commitment to their school work during the past academic school year. Finally, the Scholarship Prize was awarded to the student(s) with the highest GPA in each grade.

Next, seniors excelling in math and science were recognized with awards from the respective department. The Rensselaer Mathematics and Science Award and the Whitlock Prize for Math were among some of the awards given.

As per tradition, Mr. Levinson and Dr. Dinkins went on to present the College Book Awards. Each award is given to a senior class member who best meets the selection criteria provided by the particular college. Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Penn, Princeton, Smith, Wellesley, Williams, and Yale were represented this year.

On behalf of the English Department, Dr. Dickerson announced the winners of the annual Justin Society writing contest. Students submitted their entries last spring, which the English Department then reviewed. Writers Carolyn Coyne (VI) receives the Mount and poets from each grade received Holyoke Book Award awards for their creative writing,

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Justin Li (VI), Monica Chan (VI), Pingry Communications

THE PINGRY RECORD

SCHOOL NEWS NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Word in the Halls

How has Pingry Anywhere Been?

Devon Gambeau (III) “When I did remote, it wasn’t that difficult, you just don’t learn as much. I like being in school better, but hate face shields and tents.”

Isabel Fuentes (III) “I haven’t done remote yet, but I like how we have the option to be flexible: if you can’t come to school for some reason, you can just do it from home.”

Jeremy Lin (VI) “It’s been pretty good. I think Pingry handled the situation pretty well. It’s much better than other schools, and we’re very lucky to be here in person.”

Lauren Drzala (VI) “What’s Pingry Anywhere?”

Alan Zhong (III) “I think it’s been great, honestly. It’s better than a lot of other school’s situations, and I think being in person mostly really allows me to learn a lot better than I would if I were virtual.”

Form Orientations Kick Off School Year MIRIKA JAMBUDI (IV) In place of traditional class trips this year, each form in the Upper School had a special orientation day the week before school started. These orientations started with briefings on Pingry’s new safety procedures and were followed by a team bonding activity centered on diversity and inclusion.

Afterwards, students spent time with their advisory groups and reconnected as a grade in the new Pingry “Student Village” tents. Spikeball nets and ping pong tables were also set up, such that students were able to mingle with each other outdoors in a safe and distanced manner.

Traditionally, Form III students would go on an overnight retreat in Pennsylvania with their peer leaders to bond as a grade.

However, this year, they stayed on

campus at Pingry, participating in backto-school safety procedures and spending time with their peer groups.“Despite the unusual circumstances, [the] peer leaders did try to make it a fun day for us all, with activities like UNO, icebreakers, and Jeopardy,” Divya Subramanian (III) said.

The way the Pingry community has adapted during these times is an example of our resilience and commitment to the Honor Code.

The administration and students put in a lot of effort to ensure that the events ran smoothly and everyone stayed safe.

Even though orientations and class trips were not the typical experiences students have had in the past, students could still catch up with other members of their grade while also having some time to relax and enjoy the last week of summer before the start of school.

Student performers playing at the senior class orientation. Pictured, left to right: Harper Cohen (VI), Sandy Friedman (VI), Christian Colella (VI), Jack Fahey (VI).

5

Altered Retreat Welcomes Freshmen MEGHAN DURKIN (VI) This year’s freshman retreat, held on Thursday, September 3, kicked off an unprecedented school year. Instead of visiting Bryn Mawr Mountain Retreat as originally planned, this year’s retreat was held at Pingry to respect coronavirus guidelines. Although masks and shields brought an unusual element to the retreat, the goal of the day remained the same: provide freshmen an opportunity to interact with their classmates, as well as their peer leaders, before the official start of the school year.

Leading up to the retreat, this year’s 36 peer leaders met to prepare during a retreat of their own. They participated in bonding activities, found out who their co-leader was, and created various icebreaker activities for the freshman. Typically, the freshman retreat is planned by Bryn Mawr; however, this year, the activities were left to the peer leaders.

As a group, they brainstormed ideas such as “icebreaker UNO” and Jeopardy.

With all that preparation, Thursday kicked off with a quick coronavirus safety briefing by Mr. Graham Touhey and an introduction to the peer leaders. Then, each peer group, consisting of about eight freshmen and two seniors, went off to get to know each other. Each group did their own activities, from charades and kickball to Jenga and “Shark Tank.”

The day did bring many new challenges, as this was the largest number of students on campus since March. Peer leader Zara Jacob (VI) described these difficulties: “There were quite a few bumps and some moments where the last

thing I wanted to do was talk with my mask on, but I still got to meet my freshmen in-person. I got to know them on a level you just can’t through a screen.” Like many others, Jacob was able to make the most of the day, even though it was different than anticipated. Her favorite activity was the peer leader hunt: each peer group and one of their leaders used clues to find the other leaders hidden throughout the building and campus.

“When I was with my peer group, we were all just walking together, listening to music, and talking,” Jacob recalled.

Throughout the day, the peer groups also competed in a TikTok challenge. These videos had to reflect how they hoped to be defined as a group; at the end of the retreat, all the TikToks were viewed in Hauser and voted on. Ultimately, this challenge allowed the groups to explore their creativity and work together. While this year’s retreat still allowed freshmen an opportunity to get to know each other, the traditional overnight retreat was missed by all.

Ms. Lorian Morales, one of the peer leadership advisors that helped plan the retreat, acknowledged those disappointments: “Having that time away together, whether it’s on the bus, walking the trails, sharing meals, or hanging out in the cabins, allows students the opportunity to interact at their own pace in a relaxed environment.” However, the retreat’s unusual elements brought many positives as well, as the Pingry community finally came back together. “Watching the day unfold put me at ease. Students were back on campus, and just enjoying each other’s company,” Ms. Morales said.

Keeping Fit During Quarantine AVA KOTSEN (IV) During quarantine, many used their time to learn a new skill, spend time with their families, binge watch Netflix shows, cook, play video games, take a class online, or catch up on reading.

Across the country, millions of Americans also seized this opportunity to incorporate exercise into their daily routines.

However, due to lockdown and social distancing guidelines, gyms were shut down for around six months. People had to improvise by building gyms at home. Dumbbells, kettlebells, weights, treadmills, Peloton bikes, gym machines, bars, and all sorts of fitness equipment were sold out across major retailers and back-ordered for months as Americans flocked to buy any gym equipment they could get their hands on.

For those who did not have thousands of dollars to drop on crafting elaborate gyms, spending time outdoors was a free and refreshing alternative. Families went on daily strolls down the block or on bike rides through the neighborhood.

These short jogs and walks helped people incorporate some structure into their lives and avoid the monotony of quarantined life.

On YouTube and Instagram, free, athome, no-equipment workout challenges from fitness influencers such as Chloe Ting, Pamela Reif, and Blogilates promised transformations such as “losing inches off your waist,” or “gaining abs

in two weeks”. Those who participated were encouraged to post their progress on TikTok and Instagram as inspiration for others to follow and join.

Even though COVID-19 has entirely altered daily lives, the resilience that Americans have shown in their

determination to stay fit is admirable. No matter the method of exercise, they can proudly say that they lived and survived to tell the tale of being fit in a global pandemic.

Volume CXLVI, Number 1

Editors-in-Chief Noah Bergam Meghan Durkin

Copy Editors Dean Koenig Mirika Jambudi

Senior Assistant Editor Eva Schiller

Photography Editor Rhea Kapur

Layout Editor Justin Li

Cartoon Editor Monica Chan

Assistant Editors Aneesh Karuppur Brooke Pan Brian Li

Junior Layout Editors Kyra Li Mirika Jambudi

Website Editor Andrew Wong

Faculty Advisors Dr. Megan Jones Mrs. Meghan Finegan

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Eva Schiller (VI), Abby Parrish (VI)

THE PINGRY RECORD

6

SUMMER EXPERIENCES NOVEMBER

13, 2020

Pingry Students Create Care-full ANDREW WONG (V) This past May, with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, Noah Bergam (VI), Kristin Osika (V), Eva Schiller (VI), and myself formed an organization called Care-Full to distribute PPE to underserved communities around New Jersey.

With the new health and economic challenges brought on by the pandemic, we knew many in our local communities would be struggling financially, and might not have access to masks, gloves, and hand sanitizers. This problem would only be exacerbated in the coming months. Rather than sitting back and watching, we took action, creating a plan to supply these necessities to the community.

We decided to create care packages consisting of a 30 mL bottle of hand sanitizer, three individually wrapped face masks, a pair of disposable gloves, and an originally designed pamphlet on how to stay safe during the pandemic.

We all drew upon our various unique skill sets and connections to accomplish this task.

Noah and Eva used their publishing experience to create our pamphlet and advertising materials, Kristin reached out to various organizations for deliveries and donations, and I organized assembly sessions at Pingry to collect PPE and make the care packages. Our teamwork over the past five months allowed us to make and donate over 1,900 care packages, while raising almost $3,500 toward the creation of more packages.

Our care packages were gladly received by many in our local community.

We donated to a variety of charity

organizations, such as the Interfaith Food Pantry, NourishNJ, the Visiting Nurses Association of NJ, Market Street Mission, and various other nursing homes and churches across New Jersey.

Helping the community through CareFull has been especially rewarding for the team.

As America reopens, PPE is mandatory in most public settings; those without a

mask are barred from entry to stores and small businesses. Those who lack access to PPE face limited entry into these public spaces, and thus necessities such as groceries might be difficult to come by.

Additionally, going to work or buying food can be stressful for those who lack proper protection against COVID-19.

By providing PPE in these care packages, we ensure that everyone – no matter their

socioeconomic status, risk factors, or age – can visit public locations and go outside without difficulty or fear.

To continue these vital efforts and sustain their ability to provide PPE, Care-Full needs the help of everyone in the community.

The Care-Full team is currently researching ways to raise awareness in order to create and distribute more care

packages.

Anyone can make a monetary donation by clicking the link on our website at care-full.org, or clicking the links on our Instagram (@we_are_carefull) pages. We can also be reached via email at 2020. carefull@gmail.com. All donations go directly to the making of care packages: just $2 can supply a care package to someone in need!

STEMinPlace Teaches Students During Summer Crisis BRIAN LI (V) After witnessing the farreaching and debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our communities, a group of Pingry students, public school students, and I looked on anxiously, wondering if anything could be done to help alleviate this dire situation. With virtually all schools going remote during the pandemic, many students did not receive the same quality of education that they usually would have, stunting their learning and putting them at a disadvantage compared to their peers. We wanted to help such students continue to learn and enrich them with knowledge that could benefit them down the road.

Thus, STEMinPlace was born: a group of high schoolers who wanted to help the community during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing high-quality, free, interactive, and fun learning opportunities for middle schoolers. “STEMinPlace started as just an idea; I knew I had the goal of teaching middle schoolers these STEM topics, but I wasn’t sure how to get there,” founder Ryan Arrazcaeta (V) stated. After forming a team and creating our website (steminplace.com), we decided on a structure for our program that would effectively educate our students and set us apart from similar organizations.

By offering six STEM courses–– Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Astronomy, Genetics, and Game Theory, we hoped to provide students with various courses that they could choose from, stimulating their interest and potentially sparking a passion for a subject that they were previously unaware of. In addition, we invited guest speakers every week to demonstrate how these topics apply in the real world.

While the structure of our program was coming to fruition, we were worried about raising awareness.

Finding enough students for a fledgling organization seemed nearly impossible. We reached out to family and friends to spread the word, unsure if we would even have 10 students. One day, to our surprise, we checked the responses to our signup form and saw over 100 registrations and counting.

This shock quickly turned to horror as we were initially overwhelmed by this sudden influx of students.

Nevertheless, we adjusted our

curricula, prepared for a much more exciting than we previously imagined, and with our combined teamwork, successfully taught just short of 1000 students over the course of six weeks.

Our classes and commitment to education were much appreciated by our students and their families.

In part, we continued to receive more signups because of students and parents recommending our program to others. They also expressed their gratitude by commenting on our program. One said, “Volunteer high school kids pulled off remote learning better than the paid professionals at my kids’ private school. What more can I say? Amazing.”

Several parents offered donations, but we asked them to donate to other organizations with similar missions, namely the “I Have a Dream” Foundation, Teaching Matters, and the Michael Aymar Foundation.

STEMinPlace has also been an enriching experience for our team. We learned how to run an organization, developed valuable leadership and educational skills, and for some of us, gained a passion for teaching and community service Connor Chen (V) discovered that he “thoroughly enjoyed teaching others about topics that [he] knew a lot about and realized that sharing [his] knowledge with others is very gratifying. [He] also learned how management works behind

the scenes and gained valuable experience in how to run a program with a motivated team to work alongside [him].”

We hope we helped our communities in any way possible and provided students with an education that they will never forget.

One of STEMinPlace’s six course offerings was an introductory physics class called “The Science Behind the Egg Drop Test.”

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Care-Full website, STEMinPlace website

THE PINGRY RECORD

COLUMNS NOVEMBER 13, 2020

7

Revivals in Fashion MAILE WINTERBOTTOM (VI) This fall, a range of new fashion trends have come into style; however, they may not be so unique after all.

From zebra print, which was “totally hip” in the 2000s, or patchwork denim from the ‘70s, fall 2020 has borrowed trends from past decades.

A new wave of 2000s fashion trends has swept the scene recently, from “babydoll” shirts to playful and chunky chains and animal print; baguette bags, originally supported by 2000s icons like Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears, are becoming popular again almost two decades later. Tracksuits have also been well received - and yes, the same ones your gym teachers may opt to wear.

Whether it be the bedazzled Juicy Couture tracksuits famously worn

by Kim Kardashian, or muted pastel

Early 2000s fashion is back in style, including looks made popular by Paris Hilton.

velour tracksuits, tracksuits are here to stay.

Funky prints, sweater vests, and large pants from the ‘70s are making a comeback in 2020 too. Emma Chamberlain can be seen on social media rocking a pair of hot pink spotted pants identical to a pair that teenagers in the ‘70s would have drooled over. Sweater vests are vogue-ish right now, so be prepared to start digging around in your parents’ closets.

Whether on their own or paired with a collared shirt, sweater vests make a cute addition to any outfit. Patchwork denim also joins the numerous ‘70s fashion trends being brought back this season. People opt for denim with mixes of dark and light blue denim, or an even more colorful mix, like pink and purple.

Leather is everywhere this year, calling upon one of the biggest fashion trends of the ‘80s. Whether it be an oversized leather blazer to top off an outfit or a pair of statement leather pants, leather is a trendy addition to any outfit. Along with this, menswear has been popping up lately. In the past, celebrities like Zendaya and Cara Delevingne have been known to break gender barriers in fashion and rock menswear looks at red carpets. This season, oversized blazers and slacks took up the women’s fashion scene, bringing back yet another fashion trend that was hot in the ‘80s.

It is not uncommon to revive fashion trends from the past, but this fall, it seems that almost every hot style has vintage roots. One can only excitedly anticipate what’s to come for fashion in 2021 and what items we’re going to have to steal from our parents next.

Prabhu Analyzes Christopher Nolan’s Classics

ROHAN PRABHU (V)

Pictured is Christopher Nolan, whose works includes Inception and Interstellar.

If you’ve watched the movie Inception, you probably thought it was either a masterpiece or a complete waste of three hours. How can a movie that has absolutely nothing to do with our reality be so polarizing?

If nothing else, this is representative of the beauty and effectiveness of Christopher Nolan’s film-making.

Since the very beginning of his career as a filmmaker, Nolan has taken seemingly uninteresting concepts and made them intriguing. In 1999, Nolan directed his first major film, Following, about a man who follows others with the intent of using their lives as inspiration for his novel. This film showcases the nuances of his filmmaking, and many even regard it as his best work.

Nolan’s originality and creativity in the art of filmmaking has followed him in each of his movies. He modernized Batman, a character that typically remained relatively unchanged. He adapted a Danish film to U.S. and British audiences, titled Insomnia, which follows a police officer into Alaska to investigate the murder of a teenage girl.

Although Nolan certainly likes to switch it up in his films, he retains several constants that contribute to his success. For one, he still uses 16mm film to shoot all of his movies. Nolan explained his love of film cameras: “For the last 10 years, I’ve felt increasing pressure to stop shooting film and start shooting video, but I’ve never

understood why. It’s cheaper to work on film, it’s far better looking, it’s the technology that’s been known and understood for a hundred years, and it’s extremely reliable.”

Nolan also uses many of the same actors in his movies, including Cilian Murphy, Michael Cane, Tom Hardy, and Christian Bale. Additionally, he does most of the effects in his movie practically. For Inception, he created a set that spun on an axis for a scene in which Joseph Gordon-Levite’s character fights the subconscious of another person’s dream. The set simulated a zero-gravity effect. In Tenet, Nolan’s latest film, which is based on the inversion of the entropy of certain objects, Nolan’s actors had to speak backwards with accents that they didn’t have in real life. Stuntmen also had to learn how to do regular maneuvers backwards.

Undoubtedly, Christopher Nolan’s filmmaking style is unique, but his most important skill is his ability to make the viewer think. He not only achieves this through his inherently distinctive screenplays but through his storytelling ability. Where most directors structure their story around a series of three major plot points, Nolan often adds a fourth. Like other writers and directors, such as Martin Scorsese or Ridley Scott, Nolan uses his third major plot point as a resolution to their stories. However, he takes it one step further and introduces another miniscule plot point that creates a figurative “fork in the road” and plants a seed of doubt in his audience’s minds.

In Inception, Nolan’s main character, Dom Cobb (played by Leonardo Dicaprio), is wrongly charged with the murder of his wife and forced to become a fugitive. He retreats to Europe with a team of dream workers, hoping that he would be able to see his children again. When he receives an offer to break up the empire of a business giant through inception, or dreams within dreams, to regain his freedom, he reluctantly takes it.

Viewers see Cobb succeed in his endeavor, and when Nolan portrays him embracing his children, he zooms in on a shot of a spinning top. This top, introduced earlier in the movie, is a token to tell Cobb if he’s still dreaming. If the top eventually stops spinning, Cobb knows that he’s in his own reality, and if not, he knows that he’s dreaming. Nolan ends the movie just as the top looks like it is going to stop spinning, but viewers never really know if it does. This is the seed of doubt that Nolan likes to plant.

He explains in a commencement speech at Princeton University, “I feel that, over time, we started to view reality as the poor cousin to our dreams, in a sense... I want to make the case to you that our dreams, our virtual realities, these abstractions that we enjoy and surround ourselves with, they are subsets of reality.”

So what makes Nolan’s movies so polarizing? It’s his desire to make his movies subjective to interpretation, and this quality is what makes him the best director of his era.

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Google Images

THE PINGRY RECORD

8

COLUMNS NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Karuppur Talks Tech. Again.

ANEESH KARUPPUR (VI)

For the latest issue of the Record, the Tech Column returns to cover all of the important tech updates that you should know!

First, what’s going on in the Student Technology Committee (STC), Pingry’s student-run organization for the promotion of technology?

STC is excited to welcome a new class of members once the application review is completed. Meanwhile, innovative STC projects are hitting the ground running, with detailed plans for the new school year. The teams this year include 3D Printing, Code Team, Communications, Help Desk, and others. Especially given remote learning considerations, STC’s techxpertise will have an increased relevance this year in classrooms.

In the broader world of tech news, one of the most notable releases has been the iPhone 12. Apple likes to come up with puns and taglines for each product generation, and the iPhone 12’s is, “It’s a leap year.” Aside from the fact that 2020 is almost over and 2021 is not a leap year, the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max all attempt to hit the same wow that the iPhone X did when it launched. Physically, all three phones now have a boxy and more rectangular shape, some interesting colorways, and a new, more durable glass. The bezels (area surrounding the screen) have been reduced, bringing the design more in line with other full-screen smartphones; however, the famous notch from the X still remains.

Arguably the most important feature is the inclusion of 5G, the

next-generation cellular technology network. Several other smartphones, including direct competitors from Samsung, already had 5G capabilities; Apple is a little bit late to the party here, but it seems that this is the headlining feature of the new device. Other goodies include Apple’s ever-impressive chips (A14 Bionic in this iteration) and a lot of new photo technology: a LiDAR scanner (for augmented reality, a field that Apple still seems to be building out), better High Dynamic Range, some major improvements to night photography, and significant technical improvements in video.

In non-Apple news, the Department of Justice has sued Google for alleged monopolistic practices. Working with eleven state Attorneys General, the suit is strikingly similar to the Microsoft antitrust case in the 1990s. Both concern forced product placement on company-owned platforms; in this case, its Google’s search engine on Google-owned Android and the deals with manufacturers surrounding these placements. This is the first major antitrust suit in the modern Big Tech era; Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter have all been probed and attacked for alleged monopolistic practices in much smaller cases. If the Google suit is legally sound, it could have serious repercussions for these companies and how their different product ecosystems interact.

Game consoles have also been a major theme this summer— specifically, the competing Xbox Series X and the Playstation PS5.

The former is Microsoft’s offering, and it distinguishes itself by offering more than just a gaming experience.

It streams, shops, and plays games, demonstrating a trend in the tech industry of addressing numerous aspects of the user’s online life in one bundle. The PS5 is very similar, just with a new and different controller, as well as some small potential boosts to performance. Importantly, both consoles could feasibly compete with high-performance gaming computers, as both feature comparable processing, graphics, storage, and output. We have to wonder if the computer or the console will become obsolete first.

That’s all for this issue! As technology has an increased importance nowadays, remember to get your screen breaks and do nontech-related things every so often.

Pictured: PS5 (top right) and Apple’s newest iPhones (bottom right)

Kapur and Chan Bring The Freshest Bops of College App Season RHEA KAPUR (VI) & MONICA CHAN (VI) We’ve reached that dreaded first semester of senior year. While our lives seem to be drowning in the realization that we have no idea who we are (but are expected to tell colleges exactly who we are), it is difficult yet even more necessary to find solace in daily comforts. The one constant comfort, besides the shared empathy of our fellow 21’ers and teachers, is music. We bring you a joint music column to share our college application playlists. Our playlists will be linked on the Pingry Record website version of this article.

Monica When looking to get inspired to write my college essays, I like listening to songs with heavy background instrumentals and introspective lyrics. My first song is “When You Come Home” by Rich Brian. This song is written from a parent’s perspective, “So one day, if you find your way, I’ll be waiting for you . . . I got all these questions to ask but I'll save them for when you come home.”

My parents have always been the most present people in my life, and so writing college applications is surreal not only for the reason that I am embarking on the next chapter of my life, but also the realization that my parents will have to watch me from afar.

My next song choice is “Streetcar”

by Daniel Caesar. This song was originally written by Kanye West,

but I prefer the slower and more melodic version by Caesar. One of the most difficult parts of the application season for me is grappling with a sense of finality. We’ve prepared our entire high school lives for this time, “Let me know, do I still got time to grow? Things ain't always set in stone, that be known let me know . . . see I know my destination, but I’m just not there.” At this inbetween teenager and adult age, we’re beginning to forge our own futures while trying to understand who we are; these events happening simultaneously make it all the more difficult.

“Nights” by Frank Ocean is a slight wildcard. The first time I heard this song I was sitting in the backseat of my friend’s car on the way to someone’s house and we were on Route 287 when someone said, “Wait for that beat drop . . .” There was something magical about it being nighttime and zooming down at (legal) highway speeds surrounded by the laughter and company of my friends that I find relatively comforting reflecting on now. Maybe it’s because we can’t hang out with the same liberty we used to have, and those memories are all the more precious.

Rhea When I write, I focus on flow. I study how each sentence glides into the next, I listen to the melody two words sing when side by side, and I observe how each thought fits with every

Amongst their recommendations, Kapur and Chan suggest Frank Ocean’s “Blond” (right) and Rich Brian’s “When You Come Home” (left). other to form a whole, defined piece.

I like to think that how I approach the art of writing—my style—tells just as much of a story as the words do themselves. For me, when it comes to college essays, that’s generally “in media res” storytelling to start, then half stream-of-consciousness reflection, half punchy declaratives.

Recently, I’ve designated Spotify’s “Nightstorms” playlist as the soundtrack to my late-night writing sessions. It features recordings of every type of rainstorm imaginable, and in nearly every possible setting; there’s “Thunderstorm in the Cabin,” “Monsoon Storm,” “Lightning Strikes at the Farm,” and even “Oregon Rain.” The storms lift me out of the scramble that is everyday life, offering an escape from the minutia and creating the perfect, focused environment for essay writing. I’m

fascinated by how different they sound across the world; Indonesian rainstorms are thundering, intense, incessant downpour, while Swedish ones gently patter along, each large droplet claiming its own, distinctive splash. Every storm tells its own story. And they remind me, too, to write my own stories—to lift my admissions reader into a faraway land where the lighting strikes and little details I craft make all the difference.

Monica mentioned introspection, and I agree; it’s an essential part of the essay writing process. I turn to Lana Del Rey for inspiration in this regard. As an artist, she is intimately comfortable with herself, with natural, human uncertainty. In “Born to Die,” she sings: “Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough—I don’t know why.” In “Freak,” it’s “Looking back, my past,

it all seems stranger than a stranger.”

Seniors, who can’t relate to that one!?

Del Rey’s voice brims with feeling; listen to how she sings “Ground control to Major Tom, can you hear me all night long?” in “Terrence Loves You.” Her songs build slowly to a close, a finish that is not always final. I see them as the embodiment of a dream—an imperfect, messy, wonderful subconscious world. It’s exactly where I find myself when brainstorming. At times, I’m in the lows, forehead against the cool countertop, reminding myself that, like Del Rey, it is okay—good, even —not to know, not to be okay. At others, my fingers fly across the keys to keep up with my thoughts, chasing the high of the dream and the height of introspection. Lana Del Ray is every end of the spectrum; seniors, it’s okay for us to be, too.

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Google Images

THE PINGRY RECORD

INVESTIGATIVE NOVEMBER 13, 2020

9

Comparing Pingry Anywhere to other School Models ZOE WANG (V) By the middle of March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic sent schools and educators into a frenzy. Phil Murphy, the Governor of New Jersey, announced that all public and private schools were to be immediately closed to prevent the virus’s spread. The safety of students and staff were of the highest priority. Following the state’s orders, Pingry closed its doors to the community during spring break, and plans to commence remote learning ensued. After Pingry’s shift to remote learning, the question remained: what will school look like in September?

In July, the administration announced Pingry’s plan to resume school in the fall, titled “Pingry Anywhere.” As Head of School Matt Levinson stated, “The philosophy of Pingry Anywhere is to be able to provide education from anywhere.” Pingry Anywhere is a flexible education model that integrates in-person and online learning to accommodate students learning on campus and at home.

The plan meticulously considers all factors that make up a student’s

typical school day at Pingry and implements necessary precautions and safety measures. Every morning before arriving on campus, everyone must complete a pre-screen form that asks for one’s temperature, if one has experienced COVID symptoms, or if one has traveled outside of the state recently. At each school entrance, everyone’s temperature is checked to ensure that it is below 99.9°F. Lunch has been redesigned so that Form III and IV students eat in the Hyde and Watson Gym, while Form V and VI students remain in the Engel Dining Hall. Additionally, all meals are pre-packaged, with plexiglass dividers at every table to minimize the risk of contact while eating. One of the most significant changes, however, is how classrooms now look. There are plexiglass barriers between every desk and TVs in every classroom for those opting to learn remotely. To encourage students to go outside for some fresh air, Adirondack chairs and tents have also been installed at the back of the school so students can interact with each other or take a “breather.”

After the first month of school

concluded, COVID-19 testing began rolling out. The non-invasive antigen test is saliva-based and uses pooledtesting. Along with wearing the mandatory masks and face shields, testing provides community members with another cautionary measure.

The test results will allow the affected individuals to quarantine and contact tracing procedures will follow while

mitigating others’ risk at school.

The efforts of several individuals at Pingry who have put in countless hours to make the students and faculty’s daily lives seem as “normal” as possible are extremely appreciated by the community, as we truly are lucky to be able to go back in-person.

Like Pingry, Newark Academy has instituted similar protocols such as

a daily COVID-19 questionnaire to complete before entering the campus, increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces throughout the day, and social distancing procedures. The key differences lie in the flexibility of attending school and testing.

Pingry allows students and families to decide daily where they will be attending in-person or remote learning. Newark Academy also gives students the option to shift to remote education; however, they must wait until designated transition times to return to in-person learning. Unlike Pingry, Newark Academy has not yet announced plans to implement COVID-19 testing. This additional measure is beneficial for Pingry in keeping the community safe and campus open for as long as possible.

As Pingry community members, everyone is expected to uphold the Community Pledge and follow all of the contact tracing and quarantine protocols. The great job the faculty and staff have done to bring the students back on campus to a thriving environment filled with exceptional learning is truly commendable.

How Do Pingry Research Programs Compare to Other Schools’?

JESSICA LIN (VI)

Pingry’s various research programs are one of the school’s greatest strengths. From the renowned Pingry Research Exhibit to the newly added Humanities Independent Research Team (HIRT), our programs are rapidly developing and expanding.

We investigated three well-known schools around the area with whom to compare research programs and see how we can potentially improve.

These schools are Stuyvesant, a New York public magnet school; Hotchkiss, a Connecticut private boarding school; and Lawrenceville, a New Jersey private day/boarding school. For the purposes of this article, a research program is defined as a school-offered extracurricular program whose main focus is to conduct scientific research to further new understandings in that field.

Therefore, this investigation aims to cover research clubs and programs rather than any research based classes.

Research Publications Beginning with Stuyvesant, we gathered information from their website and found that the school research club runs a science magazine called SIGMA, similar to the Pingry Community Research Journal (PCR).

It is organized into four separate departments: layout, annotations, which summarizes articles to make

them more comprehensible to the general public, creative works, which focuses on producing the content for the publication, and processing/revisions. Based on SIGMA’s departmental organization, one takeaway is that some form of annotations might also prove useful in PCR issues. Adding short summaries and definitions for scientific terms would expand the audience of PCR to the whole student body, rather than just those who are knowledgeable in STEM. However, a criticism of SIGMA’s structure is that a separate role for annotations would divide the researcher from their work; it would be more efficient to have each researcher define their own terms, since they’re the most knowledgeable in that subject area. The combination of the researcher and annotator roles is also more suitable for Pingry based on our smaller student body compared to Stuyvesant.

Stuyvesant also runs a publication called Nucleus which focuses on prevalent issues and developments in chemistry and physics. Many of the Pingry research programs are centered in biology research, so broadening the scope to different science subjects would benefit Pingry students as well.

After conducting online research and searching through the Hotchkiss and Lawrenceville school websites, we were unable to find a research publication or journal that they run.

Program Variability According to the Stuyvesant curriculum and student insight from their school newspaper, Stuyvesant appears to be more STEM-centered than Pingry; this orientation is reflected in the spread of their research programs, as they lack any equivalent to Pingry’s HIRT. However, one strength is their Stuyvesant Research Mentoring Program (SRMP), which pairs upperclassmen with underclassmen who are interested in scientific research. The goal is for the more experienced upperclassmen to “help aspiring student researchers develop their scientific interest and enable them to get a foothold in the research world,” according to the SRMP website. While Pingry offers various tutoring programs in core subjects like Math and English, a research-specific mentoring program could help expose new high school students to the vast range of research opportunities that can initially be overwhelming. Because many Pingry research programs only accept students in Forms IV through VI, such a mentoring program could help students engage in science research and help them develop essential skills, such as how to read research articles or how to design a lab. This type of program could also help bring the student community together.

Lawrenceville provides more opportunities than Stuyvesant to delve into humanities, such as the

University of Pennsylvania’s School Participatory Action Research Collaborative (SPARC), where UPenn graduate students and faculty collaborate with a number of independent schools, including Lawrenceville, to “improve school culture, policy, and practice,” based on their website description. Their research focuses on how issues such as gender, relationships, and identity present themselves at Lawrenceville.

Finding a way for Pingry to join SPARC would add greatly to the humanities research department, which HIRT is currently bearing the brunt of. Although we have strong programs at Pingry that cover similar topics, such as the newly formed Pingry Allyship Collective (PAC), a research-based program like SPARC could benefit and pair well with PAC, integrating diversity and inclusion with scientific data specific to our school.

Facilities All three schools meet a similar lab equipment standard to that of Pingry, as they all have DNA testing equipment, robotics labs, and some form of a lab space to conduct biological research. However, one unique asset of Hotchkiss is their observatory for stargazing. The on-campus Hotchkiss Observatory boasts a 20 inch telescope and enables students to research stellar activities through the studentled Astronomy Club. Hotchkiss

states that their rural geographical location in Salisbury CT gives them access to clear skies at night, so it’s undetermined as to whether Pingry would be able to build one in our current location, not to mention the costs of constructing one.

However, it could add another layer to the diversity of Pingry research programs.

Conclusions Based on the schools we investigated, we can conclude that Pingry stands as a top-tier research program among other local highlevel schools. The most meaningful and realistic improvement Pingry should consider is adding a program similar to UPenn’s SPARC: one that focuses on the role that gender, race, or any other identifiers play in the school community. We should utilize humanities research to develop an empirical understanding of diversity and equality in our school, so we can then work with other existing initiatives, like PAC, with the goal of improving our school culture.

This program would also bolster the humanities research department, which is currently significantly smaller than the STEM department.

Whether these ideas are ultimately implemented or not, research remains a vital part of high school education.

Research teaches students how to explore and think for themselves, so it’s crucial that Pingry continues to build upon these valuable programs.

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Monica Chan (VI)

10

THE PINGRY RECORD

NEW FACULTY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Mrs. Uma Aviles: Upper School Academic Dean BRIAN LI (V)

This fall, the Pingry community welcomed Mrs. Uma Aviles to the Upper School faculty as the Upper School Academic Dean and co-instructor of Peer Leadership. She is also serving as a Form III advisor.

Mrs. Aviles attended Bryn Mawr College, where she majored in economics and minored in education.

She then received a Master’s Degree with a focus on technology, innovation, and education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to joining the Pingry School, Mrs. Aviles worked at the Trinity School in New York City as the Director of Student Activities and the Dean of the classes of 2017 and 2021.

After graduating from The Peddie School, where she had a tremendously positive experience with the adults on campus, Mrs. Aviles joined the Trinity School

not only because she “enjoyed being part of a school community,” but also because she “loved working with high school students.” Eventually, she decided to join the Pingry community because of commute distances and the fact that her daughter enrolled in the Lower School two years ago. Inspired to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of students, Mrs. Aviles joined and became an integral part of the Upper School.

As for her current experience at Pingry, Mrs. Aviles said, “I have truly felt welcomed and I especially enjoy the school’s energy and the care that community members all show to one another.” Looking forward to settling in, she hopes to “get to know as many students as possible.”

In her free time, Mrs. Aviles likes to hike, do yoga, and read fiction. Additionally, she has two children and loves to spend time with her family.

Mr. Eric Bulakites: World Language MAXWELL WATZKY (IV) This fall, Pingry welcomed Mr. Eric Bulakites to the Middle and Upper School World Language Departments.

He will be teaching French 1B in the Middle School, as well as French 2 and French Film in the Upper School.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in French and Sociology from Georgetown University, Mr. Bulakites went on to do graduate studies in French at Johns Hopkins University. While earning his undergraduate degree, Mr. Bulakites studied abroad in Paris for two semesters; although Mr. Bulakites was already interested in French film and culture before university, his time in Paris was what “ultimately convinced [him] to become a French teacher.”

Before coming to Pingry, Mr. Bulakites taught English to French students and served as a high school theater and elementary school teacher in Washington,

D.C. Mr. Bulakites enjoys Pingry’s “small class sizes and flex time,” which he explains has “[helped] him get to know [his] students better.” He hopes to “help [his] students engage with material outside of the classroom,” and he emphasized the importance of using media to help students gain a fuller understanding of the language and culture. This year, Mr. Bulakites’ main goal is to “get involved with Pingry’s clubs and athletics;” however, in the future, Mr. Bualakites also hopes to “organize a French medical class, maybe with some help from the Science department.”

Outside of the classroom, Mr. Bulakites enjoys the outdoors and is eager to help with environmental sustainability efforts and organizations at Pingry, such as the Middle School Green Group. Mr. Bulakites’ experience and passion for French will undoubtedly prove valuable for the community,

and we wish him the best of luck this year!

Ms. Marcy Cohen: Counseling JP SALVATORE (IV) Ms. Marcy Cohen is joining Pingry’s health services and counseling department as the new learning specialist! Upon meeting her for the first time, it was immediately clear how excited she is to be at Pingry and get to know the students.

Ms. Cohen attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in sociology. Later, she went on to receive two Master’s degrees: one in elementary education from The College of New Jersey, and another in educational leadership at Simmons College. She then remained in Massachusetts, teaching at the Pollard Middle School in Needham, before returning to New Jersey to join the Pingry faculty.

Now, a few weeks into the school year, Ms. Cohen is already enjoying her new role. She is “impressed with all the students that she has worked with and is excited to bring her knowledge to the school.”

Although Ms. Cohen does not teach any courses, she is very involved in the Pingry community.

She works 1-on-1 with students to help them stay organized, acts as a resource for the community, helps teachers accommodate the various needs of their students, and offers a friendly face in the hallways.

Her inspiration for becoming a teacher was her “passion for helping kids reach their full potential,” as well as her gift for connecting with the students.

Lastly, a few fun facts to get to know her better: She has two young daughters, aged 5 and 2, she is a Knicks fan, and she loves to explore the New Jersey

Ms. Gabriella D’Amodio: Athletics CHRISTINE GUO (V) This fall, the Pingry community welcomes Ms. Gabriella D’Amodio to the Upper School Athletics Department. As an athletic trainer, she will be part of the medical personnel for sports practices and games, help rehabilitate athletes, and provide emergency first aid. Prior to arriving at Pingry, Ms. D’Amodio earned a B.A. in social and behavioral science and a master’s degree in athletic training from Seton Hall University.

Ms. D’Amodio has been part of the athletic world from a very early age. She began playing softball at the age of four. After going through an injury during her sophomore year of high school, she realized her passion for athletic

training and saw the field as something that she wanted to pursue in college and beyond. She is also accustomed to Pingry after having been an athletic training student here two years ago.

In her free time, Ms. D’Amodio keeps in touch with her athletic side by watching or playing sports. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends and playing the guitar.

So far, Ms. D’Amodio has loved her experience working at Pingry. She commented, “I am excited to be here and the community has been super welcoming!” She is invested in helping students in any way possible. Her goal for the school year is to “help as many people as [she] can, so that they can be safe and play the sports that they love.”

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Pingry Website

THE PINGRY RECORD

NEW FACULTY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

11

Ms. Kendall Davies: Lower School SARAH KLOSS (V)

This fall, the Lower School welcomes Ms. Kendall Davies, who will be teaching kindergarten students.

process and bring their stories to life,” Ms. Davies said. In addition to being a homeroom teacher, Ms. Davies is an instructional design

Ms. Davies received a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education

coach at Pingry; she helps Lower School faculty get acclimated to the

from Miami University in Ohio. Before coming to Pingry, she taught

Pingry Anywhere model, specifically using the classroom technology.

kindergarten to second grade at Stevens Cooperative School in

Her goal for the school year is to continue to grow as an educator

Hoboken for three years. Her passion for teaching started at a young

by learning from all of the amazing teachers around her. “I have

age: “For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a teacher.

absolutely loved my time at Pingry so far and already feel at home

As a kid, my favorite toy to play with was my chalkboard. I love being

here,” Ms. Davies said. During her free time, Ms. Davies loves

around the children, and I feel like I learn from them just as much

spending time with her friends and family.; she also enjoys going

as they learn from me.”

for walks and reading mystery novels.

One of her favorite things about teaching kindergarten is the writer’s

Welcome Ms. Davies!

workshop. “I love seeing my students move through the writing

Dr. Lynne Feeley: English MIRIKA JAMBUDI (IV) This fall, the Pingry community welcomes Dr. Feeley to the

people who were also engaged and interested in thinking about it.”

Upper School English Department, where she is teaching English 9,

So far, Dr. Feeley loves Pingry. “The Pingry environment and

American Literature, and American Perspectives.

community members have been very welcoming, and I am excited

Dr. Feeley obtained her Bachelor of Arts at Cornell University and her

to get to know all my students this year,” she remarked. Her goals

Doctorate in English at Duke. After finishing her Ph.D., she taught

for this year at Pingry are to create an anti-racist community in her

history, literature, and American studies at Harvard University at

classroom, and to “bring in practices of equity and inclusion.” She

the collegiate level for three years.

hopes to promote an environment where students feel safe, welcomed,

Before arriving at Pingry, she was a teacher at the Northwest

and encouraged to participate.

School in Seattle, Washington. There, she taught the interdisciplinary

When she’s not teaching, Dr. Feeley likes to spend time with her

humanities, combining history and literature. Dr. Feeley remarks that

family, in nature, and in her garden—where she is experimenting with

she has “always had a love for literature.” Even in high school, she

growing a variety of plants. She is also an avid hiker and is excited to

was drawn to academia because she “wanted to discuss literature with

explore New Jersey trails!

Ms. Deanna Fischer:

Ms. Holmes-Glogower:

Mrs. Kathryn Smoot:

Lower School

People Operations

History

EMMA DRZALA (V)

KEIRA CHEN (III)

AVA KOTSEN (IV)

The Pingry community welcomes Ms. Deanna Fischer to the

This year, Pingry welcomes back Ms. Holmes-Glogower to

This fall, Pingry welcomed Mrs. Kathryn Smoot; she will

Lower School faculty. Ms. Fischer joins the Lower School to

co-teach Form III Financial Literacy alongside Mr. Weckesser,

teach two blocks of World History 9 and 10. She joins Pingry

teach fourth grade social studies and reading, as well as serve

as well as work as the Director of People Operations and Talent

with thirteen years of experience teaching in public schools;

as an associate teacher and co-teacher to the Lower School’s

Development. Ms. Holmes-Glogower is also involved with

she most recently taught at Florham Park Middle School, and

mathematics specialist, Verna Lange. Prior to teaching at

several Pingry groups, including the Alumni Board, the Alumni

worked in Bellevue, Washington and New York City prior to

Pingry, Ms. Fischer was a co-teacher to second grade students

of Color Affinity group, and the Anti-Racism Task Force.

that.

at Shongum Elementary School in Randolph, New Jersey, for

She has two children, one of whom attends kindergarten at

Mrs. Smoot is a graduate of Boston University, where she

three years. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with

the Pingry Short Hills campus. Ms. Holmes-Glogower graduated

received her Bachelor of Arts degree. Additionally, she earned

human services and is currently working toward getting her

from Pingry in ‘99 and attended Columbia University, receiving

her MA in Teaching from New York University and MS in

master’s degree in P-3 Curriculum and Instruction at Montclair

a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. She later returned to

Educational Leadership from Baruch College.

State University.

Pingry to fill in several positions because of her love of the

In her freetime, Mrs. Smoot enjoys spending time with her

community.

family; they often go for hikes or bike rides, or go geocaching.

after she babysat two previous Pingry students and witnessed

Having worked closely with finance in the past, Ms. Holmes-

She also enjoys cooking up new recipes, solving puzzles, and

their enthusiasm and love for Pingry. Ms. Fischer heard of

Glogower agreed to teach Financial Literacy, stating that “It just

reading science fiction and fantasy books.

Ms. Fischer made the decision to join the Pingry community

the school’s culture and camaraderie and decided to join the

made sense… to leverage that knowledge to help our students.”

Mrs. Smoot is excited to be at Pingry and teaching high school

community. When she learned of the open position of an

Ms. Holmes-Glogower says she’s excited by Pingry’s growth,

again, as she finds that high schoolers suit her personality best.

associate teacher, she felt as though she would “learn and grow

though she has more in mind for Pingry’s future. Her goal is to

She looks forward to getting to know the students and faculty

as a teacher in this role.” When she’s not teaching or studying

create a long-term plan to solidify Pingry’s HR team; this year

and eagerly anticipates the day when she can finally meet them without masks. Welcome Mrs. Smoot!

for her Masters, Ms. Fischer enjoys exercising, reading, and

is just for laying the foundation. Ms. Holmes-Glogower’s free

exploring nature. The community looks forward to the start of

time is mostly spent with her kids, although she enjoys reading,

her journey at Pingry!

watching soccer, and studying interior design.

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Pingry Website

THE PINGRY RECORD

12

NEW FACULTY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Ms. Denise Lionetti: World Language ALLEN WU V)

a summer abroad program in Spain.

before returning to Seabury Hall.

Ms. Lionetti studied Italian at Rutgers

In May of last year, Ms. Lionetti

This year, Pingry welcomes Ms.

University, where she completed her

remotely substituted in the Pingry

Denise Lionetti ‘85 to the Language

Bachelor of Arts and spent a year

Lower School. She cites this experience

Department as a Spanish teacher for

abroad in Florence, Italy.

as one of the primary reasons as to

fourth and fifth grade.

Before returning to Pingry as a

why she “fell in love with the Pingry

Ms. Lionetti is no stranger to the

teacher, Ms. Lionetti served as a

Lower School community.” This year,

Pingry community, as she was part

department chair and an advisor at

Ms. Lionetti is joining the school as

of the Pingry graduating class of

the Seabury Hall School in Maui,

a full-time faculty member. When

1985. Here, she first cultivated her

Hawaii. There, she taught everything

asked about her experience as a Pingry

love for “other cultures and learning

from Spanish 1 to AP Spanish. She left

teacher, Ms. Lionetti said that she’s

languages” and received the “best gift”

for a brief sabbatical and worked as

had an enjoyable experience so far. “I

of her life: being able to participate in

an educational tour director in Italy

am deeply moved by the resilience and dedication of everyone around me and feel incredibly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful community.”

She is also happy to see how the school has grown and changed over the years, citing the addition of 3D printers and world languages

Dr. Julie O’Rourke: Health and Wellness KATHERINE XIE (V) This school year, Dr. Julie O’Rourke joins the faculty as an academic and social-emotional specialist, assisting with coordinating and developing the health and wellness programs at Pingry.

Dr. O’Rourke received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Drew University and then attended Boston University, where she received her Master’s and Ph.D. in psychology.

Before coming to Pingry, she worked at the Peck School in Morristown while also running her private psychology practice in Summit. Dr. O’Rourke also did consultations at schools and often taught at parent or teacher training workshops, where she was able to spread knowledge about how “wellness, the brain, and emotions work from a scientific perspective.”

Dr. O’Rourke also enjoys being a part of the federal emergency response

team, where she works with first responders as a psychologist. She says that these experiences have greatly inspired her and that she is “glad to be working in a high school once again” with teens.

She has “loved being at Pingry so far” and is excited to meet more of the Pingry community. That ties into her goal, as she wants to “get to know as many members I can––especially being a new person to the community.”

In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family and enjoys cheering on her two sons at their sports games.

Over the past 15 years, Dr. O’Rourke’s family has also housed over 50 rescue dogs until their adoption. She likes to be active outdoors, through gardening or walking. On-campus, Dr. O’Rourke is looking forward to spending time out at the farm and exploring the Pingry wood trails, and encourages everyone to get outside, too!

to the Lower School as examples.

Ms. Lionetti also expressed her interest in becoming more involved in Pingry’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and is glad to see how involved students have become.

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Lionetti has a longstanding passion for Cuban-style salsa dancing. During her time as an entrepreneur, Ms. Lionetti even held week-long salsa workshops for several public schools in Maui.

Overall, Ms. Lionetti is looking forward to an exciting school year, despite all of the challenges it has presented: “It’s really an amazing feeling to see what we are capable of in the face of adversity.”

Ms. Glynnis Gourhan: Music

Mr. Matthew Osborne: World Language MAE LANGE (III) Mr. Matthew Osborne, known as “Herr Osborne” to his students, has joined the Middle and Upper School World Language Departments. In addition to teaching German C, German 2, and Latin 3, he serves as an assistant coach for the girls’ cross country team and is a member of the LGBT Faculty and Staff Affinity Group.

Herr Osborne attended Northwestern University, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in World Language and Education. Before coming to Pingry, he taught at multiple schools, most recently at a large public school in the Washington D.C. area.

ANJOLA OLAWOYE (IV) The Pingry Music Department welcomes seasoned musician Ms. Glynnis Gourhan as a part-time strings instructor. She will teach Upper School Strings as well as facilitate strings enrichment for Lower School students.

Ms. Gourhan received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, where she was part of the

Herr Osborne became a teacher due to his own love for learning, which he strives to spread among his students.

So far, he has greatly appreciated the strong sense of community and welcoming feeling that his colleagues and students have fostered, and his goals for his first year at Pingry are to learn about the school, to develop good connections, and to thrive despite this challenging year.

Outside of school, Herr Osborne enjoys hiking, cooking/baking, and exploring the general NYC area. His message to students is that “Latin and German are optime!”, and that they should, given the chance, study those languages.

Women in Art music research team.

Their mission aimed to “bring to light how women have participated in art music through history, and recognition to the scholars who are actively studying them.” She was also involved with conducting interviews and producing short documentaries that showcased women in classical music history.

Outside of Pingry, Ms. Gourhan has taught orchestra at the Paterson Music

Throughout the school year, she

opportunity for students to showcase

Project, the Ridgewood Symphony’s

hopes to prepare students for various

their musical talents and abilities for

Festival Strings, and the New Jersey

concerts, such as the Winter Festival

the rest of the community.

Youth Symphony.

and Spring Concert, as they are an

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Pingry Communications

THE PINGRY RECORD

NEW FACULTY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Mrs. Cynthia Santiago: College Counseling

EVA SCHILLER (VI)

The Pingry College Counseling Office is thrilled to welcome Cynthia Santiago to their team!

Mrs. Santiago graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2001, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

She later joined the Muhlenberg Admissions staff, where she served as Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment.

When asked what inspired her to switch to college counseling at Pingry, Mrs. Santiago explained, “I recruited for Muhlenberg at Pingry.

I always loved my time coming here and held in high regard the students that I would meet here. So when it came time to think about leaving admissions, it was important for me to find a place that had a good community, and Pingry fit that bill!”

Now a few months in, Mrs. Santiago has made herself an integral part of the community. In addition to coadvising with Mrs. Morales of the Admissions Office, she has gotten involved with Pingry’s Latinex Affinity Group. “I’m open to any other opportunities!” she added, smiling. In the coming weeks, she hopes to “get to know as much as possible,” despite the various challenges that COVID-19 is posing.

Ms. Frederique Schachter: Institutional Advancement SARAH GU (III) Ms. Frederique Schachter ‘96 P ‘27, ‘30, ‘33 joined Pingry’s Office of Institutional Advancement as the Associate Director of Parent Engagement last spring. Some of her responsibilities include raising money for the Pingry Fund and communicating with parents, faculty, staff, and students.

Before joining Pingry, Ms. Schachter attended Princeton University and majored in politics. In the past, she has worked at Bloomingdales, the NBA, and various nonprofit organizations as a project manager. When asked about what she finds different between her previous workplaces and Pingry, Ms. Schachter stated that Pingry has a “delightful working environment” with dedicated staff and employees who have genuine care and concern for each other. She loves the team she works with and finds her job a

When she’s not at Pingry, Mrs. Santiago has plenty of hobbies to keep her busy. “I crochet, and if I’m not doing that, I also spend time with my family,” she remarks. “I’ve got two little ones, and we do bike riding, hiking, and other outdoor activities as much as we can.”

Describing her experience thus far,

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positive experience; she was pleasantly surprised at how appreciative the parents were, especially amidst the panic surrounding COVID-19.

Ms. Schachter was already immensely involved in the Pingry community before she joined the staff team. Born and raised in Summit, she graduated from Pingry 24 years ago and also wrote for The Pingry Record as a student. Furthermore, she has three children who currently attend Pingry: one in kindergarten, one in third grade, and a third in sixth grade.

In her free time, Ms. Schachter likes to walk her dog and exercise. She also likes to spend time with her three children and her husband.

This year, Ms. Schachter aims “to engage parents, especially those who are new, with each other and the school.” She has already had many positive experiences with families and looks forward to connecting with even more people.

she exclaimed, “I love it! It’s been great! Everyone is so friendly and very welcoming, and I love that I’m part of the community.” She would also like to remind the student body one last thing: “My door is always open!”

Welcome to Pingry, Mrs. Santiago!

We wish you the best.

Ms. Gabriela Reyes: Lower School EVA SCHILLER (VI) This year, the Lower School Faculty is welcoming Ms. Gabriela Reyes as a K-3 Spanish teacher!

Ms. Reyes attended Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Since then, she has obtained five years of hands-on teaching experience, including her most recent position as a Lower School Spanish Teacher at Leman Manhattan Preparatory School.

Speaking on her past experiences, Ms. Reyes said she has “had the incredible opportunity of instructing a diverse group of students, as well as working extensively in several school settings.”

At Pingry, her “main objective includes engaging students with various learning needs through enhancing their Spanish skills in the advanced level of proficiency in speaking, reading, writing and listening.” She also hopes to “help students fulfill their potential, support the development of a new language in children by offering new working strategies,” and help her students “understand and appreciate

Mr. Marquis Ormond: Permanent Substitute MAYA KHAN (IV)

the cultural diversity.”

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Reyes has a variety of hobbies and interests.

“I love outdoor activities, especially playing volleyball at the beach, cooking, and baking cakes to share

quality time with family and friends,” she remarks. She is also a fan of Harry Potter.

Welcome to the community, Ms. Reyes!

This fall, Mr. Marquis Ormond joins the Pingry faculty as a permanent Upper School and Middle School substitute teacher and subcoordinator. Mr. Ormond earned his bachelor’s degree at Southern Connecticut State University.

Before Pingry, he worked as a physical therapy aide with senior citizens. His interest in teaching younger generations was sparked when he began working with young lacrosse athletes, recognizing their eagerness and determination to improve. When asked about his experience at Pingry so far, Mr. Ormond noted how supportive and welcoming the community has been during these times, remarking that “If someone doesn’t know the answer

to something, they’ll find the answer for you.”

Despite this year being a significant adjustment for the Pingry community, Mr. Ormond is making the best of it and encourages students to reach out for support. He welcomes students to keep an eye out for his new club that showcases documentaries in hopes to further bring awareness to the community about America’s racial injustices.

Looking forward to the school year ahead, Mr. Ormond says that he is “incredibly excited to get to know everyone in the community and can’t wait to see what the year has in store.”

He enjoys coaching the freshmen football team, loves supporting the Eagles football team as a “die-hard fan,” and likes finding new places to eat in his free time.

New Faculty: To be Continued Due to the large number of new faculty this year, The Pingry Record will be extending the New Faculty section into the December issue. We will report on the following new members of our community:

Ms. Bailey Farrell: Chemistry

Ms. Lisa Longo Johnston: English

Mrs. Sky Monroe: English

Dr. Pamela Longo: English

Ms. Erin Boccher: Operations

Ms. Mojda Walker: Lower School

Mr. Sean Petrie: Facilities

Dr. J. Kenneth Watts: Lower School

Mr. Karl Weber: Lower School Photo Credits (Left to Right): Pingry Website

THE PINGRY RECORD

14

NEW FACULTY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Ms. Maurisa Thomas: Counseling

of New Jersey to do a post-master’s. After the post-master’s degree, “Don’t be

Ms. Thomas interned as well as spent four years as a public middle

afraid to visit me. You don’t need to have a big mental health

7, a course that focuses on social interactions with peers as well as

challenge. If you just need someone to talk to you can always visit

both physical and mental wellness. In addition to teaching this class

me.” The Pingry counseling department is excited to welcome a new

and counseling, Ms. Thomas is interested in getting to know students

EVAN WEN (IV)

school counselor. At Pingry, Ms. Thomas will be teaching Wellness

counselor for both High School and Middle School students, Ms.

better and will be visiting advisories along with Dr. Rosen. So far Ms.

Maurisa Thomas. Before coming to Pingry, Ms. Thomas received a

Thomas has enjoyed being able to work with a large group of students

bachelors in History and secondary education at The College of New

from both the upper and middle schools. Her goals for the year are

Jersey before working as a high school history teacher. After this

to break the mental health stigma and reach out more. In addition,

experience working as a history teacher, Ms. Thomas decided she

she plans on getting to know the culture and community by attending

wanted a different connection with her students and decided to go

events such as the play and sports games. Outside of life at Pingry,

back to school for a master’s degree. At the New Jersey City University,

Ms. Thomas enjoys listening to music, leisure reading, comedy shows,

she received a master’s degree in mental health and school counseling.

nature, and all around “enjoying life.”

Following the master’s degree, Ms. Thomas went back to The College

Mrs. Taunita Stephenson: Athletics & DEI MEHR TAKKAR (III) athletic director on the DEI team. This is the first time we have ever

loves Pingry and loves feel of the school, as“it brings me back to

had an athletic representative on the DEI board which makes her job

when I was in college.” In her free time, Mrs. Stephenson loves

special. Mrs. Stephenson went to Delaware State University to earn a

working out, as well as traveling. Even though she hasn’t been able

Bachelor Science Degree in Sport Management, and completed the

to travel much over the past few months, she is still so grateful for

DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of

all the places she’s visited. Her favorite place is Jamaica, which she

Central Florida, where she received an MBA and a Masters of Sports

described has so beautiful.

Business Management. Before arriving at Pingry, she held many jobs,

Mrs. Stephenson’s biggest goals for this year include: getting

including working in the player engagement department for the

acclimated, ensuring that the students are having the best experience

NFL; she helped athletes decide what they wanted to do following

possible, regardless of the pandemic, and laying a framework through

their athletic careers. She also worked in college athletics and at the

the DEI to ensure inclusivity in athetlics. Welcome to Pingry, Mrs.

Birmingham Crossplex. Mrs. Stephenson grew up in Maryland, but

Stephenson!

BRIAN LI (V)

SANIYA KAMAT (III)

This fall, the Upper School English Department welcomes Dr.

Pingry welcomes Dr. Parminder Haven, who will be teaching

Barrett Ward, who will be teaching English 9 for freshmen as well as

Chemistry 1 and 2, while serving as an iRT advisor and Form V

senior electives Ethical Dilemma and Magical Realism. Dr. Barrett

co-advisor. Dr. Haven was born and raised in Punjab, a state in the

Ward graduated from Texas Christian University, where he received

northern part of India, where she lived until she turned 24. Dr. Haven

a B.A. in History. He then continued his education at the University

received her Bachelors in Education and Science from Guru Nanak Dev

of Texas at Austin, where he obtained a M.A. and a Ph.D. in English

University in Amritsar, Punjab, and received her Masters in Chemistry

Literature.

from Punjabi University in Patiala, Punjab. She then earned her PhD

an Armored Cavalry Officer and served as a paratrooper and a “trainer for combat soldiers,” said Dr. Ward. He then moved into intelligence work and became an Intelligence Officer, where he commanded an “intelligence and interrogation analysis company” in Baghdad, Iraq, until 2010. Subsequently, Dr. Ward taught at West Point for three years, and in 2015 and 2016, served as a Liaison Officer for an army intelligence unit in Daegu, South Korea. Most recently, he taught English Literature at the United States Air Force Academy. Needless to say, he has an extremely unique and interesting career background.

Dr. Ward hopes to meet as many members of the Pingry community as he can and support his students whenever possible. Welcome to Pingry, Dr. Ward!

Mrs. Stephenson is excited to work with younger people again, as she has an opportunity to directly impact their lives. So far, she

Dr. Parminder Haven: Science

just under 14 years. During his initial five years in the Army, he was

this job is that she gets to be so close to home.

Mrs. Stephenson is new to Pingry this year and is our associate

Dr. Barrett Ward: English

Afterwards, he served as an Officer in the United States Army for

has lots of family in New Jersey. One of the things she loves about

from Hunter College in New York. Before coming to Pingry, Dr. Haven was a long-term substitute teacher at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx and taught at an all-girls school in New York City.

After spending twelve years in research, while also teaching college students, Dr. Haven decided to come to Pingry. She described her decision: “For the love of science! [I] wanted to inspire young kids to not be afraid of science.” In her free time, Dr. Haven enjoys running, cooking, going on long drives with her family, reading Punjabi literature, and baking without eggs. “I make a really good eggless cake,” she said, “Chemistry helped me with that.” So far, Dr. Haven has “absolutely love[d] everything about Pingry . . . It’s very inspirational to see young minds doing the right thing and embodying Honor Code.” This year, Dr.

Ms. Ellen Lazovick: Lower School ROHAN PRABHU (V)

Ms. Ellen Lazovick is a new third-grade teacher at the Pingry Lower School. She graduated from Penn State for her undergraduate degree and later went on to graduate from Fordham University after falling in love with teaching. Ms. Lazovick said that she was immediately drawn to Pingry because everyone she had talked to had emphasized the school’s strong reputation and community.

When I asked her why she found pleasure in teaching third grade she answered, “Third grade students have the best balance of learning and play. They are hard working in their academic subjects and enjoy recess to the fullest! They are also incredibly sweet.” Ms. Lazovick also appreciates the kindness and warmth that the Pingry community has treated her with in her new experience with the school.

Lastly, she reflected on the beautiful campuses that Pingry offers. She said, “The play areas and common spaces in Short Hills are remarkable! Watching the leaves change colors through the floor to ceiling windows has created the most beautiful backdrop to the day.”

Of course, being a new faculty member this year is

Haven hopes to develop a bond with her students; she wants to “help

incredibly difficult, but it doesn’t stop Ms. Lazovick from

them thrive to the best of their capacities and do the best they can.”

enjoying her next chapter at Pingry.

Welcome to Pingry, Dr. Haven!

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Pingry Website

THE PINGRY RECORD

NEW FACULTY NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Mr. Seth Goodwin: Visual Arts ALLEN WU (V) This year, Pingry welcomes Mr. Seth Goodwin to the Visual Arts department. He teaches Clay 1, Clay 2, and Sculpture, and serves as the faculty advisor of the new Pingry fishing club.

Mr. Goodwin first attended Radford University, after which he moved to New Jersey and attended Kean University for his undergraduate degree. There, he graduated with a B.F.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in sculpture. Mr. Goodwin then completed his M.F.A. in Sculpture at Montclair State University.

Before joining Pingry, Mr. Goodwin had acquired teaching experience from a variety of schools. After graduating from Montclair State University, Mr. Goodwin went on to teach at Montclair State University and Kean University for 15 years. During the day, he also worked as the senior preparator for the Newark Museum, where he designed and managed the building of exhibits.

For the last two years, Mr. Goodwin has taken on a similar role at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We Should Move Away from Debates ANEESH KARUPPUR (VI) A few weeks ago, during a Morning Meeting announcement, Pingry laid out some preliminary norms for conduct during the election season. The main takeaway might have been the emphasis on civility and respectful discourse, goals to which we can all agree are admirable.

However, more subtly, was the emphasis on debate as such a form of discourse. At first glance, this recommendation to debate civilly fits with Pingry’s ethos: from the Harkness table to lab research, Pingry emphasizes discussion and lively verbal argumentation of ideas. Yet, in this election cycle, I fear that the push to debate civilly will not be carried out in the manner we respect in our classrooms.

Books and biological organisms are, at the end of the day, objects that we extract knowledge from and then discard, metaphorically and physically. When reading, we develop an appreciation for what is being said rather than the exact edition and copy of the book in hand; when performing research, methodical data collection supersedes consideration of the procedures and inputs.

The attachment to a story or discovery is more about the concept than the physical means to attain it.

As much as I would like to say that our political discourse can be treated in the same manner - that is, filtering out the substance from the delivery method - the two have become inseparable components of a toxic political rhetoric. We center our debates around candidates and labels rather than political substance, as it is easier to be attached to

When asked about his motivations for becoming a teacher, Mr. Goodwin said that his father was also an art teacher and served as an inspiration for him. “I think that having so many great teachers through my schooling really solidified the idea of becoming a teacher for me. Once I was half-way through my undergrad, that was it. I knew what I wanted to do.”

As for why Mr. Goodwin wanted to join Pingry, he remarked that he likes the unique opportunities that Pingry provides its students.

“There are a lot of colleges out there that don’t have anything as good as this studio.” Mr. Goodwin also particularly enjoys working with the students in the studio. “The students that have been in clay for a couple of years are really eager to make things. I think they are really enjoying the process and I feed off of that.” So far, Mr. Goodwin feels that he has been “greeted with open arms” by the Pingry community.

Mr. Goodwin continues to make art outside of the classroom, primarily working on sculptures, sculptural furniture, and woodworking. Besides art, Mr. Goodwin also enjoys kayaking, mountain biking, and doing other outdoor activities with his nine-year-old son.

POLITICS

COMMENTARY

a person and a motto rather than some technical policy proposal. When we debate verbally, important policies get lost in an emotional connection to a candidate or ideal. Over the past few years, the shared values and proposals of a group have shifted drastically, chasing after demagogues rather than logical consideration.

So, I suggest that we stop debating in person. The oral argument is no longer a useful tool of common political debate until the arguer’s attachment to affiliations and politicians can be removed. Instead, focus on reading fully formed written communication that clearly articulates a vision. Moreover, focus on reading articles that vehemently disagree with one’s point of view.

In essays and articles, there are no interruptions and no need for mute buttons. If there is an insult, it is addressed silently by the reader and not by the other side in a vicious act of reciprocity. Perhaps most importantly, the process of explaining a position on paper forces the author to have a detailed and thorough set of arguments. It is easy to ascertain a good written argument from a poor one because the reader has time to process the link between data and conclusions.

But take this a step further: it’s not enough to simply read political essays and shut the laptop and move on. I have personally gained the most value from reading perspectives I disagree so strongly with that there are hardly any common points between my ideology and the author’s. There is a difference between reading a moderate piece of writing and so-called

15

radical one; I urge the reader to err on the side of the latter.

A moderate viewpoint can always concede some points to one’s side; an extreme one cannot concede because it fundamentally disagrees with what one believes. Thus, the aforementioned detailed and thorough arguments are fully expounded upon and crafted to target counterarguments.

It is important here to draw the distinction between extreme written viewpoints and extreme solutions. A compromise need not be a winner-take-all situation, as that defeats the purpose of a consensus agreement.

The extreme viewpoint ought to be incorporated into the discussion of such an agreement because it pushes one to defend the most important parts of their ideology; they must acknowledge the points where the other side has the logical advantage - a moderate solution, if you will.

As elections and political events come and go, society can break the habit of increasingly aggressive rhetoric if we step back from the emotional feelings and attachments of arguing; instead, we must lean into thoughtful and peaceful expression of the written word. Reading subdues visceral reactions because the author - the opponent, the adversary, the antagonist, the enemy - cannot hear the reader’s cries of frustrations and desires to erupt. Instead, there is just enough room for a controlled and introspective release of steam.

In a political world characterized by anger, perhaps the time and space provided by written arguments can assuage the wounds driven by verbal ones.

The 2020 Election, as it relates to Pingry NOAH BERGAM (VI)

There’s a lot of big news out there as it relates to the election. But there are two major items that directly involve Pingry students and alumni.

A Tale of Two Toms: The Battle for New Jersey’s Seventh District

Thomas Kean Jr. (R), Minority Leader of New Jersey State Senate. Son of Former NJ Governor Thomas H. Kean. Graduated from Pingry in the 1980s.

The Associated Press (AP) has declared that Tom Malinowski has won his second term as Representative of New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District (NJ-07), one of the biggest toss-up counties in the country for the House of Representatives. How does this connect to Pingry?

For starters, Pingry resides in NJ-07. So do many of our School’s students and faculty. Keeping up with local politics is reason enough to pay attention––but there’s a special relevance to Pingry in this election.

Thomas Kean, Malinowski’s Republican opponent, is a Pingry alumnus. Moreover, Malinowski has had numerous current Pingry students intern at his campaign both this year and back in 2018.

Congratulations to all students who interned for Malinowski. For those disappointed in the outcome, don’t fret. NJ-07 will likely continue to be a battleground in 2022.

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D), incumbent. First elected as US Representative in 2018, beating out Leonard Lance. Before that, he served in the Obama administration.

Pingry Politics Club’s Electoral Map Guessing Contest On Saturday, November 7, the AP declared that Joe Biden won the Presidential Election after securing a win in Pennsylvania. But the more pressing question at hand is: which Pingry student predicted this outcome the best? For answers, I consulted the Pingry Politics Club, which collected predictions from seventeen Pingry students before the election. According to the calls and current leanings given by the AP, Shaan Lehal (IV) may have had the most accurate prediction of the map, with a 290-248 Biden victory. If the current leanings turn out correct, then the only state Shaan missed was Georgia. Impressive.

Electoral map as of 11/9/20. Currently a 290214 Biden lead, with races not yet called in Georgia, North Carolina, and Alaska.

Lehal’s electoral map, created using 270toWin’s map generator.

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Pingry Website, Google Images, The Associated Press, Marcus Brotman

SportS

16

BY JUSTIN LI (VI), BROOKE PAN (VI), SAM BENTON (V), OLIVIA HUNG (V), VARED SHMULER (IV)

BOYS’ SOCCER 8-1

The boys’ soccer team has started the season off strong, winning two of their first three matches this year.

Ranked sixth in the state, Big Blue looks to have yet another impressive season.

Their main goals are to finish the season undefeated and cement their position as a top-five ranked team. The team also seeks revenge against Gill St. Bernard’s this postseason after suffering a 2-1 loss to the Knights on October 7. Fueled by a fiery and determined mindset, their motto this year is “humble and hungry.”

The team currently has a 7-1 record and looks to build upon their early success. On Saturday, October 10, Pingry defeated fifthranked Hunterdon Central 3-2 with a last-minute overtime goal by Daniel Ittycheria (V). This win brought a moment of déjà vu, as last year, Pingry also defeated Hunterdon Central in overtime, but with a successful penalty kick instead.

“We all showed grit in overtime against Hunterdon and couldn’t be more excited to see what else this team shows,” Daniel Ittycheria said. “Devan Lalla (V) deserves more credit than me for the game-winning goal because he was able to beat the keeper and win the header for me to tap the ball in the goal easily.”

The boys look to continue their success this season at their next game against Watchung Hills on October 14.

GIRLS’ SOCCER 5-2-1

With ten seniors having graduated earlier this year, Pingry Girls’ Soccer has had to adapt to a much

younger team. In spite of losing several individual talents, captains Sophia Cavaliere (VI), Jill Dugan (VI), Elle Dziadzio (VI), and Olivia Volpe (VI) are working to bring the team together and finish with success.

Starting off with a 0-1-2 record, players are optimistic about improving as the season progresses. Claire Keller (VI) commended the team’s efforts, stating that “everyone’s been working very hard . . . especially given the team’s shorter preseason and fewer team bonding opportunities.”

Cavaliere added that the team still has some room to improve by “getting the team dynamic better.” Off the field, Cavaliere hopes to replace the team’s usual sleepovers with outdoor events under Pingry’s tents.

Considering the various obstacles that have been thrown its way, the team has maintained a determined spirit that can hopefully carry the girls to their first victory.

FIELD HOCKEY 1-8-1

The Field Hockey team is looking forward to another great season led by captains Carolyn Coyne (VI) and Kaitlyn Devito (V). The team won their first game against Montgomery, tied to Bridgewater, and beat Summit in overtime. The scores were close against Hillsborough, Phillipsburg, Watchung Hills, and Warren Hills. Captain Kaitlyn Devito is proud of the team’s efforts regardless of the results, saying “Despite what the scoreboard says, the team’s effort throughout each and every game has been remarkable, and we never lose without a fight.

It is our family dynamic that got each and every one of us through it as a team to where we are currently.”

Head Coach Julia Martinez is also proud of the team’s

Henry Wood (VI), boys’ cross country

progress, looking forward to seeing each player ’s improvement as the season progresses. But with the pandemic, she recognizes the season has been different with a delayed start and social distancing guidelines and safety protocols. She is most importantly “grateful to have the opportunity to practice together and participate in games about twice a week. I always look forward to the next game because that means we are still able to play!”

November 13, 2020

GIRLS’ TENNIS 10-0

Amid the confusion and uncertainty that has consumed high school sports, the Pingry girls’ tennis team is unfazed. With a perfect record of 10-0-0, the team is cruising through its matches, looking to cling on for an undefeated season. Leading the team is captain Caeley Feeney (VI), who is staying positive despite the compromises the team has had to make. Naturally, news of the team’s limited 12-match season disappointed the team, particularly with the cancellation of many larger tournaments including Counties or Preps. “I feel like our team is so strong this year and we could have gone really far,” Feeney said. Nonetheless, she and the team are grateful for their chance to play at all and are making the best of their remaining practices.

If anything, “quarantine and remote learning has made me appreciate the season so much more. I will not take any matches for granted,” Feeney promised.

As the team approaches the latter half of its matches, Pingry girls’ tennis is looking ahead to a promising second half of their season.

GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY The Pingry Girls Cross Country team has started the season strong, led by captains Alina Irvine (VI) and Molly Parker (V). The team recently beat Gill St. Bernard’s and won the Garett Mt. Invitational.

Their early success is well deserved, as the team had to face some setbacks due to the pandemic. “Unfortunately, our preseason was cut short due to the pandemic, but the team was very dedicated and kept up with individual workouts during the time off,” Molly Parker remarks. She is excited to see the team’s growth as the season progresses, commenting, “we have a really strong team this year, and we continue to push each other to be better. Everyone consistently is giving their all.”

Despite the cancellation of many invitational meets due to the pandemic, the team is looking forward

to two major upcoming races: the Skyland Valley Championship and Sectionals. They are hoping to win both, and have adopted an intense training regimen in preparation for the events.

But most importantly, Alina Irvine “wants [the] team to run fast and have fun. Molly and I love seeing our teammates have a fast race as it shows their hard work has paid off.”

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY

Coming off of a season filled with unexpected obstacles last year, the boys’ Cross Country Team has hit the ground running regardless. Led by captains Henry Wood (VI) and Sahdev Patel (VI), with the support of coaches Mr. Matt Horesta and Mr. Tim Lear ‘92, the team is looking for key victories at some of their toughest invitationals.

With five new freshmen entering the team this year, Wood is excited that the “new people show promise,” as the team is the “strongest we’ve had in a long time.” Mr. Horesta added that the freshmen “will hopefully fit nicely with the solid group we had last year, who are now sophomores.” When asked about the team’s season thus far, Mr. Horesta said the “season is off to a great start;” he is eager to see the team’s successes this year.

Finally, he notes that after “looking at time trials and workouts, the team is ready to match some of the best Pingry teams we’ve ever had.”

FOOTBALL 2-3

The boys’ varsity football team has started the season off very strong despite the challenges they have faced due to COVID-19 and a significantly shortened preseason. This year ’s Big Blue Football team has an incredibly talented and physical lineup with a lot of size up front.

The boys’ varsity football team has started the season

Ore Shote (VI), boys’ football

off very strong despite the challenges they have faced due to COVID-19 and a significantly shortened preseason. This year ’s Big Blue Football team has an incredibly talented and physical lineup with a lot of size up front.

Captain Thomas Robertozzi (VI) hopes to keep the momentum going. He is determined to pick up from where he left off last year after returning from an offseason injury.

“As a captain of the football team, my biggest role is to make sure we all stay together and support each other … Since freshman year, I have always wanted to have a winning football season, but injuries have gotten in our way throughout these last two years.

This year though, I feel the season is going to be a lot differ than the others and that we are going to leave Pingry Football on a high note.”

Robertozzi is also quite fond of Coach Christopher Shilts and wants to have a

“tremendous year for him because he has always been one of my biggest supporters and by my side.” Already turning his word into action, he was nominated for his performance against Newark Academy where he rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns.

The team has already shown many strides and looks to finish the season with a winning record for the first time in recent years. They are in search of their third consecutive win against MKA this Saturday, October 17.

WATER POLO On August 26, Ms. Carter Abbott, Director of Athletics and Community Wellness, announced that we would be the only fall sports team whose competitive season had been entirely cancelled due to safety concerns. At first, Noah Bergam (VI) and I, captains of the Boys’ Varsity Water Polo Team, were doubtful

there would be a season at all. Was there a point in practicing if there weren’t other teams to play against?

Would the freshmen, many of whom had never seen or played water polo before, still be interested in the sport if there wasn’t any competition?

Over the past two weeks, the unhindered enthusiasm of our twenty players, the largest team we’ve had in the last four years, has made it clear that practices are worth having. However, to do so safely, we’ve had to make adjustments at almost every step.

To begin, we have had to limit the time we spend in the pool, having practice in the water only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and strength and conditioning training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Coach Joujan, Coach Jenkins, and I have also had to rework all of our drills to make them socially distant—our practices now consist of zig-zagged shooting lines, having players climb out at either side of the pool to avoid crowds at the wall, and as much rotation as possible. Unfortunately, this means full-on defense hasn’t really been possible, so we’ve shifted our focus this year to building fundamental skills and knowledge in preparation for next year (or a potential spring season). To make up for our lack of real-game scenarios, Bergam and I have started a weekly water polo series in which we send strategy videos and tips to the rest of the team.

While our season has been far from ideal, seeing the other Pingry teams start their scrimmages against other schools has made me realize how much I miss competing, and I now know for sure that I’ll continue playing club water polo in college. This is definitely not the senior season we’ve been looking forward to.

Nonetheless, I am glad to be back in the pool with my teammates, playing the sport we love.

Photo Credits (Left to Right): Bruce Morrison