The Pingry Review: Winter 2023-24

The annual tradition of Kindergarten students decorating gingerbread houses

pingry.org/review

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with the

Pingry has been increasing its efforts around safety and well-being for many years and now has a trio of administrators leading this new Hub. How did the School get to this point, who are the three administrators leading it, and how does the Hub benefit the Pingry community?

Investing in Women Entrepreneurs Around the Globe

Historically, women have not been on equal footing in the global economy. Gray Macmillan ’93, in his leadership role with the Visa Foundation, is doing his part to change that trend. Significantly, the Foundation uses a strategy that is intended to double the benefit for women.

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“Risk”y Business

Alexis Elliot ’18 has dealt with risks in the business world ever since she was an eighthgrade student at Pingry—including the risk of starting a business, overcoming technological risks for that business, and taking a further risk in the workforce.

The Pingry Review is The Pingry School’s official magazine. Contact the editor with comments and story ideas:

gwaxberg@pingry.org

908-647-5555, ext. 1296

The Pingry School 131 Martinsville Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

EDITOR

Greg Waxberg ’96

EDITORIAL STAFF

Peter Blasevick P’24

Emily Cooke P’36

Sara Courtney

David M. Fahey ’99, P’33,

Jane Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28

of Development

Maureen Maher

Director of Communications, Writer

Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36

Director of Communications, Social Media Strategy and Athletics

Holland Sunyak ’02

of Principal Gifts and Campaigns

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Josephine Bergin josephinebergin.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Peter Blasevick P’24

Russ DeSantis

Bruce Morrison ’64

Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36

Rebecca Nowalski

David Salomone

Reena Rose Sibayan

Ryan Smith

Debbie Weisman

Mark Wyville

Maggie Yurachek

Head of School

Dear Members of the Pingry Community,

According to The Beginning of Wisdom:

The Story of Pingry, our founder Dr. John Pingry believed “persistence without anxiety is the best means of achieving a goal.” Given that appreciation for the proven connection between a healthy mind and personal accomplishment, I think he would be proud of the proactive approach our community is taking with regard to well-being — and of the plans ahead.

One of those projects is an exciting new partnership with Dartmouth. They hosted a landmark panel in September featuring Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and his seven living predecessors. This esteemed group convened to discuss the future of mental health and wellness, marking the first time in 25 years that all living surgeons general had gathered in one place around a shared purpose. In addressing our nation’s exploding mental health crisis, the panel discussed the importance of community and human connection — and noted that rebuilding both needs to become an immediate public health priority. Dartmouth has since released a comprehensive, institution-wide strategic plan (“Commitment to Care”) for supporting student mental health and well-being.

Several members of our Administrative Team joined me in meeting with some of Dartmouth’s leaders just before the holidays. Our visit confirmed the importance and urgency of reimagining the school experience with well-being at the center. There are remarkable similarities between Pingry and Dartmouth, including the belief that well-being and mental health in school settings cannot focus on students alone. It must instead be a community-wide effort. Students mirror the behaviors of adults, so from parents and alumni to faculty and staff members, we all have a vital role to play in helping

to improve the well-being of our community. Most importantly, Pingry and Dartmouth fully agree that exceptional academics and a campus culture that supports mental health and well-being are not mutually exclusive — they can and must exist in tandem.

In order to make data-informed decisions about campus well-being, Pingry has also embarked on a two-year pilot program with WHOOP and its wearable technology. WHOOP bands are the most advanced sleep, health, and fitness trackers available. With a combined 50 students, faculty, and staff members participating, our program will use biometric data to enhance our community’s collective knowledge around how our daily habits influence stress, sleep, health, and well-being.

Well-being remains a catalyst for everything that happens at Pingry. It drives excellence, achievement, happiness, compassion, gratitude, resilience, and so much more. It also involves many aspects of campus life, from schedules and benefits to spaces and cellphone usage policies. In the words of former Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, “health does not occur in the doctor’s office or the hospital only — it also occurs where we live, where we learn, where we work, where we play… so health is in everything that we do.”

Pingry is a profoundly human place. In order for it to be the best place to go to school and the best place to work, we want students and adults to be the best versions of themselves. There’s a direct connection between community, conversation, social connection, and well-being. Deep relationships are essential for unlocking hidden potential in both students and colleagues. For when we’re seen and known, when we’re healthy and well in body and mind — that’s when we’re all ready to do our best work and become the best version of ourselves.

Sincerely,

Tim Lear

ONE PINGRY

LETTER-IN-LIFE AWARD

Award-winning writer and author Lyric Wallwork Winik ’84, who has collaborated with notable figures on bestselling books, received Pingry’s highest honor during Convocation. It is bestowed on a graduate who has earned distinction professionally and, by doing so, brought honor to Pingry. Presenting this award in front of the student body also recognizes the potential that Pingry sees in every current student. Ms. Winik is the youngest living graduate to receive the award and the first graduate who has received both the Letter-InLife Award and the Magistri Laudandi Award. She received the prestigious Magistri Laudandi Award at her 1984 graduation, and its inscription reads: “In every class, there is one student who graciously gives of themselves to help the school and fellow students, and who demonstrates a personal integrity and generosity that inspires the best in others. This person’s own achievements are many, yet their sense of purpose is to the greater good. While others may be identified as the student most likely to succeed, this person is prized as the student who helps all succeed.”

As Head of School Tim Lear has noted, her achievements signify that “when it comes to pursuing our own success versus helping others to succeed, we do not have to choose one over the other—we can do both.”

Ms. Winik was further honored at the Letter-In-Life Award Luncheon, where guests included former Upper School Art History Teacher Barbara Berlin P’85 and former English Teacher, School Counselor, and Pingry

Record advisor Pat Lionetti P’85, ’88, ’89. Ms. Winik worked with Mrs. Lionetti during her four years with the newspaper, which included serving as Editor-in-Chief her senior year.* “She was incredibly generous with her time as she patiently mentored up-and-coming staffers, leaving the Record a legacy of conscientious, professional staff,” Mrs. Lionetti said. Referencing Ms. Winik’s nominations for both The Class of 1902 Emblem Award and Magistri Laudandi Award, she said, “This epitomizes the young woman she was back then in 1984 and the person she continues to be today: generous, altruistic, kind, selfless, and always humble and gracious.”

Mrs. Lionetti was among many teachers to whom Ms. Winik expressed her gratitude for their investment in her as a student and making her love to learn. As one example, “I can’t walk into a museum or look at a piece of art today without thinking of Barbara Berlin.” More than anything, Ms. Winik said she is staying true to the values she learned at Pingry. “I am a far better person because of my Pingry education, and I hope I used—and continue to use—that education to make my corner of the world a better place.”

*Mrs. Lionetti wrote about The Pingry Record’s 90th anniversary in the Spring 1985 issue of The Pingry Review. In the article, she talks about the Record entering Columbia University’s annual Journalism Competition. With Ms. Winik as Editor-in-Chief, the newspaper received its highest honor to that point, the Silver Crown Award, given to “only a tiny percentage of the thousands of entries nationwide.”

pingry.org/extras: Ms. Winik’s full LetterIn-Life Award citation. Also, see page 65 for highlights from her Virtual Author Talk with the Pingry community, and page 76 to learn about her work on The Pingry Record during the 1983-84 campus move.

Pingry Record production was a more complicated process before the era of computers. Mrs. Lionetti described an arduous process:

• The staff typed the copy on a typewriter, then proofread, edited, and sometimes retyped those pages.

• The printer typeset the copy on long strips of paper.

• The staff cut out those strips and glued them to newspapersized sheets (days of work).

• The staff went back-and-forth with the printer to finalize the issue.

“No matter how tiring and frustrating it was, Lyric always strove for quality, and it showed.”

Student Body President Jada Watson ’24 and Honor Board Chair Divya Subramanian ’24 collecting students’ signed Honor Code pledges during Convocation, the official beginning of the school year. Convocation has taken place annually since 1987, and the collecting of Honor Code pledges was initiated in 2007 by then–Student Body President Jessica Westerman ’08. Separately from Convocation, the Board of Trustees and all employees also sign the Honor Code every year. pingry.org/extras: Convocation highlights

ONE PINGRY

GETTING TO KNOW...

Dr. Parminder Haven, Chemistry Teacher

Favorite musicians? From India: A.R. Rahman; from the West: Harry Chapin, Glen Campbell, Coldplay, Celine Dion, Adele

Favorite book? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favorite movies? Downton Abbey (Hollywood); Kal Ho Na Ho (Bollywood)

Favorite TV shows? Gilmore Girls, Downton Abbey, Blacklist (only for James Spader)

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? Dr. Kalpana Chawla [the first South Asian American woman in space]; I clearly remember how thrilled I was to know about her first space mission and how sad it made me feel to know about her demise during the Columbia space shuttle disaster. She has been a role model for many young girls in India.

Origin of your interest in chemistry? It wasn’t until my undergraduate studies that I truly began to appreciate chemistry. Engaging in experiments during Organic Chemistry labs sparked a profound love and passion for the subject in me—I understood that one fragrance can be made and converted into another by merely switching some groups of atoms. This all was magical to my 19-year-old brain.

You used to work as a part-time news reporter and anchor for a Punjabi TV channel. Why did you transition to teaching? While taking a break from research, I immersed myself in this field, which I loved due to my deep connection to my Punjabi roots. However, as I resumed my research and with the expansion of my family, the demands of fieldwork—such as reporting from various events in the northeast USA—became less suitable. I decided to transition to teaching chemistry.

NELSON L. CARR ’24 SERVICE AWARD

At the Annual Trustee Dinner in October, Genesia Perlmutter Kamen ’79, P’11, ’13 received the 2023 award for faithful and dedicated service in support of Pingry. She was a Pingry trustee from 2011–2017 (serving on three committees and the Community Task Force) and spent 14 years as a board member of the Pingry Alumni Association. She has also volunteered for The Pingry Fund and Reunion and served on the 150th Anniversary Gala Committee. In addition, Ms. Kamen is a member of the C.B. Newton Society, True Blue Society, and 1861 Leadership Society.

NJSOA FIELD HOCKEY OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR

Upper School Science and Health Teacher Liliana

Torres was named the 2022-23 NJSOA (New Jersey Scholastic Officials Association) Field Hockey Official of the Year, one of two field hockey officials to be honored. Having played the sport for about seven years between high school and college, and coached for six, Ms. Torres has been officiating field hockey for the Skyland Conference for 33 years.

When she decided to leave coaching, a Skyland Conference official encouraged her to try officiating. “I loved it—being outside and getting to watch the players develop . . . and now, I mentor officials and keep an eye on current coaches for future officiating.” She is busy throughout the fall season, on weekdays and Saturdays, covering games in seven counties in central New Jersey; Ms. Torres covers 70–90 games each season, often working several contests each day.

Ms. Torres is also President of the Skyland Field Hockey Officials Chapter (elected to the position eight years ago and recently re-elected) and works with Skyland Conference Athletic Directors to “mediate issues with fields, coaches, and games, and keep officials safe from spectator behavior, player behavior, and coach behavior.”

Her Official of the Year citation reads, in part: “The role of a field hockey official often demands split-second decisions that can make or break a game. No matter the pressure, Liliana has consistently upheld the principles of fairness and impartiality. Her ability to remain composed during intense moments is a testament to her remarkable character. Liliana possesses dedication, commitment, and professionalism at all times.”

PAA President Kevin Schmidt ’98 and Genesia Perlmutter Kamen ’79, P’11, ’13

LACROSSE AWARD NAMED FOR CARTER ABBOTT

The New Jersey Lacrosse Foundation’s new Defender of the Year Award is named for Carter Abbott, Director of Athletics and Student Success, and Head Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Team since 2012.

As she explains, “The Foundation named new Player of the Year awards—Goalie, Defender, Midfielder, Attacker—after the state’s historically outstanding women’s lacrosse players.” Coach Abbott was inducted into the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2009 as a player for her achievements in high school and college; she was a midfielder in high school and a four-year starting defender at Princeton University. (Because there were no open spots in the midfield at Princeton, she was offered the chance to play defense and said, “Yes! It gets me on the field!”) At Princeton, she served as captain her senior year, was a two-time First Team All-American, won an NCAA Division I championship, and was named Ivy League Player of the Year.

Coach Abbott is humbled that this new award is named for her. “It’s a huge honor. It’s special to honor the group that came before, and it’s super-special to know that I’m part of a legacy of women athletes who helped build something.”

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

The theme for Friday Night Lights in October was “White Out!”

GETTING TO KNOW...

Matt Composto ’13, Middle School English Teacher

Favorite musician? Bruce Springsteen

Favorite book? George Orwell’s 1984—the first book that challenged me to think about how people form thoughts. The novel made me recognize the power of language.

Favorite movie? Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige

Favorite TV show? Mad Men—deep characters and tremendous writing

Best advice you’ve ever received? “Never hide who you are.” (former Pingry teacher Jeffrey Bartsch)

Origin of your interest in English? I’ve always loved the way literature can challenge your perspective. English values growth over comfort, with writing being a key example of a skill that is never truly mastered. In the classroom, through open discussion, English also allows the opportunity to see students for who they truly are.

Prior to your current role, you taught Upper School Latin and Middle School Math. How did you develop this broad background?

First, my former teachers at Pingry are responsible for that foundation. Second, as the oldest of five siblings, I’ve spent a lot of time helping with homework, even before becoming a teacher!

Several of your Pingry teachers inspired you to become a teacher. Who inspired you, and how? I’ll mention just two here. Alisha Davlin taught me in English 9, and she did so much to bring about a sense of confidence in my writing. Put another way, Ms. Davlin made me feel valued, like my ideas mattered. Tom Varnes, a former Pingry Latin teacher who taught me for four years . . . built his classroom around curiosity.

Best part of being Form I Team Leader? The opportunity to get to know more of the Form I class.

ONE PINGRY

WINTER FESTIVAL

Middle School students participating in a Talent Show prior to Winter Break. Along with hula hooping, the program included singing, dancing, music production, comedic improvisation based on prompts from the audience, and performances on the violin, piano, and drums.

GETTING TO KNOW...

Alicia Sharma, Assistant Controller in the Business Office

Favorite musicians? A variety of genres from Bollywood songs to Guyanese music. I love to listen to jazz in the morning, and my day could end with ’80s, ’90s disco!

Favorite books? l love a good mystery, horror, action/adventure.

Favorite movies? I love to watch Bollywood movies, horror movies, action/adventure, and martial arts movies with strong female leads.

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? Medicine. I love helping people and making a difference in someone’s life.

Best advice you’ve ever received? “Do it afraid.” I was always scared to leave my comfort zone. One day, I was reading an article on fear when I came

across that quote, and it resonated. To me, the phrase implies that you never know unless you try.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? Socrates. His teachings continue to shape our understanding of ethics and critical thinking.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? To erase hate from the heart of every individual.

Favorite memory from growing up in Guyana? Weddings. I come from a very big family, so there is always someone getting married. The Indian traditional wedding is a seven-day event (at least in my family).

Origin of your interest in working with money/accounting? I wanted to go into the science field, but my oldest brother, a chemist, steered me into business because he thought it would be easier for me. So, I went into accounting and I was good at it.

What does it mean that you are Assistant Controller? I am responsible for assisting the Controller and the Chief Financial Officer in managing and overseeing all aspects of financial operations, including budgeting, financial reporting, auditing, and ensuring compliance with accounting standards and regulations. I also collaborate closely with different departments to offer financial analysis.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Student Body President Jada Watson ’24 and Bella Cipriano ’36; W. MacKenzie ’36 and Student Body President Jada Watson ’24; Lower, Middle, and Upper School students in Hauser Auditorium on the Basking Ridge Campus in December for the annual Winter Festival featuring Pingry musicians—including the 5th Grade Chorus, Middle School Band, Upper School Jazz Ensemble, Combined Choruses, and Orchestra

SUPPORT FOR SAILING

Hans Bonn ’68 will help underwrite the operating budget for the sailing program when sailing becomes a varsity sport at Pingry in the fall of 2024. Having grown up sailing on Barnegat Bay, he has had a lifelong passion for sailing and recently sold his 28-foot Barnegat Bay A Cat Lightning, donating the proceeds to Pingry for the benefit of the Sailing Team. He is paying homage to Carl Van Duyne ’64, whom he competed against a few times in the 1960s, and supporting student involvement in a sport that he considers “intellectually and physically challenging.”

Why Pingry? He writes, “Pingry was my salvation, providing both outstanding academic opportunities (Messrs. Booth, Bugliari, Dufford, Hahn, and Tramontana, among many others) along with fabulous athletic training and team memberships . . . The education was so excellent that I could have gone straight to law school from Pingry—college at Princeton was easier for me than it was for most students from public high schools. As a result of all the benefits bestowed on me by Pingry, I have become a regular donor over many years and wanted to find a way to support the School with special meaning for me.”

The Sailing Club’s first four seniors, three of whom started the club, are about to graduate and one of them, Abby Baird ’24, will sail at Stanford University.

Dr. Thu-Nga Morris, Assistant Head of School K–12 and Lower School Director, is one of four Guest Editors of a special issue of the academic journal Teachers College Record—an edition that focuses on equity, inclusion, and belonging in independent and international schools. This is the first time that the publication is highlighting independent schools, and Dr. Morris accepted an invitation to serve as an editor based on her research about women in leadership.

GETTING TO KNOW...

Nicole Cabral, Middle School Math Teacher

Favorite musician? Pop/rock music. I was really hoping for an *NSYNC reunion!

Favorite book? A Beautiful Mind

Favorite movies? Serendipity, Field of Dreams, any ’90s baseball movie

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? My daughter has food allergies, so I think being an immunologist would be so interesting.

First job? I taught at Sylvan Learning Center and worked at Pottery Barn.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? My paternal grandfather. I never had the opportunity to meet him.

What is a fun fact about you that people might never know? When I was 18 months, I was on the cover of Twins magazine because my sister and I won a Twins Cabbage Patch Doll look-alike contest. I still have the dolls!

Best part of teaching math to Middle School students? The “mind blown” moments. I love to see when a concept clicks, especially if it is a topic they have learned before and just never fully understood it.

You coordinate the Grade 6 advisory project called “Our Community.” What is the background? This project grew from an advisory activity that [Director of Middle School Athletics] Gerry Vanasse used to run with his advisory. He used to introduce his advisory to different offices on campus, as many students are unaware of how many different offices make Pingry run. As a team, the sixth-grade advisors worked to build this into a larger, grade-wide activity.

The 2023 Sailing Team

Hans Bonn ’68 with members of the 2023 Sailing Team

DR. THU-NGA MORRIS, GUEST EDITOR

ONE PINGRY

A Makeover for the Lower School Library

By Sara Courtney Adapted

from the original story at pingry.org, available at pingry.org/extras

The Lower School Library has undergone a stunning renovation and now features wide open spaces, cheerful colors and cozy nooks for reading, and, of course, row after row (after row) of books—this time, on moveable bookshelves. For new Lower School Librarian Sarah O’Holla, the library matches her vision for an expansive space that retains its comforting, curiosity-sparking feel.

That the library was chosen for renovation does not mean it was in disrepair; on the contrary, it was a highly utilized and beloved space. Yet according to Dr. Danielle Mirliss P’26, Director of Research and Academic Innovation, it became clear there was a need to reimagine it to be more inclusive of the many activities that could occur within it. Modern libraries are designed with flexibility in mind, allowing for the wider community to utilize the space in a myriad of ways, and that aesthetic drove the renovation’s approach. Whereas previously, the fixed, tall bookcases made it challenging for librarians to see and engage with the younger students, the newly movable bookshelves are now lined in a way that allows for a sight line of all those curious readers. The Librarian Office was moved to the far-right corner from its main doors, so the entrance to the library now leads the students into a more open flow. And the collection itself has been reconsidered, with a carefully curated mix of classics, popular books, and stories that will encourage a love of reading and contemplation.

The new library feels like a breath of fresh air. There are a number of comfortable seats throughout the space, especially the popular window seat, with students vying for a chance to curl up with a book and compare notes with a friend. The movable, shorter stacks allow for connection and spark communication. There is also an interactive flat panel for instructional use, where students can engage with the touchscreen and enjoy STEM instruction.

Pingry thanks three families for their generosity in supporting the renovation. The Fue Family P’34, whose daughter has been reading since a young age, knows that

their reading room at home is the “tip of the iceberg” compared to what Pingry’s library can offer. “So, we are honored to have this opportunity to contribute to school library projects, [which] enables all the students to access a diverse range of books and resources, promoting literacy and intellectual growth.”

Xiaoyan & Chaoyang Chen Family P’34 are happy to do their best “to provide a better community” and consider the library significant because students visit the library to explore the world. “We are so glad to have opportunities to provide all kids with a brighter, comfort[able], and fresh environment. We hope all kids like the new library and [that it will] attract them to learn and read more. Also, it’s the Pingry spirit that all members connect together to make school better and stronger.”

Family history inspired Guy Cipriano ’74, P’06, ’08, GP’36 to support the renovation. His paternal grandfather, Gaetano Cipriano, born in Alvignano, Italy, was one of 13 children in a family of teamsters who worked with horses and mules “every day, all day,” so he had to work from an early age and was only able to attend school through fifth grade. “He felt

deprived of a formal education his entire life and became a lifelong voracious reader to continuously educate himself,” Mr. Cipriano says. “He and my grandmother made sure that their three children received excellent educations. My late father went to Annapolis while his two sisters became attorneys. By this gift, I want to help to provide Pingry’s Lower School students with the opportunity that he never had as a boy.”

Among the new features are flexible spaces and furniture; a learning concourse with a new 86-inch interactive flat panel for instructional use and STEM activities; and a revamped, more accessible entrance with wider doors. Lower School Librarian Sarah O’Holla says the flat panel is “great for collaborative lessons with the entire class. Because the students can write and draw on it themselves, they stay more engaged. It’s also been an excellent way to easily incorporate videos and slideshows.”

pingry.org/extras: Watch a video that takes viewers inside the library.

GETTING TO KNOW...

Aaron Kellner, Grade 4 Reading Teacher

Favorite musicians? Dolly Parton, Adele, Taylor Swift, Indigo Girls

Favorite books? Tuck Everlasting (children’s), Interpreter of Maladies (adult)

Favorite movies? Clue, 9 to 5, Alien

Favorite TV shows? RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Great British Bake-Off

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? Dolly Parton. Not only is she an amazing musician, but she is also an incredible humanitarian and a strong proponent of literacy.

What is a fun fact about you that people might never know? Math was my favorite subject all the way through high school. It wasn’t until I had graduated from college that I reconnected to reading. I rediscovered children’s literature and realized how much joy it provided me. In a world filled with so many serious topics, I appreciate the lightness of children’s literature and the often-fantastical nature of the storytelling.

How do your studies of dramaturgy influence your teaching? My dramaturgical degree trained me to read carefully and appreciate the nuance of language. However, I think my acting degree has more often suited me in the classroom. I love reading aloud to my students, becoming different characters and bringing the stories to life.

Any misconceptions about “teaching reading” that you would love to clear up? I think many people assume that my job is just about teaching reading strategies for decoding words, but it goes well beyond that. I like to see my job as being more of a teacher of “thinking” than “reading.” Not only do I teach students how to ask meaningful questions that allow them to delve deeper into a text, but I also spend a lot of time helping them with their writing so that it accurately conveys the wonderful thoughts they have.

OFF TO COLLEGE

The Class of 2023 is an accomplished group of 141 students continuing their academic careers at 79 colleges and universities.

1 U.S. Presidential Scholar Candidate

32 National Merit Scholarship Commended Students

3 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

3 National Merit Scholarship Finalists

3 National Merit Scholarship Winners

11 National Recognition Scholars (Rural and Small Town/Hispanic/African American/Indigenous People)

28 Cum Laude Society Members

43 AP Scholars, comprised of 18 Scholars, 14 Scholars with Honor, and 11 Scholars with Distinction

21 Student-Athletes on Division I, II, and III College Athletics Programs

6 NCAA Division I National Letter-ofIntent Signees

24 Lifers (seniors who attended Pingry since Kindergarten)

17 Legacies (seniors with at least one parent and/or grandparent who also graduated from Pingry)

On the Map

This list indicates how many members of the class have enrolled at each school.

University of Denver (1)

Macalester College (1)

University of Wisconsin, Madison (2)

Northwestern University (3)

University of Chicago (1)

University of Notre Dame (5)

Washington University in St. Louis (4)

Cornell University (2)

Hobart and William Smith Colleges (1)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2)

Skidmore College (1)

University of Rochester (1)

Middlebury College (2)

Bates College (2)

Babson College (1)

Boston College (4)

Boston University (2)

Dartmouth College (1)

Brown University (2)

Barnard College (4)

Columbia University (3)

Fordham University (2)

New York University (2)

Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences (1)

Denison University (1)

Hampton University (1)

Indiana University (2)

College of the Holy Cross (1)

Harvard University (3)

Northeastern University (4)

Smith College (1)

Williams College (2)

Fairfield University (1)

Yale University (2)

Carnegie Mellon University (1)

Haverford College (2)

Lafayette College (3)

Lehigh University (1)

Pennsylvania State University—University Park (1)

University of Pennsylvania (1)

Villanova University (4)

Princeton University (4)

Rutgers University—New Brunswick (1)

Stevens Institute of Technology (1)

University of Richmond (2)

Virginia Tech (2)

Washington and Lee University (1)

Vanderbilt University (1)

Clemson University (1) Wofford College (1)

Emory University (1)

Southern Methodist University (1)

Texas Christian University (2)

Texas A&M University (1)

University of Texas at Austin (1)

Tulane University (6)

University of Florida (1)

Johns Hopkins University (1)

Loyola University Maryland (1)

University of Maryland (1)

George Washington University (1)

Georgetown University (2)

Howard University (2)

Duke University (5)

Elon University (2)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1)

Wake Forest University (2)

Ringling College of Art and Design (1)

University of Miami (2)

California

Loyola Marymount University (1)

Occidental College (1)

Pomona College (1)

Stanford University (1)

University of California, Berkeley (1)

University of California, Merced (1)

University of Southern California (2)

SummerFellowships

XIOMARA BABILONIA P’25, ’31

Middle School Visual Arts

Destination: France (Paris and Nice); Italy (Venice and Rome)

Purpose: To explore these two countries “because they are so rich in art history, architecture, and art.”

Highlights: Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum; Michelangelo’s ceiling for the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican

Takeaway: “The trip helped me gain a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural context in which art was created. This experience has enriched my teaching by providing me with a broader perspective on art’s role in society. The fellowship also inspired me creatively and fostered my artistic growth.”

EMMA LIU

Lower School Music

Destination: Switzerland, Austria, Budapest, and Prague

Purpose: To explore “deep musical traditions . . . the Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist Zoltán Kodály and the German composer Carl Orff are considered two of the most prominent personalities in the world of music education.”

These faculty fellowships are one way in which Pingry’s teachers can engage in professional growth, which translates to enhanced learning opportunities for students. These fellowships are possible due to the generosity of donors to The Pingry Fund.

MELODY BOONE

Middle and Upper School Visual Arts

Destination: Paris, France

Purpose: “To experience French architecture, visit as many art galleries as possible, and see as much art as possible.”

Highlights: Louvre Museum; Versailles (“like walking through a movie set”); Jean-Michel Basquiat/Andy Warhol exhibition at the Louis Vuitton Foundation (“some of the work had never been exhibited before”)

Highlights: “The opportunities to experience concerts and enhance my knowledge of music and music education. I witnessed alphorn playing in Switzerland, visited composer Smetana’s museum in Prague, attended the dress rehearsal of the opera La Traviata at the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest, and visited the Haus der Musik in Vienna, an interactive museum dedicated to the science of sound and music. These experiences were unique as they helped me gain a better understanding of where music comes from and where it’s going.”

Takeaway: “I will be reimagining the way I do certain projects. For example, in fourth grade, we do an annual ‘make your own instrument’ project, for which students design their own instruments and bring in recycled materials from home to craft their instruments. In Haus der Musik, the science behind how sounds are made is introduced in a fun and interactive way, so I’m hoping to expand the project in the future and have students learn about how sounds are produced before we jump into the project.”

Takeaway: “As an artist, it always helps to see artwork in person to understand how the work was constructed and what materials the artist used. This newfound perspective/understanding helps me speak more concisely about classical works of art. The Louvre also featured several wall write-ups that helped explain many of the more-famous pieces, which will be helpful when teaching these works. Also, the Louis Vuitton Foundation building was as amazing as the show. Frank Gehry was the architect, and I plan to show my architecture students images of the building, process sketches, and models.”

KARIM DEL POZO P’29 Middle School Spanish

Destination: Lyon, France

Purpose: “To be a language learner again”; she took two weeks of French classes at Alliance Française to improve her French. “I wanted to put myself into my students’ shoes and thought it would be a challenge to become a language student at my age.”

Highlights: “I loved the classes, and it’s always nice to experience a different culture to gain new perspectives.”

Takeaway: “It is important to be reminded that empathy and making mistakes are part of the process of learning something new. This experience inspired me to refine my teaching.”

Faculty Awards and Chairs

With the following endowed award funds, generous donors have sought to encourage excellent teaching and coaching and recognize teachers’ contributions to the School.

PRESENTED IN JUNE 2023

ALBERT W. BOOTH MASTER CHAIR / 2023–24

Karim Del Pozo P’29, Middle School Spanish

Doug Scott, Director of Strength and Conditioning

DAVID B. BUFFUM HISTORY CHAIR / 2023–2026

Hannah Decatur, Upper School History

EDWARD G. ENGEL CHAIR FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE / 2023–2028

Mary Sartorio, Lower School Math Specialist

THE WOODRUFF J. ENGLISH FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FUND / 2023–24

Matt Composto ’13, Middle School English

Jason Murdock, Assistant Director of Enrollment Management and Athletics Liaison; Middle School History

THE GREIG FAMILY ENDOWED FACULTY CHAIR (TEACHING/COACHING) / 2023–24

Jill (Kehoe) Law ’04, Physics; Varsity Softball

HERBERT F. HAHN JUNIOR FACULTY AWARD / 2023–24

Yan Davydov P’36, Grade 2

Yifan Xu, Middle School Mandarin

SENIOR CLASS FACULTY CHAIR / 2023–24

Stephanie Romankow, Performing Arts Department Chair

THE NORMAN B. TOMLINSON, JR. ’44 CHAIR FOR HISTORY AND LITERATURE / 2023–2026

Margi Dillon P’17, ’18, ’20, Upper School Spanish

THE JAMES P. WHITLOCK, JR. ’60 FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY / 2023-24

Lisa Hartmann, Middle School Math

CURRENTLY HELD

E.MURRAY TODD FACULTY CHAIR / 2022–2025

Brad Poprik P’24, ’24, Upper School Math

pingry.org/forever-blue/giving/endowed-funds: Read about these awards, including the individuals for whom they are named. To learn more about how you can endow an award or contribute to an existing one, please contact Holland Sunyak ’02, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns, at hsunyak@pingry.org or 908-647-7058.

MATT COMPOSTO ’13

YAN DAVYDOV P’36 HANNAH DECATUR KARIM DEL POZO P’29

MARGI DILLON P’17, ’18, ’20

LISA HARTMANN JILL (KEHOE) LAW ’04 JASON MURDOCK BRAD POPRIK P’24, ’24

STEPHANIE ROMANKOW

MARY SARTORIO DOUG SCOTT YIFAN XU

Pingry Announces New Trustees

Melissa Bartoli P’24, ’26, President of The Pingry School Parents’ Association (PSPA) for the 2023-24 school year, has volunteered extensively during her time as a Pingry parent and is serving her third year on the PSPA Executive Board. Mrs. Bartoli has also been a leadership volunteer at The Peck School in Morristown, serving as President of The Peck School Parents Association and a member of The Peck School Board of Trustees in 2019-20. She is a fundraising committee member and former child committee member at Preschool Advantage in Morristown and a previous fundraising committee member at PG Chambers School in Cedar Knolls.

Before becoming a full-time volunteer, Mrs. Bartoli attended Fordham University, was a parent contributor for Chatham Patch, and worked in real estate marketing at W&M Properties (now Empire State Realty Trust) in New York.

Douglas “Doug” Bookbinder ’98 has been active in the Pingry community for over a decade, serving on the Pingry Alumni Association Board and chairing its Nominating Committee for the past three years. He is a Managing Director and Head of Investor Relations at Lighthouse Investment Partners, LLC, a $15 billion global alternatives investment manager. In his role, he leads the firm’s investor relations activities and manages a team of professionals serving current investors, prospective investors, and advisors across a range of business functions including relationship management, branding/ communications, reporting, and client service. Mr. Bookbinder also partners with other firm executives to shape and advance business strategies, investor/advisor engagement, investment product initiatives, new business line formation, and the overall delivery of the firm’s products and services.

He began his career at J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, most recently as a Vice President in the Hedge Fund Derivatives Group where he was responsible for originating financing and structured product transactions with hedge fund managers and global allocators. Mr. Bookbinder graduated magna cum laude with distinction from Amherst College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and American Studies.

Twinkle Morgan P’23, ’26, ’27 re-joins the board after serving as President of the PSPA for the 2021-22 school year. She is Executive Director of Cooperman College Scholars, a non-profit scholarship program that helps underrepresented students access and successfully graduate from college. She has over 25 years of experience across a range of disciplines including non-profit entrepreneurship, wealth management, finance, fundraising, and business strategy.

Ms. Morgan also designed and implemented The Fellowship Initiative, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. program, to expand academic and professional opportunities for young men of color, and served as founding Director of Development for Uncommon Schools, a nationally recognized charter school management organization. She received a B.S. in Mathematics from Spelman College, a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Grace H. Park P’23, ’26 is Deputy General Counsel and Chief Litigation Counsel at PSEG, a publicly traded diversified energy company. Ms. Park joined PSEG in 2017 and, as Chief Litigation Counsel, she is responsible for the oversight, representation, and counsel of PSEG and its subsidiary companies in connection with all significant litigation and government investigations as well as labor and employment and nuclear regulatory matters. Prior to her role at PSEG, Ms. Park served as Acting County Prosecutor of Union County, where she was the first Asian American county prosecutor in New Jersey history and the first female and minority lead prosecutor in Union County’s 160-year history. In addition, she served for seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. She also managed civil litigation and governmental investigations for the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer Inc. as Senior Corporate Counsel and was a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLC.

Ms. Park is a past recipient of the Public Sector Award from the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, the Spirit of Asian America Award from the Asian American Federation, the Trailblazer Award from the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York,

2023-24 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

and the Corporate Leadership Award and Trailblazer Award from the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School.

Prashanth Reddy P’28 is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, serving clients in healthcare insurance, health services, life sciences, private equity, social sector (including education), and technology industries on a broad range of topics including growth strategy, investing, performance/operations transformation, digital & analytics, and organization. As a leader in the Social Sector, Healthcare, and Public Sector practice (SHaPE), Mr. Reddy leads the oversight of McKinsey’s 600-plus colleagues within the firm’s global SHaPE practice. Mr. Reddy has also founded McKinsey’s Healthcare Payments and Healthcare Services and Technology domains. Additionally, he leads the firm’s global capabilities for the Private Equity and Principal Investors practice (with 200-plus colleagues) and plays the role of the practice global CFO.

He received a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka in Surathkal, India, a master’s degree in Finance from London Business School, and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

NOT PICTURED:

Dr. Anju Thomas P’19, ’22 is a scientist who has worked in academia and the pharmaceutical industry, and more recently has been an education advocate with a passion for social equity. She has a portfolio of scientific publications and has taught as a Lecturer at both Rutgers and Princeton Universities. In recent years, Dr. Thomas has dedicated her time to elevating education and improving student lives in underserved communities.

She is a leader on numerous boards, including the Greater Brunswick Charter School in New Brunswick, NJ, Plainfield YMCA, SEEDSAccess, and JerseyCAN, an education advocacy group. She is also the founder of the New Jersey chapter of NJKidsCare, a part of the Blessings in a Backpack organization that provides food to schoolaged kids for the weekend. Dr. Thomas received a B.S. in Biochemistry from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Molecular Oncology and Immunology from New York University.

Pingry thanks retired trustees Lois Fitton P’26, Don Mullins, Jr. P’15, ’20, Dev Ittycheria P’19, ’22, and Stephanie Link P’25 for their service to the School.

FRONT ROW: Melissa (Weiss) Moriarty ’87, P’23, Grace Park P’23, ’26, Jonathan Wilf ’02, P’33, ’34, Maggie O’Toole ’05, Denise Grant P’23, Chair Ian Shrank ’71, Lori Halivopoulos ’78, P’23, Steve Lipper ’79, P’09, ’12, ’14, Allen Kim P’29, PSPA President Melissa Bartoli P’24, ’26, PAA President Kevin Schmidt ’98, and Katie Procter P’22, ’26 BACK ROW: Douglas Bookbinder ’98, Stuart Lederman ’78, Jiayi Chen P’32, ’35, Twinkle Morgan P’23, ’26, ’27, Joshua Kalafer P’27, ’29, Lincoln Germain P’26, Janice Beckmen P’15, ’19, ’19, Chip Baird III ’89, P’21, Greg Mankiw ’76, Dr. Anju Thomas P’19, ’22, Kevin Eng P’24, ’26, ’31, Prashanth Reddy P’28, Cookie Mason P’21, ’24, Prof. Michael Nitabach ’84, Margaret Santana P’22, ’24, and Adam Plotkin ’94

Laura Overdeck P’21, ’23, ’26

Pingry Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

Over the past year, Pingry has hired more employees to support a student body of more than 1,200 students.

Cecily Allison, Assistant Director of Development, Annual Giving and Parent Engagement, joined Pingry earlier in 2023 and has worked in development and fundraising for top educational institutions in both the U.S. and U.K. She also helped build a start-up charity, Many Hopes, that rescues children in developing countries from extreme poverty, ultimately giving the children an opportunity to attend college. Mrs. Allison received a B.A. in History and Communications from Roanoke College.

Austin Applegate, Grade 5 Math Teacher, previously spent 17 years teaching math and developing the math curriculum for Grades 2–5 at The Calhoun School in New York City, working with Ben Schwartz ’94. He received a B.A. from The University of Vermont.

Jen Belcher, Assistant Director of Communications, Internal Strategy, has worked for 17 years as an educator in public, private, and international schools in the United States and Italy, and has simultaneously worked as a writer for 20 years. For the past four years, she worked in communications and marketing. Ms. Belcher received a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, with a minor in Social Studies Grades 5–9, from West Virginia State University and a master’s degree in Literacy Education from Marshall University.

Jason Blazosek, Upper School Learning Specialist, has worked as an Itinerant Learning Support Teacher for Grades 7–12 in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District; a project manager for the educational technology company Oncourse Systems for Education; and a teacher at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. He received a B.S. in Special Education and Elementary Education, and an M.S. in Higher Education Administration, from Marywood University.

Ethan Boll, Drama and Music Departments Coordinator, Theatrical Master Carpenter, and Substitute Teacher, joins Pingry full-time after working part-time as Master Carpenter. He has been an actor and a director for many years, most recently directing Princeton Summer Theater’s The Great Gatsby, and has built sets for Brunswick High School Players. Mr. Boll received an A.B. in Comparative Literature from Princeton University.

Casey Brandt, Upper School Economics and Math Teacher, has taught math, statistics, and economics at Trinity High School in New York City and math at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Brandt received a B.S. in Business Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame.

Bianca Cabrera, Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement, is a proud alumna of Teach for America who has worked in Lawrence, MA; the Southside of Chicago; the Bronx; and Brooklyn, teaching Grades K–9 in ELA (English and Language Arts) and Special Education. In 2017, she started doing social innovation work and won the Teach for America Social Innovation Award for piloting software for special education at several charter and district public schools. Ms. Cabrera received a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.S.Ed. from Brooklyn College. Her husband is Craig Limoli ’08.

Steve Ciarrocca, Upper School Math Teacher, taught mathematics and computer science at Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights for 23 years and was named Educator of the Year in 2013. He received a B.S. in Mathematics Education from Villanova University and an M.S. in Pure and Applied Mathematics from Montclair State University.

Salomé Copin, Middle and Upper School French Teacher, taught Middle and Upper School French at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Mississippi. She received a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and History from the University of Lille, France, and master’s degrees in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Linguistics from West Virginia University.

Ben Courchesne P’30, ’34, ’36, Associate Head of School, brings nearly 20 years of independent school experience to this newly created role in which he will help with priority projects and strategic initiatives; improve consistency of policies among the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools; provide support for teachers; and help run Pingry when Head of School Tim Lear is traveling. Mr. Courchesne recently served for three years as Upper School Head at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, TX. Prior to joining St. Andrew’s, he spent four years at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, teaching writing-intensive English classes and serving as Dean of International Students, Associate Dean of Students, and Associate Director of the Leadership & Ethics Program, among other roles. Mr. Courchesne received a B.A. in English, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Connecticut College, an M.A. in English Language and Literature from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College, and an M.Ed. in Independent School Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Sara Courtney, Communications Writer, joined Pingry earlier in 2023 with a background in media and television. She has been the Features Writer for The Travel as well as Matters Magazine and she has worked at Saturday Night Live; The Late Show with David Letterman; The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Ms. Courtney received a B.A. in English from Caldwell University.

Nicole D’Amico, Kindergarten Teacher, worked for 11 years at The Town School in New York City as the co–Head Kindergarten Teacher and Literacy Department Coordinator. During her time there, she was selected to become a Fundations coach and trained teachers in best practices related to Fundations, a multisensory phonics, spelling, and handwriting program for K–3 students. Ms. D’Amico received a B.A. in Childhood/Early Education from SUNY Potsdam and an M.S. in Literacy Education from CUNY Hunter.

Bryan Davison, Chemistry Teacher, taught chemistry, physics, biology, and environmental science, and established an Environmental Club that worked on community service projects, at Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield. A fluent Spanish speaker who lived in Mexico and Ecuador, he received a B.A. in Molecular Biology from the University of California San Diego and an M.A. in Education Administration from Kean University.

Megan DeGraff, Upper School Latin Teacher and Permanent Substitute, previously taught Middle School Latin at three independent schools: Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn (eight years), The Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood (four years), and most recently, Tuxedo Park School in Tuxedo Park, NY (two years). Mrs. DeGraff received a B.S. from New York University, a B.A. from Montclair State University, an M.A. in Computing in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an M.A. in Classical Studies from Villanova University.

Alex Driansky, Lower School Learning Specialist, worked as a Learning Specialist at Quad Preparatory School in New York City. Prior to that, she was a Special Education Teacher at Success Academy Charter Schools in New York. Mrs. Driansky received a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, with a minor in Psychology, from Indiana University. She also graduated from Touro College with a master’s degree in General and Special Education, Grades 1–6.

David Gold, Strings Teacher, spent 10 years teaching at Morristown Beard School before joining Pingry. Prior to, and concurrent with, his independent school teaching career, he has been a professional musician in the New York area, performing with the Grace Church Choral Society, New York City Opera, and Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He has been a part of numerous Broadway shows, including Wicked, Les Misérables, Spamalot, Into the Woods, The Lion King, and the First National Tour of Bright Star. Off-Broadway, he is a member of the Paper Mill Playhouse orchestra. He has recorded with a wide array of artists, from LCD Soundsystem to Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, toured with Daryl Hall & John Oates, and performed in concert with artists from Johnny Mathis to The Eagles. TV appearances have included Saturday Night Live, Sesame Street, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Mr. Gold received a B.A. in Music from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.M. in Viola Performance from The Juilliard School.

New Faculty and Staff

Natalie Gonzalez, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, Digital Media, most recently worked as Public Relations and Digital Assets Manager for The Penn State Blue Band (Penn State’s marching band), and served as Graduate Assistant to the Director of Social Media and Visual Assets for Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture. She received a B.A. in Telecommunications, with a minor in Digital Media Trends and Analytics, from Penn State, and an M.A. in Mass Communications, specializing in Social Media, from The University of Florida.

Esha Goyanka, Lower School Associate Teacher, has been a teacher in five Montessori schools, with her last role being a Co-Lead Lower Elementary Teacher at Hamilton Park Montessori School in Jersey City. Mrs. Goyanka is New Jersey state certified and received a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

Kierra Grippa, Middle School Learning Specialist, spent the past six years in New York as a Special Education/Intervention Teacher at a middle school. Before that, she worked as a high school English teacher in Anaheim, and she also has experience as a tutor and an SAT instructor. Mrs. Grippa attended the University of California, Los Angeles for a bachelor’s degree in Theater and Film, and California State University, Fullerton for a teaching certification in English. Three years ago, she received a master’s degree in Adolescent Special Education – Generalist Grades 7–12 from Hunter College.

Katie Hellings, Basking Ridge Campus Library Associate, comes to Pingry with diverse experience teaching Grades 3–6 in Newark and Red Oak, TX. She received a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Alessandra Hill, Lower School Associate Teacher, has worked in Georgetown Day School’s auxiliary programs in Washington, D.C.; and tutored in public charter schools in the D.C. area through the American University Reading Ready program, assisting Kindergarten and first-grade students in learning to read. Ms. Hill received a B.A. in Sociology, with a minor in Spanish Language, from American University.

Mike Holcomb, Facilities Technician, has been running his own business focused on commercial and residential construction and maintenance. He attended the University of Delaware.

Dr. Iris Hood, Biology and Chemistry Teacher, taught biology and chemistry at The Chapin School in New York City, and advanced biology and integrated science at Avenues The World School in New York. She received a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Oregon and a

Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

David Iannuzzi, Mechanical Maintenance Technician, previously worked as an HVAC/R Technician for Pfizer. He received an A.A.S. in Computer Graphics. Mr. Iannuzzi is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Elisa Kacupaj, Lower School Associate Teacher, worked as a Classroom Assistant and then as an After-School Counselor at The Hewitt School in New York City. She completed a master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science before making the difficult, but rewarding, decision to change careers to education.

Lauren Kelly, AP Psychology Teacher, previously taught biology and psychology at an independent high school; and biology and life science electives at Rutherford High School and Ramapo High School. Ms. Kelly received a B.S. in Animal Behavior and a B.S. in Psychology from Towson University, teacher certification from New Jersey City University, and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction – Technology Leadership from Louisiana State University Shreveport.

Dr. Julie Keyer, Biology and Chemistry Teacher, joins Pingry from the Lewis School of Princeton, where she worked for 19 years as a science and math teacher for college-bound students with language-based learning differences. She also helped develop a relationship between the Lewis School and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute at Princeton University. Prior to her time at Lewis, Dr. Keyer worked as a research manager at Rhodia. She received a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine.

Kori Lyons P’30, Middle School History Teacher, previously worked as a Middle School Social Studies Teacher and curricular chair at The Willow School in Pottersville; a Middle School History Teacher and creator of the Student Leadership Team at Gill St. Bernard’s; and an eighth-grade Social Studies Teacher and curriculum fellow at Punahou School in Honolulu. She received a B.A. from the University of Washington and an M.A. from Columbia University. Her husband is Upper School Math Teacher Josh Lyons P’30.

Dr. Charlotte Madere, Upper School English Teacher, spent three years teaching English at King’s Academy in Jordan, where she also advised AL MAJNOONAH, the school’s magazine for literature and art. She received a B.A. in English and Drama from Trinity College in Dublin and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Julia Murphy, Athletic Trainer, joins Pingry after serving as an athletic training intern in 2021. She previously worked as an Athletic Trainer for the Essex County Schools of Technology District and as an Athletic Training Student with NYU Langone’s Harkness Center for Dance Injuries. Ms. Murphy received a B.A. in Kinesiology from McDaniel College and an M.S. in Athletic Training from Seton Hall University. She is a member of The Alpha Eta Society, a national honor society for allied health professions, and is passionate about sports medicine’s application to both traditional sports and the performing arts.

Wafaa Nasr, Accounting Supervisor, previously worked as an accountant assistant for the transportation company Trougal. She received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Ain Shams University in Cairo.

Jeff Nazareno, Robotics Mentor, has worked for various STEAM education–focused learning centers and after-school clubs, and has coached robotics at many public and independent schools in New York City. He has been a certified educator for over 10 years and studied at Raritan Valley Community College before starting this long-term career in STEAM education.

Josh Nealon, Middle School History Teacher, joins Pingry from Tuxedo Park School in Tuxedo Park, NY, where he taught U.S. History for Grades 7 and 8 for four years. Prior to that, he taught U.S. History for Grades 7 and 8 at Girls Prep Bronx Middle School, and Ancient Civilizations for Grade 6 at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter in Boston. Mr. Nealon received a bachelor’s degree in History from New York University and an M.A. in Education from Tufts University.

Victoria Newman, Lower School Library Associate, previously worked as a Graduate Assistant for the Seton Hall University Math Department. She received a B.S. in Education (Elementary Special Education) and an M.A. in Education (Instructional Design and Technology with School Library Media track) from Seton Hall University.

Sarah O’Holla, Lower School Librarian, previously worked as the librarian at Village Community School in New York City for 10 years, and has been a parttime librarian at Far Brook School. She received a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a Master of Library and Information Science from Pratt Institute, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

JP Patrick, Groundskeeper, has worked in landscaping for Coppermine Farm and been Inventory Manager at Bridgewater Chevrolet. He received a degree in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University.

Stacy Povshko, Upper School Math Teacher, has been teaching math for over 30 years and worked at several independent schools in Washington, D.C. and the New York area for the last 25 years. She received a master’s degree in Mathematics and Teaching in Moscow.

Josh Schnetzer, Lower School Performing Arts Teacher, previously worked as a freelance theater director, choreographer, and teaching artist throughout New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York City. For four years, he also worked at Oak Knoll School in Summit as an adjunct theater teacher and founder of the after-school drama program. In addition, Mr. Schnetzer was a choreographer and dance teacher for Paper Mill Playhouse’s pre-professional Summer Conservatory and award-winning Broadway Show Choir. Mr. Schnetzer received a B.A. in Theater, with a minor in Dance, from Kean University’s Theatre Conservatory.

Tamara Schurdak, Middle School Director, has been working as an administrator with this age group for over 20 years. She most recently served for five years as Head of School at The Chestnut Hill School (ages 3 to Grade 6) in Massachusetts. Prior to Chestnut Hill School, Ms. Schurdak spent five years as Head of Upper School (Grades 5–8) at The Town School in New York City. She has also worked as Middle School Principal at Bullis School in Maryland. Ms. Schurdak received a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University, an M.A. in Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Stanford University, and an M.Ed. in Independent School Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Linda Sees, Upper School History Teacher, joins Pingry from Roselle Catholic High School, where she served as Social Studies Department Chair for eight years. She previously worked at St. Cassian School in Upper Montclair and The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison. Miss Sees received a B.A. with a double major in Art History and Political Science, with a minor in General History, from Rutgers University, and an M.A. in Social Studies Teaching from the University of Southern California.

Amy Simon, Bear Pause Manager/Textbook Coordinator, was an elementary school teacher for nine years before joining Pingry, and before that, a store manager for Urban Outfitters and Under Armour. She graduated with a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising and Management from Fashion Institute of Technology, and received Elementary and Special Education teaching certifications from Georgian Court University.

Jennifer Slotwinski, Associate Director of Development, Stewardship and Donor Relations, joined Pingry earlier in 2023 and previously worked as Project Manager at St Teresa of Avila Church in Summit. She received a B.A. in Urban Planning from Virginia Tech and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).

New Faculty and Staff

Darlyn Smith, Grade 2 Teacher, originally joined Pingry as a Lower School Associate Teacher and is now a full-time classroom teacher. Prior to Pingry, she worked as a personal assistant teacher in a K–2 autism classroom in Paterson Public Schools and concurrently served as a student teacher for Grade 5 students in the North Plainfield School District. Ms. Smith received a B.A. from Albright College and a Master of Science in Teaching from Fordham University.

Jessica St. Marie, Associate Director of Development, Director of Annual Giving, previously worked as Director of Annual Giving at Montclair Kimberley Academy and Assistant Director of Annual Giving at Marymount Manhattan College. She received a B.A. in Political Science from Boston University.

Greg Tanis, Middle School English and History Teacher, worked in two charter schools in Newark and Jersey City, then taught humanities to Grades 7 and 8 at Stevens Cooperative School in Hoboken. Mr. Tanis received a bachelor’s degree in History from Moravian College (now University) in Bethlehem, PA and a master’s degree in Reading from Kean University.

Dr. Gozde Unal, Upper School Computer Science and Math Teacher, was a full professor of Computer Engineering at Istanbul Technical University, teaching undergraduate and graduate students, and was a founding professor of ITU’s AI Research Center and the AI and Data Engineering Department. She has also worked as a research scientist at Siemens Research in Princeton. Dr. Unal has been an academic in Computer Science/AI and Data Science, developing new scientific methods that have found uses across disciplines including manufacturing, design, vision, and medical imaging. Dr. Unal received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University.

Melanie Weyland, Upper School French and Spanish Teacher, previously taught Spanish and French at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis; Spanish at Cape Cod Academy in Massachusetts; and French, Spanish, and Italian at Antilles School in the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College). Ms. Weyland received a B.A. in International Affairs from CU Boulder (University of Colorado Boulder) and an M.A. in Peninsular and Latin American Literature from City College, CUNY.

Faculty and Staff Promoted to Director-Level Positions

Brian Burkhart, Upper School English Teacher, is Pingry’s first Director of Academics. This newly created K–12 role works with Division Directors and Department Heads to design and implement major academic initiatives. This includes incorporating cultural competency, global competency, technology, and coding skills throughout the curriculum; managing co-curricular programs; and overseeing the Professional Growth Program. Mr. Burkhart has been heavily involved with these areas ever since he began his career at Pingry in 2005 as an Upper School Computer Science Teacher and Upper School Tech Coordinator. He has served as Computer Science Department Chair, Director of Educational and Information Technology, Director of Technology and Curricular Initiatives, Interim Director of Teaching and Learning, and Co-Chair of the Spring Intensives initiative. He also created the Student Technology Committee, has been a member of the Professional Growth Committee, launched the Humanities Independent Research Teams, and led the Remote Learning Task Force.

Dr. Reid Cottingham, Interim Upper School Director for two years, is serving in that role permanently as Upper School Director. She was previously Director of Teaching and Learning, which included serving as Chair of the Academic Committee and helping to coordinate and enhance academic programming across all three divisions to ensure it was appropriately aligned with developmental levels. Dr. Cottingham’s Pingry experience also includes three years as Upper School Academic Dean and one semester as Interim English Department Chair. She has been a member of the English Department since joining the Pingry community in 2015, teaching a variety of courses across all grade levels (including two Humanities Independent Research Teams).

David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Interim Director of Institutional Advancement for two years, is serving in that role permanently as Director of Institutional Advancement. In this position, he oversees the Admissions, Advancement Services, Communications, and Development Offices. For a dozen years since returning to Pingry in 2011 as a Major Gifts Officer, Mr. Fahey has worked in Alumni Relations, Development, and the Business Office, so he has been part of Pingry’s operations from multiple perspectives: Interim Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving; Director of Alumni Relations; Senior Major Gifts Officer for Athletics; Assistant Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives (a newly created position in 2016); Associate Director of Operations, Safety, and Strategic Initiatives, and then Director.

Dr. Brandyn Fisher, an AP Psychology Teacher and Mental Performance Coach at Pingry since 2017, is now Director of the Center for Performance and Leadership. In fact, not only is Dr. Fisher’s position new, but the Center is, too. He used to work in higher education and is introducing a concept that has existed at some colleges and universities for over a decade, namely a multi-faceted program intended to develop students’ skills in mental performance and leadership. Pingry is one of the first K–12 independent schools to add this type of program. Read more about the Center on page 32.

Steve Frantz P’30, a member of the Technology Department since 2013, is now Director of Technology. During his 10 years here, he has been a Technology Specialist and served as Assistant Director of Technology since 2021. He has helped lead several technology initiatives, including the launch of Pingry’s 1-to-1 Laptop Program, the 2016 redesign of Pingry’s website, the transition to Schoology and Veracross, and Pingry’s technology response to the pandemic. Mr. Frantz is a co-advisor of the Student Technology Committee and previously taught Grade 6 Computer Science. He also serves as the Co-Chair of NJAIS’ Technology Steering Committee.

Jane Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28, who has worked for the Alumni and Development Offices in multiple positions from 2003–2008 and since 2019, most recently as Associate Director of Development, Annual Giving and Community Engagement, is the new Director of Development. She will lead Pingry’s efforts to establish and build meaningful relationships and philanthropic support, including The Pingry Fund, alumni relations (Pingry Alumni Association), and special events, and partnering with the Pingry School Parents’ Association to facilitate parent programs.

Dr. Alyssa Johns, previously Co-Director of CAST, is the new Director of CAST (Counseling and Academic Support Team). Prior to her current roles, she worked in multiple positions since joining Pingry as a Counseling Department intern in 2014 and the faculty in 2015: Lower and Middle School Counselor, Lower School Counselor, Lower School Academic Support, and Assistant Lower School Director of Social and Emotional Wellness. Read more about CAST on page 24.

Dr. Pam Longo, Upper School English Teacher since 2020, is Pingry’s new Director of Teaching and Learning, managing the programs and processes for faculty professional growth. Her position, along with the Director of Research and Academic Innovation (Dr. Danielle Mirliss P’26), are part of the newly created Academics Department that will support Pingry faculty and curriculum development, K–12.

Dr. Julie O’Rourke, who joined Pingry in 2020 as Academic and Social-Emotional Specialist to create well-being programming and most recently served as Co-Director of CAST with Dr. Johns, is now Community Well-Being Director. In this position, Dr. O’Rourke will partner with more people in the Pingry community to coordinate Pingry’s initiatives for the areas of well-being and mental health. In particular, she will focus on well-being as a life-long skill that includes taking care of one’s physical, mental, emotional, and social health. Read more about well-being on page 24.

Holland Sunyak ’02, who returned to Pingry 12 years ago, has served in multiple positions in the Development Office, including Director of Annual Giving and Community Relations, Associate Director of Development, and most recently, Director of Development since 2020. She has been appointed to the newly created position of Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns. In this role, Ms. Sunyak will lead and manage the planning, disciplined organization, and implementation of all initiatives that are part of the pending capital campaign that will be based on the 2023-24 Strategic Planning process, and the Principal and Major Gifts, Planned Giving, Prospect Research, and Principal Donor Relations programs.

Head Coaches

Rich Fuchs joins Pingry as Head Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey Team. He has been coaching youth ice hockey for over 20 years with various organizations, including Randolph High School, Randolph Middle School, Randolph Recreation Ice Hockey, and the New Jersey Colonials. Among his honors, Coach Fuchs received the New York Rangers and Junior Rangers Emile Francis Award for his tireless efforts and dedication to youth hockey, and to increase girls’ participation in the sport. He has also been inducted into the New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame (2018) and Randolph High School Athletic Hall of Fame (2022).

Ronald Pack, Jr. ’99 returns to Pingry as Head Coach of the Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Fencing Teams. He fenced at Pingry for six years, from Grade 7 through senior year, earning four varsity letters and being selected to serve as captain of the 1998-99 boys’ team. Among his numerous accomplishments: he was a two-time bronze medalist in saber at the Cadet North American Cup; two years in a row, he received the New Jersey Interscholastic Fencing Association’s Sportsman of the Year Award (voted by his peers across New Jersey); and he was a four-time NJSIAA All-State First Team selection in saber. At the state level, he won bronze (1996) and silver (1997) in saber at the New Jersey State Championships, and was on the saber squad that won silver all four years at the New Jersey State Team Championships. Coach Pack also won silver, two gold, and bronze at the New Jersey District Championships over four years, and was on the saber squad that won gold every year at the New Jersey District Team Championships. After graduating from Pingry, Coach Pack was a varsity fencer at Duke University and coached fencing at Gill St. Bernard’s.

VIEW FROM

Short Hills

Basking Ridge

Pottersville

This summer, Pingry updated the walls inside the clock tower entrance to highlight the School’s seal and recent rebranding as well as the Honor Code (each wall has a campus image in the background). According to Trustee Maggie O’Toole ’05, “We wanted to create a reflective moment for the entry, highlighting one of the School’s most important ideals—the Honor Code. We want people to see the Honor Code as the foundation for everyday interactions at school and in life.”

Prof. Michael Nitabach ’84 and his wife, Heather Cruz, felt strongly about financially supporting this project because of the “centering of the Honor Code. The Honor Code was central to my experience at Pingry and it’s an important touchstone for the School. The idea that we were trusted to behave in an honorable fashion had a lot of meaning for me as a student.”

Well-Being Evolves with the Community Safety Hub

By Greg Waxberg ’96

A few sheets of paper are placed on tables for the faculty and staff to peruse; Dr. Julie O’Rourke is providing scenarios for them to consider.

This exercise is the culmination of an Upper School meeting in the C.B. Newton Library this past September. In her new position as Community Well-Being Director K–12, part of Pingry’s new Community Safety Hub, Dr. O’Rourke is asking employees to think about how they would help students in hypothetical mental health situations. It’s all part of training.

How did Pingry get to this point, with this new position and a new approach to safety?

Reconciliation with School History

A little over five years ago, in 2018, in the aftermath of sexual abuse that took place at the School in the 1970s, Pingry created the Student Safety Advisory Committee (SSAC) consisting of survivors of the abuse and representatives from the administration, faculty, Health, Counseling, and Facilities. The committee had a five-year mandate to identify ways to further improve safety at the School to ensure that sexual abuse can never happen again. Pingry had already been working for years to improve its safety, security, and well-being initiatives, so this was an opportunity for the newly formed SSAC to join important ongoing conversations.

Among the faculty who served on the SSAC is Dr. Alyssa Johns, who was involved with Lower School academic support at the time and is now Director of CAST (Counseling and Academic Support Team). She says this group was tasked with auditing the School’s safety initiatives and considering how Pingry would continue to re-evaluate, update, and enhance work related to student safety. “We now have more support staff and training opportunities in place to update and monitor policies, educate the community in an ongoing manner about policies and best practices related to child abuse and neglect, and respond to concerns related to student safety and protection.”

Head of School Tim Lear emphasizes the policies: “The most important outcome from SSAC and the survivors is that everyone in the community must be up to date about current policies and have ongoing conversations about them.” SSAC produced amended policies related to child abuse, bullying, sexual harassment, and electronic communication and social media.

A survivor of the sexual abuse and another member of SSAC, Bob McKeown ’77 says the committee “gave the School an opportunity to see what they were doing well and where they had some blind spots . . . educating the school community, particularly teachers, on what they’re obligated to report.” He also relates that the survivors are “glad that the work has been done and that the School is putting in the effort. It’s work that needs to be done on an ongoing basis.” How does Mr. McKeown think Pingry has learned from its history? “They acknowledged that [the abuse] happened—that’s a big step. The School has come to own this. The conversation that we’re having [for this story] is important—that’s recognition of owning it. The School has

“Alyssa for counseling and academic support, Julie for well-being institutional strategy, and Mike for operations are all on the Administrative Team. That setup didn’t exist before. They’re part of every high-level discussion.” HEAD OF SCHOOL TIM LEAR

Michael Saraceno

really good people involved with addressing this work and keeping eyes on it. This work has to become part of the School’s DNA now, that ‘This is something that we do, not something that we did.’”

Broadening the Scope

And that is exactly what is happening. Before the five years ended, SSAC overlapped with the Community Safety Hub (formed in April 2022), comprising Operations directed by Michael Saraceno, Well-Being directed by Dr. O’Rourke, and CAST directed by Dr. Johns. Collectively, they take a big-picture view of safety and mental health. Dr. Johns describes the transition of SSAC’s work evolving into, and being absorbed by, the Community Safety Hub: “Instead of a narrow focus on student safety and protection, we decided to make it broader to include sexual abuse prevention, campus security, mental health, and other concerns. We evaluated [the School’s progress with SSAC] and felt very confident about the systems and working groups in place—the right, trained people are in charge, and policies have been consolidated, aligned, and made consistent. The community knows that, if there is a concern, the School will follow certain steps to make sure it is addressed.”

Within its first year, the Community Safety Hub updated student safety and protection policies and made them easy to access through handbooks and online portals; added more employee training; introduced Ruvna, a new system for emergency notifications that offers two-way communication and coordination of attendance to make sure everyone is accounted for during drills and events; and designated 17 employees throughout the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools as “Point People.”

Notably, once the Community Safety Hub was formed, Mr. Lear—a huge advocate for well-being and counseling who managed Pingry’s support services prior to becoming Head of School—adjusted the School’s reporting structure. “Alyssa for counseling and academic support, Julie for well-being institutional strategy, and Mike for operations are all on the Administrative Team. That setup didn’t exist before. They’re part of every high-level discussion.”

Operations—The Director’s New Kind of “Heavy Lifting”

In charge of Operations is Mr. Saraceno, who joined Pingry as a strength and conditioning coach during the 2016-17 school year. How did he end up switching from working in athletics to working in operations? It all happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was home and, in the spirit of wishing to continue to provide value to Pingry, offered to help with COVID. Contact tracing was turned over to me. By March of 2021, I realized there would be more opportunities for me on the Operational side, given my skill set.”

According to David Fahey ’99, who was directing Operations at the time and knew about Mr. Saraceno’s studying of data related to sports performance, Mr. Saraceno had expertise in the “use of the data for planning and decision-making purposes” and was “far, far, far more proficient in Excel than I might have expected.” Mr. Fahey was able to rely on him for his “uncanny ability to think quickly and problem solve on his feet . . . while he was hugely important to the institution as a strength and conditioning

Well-Being Vision Statement

“Well-being is central to student life at Pingry and the entire community. We continue to evolve as a community of care that values lifelong learning and collaborative work.

Our mandate to nurture and promote well-being among all members of the School—from students and families to faculty, staff, and alumni—means that we continually aspire towards a balanced, equitable, and complete framework of physical, mental, emotional, social, and academic health. The well-being of adults in the Pingry community is critical and enables them to serve as the necessary role models and guides to support the development and installation of students’ well-being.

Pingry is committed to developing resilience, good decision making, and proactive problem-solving while cultivating a feeling of belonging and well-being in all community members. All members of the Pingry community have a role in this vision and work which is supported by the Counseling & Academic Support Team (CAST).”

Pingry’s Safety and Well-Being Resources for Students and Employees

• Childhelp’s Speak Up Be Safe (child abuse prevention education curriculum in Decisions class)

• QPR Institute’s QPR Gatekeeper Training (Question, Persuade, Refer) for suicide prevention

• SOS ThreeSixty’s Boundary Training for Schools: Creating a Culture of Safety (mandatory boundary training for employees)

• American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Notice.Talk. Act. at School (understanding mental health challenges in students)

– Notice unusual or extreme student behavior

– Talk to the student to make a connection

– Act: notify someone immediately, refer to a support service, keep an eye on the student, or try talking to the student again and, in the meantime, tell someone else

• Pingry is a nationally approved implementation site for teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) as part of Wellness 10. The program teaches teenagers how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among their peers; juniors and seniors will be certified tMHFA responders at the beginning of every school year.

coach, he actually was of better use as a member of the Operations Team.” Like many people at Pingry, Mr. Saraceno has taken advantage of professional growth opportunities to learn more and develop additional skills.

Mr. Saraceno names a host of areas that fit under Operations (site management for events; transportation; risk management; insurance; and more), but based on conversations with the administration, he prioritizes school safety, which blends naturally with student safety and the Community Safety Hub. “The questions are, ‘Are we physically safe? Are we emotionally safe? Are we emotionally well?’ The Hub looks at all of the issues related to student safety and protection, physical safety and security, crisis response, and wellness . . . nothing takes precedence over another item.”

So, what are Mr. Saraceno’s resources for learning about potential safety tools or policies? At the top of the list: a physical safety and security audit in early 2023 by Margolis Healy, a firm that specializes in campus safety and security. The company has extensive experience working with higher-ed and K–12 institutions across the country, including several institutions in New Jersey, and Pingry received positive feedback. Among the comments: “Not only does school leadership understand its responsibility to provide a reasonably safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff, it welcomes and encourages feedback on how to create a model security program.” The firm is also impressed with Mr. Saraceno’s “motivation and management skills” and found that he “has indeed managed security well.”

Other resources include recommendations from law enforcement and a school safety consortium.

Looking at those possibilities, the Campus Security Committee considers a variety of factors to decide which safety tool to implement next. This committee consists of representatives from Technology, Facilities, and Operations, and the factors are urgency, financial, significance (not critical or urgent, but making a positive impact), feasibility (the availability of resources and skills), and timing.

File this under urgency: “We also prioritize the next safety tool to implement by looking at what could have been done better at institutions around the country who have experienced a range of critical incidents, including active assailants and swatting events,” Mr. Saraceno adds. Those details are included in after-action reports generated by the police and FBI, and one example was a school’s public

“We prioritize the next safety tool to implement by looking at what could have been done better at institutions around the country who have experienced a range of critical incidents.” MICHAEL SARACENO, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

address system not reaching all of their buildings, so a lot of people did not hear the alerts. “When we updated the public address system at the Basking Ridge Campus, we did so to ensure our messages will be heard.”

It’s important to note that most of Pingry’s safety enhancements happen proactively, not reactively. “Any best practice that we end up implementing was probably learned by somebody somewhere as the result of an event. They’re not in response to anything we’ve experienced,” says Chief Financial and Operating Officer Olaf Weckesser P’25. “We’re always proactive about new and better ways to do something, and we look beyond schools. We look at best practices from government institutions, corporations, other institutions, museums—anybody who has a similar physical and technical presence.”

As far as technology versus cost, and if either one takes precedence, Mr. Weckesser says, “Everything has a cost-benefit trade-off, and things do eventually get cheaper. The first question to ask is, ‘Does the proposed technological enhancement actually provide a meaningful improvement to our safety?’ For example, high-resolution video surveillance coverage of all three campuses may deter someone from doing something because they know they’re on camera, but what it really does is allow us to review incidents after the fact. And safety doesn’t always involve crime. It can also involve accidents, and that [surveillance] allows us to potentially learn from that event.”

Being Emotionally Well— Establishing a Lifelong Skill

Now in her fourth year at Pingry, Dr. O’Rourke has officially returned to leading the School’s well-being initiatives. She joined Pingry as Academic and Social-Emotional Specialist on

Well-Being Through the Carver Memorial Lecture

the Basking Ridge Campus in the fall of 2020, to work on well-being as part of an institutional priority, but plans for the role did not materialize because the School was focused on its response to COVID-19. “Nationally, students’ mental well-being was already declining prior to the pandemic,” Dr. O’Rourke says, “but the pandemic was an igniter, so we took an enormous step down on an already downward trajectory.”

Because of what she calls “the blatant need for mental health,” Pingry began to expand its service beyond two counselors. With Dr. Johns at the Short Hills Campus, as then–Assistant Lower School Director of Social and Emotional Wellness, someone needed to direct the expanding service on the Basking Ridge Campus, so Dr. Johns and Dr. O’Rourke became Co-Directors of CAST (established at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year to integrate the school counselors and academic support). Now, Dr. Johns is leading CAST and Dr. O’Rourke is in charge of well-being.

In her words, well-being is “a lifelong skill that needs to be learned—how we take care of ourselves.” She is coordinating well-being for students and adults, vertically (Lower School through Upper School, plus athletics, performing arts, and trips) and horizontally (students, families, administrators, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees). “We cannot talk about student well-being if we don’t talk about our faculty and staff being well. Our students can’t be better than the adults in this building. We expect an awful lot of our students, and the same thing with our faculty and staff.”

Since there is overlap between Well-Being and CAST, Dr. O’Rourke reflects on CAST’s progress and explains what it means that she branched off to become Community Well-Being Director. “CAST is solid now with a physical suite1 and every division covered. The counseling and academic support professionals are simply outstanding—they are go-getters with great experience, great

For nearly 15 years, Pingry has been bringing guest speakers to campus for a lecture series that supports open dialogue on self-esteem and acceptance: The Gilbert H. Carver ’79 Memorial Lecture, made possible by an endowed fund established in memory of Gilbert “Gibb” Carver ’79 by his family: his father Calvin* and stepmother June Carver, his sister Marcey Carver, his brother Chip Carver, Jr., Class of 1977, and Chip’s wife Anne DeLaney, Class of 1979.

Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew Shepard was murdered in an antigay hate crime in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998, was the inaugural speaker in 2009; she emphasized acceptance and respect of everyone and urged the elimination of anti-gay language in schools. Students have also listened to remarks about developing a vision for life; resilience and optimism; eating disorders; and performing to their full potential in academics, athletics, and the arts.

* Since deceased

“I am intimately familiar with other independent high schools and K–12 schools in New Jersey, and absolutely believe that the resources Pingry puts into well-being, and how internally collaborative and aligned those services are, as well as the institutional commitment, distinguish Pingry as remarkable from other schools.”

DR. JULIE O’ROURKE, COMMUNITY WELL-BEING DIRECTOR

training, and great instincts,” she says. “So, it’s easier for me to go out into the Pingry community to develop partnerships with people and departments. Parent groups and student groups want to do this work and have been waiting for an opportunity.”

For example, the Pingry School Parents’ Association (PSPA) is intent on prioritizing well-being through their events, and a new affinity group has been created for those who have children with known or suspected learning differences. Students have expressed interest in well-being as part of clubs and having a place on campus where they can process decisions they receive from colleges.

“I am intimately familiar with other independent high schools and K–12 schools in New Jersey—through listservs of counselors and my previous work in independent schools,” Dr. O’Rourke says, “and absolutely believe that the resources Pingry puts into well-being, and how internally collaborative and aligned those services are, as well as the institutional commitment, distinguish Pingry as remarkable from other schools.” (See the sidebar about resources.)

Well-Being and Student/Adult Boundaries

One particular area that Dr. O’Rourke promotes is healthy boundaries between students and employees, and those boundaries begin with names. “Part of the differentiation is how students address adults—always using courtesy titles, and not using nicknames or only first or last names like they would with a friend. Your teacher, your advisor, or your coach is not your friend. We also have to be careful of how we make verbal observations so that we’re not setting ourselves up to be misperceived, regardless of caring and true intentions.”

Then, there is the matter of how students and adults correspond electronically to ensure healthy communications and awareness of what is being said. Because Pingry archives all communications, employees and students must use their Pingry Google accounts to email or chat with each other (no texting via personal cell phones). Other policies to ensure safe boundaries pertain to social media (employees not friending or following students), tutoring (specified hours at an easily observable location), physical contact (use handshakes, high fives, fist bumps), confidentiality (no secrets), and gift cards (consider the intent and perception).

Well-Being Compared with . . . CAST and Well-Being

As mentioned earlier, aspects of well-being overlap between Dr. O’Rourke’s position and CAST. Both directors, Dr. O’Rourke and Dr. Johns, are members of the Administrative Team; both serve on several committees together; and both coordinate guest speakers for their respective campuses. And both of them, along with the new Center for Performance and Leadership (more on that coming up), help students make the most of good stress—educating them that stress is not necessarily bad, that there is healthy stress and unhealthy stress. People tend to think of well-being in terms of overcoming distress and struggling, but it also means enabling students to find that “sweet spot” with their good stress and perform their best in high-pressure moments, such as a championship game, performing a lead role in a musical, or taking the SAT.

Yet, differences exist. Dr. O’Rourke is managing the strategies and structural supports for K–12 but not working directly with students, whereas “CAST is on the ground, responding to community concerns and working directly with students,” Dr. Johns says. CAST—which evolved from separate counseling and academic support teams during the pandemic—is more focused on helping students with day-to-day stressors and academic skills and challenges. The department consists of counselors and psychologists for social and emotional support, and learning specialists handle academic skill building (including “executive functioning,” such as the abilities to organize, prioritize, plan ahead, and manage time).

However, even with different concentrations, CAST promotes and supports well-being in the community. “We’re involved in all aspects of student life,” Dr. Johns says. “Counselors are teaching courses across the three divisions, with Decisions in the Lower School, Kierra Grippa co-teaching Seminar 6, Maurisa Gainer teaching Wellness 7, and Dr. Tom Dimitry and Leah Charles supporting Wellness 10. CAST also works with parents on how to recognize if their children’s stress is becoming too much, and chooses speakers for assemblies about well-being, such as the Carver Lecture. Well-being is infused into conversations about school life, making sure that our academic, social-emotional, and behavioral expectations for students are developmentally appropriate—for example, homework expectations, assessments, and course load.” (See the sidebar about assessments to learn what Dr. O’Rourke is suggesting.)

Because CAST simultaneously represents evolution but is still a young department, Dr. Johns reflects first on CAST’s progress. “We now have a department, one K–12 team, rather than counselors hired for a division and working in silos. Having a voice on the Admin Team is huge—signifying that academic rigor and well-being don’t compete with each other, that you can have both. Our presence on that team speaks to that. Plus, CAST was originally about student well-being, but it’s now about community well-being for students, faculty, staff.” And here she echoes Dr. O’Rourke: “If the faculty isn’t able to model it, how can we expect the students to? We have to support everyone.”

Then, what is her vision for CAST? In one word: space.

CAST and Well-Being

Leah Charles, Middle and Upper School Counselor

Marcy Cohen, Academic Support Manager

Alyssa Johns, Psy.D., Director of CAST

Kierra Grippa, Middle School Learning Specialist

Alex Driansky, Lower School Learning Specialist

Thomas Dimitry, Ph.D.,Middle and Upper School Counselor (US Lead Counselor)

Maurisa Gainer, Middle and Upper School Counselor (MS Lead Counselor)

Jason Blazosek, Upper School Learning Specialist

Julie O'Rourke, Ph.D., Community Well-Being Director

“On each campus, have a space where students can get support.2 We have the CNTR space inside the CAST Suite—I would love to see every campus have a CNTR space.” CNTR (Calm, Nurture, Tranquil, Recharge) is a quiet area with soft music, dim lighting, and soft furniture where students can practice self-care. “We worked so hard to get staffing in place, so now we should focus on infrastructure with more space to offer academic support. Currently, we’re more one-to-one with students, but we want to work with more students at one time.”

More Overlap! The Center for Performance and Leadership

Students looking for support in managing their stress have a new outlet, along with the resources available from CAST and Community Well-Being. Thanks to a proposal from Psychology Teacher and Mental Performance Coach Dr. Brandyn Fisher P’32, ’34 in the fall of 2022, Pingry has introduced The Center for Performance and Leadership— one of the first independent K–12 schools in the country to have this type of performance/leadership program. To bring his ideas to fruition, Dr. Fisher is collaborating with Brad Fadem, Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement and Strategic Initiatives. Because Mr. Fadem has experience with different areas of the School, he describes his role with the Center as being a “thought partner, marrying Brandyn’s vision with those areas.”

Through this Center, Dr. Fisher is trying to solve two main problems: “achieving excellence” (namely, how students can achieve it while

How to Assess or How Not to Assess—That Is the Question

Dr. O’Rourke is asking the faculty to think about assessments in relation to students’ stress, and if there are ways to promote learning and well-being while reducing stress. She emphasizes that good stress is optimal, when a person is “in the zone” and “juices are flowing.” Ideas she has floated for consideration:

• Deep breathing on a regular basis to calm students’ bodies

• Grading for engagement (the traditional A–D scale, occupying only 40 percent of the “pass” spectrum, if one considers 59 and below to be an F, is “weighted toward failure and can tank an overall grade”)

• Promoting a growth mindset by creating a safe space for students to make and learn from mistakes without being penalized. One option is an “assessment re-do,” which has pros and cons.

• Giving students the flexibility to demonstrate their learning in different ways

• Emphasizing the process of learning instead of the end result

managing the associated stress) and “leadership training” (tangible training for how to become a leader). This raises the question of how he defines the two words. “Excellence is unique to the individual and that’s part of my job—helping each person figure that out and perform to their potential. It also has to do with the definition of ‘success’ because it’s not just about outcomes. The process is vital,” Dr. Fisher says. “Leadership is a combination of learning about one’s self and how to motivate others—knowing what you’re good at and then building relationships so you can lead. And what is the role of leadership? A lot of kids struggle with that. Part of my job is to help them define that role. What does it mean to be a captain? What does it mean to be a club leader? What behaviors would help you be a better leader?”

When Board of Trustees Chair Ian Shrank ’71 spoke at Convocation in September about what he considers the main qualities of leadership—showing up, being reliable, and getting things done—his comments resonated with Dr. Fisher. “The hardest part of leadership is to be ‘on,’ and the only way to be ‘on’ is to be present,” he reflects. “It’s also about leading in the ‘small moments,’ like [taking a lead in] group projects, showing up on time or early for class, or showing up early for an event.”

“What is the role of leadership? A lot of kids struggle with that. Part of my job is to help them define that role. What does it mean to be a captain? What does it mean to be a club leader? What behaviors would help you be a better leader?”

DR. BRANDYN FISHER, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR PERFORMANCE AND LEADERSHIP

2 Many alumni remember the Safe Room where students spoke with counselors. Dr. Johns says the Safe Room was rebranded “because every space in our building is recognized as a safe place for students. This new normal has eliminated barriers to students accessing support services and reduced the stigma related to seeking support service.”

Dr. Brandyn Fisher

Brad Fadem

Mr. Fadem observes that students who have worked with Dr. Fisher feel a stage of “fulfillment” in their performance. “Excellence can mean ‘complete’ or ‘fulfilled,’” he says. “Students can be a leader in everyday life. Starting this work while they’re in high school sets them up for tremendous success beyond Pingry, when things get even more competitive.”

On the topic of competition, the roots of this Center can be traced to sports. A mental performance coach who focuses on performance anxiety, Dr. Fisher became acquainted with programs dedicated to performance and leadership through his previous work with Division I athletics (examples: Princeton Tiger Performance at Princeton University; the Center for Enhanced Performance at the United States Military Academy). “The concept has existed for a while, mostly with sports psychologists working with athletes on mental health. In the last 15 years or so, there have been more programs geared to mental performance and mental health, instead of just mental health—colleges are recognizing that both are important by also hiring sports psychologists like myself who are mental performance specialists,” Dr. Fisher says. In many cases, Mr. Fadem points out, mental performance coaches have evolved from consultants into full-time positions.

The vision for Pingry consists of six initiatives: speaker series, curriculum, leadership development, a website, individual training, and summer programs. For the “curriculum,” Dr. Fisher would like to offer a performance psychology course and develop “tangible playbooks” for leadership and mental performance. He has already taught a Spring Intensive to share stories about great leaders and how they became leaders.

Dr. Fisher also plans to teach students about effective communication for leadership, using a team captain as an example. “Captains

tend to lead how they were led, even though they might want to do it differently, and communication is part of that—barking orders versus yelling, or being neutral versus being positive. They need to find that appropriate mix. Also, to create a family atmosphere among teams, how do you get 30 athletes with different motivations to come together?”

It is important to note, however, that The Center for Performance and Leadership is not intended only for athletics—any event or activity in the Lower, Middle, or Upper School that involves performance and leadership can benefit from Dr. Fisher’s program, such as performing arts and the Peer Leadership program. While most of the focus so far has been in the Upper School, the potential exists to expand to the other divisions, and Dr. Fisher has begun working with Middle School Robotics and Middle School Water Polo.

What’s Next?

The Community Safety Hub represents the most recent, permanent piece of Pingry’s evolution, emphasis on permanent. “Pingry sees this work as never being ‘finished.’ We can always be better, and conversations are happening in our community. We are not shying away,” Dr. Johns says, also confirming that the Community Safety Hub provides Mr. Lear with regular updates about its progress and new concerns. As Dr. O’Rourke puts it, the Community Safety Hub is all about responsiveness and ensuring that student concerns are handled “fairly, quickly, efficiently, and decisively.”

pingry.org/extras: Read more about Dr. Fisher’s philosophies and how he works with students.

“Pingry sees this work as never being ‘finished.’ We can always be better.”

DR. ALYSSA JOHNS, DIRECTOR OF CAST

INVESTING IN WOMEN

The train ride, and what came after it, was a catalyst.

AROUND THE GLOBE

Gray Macmillan ’93, P’29, ’29 had just graduated from college, where a professor encouraged him to pursue social good and non-profit work, and was back home in New Jersey when he got a different glimpse of a nearby neighborhood.

As an intern at Helen Keller International, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing and treating blindness and vision loss, he was placed in the Newark public school system, working with predominantly low-income students and their families to provide glasses. He says it was a pivotal experience.

By Greg Waxberg ’96

I had taken the train [to New York] before and could tell that communities changed when you look out the train window. Visually, what was going on? I didn’t understand it and I’d never gotten off the train. That job made me get off the train. I got into the community and saw people facing tremendous challenges that I can’t even fathom . . . struggling to survive. Everything [I had learned] before that [job] was theoretical. That [experience] became reality—became practical. My continued commitment is to support the organizations that are trying to change that system . . . That pattern exists everywhere around the world, in different ways.”

A little over four years later, he was working at Hellen Keller International, whose offices were across the street from the south tower of the World Trade Center. On September 11, 2001, as he described in a July 2022 interview for Medium, “Standing on the upper deck of the ferry and watching the Statue of Liberty pass by as we escaped Manhattan, it was at that point I said, ‘The rest of my life has to be committed to preventing this from ever happening again.’ Between the guilt of survival and the blessing of another chance, I dedicated the rest of my career to service.”

And he has done so. Mr. Macmillan has been doing his part to make a difference and support many of those organizations that are trying to change the system.

For nearly five years, he has been working to create new patterns as President of Visa Foundation (yes, the Foundation of the Visa digital payments company), a position in which he develops and executes a strategy for grantmaking and impact investing. A longtime admirer of Visa’s ability to drive social impact, he succeeded Visa Foundation’s Founding President when he assumed the role in June 2019.

The Foundation itself was not even two years old when Mr. Macmillan joined. It launched in the fall of 2017 because, Mr. Macmillan says, “It was meant to have a positive impact in the communities where we live and work.” The Foundation’s mission is to support women-owned and financially underserved small, micro, and nano businesses that Visa believes are the “backbone” of the economy—specifically, businesses owned and led by women. The Foundation’s first grant went to Women’s World Banking.

Visa’s Board selected the Foundation’s focus, Mr. Macmillan says, “because they determined that it’s relevant to address—broadly—economic mobility, the belief that there are different forms of capital that allow people to prosper.” The Foundation concentrates its work in three main areas: financial inclusion (access to skills, education, and catalytic capital), supporting communities where Visa employees live

and work, and helping communities impacted by conflict and natural disasters. Financial inclusion refers simply to full participation in the economy; some companies are not able to participate as much as they want to because of barriers such as gender. “If you open those pathways, that will help grow the economy,” Mr. Macmillan says.

The third element, helping communities, accounts for Mr. Macmillan’s second title at Visa as of February 2023: Head of Global Philanthropy and Volunteerism.

About the gender barrier. Visa has a history of supporting women through events such as the Olympics and World Cup, but Mr. Macmillan says, bigger picture, “women can be a critical driver of growth. There’s evidence that shows that when women do well, families do well and communities do well. There’s a multiplier effect.” When asked why he believes women have not historically been equal participants in the global economy, Mr. Macmillan cites two of the legal reasons. “Women couldn’t own businesses. They couldn’t have mortgages. That’s a huge gap, which means a huge missed opportunity.”

Continuing, he lays out the reasons for supporting women-led businesses. “First, if we support women-led and women-owned businesses, they provide unique products and services. They’re also likely to hire other women. Second, these businesses face a lot of barriers to accessing capital, services, and training. We are investing in funds that invest into women-led businesses. And when we do that, we intentionally invest in women-led investment funds because they see market

“Visually, what was going on? I didn’t understand it and I’d never gotten off the train. That job made me get off the train. I got into the community and saw people facing tremendous challenges that I can’t even fathom . . . My continued commitment is to support the organizations that are trying to change that system.”

Gray Macmillan ’93, P’29, ’29 at the 2018 Pingry Finance Networking Event

opportunities and understand the challenges that these businesses are facing, sometimes better than others do. The double benefit is to invest in women-led funds, who will invest in women-led businesses. This is a huge market that we’re trying to shift, but we’re trying to demonstrate the performance of the investment funds and the performance of the businesses, so the fund managers have a track record and the businesses attract other investments.”

Notably, Mr. Macmillan refers to “investing in funds” that invest into the businesses. This distinction is important because Visa Foundation does not work directly with the small businesses. Instead, the Foundation works through what he calls “partners”—whether investment funds or NGOs (non-governmental organizations)—who have relationships with the businesses and know that the businesses are asking for assistance.

One example is Aruwa Capital Management in Lagos, Nigeria; one of the businesses in which they invest sells portable refrigeration for micro-entrepreneurs. Another investment company is Beacon Fund, focused on Southeast Asia; one of their businesses is the agriculture company (and brand) Hoa Nang Organic. To make all of this philanthropy happen, Mr. Macmillan and the Foundation need to navigate a lot of systems (“checks and balances”), rules, and regulations in the United States and in the regions where the funds would be going.

“To measure our success, we have to think about the public good,” he says. “We are holding ourselves to account through the number of small businesses we reach, the revenue they generate, and the number of jobs they create or retain.”

On the NGO side, the Foundation continues to work with Women’s World Banking. In the United States, Mr. Macmillan’s team partners with the Center for Black Entrepreneurship to help entrepreneurs who are attending and graduating from HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Altogether, the Foundation has about 75 different partners and has invested over $200 million. “The partners are doing the work and delivering the impact. Our role is to provide them support, provide them capital, shine a light, make their work more visible. Obviously, the brand of Visa helps—ideally, we like to attract other donors or other investors,” Mr. Macmillan says.

Along with all of the philanthropic work that he oversees as

“Pingry gave me a wider sense of the world. John Raby taught Modern European History, and I connected very well with history and his content. He hooked me into ‘looking back, allowing us to look forward.’”

President of the Foundation, Mr. Macmillan is responsible for the Foundation’s activities that respond to crises. “Visa has a history of responding to natural disasters and, more recently, conflict. We have a 30-year history with the American Red Cross and recently gave them a $250,000 grant to help with flooding in Kenya and Tanzania—flooding that has been killing people and destroying crops and livelihoods.” To help Ukraine, the Foundation has supported UNICEF while supporting employee matching for its nearly 30,000 employees through its corporate giving platform.

To a large extent, his efforts that benefit so many people and organizations around the world are a natural extension—and reflection—of his education, both at Pingry and afterward. “Pingry gave me a wider sense of the world. [Then–Upper School History Teacher] John Raby taught Modern European History, and I connected very well with history and his content. He hooked me into ‘looking back, allowing us to look forward.’” Mr. Macmillan went on to major in International Studies and History at Colby College, earn a master’s degree in International Management at New York University, and complete the TRIUM Global Executive MBA (a partnership of NYU Stern School of Business, the London School of Economics, and HEC Paris). This joint program gave him skills in finance, investment, and analysis. “I got exposure to a tremendous network, and I was the youngest person in a class of 65 people. Because three institutions are involved, it was a global class—students from France, Nigeria, China, Korea, and elsewhere.”

After Helen Keller International, he became Senior Director for VisionSpring (creating access to affordable eyewear); worked for Citi in three positions, including Senior Program Officer for Financial Inclusion and Director of Corporate Citizen Partnerships; and worked at the Ford Foundation, as Senior Program Officer for Mission Investments. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Village Capital (benefiting early-stage entrepreneurs) and ROC USA (Resident Owned Communities) and was on the Executive Committee of the Aspen Network of Development and Entrepreneurs and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

With his drive to help create change, Mr. Macmillan relishes describing what he does and even labels it as “storytelling.” It is likely that, as the years pass and more businesses make an impact, the world will read stories about those who became part of a new pattern, and the views from train windows will be more equal.

Gray Macmillan ’93, P’29, ’29, far right, with Shelby Bartlett ’08, Annelise Kinney ’15, and Michelle Jarney Jacobs ’89 at Career Day in 2023

“RISK”Y

BUSINESS

Business has been part of her life ever since Alexis Elliot ’18 was an eighth-grade student at Pingry. Encouraged by then–Financial Literacy Teacher Tony Garcia P’06, ’10, ’10 and inspired by classmate Michael Lu who previously participated and became a semifinalist, she entered the Secret Millionaires Club “Grow Your Own Business” Challenge sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett.

This national competition for children ages seven to 14 encourages the development of entrepreneurial business ideas. Originally from Ghana, Ms. Elliot came up with the idea for a website called Backpack Buddy based on two factors: if she missed schoolwork or had questions about assignments, she often asked a classmate, and visits to schools in developing villages in Ghana showed her the difficulty those students face in getting an education. >>>

By Greg Waxberg ’96

Backpack Buddy would create a cultural exchange between schools so that children from all over the world could learn from each other, and it would help students with access to homework materials. Out of 4,000 entrants, and with the Pingry community’s support in voting for her, Ms. Elliot advanced to the finals, traveled to Omaha to present her idea to a panel of judges—and ultimately placed second out of the five finalists.

The experience, she told Pingry at the time, “really pushed me intellectually and allowed me to further my understanding of entrepreneurship. Although being under pressure can be uncomfortable at times, this is the only way that I can develop as a student, an entrepreneur, and a person.”

Simultaneous with her experience in the competition, Ms. Elliot was recruited to join the teen entrepreneurship organization Independent Youth; this came about because she had met Tanya Hamilton, Independent Youth’s Founder and Executive Director, in Omaha. They flew her to St. Louis for an annual one-day event with other teen entrepreneurs, and she spoke about coming up with a business idea: find a problem, gear your business toward the solution, and create something that offers an innovative concept.

As a result of her conversations at the Independent Youth event, Backpack Buddy became EduPair, but Ms. Elliot encountered a new problem. She wrote for Pingry at the time, “I had to negotiate with computer programmers on how EduPair would be built. These developers would constantly mention computer science terms such as Mongo DB or SSL Keys, which I would have to research extensively after our meetings. Not understanding what was being put into the creation of my website was risky, and the risk finally had its consequences. In short, I discovered that our primary computer programmers used a computer language that was not compatible with our type of website. This put my business in a compromised situation.”

Ultimately, she decided to apply to the computer science summer immersion program Girls Who Code. “It seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to solve the issue. Even though I did not initially have an interest in computer programming, the opportunity to gain the necessary skills for the sake of my business was something I couldn’t pass up,” she wrote.

A captain of the 2017 Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team—along with Ally Pyne ’18 who, coincidentally, was a semifinalist in the “Grow Your Own Business” Challenge with her—and a Cum Laude Society inductee, Ms. Elliot went on to major in Economics and Government at Harvard University. A question began motivating her: “What does policy work look like?” After her freshman year, she interned at the Ministry of Finance in Ghana and observed how their government operates (“an eye-opening experience”). While in Ghana, she learned that “everything revolved around financial technology with MoMo [Mobile Money] and it opened my interest in financial technology.” So, between working at the Ministry and her introduction to MoMo, the time in Ghana led her down the finance path.

For her second internship, after her sophomore year, Ms. Elliot worked at the State Department. “Government is too slow for me,” she thought at the time. By this point, her mind was full of questions and desires. “I want to do policy work, but I like economics. How can I be an economist in West Africa, or be part of the World Bank? How do these money markets work? The key thing for me to understand was the investing side.”

For her next step (internship number three), she applied to Goldman Sachs and was matched to their Equity Research Division to research cybersecurity. Why Goldman Sachs? “Pingry is a place where you are always learning and always trying to get better, and that lack of complacency followed me to Harvard where you’re meeting presidents at 21 years old. I wanted a place that would nurture me and build me in the same way—always pushing myself, always striving for the best.”

Her takeaways from that internship were an understanding of how cybersecurity works and skill at writing multi-page recommendations, “but I wanted to be closer to the execution of deals. To be part of economic development, I wanted to understand how money markets work.”

When it came time to join the workforce, Ms. Elliot received an offer from GIR at Goldman Sachs (equity research within Global Investment Research). However, during her time as an intern, she learned about other departments and jobs at the company that she did not know existed, and discovered another group within asset management that appealed to her.

So, she expressed gratitude for the job offer but asked a question: “Can I explore another full-time opportunity within the company?” She was told that interviewing with other groups could potentially forfeit the offer.

“I took the risk,” she recalls. “It was a crash course of interviews and very stressful, but it all worked out.”

Because of that risk, Ms. Elliot became a Private Equity Analyst for Goldman Sachs in July 2022 and works for different areas of the firm’s investments. “I work across industries and types of deals, and help with sourcing those deals. It’s like being a Swiss army knife.” Now that she is working on execution of deals as she desired, how is she applying her entrepreneurial experiences from earlier in life? “It helped me to understand business concepts.”

Alexis Elliot ’18 with Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett in Omaha in 2014

Once she started working, Ms. Elliot closed down EduPair, but she acknowledges that it could be restarted. One thing is certain, though— she remains grateful to Pingry for helping her figure out how to start a business. “Pingry is a great network, with teachers, parents, and others providing resources. Being a young founder, being a person of color as a founder, being a woman as a founder—it’s not easy at all. Even presently, venture capital funding does not go toward women, doesn’t go toward enough women of color, doesn’t go to people of color, overall. That is a struggle and it’s unfortunate that that’s how the entrepreneur experience is.” At the same time, however, she says being young can work to one’s advantage when starting a business.

“Bank on the fact that you’re a young person. People will be willing to help you and give advice because everyone believes in a young person who can clearly show that they’re driven. I’m proud that

WOMEN’S INITIATIVE IN LEADERSHIP

I built [EduPair], but I have longer-term goals and it’s a huge time commitment. When you start a business, it really does require you to put 110 percent into it because it is your own—no one else understands it better than you.”

“ EVERYONE BELIEVES IN A YOUNG PERSON WHO CAN CLEARLY SHOW THAT THEY’RE DRIVEN.”

During her time at Harvard, Alexis Elliot served for a calendar year as Chair of the Women’s Initiative in Leadership (WIL), which brings in women leaders from various professions to speak at WIL’s weekly meetings on Fridays. (Many of the female entrepreneurs who spoke to WIL reinforced Ms. Elliot’s experience with Backpack Buddy, saying they had to involve a male or white male with their businesses to get more funding.)

She joined WIL in her sophomore year and, because “Pingry teaches you to be an active participant” and many of the speakers were from politics, she applied to be Chair when the position became available. “I had to pitch how I would improve the club. I saw that group members weren’t just interested in politics, but also in finance, medicine, beauty, and other fields. I pitched this concept to the outgoing Chair and was elected.”

Among other responsibilities as Chair, Ms. Elliot needed to find a speaker for every Friday meeting who would give their time for free, and she did not want any repeat speakers. Scheduling those guests was one challenge—and interviewing was another. “Interviewing someone for an hour is tricky because you have questions, but it can go in a different direction and lengths of answers can vary wildly.”

Alexis Elliot ’18, right, with U.S. Representative Katherine M. Clark (D–Mass.) and co-moderator Alexander Park in September 2021

Alexis Elliot ’18 being interviewed about her business idea by Omaha media in 2014

Alexis Elliot ’18 in the Goldman Sachs offices in October 2022

Behind the Scenes with the Facilities Team

Interviews by Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36

Written by Greg Waxberg ’96

“When you see your friendly guy out there, tip your hat to him.” – Neil Spagnuolo

They mow the grass, spray for weeds, paint lines on the fields, blow away leaves, clean the pool, change lights in scoreboards, re-net soccer and lacrosse goals, set up goals and other equipment . . . and much more. Pingry has one of the most competitive athletics programs in the state, and the School’s athletics facilities are second to none, including artificial turf and natural grass fields. Keeping them safe and looking pristine is the Facilities Team.

Director of Facilities Michael Waelz, who has supervised the maintenance of athletics fields since 2016, oversees the team members who work on the fields on the Basking Ridge Campus, including Grounds Supervisor Neil Spagnuolo, Groundskeeper Russ Desantis, and Groundskeeper Mike Janes. Three to four people are needed on that campus, especially to take care of The Miller A. Bugliari ’52 World Cup Soccer Field, which needs, in Mr. Waelz’s words, “by far, the largest amount of maintenance of any of the fields . . . and if it gets heavy rain, it can take six to eight hours to get on it.” By contrast, artificial turf fields need little maintenance and, because of drainage capabilities, can be used within 20 minutes of heavy rain. “Turf fields offset the large demands of the natural grass fields,” he says. “The challenges of grass are weeds, disease, and being too dry, which can lead to weeds.”

Bobby Wulff, Building Trades Supervisor for the Short Hills Campus, and Jenn Johnston, Building Trades Supervisor for the Pottersville Campus, can also attest to the needs of artificial turf and natural grass. The Lower School has two fields, one grass and one artificial turf, so Mr. Wulff’s concern with the grass field is “making sure it’s safe and that it doesn’t get damaged.” It needs to be mowed and painted with new lines weekly. Artificial turf (in Short Hills and Basking Ridge) requires blowing off leaves and pine cones, as well as grooming the field to remove small debris and to “maintain the right amount of cushion” (mimicking the cushion that natural grass would provide). Mr. Wulff describes the value of the turf field in one word: “Massive. Ever since the turf field was installed, it took a lot of pressure off everybody.”

In Pottersville, where her team includes Facilities Technician and Groundskeeper Richard Sunday, Ms. Johnston oversees a process for the fields that includes irrigation, fertilization, overseeding, water maintenance, mowing, spraying for weeds, and lining the fields. “It’s all about keeping the fields looking painted and fresh and healthy,” she says. “Green and lush.” Compared with her former responsibilities at the Lower School, Ms. Johnston has more open space to tend to in Pottersville, which means “a lot more mowing, weed whacking, and picking up leaves.”

Back in Basking Ridge, Mechanical Trades Supervisor John Davey ensures the health of the water in Beinecke Pool. Based on a mandate from the New Jersey Department of Health, he tests the pool with a chemical kit five times each day, checking for pH and chlorine levels. Mr. Davey

adds chemicals throughout the week, vacuums twice each week, and brushes the sides and floor of the pool at least twice each week. He also serves as an electrician for the scoreboard, changing the lights and, as needed, troubleshooting (although, he says, “Ninety-five percent of the time is user error” when the scoreboard is not actually broken).

One of the most challenging aspects of the Facilities Team’s work is getting fields in good condition after it rains—and knowing when it is safe to be back on the fields. “Athletics always wants to get on the fields, and Neil [Spagnuolo]’s job is to protect the fields,” Mr. Waelz says. “Rain doesn’t damage the field . . . it’s people going on the field when it’s wet and sloppy . . . that does considerable damage and can take months to repair.”

For his part, Mr. Spagnuolo explains, “We don’t want to disappoint anyone, but usually, if I say the fields are too wet to play on, it’s a solid recommendation that you shouldn’t. To see and hear the disappointment . . . [the coaches] don’t want to hear me say ‘no,’ but they understand it.” What if a game needs to be played? “For the most part, we don’t do it, but there are instances when we can apply drying products. There’s also the challenge of timelines in notifying other schools.”

Among those who negotiate with Mr. Spagnuolo about playing conditions is Erin Boccher, Assistant Director of Athletics for Athletics Operations, who examines the fields to make sure they are safe—looking mostly for any wet spots. This past fall was exceptionally challenging because of the rain and heat; the Athletics Department changed some game schedules and locations, but she says they “pushed the limits of the World Cup Field.” The field has a threshold of how much water and/or heat it can handle—it needed a high level of maintenance to stay healthy, and the Facilities Team made it work.

“Our fields are always in tip-top shape,” Ms. Boccher says. “The Facilities Team is probably the hardest-working team on campus. We never

An articulating tractor on one of Pingry’s many fields maintained by the Facilities Team

have to worry. They do everything possible to ensure that we have safe surfaces for teams to play on.”

Speaking about a field that combines dirt and natural grass and is prepared during the challenging spring season when grass is recovering from the winter, Varsity Softball Head Coach Chip Carver, Jr. ’77, P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, makes the argument that Pingry has “one of the best softball fields in the county. This requires a dedicated, reliable, and quality Facilities Team. Several coaches and umpires remark on the quality of our fields when they arrive at our facilities. The consistent quality of our fields allows us to practice on them more often because the fields are better equipped to handle inclement weather, thus giving our program a preparation edge relative to our opponents.”

Needless to say, with all of the field preparation required for teams’ practices and games, the Facilities Team is busy—hours of cutting grass . . . hours of painting lines . . . preparing fields . . . repairing fields. But then, throw in visiting international teams with high demands, such as the Manchester United Football Club, which trained on the World Cup Field in July 2023, and all of the organizations that rent Pingry’s facilities, and the Facilities Team is even busier.

“The more successful I am, the busier they are. My success is directly related to their success,” says Assistant Director of Auxiliary Programs Carl Frye, who helps generate alternate revenue for Pingry, outside of Admission and Development. His primary revenue generator is facility rentals, all year on all three campuses; up to 100 third-party vendors and organizations rent space or host events at Pingry. Having athletics facilities groomed and ready for these rentals is “paramount,” he says. “When an organization goes under contract with Pingry, we’re a first-class organization and they expect a first-class experience and first-class facilities. They expect the fields to be ‘as advertised’ . . . the fields are a reflection of the School.”

And ultimately, the Facilities Team’s success contributes to the success of Pingry’s athletics program. “The baseline standard is that the fields are safe,” says Carter Abbott, Director of Athletics and Student Success and Head Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Team. “Fields and facilities that are of a high quality also attract student-athletes who want to play on them. It helps with our recruiting, which has a direct impact on our teams.” Of her colleagues’ efforts working on the fields, she says, “Our Facilities crew does an amazing job inside and outside the building. They’re unbelievable. They’re part of our extended Athletics Department. They are integral to our success—so willing to work with us, so responsive, and so knowledgeable.”

Class of 2023 Competing in College

Twenty-one Pingry graduates took their athletic skills to college teams, playing nine sports for some of the nation’s premier college athletics programs.

Jake Abdi

Oberlin College, Lacrosse

Abigail Baird

Stanford University, Sailing

Ryan Burns

Lafayette College, Tennis

Reilly Cavanaugh

University of Rochester, Football

Alexandra Drovetsky

Yale University, Fencing

Adekunle Fakorede

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Football

Jake Francis

Villanova University, Baseball

Bella Goodwin

Duke University, Lacrosse

Roman Jones

University of California, Berkeley, Swimming

Caroline Korn

Brown University, Lacrosse

Sydney Langer

Johns Hopkins University, Tennis

Katie Lin

Duke University, Fencing

Nick Lorenzo

University of Richmond, Baseball

Leon Ma Williams College, Soccer

Dermot McGuire

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Football

Kyle Nicoll

Wofford College, Soccer

Peter O’Mara

Harvard University, Football

Sydney Puntus

Williams College, Lacrosse

Henry Pyne

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Football

Grace Stowe

Haverford College, Softball

Jason Weaver

Macalester College, Football

Congratulations to Anthony Bugliari ’24, center, for being named to the TopDrawerSoccer 2023 All-American Team!

Q&A WITH OLIVIA LAI ’19

A Player in the Coach’s Shoes

By Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36

It’s always great to see graduated Pingry star athletes return to campus to check-in on their former teams, and it’s even more special when alumni get the opportunity to come back to Pingry and actually coach current student-athletes. This is the case with Olivia Lai ’19, one of the girls’ lacrosse program’s all-time greats, who will be competing in her final season at Wesleyan University this spring. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of Olivia’s NCAA career was put on pause, and she joined Pingry Girls Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Carter Abbott’s staff for a season in 2021, just two years after graduating from Pingry.

With a long list of high school lacrosse accomplishments, much was expected of Olivia at the college level, and she did not disappoint! Despite having most of her freshman and sophomore seasons at Wesleyan canceled, Olivia has still managed to inch her way into Wesleyan’s Top 5 all-time goal-scoring list and looks forward to another successful campaign in the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference). Olivia has been selected to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-American, All-Region, and Academic Honor Roll teams, as well as the NESCAC’s All-Academic and All-Sportsmanship teams. Under the guidance of Coach Kim Williams, Olivia and her teammates have powered Wesleyan’s lacrosse program into a national contender, with back-toback Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA tournament and a #2 seed in the NESCAC this past postseason. Olivia is excited to see how far her current team can advance in the 2024 NCAA tournament and will also be keeping an eye on her former team at Pingry as they make another run at a state title.

Where did your lacrosse journey begin?

In second or third grade, I started by playing for T3 Lacrosse, a club that was originally started by a family in Basking Ridge, which is where I’m from. I played club through them [through] my [high school] lacrosse career. From there, I continued to play rec-league town travel in Basking Ridge. I played a lot of basketball—actually, I think basketball was my first sport that I really loved. If you asked me in fourth or fifth grade, I probably would have wanted to stick with that, and then I stopped growing, so I was a little vertically challenged! I also played volleyball because my sister was a great volleyball player, but the club season was in the spring, and it interfered with lacrosse season.

When did you realize that lacrosse was going to be your top sport?

Probably around fourth or fifth grade, I was asked [by coaches] to play with the age group ahead of me for a few years. And I guess that kind of clicked in my mind. I thought, “I guess I’m better at this than I am at the other sports.”

How did you end up at Pingry?

It’s a little side story, but honestly I didn’t even want to apply, and my dad, who is an alum [Gil Lai ’86], kind of forced me to! Then, after I had gone on the visit, and I met Carter, it kind of swayed me hearing about not only lacrosse, but she was enthusiastic about all of the athletics programs and really emphasized the importance of multi-sport athletes.

What stands out from your time playing for Coach Abbott in the girls’ lacrosse program?

I think it honestly stems back to the whole idea of pride. Obviously, there’s pride at Pingry as a community, but I think she really carried that pride and the School’s core values into what we did on the lacrosse field. I feel like, out of all my years of playing, even including collegiate lacrosse, the growth that I had gone through from my fresh-

Olivia Lai ’19, left, and former lacrosse teammate Charlotte Curnin ’17, right, back from Wesleyan University and serving as assistant coaches with Director of Athletics and Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Carter Abbott during Pingry’s spring 2021 season

man to my senior year at Pingry, there’s just so much guidance, where I really was able to learn the sport and develop into the best player I could be.

How did Pingry’s lacrosse program prepare you for competing at the next level?

I would definitely say something that kind of helped me carry through at the collegiate level was where I came in fitness-wise. I did a ton of strength and fitness work outside of Pingry, but in addition, they built the Bugliari ’52 Athletics Center during my time there, so having access to that gym was so great, and even coming back and coaching, I realized how much lifting and speed and agility work with the trainers there is, and that was something that kind of set me apart coming into college. I would also say, and I attribute a lot of this to Coach Abbott, but the lacrosse IQ piece of it was definitely something I never struggled with during my early years. But it’s definitely something people traditionally have to catch themselves up on. So just basic, fundamental “game vision” things were very second nature to me.

Describe your feelings when you realized you were going to come back and coach for Pingry, with Coach Abbott. That was a great little surprise! My sophomore year at Wesleyan, I was actually taking classes remotely in the spring because we weren’t going to be able to compete that season due to COVID. I had reached out to Coach Abbott, just telling her I heard they were able to play, and that I was excited to watch her season. And her response was, “Oh, if you’re going to be around at home, why don’t you come and join the coaching staff,” which was super out of the blue. But it was really great because I got to coach the girls that were freshmen my senior year. So, there were still some players on the team that I’d even played with. And I got to meet some really great younger players in the class that just graduated this past year, like Bella Goodwin (’23) a phenomenal

lacrosse player, Sydney Puntus (’23), who, it’s funny, I’ll actually be playing against her because she’s playing at Williams, and Cece Korn (’23), too. They are all really great players. But it was cool getting to see how much the program has grown. And I had never really been on the coaching side of things and experiencing some of the aspects of it—how to give feedback, and also [why it’s important that players receive feedback] mid-game, during practices, that sort of thing. It actually helped my own game, being able to translate some of the things that I would say to players into my own play, once I started playing again, my junior year.

What’s the next chapter after Wesleyan?

At Wesleyan, I double-majored in Neuroscience and Psychology, and I did a Chemistry minor. It’s a liberal arts college, so they don’t really have pre-health tracks, but I’m pursuing dentistry. I submitted a bunch of dental school applications in November and will be looking to start dental school next fall.

You were spotted at this past season’s girls lacrosse state final, a close loss to Oak Knoll. What motivated you to make the trip to watch that game?

I remember when I played at Pingry, Oak Knoll ended our season my junior and senior year with absolute blowouts, like not even close. This year, the girls put up a really good fight [11–8 final score]. It’s great to see the direction the program has been headed. I wanted to see the game because, for one, knowing the players that were still on the team, it’s great to see how they’ve grown in the two or three years that I haven’t seen them. Also, the Pingry community, and specifically the lacrosse program, has done so much for me and developed me into the person and athlete I am today, so it’s great to see that younger generation go through those same footsteps.

Olivia Lai ’19 playing at Wesleyan University

ON THE ARTS

MUSIC

HARPIST DR. ASHLEY JACKSON ’04 was the second recipient of the 2023 Achievement in the Arts Award* and Pingry honored her in November. Having played the harp since an early age, she enjoys a multifaceted career on stage, in higher education, and as a lecturer and writer. She has performed at Lincoln Center in New York City; the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN; and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! among many other venues. She is a regular member of The Harlem Chamber Players.

Her debut album, Ennanga (2023), explores the musical and spiritual connections between various forms of American musical expression. Through the works of notable Black composers who have redefined musical landscapes, the album celebrates the centrality of the African American spiritual to the history of American music. Dr. Jackson made harp arrangements of many of the album’s selections that were originally written for piano.

A lover of the educational experience, Dr. Jackson is also an Assistant Professor of Music and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Music Department at Hunter College. She is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in performances and in higher education, and sharing stories about underrepresented groups in classical music. Dr. Jackson earned a Doctor of Musical Arts at The Juilliard School after earning two degrees at Yale University, where she was Principal Harpist of the Yale Symphony Orchestra.

Classmate Andrew Werner ’04 returned to Pingry to honor her and said, of their time at Pingry, “Ashley’s dynamic talent and innovative approach were obvious . . . it was always clear through her warmth, enthusiasm, and prodigious talent that she was going to achieve something special.”

*Actor, writer, director, and producer Paul W. Downs ’00 was honored in May 2023.

pingry.org/extras: Watch a video of Dr. Jackson performing with The Harlem Chamber Players, and read more about Dr. Jackson in the Fall 2021 issue of The Pingry Review

I could experiment with sound in as many different ways as possible—writing arrangements for the Balladeers, making chamber music with friends, being a jazz pianist, recording my first album as my Independent Senior Project. To the students: when you find that thing—and you know what it is when you do—hold onto it, commit to it.”

Music Department Chair Dr. Andrew Moore, Dr. Ashley Jackson ’04 with her daughter Zyla, Andrew Werner ’04, and Head of School Tim Lear

VISUAL ARTS AND MORE

PINGRY WELCOMED GUEST ARTIST NIURCA

MÁRQUEZ to several classrooms this past fall. A movement artist with a background in Flamenco, and a professor, she was hosted by Middle and Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Michael Taylor P’35 and visited with students in Filmmaking, Creative Dramatics, and Art Fundamentals. She explained to students that film became a way for her to deconstruct Flamenco, and in drama class, she made students aware of their feet, their body weight, and their choices in body movement.

What, in her view, linked the three classes? “Physical consciousness”—because even in the visual arts, “their body is still involved.” Ms. Márquez wants to see the body become an aspect of making all art, not just dancing or musical theater. “You can’t bring forth a fully fleshed out idea if you haven’t committed to it physically,” she says. “Staying in our rational brain for too long is a detriment to any of the art forms.”

PERFORMING ARTS

LEFT: Cast and crew of the Upper School Fall Play, Wendy & Peter Pan

BELOW: Cast of the Lower School Fall Musical, We Are Monsters, a New Children’s Musical

RIGHT: Guest artist Niurca Márquez visiting the filmmaking class of Visual Arts Teacher Michael Taylor P’35

ON THE ARTS

ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS AWARD WALL

THE WALL IN THE HOSTETTER ARTS CENTER ENTRANCE has been updated to celebrate the Achievement in the Arts Award. The display uses archival photos from the visual arts, music, and performing arts programs to honor both current and historical award recipients.

“We were inspired by the Arts wing entrance based on its role as a meeting point and a nexus point for students to engage with one other and interact informally. Having the bench under the display wall reinforces that space as a nucleation point for students to gather,” says Prof. Michael Nitabach ’84, who supported the project with his wife, Heather Cruz. “We also like the idea of reminding students that the arts are as central and as core to the identity of the School and the mission of the School as traditional academic subjects and athletics. We felt inspired by centering the arts as a core aspect of the Pingry experience.”

Ms. Cruz adds, “Hearing stories from alumni and students about the arts being a home for them, and that they were able to explore talents or learn about new talents . . . that sense of community was very strong and very moving.”

Gifts of all sizes enhance the lives of every student in an immediate and impactful way. The Pingry Fund provides the resources that allow students the freedom to be many things at once, explore their excellence, and encourage them to grow and develop into interesting people of purpose.

Join the Parents’ Pingry Fund Committee You can read more about this opportunity on pingry.org/pingryfund. Please contact Assistant Director of Development, Annual Giving and Parent Engagement Cecily Allison at callison@pingry.org if you are interested.

TRUE BLUE SPOTLIGHT

Q&A WITH MEMBERS OF PINGRY’S TRUE BLUE SOCIETY

Dr. James Murray, Upper School History Teacher

Now in his 26th year at Pingry, Dr. Murray joined the Magistri in June 2023. He served as History Department Chair from 1998–2017.

What inspires you about Pingry today?

My colleagues and my students. I work with fellow adults who continually help me see new ways of teaching; new ways of looking at educational problems; and new, fascinating questions in my field. I’m also inspired by my students—how hardworking they are, how serious they are, and by what they don’t know yet. In terms of “educational problems,” how do I make information compelling and significant to students? How do I make it clear to them that it’s something they should be curious about? It’s really the problem that all teachers have of taking knowledge and turning it into educational experiences. Pingry provides an environment, thanks to the faculty and students, that makes that a fun job.

What has been your proudest moment as a Pingry faculty member?

Receiving the Baldwin Award at Commencement in 2013 [for co-chairing Pingry’s three-year Curriculum Review]—not just the award itself or being awarded for something, but the process that I oversaw with [then–Assistant Head of School] Jon [Leef] was a long process that, at times, was difficult and frustrating. Like any long process that involves many, many people and a lot of moving parts, there are times when you’re thinking, “Is this really worth it?” And it was worth it. The work we created, and the report I devoted a great deal of time to writing, has to be one of the proudest moments of my Pingry career. I was proud of what I did with the help of other people. What we came up with was of great lasting value to the School.

What is your involvement in Pingry outside of the classroom?

I’ve been one of the two advisors to the Model UN Club since about 2000. It’s a simulation exercise in which students represent countries and simulate being on United Nations committees of 10 to 60 members while dealing with world problems that range from historical to present day. And the club attends Model UN Conferences organized by university students, twice each year during the winter season. I’m involved with students in a way that I see a different side of them. There is preparation, but most activities take place at the conferences, and I see students working on something that’s really theirs. So much of teaching is curated by a teacher, but this is not. The students do it all—it’s both humbling and inspiring to see them make so much of it.

Those who have given to The Pingry Fund for three or more consecutive years

ABOVE RIGHT: Dr. James Murray receiving The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award at Commencement in 2013, pictured with then–Board Chair Jack Brescher ’65, P’99, left, and then–Head of School Nat Conard P’09, ’11, right

Pingry Athletics Hall of Fame Inductions

The

2023 inductees—Brittani Bartok ’08, Coach Victor Nazario, and the 2005 Girls’ Soccer Team—were honored at a ceremony on September 29

CITATION FOR

Brittani Bartok ’08

A forward on the Girls’ Soccer Team who was described by a New Jersey newspaper as one of Pingry’s “lethal” goal scorers, Brittani Bartok scored three or four times in numerous games, accumulating 105 goals over four years.

She made a name for herself as a freshman, named The Star-Ledger’s Somerset County Player of the Year. In her sophomore season, Brittani scored 34 goals and made 16 assists, including two goals and an assist in the finals of the Somerset County Tournament. That year, she was named to the Courier News All-Area First Team and Star-Ledger All-State First Team.

Brittani scored 38 goals her senior year, including two in Pingry’s 3–2 victory in the Somerset County Tournament finals. The Star-Ledger named her Player of the Year, describing “how gracefully she played the game. The fluid striker effortlessly broke down defenses through the use of speed . . . zigging and zagging through a defense.” She was part of three state championship teams and was named All-State First Team three times, All-Group First Team three times, All-American four times, and NSCAA State Player of the Year. Brittani also played for the U-16 Girls’ National Team and was a member of U-16 and U-17 National Team Pools.

She went on to play for the University of North Carolina, making the Final Four All-Tournament Team and ACC All-Freshman Team and contributing to two champion teams. She joined the UNC coaching staff in 2011 (her first of three seasons in that role) and was part of a third champion team in 2012. Brittani also established the UNC women’s soccer team’s presence on social media and is grateful for the freedom to create content that builds fans’ “vested interest” in the players and teams.

“I was trying to think of one word, and truly, it’s ‘embraced.’ It’s a really good word to describe my experiences here . . . You’re surrounded by excellence in every regard.”

BRITTANI BARTOK ’08

SPEAKING ABOUT BRITTANI BARTOK

“What a delight to watch her play . . . Everything she did caught attention . . .

She’s one of the more influential people today in women’s soccer . . .

She is an exceptional person.” Coach Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24

To nominate a Pingry graduate, coach, or team for the Athletics Hall of Fame, please use the nomination form at pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni/nominate, or contact Taylor Noonan, Assistant Director of Development, Alumni Engagement, at 908-647-7058 or tnoonan@pingry.org.

Manny Schellscheidt, Annette Schellscheidt, Brittani Bartok ’08, Haley Peterson, Melissa Cartagena, and David Bartok

“Lethal” goal scorer in soccer

CITATION FOR

Victor Nazario

Versatile coach was involved with more than 80 teams

Victor Nazario is one of the most versatile coaches in Pingry history. He was involved as an assistant coach or a head coach with more than 80 teams, coaching four sports over four decades (1978–2018). He began as an Assistant Coach for Football (1978–1980) and continued with Boys’ Track & Field (1981–2018), including Head Coach from 1990–1995, leading two undefeated teams; Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country (1982–2009), including Boys’ Head Coach from 2000–2002 and Girls’ Head Coach for six undefeated seasons from 1990–1996; and Boys’ and Girls’ Fencing (1988–2003), including Girls’ Head Coach for several years. Overall, his cumulative record as a Head Coach was 162–55.

For cross country and fencing, Coach Nazario volunteered to help Head Coaches Ed Scott and Ted Li, respectively, because of the sizes of their teams. Coach Nazario has said, “If we don’t help one another, who’s going to help us? If I saw someone in need of coaching, I put my two cents in. It was a win-win—I helped the coaches and had more time with students who I taught and advised.”

Two years after Coach Scott retired, Coach Nazario honored him by establishing Pingry’s Ed Scott Invitational, an annual event with races for middle school boy and girl cross country runners from independent and public schools. Among the thousands of athletes whose lives he touched, Coach Nazario helped coach a future Olympic fencer as well as All-Americans and state champions in track and field.

In the classroom, Coach Nazario taught Middle and Upper School Spanish for 41 years.

SPEAKING ABOUT VICTOR NAZARIO

“Naz is one of those really extraordinary people in the old independent school tradition who is willing to take on new challenges for the benefit of the students . . . For Naz, the welfare of those around him has always been paramount . . . We are celebrating this extraordinary humanity and the coaching talents of Coach Naz . . . a richly deserved tribute, which honors a life and career lived with elan, imagination, loyalty, and above all, a joy for living.” Former Upper School English Teacher and Coach Ted Li

“Over my 41 years with Victor Nazario, during which he was a co-coach in track for the sprints and a Spanish-teaching colleague in the World Language Department, I took notice of a critical attribute of his teaching and coaching: charisma. Charisma is controversial because it’s an ineffable dynamic that you cannot pin down . . . he knew what his athletes could do . . . he was not at all desirous of blowing out the opponent. Indeed, he wanted everyone to walk away from the experience with dignity and respect.”

Former Coach Norman LaValette P’04

“You were my mentor . . . I looked to you to teach me how to do it right.”

Coach Tim Grant P’03, ’06, speaking from the audience

“The final chapter of my fantastic, magic coaching career has been completed tonight . . . There isn’t enough for me to say for how I feel.”

VICTOR NAZARIO

CITATION FOR

2005 Girls’ Soccer Team

State and Somerset County Tournament champions

19–1–1; RANKED #2 AND SELECTED AS TEAM OF THE YEAR

BY THE STAR-LEDGER ; RANKED #1 BY THE COURIER NEWS

The team won the Colonial Hills Conference, shut out Hillsborough to win the Somerset County Tournament for the second consecutive year, and tied for the NJSIAA Non-Public A State Championship. During the season, they outscored their opponents 105–12 and recorded 14 shutouts.

SPEAKING ABOUT THE TEAM

“We can talk about stats all we want. Stats are key and critical . . . but the team is about the personalities, the journey, and how we get to our end goal . . . I won’t say we overachieved. We didn’t. It’s Pingry soccer—it’s a tradition.” Former Coach Andrew Egginton

Adam Nazario ’94, Victor Nazario P’90, ’94, Jo Ann Liptak, and Kendall Nazario

Members of the 2005 Girls’ Soccer Team: Head Coach Andrew Egginton, Kate Sowinski Lisofsky ’09, Brittani Bartok ’08, Assistant Coach Lindsay Holmes-Glogower ’99, P’33, and Assistant Coach Stephanie Romanko

PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Attendees include Adam Armstrong ’11, Grade 4 Math Teacher Kennedy Buckley P’16, Elizabeth and Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90 ’97, GP’20, ’24, Anna Butrico ’14, Bobbi Coffey ’82, Hunter Conti ’15, Audrey and Associate Head of School Ben Courchesne P’30, ’34, ’36, Melissa and Thomas DiTosto P’26, ’29, ’33, Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Manie Fahey P’21, ’25, Diane and Dr. Samir Fahmy P’25, Dr. Nan Feng P’23, Christine and Michael Gilfillan P’17, ’20, Guido and Martha (Ryan) Graff ’84, P’15, ’17, ’20, Lily Graff ’15, Henry Graff ’20, Beatrice Gregory GP’26, Paige and Matt Guest P’20, ’23, ’29, Director of Development Jane Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28, Honorary Trustee Kathy and Bob Hugin P’11, ’13, Aly Kerr Wubben ’08, Co-Director of College Counseling Sue Kinney P’15, ’18, Annelise Kinney ’15, Beth and Joe Korn P’14, ’17, Theresa and Tim Korth P’16, ’20, ’21, Elie and Head of School Tim Lear, Terrence Martin P’10, ’12, ’17, Rachel Naar ’08, John Navin ’77, Lynne and Jeff Pagano P’17, ’20, Mary Pagano ’17, Genny Pena P’24, Jessica and Eric Purcell P’26, Dr. Heather and Brad Pyne P’18, ’23, Henry Pyne ’23, Jon Robustelli ’90, P’25, Dr. Susan and Dr. Robert Rubino P’20, ’22, Anthony Rubino ’20, Parish and Dudley Ryan ’83, Missy Ryan P’83, ’84, GP’15, ’17, ’20, PAA President Kevin Schmidt ’98, Lauren and Peter Seminara P’28, Kira and Denis Shmuler P’23, ’27, Board of Trustees Chair Ian Shrank ’71, Melissa and Mark Simon P’24, Wendy and Dan Solomon P’26, Mary and former trustee Henry Stifel III ’83, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, Nicole and Jason Swain P’24, Corby Thomas ’92, Brenda and Marc Titus P’28, ’32, Jimmy Topor ’17, Mary Lee (Donahue) Trousdale ’78, P’08, ’13, Brooke Conti Trousdale ’09 and Patrick Trousdale ’08, Margaret and Geoff von der Linden P’24, Garret and Betsy (Lucas) Vreeland ’84, P’11, ’12, ’15, Meg Vreeland ’15, Anne and Keith Wargo P’20, Chief Financial and Operating Officer Olaf Weckesser P’25, Bill Weldon IV ’72, P’09, ’11, Whitney Weldon ’11, Rose Mary and Karl Werner P’12, ’14, ’16, Michael Werner ’14, Maria Werner ’16, Susan and Rob Williams ’76, P’06, ’08, ’12, Elizabeth (Kellogg) Winterbottom ’87, P’21, ’23, Augusta Winterbottom ’21, Don Wiss ’68, Sally and Jon Younghans ’79, P’20, Jack Younghans ’20, and Brett Zanelli ’17

Alumni Soccer Game September 30

FRONT ROW: Rob Kurz ’73, P’01, ’03, Alex Ramos ’16, Christian Fechter ’13, Roberto De Almeida ’15, Louis Monteagudo ’14, Stephen McCarthy ’77, Thomas McCarthy, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach Anthony Tripicchio ’02, PAA President Kevin Schmidt ’98, and Brad Fechter ’05

BACK ROW: Art Kurz ’65, P’97, ’99, Max Cummings ’16, Phillip Zachary ’16, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach Scott Aimetti ’89, Jeff Zimering ’07, Tom Strackhouse ’06, Jim Gensch ’83, P’13, Special Assistant to the Head of School and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Head Coach Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Mark Zashin ’75, Josh Gradwohl ’80, Amadi Thiam ’03, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach Len Coleman III ’06, Mike Coughlin ’90, and Director of Institutional Advancement and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Associate Head Coach David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34

Jersey Shore Reception July 8; Hosted by the Lucciola Family (Helen and Michael Lucciola, Michael Lucciola ’11, Matt Lucciola ’13, Chris Lucciola ’15, John Lucciola ’17, and Natalie Lucciola ’17)

Attendees include Emma (Carver) Akins ’09, Toni and Honorary Trustee Jack Brescher ’65, P’99, John Brescher III ’99, Robert Brescher, Elizabeth and Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90 ’97, GP’20, ’24, former trustee Anne DeLaney ’79 and Varsity Softball Head Coach Chip Carver, Jr. ’77 P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, Chloe Carver ’11, Tiffany and Brian Crosby ’89, P’23, ’25, ’26, Heidi and Robert Diemar III ’91, Cate and Gregg Edell P’26, Allison and Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Eamon Fahey, Finnegan Fahey ’33, Wynafred Fahey ’34, former Pingry teacher and Major Gifts Officer David Greig ’98, Mary Greig P’94, ’98, ’00, Margret and Kevin Korn ’94, Anderson Korn, Whit Korn, Elie and Head of School Tim Lear, Hyla Lear, James Lear ’27, Tighe Lear ’30, Judy and Honorary Trustee Steve Newhouse ’65, P’95, ’97, ’99, Chris Newhouse ’97, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, and Dana Troxell, Jr. ’79

Homecoming September 30

Last First Day of Class BBQ for Class of 2024

September 13

FRONT ROW: Jada Watson, Olivia Murray, Maisy Webster, and Noor Elassir

BACK ROW: Anika Sinha, Aanya Shah, Monroe Russell, Alexis Bartoli, and Kennedy Sharperson

1861 Leadership Society Reception

September 20

Lisa Price P’29, ’36, Daniel Price P’29, ’36, Jude Escaño P’29, ’30, and Dr. Therese Lizardo-Escaño ’98, P’29, ’30

Nantucket Reception July 27; Hosted by Deborah and Greg Mankiw ’76

Former Upper School English Teacher Laura (Yorke) Kulkarni ’98 and Sean Kulkarni ’98, P’33, ’35, ’36 with their children

PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Young Alumni Oktoberfest October 12 at Houston Hall in New York

AJ Weaver ’18, Jack Baulig ’19, Channing Russell ’18, Spencer Spellman ’17, and Kyle Walker ’14

Football Alumni Meet & Greet Prior to Friday Night Lights on October 20

Spencer Spellman ’17, Joe Possumato ’17, Jack Baulig ’19, Justin Shangold ’12, Varsity Football Head Coach Joe Passaro, Peter O’Mara ’23, Patrick Birotte ’87, P’20, Dermot McGuire ’23, and Nicolás Sendón ’23

John A. Magadini Alumni Ice Hockey Game

November 24 at Beacon Hill Club in Summit

Attendees include John Annis, Clayton Annis ’23, Aidan Boylan ’21, John Brady ’78, Eric Bush ’21, Ryan Bush ’20, Josh Creelman ’14, Bennett Crosby ’23, Jake Friedman ’21, Assistant Director of College Counseling and Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey Head Coach Scott Garrow, Jared Kordonsky ’21, Eino Korpela ’20, Adrian Kurylko ’23, Greg Naratil ’17, Jake Scrudato ’22, Jack Smith ’17, Nick Spinelli ’19, Chris Ulz ’93, Thomas Weldon ’23, and Brett Zanelli ’17

John Brady ’78 recently made a donation to Pingry's Archives. Read more on page 77.

Pingry Paddle Party November 16 at Morris County Golf Club

PAA President Kevin Schmidt ’98, Trustee Melissa (Weiss) Moriarty ’87, P’23, Chris Franklin ’96, Jennifer (Goldfinger) Miller ’03, Varsity Fencing Head Coach Ron Pack, Jr. ’99, Liz (Swanicke) Loonam ’00, Jessica (Goldfinger) Flynn ’00, Stephanie (Swanicke) Slater ’03, Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92, P’22, ’25, ’29, Priscilla (Stack) Elms ’92, Michael Elms, Maggie DeFilippo ’03, Director of Development Jane Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28, Sam Partridge ’92, and Gretchen (Weiss) Oatman ’89, P’20, ’20, ’23, ’23

NOT PICTURED: Lindsay Stanley ’16 and Zayna Nassoura

Alumni Squash Event November 24

FRONT ROW: Evan Wen ’23, Alisa Chokshi ’19, Julia Masch ’17, Diana Masch ’15, and Sam Scherl ’17

BACK ROW: Peter Cipriano ’06 with Bella Cipriano ’36, Ben Tran ’24, Aashiya Jaggi ’19, Yash Jaggi ’16, Christopher Zachary ’19, George Zachary ’14, Patrick Trousdale ’08, Waleed Nisar ’20, Mark Shtrakhman ’16, Director of Squash and Girls’ Varsity Squash Head Coach Francis Odeh, Middle School Science Teacher and Boys’ Varsity Squash Head Coach Ramsay Vehslage, Jr., Kiran Chokshi ’16, Charlie Cooperman ’23, and Leon Zhou ’24

’16

Back-from-College Luncheon December 21

Pingry welcomed back the Classes of 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 for this annual luncheon—a great way to catch up with Pingry friends and faculty and visit the Basking Ridge Campus

Kirsten Kamerkar ’23, Maxwell Watzky ’23, Charles Jiang ’23, Adam Bauhs ’23, and Mirika Jambudi ’23

College Alumni Dinner in Philadelphia October 17

FRONT ROW: Aanya Patel ’22, Claire Keller ’21, Ally Feeley ’20, Michelle Lee ’22, Victoria Gu ’20, and Felicia Ho ’19

BACK ROW: Jeffrey Xiao ’19, Hugh Zhang ’21, Aneesh Karuppur ’21, Jason Lefkort ’21, Kristin Osika ’22, Alexandra de Asla ’22, and James Houghton ’20

PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

New York City Reception December 1 at The University Club

MIDDLE LEFT:

FRONT ROW: Louis Monteagudo ’14, Special Assistant to the Head of School and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Head Coach Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Warren Quigley ’16, and Max Helfman ’14

BACK ROW: Phillip Zachary ’16, Roberto De Almeida ’15, Matt Mangini ’14, and Rob Diaz ’15

MIDDLE RIGHT: Brian Szepkouski P’23, Saleena Goel Sant, Head of School Tim Lear, Michael Gerstein ’92, and Sanket Sant

BOTTOM: Ryan Campbell ’12, Victoria Ettore, Dr. Connor McLaughlin ’12, Edie (McLaughlin) Nussbaumer ’84, P’18, Mary Nussbaumer ’18, and Karen Bigos P’22

TOP LEFT: Zach Keller 17, Jamie Moore-Gillon ’17, Sam Scherl ’17, Charlie Zhu ’16, and Joseph Possumato ’17

TOP RIGHT: PAA President Kevin Schmidt ’98, Trustee Prof. Michael Nitabach ’84, Trustee Douglas Bookbinder ’98, and Jamie Shapiro ’97

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 11: Boston Regional Reception

April 24: The Henry G. Stifel III Award

May 3–4: Reunion Weekend 2024

• Classes ending in 4s and 9s

• Visit pingry.org/reunion for the latest information or contact Taylor Noonan, Assistant Director of Development, Alumni Engagement at 908-647-5555, ext. 1223 or tnoonan@pingry.org

May 15: PAA Annual Meeting of the Alumni with Student Leadership Panel

June 13: Young Alumni Happy Hour in New York City

July 13: Jersey Shore Reception

July 25: Nantucket Regional Reception

For additional details on upcoming events or to register, kindly visit pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni. Any inquiries related to alumni matters should be addressed to the Alumni Relations team. You can reach out via email at alumni@pingry.org or by calling 908-647-5555.

Alumni Basketball Game January 4

FRONT ROW: Harlen Shangold ’11, Isiah Simon ’20, Daniel Ittycheria ’22, Middle School History Teacher, Assistant Director of Enrollment Management and Athletics Liaison & Boys’ Varsity Basketball Head Coach Jason Murdock, Justin Shangold ’12, Shane Shannon ’20, Sam Proudfoot ’22, and Kyle Aanstoots ’19

BACK ROW: Sam Partridge ’92, Lloyd Willis ’16, Zach Aanstoots ’18, Drew Gagnon ’16, Sam Pollard ’23, Jaymin Bhat ’23, Oliver Duryee ’22, Jake Abdi ’23, and Raymond Fluet ’20

PINGRY CREATES

CHRISTOPHER NAUGHTON ’73, former host and executive producer of The American Law Journal, and now co-host for New Thinking Allowed, has merged his passion for American history and Constitutional law with his interest in comparative spirituality and metaphysics in the book America’s Next Great Awakening: What the Convergence of Mysticism, Religion, Atheism & Science Means for the Nation And You (Köehler Books). The book examines the nation’s roots of consciousness and how our current polarization could catalyze a new American enlightenment.

DR. MATTHEW SPEISER ’97 has written an alternate-history novel, To the Manor Born (Black Rose Writing), that explores what the world might look like if the Civil War had ended differently. “Twenty years ago, while working toward my doctorate in U.S. History,” he says, “I started thinking deeply about what would have shifted—and what might have stayed the same. What if it had gone the other way? What if the South had won? Eventually, I put pen to paper, and a story began emerging. I believe it’s as timely now as when I first pondered it.”

DOUG GOODKIN ’69 internationally recognized Orff Schulwerk music teacher, has written his 10th book and his first one for young adults, Jazz, Joy & Justice: The Stories Every American Should Know (Austin Macauley Publishers).

According to the publisher, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all American school children learned something about our great American art form of jazz? If they not only listened to and played their music, but also learned the stories of our American jazz geniuses? If by hearing these stories, they also came to understand something of how systemic racism has hurt and continues to hurt us all? If they were inspired to begin the long walk toward justice, accompanied by the joy of jazz? Jazz, Joy & Justice is the trio that will help us as we stand at the crossroads between education and catastrophe . . . If you love jazz, find out the hidden stories of some of your favorite musicians. If you love justice, discover how jazz musicians did so much more than entertain. If you need some joy in your day, listen to the musical examples suggested in these pages.”

Mr. Goodkin is also the subject of The Secret Song, a documentary film about his last year of his 45 years teaching music to children at The San Francisco School. The film will be available for viewing this March on PBS (see thesecretsongfilm.com).

Physics Teacher CHUCK COE P’88 has written A Spark of Reason: Truth in Science: Myths, Stories, Examples, and Anecdotes (published through Amazon), a book partially inspired by his junior/senior elective Science for the 21st Century* in which students learn how to evaluate current or historical scientific claims. Another inspiration came from the widespread misconceptions and myths surrounding the functioning of science.

“Mythology is persuasive, so there’s a broad misunderstanding in society about what science is and how science proceeds,” he says. “The way that science is taught K–12 gives students an image of what happens in a scientific lab that doesn’t relate to what actually happens—you have to study the philosophy of science, or work in a research lab for quite a while, to see where the mythology is incomplete or incorrect . . . and you have to care about the mythology being misleading. Also, movies and novels generally portray scientists as omniscient—we’re not!” he says with a laugh.

Because Pingry’s biology, chemistry, and physics classes tend to focus on processes and understanding of science in those three fields, Science for the 21st Century was intended to fill the gap. Mr. Coe provides an example of what he’s referring to: a hypothetical article with the headline “Science Proves Chocolate Is Good for You.”

“I want students to understand the science behind the writing. How do they know that chocolate is good for you? To what extent do they

know that? What kind of chocolate? What do they mean ‘good for you’? It could be good for your heart but not your digestive system. So, the point of the book is to see inside of science and think rationally and critically. I also want readers to understand that scientific knowledge changes over time. Of course, since science knowledge is tentative, science does not ‘prove’ anything—all scientific claims are subject to revision.”

This topic has interested Mr. Coe since he was in high school, so in addition to material from Science for the 21st Century, the book’s research draws on his personal collection of 70 books, reputable online databases, and scientific magazines. (The book’s digital version contains over 100 links to source material; a clickable-link document is provided upon request with the print version.)

*Mr. Coe created this course with Physics Teacher Bill Bourne P’08 more than 30 years ago.

JULIAN SCURCI ’99 has introduced Real-Estate Reconnaissance, a newsletter about real estate investing and market analysis. He wrote in the first edition, “For a few years now, clients have been encouraging me to disseminate my opinions and analysis on the real estate market to a wider audience. Frankly, I demurred because I didn’t think the market was that interesting to opine on; everyone and their cousin was investing in real estate in a low-interest rate environment, awash with liquidity, supported by trillions of dollars of fiscal stimulus, all while being driven by a seamless boundless appetite for risk. Who wanted to read an analysis that was going to question how long that party could continue, and ask what the consequences of unbridled, (imprudent?) risk-taking may be? That would be no fun! Now, however, I think the real estate investment environment is about to get really interesting . . .” For more information or to sign up for the newsletter, visit julianscurci.substack.com

Letter-In-Life Award winner LYRIC WALLWORK WINIK

’84 visiting the “Pingry Author” collection in the C.B. Newton Library in September; the collection includes her book about former First Lady Laura Bush, Spoken from the Heart. Read more about Ms. Winik on page 3.

CLASS NOTES

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Submit your Class Note at pingry.org/classnotes, or mail it to

Greg

Waxberg ’96, Editor of The Pingry Review, The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ, 07920

Amateur golfer MAX MARSTON, Class of 1911, is on the cover of GAP magazine’s (Golf Association of Philadelphia) Summer 2023 issue for the 100th anniversary of his “season for the ages.” In 1923, he won prestigious events in the Philadelphia area and beyond: Joseph H. Patterson Cup, Philadelphia Amateur (and its associated GAP Silver Cross Award), Pennsylvania Amateur, Merion’s club championship, U.S. Amateur, and Crump Cup. He also won Low Amateur honors in the Philadelphia Open and was a member of the victorious Walker Cup team in Scotland.

An excerpt from the story: “Every golf fan knows about [Bobby] Jones winning the Grand Slam (U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Amateur and British Open) in 1930. What most don’t know is that if it weren’t for Jones, Marston, who spent a significant portion of his adult life in Philadelphia, would arguably have the greatest year an amateur has ever had in golf . . . While he was the best amateur golfer in the world in 1923, his accomplishments are underappreciated.”

A member of Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame, Mr. Marston was also inducted into the New Jersey State Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2021.

1951

PETER MAUCHER writes, “On the explicit instruction of Tim Lear, I am sending you a picture of me on my 90th birthday, toasting The Big Blue with Pingry’s thoughtful birthday gift of a Pingry cup! I must say I didn’t expect the recognition, but was quite surprised and impressed that Pingry tracks the significant age passages of alumni. Good idea and many thanks! I am reminded of a ‘happy hour’ conversation with my dear friend and ’51 classmate Gene Conroy during one of our Reunions during which we agreed that Pingry was more influential in our growth as a person than his blue-ribbon education at Cornell or mine at Williams. By all means, let it continue!”

1958

REV. STEVENS HILYARD writes, “We had a Pingry/Kent Place/Summit reunion in Illinois this past spring. Peter Behr ’58 and Martha Nettleton Behr visited Ann Marshall Searles and John Searles. Nann and I joined them for dinner. Pete, Martha, Ann, and I went to grade school in Summit. Martha and Ann were Kent Place ’58 classmates.”

FRONT ROW: Rev. Stevens Hilyard ’58, Nann Hilyard, Ann Marshall Searles, and John Searles

BACK ROW: Peter Behr ’58 and Martha Nettleton Behr

Peter Maucher ’51 with his Pingry mug. Pingry has been gifting alumni who are celebrating milestone birthdays (80 and up) with a letter from Head of School Tim Lear and a mug and asking them to take a photograph for publication.

Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24 with Bradley Cooper on the set of Maestro, in which Mr. Cooper plays the role of Leonard Bernstein

1962

JOHN MURCHIE, artist, curator, critic, and administrator, was chosen to receive the SHMF (Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation) 2023 Strathbutler Award in recognition of his multi-faceted career in visual art. Since 1991, through this award, the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation celebrates the vital contributions of visual artists to New Brunswick’s cultural life. John was nominated by Emily Falvey, Director of Owens Art Gallery, fellow artist Andrea Mortson, and Paul Henderson, Director Struts Gallery. John’s impact on New Brunswick visual arts

was characterized by the jury as “a significant part of the cultural ecology of this province, both through his artistic practice and his advocacy for the arts. His is a remarkable career—a way of being—that represents the very best qualities of the Atlantic region: the value of the local as a space of collaboration and community building, fostering respect for diverse ways of thinking and creating, promoting risk and experimentation, and a belief in art in enriching everyday life.”

A gala celebration took place at the Owens Art Gallery of Mount Allison University on October 19.

1966

GIL ROESSNER writes, “My wife and I are pictured on the cover of Crystal Springs Living, in front of our little cottage on the ninth green of one of Crystal Springs Resort’s three golf courses. Our home, which we acquired in 2011, is LEED Platinum Certified as one of the Greenest Homes in America. It’s a great place to live and we’re less than an hour from New York City and Pingry (had dinner in July with Miller and saw Rob Klopman ’67 and his band perform at The Pattenburg House. See ’67 Class Notes). Crystal Springs is New Jersey’s premier year-round resort with six golf courses, three hotels, seven restaurants, an incredible wine cellar, two spas, banquet

facilities, hundreds of townhomes and single-family homes on the golf courses with fantastic views, and New Jersey’s best skiing. I also sell real estate here. So, if anyone is interested, call me anytime at 908-963-0983 for a free tour. Or stop by anytime to say hello!”

Peter Mennen ’62 with his Pingry mug and Corbin Sparrow PTM (Personal Transit Module). Pingry has been gifting alumni who are celebrating milestone birthdays (80 and up) with a letter from Head of School Tim Lear and a mug and asking them to take a photograph for publication.

Portrait of a red tie by John Murchie ’62 28.7 x 35.6 cm

Acrylic on postcard and canvas board c 1996

Private Collection

John Geddes ’62, P’95 and Roger Herrmann ’62 visiting Special Assistant to the Head of School and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Head Coach Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24 in his office. John and Roger played on Miller’s first soccer team in 1960.

John Murchie ’62 with the 2023 Strathbutler Award

Gil Roessner ’66 and his wife, Susan, are featured on the cover of the July 2023 issue of Crystal Springs Living magazine.

CLASS NOTES

1967

In July, Gil Roessner ’66 and Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24 had a great time enjoying dinner and listening to ROB KLOPMAN and his band perform at The Pattenburg House in Hunterdon County, NJ.

1968

HANS BONN is supporting Pingry’s sailing program. Read more on page 7.

GIL KLEIN writes, “I am in my sixth academic year as Resident Director of the University of Oklahoma’s Washington Journalism Program. The university’s Gaylord College sends students each semester to D.C. where they produce news for Oklahoma outlets while I introduce them to some of the city’s journalism innovators. As a volunteer, I am President of the National Press Club’s Journalism Institute, the Club’s non-profit arm that provides journalism education programs and works on press freedom issues. We work to preserve, defend, and promote fact-based journalism while helping to train the next generation of journalists (pressclubinstitute.org).

I am also the Club’s historian, and my book Tales from the National Press Club was published in 2020 by The History Press. The entire family—wife, son, daughter, and their spouses—are teachers in Virginia with four grandchildren in public schools.”

1969

DOUG GOODKIN has written his 10th book. Read more on page 60.

1972

DR. STEVE NAUGHTON writes, “51 and going strong! On the heels of our very successful 50th reunion, this great group of guys absolutely loves getting together annually to reminisce about the past and bring the present up to date. Unfortunately, the weather prevented Joe Costabile from attending. Our relationship grows stronger and we remain teammates forever!”

1973

CHRISTOPHER NAUGHTON has retired The American Law Journal and is now Guest Host of New Thinking Allowed, an online video telecast connected to Thinking Allowed that aired on PBS from the 1980s to the early 2000s. The program largely examines the realm where science and spirituality meet. He has also written a book—read more on page 60.

Eric Fowler ’72, Greg Hewett ’72, Jack Van Wagner ’72, Dr. Bobby Cunningham ’72, John Maher ’72, and Dr. Steve Naughton ’72

Anne DeLaney ’79, P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14 with author and former high school and college football player Jared A. Johnston, who delivered the 2023 Gilbert H. Carver ’79 Memorial Lecture (Mr. Johnston is next to Anne, with his mother, Nadine Forbes, and step-father, Herman Forbes, on the right). Having suffered from depression earlier in his life, Mr. Johnston challenged students to have a “vision for life” to give themselves purpose and goals, and to “develop a healthy relationship with failure.” He is the author of From Cleats to Loafers and Everything in Between.

Gil Roessner ’66, Rob Klopman ’67, and Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24

1974

DR. JOSEPH CALDERONE, JR. was cited by The Inner Circle in September as a Top Pinnacle Healthcare Professional for his contributions to the field of ophthalmology. Board-certified in ophthalmology, he is Medical and Surgical Director of Better Vision New Jersey (formerly Cranford Ophthalmology). He specializes in premium intraocular lenses and laser cataract surgery, and is an expert in the treatment of dry eye. He is a retired Clinical Instructor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Clinical Assistant Professor at Seton Hall University School of Graduate Medical Education; Medical Director of the Specialized Surgical Center of Central New Jersey (formerly the Somerset Eye Institute); an attending physician at Overlook Medical Center; adjunct staff at Trinitas Hospital; and a retired attending physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway where he had been a former Chairman of ophthalmology.

1980

DANI SHAPIRO, author and creator of the podcast Family Secrets, whose most recent novel is Signal Fires, was interviewed by Writer’s Digest magazine (October) about the process of returning to the story 15 years after starting it. She says in the profile, “I continued to be haunted by the story, and in the early days of the pandemic, I was cleaning out my office closet and found it again. I re-read the pages and had the miraculous sense that finally I knew what to do . . . It was as if my characters were in a deep sleep, in that drawer, just waiting for me to grow more as a writer, until I finally understood and deserved them.”

1982

JONATHAN KARP, CEO of Simon & Schuster since May 2020, was named one of Publishers Weekly’s 2023 “PW Notables.” The profile states that he took over as CEO “under the most challenging conditions. His appointment came roughly two weeks after widely respected CEO Carolyn Reidy died unexpectedly. Moreover, the country was two months into a global pandemic, and on the cusp of a long-overdue social and racial justice awakening that demanded change from a publishing industry with a long-standing diversity problem. And of course, S&S’s parent company, ViacomCBS, had only recently put the publisher up for sale

LYRIC WALLWORK WINIK ’84, award-winning author and writer, received the Letter-In-Life Award in September (read more on page 3) and participated in a Pingry Alumnae Committee Virtual Author Talk in December. During the talk, she named “the most fortuitous thing for my entire professional career”: as a freshman, she was assigned to a Pingry bus that included Jonathan Karp ’82, who was an editor for The Pingry Record. “I worked up the nerve to ask him to give me an assignment,” which led to more assignments, and Lyric was grateful for his mentorship and those experiences that put her on a path for writing.

She mentioned two more lucky moments: being in Washington, D.C. when Parade Magazine did not have a Washington correspondent, and in 2009, adding her name to a list of potential writers for a memoir by then–First Lady Laura Bush, who selected Lyric to work with her (it was all about name recognition from prior interviews). That successful memoir led to her new career, ghostwriting for books. “I discovered that I loved books. I loved helping people tell their stories. I loved everything about the process. It was like curling up with a book on an everyday basis.” She went on to say that ghostwriting is “like getting a master’s degree each time because there’s so much research required, so many things to learn.”

Lyric also described her experiences in China while teaching English for a year to Chinese teachers (part of the Princeton-in-Asia program)—teaching for three and four hours at a time, in an unheated classroom while it was below freezing outside, and she “had to literally flee because of protests in Wuhan.” She wrote about her time in China for the Winter 1990 issue of The Pingry Review

Over 7,200 members strong, Pingry alumni are engaged, active members of the School community. As your life journey takes you to extraordinary destinations, we encourage you to update your contact information through the Office of Alumni Engagement. Alumni can submit address and contact information updates through our website at pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni, or email updates to infochange@pingry.org. Should you have questions or wish to share additional information, feel free to reach out to:

Alumni Engagement Office T: 908-647-5555, ext. 1222 E: alumni@pingry.org

Lyric Wallwork Winik ’84 with former Upper School Art History Teacher Barbara Berlin P’85 and former English Teacher and School Counselor Pat Lionetti P’85, ’88, ’89 at the Letter-In-Life Award Luncheon

CLASS NOTES

. . . Karp needed to draw on all his experience in 2023 as the uncertainty over S&S’s future dragged on . . . Throughout it all, S&S posted impressive financial results. In 2022, revenue topped $1 billion for the first time as a standalone trade publisher. And while sales cooled in 2023, the company continued to do well enough to draw a $1.6 billion price from the private equity firm KKR.”

1988

DR. ANGELICA DIAZ-MARTINEZ P’25, ’26, a teaching professor and Director of Clinical Training at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, was interviewed for an online ABC News story (October 10) about the physical and mental health toll on people trapped in war zones.

1989

DR. DAVID WEINREICH has become an Operating Partner at Foresite Labs and will also serve as Senior Advisor at Foresite Capital, a multi-stage healthcare and life sciences investment firm. Foresite Labs was founded in 2019 and its companies work to address unmet medical needs. David has more than 20 years of experience in drug development and clinical operations and previously worked as Executive Vice President and Head of Global Clinical Development at Regeneron. He has also

worked as Head of Global Development for Specialty Medicine at Bayer Pharmaceuticals.

1991

ADAM GARDNER’s non-profit organization REVERB partnered with Billie Eilish for a solar-powered Lollapalooza set in Chicago in August. Specifically used were zero-emission intelligent battery systems powered by a solar farm to reduce the use of diesel-powered generators. According to a press release from Pollstar News, this type of alternative to reduce the carbon footprint from live entertainment is part of REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project (which Billie Eilish co-founded). Adam said, “We hope and believe this will be a watershed moment for the music industry . . . By showcasing this technology with one of the biggest artists in the world, on one of the most revered festival stages, we’re accelerating the necessary transition toward a decarbonized future, for music and beyond.” REVERB also created and

Over 7,200 members strong, Pingry alumni are engaged, active members of the School community. As your life journey takes you to extraordinary destinations, we encourage you to update your contact information through the Office of Alumni Engagement. Alumni can submit address and contact information updates through our website at pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni, or email updates to infochange@pingry.org. Should you have questions or wish to share additional information, feel free to reach out to: Alumni Engagement Office T: 908-647-5555, ext. 1222 E: alumni@pingry.org

Alumni attended the memorial service for Peter Blanchard P’91, ’95, ’96, GP’18, ’20, ’23, ’25: Thomas Diemar ’96, P’24, Andrew Legge ’94, Phil Walsh ’93, Alex Conway ’96, Lauren (Gruel) Diemar ’96, P’24, Michael Blanchard ’96, former Pingry history teacher Anthony Bowes ’96, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Jamie Newhouse ’95, Dr. Jay Crosby ’96, and Pete Blanchard ’95

Patrick Birotte ’87, P’20 and Mario Teixeira ’79 at PortuCale in Newark

executed a sustainability and fan engagement program on Billie Eilish’s world tour.

1993

SUSAN BARBA is the editor of the new illustrated poetry anthology American Wildflowers: A Literary Field Guide (2022), winner of the 2023 American Horticultural Society Award. She is the author of the poetry collections Fair Sun (2017) and geode (2020). She works as a senior editor for New York Review Books and lives in Cambridge, MA with her two children and husband, Philip Walsh ’93.

1996

CARA PELLICANO, Managing Director at Leerink Partners, was a panelist in November for Pingry’s Industry Night focused on finance. She partners with managing directors in pipeline management, talent acquisition and management, SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) integration, and objective setting for the rapidly growing Global Technology Investment Banking franchise. Prior to Leerink Partners, Cara was Chief Operating Officer at Jefferies and Chief Financial Officer at Eurasia Group.

1997

DR. MATTHEW SPEISER has written an alternate-history novel. Read more on page 60.

1999

LEXI FALLON, Head of Special Situations with the Capital Solutions Group at CPPIB (Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board), was a panelist in November for Pingry’s Industry Night focused on finance. She focuses on solution-oriented capital investment, including sponsor and non-sponsor financings. Previously, Lexi was Managing Director of Carl Marks & Co. and a Vice President at Goldman Sachs.

RONALD PACK, JR. is coaching fencing at Pingry. Read more on page 21.

MICHAEL ROBERTS, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Roberts Capital Advisors, was a panelist in November for Pingry’s Industry Night focused on finance. He is responsible for the firm’s macroeconomic policy and is the portfolio manager for the firm’s absolute return fund. He is also a forecaster in the Philadelphia Federal Reserve’s Survey of Professional Forecasters and the Blue Chip Economic Indicators forecasting survey. Prior to his current position, Michael was Vice President of Equity Research for T. Rowe Price Associates.

JULIAN SCURCI has launched a real estate newsletter. Read more on page 61.

2001

JONATHAN JACOBS and his wife, Lauren, welcomed their daughter, Olivia Rose Jacobs, to the world on May 31. Olivia has already heard stories from her dad about his time on the Honor Board, on the tennis team, and in the brass choir.

GARY LIU is Co-Founder and CEO of Hong Kong–based technology company Terminal 3, which is building a decentralized infrastructure to empower users with their digital identities, and reduce costs and compliance issues that could result from improper data collection. He spoke at Marketing-Interactive’s opening fireside chat at the Digital Marketing Asia conference in Singapore, explaining that “I’ve been in the consumer tech world for a very long time. But one day, I realized that so much of what I was doing was just pure exploitation of unsecured user data.” He also spoke about venture capital, saying it is incentivized by short returns, the “here and now,” not by long-term, sustainable technology. Gary is the former CEO of the South China Morning Post, and has also worked at Digg, Spotify, AOL, and Google.

BRIAN RAMIREZ is the new Vice President of Growth and Marketing at Resolve, a company dedicated to lowering medical bills on behalf of patients. According to a press release, “Brian’s expertise lies in creating innovative solutions that lower accessibility hurdles for consumers, thereby promoting financial stability.” Most recently, he was Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder of Retirable, a fintech platform dedicated to helping older adults generate retirement income, and he has spent a decade in roles that assisted underserved consumers.

2003

DR. LAURA (FUHRMAN) PHILLIPS, Senior Neuropsychologist and Senior Director of the Learning and Development Center at the Child Mind Institute, the leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health, participated in an October webinar about the Science of Reading. She said the low numbers of school-aged children who are proficient readers by Grade 4 are alarming because the numbers have remained stagnant for decades, and because lack of reading proficiency has significant short-term and long-term implications for academic achievement,

Jonathan Jacobs ’01 with his wife, Lauren, and their daughter, Olivia Rose

Susan Barba ’93 is the editor of American Wildflowers: A Literary Field Guide.

CLASS NOTES

mental health, employment potential, earning potential, and broader life outcomes. Laura also shared her concern about the persistence of low reading rates, despite unequivocal neuroscientific data showing how the brain reads, how children learn to read, and how schools should be teaching children to read. How does she think parents can help their children develop a love of reading at home? “Read early and read often. Make it enjoyable, and if your child is struggling to learn to read, keep nighttime reading low-pressure and fun, reading to your child, rather than insisting that they read to you.”

2004

DR. ASHLEY JACKSON received Pingry’s Achievement in the Arts Award. Read more on page 46.

NOAH MAMIS is Counsel to the Chief Judge at the New York Court of Appeals.

2005

AARON KELLNER, Director of Revenue Strategy at Circle, a global financial technology firm, was a panelist in November for Pingry’s Industry Night focused on finance. He is also Chief Investment Officer of Tricky Knot, an entertainment financing and development company, and was previously a Director at SeedInvest, an early-stage venture investment platform, which was acquired by Circle.

2007

DR. BENJAMIN OAKES, CEO and CoFounder of Scribe Therapeutics, was profiled in Forbes this past summer for his work to build custom gene-editing tools, using CRISPR, to tackle a range of hard-to-treat diseases, such as ALS, cancer, and sickle cell anemia with partners such as Lilly & Sanofi.

2008

BRITTANI BARTOK was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame in September. Read more on page 52.

2009

WILL WELDON married Taylor Chwae on December 8 at the Chicago Athletic Association.

2010

BETH GARCIA married Max Yano on June 17 at the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, NJ. Several of her Pingry classmates and lifelong friends joined the celebration; Beth’s twin sister, Maddie (Garcia) Roberts ’10, was her Matron of Honor; and Beth’s older brother, Mark Garcia ’06, was the wedding officiant.

Over 7,200 members strong, Pingry alumni are engaged, active members of the School community. As your life journey takes you to extraordinary destinations, we encourage you to update your contact information through the Office of Alumni Engagement. Alumni can submit address and contact information updates through our website at pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni, or email updates to infochange@pingry.org. Should you have questions or wish to share additional information, feel free to reach out to: Alumni Engagement Office

T: 908-647-5555, ext. 1222 E: alumni@pingry.org

Dana Apruzzese ’06 married Gregory Pierce on January 14, 2023 at The University Club in New York City. Pictured are Katherine Apruzzese Sherbrooke ’85, Caroline Boyer ’05, Charlotte Williams ’06, Kelley (Finlayson) Smith ’06, Dr. Ashley Ulker ’06, Jennifer Hetrick Lawrence ’06, Frances Callaghan ’06, Donald Apruzzese ’78, Dana Apruzzese Pierce ’06, John Apruzzese ’76, P’06, ’08 (father of the bride), Gregory Pierce, Margot Gianis Mooney ’06, Katy Pinke ’06, Juliette (Jordan) Whitten ’06, Ali Apruzzese Butkowski ’08 (sister/Maid of Honor), and Lynn Apruzzese Tetrault ’80

2011

NIC FINK was co-captain of the American men’s team at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan in July, and is now a five-time World Champions medalist. He won silver in the 50-meter breaststroke (26.59), finished in a three-way tie for silver in the 100-meter breaststroke (58.72), and was part of a bronze finish in the mixed 4x100-meter medley relay. He also won gold as part of the 4x100-meter medley relay. SwimSwam ranked him #12 among their top 15 male swimmers of the meet. Nic was also featured in an nj.com article in July as one of the New Jersey athletes training for, and hoping to compete in, the 2024 Paris Olympics.

ARIANA KING is a Real Estate Agent at The Jill Biggs Group.

ALEX LIEBERMAN’s podcast Founder’s Journal was selected by TalkBitz as one of the “10 Best Podcasts for Entrepreneurs in 2023.” CoFounder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, Alex shares behind-the-scenes stories and lessons from successful founders. TalkBitz calls the podcast “a must-listen” for entrepreneurs and those interested in the startup scene.

CHLOE SORVINO, a staff writer at Forbes, was interviewed on the podcast Eat. Drink. Think about her book Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat (see the Fall/Winter 2022 issue of The Pingry Review). “I’m an investigative journalist, through and through,” she said of the months spent in “document land”—reading thousands of pages of different lawsuits and government reports as part of her research. Among the topics that Chloe talked about: how the meat industry has been treating immigrant workers (low wages; human rights abuses; working conditions that foster disease); consumers needing to be connected to where their food comes from (“Americans have no idea where their meat comes from—it’s hurting us and making others rich”); and her belief that food companies should not be publicly traded, to free them from responsibility to shareholders and having to generate as much profit as possible (“In the food world, we can only eat so much, can only grow so much”).

Cory Babcock ’09, Eric Hynes ’08, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, and Andrew Babbitt ’09

Brendan Bruno ’09, Greg Gianis ’09, Chris Pike ’09, Dan Kissel ’09, Taylor Chwae, Will Weldon ’09, Bill Weldon ’72, P’09, ’11, Grant Thomas ’09, Woody Weldon ’91, P’23, Peter Weldon ’67, John Skowronski ’85, and Whitney Weldon ’11

Cassidy Reich ’10, Louisa (Lee) Horowitz ’10, Kristin (Scillia) Lowenthal ’10, Maddie (Garcia) Roberts ’10, Beth Garcia ’10, Courtney Hulse ’10, Ali Rotatori ’10, and Carina Chan ’10

CLASS NOTES

2012

REBECCA (CURRAN) DALEY married Ryan Daley on August 26 at Whitby Castle in Rye, NY.

2013

TEMI BUTLER was named to the Forbes 30-Under-30 list for Finance. A vice

president at HarbourView Equity Partners, an investment firm focused on the media and entertainment industry, she “has helped source over 400 media opportunities, resulting in more than 40 acquisitions within two years. Butler holds a board position for NFT marketplace Mueshi. She is also a member of the Young Leaders Circle of the Milken Institute think tank. Butler began her career at Goldman Sachs where she worked for four years. In 2020, when CEO David Solomon announced the bank would not take any companies public without at least one diverse board member, Butler worked with the bank’s head of corporate board engagement to install over 50 diverse directors to corporate boards.”

SHIRLEY WANG was named to the Forbes 30-Under-30 list for Healthcare. A Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, her “research work uses machine learning and mathematical modeling—including smartphones, wearable biosensors, and medical record data—to examine why and for whom mental disorders develop. While she studies a variety of afflictions, the overall focus of her work is on preventing suicide.”

She also returned to Pingry in December for the Honor Board Speaker Series to talk

about the before and after of her college process. Feeling stressed from family expectations and experiencing self-doubt during the application process, she applied to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) to stay close to home in New Jersey. She majored in Psychology and minored in Statistics and ended up loving her time at TCNJ, especially the “incredible research opportunities.” She worked with five professors at TCNJ on studies ranging from statistical methods development, to clinical psychology, to cognitive neuroscience. “I absolutely fell in love with the process of doing research . . . it was truly a transformative research experience, largely because of the amazing mentorship from professors at TCNJ.” One of the main ideas she left with the students: “Terms used to describe colleges are not objective fact. Instead of asking, ‘What’s the best school?’, ask ‘What’s the best place for me . . . what is the community like?’”

Upper School English Teacher and Honor Board Advisor Alisha Davlin P’32 says Shirley’s remarks coincided with the Honor Board’s discussion of research ethics and reflect the “cultural component of the Honor Code because she was addressing hyper-competitiveness and how we should rethink our view of competition and ‘scarcity

FRONT ROW: Margot Marchese ’12, KC Eboh ’12, and Hannah Kirmser ’12

MIDDLE ROW: Maria Werner ’16, Grace Putman ’12, and Rebecca (Curran) Daley ’12

BACK ROW: Michael Werner ’14, Katherine Curran ’14 (sister and Maid of Honor), Olivia Tarantino ’11, Marisa Werner ’12, Cailee Cassidy ’12, Eleni McFarland ’12, Ryan Daley, Jacob Green ’12, Freddy Elliot ’12, Elise Lang ’12, Matt Lipper ’12, and Josh King ’12

Matt Lipper ’12, Freddy Elliot ’12, KC Eboh ’12, and Jacob Green ’12 at the wedding of Rebecca (Curran) Daley ’12

mentality’—if we all root for each other, we can all succeed in our respective fields.” Shirley will begin work as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Yale University this year.

2019

CHRISTINE SHAO, who was a member of the Columbia University Women’s Golf Team, was named to the WGCA (Women’s Golf Coaches Association) All-American Scholar Team this past summer. The team includes nearly 1,400 women’s collegiate golfers across the country, and the criteria for selection to the team, according to a press release, are “some of the most stringent in all of college athletics.”

2020

JOE GOTTESMAN has accepted a commission to serve as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, beginning after graduation from The University of Chicago in June 2024. Joe completed Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia during the summer of 2023.

BRIAN LI received Princeton University’s Class of 1939 Scholar Prize, awarded each year to the undergraduate who, at the end of junior year, has achieved the highest academic standing for all preceding college work at the University. According to a news release on the university’s website, Brian is majoring in Comparative Literature and pursuing a minor in Global Health and Health Policy. His senior thesis focuses on the history of medicine during the early modern period (1500–1750) in western Europe and China, and how the debates among medical traditions of this era have shaped 21stcentury medicine. Outside the classroom, Brian is a Head Advising Fellow with Matriculate, which works with high-achieving, low-income high school students, providing them with insights and encouragement to help them enter colleges that fit their talents. He is also a peer representative, a member of the Princeton curling team, and a residential college adviser at Mathey College. This past summer, he was a fellow with the Stanford Chariot Program, under Stanford’s pediatric anesthesiology division, working with a team of physicians and clinical researchers in researching the applications of immersive technology such as augmented and virtual reality on pediatric pain, anxiety, and rehabilitation.

2021

MATT FALLON, a breaststroker on the University of Pennsylvania’s Men’s Swimming & Diving Team, won gold in the 200-meter breaststroke at the USA Swimming Phillips 66 National Championships for the second year in a row—he earned the national title in 2:07.71, the sixth-fastest time in U.S. history (the previous year, he swam 2:07.91). With the win, Matt earned a spot on the U.S. National Team at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan in July. There, he won bronze (2:07.74) in the 200-meter breaststroke as the youngest of the top three finishers, and he was the U.S.’ first medalist in the event since 2015. Matt was also featured in an nj.com article in July, and a Daily Pennsylvanian story in November, as he trains with the hopes of competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Most recently, at the Toyota U.S. Open Championships in December, he broke the meet record in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:09.49)—his third consecutive national championship in the event—and earned Penn Athletics Student-Athlete of the Week honors.

JAKE NICOLL, goalkeeper for Bucknell University Men’s Soccer, was named Goalkeeper of the Week in August as part of the Patriot League’s Men’s Soccer Weekly Awards. In his first collegiate start, the season opener, Jake recorded a 0.667 save percentage and two saves in the team’s 2–1 win at Mount St. Mary’s.

2022

DANIEL ITTYCHERIA, a forward on Princeton University’s Men’s Soccer Team, was profiled in The Daily Princetonian for his standout sophomore year. The story focused on his evolution from substitute player (last year), when he recorded one goal and three assists, to leading scorer (this year) with nine goals in 15 games—the second-highest total in the Ivy League. He credits his accomplishments with growing as a player after many of the team’s seniors graduated last year, and having confidence in himself.

2023

BELLA GOODWIN was profiled in Inside Lacrosse in November. On their ILWomen Class of 2023 Power 100 Rankings, she is the No. 7 freshman in the nation as she joins Duke University.

Over 7,200 members strong, Pingry alumni are engaged, active members of the School community. As your life journey takes you to extraordinary destinations, we encourage you to update your contact information through the Office of Alumni Engagement. Alumni can submit address and contact information updates through our website at pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni, or email updates to infochange@pingry.org. Should you have questions or wish to share additional information, feel free to reach out to:

Alumni Engagement Office

T: 908-647-5555, ext. 1222

E: alumni@pingry.org

Ben Gottesman ’22, Joe Gottesman ’20, Andy Gottesman ’88, P’20, ’22, and Christine Gottesman P’20, ’22

Luigi Zavala ’23 took this selfie with Head of School Tim Lear after receiving his diploma.

IN MEMORIAM

PAMELA PARRISH HIRSCH

December 24, 2023, age 77, New York, NY

nMrs. Hirsch served as President of the PSPA and a Pingry trustee from 1997–1999. She majored in English at Purdue University and received a master’s degree in Letters from Drew University. Mrs. Hirsch worked in market research for Oxtoby Smith and Procter & Gamble, and became a small business owner when she bought Manhattan’s oldest toy store, Mary Arnold Toys, owning it for almost 10 years. She joined The Garden Club of America, serving at the local and national levels, and received the Medal of Merit Award for her ongoing dedication to the sustainability of natural resources; the Chris Willemsen Award for her contributions to the protection of the local environment; and the Isabel Bartenstein Award for her floral designs and horticulture. Mrs. Hirsch was also active with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, where she served on the board and fought relentlessly for the conservation of the state’s undeveloped properties. She was preceded in death by her son, Bradley Hirsch ’95. Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Howard; sons, Brian ’97 and Douglas ’03; granddaughter, Lila; daughter-in-law, Nancy (Chen) Hirsch; sister, Paula Hammond; and brother, Cayce “Scott” Parrish. Mrs. Hirsch battled breast cancer for 20 years.

Alcoa Aluminum and culminating with Altech Industries, a new company he founded with several colleagues. He was a PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) high school swim official for 40 years and, in 1965, helped plan and build Trident Swim and Tennis Club. He was predeceased by his loving wife of 70 years, Marion Gray Oxley; sister, Harriet Oxley, and daughter-in-law, Tracey Oxley. Survivors include his only child, Greg Oxley; granddaughter, Morgan Oxley Brighenti (Anthony); and great-grandson, Nolan Gregory Brighenti.

KENNETH HOUSTON BARTON ’49

in insurance and then as an institutional bond salesman. He was an ardent proponent of the merits of free enterprise and found immense fulfillment helping to channel excess savings into productive investment. He also served as Executive Director of the Highland Park Presbyterian Foundation. Mr. Dzina was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, JoAnne. Survivors include their son, Richard Dzina, Jr. and daughter-in-law Lucy Dzina; daughter, Nancy Lance and son-inlaw Stephen Lance; son, David Dzina and daughter-in-law Robbin Dzina; son, Doug Dzina and daughter-in-law Tricia Dzina; and grandchildren, Grace (Zack), Richard, Elizabeth, Maggie, Shepherd, Paige, Mollie, and Drew.

MICHAEL J. MEHR ’52

November 14, 2023, age 88, Union, NJ

LAWRENCE E. “LARRY” OXLEY ’45 December 18, 2023, age 95, Allentown, PA nMr. Oxley attended Princeton University, where he majored in Civil and Mechanical Engineering and was active on the debate, public speaking, and football teams. His college years were interrupted by military service; he proudly served as an operation sergeant in Japan for the U.S. Army’s Eight Engineers, 1st Calvary Division. Mr. Oxley had successful sales and marketing careers, initially with

June 24, 2023, age 91, Tarrytown, NY nMr.Barton studied journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Columbia University. He worked at the Plainfield Courier-News and Elizabeth Daily Journal, as well as the Associated Press in Raleigh, NC. Later, he served as a history teacher and Dean of Students at Riverdale Country School, Principal of Fieldston School (in 1983-84, over a decade into his tenure, the school was cited as “outstanding” by the Council for American Private Education and the U.S. Department of Education), Associate Headmaster at Riverdale Country School again, and finally as Chairman of the Commission on Accreditation for the New York State Association of Independent Schools.

RICHARD PAUL “DICK” DZINA ’52

November 21, 2023, age 89, Dallas, TX

nMr. Dzina attended Princeton University and was then drafted into the U.S. Army and proudly served the country that gave his family a fresh start; his father was from Germany and his mother was from Italy. Upon completion of service, he commenced his professional journey, first

nMr. Mehr graduated from Cornell University and served his country in the Marines Corps, training at Camp Lejeune, before completing a law degree at the University of Virginia. During a distinguished legal career that spanned five decades, he established himself as a leading regulatory and corporate lawyer in the field of public utilities. He worked for the Federal Trade Commission under the Kennedy Administration and served as a New Jersey State Deputy Attorney General and Chief Counsel to the Board of Public Utility Commissioners. Instrumental in forming New Jersey’s Office of Administrative Law, Mr. Mehr was the agency’s first Deputy Director and presided as Judge over numerous landmark cases. After over 20 years of public service to the State of New Jersey, he joined Waters, McPherson, McNeill in Secaucus, NJ as Senior Partner. He concluded his career as a New Jersey State Administrative Law Judge, returning to the agency he helped form decades earlier. In 2002, he was honored with the New Jersey Utility Association’s Distinguished Service Award for significant and positive contributions to the New Jersey utility industry and community. “Michael Mehr has been in the forefront of groundbreaking decisions in the state,” said Walter Braswell,

who presented the award. “Much of how we practice utility law today has his signature on it.” Survivors include his beloved wife of 54 years, Kathleen; children, Jay, Jennifer, and Jessica Mehr; daughter-in-law, Jennifer Young Mehr; and grandchildren, Daniel, Kevin, Jack, and Henry Mehr.

BERNARD A. “BERNIE” PECKMAN ’54

October 26, 2022, age 85, Scotch Plains, NJ

LESTER CHARLES “LES” HOPTON, JR. ’55

January 21, 2024, age 86, Moorestown, NJ

JAMES ANDERSON “JIM” URNER ’57

nMr. Peckman graduated from Keystone College and Brooklyn College of Pharmacy. He was the Owner and Pharmacist of Peckman Pharmacy of Jersey City for 50 years. He was a former President of the Clark Little League and received Clark’s Citizen of the Year Award in 1986. Mr. Peckman was predeceased by his beloved wife, Catherine, and brother, Richard. Survivors include his devoted children, Steven (Susan), Gary (Tina), and Howard (Christine), 10 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

PHILIP ANDRUSS BURROWS ’55

July 10, 2023, age 86, New Vernon, NJ

nMr. Burrows played on the Soccer and Track teams at Pingry. After moving on to Lehigh University, he served his country in the National Guard. He loved all things with a motor, taking great pleasure in his boats, motorcycle, and most especially, cars and ultimately, his vintage truck. Working at Road & Track and Car and Driver magazines at CBS Publications, his passion for cars and love of work blended perfectly. Even in his retirement, he was able to continue his experiences working at the CEM Auto Museum (Claire Eckert Museum). Survivors include his wife, Nancy; sons, Russ (Katie) and Todd ’90 (Sarah); grandchildren, Diana, John, Charlie, and Jane; sisters, Judy Sutton and Susan Tierney (James); and brother-inlaw, Gary Rae.

nMr. Hopton graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked at Campbell Soup Company for 34 years, ultimately serving as Director of MIS (Management Information System) Planning. Committed to community service, he was an Eagle Scout, scoutmaster, civil rights activist, president of the Burlington County League of Women Voters, elected to Moorestown Town Council, and Clerk of Moorestown Meeting. Mr. Hopton was predeceased by his ex-wife, Patti. Survivors include his sister, Elsie MacKethan; children, Ted Hopton and Jeremiah Gold-Hopton; four grandchildren; and life partner, Lynn Conant.

DR. ROBERT D. “BOB” SCHWEIZER ’57

February 28, 2023, age 83, Tucson, AZ

November 13, 2023, age 84, Vero Beach, FL and Bay Head, NJ

nDr. Schweizer majored in Biology at Princeton University, received a medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, and served for three years in the U.S. Air Force, including a tour in Vietnam. After service, he completed a residency in Radiology at New York University–Bellevue Medical Center, where he was Chief Resident. In 1974, he went into private practice with Radiology Ltd. in Tucson; the group had four hospital affiliations and he was on the staff of all four. Dr. Schweizer was also Medical Director of the Department of Radiology of St. Joseph’s Hospital, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Radiology Department at the University of Arizona Medical School. For some years thereafter, he consulted with three green companies in Arizona and California. His brothers, Roman Schweizer ’55 and Dr. Frederick W. Schweizer ’57, predeceased him.

nMr. Urner earned a B.A. at Grove City College and an M.A. in Economics at Trinity College, and spent his career in life insurance marketing and sales support— including his last 25 enjoyable years as Vice President at Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company in Hartford, CT. If there was a chorus at these places, he was in it— barbershop being a favorite. Forever curious, he mastered the colonial arts in stained glass work, basket weaving, chair caning, tin piercing, candle dipping, soap making, canning, jamming, and maple sugaring. As an internationally certified White Water Slalom judge, Mr. Urner was invited to judge kayak and canoe slalom events in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. He was also a competitive sailor in single or two-man boats, claiming championship titles from 1953 to 2001. A lifelong member of the Bay Head Yacht Club, Mr. Urner was honored to be elected to the rank of Commodore from 2007–2009. Additional noteworthy accolades include Councilman of Bay Head municipality, volunteer for ReClam the Bay (a non-profit environmental organization), and Foundation Board Trustee of Ocean Medical Center. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Sherrerd Welles Urner; children, Nancy Urner-Berry (Scott), James Anderson Urner, Jr. (Jill), and Katherine “Kat” Schott (Jared); grandchildren, Margaret, Katherine, Jimmy, Jack, Katie, Hannah Dempsey, Jared, Kelly (Troy); three great-grandchildren; brother, Stephen Urner (Jane); two nieces; and three step-brothers.

DR. THOMAS ELBERT CORBIN ’58

January 16, 2023, age 82, Chevy Chase, MD

nDr. Corbin knew from the age of seven that he wanted to be an astronomer, thanks to a visit to the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium. He

IN MEMORIAM

majored in Astronomy at Harvard University, where he was on the track team. He threw the shot put, but his main event was the javelin for which he broke the Harvard record for distance thrown. He joined the National Guard, doing basic training at Ft. Devens, MA, then began substitute teaching for high school classes. Dr. Corbin came to Washington, D.C. to work at the U.S. Naval Observatory, received a master’s degree from Georgetown University, spent two years in Argentina on an observing project at El Leoncito National Park (as part of the Observatory’s commitment to observe the entire southern hemisphere skies), returned to Washington, and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Virginia while continuing to work at the Observatory. Ultimately, Dr. Corbin worked as an astronomer at the Observatory from 1964–1999, specializing in the production of star catalogs for use in navigation and astronomical research. He worked on many other programs, including the Observatory’s pole-to-pole observing effort. He was also active in the International Astronomical Union, including serving as President of the Positional Astronomy Commission in the 1990s, and frequently volunteered to give presentations at local schools. Dr. Corbin was predeceased by his younger sisters, Kathy and Cheryl. Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Brenda; son, James; daughter-in-law, Carmen; and granddaughters, Camille and Sonia. Dr. Corbin died from congestive heart failure and complications from Parkinson’s disease.

ERIC ROBERT BRENNER ’69

July 14, 2023, age 72, Newnan, GA

North America as Group Director, Integrated Multi Media Production. Mr. Brenner traveled the world, shooting commercials with many notable directors, actors, athletes, and musicians. He was predeceased by his father, Dr. Robert Brenner ’38; sister, Chris Macdonald; and brother-in-law, Kenneth Ott. Survivors include his wife of 27 years, Barbara; sister-in-law, Heidi Ott; and brotherin-law, Tom Sante. Mr. Brenner died from a rare carcinoid tumor cancer.

JONATHON “JON” LAMBERTO ’81

December 22, 2023, age 60, Napa, CA

nMr. Lamberto graduated from Boston University and began his career with Shearson/Lehman Brothers. A selftaught musician, he eventually formed his own band that primarily performed at home. He generously devoted his time to The First Tee, imparting valuable life skills to the younger generation through the game of golf. Additionally, his passion for making a difference led him to actively participate in fundraising for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, contributing to the fight against breast cancer. Survivors include his brother, Chris ’87.

EDWARD MICHAEL “EDDY” GRAY ’84

November 25, 2023, age 57, Half Moon Bay, CA

n Mr. Brenner received a degree in Communications from the University of Vermont. He began his career in a recording studio in New York City, then moved to advertising agency SSC&B Lintas, rising to Senior Vice President, Executive Producer working on Heineken (Silver Medal at the 1981 International Film & TV Festival of New York), Cover Girl, Diet Coke (finalist for the 1985 Clio Awards), and more. He also worked with Tracy-Locke and, finally, Coca-Cola

DR. ANNE PROCTOR CHAPIN ’79 January 26, 2024, age 62, Brevard, NC nDr. Chapin received a bachelor’s in Economics from Duke University and a master’s and doctorate in Art History from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joined the faculty of Brevard College and rose to Professor of Art History and Archaeology before her retirement after 25 years of teaching and research. While challenging students to understand and appreciate the world of art, she also contributed numerous scholarly articles to the field of ancient Mediterranean art and archaeology, and edited two volumes of international research on ancient Bronze Age civilization. She loved nothing better than to share with students her knowledge of the rich diversity of monuments that can be experienced in person; always keen to be involved herself and contribute if she could, she worked as a volunteer excavator at the Agora excavations in Athens, Greece and directed the daily processing and recording of finds for eight years at the Gournia excavations on the island of Crete. Even after being diagnosed with glioblastoma in December 2020, she continued to work on publication of her assigned material from the excavation and successfully completed and submitted her contribution in September 2023. Survivors include her husband of 30 years, Robert “Bob” Bauslaugh; son, Andrew Bauslaugh Chapin; sister, Elizabeth ’82; and stepchildren, Ryan Bauslaugh and Erin McIntyre. Dr. Chapin passed away after a courageous three-year battle with brain cancer.

nMr. Gray graduated from Dartmouth College, where he was a beloved figure on campus and President of the Dartmouth Marching Band. An incredible musician, he went on to sing in the Model Citizens, a band he and other classmates formed while at Stanford Business School. He worked at Avid Technologies (formerly known as Digidesign) for almost 30 years, creating lasting friendships within the audio recording industry. As Mr. Gray’s illness due to Gaucher’s Disease and Diabetes progressed, causing him to lose his eyesight, he worked tirelessly to develop Accessibility Standards for the music and recording industry. Survivors include his wife of 28 years, Kathryn; son, Harrison “Max”; older brothers, Kenneth and Barry Schwartz; sisters, Bonnie Hurwitz and Vicky Gray; and uncle, David Kiener. His friend Ned Ward ’85 wrote, “Ed was an attractor, and people wanted to follow him, whether it was president of his Pingry class, president of the marching band, or as leader of multiple bands—The Distractions, Model Citizens—people wanted to be with him and

do fun things. Ed had an uncanny ability to see the brighter side of life and share that laughter and light with those around him.”

CHRISTIAN ROBERT CABANERO ’92

December 29, 2023, age 49, Seattle, WA

ANDREW RUTHERFORD WAGNER ’05

August 9, 2023, age 36, Nashville, TN

nMr. Cabanero graduated with bachelor’s degree in Business from New York University. Early in his career, he was a co-founder of the retail company Kozmo. com in New York City. In the early 2000s, he moved to Seattle and worked for a startup, Alatron, prior to joining Amazon. He spent the majority of his career working in new product development at Amazon; highlights included creating Askville and founding Amazon Game Studios. He was preceded in death by his mother, Susana, and sister, Camille ’99. Survivors include his wife, Jennifer; brother, Clint (Kristeen); father, Camilo; sister, Angelique; brother, Juan; mother-in-law, Sally; and sister-in-law, Nancy. Mr. Cabanero lived with cancer for over 20 years.

KACIE (THOMSON) OSWORTH ’94

January 24, 2024, age 48, Branchburg, NJ

nMs. Osworth worked at Henkel for the past 20 years as a customer service supervisor. Survivors include her husband, Daniel Osworth; two sons, Evan Osworth and Cole Osworth; parents, former Pingry math teacher Peter and Carol Thomson; and sisters Heather and Matthew Saum, Jessica ’02 and Wes Szafran, and Karen ’08 and Paul Spicer. Ms. Osworth passed away peacefully after a long battle with breast cancer.

nMr. Wagner graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the College of Charleston and a Master of Science in Accountancy from Wake Forest University. Mr. Wagner then earned his C.P.A. and began his accounting career in Charlotte. He later moved to Nashville where he worked as a Senior Manager in the Transaction Advisory Services Division of Brentwood-based LBMC, PC. Mr. Wagner would probably want to be remembered most by those who knew him at Pingry for his dedication to his football and lacrosse teammates and coaches, and his interest in academics and learning. Survivors include his parents, Sally and Glenn, and sister, Charlie ’07. Mr. Wagner died after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Faculty/Staff

ALEKSEY

“ALEX”

GAVRILENKO

September 1, 2023, age 80, Bridgewater, NJ

nMr. Gavrilenko was a member of the Maintenance and Kitchen staffs in Basking Ridge from 2000–2014. Originally from Ukraine, he became an American citizen while working at Pingry.

PAUL CAMPBELL GLEASON

June 26, 2023, age 83, MA

nMr. Gleason taught German at Pingry from 1967–1975. He attended Haverford University, Boston University, and New York University, and became a language teacher, coach, chess champion,

and businessman. He served as president of his father’s firm, Porcelain Patch & Glaze Corp. in Watertown, MA. Survivors include his devoted wife of 56 years, Nancy; son, Jonathan; daughter, Sarah; and five grandchildren.

Friend of Pingry

CECIL CARY CUNNINGHAM

August 31, 2023, age 98, Falls Church, VA nMrs. Cunningham was the widow of former Head of School H. Westcott “Scotty” Cunningham ’38 and the mother of Ann Cunningham Stachura ’78 and the late Todd Cunningham ’80. She attended the College of William and Mary, where she met and married Mr. Cunningham, and the two formed an unbeatable partnership for more than 65 years. Along with Ann, survivors include her daughter-in-law, Margaret Smith Cunningham; grandchildren, Scott Davis, Margaret Davis, Andrew Davis, Todd Cunningham, Jr., and Jack Cunningham; and six great-grandchildren.

The editorial staff makes every effort to publish an obituary for and pay tribute to trustees, alumni, and employees who have passed away, based on information available as of press time. If family members, classmates, or friends would like to submit tributes, please contact Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org.

A VISIT TO THE ARCHIVES

Pingry boasts a small but fascinating collection of Pingry-emblazoned china and tableware, including items such as milk pitchers, coasters, napkins, and more. However, one of the more interesting items was acquired in the fall of 2022 as part of a larger donation.

Items from the collections of the late Dr. John Hall “Jack” Martin ’61 were gifted to the School by a longtime classmate. Included among many historical letters, yearbooks, handbooks, cassettes, and CDs was a beautiful mug commemorating the Class of 1961, displaying the School’s 100th-anniversary year on the front and inscribed with Dr. Martin’s name on the back. Fewer than 70 of these mugs were produced.

Letter-In-Life Award recipient Lyric Wallwork Winik ’84 served as Editor-in-Chief of The Pingry Record for the 1983-84 school year, the same year that Pingry moved from Hillside to Bernards Township. She shares her memories of the newspaper’s coverage:

The “new” Pingry was vastly different in conception from the Hillside Campus—in good ways but also in challenging ways. The corner hallway classrooms were originally designed without a fourth wall to be “open classrooms,” where anyone who passed by could sample the learning, while the exterior of the building had an aqua stripe to be a play on the preppy combination of pink and green. The Record

was very fortunate to be able to sit down with the architects and ask some tough questions about their design and vision. Once students occupied the school, a fourth wall was added very quickly! Sharing in the learning definitely did not work nearly as well in practice as on paper. Our interview exposed some of those issues before the building was operational. And that aqua stripe was eventually changed—it was a little too much stylistic irony.

The Record also worked hard to capture the experiences and emotions of teachers and students leaving Hillside, which held so many memories. Finally, the old style of hand-done layout actually worked to our advantage because I was able to create a centerfold that mimicked the exterior of the new building, using a razor blade on the copy. It’s a rarity for student journalists to get to record such a monumental change in the life of a school—I’m grateful to Pat Lionetti, our advisor, who pushed to give us that opportunity. And our coverage has held up very well! You can’t always say that about “adult” journalism.

“It’s a rarity for student journalists to get to record such a monumental change in the life of a school.”

Lyric Wallwork

Winik ’84 with a copy of The Pingry Record during the Letter-In-Life Award Luncheon

PINGRY HAS RECEIVED A TREASURED ARTIFACT: an 1872 letter penned by the School’s founder himself, Dr. John Pingry. This priceless document provides a captivating glimpse into the life of John Pingry and sheds light on a chance encounter. The letter, generously donated by John Brady ’78, is a remarkable addition to the School’s archival collections.

The story behind this extraordinary find begins with John Pingry’s travels in the summer of 1872. While on a trip, he happened to meet a former student who kindly offered him a place to stay for the night. Immersed in heartfelt reflections, Dr. Pingry took to his pen and shared his experiences in this letter to his beloved wife.

Fast forward to the present day, when Mr. Brady acquired the letter on the online marketplace eBay. Recognizing the historical significance of the artifact, Mr. Brady decided to donate it to Pingry’s Archives.

The recent 45th Reunion dinner at the Pottersville Campus served as the perfect backdrop for John Brady ’78 to present Dr. Pingry’s letter to Archivist Peter Blasevick P’24.

A VISIT TO THE ARCHIVES In Pingry History

10 YEARS AGO

20 YEARS AGO

Pingry launches both the 1-to-1 Laptop Program, which requires each student to have a laptop in every class, and a new schedule that features seven letter days, fewer (but longer) classes each day, classes meeting at different times during the week, breaks between backto-back classes, and Flex periods.

30 YEARS AGO

The new Hostetter Arts Center receives its second honor*, the International Masonry Institute’s Golden Trowel Award, making it the year’s best-designed new K–12 independent school building in New Jersey. The Arts Center fits the Institute’s criteria of “excellence in masonry design and construction.” *The first honor was an award from the American Institute of Architects.

Student Council becomes Student Government, reflecting a change suggested by the Honor Code Committee based on the group’s function. Student “government” should be the representation of student opinions about student governing policies, whereas the Council’s focus had been only the organization of student activities.

40 YEARS AGO

Pingry moves from Hillside to Bernards Township. In a column titled “Visionaries,” The Pingry Record writes that the relocation was “accomplished by people of vision” and recognizes the leadership and contributions of William S. Beinecke ’31, Robert W. Parsons, and Fred Bartenstein: “It was Mr. Beinecke who first conceived of the idea to move the school . . . Mr. Parsons believed in Mr. Beinecke’s idea and helped maintain momentum . . . Through the work of Mr. Bartenstein, Pingry completed the sale of the Hillside Campus and finalized plans for the construction of the new school.”

LEFT: William S. Beinecke ’31, P’61, ’64 and Fred Bartenstein, Jr. P’68, ’70, ’72, ’75 in 2006

RIGHT: Robert W. Parsons P’51, ’55, GP’97

50 YEARS AGO

Pingry holds a memorial service for coach and Director of Athletics Vincent “Les” Lesneski. Guy Cipriano ’74 writes in The Pingry Record, “I am certain that all of us who knew and loved Mr. Les have taken into our hearts a part of him. His own unique style of teaching and coaching can never be forgotten by any who came in contact with him. The Pingry School lost a great friend with the passing of Mr. Les, but his philosophy and character have left their mark on the Pingry community forever.”

60 YEARS AGO

Former Head of School Dr. Larry Springer, who retired in 1961 after 25 years and became a consultant for independent schools, visits Pingry. He has been traveling the country with an architect as they look for ideas for an academy to be built in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Springer finds four inspirations at Pingry: the chapel as a place of worship and an auditorium; the décor in the dining room and Whitlock Room; two gymnasiums; and the science department.

70 YEARS AGO

After Pingry moved from Parker Road to the Hillside Campus, further enhancements were made to the new campus, including work on the athletics facilities, landscaping, parking lots, floors, and classroom décor. The Science Department was also improved, with spotlights installed above the lecture table; a fully stocked, separate physics lab (resulting in more lab work); more storage space in the biology room; and modernization of two lecture tables from Parker Road

80 YEARS AGO

Students listen to an address by fighter pilot Lt. Dick Hamilton on training in the Army Air Corps. He speaks about physical and vision requirements; physical training; mental exams; aircraft identification, in which a cadet has to be able to identify a plane flashed across the screen in one-one hundredth of a second; ship identification; primary flight training; and more.

90 YEARS AGO

The Camera Club is formed (organized by Joseph Engel ’35) to promote interest in cameras and to give students the chance to study photography as an art. Members include Joseph Engel ’35 (president) and Richard Tregaskis ’34 (secretary-treasurer, who would become a renowned war correspondent). Candidates for membership need to submit three photos for approval by the club’s officers.

pingry.org (Forever Blue section): Visit the monthly blog Pingry Flashes Back for more stories from the Pingry Archives.

A FINAL LOOK

A group of retirees, who have been meeting periodically since 2016 as “faculty and staff alumni,” gathered for lunch in Scotch Plains in October. Those who are interested in joining the group can email Pat Lionetti (pat.lionetti@gmail.com).

For the first time, Student Invocations were part of the Trustee Dinner:

“Over the past 12 years, I have come to realize that the odd Pingry ‘customs’ I adopted, once foreign to me, somehow became my traditions, and our imposing spacestation of a building somehow became my home. For all of us, the name ‘Pingry,’ whether cheered by classmates in the stands or recognized from sweatshirts across the street in far-off cities, is synonymous with honor, community, and most importantly, home. We want to extend our sincere thanks to the faculty, administrators, and members of the Board of Trustees that ensure that Pingry is the best home it can possibly be.”

JULIA ENG ’24

SITTING: Ann D’Innocenzo, Susanne Alford, Connie Fayen, and Sheila Ramirez

STANDING: Judy Previti and Dr. Joan Pearlman

SITTING: Gail Castaldo, Judy Lee, Pat Lionetti, and Joan Hearst STANDING: Associate Head of School Ben Courchesne, Dr. Mike Richardson, and Dr. Trish Lowery

Barbara Stockhoff, Pat Vergalito, Elaine Ochab, Judy Baker, Diane Scalera, and Barbara Conroy

ATTENDEES

Susanne Alford P’92, ’95, Grade 5 English and Language Arts, 1981–2013

Connie Allan P’75, ’77, ’79, ’83, Grade 1, 1979–2003

Dr. Jane Ashcom, English Department Chair, 1994–2005

Judy Baker P’01, GP’27, ’28, Assistant Director of Athletics, 1991–2022

Barbara Berlin P’85, Art History, 1975–2001

Gail Castaldo P’00, Spanish/French/Peer Leadership, 1979–2014

Joanne Coker, Kindergarten, 1982–1994

Susan Conklin, Academic Support Coordinator and Learning Specialist, 2017–2020

Barbara Conroy, Music Department Administrative Assistant, 1986–2018

Ann D’Innocenzo, Lower School Librarian, 1997–2023

Jane Edwards, Visual Arts, 1989–2015

Laura Engelhardt, Middle School Secretary, 1997–2006

Connie Fayen P’90, ’02, Lower School Library/ Admission, 1988–2013

Joan Hearst, Dean of Student Life, 2001–2010

Eileen Hymas, C.B. Newton Library Director, 2001–2020

Evelyn Kastl, Computers/English, 1969–2016

Elaine Krusch, Typing/Computers/Study Skills, 1977–2007

Judy Lee, Math/Field Hockey/Swimming/Athletics Hall of Fame, 1985–2016

Pat Lionetti P’85, ’88, ’89, English/Psychology/ School Counselor/Peer Leadership/The Pingry Record, 1977–2013

“I have come to believe that names are not merely euphonious groupings of letters by which one addresses another in reference and conversation, but rather the single most important connection to one’s own identity and individuality. Our names connect us to our culture, traditions, and place in the world.

OUR NAME IS PINGRY.

At Pingry, we aim to inspire, motivate, and create an environment that encourages and supports innovative thinking and actions by embracing diverse perspectives from individuals of all identities and backgrounds. And for that, we have our amazing teachers to thank, as well as, of course, our Board of Trustees.”

Dr. Trish Lowery, Science, 2000–2017

Elaine Ochab, Receptionist, 1992–2020

Dr. Joan Pearlman P’89, ’92, ’96, Grade 5 English and Language Arts/Grade 6 Study Skills, 1983–2021

Dennis Pearlstein, English, 2007–2020

Judy Previti, Kindergarten, 2004–2023

Sheila Ramirez P’01, ’04, ’07, Director of Lower School Admission, 1996–2022

Dr. Mike Richardson, History/Visual Arts/ Psychology/School Counselor/Peer Leadership/ Girls’ Soccer/Athletics Hall of Fame, 1969–2012

Diane Scalera, Business Office, 1991–2007

Barbara (DeAngelo) Stockhoff, Administrative Assistant to the Head of School, 1986–2014

Pat Vergalito, Benefits Coordinator, 1985–2012

Connie Allan, Elaine Krusch, Head of School Tim Lear, Evelyn Kastl, Laura Engelhardt (Joanne Coker’s daughter), and Joanne Coker

SITTING: Dr. Jane Ashcom, Ben Ashcom, and Barbara Berlin STANDING: Eileen Hymas, Paul Hymas, Susan Conklin, Jane Edwards, and Dennis Pearlstein

LUKE EVANS ’24

The Pingry School

Basking Ridge Campus, Middle & Upper Schools

Short Hills Campus, Lower School

Pottersville Campus, K-12 Experiential Education

131 Martinsville Road

Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Grade 8 during their September trip to Washington, D.C.