The Pingry Record VOLUME CXXX The Nationʼs ON THE WEB Oldest : Country Day record.pingry.org School Newspaper s i n c e 1895 Volume CXXX, Number 6 The Pingry School, Martinsville, New Jersey March 23, 2004 STUDENTS ELECT New Division Directors Prepare to Lead SRIVASTAVA (V) AS Mr. Jon Leef Is Named Upper School Director COUNCIL PRESIDENT Name: Jon Leef Plans to Widen the Upper School Director School: Rye Country Day School, Rye, N.Y. Role of Student By MARTA POPIOLEK (V) Position: Assistant Upper School Principal Mr. Jon Leef was announced cisions,” Zacharias said. Education: B.A., Bucknell University Government on Feb. 17 as the new Upper Paul Wieman, upper school M.A., Teachers College at Columbia University School director and assistant principal at RCDS, said Mr. Subjects Taught: Math By CAITLIN BERGH (VI) headmaster. He will take over Leef is a terrific person with a Nikhil Srivastava (V) won Mr. Rohdieʼs position next great sense of humor. “Heʼs an Sports Coached: Football, Softball the student body presidential year. excellent teacher, a phenomenal Experience: Dean of Students, RCDS; Math election on Feb. 23 to be- Mr. Leef is currently the as- coach and the kids like him,” Department Chair, Hackley School come the 2004-2005 student sistant upper school principal Mr. Wieman said. “He is a body president. Upon win- at the Rye Country Day School real leader, and I donʼt make ning, Srivastava said he was (RCDS) in Rye, N.Y. He is also decisions without him.” Mr. “mostly thankful” and “just the 11th grade dean, an assis- Wieman added that Pingry is a grateful that kids voted for tant college counselor and head lucky school to have Mr. Leef me and gave me the chance coach of varsity football. next year. Middle School Director to be president.” Mr. Leef teaches pre-calcu- RCDS students had kind His job may not begin lus and has taught every math words to say about Mr. Leef. Name: Philip Cox until fall, but Srivastava course up to AP Calculus. He Senior Doug Behrman said Mr. School: Greenhill School, Addison, Texas previously served as RCDSʼ Leef was his best high school said his plans for next year Position: Assistant Director of Middle School start this year. He intends dean of students and softball teacher and coach. “He has left to spend the remainder of coach. Before coming to RCDS an indelible mark on my life,” Education: B.A., Bucknell University the year acquainting himself in 1995, he was head of the Behrman said. “My advice to M.A., University of Virginia math department at the Hackley any student is to just listen to with procedural matters by Subjects Taught: English communicating with cur- School in Tarrytown, N.Y. what he has to say.” rent Student Body President He received a B.A. from Senior Nick Carcaterra Sports Coached: Soccer, Lacrosse Robert Zacharias and Student Bucknell University and an called Mr. Leef “one of the Experience: Director of Admissions, Greenhill Government Adviser Ms. M.A. from the Teachers Col- best all-around people Iʼve Penny Callas. lege at Columbia University, ever met. I canʼt imagine what School; Associate Director of Development, Srivastava said he hopes to both in math. high school would have been Greenhill School; Teacher, Montclair Kimberley improve school events next Mr. Leef grew up in West- like without him.” year. “I think Rob [Zacharias] chester, N.Y. and said Pingryʼs See story on page 5. did an excellent job in making location and reputation attracted Continued on Page 5 Homecoming and Winterfest him here. “This is a school that, original and exciting,” Srivas- in the context of my career, tava said, “but I would have almost seemed like coming liked to see more people at- home to a familiar place,” Mr. Leef said. “It will be a terrific Affirmative Action Used in Admissions tend these events.” He added that this yearʼs Winterfest was opportunity for my family and casians that were accepted, 81 me.” Mr. Leef said that teaching By DANIELLE PERETORE (V) the best school event he ever and CHANTAL BERMAN (IV) percent enrolled, whereas 71 Admissions Statistics for attended. is the most hopeful, optimistic percent of accepted minorities Still, Srivastava said, “the profession there is. The admission department enrolled. Ms. Boisvert notes Robert Zacharias (VI), chair desire to involve oneself in uses race as one of several that these statistics are only 2003-2004 School Year of the Upper School student di- the affairs of the school has c o n s i d e r- for the past year and that it is vision director search commit- got to come from within each ations in hard to say why fewer minori- tee, said Mr. Leef is very much 8% student.” determining ties enroll. 31% like Mr. Rohdie. “It seemed like 20% admission “I think it is a respectable Continued on Page 7 Mr. Leef would stick by his de- to Pingry, percentage, but it is some- 41% Admission thing we are always working Inside The Record Director Ms. on,” she says. Sara Boisvert says. Minority In the past decade, minor- applicants have an added ben- ity enrollment has remained OVERALL efit similar to that of alumni stable at slightly under 20 children, student siblings and percent. Asian enrollment applicants with athletic or ar- 5% 25% has decreased significantly, 24% tistic talent. Ms. Boisvert says though, and African-Ameri- the goal of the schoolʼs affir- can, Hispanic, Middle Eastern 44% mative action program is to and multiracial enrollments diversify the student body. have increased. This is on par Still, race is not one of the with the national average for primary factors in the admis- independent school minority sion process. The overall enrollment — 20 percent — MINORITIES objective of the department, as calculated by the National Ms. Boisvert says, is to “bring Association of Independent in the best class we can get, Schools (NAIS). Accepted Wait Listed made up of students who will NAIS calculates that the most contribute to the com- average student body is 5.5 Rejected Didn’t Finish App. munity.” percent African-American, The idea of a diverse 2.7 percent Hispanic, 7.4 per- N. Lee (IV) student is complex and cent Asian, 0.2 percent Native Suruchi Ahuja (V) performed an Indian dance at the March multi-faceted, Ms. Boisvert 5 Multi-Cultural Assembly. See page 6. American, 2.9 percent multi- 8% 4% says. It includes such consid- racial and 1.3 percent Middle erations as ethnicity, gender, 20% Affirmative Action Face-Off How Snow Days Are Called Eastern. At Pingry, four per- 68% past schooling and economic cent are African-American, Caroline Savello (V) and Robert Mr. Neiswender and Mr. Virzi wake status. eight percent are Asian, two Zacharias (VI) provide opposing view- up at 4:30 a.m. when snow is predicted Race comes into play only points on the controversial issue of to decide whether to open, close or percent are Hispanic, five with the finalized pool of the percent are multiracial and .5 affirmative action. P. 2 delay school. P. 7 most competitive applicants. percent are Middle Eastern. ALUMNI CHILDREN More Diversity Is Promised Mr. Tramontana in Hall of Fame “The admission department The admission process looks at race as only a part Mr. Neiswender said he will never Baseball Coach Manny Tramontana is need blind, meaning that of the overall applicant,” Ms. be pleased with the school’s diversity was chosen out of 7,722 coaches to be acceptance has nothing to do 9% 5% and that Ms. Boisvert is marketing the inducted this April into the N.J. State Boisvert says, “but a part that with financial status. During school to underrepresented groups. P. 4 Coaches’ Hall of Fame. P. 8 can enrich the community and the admission process, an 30% 55% therefore can add value to a Sections applicant can decide to apply Mr. Hanly Returns to Speak studentʼs application.” News........................................1,5,6 for aid. Former Headmaster John Hanly, Last year, Pingryʼs overall The process includes a Commentary............................2,3 acceptance rate was 31 per- who left in 2000, returned as a speaker Top Story.......................................4 questionnaire requiring ap- in his own lecture series. Mr. Hanly dis- cent of applicants, whereas plicants to describe their cussed ethics and moral decisions. P. 5 Features........................................7 the minority acceptance rate STUDENT SIBLINGS Reviews.........................................7 was 25 percent. Of the Cau- Continued on Page 4 2 THE PINGRY RECORD COMMENTARY MARCH 23, 2004 THE PINGRY RECORD COMMENTARY MARCH 23, 2004 Don’t Censor the Sex Poll VOLUME CXXX NUMBER 6 It seems there are often two Amit Kumar (VI) only sexual education. conflicting directions that the SCHOOL OPINION While there were some school can choose to take. One questions that could have been involves what is best for stu- at Pingry was well below the eliminated, the original pollʼs Editors in Chief dents; the other involves what is national average, that about half effects would have been much Susannah Bragg most comfortable for parents. of seniors had sex and that no better and much more useful David Spett The fi rst leads to a more edu- eighth graders had sex — well, than the modifi ed pollʼs. cated student body, one that can of the 40 percent of students What bothered me most make informed decisions that who responded to the poll. But Caroline Savello about the administrationʼs de- have major impacts on their so what? What did any of this cision were its feelings on the Assistant Editor lives. The second leads to a less really mean? Middle School taking the sur- stressful life for the administra- What is important to look at vey.