Winter 2019-20

THE REVIEW student wellness

Can a School Known for High Achievement Also Nurture Well-being?

APU ’93 TO THE RESCUE

JUSTIN FRIEDMAN ’15 TAKES THE MOUND

WINTER 2019–20 Contents WINTER 2019–20 | VOL. 76 | NO. 2 pingry.org/review

Doing Well Apu ’93 to Justin Friedman ’15 12 While Being Well 30 the Rescue! 36 Takes the Mound In a time of billowing pressures on Pingry tech wizard by day, The former Big Blue Baseball students, competitive schools are Emergency Medical Technician standout achieved a major championing their academic success by night—the double lives of one milestone last summer, for both while simultaneously seeking to of the School’s most revered, himself and Pingry. Reaching a prioritize their wellness. But are mercurial staff members merge this goal he has held since age four, the two really compatible? Eight school year. Get to know the man the pitcher shares his path to members of our community weigh in who, like Prince, Madonna, and the pros and why he also views on how Pingry is doing. Pelé, only needs one name. himself as a scientist, of sorts.

48 12

Departments 2 One Pingry 6 Pingry Favorites 10 10 View from SH/BR 42 Athletics 48 On the Arts 53 Pingry Creates 56 Pingry in Your Neighborhood 57 Class Notes 62 In Memoriam 63 A Visit to the Archives 64 A Final Look

On the cover Against a mid-November setting sun, photography SAMUEL BENTON ’22 BENTON SAMUEL student Carolyn Coyne ’21 captured a joyful Brooke

The Pingry Review is EDITORIAL STAFF DESIGN AND LAYOUT Pan ’21 on a Basking Ridge The Pingry School’s Kate Whitman Annis P ’23, ’23, ’28, ’30 Aldrich Design Campus athletics field. This official magazine. Development Director aldrichdesign.biz picture is one of many Upper Contact the editor Peter Blasevick PHOTOGRAPHY with comments and School submissions for “Photo Archivist Camille Bonds story ideas: Peter Chollick of the Month.” The Pingry School Allison C. Brunhouse ’00, P ’31 Osa Fasehun ’14 131 Martinsville Road Director of Institutional Advancement Bruce Morrison ’64 Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 Dale V. Seabury P ’31 On the back cover [email protected] Andrea Dawson Maggie Yurachek 908-647-5555, ext. 1296 Senior Writer Sejal Patel ‘23 took this picture

EDITOR Edward Lisovicz of a cross country trail in the Greg Waxberg ’96 Advancement Writer woods behind the Upper Communications Writer Dale V. Seabury P ’31 School building. Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing

Holland Sunyak ’02 Associate Director of Advancement One Pingry

BACK-FROM-COLLEGE LUNCH

Margot Present ’19 and Solape Bailey Romano ’19 and Leonard Zhu ’19. Upper School English Teacher Dennis Fakorede ’19. Pearlstein and Nia Phillips ’19.

Brian Benson ’19, Christyan Jean-Charles ’19, Rashida Alex Strasser ’19, Aditya Gollapudi ’19, and Abigail Berger ’19. Mohammed ’19, and Julius Smith ’20.

2 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Lauranne Hricko ’20 photographed the senior couches in the Lower Commons, also capturing the outdoor brightness, ice-covered trees, and clear, blue sky.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 3 One Pingry

at left: The Candlelight Finale of the Lower School’s Holiday Concert. below: Students from all three divisions gather on the stage and in the audience of Hauser Auditorium on the Basking Ridge Campus for December’s Winter Festival, the only time during the school year when all Pingry students are together at one time.

4 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 above: A cross-campus adventure! First-grade students traveled to the Basking Ridge Campus in late October for science and art lessons about chickens, taught, in part, by seniors in the Environmental Science course. Read more at pingry.org/extras. at left: Basking Ridge Campus students participated in the annual assembly honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here, Middle Schoolers dance to Andra Day’s inspirational song “Rise Up.” far left: Lower School students who visited the Basking Ridge Campus in October to support the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team played their own small-sided games.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 5 Pingry Favorites

In Your Mailbox Pingry’s Got Talent Sheryl Chen ’26 designed the winning selection in the fifth annual New Year’s Card contest, for which students from all three divisions submitted their creative entries. Depicting the Basking Ridge and Short Hills Campus buildings hold- ing hands, her card brings to life different aspects of the School community, including Finn (the School’s cuddly canine). Most notably, she says, it is a whimsical nod to “the unity of our school.” Sheryl’s festive card was delivered to the mailboxes of nearly 3,000 community members, just in time to ring in 2020!

Twenty Middle School students proudly shared their unique skills in the Talent Show held prior to Winter Break. Clockwise, from top left, students present a Bollywood dance, play the violin while hula hooping, and perform variations on theme music from the television program The Office.

6 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 { HEARD ON CAMPUS } My favorite part of Rufus Gunther Day might be the sense of accomplishment it gives. As high schoolers, most everything we do is related to working towards our future. Finish Algebra to take Geometry. Place in Districts to play in States. Graduate high school to go to college.

Life is always changing, always moving; Pingry students volunteered that’s what makes it interesting. At the for 35 organizations on Community and Civic same time, it is hard to find sources Engagement Day (yes, of validation or completion when also known as Rufus Gunther Day), on the nothing is ever really complete. Rufus last Friday in October. Gunther Day gives us the opportunity Here, Jamie Wang ’20 is one in a group to put aside our constant race for of students who success and consider what we do it remained on campus to construct 3D-printed all for.” —JAMIE WANG ’20 prosthetic hands for the e-NABLE Project. Read more of Jamie’s “In My Own Words” essay at pingry.org/extras.

Creativity is sweet!

Pingry held its annual Cupcake THE WINNERS Contest and Sale in December, when about 50 Middle and Upper School students volunteered to bake 12 or more cupcakes, three of which were judged in the categories Best Holiday Theme, Best Winter Theme, and Best Taste. Proceeds were donated to Goryeb Children’s Hospital. Kaya Lee ’20 Chloe Huang ’26 Alexis Matthews ’23 BEST TASTE BEST HOLIDAY THEME BEST WINTER THEME Lemon with lemon-zest A festive 6½”-tall Christmas White cake and buttercream cream cheese frosting tree, achieved thanks to an frosting, with powdered sugar and white chocolate. upside-down sugar cone to look like snow. To create covered in dollops of green the “snow globe,” she rolled a icing and candy “ornaments.” water balloon in gelatin leaves and let it sit overnight.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 7 Pingry Favorites

Ready, set, decorate! 32 Kindergarten students, along with 32 of their third- and fourth- grade buddies, participated in the Lower School’s annual tradition of decorating gingerbread houses. Kindergarten Teachers Judy Previti (pictured here), Alissa Rust P ’30, Amelia Sarrazin, and Heather Smith Steinman ’93; parent volunteers; and Head of School Matt Levinson P ’21 delighted in watching the holiday artists at work.

Embarrassment for a Cause Student Body President Brian Li ’20 believes so strongly in Pingry’s annual Thanksgiving canned food drive that he issued a challenge to Upper School students: Collect more than 850 pounds of food, and he would shave his head; more than 950 pounds, and he would up the embarrassment ante and shave just half. A peek at the photo reveals students’ generosity—963 pounds!

Open House Over 60 members of the community attended this fall’s Squash Clinic Open House, which featured a free clinic for players in Grades 2-12. Several players also signed up for private and semi- private lessons and after-school clinics. Pictured are Director of Squash Francis Odeh and a player new to the sport.

8 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Thank You, Facilities! This Facebook post by a Pingry coach describes one example of the Facilities Team’s hard work throughout the The Middle School year, helping the School run efficiently and look its best. collected 1,410 pounds of candy during its

David Fahey is with Anthony Gagliardi at The Pingry School. Halloween candy November 1 • Basking Ridge • drive. The treats were

At about 7:30 this morning at Pingry, four guys I am proud to call donated to several colleagues put on their wet weather gear and headed out to the World organizations in Cup Field and began the work of trying making it playable for this

afternoon’s 2 pm state tourney game. IMAGES CROMER/ISTOCK HOLLY Newark. It had taken about 6 inches of water over the last 24 hours and when I walked it with them I was certain that we wouldn’t be able to go on it in just 6 hours. See, the special thing about Pingry is that these guys know how much this match meant and these guys know how important that field Furry Friends is. Our season ended at Bergen Catholic last year, playing on a 55 yard The Middle School welcomed therapy wide by 100 yard long artificial turf football field, and they understood dogs in December, giving students a what hosting them on our 70 yard wide by 120 yard long grass surface chance to relax in the midst of their would do for us by way of competitive advantage. I didn’t have to tell busy day. Read more about the School’s them. They pay attention. They know. student wellness They pulled out all of the stops and all of the tricks. They worked initiatives in this through their lunch. They blew standing water, they cored and sanded issue’s cover wet spots, they set up temporary goals for the opponent to warm up so story on page 12. as not to destroy the visitors 18 yard box. At 2 pm the field was immaculate. We won 4-2. We can’t possibly thank them enough. They didn’t do the work because they had to. They did the work because they care as much about the place and the kids as anyone else in the building. And they get very little thanks for it. Here’s a massive thanks. Three cheers for the boys in blue. We could not have done it without you. Two of them are new to Pingry but have caught on quick. Thank you Neil Spagnuolo and Walter Wright. Two of them have been here since I played on that field, and not only do I appreciate them wholeheartedly but have learned as much from them as I have from anyone else at Pingry about dedication, hard work and life in general. I love to watch them work and I love that they love Pingry as much as I do. Thank you Anthony Gagliardi and Michael Janes.

N.B. — A fifth, and equally deserving of thanks, member of the crew was not included in my post, only because he was not staffed for work on the field on this particular day. I should not have limited my thanks and observance of their great work to one day alone, though, and I apologize for that mistake. Joe Parent, thank you for all you do as well.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 9 SH View from BR

After a December storm, students, faculty, and staff took numerous photos of ice sparkling in the sunlight. Adam Bauhs ’23 captured this scene, looking from the Upper School building toward Parsons Field.

10 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 11 DOING WELL while BEING WELL

12 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Can a School Known for High Achievement Also Nurture Well-being? 8 Pingry Voices Chime in on the Discussion

Students are living in an era of unprecedented psychologists, will argue that stress is not turmoil—all-too-frequent school shootings, always a steadfast villain. In fact, it’s critical impossibly low college admission rates, the ravages to a student’s ability to problem solve, gain of social media and its untold effect on sleep, perspective, and learn “grit,” a popular concept attention, and self-esteem, to name but a few. That among educators today. “Much of what’s adolescent anxiety and depression are at record written about this generation talks about how highs should come as no surprise. fragile they are and how they lack resilience,” Throw into this cauldron the high-performing, she says. “It’s far too broad a generalization. demanding environment of an independent school, Finding well-being and navigating stressors many of which put great time and effort into in a demanding school environment are about ensuring student health and wellness. The apparent finding a middle ground." contradiction—schools as both the source and self- On both the Basking Ridge and Short Hills proclaimed healer of an ill—was not lost on the Campuses, Pingry is doing a great deal to tackle Administrative Team when considering this year’s this thorny topic, from, yes, ice cream sundae professional growth theme: student well-being. parties, therapy dog visits, and “flex” periods to One of the five core themes announced in Pingry’s truly robust, targeted curricular initiatives, and most recent Strategic Plan, the topic seemed an targeted professional development for faculty obvious focal point. But probing its inherent paradox and staff. How is the School doing? To find out, also becomes a necessary part of the conversation: read the differing—and, at times, disagreeing— Is it possible for a school to encourage academic perspectives of nine different community achievement and successfully foster student health members: administrators, faculty members, a and well-being? Or are the two inexorably at odds? coach, an alumna, students, and parents. “It’s easier said than done,” says Basking Pingry is by no means unique in its Ridge Campus School Counselor and member of challenges, nor in its work to help students the Student Wellness Steering Committee Eva find balance. Its size, however, makes arriving Ostrowsky. “We have to be really intentional. Ice at a shared definition of health and wellness— cream sundaes in the dining hall don’t fix all. Yes, one that is embraced by all members of the they do a great job building community and helping community—an improbable end goal. But as students to feel good in the moment, but we should these nine voices make clear, nurturing the also be asking bigger-picture questions like, ‘How conversation is every bit as important. many AP classes are you taking?’” On the flip side, Mrs. Ostrowsky and many other school counselors, not to mention developmental Visit pingry.org/wellnessandsupport for more details on Pingry's wellness initiatives and support services.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 13 ANANYA nanya Chatterji P ’25, now Upper CHATTERJI P ’25 School Director, was Academic Dean in 2013, when Pingry’s Middle and Upper School Director Upper Schools joined the ranks of a growing number of progressive College Counselor independent schools and made the leap to block Mathematics Teacher A scheduling, the result of a comprehensive, three-year Curriculum Review. Instead of five to six jam-packed classes per day, each lasting 44 minutes (with four minutes of “passing time” in between), Upper School students suddenly had just four classes per day, 65 minutes each, on a rotating basis. The new schedule also allowed for built-in “flex” periods, giving them time to check in with teachers, finish homework, or relax with friends. The effect, says Ms. Chatterji, was immediate and striking. “The kids loved it instantly—they were able to breathe, they felt far less harried. In the new schedule, they get a snack every morning, during their first flex period. They have time to talk with their teachers and do homework during the day,” she says. If not a total transformation of the school culture, the shift was, at the very least, a marked transformation of the pace of Pingry’s school day. Now six years into the schedule change, no one—administrators, faculty, or students—argues it was a bad decision. It has benefited everyone, says Ms. Chatterji. The breaks between classes allow for some relaxation, yes, but also reflection, she says, giving kids time to process and retain what they just learned, rather than rush into their next class. More- over, the breaks serve as built-in lessons on

14 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 time management—get a head-start on homework, meet slower, softer start to the day. Students told me the first with a teacher, study for a test, chat with friends, or play week of school this year that they felt it immediately. The a computer game. Figuring how best to use the breaks is 8:30 a.m. start time really does result in a less harried arguably as important as the breaks themselves. morning—no one has yet said that they’re missing those The longer class periods also give faculty the freedom 20 minutes from the school day.” to not only have a proper opening and closing to their In fact, Ms. Chatterji cites sleep as a top wellness lesson, but to delve deeper into material and—without challenge facing Pingry students. Students, in turn, argue the nagging worry about covering required material— that teachers assign too much work. “My answer to the assign less out-of-class work. In short, classes are more student would be, what are you taking? Did you realize student-focused, says Ms. Chatterji. how much work those courses would be? It’s important to What’s more, with the block schedule, students have do your research. We talk to students a lot about course only four classes a day to prepare for—one of which may balance after Grade 10, and Reid [Cottingham, Upper be an elective—slashing their average night’s homework School Academic Dean] and I talk a lot to parents about significantly. “The fact that our second class of the day this. Our approach is very personalized and it’s very well- doesn’t start until 10:30 a.m. is incredible. In the old days, they’d be on their third class without breaks,” she explains. “There’s a badge of honor in saying you stay up late Breaks throughout the day are doing homework. To the student who says teachers important, for a student’s mental wellness as well as their focus, and assign too much work, I would say take fewer classes. it’s something Upper School deans What we want is for students to do less so they can and counselors encourage. Thanks to the work of a Pingry student, there’s understand their topics better.” —ANANYA CHATTERJI P’25 data to support their approach. Two years ago, Ms. Chatterji advised a student whose Independent Senior Project (ISP) exam- ness-related.” Which leads directly to a second major ined the transcripts of Pingry juniors going back five years. wellness challenge Ms. Chatterji sees among students: Those who took a full course load, without a free period— taking on too much in the hopes of impressing college the equivalent of seven courses—fared, on average, worse admission counselors. Colleges are not looking for stu- in their GPAs than those who took fewer courses in favor dents who fill their entire day, she argues. They want stu- of a free period (freshmen and sophomores take five cours- dents who are interested in figuring out who they are and es, plus an elective; juniors and seniors typically take six, what they love. “If you spread yourself too thin, you don’t but can take up to seven). The research results confirmed get to do that,” she says. Ms. Chatterji’s suspicions. “I have yet to find a student who Having been at Pingry for over 20 years, Ms. Chat- had a free period their junior or senior year and regretted terji recognizes the inherent tension in a demanding, it,” she says. “The more courses students take on, the more high-achieving school wanting to also nurture student we typically see them struggle.” wellness. While she is pragmatic about the cultural chal- Grounded in neurodevelopmental research, which has lenges at Pingry, she is also sanguine. “I think we can proven that the brains of Middle and Upper School stu- absolutely do both well, but offering students the pro- dents don’t begin to function optimally until later in the gramming—and the conversation—to make them aware morning, was the Basking Ridge Campus’s decision to shift of the importance of wellness is something we could do the start of the school day this year, from 8:10 a.m. to 8:30 better.” Understand the effects of an over-full schedule a.m. When considering the change, then-Headmaster Nat and the stark reality of college admit rates. Make well- Conard P ’09, ’11 reached out to numerous independent ness a topic of conversation in all classes, not just health. schools across the country who had already implemented Educate parents; the lesson starts at home. “The more we the later start time; every single one reported positively talk about wellness with kids, the more they will value on their decision. Many, in fact, were looking to push back it, but we need to program an appreciation for mental their start times even further. At Pingry, similar to the well-being by making it a topic of conversation early on shift to block scheduling six years ago, the effect has been and not shying away from it,” she says. “remarkable,” according to Ms. Chatterji. “It is a much

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 15 Piette and chaired by Middle School Academic Dean Allen Thomas. Meeting regularly, they use the dedicated time to MIKE COAKLEY review current homework research, peer schools’ policies, Middle School Dean of Students and student and community feedback to get a better understanding of how faculty practices reflect Pingry’s Mission English Teacher Statement and Strategic Plan. Another new undertaking is a change in the Middle he single greatest wellness challenge that School’s disciplinary approach. As a more effective use of Middle Schoolers face, Dean of Students their time, students in “detention” respond to a letter from Mike Coakley will argue, is the very fact of Mr. Coakley, asking them to reflect on their actions in light Middle School itself. It is commonly accepted of the Honor Code. Once finished, they engage in an extend- that the ages of 11 to 14 can be tricky to navi- ed conversation with him—they discuss the infraction, gate. In a rapidly changing body, students must how they can make better decisions moving forward, and maneuver through an onslaught of social dynamics as they what efforts they can take to restore any hurt they may have learn to become increasingly independent. They are push- caused. Purposeful, thoughtful discipline, the idea goes, is ing boundaries at the same time that they’re trying to define likely to result in real growth and behavioral change. them, discovering who they are amid a variety of pressures. Also new this year is the implementation of a program For students, parents, and educators alike, these are trying geared at positive social media use, called #winatsocial. In years. “Addressing wellness in Middle Schoolers is a real tandem with lesson plans from Common Sense Education, it challenge,” Mr. Coakley says. “But their unique challenges teaches students strategies for leading healthy social media make educating them exciting—it’s the opportunity to guide lives. Questions run the gamut: What’s the humblest way to them through it all.” “brag” on social media? In what ways do companies weap- Indeed, guiding their well-being as well as their aca- onize advertising and how can you differentiate between a demic growth is critical, says Mr. Coakley, and he doesn’t sponsored online article and a research article? How perma- see the two as mutually exclusive. However, he’s concerned nent is the content you share? If someone asks you to share by a creeping phenomenon that hampers the achievement an explicit photo, what are your options? What are the ram- of both: Students everywhere are increasingly viewing ifications? “It would be disempowering to tell kids to get off themselves as assets for schools, colleges, and, later, com- social media altogether,” says Mr. Coakley of the program. panies and businesses to invest in. Much of their energy, “We’re trying to equip them with helpful information, like he argues—getting good grades, participating in numerous with the content of any other course, in order to use it wisely. clubs and extracurriculars, and the like—is geared toward It’s the first year we’re focusing to this extent on using social making themselves more attractive for these “investors.” media in an informed way to help students understand the Case in point: At a recent Middle School student-led con- stakes, the consequences, and the benefits.” ference, a sixth-grader identified admission into a presti- Addressing another weighty Middle School topic— gious college as his primary goal. Combating this tendency boundary setting—the School invited Prepare Inc. to work to look ever forward, these conferences, instituted three with sixth-grade students this year, for the first time. Using years ago, ask students to reflect on the here and now, to set an age-appropriate curriculum and role-playing strategies, timely, achievable goals, and to learn from their successes the organization teaches kids how to set personal boundar- as well as their missteps. ies—for example, what words to use to diffuse an uncomfort- “We risk equating school only with work, which feeds able or dangerous situation, how to report it to an adult, the into this idea that the end goal is to build capital,” says Mr. basics of self-defense, and how to say no. Coakley. “Not just at Pingry, but nationally, we need to Mr. Coakley is proud of these new undertakings and the reimagine the idea of school as something else entirely.” fact that they augment an already robust, daily advisory Achievement, he says, should be defined more by effort program. A mainstay of the Middle School, advisory is a and growth, and yes, failure and its aftermath. “We need to space for important, non-academic conversations, follow- normalize vulnerability and failure, while maintaining the ing a structured, grade-specific curriculum—for Grade 6, altitude of our expectations.” it’s “kindness and community”; Grade 7 focuses on “lead- Thanks to several new initiatives, the Middle School ership”; and Grade 8 explores the question, “What do you is striving to do just that. For starters, a Homework Com- stand for?” mittee comprised of 11 teachers was assembled this school While the Middle School’s new and existing program- year, at the suggestion of Middle School Director Laurie ming does a great deal to address student well-being,

16 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 “All of our wellness initiatives are important, but we’ve got our work cut out for us. Even as we work to create a space in which students aren’t feeling any unhealthy stress from the Pingry community, we’re still nested within a larger culture that has its own pressures.”

—MIKE COAKLEY

Mr. Coakley says the work is ongoing, and much remains. In particular, he points to the School’s diversity and inclusion efforts. “Inclusion and wellness are not separate. They’re inextricably intertwined,” he says. “Additionally, we want students to have at least one adult in the community—a teacher, advisor, coach—that they can turn to for anything. Just one person can make all the difference to a student feeling safe and heard.” But, he adds, “In order for students to feel that way, we as teachers need to be willing to make ourselves more human and vulnerable.” Still, from Mr. Coakley’s vantage point, their efforts are resonating with kids and making an impact. “I think that the students are very appreciative of these wellness initiatives overall,” he says. “The trick, moving forward, is to thread the spirit of these initiatives into every classroom, conversation, and co-curricular, into the very fabric of the Middle School.”

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 17 “I like that I’m not stuck in a classroom all day long. The movable furniture in the collaboration spaces and open areas, where I can work independently, helps me to stay focused.”

JORDAN BALMIR ’27

18 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 he Lower School’s newly installed gaga pit best / Is not what you expected / Don’t feel bad, / It was still is Jordan Balmir’s favorite recess activity. And your best / Be proud you tried at all.” recess, he says, is one of his favorite parts of the Decisions classes, along with other Lower School classes, school day. The 20 minutes after lunch during are, on occasion, held in the School’s garden or the courtyard, which he and his fellow fifth-grade classmates which was renovated with this class in mind. Students are are free to romp around the Short Hills Campus encouraged to pick their own seat—perhaps a bench or tree playground are a cherished time. So are the 50 minutes of stump—and the class begins with a series of short relaxation P.E. class they have every day. Though they are perennially or meditation exercises (mindfulness has also been used in prized among kids, these are far from the only wellness-re- the classroom, to help calm and focus kids before a rigorous lated activities for Lower School students. lesson or test). Jordan has enjoyed the experience. He also On a curricular level, Decisions is a K-5, once-a-cycle finds Conference Period (CP)—a “free” period for Grades 4 class, launched in the early 1990s by the Lower School’s and 5 students to work or check in with teachers—a helpful first social worker, Jean Knee. It is intended to address an stress-reliever. “I get to spend one-on-one time with my array of health, wellness, and safety topics, and is calibrat- teachers to better understand the day’s class work. Some- ed to students’ grade levels. For Grade 5 students, whose times, I get to do my homework, too, so I don’t have to worry workload is increasing as they prepare to transition to the about it at home,” he says. Among his bits of advice for rising Middle School, the first semester of the class is dedicated to fifth graders, which includes never sneaking a soda from the learning organizational skills—how to track assignments, dining hall (“Those are in the corner for the teachers only”) plan, manage time, and initiate tasks. Cultural competency, and never falling asleep in class, he adds, “Have a plan for CP. communication skills and styles, problem solving, conflict If you don’t, you will fool around and fall behind.” resolution, and stress management techniques, among When Jordan has a test, he often asks his parents to other subjects, are covered in the second semester. Real-life take him to school early so that he can chat with his teacher scenarios, like navigating common friendship challenges, or take some extra time to study, another strategy that he bullying, and issues surrounding personal safety are fre- learned from his Decisions class. And, if necessary, he knows quently used as meaningful examples and points of dis- that Dr. Johns, Ms. Killian, and Mrs. Perlow’s doors are cussion. According to Lower School Counselor Dr. Alyssa always open should he want to talk. Johns, Lower School Assistant Director of Student Life Julie Jordan likes to refresh his brain every morning, he says, Perlow P ’20, and Lower School Assistant Director of Aca- so he’s ready for school. His locker is at the end of the Grade 5 demics Bridget Killian, all of whom teach the class, Jordan is corridor, and he loves that he’s able to walk by all his friends a very engaged, thoughtful participant. every morning and say hi to them. It’s a good feeling, he “This class is not like other classes. It’s a time to relax, says. What does he enjoy most about being a Pingry Lower but also to work and learn—it’s like a non-stressful class,” he Schooler? “Doing my work, having friends, and being the says. He talks about the “Who Am I?” project they worked on oldest grade in the school. Once I get to sixth grade, it’s going in the fall, a result of their discussion about cultural norms. to be like Kindergarten again!” Through both a photo and a poem, students were asked to share a bit about themselves with the grade—what is important to them, what represents their true selves. Afterward, they gathered “As part of the Lower School culture, we want our with their buddy class (Grade 5 classes students to lay the foundation for their educational are paired with a Kindergarten “buddy” class) to celebrate their creations and futures—learn to problem solve, collaborate, and watch a photo slideshow of all the pic- think critically. But we also want them to think tures. Jordan’s selected photo was from independently, discover who they are, and feel his seventh birthday, in his backyard, when he and his younger brother, Chris- supported, healthy, and confident. These are lofty tian ’28, donned costumes for fun. He goals, but by equipping them with the right tools couldn’t decide between an Army or and wellness resources, and remaining open to new Transformer outfit, so he wore both. His poem depicted his drive to always try ideas, we are doing our best to help them get there.” his best and was inspired by a poem by —JULIE PERLOW P ’20, LOWER SCHOOL ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT Matty Angel that he used to read when LIFE, STUDENT WELLNESS STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER he was younger: “. . . And if you feel your

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 19 CAROLINE SCHUESSLER ’20

aroline Schuessler ’20 was already more attentive to health and well- “I like the fact that, at ness than most 15-year-olds, but when her mom was diagnosed with Pingry, the schedule cancer her freshman year, its importance was accentuated, for both her and her family. switches up every day to In August 2018, Caroline began working at a yoga studio in Bernardsville twice a week after school, plus give students variety . . . Sunday mornings. A year ago, she and her mom, who is cancer-free after treatment, began taking classes I also love the flex periods; together once a week, a routine she values. “It’s something we do together and look forward to every week,” they help to relieve stress she shares. “In yoga, you focus on physical wellness, but also mental wellness, reflecting on yourself and and give us time to get what you feel inside.” This reflection time is important to Caroline, who says that Pingry can be stressful work done or see teachers at times. Conversation, even during flex periods, —CAROLINE SCHUESSLER ’20 she remarks, often centers around schoolwork. “A for help.” common topic will be how stressed out you are about this or that class or test. I think stress is just so integrated into our community.” enough—or, at least, not in a meaningful way. The club’s She cites a lack of sleep and workload, which, for initiatives thus far have included a nature walk along most high schoolers, are insidiously entwined, as the School’s campus trails (another is planned for being the most significant wellness factors facing next spring), an ice cream bar during finals (a second Pingry students. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from is planned for seniors this year, once all their college October through March (she plays tennis in the fall applications are complete), and visits from therapy and lacrosse in the spring), Caroline goes directly to dogs, whose simple presence serves as a stress reliever work at the yoga studio after school, returns home for students. At the suggestion of Dr. Adam Rosen, a at 9:00 p.m., eats dinner, and starts her homework School Counselor on the Basking Ridge Campus, in the (which includes one AP class and three Honors class- fall of 2018 she also helped to organize a group of Pingry es), though she tries to sneak in as much work as she students, faculty, and staff in an “Out of the Darkness” can during flex and Conference Periods, she says. She community walk at Stevens Institute of Technology, also babysits her young cousins several times a week. hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Preven- Most nights, she’s in bed by 11:30 p.m., and wakes by tion. And before Thanksgiving this year and last, she 6:30 a.m. to get to school (she leaves her house at 7:30 and fellow club founders erected a giant “What Are You a.m.). She was pleased about the later, 8:30 a.m. start Thankful For?” billboard in the Upper Commons, allow- time to the school day this year, but found that, given ing students, faculty, and staff alike to take a moment to traffic, it didn’t provide her with as much extra time consider who and what makes them happy, and to add as she was anticipating. Friends who live closer to post-it notes expressing their gratitude. campus, like in Warren or Watchung, she shares, have Inspired by a Netflix series with Jerry Seinfeld found it more helpful. called Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Caroline Not wishing to be a silent participant in the pres- and Club members are contemplating their own sures she sees and experiences at the School, Caroline spin—“Teachers in Classrooms & Golf Carts Getting took action. Last year, she and three friends—Sofia Coffee”—a series of short video interviews with faculty Lombardo ’20, Rylie Drozjock ’20, and Eve Gilbert to get their perspective on a range of wellness issues. ’20—set out to launch the Upper School’s first-ever While she acknowledges the School’s efforts to Student Wellness Club, bringing attention to a seri- address student wellness, like the new 8:30 a.m. start to ous high school topic that, she feels, isn’t discussed the school day and flex periods sprinkled in, she thinks

20 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Pingry could do more, like teachers communi- cating better with one another and staggering big tests or assignments, which she says often seem to fall at the same time. Additionally, she questions why this year’s professional growth theme for faculty and staff—student well-being—wasn’t shared with students in any official way, or used as a cata- lyst for dialogue. “I don’t even know if students are aware of it. Other than in the Student Well- ness Club, there’s no real, open conversation about this year’s theme or wellness issues overall,” she says. “I think the School could make it more a part of the discussion. I don’t think a lot of students really address their feelings of stress; if they were able to talk more about it, that would be good.” When asked if an Upper School that is clearly high-achieving and demanding can also successfully nurture wellness among its students, Caroline’s response echoes her advocacy mindset. “For us to be successful in integrating wellness into the community, I think there would need to be an overall change of attitude in students in order to create a more positive, comfortable learning and growing environment. The culture is very oriented around school work, and, especially for seniors, it can be hard to focus on anything else. I think it’s possible, but I don’t think that we are achieving that right now.” Caroline says she’s committed to partner- ing with adults in the community to generate and sustain the conversation at Pingry. Stu- dent wellness—and life wellness—is a subject close to her heart; it featured prominently in several of her college application supplements, and she plans to continue championing its importance in college. And she hopes the Stu- dent Wellness Club continues well beyond her graduation. “I think, when looking back on high school, we’ll realize that a lot of the things that we were super wrapped up in aren’t actually that big of a deal in the long term,” she says. “There’s a lot you can do to cope with stressful situations and make your high school experience more enjoyable.”

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 21 CATHARINE AND EDWARD LAPUMA P ’29

“Our students face the atharine and Edward LaPuma P ’29 are the parents of a third-grade student same fitness and nutrition who they say puts a lot of pressure on himself, becomes stressed by Pingry’s challenges as adults: finding academic demands, and is involved time to exercise and making with multiple extracurricular activities. “The transition from Grade 2 to Grade 3 is substantial, healthy food choices. Pingry with more homework and other responsibilities—even teachers and administrators acknowledge it. The balanc- has taken steps to address ing act increases, but nobody wants their kids to ‘pop,’” both of these—longer Mr. LaPuma says. Acknowledging their child’s experience, Mr. and Mrs. LaPuma have encouraged their son to Greig Center hours and advocate for himself and—equally important—have been pleased with the teachers’ responsiveness to their fami- healthier food choices at ly’s concerns, coming up with plans to alleviate stress. lunch—which are critical. “At times, our son has had multiple after-school activities and has been comfortable telling his teachers he If we’re trying to encourage doesn’t know how he’ll get all his homework done,” Mrs. LaPuma says, grateful that teachers have been flexible in students a high level of and helped him prioritize. “No, it can’t happen every academic achievement and night that he doesn’t get all his homework done, but if there has been a family event, the teachers have said, athletic performance and ‘That’s okay. He can do his homework at a later time.’ They recognize that students have a life outside the appreciation for overall classroom, which is a great example of putting well-being wellness, we have to teach before academics.” For the LaPumas, the concept of student health and them how to take care of wellness exists in two forms—social and academic—both essential within the context of a high-performing school. themselves, and provide the “Well-being needs to be elevated, to help contend with resources to do so.” various challenges in an academic setting,” Mr. LaPuma says. “If the School weren’t academically rigorous, nav- —DOUG SCOTT, DIRECTOR OF STRENGTH igating everything would be a lot easier. In a rigorous AND CONDITIONING; PHYSICAL EDUCATION environment, it becomes all the more important to focus TEACHER, STUDENT WELLNESS STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER on the health and well-being of students, and it should be spoken of more at a global level.” They feel equally strongly that well-being needs to be instituted at a young age, to make it part of the child’s development—especially since children are growing up in a high-stress world. “The Lower School’s Decisions course [that promotes social and emotional development] is wonderful because students learn how to advo-

22 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 “In a rigorous environment, it becomes all “Everything in our culture has the more important to focus on the multiplied, in terms of health and well-being of students, and it expectations. Kids are should be spoken of more at a global level.” overscheduled and over-extended.”

—EDWARD LAPUMA P ’29 —CATHARINE LAPUMA P ’29

cate for themselves, how to communicate, and how to listen to feedback from their parents and teachers,” Mr. LaPuma says. Mrs. LaPuma adds: “And before you can help the child advocate, you have to teach them to be aware of their limits and stressors, which is not easy for an eight-year-old to do. They need to recognize these triggers so they don’t reach a breaking point.” What is also not easy for children to do is learn how to navigate the challenges of social media and bullying. “It’s not a Pingry-specific problem, but bullying needs to be thought through and nipped in the bud,” Mr. LaPuma says. “People talk about ‘zero toler- ance,’ but how do you define that? The school can’t be monitoring everything all the time.” Then, as they advance through high school, college enters the picture, with all of its implications. “Colleges need to prioritize students being well-rounded and of sound mind and sound body,” Mr. LaPuma says. Along with the LaPumas’ efforts to keep an open door of communication with their children, allow for sufficient downtime, and help them understand needs versus wants, the LaPumas would love for Pingry to offer parents more guidance on how to foster well-being so that the valuable lessons learned at school carry over into students’ personal lives. For their part, parental messaging plays a big role. “There are parents who push their children to excel,” Mrs. LaPuma says. “We don’t expect our children to be the best—we expect them to do their best. That’s a huge difference. I tell them, ‘As long as you try your hardest, I am happy with who you are.’”

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 23 ASHLEY F. ’11

tudent wellness is a topic near and dear to Ashley F. ’11; she has been coping with mental illness for over a decade and credits her time at Pingry for helping her find self-acceptance and support. “For most of my life,” she recalls, “I focused on trying to live up to the Chinese model of achievement: go to a top school, work in a prestigious industry, and be outgoing and hyperfeminine.” Thus, with the assumption that it would guarantee a happy life, attending an elite college had been on her wish list since age seven. She got her wish, but “I ended up so depressed my freshman year at Yale that I had to take a year off from school. Later, I was frequently self-harming and calling a crisis hotline during my first job in investment banking—a crucible of 80-hour weeks.” Ashley traces her challenges with bipolar 2, which features depression and hypomania (a milder form of mania) to her Upper School years, when her parents were separating (she felt partially responsible) and she came out as bisexual. But some of her Pingry experiences helped alleviate the depression, such as Peer Leadership and the fencing

“If you need to take a year off here and there, switch to a less- intensive major, drop an extracurricular, or even leave a profession, that is fine. You are still an intelligent, talented, worthy person who can be wildly successful in any field and have fulfilling personal relationships with people who value you.”

—ASHLEY F. ’11

24 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 team, which brought her close friends who shared their to a mental illness experiences above-normal amounts own struggles. She also found the School’s academ- of stress. “If you need to take a year off here and there, ics “comforting and grounding” and highlights John switch to a less-intensive major, drop an extracurric- Knowles’ novel A Separate Peace (required reading in ular, or even leave a profession, that is fine. You are English class) as affirming because of “its undercur- still an intelligent, talented, worthy person who can be rent of same-sex attraction.” Her Pingry years offered wildly successful in any field and have fulfilling person- two other significant bright spots: Ashley developed a al relationships with people who value you.” passionate interest in the sciences and humanities (“a Today, Ashley is taking classes at The City College of great foundation for the career I hope to have as a psy- New York to prepare for a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, chologist and writer, working to expand the definition of is a research assistant in one of the college’s psychology what it means to be successful in Chinese culture”), and research labs, and volunteers at a Columbia University she found a safe haven with her teachers. “Every facul- psychiatric clinic. “I love psychology and I’m excited to ty member I shared my identity with was supportive, make a career in it. I found it extremely difficult to find without exception—I wrote LGBTQ-centric papers, and high-quality mental healthcare, an experience I think is teachers spoke positively of gay characters or historical shared by many immigrant and minority patients. The figures during class discussions.” (Ashley praises the mental health profession is not as diverse, inclusive, or Pingry faculty’s increasing diversity as making it easier accessible as it should be, and I would like to work on for students to find relatable role models.) correcting that.” Another contributing factor to her bipolar at Yale Above all, Ashley thanks her parents for fostering was the fact that, after a highly successful high school her current mindset. “Their unconditional love and career (she was Valedictorian at Pingry), her transition acceptance make it possible for me to express myself to college was met with a drop in self-esteem. It’s a with absolute freedom.” phenomenon she says friends and family members have experienced, too. “My insecurity and low self-esteem were exacerbated by my growing up with Chinese values while I was struggling to accept my sexuality and personality. Being shy and introverted . . . I always “It’s a tie between lack of figured if I wasn’t fun or outgoing, I had nothing to offer sleep and dealing with high except academic achievement. In college, when I found myself in the middle and, occasionally, in the bottom stress levels, in terms of third of my classes, I felt like I had lost my sole source of the biggest wellness issues value as a person.” facing our Middle and Upper When Ashley was ultimately convinced by her then-partner to consult a psychiatrist while at her first School students. Our ultimate job, the doctor suspected that she had been depressed objective in the Health in college—evidenced by isolation in her dorm room, Education Department is to spending more than 10 hours online every day, and struggling to make friends. “I also felt out of place in the provide them, through a range LGBTQ scene at Yale as an introverted, bisexual, polit- of classes and programming, ical centrist,” Ashley remembers, “and it wasn’t until with the necessary knowledge after college that I started finding LGBTQ circles that felt validating.” Finding those with a different value sys- to make healthy, informed tem—“a highly educated, diverse, bisexual community decisions.” in New York”—enabled Ashley to break away from an —SUE MARSHALL MAROTTO, HEALTH achievement-based mentality. DEPARTMENT CHAIR, STUDENT WELLNESS Based on her experiences, Ashley issues this STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER warning to other high achievers who are willing to accept stress in exchange for prestige: one common way mental illness develops is when someone predisposed

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 25 JAKE “There’s no silver bullet to student ROSS ’96 wellness. It’s being there to provide a Form V/VI Dean of Students Upper School History Teacher hug when needed Peer Leadership Program Advisor or—occasionally—a Head Coach, Varsity Baseball Team kick in the pants.” Assistant Coach, Boys’ Varsity —JAKE ROSS ’96 Ice Hockey Team

26 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 an Upper School dean, Peer Leader- their achievement mindset, it turns out, is self-imposed. It ship Program Advisor, Head Coach of helps to explain why, whether on the baseball diamond or the Varsity Baseball Team, Assistant in his office, Mr. Ross underscores accountability with stu- AsCoach of the Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey Team, and Histo- dents while allowing for their mistakes; prefers collabora- ry Teacher, Jake Ross has worked with Pingry students tive conversations over lectures; and is far more interested from multiple vantage points. But the title he likes best in learning what their goals and priorities are, not what he is “Coach.” Whether teaching, mentoring, advising, or, wants for them. in some cases, disciplining, his approach, he says, is best “You have to play to the strengths of kids and under- exemplified by his coaching philosophy: I’m going to help stand what they want for themselves,” he says. In short, you do the best you can do. “I get a real kick out of it when a as both a dean and coach, it seems there’s a fine balance student who isn’t even on my team passes me in the hallway to strike between providing kids with support and being and refers to me as ‘Coach,’” he says. “They’re seeing me the source of their stress. And it’s perhaps exacerbated by as something other than just a dean or classroom teacher, a phenomenon Mr. Ross says he has seen among Pingry which is important, because we’re all much more than that.” students: their desire to please. If they’re not performing He’s referring to Pingry’s rich tradition—indeed, the well in a class or on a team, they often feel like they’re let- hallmark of independent day schools—of every teacher and ting their teacher or coach down. “It’s amazing how many administrator also serving, in some capacity, as a coach or students come into my office and ask permission to do an advisor. The dual role allows students to see their teach- something because they just want to make sure that they’re ers and administrators in a different light, yes, but it also doing the right thing,” he says. For the past three years, brings faculty and administrators closer to their students, the senior class has gone so far as to seek approval of the and more attuned to their lives inside and outside of school. annual prank day, traditionally planned in secret by the When one of his baseball players shows up late to practice, students and tacitly tolerated by administrators. “A little Mr. Ross knows the chemistry exam he was taking last rebelliousness, within reason, is an outlet for them,” says period may be to blame. He sees the big picture of Mr. Ross. “It’s fine, it’s healthy.” students’ lives. The student vs. faculty basketball game every winter With that holistic view, Mr. Ross says one of the biggest and well-timed Student Activity Council (SAC) assemblies challenges to student wellness is a packed schedule. “Kids (one just before early-decision letters from colleges are want to do too darn much,” he says. “We know they’re doing mailed, and one just before Winter Break) are two other a lot, but we can’t tell them not to do Journal Club, the lighthearted Pingry traditions he points to, which not only Independent Research Team, and the musical, all at the endeavor to bring some levity to the school day, but allow same time. We just have to be there to catch them if we see faculty to laugh at themselves. Mr. Ross cites the recent cracks in the armour. That’s the student-support area of our launch of helpful Form III advisor meetings (devised by administrative structure that we really strive toward as an Form III Deans and Science Teachers Graham Touhey institution, being a safety net for the kids. Sometimes, that’s and Helen Huang-Hobbs), during which advisors gather just listening or providing some advice.” monthly to discuss what’s going on in the grade, what kids Despite its prominence in Pingry’s current tagline, the are going through, what’s working, what’s not. Two years word “excellence” rankles Mr. Ross. It can and should be ago, Pingry school counselors Dr. Adam Rosen and Eva different for everyone, he feels, whether in the classroom or Ostrowsky began twice yearly “check-ins” with every advi- on the playing field. “I have some kids who should be getting sory in order to introduce themselves to students and build As. I have some kids who really struggle to get an A—they rapport. While they may seem minor, collectively, such don’t need to get an A; Bs are ok,” he argues. “Similarly, two initiatives go far in nurturing student wellness. years ago, my baseball team was not strong, so for us, high “Pingry moves at a fast pace and has high standards, achievement and excellence weren’t defined by winning the but we can also slow ourselves down and check in with county championship—it was being 500 or better.” one another,” he says. “The fact that we are trying to do Moreover, the vision Pingry students and parents have both says a lot about our school.” Still, he allows, there of achievement, he has found, does not always align with is room for growth. A suggestion he offers up speaks to teachers’ more measured expectations. The Independent the importance of community, candid conversation, School Health Check survey—a national, voluntary, and and seemingly simple acts: “The more faculty and anonymous survey given to Pingry Middle and Upper administrators eat lunch together and talk to each other Schoolers last spring—bears this out. Students did not iden- around the table about the issues kids are facing, the tify faculty as the primary drivers of academic pressure; on better it is for the kids.” the contrary, they pointed the finger at themselves. Much of

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 27 focus on wellness is all around us and embedded DR. ALYSSA in our culture,” says Dr. Alyssa Johns, speaking of the Short Hills Campus, where wellness skills run the gamut from conflict resolution to run- JOHNS ning laps in the gym to spending time outdoors in the garden to making healthy food choices. Lower School Counselor During nearly five years with Pingry’s Counseling Department on both the Basking Ridge and Short Hills Campuses, she has Decisions Teacher been observing students and their behavior. Looking at the big picture, Dr. Johns says the Lower School’s program is designed to educate and nurture the whole child—a robust curriculum that goes hand-in-hand with well-being. “Kids wouldn’t feel good if they weren’t being challenged, if they were bored, if they didn’t have to work hard. Students feel their best when they’re challenged, successful, and performing well. Their perception of their performance is important to well-being—when they think they’re under-performing, or when they feel overwhelmed by assignments or don’t have enough breaks throughout the day, that is when we question if they’re feeling their best,” she says. Thanks to her twofold role at the Lower School—she provides overarching guidance to faculty and staff on a range of student wellness issues and curricular matters, and meets with students, either through a class she co-teaches or one-on-one, if a student needs extra support—Dr. Johns has a wide window into students’ lives. As a counselor, she has found that the most meaningful, effective wellness initiatives are “naturally embedded into the curriculum or everyday life” rather than performed in isolation. For example, reading discussions often involve books related to health and wellness; many teachers use “brain breaks” (a planned mental or physical break) of one

“Students feel their best when they’re challenged, successful, and performing well.”

—DR. ALYSSA JOHNS

28 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 to five minutes, during which students take a break from is very structured, which isn’t unique to Pingry,” Dr. their work; and, as of last school year, many classes begin Johns observes. Though she is proud of the work that by offering students the chance to participate in mindful- she and her Lower School colleagues do to ensure ness exercises. student wellness, this is an area where she sees room In terms of her direct student involvement, she hears for improvement. “They should have more time to their personal experiences in the Decisions course she be outside, play board games, read . . . to simply be co-teaches (the class promotes social and emotional ‘off the clock.’” Achieving academically and feeling development), often pertaining to how they have handled good socially and emotionally are by no means mutu- life situations inside and outside of school. “Emotional ally exclusive in an elementary school setting, she conversations become normalized, with multiple stu- says, but Dr. Johns does note a dichotomy: “We give dents sharing the same feelings, so they know they have a students a lot of feedback on academics, but not as natural space to talk. We make sure they know what to do much on choices made outside the classroom. More when they’re not feeling their best,” she says. Dr. Johns informal feedback on social decision-making would also speaks at Grade 4 and 5 Morning Meetings and seeks be helpful.” to be generally “present” in the students’ lives by building She sympathizes with the pressure students feel relationships through conversations at lunch, at recess, to be well-rounded and successful at everything. “It or in the hallways. “Connectedness is critical in develop- takes time to recognize that we all have strengths ing a child’s sense of belonging and safety,” she adds. and weaknesses. They need to learn how to embrace As it happens, lunchtime and recess are two of the strengths and know that weaknesses aren’t negative, only extended downtimes of the students’ day. “The day but part of who we are as people.”

A Sampling of Student Health & Wellness Initiatives

School Counselors introduce themselves to Middle School students and Upper School advisories

Presentations by SAGE Dining's Prepare Inc., a violence introduction of game-day prevention organization meals for athletes

Mindfulness classes for students, faculty, and staff Upper School Affinity Groups

Decisions course for Peer Group Lower School students with freshmen and seniors

Qwell Meditation for Middle and Upper School Lower School students, Advisories faculty, and staff

Middle School Hour #WinAtSocial program of Wellness launched in Middle School

Among others, recent presentations by clinical psychologist Michael Thompson, Ph.D., pediatric cancer survivor Sean Swarner, NJ-licensed psychologist Dr. Joël Núñez, BMX Elite Pro Tony Hoffman, Minding Your Mind speaker Andrew Ominus

Visit pingry.org/wellnessandsupport for more details on Pingry's wellness initiatives and support services.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 29 Apu TO THE RESCUE

There is, perhaps, no more mysterious, omnipotent figure on the Basking Ridge Campus than Apu. An alumnus from the Class of 1993, he is known only by his first name within the Pingry community, a fact that helps to accentuate his enigmatic persona. A preternaturally calm, technological wizard, he has single-handedly addressed countless Pingry IT problems big and small, but his desk in the Technology Department is—on the days when he is on campus— rarely occupied before 10:00 a.m. To be clear, Pingry is not Apu’s only place of work. Several days each week, he is up until 3:00 or 4:00 a.m., driving an ambulance across Union or Essex County as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). By day, he saves Pingry servers; by night, he helps to save lives. To fully understand Apu’s double life, and his remarkable breadth of skills, you must go all the way back to the early 1980s, when he recalls that his love of computers began as early as Grade 2. He arrived at Pingry as a fourth-grade student in the 1984-85 school

30 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Apu '93 leading the new EMR course. Here, he uses a mannequin head and bag valve mask to teach airway management.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 31 year and, despite the fact that the School did not have a “He has a depth of knowledge of pretty much anything Technology Department during his student years, he pro- electronic. Whatever you throw at him, he’ll know some- vided technical support to students and faculty as often thing about it,” says Brian Burkhart, Director of Tech- as possible—and became known for it, along with his gen- nology and Curricular Initiatives, Computer Science eral love for computers. “Tech support became a natural Department Chair, and English Teacher, who has worked path from liking computers to becoming good with them with Apu since 2005. Two of Apu’s other colleagues, to helping others,” he says. A photo of him working at a Technology Specialist Steve Frantz and Systems Admin- computer appears in the 1990 Blue Book with the caption, “Apu . . . ’nuff said.” During the 1991-92 school Apu '93 as seen in year, he and then-English teacher the 1990 Blue Book. Dean Sluyter P ’90, ’98 helped The Pingry Record staff use a computer for issue layout; previously, students cut and pasted content onto news- paper-sized paper, then went back- and-forth with the printer to finalize the layout (the 1992 Blue Book gives Apu and Mr. Sluyter kudos for their “creative insights”). A year after Apu graduated, Pingry hired its first full-time Director of Technology, Steve Cam- eron. Soon after, Apu received an unexpected opportunity to return to his alma mater. Then-Assistant Headmaster, Financial and Business Administration Dr. Jack Lewis P ’96, ’00 asked him if he would return to “Tech support became a natural path Pingry one day each week, while he was attending Stevens Institute of from liking computers to becoming good Technology, to join forces with Mr. —APU ’93 Cameron and help accelerate the with them to helping others.” faculty’s ease with technology. “Apu was the glue that helped launch technology at Pingry,” Dr. Lewis recalls. “He had been iconic istrator Dave Azar, have learned a great deal from him: as a student—the ‘go to’ person for faculty and staff. The how to ask the “right” questions when interacting with community had confidence in him. I referred to him as the confused or frustrated users; and how to approach situa- ‘Auxiliary Power Unit’ or ‘Advanced Power Unit’!” tions with logic, practicality, and efficiency. “Just saying With a few modifications, Apu’s “part-time” schedule to students, faculty, or staff ‘Apu is working on it’ relieves at Pingry—far more than simply one day each week at their stress,” Mr. Azar says. “No matter the hour, Apu gets this point—has continued for over 20 years. (Technically, back to me with helpful suggestions or resolutions. He’s he is not a School employee; Pingry is a client of NOC always right on top of requests, big or small.” Services, a computer consulting company he started after Anyone who observes Apu walking Pingry’s hall- graduating with a degree in Engineering from Stevens.) ways or discussing technical issues with faculty or staff As technology has advanced over the last two decades, will notice an air of serenity about him. Yet, he is often and Pingry’s needs have vastly accelerated, Apu has been immersed in trying to solve a problem. “I try to be calm with the School every step of the way, from expanding its and work through it, instead of getting flustered,” he says. network infrastructure, to transitioning its email system His calm stems, no doubt, from his years of experience from Outlook to Gmail, to, most recently, launching Vera- in the EMT field, where he has often witnessed life-or- cross, the School’s first fully integrated database system. death situations. He has said that it puts into perspective

32 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 life’s other problems, like Pingry’s server going down. “If you project calm to the person experiencing a prob- “Apu was the glue lem, whether medical or technical, that influences their that helped launch behavior,” he adds. Apu’s EMT life began during Spring Break in 1991, technology at Pingry. his sophomore year. “I spent all my time at home, on the computer or reading, but my mom wanted me to do He had been iconic something outside the house,” Apu recalls. “The Spring- field First Aid Squad sent a mailer, offering an opportu- as a student—the nity for anyone over age 16 to get involved. Even though my mom is a pediatrician and my dad is a dentist, I have ‘go to’ person for never been interested in medicine or being a doctor, but I wanted to give back to Springfield, where I’ve lived all my faculty and staff. life.” He took an initial CPR course, followed by on-the- The community had job training to learn about an ambulance’s equipment and to observe calls. And, thus, he has been an EMT for confidence in him.” over 25 years, handling calls that range from falls and difficulty breathing to chest pains and strokes. He has —DR. JACK LEWIS P ’96, ’00 even been on the scene at Newark-Liberty International Airport and NJ Transit stations during drills for aircraft incidents and train derailments.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 33 Apu '93 helping to teach CPR during a faculty/staff In-Service Day in October.

His nearly three decades of service with the Springfield First Aid Squad have “Just saying to students, faculty, included a variety of leadership positions, and staff ‘Apu is working on it’ most notably as Captain from 2004-2009 and 2010-2016. In 2018, he was named relieves their stress.” —DAVE AZAR Deputy Emergency Management Coor- dinator for the Township of Springfield. He is also a member of the Union County When a Pingry football player broke his leg, he worked Office of Emergency Management’s EMS Mutual Aid with athletic trainers and doctors at Jonathan Dayton Coordinators and is an IT/Communications Specialist for High School in Springfield to provide initial treatment. the State of New Jersey EMS Task Force. However, as of this school year, these two, mostly For nearly 30 years, Apu’s Pingry and EMT worlds separate worlds in which Apu has operated for so long have intersected on only a few occasions. He was on the are, quite intentionally, intersecting. Thanks to Health scene about a decade ago when a Pingry school bus over- Department Chair Sue Marshall Marotto, Apu’s former turned on Interstate 78 (thankfully, no one was seriously P.E. teacher and a former EMT herself, the School is injured). He assists with Pingry’s emergency planning offering its first EMR (Emergency Medical Respond- and communications and has been an EMT for Pingry’s er) course*, a two-trimester elective for juniors and summer camp programs. Once, when a Pingry teacher seniors. And Apu is teaching it. “Over the years, many suffered from a kidney stone, he responded by taking vital of our students have taken an EMT course outside signs and offering assurance that help was on the way Pingry,” she explains, “and, given the interest in our (“just being there for another person is still doing a lot”). Health 10 class, which requires CPR certification, I decided to introduce a similar course here at school. * Prior to this EMR course, Pingry offered Basic Life Support (the Apu was my first choice to teach it because of his EMT American Heart Association’s highest-level CPR/AED course) and background.” (To whet his appetite and persuade him First Aid certification in Health 10, a one-trimester course required to teach the class, last year, she invited Apu to bring for sophomores—it now offers both in addition to EMR. How does “his” ambulance to School for a Health 10 lesson about being an EMR differ from being an EMT? “EMTs have more advanced the world of EMTs.) While the course marks his debut skills now than they did years ago,” Apu explains. “EMR is intended for people who are not specifically part of the health care system, such as as a Pingry faculty member, it is not his first time police, firefighters, and people within a company who might be called teaching, as he is involved with EMS training and tech- upon to provide medical care before an EMT arrives.” nology tutoring elsewhere.

34 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 While this EMR course isn’t the full EMT course (only 60 hours of certification as opposed to EMT’s 200), students still learn skills for use in an emergency and may be motivated to take the full EMT course outside of Pingry, as Apu did. Mrs. Marotto has witnessed students’ expanding interest in the medical field, and the EMR course, in addition to the recently introduced course, Foundations of Sports Medicine, are part of her efforts to expose students to a range of medical professions. Mrs. Marotto’s description of the EMR course’s importance echoes Pingry’s emphasis on the Honor Code and the School’s commitment to community and civic engagement, as well as experiential education: “Learning CPR and first aid is part of being a goodcitizen . If someone is in need, you’re giving back to the community. This course is a good way to learn, in a hands-on way, how to react in an emergency, and to have confidence in an emergency.” While any version of an EMR course might be taught slightly differently, depending on the instructor, Apu com- bines textbook readings with hands-on lessons that make use of, for example, mannequins, AEDs (automated exter- nal defibrillators), and oxygen masks. Topics span the gamut from effective communication to cardiac and respi- Apu '93 teaching experience cardiac arrest due to ratory emergencies to head and spine injuries. During a Health 10 students the shock of something happen- session in October, Apu used a mannequin head to teach about his work as an ing to his or her child. He offers airway management—what to do if a patient is experienc- EMT, November 2018. this startling story about safety, ing problems with a nasal or an oral airway. because of an incident he heard In another session, students practiced CPR, combin- about that happened in upstate New York in 2015: “We ing skills they learned in Health 10 with topics already live in a world where people call 9-1-1 for a fire and then covered in the EMR course: legal and ethical principles start shooting at the firefighters. You have to be a detec- of emergency care (including patient consent), patient tive and make sure that the scene is safe.” assessment, breathing/ventilation, lifting/moving a That is the number one lesson he wants students person, and documentation (“If it wasn’t written down, it to take away from the course: “Your safety comes first. didn’t happen,” Apu reminds them). While students work You can’t help anybody else unless you take good care on scenarios that Apu provides (“The baby has a brachial of yourself first, like wearing something that makes you pulse, but is still not breathing” followed shortly thereaf- look visible at night on the interstate, or wearing gloves ter by “The baby shows signs that it might be breathing on to avoid contamination with a patient’s blood.” its own”), he also mimics the instructions that would ema- What particularly draws Apu to teaching the EMR nate from an AED. At one point, a student starts talking course is its immediate, real-world relevance. “You to the patient, then pauses. “Can we talk to the patients?” can learn something in class today and use the same she asks. Apu responds to this thoughtful question, “You skill, for real, five minutes after leaving class,” he says, can still talk to unconscious patients. They will often hear pleased that several students have already expressed what you’re saying.” interest in joining a First Aid Squad. “Pingry students After the students complete their training, Apu sum- have joined squads in the past, but it’s good to see that, marizes the role of the documenter, a person who can also in an age of self-interest and being busy, the desire is act as a timekeeper and collect information for an EMT still there.” Commenting on the overlap among his tech- (“Document what you did, and how long you did it”). He nology work and teaching at Pingry, and his EMT work, also reminds his class that environmental conditions he observes, “I’m not going to be the one who ends world could affect their ability to perform tasks, such as chest hunger or global warming. But the faculty member who compressions. He offers his take on when to call 9-1-1 can’t print or the patient who cut their hand might have (“Earlier is better—it’s easier to tell EMTs they’re not the solution. If I can help a few students learn these needed”). He reminds the students that a parent could basic EMR skills, they can be a force multiplier.”

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 35 AZL White Sox pitcher Justin Friedman (33) during an Arizona League game against the AZL Dodgers Lasorda at Camelback Ranch on June 18, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona.

36 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 JUSTIN FRIEDMAN ’15 TAKES THE MOUND The former Big Blue Baseball standout, who dreamed of playing in the pros, finally gets his chance.

ustin Friedman ’15 had 48 hours to celebrate an achievement he had been working toward since the age of four, pack up his life in California, and report to rookie ball in Phoenix, Arizona. Just days earlier, his family had traveled from New Jersey to the West Coast to sit with him in their hotel room and watch the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft unfold, his third and final shot at making the pros.* In the 26th round, he heard his name. That was early June. Now, nine months later, he is fully immersed in the Chicago White Sox’s rookie league, the AZL White Sox, as a starting pitcher. “It has been a lifelong dream—I’ve been working for it my entire life. So, in that sense, it was expected,” recalls Justin, Pingry’s first alumnus to be selected in the MLB draft since its inception in 1965. “But that didn’t take ZACHARY LUCY/FOUR SEAM IMAGES LUCY/FOUR ZACHARY

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 37 JUSTIN'S SENIOR-YEAR STATS AT PINGRY

5–2

2.45 ERA 101 STRIKEOUTS IN 51⅓ INNINGS

.326 away from the feeling of it happening, or from me cele- BATTING AVG. WITH 28 HITS brating. I also know that I have a lot of work ahead.” Hard work—and unwavering determination—are familiar to Justin, who began as a small-in-stature, backend starting pitcher on Pingry’s Varsity Baseball 19 Team as a sophomore, and, by graduation, was one of RBIs the best pitchers in the state, clocking 90 miles per hour on the radar gun. His path to the pros was a cir- cuitous journey, spending his four years of college at four different schools, resolved to find the right fit and 4 the right program to help him get drafted. Last spring, HRs just after finishing his senior year at Hope Interna- tional University in southern California, it paid off. His laser-focus might explain the coolness with which he regards this new chapter of his career—not as a culmi- 7 nation of over 15 years of effort, but as the beginning STOLEN BASES to much more. “I try to take things one day at a time. I know the goal that I am working towards—I want to be the best pitcher in the history of the game—but my focus is on the work I have before me each day,” he says. “I think if you dedicate your life to something, you should always strive to be the best by maximizing your own abilities and realizing your full potential. How far that will take you, only time will tell.” Make no mistake, Justin is not simply a buckle- down workhorse. He is a scientist, of sorts, eagerly joining the growing ranks of pro pitchers who spend nearly as much time off the field, studying the complex analytics of the game, as they do on the mound. “If

38 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 I have moved around a you’re not blending the two—new techniques and tech- ton, and people do fall off nologies for training and preparation with a more tradi- along the way, but Coach tionalist approach—you’re so far behind,” he says. Take, for example, the sophisticated software and Corvino is on the short high-speed cameras now at his disposal, which capture every pitch and spit out data and photos that are, at list of coaches who have times, both highly informative and maddenly disap- consistently kept tabs on pointing. “A lot of pitchers think they’re throwing a curveball, for example, but the camera will show that my career. That contact you’re actually throwing closer to a slider or a slurve, which is in between the two, so seeing the image can really means a lot to me— really help you get to that true curve,” he explains. “It it makes you feel like you helps you to see what’s going on as opposed to doing everything off of feel.” were a part of something.” In addition to data on the pitches, the technology provides useful insight into how batters are responding —JUSTIN FRIEDMAN ’15 to them. “You can look at exit velocity and see what pitches are getting hit hard. I can see how well players hit my fastball, curveball, and slider. And I can go back throwing a different pitch than you thought, or the and see where I located that pitch,” he says. “It’s a very data show a pitch you took great pride in, is really effective evaluation tool for something that is outside just average. For Justin, it’s all fodder for improve- of your control.” In college, Justin says he threw mostly ment. But he’s also clear-eyed about the limitations two-seam sinkers. Now, in the pros, with more data of technology. “You have to be open to the infor- to draw from, he has switched to a four-seam, looking mation, and it can be humbling, but you also have more closely at his spin rate and vertical and horizontal to understand that it’s not everything.” And here, breaks, and, as he says, trying to get a curve to be a truer Justin draws on lessons he learned in Upper School 12-to-6 on the clock. Math Teacher Brad Poprik’s statistics class to For many players, the technological revelations explain his interest in reading and interpreting the can bruise the ego, whether the camera proves you’re data so integral to pitching. “It is one thing to look

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 39 JUSTIN'S at data showing you what is happening, but knowing ADVICE how to apply that information and arrive at why it’s FOR PINGRY’S happening and how to fix things is what is ultimately STUDENT-ATHLETES important.” Justin’s tenacity and pursuit of perfection were evi- “Don’t accept the limitations dent—and nurtured—long before reaching the ranks of that other people put on you as your professional baseball. While he credits his parents with reality. The saying I live by is, ‘It’s not instilling in him a strong work ethic, he says being challenged academically at Pingry gave him a breadth of easy, but it’s simple.’ It’s not easy to curiosity and focus beyond baseball. “Pingry opened my pursue baseball, but what it takes is eyes early to branching out from baseball to all these pretty simple. There’s a clear-cut recipe other, different realms where greatness was apparent. for how to go about things. It’s mundane, I always wanted to have a consistent work ethic across but do it more frequently than most the board. With anything I did, I was absolutely deter- people are willing to do it, and longer mined to succeed, from math—one of my worst sub- than the point at which most people are jects—to soccer, to a not-so-friendly game of ping-pong prepared to quit . . . Take the lumps and or cards.” Not that he needed additional motivation, but move forward. Be open and receptive, he also quickly realized that having a strong GPA means and acknowledge that greatness is more recruitment opportunities. “If you don’t empha- readily attainable to anyone willing size your academics, then you’re putting off schools that to put the work in.” might recruit you to do the thing that you love,” he adds. Pingry also gave Justin, who was a member of the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team for two years as well, a “A coach once told me that it takes breadth of experience in baseball. Whereas at other what it takes . . . Everybody’s high schools, particularly on the West Coast, play- journey is different.” ers specialize early, at Pingry, his coaches—Manny (“Trem”) Tramontana P ’85, ’87, pitching coach Joe Schneider, and then-Head Coach Ted Corvino ’94— gave him the chance to not simply pitch, but to play first and third bases on occasion, too. He was also a regular hitter in their lineup. Those experiences made him a better pitcher, he says, and better able to understand the game from a hitter’s perspective. Perhaps more than anything, Justin says he appre- ciated their insistence on hard work, and their confi-

PATH TO THE PROS

First part of Second part of 2013– 2015– 2016– 2017– summer summer 2018- June 2019 2015 2016 2017 2018 2018 2018 2019 to present — — — — — — — — Pingry’s George Ventura University Cape Cod California Hope AZL White Sox Varsity Washington Community of San Diego Baseball League Collegiate International Baseball Team University College (amateur League University summer league)

* After he wrapped up his senior year of college in May 2019, Justin’s last chance at making the pros was the draft held in June. While it is possible to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent, this was his final shot at the draft itself. “Athletes are eligible for the draft immediately after high school. Then, in college, eligibility is based on age, what class you are in, if you attend a two- or four-year school, as well as whether you are an NCAA versus non-NCAA athlete, so the rules can be complicated,” he explains.

40 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 dence in the players. “I can genuinely say, having played Justin was at his best in for so many different teams now, that we prepared very hard, we took a lot of reps, and when they wrote a lineup, big games. He always took it was based off of what we had earned,” he recalls. “With the mound against our a lot of my other coaches, the second you looked like you were struggling, there was panic. But we had a lot of trust toughest opponents and from Coaches Trem and Corvino. It wasn’t a lineup that changed every night, and that allowed us to improve.” always gave us a chance So now, a mere four years after graduating from to win. Most importantly, Pingry, with a lifelong dream fulfilled, Justin is working harder than ever. The gap between the level of play in col- he was a great teammate, lege and the pros is sizable. Equally sizable—or so it feels, selfless and inspirational. at times—is the gap between his current role in the rookie league (which is typically followed by stops in single A, Getting to coach him has AA, and AAA) and the majors. Timing and patience are critical, he says. “It’s a unique job structure—you’re essen- been one of the highlights tially applying for positions that aren’t open. Something of my time at Pingry.” has to happen in the levels above you in order for you to move up.” No matter his current position, as has been —TED CORVINO ’94 his approach since playing for Big Blue, the hunger for improvement fuels him. “All you can do is your job—keep working and keep training.” CHELSEA PFOHL CHELSEA

Justin Friedman '15 pitching at Hope International University in 2018-19.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 41 Athletics BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS For more details on the Fall 2019 season, see pingry.org/bigblueroundup

< Girls’ Varsity Soccer Captain Madisyn Pilla ‘20 netted her 45th and 46th goals in the same game, adding to her single- season goal record (39) for the School. Her total increased later in the season.

After clinching its second straight state sectional title, the Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team went on to a 6-0 shutout of DePaul Catholic, defending its status as Non-Public A State Champions and capping another historic season with a #8 state ranking.

42 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Its #4 state ranking was well earned: The Girls’ Varsity Tennis Team defended its status as Non-Public A South Sectional Champions (fourth consecutive year) and Somerset County Tournament Champions (two years in a row).

> Columbia-bound Nicole Vanasse ’20 closed her stellar high school career by “three-peating” as NJSIAA Non- Public A State Champion, placing third at the Meet of Champions and ninth at Foot Locker Northeast Regionals, and advancing for the second year in a row to the prestigious Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals (pictured here), where she took 27th in 18:20. JOHN NEPOLITAN/DYESTAT.COM

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 43 Athletics BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS

Marking their most successful cross country season in recent history, Middle Schoolers swept both the Ed Scott Invitational and the Gill St. Bernard’s annual Great Pumpkin Run.

44 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Following a momentous, 1-0 upset victory over top-seeded Delbarton in the semifinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Non- Public A Tournament, Big Blue advanced to the sectional finals, their first appearance since 2014. The team also advanced to the finals of the Somerset County Tournament and was co-champion of the Skyland Conference.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 45 Athletics Q&A WITH SARAH CHRISTENSEN P ’10, ’12

The Hill Lady

Director of Athletics Carter Abbott has called you “a The Upper School memory would be from February mainstay of our running programs in both the Middle 2018, when we knew we had a good chance of qualifying and Upper Schools” and a “consistent presence.” Your for Nationals in the 4x800-meter run. Cathleen Parker coaching roles at Pingry are numerous. Can you list ’19, Avery Schiffman ’18, Ryan Davi ’21, and Nikki Vanasse them? I started coaching at Pingry in the fall of 2010 as ’20 had all run good 800 times, but we’d never actually run an assistant coach of the Girls’ Varsity Cross Country the relay. To get a Nationals qualifying time, we needed Team. That winter, I helped coach boys’ and girls’ to get in a seeded heat at Eastern States Championships. distance runners for the Winter Track & Field Team, But, because we hadn’t run the relay before, we didn’t and, the following spring, I started working with the have a seed time! To make a long story short, a fantastic Middle School running programs and the girls’ distance race director believed me when I told him what I thought runners for Outdoor Track & Field. During the 2014-15 the girls could run, and that time seeded us first, ahead of school year, I became Head Coach for the Middle School teams like Ridge (who won Indoor Nationals in 2017 and Track & Field and Cross Country Teams. 2018) and Union Catholic. The girls had to run their best to get that time; they needed a perfect race. It was a really How many hours a week would you say you’re rough race from the start, as Nikki, our lead runner, got on the Basking Ridge Campus? I would say 20-25, not boxed in—we had a target on our backs as the top seed. counting meets! Despite it all, the girls ended up running the exact time I projected to the race director. We finished second to What led you to coach at Pingry? Two of my three Ridge, beat Union Catholic, and easily made Nationals— sons attended Pingry and, in fact, Chris ’10 was a good the first girls’ team from Pingry to ever go! When I found runner in Middle School and went to Nationals. He them after the race, I just couldn’t say enough about their ran to stay fit in other sports and didn’t continue it in grit and determination. I think about them every time I try the Upper School, but played football, ice hockey, and and psych up the girls at big meets. lacrosse. At lacrosse games, [then-Director of Athletics] Gerry [Vanasse] would occasionally ask me if I had any So, how did Nationals go that year? The girls placed ninth, interest in coaching, knowing my background. At the running 9:15.05 and breaking the school record they’d set at time, I had a career in the banking industry and had Easterns just two weeks before. never even thought about it. Then, I left banking in 2009. The first coaching position at Pingry that opened up at Your own running achievements are impressive, to say the time was Head Coach of the Boys’ Cross Country the least. You placed 10th in the New York City Marathon Team, but I wasn’t sure I could even coach, and was even in 1981, and went on to qualify for the first-ever Olympic less sure about coaching boys. So, Gerry said I could Marathon Trials for women in 1984, the same year that the help Tim Grant [Head Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Cross legendary Joan Benoit Samuelson ran it and won. Can you Country Team]. Oh, I had lots to learn, especially about share a bit about your own experience in the sport? I was high school training! Tim is an awesome coach and has primarily a swimmer in high school, but also played field taught me a lot. hockey and lacrosse. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I ran the mile in lacrosse try-outs and did really well. What is your favorite memory coaching Middle and The next spring, I tried distance events in track and fell in Upper School athletes? For the Middle School, it had love with running. I ran the mile in the state championship to be this past fall, when both the girls’ and boys’ cross my senior year. My first two years at the University of country teams won the Ed Scott Invitational as well as Pennsylvania, the women’s cross country and track & field the Pumpkin Run at Gill St. Bernard’s. Both races are teams were only club teams. It was the beginning of the against 10 to 15 schools, and it takes a true team effort. Title IX era and, by my junior year, our teams were official. We had several kids who had to step up behind top In my first varsity race, I was named an Ivy League “Athlete finishers to cement our wins. It was phenomenal! of the Week” in cross country; our team had a great start.

46 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Coach Chris’s Top 4 Training Strategies

PACING—If you go out ➀ too fast, it will come back to bite you. Many of our workouts are designed to teach the importance of pacing.

PEAKING—Pick key But soon after, I got my first stress fracture and had several more; ➁ races, work hard for it was a bumpy road to complete recovery my senior year outdoor those, often through other track season. After graduation, I moved to New York to start a races, and rest/pull back before the bigger meets. bank training program and discovered running in Central Park. I began training at night with Warren Street, a competitive club STRENGTH TRAIN— team of former college runners. After my first New York City ➂ All aspects of strength Marathon, Adidas sponsored me, and I was asked to compete in a training are critical to avoiding few international races. I went to Japan in 1982 for the women’s injury. Having the Greig Center international marathon championships and came in eighth. in the Bugliari Athletics Center Work got tougher, so I pulled my training back for a bit. Then, is a huge advantage for us— the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon was added to Doug Scott and Mike Saraceno the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. I was applying to business tailor programs to each sport. school and started to up my training to try and qualify for KEEP IT FUN—Training the Trials, held in Olympia, Washington. My husband (a ➃ is tough and even worse former Olympic rower) trained me and had me run a ton of if it’s boring; it can easily huge hills. I qualified for the Trials, and ended up finishing feel unrewarding. Explain the five minutes behind Joan Benoit in a PR of 2:36. purpose of every workout, keep them as fresh and fun What led you to move on from that elite level? as possible, have plenty of I liked running when it was fun and a team metrics, and make sure kids sport, like in high school, college, or when are aware of their progress. a bunch of us [fellow Warren Street runners, work colleagues, friends] were training for a 10k or a marathon. When I had to go to a race, it wasn’t so much fun. It felt more like a job, and competing wasn’t the same. I went back to business school because I loved my job and wanted to pursue a career. So, I gave up racing and ran completely for fun.

What do you most hope your student-athletes will learn from you? My runners call me “Coach Chris” but also “The Hill Lady,” because I am known for pushing them to run hills. They’re great for building speed and strength, and they toughen you up for races. But also, I hope the kids learn how to get what they want from running, to gain confidence from setting and achieving goals, and finally, to realize that it can be a lifetime sport.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 47 On the Arts VISUAL ARTS

HOSTETTER ARTS CENTER GALLERY

“WW11: Eye of the Storm,” a recent multimedia exhibit curated by _gaia studio and presented in the Hostetter Arts Center Gallery, is part of the 11th annual Wonder Women Residency Project. Artists use sculptures, paper-making, paintings, and videos to raise awareness of the changing environment.

One-hundred pieces of paper, each created from locally sourced water, natural fibers, and washed- up plastic found at Richard W. DeKorte Park on the New Jersey waterfront: this striking work of artist Amanda Thackray wowed students, as she engaged them in a discussion about her response to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

> Pictured here are a sculpture and paintings that depict the havoc caused by a beetle that destroys ash trees (the emerald ash borer), and a thought-provoking painting inspired by contaminated soil and groundwater.

48 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Visit the Hostetter Arts Center Gallery page at pingry.org for more information about the exhibit.

Sixth-grade students in Middle School Visual Arts Teacher Xiomara Babilonia’s class not only learned an artistic approach when they created these representations of Brazilian favelas, but also learned about the challenges of social mobility and income inequality in another country.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 49 On the Arts MUSIC/DRAMA

Drama Department Chair Stephanie Romankow directed a cast and crew of nearly 50 Upper School students in their poignant staging of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.

50 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 51 On the Arts MUSIC/DRAMA

TanTan’s Path Thanks to interests cultivated at Pingry, technology and the arts have always been inseparable to TanTan Wang ’16. When he got to college, he found the perfect, hybrid major: Computing and the Arts. In addition to his immersion in visual arts through his major, last May TanTan finished his third and final year with the Yale Spizzwinks(?), the world’s oldest underclassman a cappella group, entirely student-run and self-funded (membership in the vaunted group is only three years). He recalls feeling somewhat star-struck when, during his sophomore year at Pingry, he watched Spizzwink Ryan Camp- bell ’12 return to campus to perform for students; he singers to the city where he spent many summers as a child, caught the bug. Beijing. It was the first time his grandparents heard him sing. His freshman year, TanTan redesigned their “A lot of what I did at Pingry really shaped what I did at website; the following two years, he served as a “rush Yale,” he says. “You have a camp of people who go into college manager” as well as the group’s associate business trying to reinvent themselves. For me, I didn’t feel like I was manager. In the last three years, among many memo- doing anything different. The path I took at Pingry really rable road trips with the group, he has performed for helped to pave the way for me in college.” John Kerry’s final State Department lunch, bungee jumped in New Zealand, and introduced his fellow Read more at pingry.org/alumniartists.

Students in Grades 3-5 bring to life an enduring friendship in the Reale brothers’ A Year with Frog and Toad, based on Arnold Lobel’s children’s stories. Lower School Drama Teacher Keara Gordon directed.

52 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Pingry Creates BOOKS, BUSINESSES, BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK, AND MORE — TAKE A PEEK AT WHAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN UP TO

Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Mark R. McLaughlin ’83, Founder of Princeton Brain, Spine & Sports Medicine, has published the book Cognitive Dominance: A Brain Surgeon’s Quest to Out-Think Fear (Black Irish Entertainment). “As a neurosurgeon, I frequently encounter stressful, life- and-death decisions,” he says. “Having experienced this over a 20-year career, I’ve developed a system of dealing and engaging with fear that has enabled me to function more effectively not only at work, but in all areas of my life. I’ve found that this skill, cognitive dominance, is transferable to anyone in business and relationships.” Learn how to develop situational awareness and make quick, accurate decisions under stressful conditions. During his work with the Pioneer Research Program, Julian Lee ’21 took an innovative, creative approach to computer science, New York City-based actor and writer melding the STEM and humanities fields. He Rebecca Gever ’14 made her combined generative art—a type of visual art Off-Broadway debut in October that is created from an autonomous process, with her solo show lemons, which generally through the use of a machine she developed and performed while or computer—with seemingly unrelated a student at Brown University. The computer science algorithms, to create play, which premiered in May 2017, is a pretty neat result. The editor-in-chief largely constructed from an interview with her of FOCUS, the newsmagazine of the mother earlier that spring, “in which we discussed Mathematical Association of America, moments of connection to and moments of agreed, and showcased his work on the separation from the body—when your body feels cover of their October/November 2019 like a home versus when it feels like a stranger, issue. By experimenting with generative or even an adversary. There is no addressing that art, Julian writes, “I learned that the topic without talking about her three decades relationship between computer science living with the autoimmune disease lupus, and the humanities does not only run although other experiences are also explored. in one direction . . . the humanities can Interspersed between her speech are brief scenes also be applied to further understand from my own life, exploring our relationship and computer science.” Read more how I’ve navigated these topics.” about Julian’s cutting-edge work at Selected from over 1,000 entries, Ms. Gever’s pingry.org/extras. play was one of about 100 accepted into the 10th anniversary season of the United Solo Theatre Festival, the world’s largest festival dedicated to one-person performances.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 53 True Blue Spotlight Q&A WITH MEMBERS OF PINGRY’S TRUE BLUE SOCIETY

Speaking in the C.B. Newton Library at Career Day, 2015.

Matthew Estabrook ’89 Counsel to a Commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

What inspires you about Pingry today? loved it. Hearing a masterpiece like the Hallelujah Chorus I love knowing that Pingry is doing for others what it did come together on such a large scale was a tremendous musi- for me. During my time at Pingry, I was challenged to cal moment that I loved. I had just been accepted to college appreciate new things and, if not always to excel in them, earlier that day, so that performance felt like a culminating then at least to become proficient with them. Opening my moment for me at Pingry. The pride I had in my School, in mind to new experiences opened new doors for me, both my hard work, and in my fellow performers all were ampli- at Pingry and later in life. I support the School not only out fied in that moment by that piece of music. of gratitude for what it did for me, but also because it still offers that experience to today’s students. What was your hardest Pingry class? I arrived at Pingry as a freshman, and during my first semes- What is your fondest Pingry memory? ter I had Geometry with Judy Lee. Geometry is a real gear Singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Han- shift in mathematics, so I had to both learn del’s Messiah in the Winter Concert during a new way of thinking and step up my game my senior year. Now, let me be clear: I am in Pingry’s more rigorous academic environ- not a great singer, and until my sophomore TRUE BLUE SOCIETY ment. Having me in that class was probably year, I never had any interest in singing. But a challenge for Mrs. Lee, too! She was a great Those who have a classmate coaxed me to join the musical given to The Pingry teacher, and worked so hard to make sure during my sophomore year, and Mr. Little, Fund for 10 or more that we all understood the material. I worked the Music Director at the time, suggested I consecutive years hard, too, and improving my grade in that join the Glee Club after that. It turns out, I class was really gratifying.

54 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 “Project Week gives more than one perspective on real-life situations and creates interactive, meaningful experiences.” —ANIKA SINHA ’24

The Pingry Fund enables the School to say “yes” to innovative programs like Project Week. Grade 6, Form I, and Form II students engage in hands-on, multidisciplinary learning to gain a deeper understanding of STEAM, leadership, and civic engagement. In previous years, the week has culminated with students collaborating to construct and test boats made of everyday household items, creating and delivering public service announcements on contemporary state topics, and presenting recommendations on Pingry-specific issues to a panel of key stakeholders.

Visit pingry.org/give, call 908-647-5555 ext. 1284, or use the enclosed envelope to make your gift today.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 55 Pingry in Your Neighborhood PINGRY EVENTS HAPPENING NEAR YOU

Alumni Squash Event in November on the Basking Ridge Campus. Pictured are Chloe Blacker ‘10, Director of Squash and Head Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Squash Team Francis Odeh, Sam Scherl ‘17, George Zachary ‘14, Chris Zachary ‘19, Derek Hsue ‘14, Middle School Science Teacher and Head Coach of the Boys’ Varsity Squash Team Ramsay Vehslage, Lindsay Stanley ‘16, Mark Shtrakhman ‘16, and

JAMES J. J. CONNOLLY JAMES Drew Blacker ‘05.

JOIN US! Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 Reunion Weekend Reunion Tuesday, March 10 Basking Ridge Campus Weekend Vero Beach Reception 5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18 May 15-16 Jersey Shore Reception Wednesday, March 11 Naples Reception Visit pingry.org/reunion 5:30 p.m. YOU’RE INVITED for more information Monday, April 6 If you haven’t been receiving Achievement in the Arts invitations for and updates about Award Assembly Honoring Pingry events, please send your Steven Henry ’81 email and mailing addresses to Basking Ridge Campus — 10:00 a.m. [email protected]. Also, by sharing your business Friday, May 1 information, you will receive Grandparents & Special invitations to Pingry’s professional Friends Day networking events and you may Short Hills Campus — 9:00 a.m. have the opportunity to speak at Career Day. Wednesday, May 6 Washington, D.C. Reception

Friday, May 15 For more details and a full Athletics Hall of Fame Reception calendar, visit pingry.org/alumni. & Induction Ceremony Basking Ridge Campus — 6:30 p.m.

56 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Class Notes SHARE YOUR NEWS 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.

1952

MILLER BUGLIARI P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24 marked his 60th season as Head Coach of the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team in the fall of 2019.

1962 Hella Prinz, Dr. George Vroom ’61, Robby Robinson ’61, Carol Robinson, Ann Bunting, Chuck Bunting ’61, Tino O’Brien ’61, and Betsy Cornwall on Martha’s Vineyard in September. SKIP DAHLGREN writes, “Thanks to Dr. Herbert Hahn, my Fifth Form English teacher, I confirmed my earlier impression HARRY MOSER and the Reshoring Initia- that I could write. While I’ve done many tive team received the MADE IN AMERICA things since then, I always felt that I would 2019 “Reshoring Award” during the four- become a writer when I grew up. This seems day MADE IN AMERICA 2019 event at the to have occurred, as I have spent the past two Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis years writing a novel. My first long fiction, it in October. It was attended by policymakers, is a high-concept, alternate-history fantasy industry professionals, advocates, and con- adventure set 3,000 years ago in ancient scious consumers, and boasted the largest-ev- African cities I helped excavate 40 years ago er collection of American products. Exhibitors in Eritrea and Ethiopia, as well as in adjacent included hundreds of manufacturers and lands. It features a powerful legendary female companies from diverse industries and back- superhero, a warrior princess everyone will grounds, with categories ranging from aero- recognize, who is drawn from Ethiopian, space and automobiles to apparel and textiles. Arabian, and biblical legends. The setting is The event’s mission is to raise awareness for This Google Earth map shows the locations in an historic, and I’ve recreated the world of that the economic, environmental, and community upcoming novel by Skip Dahlgren ’62. time based on experiences gained during my impact of American-made manufacturers years living in Eritrea and Ethiopia. The ac- and brands. Harry established the Reshoring companying map, from a Google Earth view, Initiative in 2010 to bring manufacturing jobs shows the places that figure in the story and is back to the U.S. framed with a stylized ibex design that served as the sacred symbol of Almaqah, the lunar god of Saba’ & Di’amat, who figures prominently in the story.”

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 57 Class Notes

Teaching 1969

Mindfulness . . . BILL BONN writes “Our 50th (yikes!) Reunion and Smiles was during May last year. It was great to see fellow classmates in such good health and JUDY GOODWIN RIENDEAU ’79 has so happy. Thanks so much to all of you who been teaching Lower and Middle School made my husband Ruben feel welcome at the (Grades 2-5) visual arts at St. Francis Reunion. It meant the world to me!” School in Louisville, Kentucky for five years. An independent Preschool-Grade JAY DILLON, owner of Jay Dillon Rare Books

KELLY DILLMAN PHOTOGRAPHY KELLY + Manuscripts in Monmouth Beach, NJ, 12 institution, St. Francis bills itself as appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes in October. He providing progressive education, emphasizing individuality and independent is the “unlikely detective” who discovered forg- thinking. eries of Christopher Columbus letters in the Motivated by their faculty/staff summer reading (Dave Mochel’sGood Life Vatican and other famous libraries, and then Practice: A Quick Start Guide to Mindful Self-Regulation), St. Francis teachers tracked down the stolen originals (working have begun to incorporate mindfulness into the curriculum, and Judy is a huge with Paul Needham of the Princeton Univer- proponent based on her own embracing of mindfulness, such as while riding a sity Library), which have now been returned bicycle (listening to her breath and the birds) or throwing pots on the ceramics to their rightful owners. Ten years ago, Jay wheel (the meditative effect of the spinning). “My colleagues and I have discovered that some forgeries of these letters grabbed onto mindfulness to quiet the mind, listen to our hearts, and experi- had “polluted the market,” as he puts it, so he was trying to pinpoint their source, or sources. ence our emotions. We needed to understand and experience it before we could (“We still haven’t gotten to the bottom of it,” he share it with our students, many of whom would benefit from slowing down and says.) In 2011, during his research, he noticed taking time away from their digital devices to build an awareness of themselves that the National Library of Catalonia’s website as well as compassion and empathy for others.” had posted a photo of their Columbus letter, Judy wants her students to tap into their creativity (right-sided thinking), which looked exactly like a letter that Jay had which requires focus and attention. “They need to be able to stay on topic, prob- seen for sale. “What I remembered at first, in lem solve, and not walk away if a lesson or technique is perceived to be diffi- the photo, were some distinctive imperfections cult,” she says. “Kids need to be in the present. The benefits of problem-solving, in the printed text, which corresponded exactly critical thinking, and building ‘productive struggle’ into lessons are tremen- and uniquely to a book that I had seen on the dous. When students and teachers struggle or are put in vulnerable situations, market 15 months earlier,” he says. “This led me to compare the two books even more close- they grow.” ly, side by side, using photographs, and that’s Among the activities that promote awareness, contemplation, and calm when I saw the same ‘smudge’ marks—called in Judy’s classroom are weaving; needle felting (transforming wool into 3D ‘foxing’—in the paper. The foxing was identical objects); and “playing” a singing bowl, which students can tap with a mallet to in both books.” Therefore, as he explained to elicit a calming ring. Similar to initiatives on the Short Hills Campus, she and CBS, “One of [the letters] has to be a forgery, her colleagues use other wellness techniques as well: a minute of silence to be- because you can’t have two books with the gin Morning Meeting; 15 minutes of quiet activities during advisory meetings; same, random brown spots in the margins. brain breaks; and movement breaks. It’s just impossible.” Jay suspected that the Notably, St. Francis also places a premium on students’ personal time by library’s letter had been stolen, replaced by not prioritizing homework, at least at the elementary-age level—they focus a forgery, and put up for sale, meaning their instead on in-school lessons. “In my student days, homework was considered the key to test performance,” Judy recalls. “But we know today that a ton of homework is not necessarily going to lead to good grades and happiness.” To further promote student well-being, Judy would like to see more outdoor activities . . . and more smiling. “Schools should implement more time for kids to be outdoors, maybe to walk in the woods. The more you’re outdoors, observing nature, the more it helps your well-being. And I love emphasizing the importance of a smile. The act of smiling—being happy—is contagious. It’s a simple concept, but the world would be better if everyone just smiled!”

Jay Dillon ’69 discussing forged Christopher Columbus letters on 60 Minutes.

58 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 Head of School Matt Levinson P ’21, Andrew Goldstein ’92, and Director Scott Nettune ’95, Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, of College Counseling and English Teacher Tim Lear ’92, P ’25, ’27, ’30. and Christopher Runnells ’95 at Urban Table in Basking Ridge, NJ.

Alumni Soccer Game at Homecoming 2019. collection had a fake. Knowing what he had 1983 1996 found, and with his similar discoveries of incorrect paper in books at other libraries in DR. MARK MCLAUGHLIN has written a new GREG WAXBERG is among the winners Italy, Jay alerted the Department of Justice. book. Read more on page 53. of the 88th annual Writer’s Digest Writing “Columbus, for all his achievements and all Competition, placing seventh in the “Print or his faults, did something that nobody had ever 1989 Online Article” category. His story, pub- done before,” Jay told CBS, regarding his mo- lished on OperaWire, profiled four sopranos tivation for his efforts. “He made the globe a DEBBIE WHITE was named Billboard’s 2019 who were preparing to represent three 19th globe, and that’s the most consequential news “Lawyer of the Year”—she is the first woman century singers/composers in “Leading Ladies ever published, isn’t it?” to receive this music industry honor. Debbie Liberated” for the 2019 New York Opera Fest. is a partner at Loeb & Loeb and is Vice Chair The concert’s purpose—and Greg’s motivation of the firm’s Music Practice Group. Her to write the piece—was to help increase the practice focuses on representing recording prominence of female composers in music artists, songwriters, producers, managers, programming. record companies, publishing companies, and digital media and technology companies. She 2000 is known for negotiating multimillion-dol- lar contracts for music’s A-listers and for TED AND KATE (MARTUSCELLO) SMITH counseling global brands on music deals. welcomed Grace Connelly Smith on Debbie’s worldwide client list includes K-pop November 14. Grace joins big sisters Libby super-group BTS as well as The Who, James and Emma. TW, Emily Ann Roberts, Melanie Martinez, and Duran.

1992

ANDREW GOLDSTEIN returned to Pingry in November to deliver the John Hanly Lecture on Ethics and Morality, introduced by his friend and classmate Tim Lear ’92, P ’25, ’27, Jeremy Goldstein ’91, Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’30. Read more at pingry.org/extras. ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Kim Kimber III ’76, P ’07, and Woody Weldon ’91, P ’23 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ. Grace Connelly Smith.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 59 Class Notes

Henry Burchenal ’08 and Hannah Hoar on their wedding day.

Kristin Scillia ’10 and Daniel Lowenthal on their wedding day.

2005 2008

JULIE JOHNSON was honored by the HENRY BURCHENAL married Hannah Hoar Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on September 21 in Keene Valley, NY. Pic- in November as one of the winners of its tured are Ryan Maxwell ’08, Will Brundage “Ten Outstanding Young Leaders Award.” ’08, Erik Moss ’08, Gordon Peeler ’08, Patrick The honor spotlights young professionals Trousdale ’08, Brooke Conti Trousdale ’09, striving to enhance Boston and improve Chris Bartlett ’79, Jeff Tanenbaum ’08, Will the world. Julie is Co-Founder and CEO of Burchenal ’11, Cary Corrigan ’08, Natalie Boston-based Armored Things (founded in Battista ’10, Peter Corrigan ’08, Henry Burch- 2016), which uses AI to transform physical enal ’08, Freddy Porges ’10, Hannah Hoar, security and operations for large venues and Eric Hynes ’08, Jed Constantino ’08, Andrew Dan Ambrosia ’07 with Pingry friends on his campuses. Burchenal ’12, Jen Lang Sullivan ’09, Betsy wedding day. Lucas Vreeland ’84, P ’11, ’12, ’15, and Mary 2007 Lee Donahue Trousdale ’78, P ’08, ’13.

DAN AMBROSIA married Caroline Baca on 2010 September 21 on Nantucket. Pictured are Mike Ambrosia ’10, Andrew Krill ’07, Dan KRISTIN SCILLIA married Daniel Lowen- Ambrosia ’07, Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey As- thal on June 15 at The Ashford Estate, sistant Coach/Head Coach Emeritus John surrounded by friends and family. Kristin’s Magadini, and Brad Zanoni ’07. sister, Nicole Scillia ’00, was the Maid of Hon-

60 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 has taken full advantage of other short-term professional opportunities and used them as a platform to shadow professional practitioners; co-author conference presentations; conduct product analysis; optimize active protocols; observe medical procedures; and participate in research conferences. Within this journey, she has sustained the highest standards, academically and athletically.”

2017

MADDY SHILTS starred as Tilly Evans in Qui Nguyen’s dramatic comedy She Kills Monsters in November at Miami University. The play follows a woman’s exploration through the world of Dungeons & Dragons as a means of connecting to her deceased younger sister. One Ashley F. ’11 and her mother, former Pingry Mandarin Chinese Teacher Yi Hao P ’11, ’13, at reviewer wrote that Maddy gave “a complex “Dancing Under the Harvest Moon.” portrayal of a deceased, yet self-realized, teenage girl.” or, while Courtney Hulse ’10, Louisa Lee ’10, other children and giving negative feedback. JEFF ZUCKER, a member of the Penn Men’s Maddie Garcia ’10, Beth Garcia ’10, Cassidy Instead, Ashley said, “The first step is wanting Tennis Team, was profiled inThe Daily Penn- Reich ’10, Carina Chan ’10, and Alexandra to help.” Her mother said that parents often sylvanian in October for his efforts to launch Rotatori ’10 served as bridesmaids, and Alex- do not realize that children have a serious a program to have all Penn student-athletes andra Cheng ’10, Elizabeth Loonam ’00, and mental illness until it is too late. “We often certified in CPR. He was inspired by Pingry’s Arianna Austin ’00 were in attendance. After say to our kids, ‘Wear some more—don’t be graduation requirement that all students com- graduating from Cornell University together, cold!’ but how often do we extend the same plete CPR training. Kristin and Daniel moved back to the New care to their mental well-being? Why not York City area and reside in Brooklyn Heights. pay as much attention to their mental health Kristin works for Stroock & Stroock & Lavan as their physical well-being?” Read more on LLP, and Daniel for The Madison Square page 12. Garden Company. 2014 2011 REBECCA GEVER made her Off-Broadway ASHLEY F. participated in the Purple Swans’ debut in October. Read more on page 53. “Dancing Under the Harvest Moon” benefit for youth mental health initiatives, which 2016 took place in November at the Union County Performing Arts Center. More than 1,000 ALEXA BUCKLEY, a member of the Women’s audience members experienced a celebration Swim Team at the University of California, of Chinese and American music and dance Berkeley, was named ASC (Athletic Study styles. Ashley and her mother, former Pingry Center) Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the Mandarin Teacher Yi Hao P ’11, ’13, shared week of November 18. She was recognized their family’s experience with mental health for “establishing a presence within the health issues, to help fight the stigma of mental industry through intellectual pursuits— illness. Ashley has experienced depression, putting academic knowledge acquired into intermittently, for about 10 years and has meaningful practice. Most recently, Alexa sought help for work-related stress. She also served as a Summer Consultant for Putnam volunteers for a crisis hotline and has found Associates, a premier strategy consulting that many young Asian Americans feel their firm serving biopharmaceutical, diagnostics, parents are a bigger source of stress than medical device clients, and the private equity/ support, often comparing their children to venture capital community. Furthermore, she Maddy Shilts ’17, center, in She Kills Monsters.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 61 In Memoriam

JAMES OVERMAN WELCH, JR. GEORGE HORNING LOWDEN ’39 nia and began a career October 6, 2019, age 88, Chatham, NJ October 7, 2019, age 98, Fort Myers, FL with the Southeastern Mr. Welch served as a member of Pingry’s Mr. Lowden attended Dartmouth College, Pennsylvania Transpor- Board of Trustees from 1979-1993 and was a served as a Naval Aviator in World War II, spent tation Authority, lasting former Co-Chair, with his wife Ginny, of the a year with Eastern Air Lines, and worked in the 28 years. Throughout Grandparent Annual Fund. He matriculated at petroleum industry. He was predeceased by his his life, he loved playing Harvard College, earning an A.B., and attended wife Louise. Survivors include three children, the organ, an inter- Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. George, Jr. (Jane), Josephine (John), and est that developed at Once commissioned an ensign, Mr. Welch was David (Kelly), and eight grandchildren, Bart, Pingry. He served as assigned to the Engineering Department on the Sandy, Margaret, Philip, George, Emery, Skyler, Dean of the Las Cruces USS Hambleton, a destroyer minesweeper in and David. Chapter of the American Guild of Organists Charleston, SC, where he completed his naval for five years. Mr. Young died of complications career as Lieutenant Junior Grade and Chief En- RICHARD D. MCGINLEY ’50 from Parkinson’s Disease. gineer. Upon leaving the Navy, Mr. Welch joined January 25, 2019, age 88, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL the family business, the Mr. McGinley attended the University of REV. JOHN JACKSON BLOSSOM ’72 James O. Welch Company, Pennsylvania and spent his career as an execu- September 15, 2019, age 65, Guildford, CT a national candy and choc- tive with Bethlehem Steel Corporation. He was Rev. Blossom attended Connecticut College, olate business with brands predeceased by his wife Virginia and son Peter. where he met his future wife June-Ann such as Junior Mints, Survivors include his children Richard, Jr., and became a driving force in the building Sugar Daddy, and Sugar Mary, and Michael, seven grandchildren, and and managing of Babies. This company was two great-grandchildren. Mr. McGinley died of the campus radio sold to Nabisco, Inc. in complications from Parkinson’s Disease. station. He majored in 1963. After serving as Pres- American Literature ident of the Candy Division JOHN WAYNE LUTHER ’57 and graduated with for several years, Mr. Welch was transferred to October 23, 2019, age 81, Charleston, SC a B.A. in English, but Nabisco headquarters in New Jersey. During this Mr. Luther attended Colgate University, was a he first worked in the period, he was actively involved in the Billie Jean member of the 1963 graduating class at Harvard growing tech industry King/Bobby Riggs tennis match where Bobby Business School, and began his marketing and its interface with financial agencies and Riggs presented Billie Jean King with a giant career with General Foods Jello Division. He corporations. During that time, he authored the Sugar Daddy lollipop. Following this event, Mr. developed the consulting division of Mar- book Content Nation: Surviving and Thriving Welch was also active in Evel Knievel’s attempt- keting Corporation of America in Westport, as Social Media Changes Our Work, Our Lives, ed jump of the Snake River, which proved to be CT in 1974, and founded his own Luther and and Our Future. While he enjoyed the tech an ideal double entendre to promote Chuckles Company in 1991 where industry’s intellectual challenges, Rev. Blos- jelly candy with the slogan “Evel Knievel goes he consulted for Fortune som had always felt a calling to the ministry of for Chuckles” on every bag. After transferring to 500 companies on the United Methodist Church; as a result, he Nabisco’s headquarters as Assistant to the Presi- product growth. Married recently decided to follow a second career path dent, Mr. Welch served as President of Nabisco’s to Valerie Hendrickson toward ordination. He graduated from Hart- cereal and pet food division and then Nabisco’s Korn, he leaves three ford Seminary with Honors, received an M. International Division before becoming Pres- children: John III, Peter, Div. (with honors) from Yale Divinity School, ident of Nabisco. In 1985, he was elected Chief and Karlyn, and in-law and rejoiced to receive his commissioning in Executive Officer of Nabisco Brands, the result of children Jenifer, Dina, 2019. At the time of his death, he was Pastor the 1981 merger of Nabisco and Standard Brands. and Peter. He was “Papa of South Meriden Trinity United Methodist After the sale of Nabisco Brands to RJ Reynolds John” to 10 beloved grandchildren: John (Jake), Church and the United Methodist Church of in 1985, he was elected Vice Chairman of the Rhyan, Kyleigh, Madison, Peter, Grant, Olivia, East Berlin. In his capacity as Pastor on a wider Board of RJR Nabisco. Mr. Welch was also a Di- Nicholas, Douglas, and Lucas. His brother-in- scale, Rev. Blossom was involved in interfaith rector of Vanguard Mutual Funds (1974-2001), law, Bill Korn, was a major support during conversations among clergy in Meriden, in Teco Energy (1976-2006), Kmart (1995-2001), his illness. local environmental concerns, in immigra- and The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation tion outreach, and in developing programs and its predecessors (since 1989), and trustee of PETER VANWINKLE YOUNG ’62 for children. He was also working on a novel the New York Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis September 25, 2019, age 75, Las Cruces, NM about Downeast Maine, not only because he Society (1987-2013). He also served as a trustee Mr. Young graduated from MIT with a degree enjoyed writing, but also because he felt great of The Park School of Brookline, MA and Noble in Electrical Engineering. While there, he met fondness for the rugged terrain of far northeast and Greenough School of Dedham, MA, as well his future wife, Ellen Roberts, and they married Maine. Survivors include his wife, June-Ann as Chairman of an undergraduate education a week before his graduation. Two sons came Greeley; son, Christopher; father, John; and committee at Harvard University. Survivors along soon after, Paul and Jack. Mr. Young com- sister, Anne. Rev. Blossom died unexpectedly include his wife Virginia (Ginny); sister Deborah pleted his education with an M.B.A. from the after a short illness while on a church-related LaGorce; six sons, James III P ’06, ’09, ’11, ’13, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylva- conference trip to South Korea. Leighton ’79, Miles ’82, Christopher ’84, Gar- diner ’88, and Samuel ’90 and their lovely wives, including Susan Barba Welch ’77, P ’06, ’09, ’11, The editorial staff makes every effort to publish an obituary for and pay tribute to the ’13; and 19 grandchildren, including Katrina ’06, accomplishments of alumni who have passed away, based on information available as of press Natasha ’09, Tanya ’11, and Alexandra ’13. time. If family members, classmates, or friends would like to submit tributes, please contact Greg Waxberg ‘96 at [email protected].

62 THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 A Visit to the Archives

An Original Buttondown Donates Music

Pingry thanks William Redpath ’57, a founding member of the Buttondowns,* for recently donating seven recordings: a record (LP) of The Pingry Chorus 1964, three LPs of Music at Pingry (1976-1978), and three audiocassettes of Music at Pingry (1988, 1992, 1993). These will supplement Pingry’s digitized music collection of audio and video recordings.

*Mr. Redpath’s essay that describes the origins of the Buttondowns, written to celebrate the ensemble’s 50th anniversary, appears in the Winter 2008 issue of The Pingry Review.

UPDATE

> Digitization of The Pingry Record is complete; all issues are now available for historical, internal reference.

To see more items from the Archives, visit Pingry Flashes Back (pingry.org/flashesback).

Prominent Tribute to Alumni Who Served and Sacrificed

The School’s military plaques are, at last, united. As recently as last summer, Pingry’s plaques, listing the names of alumni who served in World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam, were scattered throughout the Upper School building. Now, thanks to Archivist Peter Blasevick, who collected the plaques, and the Facilities Team, who built the display, these plaques are located together in the Upper Commons, In recent years, decades after these plaques were created (the exact dates are unknown), Pingry has more visible and prominently displayed heard from many other alumni who have served in the armed forces. The School thanks them for their to the community. service and continues to update its digital records. If you have served, please notify us so we can make sure our records are up-to-date.

THE PINGRY REVIEW | WINTER 2019–20 63 A Final Look

Art Fundamentals: Cubist Still Life from Observation Through viewing the works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, and in-class observation, students explored the history of Cubism by creating Cubist Still Lifes. Using charcoal and dry pastel, artists Rowan Ucko ‘23 (left) and Stephen Szepkouski ‘23 (right) created fragmented planes and sections in their compositions while introducing more modernized color schemes. Objects depicted include a tea kettle, slices of cake, and a glass candlestick holder. Visual Arts Teachers Jennifer Mack-Watkins and Patti Jordan guided the lesson.

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