ON FACEBOOK: www. facebook.com/pag- es/The-Pingry-Record THE NATION'S OLDEST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL ON THE WEB: NEWSPAPER www.pingry.org/re- cord VOLUME CXXXIX, NUMBER 6 The Pingry School, Basking Ridge, New Jersey MAY 20, 2013 Prestigious Stifel Award Plans Move Forward to Presented to Ellis Flannery Modernize the Upper School After Headmaster Nat Conard “I feel really humbled and awed. furnishings such as updated trical outlets. By ALYSSA BAUM (V) gave the introduction, English But more importantly, people By ABHIRAM KARUPPUR desks and chairs, a trend that According to Mr. Conard, On Monday, April 8, the Up- teacher Mr. Tom Keating spoke have been so supportive of me, (IV) will continue as the school aims “Students have now begun to per School community gathered about his experiences teaching both before and after the as- Starting as early as this sum- to add new carpeting, better hang out in spaces with suffi- together for the annual Stifel and advising Flannery. sembly.” mer, modernization of the Upper lighting, and improved storage cient access to electrical power.” Award Assembly. This year, the Mr. Keating commended He continued, “I’ve never and Lower Schools will begin for faculty in classrooms. The need for more outlets will prestigious award was presented Flannery for his ability to humbly really felt that different, but it’s on the Basking Ridge campus The 1:1 initiative also reduces increase with the 1:1 program to Ellis Flannery (V). downplay the significance of his amazing to see how many people with the inauguration of a new the need for the school to house as will the need for sufficient Established in 1986, the Stifel impairment and his dedication to in this community actually care.” publications-technology suite in computers. To that end, this internet access in all parts of Award is presented to the person his pursuits both in the classroom Flannery is also very apprecia- the lower central commons. First summer the technology lab and the school.” discussed 18 months ago, formal offices will be undergoing reno- Another component of the plans for modernization follow vations. Instead of a technology possible modernization plan will the announcement of the revised lab, The Record, Blue Book, be rethinking other parts of the Upper School schedule and the Vital Signs, Calliope, Polyglot, building. “We want to make the 1:1 program, both of which will and other publications will reside dining room a place for students be in place next year. together in a publishing media to socialize and discuss academ- According to Director of suite. Instead of large desktop ics,” Mr. Virzi said. “The idea of Facilities, Mike Virzi, the mod- computers, students will be able improving acoustics and pro- ernization initiative is designed to attach their laptops to a num- viding booth style seating will to “translate the curriculum plan ber of wall monitors. encourage student collaboration into a physical plan.” The mod- Another part of this plan will in small groups.” ernized campus will improve the involve updating the technologi- Mr. Virzi also proposed mov- overall learning environment. cal infrastructure throughout the ing the stairwells out of the The last modernization initia- school by increasing WiFi access middle of the halls. Currently, tive was undertaken 30 years and constructing additional elec- Continued on Page 4 ago, when the Upper School campus was built. According to Chief Financial Officer Olaf Weckesser, “The design layout Looking Back at Past R. Davis (V) Mr. Stifel, Mr. Keating, E. Flannery (VI), Mrs. Lionetti, and Mr. Conard. of the school no longer meets the needs of the curriculum.” Every who best exemplifies the charac- and on the wrestling mat. tive of the staff that organized stairwell in the school is also a teristics exhibited by Henry G. Afterwards, School Coun- the assembly, especially noting Modernization different shape, he notes, and By HUNTER STIRES (IV) Stifel III ’83 in the aftermath of selor Mrs. Pat Lionetti reflected Mrs. Lionetti, Mr. Keating, and the stairwells currently hinder As Pingry readies itself for his spinal cord injury caused by on Mr. Stifel’s time at Pingry. She Mr. Stifel, and all whom helped student interaction in the com- The coming modernization another round of change, it is a car accident during his junior recounted that Mr. Stifel was a make the day special. mon areas. of the Basking Ridge Campus is worthwhile to look back at the year at Pingry: courage, endur- self-proclaimed troublemaker, When asked about presenting One of the main features only the latest evolution of Pingry driving forces behind our school’s ance, optimism, compassion, but also an excellent student and Ellis with the Stifel Award, Mrs. of the plan is to develop more in its 151-year history. Over the past modernizations. and spirit. friend. Lionetti said, “There have been spaces for faculty and student course of the past century and The most evident forms of When Flannery was just 15 Mr. Stifel then spoke about so many deserving young people collaboration on both cam- a half, the school has moved modernization exist within the months old, he was diagnosed the advancements of his charity, over the years who deserved puses. “Every classroom will be campuses four times: from Dr. school’s infrastructure, both in with a rare cancer, bilateral reti- the Christopher and Dana Reeve this award and Ellis ranks up touched,” Mr. Virzi said. Pingry’s backyard on Mechanic terms of physical location and noblastoma. His left eye had to be Foundation. In the past few there with the most deserving Headmaster Mr. Nat Conard Street in Elizabeth, to a nearby the equipment in the classroom. removed, permanently impairing months, with the help of funding of this group.” She added, “El- agreed that “We need to update schoolhouse on Westminster Headmaster Nat Conard believes his vision. Despite this major from the foundation, research- lis reminds me a lot of Henry. the classrooms in the school Avenue, from that schoolhouse to that this type of change enables setback, Flannery has excelled ers have discovered a way to Certainly, he has exhibited the with more flexible furniture a larger building at Parker Road, the school to accomplish a lot in at Pingry—both academically stimulate spinal cord activity in strength and courage that Henry and new equipment to suit the to the building at Hillside now the field of teaching. Mr. Conard and athletically—and will at- patients living with paralysis. exhibited after his accident. It students’ needs.” Last summer, occupied by Kean University, said that “Pingry has a really long tend Johns Hopkins University Flannery felt honored to re- was my privilege to help give this some classrooms received new and from Hillside to its present history of changing by adapting next year. ceive the Stifel Award. He said, award to him.” location. to the best available technology and infrastructure so that the service we provide is not on the ‘bleeding edge,’ but on the lead- Students Love Writing Festival ing edge of education.” He adds By JACK BARRAL (V) chosen fields. In response to one After a break for lunch, the that “We try to innovate, but in a On Friday April 26, students student’s question, both poets re- students could attend a workshop thoughtful way, not in a radical and faculty attended the 2013 Jus- called that as children they never with the professional writers way.” tin Society Creative Writing Fes- expected to be poets one day. where they were able to work on As the physical part of the tival and Assembly. This year’s Zuma said that she had always their own writing. school takes shape, the more ab- speakers included Mark Pearson, loved poetry, but never saw it as a Overall, the students who stract philosophy and methods of a fiction writer and author of possible profession, while Singer attended the full day of events Pingry must change too. Having “Famous Last Words,” Gideon said that he hated poetry as a child. enjoyed the experience. Vinita not been present at its inception, Lewis-Kraus ‘98, a memoirist In the faculty lounge, Lewis- Davey (VI) said, “I thought the the administration is forced to and non-fiction writer and author Kraus and Pearson talked about writers were pretty inspirational, make assumptions about what of “A Sense of Direction,” and the difficulty of keeping going and each of them was very tal- Pingry was like when it was spoken word poets Thuli Zuma as a writer while trying to earn ented.” She added, “I really liked founded and as it progressed and Jared Singer. a living. Their passion has to be through time. Mr. Conard said In the morning, all of the Up- their driving force. Continued on Page 5 that, “Our teaching has become per School attended the assembly more and more engaging so that in Hauser auditorium, where they the classroom experience has N. Witte (VI), A. Tizzio (V), B. Bruno (VI), L. Neibart were able to hear readings of the become less about the transfer (V), and S. Deak (V) at Prom. P. 5 authors’ works. Pearson read an of knowledge from teacher to excerpt from his novel, while student, and more about the Lewis-Kraus read a lighthearted exploration of knowledge and article he had written for Wired construction of understanding in Inside The Record Magazine about the famous In- the classroom.” Support Gay Marriage Movie Chatter ternet cats of Japan. Zuma and Naturally, the actual setup of Singer performed examples of Pingry’s classrooms has been Juniors Samantha Korn and Sophomore Matt Fromm tells you both comedic and spoken word reorganized as well.