THE NA T IO N 'S OLDES T ON THE WEB: COU nt RY DAY SC HOOL www.pingry.org/ NEWSPAPER students/therecord. VOLUME CXXXIV, NUMBER 8 The Pingry School, Martinsville, New Jersey JUNE 8, 2008 COMMENCEMENT 2008 Seniors Drop Classes Venerated Teacher Committee Instates To Pursue Their ISPs Retires After 45 Years New AP Exam Policy sical pieces onto a final CD. leader of the school’s com- By JENNY GORELICK (IV) By DIANA JIANG (V) munity, contributing to a By DARINA SHTRAKHMAN (VI) She worked with a private and EVAN ROSENMAN (VI) and JENN SOONG (IV) teacher to polish her skills Mr. Fred Fayen is retir- wide range of programs and and techniques. Throughout ing after 45 years at Pingry activities. He has taught Early in the month of May, averages. Beginning April 28, 123 the process, she also learned as a devoted teacher, coach, seventh, eighth, tenth, elev- Mr. Leef announced the new As a result of the new poli- seniors dropped their classes how to use a composition college counselor, and ad- enth, and twelfth grade his- Advanced Placement (AP) cy, the Independent Study Pro- in order to pursue their in- computer program to record visor. tory to generations of eager testing policy, effective next gram (ISP) will begin on the terests through Indepen- an “idea” as well as longer Mr. Fayen taught in Cali- students. Mr. Raby, Miss year. The policy, which re- first day of AP exams rather dent Study Projects (ISPs). pieces. Aside from this, Mas- fornia for two years before Wolfson, and Dr. Murray, quires students of every AP than at the end of April, there- Seniors experimented with sengill also spent her ISP moving to the East Coast, Mr. Fayen’s colleagues in course to sit for the respective by allowing students more everything from art and in- pursuing a private pilot’s where he was attracted by the history department, all exam, was voted upon by the time to study for these tests. ternships to research and license at the Morristown Pingry’s “quality, culture, remark on his extraordinary Academic Committee, made The policy has engendered volunteer work, many pre- and Somerset Airport. and especially its Honor “wisdom,” which they will up of Department Heads and some controversy among the miss tremendously. senting their projects on June Luke Beshar engaged in Code.” Once he started school administrators. They underclassmen, who will now “He’s our institutional 4 at the annual ISP Night. extensive CD recording, per- working here, he grew more were advised by a subcommit- have to contend with both an memory,” Dr. Murray says. tee, which was formed by Mr. extra week of classes and the forming, and editing. Using and more fond of his sup- portive colleagues and stu- In the ten years since Charles Coe, Dr. James Mur- inability to slack off during ARTS specific tactics and strategies, dents. What also stood out to he has worked with Mr. ray, and Mr. Miles Boyd. AP season. As junior Evelyn Music he learned how to achieve the him was the school’s tuition Fayen, Dr. Murray has been Beyond simply requiring Cheung said, “I feel that the best sound on both the drums remission program, which pleasantly surprised each students to take all of their AP new policy may be over the Hoping to pursue her and bass guitar. For several benefited the faculty’s chil- year to see student evalua- exams, the new policy includes top. Students are doing AP musical interests, Rebecca days, Beshar shadowed Lori dren by paying for their tions describing Mr. Fayen a penalty for those who do level work all year; their grade Behrman spent her ISP Halivopoulos of Group RCI education at Pingry. “What as “challenging,” but also poorly. The rule, adopted by should not be determined by preparing for an hour-long in order to learn about busi- better way to show respect “warm and supportive.” the Academic Committee on the test.” vocal recital. She not only ness and marketing. to the faculty than to show Kaela O’Connor (III), a April 21, reads, “Any student As Dr. Murray said, the learned classical songs in For her ISP, Midori Wada respect to their kids?” Mr. former student in his sev- with a first-semester grade of new policy “grew out of a English, Italian, French, and spent time organizing the Fayen says. enth grade history class, B or better is expected to earn few different things.” The AP Latin, but also a series of DAT tapes that Pingry stu- Pingry’s structure as a recalls, “He was one of a passing grade (a 3 or above) audit process that occurred Broadway songs. In addition, dents have recorded in the country day school was the most difficult, but best on the AP exam. If a student at the end of the 2007 school she studied the composers’ past and editing the tracks another plus for Mr. Fayen, teachers I’ve ever had!” with a first-semester grade of year was the most significant backgrounds and explored with ACID software. She who enjoyed the opportunity Dr. Murray also admires B or better earns a 1 on the AP catalyst, however. The pro- how their culture influenced also spent time on the road to “wear many hats” and Mr. Fayen’s unique teaching Exam, the AP designation will cess required all teachers of many of their major works. with the touring band, the “have contact with students skills. He sat in on one of be removed from the student’s AP classes to submit a syl- Parul Agarwal extended A.K.A.S By working with a in many ways.” He goes his classes a couple years transcript and replaced with an labus and a class description her skills in playing the sitar, group that promotes records on to say that “the student ago, a day when Mr. Fayen Honors designation, and col- to the College Board, which, a classical stringed instru- on more grassroots levels, in class is different from was teaching geography. “I leges will be sent an amended in turn, decided if the class’s ment of India. Receiving Wada was able to study the student on the athletic couldn’t imagine anything transcript.” level of rigor was up to the AP daily instruction from a dis- music promotion and mer- field.” By developing close drier,” Dr. Murray com- This also holds true for standard. While Dr. Murray ciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar, chandise. She also teamed relationships with students ments. “However, he taught students who refuse to sit for described the audit as “long, she learned new techniques up with the A.K.A.S to bring both in and out of the class- it in such a way that the kids any of their exams. In addi- laborious, and irritating,” he and was able to practice at awareness to HIV/AIDS in room, he got to “meet people were visibly excited about tion, those students would be also said it gave teachers “an opportunity to think seriously her temple. Malawi and the construction as people, and know them longitudes and latitudes. He required to complete a Pingry final exam or project, and the about our continuing relation- Having played the flute work in New Orleans. better” in the process. has that magical touch that for nine years, Lynn Mas- Mr. Fayen has always resulting grade would be in- sengill recorded several mu- Continued on Page 12 been an active member and Continued on Page 7 corporated into their final year Continued on Page 18 SENIOR REFLECTIONS CLASS OF 1902 EMBLEM SENIOR AWARDS SCHOOL NEWS SPORTS P. 2-5 P. 8-9 P. 10-11 P. 12-18 P. 20 2 THE RECORD SENIOR REFLECTIONS JUNE 8, 2008 What I Really Want The Best Way to Have Spent My Youth challenge, and it has never al- me indelibly. friendliness made AP Physics To Say Is Thanks By EVAN ROSENMAN (VI) lowed me to settle for less than First: the faculty, to whom I fun) to Mr. Keating (whose life For the past six years, I’ve had my best. Looking back, my high will always be indebted. Four stories have brought levity to the Confession: this is my fourteenth version of this editorial. I a ridiculously easy commute. As school years have often been years ago, I spent much of my classroom), I have had so many think I wrote my first one at the end of sophomore year, by which in, it’s a bad day if it takes me marked by stress, hyperventila- time cowering in fear of Mrs. amazing experiences with adults point I had pretty much confirmed (to myself anyway) that I would seven minutes to get to school. tion, and a sense of impending O’Mara or avoiding meeting who are supposedly my teachers, be Editor-in-Chief as a senior. At different moments since then, I Sometimes I can make it in five doom. Yet I can envision my my other teachers’ stares in the but are truly my role models and have put pen to paper to write about my Pingry experience. Some if traffic is light. And as I leave panicky, freshman self – freaked hallways. These days, I’ve come my mentors. versions are chock full of advice, others are dripping with nostalgia, the campus each day, I secretly out about an Honors Bio project to realize just how unique and in- Yet Pingry would be nothing and still others are highly critical of the way our school functions. gloat – realizing that while my or an English paper – with a comparable my teachers truly are.