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 36 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 win- ning 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 com- munity, 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 mem- bers, 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.