THE NATION'S OLDEST ON THE WEB: COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL www.pingry.org/stu- NEWSPAPER dents/therecord.html VOLUME CXXXII, NUMBER 5 The Pingry School, Martinsville, New Jersey JUNE 11, 2006 COMMENCEMENT Saying Goodbye to the Class of 2006 Seniors Drop Classes Researchers at U. Penn ‘I Am Honored to Call For a Month of ISPs Discover FOP Gene John My Best Friend’ By DARINA SHTRAKHMAN (IV) By HENRIETTA HAKES (III) By CAITLIN DEMKIN (V) On May 1, 101 seniors Chicago, which she per- The “Skeleton Key,” a gene Researchers have been I am honored to have been nificant conversations and the dropped their classes in or- formed at ISP Night. that, when mutated, causes baffled by FOP for years. able to call John Babbitt one of personal times John and I shared der to pursue their interests Combining their interest Fibrodysplasia Ossificans It’s an autosomal dominant my best friends. John was per- that I miss the most. in-depth through Indepen- in music, Eddie Layng, Progressiva (FOP), was dis- disorder, but most cases ceptive and sensitive: somehow, I miss John’s infectious dent Study Projects (ISPs). Park Smith, and Rob Til- covered by Eileen M. Shore, result from a spontaneous he always knew when I needed laughter, yet find the most joy in Seniors experimented with son composed and prac- PhD and Frederick S. Kaplan, mutation, not inheritance, a laugh, a hug, or just a friend remembering it. I will never for- everything from art and ticed several pieces, which MD, researchers at the Uni- which makes the gene harder to talk to. Losing John was one get the night John called to tell internships to research and they played at Toni’s Soup versity of Pennsylvania. to locate. Dr. Kaplan and of the hardest things I have ever me to turn on the football game, his team were finally able volunteer work, presenting Kitchen at St. Luke’s in FOP, a rare congenital had to deal with; it was my first not because he thought I would disorder which occurs in to discover five families in their projects and outcomes Montclair. real loss, and at times, the pain like the game but because he one out of every two mil- which the condition appeared on June 7 at the annual ISP is still raw. At times like these, thought I would appreciate the lion people, is the so-called in at least two generations. the only way I can make myself snow falling on the field. John Night. Visual Arts “Mount Everest” of genetic University of Pennsylvania feel better is to think of the great is the only person I can think of Frances Callaghan bone disorders, according to scientists surmised that the memories I had with John. When who would call someone for that ARTS spent her ISP making sev- Kaplan. The disease, which FOP gene was connected Music eral goblet top molds and turns skeletal muscles and with the bone morphoge- I think about the outrageous reason. John’s sincerity, honesty, Dan Kahn, Adam Gold- goblet base molds using a tendons into bone, forming netic protein (BMP). BMP times John and I spent together, I sensitivity, and his everyday ac- stein, Nathan Burgdorff, technique called slip cast- a “second skeleton,” has no is a regulatory protein which can’t help but smile and laugh. tions, like that phone call, were and Greg Selover formed ing. She also experimented effective treatment. The dis- helps to create and repair the John and I were friends fresh- what made his personality so the band “Piranha Fillet” with mixing color into her covery will aid the search for skeleton. In all the families man year, but it was not until captivating and lovable. and made a demo CD, which glass pieces. a cure and help the treatment there was a defective BMP chemistry class, during sopho- I will forever miss and re- they sent to various venues Kevin Miicke visited and diagnosis of all skeletal receptor, called Activin Re- more year, that we became very member my Brickwall Babbitt, in hopes of booking perfor- several nearby museum disorders. ceptor Type IA, or ACVR1. close. Nothing pleased us more the boy who would always mances during May. galleries, noting the various There are only 600 people ACVR1 is 509 amino acids than to drive Dr. Parvensky remind me to “lower the volume Culminating four years types of glass and imitating known to have FOP, but there long, and it was discovered crazy—whether by falling out of and calm down.” The team of study of guitar and music it in his own work. He also are probably about 1,900 un- that FOP is caused by a point chairs, shouting random phrases, player who was so excited just mutation in amino acid posi- theory, Will Parham re- experimented with clay and recognized or misdiagnosed or doing just about every im- to be on the football team, who cases. Eighty-seven percent tion 206 where a histidine mature thing we could possibly was looking forward to college, corded a CD and promoted sculpture, as well as acting of the cases were originally is substituted for arginine. think of. We were the ultimate and who was nervous about the it at public venues with the as a teaching assistant to misdiagnosed, usually con- This single substitution out tag team. future. John will always be one help of Maximus Music Mr. Freiwald. fused with cancer. of the six-billion nucleotides John would ask me to walk of my best friends, and I would Productions. Combining his interests Using cancer treatments in the human genome is what with him to first period every give anything to chat, dance, Cathryn Stanley in painting and more ab- and on FOP patients is disas- causes FOP. morning, and he would ask me or just sit with the Renaissance Kiwanii Pond worked with stract art forms, Ryan Mac- trous. Chemotherapy puts “It gives us hope,” Mrs. to come down to the clay room Man who could pull off wearing music producer Alex Mack Gibbon used the month to the patient in unnecessary Hilary Weldon, mother of to help him paint a pot. He a pink boa and fuzzy hat proud- to record a CD of R&B, hip- blow glass. Fellow glass discomfort and attempting Whitney Weldon (I), an FOP was always ready for a laugh, ly. Although I will always miss hop, and neo-soul music. blower, Nick Scott-Wit- to remove what is thought to patient, said. “Everything whether it was from printing your presence, John, I find com- As an aspiring theater tenborn, spent time creat- be the tumor only accelerates they’ve done for Whitney is a pictures of dancing cupcakes to fort knowing you are watching miracle," she continued. major, Caroline Holt used ing interesting and origi- bone growth. Fifty percent hang around school and put in me from heaven, with a smile of misdiagnosed patients re- The Weldon FOP Research her ISP to choreograph and nal shapes using a method mailboxes or competing to see on your face. stage several dance num- called caning. ceived permanent injury from Fund and the Stephen L. their treatment. who could say hello to more bers, including one from people. It is the small, insig- More reflections on the life Continued on Page 14 Continued on Page 18 of John Babbitt - Pages 10-11 SENIOR REFLECTIONS SENIOR AWARDS CLASS OF 1902 EMBLEM SCHOOL NEWS SPORTS P. 2—3 P. 6 P. 4—5 P. 12—18 P. 20 2 THE PINGRY RECORD SENIOR REFLECTIONS JUNE 11, 2006 EDITORIAL I’d Probably Rather Be Skiing I was standing in an airport in Egypt this past spring break Greg Selover when a complete stranger in khaki shorts pointed at my chest I think I have a problem. I have joined a ski and torque. things from creative writing and exclaimed, “You’re going to the wrong school!” As I looked like to ski entirely too much. team and found SENIOR REFLECTION Skiing, drama, to computer science, and it’s around for security, it dawned on me that I was wearing a Pingry Just about any time of day, the thing I really music, and art all made me who I am now. sweatshirt and the man’s duffel bag said Morristown Beard. And no matter what I’m doing, I’d loved above all else. I never have changed my life (for Maybe I’m just paranoid, may- while I disagreed with his assessment (and told him so), the probably rather be skiing. I would have met my best friends better or for worse), and I just be college will be as open as airport man astonished me by proving that Mr. Bugliari is right; don’t mean to say that I don’t on that ski team. I probably can’t believe that I was able to Pingry was. But it’s a scary for whatever reason, people really do recognize little Pingry. enjoy the company of my would have discovered roller do all this stuff in one place, world out there, and I’m go- Awkward MoBeard alumi aside, it always fascinates me to friends, or that I get bored in coasters, and my friend tells me and even more surprisingly, at ing to have to make some life hear what outsiders think of our school. Nestled away in the school, it’s just that I’d rather music exists outside of the Pin- a school with fantastic academ- decisions pretty soon. So if I hamlet of Martinsville, with our mall-inspired architecture and be skiing with them, or read- gry community, but I also never ics.