Pennington Magazine, Spring 2009

PENNINGTON MAGAZINE SPRING 2009

Photographer Dan Marschka ‘74:

From Pennington to Pakistan and Beyond In This Issue A New Space for Exploration Essays on the Pennington Experience Walking the Talk Tuesdays with Mr. Parnos Witnessing History

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From the Desk of Penny Townsend

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FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

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1 Cover Story: Through the Lens of

Dan Marschka ‘74 5

A New Space for Exploration

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Essays on the Pennington Experience

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Walking the Talk

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Tuesdays with Mr. Parnos

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Witnessing History

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On Campus

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Athletics

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Alumni

The Pennington School Magazine is published by the Office of Development for alumni, parents, alumni parents, and friends of The Pennington School. Editor: Deanna K.G. Ferrante. Assistant Editor: Julia Meneghin. Graphic Design: 168 Design. Printing: Prism Color. Staff Writers: Deanna K.G. Ferrante, Lisa Houston, Maggie Kelly, A. Melissa Kiser, Joanne McGann, Julia Meneghin, Sally Friedman. Staff Photography: Deanna K.G. Ferrante, Patrick Murphy ’80. Contributors: Mary Ellen Erdie, Matthew Goetting, Patrick Murphy ’80, Tom Horsley. Subscribers receive one issue of The Pennington School Magazine per household. To request additional copies or to share comments or suggestions about this issue, please contact Deanna K.G. Ferrante at [email protected] or (609) 737-6121. ©2009 The Pennington School.

Product group from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fiber www.fsc.org Cert no.SGS-COC-003570 © 2009 Forest Stewardship Council

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A P E N N IN GTON PRO FI L E

Through the lens of dan marschka ’74 Photographer Dan Marschka’s Pennington School experience gave his life focus – both figuratively and literally. Marschka describes himself as an adolescent who was headed for trouble – a young man with boundless curiosity and creativity, but without a healthy outlet for personal expression. Marschka recognized he was starting down a difficult path, saying, “To be blunt – I was finding trouble where I was at the time and knew that I was heading toward a dismal future. I understood there was a better way to advance my curiosity and social experience in a more constructive manner. The Pennington School helped me discipline my life through the close attention I received from the staff and through the social structure in the boarding school environment.” ABOVE: Amish men watch as a barn burns to the ground in East Lampeter Township, PA.

Marschka came to The Pennington School through his brothers David ’67 and Douglas ’69. According to Marschka, “I had

first-hand experience through their time at TPS that gave me the knowledge I needed to request a similar opportunity from my parents at the young age of fifteen.” Not to be left out, Marschka’s sister, Deanna, also took classes at The Pennington School. When asked what specifically captivated him as a student at The Pennington School, Marschka replies, “The personal interaction of the instructors and the students was the primary element. I remember that I was full of energy and easily distracted by so many influences. The steady, balanced regimen of classes, organized meals, and set study times on the hall, religious services, activities and free time structured my life. The discipline that formed, funneling my energy, was the main reason I became captivated by TPS, then and now.”

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Marschka also credits his fellow students with creating a familial atmosphere of mutual support and friendship. The shared comradery and internationally diverse student body were particularly influential for young Marschka. He remembers, “Many of the students I met had been through notable circumstances, such as busy families, personal problems… because of this, many of us became part of a wider Pennington family. A certain strength and appreciation formed from this social experience that made me a stronger, more independent person.” While at Pennington, Marschka began to channel his creative energy through photography. “The seeds for my career as a visual professional were formed while I was a student,” says Marschka, “not only by the obvious photography club experience and yearbook work, but through my mathematics and physics studies which helped me appreciate how structure and design related to nature.” Of his instructors, Marschka relates, “I had many influential teachers. What I remember most was the patience they had

with the know-it-all young man that I was. They directed my energy and questioning attitude toward my studies. The names that come to mind are Mr. Burrowes for guiding my philosophical compulsion, Mr. Scancella for his wisdom relating to life and mathematics, Mr. Ahn for his help with photo club and social activities, Mr. Parnos for physics, his grilled kabobs and his quote that still rings in my ears, ‘Do good work now, play later.’” Marschka continues, citing “Mrs. Assman for her direction in chemistry, Mr. Burns for helping to bring William Faulkner and so many other authors alive for me, Mr. Roberts for his firm guidance, and Mr. Gaslevich for his energy. I also remember many friends, including Bob Alach, Brian Pryor, Chris Holliday, George Holmes, Kathy Chan, Dan Seyler and more.” After leaving Pennington, Marschka attended Franklin and Marshall College for two years, also taking exchange courses in photography at Millersville University. He transferred to Rochester Institute of Technology where he earned his B.S. degree. He worked on his first full-time newspaper job at Pennsylvania’s

BELOW: Maria makes tortillas. Honduras, January 2003, Mennonite Central Committee photo, used with permission

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ABOVE: Silhouetted against the sky, a flock of gulls wings along with a farmer on his round of plowing. Monterey, PA

Lewistown Sentinel from 1980 until 1983, when he left to take a short-term assignment with United Press International. Since 1983, Marschka has worked for Lancaster Newspapers’ daily Intelligencer Journal. He began as a staff photographer, and for the past five years has been the visuals editor, managing photographers and the editorial art department. In 1999, he advanced his freelance career by traveling to Albania during the Kosovo conflict. Marschka was “inspired by a Greek Orthodox priest who was attempting to bridge a gap between Muslims and Christians in that region.” Following that experience, he was contacted by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a non-governmental organization promoting peace and reconciliation. Being hired to travel and shoot photographs for their magazine and Web site, “started the fulfillment of a professional dream of mine,” says Marschka. In late 2001, following the events of 9/11, Marschka was asked by MCC to travel to the Middle East, not a popular destination for photographers at the time. However, Marschka “jumped at the chance in early 2002 and left for Cairo and south

into Egypt detailing orthodox programs and history in that region.” Also in 2002, Marschka traveled for MCC through central Africa to Kenya, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Through the years since, and for various disasterrelated purposes, he has photographed severe drought conditions in Honduras, the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, and the effects of the 2005 earthquake in the Kashmir region of Pakistan. These days, Marschka is “looking forward to other projects and helping my wife Valerie [who he married in 1989] guide my two sons, Kyle and Joseph, through school and into their future.” He is in his twenty-seventh year of covering breaking news, sports, and features at Lancaster Newspapers. Marschka is grateful for the experience, especially since he has “witnessed historic events and met many interesting people.” Marschka’s photography has earned him numerous awards, including a 2003 third place win in the magazine/sports division for the Missouri School of Journalism’s Pictures of the Year International (POYi) contest. The POYi is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious

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photojournalism contests, with over 23,000 photographs submitted in 2003. A total of 250 awards were in 44 different categories. Marschka and his wife have been involved with their United Methodist church in Lancaster, PA, as well as other charitable efforts including Appalachian service projects, Habitat for Humanity, MCC, and local shelters. He and his wife are both physically active. However, Marschka admits, “My workouts are a bit more tame of late since I have had many injuries over the years from racing mountain bikes,

falling off a roof, running, etc. Four knee surgeries, crushed vertebrae and back surgery later, I still consider my physical fitness a priority. Since my orthopedist won’t allow me to run anymore, I get my thrills these days by riding my F800 BMW motorcycle on excursions in the region, sometimes with my brother David, who owns a similar motorcycle.” Marschka continues, “I’ve identified with my brother Doug’s motto over the years: ‘I have never been much of a spectator.’”

ABOVE LEFT: Dan Marschka in Pakistan, July 2006. Mennonite Central Committee photo, used with permission ABOVE RIGHT: Toxic steam created by rain falling on cooling lava from the Nyiragongo Volcano surrounds residents as they walk through Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002. Mennonite Central Committee photo, used with permission BELOW LEFT: Muslim girls playing basketball in the Somali section of Nairobi, Kenya in 2002. Mennonite Central Committee photo, used with permission

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A New Space for Exploration Stainton Hall Classrooms Transform into Contemporary Science Center Studying science at the Pennington School is different now, and gloriously so. When the process of creating a new science facility was completed in the summer of 2008, returning students found themselves in a new world of five additional laboratories and five new science classrooms, all of this in 12,000 square feet of sprawling dedicated space. The project marked the completion of Phase one of an unprecedented longrange master plan that targeted $4.2 million for improvements to the math classrooms in Old Main, and the new science facility in Stainton. According to architect Michael Farewell, principal of Farewill Mills Gatsch Architects, designers of the new facilities, “Two of Pennington School’s most iconic buildings underwent significant transformation this past year. Perhaps the most dramatic was Stainton Hall, which was renovated to accommodate expanded laboratory and classroom space, as well as systems, restroom upgrades and new lighting and student lockers. This modernist building is now current with science curriculum requirements, and raises the science program facilities to the level of the new arts classrooms in the Campus Center.” “From the very beginning, the goal of this project went far beyond simply updating the facilities with new furnishings and technology,” explained Tom Horsley, Department Chair of Science. “The department was in dire need of more and better-organized space that could meet the needs of our growing student population.”

TOP: New science labs after renovation

But there was more than just student need involved. There were also the unmet logistical needs of a faculty committed to

providing Pennington’s students with the best possible education in the sciences. The old facilities did not adequately promote the development of scientific analysis and function. “Planning took over four years, and a great deal of research into how to best configure the space,” said Horsley. “In the planning stages, we visited over a dozen schools, including some colleges and universities, sometimes learning from their experiences about what worked and what didn’t.” The improvements will pave the way for vastly improved experiences for the hereand-now of Pennington students, and also will ease their transition to college science programs, thanks to the greater modernity and efficiency of the new spaces. The appreciation of the science classrooms and labs has deepened as they have been tested through the academic year. First and foremost, safety issues have been resolved, with lab spaces which are planned and designed with that as a priority. The large stationary demonstration tables, which were barriers between students and teachers, have been eliminated, and have been replaced with movable ones that can be pushed aside when they are not needed. As a result, experiments run more smoothly. “I have been ‘field testing’ the new science labs…and the difference is remarkable,” says science teacher, Jeffrey Hall. “The most important factor, of course, is the safety of the students. The new configuration made it much easier for me to monitor the work of each student and make sure that each is following the appropriate protocol. In addition, the increased space and improved traffic flow means that students can work

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more effectively without getting in each others’ ways. The students are actually getting better results than in years past, simply because they can work in a more systematic way, and the layout of the new labs makes that possible.” Classrooms themselves can be transformed from lecture rooms to discussion settings to lab spaces. Teachers match room configurations to subjects being taught, so that almost instant transformations can customize the learning. Science classrooms are equipped with projection systems and Smartboards. Labs for student experiments that would have been impossible before now work smoothly and efficiently. There is room – and opportunity – to make the study of science far more hands-on and meaningful. With increased storage space and new equipment, like fume hoods and a growth chamber, young scientists can expect to broaden their horizons – with elbow room to spare. Students working on special projects and/or advanced work now have secure areas to preserve their projects. “Returning students who visit from college can’t believe their eyes,” said Horsley. “They lived through the old era, and it looked very different around here then. They’re envious that they missed out on this, but really very happy for us, too.” Less tangible elements are equally important. “The beauty and newness of everything translates into a better feeling for everyone – students and faculty. I can honestly say that we all enjoy science more,” reports the department chair. “We teachers can see the faces of our students because of how the seating in these rooms is arranged, and we can change and adapt our teaching styles more easily.” As to those students, one senior aptly expressed what so many at the Pennington School are feeling: “Now we can do the same experiments we used to just talk about. I really feel like I’m a true scientist,” says senior Jacob Levy. And it’s a fine feeling indeed.

Capital Campaign Update Phase One of the Campaign for Pennington In 2006, the Board of Trustees of The Pennington School approved a long-range master plan that represents an unprecedented fundraising initiative. Over the next ten years, the school will expand upon this plan to improve the educational environment and athletic facilities, and continue to build the endowment to ensure that Pennington is able to attract and educate a varied student body and a dedicated, distinguished faculty. The summer of 2008 marked the completion of Phase One of the Campaign with $4.2 million dollars raised to renovate the math classrooms in Old Main and build a new science facility in Stainton. These new spaces allow for the greater utilization of technology and help better prepare Pennington students to excel in science classes in college. New laboratory spaces also make the school more competitive with peer schools and draw to Pennington more applicants and teachers who are interested in science. The addition of five laboratories and five new science classrooms nearly doubles the amount of dedicated science space to 12,000 square feet. Phase Two fundraising has begun and includes plans for a new turf field that will provide all-weather facilities for several varsity sports. This field will also provide the flexibility necessary to accommodate our growing number of sports teams and their schedules. In addition, financial resources will be allocated to improve the quality of all of the School’s grass playing fields. Phase Two also encompasses plans for new parking lots and driveways, along with modified traffic patterns that will improve safety and the overall campus atmosphere by creating a pedestrian-only quad for students and faculty during the school day. In addition, the school hopes to raise an additional $1,000,000 for the endowment. According to architect Michael Farewell of Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects, “The Plan’s overall goal is to preserve the character of the architecture from the many chapters of the School’s history, while building new structures that reinforce the quality of the campus.”

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Humilty,Virtue, Honor The following is adapted from a recent talk in Chapel by Head of School Penny Townsend. In his welcoming remarks at the National Honor Society induction ceremony, Head of the English Department Terry Burns talked about “the Gateways,” an organization begun at Pennington in 1921 by Dr. Francis Harvey Green, the legendary headmaster of Pennington. Students who would promote the highest ideals of manhood and were resolved to be faithful to Pennington were selected for membership into the society. The eight boys were also chosen for their all-around ability in school activities and general interest in the welfare of their alma mater. The motto of the Gateways was “Virtue crowns those who honor her.” In the area of the campus where Meckler Library now stands, there stood three archways, or “gates.” Each archway stood on a brick platform, elevated a step or two from the ground. Atop each brick archway was inscribed a word: HUMILITY, VIRTUE, HONOR. In this serene setting, under

towering oaks, junior boys were inducted into the Gateways. Dr. Green was headmaster from 1920 to 1943, making his administration the second longest in Pennington history, following that of the Reverend Thomas O’Hanlon, who was headmaster from 1867 to1872 and then again from 1876 to 1902. Dr. Green did much to enhance the academic life at Pennington, and during his time here many poets, authors, artists, musicians, political figures, and prominent clergymen visited campus. Great athletic teams were also part of the Dr. Green years: the 1932 football team, state champion, was “undefeated, untied and unscored-upon,” and the basketball team won the state championship in 1934 and 1935. Dr. Green’s idea for the construction of the three Gateways arches was taken from Caius College of Cambridge University in England, one of the oldest universities in the world, which celebrates 800 years of continuous education in 2009. Caius College has three gates that symbolize the

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• Do we recognize that everyone here is an individual who has his or her own unique talents and abilities? • Do we appreciate and celebrate diversity? • Do we represent our school well at athletic contests, off-campus events, and in and around the town of Pennington? • Is being on a team about individual accomplishments or about working together toward a common goal? • Do you feel challenged to be the best that you can be? • Do we greet each other with a kind word and an optimistic attitude? • Do we treat each other with respect? path of academic life. When a student first comes to Caius he passes under the gateway that bears the word HUMILITY. At the center of the college stands a second gate under which students must pass daily to reach the other buildings on campus. VIRTUE adorns the top of that gate. The third gate is the gate of HONOR and is only used for graduation and other very special occasions. Now all of you know where to find HUMILITY, VIRTUE and HONOR on the Pennington campus today. The benches in front of Meckler Library are what remain of Dr. Green’s arches, arches that had to be moved each time a new building was erected or the landscape of Pennington was altered during the last eighty or so years. But those three words have been an integral part of The Pennington School for almost a century. At Caius College, the first gateway the students pass through at matriculation is

HUMILITY. That bench at Pennington reminds us that we are not any better or any more important than anyone else. At Caius, students pass through campus under the VIRTUE gate every day. That bench in front of Meckler Library reminds us of the many positive character traits, traits that are universally valued as being good: confidence, empathy, diligence, compassion, trustworthiness, and on and on—traits that are so necessary for our moral development. And at Caius, one graduates through the HONOR gate, and that bench reminds us of the respect we have for ourselves and for others, the respect we receive for our accomplishments here, and the respect we will always have for our school. And it reminds us to honor those who came before us. Are these words part of our daily life at Pennington? I say yes. A resounding yes. Now you take a moment to think about it:

• Is service important to us? Do we help those around us? Are we socially responsible? • Can a teacher leave a room during a test without worrying that answers might be shared or papers copied? • Do we learn from our mistakes? • Are older students role models for younger students, showing them how to develop as students and leaders? • Do we respect and protect our environment? • Do we listen to each other? Are class meetings a shared experience, with everyone participating equally? Or at least being given the opportunity to participate equally? • Is excellence in all that we do important to us? • Is learning—all kinds of learning—the most important thing we do here?

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“It takes courage to be different, to stand up for your beliefs, to act rightly in the face of opposition.”

School is hard. What you do each day is not all that easy. Coming to school and being expected to participate in class and challenge yourself to the best of your abilities can be overwhelming. But Pennington is a safe place; it is an encouraging place. This is a community that works together. It also takes courage to do what you do every day. Not the kind of courage that immediately earns you some sort of recognition or glory, but the kind of courage that can come out of disappointment; the courage that leads to resolve and resiliency. Courage that enables you to take risks, to try something new. Perhaps you won’t be successful the first time, but you will try again. It takes courage to be different, to stand up for your beliefs, to act rightly in the face of opposition. It is courageous to do something that might be viewed by your peers as being uncool. At Pennington, we will always admire your courage. An inescapable truth is that so much about life at Pennington is based on character and moral and intellectual leadership. And the world is going to need a lot of that kind of leadership. Those three benches in front of Meckler Library, those benches that were originally part of Dr. Green’s Gateways arches, will always be a part of Pennington. They make us better. They stimulate our thinking. They unite us. They remind us of why we are here. And if we consistently repeat those three easy-toremember words—Humility, Virtue, and Honor—that repetition will build positive

momentum in our community. And that positive momentum will bring us great joy, and joy has to be an essential aspect of learning. Pennington was a much younger school when Dr. Green was here, and he clearly wanted to build traditions for us, the future generations. Traditions that we could look to for inspiration and direction. Traditions of excellence that would come to define Pennington. Those traditions have evolved as times have changed, but they still ground us as a community of learners where students of all different kinds of backgrounds and cultures and traditions of their own come together to learn and to grow. That is what Dr. Green wanted for us.

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Maximize your Pennington Pride... By Investing in our Students Who are Involved

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Like nearly all independent schools, Pennington relies on donations to the Annual Fund to ensure the quality of the school’s programs year after year. Your gift to the Annual Fund helps to support; buildings and grounds; competitive teacher and staff salaries; financial aid; and the day-to-day operating costs not otherwise covered by tuition. These gifts are put to use in the year they are given, making an immediate and important difference in the lives of students, faculty, and others whose lives are enriched by The Pennington School. Please help us meet this year’s goal of $835,000 by making an investment in the future of Pennington. To make a donation today, you may do any of the following • Please phone our Development Office at 609-737-6144 • Visit our online giving page at www.pennington.org/alumdev/giving_back.asp • Mail your Annual Fund envelope which is located in your magazine. Please also include news of yourself and your family, which we might share with others in future issues of Pennington Magazine. On behalf of Pennington students, who benefit from your gifts to the Annual Fund, thank you for your support!

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A 21 Century Education Begins in the Middle st

The following is adapted from a recent essay in The Pennington Postings by Head of Middle School Todd Paige.

ABOVE: Todd Paige working with middle school students

Last year, the Middle School faculty and I spent an afternoon and evening considering what a twenty-first-century education looks like or should look like. It is a question we have been discussing ever since. Pat Bassett, the president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), says, “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented to solve problems that we don’t yet know are problems.” She’s right, but there are actions we are taking here at Pennington to help prepare our students for this unpredictable future, focusing specifically on research skills, collaboration, mathematics, cultural

appreciation, and a commitment to service. When I was in school and had to write a research paper, my research was limited based on the resources available in the library, and there was never any question as to the credibility of the source materials. Today, our children make a few keystrokes, and hundreds of thousands of resources present themselves within seconds. Given this plethora of information and sources, it is critical that we teach our students how to differentiate between reliable and unreliable resources. Just recently, health class students participated in a web search to learn how to identify credible health sites. While the content is different from course to course, the research skills we are teaching our students spans the curriculum.

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while also providing more challenging course work for those students who are capable. Specifically, our twoyear algebra program allows students the opportunity to reach a higher level of comfort with algebraic thought and applications while developing a deep understanding, rather than racing to cover a smattering of concepts.

Knowing how to conduct formal research is important. Equally valuable for our children’s future is the ability to tap into the most accessible resource available: each other. Middle School classrooms require students not only to work cooperatively, but to work together to produce or discover something better than they would if they worked in isolation. In math classes, students check each others’ algorithms and computation for accuracy and relevant use. English classes are engaged in peer editing, and in language classrooms, students learn the language together and from each other. Pennington students must also acquire the mathematics skills they will need in a twenty-firstcentury environment. Over the past two years in the Middle School, we have designed programs that support those students whose mathematical capacities have yet to mature

One aspect of the Pennington environment that provides our students with a particular advantage is that students have opportunities to interact with people from all over the world and with a variety of cultural backgrounds and learning styles. As a result, Pennington students not only are expected to collaborate and tap into each others’ uniqueness, but they better understand and appreciate it. As a way to extend our students’ cultural understanding, our sixth-graders will begin communications with students from TASIS, The American School in Switzerland. Understanding global perspectives are critical in the twenty-first century, and we are doing what we can to provide meaningful experiences for our students. With the gap between the wealthy and the poor widening and the state of the economy being what it is, there is a significant need to prepare the next generation to accept civic and global responsibilities. Service has been a part of Pennington’s mission throughout its history. Weekly chapel services keep our spiritual selves alive and well while also keeping us grounded and humble. Pennington students know what it means to give from the

moment they enter the sixth grade. Students in the Middle School collected “Pennies for Peace,” participated in food drives for the Mount Carmel Guild and Crisis Ministry, and participated in a 3-on3 basketball event to raise money for the V Foundation. The Pennington School is committed to forming “habits of mind” – service is something we do naturally. Pat Bassett says, “Authentic education addresses the ‘whole child,’ the ‘whole person,’ and does not limit our professional development and curriculum design to workplace readiness.” Our task as educators and as parents of this generation of future citizens and decisionmakers is to prepare them to be innovative and creative; to think outside the box; to seek new solutions to old problems and be prepared to be flexible and adapt to new ones; to use technology today that will allow them to adapt to the technology yet to be created; to value, include, and learn from people of all walks of life; and to serve others. Regardless of what century we live in, the task of drawing out the best of each child’s academic, personal, and developmental potential can never be wrong. The process is often messy, but the reward is what keeps us motivated to do it all over again.

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Honoring Individuality Jo Prockop, Director of the Center for Learning, Describes Holistic Approach to Student Success

“In every way we should focus on what students can do well, not on what they cannot do well.”

When Dr. Edmund Cervone established The Center for Learning at The Pennington School in 1975, he articulated a mission for the program that still stands today. This mission includes the tenet that students who learn differently than their more typical peers—students who have been labeled as learning disabled—should have full access to a college preparatory program. Dr. Cervone envisioned an academic environment that honored the individuality of all learners—those with learning disabilities and those without— and approached teaching in such a way that all students had the opportunity not only to achieve but to attain individual excellence. At the time that it was articulated, this vision may have seemed somewhat radical. Even today, there are still those who may think that addressing the needs of students with learning disabilities within a college preparatory setting runs the risk of compromising the “rigor” of the academic program. Over thirty years of experience serving students with learning disabilities at The Pennington School has shown us otherwise. In articulating his philosophy of learning, Dr. Cervone asserted “that understanding transcends memorization, verbalization, and coverage, … that processes bear equal value to content, that there are multiple intelligences, … and that the best principles of learning for students with differences or disabilities are the best principles for all students.” Today, that philosophy of learning seems almost prescient. As we move forward into the 21st century, we are challenged to prepare students to meet a very different set of demands at the college level and

beyond than was the case ten, or even five, years ago. As Todd Paige discussed in his piece for the Postings earlier this year, “A Twenty-First-Century Pennington Education Begins in the Middle,” the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind that students need to develop have changed dramatically in recent years. Students now need “21st-century skills.” Described variously, some have referred to these skills as the 5Cs: critical thinking, creative problem solving, communications, collaboration, and cross-cultural relationship building. Pat Basset, President of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), has described these skills as including cross-disciplinary knowledge, communication skills, teamwork, analytical reasoning, and real-world problem-solving skills. In his book The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner of Harvard University asserts that there are seven “survival skills” that students need in today’s information age. These are: problemsolving and critical thinking; collaboration across networks and leading by influence; agility and adaptability; initiative and entrepreneurship; effective written and oral communication; accessing and analyzing information; and curiosity and imagination. So, what does a curriculum that addresses these 21st-century skills look like? We see it emerging every day across The Pennington School as Mr. Paige so well described in his Postings piece about the Middle School. We see it in our initiatives to implement our Accreditation for Growth (AFG) goal on information literacy. We see it reflected in the activities of our students as they work together on the Green Cup

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Challenge, in the new stateof-the-art science classrooms, and through the host of leadership and community service opportunities that they participate in every day. Finally we see it reflected in the beliefs about learning that Dr. Cervone so eloquently stated over thirty years ago. With the world of information at their fingertips, we know now more than ever that for today’s students “understanding transcends memorization.” By collaborating and utilizing all manner of technology, we can see our students learning that “processes bear equal value to content.” Working to continually develop and refine a curriculum that will help students to meet the changing demands of college and life in the 21st century provides exciting opportunities for educators. From the perspective of the Center for Learning, the opportunity goes beyond reasserting our founding beliefs about learning, however. For students with learning disabilities, this reframing of educational goals represents a move even further away from a focus on some of the basic skills that may have represented stumbling blocks in the past. Just as the need to spend tremendous

amounts of instructional time addressing spelling problems–a common difficulty for students with dyslexia–has faded in importance with the rise of simple technology tools such as spell check, we see a move to curricular goals that are accessible by their very nature. A curriculum that keenly focuses on higher-order thinking skills, cross-curricular understandings, collaboration, creativity, and real-world problem-solving abilities appropriately challenges all students. And for those who learn “differently,” that difference can be a strength that they can bring to bear to meet these curricular goals. The concurrent development and further refinement of educational and assistive technologies adds to the excitement. While not a panacea, we can make available assistive technologies that can provide ways to get over, under, and around a host of potential obstacles. Voice recognition software allows students to use their strong verbal abilities without being hampered by problems with written expression. Text-tospeech software programs make the world of electronic text, including the Internet, accessible to all students, even

those with reading difficulties. Technologies designed to enhance learning for all students, such as electronic whiteboards, mini notebook computers, portable notetaking devices, portable wireless electronic books, and Web 2.0 learning environments are transforming the way that all students interact with the curriculum, but they are also breaking down potential obstacles for students with learning disabilities. Dr. Cervone believed that “learning should be a nurturing of success rather than a cataloguing of errors.” In every way we should focus on what students can do well, not on what they cannot do well. We are continually finding ways to help students to work to their strengths, and technology innovations and a focus on 21st-century skills are working hand-in-hand in ways that allow us to serve all of our students– those with learning disabilities and those without–better and better all the time. Now more than ever we can see “that the best principles of learning for students with differences or disabilities are the best principles for all students.”

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Diversity at Pennington Faculty Member Barrington Fulton Jr. Outlines an Intercultural Approach central principles. The listing of our core values certainly makes mention of acknowledging and valuing various aspects of diversity in all of our everyday exchanges. The fact that central ideas like “Every individual has inherent value,” “Each individual has unique potential that can be developed,” “Diversity enriches a community,” “All people are responsible for and to one another,” “Character development is integral to responsible citizenship,” and “All people should treat each other and each other’s religious traditions with respect” are in our Mission Statement indicate that diversity is supposed to be regarded highly in this community.

“The Pennington School is a place where openmindedness and diversity are valued.”

There is no doubt that we live in a time and place where differences are supposed to be valued and accepted. What is great about Pennington is that, while events like celebrating the federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and changing our exam schedule to honor the historical inauguration of President Obama might seem out of the ordinary and even radical or “too much” to some people in other communities, it seems natural or less outof-the-ordinary for us here at Pennington. The concept of celebrating diversity and difference is not something that comes naturally; it is learned. It is learned through life experiences, parenting, classroom teaching, and supportive environments. It is not a very hard concept to grasp, as it merely takes an open mind and heart to celebrate and value people and cultures different from one’s own. Luckily, here at Pennington, it is those parts of the human being that we hope to help cultivate and grow in each of our students. It is a pleasure to work at an institution where diversity is at the core. Anyone who doubts Pennington’s dedication to diversity need only look at the School’s

The challenge is making sure that, as we move forward as a community and teach these values to our students and each other, we strive towards creating and maintaining an inclusive community. Valuing and celebrating diversity is ineffective when we celebrate and value the various differences separately. To strengthen our bonds as a community, we need to practice the concept of “interculturality.” According to Jean-Michel Leclercq’s text Facets of Interculturality in Education, interculturality is a set of processes through which relations between different cultures are constructed on a basis of equality and mutual respect. It is a concept that is more robust than the ones that have come before it, such as “multiculturalism,” because, as Miquel Rodrigo Alsina suggests in his work, La Comunicación Intercultural, it supposes the existence of a relationship between people who belong to various cultural groups. The word in and of itself implies interaction and explicitly asks for a working across cultures to achieve equality and understanding of all. This word also allows for the concept of plural identities, the idea that a person can identify with more than one

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underrepresented community, a concept with which many of us can identify because we are not simply classified by just our race. As dean of intercultural affairs and the head of the Diversity Office and Diversity Advisory Committee at Pennington, I hope to spread the concept of interculturality with the help of other members of the Pennington School community who are dedicated to diversity and equality. There are four major goals of the Diversity Office: 1. Recognizing differences 2. U  nderstanding and relating to each other’s differences 3. U  ncovering and utilizing learning skills for intercultural connectivity 4. M  aking people aware of their own feelings (both positive and/or negative) towards difference As the Diversity Advisory Committee and I work towards these goals, it is our hope that the office can become more of a visible resource center for all students, faculty, staff, and families to come to search for information about difference and to come to talk openly about those differences. Through our focus on interculturality, we hope to continue to educate our students about cultures, lifestyles, and races other than their own while also attempting to remove words like “tolerance” (which has negative implications) and “minority” from our community’s lexicon and replacing them with words like “acceptance” and “equals,” respectively. In order to reach our goals, many active steps have been taken to make TPS an even more open-minded and inclusive place. Such steps include: 1. T  he beginning of our Thoughts on Diversity initiative, a weekly quotation placed in The Voice regarding the importance of diversity in our everyday lives. 2. T  he beginning of our Wait, So Why Do We Get The Day Off? initiative, a brief announcement and flier reminding our students, faculty, and staff why we get days off during the school year. The hope is to keep informed of various cultural holidays and reminded of why

they are important to people both in and out of our community. 3. The expansion of the Diversity Advisory Committee to include all interested students, faculty and staff. 4. The creation of the Diversity Resource Board, a bulletin board where the community can find information on diversity-related issues and a calendar of events and diversity club meetings. 5. The Gay-Straight Alliance’s first annual Ally Week, a time for members of the community to pledge to stand up and speak out about anti-LGBT behavior and name-calling anywhere, reminding the community of the strength of the underrepresented and their supporters. 6. The creation of ASiAN (Asian Students in Action Now), an umbrella group of various cultural clubs that works toward educating the Pennington community about all things, such as customs, holidays, food, etc., relating to all Asian cultures that are represented in the student body. This group alone has put together four School-wide events celebrating cultural holidays like Diwali, Dong Ji, and the Lunar New Year. 7. The continued search for a diversity training program for all students, faculty, and staff. The closest we have so far is the work of the talented Tiffany Taylor-Smith, president of TR Taylor Consulting Group. The Pennington School is a place where open-mindedness and diversity are valued. We still have ways that we can improve, but with the continued support of all of us—students, staff, faculty, administration, parents, alumni, friends and family—we can be even more successful in achieving our goals.

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ART-O-RAMA Combining the Study of Art with Hands-on Experience

Class of 2009 The Three Wishes by The Brothers Grimm Created Fall 2002 The quilt depicts the classic story of a woodcutter and his wife who are granted three wishes by a spry imp. In the end, the couple find all the happiness they really need in a sizzling pan of sausage.

For the past nine years, Pennington Middle Schoolers have taken part in a three-year journey of creativity known as Art-o-rama. In the summer of 2000, for the upcoming school year 2000-2001, then-art teacher Dolores Eaton and drama teacher Lisa Houston designed a course that would combine the elements of art and drama in a hands-on learning experience. Each grade level focuses on a theme and a set of skills, all culminating in the eighth grade “Art Alive” productions. Since its inception, hundreds of Pennington Middle Schoolers have passed through the threeyear course, now taught by art teacher Caroline Hall and Lisa Houston. Many of those students have gone on to pursue art or theatre as a life-long career. Others are upper level art and drama students

attending Pennington as juniors and seniors, and even more have their art on display in the form of story quilts. The story quilt assignment has been a staple of the sixth grade year of the course. Based on the art of painter and author Faith Ringgold, the story quilt provides young artists the opportunity to practice the art of storytelling using skills such as color scheme, shape, form, and perspective, and using the media of fabric, paint, paper, ink, and found objects. Students learn to collaborate on the design, and work cooperatively on the construction of the quilt. They also learn basic sewing skills as they embroider their initials. The class of 2014 took creativity to a new level by designing a living quilt.

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Class of 2010 Stellaluna by Janell Cannon Created Fall 2003 Separated from her mother before she is old enough to fly, Stellaluna finds out, when she is taken in by a family of birds, that not all winged creatures eat fruit. As Stellaluna adapts to the habits of her new family, she learns the essence of friendship in humorous and touching ways.

Class of 2011 The Magic Amber by James M. Reasoner Created Fall 2004 In this Korean legend, an old rice farmer and his wife are repaid for their kindness and generosity.

Class of 2012 Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye Created Fall 2005 Liyana and her family move from St. Louis to Palestine. Though her father grew up there, Liyana knows very little about her family’s Arab heritage. It isn’t until she meets Omer that her homesickness fades. But Omer is Jewish, and their friendship is silently forbidden in this land. The title of the book refers to an Arabic term of endearment.

Class of 2013 The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein Created Fall 2006 The story is a short moral tale about a relationship between a young boy and a tree in a forest. The tree loves the boy very much and gives him anything he asks for. After many years, in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, the tree lets the boy cut her down so the boy can build a boat in which he can sail. The boy leaves the tree, now a stump. Many years later, the boy, now an old man, returns and the tree says, “I have nothing left to give you.” The boy replies that all he needs is a quiet place to sit and rest. The tree happily obliges.

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Class of 2014 The Lorax by Dr. Seuss Created Fall 2007 The class of 2014 thought “outside the box” when they designed their story quilt. Instead of sewing or collaging, the class made a living garden “quilt.” They chose the story, The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, and their garden featured year-round blooms such as mums, winter pansies, tulips, paper whites, alium, and herbs. The large buckets feature drawings from the story. The smaller clay vases were designed and crafted by each student in the class. See photo, above

Class of 2015 A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle Created Fall 2008 This year’s sixth grade class presents their quilt, depicting the story of a hermit crab who has outgrown his snug little shell, so he must find himself a larger one (and many new friends to decorate and protect his new house). But what will happen when he outgrows this shell, and has to say good-bye to all the sea creatures who have made Hermit Crab’s house a home?

GET INVOLVED!

CAREER DAY SPEAKERS

CAREER NETWORK

COLLEGE MENTORS

Pennington sponsors a Career Day for the junior and senior classes biannually. Our next career day will be next school year, 2009 – 2010. We need alumni and parents to serve as speakers or facilitators in presenting career information and advice.

The Career Network is an online community of alumni and parents who serve as networking contacts for fellow alumni and parents. They may provide career advice, mentoring, current information on industry trends and individual companies, and may also provide contacts within their industry and assist Pennington college alumni in finding summer internships.

Young alumni return to campus and meet with seniors for informal exchanges to give guidance relative to making college decisions and dealing with the myriad of opportunities and challenges facing college students. This is our newest program and we need your help to make this a success. If you are interested in getting involved in any of these programs or need more information please contact Joanne McGann at [email protected] or 609737-6149.

Join us on Facebook! Search for “The Pennington School - Alumni Group” to connect with classmates and keep up with School events.

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WALKING THE TALK TPS Faculty Go Extra Mile for Charity Community service has become an integral part of the curriculum at many American high schools, and The Pennington School is no exception. Faculty and students alike take seriously the School’s goal of helping others, but a number of faculty members have recently gone the extra mile (pun fully intended) as role models for students—and if increased physical fitness is a side benefit, so much the better! By undertaking physical and fundraising challenges, they are inspiring students to do so, as well.

TOP : The Pennington community joins together for the CROP Hunger Walk. ABOVE: TPS Run for the Cure.

Health teacher Richard Ritter led the way in the summer by cycling in the one-week Anchor House Ride for Runaways. October brought a spate of faculty activity: sixthgrade teacher Lisa Kessel participated in the Breast Cancer Three-Day from Oct. 17 to 19; Jerry Russo, teacher of Spanish, participated in the two-mile Walk Now for Autism on Oct. 19; and middle school science teacher Melissa Headly ran the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 26 to raise money for leukemia research. In addition to supporting these efforts both financially and in spirit, students joined faculty in two Pennington School–sponsored efforts: a Run for the Cure on Oct. 26 and the CROP Walk on Nov. 2.

Ritter has participated in the Anchor House Ride for Runaways for several years. On this year’s ride from Rutland, Vt., to the finale at Quakerbridge Mall in Lawrence, he raised approximately $1,500 for the cause. “During the week-long, 500-mile ride you tend to get into the daily challenge of it all and possibly lose sight of the big picture,” he says, “but then you are reminded of the good you are doing (especially entering the Quakerbridge Mall), and there is a connection with all of the riders who have worked toward a common goal.” The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day walk in the Philadelphia area was a first for Kessel, who joined the Pennington faculty this fall, and she gained spirited support from her students and colleagues. On the 60-mile walk, she wore a Pennington T-shirt signed by her sixth-graders, and middle schoolers gave her a rousing sendoff the day before the event, complete with pink balloons. She raised $2,200 for the cause. “As we entered the campus at Villanova University, we were greeted by a procession of supporters,” Kessel says. “It wasn’t much different than my heartwarming send off at Pennington— just about a few thousand more folks. An

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emotional woman in her 60s stepped in front of me, thanked me and hugged me. She was wearing a pin that said ‘survivor.’” Russo’s participation in the Walk Now for Autism was a family endeavor: he was joined by his wife, Sue; their daughter, Julia; and his mother, Eva. The two-mile walk at Mercer County Community College raised funds for the organization Autism Speaks, which promotes autism research and assists and advocates for families of children who have some form of autism. “Julia has been diagnosed with PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder), which puts her on what is called the ‘spectrum’ of autism,” Russo explains. “She has made terrific progress with the help of therapists, and so we decided to do something to help the families in this situation who are not as fortunate as ours.” The family raised over $2,400 for the cause. Headly, a first-year teacher at Pennington, ran the 26.2 miles that started at the Pentagon; went through Arlington, Va.; passed through Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown section, the monuments, and the National Mall; and culminated at the Iwo Jima memorial near Arlington National Cemetery. She raised $2,800 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through its Team In Training program. Not to be outdone, the same day that Headly was running through the nation’s capital, The Pennington School’s Peer

Leaders sponsored a “Run for the Cure,” benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. The statewide Race for the Cure came early in the school year this year, and the students were afraid that Homecoming and other commitments would limit their time to spread the word and get commitments, explains advisor Erin O’Connell. As a consequence, they organized their own run later, on Oct. 26, through the streets of Pennington. “There were 70 runners or walkers (students, faculty, parents, and friends)—more than we had had participate in a run before,” she says. “We raised over $2,000, and . . . we hope to make this an annual event.” The CROP Hunger Walk is not a new event for Pennington students and faculty; they have participated in it for many years, and the School has hosted the local event for the past five. CROP (which stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Walks are administered through the international humanitarian agency Church World Service. This year, despite the competition presented by the School’s boys’ and girls’ soccer teams’ playing in the state finals the same day, 49 students and three faculty members were numbered among the 73 walkers, raising over $4,500. Pennington School students are learning how to help others and how to stay healthy in the process—and their teachers are leading the way!

TOP: Librarian Mary FraserPauls and faculty member Erin O’Connell don their favorite pink gear which has became a nationwide Race for the Cure tradition. BOTTOM: Faculty member Lisa Kessel

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Students Celebrate Dong Ji When we think of the holidays during December, what normally comes to mind are the traditions of Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza. What all these holidays have in common is a history, tradition, and a culture behind them. There are many other holidays celebrated in other countries that go unnoticed or unrecognized by many in our society today. One such example is the holiday of Dong Ji (also spelled Dong Zhi). Dong Ji is celebrated during the winter solstice of each year by many different countries in Eastern Asia. Like any holiday, Dong Ji holds great importance to the people who celebrate it. According to South Korean boarding student Yosup Keum `10, “Dong Ji is a day that resembles a western Thanksgiving in which family members congregate to spend quality time and enjoy food.” For centuries, many cultures such as that of the Chinese have shown great admiration for the celestial objects. The winter solstice is the darkest day of the year for those living on the northern hemisphere. This is due to the combination of the earth’s tilt on its axis, rotation, and revolution across the sun. Even though the winter solstice is a day of darkness, those who celebrate Dong Ji often see it as a day of optimism. After the winter solstice the days begin to grow longer until the summer solstice

where the whole process repeats itself. This concept of the balance of light and darkness can be attributed to the ancient philosophy of yin and yang. As darkness reaches its extreme, it is said to return to its opposite – in this case light. Another way that many view Dong Ji is as a day of evil spirits. The concept of darkness is often connected to evil and on the darkest day of the year many cultures believe that evil spirits roam the earth at great numbers. Dong Ji is a holiday that is very familyoriented in which family members take off from work and many travel miles, in some cases, to spend quality time with their family. One of the most important traditions in Dong Ji is the food. The type of food eaten by each culture during this time is different, but it is all the same in the way it brings family together. One signature food of Dong Ji is the red bean soup known as patjuk in Korea. Red bean soup is classified by its rather sweet taste and a unique texture. The reason for eating red bean soup is as a way to drive away the evil spirits said to be roaming around during this day. Many cultures in Asia believe that bright colors such as red in particular are a bane of evil. Not only is this soup eaten but also, it is sometimes placed around the household to ward away the evil spirits and the misfortune and illness said to come from them. Another popular food eaten during this time is Tangyuan, which is a sweet and gluttonous flour. The name tang is Chinese for the word soup but is closely related to the word tuan which means reunion. Yuan on the other hand means perfect or happy. In a sense the food Tangyuan stands for family reunion and is thus eaten during this time to signify family and prosperity. There are many other popular foods eaten during this time such as mutton, long noodles, and dumplings. Holidays are an essential part of human life. They are times in which we can all relax, enjoy great food, and spend time with loved ones. Holidays are also an important time where we can celebrate our culture, remember our loved ones, and even learn about the traditions of others. —Vaclav Barina `11

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Purple Tuesday Have you ever looked around on chapel days? Have you seen all the different colors people are wearing...but wait! You see three people wearing purple, no four, wait ten. Is it a mere coincidence? Not at all; it’s Purple Tuesday! “Purple makes people happy; it’s an uplifting color,” says drama teacher Ms. Lisa Houston, one of the founders of Purple Tuesday. Purple Tuesday was started in 1999 during a new fashion era. Men had started wearing matching metallic ties with the same colored shirt in a darker shade. Among these people was Dean Liwosz, complete with a purple metallic tie complementing a purple shirt. Ms. Houston and Ms. Beverly Tucker, Executive Assistant to Head of School, happened to be wearing purple on the same Tuesday that Dean Liwosz was wearing this combination. After realizing that they were matching in their purple attire every Tuesday, they decided to tell everyone to participate. “Its one of those weird things that developed,” says Dean Liwosz. The purple craze began, but they decided to take it a step further. Around 2001, Ms. Houston and Ms. Tucker decided to play a joke on the new faculty. They added on to the dress code section of the new faculty’s handbook to wear purple on Tuesdays, and what a laugh it was. Ms. Houston comments: “The entire new

faculty that year ran out in a panic and was trying to buy purple-colored clothing.” Moreover, the responses to Purple Tuesday were only good ones. “It’s one of those things that just caught on,” says Ms. Tucker, and it soon became an unofficial tradition. But how did this tradition spread like wild fire? Mr. Jeffery O’Neil, biology teacher, answers: “I think Ms. Houston advertises it amongst the faculty, but I sell it to the students.” Mr. O’Neil has been known to advertise Purple Tuesday, and he adds, “It’s something fun at this school, and I try to inspire the students to wear purple.” Speaking of the Tuesdays he forgets, he states, “I have forgotten to wear purple on occasion, and the students yell at me profusely for it.” Purple Tuesday is one of those traditions that makes the Pennington Community tighter. Many students and faculty try to keep this tradition alive at our school and continue to persuade others to join in. Ms. Houston adds, “It’s a silly accomplishment, but it’s something that is unique to Pennington…and it adds to the fabric of our school.” —Anita Dam ‘11

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TUESDAYS WITH MR. PARNOS Former Student and Current TPS Faculty Member, Ida Malloy ‘82, Pays Tribute to an Inspirational Teacher In 1976, I came to The Pennington School as a seventh-grader. I was the only girl in my class and quickly became withdrawn and depressed. I tried to become invisible, and sometimes it worked. Somehow I managed to crawl my way to ninth grade, and finally other girls entered my grade, as well as a new advisor who helped to shape my life and give me direction. That year George Parnos became my advisor and teacher. At first I did not know what to make of this high energy, fast-talking, intense man, but in a very short time he made an impression on me that still inspires and motivates me today. Last year I read Tuesdays With Morrie, and after having a good cry, I searched my mind for a college professor that influenced me, but sadly I came up empty. It did not take long for me to determine who “my Morrie” was. Mr. Parnos was an amazing mathematician and physics teacher. Although I enjoyed math and found great success in lower levels of math and science, physics was the academic tsunami that made me question my abilities. As a senior, I was placed in Honors Physics, a huge mistake. Mr. Parnos suggested that I try regular physics, but that did not help. I was in way over my head and decided to talk to Mr. Parnos about dropping the class. I remember my conversation with Mr. Parnos as he moved around the physics room and set up a lab for the next day. He said to me, “My sweet, you must try harder.” As I stood there looking at him in great confusion he went into his office and

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dug out some photocopied papers. He came back and gave them to me and said, “Do you know who this man is?” I replied “No.” Mr. Parnos told me that the man was Memnon the Ethiopian. He explained to me that he was a great African who was respected by the Greeks. It was in that moment that two things happened: one, I realized that I was not going to be able to drop physics; and two, for the first time in my six years at Pennington someone said something inspiring and positive about Africa and her people. I decided to stay in physics and came faithfully every day for extra help, and even sometimes on weekends. Occasionally in class I surprised Mr. Parnos by answering a question correctly and displaying a mild understanding. At the end of the year I managed to produce a solid D, the only one I ever received. Mr. Parnos told me that he had never seen any student work as hard as I did. When I went off to college I encountered teachers who tried to tell me that I was not smart enough or that maybe I needed to change my major to something that was “more doable” for me, and I always responded, “No I can do whatever I set my mind to do.” I recalled those days with Mr. Parnos and that even when he knew how horribly I was doing in his class, he did not let me quit. The D I received has no bearing on the most significant educational experience I had ever had. The lesson I learned is that I am greater than I had allowed myself to believe, and that I needed to learn to discipline myself and not be discouraged by a challenge.

My trip to Greece this past summer allowed me to spend two marvelous weeks with Mr. Parnos and his family. He woke me up at six o’clock every morning, and sometimes we talked until one o’clock at night. He shared many wonderful stories, and his wealth of knowledge compares to no other teacher or professor I have ever encountered. I wanted to tell him what an inspiration he has been to me, and I know that his prodding and pushing me, even as an adult, has made me stronger. When I became a teacher I wanted to inspire lives and push my students into places that made them uncomfortable and made them eke out their own greatness. I do not know if I have inspired or ever will inspire someone the way Mr. Parnos inspired me, but whenever I question my purpose as a teacher, a quotation by [Greek philosopher and novelist] Nikos Kazantzakis reminds me of why I teach: “Teachers are those who use themselves as bridges, over which they invite their students to cross; then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.” On a final note I would be remiss if I did not mention other teachers at The Pennington School whom I will forever cherish: Marjorie Fass, Ruth Reilly, Margaret Kersey, Art Campbell, Brad Henderson, B.J. Garry, Kee Ahn, Bill Long, Terry Burns, Hugo Rossi, Paul and Janice Hoffreiter, Ted Naffzinger and Emil Bretzger. —Ida Malloy

FACING PAGE: Ida Malloy ‘82 (center) and George Parnos (right) with a member of the elite Evzones guard at the Greek Parliament building in Athens. ABOVE: Malloy and Parnos at the Parthenon

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Great Performances At Pennington Director Lisa Houston Reflects on the Year’s Performances Fall Play 2008: Macbeth I have been asked, “Why did you choose this play?” more times for this show than for any other show. I am guessing that some may think that witchery, blood, and gore are questionable material for a high school show. I chose this play for many reasons. First, I knew it would be a challenge, and Pennington Drama is always up for a challenge. In addition, since our trip last summer to the Edinburgh Fringe, I continue to be entranced by Scotland and all of its history, legends, and national pride – it is an amazing country and a fascinating setting for a play. Violence, blood, and destruction are as much a part of our culture as they were in Shakespeare’s time, to be sure.

Nowadays those visions come to us across digital TV screens, in video games, or on the big screen – in a way, this puts distance between the viewer and the actual act. Technology makes violence more tolerable and, in some ways, acceptable. I think it is important to think about violence in our world and I see the theatre as the safest place to explore that issue. How much is too much bloodshed? As our own country faces struggles on many levels and a change in regime, this play gives us something to ponder about ambition, fate, destiny, and taking personal action to forge your own path in life. What is right and what is wrong? Can one person change the course of their own life, the lives of others, a kingdom,

a country, the world? I think that Shakespeare’s greatest gift was recognizing human truths that I’m sure he never imagined would stand the test of time. So, here we are today, at The Pennington School. What will fate bring us? How will we act to set our future course as students, parents, faculty, a school? Where do our loyalties lie? Will we treat people with respect and see the world through hopeful eyes, or will we succumb to the “black and deep desires” that the Scottish King did? I believe in this School, this country, and most of all, I believe that theatre is capable of providing us with magic. Not the magic of the Weird Sisters, but magic, nonetheless.

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Winter Play 2009: The Wizard of Oz Many people who know me well were surprised when I chose a classic and beloved tale such as The Wizard of Oz to tell on our stage this winter. (I’m usually attracted to darker musicals). After the bloodshed of “The Scottish Play,” it was apparent that something lighter was in order. I thought that because Oz was all rainbow-colored goodness, and a familiar story, that somehow, it would be easier to mount this production—that it would involve less thinking and brain power. Boy, was I wrong. First of all, I have to commend my students and colleagues. Without them, this would be a shell of a story. They came through for me again and again with amazing ideas and solutions to issues. When you direct something as intense as the fall play was, it takes some time to recover. So, as we started on this journey, I was not fully on the road with everyone else. I found my thoughts wandering. Decisions seemed impossible. I only had one very clear idea —and that was a mirror image of the main characters of this play standing in the poppy field. And so, I went with it. That image, to me, is what this story is really about—that sometimes, when we look in the mirror, we don’t recognize the person we are looking at. We see ourselves

lacking the quality that we think we really need—whether it is beauty, brains, strength, wisdom, determination, creativity —or merely the brain, the heart, and the nerve to do what we need to do. We look in the mirror and we search for that other self—the one with all the power. It can be discouraging and even frustrating. But, if you dig deep, with a little hard work, soul-searching, trust, and patience, you can usually find it—right there inside you all along. It just takes a short journey inside your heart and mind to realize it was there. So for me, that one image led to all the other images of this show. It got me back on the path with my friends a few of the times when I was wandering through the forest thinking I was lost. If you are a purist, you might not agree with my vision. Our approach is not exactly traditional. But, if you came expecting something colorful, familiar and warm – you should be very satisfied.

TOP: Danielle Gabai ’09, Don Nuzzio ’10, and Sathya Andavolu ’09 as members of the Lollipop Guild. BOTTOM: Cast members celebrate Dorothy’s return to Oz. TOP LEFT: Ali Crivelli ’10 as the Scarecrow and Hannah Schindewolf ’09 as Dorothy. FACING PAGE: Tom Provine ’10, Claire Reinganum ’11, in an emotional scene from Macbeth PHOTO: Jim Inverso

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SIP-N-BID Pennington School Fundraiser

Congratulations to The Pennington School Parents Association on a very successful Sip-N-Bid fundraiser this past fall at the Trenton Country Club. More than 50 volunteers made this outstanding event possible and 250 members of the Pennington community attended. This one event raised over $115,000 for The Pennington School.

TOP : Faculty member Lisa McManus P ‘09, and fellow senior parents Jay and Susan Allen P‘09. BOTTOM: Members of the Sip-N-Bid volunteer committee.

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Green Cup Challenge During the month of February, The Pennington School participated in the annual Green Cup Challenge (GCC). Launched in 2006 by Phillips Exeter Academy, Northfield Mount Hermon, and the Lawrenceville School to raise students’ energy conservation awareness, the GCC has developed into an international competition involving more than 200 schools. Currently, the Challenge focuses on reducing electricity consumption on campus, but the organizers expect to broaden the competition in future years to other areas of environmental impact such as waste and water use. TPS’s effort involved all students and faculty in planning for, and participating in, the challenge. The primary purpose of the GCC is to bring the whole school together to better understand the difficulties facing our environment, to work as a team to overcome those difficulties, and to share and implement innovative ideas throughout the year. Although the GCC only lasts a month, the School hopes that the lessons learned will encourage all of us to be mindful of our environment at all times. TPS has made sustainability a school-wide theme for this academic year and this past summer’s reading list had a focus on sustainability. Since the start of the school year, the Student Sustainability Committee, individual academic departments, and the Middle School have initiated more recycling on campus for cans, paper and print cartridges. GCC takes these efforts to a new level. During the Challenge period, the Pennington community received weekly email updates on the level of energy reduction accomplished. At the end of the first week, as a campus we reduced aggregate energy (electricity) consumption campus-wide compared to the average of

our previous three Februaries by a terrific 14 percent. Those results placed Pennington fifth in the nation after week one. By week two, the School ranked fourth. Aggregate energy reduction in the final two weeks measured an impressive 23 percent—leading to a final aggregate reduction of 19 percent over the entire

TPS ENERGY REDUCTION

month. When the final numbers came in, Pennington ranked second in the nation in energy reduction in the boarding school category—an accomplishment of which the entire Pennington community can be proud. According to faculty member Ken Gaissert, chair of the Green Cup Challenge studentfaculty committee, the fact that energy reduction jumped from 14 percent in the first half of the month to 23 percent in the second half of the month only goes to show that there is room for improvement during next year’s challenge. And the news gets better: the School measured energy consumption for the week after the Green Cup Challenge ended, and energy reduction remained at approximately 19 percent below the same week last year, which bodes well for the long-term benefits of participation in this worthwhile event.

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WITNESSING HISTORY Students Participate in Inaugural Events in Nation’s Capital and on Campus.

TOP : Kelsey Greener ‘09 joined the crowds on Inauguration Day

Pennington students, faculty, and staff commemorated the inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president on Tuesday, January 19, 2009. The inauguration fell during exam week, an inconvenient time for Upper School students. However, this did not thwart those determined to take part in the festivities in whatever way they were able. Some students arranged their schedules so they could attend the inauguration in Washington, DC. Ten Pennington students made their way individually down Route 95 to be in attendance. Their experiences ranged from attending the Congressional Youth Leadership Council’s Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference (PYIC) to taking part in some of the Inaugural Balls, to simply experiencing the day as one of the millions of others who wanted to be a part of history.

ABOVE : Faculty member Chad Bridges ‘96 quizzes Middle School students on presidential history.

Kelsey Greener ’09 attended the inauguration with her mother and aunt, and was fortunate to have great seats

for the event (see photo). Aside from the natural drama of the day, Kelsey’s mom added to the excitement by dropping and losing her ticket. According to Kelsey, “She couldn’t get in, so my aunt and I went in without her and she said she was going to go watch it somewhere. On her walk back, she randomly asked one guy if he happened to have an extra ticket, and he did! Some of his friends didn’t show up, so my mom got a ticket and somehow found us in the 2 million people there. It was meant to be—we were supposed to be there!” Eleventh grader Hannah Knudsen also made the trek to D.C. to attend the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference. Knudsen had mixed feelings about the conference—the large number of attendees led to some disorganization and miscommunications regarding the way in which attendees would experience the inauguration itself. On the whole, Knudsen found the experience a positive one: she

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attended speeches by General Colin Powell, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Vice President Al Gore, and celebrated at a formal event for conference participants at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. As she puts it, “Overall I am so happy to have attended this once-in-a-lifetime event.” Closer to home, Pennington students who remained on campus also found ways to make the day memorable. The exam schedule was altered so that Upper School students could watch the inaugural address in small groups in the homes of faculty members. The faculty and staff of the Middle School organized a full day of activities, beginning with an inaugural continental breakfast. In actuality, the Middle School students had been preparing for inauguration day for the entire fall semester. According to history teacher and alumnus Chad Bridges ‘96, “This year’s election was unlike any other and our plan as a faculty was to take full advantage of the opportunity.” Semester activities included mock voter registration, studying political videos, and participating in the National Student/Parent Mock Election which garnered a nationwide total of over 5.1 million votes. Bridges states, “To be part of this was special and more importantly our students felt like they were part of the process. The inauguration celebration was really the culminating activity in what was an historic and memorable semester in the Middle School.” On inauguration day, while the eighthgraders took exams, sixth- and seventhgraders learned about past and current poets who have been honored to speak at presidential inaugurations in an activity designed by Lisa Kessel and Gayle Bruno, both of whom teach poetry in the Middle School. Latin teacher Beth Yarnall, asked students to come up with Latin words that related to all aspects of government. In the Black Box Theatre, which was decorated by the Middle School student council in red, white, and blue for the occasion, students competed in a presidential trivia “hot seat” competition, and heard and saw past inaugural speeches. The day’s events were a genuine team effort, says Bridges, “Our middle school student council did a phenomenal job

helping to plan this day. As a committee and true team, they decided that students could wear red, white and blue to get into the spirit of the day. Students could also dress black tie formal, but most stuck with the red, white and blue. Student Council members, including Logan Campbell ’14, and siblings Hayden (’14) and Casey (’15) McGovern also helped with decorating the Black Box Theatre for the big day. It was a great atmosphere. Our Parents Association put together a great lunch for all the students and faculty complete with an inauguration cake.” Students watched Barack Obama’s inaugural address live, and interacted with Pennington students who reported live on-site at the festivities in DC. The day concluded with a Middle School “Yes We Can” Inaugural Ball. Organized by drama teacher Lisa Houston (who wore her inaugural gown for the event), students and faculty danced to a playlist culled from music—from Bob Dylan to Usher—that President Obama had indicated were favorites of his. The inaugural parade provided a live video background for the day’s culmination, an event that likely will stay in the memories of Middle Schoolers for years to come. TOP : Middle School students met in the Black Box Theatre, specially decorated for the occasion. BOTTOM: Hannah Knudsen ’10 (center) with some new friends in Washington, DC on Inauguration Day.

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PENNINGTON’s PACHYDERM TPS Sixth Graders Adopt Kenyan Elephant

The sixth grade class World Cultures curriculum is broad in geographic scope and, Kessel says, “tries to break away from the traditional plaster molds of continents and country capital drills as a means of educating the students.” Kessel has designed a project called “Passport to...” which includes researching countries, geographical elements and cultures. All of the research performed for Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania will be included in a paginated passport booklet. Another major facet of the World Cultures curriculum is art. “Art connects us to culture, history and humanity,” states Kessel. “Students are reproducing works of art by famous European artists while getting a heavy dose of art history. The written reports that accompany their projects strengthen their writing ability and research skills.”

The Pennington School’s sixth grade class have been studying Africa, and recently the class pulled together to adopt an elephant through the African Wildlife Foundation. Each member of the class, including their teacher, Lisa Kessel, brought in one dollar to make up the full $25 cost of adopting an elephant. Their donation will go towards helping an elephant named Oltupai, one of the dominant bull elephants in the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya. According to Head of Middle School Todd Paige, “The kids are proud of the little part they played in helping protect this imperiled species.”

TOP : Students created a herd of elephants in clay. BOTTOM: The sixth graders show some pachyderm pride.

Once presumed killed, remarkably, Oltupai showed up (with many families that had not been seen in Amboseli for four years) in Tanzania’s West Kilimanjaro Area. According to his biography on the African Wildlife Foundation’s Web site, he tends to seek shade in an oltupai thicket during the heat of the day, which is the inspiration for his name.

The elephant adoption is tied to a research project that explored the plight of the African elephant. “Ivory Wars” was a National Geographic documentary that focused on the ivory trade and elephant poaching. The students studied and researched this heart-tugging issue, then wrote an essay revealing their findings. Students created African Adinkra textiles and paper beaded necklaces were created while being serenaded by African drum music and songs sung in Swahili. Kessel says that adopting Oltupai brought the reality of wildlife conservation in Africa home to her Pennington students, “I think the best way to teach a culture is to be immersed in it.” Kessel hopes to continue to follow that philosophy by forming an “E-PAL” relationship between her sixth grade class and young students at The American School in Switzerland (TASIS). Her class read Sharon Creech’s “Bloomability,” about a young girl’s adventure as a student at TASIS, and Kessel is working with a teacher at TASIS to foster this connection.

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The Pennington School community continued a seven-year tradition by creating handmade ceramic bowls to support the Empty Bowls Project to fight hunger. Bowls made by talented Pennington School students, faculty, and staff were exhibited and available for sale at the School’s Silva Gallery of Art during a two-week span in December. All proceeds from bowl sales are donated to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.

TPS FIGHTS HUNGER WITH Empty bowls Project Benefits Trenton Area Soup Kitchen

The School has taken part in the Empty Bowls Project since 2001. Michigan potters John Hartom and Lisa Blackburn established the project as a tool to work toward the eradication of world hunger; its name is a symbolic reminder that many people’s bowls are empty of food. In the original project model, after potters volunteer their time, talent, and materials to make the bowls, guests are invited for a simple meal of soup and bread in exchange for a minimum $10 donation. The guests select a bowl to use that day and to keep as a reminder of the world’s many empty bowls. All proceeds are given to a hunger-prevention organization either within the local community or at the national or international level. Although Pennington students do not include a meal as part of their observance, they honor the project’s principles by sending all money from sale of the bowls to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K.) and often present a program that educates the School community about hunger at the world, national, and local levels.

TOP : A collection of Empty Bowls. BOTTOM: Students working together for a worthy cause.

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VOLUNTEER HARVEST FEEDS HUNGRY TPS International Students Pick Produce for Farmers Against Hunger In October, Pennington School Chaplain Chuck Coblenz accompanied ten TPS international students to a farm in Florence Township to pick peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes for Farmers Against Hunger. Farmers Against Hunger (FAH) is a unique food rescue program that collects fresh fruits and vegetables from New Jersey farms and distributes it, free of charge, to organizations that help feed people. Started in 1996 by a few area farmers, the program now includes nearly 50 farmers, three grocery store chains, and two produce wholesalers who support the program year-round. According to Coblenz, “Judy Grignon, the director of FAH, told us that the crops we harvested that day would be eaten by needy families that night! The kids were great and filled dozens of baskets.”

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DISCUSSION SERIES TACKLES FINANCIAL CHALLENGES

On Tuesday, February 10, members of the Pennington community were treated to an informative and engaging panel discussion on the state of the U.S. and world economy. “Setting National Priorities: Financial Challenges Facing the New Administration” was the topic addressed by F. Ward McCarthy, Jr., Ph.D. P'03 '09, and Marc R. Reinganum, Ph.D. P'08 '11, both experts in the field. The event was the first in the School’s new InPerson Discussion Series, designed to address issues of topical importance to the Pennington community. The discussion was deftly moderated by Katherine H. Littlefield P'06 '09, member of The Pennington School Board of Trustees. Topics ranged from the history of the economic crisis, including the exploration of several key events and trends that led to the mortgage crisis and credit crunch, to the prospects for the future five to ten years. The speakers compared the current economic situation to a "heart attack," a "forest fire," and The Wizard of Oz (the lecture took place on the same stage that would soon hold the winter musical

production), and explained the reasons for the continuing troubles in the financial sector. McCarthy is co-founder of Stone & McCarthy Research Associates (SMRA), based in Princeton, with offices around the world. The firm provides independent financial market and economic research; McCarthy supervises and directs fixed income research. He is also responsible for the SMRA analysis of the Treasury market, the federal budget, and Treasury debt financing, among other areas. Reinganum is senior portfolio manager for the Main Street Fund and the Main Street Small Cap and Opportunity Funds at OppenheimerFunds. Prior to joining OppenheimerFunds in 2003, he was the Mary Jo Vaughn Rauscher Chair in Financial Investments at Southern Methodist University, where he also served as director of the Finance Institute and chairman of the Finance Department. His research interests include investments in general and stock market anomalies in particular.

TOP LEFT: Ward McCarthy, Ph.D. TOP RIGHT: Marc Reinganum, Ph.D.

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A SPIRITED MLK CELEBRATION Pennington Students Join Renowned Performers to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Tuesday, January 13, the Diversity Office, along with the Arts and History departments, brought King Alive!: The Dream Lives to campus for a Chapel service celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The performance featured Dr. King’s final speeches as interpreted by Craig Alan Edwards, the star and writer of the upcoming off-Broadway production, The Man in Room 306, about the last night of Dr. King’s life. In addition to the speeches, the Pennington Upper School Chorus, under the direction of William Alford, sang three accompanying pieces after three rehearsals with a special soloist, the multitalented Fredi Walker Browne, best known for her work in the original production of Broadway’s hit musical, Rent. The students and faculty alike were spellbound for the full hour of motivating words and music. It was a Chapel service that will remain in memory for years to come. —Faculty member, Barrington Fulton

Photo: Jennifer Osolinski ’10

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homefront TPS Community Brings Holiday Cheer To Area’s Less Fortunate On Saturday, December 20, The Pennington School hosted its eighteenth annual HomeFront Holiday Party. Over 100 student, faculty, and family volunteers gave their time to serve as hosts, guides, cleanup crews, dance partners, and playmates to the record 450-plus guests from HomeFront. HomeFront is a Lawrenceville, New Jersey-based organization that seeks to end homelessness in Central New Jersey by harnessing the caring, resources and expertise of the community. All families in attendance were treated to a turkey dinner provided by Sodexo and Pennington’s dining hall staff. Over 300 gifts were distributed to parents to present to their children on Christmas morning. The gifts were either donated by Pennington students and faculty or purchased with money raised through a dress-down day the week before the holiday break. Pennington School Peer Leaders spearhead the gift drive and take overall responsibility for volunteering. Children had the opportunity to visit with Santa Claus or Frosty the Snowman (portrayed by alumna Celeste Murphy ’01, who returned for the occasion); play

basketball in the gym with the Varsity Boys’ Basketball team; or do arts and crafts in the student center. As a special bonus, due to the generosity of The Pennington School community, The Pennington School was able to donate to HomeFront over $1,000, which is enough money to help a family get started in their own apartment. Students, faculty, staff, and families also contributed new or gently used warm coats in a drive over the past weeks, and since returning from Thanksgiving break had festooned the “Giving Tree” in the Stainton Hall lobby with hats, scarves, and gloves to be distributed at the party. In these uncertain economic times, organizations such as HomeFront are more needed—and needy—than ever as their client population steadily increases. Happily, the members of the Pennington community were able to give of themselves through monetary donations, contributions of presents, and volunteering their time. This considerable effort is a continuing reminder of the strength of the Pennington Spirit.

ABOVE LEFT: A jolly group of TPS volunteers. ABOVE RIGHT: Celeste Murphy ‘01 as Frosty the Snowman with faculty member and co-director of peer leadership at the 2008 Homefront holiday party.

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Donors interested in supporting Pennington through a transfer of funds from an IRA can now take advantage of a two-year extension of the IRA Rollover provision included in the $700 billion economic bailout bill signed in October, 2008. The provision will be made retroactive to Jan. 1, 2008, and will apply to gifts made from that date through Dec. 31, 2009. The provision had expired at the end of 2007. The provision exempts from taxable income any funds transferred (“rolled over”) from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to a charitable organization. The following limitations apply: • The donor must be age 70½ or older. • The cap on annual IRA rollovers is $100,000. • The contribution must be a direct gift to a charity (no planned gifts).

For more information on supporting The Pennington School, contact Matthew Goetting at (609) 737-6103.

RED RAIDER ROUNDUP

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TPS VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

TOP : The 2009 Varsity Girls Soccer Team celebrates their victory as 4-time Mercer County Champs.

The Pennington School Varsity Girls Soccer Team once again set the bar at a new height after their 2008 Fall season. The Red Raiders registered their best season in history with a 17-0-1 record and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas (NSCAA) ranking as the #1 team in the country. This accomplishment is even more impressive since Amber Brooks, member of Parade Magazine’s All-America team, was sidelined for much

of the season with a knee injury, and then traveled to New Zealand to play with the U-17 Women’s National Team at the first Under 17 World Cup. The team won both the Prep A championship and the Mercer County Tournament. At the annual NSCAA convention in St. Louis, Missouri, three of the lady Red Raiders received first team All-America recognition with Amber Brooks named the female 2008 National High School Scholar Athlete of the Year. Both she and senior Heidi Sabatura were selected for the Scholar All-America team. Junior Kailtyn Kerr was selected by both ESPN and NSCAA as a first team All-America selection. Pennington was the only high school this year to have fielded three students in the All-America categories. Coach Bill Hawkey was named the 2008 National Coach of the Year (see story at right). Co-Coach Patrick Murphy has been on the sideline with Hawkey for the past 12 years in which time the team has had a record of 199-33-12. Hawkey and Murphy’s teams in the past six years have been in the top 20 national rankings as well as earning six consecutive Team Academic Awards from the NSCAA for having a team GPA of 3.6 or higher.

BOYS TEAM CAPTUREs HEARTS & TITLE The 2008 Boys Soccer Team registered significant team accomplishments this past fall as they set a boys’ team record with 21 wins along the way to capturing the NJ Prep State Championship. The boys were also the Mercer County Tournament runner-up this year, which represents the best finish for the boys at this competitive county-wide tournament.

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Varsity Swimming Teams post dual championships

For the first time, the varsity boys and girls swim teams both won the NJISAA State Championships! The girls finished with a record of 7-3 while the boys record was 8-2. The teams also won the Patriot Championships as well as placed 4th at the MCT’s against 14 other group III and IV public schools. Two new school records were written this season by Freshman Carly Deeter in the Girls 100 Breaststroke and the Girls 200 Medley relay, with teammates Carly Gurick ‘11, Alyssa Hullings ‘11 and Galen Sylk ‘10.

The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team celebrates their first Mercer County Tournament win by defeating the numberone seed West Windsor-Plainsboro South After struggling to a 7-17 record last season, the boys’ varsity basketball team added some impact newcomers while returning players improved their games and got a year older, wiser, and more experienced. The Red Raiders jumped out to a 5-0 start this season that included a double-digit win over archrival, PDS. Another rival, Hopewell Valley, was the next victim, which came just a day after the team’s first loss of the season. Three more wins followed the win over Hopewell, and then came a rough patch, as the squad lost back-to-back games and four out of six, dropping their record to 11-5. Head Coach Bernie Gurick and Assistant Coach Chad Bridges then re-directed the team, and reeled off a nine-game winning streak that included wins over PDS and Gill St. Bernard’s in the Prep B state tournament, Photo: Mike Dill and MCT victories over Hopewell, defending champion Trenton Central, and second-seeded Princeton, which came at MCCC. After falling by seven points in the Prep B state title to Rutgers Prep, the team rebounded for its third game in three days by knocking off 20-win West Windsor-Plainsboro South, the number one seed in the MCT and in the Central Jersey Group IV sectional tournament, by a whopping 16 points to win the Mercer County Tournament, ending the year at 21-6, and completing a fantastic turnaround.

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Pennington Varsity Ice Hockey Captures the Regular Season Independent Hockey League title!

The Pennington School Varsity Ice Hockey team led by captain Sean McCarthy ‘09, and assistant captains Hank Littlefield ‘09, Charlie Meneghin ‘09, and James Osterstock ‘09 as well as seniors Mike Allen, Spencer Bonapace, and Liam McManus battled with five other teams to win the inaugural (regular) season of the Independent Hockey League (IHL). The team overcame numerous injuries to key players in a season filled with excitement; the team played hard every game and fought until the final buzzer sounded.

Hawkey NAMED National Coach of the Year A Banner Year for Beloved TPS Coach

ABOVE: Coach Hawkey and Amber Brooks—named female 2008 NSCAA/adidas High School Scholar Athlete of the year at the national convention’s awards banquet.

Pennington School Girls’ Soccer Coach Bill Hawkey, (above,center) has been named National Coach of the Year in the High School Girls Private/Parochial category by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). After his selection as NSCAA East Regional Coach of the Year in the private/parochial high school category earlier in the postseason, the national award was announced at the national convention’s awards banquet in St. Louis in January. The NSCAA announcement praised Hawkey for leading the team to its ranking and titles this year and noted, “In addition to claiming its 14th conference championship, [The] Pennington School has also earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award and was the New Jersey Prep Team of the Year each of the past six years.” Hawkey, who passed the 300-win mark this fall, has been head coach of girls’ soccer at Pennington for 24 years; his career record as coach to date is 311–93–26. Hawkey is The Pennington School’s assistant head of school and head of upper school.

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Highlights from the Pennington Athletics Program

Middle School

MS Football MS Cross Country Pennington’s Middle School Cross Country team had a successful season. Each runner on this team has a reason to be proud of his/her season: meeting a goal, winning a race, battling to the finish, pushing through pain, running a personal best time.

The Middle School Football program had another successful year. The team was small in numbers but large in heart and determination. The coaches are proud of what this team accomplished this year.

MS Girls’ Basketball The 2008-09 season was one for developing a team and enjoying the process. We had four well-fought victories that showcased the girls’ newfound abilities. Coach Van Beveren trusts that other members of the team will progress into starting positions and continue our success in basketball.

MS Field Hockey Last year, the Middle School girls field hockey team practiced for an entire season, in preparation for competing as a recognized school sport in fall 2008. Fundamentals were the main focus, but rules of play, strategy and field work were an additional emphasis as the team got ready to play nine games in their first official season. They opened the season with a close 2-1 loss to Moorestown Friends Academy. Upper School

Boys’ Basketball, JV The boys JV basketball team had three thrilling come-from-behind last minute

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victories. The boys on the team were great teammates who supported and cheered wildly for each other. We celebrated our Chinese teammates with a wonderful dinner at a Chinese restaurant and our American teammates with a dinner at White Castle. Everybody had a wonderful time this year.

Girls’ Tennis, Varsity It was a building year for varsity tennis this year. With a record of 4–8–1, this relatively young team worked hard to improve their skills.

Boys’ Soccer, JV JV Boys’ Soccer had an exciting and successful season. Their record was 7 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie. The team defeated Lawrenceville, Hun, PDS (twice), Rutgers Prep (twice) and Gill. For the first time in many years, Boys JV Soccer defeated or tied all of the Mercer County prep school teams.

Football, JV and Varsity The 2008 Pennington Red Raiders displayed tremendous dedication and enthusiasm throughout the season. According to Coach Eure, “Despite the fact that we won only four games this season, we had some of the most exciting home wins in many years, capping off our first win in seven years over a tough Bristol team on Homecoming day.”

ON THE RUN In what could be called the most successful Cross Country season for an individual at The Pennington School, senior Phil Wood set course records (5K or 3.1 miles) at Princeton Day School, Peddie, and at the Newark Invitational. He won first place at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University, and second place at the Patriot Conference Championships, leading the varsity boys team to a championship. He placed second at State Championships, as well as at the Mercer County Championships. His fourth place finish at the Footlocker Northeast Regional Championships qualified him for the National Championships. He placed 30th at the Footlocker National Championships in San Diego running 16:04 in the 5,000 meter race. Phil was selected for the First Team All State Prep team and he is a scholarship winner for track at the University of Texas.

Girls’ Soccer, JV According to Coach Egan, “The JV Girls’ Soccer Team is a young team with a bright future. The team faced some very tough competition this year, but the girls rose to the occasion and gave 100 percent in every game.”

Boys’ Cross Country, Varsity Highlights included a Patriot Conference championship, and a very close second at States. Times at States dropped from 21:10 per runner to 18:20 per runner – a great accomplishment.

Girls’ Tennis, JV Coach McManus reports, “This year the JV Tennis Team memorized the 10 point and 12 point tie-breaker set due to all our close matches! Thanks to all the girls, we had a wonderful season!”

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Girls’ Cross Country, Varsity The team placed third at the Patriot Conference meet and third at States. Average times on the same course went from 24:49 to 22:55 – eight percent faster than last year

Cheerleading, Varsity The girls worked hard to incorporate new skills into their routines. They added many new cheers and surprised the crowd with their new stunts. For the first time, the cheerleaders also brought music and dances to football games.

Field Hockey, Varsity Coach Malloy reports, “The challenges of the season are behind us; each game helped to make us stronger. I am looking forward to next year; fortitude is our greatest gift.”

THE

FRANCIS HARVEY GREEN SOCIE T Y

Dr. Green’s legacy to Pennington encompassed far more than the letters, manuscripts, and books he presented to the School on his retirement. His legacy lives on in the School’s commitment to academic excellence and respect for each individual that was the hallmark as a teacher and administrator. In order to perpetuate his good work, the Francis Harvey Green Society was formed to provide for The Pennington School’s future through planned giving. The Society recognizes those who have made a provision for the School in their estate plans and encourages others to make such plans. Provisions include bequests, charitable remainder trusts and lead trusts, life insurance policies, and IRA’s. If you are interested in making a planned gift to Pennington, please contact Matt Goetting, Director of Development, at [email protected] or (609) 737-6103.

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A Cinderella Story Gutsy Performance Propels Young Team to Victory

“We have a great team, but we are still working on some things. If we can pull it all together, we can win.” —Coach Bill Hutnik

As I walked into the building with my four-year-old daughter, Daisy, the familiar scent of chlorine guided us to the pool that, just an hour later, would prove to be the location of one of the great rallies in sports history. I may exaggerate (but only a little). “I smell pool!” Daisy shouted happily, running down the hall, with a princess purse full of play jewelry. (We carry it everywhere.) Decked out in our black and red for Pennington’s Homecoming, we didn’t know quite what to expect from the Red Raider water polo team, who were set to battle Friends Central. My husband (a.k.a. Coach Bill Hutnik) was honest about chances for a Homecoming victory when we spoke before the game. “We have a great team,” he said. “But we are still working on some things. If we can pull it all together, we can win.” His tempered optimism was understandable. This season fields the School’s first all-Pennington squad; last year featured a shared TPS/Hun team. So there are lots of new players on board, who Hutnik describes as “fantastic in terms of team energy and potential, but challenging when we’re playing well-established programs that have been in place for years. But,” he adds after a moment, “we’re gonna get there.” I’ve heard this steel in his voice before. Coach Hutnik was a competitive swimmer and water polo player in high school and college. So don’t be fooled by his quiet demeanor: This guy wants to win. Playing in front of a great crowd at the Michael T. Martin Aquatic Center, the Raiders started all four senior players for their final Homecoming: Matt Angelo, Hank Littlefield, captain and returning player John Tarchis in the field, and Mike Allen in goal. The match was 0–0 at the end of the first quarter, but Friends Central took the lead 1–0 in the second. A second goal followed quickly, as Friends capitalized on a TPS kickout.

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Though the team trailed 2–0, the crowd stayed with the underdog Raiders, cheering several breakaways by returning player Jimmy Hrabchak ‘11 and powerful passing by returning player Bank Phromratanapongse ‘10. “Go, Pennington!” screamed Daisy, who put on her Cinderella necklace and rings in the middle of the second quarter “for luck,” she explained.

shots. But we played great defense the whole game, and in the fourth quarter, when our shooting finally came around, our defense continued to hold tight.” They were right. And the entire team should get credit for that defense: Alyssa Hullings, Chris Gianoni, and returning player Laura Podsiadlo put in great defensive performances.

She might have been on to something, because TPS turned on their offense. Shooting accuracy improved, and the crowd really had something to celebrate when Tarchis scored Pennington’s first goal two minutes into the third quarter. After we were finished screaming, I told Daisy not to touch the jewelry. Friends capitalized on another Pennington kickout to take the lead 3–1 at 5:25 in the third quarter, but for the remainder of the quarter Pennington stayed ferocious and denied Friends any more scoring opportunities.

I could see Coach Hutnik mulling over the game the whole rest of the day, considering drills, thinking about plays, planning the next game. But even the evermeasured Coach Hutnik would stop ever so often throughout Saturday afternoon and turn to Daisy and me with a big smile. “Did you see the team today? That was totally awesome!”

Pennington’s momentum continued, and in the fourth and final quarter Wes Lincoln scored the Red Raiders’ second goal 1:24 in, bringing the score to 3–2. Minutes later, Phromratanapongse tied the game 3–3. And then Hrabchak put Pennington ahead for good, scoring the team’s fourth goal. If you did not see the fourth quarter of this match, you missed a thrilling turnaround, and a hard-fought win by the Raiders. As the players climbed out of the pool, all smiles, Daisy turned to me. “Mama, can I take off this jewelry?” The team celebrated the first allPennington squad victory in the School’s history, and the excitement in the air was palpable. Coach Hutnik was typically measured: “That was great, you guys. You just won the first all-Pennington squad victory in water polo!” The team cheered wildly. “But,” the coach continued, “get ready for shooting drills on Monday, because your shooting in the first two quarters was terrible.” OK, so the guy needs some finesse in his post-game pep talks. Later, Coaches Keogh and Hutnik analyzed the win. “We won that game because of our defense. We had some great chances, and we did not do well capitalizing on

All I can say is, I’m hooked. It was inspiring to watch the team turn itself around and power through to win that game. Just as inspiring was the post-game match, where Coaches Keogh and Hutnik watched with pride as all their rookies held their own and played smart, determined water polo. Every player brought something valuable to that pool on Saturday, and that’s great to see. I will certainly be back, cheering this crew on in future matches. And if you see Coach Hutnik wearing Cinderella’s tiara or rings, just go with it. —Amy Hutnick

Water Polo JV This season, Pennington Water Polo fielded 18 players, 13 of them new to the sport. The collaboration between new and returning players produced excellent results, highlighted by a come-from-behind win over Friends Central at Homecoming, two victories over local rival The Lawrenceville School, and a second place finish at the Garden State Championship.

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homecoming W eekend

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S eptem b e r 2 6 - 2 7

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Class notes Class of 1932 Class Agent and Decade Chair: Herb Sloane 2919 Jamestown Drive Montgomery, AL 36111–1210 (334) 832–2413 [email protected] Class of 1933 Class Agent: Ellsworth Rosenberg 8500 W. Sunrise Blvd. Apt. 308 Plantation, FL 33322 [email protected] Class of 1935 Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer.

Class of 1942 Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer. Class of 1943 Class Agent: Stanley Holmes, Jr. 2832 Spring Haven Place Macungie, PA 18062 (610) 965–3657 [email protected] Class of 1944 65th Reunion – October 16–17, 2009 Class Agent: Bruce Poynter Cottage 7, 7351 Willow Rd. Frederick, MD 21702 (240) 629–1956 [email protected] Class of 1945 Class Agent: Bob Schenkel 28 Northampton B West Palm Beach, FL 33417 (561) 683–5759 [email protected] Class of 1946 Class Agent: Dick Sharrett 961 Raritan Road Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 (908) 757–5526 [email protected]

Dr. Stanley Apple stopped by for a surprise visit in September, along with his wife, Virginia, and daughter, Carolyn. Dr. Apple was unable to attend the Athletic Hall of fame ceremony in 2006, the year he was inducted, so in addition to seeing a bit of the campus, he visited the Hall in the gymnasium lobby. Dr. Apple is doing very well and wishes to say hello to all classmates and schoolmates who remember him. Class of 1936 Class Agent: C. Kenneth Snyder 5617 Namakagan Rd. Bethesda, MD 20816–1924 Class of 1940

= Reunion Year

Class Agent: Tim Osborne 522 Kingfisher Road Sugar Land, TX 77478–4705 (281) 494–7406

Dick Sharrett presented a paper on Resiliency Health Care Systems at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Maryland in November 2008. Class of 1947 Class Agent: John Vaccaro 38 Wiltshire Drive Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 (609) 530-0331 [email protected] Donald Maxwell resides in Ann Arbor, MI. Don was born in Paris, lived in England, and attended Pennington for five years during World War II. He holds two Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cambridge (Faculty of Medicine) and from the University of Michigan (French). He spent many years in biomedical research and is

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the author of numerous publications on physiology and pharmacology. Before retiring, he was executive vice president for scientific affairs of a U.S. corporation. He has published two autobiographies and is presently writing a novel. He enjoys reflecting on his wonderfully special days at Pennington. Jack Russell resides in West Palm Beach, FL, with his wife, Debby. Over the years Jack has dabbled in the fine art of painting. He now owns a picture-framing business, which includes photo restorations. Last year he underwent an angioplasty procedure, but since then he has fully recovered and is back to playing golf. [He would enjoy hearing from his Florida winter neighbors, Art Georgaklis and Dwight Duryea, at (561) 793–7360.] Jack has been a faithful supporter of the School and his class for over sixty years, saying the five years he spent at Pennington were the best thing that ever happened to him. Tommy Haje resides in Wilmington, DE, with his wife of 57 years, Midge. They have three children and five grandchildren. Last summer he underwent major openheart surgery, but he has fully recovered and looks forward to playing golf again and spending time at the shore. He treasures his memories of his five years at Pennington and is very proud of the Class of 1947, which has been described in Pennington Magazine as “outstanding.” He wants again to thank his classmates for their support during the class’s 60th reunion, which the School honored by presenting 1947 the Cupola Award. Elliot Halio resides in Charleston, SC, where he is actively involved in his own law firm. He has experienced some health problems over the last few years but is doing better and has resumed his golfing. He attended Pennington for five years, and his brother Jay was graduated in 1946. He says at Pennington there were many great times. He has fond memories of Dr. Green and Dean Jeffries. He describes his many friends at Pennington as a “great bunch.” Peter Pollock resides in Boca Raton, FL. He graduated as number one in his Pennington class and went on to Williams College. He retired from the investment business several years ago. Although

having some serious illnesses, he remains upbeat and active in community work. He has been a supporter of Pennington and hopes to visit the School in the near future. Don Brown resides in La Cañada Flintridge, CA, and is a retired engineer. He was at Pennington for four years and was active in sports, especially soccer. He has been a supporter of the School, coming to reunions all the way from California. Don says he appreciates the good education he received at Pennington, saying it helped him when he attended Colorado State. Arthur Georgaklis and his wife, Connie, reside in Brookline, MA, and spend their winters in West Palm Beach, FL. Art attended Pennington for two years. He was the senior class president and a member of the Tri-Steps Honor Society. He has been a loyal supporter of the School for over sixty years, attending reunions and contributing to the Annual Fund. John Vaccaro is retired from owning and operating a sod farm and lives with his wife of over 50 years, Robbie, in Lawrenceville, NJ. Today he spends time with his family and is active with his church. John attended Pennington for two years, when he starred as an all-state football player and an undefeated wrestler and also was a member of the Tri-Steps Honor Society. After Pennington he attended Milligan College in Tennessee. He has been an active supporter of The Pennington School for over sixty years, attending and coordinating class reunions and helping with fundraising. Dwight Duryea grew up in Ramsey, NJ. He and his wife, Kathleen, divide their time between their homes in Jupiter, FL, and Rutland, VT. For several years Dwight has successfully operated his own business, “capping” trucks. Dwight attended Pennington for two years and was active in sports, playing varsity football and basketball. He enjoyed his two years at the School and made many friends there. He and Kathleen have attended School receptions held in Florida and class reunions on campus. Dwight has been generous in his support to the School over the years and was a leader during his 60th class reunion project, helping the class win

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the Cupola Award as the outstanding class that year. Class of 1948 Class Agent: James McKee 101 E St. Seaside Park, NJ 08752-1512 (732) 830-1307 [email protected] Al Navas and his wife, Barbara, have had a busy couple of months visiting with children and grandchildren in Florida and Virginia. Jim McKee writes, “We had a successful reunion and a wonderful groundbreaking ceremony for the Veterans Monument during Alumni Reunion weekend in September. Joining us for the groundbreaking ceremony were Pennington students who sang and a student who played Taps. We have now raised over $20,000 dollars for the Monument, but keep those donations coming. We hope to have this project completed by Graduation in late May. I want to thank Al Navas for spearheading the event as well as Henry Bernat, Paul Shoemacher, Herb Stiefel, and Elsie & Tommy Todd for calling our classmates and writing them. A member of the Class of 2005, West Point Cadet Spencer Garrison, is on the Planning Committee. Many, many thanks for your support for this endeavor and I look forward to seeing you at the dedication.” Clifford Oakley recently passed away. Nick Pratt writes, “I was actually a veteran of World War II and decided to go back to school after discharge (at 23 years old, married, and with a sweet little baby named Bonnie Linda that Alice and I just adored). After Pennington, I attended the School of Electrical Engineering at Georgia Tech, graduated, and was recalled into the Navy for a tour of duty in Korea for the Korean War. I became a test engineer for Lockheed Aircraft Company and retired after a wonderful 34 years. I have had many hobbies that kept me busy, and most were family-associated. Examples are boating, camping, traveling, flying, and Boy Scouts. Those that were more associated with my career were public speaking, management association, Society of Engineers, and stuff

like that. Alice and I have two children, three grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren. All of them are wonderful people. We have been blessed, and it all started with the wonderful start I received at The Pennington School. Teachers like Mr. and Mrs. Manifold, Mr. Cressman, Mr. Marcus, and Dr. Crompton are especially memorable people.” Class of 1949 60th Reunion – October 16–17, 2009 Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer. Class of 1950 Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer. Class of 1951 Class Agent: Allan M. Blauth PO Box 279 Solebury, PA 18963 (215) 297–8476 (215) 297–8934 [email protected] Class of 1952 Class Agent: Vince Rockel 1636 Caribean Drive Sarasota, FL 34231 (941) 924–8092 [email protected] I am missing the addresses for a number of our classmates. I will include two missing persons names in each publication of the Pennington Magazine. Contact me with your updates, new address, new email, and if you know the locations of Jerome “Jerry” Weil and James “Jim” Hallo. Thanks, “Turk” Rockel. Chief Warrant Officer Erasmo “Tony” Chacon, Jr., retired to El Paso, TX, after 34 years with the U.S. Army. Tony is the father of five children. He would love to get together and reminisce about the good old days at Pennington and would also like to know the whereabouts of other Latin American students. You can contact him at [email protected] Robert “Bob” Morris writes that he could be called a country boy because he

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lives “where the Black Angus outnumber humans!” After Pennington, Bob attended the General Motors Institute for two years, spent four years with U.S. Air Force, and then returned to the Buick division of General Motors. After countless years he retired in 1988 to beautiful Allisonia, VA. James “Rabbit” Thomas, our point guard from Willow Grove, is still in the guessyour-weight-and-age business. He did this at Willow Grove Amusement Park before attending Pennington. Rabbit attended Rider College before and after a tour of military duty. After reenrolling at Rider he realized that his satisfaction in life was his old amusement-park job. Although his health does not allow him to be on the midway, he now partners with his son and can be found seasonally at the Florida and North Carolina state fairs and during the tourist season in Myrtle Beach, SC. Dale Hollady P’74 was sorry he had to miss Homecoming/Reunion Weekend due to the fact he was in Atlanta. He has cleared his calendar for reunion weekend of 2012 for our 60th Reunion. Class of 1954 55th Reunion – October 16–17, 2009 Class Agent: George Gordon 577 Sierra Vista Lane Valley Cottage, NY 10989 [email protected]

happened to him. Fred attended TPS from 1949 to 1954 and was the valedictorian of the class of 1954. If anyone has information about Fred, please be in touch with Associate Director of Alumni Relations Joanne McGann, Director of Alumni Relations Patrick Murphy ’80, and/or Morris Fabian; thanks! Art Smith and Connie spent the summer and much of the fall in Maine. Conrad Yungbliut and Theresa had a great year but cut down on traveling. They “have not seen the NJ shore in twenty years or more. There are few quiet beaches (as when several of us as classmates visited for fishing, swimming, etc.)—the changes in a lifetime are huge.” In a telephone conversation, Barry Coleman (FL) reported that he and his wife, Faith, a few months ago greatly enjoyed spending time with their four daughters: one in Taneytown, MD, another in Montgomery County, PA, and two others at State College, PA. An email message from Tom Blair, PGA instructor in Oregon, extended this invitation: “If any of you get to the Pacific Northwest, I would be glad to tee it up with you.” Over the last year, several nice notes have been received from Don Souder; a New Year’s card concluded, “My time at Pennington was great. Had an excellent education. Life is a never-ending education; I guess you know that.”

Class of 1955 Class Agent: Morris S. Fabian PO Box 267 Pennington, NJ 08534-0267 (609) 737–1901 [email protected] Over the winter holiday season, it was enjoyable to receive greetings from John Bronner (FL), Jerry Callaghan and Joanne (NC), Bob Edwards and Jeanne (VA), Lee Hibbert (TPS 1953–54) and Judy (VA), Lyman O’Neill and Joanne (FL), Don Robbins and Betty (NC), Vince Rockel ’52 (FL), Art Smith and Connie (NJ), Don Souder ’54 (AL), and Conrad Yungbliut and Theresa (OH). Lyman O’Neill noted that Fred Hyman’s name does not appear in past alumni directories and is wondering what

Former NBC News and Voice of America correspondent Andrew Guthrie, (above, right), chats with another member of his extended family, Arlo Guthrie, after an end-of-year performance by the famed folk singer and composer at the Music Center at Strathmore near Washington, DC. This past fall Andrew traveled from Reston, VA, to join with numerous other alumni for Homecoming/Reunion weekend. He writes, “I am currently working from my

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John Biddiscombe ’63 John Biddiscombe has enjoyed a fantastic career in athletics at the college level. In 1974, he was named head coach of wrestling at Wesleyan University while also assisting in both football and track. In 1988, he was named to his current post as Wesleyan’s director of athletics. Biddiscombe was twice selected as New England wrestling coach of the year. In 1991 he was named Man of the Year in NECCWA wrestling. In 2004, he was inducted into the New England College Wrestling Hall of Fame. Biddiscombe also has been active in the governance of the National Collegiate Athletic Association where he served as the chair of the Division III Management Council and was a member of the NCAA Executive Committee. In 2000, the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors named him Division III Athletic Director of the Year. At Pennington, Biddiscombe was a post-grad football player, wrestled, and ran track. Biddiscombe says Pennington gave him an opportunity to see himself very differently than he had in public high school, gaining academic confidence as the result of the caring attitude of the faculty. John is married to Abigail “Gail” Gorton. They have two children: Kate and Molly. John also has two older children, John and Sara.

home on sea turtle conservation. While I was at Voice of America in Washington, I did several stories on this subject and have been involved in the effort to save all seven species of sea turtles from extinction for more than 30 years. My principal achievement was getting Donna Shaver of the National Park Service at Padre Island National Seashore on ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings three years ago. Ms. Shaver is the chief of the Kemp’s Ridley restoration project at Padre Island. This turtle nests only in large numbers at a single Mexican beach, and for 27 years the U.S. and Mexican governments have been involved in restoring a secondary nesting population at Padre Island National Seashore and the rest of the Texas coast. I retired from the VOA Newsroom in June of 2004 and continue to live in Reston with my dog, Lou. He is a rescue from Hurricane Katrina, and I met him at the no-kill animal shelter in my area, Friends of Homeless Animals, for which I volunteer. I also work at Dulles International Airport as a volunteer for Travelers Aid, so if any Penningtonians pass through, check out the TA desks and if I am on duty, we can say hello.” Several classmates and/or spouses are in various stages of illness. Best wishes and hope to all for better days this year! As alumni, please know that our support for TPS is of much importance and greatly appreciated. In 2010 the Class of 1955 will celebrate its 55th year since graduation. It is hoped each of us will be able to demonstrate continuing appreciation and support for our alma mater. Class of 1956 Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer. Class of 1957

TOP: On June 12, 2008, Biddiscombe (left) visited the School and spoke with faculty members about various topics associated with the recruiting process for student-athletes on the college level.

Class Agent: Spencer George 18 Laurel Avenue Summit, NJ 07901 (908) 277–6127 [email protected]

Class of 1958 Class Agents: Thomas S. Turner 232 Kellogg Mill Road Marshfield, VT 05873-9999 (802) 684–1152 [email protected] and Craig Jurgensen [email protected] Craig Jurgensen writes, “Our 50th reunion was great. We enjoyed a fantastic reunion dinner at Head of School Penny Townsend’s residence. In attendance were Fielding Tabb, Gary Stabile, Pete White, Pete Stoll, Charlie Jurgensen, and myself. At the alumni meeting we learned that our class was the second best class in percentage for Annual Fund giving. Thank you all who participated. Let’s try to increase that number for this year! We

re-enacted the ’58 football squad right on the 50-yard line at Homecoming/Reunion Weekend (couldn’t tell if the kids on the sidelines were cheering or laughing!). We had a student-guided tour of the School and saw the new-age library, classrooms with electronic “blackboards,” the water polo team practicing in the pool, the arts building with rehearsal rooms, the art gallery, new science wing, communication skills department for students with learning differences, lots of happy staff, coaches, student boys AND GIRLS, student center, and magnificent dining room (no chapel on campus!). Heard Penny Townsend say enrollment, diversity, endowment, and esprit de corps have never been better.”

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Evan Tibbott writes, “I was very pleased to receive your Class of ’58 Reunion publication. It was wonderfully done. I remember most of those whose write-ups and photos were featured. When it came to mention of former Headmaster Ira Pimm in Dennis Lowden’s writeup, I recall that I was one of those he took over to the Metropolitan Opera. It was raining that night, and somewhere across Jersey, an oncoming car spun into our lane and hit us. It was not a serious accident, and no one was hurt. He was a real gentleman and cared very much about the students.

Class of 1959 50th Reunion – October 16–17, 2009 Class Agent: Wesley Camp 4785 Farndon Court Fairfax, VA 22032 [email protected] Class of 1960

Robert Carroll ’79

Class Agent: Marcos Policar 4806 153rd Avenue SE Bellevue, WA 98006-3618 (425) 747–0703 [email protected]

Carroll graduated from Pennington in June 1979 and attended the Pennsylvania State University at University Park, PA. After graduating in 1983 with a B.A. in economics, he began employment with his family business, R.E. Carroll, Inc. He is now Vice President of this 82-year-old wholesale distributor of industrial chemicals and petroleum products. Over the last 25 years he had the pleasure of meeting Joe Theisman, Mike Ditka, and NASCAR drivers Terry LaBonte and Sterling Marlin through his business contacts.

Class of 1961 Class Agent: Sam Mather 155 Woosamonsa Rd. Pennington, NJ 08534–4001 (609) 737–3588 [email protected] Class of 1962

Fielding Tabb ’58 Fielding wrote the following update for the Class of 1958 Reunion booklet: “Pennington gave me the confidence and social skills to accomplish decades of successful industrial sales in the electrical market. I left Pennington after 1957 and graduated from public high school in Maryland, where my father was transferred. I spent four years in the Navy as air crew principally flying foreign dignitaries on tours of the United States while attending the University of Maryland. Then, after five years with the Xerox Corporation and graduation from Maryland, I entered 35 years of electrical industrial sales. I have been married for 43 years to my 1953 next door neighbor in Pennington, Judy. We are in our 13th different house and now live in Bedford, New Hampshire, close to our two children and five grandchildren. Pennington provided the role models; Hal Cragin, William “Doc” Rarich, Huber Manafold, and Coach Harold Poore to emulate. Now I am enjoying friends made throughout the years beginning with my Pennington experience.”

Class Agent: Robert G. Carroll 10841 Olympia Fields Loop Austin, TX 78747 [email protected] Class of 1963 Class Agent: Richard Lipman 266 Westervelt Lane Mahwah, NJ 07430 (201) 934–8191 [email protected] Donald Smith retired from the real estate business in 2001. After living in Ho Ho Kus, NJ, for 34 years, he now lives in Connecticut and Amelia Island, FL. He writes, “My wife and I have a wonderful adventure, having spent two years living on our boat and cruising from the great lakes to Key West and the east coast to the Cape, 8000 miles, lots of great memories, a fun and rewarding life after Pennington.” They have two children and two grandchildren. Class of 1964 45th Reunion – October 16–17, 2009 Class Agent: Robert L. Casper 34 Melville Avenue Dorchester, MA 02124 (617) 265–7460 [email protected]

Carroll remains actively involved with the School; he is president of the Alumni Association and also a member of the Board of Trustees. His most memorable class was Honors Physics with Mr. Parnos and most memorable teacher was Mr. Winkler. Robert has been married for 23 years to Grace Casey and they are the proud parents of two boys – James and Michael.

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Parrish Kennington ’84 Parrish Kennington ’84 is a wellknown costume designer and stylist with several Hollywood blockbusters to her credit. They include: 21, Gone Baby Gone, Dan in Real Life, The Departed, Mystic River, Fever Pitch, and What Lies Beneath. She is also an Emmynominated costumer for her work on the PBS series Zoom, currently works on the PBS series Design Squad, and has just finished her work on the 2009 release of The Maiden Heist with Christopher Walken. When Kennington left TPS in 1984, she studied business management at the University of Nevada/Las Vegas. After college, she returned to the Northeast as a student at the New England School of Art and Design in Boston, where her focus was on design illustration. It was during this time that Kennington got her start as a costumer by sewing sequins and buttons on costumes for the annual Nutcracker performances at the Boston Ballet. Kennington has fond memories of Pennington, especially teachers like Bill Hawkey and Darren Ford. “Both of these teachers added integrity, acceptance and comfort to my time at TPS.” Kennington, her husband Mark, and dog Boon live in New York and Boston, when she is not on location.

TOP: Parish, Mark, and Boon out on the town.

Class of 1965

Class of 1969

Class Agent: Peter Brown 121 Seaview Road Brewster, MA 02631 (508) 240–7074 [email protected]

40th Reunion – October 16–17, 2009

Carla and Dean Paul Hausmann extend their appreciation to those members of the Class of 1965 who donated to last year’s Annual Fund in their honor. The Hausmanns are enjoying their retirement in Greenville, PA, after many years at the Perkiomen School.

Class of 1970

Classmates are encouraged to forward their email addresses to Joanne McGann in the Alumni and Development office at [email protected]. Nineteen class members are keeping in touch via email and sharing adventures with each other. Let’s include you. Our 45th is nearly one year away. Time to make a resolution to return to Pennington in 2010 to see your fellow alumni!

Class of 1971

Class of 1966 Class Agent: Roger Feldenheimer 477 King of Prussia Road Radnor, PA 19087-4518 (610) 688–3118 [email protected] Class of 1967

Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer.

Class Agent: Tom McGann P’03’05’13 5 Eaton Place Hopewell, NJ 08525 (609) 466–3351 [email protected]

Class Agent: Bobby Prichard 5587 Jollie Dr. Frederick, MD 21702 (301) 473–4636 [email protected] Bobby Prichard writes, “Unbelievable Super Bowl. Was glad to see Jeff Reed and the Steelers get the win. He’s been with us at NKS since his freshman year in high school and is one of our Senior Staff Members. He’s a great guy and is always a hoot at the camps he is able to attend.” Class of 1972 Class Agent: John Zuccarelli 104 Lighthouse Drive Jupiter Inlet Colony, FL 33469 [email protected]

Class Agent: Bruce Wood 6362 Brampton Court Alexandria, VA 22304 [email protected]

We have received the sad news that John Grywalski passed away in September 2008.

Class of 1968

Scott Magner writes, “All is fine in Tennessee, and hi to everyone. I hope to come up to Pennington for a visit soon.”

Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer. Thomas Lee writes, “I live in Cookham, a small village to the west of London. I am married (Susan) and have a 12-year-old daughter (Rebecca). For my day job, I’m chief architect at the global training firm Global Knowledge, where I have fulfilled one of my boyhood dreams of working and living in Europe. Doc Rarich would be proud.”

Class of 1973 Class Agents: Emery Ungrady, Esq. 31 Jane Street Apt. 12C New York, NY 10014 (609) 247–1029 [email protected] and Kim McDonald 1890 Little Gap Rd. Palmerton, PA 18071 [email protected] (610) 349–2010

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Class of 1974

Class of 1979

35th Reunion – October 16–17, 2009

30th Reunion – October 16–17, 2009

Class Agents: Dan B. Frankel, 5329 Fair Oaks Street Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (412) 681–6761 [email protected] and Dr. Robert Riesenberger 122 Pebble Valley Drive Doylestown, PA 18901 (215) 230–4497 [email protected]

Class Agent: Emilie McCardell 1514 Riverside Dr. Trenton, NJ 08618–5835 [email protected]

Christpher Dale Holladay (son of Dale ‘Doc’ Holladay ’52) is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and is the deputy director of the UNISYS Project Office in Harrisburg, PA. The office provides IT support to 18 Pennsylvania state agencies. Class of 1975 Class Agent: Frank Entwisle 408 Federal Ln. Morrisville, PA 19067-4919 [email protected] Class of 1976 Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer. Class of 1977 Class Agent: Jane Sortor Keene, Esq. 3434 West End Avenue Trevose, PA 19053 (215) 354–0967 [email protected] Jane Sortor Keene says, “I finally got married to Bob Keene ’75. I waited thirty years for this.” Class of 1978 Class Agent: Scott R. Gansl 102 Buckingham Ave Trenton, NJ 08618-3314 609–396–1972 [email protected] Linda Britton-Fitz writes, “All is well in Texas. I have a lovely family and would love to hear from friends and classmates from Pennington. Please email me at [email protected].”

Dennis Keating says, “I bet we win the award for most participation next year!” Andrew Martton writes, “My home is in southeast Florida in the city of Delray Beach. I am in poor health due to a bad back.” Class of 1980 Class Agents: Denise McGee Buchanan 7409 Beaverwood Dr. Raleigh, NC 27616 [email protected] and Ray Buck 160 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. #16–146 Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 [email protected] (732) 794–1546 and Lisa Austin-Brouse 2224 Hoffnagle St. # 2F, Philadelphia, PA 19152–2512, [email protected] (215) 941–7690 The Class of 1980 sends best wishes and congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Winkler on their retirement after 30 years of teaching. We were very lucky to have known such inspirational teachers. We all remember Senior American Studies; Mr. Winkler’s passion for teaching history was unbelievable. He was one of the greatest teachers ever. Mrs. Winkler’s voice, if you still remember, was that of an angel. I remember getting chills whenever we were lucky enough to listen to such an angelic voice. You both will be remembered by the class of 1980. Class of 1981 Class Agent: Thomas Chiodi 1510 Worthington Heights Parkway Hunt Valley, MD 21030 (410) 527–3433 [email protected] Great news: Ed Gomez married Amy K. Thurness on November 15.

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In August a few couples met for a “Big Chill” weekend at the house of Ron Rick and his wife, Kathy. Among those in attendance were Andrea Colender Kawecki ’82 and her husband, Matt, and Tom Chiodi and Lisa. (P.S Andrea is some cook. Her eggplant parmesan was out of this world.)

Chad A. Bridges ’96 Chad Bridges has come full circle after graduation from Pennington to become a teacher at the school he once attended. Bridges graduated with honors from Drew University in 2000 with a degree in political science. Upon graduation from Drew, he worked at Bloomberg LP for five years in the legal department. During his tenure with the company, he was a team leader and active in the college recruiting process. In addition to his work at Bloomberg, he began coaching soccer for boys and girls. He has been coaching soccer for the last five years and recently began his own soccer academy, Next Level Soccer. His love for Pennington brought him back to the School in 2005 to teach social studies in the Middle School. He is entering his fourth year as teacher, middle school soccer coach, and assistant varsity basketball coach. He and his wife, Erica, live on campus with their three-year-old son, Drew. When asked about his favorite class while a student at Pennington, Bridges says that he was reluctant at first to join the Upper School Chorus (under the direction then, as now, of William Alford), but that it turned out to be one of the best decisions he made during his high school years. His greatest memory is graduation in 1996: “All my hard work over the years led to a great moment for my classmates and me.” And a close second, he adds, was beating Hopewell Valley in any sport at any time!

Class of 1982 Class Agents: Cathilyn Spampinato Pappano 153 Rugby Drive Langhorne, PA 19047 (215) 757–0519 [email protected] and Ida Malloy 166 Brunswick Avenue Trenton, NJ 08618 (609) 695–7154 [email protected] Patrick Hagerty writes, “Well, where do I start? I am currently an IT Team lead at Morgan, Lewis and Bockius, a law firm in Center City Philadelphia. I am vice president of production, and sing for the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, www.pgmc.org. If that weren’t enough to do, I also volunteer for ActionAids Gay Bingo every month and am a photographer for an online magazine called edgephiladelphia.com. I live in South Philadelphia near Ikea. Not a bad place to live, but I’m looking to move in Center City, so I can enjoy myself more and spend more time with friends and my boyfriend. You did read it right, my boyfriend. As you can see I have a VERY busy life, but I am having fun! You can reach me at my email address ([email protected]) or look for Patrick Hagerty on Facebook. Class of 1983 Class Agent: Carrie Vinch 80 Phillips Avenue Lawrenceville NJ 08648 (609) 512–1236 [email protected] Carrie Vinch did a wonderful job of getting the word out to the class about our 25th Reunion and on the day had a strong turnout. In the end over 20 classmates attended the on-campus festivities and a party at Carrie’s on Saturday or phoned in to pass the phone around and catch up that way. Updates on classmates include:

Tom Rhoads could not make it to the reunion but sent an update saying all is well with him in Chicago, where he is a mechanical engineer. Doug Roberts is an artist and has been working at the Johnson Atelier for many years now. His daughter is in second grade at Our Lady of Sorrows School in Hamilton. Mike Leabman is a lawyer and practices law at the family law firm. He has a fiveyear-old son. Jim Felzenberg is married and has a twoyear-old daughter. John Couch works in real estate management and has two children. Ken Hansen lives in Pennington and is a member of the School’s Alumni Association board. His son Tim is a sixthgrader at Pennington! Lynn Drury Morano’s daughter, Allison ’11, attends Pennington. Heidi Winzinger works for the State of New Jersey in the area of greenland preservation and is an activist in her area for many worthy causes. Fritz Kurtz keeps busy with triplets. Larry Wong lives in Voorhees, NJ; he and his wife, Theresa, have two daughters. Larry owns and runs a scooter shop. Brian Feuer got married recently. Ingrid Miller attended the reunion; she lives and works in Flemington. Kurt Scherler was unable to attend but called in from San Diego and had a chance to talk to just about everyone in attendance. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two children. Mark Morin is a professional photographer and works for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Class of 1984 25th Reunion - October 16–17, 2009 Class Agents: Franklin D. Sanders 147 Tennyson Drive Short Hills, NJ 07078 (973) 921–0952 [email protected] and Elizabeth Hall Hidalgo 203 Hopewell-Amwell Rd. Hopewell, NJ 08525–3114 (609) 466–0056 [email protected] Class of 1985 Class Agents: Georgia Manukas 566 North Edgemore Dr. W. Allenhurst, NJ 07711 (732) 663–1816 [email protected] and Jessica Frank Sanders 147 Tennyson Dr. Short Hills, NJ 07078 (973) 921–0952 [email protected] Keith VanArsdale moved to South Carolina this past year. “Despite the fact that we cannot get a good bagel and slice of pizza, the move south was still worth it. The family is well; my wife, Yvette, and I are blessed with four children: Kyle (11), Jacob (8), Joshua (5) and Rebekah (3). Jake played his first organized team football this year and wore the same number as his proud dad, #50. If anyone is in the “upstate” area in South Carolina, you are welcome to visit. My email is [email protected].” Christopher Harbach writes, “Heather (Wyckoff) and I have been married for 15 years, and we have two children, Madeline (9) and Benjamin (6). We are living in Heidelberg, Germany, where I have been teaching on the U.S. military base for the past five years. I teach theatre, journalism and English. I direct all of the school plays, and I am the school newspaper advisor. Heather is a stay-at-home mom. Our children both attend a German school in the town of Walldorf (about 10 miles outside of Heidelberg) where we live. They are, needless to say, both fluent in German, while we do our best! We enjoy frequent visits from our families, and we make it back to New Jersey every other year. We will be home this summer again, but we will unfortunately miss the big reunion. If

there are any plans to gather this summer, we would love to be included. I hope this message finds all of our former classmates well—please keep in touch. Heidelberg American High School CMR 419, Box 771, APO, AE 09102. Mary Auer Houser writes, “I have been married for fifteen years to Army Colonel Matthew Houser. We have three kids: Jake (10), Alex (7), and Lauren (4). We currently live in North Carolina. I received my doctorate in educational leadership last spring and am on the faculty of Campbell University (NC). We are doing great and would love to hear from classmates, [email protected]. Gwen Wilson Torrens writes: My husband of 16 years, Raul, and I live on the Pennington campus with our family. Our twins, Anya Marie and Clara Gwenevere, are now 2½ years old and just adorable. My other children are Zak, 5 ½, and Alyssa, who will be 15 in March and has been at The Pennington School since sixth grade and is now a freshman. I am still a school nurse at Pennington, glad that I don’t have to take the upcoming exams, but boy, does it bring back memories! Class of 1986 Class Agents: Jacqueline Jefferson Lilly 4282 Whisperwood Circle Valdosta, GA 31602 (229) 244–0104 [email protected] and Heather Smith-Carter 24 3rd Ave Roebling, NJ 08554-1004 (609) 499–0163 Jacqueline Jefferson Lilly writes, “Christopher, Kennedy, and I are adjusting to life here in Valdosta, GA. While this area is a great place to raise a child, I really am missing Nordstrom!! Kennedy turned 3 earlier this year (see photo below)

Spencer Garrison ’05 Spencer Garrison is currently in his senior year at The United States Military Academy at West Point, majoring in leadership, as well as following a track in civil engineering. He is the public affairs officer for, and a member of, the Army Marathon Team and has run in the Boston Marathon three times. He serves as the men’s ministry leader for the Officers’ Christian Fellowship (West Point chapter). Pennington’s Cross Country and Track program, led by Coach Rick Ritter, had a significant impact on Garrison. He says, “Coach Ritter made me an athlete, made me love running, and helped me discover my physical potential. I still keep in close touch with him and the present-day team, along with many of my old teammates.” Spencer maintains close ties to Pennington. He recently told us that, “at some point down the road, after many precious years in the active Army, I hope to follow in the steps of the many faculty and staff who have found their way back to their alma mater, entering a career in education and coming back to Pennington for many more years of professional service and personal growth. That’s very long-term at this point, but I look forward to it, all the same.”

TOP: Spencer and his parents at West Point

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Christopher Doorley ’99 Christopher Doorley graduated in 2003 from Boston University’s College of Communications, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications, also focusing on American history and the influence of political communications. He is a partner with Bullseye Interactive Media (part of Struble Eichenbaum Communications) in Washington, DC. Bullseye is a political communications consultancy that focuses on online and new media technologies. Doorley’s primary responsibility is to oversee their design process. While at Pennington, Doorley wanted to be a writer. He was the editor of the Middle School newspaper and the editor of The Penntonian, and he served on the editorial staff of the literary magazine. However, as he started to get more exposed to the world, he became more drawn into politics. In 1998 he volunteered for Rep. Rush Holt’s reelection campaign. That was a turning point in his career path, and he has volunteered or worked in every major election cycle since 1998. His firm has consulted on recent campaigns including that of freshman Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina. Doorley’s best memories while at Pennington are in the drama and fine art areas. “Ms. Houston and Ms. Evangelista [now Eaton] were as much friends as they were teachers.” Doorley enjoys traveling and has been to Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico, Australia, and Puerto Rico.

and is quite the mini-me, so I sincerely apologize to my parents and all of my former teachers! I would like to invite all my classmates to send me their contact info, especially an email address, to my email listed above. I love keeping in touch. Also I have set up a page for our class on Facebook, so sign up and share the love!!” Dave DeMartin and his wife, Pam, recently returned from a cruise to Alaska. Dave is still with Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington, DC, where he works with government clients on a range of strategic planning and operational issues. Dave, Pam, son Ryan (4), and daughter Lily (2) live in Ashburn, VA, just outside of Washington, DC.

Class of 1989 20th Reunion - October 16–19, 2009 Class Agent: Jane Bott Childrey 133 Sardis Lane Charlotte, NC 28270 (704) 365–9832 [email protected] Our 20-year reunion is coming up in October so I am trying to get everyone’s email. Please send your email address to me at [email protected].

Class of 1987 Class Agent: Alex Wolf 7 Clark Road Goshen, NY 10924 (845) 651–0102 [email protected] Class of 1988 Class Agent: George Ward 112 West Delaware Ave. Pennington, NJ 08534 [email protected] Jon Wallhauser writes, “Everything is going well here. My family (three incredible kids and wife) are great and the focus of my life. We continue to spend our free time as a family and in the water (still surfing almost every day with my kids). This is a great time of year in Satellite Beach, FL. The water is in the 80s, the air is in the 80s, and the waves almost never go flat. I couldn’t be happier with the place I live; it is a tropical paradise and we take full advantage of it (Atlantic Ocean, Indian River Lagoon, etc.). I also love to garden and have a lot of fruit trees (mango, coconut, papaya, banana, citrus, etc.), giant clumping bamboos, and sugar cane in my yard, which means year-round fun in the yard. Professionally speaking, I was recently promoted to HR manager of my contract (Space Lift Range Systems Contract, about 900 people). That has been going well and I am enjoying the challenge.”

Jeff Rothstein and wife, Rachel welcomed son, Ryder Cole Rothstein on June 11, 2008. (Photo above). If anyone has any ideas of something we all might want to do, we can start throwing around ideas. I know a lot of us have kids and didn’t know if we wanted to try and plan an event with our kids as well. We also might want to find out how many are going to need sitters for the Saturday evening and maybe Friday night if everyone wants to go out, too. Class of 1990 Class Agent: Michael Keogh 112 W. Delaware Avenue Pennington NJ 08534 (717) 645-6889 [email protected] Jennifer Messick Zimmermann writes, “My husband, Andrew, and I are proud to announce the birth of our son, Matson. He was born April 21, 2008—a very healthy 10 lbs., 4 oz., and 21½ inches long!” Everyone, be sure to check out Matt Gosser’s website: http://www.gosser.info/ Sandy Durst is excited to announce that he has joined the law firm of Lynch,

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Osborne, Theivakumar & Gilmore, where his practice remains devote to family law matters. Located in downtown Princeton, Sandy and his firm can handle a wide range of legal needs. For more information go to www.lotglaw.com Heather Aitken writes “I just got back from India on a wonderful trip with a group called Warrior Sage. This was my third spiritual adventure tour with Warrior Sage: Peru was first, then England/Ireland, and now India! All three trips were amazing. Over the past few years I have done many personal development workshops; I have grown a lot, had many adventures, and met lots of beautiful people along the way. I am a founding member of “The Divine Goddess Network” and have another business opportunity with a shaman friend of mine in Los Angeles, both of which I will send information about in a future update when there is more to tell. Could I sound more Californian? If people had told me I would be doing the types of things I have been doing over the past few years I would have told them they were crazy; it even seems a little strange to me at times, but I love my friends and I love my life! Oh and I love Facebook; being able to reconnect and see current pictures of all of my old friends has been a lot of fun, so if you’re looking for me, just search for me on Facebook! I wish you all love, health, wealth, happiness, and fun in 2009! Namaste, my friends, Namaste!” Class of 1991 Class Agent: Jon Bowden 39 Eglantine Avenue Pennington, NJ 08534 (609) 730–9754 [email protected] Chris Long writes, “I would love to let all my friends from Pennington know that I am living in Pennington, with my wife, Merrill, and my three children (16, 9, and 7). We have one dog and one cat. I would love to have the opportunity to sell all of my old Pennington School friends a new or preowned car in 2009. You can contact me at [email protected].” Ted Vaida was recently promoted to vice president of embedded computing and storage products for a small engineering

firm in Colorado Springs. “My wife is due April 1 with our second child, a girl, and our son, Cooper, is learning to play ice hockey at age 3. My wife, Dr. Kristine Lang, teaches physics at Colorado College and recently received a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for research into nano-materials research related to quantum computing and superconducting electronics.” Class of 1992 Class Agent: Kim Borden Perri 8 Wellington Road Newtown, PA 18940 (215) 736–3133 [email protected]

Meaghan McLaughlin Dagner ‘92 was married on September 20, 2008. Guests included, left to right - Antoinette Borromeo (‘92), Lori Lake-Height (‘93), Meaghan McLaughlin (‘92), Anisa Talwani (‘92) and Kimberly Borden-Perri (‘92). “We all had a blast together, and I then followed that up with two weeks in Hawaii. My husband and I bought a house in Summit, NJ, over the summer, and I currently work at UBS Financial in Manhattan, working with a team on high net worth money managers. Other than the obvious economic issues, all is well and I’m enjoying it. I’ve been thrilled to touch base with so many of my Pennington friends over the last year and want to know when we are all going to get together for a little fun!” Scott Simmins is currently working in Woodbridge as a software trainer/ developer. Scott got married on August 28, 2008. He and his wife, Karen, are living in Hamilton, NJ.

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Class of 1993

Class of 1999

Class Agent: Meghan Burns 417 East 90th Street. Apt. 7J New York, NY 10128 (212) 828–6597 [email protected]

10th Reunion - October 16–19, 2009

Isabel Sanudo Gancedo-Rodriguez writes, “How is everyone? I hope everyone is doing well. I am fine; I have been married for five years and have two kids, Jaime (3) and Lola (1). I am still working at the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, and I am the secretary of the managing director.”

Class Agent: Alexander Magliaro 57 W. 10th St. 7B New York, NY 10011 (212) 260–5148 [email protected]

Class of 1994 15th Reunion - October 16–17, 2009 Class Agent needed. Please call Joanne McGann at (609) 737 6149 if you would like to volunteer. Class of 1995 Class Agent: Sonya Schefer 319 Whitman Drive Brooklyn, NY 11234 [email protected]

Pierette Wesley Hulme ’99 and husband, Jason welcomed daughter, Pierette Brielle Hulme on November 10, 2008. (above) She joins brother, Jayce Wesley Hulme, who celebrated his first birthday in October.

Michelle Boudreau is still working for Rutgers University and having fun. She is living in Sayreville now, but will be moving again this spring. “I would love to write something exciting to put in the magazine, but it’s life as usual for me. I will have something exciting for the next one, though!” Class of 1996 Class Agent: Chad Bridges 112 West Delaware Avenue Pennington, NJ 08534 (609) 240–6622 [email protected]

Rachel Lenhardt Mahan ‘01 married Jason Mahan May 5, 2008 in Stanhope, NJ. (above) Class of 2000

Class Agent: Laura Desai 475 Federal City Road Pennington, NJ 08534 (609) 737–3877 [email protected]

Class Agents: Chris Burns 112 West Delaware Avenue Pennington, NJ 08534 (609) 737–0717 [email protected] and Joy Gendzel 32 Bernard Drive Trenton, NJ 08628 [email protected].

Class of 1998

Marta Di Vincenzo is an architect and lives in Brussels.

Class of 1997

Class Agent: Courtney Urfer Willow Brook Farm, Blue Mill Road Morristown, NJ 07960 (201) 538–1966 [email protected]

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Class of 2001 Class Agents: David Mesrobian 2001 N. Adams Street, #336 Arlington, VA 22201–3752 [email protected] and Stephen Bogden 8 Cross Creek Drive Flemington, NJ 08822 [email protected] Joe Vitella lives in Philadelphia and works for Sunoco Corporation.

Greg Vallete ’03 with wife, Hazel Flack and son, Grayson. (above)

Class of 2002 Class Agent: Christina McKitish 47 Windswept Drive Trenton, NJ 08690 [email protected] Megan Harcar is attending graduate school at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, England. Christian Henderson is now in Nashville, TN, and working for Creative Artists Agency. Doug Whittlesey was hired by TAG Associates, a multi-family wealth management office in Manhattan, as a research analyst focusing on absolute return hedge funds and the absolute return/relative value fund of hedge funds. He is currently living in the Kips Bay neighborhood and is just trying to survive the current turmoil in the hedge fund industry. Christina McKitish is currently in her second year of teaching eighth grade at Hudson High School and living in Boston. Class of 2003 Class Agents: Tim Johnson 5 Hoffman Place Belle Mead, NJ 08502-5529 (908) 359–6458 [email protected] and Jen Mackin 294 Lindsay Lane Souderton, PA 18964 (215) 723–3478 [email protected]

Jackie Immordino with fellow Brunel Grad Students in London. Gregory Vallete was married on July 6, 2006, to Hazel Flack and they had a son, Grayson, born July 17, 2008. Greg is currently in his junior year at Penn State University, Harrisburg campus, studying mathematical science. Scarlett McNally writes, “I am working at a gourmet market on Beacon Hill in Boston as head cashier and dairy manager. It is going well. I spend my time between Boston and regular visits to NYC to see my boyfriend.

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Class of 2004 5th Reunion - October 16–19, 2009 Class Agent: Priya Pandit 270 Babcock St. Apt 20H Boston, MA, 02215–1028 (908) 400–1990 [email protected]

Michael Robertson Jones (above) died unexpectedly on February 14, 2009 at the age of 23. Mike, a recent graduate of Loyola University of New Orleans was proud of his degree in Music Industry Studies. He was an excellent guitarist, composer and sound engineer and the long time lead guitarist for Energy Field Band. He was also a charismatic marketer having worked for both Hyena and Big Deal records as a label representative. In the summer of 2007, Mike and his long time friend started a music industry e-commerce business, Lucid Arts Entertainment, LLC for which he was the CEO and Chief Marketer. He was charismatic, kind and generous; and made and kept a wonderful group of friends throughout his life. Mike considered himself a traveling man. One of his favorite endeavors was going to festivals and concerts throughout the United States. He also enjoyed boating, snowboarding, jet skiing and was a licensed aircraft pilot, certified scuba diver and certified bartender. In his youth, he played football, lacrosse and rugby. He was a Katrina survivor and raised over $3500 for Katrina victims by organizing and performing at concerts. He also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Humidity Project, Make It Right NOLA, American Cancer Society, Eric Potts Lacrosse-athon, the Kent Family Center, The Dolphin Research Center and as a coach for the Suddlersville Lacrosse Team. Mike hoped to attend the McCoombs School of Business at The University of Texas in the fall to begin earning his MBA. He is survived by his mother Dusti Jones and his father Dr. Robert Jones. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Michael Jones Memorial Fund at The Pennington School, 112 West Delaware Ave, Pennington, New Jersey 08534.

Renata Grzeczkowicz stopped in the alumni office for a visit. She graduated from UNH with a degree in hospitality and is working for Starwood Resorts, in San Diego, CA. Lindsay Vitella is a chemist, working in Philadelphia. Timothy Arbeiter writes, “All is great here in Florida. I am working full-time as an assistant manager for a computer lab support team of about 40 people. I graduated in May 2008 with a B.S. in aviation management, and now I am going for my master’s in aviation human factors. Other than that, life is quiet and comfortable, living on my own after four years of living in campus housing and having to fight for a washing machine.” Tristan Sylk graduated from Franklin and Marshall in May 2008. He is currently living in New York City and attending Columbia Business School, earning his M.B.A. in real estate finance. He will be going to South Africa in March for a real estate development program. Class of 2005 Class Agents: Whitney Sandford 19 Steepleview Court Lambertville, NJ 08530 (609) 397–7274 [email protected] and Max Owen 4 Lori Ct. Hamilton, NJ 08619–3639 (609) 890–0381 [email protected] Adem Bunkedekko stopped in the alumni office for a visit recently. He is back home after spending a year at The London School of Economics while studying abroad from Haverford College. Adem is pursuing a double major in philosophy and political science. He spent time this year working on Barack Obama’s campaign and will begin to work on the process of

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taking LSATs and applying to law schools. His plan is to attend law school in a year or two. In the time between graduating from Haverford and attending law school, Adem plans to spend a year or two in the Teach for America program or working for The McKinsey Group. Adem was pleased to see the progress Pennington is making; he was able to take a full tour of the new science labs in Stainton and the new math classrooms in Old Main. He also caught up with Mr. Doughty and Dean Liwosz.

Class of 2006 Class Agents: Amy Seymour [email protected], Celeste Jackson [email protected] and Liz Thurber [email protected] Corina Kwami will be doing a study abroad in Morocco this semester! Class of 2007 Class Agent: Dana Ashburn [email protected], and Toni Nicole Catelli 14 Old Cabin Rd. Newtown, PA 18940–2532 (215) 860–8323

Kylee Rossi (above, left) and the Tennessee soccer team were in College Station this past fall for an early season tournament game vs. NCAA Division I champ North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Kylee and her team played extremely well, losing a tight 1–0 battle to the perennial D-I power. Ky has completed her college playing eligibility and is considering taking a shot at the new women’s professional soccer league. Unfortunately Kylee had to defer an invitation to try out for the league due to hip surgery. Kylee will also explore a career in sports management. While at Tennessee Kylee was a two-time Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year and was named to the All SEC First Team three times. Spencer Garrison recently ran the Philadelphia Marathon and ran a personal best of 2:51:34. He was one of 18,000 runners! Conor Madison, who will soon graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at the top of his class, received a “Tomorrow’s Leaders” award from AVIATION WEEK (one of four in the entire U.S.) at the 52nd Annual Laureate Awards recently.

Varsity Tennis Coach Heather Bailey dropped in on Adrienne Markison at Quinnipiac University recently to watch her play in a tennis match. Pictured above left to right, Heather, Adrienne, and Marcello Tosti Class of 2008 Class Agents: Brittany Kunkel [email protected], Rachel Haag [email protected], and Marly Faherty [email protected] Rachel Dell is at Asbury College in Wilmore, KY. She loves her psych class and professor and is also doing lots of writing in her English class. Bailey Veghte is a freshman at the University of Hartford in the college of Education, Nursing, and Health Professions (ENHP), studying to be a physical therapist. “My major is a seven-year course, and I would graduate with a D.P.T.”

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Jae Heo ‘08 enjoyed an outstanding freshman soccer season at Amherst College this past fall. Photo by Amherst freshman Kate Berry.

ALUMNI SWIM TEAM On Saturday, November 29, 2008, 10 Alumni returned to the Michael T. Martin Aquatic Center to challenge our current TPS Students. Even with Coach Ward’s 7 plus minutes in the 500 yard freestyle, earning his team a crucial point for the Alumni, they couldn’t overcome the depth of the TPS Student’s team. Senior Captain Marie Kane’s strategic line-up was engineered in such a way, that even though the Alumni took the majority of the first place finishes, performances by those in the outside lanes saved the day for the TPS Student team. Meet Result TPS Students: 90 TPS Alumni: 78 It was a great meet!

ALUMNI HOCKEY GAME Members of the Alumni Hockey team celebrate their 3-1 victory over the Varsity Hockey team during the Alumni vs. Varsity ice hockey game in December.

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IN MEMORIUM Dr. Nelson M. Hoffman, Jr. Former Pennington School headmaster Dr. Nelson M. Hoffman, Jr. passed away in August 2008 after a long and distinguished career in education. Dr. Hoffman was headmaster at Pennington during a time of transition, from 1970 until 1978. Hoffman earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Asbury College in 1942 and married Marjorie Mendenhall in December of that year. After service as an officer in the United States Navy during World War II, he taught school in Ozawkie, Kansas; earned his master’s degree in history from the University of Kansas; and then attended the Kennedy School of Missions in Hartford, Connecticut. From 1949 through 1957 he was an educational missionary of the Methodist Church in South India; upon his return, he served as pastor of the Methodist Church in Williamsburg, Kansas. After teaching in the history departments of the University of Kansas; Emory at Oxford, Georgia; and Florida Southern College, Dr. Hoffman earned his Ph.D. degree in history from the University of Kansas in 1964. He went on to serve as dean of academic affairs at Florida Southern College (1965–68) and vice president of academic affairs at West Virginia Wesleyan College (1968–70) before becoming Pennington’s headmaster. Dr. Hoffman left Pennington to become president of Midway (Kentucky) College (1978–85). He later served as interim headmaster of the Robinson School in San Juan, Puerto Rico (1986) and interim assistant general secretary of the United Methodist Division of Higher Education in Nashville (1987). For the remaining twenty years of his life he was vice president of Capital Formation Counselors, Inc., Belleair Bluffs, Florida. Notes of sympathy may be sent to: Marjorie M. Hoffman at 119 Crosskey Dr., Versailles, KY40383; Joseph Hoffman ’75 at 2398 Lillards Ferry Rd., Versailles, KY40383; or George M. Hoffman ’72 at 110 Scarlett Court, Westerville, OH 43081.

In Memoriam It is with deep sadness that we list members of the Pennington family who recently died. Gregory Morris ’41 William W. Poynter ’43 Robert A. Keating ’47 Clifford H. Oakley ’48 John Grywalski ’72 Michael Robertson Jones ’03 Dr. Nelson M. Hoffman, Jr., Headmaster 1970-78 Edgar B. Roesch Former president, Board of Trustees

Edgar B. Roesch Edgar Burling Roesch died surrounded by family on March 1, 2009. He was ninety years old. Roesch was the president of the Board of Trustees from 1980 through 1989, and served on the Board for over ten years in total. Roesch was president when O’Hanlon Hall, site of the campus chapel, burned down on January 17, 1980, and played a significant leadership role in guiding the School during that difficult time. Roesch had a long and varied career. After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University, he served as president of a union; worked in the Empire State Building with a consulting company; held a job with the Department of Defense in the Pentagon; and was owner and president of Stephen Laurie Manufacturing Co. Roesch was married to Lesley Brady, a former English teacher at The Pennington School, for 62 years before she passed in 2005. Their son, Sheldon, graduated from Pennington in 1972, and Roesch’s brother, George, was a 1929 graduate of the School. He is survived by his four children, 16 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be sent to Avow Hospice of Naples at 1095 Whippoorwill Lane, Naples, FL 34105.

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The 14th Annual Golf Classic will be held at the Trenton Country Club on Monday, June 8, 2009. Proceeds from the Classic will once again support the Jerry H. Eure, Sr., Endowment Fund. As it establishes the Jerry H. Eure, Sr., Endowment Fund, The Pennington School is seeking to raise at least $50,000. The School is close to reaching that amount, but more help and support is needed to achieve or exceed this goal. The Fund will assist students on financial aid with the hidden costs associated with attending an independent school (books, extracurricular activities, and cultural excursions, among others). In addition to raising funds, the Golf Classic gives the entire Pennington community an opportunity to share in a great day on the links! The Classic will feature exciting contests, including putting, “Closest to the Pin,” “Straightest Drive,” “Longest Drive,” and “Hit the Green.” Placement prizes will be awarded to the two top teams from three separate flights. The Golf Classic committee will determine criteria for flighting. Greens fees, cart rental, dinner, and a chance to win great prizes and awards are included in the registration fee. Interested members and friends of the Pennington School family may support the Endowment by playing in, sponsoring, and/or making a contribution to the Classic. For further information please contact Joanne McGann at [email protected] or 609-737-6149. To download a registration form, visit www. pennington.org, click on Alumni & Development, and scroll down to Upcoming Events.

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ALUMNI DAY 2009 SATURDAY, MAY 2 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Alumni Association, Class Agent, and Class Fund Director Thank You Brunch

Family Swim

Campus Center Plaza

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Registration Campus Center Plaza

11:00 a.m. State of School Address, Head of School Stephanie (Penny) Townsend Stainton Hall Center

11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Supervised Children’s Activities – drop your child off for a half hour of fun while you enjoy the State of the School address

Michael T. Martin Aquatic Center

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Campus Tours, guided by TPS students Gather on O’Hanlon Green

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Affinity Groups Reunions Location TBA Peer Leaders hosted by Erin O’Connell, Location TBA United People of Many Colors hosted by Barry Fulton Alumni of Color, Location TBA, LGBT Alumni, Location TBA; International Alumni hosted by Judy Rossi, Location TBA Questions or to RSVP contact Joanne McGann at [email protected] or 609-737-6149 by April 22

Location TBA

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Classes without Quizzes

Lunch/Picnic Campus Center Plaza; Kids welcome!

12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 16th Annual Pennington Student Art Exhibit Silva Gallery of Art

12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Relaxation Lounge Meckler Library A great place to take a break between events or just put your feet up for a while. The Penntonian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and TPS yearbooks will all be available.

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Soccer Clinic for alumni children Stainton Field Directed by varsity soccer coaches Patrick Murphy ’80 and Chad Bridges ’96

Location TBA Join TPS English Department Chair Terry Burns for a very informative and insightful session.

2:00 p.m. Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Princeton High School Heritage Field

3:00 p.m. Girls Varsity Lacrosse vs. Blair Academy Coach Harold Poore Track and Field

5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Reception Campus Center Plaza (This list is subject to change and will be updated regularly)

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ALUMNI CELEBRATE IN THE BIG APPLE The Yale Club of New York provided the setting for our annual holiday reception of alumni, parents, and friends on December 3, 2008. The highlight of the evening was the outstanding performance by the Pennington Singers, who were able to bring the holiday spirit to all who were fortunate enough to attend.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sunday, April 19 Parents Association Fashion Show 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sparks Gymnasium

Friday, April 24 & Saturday, April 25 Spring Play X: Ten Plays in Two Days (Senior Play) 7:00 p.m. Black Box Theatre Reservations are strongly encouraged to tickets@ pennington.org

Wednesday, May 20 & Thursday, May 21 H2X Hip Hop Show – The Ride 7:00 p.m. Lecture Center, Stainton Hall Reservations are strongly encouraged to [email protected], tickets are $5.00 each

Saturday, May 30 Upper School Graduation 10:30 a.m. Front Lawn, Old Main

Saturday, May 2

Thursday, June 4

Alumni Day (see inside back cover for details)

Middle School Graduation

Thursday, May 7 – Saturday, May 9

Monday, June 8

Middle School Play: “The Phantom Tollbooth” Time TBA Lecture Center, Stainton Hall

Friday, May 8 Grandparents’ Day (Middle School and Upper School) 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 pm. The Pennington School Campus

7:00 p.m. Pennington Presbyterian Church

14th Annual Golf Classic Trenton Country Club

Friday, October 16 & Saturday, October 17 Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

attention alumni Stay Connected - Keep in Touch

Win one of five prizes* More and more, we are communicating with our alumni via email and other electronic communication – don't be left out of the loop! Send us your current email address and you will be eligible to win one of five prizes* – and we will be sure how to keep you informed about campus/alumni events and other news.

Please email: 1. Joanne McGann at [email protected] 2. Put email update and your name in the subject line (e.g., "email update Patty Pennington").

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*Drawing to be held on Alumni Day, May 2, 2009. We will notify winners via email (of course!).

*All updated emails will be entered in a drawing for one of five (your choice) Pennington sweatshirts or baseball caps.