By Allie Verdesca (VI)
On a beautiful, hot Saturday in early October, Pingry hosted its annual Back-to-School Day and Homecoming. Just over 900 parents arrived promptly at 8:15 AM, prepared to experience a day in the life of their children’s schedule and a chance to say hello to their teachers. After a morning full of interesting discussions and back-to-school memories, the Homecoming events began in earnest. The focus this year was Pingry sports, celebrating the school’s beautiful new athletic spaces, including the football team’s new stadium and turf field.
A group of 700 students, parents, and Pingry alumni attended the festivities. Lunch was a bountiful barbeque, featuring hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled vegetables, and a table of delicious desserts, all made possible by the dedicated men and women from Sage Dining. Sporting events went on throughout the day, including water polo, boys’ and girls’ soccer, football, and field hockey. Visiting alumni could also participate in either a field hockey or a soccer game.
Pingry’s teams played well, especially boys’ soccer, beating its archrivals Holmdel with a nail-biting victory of 1-0. Captain Vineil Reddy (VI) accredited the win to a pre-game session by mental performance coach and psychology teacher Dr. Fisher and some Pingry soccer alumni, who encouraged the team to “focus on controlling the ‘controllables’” of the game. Reddy acknowledges the importance of this game to the morale of the soccer team, coming into the game with an overall record of 6-3-1. He believes that “this was the first game in which every single member of the team was completely focused.”
The soccer team was not the only one flaunting a victory. The field hockey team also won its game against Ridge, 5-2, with the help of junior Josie Jahng, who scored two goals and had one assist. The water polo team notched a strong win against Lawrenceville 10-7. However, the girls’ soccer team suffered a close defeat, losing 2-1 in overtime against Bernards. The football team also lost a high-scoring heartbreaker, 49-48, against Fieldston, with Obi Nnaeto (VI) scoring four touchdowns.
Both the Balladeers and the Buttondowns made their musical debuts for the year, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Old John Pingry” before the athletic competitions that day. While the games were occurring, children enjoyed games and face painting, and all attendees received free t-shirts.
After the athletic festivities were over, student council held its annual Homecoming dance themed “Under the Sea,” an evening full of music and friends. Senior Sehyr Khan says she “enjoyed all the fun outfits with her peers.” The dance was not only a rousing success but also a great way to raise money for the student council, and it marked the end of a pride-filled spirit week, complete with a pep-rally and themed dress down days throughout to keep spirits high. Overall, this year’s Homecoming was a great day to celebrate Pingry pride.