Nov 11, 2018 | Faculty + Staff
By Brooke Pan ’21
This fall, the Pingry Upper and Middle Schools welcome Dr. Adam Rosen to the campus’s Counseling Department. Dr. Rosen will work both in the office as a counselor and outside his office on projects to help aid the Pingry community.
Dr. Rosen attended the University of Michigan, where he received his B.A. in Communications. After graduating, Dr. Rosen attended the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, receiving a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
Prior to arriving at Pingry, Dr. Rosen spent roughly 20 years working in counseling centers of multiple universities. He has a wide range of perspectives, having worked in various positions, including as a coordinator and a director of counseling centers. When he decided to search for a new environment, he found Pingry. Dr. Rosen welcomes the challenges of a different environment. Now, he hopes to use his previous experiences with college students to work with Pingry’s students. He noted that though there is a large age gap, there are similarities in the challenges both age groups face and he strives to use his knowledge of college students to combat them.
When asked why he became involved with Pingry specifically, he touched on the idea of how “the newness of working with younger students and also in a different setting is definitely appealing.” Within the first few weeks of school, Dr. Rosen already appreciated the new setting. He has enjoyed getting to know all of the students he has met. He then added that “the staff has been very supportive” with his transition into the new environment. Dr. Rosen stated that the contrast between the atmospheres of Pingry and the many college campuses he has worked at excites him, and he appreciates the fresh change.
This year, Dr. Rosen says that the most important goal for him is to “make counseling and health and wellness something that’s accessible and comfortable for all students.” He understands that students’ comfort levels vary, but he is also aware that high school is a stressful environment and everyone has moments when he or she struggles or needs support. He notes that it may be difficult for students to open up to someone new, and he looks to combat that. During his time here, Dr. Rosen hopes to make his office available to any student who may need it and to break the stigma associated with counseling.
He noted that, “People may not only feel uncomfortable but also may have certain perceptions about counseling that aren’t exactly clarified, so I want to help to demystify counseling for most people and make sure that if they’re struggling, they never have to do it silently.”
Dr. Rosen welcomes the new challenges and is grateful for the opportunities he will have during his first year at Pingry.
Nov 11, 2018 | Faculty + Staff
By Ashleigh Provoost ’22
This year, Coach Julia Braun joins the Pingry faculty as a fitness teacher and resident coach. She will be teaching Intro to Fitness and Fitness Education, while also coaching soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. She will be working with those sports for the girls’ varsity, junior varsity, and middle school teams.
Coach Braun completed her undergraduate studies at Bucknell University before receiving her M.S. in Exercise Physiology. Before working at Pingry, she worked at T3 Lacrosse in Morristown, New Jersey as a girls’ lacrosse coach. She currently plays for Baltimore Ride during the summer, a professional lacrosse team in association with the United Women’s Lacrosse League.
Coach Braun’s real passion lies in lacrosse. She was a two-time lacrosse captain at Bucknell, a Division I school. Though she continues to play, she now finds fulfillment in coaching her favorite sport.
“I fell in love with coaching when I was sixteen,” she recalled. She described the moment when she realized how much of an “impact she was able to have on the people [she] coached.” She also enjoys teaching; she loves learning and sharing her knowledge about exercise and the science behind it.
When asked why she chose to work at Pingry, Coach Braun described her first impression of the school. “Before I started working here, I volunteered at the weight room; I really enjoyed the environment here,” she said. “Everyone was very nice to me, and the students were awesome.”
Coach Braun truly believes Pingry is a special place. “Everyone at Pingry was so warm and welcoming,” she said. “I had never worked at a place where the students were so kind to each other and to the faculty. I never had a bad interaction with anyone here; I only had genuine and honest conversations.”
She is looking forward to the upcoming year and meeting all of the students in the community. Welcome, Coach Braun!
Nov 10, 2018 | Eva Schiller, Faculty + Staff
By Eva Schiller ’21
This year, Pingry welcomed Dr. Sabrina Chin-Shefi into the Middle and Upper School Language Departments, where she will be teaching Chinese 2, Chinese 5, and Chinese 7. Eager to get more involved in the Pingry community, she has already explored several committee meetings and will eventually decide which ones she is interested in. She is also very excited to be helping out as a producer for the upcoming school play.
Dr. Chin-Shefi attended Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, where she earned a B.A. in English Literature and Language; she went on to receive an M.S. in Instructional Media at Indiana State University and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Kansas State University. Before coming to Pingry, she was a Chinese teacher and overseer of various Chinese programs at Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tennessee. Even before she worked in America, Dr. Chin-Shefi worked with students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as a lecturer and participant in professional committee boards.
Despite her years of experience, she notes that adapting to Pingry life is not the easiest. “I find the schedule is my biggest challenge,” said Dr. Chin-Shefi, especially when working with the conflicting schedules of the Middle and Upper School. In spite of these minor difficulties, Dr. Chin-Shefi maintains that she feels very welcomed into the Pingry community and that her experience has been “so far so good!” As she continues to work with her students, she plans to “do the best that [she] possibly can, and help those who are taking [her] classes to be able to do better.” Besides teaching, Dr. Chin-Shefi loves traveling, as well as visiting her friends and loved ones. “I also like to do some gardening work,” she added.
When asked about what inspired her to teach, Dr. Chin-Shefi answered right away: “because I love teaching,” she laughed. However, her choice of profession goes much deeper than that. “I enjoy communicating with people about concepts because it’s concepts that determine where we’re headed,” she remarked. “We have to constantly adapt by learning from others and reflecting on ourselves.” With her insightfulness and dedication, Dr. Chin-Shefi has already established herself as a valued member of the Pingry community.
Nov 9, 2018 | Brynn Weisholtz, Faculty + Staff
By Brynn Weisholtz ’20
Among the twenty new faculty welcomed to Pingry this year is Dr. Gillian Johnson, who hails from Hilton Head, South Carolina, where she taught at Hilton Head Preparatory School. She is a graduate of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, and she went on to receive her master’s degree and PhD in Spanish literature from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Johnson is inspired by both her parents, her grandfather, and her great-grandfather, all of whom had a career in academia. Raised in a family of educators, she has a passion for helping and motivating students to reach their full potential. Dr. Johnson said, “I want to help students develop the same love and appreciation of the Spanish language and culture that I have.”
At Pingry, Dr. Johnson will be teaching Spanish 5, AP Spanish 5, and Spanish 7. She is also the Junior Varsity Field Hockey Assistant Coach. When asked what she likes best about Pingry thus far, Dr. Johnson stated that her favorite parts of the school are the block schedule, lunch, and the students. She shared that the block schedule provides ample time to efficiently prepare for each class, along with some relaxing down-time in between. She loves not having to pack lunch every day and noted how delicious our served lunch is. Regarding the students, Dr. Johnson said, “It feels like students here want to learn and are willing to work hard to accomplish their goals.” The motivation of the students is inspiring to her and she cannot wait to get to know the students and faculty even more. Her main goal for the school year is learning the school song, “Old John Pingry,” so she will be able to sing it with the rest of the community.
Dr. Johnson has limited free time due to her seven-month-old daughter, who she loves spending time with. Besides being a mom, she enjoys running and spending time outdoors.
Señora Johnson, as she is referred to by her students, is thrilled to be a part of the Pingry community and is eager to spread her passion for Spanish, and learning in general, throughout the school.
Nov 9, 2018 | Faculty + Staff
By Maile Winterbottom ’21
This fall, the Pingry community welcomes Ms. Xiomara Babilonia as the new Middle School art teacher. She teaches sixth and seventh-grade art, introductory art courses where students are able to learn new techniques using different materials. Before coming to Pingry, she taught art in the Camden school district for fifteen years. She received her B.A. in sculpture at Rutgers University and then went on to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where she got her M.A. in ceramics. In the spring, she plans to be the assistant Middle School softball coach. “I love softball; I played in high school and my daughter plays little league,” she adds excitedly.
When speaking about why she became a teacher, she said, “I’ve always loved to share my knowledge and inspire excitement in other people.” During her time teaching in Camden, she taught a class for local high school students at the Tyler School of Art where she helped them find out if art was a path they wanted to pursue. “It was kind of a program for them to feel it out,” she adds. Ms. Babilonia loves Pingry so far, describing it as “a very cool environment– there’s a lot of support from the teachers and staff.”
One other thing Ms. Babilonia did before Pingry was help run a project called the ‘Claymobile’; “it was a van filled with all types of supplies for ceramics, and we would go to different schools, and do ceramics projects with the students.” She says that this program led her to discover that she wanted to be a teacher. Her main goal for this year is to try to expand the Middle School ceramics program – in the future, she hopes that more attention can be brought to Middle School ceramics, and even plans to advocate for the creation of a Middle School ceramics studio.
The first project she did with the students this year was, unsurprisingly, a ceramics project. Right away, the students “started getting dirty and creative.”
One of her main interests outside of school is traveling. She also says that she is a big foodie, and loves to combine these passions: “Wherever I travel, I love to find really good eats, places that are off the beaten path.”
She has an eleven-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. Ms. Babalonia also runs a party entertainment business where she does henna, face paint, and other exciting art forms. Ms. Babalonia is “excited to get [her] feet wet and learn the ins and outs of Pingry!”.
Nov 9, 2018 | Faculty + Staff
By Josie Alston ’21
This school year, Ms. Madeline Zimmerman joins the Middle School as a 7th and 8th grade science teacher. She will also be the assistant coach of the Middle School swimming and water polo teams.
Ms. Zimmerman earned her B.S. in Environmental Studies at Yale University with a concentration in Biodiversity and Conservation. Her motivation in pursuing her major was “the passion of others in the major, each class ending with a sense of hope, and a group of people coming together to want to make a world a better place.”
Ms. Zimmerman has been a swimmer since she was five years old and was on Yale’s swimming and diving teams. She studied abroad in Tanzania at the School for Field Studies’ Center for Wildlife Management, worked at a food supply company in Rwanda, and researched conservation efforts of the elephant in Thailand.
When asked why she chose to travel so much, Ms. Zimmerman responded, “I just love immersing myself in new cultures and learning about the world and seeing how different it is from the US.” She thinks it is important to “take away the things that I think are great from those cultures and try to implement them into my life.” From a more environmental perspective, Ms. Zimmerman acknowledges that “environmental challenges can be different throughout the world” and she finds it interesting to see other cultures’ perspectives on these issues.
In her free time, Ms. Zimmerman enjoys working out, taking dance classes, hiking, and spending time with her friends and family. Notably, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2016.
One of the most interesting things she’s done in her adult life, according to Ms. Zimmerman, was building a model designed to see how climate change would affect elephants’ prime habitats. She found that climate change is actually healthier for the animals and would create a more hospitable environment for them. This instance stands out for her because it was “a glimmer of happiness within the sad topic [of climate change].” Her experience has shaped her as a teacher because “it helps me see that things aren’t always black and white. Even though something could seem bad or something can seem great, you have to always consider that there are other factors that are going on that can change the way that you view something.”
Ms. Zimmerman was quick to share that she loves Pingry because it is such a “diverse and exciting community” where the people are passionate and the faculty and staff are incredibly welcoming. She loves that the students have energy to spare and “every day, I’m doing something new.” She hopes that as a teacher she will be able to share her love for science and encourage her students to have a feeling of wonder and curiosity for the world around them.
Jun 10, 2018 | Faculty + Staff
by Rhea Kapur (III)
After 15 years of serving in the Office of Institutional Advancement, Mrs. Melanie Hoffmann will be leaving Pingry in June to take the next step in her career.
Mrs. Hoffmann will become the Assistant Head of School at the boarding school Vermont Academy. She credits Pingry for “preparing her to take on this next step in her journey,” saying that her long tenure at Pingry and all of the “opportunities and roles [she’s] taken on have really readied her to take on this new leadership role.”
Mrs. Hoffmann received a B.A. in both Art History and German from Hollands College. After graduating, Mrs. Hoffmann worked at the Smithsonian Museum’s Development Office, where she first developed her passion for consulting and fundraising. Upon moving to New Jersey in 1997, she worked for a year at the Central Park Conservancy in New York, after which she came to Pingry. From 2000-2005, Mrs. Hoffmann worked for the Museum of New York and for Ellis Island, and she also did some consulting. She is currently pursuing her Master’s of Education in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and graduates in July.
As a good friend of Henry Stifel III ’83, for whom the Stifel Award is named, Mrs. Hoffmann first applied for the job of Campaign Manager in 1998 and talked extensively with Mr. Stifel about Pingry. She was initially attracted to Pingry after “really connecting with the Honor Code and all that Pingry stood for,” talking to Mr. Stifel, and conversing with then-headmaster John Hanley as well. Over her 15 years at Pingry, Mrs. Hoffmann has served as Campaign Manager, the Director of Major Gifts, the Interim Director of Development, and finally, the Director of Institutional Advancement. Among one of her biggest projects included the immensely successful “Blueprint for the Future” campaign of 2016.
When asked about memories from Pingry that she will forever carry with her, Mrs. Hoffmann immediately talked about regularly meeting with Honorary Trustee William Beinecke ’31, who recently passed away. “Getting to know him over the course of 20 years was truly amazing, and just realizing what an incredible person he was for the vision he had to move the school out to Bernards Township has been so warming and rewarding for me. It’s something I’ll never forget. He was such an important pillar of this community, and Pingry was really fortunate to have him.”
Mrs. Hoffmann will miss Pingry’s people the most after her departure. “I’ll forever cherish my experiences with the amazing faculty, alumni, and parents I have worked with over the years,” she said. Over her time at Pingry, Mrs. Hoffmann has enjoyed seeing the “composition of the student body evolve to include more racial and socioeconomic diversity” and generally watching the students thrive, as “they are a reflection of everything that goes on at this school.” She is also extremely grateful for Pingry’s community, support system, and “being able to reach out to anyone at any time.”
Mrs. Hoffmann encourages members of the community to “appreciate what you have, because Pingry has so much, and to enjoy every minute of your incredible time in this incredible community.
Thank you, Mrs. Hoffmann, for your longstanding impact on Pingry, and good luck during the next step of your career!
Jun 10, 2018 | Faculty + Staff
by Allie Matthias (V)
Ms. Wang will be leaving Pingry this year after teaching Chinese for six years. Lily Wang, better known as Wang Laoshi by her students, will be moving on to continue studying as she pursues a Ph.D in the convergence of Buddhism and science.
Ms. Wang came to Pingry in 2012, seeking teaching experience at a prestigious school. She was invited to teach at Pingry and took a position in the world language department’s Chinese program. She taught many different levels of Chinese, ranging from Chinese 1A with middle schoolers and Chinese 7 with high school seniors. This past year she taught Chinese 2, Chinese 3, and Chinese 4 Pre-AP. She has also become involved in the science department: she gave a Journal Club presentation in 2015 and became an IRT mentor this year. Ms. Wang guided Brian Li (Form IV), Josie Jahng (V), and Emily Sanchez (IV) with the Biogas IRT project.
Ms. Wang has enjoyed her time at Pingry and made great connections with both faculty and staff. “I think the people are very kind and supportive here, she said, “and the staff and faculty work in harmony.” It’s an atmosphere she will miss.
Her favorite part of working at Pingry was that “it was such a pleasure to teach students of diverse backgrounds.” She considered it “a unique opportunity” to teach so many different students who have enjoyed a variety of cultural experiences.
By working at Pingry, she “learned a lot.” She said, “Pingry has a unique culture and a very close community. I learned a lot of American culture from Pingry.” She will carry her memories from Pingry with her into her future endeavors and careers.
She has impacted students and her fellow faculty throughout the year with her genuine love of teaching and her respect for students. Leo Zhu (V), who was Ms. Wang’s student for three years, said, “Wang Laoshi is very flexible and understanding. She is aware of the busy-ness of junior year and is accommodating to make sure that you can put your full efforts into everything.”
In fact, this own writer’s Chinese ability has improved greatly as a student of hers. All her students will miss talking to Wang Laoshi in the language office.
Jun 10, 2018 | Faculty + Staff
Seasoned Teacher, Advisor, and Mentor Señora Godfrey Will Be Missed By All
By Martha LeWand (IV)
After nineteen years of serving the Pingry community, seasoned teacher Señora Malla Godfrey is retiring.
After graduating from Syracuse in 1969, Sra. Godfrey started her teaching career at Milburn High School in Milburn, New Jersey. From there, she moved to Connecticut to teach at Low Heywood Thomas, a girls’ school in Stamford. After ten years, she left teaching to raise a family and start a business. When she and her family moved back to New Jersey, her two daughters, Dana (’94) and Avery (’03), attended Pingry, while her son, Jason, decided not to be known as “the third daughter” and went to Morristown-Beard.
Sra. Godfrey became a teacher at Pingry in 1999, while her daughter Avery was a student. Since then, she has taught multiple levels of Spanish. This past year, she taught upper school students at levels 2/3 and 4. During her long tenure, Sra. Godfrey has been an advisor to not only her students, but to the ski team and Quiz Bowl.
Reflecting upon her time at Pingry, Sra. Godfrey credits all of her past and current students for having the most notable impact on her life.
“I love being with the students,” she noted. “Pingry has provided me with the opportunity to work with such amazing kids and help them accomplish their goals despite the stress.”
When asked about a favorite memory, Sra. Godfrey again emphasized the focus on the students.
“My goal as a teacher is to encourage kids to have fun learning,” she said. “Being with my students every day, sharing the good and bad times, seeing them smile from ear to ear when they accomplish something and not falling apart if they occasionally crash, — all of that has motivated me to get up every day.”
She hopes to be back at Pingry as a substitute and visitor in the years to come!
Jun 10, 2018 | Faculty + Staff
Dr. Desimone Leaves a Legacy of Historical Scholarship
By Udochi Emeghara (V)
After exactly 20 years, the beloved Dr. Al Desimone is leaving Pingry. Appointed in 1998, Dr. Desimone has been an integral part of the Basking Ridge campus. He has been the faculty advisor for Pingry’s Vital Signs and headed Model Congress for 10 years of his tenure here.
Dr. Desimone attended Harvard as an undergraduate. He then went on to the University of Massachusetts for his M.A. and Ph.D. Dr. Desimone taught at the Nichols School in Buffalo for seventeen years where he taught AP US History. Following his tenure there, he came to Pingry.
Initially, Dr.DeSimone primarily taught AP US History, but in his second year, a teacher was needed to teach AP Government. Thus, he has been teaching AP Government and AP US History every year except this 2017-2018 year when he only taught AP Government.
As stated before, Dr. Desimone headed Model Congress for about ten years. In his third year, students in his AP Government class wanted to establish a Model Congress team (the school already has Model UN but nothing that focused on Congress). Eventually, Mrs. Madeline Landau, the teacher who had initiated and advised the student-edited publication Vital Signs, retired, so Dr. Desimone took over that project.
As it was under Mrs. Landau, the purpose of Vital Signs had been to allow students to research important issues in politics, society, and world affairs and develop articles that accurately explore the nuances of these issues. Under his leadership, the paper grew to include a wider variety of perspectives on current world issues.
As he retires, Dr. Desimone stated that he would like to pick up hobbies that he had to leave due to time issues. He hopes to read more literature and write articles about historical events and how they are relevant to society today. He also looks forward to traveling with his wife and spending time with his son and daughter-in-law and their 15 month-old daughter in NYC.
Still, he states that he will miss his colleagues and students as he closes this chapter in his life. He also hopes that as Pingry continues to expand its academic and extracurricular scope, the students will still have time to give their best effort to all their activities, whether it be academics, the arts, athletics, or other extracurriculars. In Dr. Desimone’s words, “our virtues are our vices.” As members of the Pingry community, we are often extremely busy and are pulled in a million different directions. As a result, we do not spend as much time on certain tasks that we should or would like to because we do not have enough time. Hopefully, we as a community can take Dr. Desimone’s advice.
The Pingry community wishes Dr. Desimone a good retirement!
We also wish farewell to Ms. Barbara Conroy, Mr. Brian Smith, and Ms. Theresa O’Byrne!
