The Pingry School

A Walk with the Headmaster, nat conard

Between Pingry and my home lies what I admit is an enviable commute: a quiet stretch of gravel path, meandering along the edge of the school’s woodlands and through its sloping fields, all comfortably nestled in the Watchung and Somerset hills of central New Jersey. At one end of the path are more than 800 students who call the Basking Ridge Campus - all 200 acres of it - their scholarly, artistic, and athletic playground, their home. At the other end sits Beinecke House, my campus home.

In between, lies the path. Like the school itself, it is a microcosm of time, announcing the seasons to me. And walking it offers a few minutes of diversion in which to think, plan, ponder. But, for all the convenient metaphors of academia that the path may confer, in life, as in nature, often what transpires off the path, beyond the defined parameters, is most thrilling.

At Pingry, you are encouraged to follow the path, hop off when the mood strikes, or forge a new one altogether. In our community, new opportunities, friendships, challenges, and adventures are just around the bend. I invite you to join us.