The Pingry School

Brandon also keenly appreciates that no two pieces of pottery ever turn out the same. Two pieces of clay, applied with the same glaze, will inevitably look different when they exit the reduction kiln. Oxygen, the heat thrown by the fire, and time all work their distinctive magic, he explains. The #1 wrestler on Pingry’s varsity team—who earned a top-12 ranking in the state last year—Brandon is quick to point out parallels to the sport he is so ardent about.

“For me, it’s all about pursuing my passions however they manifest themselves,” he says. “In claymaking, you can try to make a single bowl five or six different ways over the course of two months and none seem to work. And then that seventh time, it works! There are just so many different factors. With wrestling, you can try the same move or the same defense 10 different ways before you find the one that works. In both, you have to experiment with different techniques and keep trying.”

It is the lesson of that magic formula, unique to every piece of pottery, every wrestler, and, Brandon says, every Pingry student, that he will take with him to college, no matter his pursuit of the arts. “Every student at Pingry has the opportunity to express themselves in their own way, and find what they’re meant to do.”

At Pingry, Ariel’s inspiration comes in a different form. For example, sketching with a graphite pencil are the medium and tool most comfortable to her, but in Art Fundamentals last year, Mrs. Mack-Watkins challenged her to try something different. “We were assigned a project in which we had to recreate a small portion of an artist’s painting, but we had to select a work that focused on the concept of color theory, and we had to use acrylics,” she explains. “I chose a little piece of red robe from The Death of Germanicus. I really enjoyed it because with graphite, you’re only working with one color; you’re not mixing. But with acrylics, you have to be careful to get not only the right color but the right shade. The project really forced me out of my comfort zone.”

Also a source of influence is Mr. Sullivan, Ariel’s former Middle School advisor. He was always very encouraging of her work, and some of her “messing around” drawings can still be found on his classroom walls. “I can only see my mistakes, but having someone else look at your work and say that it’s good fills you with a sense of pride,” she says. “I started to actually be proud.”

When it comes to her future, post-Pingry endeavors, Ariel, who also loves biology and the sciences, is considering following in her mother’s footsteps and becoming a dentist. “She has always told me that dentistry is a form of art because you’re helping to perfect someone’s smile. I love drawing portraits, so I think it might be a good fit.”

Since that first show, he has performed in (or behind the scenes of) 14 productions, 11 of which have been at Pingry. His freshman year, he won the Drama 1 Monologue Award. He is already plotting his Independent Senior Project (a two-person musical), which is still three years away, and dreams of his culminating, senior-year Drama IV performance.

Aside from the sheer joy he feels when he’s on stage, Josh says Pingry’s tradition of welcoming special needs children to attend dress rehearsal before opening day performances is a real highlight. In fact, he recalls one such performance, after which a young boy asked to meet him in person, as “one of the best moments in my life. . . Here was a small child actually wanting to meet me, even though I was just an eighth grader.”

Off-stage, English is Josh's favorite class. He credits his former teacher, Dr. Reid Cottingham, with fostering his love of reading, writing, articulating, and engaging in healthy debate, like when his freshman-year English class read and acted out parts of Othello. All of these skills, he notices, translate into his acting. “I used to be so shy, but now I’m a lot more confident. People are different when they’re in their happy places.”

The following year, he landed the role of television-obsessed Mike Teavee in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (“I enjoy video games, so it was a natural part for me,” Ram jokes). As a sixth grader, he played Francis Flute in Midsummer Night’s Dream, a role that required him to also portray Thisbe, a female, in the play within the play that takes place. “At first I thought, ‘Oh, gosh, do I really have to do this? But everyone was very supportive, and it was really fun.”

As a seventh grader, he transformed himself into The Tempest’s Caliban, “a misunderstood demon child,” as Ram characterizes him. Indeed, every year since his first show in the third grade, he has performed in a Pingry musical or play. Not a bad repertoire for a young thespian, whose self-drive and work ethic are evident. “You really have to work for something if you want to get it,” he says.

Ram, who sang in the Middle School boys’ chorus, credits his teacher, Pingry’s Music Department Chair, Dr. Andrew Moore, with teaching him a lot—and with allowing him and his fellow choir members to have a good deal of fun. As an Upper Schooler now, he hopes to become a Buttondown himself (his brother is a senior, making the prospect of performing together exciting).

What does he love most about acting? “The fact that you can do it with others. I love that you’re on stage with so many other people, combining your talents, and making friends along the way.”

Meet More Pingry Artists

Meet More Alumni Artists