Counseling and Academic Support Team (CAST)

School Counseling comprises four full-time counselors, including certified school counselors, licensed professional counselors, and licensed psychologists, who support students in managing the emotional and social aspects of their school experience, including—but not limited to—academic challenges and growth, relationships, self-advocacy, and identity. They provide support by listening to and advising students, as well as consulting with their teachers and advisors, with the shared goal of enabling our students to best engage with and experience school. When appropriate, counselors work with parents and outside mental health professionals to support the student’s experience in school. While our school counselors have dedicated spaces to meet individually with students, they also work with students in the classroom as part of Peer Leadership and teaching teen Mental Health First Aid. Counselors are also a regular and ongoing supportive presence for student actors/actresses as they prepare for performances or athletic events, and they facilitate and participate in regular student review and student support meetings.

Pingry has four Learning Specialists, including a dedicated learning specialist for each division as well as a K-12 Academic Support Manager. Learning specialists work individually with students to support their general academic learning and specific skill development. They assist students in developing and installing executive functions including, but not limited to, planning, organization, time management, self-monitoring, and workflow management. The Academic Support Manager also works individually with students as well as with faculty to understand and support student learning profiles. While Pingry does not offer special education services, modify its academic program, or offer classroom accommodations, it does offer a limited array of test accommodations for students with documented and qualifying needs. Learning specialists also facilitate and participate in regular student review and student support meetings.

The CAST Suite is a unique space specifically designed to support the well-being of students and employees: in the ample waiting room, students can informally visit with peers, counselors, or learning specialists; there are five individual private offices for counselors and learning specialists to meet with students; and the the CNTR Space (calm, nurture, tranquil, recharge) is a silent space for self-care, whether that means closing one’s eyes, breathing deeply, painting a rock, meditating, or just enjoying a moment of quiet.

Our Upper School Peer Group and Peer Leadership programs—in which selected seniors partner with groups of freshmen in a year-long mentoring capacity to help them navigate academic and social concerns—are enriching opportunities for students to share with and learn from one another. By connecting freshmen with seniors who have completed leadership training, students create new connections as they participate in non-adult led programming. Pingry faculty select peer leaders who are positive role models and can serve as trusted resources for younger Pingry students. Our goal is for all students to feel supported on campus and to provide them with additional mentors beyond their teachers and coaches.

In both the Middle School and Upper School, students can join Affinity Groups, which are designed to be safe spaces for students to learn more about their various identities and to discuss their questions, comments, and concerns with others who share that same identity. Affinity groups can help students feel supported by peers and adults in their community, as well as help them develop greater self confidence and feel connected to campus. 

Additionally, students play an active role in creating wellness-related programs on campus, through Pingry's Student Wellness Club, founded by Upper School students in 2018. Promoting the overall physical and mental well-being of Pingry students, club members plan events that address student needs; organize activities that focus on mental health education, prevention, and awareness; and work to reduce the stigma of mental illness. With support from the Athletics Department and CAST, the Pingry Student Athletic Advisory Committee runs a Wellness Week that includes different well-being themes each day: fun dress-up, friendship bracelet making, therapy dogs, rock painting, cooking and nutrition. Additionally, the Athletics Department holds a fall Wellness Fair to showcase the different dimensions of wellness at Pingry: CAST, Sports Medicine, Strength and Conditioning, Nursing, SAGE Dining, Health and Physical Education classes, Teen Mental Health First Aid, Pingry Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Center for Performance and Leadership, Athletics.

From fire safety and basic hygiene in the Lower School, to physical development, citizenship, decision-making, and substance abuse in the Middle School, to courses in Basic Life Support, First Aid, and Emergency Medical Responder certification in the Upper School, Pingry’s health education curriculum is designed to equip students with skills for emotional, social, and physical health. Students in all divisions learn techniques for problem-solving, relaxation, and stress management, with opportunities to practice these skills in a safe, supportive environment.

Foundational to Pingry's student wellness programming is its Advisory program. Each Lower School student has a homeroom teacher who acts as the primary point of contact for the student’s family, which becomes especially relevant in the latter years of the Lower School when students have different teachers for each subject area. In Grade 5, the Advisory program involves students meeting three days a week in their homeroom and twice a week in a larger group to discuss issues such as adjusting to Grade 5, schedule and workload, and friendship issues.  

In the Middle and Upper Schools, students are assigned an advisor—a faculty or staff member—who serves as a family's primary point of contact throughout the school year. Advisors help their advisees negotiate an array of topics—from the academic program to the school’s social experiences and anything in between—that may be a source of concern for a student. Advisors are routinely in touch with their advisees’ teachers, coaches, and parents, and are available to facilitate assistance in situations when a student requires additional support. 

Beyond receiving individual support from their advisor, all Middle and Upper School students are also part of an advisory group. In the Upper School, students meet for 25 minutes per week during a dedicated advisory period to discuss a range of non-academic topics and build connections within a familial, supportive environment. In the Middle School, advisory is a daily, ungraded class, that, like its academic counterparts, follows a structured, grade-specific curriculum: Grade 6 examines kindness and community, Grade 7 focuses on leadership, and Grade 8 explores the question, "What do I stand for?" Middle School advisors also facilitate a close-knit group dynamic and guide student-led parent-teacher conferences, helping each student set individual goals and providing support and guidance toward meeting them throughout the year.

Speakers & Assemblies

Pingry routinely welcomes outside speakers—experts in a variety of fields— and hosts assemblies across a wide range of timely topics. Below is a sampling of visitors to the Basking Ridge Campus, who, after their presentations, take time to speak in a more intimate setting with students, faculty, and staff.

• Peter Horn, Ed.D— Founder of Horn, LLC, former teacher, and administrator, spoke to faculty and staff about civil discourse, including issues related to the 2020 election.

• Dr. Lisa Damour, Ph.D–Psychologist, best-selling author, and New York Times monthly columnist, spoke to faculty and staff about how to manage stress and anxiety under COVID-19.

• Sean Swarner–Inspirational pediatric cancer survivor who spotlights how perseverance and self-belief propelled him past obstacles to ultimately summit Mt. Everest.

• Andrew Ominus–Successful college athlete who shared his personal story of struggle and recovery from depression and anxiety in a presentation for the non-profit organization, Minding Your Mind.

• Keba Rogers, PhD–Expert in child development and particularly their social and emotional development. Trained faculty in building social and emotional skills throughout the course of the school day.

• Mykee Fowlin, PsyD–Performer and poet with a PhD in clinical psychology who used humor, performance art and storytelling to teach about being true and authentic to transform the world.

• Jill Walsh, PhD–Sociologist, author, researcher, digital advocate who met with students and parents to discuss teens navigating the digital world.

• Karen Reivich, PhD–Psychologist and Director of UPenn’s Resilience and Positive Psychology Training Program who discussed how to optimize well-being by cultivating resilience and optimism. 

• Sarika Argwal–Current graduate student and speaker from Minding Your Minds who encouraged students to recognize their worth and seek help when they  need it.

• Jared Johnston–Former elite high school and collegiate athlete who met with students about redefining their dreams and creating a different definition of success.

   

Guiding students to discover the life balance that is right for them is an essential outcome of a Pingry education. A range of unique school features and programming are in place to ensure that their overall well-being—just like their intellectual growth— is an area of continual focus and development. 

Similarly, school administrators and faculty consistently remain open and willing to explore new wellness initiatives. 

Below are a few examples of the ways in which life balance is nurtured at Pingry:

• Flexible Scheduling: Block scheduling in the Middle and Upper Schools means that longer classes meet on a rotating basis, not everyday, and ample “flex” periods are built into the school day to ensure unhurried transitions between classes. In 2019, a later time of 8:30 a.m. was implemented for classes on our Basking Ridge Campus.

• Project Week: In place of final exams, at the end of the school year, Middle School students engage in a hands-on, multidisciplinary, culminating project experience known as Project Week.

• Getting Outside: Outdoor learning opportunities abound on our nearly 200-acre Basking Ridge Campus, which includes a kitchen garden, campsite, and outdoor classroom, as well as on our Short Hills Campus, which also boasts a garden, state-of-the-art playground, and surrounding woodlands that are used by classes.

• Anti-bullying Programs: In the Middle School, appropriate social media behavior and anti-bullying and violence prevention are addressed through such successful programs and visiting organizations as #winatsocial and Prepare, Inc. 

• Decisions Course: Offered in all grades of the Lower School and year-long Decisions classes for Grade 4 and 5 students address important, non-academic skills, such as managing emotions, friendship skills, personal safety, conflict resolution, time management, problem-solving, and bullying prevention with peers. 

• Mindfulness: Mindfulness programming is woven throughout all three divisions: a mindfulness course in the Upper School, Mindfulness Club in the Middle School, and mindfulness and meditation sessions for Lower School students, faculty, and staff. 

• Connection and Community: Across school divisions, we offer a variety of wellness-related activities, such as yoga and mindfulness, Family Bingo Night, movie night, Hour of Wellness, Grandparents and Special Friends Day, and therapy dog visits incorporated throughout the school year; foosball and ping pong tables are staples of both the Middle and Upper School Commons, and well used during flex time!

• Leisure/Hobby Opportunities: In the Upper School, extracurricular and club offerings abound, including the Student Wellness Club, Outing Club, Book Appreciation Club, and Taiko Drumming, and, for example, Dance Club, Comic Book Club, and Film and Photography Club in the Middle School. An array of after-school enrichment classes are also offered each trimester at the Middle and Lower School.