Ms. Schurdak has been working as an administrator with this age group for over 20 years and is excited to join Pingry, having been struck “by the commitment of the Middle School faculty to educating middle schoolers… They are both serious and joyful about their work.”
During this annual event for sophomores and juniors, she spoke about the inevitability of flaws and the importance of being “real” with others.
Entrepreneur Andrew Gruel encouraged students to follow their dreams and enjoy the ride.
At this year’s John Hanly Lecture on Ethics and Morality, David Gelber ’59 challenged the students to deliver a better tomorrow.
Dr. Cottingham was appointed Interim Upper School Director in July 2021, and her Pingry experience includes three years as Upper School Academic Dean and a semester as Interim English Department Chair.
Mr. Bradford emphasizes empathy and striving for the greater good.
They are recognized for exceptional academic promise, having placed among the top 50,000 scorers.
The program honors students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Scholar athletes impressive in balancing high achievements in academics and athletics.
This accomplished group of 143 students will be continuing their academic careers at 79 different colleges and universities.
Thirty-two Pingry School seniors are recognized for exceptional academic promise as Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. They placed among the top 50,000 scorers of students who entered the 2023 competition by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Including these 32 students, 157 Pingry students have been Commended Students over the past five years.
Commended Students:
Jackson Angell
Ayush Basu
Adam Bauhs
Jaymin Bhat
Camille Collins
Alexandra Drovetsky
Samuel Hecht
Spencer Jahng
Charles Jiang
Lauren Kim
Sydney Langer
Shaan Lehal
Kyra Li
Katie Lin
Maximus Liu
Leon Ma
Alexander Massey
Spencer McLaughlin
Jordan Miller
Andrew Overdeck
Caleb Park
Sydney Puntus
John Paul Salvatore
Ainsli Shah
Grace Stowe
Veronica Suarez
Olivia Taylor
Stephanie Ticas
Gavin Wang
Maxwell Watzky
Evan Wen
Luis Zavala
Contact: Greg Waxberg ’96, Communications Writer, Editor of The Pingry Review
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