Convocation, the official opening of Pingry’s school year since 1987, is an event of reverence and tradition as Middle and Upper School students reaffirm their commitment to the Honor Code by submitting signed Honor Code pledges to the Student Body President and Honor Board Chair.* This year’s event was held, for the first time, in the Miller A. Bugliari ’52 Athletics Center on September 6, with the opening procession consisting of Head of School Tim Lear, Chair of the Board of Trustees Ian Shrank ’71, Student Body President Ziv Shah ’25, Honor Board Chair Nick Henry ’25, and the faculty—all proudly wearing their academic gowns, a tradition passed down from universities of the Middle Ages.

The ceremony also included the presentation of the Letter-In-Life Award, the School’s highest honor, bestowed on a graduate who has earned distinction professionally and, by doing so, brought honor to Pingry; presenting this award in front of the student body also recognizes the potential that Pingry sees in every current student. The 2024 recipient is renowned economist and former Pingry trustee N. Gregory Mankiw ’76.

Here are excerpts from this year’s remarks:

“A smart person, a positive person, looks for what is good, what is challenging, whether it be in theater, academics, music, or athletics. Get something good out of each of your experiences.”
—Senior faculty member Miller Bugliari ’52, beginning his 66th year at Pingry

“Two years ago, I decided to try the public speaking class. I’ve never been a great public speaker…the problem isn’t public speaking as much it is having to stick to a prewritten speech. I treasure the freedom impromptu speeches give. Being judged for messing up, being awkward, or stumbling over words is scary…trying something scary is marked by fear of failure, judgment, and the unknown. We are bound to fail at a new activity…yet we hate being judged by those more skilled than us. Here at Pingry, we have the ultimate advantage when it comes to trying something new: a supportive community. Whatever happens this year, let’s make Pingry a safe place to fail.”
—Student Body President Ziv Shah ’25

“I have a new and greater appreciation for what this school has to offer. As I got to high school, I quickly discovered that any fears my sixth-grade self might have had were not only silly but completely unfounded…as I stand here today, I’m very grateful for the education I’ve received. We can all benefit from a bit of reflection to appreciate how we grew up alongside Pingry—the classmates, teachers, and staff that actually give this place its character. Convocation is the time of year when we recommit to each other. Let’s take this September as another opportunity to wipe the slate clean and shake things up.”
—Honor Board Chair Nick Henry ’25

“We hope that all Pingry students make some real progress in determining the sorts of goals that they want to set for themselves, and how to go about seeking excellence. We also hope, perhaps just as fervently, that all our students make real progress in determining the sorts of goals that they do not want to pursue and are not interested in…don’t just focus on one goal. Get involved in others [and] pursue excellence. You’ll learn something useful, you’ll meet some good people—some of whom are achieving excellence—and you’ll have some fun. In this era of specialization, we all need to remember there’s more to life than a single area in which you choose to excel.”
—Board of Trustees Chair Ian Shrank ’71

“Rather than fixating on outcomes, ‘The Process’ emphasized consistent hard work, a ‘team first’ approach, and attention to detail…one of my hopes for this year is that we’ll borrow a few pages from Coach Saban’s playbook: that we’ll offer a helping hand, that we’ll be mindful of how we can mentor and inspire others, that we’ll allow ourselves to fully engage in the process, rather than focusing exclusively on the outcome. Brad Stulberg writes [in The New York Times, “What the Olympics Can Teach Us About Excellence”] that we can broaden our definition of success by remembering that excellence is a daily process, one that has as much to do with pursuing ambitious goals as it does with achieving ambitious goals…Olympic medalist Nic Fink ’11 represents Pingry on our best day. He embodies humility and groundedness, the values of patience and gratitude, and the possibility of balancing extreme focus with a genuine respect for others…Nic has never defined himself by his accomplishments in the pool…at Pingry, we don’t have to choose between being happy and successful…between being a serious student and a committed athlete. I also want Pingry to be a place where we don’t have to choose between kindness and excellence…We can’t be great at every possible endeavor, but we can focus on the process.”
—Head of School Tim Lear, who began by talking about “The Process” of former LSU and Alabama Football Head Coach Nick Saban
Read Mr. Lear’s full remarks


* The Honor Code pledge ceremony was initiated in 2007 by then–Student Body President Jessica Westerman ’08. Separately from Convocation, the Board of Trustees and all employees also sign the Honor Code every year.

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Mr. Lear also recognized the Magistri, faculty members who have worked at Pingry for at least 25 years. Collectively, the 2024-25 school year’s 18 Magistri have served Pingry for 599 years.

Miller Bugliari ’52, Special Assistant to the Head of School (1959)
William Bourne, Physics Teacher (1984)
Charles Coe, Physics Teacher (1984)
Timothy Grant, Chemistry Teacher (1984)
Michael Webster, Middle School History Teacher (1987)
Thomas Keating, Upper School English Teacher (1988)
Donna Thau, Middle School Math Teacher (1989)
Patricia Wheeler, Middle School Drama and Dance Teacher (1990)
Dr. Andrew Moore, Music Department Chair (1993)
Deirdre O’Mara, Biology Teacher (1995)
Ramsay Vehslage, Jr., Middle School Science Teacher (1995)
Stephanie Romankow, Performing Arts Department Chair (1996)
Ted Corvino ’94, Upper School History Teacher (1998)
Sean McAnally, Upper School Music Teacher (1998)
Leslie Miller, Lower School P.E. Teacher (1998)
Dr. James Murray, Upper School History Teacher (1998)
Nigel Paton, Upper School English and Art History Teacher (1998)
Doug Scott, Director of Strength and Conditioning (1999)

Pictured: Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, Board of Trustees Chair Ian Shrank ’71, Head of School Tim Lear, Student Body President Ziv Shah ’25, and Honor Board Chair Nick Henry ’25


Contact: Greg Waxberg ’96, Communications Writer, Editor of The Pingry Review