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Farewell to an Administrator, Faculty, and Staff Who Depart in 2025
Greg Waxberg

These members of the administration, faculty, and staff are leaving Pingry at the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year, and the School thanks them for their years of service:

Bill Bourne, Upper School Science Teacher and a member of the Magistri, retires after 41 years. He taught Physics, Honors Physics, and Science in the 21st Century (the latter created as an alternative to AP science courses); and coached varsity football, boys’ varsity golf, boys’ JV golf (he created the program), and Middle School basketball and softball.

In addition to teaching and coaching, Mr. Bourne served as Interim Coordinator of Community Service, Interim Dean of Students, a member of the Academic Judicial Board (precursor to the Honor Board), Co-Advisor of the Honor Board, Advisor to the Environmental Protection Club, Co-Advisor to Robotics, Law Compliance Officer, and Chair of the Health Benefits Committee. During his time as a Robotics advisor, in 2014, the team won a district competition for the first time, at the Mid-Atlantic Robotics FIRST Robotics Competition. He recently taught a Spring Intensive called “Money, Morality, and Message in Sports.”

As many alumni know, Mr. Bourne is known for his phrase “think extremes.” “It started way back, 35 years or so, when I started to put ‘thinking questions’ on my physics assessments,” he says. “Thinking questions were designed to test a student’s depth of knowledge versus their rote abilities. These would be questions not gone over in class. When students asked for strategies on how to answer these questions, one way I suggested was for them to exaggerate certain aspects of the conditions . . . By doing this, many times it makes the answer obvious.”

In 2014, Pingry honored Mr. Bourne with The Edward G. Engel Chair for Mathematics and Science, and he is a co-dedicatee of the 2025 yearbook.

Chuck Coe, Upper School Science Teacher and a member of the Magistri, retires after 41 years. He taught Physics, AP Physics and, with Mr. Bourne, Science in the 21st Century. From 2000–2014, Mr. Coe served as Chair of the Science Department. Outside the classroom, he coached boys’ varsity basketball, JV softball, and Middle School boys’ soccer, and advised the Speech and Debate Team, which earned top spots in tournaments. He recently wrote the book A Spark of Reason: Truth in Science: Myths, Stories, Examples, and Anecdotes, partially inspired by Science in the 21st Century.

During his tenure as Chair, the Science Department introduced the “Bio Sandwich” (conceived by Tim Grant) to start teaching chemistry before biology so that biology teachers could “hit the ground running with chemistry concepts that are useful in molecular biology”; added and redesigned courses to support students who “loved science, but were less focused on APs and mathematical sciences” (Science in the 21st Century and Anatomy, for example); introduced Honors Biology projects; offered more research in the general curriculum and extracurricular activities (IRTs); added Robotics to extracurriculars; expanded the enrollment of juniors and seniors in science classes; revamped the Middle School curriculum to add more activities; and redesigned the hiring process.

In 1998, Pingry honored Mr. Coe with the Woodruff J. English Faculty Award. He is a co-dedicatee of the 2025 yearbook.

Ben Courchesne, Pingry’s first Associate Head of School, leaves after two years to become Head of School at Trinity Valley School in Texas. Among the highlights of his time at Pingry: a more connected Divisional Leadership Team, expanded Pottersville Campus programming, stronger partnerships with families, and organizational updates to support growth and leadership.

Gary Deemer, Facilities Technician on the Basking Ridge Campus, leaves Pingry after 14 years.

Audrey Enriquez, Middle and Upper School English Teacher, leaves Pingry after seven years to teach International Baccalaureate (IB) English (Grades 9, 10, 11) at the United Nations International School in New York City. At Pingry, she also co-led the Upper School Multicultural Team, co-advised the Middle School Asian Affinity Group and Middle School Muslim Affinity Group, was the founding advisor of the Upper School Asian Student Union, and co-led the Lower School’s Thinkertown Big Blue Summer Camp.

Tim Grant, Upper School Science Teacher and a member of the Magistri, retires after 41 years. He taught Chemistry, Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, and Physics. “I’ve loved the students I’ve taught. They’re so inquisitive. I am so much better of a teacher because of the students’ questions. It was great to have students asking me questions all the time,” he said at this spring’s annual meeting of the Pingry Alumni Association. With Mr. Bourne, he taught the Spring Intensive “Money, Morality, and Message in Sports.”

Outside the classroom, Mr. Grant was Head Coach of girls’ varsity cross country (1989–2020), varsity winter track (2009–2014), and girls’ varsity track (1989–2025), and also coached girls’ varsity basketball (head coach, 1992–1996), girls’ JV basketball, Middle School boys’ basketball, and Middle School track. The Courier News and Star-Ledger named him Coach of the Year multiple times for girls’ cross country and girls’ track, and he was inducted into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2010).

Pingry honored Mr. Grant five times: the Herbert F. Hahn Junior Faculty Award (1997), Edward G. Engel Chair for Mathematics and Science (1999), E. Murray Todd Faculty Chair (2010), Senior Class Faculty Chair (2018), and Greig Family Endowed Faculty Chair (2020). This spring, Pingry’s chapter of The Cum Laude Society made him an honorary member to recognize his extraordinary service to the chapter, and he is a co-dedicatee of the 2025 yearbook.

Dr. Frances Mecartty, Upper School Spanish Teacher, leaves Pingry after 18 years to teach Spanish at Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, CA. She also advised the Latinx Affinity Group and taught the Spring Intensive called “A Culinary Journey: Knowing Your Food.” In addition, she represented Pingry when making presentations in her field of Applied Linguistics at national and international events, and she conducted workshops at Pingry for professional development. In 2018, Pingry honored her with the Albert W. Booth Chair for Master Teachers.

Edwin Núñez, Director of Enrollment Management, leaves Pingry after three years to become the Shelby M.C. Davis ’54 Dean of Enrollment Management at The Lawrenceville School.

Mr. Núñez’s tenure was marked by innovation, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to shaping a student body that reflects the best of what Pingry stands for—including the implementation of an Early Action admissions process, the development of a robust admissions rubric, and the introduction of an athletics and arts points system that has helped Pingry recognize and fairly support the diverse talents of its applicants.

Lily Siegel, Upper School History Teacher, leaves Pingry after three years. During her time here, she coached JV girls’ soccer and advised the Jewish Affinity Group, the Oral History HIRT, and Model UN. Ms. Siegel also taught the Spring Intensives “World War II: Global Civilian and Military Experiences” and “Hudson River Rising.”

Saad Toor, Upper School History Teacher, leaves Pingry after six years. A native of Connecticut, he is returning to New England and will teach Upper School history and Global Studies at Greens Farms Academy. At Pingry, he also led the ninth-grade curriculum for World History for three years. Outside the classroom, Mr. Toor coached Middle School boys’ soccer, basketball, and lacrosse; served as Form Dean for the Class of 2024; and advised the Muslim Affinity Group in both the Middle and Upper Schools. He also taught the Spring Intensive called “Can Art Heal?”

Patricia “Trish” Wheeler, Middle School Drama and Dance Teacher and a member of the Magistri, leaves Pingry after 35 years. She first appeared at Pingry in 1989 to choreograph the Upper School’s production of Pippin, and permanently joined the Drama Department the following year when drama expanded to the Middle School. Ms. Wheeler also choreographed Upper School musicals, directed and choreographed Middle School musicals, and taught mindfulness.

Dr. Maryann Woods-Murphy, Upper School Spanish Teacher, spent four years at Pingry and is retiring. She was an advisor for the Student Diversity Leadership Committee, an advisor for the Healthy Multicultural Communities Club, and an interviewer/presenter for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly. Dr. Woods-Murphy also taught the Spring Intensive called “Can Art Heal?”


Contact: Greg Waxberg ’96, Assistant Director of Communications, Writer/Editor