Headmaster William S. Hawkey addresses Convocation at the Pennington School on September 11, 2015.
Senior class officers Audrey Plimpton (left) of Pennington and Morgan Pinado of Carversville, Pa., lead the Pennington School student procession.
The Pennington School officially opened its 178th academic year on September 11, 2015 with Convocation ceremonies held under a tent on the School’s O’Hanlon Green. Headmaster William S. Hawkey welcomed 506 students, comprising residents of seven states and representatives of 21 countries outside the United States. New students entering this year bring 16 spoken languages to the campus.
The School’s combined day and boarding population is made up of approximately 55 percent boys and 45 percent girls, with 404 in the Upper School and 102 in the Middle School. Among the countries represented are Austria, Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, Nigeria, Singapore and Uzbekistan.
In addition to Hawkey, speakers at Convocation included Peter J. Tucci, Esq., of New Hope, Pa., chair of the board of trustees and a 1979 graduate of the School; Coltrane Stansbury of Edison, a 1992 graduate and member of the Alumni Association board; Blair Thompson of Pennington, the longest-serving current faculty member; senior Morgan Pinado of Carversville, Pa., student government president; and eighth-grader Vincent Colalillo of Delaware Township, N.J.
Dr. Hawkey discussed the School’s core values of humility, virtue, and honor- words that have resonated on the campus since 1921, when then-Headmaster Francis Harvey Green put them on three gateways modeled on those at Caius College, Cambridge University.
The Pennington School, founded in 1838, recently celebrated its 175th anniversary. It is an independent coeducational school for students in grades 6 through 12, in both day and boarding programs. The curriculum is college preparatory, with an emphasis on individual excellence, fostering the development of the whole student through academics, athletics, community service, and the creative and performing arts.
