The Pennington School

The Pennington School is an independent, coeducational college preparatory school for day and boarding students located in Pennington, Mercer County, New Jersey. The school operates for students in sixth through twelfth grades. The Head of School is Dr. William S. Hawkey, who assumed the position in July 2014.^[7]

The Pennington School
Front of Old Main Hall and school sign along Delaware Avenue
Location
112 West Delaware Avenue Pennington , Mercer County , New Jersey 08534
Coordinates	40°19′43.02″N 74°47′39.75″W
Information
Type	Independent boarding and day school
Motto	Honor. Virtue. Humility.
Established	1838; 186 years ago (1838)
NCES School ID	00869182[1]
Head of school	William S. Hawkey[2]
Faculty	94.3 FTEs[1]
Grades	6–12
Enrollment	530 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	5.6:1[1]
Campus	55 acres (220,000 m2)[3]
Color(s)	Red and   Black[4]
Team name	Red Hawks[5][4]
Tuition	$48,600 (Upper School, Day for 2023–24)[6]
Affiliation	United Methodist Church
Website	www.pennington.org

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 530 students and 94.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 5.6:1. The school's student body was 58.7% (311) White, 17.2% (91) Asian, 9.2% (49) Black, 8.7% (46) two or more races, 5.8% (31) Hispanic, and 0.4% (2) American Indian / Alaska Native.^[1]

Pennington is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools,^[8] the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools,^[9] the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools,^[10] and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.^[11] The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1930; the accreditation expires in May 2025.^[12]

History

The Pennington School was founded in 1838 during the Second Great Awakening as the Methodist Episcopal Male Seminary, a college preparatory school for boys, in order to secure "the education of the physical, the training of the mental, and the grounding of the soul in character." Pennington officially became a coeducational institution, The Pennington Seminary and Female Collegiate Institute, in the fall of 1854. In March 1910, Pennington would again become a school for boys, reverting to the name Pennington Seminary. Shortly afterward,^[13] the school's name evolved to its present form, sometimes with the addition of "for Boys." It was not until 1972 that Pennington once again became a coeducational institution. In 1975, the Center for Learning, one of the nation's leading secondary school programs for bright children with learning disabilities, was created within the school to serve a small number of college-preparatory students.

Academics

The Pennington School offers a vigorous curriculum for students with strong academic ability and the desire to build a record of personal achievement appropriate for admission into some of the country's most demanding colleges and universities. Middle school students have their own faculty dedicated to teaching children of this age (sixth through eighth grade). Middle school courses include: Algebra, American History and Government Applications, Art-o-Rama, Computer Skills, Earth Science, English, French, Geometry, German, Global Perspectives, Health, Humanities, Latin, Life Science, Math, Music, Physical Science, Spanish, Technology, Writer's Studio, and many elective offerings. Upper School students are expected to seek personal excellence academically, socially, physically, and artistically. They work closely with their advisors to create a challenging curriculum that helps them to grow as learners. Upper School students are offered a full range of both Honors and Advanced Placement courses.

Visual and performing arts

The Arts Department offers rich and varied courses and activities in drama, music, and the visual arts for both Middle School and Upper School students. Students embrace their own creativity and gain a lifelong appreciation for the creativity of others.

Music

Music courses include: Chorus, Composition, Handbell Ensemble, Instrumental Ensemble, Instrumental Lab, Jazz Band, Keyboard, Music History, Music Technology, Music Theory, Orchestra, Pennington Singers, Pit Band, and Vocal Ensemble.

Drama

Drama courses include: Acting Shakespeare, Advanced Drama, Foundations in Drama, Public Speaking, Puppetry & Performance, Respect for Acting, Small Group Dynamics, and Stagecrafts.

Visual art

Visual Art courses include: Adobe Photoshop, Advanced Black & White Darkroom Skills, Alternative Processes, Ceramics, Digital Photography, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, and Video Production.

Athletics

The Pennington School Red Hawks compete in the Patriot Conference, which includes the Gill St. Bernard's School, the Ranney School, the Purnell School, Stuart Country Day School, Wardlaw-Hartridge School, Timothy Christian School, Princeton Day School, and Saddle River Day School. In addition. Pennington competes regularly against The Peddie School, the Hun School of Princeton, and Lawrenceville School.

The Pennington School has 44 athletic teams on its campus. The Upper School sports include: boys varsity, JV, and Thirds soccer, girls varsity and JV soccer, varsity and JV field hockey, varsity and JV water polo, boys and girls cross country, girls varsity and JV tennis, cheerleading, girls varsity and JV basketball, boys varsity, JV, and Thirds basketball, winter track, varsity and JV ice hockey, varsity and JV boys and girls swimming, varsity and JV baseball, varsity softball, golf, boys varsity and JV tennis, boys varsity, JV, and Thirds lacrosse, girls varsity and JV lacrosse, and boys and girls spring track and field.^[4] The middle school also has sports, which includes field hockey, soccer, cross country, boys and girls basketball, swimming, boys lacrosse, and spring track and field.

Cervone Center for Learning

The Edmund V. Cervone Center for Learning, founded in 1975 by Dr. Edmund Cervone, provides a program of academic support for bright students with learning disabilities.^[14]

Notable alumni

See also: Category:The Pennington School alumni

• Carmen J. Armenti (1929–2001), restaurateur and politician who served as the mayor of Trenton, New Jersey from 1966 to 1970 and again from 1989 to 1990^[15]
• Esther E. Baldwin (1840–1910; graduated 1859), missionary, teacher, translator, writer, editor^[16]
• Nicole Baxter (born 1994), professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the National Women's Soccer League club Sky Blue FC^[17]
• Benjamin T. Biggs (1821–1893), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1869 to 1873, 38th Governor of Delaware^[18]
• Grant Billmeier (born 1984), former professional basketball player who transferred from Pennington after his freshman year^[19]
• Jake Bongiovi (born 2002, class of 2020), actor^[20]
• Rudy Boschwitz (born 1930, class of 1947): United States Senator, former chairman National Republican Senatorial Committee^[21]
• Borden Parker Bowne (1847–1910, class of 1866), Christian philosopher, clergyman, and theologian in the Methodist tradition. Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature nine times^[22]
• Amber Brooks (born 1991, class of 2009): professional soccer player for Houston Dash of the NWSL. She has played with FC Bayern Munich in Munich, Germany, and the United States Women's National Soccer Team^[23]
• Philip L. Cannon (1850–1929), first Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (1901–1905) and son of Governor William Cannon^[24]
• Lucilla Green Cheney (1853–1878), physician and medical missionary^{[citation needed]}
• Alexandra Cooper (born 1994), podcaster and host of viral Barstool podcast "Call Her Daddy"^[25]
• Stephen Crane (1871–1900, class of 1887; never graduated), author of The Red Badge of Courage and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.^[26]
• David Curtiss (born 2002), competitive swimmer who set the national high school record in the 50-yard freestyle^[27]
• Sarah Jane Corson Downs (1822–1891), president, New Jersey Woman's Christian Temperance Union^[28]
• John Franklin Fort (1852–1920), 33rd Governor of New Jersey, who served from 1908 to 1911^[29]
• Dan Frankel (born 1956, class of 1974), politician who has been a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 23rd District^[30]
• Walter French (1899–1984), outfielder who played in the Major Leagues for the Philadelphia Athletics, from 1923 to 1929^[31]
• Stephen O. Garrison (1853–1900, class of 1872), Methodist minister and scholar who founded The Training School in Vineland, New Jersey^[32]
• L. Fred Gieg (1890–1977), football and basketball player and coach^[33]
• Benjamin Golub (class of 2003), economics professor who has taught at Harvard and Northwestern^[34][35]
• Louise Manning Hodgkins (1846–1935), 19th-century educator, author and missionary newspaper editor^[36]
• George Howell (1859–1913), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania^[37]
• Dontae Johnson (born 1991, class of 2010), cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL^[38]
• Robyn Jones (born 1985), professional soccer goalkeeper who played two years for the Philadelphia Independence of Women's Professional Soccer^[39]
• William Mastrosimone (born 1947, class of 1966), playwright^[40]
• Eddie Picken (1907–1994, class of 1927), early professional basketball player^[41]
• Loula Roberts Platt (1863–1934), suffragist^[42]
• Ralph Lane Polk (1849–1923), founder, publisher and president of R.L. Polk & Company^[43]
• James Fowler Rusling (valedictorian, Class of 1852) brigadier general in the American Civil War, author of "Men and Things I Saw in the Civil War Days", "Across America", and "European Days and Ways"^[44]
• Casey Ramirez (born 1989), soccer defender who played for the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League^[45]
• Myles Stephens (born 1997), basketball player for Kangoeroes Mechelen^[46]
• Stephen Tan (born 1961), executive director of Asia Financial Group and chairman of Bangkok Mercantile (Hong Kong) Company Ltd^[47]
• Robert Love Taylor (1850–1912), represented Tennessee's 1st district in the United States House of Representatives from 1879 to 1881, Governor of Tennessee from 1887 to 1891, and again from 1897 to 1899, and subsequently served as a United States Senator from 1907 until his death^[48]
• Ethan Vanacore-Decker (born 1994), professional soccer player for the Swope Park Rangers in the United Soccer League^[49]
• Kenneth Yen (1965–2018), Taiwanese businessman, former Chairman of Yulon^[50]

References

1. School data for The Pennington School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 1, 2023.
2. Head of School's Office, The Pennington School. Accessed January 22, 2024.
3. About Us, The Pennington School. Accessed October 26, 2022. "55-acre campus located in Pennington, NJ"
4. The Pennington School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
5. "News Detail - the Pennington School".
6. Scholarships and Financial Assistance, The Pennington School. Accessed January 22, 2024.
7. Stratton, Jean. "Core Values of Honor, Virtue, and Humility Continue to Guide The Pennington School", Town Topics. Accessed May 4, 2015. "'I think what attracts most families to private school education is the intimacy of our education,' notes William S. Hawkey, PhD who became headmaster in July."
8. The Pennington School Archived July 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, National Association of Independent Schools. Accessed June 19, 2011.
9. List of Member Schools, New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. Accessed August 13, 2017.
10. Listing of ADVIS member schools, Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools. Accessed June 19, 2011.
11. Pre-Collegiate Schools Archived August 1, 2012, at archive.today, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. Accessed June 19, 2011.
12. Pennington School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 11, 2022.
13. "The Pennington School", The Independent, July 20, 1914. Accessed August 23, 2012.
14. "Where educating all children is the goal; Learning differences are no barrier for Ed Cervone '55", Princeton Alumni Weekly, March 10, 1999. Accessed February 22, 2022. "Perceiving an unmet need, Cervone approached the headmaster of the Pennington School, an independent school in Pennington, New Jersey, and proposed establishing what would become in 1975 the Center for Learning, a highly regarded -- and often imitated -- program for students with learning differences, functioning within the school's college preparatory curriculum. Cervone served as director of Pennington's Center for Learning until he retired last June."
15. Parker, L.A. "Ciao, Carmen", The Trentonian, April 15, 2001, updated August 19, 2021. Accessed July 11, 2022. "Family members announced former Trenton Mayor Carmen Armenti, 72, had died at home following a long battle with cancer.... Armenti attended Junior High School No. 1 and Trenton Catholic Boys High School. He received a one-year postgraduate athletic scholarship for basketball, baseball and football to Pennington School."
16. Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Moulton. pp. 48–.
17. Nicole Baxter, William & Mary Tribe women's soccer. Accessed July 5, 2020. "Hometown: Pennington, N.J.; High School: Pennington"
18. Governor Benjamin Thomas Biggs , National Governors Association. Accessed November 8, 2017. "He was educated at Pennington Seminary in New Jersey, and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Delaware."
19. Staff. "Big players give Big Red a big advantage", The Trentonian, December 1, 2000. Accessed November 8, 2017. "Pennington School lost its own giant in 6-10 Grant Billmeier who transferred to St. Patrick of Elizabeth."
20. Donyéa, Tennyson. "Bon Jovi’s son will run away from N.J. He’s chosen an out-of-state college.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 4, 2020. Accessed April 13, 2023. "Jake Bongiovi, son of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jon Bon Jovi, has announced what college he plans to attend. The Pennington School senior revealed he’s chosen to attend Syracuse University this fall."
21. Rudy Bochwitz, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed May 14, 2007. "Boschwitz, Rudolph Eli (Rudy), a Senator from Minnesota; born in Berlin, Germany, November 7, 1930; attended the public schools in New Rochelle, N.Y., and The Pennington School in Pennington, N.J."
22. Hanlon, Thomas (1886). A Concise History of Pennington Seminary ... MacCrellish & Quigley.
23. Sherman, Steve. "Soccer: Pennington alum Amber Brooks keys U.S. Under-23 Women in Three-Nations Tournament", Bucks Local News, July 18, 2011. Accessed November 8, 2017. "Despite the fact that she played on the defensive side of the ball, Amber Brooks, a 2009 graduate of the Pennington School from New Hope and a midfielder for the UNC women's soccer team, scored the first goal in the tourney for the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team in a losing effort by the Americans June 17 in Borlange, Sweden."
24. General Register of the Members of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity, 1850–1910. Philadelphia: Phi Kappa Sigma. 1910. p. 249. Retrieved October 26, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
25. "Alexandra Cooper, Noah Syndergaard’s Girlfriend: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", Heavy.com. Accessed February 11, 2022. "While attending The Pennington School in New Jersey, she was a co-captain during her senior year. She led her team to four MCT Championships."
26. Stephen Crane profile, About.com. Accessed May 14, 2007. "Crane wrote his first short story, "Uncle Jake and the Bell Handle," in 1885, which was the year he enrolled in Pennington Seminary, where he stayed until 1887."
27. De George, Matthew (March 6, 2021). "David Curtiss Goes 19.11 in 50 Free, Fastest in High School History (VIDEO)". Swimming World. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
28. Minutes of the ... Session of the New Jersey Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Conference. 1892. pp. 53–54. Retrieved September 3, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
29. New Jersey John Franklin Fort, National Governors Association. Accessed November 8, 2017. "His education was attained at the Pennington Seminary, and then at the Albany Law School, where he earned an LL.B. degree in 1872."
30. Representative Dan Frankel, Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Accessed November 8, 2017. "The Pennington School, 1974"
31. Wagner, Lenny. Walt French, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed August 13, 2017. "Walter transferred from Moorestown High School after his junior year to Pennington Seminary (now Pennington School) in Pennington, New Jersey. Pennington began playing football in 1879, making its program one of the longest-running in the nation."
32. The Training School, Volume 5, p. 3. Accessed December 14, 2020. "Professor Stephen Olin Garrison was born in Millville, New Jersey, December 25, 1853. In 1872 he graduated from Pennington Seminary and in 1876 from the Wesleyan University."
33. Fred Gieg, Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Accessed October 14, 2018. "Fred Gieg was a schoolboy athletic star in Millville, Jersey. He was recruited to attend Pennington Seminary, a private school near Trenton, New Jersey where he attracted considerable attention for his success in sports."
34. "Class Notes" (PDF). Pennington Magazine. Spring 2012. p. 30.
35. "CS Welcomes New Faculty". Northwestern Engineering. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
36. Willard, Frances Elizabeth; and Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice. A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life, p. 382. Moulton, 1893. Accessed November 8, 2017. "Hodgkins, Miss Louise Manning and educator born in Ipswich, Mass., 5th August, 1846.... Her education was begun in the Ipswich Seminary under Mrs. Eunice P. Cowles continued in Pennington Seminary, N. J. and in Wilbraham, Amss., where she was graduated in 1870."
37. Howell, George, (1859 - 1913), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed September 13, 2018. "Howell, George, a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pa., June 28, 1859; attended the public schools, Pennington (N.J.) Seminary, Newton (Pa.) Collegiate Institute, and Lafayette College, Easton, Pa."
38. Branch, Eric. "Dontae Johnson steps up to next level admirably", San Francisco Chronicle, September 13, 2014. Accessed November 8, 2017. "Eure first saw Johnson’s potential at the Pennington School in Pennington, N.J., a private school for grades 6-12 located less than 10 miles from Princeton University. Johnson, who grew up about 40 miles away in South Plainfield, was a boarder at Pennington, which he attended because of its academic prowess."
39. Robyn Jones Archived November 9, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Franklin & Marshall College. Accessed November 8, 2017. "Hometown: Titusville, NJ; High School: Pennington"
40. Saltzman, Simon. "Playwrighting for a Cause", U.S. 1 Newspaper, October 8, 2003. Accessed May 14, 2007. "A native of the Trenton area, Mastrosimone says he caught the writing bug when he was a student at Pennington Prep."
41. "Eddie Picken to Follow in Brother's Footsteps". Courier-Post. August 30, 1927. p. 18. Retrieved August 28, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
42. Wilson, Linda. D. "Biographical Sketch of Lulu Roberts Platt", Alexander Street. Accessed September 9, 2024. "Her education included attendance at the Asheville Female College, the Pennington Seminary (a preparatory school in New Jersey), and a special course at Cornell University."
43. Blanchard, Richard. "A Conversation with Stephen Polk", Corp! magazine, June 2, 2011. Accessed November 8, 2017. "Ralph Lane Polk (The Founder, as Stephen refers to him) had been a musician in the Civil War. Even though he had been born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, he went to school at the Pennington seminary, then a Methodist college preparatory school in New Jersey, and enlisted with a New Jersey regiment on Valentine’s Day in 1865."
44. Lee, Francis Bazley. . Accessed June 30, 2008.
45. O'Gorman, Joe. "Pennington's Sabatura Starring at Villanova, The Trentonian, October 5, 2009. Accessed November 8, 2017. "Casey Ramirez (Pennington) has started all nine games in the midfield for Syracuse."
46. Carino, Jerry. "A win, and some reflection by Princeton Renaissance man Myles Stephens", Courier News, February 19, 2019. Accessed May 7, 2022. "Myles Stephens, Princeton’s senior guard, said after posting 17 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Stephens, a Lawrenceville, N.J. native, went to The Pennington School before transferring to St. Andrew’s School in Delaware."
47. "Pennington School elects two alumni to Board of Trustees", Bucks Local News, October 27, 2011. Accessed April 14, 2021. "The Pennington School has announced the election of two new members to its Board of Trustees: benefits expert Jordan Gray of Pennington, and financial executive Stephen Tan of Hong Kong, China. Both men are graduates of The Pennington School, Gray in 1991 and Tan in 1973."
48. Governor Robert Love Taylor, National Governors Association. Accessed November 9, 2017. "School(s): Buffalo Institute (Milligan College); East Tennessee Wesleyan University; Pennington Seminary"
49. Russo, John. "College Notebook: Former Ocean City soccer star records another shutout", The Press of Atlantic City, October 20, 2014. Accessed September 13, 2018. "Ethan Vanacore-Decker, a Manahawkin resident and graduate of the Pennington School in Mercer County, scored the only goal for Connecticut in a 1-0 win over Central Florida on Saturday."
50. "Core Values of Honor, Virtue, and Humility Continue to Guide The Pennington School". Town Topics. October 8, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.

External links

• The Pennington School website
• History of The Pennington School
• Data for The Pennington School, National Center for Education Statistics
• The Association of Boarding Schools profile