Fall/Winter 2010 - Pingry School

A Letter from the Headmaster
Instead, with this issue of our magazine, we take
a look at what Pingry is doing to promote sustainability
as we define it. And, as we have articulated
in our strategic plan, sustainability means ensuring
that future generations of Pingry students have at
least the opportunities presented to students today.
In a world of steadily increasing expectations, an
ongoing knowledge explosion, and rapidly growing
understanding of how people learn, this means
that we need to pay attention to every conceivable
resource as we look to the future of our school.
Dear Members of the
Pingry Community,
There is always a danger in using terms without
defining them, especially when the terms
in question are open to interpretation and are
the sources of controversy. Such is the case with
sustainability. The concept of sustainability, in
its most macro application, considers the future
ability of our planet to sustain the human population
that calls it home. Throw that conversation-starter
out there at a gathering sometime
if you want to see just how divergent people’s
views on a topic can be! As important a question
as the carrying capacity of the Earth is, and as
vital as it is to have Pingry graduates equipped
with the analytical, intellectual, and leadership
skills to address that question and its derivatives,
it is not our intent to ignite that debate with this
issue of the Review.
The Pingry Honor Code and the school’s mission
both compel us to be the best possible stewards
of our resources, for the sake of generations past,
present, and future. Whether it is our constant
efforts to conserve energy (leading to significant
cost and carbon savings), our stewardship of the
endowment, or our ongoing management of our
facilities to address and ultimately eliminate
deferred maintenance, our sustainability endeavors
are designed to ensure that Pingry remains at least
the institution tomorrow that it is today.
Implicit in our efforts is the recognition and
appreciation of the contributions made by previous
generations of Pingry alumni, parents, faculty, and
friends. As we all know, but may not often reflect
on consciously, the campuses and facilities—
classrooms, theaters, laboratories, gymnasiums,
and fields—that our students and faculty thrive
in today are the legacies of generous parents,
alumni, and friends of prior years. We benefit
today from their foresight. And the facilities of
the future, enjoyed perhaps by our children’s
children, will be our legacy.
I hope you enjoy this issue of The Pingry Review,
I invite you to visit us in person and on the web,
and I welcome your thoughts and questions. As
always, thank you for your commitment to Pingry.
Sincerely,
Nathaniel E. Conard P ’09, ’11
3
fall/winter 2010