The Pennington School

Corinne Coakley ’21 was recently accepted to the ACLU National Advocacy Institute. This year, the high school institute will run virtually from July 19 to 23, and will bring together students from across the country who are interested in social justice advocacy.

Susie (Dailan) Xu ’23 recently published a poem on Teen Ink, a website and magazine of teens’ art and writing. “Listen to Me, My Child” is a free-verse letter to Xu’s younger self. 

Congratulations to Minghao "Anna" Zhang ’22, who recently participated in the Mercer Science and Engineering Fair. Zhang won second place in the general engineering division for her project, “Neural Networks in Glucose Prediction.”

Susie Xu ’23 and Jonathan Eaton ’22 are collaborating on a new podcast, The History Podcast of the Pre-Columbian World‬. In each episode, Xu and Eaton discuss a different ancient culture from all over the globe. Season one focuses on pre-columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, ranging from the Mayans to the Olmecs to the Toltecs. 

The bespectacled members of the Pennington community can attest to the fact that fogging up your glasses while wearing a mask makes life rather tiresome. Max Grigg '23 and his father have invented a mask that solves this problem. "It started as a way to just help my mom and dad get rid of their super fogged-up glasses," said Grigg. 

Vicky Zhu '22 recently published a paper, "Medicalization of Birth in the United States Through the Lens of The Handmaid's Tale." The article appeared in the Journal of Student Research, which publishes papers written by high school, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral student authors.

"I enjoy discovering parallels between literature and the real world because I always consider literature as a mirror through which humans see their reflections," said Zhu.

Tiia McKinney '21 contributed several entries to a recently published anthology, Black Girl, White School: Thriving, Surviving and No, You Can't Touch My Hair. Edited by Olivia Clarke, the book was a #1 Amazon New Release and an Amazon bestseller in seven categories. Common Sense Media gave the book a five-star review and said, "This remarkable book is a balm for its intended niche audience...and potentially a tool for creating empathy in other readers."

If you've seen some particularly fancy sneakers walking around campus, it's more than likely that Caleb Hibbert '23 is behind it. Hibbert runs Laceit Customs, a sneaker customizing company. What started as a fun side project became a full-blown business, and this young entrepreneur made it his mission to help others express their individuality through their footwear. 

Trinity Pryor '21 was recognized by The Union League Legacy Foundation on October 6, 2020, when the organization held its 74th annual Good Citizen Day. The Legacy Foundation honored and recognized 300 young men and women as "good citizens." These students were nominated from over 50 youth-serving organizations throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.