Grades 6-12; Boarding 8-12

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Jerome Russo, Teacher of Spanish, Class Dean, Class of 2024, Administrator on Duty, Scheduler

Although Mr. Jerry Russo is one of our most tenured teachers, currently serving in his 36th year at Pennington, he maintains that working with Pennington students daily, as a Spanish teacher and in many other capacities, helps to keep him young.

Mr. Russo joined Pennington after having completed a Bachelor of Science in psychology at Swarthmore College. It was during his undergrad program that he first traveled to Spain, spending a semester in Madrid. Within his first 10 years at Pennington, Mr. Russo would then go on to complete an MEd in Curriculum Instruction and Supervision in order to work at a summer program in Salamanca, Spain through the TASIS school system, and to chaperone an environmental science trip to Puerto Rico.

Even as a young teacher, Mr. Russo took on leadership roles. He quickly put to use his knowledge gained from the master’s program as one of the first members of Faculty Mentoring, a program which Mr. Russo led for several years. He worked with young and experienced teachers alike, helping them to work more efficiently, implement new curriculum, and support them in their interactions with students and parents. Mr. Russo also became an instant member of the coaching staff, coaching Middle School football, JV soccer, Middle School basketball, and Varsity baseball, where he served for 12 years as head coach.

As a member of Pennington’s residential life community, where he lives on campus with wife Sue and daughter Julia, Mr. Russo has been an AOD (Administrator on Duty) since 2011. In this role, he and the five other AODs are responsible for a weekday and weekend duty crew. It’s on the weekends where Mr. Russo and his crew can have the most fun, as it is each crew’s charge to look after the boarding students and lead them in activities, including during off campus trips. “Weekend Duty gives us all a chance to get to know students who aren’t in the classes we teach.” 

For many years, Mr. Russo has also been a part of student class leadership. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Mr. Russo was a grade advisor, then a grade leader. And since 2011 he has served as Class Dean. In this role, Mr. Russo has helped many classes raise a significant amount of money, which has in turn been used to fund proms, class gifts, and various charitable causes. If you have ever been to a football game in the fall, you have probably seen Mr. Russo at the grill. Mr. Russo has enjoyed seeing the students grow and mature over the course of their Upper School career, and he finds it rewarding to see how members of the student government generate ideas and then implement those ideas through action.

Apart from his teaching responsibilities, yet another important task that Mr. Russo has is that of Scheduler. Working closely with Dean of Academics Scott Peeler in the summer and also during the school year, Mr. Russo engages in the monumental “chess game” that is our academic schedule. He works hard to make sure that as many students as possible get the classes that they want to take while balancing class sizes and teaching loads. “I really like solving puzzles, so this kind of work really appeals to me. There are so many moving parts, so we have to juggle a lot of things to make the schedule work, and I really enjoy finding solutions.” Mr. Russo says that getting to know each department's course offerings has given him a renewed appreciation for all the interesting opportunities that our students here have. 

When asked what has changed the most in the way he teaches his classes—currently Spanish III Honors and Spanish V—Mr. Russo points to technology. “Without a doubt, the laptop and the internet are tools that offer so many more opportunities to learn. In the olden days, we could only listen to audios in the classroom using a tape player. Today, kids can practice by listening to audios and watching videos at any moment.” While Mr. Russo does worry that kids often spend too much time online, he likens it to TV back in the 1970s. “They said we were watching too much TV, but I think we turned out pretty well!” 

While Mr. Russo thoroughly enjoys his many side responsibilities, there is one activity to which he is especially partial: “The best part of any workday is spending time with students. Although I may be more of a father or even a grandpa figure to my students, being around them all day helps to keep me young. I love hearing about their lives, staying current with all the new slang, and I’m energized by them because of all the interesting things they’re doing.” In particular, Mr. Russo finds impressive the work that students have done promoting social justice and a sustainable use of the environment. 

This excitement has carried over into the relationships that Mr. Russo has with many of Pennington’s alumni. An active participant in alumni events, Mr. Russo always looks forward to reconnecting with his former students. “Reminiscing is always a part of the fun, but I’m amazed to see how our students become wonderful moms and dads and such great contributors to society.” 

When Mr. Russo thinks back on his three and a half decades at Pennington, he has a great deal of appreciation for the mentorship he received from Pennington leaders and teachers. Not only does he care for his current colleagues who’ve been with him for much of his time here, he also recalls how the many veteran teachers accepted him into the Pennington family when he first joined the ranks of faculty. “From the very beginning, I remember how long-time teachers such as Mr. Winkler, Mr. Burns, Mr. Bretzger, and Mr. Liwosz made me feel that I belonged, that I had value to add to the School, even if I didn’t initially realize this myself.” Mr. Russo also thinks fondly of past administrators who inspired him, such as Ms. Cook and Mr. Rigg. 

Because of these warm, positive experiences, Mr. Russo strives to encourage and support teachers new to Pennington. “I try in my interactions with new faculty to make them feel as supported in their efforts here as I first did. If I can pay this support forward, then I’ll be honoring those who were there for me as a young teacher all those years ago.”