Grades 6-12; Boarding 8-12

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Peter Secrest '13, Teacher of Latin and Grade 9 English

Who teaches three levels of Latin in the Middle and Upper Schools as well as Grade 9 English? Who is a dorm parent, serves as the costume director for the Fall Play, and as the advisor to the Middle School Play, and then says that he’s up for a challenge — so he starts a master’s degree program? 

And who, after all of this, then feels that he still isn’t doing enough, so he takes on a new role of assistant director of residential life?

That would be our very own Peter Secrest '13, a true “home-grown” product. Peter first joined The Pennington School as a sixth-grader and was a “lifer,” graduating in 2013. He then majored in classical studies and drama at Tufts University, joining the Pennington teaching faculty soon after finishing his degree.

“I knew as a senior at Pennington that I wanted to be a teacher,” says Peter. “After working as the Middle School director for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I enjoyed it all so I much that knew that I had to work with young people.”

There are also a few other reasons, or other people, who figured prominently in Peter’s decision to go into teaching: Lisa Houston, who directed many of the shows that Peter had been involved with; and Wendy Morris, one of Peter’s former Latin teachers. Because he had so many positive experiences as a student, Peter feels that his institutional memory helped him to feel welcome and experienced as a first-year teacher when he joined the School in 2017.

When asked what it is about Residential Life that appealed to Peter so much that he wanted to play a bigger role, he pointed to the idea of how being in a community where you live, work, and learn is really special. 

“We really are a multinational, diverse group of people, students, teachers, and families, who support each other. We’re able to learn so much about each other and about ourselves." 

Peter sees his role and that of other dorm parents as skill-builders. To this end, he has continued to develop a boarding community curriculum that includes activity-based Sunday night Residential Life meetings with all boarders as well as the monthly formal dinners on Monday nights.

Peter’s Pennington experience has also been a true family affair. Not only does Peter feel that he’s formed close relationships with his colleagues, but he also has relatives with ties to the School.

His brother, Tim '14, is also a Pennington alumnus. While visiting his former teachers just last year, Tim, who currently works as a theater lighting designer in California, stopped in at the School’s technical theater shop and promptly built a sturdy wooden table for his former teachers’ outdoor fire pit! 

Elizabeth Secrest, Peter’s mother, has been working for several years for Sodexo, the School’s dining services provider, as the front-of-house and catering supervisor. Faculty and students greatly appreciate Elizabeth’s incredible baking skills!

“I am happy to see my mother every day, and I think it’s nice for the students to see my mom and me interact. I gave her a big shout-out on her birthday at formal dinner, and the students loved it!”

Peter recently completed his master’s degree, an M.Ed. in education, culture, and society from Rutgers University, but he says he doesn’t see a huge difference in his schedule. “I like to keep busy, and finding something to do on this campus is really easy!”