To officially welcome the roughly thirty new international families to Pennington, the Office of Advancement held a New International Family Reception on Thursday, August 28, in Yen’s Wesley Forum. For over a decade, students from all over the globe have officially started their Pennington journey with this event, meeting key members of the School community including their classmates and peers.

Robert E. Martini Associate Head of School Chad Bridges opened with warm remarks of welcome before introducing the faculty and staff panel. Joining Bridges on stage were Head of School William S. Hawkey, PhD; Dean of College Counseling Adam Materasso; Director of Admission Sharon Jarboe, Director of International Student Services Judi Rossi; Coordinator of the English Language Lab and Teacher of Mandarin Zuyi Wang; Upper School Dean of Students Samantha Stern-Leaphart; Head of Upper School Scott Peeler; Director of Counseling Susie Paige; and Assistant Director of Residential Life Peter Secrest. 

Emphasis was given to the extensive support system in place at Pennington, especially for international students learning to navigate a new school and culture for the first time. Ultimately though, as Bridges advised the incoming students, “The best way to get acclimated and adjusted to your new school is to get involved.” For parents, he had this guidance: “Enjoy every moment and know that you have an outstanding team who is here to support you and your child.”

Representatives from Parents for Pennington (PfP) were also on hand to greet the many new faces and raffle off a Pennington “swag bag” with fun merchandise from the School store. Refreshments and ice breakers designed to foster connection between students and parents ensured the room was soon full of lively conversation. Among the countries represented in this new group of students are China, Japan, Bermuda, Canada, Taiwan, Canada, and the Czech Republic.