Pingree Boys' Varsity Track team wins 2017 EIL Championship.

The Highlanders of the Pingree Boys' Varsity Track team came out on top with 155 points at the EIL Track and Field Championships at Marianapolis Prep this past weekend. This is the program's first title in five years. The team has been breaking school records left and right this season, with a highly talented roster of hard-working athletes.

Junior standout Ricky Arias has broken a number of records this season, with top times and scores in the High Jump (5'11), 100m (11.1), 200m (22.2), and 400m (53.1). He was victorious in both the 100m (11.44) and 200m (22.95) and teamed up with Zeke Ebieshuwa '17, Ryan Giunta '17, and Jackson Latimer '17 to win the 4x100 relay (44.68) at Saturday's EIL Championships. Arias, Guinta, Latimer, and Carl Williams '19 placed second in the 4x400 (3:35.83), setting a new Pingree record in the process. Williams also won the High Jump (5-8) and Giunta won the Triple Jump (39-6.5). Another winner from the day was John Fay '17, who secured the top score in the Long Jump (19-5).

For a full list of records and scores, visit the Pingree Track Website.

Congratulations to the entire Varsity Boys Track team!

Sisters Lauren and Sloan Strickler accepted to Newburyport YWCA Board of Directors Student Seat.

Congratulations to sophomores Lauren and Sloan Strickler, who have been accepted to the Newburyport YWCA Board of Directors Student Seat.

Founded in 1858, the YWCA "is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, and dignity for all."

In order to earn the student seat on the board, the Stricklers went through an application process that entailed submitting their resumes and interviewing with Executive Director John Feehan. Prior to this, Lauren and Sloan also volunteered with the Racial Justice Committee of Newburyport, an extension of the YWCA, to help organize an event in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr.

It was primarily Lauren's interest in empowering women and, more specifically, the YWCA's commitment to providing safe and affordable housing to women who need it, that inspired her to get more involved with the YWCA.

"One of the biggest focus points that I was drawn to was the 'empowering women' goal that they have," Lauren shares. "I think that it is so important that women have a strong voice in our community and that they are able to lead successful lives by having a safe place to live."

As a member of the board, Lauren also looks forward to educating others on the effects of racism, equipping the community with tools and strategies for advocacy and advancement.

Echoing her sister's sentiments, Sloan is excited by this opportunity to support the YWCA's commitment to empowering women and assisting those faced with poverty.

"I think that one of the biggest concerns in our community that we as a group need to focus on is giving," Sloan says. "This concept of helping others is important not only to me, but to all the people that are affected by poverty. Having the ability to have a say in what goes on in our community is a significant reason why I wanted to get involved with the YWCA."

We look forward to hearing more about Lauren and Sloan's work going forward!

Pingree inducts nine seniors and four juniors to Cum Laude Society.

Community members gathered in the theater on Thursday, May 4, to induct nine seniors and four juniors to the school's Cum Laude Society. Pingree alum Meredith O'Hare '09 spoke at the event, sharing her experiences teaching abroad in Jordan and reflecting on the things she learned from Pingree teachers. "Stand up, declare what you love, and do it unabashedly," she encouraged students." And, "effort only counts if you learn from your mistakes."

Emily Whalen '17, Alexis '17 performed "Who Will Love Me As I Am," by Henry Krieger and Bill Russel and Sarah Netland '17 sang Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Pingree's Cum Laude chapter. The Cum Laude Society honors Pingree students for academic excellence. The students must also demonstrate good character, honor, and integrity in all aspects of school life. The national chapter dictates the admission criteria based on class rank: the top ten percent of juniors and top twenty percent of seniors are eligible for induction.

Congratulations to this year's inductees!

Spring 2017 Senior Inductees
Meg Foye
Olivia Gracey
Anna Kaneb
Nina Lubeck
Ilana Mack
Drew Murdoch
Bailey Regan
Robby Shepard
Maria Terranova

Spring 2017 Junior Inductees
Drew Kushnir
Katelyn Masse
Lydia McGinn
Abhi Sambangi

Pingree Robotics competes in third straight Vex Robotics World Championship.

From Coach David Medvitz:

Pranav Abbott '20, Peter Kelly '17, and Pranav Veluri '19 traveled with coaches Alec Burt and Dave Medvitz to Louisville, KY, to participate in the Vex Robotics World Championship on April 19-22. Over 16,000 high school robots worldwide began the season, and only 564 earned a berth at Worlds. 10,000 participants showed up, and 30 countries and every US state were represented.

This is the third year in a row that Pingree has sent a robot to Worlds, and it was our best performance ever. The robots were divided into 6 divisions of 94 robots, and each participating robot played 10 matches during the initial round robin. Pingree finished a respectable 5-5, and the robot and drive team performed very well throughout the tournament.

In addition to match play, other highlights included meeting interesting teams from around the world. A group from Bahrain entertained everyone in our pit area with tea, snacks, perfume, traditional dress, and drumming. We sampled a wide variety of local food, and saw an amazing fireworks display Saturday night celebrating Thunder Over Louisville, an annual air show hosted by the city.

We competed well, learned a lot, and had some fun. We are looking forward to our 4th trip to Louisville next year.