In ceremonies also marking the beginning of its 177th academic year, The Pennington School formally installed Dr. William S. Hawkey as its 23rd headmaster.
Dr. Hawkey, who joined the Pennington faculty in 1982 and most recently had held the position of associate head of school and dean of faculty, assumed his current duties July 1.
The event was held under a tent on the school’s O’Hanlon Green, beginning with an academic procession of administration, faculty and trustees. After an invocation by Chaplain Aaron Twitchell, senior Stephanie P. Tabas, of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, gave an a capella rendering of the national anthem.
Peter J. Tucci, of New Hope, Pennsylvania, a member of the Class of 1979 and chairman of the board of trustees, welcomed the assembled guests.
A native of Pennington, Dr. Hawkey is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and human development. He went on to study at Temple University, receiving master’s degrees in counseling psychology and school psychology before completing his doctorate there.
During his tenure at Pennington, in addition to teaching, he has filled many roles, including those of assistant headmaster, head of Upper School, director of counseling and head coach of the school’s championship girls soccer team.
He and his wife, Karen, live in Pennington and have two sons, William and Steven, both Pennington graduates, and a daughter, Ellie, who is a seventh-grader at the school.
Dr. Hawkey’s address focused on “The Pennington Experience,” which he defined by three characteristics: community and how the school enjoys a culture of generosity and real caring about one another; collaboration, embodied by a faculty that is unrivaled in its commitment to individual excellence; and respect, which is a central value for everyone on the campus and underpins the motto of “honor, virtue, and humility.”
He recalled joining the faculty 32 years ago and soon telling the then-headmaster that his dream was someday to be the headmaster himself.
He concluded by reminding the students, “Work hard. Dream big. And your dreams will come true, too.”
Others bringing greetings were the Rev. David C. Mertz, second vice chairman of the board and representing the Greater New Jersey Conference of the United Methodist Church; Diane P. Monteleone, representing the faculty; Gregory Oldsey, of Basking Ridge, chairman of the Senior Class Committee; T. Sandberg Durst, a member of the Class of 1990 and former president of the Alumni Association; Jane Celentano, co-president of The Pennington School Parents Association; eighth-grader Katherine Reim, of Skillman, representing the Middle School; and Headmaster Emeritus Lyle D. Rigg.

