Tuesday, Aug. 13th marked the 64th opening day of The Benjamin School. On the Upper School campus, 501 students marked the occasion with assemblies, locker visits, and friendly reunions. One could sense the many emotions circulating through the student body as summer came to an end and life returned to Grandiflora. 

New Faculty

This year, the Upper School welcomes ten new faculty members to campus.  Three new faculty members have joined the social studies department; Mr. Anthony Stival is teaching various AP level history courses; Ms. Shweta Naik is leading sections of psychology and world history; Mr. Boray is presiding over AP Government and AP World History. QUOTES

Meanwhile in the fine arts, the visual arts department welcomes Ms. Keren Kroul and the performing arts group embraces Mr. Ian Henderson as the school’s newest music director. In the math department, Ms. MaryAnne Hejna will teach geometry, algebra II with data, and pre-calculus. The world language department says bienvenidos to Sra. Ines Obando. Finally, in a few days Mr. Abigail Milce will be joining the science department as our newest chemistry teacher.

On the administrative side of campus, the college counseling office’s newest admit, Mr. Dave Morrin assumes the role of associate director of college counseling. “It’s been exciting to join such a welcoming community. The students I’ve met are well-prepared for college, leaving me inspired and ready to be a resource for them moving forward,” said Mr. Morrin. Lastly, Mr. Andrew Curtis joins the School in the role of Upper School Academic Dean.  

In regards to the new additions, Upper School Head Mr. Fletcher Carr exclaims, “We have added some wonderful new educators to the Upper School faculty. They bring energy, skill, and a strong sense of commitment to education. In addition, they bring a wide range of experience to the faculty that will only enhance the breadth and depth of our programs.”

New Courses 

The new year marks the start of two new course “levels” at the Upper School. In the math department, students now have the option to enroll in AP Precalculus in addition to the regular course; the AP-level class replaces Honors Precalculus. The course, unrolled by the College Board last fall, provides students the opportunity to earn college credit or placement depending on the results of a spring AP exam. 

“The AP course will be a little more challenging than the honors was last year, but I’m confident that our students will do well and rise to the occasion. Our hope is that the students do well on the exam, I attended a conference this summer and Mr. Curivan, who is also teaching the course, will be attending one soon so we’ll just see how it goes,” Mr. Ruggie explained. 

Meanwhile, in the Social Studies department, a general psychology course offers students a background in the study of human behavior from a different perspective–and at a different pace– than that of the existing AP Psychology course. Both psychology courses are being overseen by new social studies teacher Ms. Shweta Naik.

New Cameras

To better ensure student safety, over 70 new cameras were installed around campus this summer. While the school may not be that large or seemingly dangerous, the school feels that it is better to be safe than sorry. The new cameras will help prevent mix-ups with personal items, dishonesty about on-campus incidents, and help to minimize possible dangers brought about by unknown or unwelcome visitors. The new technology should promote good citizenship and contribute to the positive school environment we all enjoy. 

“I just think that its very important to use technology to your advantage to make sure that you are providing the safest place for students as you possibly can,” explains Upper School Student Dean Mr. Kevin Jacobsen.

New Lunch Options 

Come lunchtime, students will find a mix of old and new as a refreshed meal schedule rolls out. While Jersey Mike’s and CR Chicks continue to provide lunches for Monday and Tuesday, D’Angelo’s Italian–pizza, salads, and subs–has shifted to Wednesdays, with Bolay joining as Friday’s featured food. 

Known for its fresh and diverse offerings, Bolay’s options include teriyaki chicken with sweet potato asian noodles and broccoli, lemon chicken with jasmine rice and broccoli, and almond-crusted chicken tenders with rice and broccoli, and a vegetarian bowl of rice, broccoli, and potatoes. 

“I think that Bolay is a great option for ordering lunch. It’s a place I go to out of school a lot and so I’m very happy that I can now have it at school too,” shared junior Luc Borzillieri. 

Chick-Fil-A (with grilled nuggets joining its offerings) will remain a favorite on Thursdays and the Field of Greens vending machine continues to be an option for all days of the week. 

New Leaders for Clubs and Activities 

Clubs and organizations around campus are gearing up for the August 22nd Activity Fair, with many of those groups now under the leadership of some new faces. The 2024-2025 Student Council is overseen by President and Senior Vanessa Zito, Vice President and Senior Scott Noble, Secretary and Junior Kenna Kujawa, Treasurer and Junior Liam Duffy, and Historian and Junior Izzy Casey. Ready to lead returning members and induct some new ones, Senior Mikayla Scotto dons the regalia–robe and stole– as president of the National Honor Society. The new president of the Honor Council is Senior Brianna Cousin. Senior Rebecca Merkel is the new president of the Benjamin Drama Company.  Meanwhile, With the absence of a senior staff member, the role of editor for The Pharcyde is being shared among four Juniors: Caroline Groffman, Haley Roth, Reid Waxman, and Chase Zur. 

Senior Leadership Workshop 

On Friday, Aug. 8, 20 members of the senior class gathered for a leadership workshop. Dean of Students Mr. Jacobsen and Social Studies Department Chair Mrs. Misselhorn worked together to teach the seniors about community. 

“The purpose of our time was to knock off the rust of being in a school environment of a senior class, to have them understand what being a leader is, and accept their role as a leadership group within the school and the class. We focused on team building and the goal was to get the seniors to work together for a common goal,” Jacobsen explained. 

Many students thought the workshop was a success, and Ford Cash used it as a learning experience not only for school, but on the soccer and lacrosse field. 

“It was very fun, we created a product and learned how to sell it. I had fun and we learned how to play a position and have a role in a group. We got to see who took the leader role and we also saw who just listened. It helped me familiarize faces with people going into senior year and knocked off all the rust and be a leader for my final year at school,” Cash stated with confidence. 

With the activity fair scheduled for next week, the Upper School is anxious to see how the Class of 2025 implements the strategies they learned during the workshop. 

New Assistant Head of School

She’s finally moving up! After a decade as Head of Lower School, Dr. Kristen Sheehan is now the Assistant Head of School. Dr. Sheehan will be on the Upper School campus every Monday. Wednesday, and Thursday. She will be helping with school logistics as well as other administrative tasks. A graduate of Miami’s Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Dr. Sheehan previously worked as a teacher and administrator in Georgia and various schools in the Palm Beach school district. 

 New Academic Dean

Among the other 125 new faces on campus, Mr. Andrew Curtis took his place as the new Dean of Academics this week. Mr. Curtis oversees department chairs, works closely with students in the high school to ensure and encourage their academic success, and collaborates with other deans on the curriculum. He can already feel the school’s welcoming spirit. “The part of this new chapter in my life is being able to continue teaching,” says Curtis. “I’ve really enjoyed my American English class this past week.” Students and teachers alike hold high hopes for TBS’s new addition.

Not A Lot of Parking

With an opening day enrollment of 501 in the Upper School, space in the parking lot has become prime real estate. With 240 available student parking spots, and 251 enrolled seniors and juniors, the question is not how close can one park, but if one can park at all. 

As the administration continues to brainstorm creative approaches to the situation, sophomores are currently unable to receive a parking decal. “I’m taking it day by day, but once we get the estimate of how many people park every day, we will look at the sophomore class and see who has the longest commute, who brings other students, and will see if they can park,” says Mr. Jacobson.

“I am sad I can not drive this school year because I have been excited to drive for so long,” says Sophomore Cacki Pearsall.

As always, upperclassmen drivers must pre-register their automobiles to be allowed to drive to school and park in the parking lots. 

Whether you are new to the Upper School or celebrating your thirty-first year as part of our community (Congratulations, Mrs. Ditaranto!), the staff of The Pharcyde/The Pharcyte wishes you an awesome school year. Go Bucs!