Coming Full Circle: My Enduring Connection to Peck

At my daughter’s kindergarten performance last spring, I noticed a group of eighth-graders standing at the back of the room, watching the younger kids sing on stage. They’d already finished school for the year. No one had asked them to be there. They’d just come to support the little ones.

What struck me wasn’t only that they showed up—it was what showing up meant to them. At a lot of schools, a fourteen-year-old and a five-year-old occupy separate worlds. At Peck, those older kids wanted to be role models, and you could see they took it seriously. The friendship runs both directions. That’s the kind of culture Peck creates—and it’s not something you can manufacture.

I’ve been seeing a lot of Peck lately through a different lens—as an alum, and now as a parent. When I was a student, I experienced it the way every kid does: through my friends, my classes, my teams. I can still picture walking down to the fields on game days, dodgeball in the old carpeted gym, cross country races in Loantaka Park, riding to school with my sisters while my dad quizzed us, Van Morrison on the radio. I remember the teachers, too—the excitement Mrs. Wang brought to her classroom, the care Mr. Mortensen put into his students, down to the surfboard I built in his shop. What I couldn’t see then, and see clearly now, is how deliberately Peck was building character, curiosity, and community the whole time.

Driving my own daughter to school each morning brings back those car rides. She’s learning from some of the same teachers I had—faculty who’ve now spent decades here, teaching a second generation. That kind of continuity is rare, and it says more about Peck than any list of values could.

This spring I had the privilege of returning to Peck in a new role: coach. When Scott Dobbs presented the opportunity to coach boys lacrosse, I said yes almost immediately, and I’m so glad I did. Athletics at Peck taught me so much. Many of the lessons I still carry today—about sportsmanship, effort, teamwork, and character—were shaped by coaches like Don Diebold, Laura Caruso, and Sue Sweeney. 

The campus has changed, and the facilities are stronger than ever. But the heart of the place hasn’t moved. Getting to watch my children start their own Peck story is the part I never expected to feel this strongly about.

As both an alum and a parent, I feel incredibly grateful to be part of this community still. Peck gave me lifelong friendships, taught me invaluable lessons, and provided a foundation that continues to shape my life today. Now, getting to watch my children begin their own journey here feels like a true full-circle moment.