Peck Celebrates 20 and 35 Years of Extraordinary Service

At Peck’s 2026 Welcome Back Dinner—held during the first week of school—three long-tenured members of the community were honored for their decades of service to Peck.

Celebrating 20 Years: Wanda Fiorini and Jen Garvey

Wanda Fiorini and Jen Garvey were recognized for 20 years of service, receiving engraved wooden chairs to commemorate their impact on the school community.

For two decades, Fiorini has been a warm and reassuring presence at the center of Peck’s Admissions Office. As Head of School Andy Delinsky noted during the celebration, virtually every family in the room had likely interacted with Wanda from the very beginning of their relationship with the school—from families who have been part of the community for years to those just beginning their Peck journey.

Fiorini has guided the Admissions Office through numerous transitions, bringing an extraordinary command of its details and history while making each family feel seen, cared for, and at home. She also helped create Peck’s Saturday admissions events, which have become an important and welcoming part of the kindergarten admissions process.

For Garvey, 20 years at Peck reflect a career defined by a willingness to keep learning, evolving, and asking what students need next. She began at Peck as a third-grade homeroom teacher, creating memorable experiences such as Third Grade Project Runway, before moving into technology integration in 2013. Today, she serves as Peck’s Lower School Technology, Innovation, and Design Integrator.

Garvey has helped make new technology approachable for students and adults alike, supporting design thinking, robotics, Exploravision, the ID Lab, faculty professional development, and Peck’s ongoing work with artificial intelligence. Her leadership has extended well beyond technology, including service on the Service Learning Task Force and AI Task Force, as well as a key role in guiding remote learning during the pandemic.

She also shares her expertise beyond Peck, helping lead the NJAIS technology community, organizing the Summer Innovation Summit, and sharing her knowledge with educators nationally.

Celebrating 35 Years: A New Tradition
 

This year’s Welcome Back Dinner also marked a first for Peck: the recognition of a faculty member for 35 years of service. Mark Mortensen, Peck’s longest-serving current faculty member, became the inaugural recipient of this new milestone honor.

A master woodworker, educator, colleague, and friend, Mortensen was a fitting first honoree.

For over three decades, Mortensen has brought his whole heart and an unwavering commitment to excellence to Peck. His workshop is a space students eagerly anticipate entering each week, where he inspires them to approach their work with the same dedication, precision, and creativity he models every day.

His impact extends well beyond the woodshop. Mortensen has quietly contributed to countless aspects of school life, from updating award plaques in the dining room and crafting theatrical sets to designing custom solutions for classrooms and hosting holiday woodworking events for staff. Through it all, he has been a steady source of thoughtful advice, problem-solving, and mentorship.

After 35 years, Mortensen’s legacy can be seen not only in the many objects he has crafted, but in the generations of students and colleagues he has influenced through his steady presence, craftsmanship, and commitment to the Peck community.

As Peck begins this new tradition of recognizing 35 years of service, it is fitting that Mortensen is the first to receive the honor—a true culture holder whose dedication embodies so much of what makes the Peck community special.