Matan Arginteanu ’16

Coming from Cresskill, Matan Arginteanu ’16 started attending D-E in the ninth grade, and his brother Toren ’15 graduated from D-E a year before him. Currently, his sister Liat ’21 attends D-E as an eighth grader. Matan will be attending University of Pennsylvania this year.

After taking AP Chemistry with Dr. Pagnotta, the subject became one of my favorites. Dr. Pagnotta taught the course so well because of his encyclopedic knowledge of organic, or any type, of Chemistry. He also genuinely cared whether his students internalized his lessons. Doc’s pop culture references to old TV shows ranging from Mister Ed to Happy Days were an added bonus. Mrs. Devito honed our skills as historians in AP European History. She taught us incredibly valuable analytical and critical thinking skills, which will no doubt form the foundation of my studies in college. Mr. Roth’s Multivariable Calculus course was extremely difficult and rewarding. He was able to explain convoluted topics such as spherical coordinates or Stokes’ Theorem in a way we all could understand. There is nothing that Mr. Deal does not know. His Bearing Witness: Literature of Genocide course was one of my favorite classes at Dwight-Englewood. His passion for knowledge, his ability to critique an essay but appreciate the writer’s voice, and most of all his sardonic sense of humor, made him the perfect English teacher.

Playing on the Varsity Basketball team at Dwight-Englewood was one of my favorite extracurricular experiences. Although the workouts given by Coach Dell Bethea were grueling, we improved and were able to play against one of the best schools in the nation, St. Anthony’s. I joined Track and Field as a junior and was immediately addicted to racing and dropping my times. I was never fortunate enough to learn under the tutelage of Mr. Daly in the classroom, but he was an excellent and sagacious mentor on and off the track. I plan to continue to run at UPenn. I also enjoyed writing and editing the school newspaper, Spectrum. My faculty advisor, Mr. Bograd, always challenged me to be impartial yet investigative in any article I wrote.

I start every morning at Dwight-Englewood punctually. A typical class consists of Mr. Russell-Walker scolding me for offering a snide remark about nudity in a Donatello sculpture, or possibly of Mr. Kosnik reprimanding me for composing an original villanelle regarding his habits of spoiling the ending of our AP Literature books. After school, I stay in the weight room where I perfect my dead lifts and squats with the assistance of Ms. Marro, our sprinting coach, or run at a track for the varsity team.

I looked forward to various classes and extracurricular activities as a senior at Dwight-Englewood. One of the fascinating courses was AP Art History with Mr. Russell-Walker. I don’t have any artistic proclivities, so the course was an excellent option for me. Mr. Russell-Walker did an outstanding job teaching the strenuous course for the first time, and really brought an air of culture and sophistication to the subject matter. As a Spectrum co-editor in chief, I had the opportunity to write the front-page news stories. Next year I look forward to joining my brother, as well as fellow classmates Sam Garden ’16 and Jonathans Evans ’16, at the University of Pennsylvania. I’m going to the College of Arts and Sciences undecided, although I plan to major in a STEM oriented subject and take the required courses for medical school. I also plan to participate in the varsity track and field team at UPenn.

There are so many valuable experiences from Dwight-Englewood that I will cherish. The teachers at Dwight-Englewood are so knowledgeable, compassionate, and sedulous in their work. Another highlight of my upper school experience was representing Dwight-Englewood at the 2016 Outdoor New Balance Nationals. I traveled with fellow seniors Aaron Gates ’16, Tyler Knowles ’16, and Seon Layne ’16 to Greensboro, North Carolina to run the 400-meter leg in the Super Sprint Medley at the North Carolina A&T track. We were able to set a school record in the relay. The experience was a perfect way to end both the track season and my upper school career: surrounded by lifelong friends, running a race I love, and wearing track uniforms Mr. Daly will unfortunately never see returned.

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Matan Arginteanu ’16

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