Science teacher and environmental studies coordinator Peter Sniffen P’25 has been named NMH’s new Margaret J. Sieck ’72 Endowed Teaching Chair in Environmental Studies. Sniffen, who will serve a three-year term, succeeds inaugural chair holder Mary Hefner, who retired last year after four decades of teaching.

The chair was established by former NMH trustee Margaret J. Sieck ’72, P’03 and her husband, Bob Baldwin P’03, who are longtime environmental advocates.

“After kicking off our environmental chair with Mary Hefner, a notable teacher of everything from biology to the science of farming and a seasoned veteran of the NMH community, we are thrilled to have relative newcomer Pete Sniffen step into the role going forward,” Sieck said. “Like Mary, Pete has dedicated his career to getting kids outside and into the environment we are working to understand and protect.” 

Endowed chair positions provide teachers with resources to pursue professional development and travel, while also funding initiatives that reflect NMH’s mission. “Pete has established himself as a leader in the classroom and on campus since he arrived here early in 2023,” said Head of School Brian Hargrove. “He brings tremendous expertise in environmental sciences, passion for teaching high school students, and a deep commitment to collaborating with his colleagues across campus. As our environmental studies coordinator, he has helped drive NMH’s commitment to incorporating environmental studies across our curriculum, including robust experiential learning opportunities. As the Sieck Chair, he will continue to lead in the field and on campus.”

Sniffen will apply the chair’s resources in part to further broadening NMH’s curriculum, which already includes a dozen courses focused on sustainability. He called his appointment “a real honor and a gift” that offers an opportunity to build lasting programs. “When I think about the significance of Margaret and Bob’s support, I think they have created the underlying conditions for NMH to be quiet leaders in the environmental space,” he said. 

— Max Hunt