In his own words, senior Henry Greenberg “enjoys finding community everywhere” he goes. At Penn Charter, his communities include wrestling, music and demanding academics.
Henry’s quiet confidence has helped him take on more responsibility during his Upper School years (he originally came to PC in first grade), from being a key member of the Penn Charter varsity wrestling program for four years to playing varied musical instruments and taking an increasingly challenging course load.
“Penn Charter has so many communities for people to find similar spaces that help push them through everything,” he said,
For Henry, that first community was wrestling, which dates back to around fourth grade. But as Henry put it, “Wrestling doesn’t really become wrestling until high school; it’s more of just an activity prior to that.”
What Henry ultimately discovered was that it wasn’t necessarily the wrestling itself that drew him in; rather, what he liked most about the sport was that it gave him the discipline and fortitude to push through a challenge, especially one that initially seemed unattainable.
“Everyone is nice, so you’re close to everyone on the team while everyone is pushing everybody else to get better,” he said. “I enjoyed the struggle from the very first practice. It made me want to stick with it.”
Henry went 11-7 as a freshman, but wrestling in the lowest weight class of 106 pounds all season delivered him five wins by forfeit when the opposition didn’t have anyone to step onto the mat against him. As a result, Henry learned right away the importance of intensity in practice and that “practice like you play” was more than just clichéd coachspeak.
Not knowing if he would wrestle in matches against an actual opponent gave Henry a new sense of purpose during practice hours.
“I spent a lot of time wrestling two of our coaches in practice, and I wasn’t always getting a match,” he said. “Practices were hard, but I learned that just because something was hard didn’t mean I couldn’t do it. If you want to enjoy wrestling you have to give your all because you want to. And if I’m committed to do something, I might as well do it completely.”
By his own admission, Henry isn’t as naturally athletic as some of his teammates and competitors, so he makes up for it with tireless work and repetition. The Quakers’ program as a whole has greatly improved over the past couple of years, which has allowed for a longer season, more practice time and opportunities to wrestle stronger opponents.
“When I was in ninth grade, we would keep practicing [as a team] if anyone made Nationals,” Henry said. “Now, half the team goes. Wrestling became more serious, so I knew I had to give even more. It’s a struggle to improve, but if you want to be good at something – better than others – then you have to give more effort and you have to be willing to put in the time.”
He’s off to a 9-5 start this season, nabbing a fifth-place individual finish at 144 pounds in the Kent County Holiday Tournament in Maryland while helping PC finish second as a team in the showcase on Dec. 14. Henry said that learning to “fail confidently” at wrestling has translated into other areas of his life, most notably when it comes to playing music.
At Penn Charter, music offers Henry an expressive and creative outlet that simultaneously requires an athlete’s discipline, especially when it pertains to practice and repetition. He tried the guitar at first, but it didn’t stick. Undeterred, he kept searching for something that fit, tackling multiple instruments while earning the respect of band director Brad Ford.
“Henry is truly a rare breed,” Ford said. “Not only is he an exceptional flute player in the Symphonic Band and Flute Ensemble, he plays alto saxophone in the Jazz Band – an instrument he taught himself – and is clerk of Boys a Capella vocal ensemble. He is the first one to go into the practice rooms to perfect his craft and is a leader in all aspects of music at PC.”
Henry is also teaching himself to play the bass guitar, and he said taking up band was an easy choice because of how much fun and inviting a community it is, not to mention a palate cleanser to the often grinding physicality of wrestling.
“Just like wrestling, I really committed,” he said. “Whenever I have some free time I go to the Kurtz and practice for 30 minutes. Once you practice enough, you start getting better. My confidence comes from people supporting me when I feel like I can’t do something. If I’m struggling, I know I have the people around me to make me feel more confident in other areas. A lot of it is just knowing that if you want to do something well, you have to commit fully; once I did that, I realized I could give more than I originally thought I could.”
Henry is a naturally curious person, which would explain why his interests are so multifaceted. He enjoys things that have no obvious answers, because to him the fun is in the work, whether that pertains to wrestling, playing an instrument, joining the Robotics Club or leaning into academic courses that are difficult in nature.
“A lot of anything is just sticking with it until I get a solution and failing until something works,” Henry said. “Latin, physics, math, computer science – it’s all sort of like solving a puzzle. I like to figure stuff out.”
Math Department chair and assistant wrestling coach Doug Gorham believes Henry’s attitude and commitment sets him apart from others. Gorham said that Henry impressed his ninth grade Geometry teacher so much that he took an Algebra 2 course over the summer just to get into an advanced track with AP Advanced Pre-Calculus, which Gorham referred to as “arguably the most difficult class in the school.”
“Adding to his senior course load, Henry is taking Calc-Based Electricity and Magnetism as well as Applied Computer Science,” Gorham said. “Last year he independently studied AP Statistics because, as he put it, “Why waste an entire course on something I can learn on my own?’”
Henry said a double major in physics and engineering sounds appealing; he will attend Northwestern University in the fall.
With only a few months left in his senior year, Henry has no plans on activating cruise control and coasting to the finish line. “Just because I’m so close to the end doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier or lighter,” he said. “I have to push harder so that I savor it – it’s hard, but it is enjoyable.
“I have the ability and means to do what I want to do, and there are people here to support me and help me do [those things]. I also feel like wrestling has given me the determination to do other things. Because of what I gained from wrestling, I’m not scared to commit to other activities. When people encourage me, it gives me confidence, and more than anything the wrestling community teaches you to persevere and never give up. And if you want to be good, you have to put in the work.”
– Ed Morrone OPC '04