On January 12, 2026, PHS finance teacher Jason Pikul passed away at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 51. Born in Avenel, New Jersey, Pikul taught Personal Finance and Entrepreneurship at PHS since 2005. He also coached baseball on the middle school and high school levels.
Pikul had a heart attack after involvement in a car accident. He stayed in St. Mary’s Hospital for two days before being transferred to the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he passed away surrounded by his family.
Before coming to PHS, Pikul was a financial planner and used the knowledge he acquired to help design a financial planning course to help students prepare for their futures. He always tried to stay at the forefront of current trends to ensure his teaching never felt abstract to his students.
Business teacher Ashley Nussbaum spoke about Pikul’s captivating teaching skills.
“He was a tremendous storyteller…because he [knew] as a teacher you want to engage with humor and with your storytelling to make it tangible,” said Nussbaum.
Pikul was also willing to work with students beyond just the classroom.
“I would meet with [Pikul] during lunchtime to ask him stuff like … ‘What do you think about some of these people in the United States, people in business’ ... [and] he would break it down for me,” said Tyler Lau ’27, a former student of Pikul.
Business teacher Allen Taskin, who was mentored by Pikul during the New Jersey New Teacher Certification Program, reflected on Pikul’s role within the school.
“He was incredibly helpful and considerate, always willing to share his extensive experience from 21 years in the classroom, offering practical advice, resources, or just a kind word to guide me as a new teacher,” wrote Taskin in a statement to the Tower. “His genuine willingness to pass on his knowledge and support will be treasured by me and our entire department. He will be greatly missed by our school community.”