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Halloween Word Search

The Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) and Pride Unity Leadership Sisterhood Esteem (PULSE) programs at PHS aim to provide safe spaces for minorities. Advised by Coordinator of Student and Family Services Bethany Siddiqu, the MSAN program is open to all students and focuses on eliminating the opportunity and achievement gaps at PHS. The PULSE program, also advised by Siddiqu, has a similar goal. As an all-female program, PULSE strives to share knowledge of self, academics, and social concerns with young women at PHS.

“The goals are to create a community within the school for our students of color,” said Siddiqu. “These groups are opportunities to help them achieve their goals and to make a lasting impact.”

The PULSE and MSAN programs have collectively hosted a multitude of events at the high school to provide assistance to PHS students.

“We’re doing a canned food drive for Thanksgiving, [and] a coat drive for those in the school district that may not have winter wear,” said Siddiqu. “We’re also initiating a buddy system. [The] MSAN and PULSE students that are bilingual [are] going to be partnering with [English language learners] to help them throughout the school ... The school is naturally confusing, but imagine not knowing English or being new to this country.”

Beyond receiving guidance, members of MSAN and PULSE gain both communication and leadership skills.

“The MSAN and PULSE groups have been able to successfully [cultivate] leaders within the school that can help inform particularly [the] school administration, as well as the Board of Education,” Siddiqu said.

Joycelyn Brobbey ’22, President of the PULSE and MSAN programs, believes she has benefited greatly from these clubs during her time at PHS.

“They’ve made me more knowledgeable on certain issues that I wasn’t knowledgeable on before,” said Brobbey. “They’ve [also] just made me feel more confident ... [and] more open ... I get to be with some really cool people, and I get to do something that’s important to me.”


photo: [credit name="Laura Liu"]
As Vice President of both programs, Kyara Torres-Olivares ’22 ultimately wants to give minority students a comfortable space to talk with and get advice from their peers. After helping several English language learners with their schedules, Torres-Olivares, who is bilingual, came up with the idea for the partner system that is currently in the works.

“I thought to myself ... ‘Why don’t we already have a program that has a buddy system for these students, since they really don’t have any other help?’ Being the VP of MSAN was really helpful because I was able to [identify] a problem that I saw in the school and connect it to the students,” said Torres-Olivares. “I’ve been at the high school for four years, and I think I’ve been able to help other students in the school and connect to them and make them feel like this school is a safe space.”

Similar to other programs at PHS, COVID-19 has impacted both PULSE and MSAN. Despite that, Siddiqu hopes that attendance in the programs will soon return back to the pre-pandemic levels.

“When I took over the program, there weren’t that many students involved. I think that was mainly because of COVID-19. It was just hard to engage people through Zoom,” Siddiqu said. “And now that we’re in person, I think there’s more energy and excitement around joining the group.”

Torres-Olivares noted that as pandemic restrictions lift this year, the groups hope to take trips outside of school.

“We are also looking to take field trips and have mentors on them ... for any kind of job field. We’ll bring in people that work in those jobs and figure out how [students] can connect to different careers that they’re looking to go into,” Torres-Olivares said.

While both programs might be looking to grow, neither is new at PHS. With the MSAN nearing its tenth year and PULSE approaching its twentieth, these programs have been helping students at PHS for many years now. In fact, Siddiqu was once a member of the PULSE program herself.

“As a young student, I was a part of it. And now to be able to be the advisor for it, I feel like it’s just come full circle,” said Siddiqu. “I also feel a responsibility to keep the essence of PULSE, to keep it a group where girls feel empowered and supportive. And I’m hoping that that will inspire other young females when they go to college or wherever they go beyond high school.”

Minority-oriented student programs promote inclusivity at PHS

Since the beginning of the new school year, Princeton Public Schools have served free lunches throughout the district. In April 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that free meals would be available to all public school students this year.

The free lunches helped to streamline the process of getting food to students who relied on free- or reduced-lunch vouchers when the cafeteria first shut down during the pandemic.

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“Last year, since we didn’t have food service at the school, we drove around to all the homes, and we did [meal kit] drop-offs. We [also] had some parent volunteers [who] would deliver some of the food directly to the homes,” Food Service Bookkeeper Danielle Borromeo said.

While the total amount of funding is unknown, not having to pay for lunches inevitably increases the number of students who choose to get school lunch daily. During pre-pandemic years, only about 200 students purchased lunch each day; that number has now increased to more than 700.

To meet the high demand and to address looming COVID-19 concerns, PHS’s cafeteria staff have consciously made changes during the first month of school. For one, the options in the cafeteria have been significantly abridged.

“What we’ve boiled [the meal plans] down [to] is the requirements: a grain, fruit or juice, vegetable, and milk. We [used to] have a lot of our cart foods like grab-and-go french fries, potato chips, [and] cookies that we [had to] do away with,” Borromeo said.

To decrease the spread of COVID-19, the cafeteria also now operates in a “grab-and-go” fashion. As soon as students take a pre-packaged entrée of their choice, they can quickly move out of the line. Cafeteria staff members are required to wear gloves and now masks when preparing food, and instead of using the register to keep track of meals, have now switched to pen-and-paper tallies.

Administrators such as PHS Principal Frank Chmiel will often walk around, either talking to students or announcing the day’s options. Chmiel voiced that after a hectic first week in the cafeteria, the administrators knew some changes needed to be made.


photo: [credit name="Emily Qian"]
“[During] the first couple days, there were big crowds of kids, and one day we ran out of food. [After that], I started going back to the kitchen ... [I was] literally one of the people bringing out cases of sandwiches [and] stocking sandwiches ... because I personally wanted to see that everything was running smoothly,” Chmiel said.

Many obstacles that come with adopting the new food services are unseen to students. For instance, coordinating food deliveries is stressful due to the high demand for food at PHS. The options for suppliers are currently low due to the ongoing pandemic. To ensure that all students get their meals, Borromeo needs to ensure an exact amount of lunches are being delivered each week.

“[Because] supply is low and demand is high, we’ve had to cut back on deliveries; there aren’t enough drivers to bring food to the schools. [Our] main supplier used to come to the district twice a week, but now they only come once a week,” said Borromeo. “It’s been hard because I have to keep going back to [order more], but [many] items are always out of stock. I don’t think people understand that it’s almost like a gamble to try to get everything.”

Nevertheless, cafeteria staff members strive to provide high-quality lunches to students. With the addition of an on-site chef this year, some students have remarked that the food quality has been quite consistent.

“I’d actually compare the sandwiches a lot to Subway. It’s nothing gourmet ... I don’t think there should be an expectation of gourmet service, but it gets the job done. And for the hot meals, the dish varies, but [at least] it’s hot,” said Elliot Becker-Peeler ’24.

Student opinion has been mixed. When asked about the convenience of the free lunches, students say that being able to get lunch from the cafeteria relieves the stress of having to take time to buy or pack lunch every day. However, some students have noted that longer waits in line are a major drawback of the free lunches. Upperclassmen have also remarked that past years’ lunches were much better in quality.

“It’s annoying to need to wait in a line, but compared to making lunch at home, which I did the other years, it’s much quicker, and it’s nice because I don’t need to wake up so early,” said Ned Erickson ’22. “But I prefer the pre-COVID year [lunches], especially the fries. It’s really a tragedy that we don’t have those fries anymore because those fries were iconic and you could just get them for one dollar.”

Some students have also mentioned that the vegetarian options are not as satisfying as they would like them to be.

“I think that [the] vegetarian food is a bit lacking because all of the sandwiches except the falafel sandwich contained meat. And most entrées except for the salad, also contain meat ... So that I think it could be better handled because I used to be vegetarian for years. You’re kind of forced into having one thing,” Becker-Peeler said.

Another new challenge that the school faces is maintaining social distancing within the cafeteria, particularly within the lunch lines. While there are several teachers and administrators on standby to guide students in the lunch lines, students agree that the lines are overcrowded.“

[The atmosphere is] definitely chaotic [and] competitive, [with] a lot of people trying to cut in line ... you [have to] fend for yourself,” Erickson said. Waiting for long periods of time has also raised concerns among several students. Many agree that protocols must be enforced strictly to keep the risk to a minimum. “The COVID-19 restrictions are totally not in place. It’s crowded. There are ten people in one square meter ... Despite having this screen on a desk, eight people [can] still sit at the same table,” said Cody Jiang ’25.

Both Chmiel and the cafeteria staff assure students that as the year continues, they will work to address the criticisms made by students. In fact, many new improvements are already in the works. In addition to the cafeteria and the stand in the PAC lobby, which are currently only serving sandwiches, a third serving area, the building administration is adding a Tiger Grab-and-Go to provide food for students.

Still, no matter what opinions students have about the lunches, Chmiel hopes that students can show gratitude for the tireless efforts of the cafeteria workers.

“When you’re receiving the [lunches], it’s important to show that appreciation to [cafeteria workers] because they’re not known otherwise, yet they’re doing arguably the most important job of the day,” Chmiel said.

New this year: PHS lunch free for all

On October 13, students and faculty came together for the fall PHS Pep Rally. The event welcomed several of PHS’s musical and athletic programs and included grade-wide relay races as well as competitions between students and faculty.

Earlier in the day, sophomores and juniors took the PSAT before heading to the Tiger Stadium. The rally was intentionally scheduled so that students who tested in the morning would have a chance to unwind.

“Usually, if you do PSAT in the morning, the classes are kind of a wash. If you try to have a schedule of classes [in the afternoon], everyone’s all burnt out, [so] no one’s paying attention anyway. So the idea of using the afternoon for a fun school activity is why we had the pep rally there,” said PHS Principal Frank Chmiel.

Chmiel applauded the teamwork that went into organizing the pep rally on top of PSAT testing and supervising students across school’s campus.

“Managing the PSAT in the morning while trying to set up for the pep rally was a challenge. But it was a fun challenge because I didn’t have to do it alone. We have a whole team of people,” Chmiel said.

With many new additions and changes to the rally, PHS Dean of Students Diana Lygas was excited to see the planning come to life.

“I was super excited for Mr. Chmiel because he brought a new life into what our pep rally could be. And I was excited for him to bring in some new components that we’ve never seen before, bringing a lot more energy and enthusiasm,” Lygas said.

The Student Advisory Board also helped plan the event and facilitated several activities during the rally.

“I want to give credit to our Student Advisory Committee and Student Council members who helped with planning, picking events, organizing things — they were literally counting people for relay races. I’m just very proud of our school,” Chmiel said.

The event kicked off with an introduction of Student Council members, followed by a cappella performances of the Star-Spangled Banner and PHS’s alma mater sung by Around Eight and Cat’s Meow, respectively. After cheerleading performances, PHS’s fall sports teams were honored by being introduced onto the field.

“It was really fun. We’ve never done anything like this before, and I’ve always wanted to do more high school stuff like this. So it was really great that [Principal] Chmiel put it together,” said varsity girls field hockey player Erin Kiesewetter ’22.

Some of the rally’s events required students to sign up beforehand in order to participate, including a balloon-popping relay race, a tricycle race, and a tug-of-war. All three followed similar formats, where participants from each grade competed to determine a winner who would then play against a staff member. The final event was cut slightly short after the rope for tug-of-war snapped; however, it brought more enthusiasm for a rematch in the next pep rally.

Overall, students at the event agreed that the pep rally revitalized PHS school spirit.

“It was really cool to see all the sports teams out here and everyone cheering,” said Emily Wu ’23.

Echoing student opinions, Chmiel also sees the importance of pep rallies.

“Pep rallies are extremely important for bringing the school together. First, [they honor] our hard-working scholar-athletes. Our scholar-athletes really sacrifice a lot of their time. They bring home a lot of their school work after long practices, and they represent our school so well ... So it’s important as a school community to take time out to honor the athletes just like you honor your performing artists and your visual artists,” Chmiel said.

While the pep rally brought many successes, Chmiel hopes that the energy showcased at the rally will carry into other school events. He believes that maintaining engagement with the crowd is crucial to bringing the school community closer.

“I’d love to see the sports teams literally run up to the fence and run up to the crowds of students, [and] high five people. But this is a process of building this culture of school spirit and camaraderie and rallying behind our sports,” said Chmiel. “It’s a culture that you have to develop over time. But I’m in for the long haul.”

Looking forward, there are plans to have pep rallies every sports season to honor all student-athletes and to bring the school together as a whole. Cheering loudly with the students, Chmiel wants to show that all these events are part of the memorable high school experience.

“I think you could hear from my voice, it’s a little hoarse. I get a little crazy ... I know I’m gonna have to deal with it for the next like three or four days, but I’m going to be okay. I’ll heal up and I’ll be ready to bring it the next pep rally,” Chmiel said.



PHS holds fall pep rally after a week of spirit events

After PHS’s annual homecoming game was canceled last year due to the pandemic, students are grateful to experience this PHS tradition once again. this year’s Homecoming game proved to be spectacular, as the hal ime show featured a performance by Princeton High School’s Studio Band.

Created in 1977, Studio Band has made a signi cant impact on PHS’s music program. the band has received many accolades including multiple national titles and has had professional studio recordings, most recently at Abbey Road in the UK. Adding to their performance experiences, Studio Band impressed the Homecoming crowd with their synchronicity, talent, and song selection.

“I really enjoyed how they incorporated pop music into their song selection. [It] really hyped us up and got us motivated to sing along. We felt a lot of Tiger spirit,” said Sasha Caracalos ’24.

In preparation for the game, Studio Band rehearsed during school as well as after hours. After each section practiced separately, all the sections came together to coordinate their parts into one cohesive piece. The band was only allowed 15 minutes for the haltime show, so the pieces were arranged to be played without pause, a difficult task to pull off musically in terms of flipping through music, adjusting to new tempos, and switching out players.

“They [were] interconnected, so they [weren’t ] stopping and continuing. [Pauses] are annoying, and you’re going to lose the attention of the crowd. We changed the keys of some of the songs so that we [could] just seamlessly have the tunes kind of intertwine. But yeah, there [wasn’t] any stopping,” said saxophonist Kieran McKenzie ’22.

Thee pieces played, in order, were “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang, “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder, “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Treasure” by Bruno Mars, and “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon.

“Since [the performance was] especially student-oriented, it [had], in addition to some Motown 70’s stuff , some much more modern stuff like some Bruno Mars,” said percussionist Connor Stewart ’23.

Perhaps what most engaged the audience was the energy that radiated from the music. Within seconds, fans recognized modern tunes and joined in.

“I really enjoyed watching and listening to the halftime show at Homecoming, played by Studio Band,” said Arunima Suri ’23. “I always love hearing their music because they’re good at what they do, and it really added to the spirit by giving the people in the stands something to sing along to.”

An aspect that elevated the performance was the incorporation of solo features. Students received individual recognition a er hard work.

“I thought the band sounded great, especially tenor sax soloist McKenzie. It sounded insanely professional,” said Tamar Assayag ’25.

“The band and the crowd were filled with energy,” said alto saxophonist Alex Greenberg ’23. “Soloists in general really have the power to make or break the energy of the performance, and I think they all did a great job bringing this energy for a successful performance.”

Greenberg also soloed on alto saxophone in ‘Treasure’ by Bruno Mars.

“It was a different experience soloing on that tune than the traditional jazz repertoire that I’m used to improvising over,” said Greenberg. “The solo for ‘Treasure’ included more rhythmic ideas rather than melodic ones. And it’s always interesting to give myself a new challenge.”

Bongiovi was satisfied with the band’s performance. Focusing on the music and the music alone, Bongiovi and the band executed a successful halftime show.

“It was good. Everything I think went pretty well,” said Bongiovi. “I mean, it’s, the conditions aren’t always the best. We [had] 15 minutes to get it in. You’re dealing with playing outdoors, amplification, wind, players behind you on a football team warming up, people in the stands, getting a hot dog. It’s just, there’s so much going on. The goal was to just focus on what we do.”

Like Bongiovi, the band members were happy with their halftime performance and believed it was a good representation of the band’s hours of preparation and passion for jazz music.

“It was a lot of hard work, but in the end it really paid off . I think we sounded really great because we’re all really passionate about music, and it always translates well into our performance. The music selection was also fun to practice, so we were all really engaged during the rehearsal process as well,” says Sara Carson ’23, a guitarist for Studio Band.

Regarding the future of PHS Studio Band, Bongiovi is optimistic about a Homecoming halftime show becoming a yearly occurrence. After a year spent missing out on events like this one, PHS students have a reason to celebrate their revival. Times like these when students honor the PHS famiy as a whole stay ingrained in memories for years to come.

“Online school meant missing so many PHS classics like the Homecoming game. Studio Band’s performance was amazing, and I can’t wait for next year,” said Emma MacMillan ’23.

PHS Studio Band brings back the traditional Homecoming halftime performance

Nearly everybody in the school knows someone who has contracted COVID-19 or has been a close contact. All students are responsible for their own safety, so it is more important now than ever that everyone follow the pandemic protocols to minimize the case count. However, despite the administration’s various efforts to improve the situation, some of PHS’s protocols prove to be faulty because they ignore the reality that 1,600 students occupy the same building.

PHS defines a close contact as a person who spends at least 15 minutes, cumulatively, less than six feet away from a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. A PHS student comes into contact with hundreds of people a day, so when someone tests positive for COVID-19, it is nearly impossible to find all close contacts. Recently, PHS implemented fixed seating charts to make it easier to determine which students sat nearest to those who tested positive. While this is an effective way to keep track of in-class close contacts, there are several external factors that simply cannot be accounted for. Clubs often meet indoors without tracking attendance, making it difficult to know which people have interacted. In-class activities involve movement and interactions with other people, so a classmate sitting three feet away from an infected person may have had a similar exposure as a classmate sitting ten feet away from the same person. This concept applies to the congregation of people in the main intersection and the cafeteria. As the most popular transition area of the school, the main intersection is packed during the breaks between classes. Similarly, because of the increasing popularity of school lunch (partially due to meals being free), the cafeteria is crowded every day; the line of hungry students often travels up the stairwell and onto the first floor. These groups of students are far from socially distanced and only increase the number of potential close contacts. But there are solutions to these spacing problems.

PHS staff members could oversee the main intersection to ensure social distancing, and lunch could be served in extra locations, as is currently being done in the PAC, to reduce congestion in the cafeteria. Though these solutions are imperfect, they would be tangible improvements on the current situation.

Another flaw of the enforced COVID-19 protocols is that students even have their masks off indoors, especially when eating. While PHS encourages students to sit outside for lunch, many of them choose to stay inside instead. Students often forget to social distance when sitting with their friends, but it is still important to keep a certain distance away because of increased exposure to pathogens. Measures like putting masks on in between bites are also often ignored. For instance, at club meetings, people will have their masks off for extended periods, even when not eating. This issue will only become more urgent throughout the year as the weather gets colder and students sit inside more, so it is crucial that students be supervised and be reminded to social distance indoors or simply eat outdoors whenever possible.

With the PHS student body exceeding 1,600, staying protected from COVID-19 is hard. While some of the protocols are creative and effective, others do not take into account the large student population. As of now, fewer students are contracting COVID-19 because of preventive measures including vaccinations, but this is not enough. By constantly tweaking and improving PHS’s health protocols, we can prioritize the safety of students, teachers, and staff, doing our part in helping end the pandemic.

COVID-19 will keep changing, and so should PHS

Clubs are foundational to students’ experience at PHS. They support and engage PHS students while fostering connections and learning new skills. Often, members stay with their clubs for all four years of high school.

Because of this, the club fair is one of the most important parts of high school, especially for new students; when they are able to explore stands that house their interests, joining clubs becomes much easier. Upperclassmen benefit from the club fair as well — it’s never too late for them to join activities that they are interested in.

Last year, the club fair was a disaster. It took place entirely online, with badly formatted videos and tiny virtual boxes for each club. Without interacting with club representatives, it was difficult to figure out which clubs fit your personality. In the end, the only reason I joined any clubs at all was because they either started before the school year or because one of the members contacted me after the club fair.

This year, the atmosphere of the club fair was much more interactive. Club leaders excitedly handed out candy while telling new and old students alike about how fun their clubs are. Poetry Club, which barely met last year, got over 220 sign-ups, because the representatives were able to connect with people.

Maybe it was because of the open green field or the enthusiasm of club leaders, but the club fair had an almost tangible sense of excitement. Many clubs, such as Cultural and Racial Equity and Mock Trial, broke sign-up records, and are coming up with new ways to engage this surplus of students.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the classes and expectations we’re subjected to instead of enjoying our high school experience. The in-person club fair was a great start to having more fun at the high school, and as a student body, we need to maintain our positive spirit.

Lots of clubs suffer extremely high dropout rates and membership loss in the first few weeks, often because prospective members just ignore the emails of clubs they sign up for. This is one of the shortcomings of club fair, but it’s something that’s pretty easy to improve upon — just go to the activities you signed up for. Clubs are crucial to our school’s well-being and the maintainance of our school spirit, and the best way to keep them alive is to show up and contribute.

How did the club fair fare?

Our town has a trash problem. Masks litter the streets, household trash bins are stuffed with bubble wrap from deliveries, and single-use lunch containers are dished out to hundreds of students per day at PHS. Unfortunately, our school barely recycles. The garbage bins that line the halls are practically bursting with trash by the end of break each day.

But, as it turns out, Princeton isn’t alone. The world is in the middle of a global trash crisis. Waste centers are over-flowing with masks, aprons, gloves, face shields, and other medical waste. Single-use plastic production has been in-centivized during the pandemic by the increased demand for take-out, grocery deliveries, and more. One 2021 study by Benson et al. estimates that the world has been generating plastic waste at a rate of 1.6 million tonnes per day. Trash management centers, many of which closed due to COVID-19, have been completely overwhelmed. Conse-quently, improper methods of disposal have become more common. According to a September 2021 New York Times article by Mike Ives, incineration of both recyclable and non-recyclable waste has increased these past few months. Our current situation has made the urgency of sustainability undeniable. Despite that, many local governments and businesses have recently delayed or reversed policies promoting sustainability, according to a 2021 article by Chemical and Engineering News. Princeton must be different. Our town has to help the world move towards a cleaner future by changing our habits and making our voice heard. If Princeton, a privileged community with great resources, brain-power, and creativity, cannot find the motivation to change in the midst of a global trash crisis, we cannot expect the rest of the world to change, now or ever.

First, the PHS administration should reinvigorate its recycling campaign. Right now, even just fitting our trash into the overstuffed garbage bins is a struggle. The recycling bins, meanwhile, remain mostly empty. The administration should be actively encouraging students to recycle. Additionally, the school should switch from using plastic containers to using reusable or paper trays at lunch.

As residents of Princeton, we can do a lot more than just recycling to relieve the waste processing system and to contribute to sustainable progress. For one, we should be contacting local representatives to voice our concerns. Lawmakers need to know that we care, because even small voices can have a large impact. For example, when 120 towns and cities in New Jersey banned single-use plastic bags, the governor was convinced of the efficacy of this policy and signed a statewide ban, which will come into effect next year.

Making small changes in your daily life can also help. Some grocery stores, including McCaffrey’s and ShopRite, accept shopping bags that can’t go in your normal recycling bin at their store recycling center. People can collect plastic shopping bags at home and bring them to one of these locations to be reused. You can order less takeout and cook food more often, but if you have to order takeout, you can reuse containers to store leftovers and return unused plastic utensils included in the packaging. No act is too insignificant or too small — the only commitment that is required of us is to take action

There’s one problem masks can’t cover up

Coming back from a virtual year and a half, PHS is ready to rebuild, not just through new construction projects, but by implementing new resources to support student life. Rather than funding necessities, PHS has allocated millions of dollars to new construction, part of which is being directed towards building a concession stand next to the football field. In addition to the stand, PHS has allocated funding towards a new yoga studio and a new cafe. Building a concession stand has no benefits beyond handing out food to the low attendance at school sporting events. Instead, the money should be used for educational resources and supportive programs.


photo by [credit name = "Karen Qiu"]
Having school computers for every student has been an amazing resource while trying to survive COVID-19, but we need more. For example, the cost of participating in activities is often a hindrance, but having funds specifically for clubs would make them more inclusive. Students should also have more assistance while navigating through the college process. The stress that college applications create is overwhelming, especially without enough support. Understanding the different paperwork that must be filled out is a feat alone. Because of this, workshops for scholarship opportunities should happen more frequently to help resolve this confusion.

PHS lacks sufficient resources to improve students’ mental health, and, especially at this time and the pressure students are under, every student needs greater assistance. Students are consistently expressing concerns about how inaccessible the guidance department can be; more counselors should be hired — ones whose purpose is to act as an outlet for students. Many current counselors are multitasking with other priorities such as scheduling and administration, and thus have limited time to help students with their mental health. The guidance department should also promote support groups more and make them more accessible to the PHS community. Students from underrepresented groups at PHS often feel like outsiders; the creation of these groups would allow students to connect and foster a safer environment. These groups must be led by professionals who can advise them in an effective way.

Despite the efforts of the administration to allocate funding in order to better help PHS students, there need to be changes in their priorities. Ultimately, there are many ways that we could better use the school budget, from narrowing the educational disparity gap to improving student mental health, and the fact that thousands of dollars went to a food stand, and $11 million in total went towards unnecessary construction above students’ needs speaks volumes. After students have faced so many challenges because of the pandemic, more funding toward better educational and mental health resources is a necessity for us to overcome these obstacles together.

Ready to rebuild: reallocating PHS construction funding

“Please welcome, representing the Princeton Skating Club and the North Jersey Figure Skating Club, Cherie Sun...” — the rest of the dance felt like a blur. My shadow dancing partner, Gloria, and I were first to skate after the standard three-minute warm up, so my legs did not stiffen as they usually did from pre-competition skating nerves. What I do remember is finishing my introduction and skating up to my starting position. The rest of the performance was just smiling and muscle memory. Before I knew it, my time on the ice was over, and my coach was applauding. I sighed with relief.

Qualification for the National Solo Dance Final is based on performance from the competitions in the National Solo Dance series where the highest scoring skaters in each section qualify. One of the events is shadow dance, which involves two skaters skating a compulsory ice dance side-by-side, similar to a ballroom dance on ice. Judges give two scores: one for execution and another for component. Execution is graded on a scale from plus five to minus five, focusing on skating quality, synchronization, and closeness. The component score is based on skating skills, performance, and timing to the pattern dancing music. We travelled to Kalamazoo, Michigan the day before the competition and attended the pre-competition party at Gull Meadows Farm near the rink. There, Gloria and I were able to meet other skaters participating in the final. Afterwards, we went out for a big dinner and slept early in preparation for the next day’s competition.

The day of the final, we woke up at 7 a.m. and went down to get breakfast in the hotel. I tried to eat as much breakfast as I could since I knew I had a long day ahead of me. Around 8:30 a.m., we went to the rink for practice ice, which we purchased ahead of time to get adjusted to the new rink and get “our legs under us,” an expression my coach likes to use: When you skate earlier in the day, you are more warmed up and therefore have a better feel for the ice. It was the first time I had seen the rink; my eyes swept around the massive space with the bleachers full of buzzing spectators. The side of the rink banner read “2021 National Solo Dance Final.” That’s when it hit me: this is a big deal.

It was time to begin my competition routine. First was makeup and dressing, which took about an hour. The next step was getting to the rink. Once we arrived, Gloria and I stretched, listened to music, and did off-ice extension activities with our coach. After about 30 minutes, it was time to put on skates and make our way over to the competition. When we got there, the Zamboni was still surfacing the ice, and when it finished, there were a few minutes to allow for the ice to dry before we stepped on for our three-minute warmup.


photo: [credit name = "Kevin Phelan"] photo illustration: [credit name="Wenya Huan"]


Overall, this was one of the best experiences of my life. We skated well, and although we didn’t medal, we placed sixth in the country. I was able to meet and watch some excellent skaters; there were about 170 from all over the country attending the competition. Since we spend so much time together, shadow dancing has made Gloria and me closer through our practices and travel to competitions. Still, even after the season, we get food every Friday after practice, laughing at our inside jokes and updating each other on our weeks. It was a unique opportunity to be a part of a team with skating being an individual focused sport. Part of the reason we were so successful was because of our strong relationship. When you get along, you are able to work better together. We have gotten to the point where we are not afraid to be honest with each other with our skating, allowing us to fix issues faster, and with skating being a detail-oriented sport, this is key. I can’t wait to compete in the series next year to try to win a spot at the final again.

Weekend in the life of a solo ice dancer at the National Solo Dance Final

As the PHS girls field hockey team charges up the field during an intense final game, Head Coach Heather Serverson closely watches each member’s position on the field. This is Serverson’s sixteenth season coaching the team, and through her coaching career, she has guided them to the 2019 Mercer County Tournament and the 2019 Central Jersey Group semi nals.

Serverson’s long experience in field hockey first began in high school where she found her love for the sport. Her passion continued as she played throughout high school and during her studies at Temple University. In her prior coaching career, she was exposed to players with varying abilities ranging from young beginners to college level athletes. Her ability to adapt in a variety of team settings allows her to lead the PHS Tigers.

“You cannot apply the same thing that you do one year to the team you have next year; you have to base [your coaching] off of what they present and what they need,” Serverson said. “Adaptability and flexibility is probably the number one thing that I bring to that leadership role.”

Stella Matsukawa ’22, a member of the PHS field hockey team, comments on Serverson’s leadership.

“She’s always thinking of new drills for us to practice that highlight many important aspects of the game,” Matsukawa said. “Her dedication to the sport makes us all want to work hard and have fun.”

As a teacher and a coach, Serverson’s coaching philosophy is to keep her team happy and to take failure as an opportunity to improve.

She stresses the importance of players not being discouraged by mistakes, especially in a competitive environment.

“Everyone looks at failure as a bad thing when, really, failure is just an attempt at something that didn’t work out,” Serverson said. “As long as you learn from it, it’s a success.”

Developing a strong relationship between team members is an essential element in sports, and COVID-19 did not prevent the PHS  eld hockey players from doing so. In fact, Serverson suggested that the team has gotten closer with each other. The Tigers compensated for the time lost from having no season last year by regularly getting together outside of school.

Serverson enjoys helping a team with different backgrounds and levels to function as a unit and work with each other on the  eld. Filled with passion and encouragement, Serverson shared some advice for the athletes who are coming back to play this year.

“We all just need to have fun, relax, and realize that we’re going to be coming out of this strange COVID-19 experience pretty soon,” Serverson said. “We have some really good athletic teams here at Princeton High School, so have fun, because you only get this experience until your senior year.”

So far, under Serverson’s coaching, the girls varsity field hockey team has a 14-1 record. They won their division and made it to the semi-final round of the Mercer County Tournament semi-finals.

Coach of the Month: Heather Serverson encourages team to learn from failure

From the moment Michelle Santos'22 her teammates step onto the mat, they are at full focus. One slip-up, and the whole stunt could fail. To any person outside of cheer, this may seem daunting. For Santos, this is something she experiences daily.

Starting from a young age, Santos has been a natural competitor. Influenced by her parents, who promoted both physical and mental health, Michelle practiced hip-hop, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance.

During her sophomore year, Santos found her passion for cheerleading. Though it was a very exciting sport, the competition was tough, and she felt the need to improve. She watched cheerleading videos on her own time to gain a better understanding of the sport, furthering her growth.

Santos also understands the importance of staying conditioned, not just with the team but on her own. Running and yoga have become valuable assets of her routine, and she stays active by playing volleyball with her siblings.

Noticing her success early on, cheerleading Head Coach Barbara Callahan has been impressed by Santos’s willingness to help others and her ability to take responsibility in leading the team. During her senior year, Santos’s efforts were rewarded when Callahan appointed her as captain.

As captain, Santos shares her passion for cheer with the rest of the team, emphasizing the importance of team chemistry. As team members stretch before practice, Santos makes sure they talk about their day. She says it relieves stress and promotes a healthy environment where they can trust each other and build friendships.

“We’re all like one big family, once the season started everyone became super close,” said Santos. “If people don’t get along, then nobody’s going to listen to each other. ... If there’s not that much active listening, then the team falls apart.”

Cheerleader Monica Watson ’22 and Santos have cheered together ever since they were sophomores. Watson notices and appreciates the extra work that Santos puts in.

“Michelle is a really great captain,” said Watson. “She always makes people really confident about themselves, and she always knows what’s going on so she can  ll everyone in.”

Santos believes that a large portion of people don’t view cheerleading as an actual sport. She remarked that many tend to believe it to be something that doesn’t require talent, when in fact competitive cheer is very high-intensity.

“A lot of people think cheerleading is just shouting for a team, when in reality it’s a lot more. You need 100 percent concentration all the time. If you don’t, someone could fall and really hurt themselves. On stunts, if someone is being raised up while others are going down, it looks sloppy. You always have to know what you’re doing,” Santos said.

These problems were especially di cult to overcome during the pandemic. Although the team was not able to gather and practice stunts like they used to, they stayed that by stretching and doing cheers. Santos enjoyed seeing teammates she had not seen in a while, but she still felt the time was bittersweet.

“It was nice talking with everyone, but it was upsetting because stunting is the big part [of cheerleading] that everyone is excited about,” Santos said.

Now back full-time with fewer restraints, the team relishes their new sense of freedom. Over the past year, they’ve had limited contact with each other, hindering the team’s development.  is year, they were able to build new relationships in person.

Santos is excited to continue building these connections and encourages more people to join cheerleading.

“You don’t have to be outgoing to try out for cheerleading; there’s always going to be a spot for you on the team. We’re all very welcoming and supportive. You should definitely try out for the team! It’s super fun!” Santos said.

Athletes of the Month: Michelle  Santos  ’22:  cheerleading

Early mornings on Carnegie Lake were how Nolan Kaputa ’22 spent most of his time in quarantine. In the yellow single he shares with his dad, he practiced every day before school.  is extra work contributed to his success last year at nationals, where his boat placed third.

Kaputa first started rowing the summer before eighth grade at Mercer Rowing. There was no novice head coach during his first year at Mercer, so the varsity and novice teams were combined that season. He was the only novice member that year to move up another one season. Now a senior, he is the team captain of the boys varsity team and has committed to Yale University.

Rowing is a huge part of Kaputa’s life, and many of his friends and role models are a part of the Mercer community. He leads Crew Club at PHS, alongside other varsity rowers. In his downtime, Kaputa watches tapes from practice and past regattas. He uses this time to focus on his technique and relive some of his favorite moments with his teammates, who appreciate his leadership.

“Nolan is a dedicated leader and role model on the Mercer team. His leadership to both me and everyone on the team is by example. He inspires me to try my best at every practice and every regatta,” said teammate Owen Brown ’24.

Kaputa believes that his experience competing at nationals has been the most defining moment of his rowing career so far — particularly the timed trials, in which his team finished 0.2 seconds behind St. Joseph’s Prep, the fastest team.

“It shows how tough we are. Anyone can race side-by-side, and they’re really good racers. But I think also just in comparison to them, we’re a lot tougher on our own,” Kaputa said.

He also recalls the semifinals of nationals last year, where the Mercer varsity boys had the best time out of all the boats. He is proud that although they were disadvantaged by having a mostly lightweight team, they came in third despite the di culty of the competition.

Kaputa states that he is surrounded by inspirational people. His teammates and role model Coach James Hamp have pushed him to work harder every day.

“Jamie [is] really chill, but also he’ll give you multiple chances, and he holds you to a really high standard,” Kaputa said.

Assuming responsibility as a captain, Kaputa took on the role of sharing strategies, leading core exercises, and keeping the team motivated through personalized encouragement and emphatic advice.

“I try to be as much of a role model as I can be, which is sort of my primary goal. I understand I’m setting an example for people because if people don’t s e e t h e captain doing something, like if I spend my day messing around, people are going to be like, ‘I can just mess around,’” Kaputa said.

Hamp agrees with the way that Kaputa helps run the team and notes that he leads by example.

“He is extremely willing to work hard and really committed. He is very dedicated to anything he does when he wants to do something. He just goes and does it. That’s rowing. That’s basically everything from what I’ve seen. And he’s just really easy going and fun to be around. He doesn’t get uptight about stuff . So people naturally gravitate to him. Because he’s a hard worker. You know, being around him is fun. But you already know Nolan is going to stay focused and get stuff done,” said Hamp.

Athletes of the Month: Nolan Kaputa ’22: rowing

Squeak, pivot, swish. The sounds of the basketball court are music to Kyle Keegan ’22’s ears. He pauses practice as he weaves between the sea of people gathered around the net, demonstrating the next play. Keegan emphasizes the necessity of rhythm and precision. He encourages his team, reciting new strategies to move the ball down the court. Although the tall senior in athletic clothing could be mistaken for a student-athlete, he is actually a student-coach, leading the boys basketball team to numerous victories.

“I’ve always loved the game, but I was never good enough to play on the varsity level. In freshman and sophomore year I was able to showcase my basketball IQ and make a lot of friends on the team. So when a fall league team was created to practice for the winter season, my teammates thought I was best quali ed to coach,” Keegan said.

After persuading boys basketball Head Coach Patrick Noone, Keegan was appointed co-coach. Keegan, or Coach K as some of his players call him, admits the change was not easy. However, he already had both the basketball knowledge and teammates’ support to ease him into his new role.

“Kyle is a good motivator and holds us accountable. His belief in the team and knowledge of the game is unparalleled. It was a no brainer that he become our coach for the fall league, said athlete Connor McDowell ’22. Although Keegan has experienced success, he acknowledges that there are numerous di culties that come with being a young coach.  e biggest challenge, in his opinion, is drawing the line between his role as a coach on the court and as a friend off the court.“

It’s been di cult to separate ... Kyle, their friend, and Kyle, their coach. I feel that I’ve done a good job of  ipping that switch so far though,” Keegan said.

But in reality, it is the duality of his role as a student-coach that has resulted in the PHS boys basketball teams’ success.

Keegan has been able to help his team improve both on and off the court by acting as both a friend and a coach. As a friend, he is able to increase team spirit and unity. As a coach, he is able to implement specific new strategies that have helped the team overcome many of their closest rivals.Keegan motivates his players by listening to music with them while they carpool to games together. Rapping along to “Dreams and Nightmares” has become a tradition before every game. Keegan also hosts team dinners before games to encourage camaraderie and team bonding.

In addition, Keegan is proud of how he acts as a coach to the team, the most memorable coaching moment being a hard-fought first win of the season.

“We lost the lead late in the second half [but we] showed resilience and came out with the win in overtime. I reminded my team to stick to the program and trust the process.  e most important thing was for the team to trust each other and remember not to be sel sh when they have the ball,” Keegan said.

This year, PHS basketball is on the rise. Rebounding from a losing record last year, they are more determined than ever to improve this season. Keegan has been working with Noone in order to implement changes.

The combination of Keegan and Noone’s varied leadership styles provides a mix of experienced guidance and new ideas. Under Keegan’s innovative and experimental tutelage, the team has implemented several new strategies that address last year’s isues with communication and teamwork.

“I’ve been working with Coach Noone to implement a new system. We are trying to rotate new players in and re-acclimate returning players as well. We play our best basketball when we use our PHS brand of fast-break basketball, and in this pre-season we’ve been trying to build chemistry,” Keegan said.

Keegan has not only brought new strategies to the team but also created more interest in attending the boys basketball games. A proponent of the “Pack the Cage” mentality, Keegan puts special emphasis on making the games exciting to watch and instills a sense of camaraderie within his team.

“We see every team as a rival. No matter who we play, we expect to beat them by 50,” Keegan said.

Demonstrated by their winning record, the new strategy and energy Keegan has brought to the team seems to be working.  e boys’ fall league has improved, with three wins and one loss under Keegan’s mentorship. They, along with the rest of the school, cannot wait to see what the winter season brings.

“You can expect a great year from the Princeton Tigers. If we play our normal strategy of Tigers basketball, I am completely sure that we’ll come out on top,” Keegan said.

PHS athlete turned coach Kyle Keegan ’22 coaches boys basketball team to victory

“Pack The Cage,” Princeton High School’s new sports slogan, can be heard throughout the hallways from the roaring mouths of PHS students. A wave of school spirit has swept over the student body following a pandemic year, the result of greater prioritization of unity due to a change in administration. Attendance during games has increased dramatically, motivating both athletes and viewers

In the halls, you can hear students talking about attending the game later that day. “Packing the cage” has been the high school’s way of increasing student attendance, eff ectively  lling the bleachers at home and away games.  e packed crowd’s cheering has given encouragement to the athletes on the  eld and started to strengthen competition with opponents.

“School spirit motivates us to beat opposing schools, [which] intensi es our rivalries,” said boys varsity soccer player Felipe Matar-Grandi ’24.

The 7-2-2 boys varsity soccer team is on a roll this season, and they chalk it up to greater motivation. During Hightstown High School’s game with Princeton, a record number of PHS students, about 50, traveled to Hightstown to “pack the cage.”

However, word of mouth is not the only way PHS is garnering support in sports.  e viral Instagram account @princeton.tiger.cage grows on a daily basis, currently with over 500 followers.  roughout the fall season, the account has been posting almost every day, increasing involvement in the school’s athletics department.

“It has such a positive impact on our school spirit, and I love to see that everyone’s involved,” said the manager of the account. “Not only has the account increased PHS’s school spirit, but it has brought the school together in a way that has never been seen before.”

The impact of the account has extended to the rest of the Colonial Valley Conference. Opposing schools have begun to interact with the account and its followers before and after major games. The account has pushed for participation in athletics: What used to just be sports games have now transformed into school-wide events.

This new wave of support has not only improved unity within individual sports teams, but also in the student body itself.  e connection of students has never mattered more. As the pandemic hit, students and teachers were deprived of a normal high school year, so participation in sports took a hit. After a virtual year, students have jumped at the opportunity to get involved in the in-person school activities they missed.

“From an overall standpoint, participation decreased in not only the fall sports here at PHS, but the impact was felt in other athletic programs around the county,” said varsity girls soccer and basketball Head Coach David Kosa.

Students with a strong sense of community do more than show support for their school. A 2014 study by the Connecticut Association of Schools reported that they perform better academically and are more socially and civically engaged and that 92 percent of principals believe that the sense of camaraderie is tied to high student achievement.

“Usually when I have a game that day or the following day, I’m in a better mood, and I think that’s translated to my grades,” said varsity football player Tyler Goldberg ’24. So, whether it be through wearing our colors or packing the tiger cage, Tiger pride is here to stay.

Implementing a new “pack the cage” mentality, PHS school spirit hits an all time high

Princeton High School “Dodgefathers” win local Corner House dodgeball tournament

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