Pulling up to school in luxury vehicles with five-dollar coffees in hand, many PHS students are a far cry from normal. The opportunity to go to farmers’ markets in our senior parking lot on Thursdays and take courses at Princeton University are symbols of comfort and wealth. Especially compared to the school districts around us, PHS is a pillar of privilege. And while much of this privilege is used for good, it’s still strange in comparison to the districts around us. While we got MacBooks, West Windsor-Plainsboro North got Chromebooks, Monroe got iPads, and some schools got nothing. On top of that, some schools have crumbling infrastructure, an issue that they can’t even afford to solve. Meanwhile, Princeton Public Schools has begun construction on a multipurpose studio for yoga and dance.

Solving this pressing issue of inequity doesn’t completely fall on PPS, though spending millions on construction alone is still quite a contentious choice. Rather, American public school funding is what needs to be scrutinized. Education is supposedly a human right, but the government rarely supports this, chronically neglecting struggling public schools. And, like always, it comes down to the policy. The funding of American education is anything but equitable. A large part of public school funding comes from property taxes, a source of money that varies by location. Low-income areas with low property taxes will have little financial support for their schools. Therefore, quality of education is determined by geographic distribution of wealth. Education is also the foundation of success, yet we withhold quality education from people who need it the most. It’s impossible for low-income Americans to lift themselves up out of poverty without quality education, but our current system almost ensures social stagnation. Unless property taxes in poor neighborhoods radically increase (which they won’t, because living in poor neighborhoods isn’t exactly desirable), these schools will simply never get funding.


graphic by [credit name = "Emily Qian"]
But the United States is one of the only developed nations that relies on property taxes as heavily as it does for public education. Many other countries have similar but more effective mediums of securing money for public schools. For instance, some compensate with national or federal aid; their public school financial support comes from supported legislative acts and federal-level taxation, not just from local sources. In the United States, though, much is left up to individual states. Just by looking around us, we can see the necessity for a policy shift. The property value in Princeton is significantly higher than the surrounding towns (just check Zillow), and as a result, our education is significantly better. Students in under-funded schools often feel that their teachers don’t care; at PHS, however, teachers’ passion for learning is evident. Even the resources we get compared to the surrounding schools is baffling. With some exceptions, PHS activities remain well-supported across the board. From clubs to athletics to the arts, student life is highly funded and prioritized by the school. Being able to open your Instagram and see our orchestra in Italy is typical of Princeton High School; bands in most public schools outside of our district couldn’t feel the same. Access to quality education is directly associated with socioeconomic status, and classism in America underscores nearly every issue discussed in Congress. Representatives tend to focus on the hot-button issues while neglecting substantial reform. It is our responsibility to vote in legislators who genuinely care about righting the wrongs in the education system. If we value our education and the privilege it affords us, we should aim to ensure that everyone has access to an equal and quality experience. Education and democracy go hand in hand because both are emblematic of the human capacity to achieve more. So if we truly value our trips to Italy and our sports resources, we need to vote with education in mind.

Princeton’s privilege: rethinking public school funding

With a collection of around 700 albums, I have become 
obsessed with the ritual of picking a vinyl out of the sleeve, 
placing it onto the turntable, connecting the speakers, 
dropping the needle, and hearing the warm analog sound 
reverberate through the speakers. This tactile experience 
with music connected me to how music was enjoyed for 
decades and introduced me to hundreds of artists. For 
many years, I was an outlier, with many of my peers 
solely using streaming services. However, due to the 
trendiness of a vintage lifestyle, vinyls are becoming 
more widely used and collected by Gen Z listeners. 
According to Yahoo Finance, vinyl sales surpassed one 
billion dollars in 2025, with over 48 million units sold. 
Through this resurgence, old records stored in attics are 
now becoming coveted collector's items for teenagers.

Using a record player is a process and a ritual. From 
smelling the dust from records I haven’t used in a while 
to hearing the little crackling noises of the stylus on the 
grooves of the vinyl, I remember each of these sensory 
details like the back of my hand, making the experience 
grounding and nostalgic. The moment the first note 
rings through the speaker is so gratifying because I 
spent time preparing it, carefully handling each aspect 
of the process to ensure the vinyl and record player are 
preserved as best as possible.

“For vinyl in particular I think people appreciate the 
entire package the vinyl offers," said Brandon Odrobenek, 
an employee of Princeton Record Exchange, a local 
hub for vinyl collectors and a prime example of record 
store culture. "It’s not like you’re just pressing a button 
on your phone or on your computer. You’re actually 
taking the record out of the jacket, putting it on the 
turntable, dropping the stylus down, so it’s a whole 
different experience. I think that’s something that people 
[who] didn’t necessarily grow up with have come to 
appreciate, and the people who did grow up with it are 
now returning to it.” 

It wasn’t until the pandemic that I heard my peers 
talking about buying vinyls and experiencing the 
record store culture. It can be magical and meditative 
to flip through vinyls, smelling the aroma of old paper 
and listening to the background music chosen by the 
shopkeepers. On top of that, the idea that there could 
be an original or limited edition pressing hidden within 
the piles keeps the excitement flowing and makes me feel 
like a little kid on a treasure hunt.

Once I find what I am looking for, or maybe what I 
unexpectedly came across, another wave of excitement 
crosses over me, opening the record for the first time. 
Besides the first listen, opening it could uncover many 
of the hidden gifts an album jacket can have, like liner 
notes, posters, lyric sheets, stickers. One of my favorite 
discoveries was the four high-quality individual portraits 
and the large poster with lyrics on the back that I found 
inside The Beatles’ “White Album.” Both the tangibility 
of the music as well as the extra information and 
memorabilia connect the listener to the music beyond 
a single dimension, both physically and intellectually.

The combination of its ritualistic nature, the community 
behind it, and the physicality and interaction fostered 
are what revived vinyl popularity and brought it to the 
forefront of social media, becoming a large part of the 
vintage aesthetic. Whether it's freshly pressed vinyls from 
modern artists appeasing their audience or well-loved 
records from forgotten retro artists, vinyls and their 
culture are accessible to all tastes and levels of interest 
in music, which is why their resurgence became so 
widespread and influential.

“It doesn’t matter what walk of life you came from," 
said Odrobenek. "As long as you’re here because you 
love music and you’re passionate about buying music, 
that’s all that matters.”

The resurgence of vinyls

  On April 22, a pop-up called “Visigo Agent” appeared on the screens of all PHS-issued devices, requesting permission for input monitoring and screen recording. Though PHS students speculated that the software was being rolled out to detect AI usage, its main purpose, according to Chief Technology Officer Todd MacDonald, is to detect threats to student safety and prevent self-harm or harm to others. 

The software, developed by Linewize, will monitor the screens of all student devices. In the vast majority of cases, the data recorded will be deleted immediately. However, if Linewize’s AI models detect a potential safety threat, it will capture screenshots of the student’s device and classify them into one of five levels based on the severity of the threat, with five being the highest.

If the threat is serious, involving an imminent risk to safety, an individual at the district will immediately be notified (regardless of the time of day), while lower level threats will appear on a dashboard to be reviewed. 

MacDonald emphasized that the district is not planning to use the system to detect cheating or AI usage, even if a student is suspected of such an action by a teacher or administrator. The system is programmed to detect threats or instances of sexual harassment, extreme bullying, suicide or suicidal ideation, and violence.

MacDonald also noted that while the school district is able to determine which student owns the device associated with a given capture, administration and faculty are not able to review or request past footage if it is not picked up by the system.

   “If a principal says, ‘Hey, I heard a rumor that a kid said this,’ I can’t go into the system… it doesn't work that way. I don't use the filter to look and see what websites the student [went] to. [The system] is really only looking for active dangers for students,” said MacDonald.

  The program has been piloted at Princeton Middle School for the past two weeks and has since detected around 100 threats, with the vast majority being false alarms.

“Most of [the alerts] are nothing to be concerned about. I quickly look and say, ‘Okay, this was a research project about drugs, right? It's not like a student is having an overdose.’ So I can immediately dismiss that one,” said MacDonald.

   The vast majority of school districts in New Jersey already have an equivalent type of software installed, with PPS being relatively late to the game. PHS is also unique in that it provides Macbooks to students, which are harder to install software on and monitor compared to Chromebooks. MacDonald noted that PHS students have a history of attempting to evade monitoring software and restrictions.

“If students refuse to install the software, at some point we will have to lock the devices down.  We have to get this working. If it turns out that we can't get that working reliably, then in the future, we won't be able to have students using MacBooks,” said MacDonald.

   PHS students have been fairly resistant so far; the majority of students did not immediately install the software. As a result, PHS administration added a 15-minute homeroom on Monday, April 27 to ensure students complied with the update.

   “I honestly think it's quite invasive… but in general, I guess it's kind of necessary, because a lot of people are doing what they shouldn't be doing in school instead of work. It's just another reminder that these are not our computers,” said Luca Nicolae-Jozwiakowski ’27.

Combined with the continuation of a filtering system such as Mosyle that restricts access to certain websites, Macdonald hopes the new software will help the district better comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act and protect PHS students in a world of growing digital threats.

   “I've talked to many districts, and almost every one that has set up these types of tools has [saved lives]. There have been several instances I know of … where [the system] has called a guidance counselor, and they called the police, and the police [arrived], and that student was about to take their life,” said MacDonald.


photo courtesy: Linewize
An example of the dashboard district technology personnel will have access to with Linewize. Events ranging from three to five in severity will be sent for review. The dashboard highlights an “Offensive User,” “Sexual Content,” and Discord use.

PPS debuts “Visigo Agent” software to increase student monitoring

This January, Governer Phil Murphy 
signed the New Voter Empowerment Act 
into law in New Jersey, which allowed 
17-year-olds who turn 18 by the general 
election to vote in state primaries for the 
first time, as long as they register to vote 
by May 12. Andrew Zwicker, the Senator 
for the legislative district LD-16, which 
includes Princeton, sponsored this law.

“It’s the first bill that I ever wrote … 
and it took almost a decade before it 
got signed into law,” said Zwicker. “It’s 
your world. The decisions that I make 
in the legislature right now, whether it is 
around economic policy, climate change, 
housing, [or] affordability, they’re not 
going to magically change in 10 years. So 
having your voice heard by folks like me 
is incredibly important.”

This law expands participation for 
primary elections, which determines the 
party nominees for the general election 
in November. 

“It’s a unique opportunity for young 
people to have their voices heard,” said 
executive board member and elections 
chair of the Princeton Community 
Democratic Organization Rachel 
Grainger. “The primary election is an 
opportunity to decide who ends up on the 
general ballot. So this gives young people 
more of a voice in that process.”

Zwicker encourages youth to participate 
in democratic processes, even if they 
have not turned 17 yet. Whether it is by 
volunteering in a campaign, attending 
a council meeting, or getting involved 
on a local municipality level, there are 
multiple ways to connect with our political 
representatives.

“Being civically engaged and civically 
minded is really important. A lot of people 
don’t realize that state local governments 
have a much more direct impact on 
people’s lives, especially young people’s 
education policy,” said History and 
Government and Politics teacher Timothy 
Campbell.

However, despite the expansion of 
voting abilities to youth, only 32 votes were 
cast by 17-year-olds during New Jersey’s 
11th congressional district special election 
this April. Due to the new bill, there are 
a variety of factors that can affect voting 
participation, including weather, ballot 
resources, and information about voting 
requirements. Campbell believes that 
these shortcomings can be fixed with a 
required government class for all high 
schoolers. 

“Not every 17-year-old knows about 
the registration process. Knowing the 
requirements [is] especially important,” 
said Campbell. “Seniors graduate from 
here and go to college … outside of their 
home district, they have to know they 
have a ballot registration process … 
that’s something that you could learn if a 
government class was mandatory before 
graduation.”

At PHS specifically, students can access 
resources and programs that help them 
learn about and get involved with the 
voting registration and election process. 
The school encourages students to join 
political clubs, while integrating civics 
lessons into the curriculum, educating 
them about elections through Student 
Council voting, and sending reminders 
about voting deadlines. Carina He 
’26 recalls the opportunities she has 
had throughout school involving civic 
education. 

“I remember [that] in middle school 
we did mock debates about social issues, 
and you continue to do similar critical 
thinking [in high school] where you 
learn both about the history of America’s 
election cycles and voting issues while 
also forming your own opinions and 
worldview,” said He.

Eleanor Nayden ’26, a senior who 
recently registered to vote, corroborated 
that young people are capable of shifting 
the current state of partisan politics.

“What’s needed right now in the very 
polarized political situation, is to do your 
research on the different people that are 
in politics, so that you’re not voting for 
ideals, but people that represent you and 
your desires and how you want to see the 
country move forward,” said Nayden.

Zwicker urged people to not feel 
discouraged over the political environment 
and instead use the power they have as 
members of a democratic society to make 
the change they want to see.

“The issue I see is people feel very 
discouraged given the chaos coming out 
of Washington and feel like their vote 
doesn’t matter,” said Zwicker. “But it’s the 
opposite because if we don’t [participate], 
we end up with elected officials who don’t 
share our values.”

Photo: Katherine Chen

Amanda Lee ’26 registers to vote by filling out the Voter Registration Application.

Senator Andrew Zwicker’s decade-long bill expands voting rights to 17-year-olds

Princeton High School’s very own Audrey Chiu ’26 
competed at the World Junior Synchronized Skating 
Championships, which took place from March 13 to 14 
in Gdańsk, Poland.

With her team, the Skyliners, Chiu won third place 
with 200.40 points, placing second and fourth in the short 
program and free skating segments, respectively, and 
finishing 4.46 points behind second place. This bronze 
medal finish marks the seventh junior world medal for 
the team. 

What does a typical day of training look like for you? Is 
training every single day?

I train in New Jersey three days during the weekdays: 
Monday, Tuesday, [and] Thursday, and then I skate with my 
team in Connecticut and New York on 
Friday, Saturday, [and] Sunday.

What was your favorite part about 
competing at the ISU World 
Junior Synchronized Skating 
Championships?

When we got on the ice to warm up, 
they dimmed the lights and they turned 
on purple and pink lights, and it was 
really cool to be in that zone with your 
team. And I was most proud that my 
family was able to get to see me skate, 
because they live in Taiwan, and they’ve 
never seen me skate before, and some 
of them came over to Poland to watch.

How were you able to adapt to the 
pressure when competing on the 
international stage?
 
I felt more pressure during ... the 
practices that we had leading up to the 
competition, [than] when we competed. [Competing] was 
really fun, so it was not that nerve-wracking.

What’s something that you would tell yourself to keep 
you motivated?

When I was younger, I didn’t 
really need to be motivated, because 
[skating] was something I liked to 
do. If I ever felt like I didn’t want to 
go, I would just tell myself that when 
you’re on the ice, you know you’re 
gonna have fun because your friends 
are there, you’re there, and you’re 
doing something you like [doing]. 

What are three qualities that are 
important for skaters to have?

Being understanding and being 
aware of the people around you is 
very important. [Also], you have 
to be determined, because [skating 
well] takes a lot of effort, and [can] 
sometimes hurt a lot. You [also] have 
to be very self-motivated [and] you 
have to [know how] to time manage 
yourself. You can’t rely too much 
on other people to do stuff for you


Audrey Chiu ’26 wins bronze with Team USA ice skating

A room, or a packed stadium filled with music? Being 
alone, or being with hundreds of fans? Seeing the artist's 
album cover, or seeing them perform in person? Music 
has always been important in our society no matter the 
generation. It conveys a sense of visibility, togetherness, 
and acceptance. Unfortunately, one of the many beauties 
of music that is often forgotten or skipped over is its 
authenticity and its ability to build a community.

Using streaming services is practical, but every song 
that gets released goes through an extensive production 
process. The artist most likely sings multiple takes, 
perfecting their voice over and over again until the 
song is completely how they envision it. A level of 
perfectionism is understandable and expected within 
the music industry, but the joy of music comes from 
the small flaws. From small voice cracks, to laughter in 
songs, these moments reveal the humanity of the artist, 
which finalized songs sometimes lack. Along with the 
popularization of autotune, musicians are discouraged 
to release songs that do not fit the standard, contributing 
to the uniformity of the industry. With concerts, the 
crowd is composed of people together for one night, 
producing a unique environment for the artist to color 
their music with ad-libs. In this way, performances that 
are built off the crowd allow a new level of authenticity 
and creativity.

“When it's live, it's very unique because [Swift] can 
change the words or she can have a phrase 
that she says to interact with the audience. 
It just feels special because whoever is 
there in the audience are the only 
people who get to listen to it live 
like this,” said Vivian Lutkowski 
’28 who attended a Taylor 
Swift concert.

Not only do concerts allow 
the artist to experiment 
with performance style, a 
community and a sense 
of interconnectedness are 
also fostered during the 
performance. All audience 
members are packed inside 
one venue to see an artist they 
all enjoy, and therefore are uniting under a common 
interest. Trends such as friendship bracelets as well 
as custom items like stickers and charms immortalize 
the moment and provide a way to make friends with 
unlikely people.

“Everyone, like me, was a super fan. 
Everyone was being so nice and everyone 
was trading friendship bracelets around,” 
said Lutkowski.
 
Unlike studio recordings, artists have 
zero do-overs or retakes and there is no 
rewind button for the audience. That 
unfiltered experience of staying in the 
present moment can be refreshing and 
is irreplicable. Going to a concert not 
only brings people closer together, but it 
also brings people closer with the artist. 
Concerts turn songs into moments, and 
those moments last a lifetime.
 
“The music felt ... alive and radiant," 
said Lutkowski. "And I just loved every 
single time she opened her mouth to sing.”

The benefits of concerts

High school students are often reduced to their victories. An environment that centers around achievements is an environment that discourages failure, imposing social expectations that pressure individuals to constantly improve. Failure thus warps from a possibility to a looming threat.  


The cultivation of a failure-fearing mindset creates false perceptions of what “failure” really means, contributing toward eventual self-sabotage. Outwardly displaying successes while diminishing defeats can often cause students to make unfair mental comparisons with their classmates. Simultaneously, negative personal understandings of failure, frequently influenced by childhood experiences, exaggerate poor performance. One’s distorted judgment towards a “B,” a singular argument, or a competition loss not only undermines individual progress but sets unrealistic future expectations.


Over the course of my life, similar to many students, I too have suffered through a number of failures. While playing badminton in middle school, I victoriously advanced through matches before halting at a fourth place finish in the final tournament. The idea of perfection that once defined my ability shattered upon the notion of not being “good enough.” During the same years I shifted my attention toward an active social life, interacting with a variety of people until having to move countries. These friendships crumbled with time, leaving nothing but a deep sense of guilt for having failed to maintain connections. Academically, an easy freshman year allowed me to interact with clubs and classmates without ever requiring external help. However, this ease faltered once I advanced to AP classes, ranging from persistent bad grades in the initial quarters of AP Chemistry to a defeatist demeanor upon observing other successful students. A stark contrast emerged between a freshman year 4.0 GPA and the red ink that covered my first test. 


These failures were not met with immediate motivation, and instead took precedence in my future endeavors. Failure is only harmful when people allow it to define themselves. Lost tournaments did not signify continued defeats, but rather allowed me to identify specific weaknesses. My past friendships never led to complete seclusion; instead, they created a more attentive nature with future relationships. My failed tests were never the “end,” but rather allowed me to improve my learning strategies. My failures, like everyone’s, break false expectations and represent genuine progress outside of a comfort zone. Harnessing the value of this natural part of life marks the beginning of a stronger self and a more resilient, authenitic, and peaceful existence.

The power of failure

Cheers & Jeers: April 2026

On March 26, 2026, the International Olympic 
Committee (IOC) banned trans women from participating 
in the female division of the Olympics. Before the 
finalization of this new rule, the committee had already 
been discussing how to divide the female division in 
Olympic sports by making clear distinctions between 
biologically born females and transitioned females
They concluded that, because of scientifically proven 
advantages in biologically male athletes, it would be unfair 
and unsafe to permit them to participate. Specifically, the 
IOC cited close games and high stakes as the reason for 
their decision.

As part of Olympic regulations, athletes have been 
required to complete testing to see if they are eligible for 
the female division. This process usually includes genetic 
testing, such as cheek swabs or blood samples. The results 
are used to check for the sex-determining region Y gene, 
which is typically found in biological males. If the athlete 
has this gene, they are not allowed to compete in the female 
division, but if they don’t, they are allowed to participate. 
James Smirk, one of the head coaches of the track and 
field team, emphasized the credibility issues of the IOC in 
itself. Smirk referenced previous Olympic controversies 
to question the IOC’s consistency and fairness in its 
decisions over the years. 

“We can go all the way back to East Germany, [where 
athletes were] so heavily doping that the female athletes 
actually had higher registered testosterone than the highest 
natural male testosterone ever recorded. [However, the] 
Olympic Committee did nothing about [it],” said Smirk.

The East German doping scandal was an event where 
female athletes were given performance-enhancing 
drugs, synthetic versions of hormones, by their coaches. 
This leads to an increase in muscle mass, strength and 
speed, and a raise in testosterone levels in the body. One 
such drug given was Oral-Turinabol, which was used 
specifically to enhance strength and endurance. From 
1960 to 1989 22 national records were set by these 
athletes who used drugs. 

For Smirk, that raises larger questions about how 
much science versus outside factors actually influences 
the decisions the IOC makes. 

“I think one of the big things to understand is that 
when we talk about things like athletics, it’s very easy to 
sit here … and say, the science, the science, the science. 
But athletics are [also a] cultural phenomena,” said 
Smirk. “If you go back to other cultures that engaged 
in competitive athletics, transgender identity was not 
[considered] an issue. This is more of a cultural issue 
than it is necessarily a biological issue, and [it depends 
on] how culturally we define what fair competition 
represents.” 

According to the American College of Sports 
Medicine, notable differences between biological males 
and females appear at the age of puberty, around 12 
years old. These differences are due to the anabolic 
effects of testosterone in males. During puberty, male 
testosterone levels multiply by 20 to 30 times, 15 times 
higher than in females at the age of 18. 

Mary Pat Lelinski, head coach of the girls basketball 
team, explained that while men generally have more 
physical strength, each case should be considered 
individually, and if there are no big advantages, they 
should be allowed to compete.

Furthermore, she spoke about how physical 
differences between biological men and 
women often come into play, especially in 
a contact sport such as basketball. 


“Going case by case, if there’s an obvious 
advantage to [allowing a trans athlete 
to participate], then they can’t 
participate because it would create 
a safety issue in a lot of sports,” 
said Lelinski.

Greta Knierem ’27, an athlete on 
the girls varsity basketball team, who 
has been coached by Lelinski, shared a similar perspective, 
from an athlete’s point of view. 

“It should definitely depend on the case. It’s just so 
hard [to judge] depending on how skilled the person may 
be at the sport and just how much of a disadvantage it 
could mean to the other opponents in the activity or the 
sport,” said Knierem. “I don’t think that they could even 
[make] a rule on [transgender athletes competing in 
the women’s division since] everyone has different 
types of skills [and] everyone contributes to their 
sport differently.”

Specific cases of transgender women competing in 
the Olympics include Laurel Hubbard, a transgender 
weightlifter from New Zealand who competed in the 
Tokyo 2021 Olympics. Her participation brought a lot 
of attention to how transgender athletes fit into women’s 
sports because it raised questions about fairness, 
eligibility rules, and whether current Olympic 
policies can equally balance inclusion and competitive 
advantage. Cases like this have contributed to ongoing 
discussions within the IOC. Only after collecting 
years of data did the IOC decide to impose the ban.

Brian Dzbenski, Princeton High School’s Drector 
of Athletics, explained that decisions about 
transgender athletes in sports often involve multiple 
factors, especially when it comes to competition 
and student well being. 

“You want to use science and utilize the facts 
… men have higher levels of testosterone [which] 
… builds more muscle,” said Dzebinski. “When it 
comes down to the health and safety of students 
… that’s definitely a great concern.” 

He added that while separation may 
make sense in some situations, applying one clear 
rule across all sports and athletes is much 
more difficult in practice.

The IOC’s decision reflects an ongoing 
debate with no easy answer. While some 
believe the rule protects the fairness and 
safety in the Olympics, others argue 
that it oversimplifies a complex 
issue and does not account for 
individual differences. As 
sports continue to evolve, 
the challenge will be 
finding a balance that 
respects both inclusions and 
fair competition.
