### Beloved ###
The house at 124 Bluestone Road is haunted. Everyone in the bleak, post-Civil War 
Cincinnati, Ohio of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” knows it, and all but a select few avoid 
it. The ghost of an infant rages against the home’s inhabitants, “worrying [the] house 
into evil,” but not only that; each member of the house, only a few years free from 
enslavement, carries with them the malevolent spirits of their pasts.

There are few books that characterize a period in American history better than 
“Beloved,” published in 1987 but set in post-Civil War America. It follows Sethe, 
an escaped slave, and her daughter, Denver, whose home in Ohio is haunted by the 
malevolent ghost of Sethe’s dead infant. When a mysterious woman referred to only 
as Beloved arrives and begins to worm her way into the two women’s lives, unbidden 
memories begin to surface, and Sethe is forced to reckon with the atrocities of her past. 
“Beloved” is the story of a deeply complex female character who possesses not only a 
great capacity for love but also for violence, exploring the vast impacts of slavery on 
the human psyche through the vessel of the family.

Diving into the minds of people who have undergone some of the most brutal abuse 
imaginable is not easy, and Morrison doesn’t hold her punches. Sethe, a strikingly 
complicated and tragic figure, is a mother of four children, which shapes her identity 
and the abuse she encounters at the hands of her enslavers. The story of her escape from 
slavery while pregnant, recounted several times throughout the novel, is visceral; the 
description of the whipping scars that looked like “a chokecherry tree,” “red and split 
wide open, full of sap,” is only one of its many striking images.
 
As is appropriate for a novel about ghosts and trauma, 
“Beloved” is heavily concerned with the issue of 
memory. The past is revealed in small, recursive 
snippets of flashback from various perspectives; all of 
the characters forget or block out major aspects of the 
core events, making it difficult to piece together the 
full picture of what transpired. This nonlinearity may 
hinder a new reader’s ability to follow the plot, but it 
shapes the story’s atmosphere: “Beloved” is a ghost 
story, eerie and dreamlike, and the unconventional 
form makes it a reading experience like no other.

Though Morrison’s novel is set almost two 
centuries ago, many of the issues it examines are 
still relevant today. Learning not only the way that 
slavery in America affected women then but also 
the way that its psychological scars linger in America 
today is crucial to understanding women’s history in the 
United States.

### Jane Eyre ###
In 1846, Charlotte Brontë began to write “Jane 
Eyre.” She was 30 years old, and up to this point, 
most of her life had been spent moving from 
boarding school to boarding school, first as a 
student and then as a teacher. In this regard, 
“Jane Eyre” reads much like a narrative about 
Brontë’s own life: first an orphan living with her 
distant family, Jane is sent to an oppressive 
boarding school, where she eventually gets 
a job upon graduating, finally ending up 
working as a governess. Furthermore, in an 
event likely inspired by the death of Brontë’s 
older sister, Jane witnesses the aftermath of a 
typhus epidemic at her school, including the death 
of her closest friend.
 
Despite these parallels, however, 
and the novel’s original subtitle of 
“An Autobiography,” “Jane Eyre” is 
undoubtedly a work of fiction. Although it 
was published in the 19th century, it contains 
many of the modern novel’s conventions: a 
major reason for its popularity at the time of 
publication was its intense first-person narrative, 
unusual at the time but commonplace now.
 
As the governess for a young French girl at an estate called Thornfield Hall, 
Jane is drawn to the mysterious master of the house, Mr. Rochester. Inspired by the 
Byronic heroes Brontë read about in her youth, he quickly sweeps Jane off her feet. 
Trouble ensues, however, when strange occurrences begin to happen at Thornfield 
Hall, and Jane learns of the secrets he has been keeping.
 
Although a modern eye may not peg “Jane Eyre” as a radically feminist text — Jane 
never manages to break free from the societal expectations of a Victorian woman — 
many core beliefs of modern feminism are present in their prototypical forms. When 
Rochester proposes, Jane refuses to accept until he admits that she is his “equal” as 
a “free human being with independent will.” Brontë published “Jane Eyre” under a 
pseudonym, Currer Bell, in the hope that a more masculine name would help her 
succeed in the literary world. This proved wildly successful, and she was met with 
immediate fame. Though our society may have grown past strict Victorian ideas of 
gender roles, it remains important to read books by female authors — not just this 
March, but year-round.

Must-reads for Women's History Month

Valentine's Day mini crosswords

In late January of 2025, the students on the Cuba trip said their goodbyes to the island 
and embarked on the bus to the José Martí International Airport in Havana. On the ride 
there, our tour guide Sergei gave each student a personalized postcard as a parting gift. 
The front of the postcards were paintings by Cuban painters from the Museo Nacional 
de Bellas Artes, while the back had the title of a Cuban song, chosen specifically 
for each person. My song, “Una Palabra” by Carlos Varela, played through my 
headphones the entire flight back.

As an avid collector of vinyl records, I’m often trying to expand my 
taste through the $1 bins that line the Princeton Record Exchange, 
but the discovery of “Una Palabra” opened my eyes to a whole new 
realm of music. Ever since that day, I have been exploring more 
music in foreign languages as a way to dive deeper into the world 
of sound, better understand unfamiliar cultures, and practice a 
second language. Later that school year, after returning from 
Cuba, I started exchanging songs and albums with my friend, 
who recommended Mexican artists like the indie rock band 
Enjambre, the pop and ballad singer José José, a folk band 
called Los Tres Diamantes, and the metal band Red Ulalume.

Through my own exploration of Latin music, the first artist I 
found whose style really spoke to me was Rico Del Oro, an alternative indie singer from 
Durango, Mexico. His style blends country, crooning, and bolero, bringing his ancestral roots 
and his Texan upbringing to the Nashville scene. Rico Del Oro presents as a moonstruck 
cowboy, often telling stories about love, loss, faith, and the Western landscape. His debut 
album “Tauro” mixes Spanish and English in each track, with the only two written fully 
in Spanish being “Vida” and the titular track. His second full-length album, “Durango,” 
was released in 2024 and serves as a sequel to the former, including tracks like “Flora De 
Saguaro” and “Alacran.”
 
My interest intensified with Jeanette, a Spanish singer who rose to fame as a teenager 
in the late 1960s. Her soft and sweet sound captures romantic angst while maintaining 
the natural rebellion of youth, often featuring orchestral arrangements as well as an 
electric guitar, which Jeannette herself plays. Some of her most popular 
songs, such as “¿Porque Te Vas?” and “Soy Rebelde” appear in the 
movie “Cría Cuervos” (1976), for which she recorded the soundtrack. 
Facundo Cabral, a self-taught folk and protest singer from Argentina, 
was named a “worldwide messenger of peace” by UNESCO in 1966. 
Cabral was a self-proclaimed anarchist and “violently pacifist” according 
to an interview in 1972, and often wrote about individual and spiritual 
resistance against military dictatorships in Latin America. His ballads 
“Pobrecito Mi Patrón” and “Yo No Vendo, Yo No Compro” are two of many 
in his discography that demonstrate his non-materialistic philosophy and social 
consciousness.

As I discover Latin artists outside of mainstream American media, I continue to reap the 
benefits. My knowledge of Latin culture extends beyond linguistic subtleties, but through 
music delves into the many aspects that make up a complex culture.

Entering the world of Latin music

As February unfolded, the hallways of 
the PHS choir wing filled with the sounds 
of students singing in preparation for the 
PHS Spirituals and Gospel Festival in 
honor of Black History Month. The event 
highlighted the musical, cultural, and 
historical significance of gospel music as 
an American art form.

The PHS Gospel Festival aimed to honor 
the tradition while bringing students into 
direct contact with the music’s cultural 
roots. The performance took place on 
Thursday, February 12, in the Performing 
Arts Center, featuring all PHS choir 
students, five Studio Band members, and 
guest conductor Bishop Chantel Wright 
from New York University. Their combined 
effort resulted in a program that honored 
both the music and its tradition.

“I just love being able to sing a song that 
has meant so much to other people, [that] 
has an impact on so many things, and has 
such a big story to tell … I’m able to sing [it] 
with [so] much emotion, and with so many 
other people, and share the story,” said PHS 
choir member Aimy Solares-Zacarias ’26.
 
Gospel music originated from the 
spirituals sung by enslaved Africans, who 
blended their traditions with Christian 
hymns as a way to express hope and 
preserve their identity. The music reached 
its prime in the early 20th century and was 
shaped by composers such as Thomas A. 
Dorsey, who combined sacred lyrics with 
blues-influenced harmonies, creating the 
foundation for the choirs and modern styles 
heard today. Over the years, gospel music 
influenced other major American musical 
genres like jazz and served as a source of 
unity during the Civil Rights Movement.
 
“PHS Choir and Cantus both [did] their 
own sets [at] the concert and then all of the 
choirs, including Chorale, [sang] all four 
pieces … all together. So we call it the mass 
choir and we often have some community 
members from the Black churches in our 
Princeton community [and] they [came] 
and [sang] with us as well,” said choir 
director Sarah Pelletier.
 
The style of gospel challenged students 
to adapt to a different vocal approach, 
emphasizing tone, attitude, and blend.

“I think a big factor with gospel music is 
the attitude and the tone that you’re bringing 
to the songs, especially when there are large 
harmonies you want to be heard, but you 
also don’t want to stand out from the rest 
of your voice part,” said Alexis Brown ’27.

The event features a guest conductor 
who rehearses with the students and leads 
the final performance every year. This year, 
for the second in a row, PHS welcomed 
Bishop Wright.

“They’ve been rehearsing since we got 
back to school in January and so the music 
[was] in multiple parts. Sometimes certain 
choirs [did] certain parts and then it all 
[came] together. Then we [had] all the 
voice parts covered and so it [was] fun to 
finally get to put it together with Bishop 
Chantel Wright. That [was] the night before 
the concert,” said Pelletier.
 
A small group from the Studio Band, 
including drum set and rhythm-section 
players, accompanied the choirs. They 
practiced individually and with the choir 
teachers before joining in several combined 
rehearsals.

“I think it’s neat that the school has a thing 
like [the Gospel Festival] ... It’s a good way 
to get involved with your community and 
the music is really soulful,” said Studio Band 
member Zack Ware-Huff ’26.
 
For many students, the event was 
meaningful not only because of its distinct 
musical style, but because each song carries 
with it a unique story and history.

“Bishop Chantel Wright, she is all about 
community and bringing people together 
... This music is very religious … but even if 
you are not a religious person … this music 
can bring communities together, and that’s 
what she is all about,” said Pelletier.
 
Through this event, choir students had 
the chance to expand and diversify their 
musical skills while also honoring the 
traditions and long history of Black gospel 
music in America.

photo: Emily Kim


PHS Choir performs at the PHS Spirituals and Gospel Festival, joined by guest conductor Bishop Chantel Wright and members of Studio Band.

PHS choirs celebrate Black History Month with gospel celebration

Mia Dunlap fell in love with music at a young age, and 
she hasn’t looked back since. As the current music director 
for Cloud Nine, a member of Studio Vocals, and a vocalist 
for Jazz Ensemble, Dunlap has shared her passion for music 
throughout PHS and beyond. Although she does not plan on 
pursuing music as a future career, Dunlap is considering a 
minor in music alongside working towards her nursing degree

**How did you first get into singing?**

I’ve been singing for a while. When I was six, I started doing voice lessons. I really 
liked musical theater growing up … I’m from Alabama, and we did a trip to the city 
when I was younger, and we went to a Broadway show, and I just loved watching people 
perform and stuff, and so I wanted to do that … I used to have really bad stage fright 
… even when I was a kid. And so I got over that, and I would do my recitals and stuff, 
and I continued to do musical theater. I started that when I was nine [and continued] 
... until I moved.

**Have you ever played an instrument? If so, why did you choose to continue 
singing instead?**

I play guitar. I’m not very good. My brother is a really good guitar player, so in 
comparison, I’m really amateur, but I also play piano. I took piano lessons when I 
was a kid. I’ve just been [singing] the longest, and … I think you have much more of 
a connection with the music when you’re the instrument … I think it’s much more 
personal than [playing an] instrument as a vessel for your music.
 
**How do you prepare for all of your performances?**

I struggle with nerves a lot. And that’s something I’ve had to work on … I think the 
best way for me to cope with that is practicing … I just make sure that I have everything 
down, and I’m ready to perform it how I want to perform it, or else I’ll second-guess 
myself, and then I’m a nervous wreck. But I think just practicing and making sure that 
I’m prepared and confident in my ability, that’s the best way for me to set myself up 
for success.

**Do you prefer singing a cappella or with the band?**

With the bands. I think a cappella is very unique, [and] I really like the part of 
arranging my own music a cappella and getting to hear that [music] kind of come to 
life. But I prefer the style of the jazz songs, and I think you can have a little more fun 
when you’re singing with the band, because they’re kind of doing their own thing … 
[and] it’s not as structured. So I enjoy that about bands.

**How do you think your experience in Cloud Nine has changed after becoming 
the music director?**

It’s a lot more work. I have realized how much work the past music directors have had 
to do, and I have much more respect for them. It’s so much work arranging music and 
scheduling all of the rehearsals and scheduling performances. But it’s super rewarding 
to hear that translate into an actual group sound … Once you kind of hear the actual 
people singing it, it’s really rewarding. It’s very fun to hear.

**What is your favorite personal memory of singing in either Cloud Nine or in 
Jazz Ensemble?**

The jazz combo I did my sophomore year. It’s part of Jazz Ensemble, but it’s a separate 
[small group]. It’s usually just instrumentalists, but they asked me to sing with them, 
and that was super fun … it was a lot of work, but we ended up placing third, which 
is really good for the Ensemble Combo. I got the judge’s choice award. I just was very 
excited, and I felt very cool to be a part of their little band kid group … It’s all [really] 
good memories.

**What advice would you give to someone who wants to join an a capella group or 
become a band vocalist?**

I would just say find your style. I think it’s very easy, especially now and especially 
where we are, to try and conform to a certain style … And I think it’s best to just kind 
of find that [style] within yourself and not really see that elsewhere … Just staying true 
to yourself, especially in your music, and not trying to be someone else or stylistically 
sound like someone else [is important]. Find your own style.

Student artist of the month: Mia Dunlap ’26

On February 8, millions of Americans huddled on their living room
couches to watch the highly anticipated Super Bowl LX halftime show,
starring Puerto Rican pop phenomenon Bad Bunny. With over 128
million viewers tuning in for his música urbana, his performance
became the fourth-most watched halftime show after artists like
Kendrick Lamar, Michael Jackson, and Usher. To many people in
the Latino community, Bad Bunny headlining meant more than
just quality entertainment: it meant representation on one of the
biggest stages in the world.

“Choosing Bad Bunny for this event shows that the U.S. isn’t
necessarily made of just stereotypical Americans. It’s made up of
immigrants, people from Puerto Rico and all the South American
countries. I feel like it kind of represented the Latin voice within
the American communities,” said Liam Clemens ’28.

From pava hats to the coco frío stand, the carefully fashioned
set was packed with symbolism intended to showcase the
beauties and hardships of Puerto Rican life.

“I’m Puerto Rican, so it was really cool to see,” said Elena Barreto ’27.

The setlist was also thoughtfully composed, with songs like
“El Apagón” highlighting economic and social struggle. “Lo
Que le Pasó a Hawaii,” performed with guest Ricky Martin,
evoked 1990s pop nostalgia in a heartfelt call to maintain Latin American culture.

“When they brought out Ricky Martin, I was surprised. I didn’t really expect it. It was
really nice to bring back some old culture,” said Clemens.

Despite an emphasis on his Puerto Rican heritage, Bad Bunny recognized all South
American countries and the immigrants making up Latino communities around the nation.

“Not only did he represent Puerto Rico really well, he represented all the countries,
and it made the whole Hispanic community feel recognized. Especially when he was
calling out all the South American countries, it made me feel shouted out. At least
for me, I come from Nicaragua, and not a lot of people know where that is, so it
made me really happy, ” said Annelise Narvaez Salgado ’28.

Considering recent tragedies with ICE agents nationwide, Bad Bunny’s
performance was a form of protest and a chance to send a message not just
Americans, but also to the world.

“With all the things going around with ICE and the danger and fear that we
have now, I found it really meaningful that they had a Latin artist up there
representing my voice and other voices in the community. Kind of giving
us a voice we don’t have,” said Clemens.

From the moment Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner in
September of 2025, politicians in the Trump administration made their
opinions clear. Ranging from hate-filled tweets to threats of ICE agents
at the stadium, the controversy and criticism surrounding the event
boomed in the media.

“They call it American football, and even people from the White
House were saying how it was a slap in the face to America. Having
Bad Bunny on stage despite the criticism was really meaningful,” said Michael
Caceres ’27.

At the end of the performance, Bad Bunny finished by holding up a football inscribed
with the message “Together We Are America” and a jumbotron displaying a quote from
his Grammys acceptance speech: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

“Instead of just letting hate shut us off or shut us down, we should still keep going.
Instead of getting quieter, we should get louder. We should show people what we’re really
made of,” said Salgado.

Bad Bunny sends a message on the Super Bowl stage

Whimsical winter wordfest

#
### The Apartment (1960) dir. Billy Wilder

Winter on the East Coast is cold, dark, and long, and stepping out of the biting cold into the warmth of one’s home is a relief like no other. Some though, like the lead character of “The Apartment,” C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon), have nowhere to go — although his circumstances are rather unique. The affable if lily-livered office worker is lonely and it’s the holidays, but he has found himself in the habit of loaning out his Upper West Side apartment to the higher-ups at his company for their extramarital trysts.

Soon enough, Baxter is contacted by personnel director Jeff Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), who tells Baxter that he will be promoted if he allows Sheldrake use of the apartment. Baxter agrees, and asks an elevator girl, Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), out for that night. She agrees, but ends up standing him up for a date with none other than Sheldrake, with whom she has had an off-and-on affair.

Both characters are lonely, and the decision to set the movie over the winter holidays (major plot events happen on Christmas and New Year’s Eve respectively) reflects their state of mind. Though these holidays are typically times to rejoice with your loved ones, Baxter and Kubelik instead endure a series of heartbreaking rejections and setbacks in their relationships with other people.
 
Lemmon’s fantastic performance and the jokes packed densely into the script manage to transform what seems like a somewhat miserable plot, however, into — miraculously — a comedy, and a great one at that. Though “The Apartment” has been overshadowed by other romantic comedies from the same period like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Some Like it Hot,” it is one of the best films to come out of the 1960s and deserves a reputation as not only a great film but a perfect one for the winter holidays.

### The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) dir. Wes Anderson
Though it does not once mention Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s, there is no doubt in my mind that “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a film for the winter holidays. It is a story within a story within a story, established in an opening sequence of a woman visiting the grave of an author who wrote a book about his visit to the titular hotel, where he was told a story by the proprietor, Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori). The eccentricity in the framing of the story is present in virtually every other aspect of the film, from the pastel color palette, to each frame’s stilted symmetry, to the miniature models of the hotel. Anderson is one of the most distinct directors of our age, and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is an extravagant aesthetic indulgence, both visually beautiful and absurdly unnatural.

The bulk of the story follows Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes), a prim, poetry-loving concierge at the Grand Budapest who rules stringently over the staff and dotes on the elderly female patrons. Though there is a plot, involving a stolen painting, prison escape, and secret society of hotel concierges, it takes the back burner for the film’s more pressing thematic concerns, particularly nostalgia. Though the range of confectionary colors and dollhouse-esque sets evoke childhood aesthetics (further evidence of it being a holiday movie), more specifically, the somewhat ridiculous yet eminently respectable Gustave is a dandy committed entirely to the kind of high-end service that, as chronicled by the gradual degradation of the hotel, was in its dying throes at the time.

Though the Grand Budapest is located in a fictional Republic of Zubrowka, the phases it goes through are not unfamiliar to the 21st-century viewer: the colorful, glamorous 1930s giving way to a Nazi-equivalent occupation, and then finally the Iron Curtain-era dilapidation and grayness. Despite its highly unnatural and stylized composition and the layer of fiction separating our world from Anderson’s, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” imparts serious messages about fascism and art. It is also wildly entertaining, with a pitch-perfect comedic performance from Fiennes alongside Anderson’s crew of regulars, including Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.



### The Holdovers (2023) dir. Alexander Payne

“History is not simply the study of the past, it is an explanation of the present,” the curmudge only teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) says in “The Holdovers,” a snowy dramedy set in a New England boarding school over winter break. Indeed, when a Focus Features logo customized to look retro flickers onto the screen, it’s made clear that “The Holdovers” is a film concerned with the past. Shot digitally, then edited to emulate film, it’s composed like a film from the 1970s, with Cat Stevens songs playing quietly over long shots of empty school halls and snowy Boston. But the quietly moving pain of the three lead characters, along with the unlikely bonds they form because of it, make this story still deeply resonating in the present day.

When Hunham fails the son of a major donor, his administration-prescribed punishment is to stay at the school and supervise the unruly group of boys “holding over,” the sort of rich, insubordinate brats he despises. Soon, however, most of the holdovers are picked up by one student’s magnanimous father, leaving only a student of Hunham’s named Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa). The head cook Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), grief-stricken from her son’s death in the Vietnam War, joins them, and the three form an awkward trio, with each member initially concerned only with their own holiday melancholy. Through the events of the film, the three form a genuine bond that transcends their unfortunate circumstances.

The film is anchored by the three strong lead performances, particularly Randolph’s, who has been given the rawest emotional moments and does beautifully with them. It’s a quiet movie, fuzzy around the edges like childhood Christmas memories, and though the plot may not exactly move at breakneck speed I always find myself wishing at the end that Hunham, Angus, and Mary’s stories could last just a little bit longer. “The Holdovers” is a new, offbeat addition to my December movie rotation that manages to be heartwarming without being saccharine and melancholy without being maudlin, despite occasionally falling prey to holiday-movie clichés. 




Unofficial holiday movies

From being first chair cellist in the PHS Orchestra to performing with the Heifetz Institute, Seigo Iwata ’26 immerses himself in the world of music. Iwata has been playing for 13 years, starting the cello when he was only four years old. He plans to bring his passion for music to college, where he will take the next steps in his music career. 

**What is your favorite part about playing the cello?**

I’d say my favorite part is probably chamber music, since I can collaborate with other people. [It’s] a team building kind of thing where everyone has to do their best, because if even one person slacks off, it’s bad.

**Who is your favorite composer? Favorite piece of music?**

My favorite composer is Gabriel Fauré and my favorite piece of music is String Quartet No. 2 by Mendelssohn. 

**What inspired you to start playing cello?**

My mom made me and all of my siblings play a musical instrument from a young age, and we had to continue it through middle school. I made a promise to my mom that if I didn’t like it, I would quit as soon as I went to high school. But then I went to Meadowmount School of Music, I was like, “Okay, I actually want to do this.” Around sophomore year was when I genuinely started to want to pursue music in the future. Mainly, that was thanks to the Heifetz Institute, where I was in a chamber group with two violinists. I got along really well with those people, and it really made chamber music fun for me.

**What was your experience like at the Tanglewood Institute?**

I was in the string quartet program last year, and this year I was in the orchestral program. It was really fun, but it’s a very intense program. It was over the summer for six weeks. I met all kinds of people. For string quartet, it was four hours of rehearsal every morning, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with coachings. But then for the orchestra, it was only three hours of rehearsal in the morning. For the string quartet, we do two performances. We have one week to learn two or three string quartets and then play them. And then for the orchestra, you’d have three two week sessions.

**What makes the cello unique?**

There’s a famous saying that the cello is the closest to [the human] voice. I think that’s definitely kind of true because a lot of really famous somber pieces ... are written [for] cello. [These pieces] are all very heart wrenching pieces. And I think the cello is definitely the only instrument that ... can produce that sound. But there’s also a lot of drawbacks: we can’t play very high and can’t project as much. But I’d say it’s the most resonant out of the string instruments.

**What advice would you give to someone who wants to play the cello?**

If you want to play cello, I’d say you need to find a viable teacher because there’s so many things you have to get out of the habit of doing, even if you haven’t played an instrument. I played for seven years, and then I met a new teacher, I realized I’d been doing basically everything wrong. I had to completely relearn everything about how I played, and it really helped. 

**What is your favorite part about playing in the PHS Orchestra?**

I’d say my favorite part about playing in PHSO is the musical and the winter concert because  both are things in which we collaborate with parts of the arts department with.

**What is the most challenging part about playing with the orchestra?**

The most challenging part is working with the conductor. I’ve also talked to other musical professionals and ... they all said the same thing of whether the conductor will listen to you, and then whether the orchestra can pay attention to what you’re playing and match that. But it’s mainly the conductor who controls the orchestra. So, if the conductor doesn’t listen to you, you’re just on your own.

**Do you want to play any other instruments?**

I really want to play viola because you can play a lot of different types of music. The cello is great, but sometimes it’s not very useful, because sometimes you’re only given bass notes and things like that. On the other hand, the viola is kind of downplayed. But honestly, a good violist is insanely useful.

Photo: Charley Hu

Seigo Iwata ’26 practices his solo performance piece for the Winter Concert, “Le Grand Tango” by Astor Piazzolla.

Student artist of the month: Seigo Iwata ’26

Sofia DiGioacchino ’26 has always been surrounded by music. Her love for performing started young with the encouragement of her parents and their passion for theater and acting. Her confidence and wide range of singing styles have enabled her to perform on international and noteworthy stages. 
Currently, she co-leads a cappella group The Cat’s Meow, is a soloist for Studio Vocals, and is PHS Choir President. She recently toured with Studio Band in Europe.

**What’s it like singing a capella?**

I love it. I joined Cat’s as a sophomore. It’s such a different experience to create all the music yourself, which is something I never got to experience before Cat’s. A unique part of it is we arrange our own music. So that’s been a side of it that I really enjoy getting to do, now that I’m on the older side of it, I’m arranging the music and collaborating with the other seniors and things like that. It’s so much more fun to put on something you created. 

**How do you prepare for all your performances?**

I have a good ear, so a lot of times I’ve learned songs by playing it and falling asleep to it and putting an AirPod in my ear, because I like to think that subconsciously teaches you it. I don’t know if that’s true, but it works for me. I don’t even need to physically run through it. I just kind of learn everything by ear. I can multitask so I just have things on in the background. 

**How do you handle performance jitters?**

I just have kept performing. I don’t get nervous like I used to. I remember growing up my hands would be shaking. I’d be terrified to get on stage. But now I tell myself before I go on for anything, “Just keep your head on your shoulders, you know how to do it. It’s in your body, it’s in your bones.” And I think that confidence in yourself and preparedness, that’s a huge thing for me. Just knowing your stuff is the first step. Especially when things have really quick turnarounds, like for band, we turn songs around in like 12 hours. 

**Do you prefer singing to music or singing a capella?**

I prefer a cappella when it’s something I’ve written because I know it inside out. I prefer singing with music when it’s not, because there’s something so collaborative about all the instruments coming together in band. There’s something so fun about listening to one of my friends’ solos and then jumping back in. 

**What has been your favorite performance to date?**

This past summer we performed at the Umbria International Jazz Festival in Italy. It was so cool because this is one of the biggest jazz festivals internationally. People fly in far and wide to perform at this place. It’s kind of like Coachella. We’re getting escorted, there’s dressing rooms. We sound checked and you could tell it was professional grade. Then, we do the performance, and it was the biggest crowd I’ve ever been in front of in my life. You’re standing and there’s thousands of people. It was just such an unbelievable experience. I was so proud of myself because I wasn’t nervous. I was just settled with myself because I knew my songs like the back of my hand. 

**What experiences have you had going on tour at PHS?**

I’ve been so blessed to have the opportunity to be on three tours. First, I went on PJO two summers ago, my summer going into junior year. I got the opportunity really randomly. I was going to audition for band my sophomore year, but chickened out because my friend chickened out. [Bongiovi, one of the band teachers,] needed another vocalist at the end of that year, and pulled me aside after I performed in Cabaret for the choir. He was just like, “Do you want to go sing in Italy over the summer?” I was like, “What is that question? Of course!” That was a big turnaround and it’s the biggest blessing in my life. I made some of my best friends, I had the best time in my life. It taught me so much about myself, about performing, to introduce me to jazz which is now my favorite thing. 

For choir, I had so much fun. My roommates were great and I learned so much. We performed maybe three or four times and everything else was learning. And I have the incredible opportunity of going to Europe again next week, which I’m so excited about.

**Who’s your favorite artist at the moment?**

Amy Winehouse and Stevie Wonder. Both in their own ways set the blueprints. I just think that their music is just so perfect to me in both their own ways. It’s very different but I would say Amy more vocally, and Stevie, he broke the mold. 

**Are you planning on pursuing music in the future?**

I definitely am but I’m not applying for a major in college. Everywhere I’m applying I’m either looking at the vocal minor programs or the band, a cappella, choir opportunities that the schools have.

Sofia DiGioacchino ’26 sings “Creep” by Radiohead at Pfarrgemeinde Salzburg Christuskirche in Salzburg, Austria, accompanied by PHS Studio Band.

Student artist of the month: Sofia DiGioacchino ’26

The murder of an innocent protester — or perhaps the wrangling of a domestic terrorist. It depends on who you ask. 


Following the shooting of Alex Pretti, Trump administration officials claimed that Pretti was an “armed suspect [who] violently resisted” ICE’s attempts to disarm him. The gun, it turns out, was just a phone — a fact only revealed as a result of a widely-shared bystander video.


We live in a time when our access to information has reached unprecedented levels. Yet at the same time, political rhetoric and its ability to misconstrue the truth can blind us from making our own objective judgments. 


It’s often only through bystander videos that the truth gets out. In the past decade, nearly every major protest movement has been fueled by videos filmed by normal citizens, often with shaky hands and without professional equipment. In 2020, 17-year-old Darnella Frazier was walking to a nearby grocery store when she witnessed police officers restraining George Floyd. Frazier started recording, and later that day uploaded the video to social media.


Had it not been for that video, the uproar in the wake of Floyd’s killing — and the conviction of Derek Chauvin, George Floyd’s murderer — may never have occurred: the initial police report by the Minneapolis Police Department simply described the death as a “medical incident.” As Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota later said “that video, I think many folks know, is maybe the only reason that Derek Chauvin will go to prison.”


As PHS students, we have two important duties when it comes to primary sources. 


First, we must acknowledge our own power to act as sources. It might feel as though we, as students, do not have the capacity to catalyze a national protest movement. But for Frazier, it likely seemed that way too. In reality, all it takes is the awareness and courage to press record and share.


Second, when consuming media, it’s imperative that we evaluate sources with a critical lens. In order to combat this rhetoric, we must trust the primary sources that we see — even when everything we hear from politicians flies in the face of what our own eyes tell us. It means staying true to our eyes, allowing interpretations to enhance understanding, not rewrite them. 
In the age of AI, this obligation has an extra step: sources purporting to be authentic have the potential to be doctored or completely AI-generated. Before wholly believing details from one post or video, we must cross-verify information.  


George Orwell’s warning in 1984 — “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command” — thus rings true today. The second we stop filming, and stop trusting, primary sources, we become complicit in this command. 

The power of primary sources

Winter Recap 2026

On Saturday, January 31, the Princeton High School Math team held the first Princeton Math Tournament (PMT). Consisting of two divisions, the tournament drew over 450 participants from elementary and middle schools across New Jersey. 

  Led by tournament co-directors Maiya Qiu ’27 and Emma Li ’26, the PHS math team began preparation for the tournament in the summer. Though the event was originally scheduled for October, it was postponed until the new year due to scheduling conflicts with other major math competitions earlier in the year. 

One of the most crucial parts of the preparation was problem-writing, with volunteers consisting of PHS students, middle schoolers, and Princeton University students. The team wrote over 500 problems, though only around 100 were used for the actual tournament.

During the tournament, participants were split into two divisions — one for grades 6–8, and the other for grades 3–5. In teams of 1–3, students competed in four rounds: a sprint round, a target round, a puzzle round, and a team round. Near the end, PMT also organized an Estimathon, a competition based around estimating results to complicated questions, such as: What is the area in square miles of the smallest non-self-intersecting hexagon that encompasses all Ivy League schools except for Cornell and Dartmouth?

“The idea [with this tournament] was [that] we wanted to create more opportunities for students in the New Jersey area, to become more interested in math … work with other students, and work with math outside of school or outside of the classroom, and maybe introduce some interesting puzzles and ideas,” said Li.

In addition to the various puzzles, PMT also invited guest speaker Professor Dieter Kotschick from the Institute of Advanced Studies to speak with parents of participating students. Inspired by the German children’s book “The Number Devil,” Kotschick’s talk focused on the value in finding joy and fun in math, which he believed was especially important for young kids participating in the tournament.

“I wanted to … emphasize to the parents that it’s very important that kids have fun and enjoy mathematics,” said Kotschick. “They’re not just sequences of numbers. There’s a kind of natural beauty in mathematical concepts.”

At the end of the tournament, prizes were awarded to the best-performing students and teams, with the highest reward being $200 for the individual winner of each division, as well as trophies and plushies for teams that placed in the top three.

“The competition was really fun … the [problems] were pretty similar to what you’d see in other national competitions,” said first-place winner Aarush Moola, an eight-grader at Community Middle School. “I think it was a really challenging but rewarding experience at the same time.”

Help from sponsors provided much of the financial support needed for the tournament. A key sponsor was the Princeton Regional Education Association (PREA), represented by Malachi Wood, a French teacher at PHS. He assisted the Princeton Math Team in securing a grant of $1,000 from PREA for food and awards. Wood emphasized the importance of showcasing how PMT helped build the community in order to receive support from PREA.

Wood also stressed that teachers played a supporting role during the PMT, as the general operations were student-led. 

“The day of the tournament, [I saw] the students registering people, organizing things, preparing things … Inside the auditorium, they were organizing the students and asking them math questions,” said Wood. 

In addition to handling operations on the day of the tournament and prior preparation, student organizers also heavily focused on outreach through a variety of media in an attempt to get middle school students and teams to sign up for the tournament. While social media outreach helped spread the word about the tournament, cooperation with administrators from participating middle schools played the biggest role in gaining sign-ups.

  “We had more than 480 sign-ups, and then around 450 of them came. So it was actually an extremely high turnout rate of around 90 percent,” said Qiu. “We actually did not expect this many students to show up.”

After the tournament concluded, the PHS math team received both constructive and positive feedback from participants. The parent of contestant Mario Luo, a fifth grader at Johnson Park Elementary School, was one of the many parents that thanked the PHS Math Team for their organization after PMT concluded.

   “My son had a wonderful time and came home truly excited about the experience,” said the parent in an email to the math team. “I really appreciate all the time and effort you and your team put into this event. It [was] honestly one of the most exciting activities in the Princeton community.”

Due to the success of this year’s tournament, the math team has high hopes for PMT’s future. They plan to continue hosting it in upcoming years, next time more prepared for the large turnout.

“I was impressed by how successful it was. I think they were expecting 300 kids or so, but they got 400 … and everything was well run and organized, from what I could see,” said Wood. “There were some difficulties in running out of supplies and so forth … [but] they were really successful.”

Photo: Katherine Chen

Britta Du, Audrey Zhang, and Ahana Roy collect their awards as the second-place team in Division A of the Princeton Math Tournament.

PHS Math team holds first Princeton Math Tournament 

 On Thursday, February 12, Biology I students participated in the first Fermentation Festival at PHS. Organized by Science Supervisor Jacqueline Katz, biology teacher Alexis Custer, and Food Systems Literacy Coordinator Shannon Barlow, the Fermentation Festival was an opportunity for students to showcase the sourdough bread they worked on throughout the year as part of their new phenomena-based curriculum. 

   The festival displayed handmade sourdough bread to taste, along with posters that demonstrated the biological processes that the students learned through baking their own bread throughout the school year. PHS parents, students, and even local bakeries around Princeton were invited. Custer, the main organizer of the festival, came up with the idea of incorporating sourdough bread into her classes’ last year. 

   “Microorganisms are not visible to the naked eye, but you can see [it] with a sourdough starter, the rise and fall of the starter, and [the] taste [of] a loaf of bread,” said Custer. “[So] the students could go ahead and see what they’re learning in the classroom is applicable in their real, everyday lives.”

  In total, Custer’s students made over 300 loaves of bread, funded by a grant from the Princeton Regional Educators Association. After the success of this year’s curriculum, Custer has been working with Barlow to pilot a new food science program for autism classrooms starting next school year. The two submitted a grant to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program, in which they were awarded $10,000 to develop the program and continue it for the future.

“What’s really nice about Princeton is [that] we can put our own unique flair on to the way that we teach biology that makes it meaningful to us,” said Custer.

Photo: Julia Li

​​Isabella Nitze ’29, Emma Hu ’29, and Yuwei Jiang ’29 present their sourdough findings.

PHS Fermentation Festival demonstrates new phenomena-based curriculum

Princeton High School’s very own Kelly Curtis ’07 
competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in the sport of 
skeleton. After previously making history as the first 
Black athlete to represent team USA in skeleton during 
the Beijing Olympics, Curtis returned to the Olympics, 
competing on February 13, 2026. In the process, Curtis, the 
top American in women’s skeleton, managed to finish the 
training runs behind first place by only 1.15 seconds. She 
ultimately placed 12th in the final rankings, demonstrating 
her resilience and perseverance in the sport. Outside of the 
sliding track, she serves in the U.S. Air Force World Class 
Athlete Program, which is an initiative designed to allow 
athletes to participate in elite events such as the Olympics 
while also remaining in the military. Additionally, her 
journey was also interrupted by the birth of her daughter, 
which sidelined her from the track.

### How did you initially start skeleton? What were your steps to getting to this level?

My father was the athletic director of Princeton High 
School in the ‘90s, and he left right before I entered high 
school. I think just that solid foundation of trying so many 
different sports and finding success in some and not in 
others ... I think that was foundational. And then in high 
school, I was known as a basketball player and I just ran 
track and field more so to stay in shape for basketball. But in 
college, I went and competed collegiately in the heptathlon, 
[which helped] also create another solid foundation of ... 
different skills. And after college, I was in graduate school 
coaching track and field in upstate New York. And that 
was close enough where I could go to Lake Placid for a 
combine. From there, I was invited to a bobsled driving 
school. At that driving school, I liked bobsled, but I didn’t 
love it. I saw skeleton and I tried it in 2013. [I] finished 
graduate school in 2014, went out for skeleton, but ended 
up joining the bobsled team in 2014 and then [I] went 
full-time skeleton in 2015.

### In between the Beijing 2022 Olympics and this year’s Winter Olympics, how did you and your team train or how did you work to improve from the last Olympics?

We do a lot of reflection, feedback, assessment, and 
then see what worked well in the past quad and see what 
didn’t. Hopefully, we can get some fundraising going and 
go into our research and development and have a little bit 
more of an edge going into the next [Olympic] Games. I 
think we were just outmatched these past Games by some 
of the technological advances of some of the well-funded 
countries.

### As a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force, you represent the U.S. in two very different uniforms. How do you balance serving in the Air Force and training and competing?

There’s really no way to completely balance something. 
Something is always needing attention while I’m giving 
attention to others. Especially trying to become an 
Olympian, a multiple-time Olympian at that, it’s not 
a balanced lifestyle. Everything is focused [on] these 
particular goals. [As a result], other things are on the back 
burner. I would say keeping up with family and friends 
had to take a backseat for this past couple of weeks. My 
family came out to support me and it was amazing, but 
I’m like, ‘I don’t want to be in any of the group chats’ [or] 
‘I’ll hang out with you guys after the games.’ Once you’re 
so focused on one thing, you have to give it everything.

And now, I can take the foot off of that pedal and I’m 
going back to doing everything that I need to do for the 
military and I’m right here at Aviano Air Base, so I’ll still 
stay up to date with everything that I need to do here. It’s 
a bit of an unbalanced act, I would say. It’s like everything 
towards one particular goal. And then once that’s done, 
then you reassess, you calm down, then you go toward something else.

Photo: Kelly Curtis

Curtis hurtles down the ice track at the Cortina Sliding Centre during the 2026 Winter Olympics, where she placed 12th.

Kelly Curtis '07 competes at the 2026 Winter Olympics

**The Tower asked Princeton High School students for their opinions on recent activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) both locally and on a national scale. Here’s what they had to say.**

### I am Guatemalan, I am human, and I am not going anywhere

I am Guatemalan. And I am proud.

I do not believe deportation is wrong. I believe the intention behind it is what has gone off track. 

There is nothing wrong with protecting a nation. But there is everything wrong with tearing apart innocent families in the name of it. I do not agree with deporting children who have known no other home. I do not agree with deporting mothers who rise before the sun, who clean, who care, who labor so their children might dream bigger than they ever could. I do not agree with deporting a man who works harder than most, who pays his taxes, who contributes to an economy that runs on the sweat of his back, doing the jobs that no one else will stand in the sun for ten hours to do.

Deport the predators. Deport the violent. Deport those who break the law and bring harm. But to deport a human being simply for the color of their skin, the accent in their voice, the pride they carry for where they came from? That is not policy. That is cruelty dressed in procedure. And it is dishonorable to the very idea of what America claims to be. 

I do not need to call myself American to know I have built this country with my own hands. I do not need a plastic card to remind me I am human. And I should not need one to prove it to you. We are watching millions of dollars evaporate. Farms emptied. Hospitals understaffed. Buildings unfinished. Crops left to rot in the fields not because Americans won’t work, but because the workers who fed this nation have been cast out of it. And still, the lie continues: that we are takers. That we are invaders. That we are less than. But we are the ones holding this country up. And if they tear us down, the whole thing crumbles. 

I am not asking for pity. I am asking for sight. See the mothers. See the fathers. See the children who only know this land as home. See the hands that feed you, that heal you, that build the walls around you.

This path we are on will not fix America. It will divide it. It will hollow it out from the inside.

I am proud of my culture. I am proud of my language. And it is not a crime to know more than one — it is a gift. One that built civilizations long before borders existed.

I am Guatemalan. I am human.

And I am not going anywhere.

Anonymous ’26


### ICE is necessary to uphold the law

In my opinion, ICE is doing a good job. Why is it okay for people to enter this country illegally? Don’t get me wrong, the shootings of the two people were unacceptable, but why is it acceptable to enter this country illegally? The clowns that are in outrage against ICE think it’s okay for people to come in illegally? Are we serious? Supporting illegal immigrants means they are supporting those breaking the law. Ironic, isn’t it? But they call us Republicans the bad ones. The law is the law. Illegal immigration is ILLEGAL. Trump is doing a great job in office in all ways, and especially getting rid of people breaking the law. Finally someone who enforces the law. Actually do real research instead of reading and falling for this liberal propaganda. No one is above the law; if you travel to America illegally, you are breaking the law. Why get annoyed at ICE when they are enforcing the law? The issue is not ICE; it’s the bad border controlling letting these illegals in.

Anonymous ’27


### ICE’s expansion attacks our freedom

I am appalled by the recent loss of innocent American blood and the repressive, systematic raids, even coming perilously close to PHS. We must take steps to stand against actions that intimidate our neighbors.
An agency for legal immigration enforcement is necessary given the current crisis; its creation, per se, is a step toward curbing illegal immigration. However, its recent expansion has led to a direct attack on our freedom and constitutional rights. 

While local governments are rather powerless, they must foster a good atmosphere and relationship within communities, condemning these illegal activities in their districts. The American people must find a common denominator despite polarization. Are slaughters and systematic illegal deportations not enough for us to unite? Our local representatives and governments must support our rights and the Constitution to protect the weakest in our society.

Anonymous ’27





### Immigration enforcement delivers justice

I think what they are doing is great; people didn’t follow the rules and they should come to the country the right way. Because they are illegal, it’s expected that they have the risk of getting deported. On the other hand, I think the fact that people are getting hurt is upsetting, but if you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. 

Anonymous ’28

### ICE’s activities threaten our safety
 
I believe ICE’s recent activities, both nationwide and in my community, raise huge concerns about fairness, safety, and the treatment of immigrant families. The recent aggressive enforcement and highly visible operations seem to create a lot of fear and uncertainty, especially for people who are trying to live normal lives. When people are aware that the shade of their skin can have them arrested or shot, they are entirely unlikely to venture outside and contribute positively to their community. I feel that when people are afraid to interact with schools, healthcare, or law enforcement, it weakens trust between individuals and makes communities less safe. 

Local governments must be held more accountable in order to effectively protect their residents’ rights, promote transparency, and make sure policies reflect compassion as well as maintain public safety. Overall, it is important for everyone to support more humane and balanced approaches to immigration enforcement.

Anonymous ’29

### Immigration enforcement respects legal immigrants

Personally, the idea of ICE and ensuring people are here legally is overall a good idea. Unfortunately, even though many illegal immigrants work and pay taxes, it would be unfair to the immigrants who came here through the legal process. Nonetheless, I do not agree with the way they hire ICE agents, as I feel it is too easy to become an agent. Hardworking “illegal immigrants” should be given a chance and at the least a fine for entering illegally, but criminals should be deported with no questions asked.

Anonymous ’27


### ICE maintains order and security

I support the recent activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because I believe enforcing immigration laws is an important part of maintaining national security and public safety. Nationwide, these efforts show that federal laws are being taken seriously and applied consistently. In our community, increased enforcement can create a sense of order and accountability, reinforcing the idea that laws matter.

Anonymous ’26

### Corrupt authority warrants resistance

When the Gestapo invaded towns during its 1944 occupation of Italy, churches would ring their bells to let people know they weren’t safe. Princeton needs an alarm system. Have the churches ring their bells, send us a text message notification, just SOMETHING to let people know that they are not safe.

And once people are notified of ICE’s presence, the police need to be on these ICE agents until they are OUT.

The students of PHS didn’t spend 15 years learning about injustices and corrupt authority to sit back and turn a blind eye when the same things actually happen in real life.

So remember the mothers, remember the fathers, and remember the children whose lives have been affected by the kidnapping of loved ones and the fear that they will be next. Princeton should be the example for change, not the example of hesitance. Fight ICE. VIVA LA RESISTENCIA!

Anonymous ’26

### ICE is unconstitutional

Disgusting,   inhumane,   and   unconstitutional. Immigrants are what make America great. If you are looking to only deport “Illegal Felons,” start with the president, a felon, and his wife. Not American citizens.

Anonymous ’29

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