On October
17, the Princeton
High School
Orchestra
(PHSO)
collaborated with
the PHS UNICEF
community
service club, as
well as Princeton
Middle School,
to host a benefit
concert promoting
the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals that UNICEF has set
to achieve by 2030.

This event occurs every other year; this
year’s edition specifically placed emphasis
on presenting the 17 goals. These goals
include ending poverty, improving global
education, achieving gender equality, and
making clean energy affordable. PHS
UNICEF leaders and officers discussed
these goals while the orchestra played
music in-between
presentations.

“[We combined]
artistry with
mission … [to
support children]
artistically from
where we are in
Princeton,” said
PHSO conductor
and UNICEF club
advisor Robert
Loughran.

While in previous
years the concert featured PHSO alumni,
this year, only current orchestra members
participated. Loughran described this
experience, noting that the soloists were
all student performers.

“We have a really talented piano section
in the orchestra … [that performed] solo
repertoire that [coincided] with what
[was] presented on stage by the officers,”
said Loughran.

During the concert, all members of
the PHS orchestra program — as well as
some Princeton Middle School orchestra
members — had the opportunity to
perform.

As the event was open to the community
at a low cost of attendance, it reached
a wide range
of community
members.
Moreover, the
performers had
the opportunity
to expand
their musical
talents while
simultaneously
learning more
about global
issues. PHSO
violinist Elif
Cam ’26
describes her
connection to
these goals as a musician after studying
UNICEF’s mission.

“I personally donate to UNICEF,
and I have researched the Sustainable
Development Goals a lot, so for me, it
[was] truly really special to have a concert
in honor of [this cause],” said Cam.

 PHS UNICEF
leader Ava Tabeart
’25 shared her
hopes to inspire
other high school
students.

“Community
service shouldn’t
be  thought of
as a graduation
requirement … it’s
really something
that [we hope
students will]
embrace and try
to make the most
of,” said Tabeart.

PHS Orchestra and PHS Unicef co-host a benefit concert

Art is a reflection of the times, constantly
evolving alongside modern technology.
Today, we find ourselves in the middle of
yet another major transformation with the
rise of digital art, which uses technology to
give artists more tools and opportunities to
take their artwork to the next level.

Over the past few decades, the popularity
of digital art has skyrocketed due to the
advancement of technology and the
increasing popularity of social media.
This growth has allowed artists including
cheriise.art and haranikala to promote
digital art by creating posts on apps like
TikTok and Instagram. Furthermore, digital
art has become a popular medium for artists
thanks to its portability. Unlike traditional
art, such as painting, which requires
numerous supplies, including paint, paint
brushes, a water cup, and a pencil, digital
art only uses two instruments: a device and
a stylus. Digital art softwares also offer
customizable settings
that allow users to easily
adjust their brush size,
brush type, opacity, and
canvas size with just the
tap of a button.

While digital art is
gradually changing the
creative world with its
flexibility, traditional
art remains a vital pillar
to the foundations of
art. Traditional art
forms, such as sculpture, print-making,
and painting embody techniques and
a historical significance that will last
throughout human history. Art movements
such as the Renaissance, Impressionism,
and Cubism are all tied to centuries
of culture and societal
reform. Traditional
artworks from different
artistic movements
remain a way for people
to admire, study, and
understand the past.

Digital art and
traditional art, just
like how one might
compare handwritten
letters to emails, are
two unique ways to
express oneselves — neither can replace
the other. Both may communicate the same
message, but the experience and creation
processes for each are vastly different. While
traditional art may hold the weight of art
history and craftsmanship, digital art has
opened artistic creation to new realms once
thought unimaginable. The efficiency and
mobility of digital art is often disregarded
with a lack of time, effort, and heart. But
in reality, digital art is just a different form
of creative expression.

Art is never a competition between
different styles and media. Every new art
form draws inspiration from previous
styles, such as how digital brushstrokes are
made to mimic traditional paint brushes,
and how the emphasis in contrast and
shadow in digital photography art is a model
of traditional still lives. Despite the rapid
growth of new art styles and movements,
art cannot be replaced, only transformed.

The rising popularity of digital art

At PHS, there are dozens of student-run nonprofits:
StemRoots, PHS Building Bridges, Music Mentoring,
PHS Novae, the Aligned Minds Foundation, etc. This
list represents just a fraction of the nonprofits I saw from
scanning my Outlook inbox over the past 24 hours.

However, these organizations must unfortunately
contend with endless criticism
from their skeptical peers,
nonprofit professionals, and
dozens of online articles.
One article by The Harvard
Crimson bears a title with
a simple instruction for
students: “Stop Making Your
Own Nonprofit.”

The article, like many
other critiques of studentrun nonprofits, argues that
instead of starting their own
nonprofits, students should
instead join existing charitable
organizations. It’s indeed
feasible that in the short term,
building on existing structures
might produce greater net
benefits — for example, by avoiding the logistical costs
that come with running new charitable organizations.
However, importantly, these critiques ignore the
powerful long term impact that student-run nonprofits
have in shaping a charitable community.

PHS students know from first hand experience that
when students begin to create nonprofit organizations,
one of their primary motivations is undoubtedly college
admissions or other personal benefits — such as earning
business experience or demonstrating leadership.

However, despite sometimes selfish beginnings,
through their journey in founding and running a
nonprofit, students eventually gain immense knowledge
about the issue they seek to
address often far more than
if they were to volunteer for
an existing organization. By
navigating the complexities
of fundraising and rallying,
students also learn about how
a nonprofit is structured, and
(hopefully) how to create
change.

A nonprofit founder is
also more likely to engage
peers in their work than if
they were to simply recount
their experiences working
for an established, more
professional organization.
For example, PHS Novae,
a nonprofit founded by two
PHS students to support cancer patients, is able to engage
around 25 people in their weekly meetings.

It would of course be ridiculous to argue that the
nonprofits run by high school students are what will save
humanity. But in the long term, the charitable culture
that they develop might. That’s why it’s important to
engage young people in philanthropy now, so that a
habit of doing good can be cultivated and extended into
adulthood. In 20 years, a current PHS student may have
left behind their high school nonprofit, but the effort
they made to submerge themselves in philanthropy will
undoubtedly stay with them for a long time.

Moreover, if critics continue to discourage high school
students from starting their own nonprofits, they might
not only reduce, but eradicate this culture of charity
completely. Given students’ self-motivated ambition, it’s
unlikely that in the face of continued opposition students
will simply settle on joining existing organizations.
Instead, they will transition to starting other, much more
self-serving, business oriented organizations to gain the
experience they need. As opposed to organizations that,
say, provide music tutoring to underprivileged youth,
organizations that simply charge for music lessons will
spring up.

Rather than writing off student nonprofits as trivial, we
should help to support them, and the students that run
them, in any way we can. By simply providing positive
encouragement to the founders, or mentoring them, or
even helping them reach their mission, we will create a
positive culture that encourages charity and long term
change.

In defense of student-run nonprofits

In a significant move toward empowering youth, a
proposal to lower the voting age for school board elections
to 16 has gained attention, supported by Governor Phil
Murphy and advocacy group Vote16USA. If passed, this
would be the first statewide law of its kind,
with individual cities such as Newark already
embracing this idea. This law can instill the habit
of voting at an early age — an integral skill in
the democratic process — for a generation that
needs it now more than ever.

The United States already struggles with
voting participation. Only around two-thirds
of the voting-eligible population turned out for
the 2020 presidential election, and it was still
the highest participation rate in over a century.
However, when we compare these figures to
those of other countries, the United States falls
behind most developed nations, ranking a disappointing
31 out of 49 countries globally. Introducing younger
voters into voting early could be a pivotal step to
improving our democracy.

> The United States already struggles with voting participation.

Concerns about younger voters being swayed by fleeting
emotions or specific candidates are understandable.
However, the potential increase in the voting population
is not as alarming as it may seem. 15,859 votes were
cast in the last school board election as per the Daily
Princetonian, and if only students from public high schools were allowed to vote (as those in
private high schools have no relevant interest),
they would represent less than five percent
of the vote (assuming approximately all 800
eligible PHS students voted).

Recent tumultuous years at PHS caused
by decisions of the Board of Education —
such as the termination of Principal Chmiel,
mask mandates, and scheduling changes —
would surely engage students in the political
process. The approval of this change can lead
to improved voting habits as students mature,
encouraging them to consider issues that directly impact their education while fostering a sense
of responsibility and connection to their communities.
By lowering the voting age for school board elections, we
can ensure that the voices of young people are heard and
valued in decisions that shape their education, opening
the doors to a more engaged electorate. 

Lowering the school board voting age

To most, Homecoming is a sports game with the bonus
of a dance. To me, Homecoming was a dance with the
bonus of a sports game. I’d never seen a football game
before. All I knew was that PHS was unusually terrible at
it (based on past years’ statistics) and that the announcer
was so loud I could hear him speaking from my backyard.

But this year, I wanted to go and have that typical
American high school experience. I had accidentally
bought two tickets to the game, so I dragged my
mom along with me. When we arrived at the field
fifteen minutes late, everything was already in
chaos: the cheerleaders were shaking their pompoms, spectators were sitting everywhere they
possibly could, and someone scored a touchdown?

I think that first touchdown made it quite
clear to me how little I knew about football. In
fact, about two hours of my viewing were spent
just trying to figure out what I was watching.

When I finally understood, it was hard not to get
sucked into the game. With every touchdown, the
audience stomped; I stomped too. With every musical
interlude, my heart beat a little faster. The constant
stopping and starting barely even bothered me anymore.

At halftime, when the players left the field, I started to
see things clearly again. How did I get so caught up in
the game? How did years of disinterest vanish so quickly?

A little thought and I realized: it was all a show. The
music, the roars, the crowd, the cheerleaders, the blinding
lights. The commentators, the subtle digs at the other
team, the row of substitute players that blocked our vision.
It was like sitting in a theater box, watching something
beautiful but mostly unreal. The atmosphere was what
made the game; the game could not possibly stand alone.

And then I had some questions. Why football? Where is
this excitement for other school sports? Why isn’t there a
Homecoming for any girls’ team? Why is girls’ role during
the biggest game of the school year to be cheerleaders
wearing players’ names? Is this tradition worth it?

Then the lights turned back on, the music started
to play, and those thoughts were pounded out of my
head as if by a hammer. The fanfare was a cover, a
distraction. It was hard to think but easy to cheer.

That isn’t to say that I didn’t have fun. I’m glad PHS
won, and I now have a genuine interest in football. I had
a great night at Homecoming. But how much of it was
the game, and how much was the crazy show of it all? 

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