### Whitney Davidson-Hinz

Whitney Davidson-Hinz has wanted to teach history 
since high school, crediting one of her own teachers as 
the inspiration behind her choice of career. 


“[She] changed my life and really inspired me ... I decided 
I wanted to do for others what she had done for me ... I had 
originally thought about history as a collection of facts and 
dates, and [my teacher] encouraged me to think about it as 
a discipline, the craft of a historian [as well as] a contested 
narrative that people fight over,” said Davidson-Hinz.


Over her past 20 years as a teacher, Davidson-Hinz has 
applied her craft across the country in places as wideranging as California, Iowa, and New York. However, she 
sees the Princeton community as uniquely encouraging 
towards developing meaningful connections between 
teachers and students.


“In speaking with many, many people in this community, 
I got the sense that this was a place that had a lot of shared 
values with me in terms of my own approach to teaching 
... on day one, emphasizing the importance of developing 
relationships with kids and keeping that central to my 
work was very inspiring, and you don’t always hear that,” 
said Davidson-Hinz.


This year, Davidson-Hinz will be teaching U.S. History 
I and AP U.S. History. In the classroom, she strives to 
encourage open discussion and careful source analysis, 
emphasizing the role history class plays in developing 
essential life skills.


“The skills we are reinforcing in history are critical 
toward any number of aspects of living a good life ... that 
would include the development of critical thinking skills, 
our media landscape [being] saturated with AI as well 
as misinformation ... you need to be able to distinguish 
between what’s accurate and what’s inaccurate. I think 
history [also] teaches empathy as we learn about other 
ways of life ... it gives you a way to think about why things 
are the way they are today,” said Davidson-Hinz.


Davidson-Hinz is also a singer-songwriter, and enjoys 
performing her original compositions at Open Mic nights. 
She also frequently visits national parks with her family 
and loves collecting stamps at each one for her national 
park passport.

### Prutha Patel

As a self-described adventurer and thrill-seeker, Prutha 
Patel’s newest adventure brings her from Minnesota to PHS’s 
math department to teach Geometry and Pre-Calculus 
Accelerated. Patel joins PHS after two years of teaching at 
Albert Lea Area schools in Albert Lea, Minnesota, where 
she served as both a technology teacher and robotics coach. 


“Two years ago, I was a first-year teacher and I accepted a 
role [to] teach technology instead of math. I really enjoyed 
teaching technology, [and] I was also teaching designing, 
robotics, 3D designing, [and] Python,” said Patel. “My 
students were very interested in robotics, [so] I decided to 
start a club and coach them [for robotics competitions].”


Growing up, Patel was inspired to become a teacher by 
her father, who was an educator himself. However, as an 
undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, Patel decided 
to pursue computer engineering — but later realized that 
path was not for her.


“I did take some computer classes in college, but I ended 
up liking the math part of computer science and not the 
computer part of it. So that’s why I decided to just major 
in math and become a teacher,” said Patel. 


Although Patel chose to teach at PHS for its learning 
environment, she also recognizes a certain competition 
between students that was not particularly evident at her 
former school.


“For students [at PHS], they are constantly looking 
for that competition. I think that’s the mindset that they 
have: ‘Oh, if my friend took Accelerated Geometry, I have 
to take that as well’,” said Patel. “Everyone’s different, and 
just because your friend is ahead doesn’t mean that ... you 
have to [be] as well.”


Thus, Patel hopes to create a more collaborative and 
engaging environment in her classes. 


“Oftentimes, it is working with someone and not having 
to submit any formal paper. Instead, [students are] working 
with someone on a board where ... you just have to write an 
answer. So [students are] freely thinking — and whatever 
is in their mind, they’re writing it down. It just helps them 
look at math in a different perspective.”

### Jessica Zhang

 Jessica Zhang, PHS’s newest art teacher, says she could 
have predicted half of her title — “teacher” — ever since 
she was a kid.


“I always knew that I was going to be a teacher because 
my parents always said that I was very bossy growing up,” 
said Zhang.


However, the “art” part would have come as a surprise 
to a younger Zhang.


“I was really bad at [art] when I was a kid — it was 
something that was forced onto me, so I never really liked 
it. But then I had some really good teachers in high school 
that really helped nurture my creative expression, and that’s 
where that passion came,” said Zhang.


This year, Zhang will be teaching four sections of Studio 
Art I, the introductory visual arts course at PHS which is 
the prerequisite for all other classes in the program. For 
her, one of the main attractions of PHS was its strong art 
program. 


“I was very impressed [by] the Numina Gallery and I 
was very inspired and ... very motivated to work here,” said 
Zhang. “I get to develop a lot of one-on-one relationships 
with students [and] we do deeper engagement with the 
work rather than the fast pace of elementary school.”


Zhang is a recent graduate of The College of New Jersey 
and was previously an elementary school teacher in the 
South Brunswick school district. For her, the switch, while 
noticeable, has been worth it.


“I [taught] in elementary school before this, [and] it’s very 
different. I really like [PHS] so far because I get to develop 
a lot of one-on-one relationships with students, [and] we 
do deeper engagement with the work rather than like the 
fast pace of elementary school,” said Zhang.


In her free time, Zhang hopes to continue her various 
hobbies, both artistic — stained glass, working with yarn 
and fabric — and not, like cooking and long walks in the 
park. However, her biggest passion is her students.


“[I’m] passionate about seeing students’ confidence as 
they become more familiar and they develop skills in art,” 
said Zhang. “ I would say [it’s] always [about] the connec- tions that I get to make with students.” grow ... [it’s] always 
[about] the connections that I get to make with students.” 

Photo: Charley Hu


Zhang helps Markintosh Barthelemy ’29 with negative 
space drawings in Studio Art I. 

PHS new teacher profiles

Princeton’s new housing projects have come with
increasing debates about whether the developments
adequately meet Princeton’s affordable housing obligations
while at the same time preserving the town’s unique historic
identity. The projects, most notably the Alice and
Avalon Bay developments surrounding the Princeton
Shopping Center and a proposed development near the
Princeton Theological Seminary, generally include both
market-priced and affordable housing units.


Princeton Council’s strategy, as outlined in their master
plan, is to promote developments that have both affordable
units and market-priced units through PILOT (payment
in lieu of taxes) agreements. PILOTs are designed to
make critical infrastructure developments, like affordable
housing, more financially attractive to developers, while
at the same time providing the town with extra revenue.
On May 12, the Princeton Council approved a resolution
to share surplus funds with PPS from a PILOT agreement
between the 232-unit Avalon Bay development and the
municipality; the additional funds for PPS are expected to
amount to about $300,000 to $500,000 annually.


“[This agreement] comes at a critical time for the PPS,”
said Dafna Kendal, president of the Board of Education,
at the May 12 Town Council meeting. “In April, we were
notified that our state aid will be reduced by 3 percent.
We are also at risk of losing more than a million dollars
in federal funding because we do not want to compromise
our educational programming to accommodate an agenda
that does not reflect our community’s values.”


In New Jersey, housing is classified as “affordable” when
the occupant’s housing costs are no more than 30 percent of
their gross income. Mia Sacks, President of the Princeton
Council, noted that the town’s primary approach to city
development is one of “smart growth.”


“We have a housing crisis and a climate crisis. How
can you address both? Smart Growth: bikeable, walkable,
transit-oriented development close to economically
productive downtown centers where people can walk to
work, bike to schools. The old model of building affordable
housing ... was build it on the outskirts of town ... and
you have to have a car to get anywhere. It’s not genuinely
integrated housing. This is genuinely integrated housing,”
said Mia Sacks, president of the Princeton Council.


However, there exists considerable opposition to these
new developments, especially the proposed developments
near the Princeton Theological Seminary, from the
Princeton Coalition for Responsible Development (PCRD),
who question whether the district and the town can
accommodate a larger population. On April 23, the Ad Hoc
Commitee of Historians in Defense of Historic Princeton,
published a full page letter in the Town Topics which is
now featured on the PCRD website.


The letter alleges that a rapidly expanding Princeton
could threaten downtown Princeton’s historic character.
The proposed Seminary development in particular would
sit a quarter of a mile from the Barracks, a 1684 house
that was the temporary residence of James Madison and
Alexander Hamilton, and the house of former Princeton
resident Albert Einstein. In the past few weeks, a number of
orange and black signs reading “Defend Historic Princeton,”
distributed by the PCRD have gone up around Princeton,
particularly in the historic Mercer Hill neighborhood.


Sean Wilentz, professor of American history at Princeton
University and signee of the letter, argues that the size and
height of the proposed developments, which would be 50
feet— could damage Princeton’s historical character.
“This kind of high density project is an assault on
historical integrity. It’s [important to]find ways to
harmonize development and the preservation of what
make s Princeton, Princeton.” said Wilentz. “It makes it different from any other place, this history
which is unique in all the world ... If you
undo that, if you endanger that, then the
entire town suffers. It’s no longer Princeton.”


In response to the Town Topics letter
by the PCRD and the “Defend Historic
Princeton” signs, the Princeton Town
Councilman Leighton Newlin released a letter in the Town Topics.


“These arguments about PILOT
agreements, density, traffic, walkability,
storm water management and architectural
design are not arguments at all. The surface
looks polite and technical, the core is about
power, privilege and a refusal
refusal to share space,”
read the the letter.


Wilentz argues that the PCRD is not
anti-affordable housing, nor a not-in-myback-yard group, but rather it opposes
large developments with affordable and
market-priced units. The town’s current
strategy is to support developments with
80 percent market-priced units and 20
percent affordable units, with the idea
being that developers will use the revenue
from the market-priced units to support
affordable units.


“You end up ... justifying luxury housing
developments on the basis of affordable
housing ... but it’s a bait and switch. [The
developers] are basically gonna build four
times as much luxury apartment stuff ... as
affordable housing. That’s not gonna help
the social imbalance, it’s only gonna make
it worse,” said Wilentz.


Wilentz instead supports developments
with 100 percent affordable housing.
“We want affordable [housing]. We’re not
objecting to the historical integrity because
they’re gonna be low income people living
here — some people accuse us of that. That’s
not a threat to the historical stuff ... quite
the opposite ... it’s the luxury [development]
that’s going to present a problem to the
historical integrity of the neighborhood —
the height [and] sheer mass of the [luxury
developments],” said Wilentz.


However, Princeton Council officials
have pointed to the financial inviability
of the housing projects PCRD proposes.


“The proposal, for 100 percent affordable
(i.e., municipally-sponsored) housing,
would require the financial backing of the
municipality, including millions of taxpayer
funds to purchase the property, to construct
the housing, and to provide tax subsidies
over time. Further, the low unit count would
make it uncompetitive for state financing,
causing Princeton residents to make up
significant funding shortfalls,” said a letter
from Mayor Mark Freda and the Princeton
Council in response to PCRD’s letter.


The recent surge in housing developments
throughout Princeton is primarily due to
the Mount Laurel Doctrine, a judicial
doctrine in the New Jersey Constitution
that requires towns to use their zoning
powers to provide its share of affordable
housing to those who have lower and
moderate incomes. In 1996, Princeton
fulfilled its affordable housing obligation
by paying $460,000 to build 23 affordable
units in Trenton.


“The housing that’s being built in
Princeton is a result of municipal
compliance with that very critical housing
desegregation case,” said Sacks. “Princeton
[is] making up for 20 years of not fulfilling
its obligation. That’s why there is so much
housing in such a short amount of time.”


The array of proposed developments
is slated to add over 800 units, and it
remains to be seen how both sides of this
debate work to balance the need for new
housing and ensuring that the town and
the school system can accommodate a
growing population.


“You know, we are not the same small
village we were in the 1700s and 1600s
when Europeans began to settle in this
area. However, we can’t stop the growth,
right? We can’t just say no one else can
move into Princeton,” said PHS history
teacher Rick Miller.

 PILOT agreement passed amidst larger debates on housing developments in Princeton

In a step towards a more sustainable future,  Princeton Public Schools recently announced their purchase of two electric school buses and an electric bus charger.

The district hopes to receive the two 54-passenger Blue Bird electric school buses by the end of August and have them running by the start of the 2025–2026 school year. 

The cost of the buses without state aid is $1,013,069.48. However, a roughly $700,000 NJ Department of Environmental Protection grant and around $40,000 in federal aid reduces the out-of-pocket cost for the district to $300,000, which is comparable to the price of two standard gasoline buses.

“It is our responsibility as elected officials to ensure that the vehicles carrying our children to school do not adversely affect their health outcomes as they grow. That’s why my administration has dedicated $30 million to date to ensuring that those vehicles are powered by clean energy,” said New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy during a press conference announcing the grant.

The grant was designed to replace the district’s few remaining diesel buses, which will be decommissioned, with a safer and more environmentally friendly option. The remaining buses will have standard gasoline powered engines. 12 other districts in New Jersey with diesel buses received similar grants. 

“Not having diesel fumes will make the air quality a little safer for the community [and] a lot safer for the kids that ride on those two buses,” said Jenny Ludmer,  a program manager at Sustainable Princeton who organized much of the purchase.

An average gas-powered vehicle emits around 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year, compared to around 1,500 for electric vehicles. The school also purchased a $212,000 bi-directional electric charger for the buses, allowing the district to store  any excess energy until needed. In NJ, the vast majority of electricity is either from nuclear power or natural gas.

Though the electric buses have a limited range, Ludmer assures that they will not cause any problems and are suited for the district’s transportation needs.

“[Its range] is around a hundred miles, so it’s less than what most vehicles have,” said Ludmer. “But [while] the district does have some long distance routes, these buses would not get used for that situation — they would only be used locally — so they’re not gonna have a problem.”

In the future, Ludmer hopes that the district can acquire an all-electric fleet of busses. Princeton University recently finished converting its campus-wide Tiger Transit system into an all-electric fleet, as part of its net-zero carbon emissions initiative.

“This is a proof of concept that the electric buses are going to work well, be easy to maintain, and be quieter — and have a more enjoyable ride that way. I think with proof of concept and with additional funding, the district can continue to add more buses to their fleet that are electric,” said Ludmer.

However, Adam Bierman, a current member of the Board of Education, is skeptical that the district will be able to purchase a complete fleet of electric busses in the near future.

“The process right now is very volatile.You have a federal administration that is not pro-electric. Then we might even have a Republican governor — I’m saying this as a nonpartisan — that might want to do some DOGE-type cuts in New Jersey. The funding is really up in the air,” said Bierman.

PHS students, for their part, are excited about the potential for an all-electric fleet in the future. 

“[The current seats] are often ripped and uncomfortable — and they can’t clean them either,” said Griffin Short 27, who rides a regular bus to school. “The engine noise, you can just hear so much. It’s really distracting and especially early in the morning, it [makes] it hard to focus. Then, obviously it’s much better for the environment using an electric vehicle  than gas-powered.” 


Photo: Charley Hu


The current fleet of Princeton Public Schools’ busses sit in a parking lot behind the PPS administrative office. 

PPS purchases two electrical buses

As the final bell rings on a Tiger Day,
Siddarth Chellapan ’28, along with the rest
of PHS’s freshmen, heads to Peer Group to
meet up with classmates and Peer Group
leaders to discuss various
social and school-related
issues.


“It’s been beneficial for
mental health because we get
to learn more and get advice
from upperclassmen,” said
Chellapan. “It’s helped me
understand how selecting courses work
and understanding how the layout of the
whole school system works.”


In the coming weeks, around 100
current PHS juniors will find out if they
are one of the 63 applicants chosen to be
Peer Group leaders next year. As part of
the application, students have to answer
written questions, attend interviews, and
have teacher recommendations.


“It’s going to be my senior year next year,
and I feel like I’ve done a lot of what the
opportunities there are to offer here,” said
Naomi Lygas ’26, a junior applying to be a
Peer Group leader. “I just want to be able
to provide my advice for the freshmen that
obviously don’t have as much experience.”


If they are selected, the rising seniors will
attend a short leadership retreat and enroll
in a daily, year-long class on how
to be a Peer Group leader.


“We’re looking for things like
self-awareness, problem-solving
ability, compassion and empathy,
moral responsibility, [and]
good active listening skills,” said
Christian Gonzalez, a Peer Group
advisor. “At the same time, in the written
application, we’re looking for authenticity,
commitment, again, self-awareness, and
then leadership potential.”


The activities, called “outreaches,” vary
depending on the week, but are usually
centered around building community and
adapting to the challenges of high school.


“It changes a lot from group to group, but
with our freshmen, you usually have better
outreaches with more serious topics, which
seems like that wouldn’t actually happen,
but it’s like they’re more engaged with the
material. And it makes it worth being there,”
said Ava Tabeart ’25, a Peer Group leader.


The goal for all activities is to develop
a sense of community among freshmen.
“I think the most important thing is that
the freshmen feel like they are connected,
like they have a space here at PHS, which,
although a very welcoming place, is still a
high school … and it can be hard to find a
connection,” said Gonzalez.


Not only does Peer Group help freshmen
adjust to a new school
environment, it’s also a way
for seniors to develop their
leadership skills.


“I think a big part of it
is actually to learn to be
a leader of other people,”
said Hayah Mian ’25, a
current Peer Group leader.
“You’re accommodating how
[freshmen] work and how
you work, and they’re kids, so it takes a
couple of months to understand how they
work and what works best.”


However, some freshmen remain critical
of several aspects of the program.


“There’s a bunch of clubs that overlap
with peer group, so I’m sad that I can’t go
to those”, said John Patrick Aguilar ’28.
“It could [also] be a little more energetic
because most of the topics we approach with
a sort of laziness. But I think that relies on
[us] too, to bring more energy to the group.”


 Mian and other peer group leaders
are actively looking for ways that they
can improve this program
and make sure that PHS
freshmen have the best possible
experience.


“I think the way we talk
about more serious topics
[can be improved]. We talk
about gender, sexuality, race
and things, [which] I feel we
are not completely prepared
to dive deep into,” said Mian.
“[Having] more preparation and more
freedom with what you do with your
students, as not all students are the same
and learn differently, [would improve the
program].

Photo: Emily Kim

Peer Group leaders Tessa Thai ’25 and Ozan Koyluogu ’25 lead Tara Venkatesh ’28, Chloe Wu ’28, Rohan Balasubramanian ’28 , Pranav Shrivastava ’28, and Bram Reynolds ’28 in a reading of an I Am Lovable and Capable story.

Tower Investigates: Peer Group

Across PHS, the use of artificial
intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT
to assist students with school assignments
has become an increasing trend, raising
concerns about the future of academic
integrity at PHS.

While some argue these tools are simply
new forms of study aids, others are raising
concerns regarding AI being used as a
gateway to academic dishonesty. The rise
of AI has made cheating easier than ever
in a modernizing digital environment,
where a few keystrokes can generate
essays, solve math problems, and even
mimic human thought. At PHS, AI
chatbots have sparked concerns among
teachers, administrators, and student
leaders, who are actively collaborating
to discover new methods and policy
changes to uphold academic integrity in
an increasingly tech-savvy world.

“[AI is] a fast developing technology;
our policy, our adaptation to it, how we
manage our student expectations, [and]
how we teach in [the] AI era, needs to
continue to be evaluated and monitored
... perhaps regulated as well,” said PHS
Principal Cecilia Birge.

There is a significant concern that
violations of the AI policy may become
progressively challenging for teachers
to regulate as technology
continues to advance and
become more accessible.
The challenge lies more in
addressing how these tools
impact student engagement
and education rather
than simply identifying
AI-generated content. As a result,
many teachers have developed various
techniques to tackle this growing issue,
such as the usage of AI checker softwares
or monitoring the editing history to
prevent students from entirely relying on
AI to complete their assignments.

“We have students submit assignments
to Turnitin.com, but I also check,” said AP
Language and Composition and English II
teacher John Bathke. “[Students] give me
editing permission on Google Docs and a
lot of [assignments] are written in class.”

But teachers aren’t the only ones
concerned about AI — student leadership
representatives have also voiced their
worries about its misuse. In November,
Board of Education Student Liaisons
Nikolai Margulis ’25 and Maya Hagt
’25 addressed the Board of Education,
highlighting instances of students
violating the district’s AI policy. Since
then, the administration has been actively
discussing ways to strengthen policies,
ensuring that PHS not only keeps up
with rapidly evolving technology but
also upholds its commitment to fostering
safe and effective AI usage that enhances
individual learning.

 “We can’t completely keep kids from
cheating,” said Margulis. “Teachers can
make rules for cheating ... [but] it’s hard
to enforce those rules unless the student
body is committed to it and believes it
from an ideological standpoint. I think
that’s really important [to] ingrain it in
our school culture not to cheat.”

With AI usage often overlapping with
academic dishonesty, educators believe an
overreliance on AI tools can stifle critical
thinking and problem-solving skills, as
students may feel empowered to skip the
deeper analytical thinking in favor of the
quick, easily presented AI responses. This
not only impacts their ability to absorb
and apply knowledge but
also creates gaps in skills
that are crucial for success
in both future academic
and professional settings.

“Using [AI] to complete
entire assignments [will]
hurt you in the long
run. If I plagiarize all my stuff, then I’m
not actually doing the learning that is
required for me to actually [understand]
the information, which ultimately [will
hurt me] when I get to the real world and
[have] a job, since I haven’t learned that
skill,” said Bathke.

The environment students are in
is believed to also play a large role in
shaping how students use these tools.
If classrooms foster collaboration,
curiosity, and accountability, students
may feel more encouraged to engage
with the learning process authentically.
However, in more cutthroat, competitive
environments, students may see it
necessary to unethically use AI tools
as a means to gain an edge, prioritizing
outcome over learning.

“We live in a very competitive learning
environment, society as well. An
unhealthy part of our building culture
is this toxic competitiveness of grades.
So there’s that simple-minded focus on
grades that makes some of our students
make bad choices,” said Birge. “But when
your grades are not truly reflective of your
mastery, eventually it will catch up with
you. It happens all the time in life.”

However, many teachers do not view
the existence of AI tools as the issue, but
rather how they are used. When used
thoughtfully, AI has the potential to
support learning by offering explanations,
generating ideas, and providing assistance
that encourages deeper understanding.

“There [are] significant benefits that
AI brings, especially when it comes to
equity issues. If I speak English as a second
language learner, I can say something in
[English in] an okay manner, but if I ask
AI to help me with certain content and
language and grammar, that’s learning.
That’s a positive thing,” said Birge.

Many educators believe that the key
is balancing the positives and negatives
of AI,which involves teaching students
to use these tools responsibly, as an
additional source of learning rather than
a replacement for completing their own
work.

“AI is like a compass — it can point
you in the right direction, but [real
learning happens] when you put in the
work yourself and make the most of the
tools around you to learn,” said computer
science teacher Edward Yin. “AI can be
integrated into education when used
thoughtfully and responsibly ... but it’s
up to students to use it as a learning
tool, not for shortcuts. As [educators],
we must [create environments] where
students don’t feel like cheating, but
rather [learning]."

PHS Investigates: academic integrity

While Princeton High School sophomores and juniors
took the PSAT this month, they had a significantly better
testing experience compared to last year. As an investment
to improve the school’s testing infrastructure, PHS
replaced over 350 access points and added an additional
50 access points in new locations. However, improvements
to internet networks expanded beyond both PHS and
testing-related infrastructure. The improvements were
a district-wide endeavor, with the PPS technology team
upgrading both wireless and physical infrastructure
in all schools. The team replaced all access points and
old cabling, bringing them to the newest standard.

“We replaced everything to be WiFi six ready, just
[the] latest, greatest technology ... It’s for our general
network for the entire district, which, again, will
help testing,” said Danny Turner, district engineer.

 Not only did the upgrade resolve short-term issues with
testing, it was also an investment towards the ditrict future.
As technology use becomes inceasingly prevalent within
the district, networks need to be upgraded to support
students that are constantly on their school devices.

“Now we have the newest standard for cabling.
The old cabling was 20 years old. The new cabling is
what’s being installed nowadays for everything. So
even in X number of years that we do go to change
this again, we won’t need to change all that cabling,”
said Todd MacDonald, PPS’s chief technology officer.

The changes were prompted by issues during testing last
year, where several students were unable to test in certain
classrooms and others experienced frequent crashes of
the testing infrastructure. Though the technology office
acknowledged most problems were not on the school’s
end, the improvements will ensure confidence in the
network and in determining the source of any issue.

“The issue, from what I’ve heard, was actually
more on the testing company’s end than our
end,” said MacDonald. “We’re confident that ...
there’ll be no issues in our network for this year.”

Overall, this investment positively impacted the
students’ testing experience as students were able to
focus on the actual test rather than ways to resolve
the frequent technical issues. Improvements aim to
guarantee a positive test experience for now while
also ensuring long-term readiness for the future.

“I think part of it is trying to meet the needs
that we have now, but also trying to make sure we
have this in place that’s going to be able to support
future needs as well. And this investment from the
referendum is going to give us many years of network
that we can handle the growth now,” said MacDonald.

Testing infrastructure update

### Lauren Fedorko
An avid reader and poet for most of her
life, Lauren Fedorko has taken the next step
in her literary journey by joining the PHS
English department this year. Fedorko, a
former teacher at Rutgers University and
North Hunterdon High School, will be
teaching AP Language and Composition,
English I, and English III at PHS, returning
to the PPS district after almost a decade.

Believing in the reciprocal nature of
teaching, Fedorko loves to learn from
her students through classroom activities.
She often incorporates aspects of history
and art into class activities and lessons,
encouraging her students to find unique
ways to interact with literature.

“One of my most successful moments
as an educator was getting all of my 85 AP
literature students last year to genuinely
love poetry. It got to the point where
they were begging me to have a poetry
festival at the end of the year. It was
just such a beautiful moment of student
empowerment,” Fedorko said.

With over a decade of teaching
experience, Fedoko has taught various
different classes in relation with the English
language arts. At Rutgers, she taught a
research course called Writing for Business
and Profession, while at North Hunterdon
she taught AP Literature and Composition,
Creative Writing, and Public Speaking.

“I decided to teach because I really love
poetry, and I feel like teaching literature
is like helping students learn about
becoming better people. They become
more experienced with the world,”
Fedorko said.

In her free time, Fedorko writes and
publishes her own poetry.

“I think poetry is the key to empathy.
I’m realy passionate about it and I think
it’s the key to being the best version of
ourselves,” Fedorko said.

### Sarah Manto
This fall, the PHS science department
welcomed Sarah Manto to teach Biology I
and Biology I Accelerated, as well Anatomy
and Physiology. Having just graduated
from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor
of Science in education this spring, Manto
is beginning her first year as a teacher at
PHS. While at Seton Hall, she completed
four years of student teaching in various
schools across the state, including in
Livingston and Maplewood.

“I’ve always really liked teaching. I’ve
been a tutor, [and] I’ve taught swimming
for a really long time. I just really enjoy
it. It’s a passion [of mine],” said Manto.
“I think to be a teacher you need to have
that drive and a calling. I truly enjoy the
process of seeing students succeed and
getting the lightbulb moment.”

In order to create a welcoming,
immersive classroom, Manto makes an
effort to customize each students’ learning
experience based on their strengths and
struggles, as well as their feedback.

“I listen to my students, I want to hear
their opinions ... about what were learning
and I change things based on how they
think the class is going and how they felt
[last] year went. In my class ... it’s about
correcting your mistakes and not just
moving on [to the next subject] so we do
a lot of activities to learn what we may
have done wrong on tests, assessments,
or labs and it’s always a continual process
of learning,” Manto said.

Since starting at PHS, Manto has
described the student and faculty
community at PHS as helpful, kind, and
considerate, noting the support she’s
received as she begins her first school year
as a full time teacher. She also stresses
PHS’s unique student body, underlining
the dedication and passion she sees in
her students.

Outside of the classroom, Manto enjoys
ice skating, spending time with her dog,
and swimming, which she hopes to coach
here at PHS as well.

### Robert Dutches
Robert Dutches, the newest addition to
the Princeton High School social studies
department, started working at PHS this
year. Dutches teaches three different
classes in the department: AP World
History, World History, and United States
History I.

Prior to joining PHS, Dutches taught
history for eight years in various schools.
He worked at Newark High School for five
years and then spent a year at American
History High School and another year
at Marion P. Thomas High School. Last
year, he worked at Roosevelt High School.
While Dutches has spent the majority
of his career teaching World History to
ninth grade students, he is working on
adapting his knowledge and experience to
be able to effectively teach an 11th grade
class instead. Dutches also has experience
teaching AP U.S. Government and Politics,
United States History II, and African
American Studies.

One of the reasons Dutches chose to
work at PHS was the strong community
that it offers and vigorous learning
environment.

“Not to disparage the places I [taught at],
but it just seems like the students are much
more involved, not just academically,
but in other areas as well. I thought it
would [be] really interesting to come to a
place [where] students just have so much
interest. It’s almost intimidating because
students are so proficient in so many
things,” Dutches said.

Not only does he find his students
interesting to teach, but he appreciates
what the school has to offer for teachers
as well.

“The culture of the administration is
much better. I’m coming from a place
where there was a lot of micromanagement
of teachers, and here the principal was
very much from the start saying I’m not
going to micromanage you. So I like the
autonomy, I [get],” Dutches said.

As a high school student, Dutches
found his ninth grade World History
teacher, who also ended up teaching his
AP Government class his senior year, very
inspiring. He appreciated what a good
teacher he had, and wanted to do the
same for other people. Dutches wanted
to do his part in increasing college access
in places that have traditionally not had
a lot of academic success. He saw the
education gap in Newark and wanted to
help. However, before starting his teaching
career, Dutches finished his education,
volunteered, and worked other jobs.

“As I was finishing my bachelor’s degree,
I did two terms of AmeriCorps service,
which is the domestic Peace Corps for a
couple of nonprofits. Then I went to grad
school for African American Studies and
became a paralegal for about three years,”
Dutches said.

However, Dutches knew from a young
age that he wanted to be a teacher, but
needed to take care of his son.

“When my son was born, I needed a job
where I could work during the night and
watch him during the day. [So], I worked
at UPS and became a training supervisor
there. Finally, I went back to school for
teaching and became a paralegal again
for about a year while I was getting my
teaching degree.”

Outside of school, Dutches takes care
of his two young sons. Although he does
not have much free time, Dutches enjoys
reading history books, watching movies
and shows, and writing. His favorite show
is “Breaking Bad.” As a self-proclaimed
“history buff,” he enjoys reading about
African American history, which he went
to graduate school for. 

Daniel da Costa's Work