## Dia Beri

On June 30, less than two weeks after
PHS graduation, Dia Beri ’25 will begin
Cadet Basic Training at the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point, a six week long
program known as “the beast,” designed
to ensure that cadets are prepared for their
next 12 years in the army — four years at
the academy, five years of required activeduty service, and three years in the reserves.


“I’m really excited, but at the same time,
I’m terrified. For six weeks, they take away
our phones, and we’re going to be out in the
field learning how to use rifles for the first
time,” said Beri. “We’re going to be dirty.
We’re going to be stressed. We’re going to be
running on only four hours of sleep every
night. And the upperclassmen are going to
be yelling at us.”


In her four years at West Point, Beri will
train to be an officer in the U.S. military
while earning a Bachelor of Science degree.
Beri first developed an interest in West Point
during freshman year, motivated by a desire
to find satisfaction and fulfillment in life.
“I feel like everyone has their purpose
on earth,” said Beri. “For me, it’s defending
a nation that has given my family and so
many other immigrant families so much
to work with.”


Beri’s high school experience has, in
her words, “revolved around” her goal
of getting into West Point. West Point
requires applicants to not only submit their
GPA, SAT, and essays, but also secure a
recommendation from a U.S. Congress
member (in Beri’s case, Representative
Bonnie Watson Coleman), and complete
a six-part Candidate Fitness Assessment.
For Beri, the intensepreparation leading
up to it required not only physical, but also
mental, growth.


“I’ve never [put] as [much] dedication
in my life as [I did in] preparing for the
West Point fitness test. Then mentally, my
mindset about becoming better at things
completely changed. I thought that there
were some things that you really couldn’t
change about yourself, and then I realized
that if you worked hard enough ... you can
change those things,” said Beri.


West Point requires students to follow a
rigid schedule throughout the school year:
the day begins at 6:30 a.m., includes several
classes, military training, mandatory athletic
activity, and an 11:30 p.m. curfew.


“I don’t really enjoy the athletic part as
much as the academic part, but I know that
there are certain things that I [will] enjoy,
like teamwork with friends,” said Beri. “And
my favorite saying that I learned from this
process is ‘two is one and one is none.’


Because when you have two people, you have
someone that’s always having your back, and
if you have one, you’re alone; there’s no one
that has your back, you’re basically dead.”


Following graduation, Beri will be a
second lieutenant, leading a platoon of
around 30 to 50 soldiers in operations
concerning aspects such as cybersecurity,
military intelligence, or infantry.
However, for now, Beri is focused on what
lies just a few weeks ahead.


“I think one of my goals is to not give up
when the going gets really tough. I feel like
once I tackle that fear of not knowing how
hard something is or what’s lying at the end,
I’ll really be able to do things that I never
thought I could do,” said Beri.

## Yael Dveer


This past year, Yael Dveer ’25 moved
from Israel to Princeton with her family,
following political instability in Israel.
This coming year, Dveer plans on moving
again — this time, taking a gap year for a
backpacking and volunteering trip around
the United States and South America instead
of attending college.


“We moved here, [in] a very quick
decision ... because of the war in Israel.
And when we decided to move, I told my
mom that I’m not going to be ready to go
to college right [after] I finish high school
... [the gap year] will also [give] me more
time to go volunteering ... in South America
— which is something I wanted to do for a
long time — and a few [more] months for
me to live in the U.S. and get more used [to]
American culture,” said Dveer.


In Israel, it’s mandatory for high school
graduates to enlist in the Israeli army for
several years. Following this, it’s common for
Israelis to go on a backpacking trip (literally,
“the big hike”) for several months. Though
Dveer won’t be in Israel, nor serving in the
Israeli army, she still wanted to experience
this Israeli rite of passage.


“For a person to develop and grow, they
have to travel and explore the world not
only in the U.S. or rich countries,” said
Dveer. “I’ve been wanting to travel for [as
long as] I can remember, because in Israel,
backpacking and camping is a really big part
of the culture there. I wanted to continue
that tradition in my own way.”


Though her plans aren’t finalized
yet, Dveer plans on participating in an
environmental volunteer program in
the Amazon region in Peru and then go
backpacking independently, all while
practicing her Spanish.


“[There are] so many countries that I want
to go to ... Chile and Argentina, to Bucha,
to the Patagonia Mountain range, and to
Brazil, because I love Bossa Nova music
and Portuguese,” said Dveer.


Dveer eventually plans on settling
in the United States after a few months
of backpacking, adjusting to American
culture and preparing for her studies in
higher education as a physics major at the
University of Maryland in the fall of 2026.
For now, though, she’s focused on taking
a step back before diving into academics
again.


“There’s no rush to get us a head start
in your career — everything’s going to
be here in 10 years. I think taking some
time after high school, especially [after]
Princeton High School, where everything
is so stressful and unnecessarily competitive
... is a good [way] to discover yourself — at
the end of the day, that’s what’s important.
You’re living your life. You’re learning the
American dream. You’re not living anything
else,” said Dveer.

Photo: Charley Hu

Dia Beri will join West Point as one of 4,500 cadets.

PHS seniors not attending traditional academic institutions this fall

As an annual tradition, the PHS Spectacle Theater opens up the season of giving with a fall play. This year, from November 17-20, they presented “The Play That Goes Wrong.” Unlike last year, when the Spectacle Theater’s performance of “Bethel Park Falls” was recorded and streamed due to COVID restrictions, the play was performed in front of a live audience. 
 “The Play that Goes Wrong” follows the fictional Cornley Drama Society as they attempt to put on a show called “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” This presents a challenge, as everything seems to go wrong - to start with, they have no budget or good actors. As the show progresses, a series of unfortunate events unravels, turning the play into a complete and utter disaster that made the audience cackle to their core. With an unconscious lead, a moving corpse, a ruffled detective, and a butler that fumbles his words, this comedic murder mystery kept the audience on their toes while the ‘actors’ themselves tripped over their lines and props. 
Sylven Waldman ‘25, who played Dennis, was absolutely ecstatic when he first heard about the show. 
“The moment I heard about it, I immediately downloaded a copy of the script and read it through completely because I was so excited,” Waldman said.
Though putting a production together is no easy feat (as demonstrated by the play itself), the cast worked hard to put on a good performance. 
“We’ve been rehearsing since late September. Initially, they were 2-3 times a week and we only had to stay back until 5:30. As we got closer to show day, we started rehearsing more often, about 5 days a week and the occasional weekend rehearsal. The last few rehearsals ran longer until about 9:00,” said Elliott Becker Peeler ’24, who played Chris in the show. 
“It’s a very physically demanding show. Because it relies so much on physical comedy, rehearsals have sometimes felt more like sports practice. The stunts are hard and the whole cast has had to build up a lot of strength and stamina. I find three new bruises when I come home every day, but the brutal nature of the show makes it all the more rewarding when we get it right. The preparation has been hard work but it’s work that all of us have put in and I know it’s going to pay off when we have an audience,” said Pippi White ’23, who played Robert.
This play presented a unique challenge - it had to be intentionally bad. 
“The rehearsal process has been tough but rewarding. There are so many bits in the show that the actors and crew need to do perfectly wrong, and they’re very satisfying to pull off as a team. The easiest part has definitely been playing off the other actors on stage,” Peeler said.  
The production also gave the students involved a sense of community. After spending long hours together in rehearsals, the cast and crew members grew close. 
 “[The preparation] was very physically demanding but also rewarding at the same time. My favorite part about the play is the community and support system that goes along with it. The whole process of line memorization, blocking, and stunts is so much more enjoyable with friends,” said Noa Zacks ’25, who played Annie. 
The play could not be done without the PHS Tech Crew, who work behind the scenes. 
“The Tech Crew manages the props, lighting, sound, stage management, costumes, painting, carpentry, and set design for the play. During tech week, which is the week leading up to the performance, we stayed afterschool until 9 every day with the cast for run throughs,” said Carolina Kertesz ’23, props supervisor and Tech Crew co-leader. 
The process presented some challenges to the crew members, though it all came together in the end. 
 “It was difficult figuring out what looks best on stage. We had to be able to differentiate between how it would look painted in a classroom and how it would look with all the lights. We did have to redo some parts, and some days we would stay after school until 10:00 pm, but in the end it all got done. Overall, it was such a fun experience, and it looked amazing,” said Tech Crew member Elizabeth Waldman ’25. 

Dia Beri's Work