On December 8th, the Ridgeview Turtles hosted a session to teach K-5 teachers throughout the Princeton Public Schools district about how to incorporate lessons on conservation and climate change into their curriculum. The Turtles are a PHS community service group that meets every weekend to restore Princeton’s forests and remove invasive species.

“The main goal is to get students to understand their local environment — so often we talk about far off places when we could be talking about here. And also just to get students to see that they can use science to solve problems in their own lives,” said Jaccqueline Katz, Supervisor of Science Education at PHS.

Though the Turtles have been teaching leading environmental and conservation activities at Johnson Park for years, they hope to expand the current after-school program and incorporate it into the regular school curriculum. 

“We [are] creating the next generation of young environmental stewards. We are trying to show that it’s important to have environmental education within our education system because [the system is currently] really outdated,” said Andrew Kim ’26, one of the leaders of the Turtles. 

In addition to talking about preservation, the Turtles also showcased potential lesson plans.
“We have [an activity] where we have preserved leaves and nuts from trees and kids [use them for] a matching game. The [goal] is to give teachers ideas [about] how you can teach climate change in a more attractive way,” said Elif Cam ’26, another leader of the Turtles.

The environmental teaching will be split into two parts, one in the classroom and one outside, according to Dr. Patricia Shanley, a scientist and longtime mentor for the Turtles.

“[The students] will learn which species they have on their property, what are those used for, which ones make maple syrup or pancakes…what the Turtles can do is to open the eyes of both the teachers and the students as to the miracle of what’s outside their classroom. [Then] they would get some of the conceptual overview in the classroom…the link of local [environmental issues] to global [problems],” said Shanley.

photo: Elif Cam

Elif Cam ’26, Maiya Qiu ’27, and Melvin Qiu ’27 present images of local endangered species to a room of K-5 teachers.

Ridgeview Turtles lead presentation for elementary school teachers

We live in a world driven by money, and like many things,
school clubs need money to be able to function. So, where
do we get this money? Other than small fundraising
activities on school grounds, the obvious answer
is from the deep pockets of parents. However,
this comes with some questions that need to be
addressed. Is having families cover the costs of
club activities sustainable? Is it enough? And
most importantly, is it fair?

Right now, the financial burden of club
activities falls mostly on members and
their families, and depending on the club,
these costs can be staggering. For example,
Charlotte Valvanis ’26, a PHS Model United
Nations officer, explained that tournament
costs can range from around $200–$500 per
student. Although these costs might not
be a concern for some families, the same
cannot be said for all. PHS’s student body
is made up of people of diverse financial
backgrounds, and we should provide equal
opportunities to all students, or else we risk
these club activities only being accessible to those who are
more privileged.

> We should provide equal opportunities to all students.

Having only a few clubs receive a stipend from the
school brings up the issue of fairness. How should we
decide who will get the funds? How much will they
receive? Where is this money coming
from? The district needs to set aside
a budget dedicated to club activities.
Once there is a budget, club leaders
can submit grant applications to
be reviewed by a committee team
consisting of administrators and
students. In the beginning of the
school year, clubs that need funding can explain
the total amount they will need and what
they will need it for in a detailed application.
Considering that our funds will be limited, the
job of the committee will be to decide what
percent of a club’s request to actually grant.

In addition to funding club costs, part of this
budget can be set aside to provide financial aid.
Right now, clubs lack a reliable system to support
students who need financial assistance. Dean of Students
Diana Lygas revealed that financial aid generally is funded
by other members of the club who pay increased fees.

Another important factor to consider, however, is
where this money will come from. It is the school district’s
responsibility to facilitate education, and club
activities contribute to the academic excellence
and reputation of our district. Just as how
the district has budgets for other parts of our
school system like facility maintenance and staff
salaries, they can set aside a budget for student
club activities too. Another way to finance this
budget pool would be to engage alumni donors.
Some high schools create a strong alumni network to help
support student activities. PHS has prominent alumni in a
variety of fields, and their contributions could go towards
financing this budget to support clubs.

Of course, the proposal outlined here is just one possible
way of addressing the club funding issue. Like for any other
problem, the first step to finding a solution is acknowledging
that there is a problem to be solved: that school clubs are
negatively afffected by a lack of funding. 

PHS's clubs need funding

   In the past few years, students may have observed that cans of Celsius, Monster, and similar energy drinks have become as prevalent as water bottles in classrooms and hallways. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), there has been a recent surge in the consumption of these drinks, particularly among teenagers and young adults,  to whom energy drink companies gear their advertising. These colorfully adorned cans and intriguing flavorings are marketed to this age group with the assertion that they provide a temporary energy boost, improving physical and cognitive performance. This claim is not entirely void, considering a classic 12-ounce can of Celsius packs a shocking 200 milligrams of caffeine, roughly double the amount in a cup of coffee. 
   Although students tend to reach for caffeinated products during the school day for the increased energy and concentration they may provide, the Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health finds that excessive consumption of caffeine can have side effects like insomnia, heart complications, anxiety, and even seizures. Due to these possible complications, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends consuming no more than 100 mg of caffeine per day for adolescents ages 12-18 — a standard that is difficult to maintain when almost one-third of teens in this age group consume energy drinks regularly, according to the NCCIH. To make sure kids don’t over-consume caffeine, there needs to be more federal and school level regulations to cap the caffeine content in these beverages and label them with accurate warnings. 
   Even though some of these drinks contain twice the recommended amount of daily caffeine content for teens, there are no current FDA regulations regarding the amount of caffeine in the drinks, as they are sold as “nutritional supplements” and are not regulated as strictly as conventional consumables. As the labels of these beverages often don’t reveal the exact amount of caffeine in each drink, teens are likely to pile on too much caffeine over the course of the day, negatively impacting their health. In 2011, the CDC found that 1,499 teens aged 12 to 17 years went to the emergency room for energy-drink-related emergencies. If this sector goes unregulated, those numbers could skyrocket as these drinks grow in popularity. 
   Unfortunately, the rampant issue of unregulated caffeine contents goes beyond canned energy drinks and extends to common beverages such as restaurant lemonade. In fact, a large-size Panera Charged Lemonade contains about 390 milligrams of caffeine, and the company has already been charged with two lawsuits from heavily-caffeinated lemonade-induced deaths. Many consumers were not aware of the amount of caffeine that was contained in the drink and the severity of consuming that much. As a result, many can unconsciously reach for refills and have extremely excessive amounts of caffeine without realizing. To limit cases of caffeine overdose — which, for healthy adults, would be consuming more than 400 mg per day — beverage industries should be forced to place labels on their products specifying how much caffeine is in their product and how many servings can be safely consumed in a day. 
   PHS should take action to prevent students from overconsuming caffeine, but right now, the USDA nutrition standards do not restrict the sale of caffeinated beverages in high schools. The CDC states that about 12 percent of secondary schools in the country sell energy drinks in vending machines and school stores, making it easier for students to access these highly caffeinated drinks. To help ensure that students aren’t exceeding their caffeine limits, PHS should adopt caffeine caps on the products sold in school, limiting caffeine content in drinks to half the recommended daily intake for teens. Additionally, caffeinated drinks should only be available in the school cafeteria and Tiger Cafe. By doing so, PHS staff can easily monitor the number of drinks students have purchased in a day and control a student’s intake. It also prevents students from purchasing these drinks during times when the cafeterias are closed, preventing them from consuming caffeine in the afternoon and possibly disrupting their sleep schedule. High schools around the country implementing these policies might influence major energy drink companies to add less caffeine into their products in order to meet the cap. In a world where caffeine is abundant in many common beverages, it is important that teens are aware of the amounts they are consuming and can make informed decisions.

Don't be so keen on caffeine

On the evening of December 7, PHS welcomed author Kim Foster, who spoke about her experiences with food insecurity in America detailed within her new book, “The Meth Lunches: Food and Longing in an American City.” The event was done in collaboration with PHS Food Aid and featured booths set up by local food agencies, including Send Hunger Packing Princeton, the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry, and Arm In Arm, all to spread awareness about widespread food insecurity.

Throughout her presentation, Foster used many personal anecdotes about the issues she hoped to address. One story covered in her presentation was about an adult she met who was abused and starved as a kid, which left her to deal with emotional trauma and an unhealthy aversion to food for the rest of her life.

“Johnny started bagging [my] groceries, and she mentioned off the top of her head that she was locked in the closet [by her mother] as a child without food,” said Foster. “To this day, Johnny works in a supermarket … surrounded by food. She wonders a lot if she deserves to [even] have food. Kids that are hungry get the message that they don't deserve the most basic needs.”

While running a pantry outside her home in Las Vegas during the COVID-19 pandemic, Foster began to connect to the struggles of individuals with food and created an active community effort through Facebook group discussions and word of mouth.

“[I] live in a very socioeconomically diverse neighborhood … and there are people who are really struggling.﻿ At first, I was just putting toilet paper in our little free library and other hoarded goods that no one could get, … like wipes [and] hand sanitizer,” said Foster. “[Then] a bar gave us a fridge. And then, the next thing you know, I'm picking up groceries and it's my full-time job.”

While poverty, addiction, and similar factors might often work to isolate people, Foster observed how food can help build connections between people who might not have much in common and foster relationships that can strengthen communities.

“When we took food to people, we didn't just drop food at people's houses. We stopped, hung out, talked, and heard stories. And so, what that does is it connects that person to the world,” said Foster.  “As a high school student, there's probably nothing that you can do to eradicate poverty in your community, but you can create connections.”

Dr. Andrea Dinan, coordinator of service learning and experiential activities, shared how she wanted to allow students to hear Foster’s message about a topic that often isn’t talked about in Princeton.

“Before I worked at Princeton High School, I was really involved in hunger programs, [so when I read the book], it really just moved me. I reached out to Labyrinth Books in town and they were able to get in contact with [Foster] since she is doing a tour to promote her book,” said Dinan. “I wanted to bring in PHS Food Aid, which is very much involved [with] hunger programs in our community, and PHS Generation One because they work with a lot of under-resourced families in town.”

Yugandhara Luthra ’24, a leader for PHS Food Aid and a member of the panel discussion after Foster’s presentation, believes her talk serves as a reminder of what injustices can lie not only within our own town, but also in other communities across the country.

“For those who live in the Princeton community, we are typically sheltered away from poverty,” said Luthra. “At PHS, we can try to …integrate the concepts and encourage discussions of topics like hunger and poverty in order to create more awareness as well. [Foster’s] talk seemed to serve as a reality check [for] how we view our lives, and if PHS students become exposed to her message, then our school community will truly become more inclusive and open-minded.”

After receiving advance copies of the book and purchasing dozens more after release with the help of the PTO, Dinan shared Foster’s story with teachers around the school. According to Dinan, the book was recently added to the curriculum of multiple English classes at PHS, and community members who came to the talk were encouraged to sign up for future discussions with the various supporting organizations in Princeton.

“AP English [Language and Composition students] are reading the book … and [students] in Contemporary Literature are reading it now as well,” said Dinan. “I'm hoping more students come [to the event] because she wants to gear it towards students and really engage with [them].”

Food insecurity is not the only topic that is addressed in the book though, as Foster also hopes to promote healthier eating habits, which could be especially beneficial for students.  

“Vending machines in schools are really impacting how kids are going to eat for generations. And it's a hard habit to break,” said Foster. “There are [other] things that you can do when you have events at school; start prioritizing home-cooked food over a food truck or ordering from a restaurant, … [or inviting] parents and staff who have cuisines they want to share.”

Overall, Foster’s advice to PHS students is to get out of their comfort zones and try to learn about others in their community through avenues such as food. Most importantly, Foster believes these discussions are catalysts to understanding and helping others.

“We all live in our bubbles, and we tend to hang out with people who are like us,. … so really what I want people to do after they read the book is [to] jump out of their bubbles [for] a little bit and talk to people,” said Foster. “Be open and curious about other[s], and then make a connection.”

Author Kim Foster presents her experience using food to create connections

   This year, Princeton High School welcomed the first cohort of Princeton Middle School students who took part in the Community Park Elementary School’s Dual Language Immersion program. Having been recognized as a model program for Spanish Dual Language Immersion by the New Jersey Department of Education, CP’s full DLI program engages students in the Spanish culture and language from a young age with half of the core instruction taught in English and the other half taught in Spanish. While this program has gained much praise since its inception in 2015, it has also been met with some criticism, as it provokes the more general issue of overcrowding in the other elementary schools in the school district.
   With over 1,000 new housing units projected to be completed in Princeton by 2026 resulting in consistent growth in enrollment, expansion has always been a discussed topic in the community. In recent years, concerns have been raised by many parents, especially those whose children must be rerouted around the unfilled CP elementary school that is currently exclusively for students in the DLI program. 
   “DLI has become an issue [as] … it's not popular enough to consistently fill a whole school. If you don't want to do DLI, you have to go to another school. So we’re busing kids all over the place. kids that would walk to CP, we're busing them to Johnson Park,” Bouldin said.
   Sharing the same view as Bouldin is District Supervisor of World Languages Priscilla Russell, who explains that while CP is indeed experiencing a lack of students in the DLI program, the district’s other elementary schools are not overcrowded, but full. 
   “We need to be careful — [the other schools] are full, but they're not overcrowded,” said Russell. “[CP] does have some empty classrooms … but our goal had always been to create a dual language immersion school, which we were doing pretty well until the pandemic hit and changed just a whole lot of things.”
   CP Principal Dineen Gruchacz further describes the hindering factors brought by the pandemic, detailing how they have contributed to a lower-than-expected number of students in the DLI program.
   “[During the pandemic], lots of people shied away from anything different than a very basic education program,” said Gruchacz. “The recovery time to build back the numbers in the [classrooms] … is definitely something that needs to be addressed.”
   A DLI program at CP was first proposed in 2013 with the hopes of strengthening bilingual and multicultural learning in the district by taking advantage of Princeton’s extensive diversity. Rather than supplementing English classes with a single world language class, the DLI’s aim was to create a more holistic approach to language and culture, immersing students by teaching half of their subjects in Spanish instead of English. 
   DLI programs have become increasingly popular across the country in recent years due to the cognitive benefits associated with learning more than one language from a younger age and in response to the undervaluation of foreign languages in English-speaking countries. In fact, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the universality of English is one of the main reasons why English is the most commonly taught language worldwide by a factor of 20, a discrepancy that DLI programs hope to address.
   “Princeton is not a huge town, but it's a town [made up] of really diverse community members and perspectives … [and] a large international community,” said Kimberley Tew, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. “We want to make sure that we're honoring that being bilingual and biliterate is a superpower … in an increasingly globalized world. [That] is the goal of the program, not just to develop [linguistic] skills, but to develop cultural competency.”
   Along with welcoming DLI program alums at PHS for the first time, the district has extended the DLI program past the elementary and middle school levels by introducing a new horticulture class tailored to teach basic biology principles in Spanish, taught by science and research teacher Mark Eastburn. Eastburn, who is fluent in both Spanish and English, reflects on the tremendous positive impacts that learning a new language can have on a child’s cognitive abilities and consequently believes that many more people should be signing up for the program.
   “I remember, many years ago, the evidence being overwhelmingly strong that dual language immersion programs are a way of supercharging childrens’ brains,” said Eastburn. “The evidence has only gotten better over time, and why we can’t get more people to sign up in a community which truly cares about education is baffling to me.”
   While the district does offer Spanish classes in the traditional route in all the other elementary schools, many parents believe that language education in the traditional method of language learning is not sufficient for students to gain fluency, leading them to choose DLI. Nicole Pezold, a current CP parent, believes that foreign language education is not prioritized in the traditional curriculum. 
   “I think it’s kind of an American approach to learning foreign languages to just not prioritize them at all. And I think that our schools in Princeton are trying to prioritize it way more than schools elsewhere in the nation, but we still are approaching it from an old perspective of language learning. I think immersion is the future, or one potential road for the future of language learning for people who really think that that's an important part of a rounded education,” Pezold said.
   Some parents who compare the immersive education of their children to their own experiences with the traditional method point out the effectiveness of DLI over the traditional method. Georgette Stern, who currently has three kids enrolled in the DLI program, shares her satisfaction with her kids’ improvement in the language. 
   “My husband and I both took Spanish throughout middle and high school, but you don't get the same level. I often speak to [my kids] in broken Spanish and … it’s great to see the level of comprehension,” said Stern. “It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to have your kids hear another language for half of their day, and also get core instruction in those languages.”
   In addition to offering enhanced opportunities for students who may not speak a second language at home to become bilingual, the DLI program intends to aid the large Spanish-speaking population in Princeton by helping them strengthen their bilingual skills and learn about their heritage more deeply.
   “One of the original goals of the program was to close the opportunity gap,” said Tew. “A lot of times when students move to the school district or move to America, they lose some of the foundational skills and pieces in their heritage languages … so we [are] targeting our [Spanish speaking] multilingual learners so that they can strengthen their knowledge base in both languages.”
   Olu Ogunyankin, a CP parent and a native of Guatemala, shared that the main reason her family chose to move to Princeton from South Brunswick was for the DLI program.
   “[Before starting at CP], even though we speak Spanish at home, [my son] would reply in English because he was in a Pre-K where they just spoke English. And [although] it’s been two months since the classes started in kindergarten, I see a huge difference in the amount of Spanish that he uses at home. He’s giving me sentences in Spanish, he’s replying in Spanish, and soon he’s gonna write in that language too,” Ogunyankin said.
The program is intended to help both native Spanish speakers and the already multicultural and multilingual families in Princeton who may not speak Spanish but want their children to continue learning in different languages.
   “We're targeting any family or child who believes in multiculturalism, biliteracy, and bilingualism. We have a lot of families who don't speak Spanish at home, but they might already be a trilingual or bilingual family, and they want their child to have that experience in school as well,” Tew said.
   PHS freshmen who took part in the first cohort of the DLI program highly recommend it for incoming elementary students at CP, finding that in addition to learning a new language from a younger age, the cultural immersion provided by the program has given them a different perspective of the world around them.
   “I feel like you're connected to a different culture. You're more immersed [and] you have a better ability to understand things around the world because you get to know people who were specifically part of that culture,” said Charles Baglio ’27, a member of the first DLI cohort. “[CP] did it really well … and it'’ an experience that you’ll take with you for the rest of your life.”
   For the parents who aren’t considering the DLI program, Milania Kapoor ’27, another freshman who participated in the DLI program, recommends that parents try the program for their children before they make a decision, expressing that the program will provide profound benefits.
   “I would say try it because you can always switch out of it … and ask to go to a different school,” said Kapoor. “It was an incredible experience for me. Not only are you learning a language but it's just a different experience … because you learn math in Spanish, you learn science in Spanish, … and you [become] so smart as a young kid.”
   With a growing Spanish-speaking population in the United States and an increasingly globalized world, learning a second language will become an important skill for future generations. How Princeton schools will balance an immersion program and potential overcrowding issues, however, may require compromise. 
   “It's a matter of everyone getting along and understanding each other better, and then building those bridges to actually move everyone forward as a society, which Princeton has the opportunity to do,” said Eastburn. “We really need to hammer that home to the public, because [an immersion program is] such a unique and important thing that we can offer as a district.”

Eight years on, PPS’s DLI program continues to bridge language gaps

   Students who want to learn the code above should take one of the classes taught by Rida Kas, who has assumed the role of PHS’s programming teacher after the previous teacher, Graciela Elia, retired. She currently teaches AP Computer Science, Algorithms and Data Structures, Introduction to Java, and Object-Oriented Java. 
   With this year marking her ninth year as an educator, Kas is familiar with the knicks and knacks of the education industry. When she first started teaching in 2014, Kas taught computer science courses and robotics at Piscataway High School, then taught the same subjects at Plainfield High School.
   “In my new teacher's orientation, they kept telling us that there is a right way, there is a wrong way, and then there is a Princeton way. I [have] been exploring that Princeton way as a new teacher,” said Kas. “I wanted to see how that is bringing change in our students' lives, [and] how [Princeton’s] opportunities are different from what was offered in my previous school. The climate and culture that the students create [here are] … much different from my previous experiences, and I want to see what kind of impact they have on me.”
   While Kas has grown to love computer science and teaching over the years, she didn’t always plan for a career in this field. Initially, inspired by a close friend, Kas dreamed of becoming an architect and even took an entrance exam for an architectural undergraduate course.	
   “I soon realized that [architecture] was not something I saw myself doing for the rest of my life,” said Kas. “My father motivated me to [major] in IT. Today, I am so glad that I followed his vision, because [now] I see the importance of technology in the growing world.”
   Prior to becoming a teacher, Kas had three years of experience in the programming industry. After graduating from Mumbai University with a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and a Masters in Business Administration, her first job focused on taking outdated, obsolete pieces of software and converting them to cloud services, automating software at technology firms in India and New York. 
   A defining moment in Kas’s journey to becoming a teacher was the birth of her children. Kas felt that the demanding and inflexible schedules of her previous jobs left little time to spend with her two young kids. After taking a hiatus from working, Kas searched for a profession that could fit with her experiences both as a programmer and as a parent, finding a job in the education industry to be most fitting. 
   “As a parent, I bring experience from home as to what students like to learn, how they respond to certain things, and that allows me to be a parent and teacher at the same time,” said Kas. “I had a lot of moments where I realized that [teaching] was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
   In her classroom, Kas hopes to create an environment where her students can not only grow intellectually but emotionally as well. 
   “My goals I originally created when I started my educational journey were more related to intellectual learning and academics. But recently I revised them.” said Kas. “I want to make sure I incorporate a lot of social emotional learning for my students, wherein you learn not just by being present, but by being happily present in the spot that you have chosen to be in.”
   Amy Lin ’25, a current student in Kas’s AP Computer Science A class, appreciates how Kas maintains an engaging and interactive environment in the classroom. 
   “She walks around helping to explain concepts, which differs a little bit from the past when we would basically learn stuff on our own, and the teacher would be there to help us in that process,” said Lin. “Ms. Kas is more hands-on and she hopes to do activities like her teaching instead of us learning by ourselves.” 
   On top of her engaging and often pun-filled lessons, her students mention her compassionate attitude and attentiveness toward student needs, making communicating their questions feel easier.
    “She keeps in mind the students’ pace so she is never going too fast or too slow,” said Vritika Singh ’26, a student in Kas’s Introduction to Computer Science class. “She puts the students first and always makes sure our questions are answered.”
   While a lot of programming-related clubs and events such as HackPHS had a chance of being suspended due to Elia's retirement, who was their previous advisor, Kas plans to take over those positions in coming years.
   “I really like the idea of HackPHS, [but] I don’t know whether I’m ready to take the responsibility this year,” said Kas. “Maybe [I will] take my time over the summer break and plan something for our students in the form of an extracurricular activity, or maybe a club.”		
   Outside of school, Kas enjoys spending time with her kids, going to the park, cooking, and, as of recently, biking.
   “These days, we’ve been doing a lot of bike riding,” said Kas. “My youngest one just learned how to ride her bike, so it’s very exciting when we go out to the trails for a bike ride.”
   At the end of the day, Kas is grateful for the opportunity to teach at PHS.
   “Princeton is such a pinnacle, a standard, [and] a beacon when it comes to education,” said Kas. When you hear the word Princeton, you know it’s coming from high standards, it’s coming from rigor, it’s coming from challenging standpoints.”


Elif Cam's Work