This year, the three mental health 
counselors at PHS — Bethzayda Matos, 
Michelle Simborski, and Ryan Stingel — 
have rebranded the Student Assistance 
Program from last year to Resilience, 
Intervention, Support, and Empowerment 
(RISE), which will consist of confidential 
counseling services, classroom visits, and 
evening events centered on topics such as 
depression or substance abuse.


“There’s a lot of pressure here at PHS, and 
the school district saw a rise in numbers 
of students coming to see counselors for 
anxiety, depression, stress related concerns. 
And so the district, being very proactive, 
wanted to build a comprehensive mental 
health program for students and families,” 
said Simborski.


In 2022, the district conducted a survey 
that revealed stark disparities about how 
different racial demographic groups felt 
about belonging, safety, and support in 
PHS. Though 56 percent of PHS students 
overall said they felt like the school was a 
welcoming and safe space to be, only 28 
percent of Hispanic students felt that way. 
Further, only 44.2 percent of PHS students 
overall agreed with the statement “when 
something is really bothering me, there is 
at least one adult that I can go to and talk 
about the problem.”


“I think that the difference in the 
percentages ... and feelings come from a 
space of maybe not understanding the 
support that is available,” said Matos. “If 
you don’t know what’s available, then you’re 
not going to seek it.”


Through introducing herself in 
classrooms, interacting in the hallways, 
and having consultation meetings with 
students, Matos hopes to make them aware 
of the available support and close that gap. 
Given that she is the only Spanish-speaking 
counselor in PHS, Matos regularly visits 
English Language Learning classrooms to 
educate students about mental health and 
the numerous resources that the school 
provides.


Matos says that last year, she and 
Simborski saw an average of 90 students 
a week. However, she also noted that the 
amount of risk assessments decreased from 
the year prior.


“There’s no shame in seeking support. It’s 
not a sign of weakness. It’s actually a sign 
of resilience,” said Matos. “We are here to 
support each and every student however 
we can, but we don’t know what you do or 
what you need, unless you come to us for 
assistance.”


Ryan Stingel, who joined PHS as a mental 
health counselor earlier this year, is also 
the advisor of the Lock In Club, which is 
dedicated to helping students learn mental 
techniques to perform better under pressure 
and regulate emotions.


“I think for a lot of high schoolers who 
are motivated, hard working and want to 
do their best, it can be frustrating if you’re 
able to do something in practice, but you’re 
not able to replicate it or do it as well in in 
the test room or on stage or whenever it 
matters,” said Daniel Haiduc ’26, leader of 
Lock In Club.


Throughout his meetings with students, 
whether as their club advisor, during oneon-one meetings, or through the classroom, 
Stingel strives to relay one core message to 
all students.


“I hope that every person that reads this 
takes away the message ... that no matter 
who you are, you deserve to feel comfortable 
being you,” said Stingel. “You deserve to 
feel comfortable living in your own skin

Photo: Charley Hu


PHS mental health counselors plan RISE initiative


PHS mental health counselors plan RISE initiative

Decades after the 26th Amendment lowered the voting 
age to 18, a new generation of activists are raising a 
familiar question: should 16 and 17 year olds be allowed 
to vote? At PHS, Carina He ’26 is answering this question 
by starting a chapter of the national Vote16 campaign. 
Vote16 is a national organization that, for over a decade, 
has worked to expand voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds 
in Board of Education elections at local, statewide, and 
national levels. The campaign has seen success in 12 cities 
across the United States, most recently in Newark, New 
Jersey. Through her club, Youth Civic Leaders of America 
(YCLA), He has partnered with co-leader Ash Nieman ’26 
to promote Vote16 and increase civic engagement in the 
Princeton community. 


The Vote16 initiative argues that since students at age 16 
and 17 years olds begin to take on more adult responsibilities 
— such as working a job and driving — they should also be 
granted the right to vote in local elections. This is especially 
relevant in Board of Education elections, since the decisions 
made by the Board primarily impact students. 


“The Board of Education is [like] the government to the 
students, [so] students [will be] able to understand how 
to vote in this ... more controlled environment ... rather 
than just going straight into voting when they’re 18 years 
old in a presidential election where the entire country [is] 
voting — [so] they’re able to see civics education take form 
in their local area,” said He. 


He and Nieman have also cited voting in school board 
elections as a beneficial way for young people to apply 
their knowledge of civics education outside the classroom. 
“[At PHS] we have this baseline of education about U.S. 
history and our teachers stress how important voting is as 
a democratic right. It’s not like we don’t know anything 
about voting, but [when you] start that process younger 
... [you’re] much more likely to turn out for state elections 
[and] representative elections,” said Nieman. 


According to Tufts University’s Center for Information 
and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, a nonpartisan research organization focused on youth civic 
engagement, young voter turnout dropped from over 
50 percent during the 2020 presidential election to 42 
percent in the 2024 election. The top reasons for youth 
who had not registered to vote were disinterest in the 
election, lack of time, and absence of knowledge about 
registration deadlines. 


“Generally voter turnout is still not that great, especially 
in school board elections, the turnout is only like 10 percent 
— which is terrible. And since we’re in such a dire political 
climate right now, it’s very important that we teach the 
people who will be voting in the next presidential election 
[or] the Senate election ... We have to teach them the habit 
of voting, how important it is, how to vote, [and] how to 
register vote,” said Nieman. 


 YCLA has been working with several members of the 
PPS Board of Education and Brian McDonald, a Princeton 
town councilman, to propose Vote16. On September 8, 
YCLA spoke with the entire Princeton Town Council to 
introduce the initiative. Though the initiative received 
positive feedback from the Town Council, concerns have 
been raised over the rollout of the initiative. 


 “The other opposition we’ve seen comes down to money 
... The ballot for the school board is the same ballot as the 
[ballot] for a state election. So in order for [students] to 
vote ... new ballots have to be printed that only have school 
board members,“ said Nieman. 


The Council also expressed concerns regarding the 
maturity of 16–17 year olds and their eligibility to vote in 
school board elections. Unless the bill is passed through 
state legislation, legal barriers make it harder for 16 year 
olds from being given the right to vote in Princeton.
Unlike Newark, where Vote16 was successfully enacted, 
Princeton is not a Faulkner Act community. The Faulkner 
Act, which is also known as the Optional Municipality 
Charter Law, grants municipalities the right to choose their 
own form of government and gives a significant degree 
of power to the locality. Therefore, in order to get the 
Municipality of Princeton to pass Vote16’s proposal, YCLA 
has to overcome more legal hurdles than they would have 
had to in a municipality operating under the Faulkner Act. 
Despite this, several members of the Board of Education 
and the Town Council have expressed support for Vote16, 
believing it would be beneficial for the youth to express 
what they care about. 


“Youth are the most invested demographic in [the] sort 
of the issues that I think local government needs to be 
taking the most decisive action on, like climate change 
and active transportation ... I think those are issues that are 
the most important issues for society as a whole, but older 
voters don’t always get it. That’s why I think it’s positive 
for society to have, for the community as a whole, to have 
youth engagement,” said Cohen

Photo Courtesy: Carina He

PHS students campaign for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in school board elections


PHS students campaign for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in school board elections

In its first top-five finish since 2022, PHS’s
Euro Challenge team earned fourth place
at the Euro Challenge national competition
on May 7. Euro Challenge, a competition
co-funded by the European Union (EU),
encourages students in the United States
to learn about European Union economic
policies by proposing solutions to realworld economic issues faced by an EU
nation of the team’s choosing.


This year, the PHS team addressed
issues in Lithuania regarding growth and
competitiveness, such as wealth inequality,
economic stagnation, and rural-urban
disparities. Their solutions were evaluated
on their creativity, effectiveness, and
feasibility, criteria the team sought to meet
with a particular solution which used AI
to combat financial corruption.


“We [proposed] implementing ... an AI
system that sifts through large amounts of
data so [the system] can find suspicious
tax filings. This is much faster and more
efficient when it comes to identifying these
false tax filings ... it decreases tax fraud,
and the government is earning more,” said
Helen Yu ’27, a member of the presentation
panel at Nationals.


Euro Challenge consists of three rounds
of competitions held in New York City: a
preliminary round, then a semifinal and
finals round. The team first presented a
15-minute slideshow on the country’s
economic problems and their proposed
solutions to a panel of judges, followed
by a 10-minute Q&A on the team’s
recommendations.


The judges of Euro Challenge are often
leaders in finance and economics fields or
are economic policy workers within the
EU, which helped the team develop their
solutions.


“They were the chief financial officers
or advisors of major investment banks, so
[there were] definitely a lot of people who
were really specialized in this field,” said Yu.
“And it was really interesting to see what
they had to say and what questions they
had, because it’s completely different from
what high school students would tell you.”


The preparation for the competition starts
early in the year, after seven of the applicants
are selected for the team following tryouts
for interested underclassmen. The team
first researched the economic state of
their chosen nation, then categorized the
economic issues in the country under root
causes and proposed solutions for these
issues. Finally, the team heavily practiced
the Q&A portion of the presentation, one
of the most important parts for the team’s
score.


“[The] captains would give me questions,
and we’d have to come up with responses
on the spot. Just having this as a routine
really helped prepare us, because you could
just take whatever question came at us, no
matter if we really knew how to answer it
or not. Having that practice also helped us
be coherent as a group,” said Yu.


The team also had to practice soft
skills like public speaking and effective
communication to help them communicate
their policies to judges.


“I think the most important skill is
being able to speak in a conversational way
because when the judges are asking you
questions – you’re trying to convince them
out of their concerns about your solutions,
but you’re not debating people ... I had a bit
of debate experience, but what Euro taught
me was how to convince people instead of
how to win an argument,” said Sebastian
Balestri ’28, another member of the team.


Through the months that the team
spent for preparation, Euro Challenge
members built connections that will extend
beyond the competition. They were able to
capitalize on each other’s strengths to create
a strong team for the national competion.


 “[Before] becoming a captain, I had a
lot of meaningful experiences interacting
with my captains at the time. I think they
really gave me a lot of insight into not only
econ[omics] and topics pertaining to Euro
Challenge, but also bigger things pertaining
to personal life, especially with school and
future tracks that you could take beyond
that,” said Emma Liu ’26, current co-captain
of the Euro Challenge team.

Photo Courtesy: Elif Cam

Sebastian Balestri ’28, Joshua Huang ’28, Jane Hu ’27, Emma Liu ’26, Aritra Ray ’27, Elif Cam ’26, and Helen Yu ’27 met Jovita Neliupšien, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States

Euro Challenge wins fourth place at Nationals

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

The Interfaith Iftar at PHS, led by the
Muslim Student Union (MSU) on March
17, brought together students, staff, and
the local community to celebrate Ramadan
and build connections among people of
all faiths. The Iftar included both Muslim
and non-Muslim students, community
members, and several speakers.


“The Interfaith Iftar is an event for
everyone to come and learn about the
month of Ramadan and how Muslims break
fast. Additionally, it’s for all of us to come
together to embrace [our] similarities and
differences so that we can all connect and
become closer together,” said Asma Qureshi
’25, a leader of the Interfaith Iftar and the
PHS MSU. “I want this to be a glimmer of
hope and light in our very own Princeton.
And I hope that after tonight, our hearts
stay kind and pure to ourselves and to one
another.”


The event began with a land
acknowledgement, followed by several
presenters from the local community.
These speakers included Muslim imams
and members of the Jewish and Christian
communities, who all emphasized the
common beliefs of peace throughout
different religions and cultures.


“This particular time in 2025 is a beautiful
convergence of blessed days, as the month
of Ramadan coincides with Lent, Passover,
and the holiday of Easter and Good Friday,”
said Levon Brown, an imam and one of the
speakers at the Iftar. “It is a time of reflection
and unity amongst our multicultural and
diverse family, and we are in a country of
diversity and multiculturalism. This is the
land of freedom of religion and freedom
of thought, and this is what we celebrate
tonight at this blessed 4th annual Iftar
event.”


The Iftar also had the first-ever crescent
lighting at PHS. An Eid Committee
brought a metal crescent to PHS, which
had previously been lit in over 50 other
communities throughout New Jersey, as a
symbol of unity.


The event comes at a time of considerable
tension in the Muslim community, especially
after college campus protests over Palestine
and divestment from Israel. On March
18, the Trump administration ordered the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) to seize Mahmoud Khalil for his role
in Columbia’s Palestine protests last year.
Though he is not accused of any charges,
he faces potential deportation.


“[It’s easy] to come to a celebration and be
with people who are of like minds, [but] for
me, allyship means standing up for people
when it’s not easy,” said Linda Oppenheim,
a member of Not in Our Town Princeton.
“To some degree these days, it’s within my
own community. This past Saturday, in my
synagogue, when they asked people to stand
to give names of people who are suffering
physically or spiritually, I [said] the names
of Khalil Mahmood and [his wife] Noor
Abdullah.”


Malachi Wood, a French teacher at PHS
and the advisor for the Muslim Union,
noted the two goals of the Interfaith Iftar.
“I hope that non-Muslim students will
have a better insight into Islam and the
Muslim community, and see that it’s a
warm, welcoming community. I hope that
Muslim students will [be able to] feel valued
as members of the community and see that
there’s a place for them here — that they’re
included,” said Wood.


Though students of all backgrounds were
encouraged to attend, the Iftar included
religious ceremonies that celebrate the end
of the daily Muslim fast during the holy
month of Ramadan — one of the five pillars
of Islam, designed to strengthen Muslims’
relationship with God.


“Once everyone [broke] their fast, we
[had] an imam come to lead the prayer,
and whoever needed to pray pray[ed].
Otherwise, people [got] their dinner or
observed if they want to. In the past years,
we’ve usually had a final remark, called a
Dua, which is basically a prayer for … hope
[and] peace in the world,” said Qureshi.


PHS began the tradition of the Iftar in
2017, though did not host it for several
years. Qureshi and Wood began reviving the
Iftar two years ago — this year, around 40
PHS students, administrators, faculty, and
Princeton community members attended
the event.


“I came [in part] to support the students,
and also to learn more about Ramadan and
Iftar,” said Valerie Henry, an administrative
assistant at PHS. “I was happy to see my
very first crescent lighting.” 

Photo: Charley Hu

Interfaith Iftar attendees Khaja Khateeb, Imam Levon Brown, Malachi Wood, Zainab Qureshi, Asma Qureshi ’25, Eman El-Badawi, and Naba Sharif gather for a crescent lighting, a symbol of unity.

Muslim Student Union hosts Interfaith Iftar

A day of spreading music and bonding with your band
and vocals members: that’s exactly what the National Jazz
Festival (NJF) is about. Every year, the PHS Studio Band
and PHS Studio Vocals compete with high school musicians
from across the country in the NJF in Philadelphia. This year
on March 22, Studio Band and Studio Vocals musicians took
part in a full day of jazz performance at the Pennsylvania
Convention Center in Philadelphia.

This year, Studio Band played three songs: “It Don’t Mean
a Thing” by Ella Fitzgerald, a fast swing song; “Decoupage”
by Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, a slow ballad; and “Heat
of the Day” by Pat Metheny Group, a song with many time
signature changes. By choosing a combination of diverse
genres, Studio Band showed off their range as musicians. The
bands and Studio Vocals began preparations for NJF as far
back as January. After deciding on three songs to play, they
moved on to finalizing and rearranging solos throughout the
song, ensuring that they were able to fit within 20 minutes,
the time alloted to them by the competition.

Joseph Bongiovi, the Studio Band director, led the band
in weekly rehearsals on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9:30. In
addition to rehearsals each week, Studio Band practiced
by recording hour-long sectionals, where they practice
together to build for coherence and collaboration as a
group. Though the preparation was demanding, it helped
the students grow as musicians.

“The competition kind of forces you to put your best
self forward [and] shows you what [you’re] capable [of]
and what you can actually do if put under pressure,” said
Naomi Carroll ’26, a singer in Studio Vocals.

Aside from providing a platform for competition and
music, NJF also promoted bonds between musicians from
across different schools and between band members.
Competitions like NJF radiate a sense of camaraderie,
creating an atmosphere where band members can enjoy
playing music and pursuing their passions together,
regardless of their preceding relationships.

“There have been times when I’ve seen people [from
other schools] just get into a group and start jamming out
in the instrument storage room. Even though they are from
completely different places, [and] none of them know each
other, they’re just there to have fun,” said Thomas Basso
’27, a clarinet player in Studio Band.

“To me, band is like a big family. I feel like [it’s] a lot more
like a tight knit community, so you see recurring faces at
festivals, and you know certain judges who you’ve seen
over and over again, and certain teachers in certain high
schools. There is a sense of [family and] a big community.”
said Carroll.

Photo: Katherine Chen

Jazz Ensemble members Emil Kapur ’27, Stella Wolsk ’26, Sean Wilton ’25, Shawn Elwood ’26, Adam Greenberg ’26, Donovan Vaccaro ’25, Isaac Son ’27, Mia Abrams-Sartor ’28, Avyaya Srivastava ’28, Blake Kearney ’28, Lucas Martinetti ’28, Nicholas Kopaliani ’26, Ian Lee ’28, Florencia Curchitser ’25, and Michael Chorba ’27 practice “The Gathering Sky” by Pat Metheny Group


Studio Band and Studio Vocals compete in the National Jazz Festival

On January 8, the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education (BOE) appointed Dr. Michael LaSusa as the district’s new superintendent. LaSusa will undergo a six-month transition process before officially replacing current interim superintendent Dr. Kathleen Foster on July 1.

LaSusa is currently superintendent of the Chatham school district, and before that began his career as a history and Spanish teacher at Chatham High School. PHS Principal Cecilia Birge believes that his tenure demonstrates a strong commitment to education.

“When someone stays in the district for that long, especially coming from the teachers ranking, [they] know what our students and teachers feel,” said Birge. “His district respects him and has enjoyed the long tenureship that he has given to Chatham.”

LaSusa’s appointment comes after years of turmoil in the PPS district, with the district going through two superintendents and six PHS principals in the past five years. In making the decision, the Board of Education hired the consulting firm School Leadership LLC and held a series of student and parent forums. In addition, the PPS adinistration distributed a survey designed to provide a platform for the community to request characteristics and prerequisites that they want to be considered for the superintendent.

“The process started with a pretty wide-cast net. The consultants [and the] search firm, hired by the board, opened it up to the several unions in the district,” said Birge. “Each group had a chance to meet with the consultant.”

Throughout the interview process, LaSusa emphasized the importance of providing equal educational opportunities to all, according to Kathleen Foster, the interim superintendent.

“[LaSusa] really talked about the importance of making sure that every student is known and valued,” said Foster. “[He] encouraged [students] to flourish in the way that they choose. Not everyone has to go in the same path. There are lots of [different] paths after graduation.”

LaSusa has received considerable recognition for his work in improving the learning experience for students. In 2019, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators awarded LaSusa New Jersey Region 1 Superintendent of the Year.

“He is [a] very forward-thinking, compassionate leader, he is very student-centered, and actively makes decisions that will benefit the students’ experience,” said Mary Donohue, Chatham’s assistant superintendent. “He wants to create an environment, a learning space where [students] feel supported [and] to help them grow as people and as learners. In an interview with The Tower, LaSusa highlighted his student-centered vision for the district, committing to supporting all students regardless of their background.

“There are students who are underserved or don’t have the [same] resources of some of those higher performing students,” said LaSusa. “I want to do what I can to ensure that every single student, regardless of their background, what their first language might be, or any other challenges they might have, can all thrive and reach their full potential by the time they exit the [education] system.”

LaSusa is now preparing for his transition from the Chatham district to Princeton Public Schools. Over the next six months, he will work to familiarize himself with Princton’s background by meeting with school administrators, the Parent Teacher Organization, and staff members.

“I’m going to interact with as many people as I can,” said LaSusa. “I’ll be listening and absorbing for my first months in the district, and hopefully from there, relationships will form, and I’ll get to have a greater sense of Princeton as each month passes.”

Photo: Emily Kim

Michael LaSusa listens at his confirmation hearing with the PPS Board of Education.

Board of Education approves Michael LaSusa as superintendent 

At PHS, bathrooms have slowly become
the center of disruptive student activity
during instructional periods. While these
issues have been present in past years, their
increasing frequency has raised concerns
about student behavior and the learning
environment. In response, administrators
have introduced more rigid disciplinary
and preventative measures to reduce
inappropriate behavior.

As of now, vaping is one of the main
issues identified in bathrooms, with
administrators focused on addressing the
health concerns associated with vaping.

“We don’t know who manufactures
those things. We don’t know what’s put in
them [or] if the new things have been out
there long enough for the harmful effects
on our bodies to be fully analyzed and
researched,” said PHS Principal Cecilia
Birge. “[Vapes] can also have marijuana
[and] THC products in [them], and that
clearly is connected to depression, ADHD,
and other kinds of health impacts.”

Beyond vaping, large social gatherings
have become a growing issue. The
main concern is that socializing in the
bathrooms creates overcrowding, making
the space uncomfortable for students who
are trying to use the bathroom.

“Whether you’re a freshman or you’re
in your senior year, [if] you go to the
bathroom and you see 10 to 15 people or
less standing around, it’s a little awkward
and unfortunate. So what we’re trying to
do is to clear out the bathrooms just for
bathroom usage, and not as a [place for]
socializing,” said Scott Goldsmith, one of
PHS’s building monitors.

To solve this issue, PHS staff have
increased the number of bathroom
sweeps, in which building monitors and
administrators routinely inspect the
bathrooms to check for inappropriate
behavior.

“Personally, I usually do it every period.
If not every other period, every day. With
some of the other guys, they do it every
other period or whenever they get a
chance. Same thing with administration,
whenever they get a chance, they pop their
head in,” said Goldsmith.

When students are caught vaping
or inappropriately socializing in the
bathrooms, they are required to meet with
their Assistant Principal and can face a
variety of disciplinary actions, ranging
from detention to suspension.

“If students are using or are in
possession of substances at school,
[then according to] our handbook, it’s
an automatic suspension. Then, [it]
depends on the number of infractions,”
said Birge. “[It’s] three to five days out of
school suspension [for the] first offense.
A second is five to 10 days. And the third
is another five to 10 days. When students
are suspended more than 10 days during
any school year, it raises the question [of]
whether this building is the best fit for
the student.”

But while routine sweeps are performed
to minimize such disciplinary issues,
emphasizing education ensures students
understand its risks and make informed
decisions.

“Our goal is to help students rather
than penalize students,” said Birge.
“Don’t promote the so-called ‘coolness.’
Recognize the harm that it does to your
body and your mind.”

Though the work of the PHS
administration has made progress in
minimizing these activities, student
reports are very useful for the main office
and can help minimize the occurrence
of vaping and other bathroom activities.

“Report it. You don’t have to report
it right away,” said Goldsmith. “But
whether it’s adults, students, staff, visitors,
bathrooms are meant to be used as
bathrooms.”

PHS Investigates: bathrooms

On September 1, the Princeton Board of Education
passed a resolution to vote on a bond referendum worth
over $85 million intended to renovate school facilities.
The proposed renovations, if passed in full, would impact
Princeton Middle School, PHS, and each of the four
PPS elementary schools by modernizing aging district
buildings and expanding PPS’s capacity to accommodate
an increasing student population.

The projected spike in student population is a result of
the municipality of Princeton complying with New Jersey’s
affordable housing requirements via the construction of
multiple residential developments across the township,
the largest being those adjacent to the Princeton Shopping
Center. Moreover, on October 18, the state mandated
municipalities across New Jersey to meet specific housing
obligations: Princeton is calculated to currently need 60
affordable housing units, with an additional 276 in total
over the next decade. As such, the district expects an even
greater influx of students, which the BOE purports will
be beyond the current capacity of PPS.

“We, as a community, know that there’s been some
affordable housing mandates and that the ... housing that
Princeton was required to build resulted in about seven
new developments that were approved by the council
and are now underway and being built around town,”
said Beth Behrend, an executive BOE member.

If approved, the BOE’s proposal for a bond referendum
— where the local government asks for a vote from the
public to approve or reject a project — would allow the
government to borrow (via bonds) funding to complete
the project. Princeton Township residents will vote on
this referendum on January 28, 2025. To ensure that the
public has a greater degree of flexibility surrounding
the parts of the proposal they support, the BOE has
divided it into three parts, each of which will be voted
on independently.

“There’ll be three questions on the bond referendum,
and question one has to pass for question two to pass,
and questions one and two have to pass for question
three to pass as well,” said BOE member Susan Kanter.
“Since I’ve been in Princeton, that [hasn’t been] how
referendums have gone out, so it’ll be new to the public
to have that choice.”

The first proposal section, or “question,” would renew
Community Park Elementary facilities and install
small-scale ventilators at PHS, along with a broader
HVAC system. Although the improvements would cost
approximately $37 million, savings from the new HVAC
may total $150,000 to $200,000 annually.

“The renovation will encompass the building’s HVAC
system, including the chillers, the boilers, and the air
handling units,” according to the PPS website. “This work
will bring these outdated systems up to par with those at
the elementary and middle schools."

If the first question were to be approved,
Princeton residents would then vote on the
second question, which costs $38.3 million
and largely consists of changes to PMS
infrastructure. However, this question
would also remodel the Numina Art
Gallery and transform current district tech
offices to be used for student instruction.
The third question of the proposal, worth
nearly $13 million, is focused entirely
on constructing more classrooms and
enlarging existing facilities at Littlebrook
Elementary.

“The school district does not operate
in a vacuum, and we are aware of other
recent impacts to the taxpayer. After much
discussion, the Board and administration
believe that a three-question format is
the best approach to let voters decide
their additional level of investment in
the public schools,” said BOE president
Dafna Kendal.

Behrend and Kanter emphasized that the
state, rather than the municipality, would
pay for significant parts of the proposal;
approximately 15 percent of the question
one and two funds would come from
New Jersey. If all three questions were to
pass, owners of Princeton homes with an
average assessed value of $853,000 would
see an estimated increase of $532 yearly
for 27 years of financing.

BOE members disavowed any form
of advocacy from other members,
emphasizing the importance of voter input
in the January decision.

“Our job is just to put together the
solutions, and we’ve worked really hard on
it for many years, and had some really good
professionals advising us,” said Behrend.
“We’ve had a lot of forums with the public
… it’s been a really collaborative process.
We all learned a lot, and I think we all
feel pretty good about the solutions we’ve
come to, and now putting it out there for
the voters to consider.”

BOE passes resolution to hold $85 million referendum

### 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. 

Tower Spotlight: new teachers

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is opening doors to higher education for PHS students through its new dual enrollment program, an initiative aimed at elevating learning while promoting equity among students and giving them a head start in their collegiate journey. 
“We know we have very high quality teachers, we know we have programs that are very, very competitive, even against college level programs,” said PHS Principal Cecilia Birge. “So we think that our students deserve having [the] recognition of taking [a college level program], and not to mention the financial benefits that your enrollment brings along.”
Birge also highlighted the program’s founding principles: a commitment to academic excellence, equity, and financial accessibility. In order to maximize student learning time to uphold educational quality, one distinctive feature that sets this program apart from PHS’s other partnerships, such as those with Mercer County Technical Schools, is its full integration within the PHS campus. Unlike traditional dual enrollment programs, which often require students to leave campus, this program will be entirely housed at PHS, ensuring that students can engage in college-level coursework without compromising their high school experience.
“We really wanted our students to have the full blown PHS experience, not a partial one here and the partial one at another school,” said Birge. “We also want our partners in the dual enrollment program to be really the top notch kind of partners who can bring innovative ideas who share our educational philosophy, [and] so, that’s how we [identified] TCNJ as a partner.”
Students signing up for the dual enrollment program will receive essential information in September, including their TCNJ email address and portal details. Upon completion of the course with a grade of a C or higher, students will receive credits from PHS, three TCNJ credits, equivalent to a full college course, and the TCNJ transcript. To participate, students need to pay a fee of $550 before the start of the program. However, the program provides substantial cost savings for families. 
“As you may or may not know, college-level courses cost about $3,000. So $550 is a significant saving for most of our families at PHS. [Additionally], families will have 529 plans, which is a college savings and investment plan that they can use the money from to pay for this course too,” Birge said. 
In order to facilitate a smooth transition into the two schools’ partnership, PHS will only offer Sociology for the first year of the program alongside the already existing Sociology Accelerated course at PHS. The course will be taught by Elizabeth Taylor, a history teacher at PHS currently teaching AP U.S. History and the present high school-level Sociology Accelerated course.
“The Sociology course actually started out as an AP pilot program. The College Board was considering an AP Sociology course, and Princeton was one of the schools that piloted it, so the class had already been designed as a college level course,” Taylor said. 
However, even after the College Board ultimately made the decision to not include AP Sociology in its course catalog, PHS continued teaching sociology following the same college level curriculum. 
“It always [disappointed me] that students were doing essentially a college level class but not getting the credit they would through an AP class. So as I thought about other schools offering dual enrollment, it seemed perfect for [this course]. Students do the same work they’re doing now, but get college credit at the end, [which] seemed like a perfect fit,” Taylor said. 
When deciding whether the program will be held entirely at PHS, one of the most common considerations is if TCNJ professors will be brought in, or if the courses will be taught by PHS teachers. Birge provides insight into this aspect of the program’s structure, highlighting the importance of the teacher’s role in the process. 
“[This] program is very much a teacher dependent program, meaning that Mrs. Taylor was actually approved by TCNJ to be a qualified instructor to teach at a college level course,” Birge said. 
Students signing up for next year’s courses will have the option between enrolling in a regular Accelerated Sociology class, or enrolling in TCNJ-Sociology as a part of the dual enrollment program. 
“Both sets of students will be placed in the same classroom [during the same period]. Mrs. Taylor would differentiate her teaching so that students who are in the dual enrollment program will receive a bit more instruction, probably have some more teaching, reading, and assignments to be completed to ensure that they meet the criteria at the TCNJ level,” Birge said. 
Additionally, students enrolled in the sociology class will benefit from gaining college credits, providing them with an upper hand when they go to college, given their previous experiences in college style courses. 
“I [had] multiple students who [decided] to pursue sociology in college as undergraduates, and they [had] to start back at Sociology 1 because they [did] not have any credit for it,” said Taylor. “So now, hopefully, most of these students will be able to skip Sociology in college and move on to a more advanced level class.”

PHS and TCNJ collaborate in creating dual enrollment program

Established in 2022, the annual PHS Day of Dialogue aims to promote representation, education, and celebration. The next Day of Dialogue will occur on April 5 during students’ gym periods. Then, multiple clubs representing different identities and cultures, such as Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and Latino Unidos, will realize the values of the Day of Dialogue using mediums of cultural outreach; clubs will set up their tables with culturally relevant artifacts, snacks, and small performances representing their respective communities.
This year, the Day of Dialogue plans to further emphasize cultural education. To achieve this goal, the group dedicated to creating a more DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) space within PHS, the PHS Diversity Council, has planned for each club to perform activities such as fashion shows or dances at a scheduled time during the event. The organizers hope that this grander presentation of different cultures will allow students attending to gain more knowledge of these different heritages.
For the clubs themselves, many plan to utilize this day to educate students about overlooked aspects of their cultures and challenge potential stereotypes.
“We are going to make a slideshow [that] presents some stereotypes about India, because I feel like people just think [that once they have] seen the Taj Mahal, [they have] seen India,” said Siyona Lathar ’25, leader of the Culture & Heritage of Authentic India club. “But there’s … so much more to see and know [about India].”
In order for the clubs to have enough money to get the materials for the event, the council hosted fundraisers through the PTO and partnered with Unified Spectrum, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create more career opportunities for neurodiverse individuals. 
“We’re also going to be selling shirts with [the] Unified Spectrum logo to [support it and] fundraise for Day of Dialogue and [the] diversity council,” said Raya Kondakindi ’26, a facilitator of the council who manages and aids the clubs in planning for the day. 
After acquiring the necessary amount of money, the council plans to physically put together the event by gathering attendance sheets and necessary school materials like tables, as well as advertising for the day. 
The Diversity Council hopes that the Day of Dialogue will not only showcase PHS’s cultural diversity but also allow for culture clubs to voice how they want their individual communities to be represented by educating the Princeton community beyond societal stereotypes.

PHS to display its cultural diversity at the Day of Dialogue

Now working in an administrative position, Lauren Freedman is one of two Assistant Principals at PHS with Rashone Johnson. A former math teacher at PHS since 2008, Freedman joined the PHS administrative team in September, replacing now-principal Cecilia Birge as one of the Assistant Principals. 
This past summer, before taking the new position, Freedman had just completed her Master’s degree in educational leadership online through the University of Texas Permian Basin when the position of assistant principal opened up. Realizing that she could work with even more students than as a math teacher, Freedman was eager to take the position.
“Over the years, I have served on many, many different committees. I’ve taken on various leadership roles, both in the school and in the surrounding community. For a long time, I was working with about 120 students across my classes, but I realized that in a role like this, I could work with close to 1600 students. So I knew that this would be an opportunity for me to sort of work with the larger community,” Freedman said. 
Freedman believes that her style of teaching was never “traditional” for a high school setting. A self-described quirky and creative person, Freedman often sought to include fun elements in the classes that 	she taught.
“I like to think of myself as someone who thinks outside of the box. … I [liked] to teach using songs and games and doing things that aren’t so traditional and I think it’s really fun to teach math.” said Freedman. “It’s fun to help students to be creative and help students see math in a different way.”
Grace Waldman ’25, a former student of Freedman’s when she taught Geometry I and Pre-Calculus recalls strategies Freedman would create to help maximize the engagement in her students.
“She was a very chill, fun teacher to be around. She would have these things called Freedman Franks or something, it was like her form of currency, and if you did well on an assignment or you were paying attention and raised your hand in class she would give you one, and at the end of each quarter right before break you would have a little party where you got to trade in stuff, so it was pretty fun,” Waldman said. 
Growing up in Princeton, Freedman is grateful for being able to meet so many people of different backgrounds. Later attending PMS and PHS, she was inspired by many of the teachers she grew up with, including Mr. Johnson whom she now works with as Assistant Principal.
“Being part of this community is really special. It’s a special place because there is such a diverse group of people from all around the world and you can learn so much from so many people,” said Freedman. “I had a great education. In middle school, I have memories of being in my math class and having a really strict teacher at the time and that’s actually when I decided I wanted to be a math teacher, because it was a hard class and I felt like it was the one class that I was really successful in.”
After graduating from PHS in 2004, while majoring in math education her senior year at Villanova University, Freedman was hired as a math teacher at PHS, enabling her to move back to her hometown.
“What brought me back to PHS was my love for the town and my love for the community. My roots are here. I’m really close with my family and they all live [in Princeton]. I met my husband in high school [and] both of us have parents who live here, my sister lives here, his sisters live here. We’re family people,” said Freedman. 
With Freedman stepping into the new role, Supervisor of Math and Business Education Tiffany Brennan, who worked with Freedman on organizing Saturday Academies over the summer, praised her colleague’s attentiveness and curiosity. 
“She’s a really good listener, and so she likes to consider more than one person’s point of view. … She’s [also] willing to ask questions, and that’s important for a leader to admit when they don’t know some things because she is new in her role,” Brennan said. 
While Freedman’s former students will not see her on a daily basis for classes anymore, many of them, including Waldman, see her continuing her dedication to PHS students in carrying out her new role as assistant principal.
“I’m very happy for her and I think she’ll do a great job. I don’t really see her very often anymore … but she’s doing a great job as [assistant] principal, so she deserves it,” said Waldman.

Lauren Freedman joins the administration as Assistant Principal

On January 26 and 27, PHS research teacher Mark Eastburn and student Daniela Gonzalez ’24 will attend the Global Education Benchmark Group’s Climate Education Summit at Columbia University to present the PHS Research Program’s efforts to promote diversity while recruiting for their ongoing projects, including their work on using oil derived from black soldier flies to replace the palm oil in soaps and other cosmetics. 
At its core, the program’s goal is to create a climate project that not only attracts more students but also reframes climate change as a solvable problem.

“I've tried to inspire students to take an active role in what they can do within this community to combat climate change. The angle for Columbia is the inclusion-making: finding ways of bringing more students [into the program],” Eastburn said. 

With the black soldier flies soap design, which won first place in the 2021 Mercer County Science Fair and Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Competition, Eastburn and leaders of the research program are currently brainstorming ways to expand soap production to transform it into an entrepreneurial prospect, which would create academically-oriented job opportunities.

“[Samsung] was here yesterday to take a video about how these projects help the students involved [and] how this changed our lives, because this 100 percent [opened] doors for me,” Gonzalez said. 
Gonzalez expresses gratitude for the program and hopes that further presentations will increase the program’s appeal so that her peers can benefit and draw inspiration from it.

“Some students now know that this exists; they [now] know that they can start with
 their own products. This [program] is a way to [make their dreams a reality],” Gonzalez said.

By bringing together people from different passions and interests, the inclusive research community at PHS and the strong support it receives is what allows its participants to flourish together.

“The research program, [is] very successful not only because of the awards that we have gotten, but more importantly … because it includes students who are recent immigrants and students who are really high academic achievers,” said Principal Cecilia Birge.“Not many schools have research programs; it is unique to a handful of schools that are very committed to science.” 

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