On December 11, PPS Technology Workers filed a petition to create a union to the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) with OPEIU Local 32 following the Board of Education’s refusal to voluntarily recognize their union.
The ten members of PPS’ Technology department and union organizer Max Bienstock initially sought voluntary recognition from the Board on October 23. 
The PPS technology workers primarily seek to unionize as Princeton Public Schools Technology Association (PPSTA) because of their struggles to service PPS students and staff. The petition cited budgetary constraints, low staffing levels, and workplace conditions, specifically citing how there is only one technician for 1550 students and 300 staff members at PHS.
“There just weren't enough of them to be able to do as good a job as they wanted to, especially now that technology has become such an important part of education,” said Bienstock. “They wanted to have more people in the tech department so that it wasn't each one of them having to work insane hours all the time.”
Although Bienstock said that the technology workers have been disputing these issues for years, BOE President Dafna Kendal claimed otherwise. 
“We had not heard the concerns from this group of employees before,” Kendal said. “They brought up the idea of creating the union and then provided the reasons, but it was the first time the board was aware.”
PPS Technology workers could not be contacted for an interview.
Despite this discrepancy, the biggest reason the Board could not approve the union was a concern that both supervisors and non-supervisors were present in the union, as different types of employees are not able to collectively negotiate.
“We believe that the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) —an independent third party with the experience and authority to determine the composition of negotiations units, conduct representation elections, and certify exclusive representatives —should make those determinations,” stated a Board press release on December 11. 
The press release also acknowledged that the Board values and strives to treat all their employees fairly, whether or not they’re part of a union.
If the PPSTA succeeds in being recognized under PERC, the technology workers can negotiate a contract with the BOE. 
“This is an issue that personally [affects] these workers; it has nothing to do with interpersonal griping,” said Bienstock. “It's really all about wanting to better serve the students. We wanted to show that this affects more than just the 10 people.”


The ten members of PPS’ Technology department and union organizer Max Bienstock initially sought voluntary recognition from the Board on October 23.  
Board Statement:
"The Princeton Public Schools Board of Education received notice today that the newly-formed Princeton Public Schools Technology Association (PPSTA) filed a petition for certification with the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC), although we have yet to receive a copy of the petition itself.
“As the Board had previously advised the PPSTA several weeks ago, we believe that PERC —an independent third party with the experience and authority to determine the composition of negotiations units, conduct representation elections, and certify exclusive representatives —should make those determinations. That is particularly important when there are questions about the makeup of the union, since the Employer-Employee Relations Act generally prohibits supervisors and non-supervisors from being represented in the same collective negotiations unit.
“We value the collaborative working relationships we have with all three unions that already exist in the Princeton Public Schools and we look forward to PERC resolving and deciding this issue. We know that the employment of caring, dedicated, and skilled employees is critical to the Board’s mission of preparing all students to lead lives of joy and purpose as knowledgeable, creative, and compassionate citizens of a global society.  We value all our employees, whether they are in a union or not, and we always strive to treat our employees fairly."

PPS technology workers petition to unionize public schools

As the PHS boys varsity soccer team warmed up for their game on September 26, the regular blue jerseys of the team were nowhere to be found. Instead, #IStandWithEvan was plastered in bold letters across their white T-shirts.
This was one of many tributes to Evan Gershkovich ’10, the imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter and former PHS soccer captain, that took place during a pre-game ceremony, where former PHS soccer coach Wayne Sutcliffe, Wall Street Journal financial enterprise editor Ken Brown, and former teammates of Evan all made speeches to spread awareness about his ongoing detention.
The ceremony began with lead event organizer Brown, speaking about the efforts the Wall Street Journal is taking to raise awareness about Gershkovich’s situation.
“We [the Wall Street Journalists] have hired lawyers in Russia and have been working with the Biden administration, who’s trying to negotiate to get him out,” said Brown. “We’ve [also] done a lot to try to spread the word about the situation … so that people know what is happening and that he’s being unjustly held. He’s not a spy. He was doing his job. Journalism is not a crime.”
After Brown spoke, Sutcliffe made a speech about Gershkovich’s abilities as a soccer player, his leadership, and his humor. The ceremony culminated with former teammates, Max Reid ’10 and Thatcher Foster ’10, speaking about their relationships with Gershkovich both as a friend and a teammate.
“I think his superpower is the ability to connect with all different types of people. It made him a really good captain, but also makes him a really good friend, teammate, and reporter,” Foster said.
Brown reached out to boys soccer Head Coach Ryan Walsh, Assistant Principal Rashone Johnson, and Principal Cecilia Birge to organize the event. Since this was one of the biggest games of the season, Walsh felt it was best to schedule the ceremony on that date. He highlighted how the biggest impact can be had by just keeping Evan’s name in the news.
“The best way to get Evan back safely is to continue to put pressure on the United States government to get him home. They’re the ones who can get him home,” said Walsh. “If [Evan] is forgotten, then the U.S. won’t feel the pressure and they’ll stop fighting.”
When the boys’ soccer team found out about Gershkovich’s situation, they immediately extended their support and demonstrated collective solidarity for the former player.
“It’s important that we send a message to the world saying that we have not forgotten Evan … He’s an alumn[us], which means a lot. This program has been built on a tradition of creating strong teams [and] strong brotherhood,” said PHS varsity soccer player James Reynolds ’24.
Even with constant press coverage, Gershkovich’s freedom in the near future is still far from being guaranteed. However, Caitlin Ostroff, a reporter at the Wall Street Journal who worked closely with Gershkovich in the Journal’s London office, believes that there are still reasons to be optimistic.
“I’m honestly mostly hopeful based on the people we meet at random, who asked me about my “Free Evan” button. I’m inspired by the people who’ve all come out to the soccer game. I’m inspired by random people who messaged me and say ‘I heard about Evan, what can I do?’” said Ostroff. “It’s just a matter of keeping pressure.”

Pre-game ceremony pays tribute to detained PHS alumnus Evan Gershkovich

On May 15 at 6:00 p.m., the Board of Education held an over five-hour-long Donaldson hearing per the request of former PHS Principal Frank Chmiel, resulting in an 8–2 Board of Education vote to uphold Superintendent Carol Kelley’s recommendation for nonrenewal. This marked the first time that Chmiel appeared in front of Board members to present his case as well as the first time the Board was able to officially weigh in on the situation.
Chmiel requested the Donaldson hearing on April 28. A Donaldson hearing is a right in New Jersey for nontenured staff members who are not renewed or terminated, allowing them to request an appearance before board of education members to offer reemployment or reject the recommendation for nonrenewal. However, while the word “hearing” is in its name, the proceeding is informal, and no parties are placed under oath. According to NJ law, when a Donaldson hearing is requested, it must take place within 30 days after the employee receives the Statement of Reasons listing the reasons for nonrenewal.
On the day of the meeting, over 200 PPS parents, students, and staff filed into the PMS cafeteria, filling the 160 seats and leaving many standing against the walls. Many sitting in the front waved blue flags and held signs such as “Chmiel is the real deal.” Another 50 parents sat in the PMS library due to a lack of seating. Over 1,000 more tuned into the YouTube live stream. 
“I came here today because it’s good to show support for the principal. I think it means a lot that a lot of people turned up. [It] shows that they are behind him and that he made the effort to bring the community and the school together,” said Matthew Chao ’25.
Like the previous two board meetings regarding Chmiel’s dismissal, the hearing began with one hour of public comment where parents and students voiced their opinions on the matter at hand. Each person was allotted two minutes to speak; a wide range of views were voiced, especially those in support of Chmiel. However, the strained atmosphere erupted after audience members booed and heckled Ellie Bernstein ’23, a student who criticized Chmiel for being unforthcoming with his vaccination status, leading to a 15-minute recess. 
“What was confirmed to us at the meeting was that [Chmiel] told staff they could take their masks off and a staff member said, ‘Well, I mean, we are all vaccinated, right?’ He just ignored the question. So essentially, he lied by omission,” Bernstein said.
Being one of the few that publicly spoke out against Chmiel at the hearing, Bernstein described her close relationships with her teachers, resulting in her motivation to be vocal. Despite expecting pushback, she was “disgusted” and described the parents’ behavior as “extremely inappropriate.”
“I definitely wouldn’t consider [the hearing] my business at all if [Chmiel] hadn’t been dishonest to staff about it,” said Bernstein. “Since I’ve been at PHS, my teachers have probably been my favorite part of the school. Coming from an educator family, I understood a lot of teachers are required to cooperate, and that made me really angry … For anyone who was actually at that board meeting that was not comfortable … I just figured that I was probably the only one who’s gonna do it because his supporters can be so scary, and I was willing to deal with backlash.”
Although the members of the board were aware of the unpopularity of their decision to fire Chmiel was to many PHS parents, they were surprised and concerned by the disrespectful and discouraging behavior that was demonstrated during the hearing.
“Our students [were] being booed and silenced and that stuff just isn’t supposed to happen. It was really disappointing and it also just sort of knocks you off your game a little bit when you’re trying to follow the rules for this strange proceeding,” said Jean Durbin, one of two board members who voted to overturn Chmiel’s nonrenewal.
At 7:24 p.m., following public comment, Kelley began listing her reasons for Chmiel’s nonrenewal as per the official Statement of Reasons. Her statement consisted of Chmiel allegedly lying about his vaccination status, failing to lock down the school for an intruder, failing to communicate in a timely manner, failing to acknowledge the needs of certain struggling students, and in general, noting the alarming number of “Rice Notices,” which informs the employee if their employment will be discussed. She also stated that, in regard to Chmiel’s leadership abilities, the staff held a vote of no confidence, meaning that the majority of staff voted that they did not support Chmiel. 
This claim of an informal vote was then refuted by Matthew Wilkinson, a PHS Physical Education teacher. According to him, the vote was not official or legitimate, and also ended up being inconclusive.
“The poll was over a Zoom, and that’s different from other types of situations because you have a buffer between how you are voting or not voting,” said Wilkinson. “So we cast our informal ballot, and then the union came back to us and said it was inconclusive. The poll did not give the union a strong point for him or against him. So this bit about a vote is inaccurate.”
The Princeton Regional Education Association, a prominent teachers’ union in the district, declined to comment. 
The first part of Chmiel’s response was the presentation of witness testimonies. A variety of people were asked to speak by Chmiel, including Neveah Williams ’23, who was personally helped by him in her classes. 
“I feel like Mr. Chmiel deserves the support from everybody … and I just felt like I had to show up,” said Williams. “One day, right before winter break, I was telling him to take a break for mental health, and he was just saying, ‘PHS is the priority, and you don’t really get time off.’ So I feel like that’s like a side of him that I see.”
 With the hearing going beyond the scheduled time, ending at 11:36 p.m, tensions increased not only among students and parents, but also among teachers and staff.
“If you come to this community, you value education… and [we’re] here tonight because [we] value someone that puts our children above all other things,” said Wilkinson. “I look at the seniors and what [they] have gone through, and [they’re] so close to the finish line, and yet another horrific thing is thrown at them.” 
Furthermore, in a confusing juxtaposition, Chmiel wholeheartedly denied many of Kelley’s reasons in his response. 
“I will bring [the audience] through several parts of the statement and show how this document is inaccurate and wrong,” said Chmiel at the beginning of his rebuttal. “I will explain some of the wrong ways I have been treated by Valley Road. Actions that were not just unethical, but illegal.”
While Chmiel did not deny being unvaccinated in 2021, he stated that he was unvaccinated due to health reasons and was sitting over six feet away from staff when he took his mask off. Moreover, he claimed the intruder incident did not take over three hours to resolve, but was controlled in a matter of minutes. Chmiel further asserted that during time-sensitive instances where he needed administrative support, Kelley was unresponsive. Additionally, Kelley told him to always be on the lookout for new jobs because “she too was always looking for new jobs.” 
After Chmiel’s statement, which lasted over an hour and 15 minutes, each board member was given the opportunity to initiate a motion to reinstate Chmiel as the principal of PHS. After Mara Franceschi and Beth Behrend both declined to make a motion, Durbin started a motion to the excitement of many spectators.
“My reason for voting was a pure protest vote. I was protesting an incredibly flawed process and an impossible situation for all of us to be in,” said Durbin. “I had heard a couple of things from two independent witnesses that gave me pause, and I had no way to investigate that. No way to ask a question, no way to cross examine, no way to verify. … It was certainly not a real conversation. And it’s really something almost impossible to be placed in for any of the parties participating.”
Looking back, Bernstein describes this time as difficult, but wants to put this behind as soon as possible to move forward. She feels that expressing strong opinions are necessary in a democracy, but wants to focus on change and improvement to have a more productive and compelling argument, specifically focusing on discernment.
“I’ve definitely held beliefs throughout my life that I’ve completely turned around through the research and listening, and the realization that I was wrong was humbling,” said Bernstein. “I want people to learn to think critically and take into account that what makes them feel good isn’t always what’s right. And to challenge themselves or to challenge perceptions.”
Even after the failure to overturn Kelley’s decision, the board hopes to reunite the divided Princeton community once again.
“I feel like most of the people in my world have moved on. I just think a lot of people  understand that employment decisions are complex, that people were operating with good intent, and that non-renewal was a normal thing. It happens all the time,” Durbin said.

Decision to not renew Frank Chmiel holds after heated Donaldson hearing

   On March 30 2023, the Federal Security Bureau (FSB) of Russia arrested Wall Street journalist and PHS alum Evan Gershkovich ’10, marking the first Russian detainment of an American journalist on espionage charges since the Cold War. On Monday, April 10, the U.S. State Department deemed Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained.”
   FSB arrested Gershkovich while he was on a reporting trip to Ekaterinburg, Russia. The next day FSB pressed charges of espionage, claiming that Gershkovich was “collecting classified information from a Russian military complex” and “acting on instructions from the American side.” He was ordered into pre-trial detention until at least May 29. 
   “The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the Journal said in a statement on March 30. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”
   Pjotr Sauer, The Guardian’s Russian affairs reporter and Gershkovich’s close colleague, had been talking to him the same morning he was arrested. To Sauer, Gershkovich is an “extremely social [and] kind” person who would be “the kind of guy that you … bring to a party”. 
   After Sauer received a call from Gershkovich’s parents asking about his whereabouts that evening, he was unable to contact Gershkovich that night. 
   “I obviously got worried right away… He's a colleague of ours, he's a friend of ours, we know he's not a spy…We as journalists are trying to talk as much as we can about him, and write as much as we can about him so the world knows,” Sauer said.
   In the Princeton community, Gershkovich was known as a well-rounded student at PHS and the captain of the boys varsity soccer team. In addition, he had been a Tower news and features and sports staff writer. 
   “It has been a difficult morning for Princeton High School alumni, particularly the many PHS soccer players who were close to Mr. Gershkovich,” A PPS press release said. “He is remembered by his peers as being an outstanding student and an exceptional athlete during his time at Princeton High School.” 
   Gym teacher Wayne Sutcliffe coached Gershkovich for four years on the boys varsity soccer team and shared a memorable moment from the 2009 Mercer County Tournament semifinals that attests his leadership and resilience.
   “It was a really tight game and eventually it had to go to penalty kicks. After five kicks, it was still a tie, so it went into sudden death penalty kicks,” Sutcliffe said. “The manager can choose anyone he wants to take the sixth kick and we chose him. He took the same kick in the same spot [as the first time] and converted. We blocked their kick and won the game just like that.”
   Growing up in a bilingual household that spoke both Russian and English, Gerskovich also brought his love for his Russian heritage to the student body at PHS. 
   “In the 90s, everybody watched Nickelodeon and there was a little cartoon called ‘Hey, Arnold’ that a lot of kids watched. But he watched a Russian cartoon and then he would share that with other guys on the soccer team and his friends. That's something that you couldn’t [easily] access in those days,” Sutcliffe said. 
   When Gershkovich first went to work in Russia six years ago for The Moscow Times, the political climate was more cordial towards the west. Over the years, he captured the changes that were occurring, but did not ever think to sacrifice his journalistic integrity.
   “He said that I’m just one of the few [American journalists] left [in Russia]. I know he felt that it was his duty to report. He loved Russian people and he still does,” Ella, Gerkovich’s mother, said in an April 15 Wall Street Journal interview. 
   On April 13, Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, told U.S. media that Russia could be open to a prisoner swap—but only after Gershkovich stands trial. What seems to be yet another prisoner exchange situation almost mirrors how WNBA Basketball player Britney Griner was detained in December 2022 and was eventually released in exchange for arrested Russian arms trader Victor Bout. 
   Gerkovich’s arrest is also part of a growing trend where journalists are being targeted and used by authoritarian countries such as Russia and Iran. Sauer explained that the journalism community feels threatened and outraged by Gershkovich’s arrest. 
   “It's becoming harder to do journalism, to be honest… it seems like journalists are being used more as pawns [and] arrested, kidnapped, etc… The profession is getting harder,” Sauer said.
   PHS Alum Thatcher Foster ’10, Gershkovich’s childhood friend and soccer teammate, created freeevangerkovich.com, alongside Gershkovich’s family and other friends. 
   “It's been amazing how much support there is and how many people want to help. But it's a hard [situation] to help. So I think the website is a really important place for people to stay updated on statuses and provide support, write letters, and also support his family [with the] GoFundMe,” Foster said.
   While Gershkovich’s immediate release is unlikely, Sutcliffe urges onlookers to maintain an optimistic outlook.
   “Evan was always at his best under pressure. So, if I know Evan, and even though I haven't seen him in a long time, I have to think that he's a resilient guy, and that he's okay,” Sutcliffe said.
   Students can amplify Gershkovich’s story by using #IStandWithEvan or #FreeEvan. Letters to Gershkovich can be sent to FreeGershkovich@gmail.com.

PHS Alum Evan Gershkovich ’10 Detained in Russia

On Friday, March 17th at 5:30 p.m., Superintendent Carol Kelley and the Board of Education sent an email to all PPS community members stating that PHS was to undergo a leadership transition and Assistant Principals Cecilia Birge and Rashone Johnson were to temporarily assume the responsibilities of the PHS principal as of that afternoon. Former Principal Frank Chmiel was not mentioned within the email, nor was there any rationale articulated by the administration for his suspected dismissal.

Immediately following the announcement, Student Body President Ashley Chen ’23 created a petition on Change.org titled “Chmiel Has Been Fired. We demand transparency and that the Board rescind his termination.” In the petition—which has now garnered nearly 3,000 signatures—Chen and other officers of the club Cultural and Racial Equity (C.A.R.E) voiced their disappointment and anger that the process and reasoning for the decision was not shared.

“Well, I think that was a really good way to get people’s frustration and sentiments out… With the C.A.R.E. leaders, we all agreed that we should do something about the sudden abruptness of it, and I think a lot of people agree because a lot of people did sign the petition,” Chen said. Aside from just PHS students, Chmiel’s termination received backlash from hundreds of parents at PPS, who expressed concerns about the futures of their children.

“I was shaking, and I was traumatized,” said Sasha Weinstein, parent and PTO officer. “To lose him after a year and a half, I think that’s a tragedy, when he would have been able to transform this place academically.” 

More significantly, none of the staff or administration at PHS knew until shortly prior to the decision.

“Everything was happening so fast… literally Friday at three o’clock I got a phone call, so there was no time… to anticipate,” Birge said.

On Sunday, March 19, The Board of Education followed-up on their previous email, responding to the inquiries and concerns of those in the district. However, while students and parents were digging for more answers, New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10, and the privacy rights held by public employees prevented the Board of Education from revealing any more information on the termination, unless a public employee provided the Board with a written waiver of his privacy rights. The email further stated that “the Board unanimously supported, and supports the Superintendent and the difficult decisions” and that the first hour of the Board meeting on Tuesday, March 23, would be used for public comment.

“The Board reviewed [the statement] quickly…I think we knew that there would be some people that we upset, including students,” said Board of Education President Dafna Kendal in response to inquiry about prior anticipation of reaction. “The Board followed up with a statement on Sunday because we realized the one on Friday wasn’t adequate.”

Kendal also said a forewarning was impossible since the Board cannot comment on an employee’s job status. Dr. Kelley and the Board want to clarify that their inability to comment has been a source of frustration for them.

“The information shared with the press only provides one side of the situation. We respect an individual’s right to share their perspective. The law prevents me from sharing the other side and the Board of Education is also constrained. Any recommendations made to the Board of Education are based on careful consideration and data,” wrote Dr. Kelley in an email response. “It is frustrating that the district could not share any data or context with the public. Employees can waive privacy rights and make information public and if that happened, we would welcome that opportunity to publicly share more information.”

In response to the controversy, Chmiel issued a statement on March 21, stating that he was “condemned” by some at Valley Road as a “rabble-rouser” and “bullied into a decision [he] wasn’t ready to make.” Chmiel also wrote that this “pretext was not based on performance or substantively anything else” and that he was in consultation with a legal attorney. The Board of Education could not comment on the statement.

In a subsequent email on Monday, March 20, Dr. Kelley introduced her recommendation of former Robbinsivlle School District Superintendent and former PPS interim Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kathie Foster as interim principal of PHS, citing her “confidence that under her leadership, Princeton High School students will continue to thrive.” After Board of Education approval this week, Dr. Foster began her time as principal at PHS.

“Dr. Foster is a very experienced school leader. She’s not a stranger so she knows us. When she was here last year, we enjoyed working for her in her role as the assistant superintendent then. We both felt that she really understood our buildings, especially the unique part of this building,” said Birge. “She knows this community, so we’re not expecting surprises at all. Just knowing how she worked in the past, the care she has on the kids really comes through.”

Since the unfolding of this situation, PHS has offered resources and outlets for the mental distress that this may have caused to students. However, PHS staff are assuring all community members of their role in providing stability through classroom instruction.

“As I thought over the weekend about my role as a teacher, I think that it is to provide as much continuity and consistency for students as possible,” said History and Sociology Teacher Elizabeth Taylor. “There’s a lot going on, but we need to focus on teaching and learning and that’s what I can do … as a teacher.”

As PHS undergoes this transition to an interim principal and eventually a permanent principal, Birge and Johnson urge community members to remember that a well-run school is a result of a myriad of factors.

“A school is not well-run because of one person. A good school has multiple legs, if you will. A school district or a school building stands on a strong leadership team, committed, engaged families, kids who are interested in learning, caring adults, [and] fabulous teachers. If you miss one part, it’s not gonna work right, but every part has its volatility,” Birge said. “And the way to mitigate that is to engage with a team approach, and that’s what we do. We’ve seen this building go through a lot. We have done a lot for the building and continue to do so.”

Looking forward, Birge hopes simply for normalcy and fun as PHS enters the last stretch of the 2022-2023 school year.

“The ideal situation is that our seniors will have a fabulous graduation and prom. We’ll continue to watch out for senior pranks,” Birge said. “We educators live for those sorts of things. We like you kids doing those sorts of things. Our ideal situation is to celebrate the normalcy of school life.”

PPS Dismisses Frank Chmiel

As the last bell rings to signal the end of the school day, Rebecca Zou ’24 quickly leaves class and goes straight to a five-hour ballet practice. Zou is a level VI ballet dancer, the highest level at Central New Jersey Ballet, and her week consists of at least 24 hours of ballet practice on top of the workload from multiple AP classes, Sexual Awareness and Prevention club meetings, and tutoring. To block out time in her schedule to do homework and relax, Zou participates in Option II for physical education. 
   Option II for physical education is an alternative pathway to complete physical education credits for PHS athletes that participate in rigorous physical activity outside of school. Athletes who participate in Option II report to the gym to take attendance, but have a free period instead of participating in the class. Instead, they need to maintain a log of at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.
   Six years ago, the Board of Education Student Achievement Committee and former Principal Gary Snyder noticed the large number of students both committing to high-level athletic activity and taking academically advanced courses. Soon after, the PPS Coaches Council began drafting the first version of the Option II guide. 
   “We've had students who were performing in New York as part of an intense ballet program and [some] participating in crew and trying to get a D[ivision] I scholarship, which is [all] very rigorous. Also, if you're a three season athlete [since] a lot of times in the past the seasons would overlap,” said Athletic Director Brian Dzbenski. “The mental health of our students became a [priority]. We wanted to do something for the students to try and give them some relief so that they'd have more time to commit to their studies.” 
   Over the years, the number of eligible students increased as the athletic department added more pathways to the program. Now, students apply for one of the five “paths,” which each describe a different criteria for Option II. For example, path A is for juniors and seniors that do three in-school sports, while path C is for juniors and seniors that do one in-school sport plus at least 150 minutes of off-season intense training .
   “And then there's path E, which is for students who would not qualify for path A, B, C, or D. These are our students who are potential Olympians. They're at high-level training [beyond] the high school level,” Dzbenski said.
   In addition to applying for a pathway, students also need to have a sponsoring coach that has the correct qualifications. Most people who are eventually rejected from Option II do not have a coach that has the correct qualifications. For varsity rower Bridget Mulligan ’24, this step in the process was slightly confusing, but rowing in a large organization helped her complete this step.
   “You have to get certain documents from your coach. And especially if you don't know what [documents] they are, [it] can be really confusing. We were able to get it done pretty fast because [our organization] mass sends them out,” Mulligan said. 
    Student-athletes who participate in Option II have felt the intended benefits of the program. Their free period is not allowed to be used to take another class, so many use it to get work done or relax. 
   “It’s also nice to have that time during the day where instead of doing more physical activity on top of ballet, which seems so unnecessary, to have that little respite. I have a lot more free time during the school day that I can utilize to catch up on work that I've been missing,” Zou said. 
   Although Option II gives athletes a break from their school day, they miss a crucial opportunity to learn new skills and create new relationships with peers.
   “If they’re a full time football player, maybe they’re not being introduced to the badminton and tennis skills. Athletes get pigeonholed into one sport and that's the only power they have, but when they play different sports, they have more diverse skills,” said PHS Gym Instructor Carlos Salazar. “Students also are missing out on the interpersonal relationships with students that are maybe not athletes and also the fun that comes along with not competitive sports but recreational fun sports, outside fresh air, sunshine, vitamin D, and great personalities from their PE teachers.”
   Still, for most students, teachers, and community members, the benefits outweigh the cons. Option II allows students to have more control over their schedule to successfully balance multiple activities.
   “We’re allowing the students to take responsibilities over their lives through Option II and so therefore, we’re trusting them to be using the time wisely and to fulfill the benefits that Option II was officially created with the support of the community at large,” Salazar said.
   Those who wish to participate in Option II for the 2023-2024 school year should attend the Option II webinar at the end of this year for more information. 


IIWhy athletes should take advantage of Option IIPHS

PHS Takes:  What is your favorite healthy snack  you eat before excercising?

  The team puts their hands together. Varsity Cheerleading Co-Captain Morgan Thompson ’23 starts their chant: “3...2...1... Tigers!” Exhaling a breath, she leads the team to their formations on the football field. The music begins and the crowd cheers as they passionately flip, spin, and chant. 
   Thompson always wanted to try cheerleading because of her background in gymnastics and Taekwondo. Nonetheless, when she first joined the team in her freshman year, she was very nervous to cheer because she was unfamiliar with the sport and the team.
  “It was hard at first to pick up on the cheers and all the little things you have to pay attention to. Also, I wasn’t that confident at first and it was hard for me to cheer loudly,” Thompson said. 
   Thompson quickly overcame her nervousness by finding a group of friends on the cheer team and with experience, she gained confidence in her abilities and started cheering louder. During her cheering career, she cycled through all the positions — flyer, the athlete who gets lifted and thrown into the air; back spot, the athlete who stands behind the stunt and supports the flyer; and baser, the athlete that holds the flyer during a stunt — and was able to successfully execute all three. Being well-rounded paid off as Thompson was named co-captain this year. 
    “In the last few years, Morgan blossomed, took charge, and now shows true leadership skills,” said Varsity Cheerleading Head Coach Barbra Callahan. “She has gone above and beyond for everyone and truly has an amazing way of helping and being there for the girls.” 
   As captain, Thompson organizes the various team activities including getting ice cream after practice, having team lunch every Friday, and asking about everyone’s “highs and lows” at practice.
   “Team bonding is so important to cheerleading. Morgan always makes sure she includes everyone in our team bonding activities,” said teammate Alex Woodbury ’24. 
   However, balancing cheer with all her other activities has not been easy. Going to practices after school every day means that there is a lot less time to do homework and relax. In the past, Thompson felt that she lacked the motivation to be fully present at practice. However, having a rigid routine for herself has allowed her to find the energy to bring her 100 percent to every practice. 
   “During [cheer] season, I usually have schedules for what I want to do each day. I also wake up at seven to have more time in the morning so I can get things done and be ready. And during school, I would do my homework during lunch so then when I get home, I have a little bit more time so I can decompress,” Thompson said. 
   In addition to cheerleading, Thompson has also has a first degree black belt in Taekwondo and has recently also started MMA fighting. The flexibility, agility, and strength needed for these martial arts sports translates well to cheerleading. 
   “Morgan has all the skills to dance and stunt well, which makes her an incredible cheerleader. She gives her 100 percent to every practice, which has made her successful,” Woodbury said. 
   Sticking with cheerleading has allowed Thompson to learn valuable lessons throughout the years. Having struggled with reaching out to others before, through cheerleading, Thompson has been able to see the significance of supporting (literally) one another.
   “For cheer, you really need to have everyone supporting you or else it's going to literally fall apart. Everyone needs to be communicating and everyone needs to know what's on everyone's mind at the same time,” said Thompson. “I've realized that it's okay to rely on other people to help me instead of doing [everything] myself.”
   For this year’s homecoming, Thompson noted the hard work everyone on the team put in to stick their stunts and perfect their routines. She hoped that their hours paid off and that her last homecoming performance was her best. 
   “Before competition, homecoming, or pep rallies, there is this moment right before the music starts to go that we're all anticipating the final performance. Like everything that we all worked for and it's just that one breath before you just get it done. That moment is always in my head,” Thompson said. 
   Though Thompson wants to focus on Taekwondo and MMA fighting after this fall, in the future, she hopes to cheer in college. As her final cheer season at PHS winds down, Thompson wants younger cheerleaders to be their authentic selves on the mats.
   “Be more out there and don't hide yourself. Try to voice your opinion more. Don't care what other girls think and just experience things for yourself,” Thompson said.


Morgan Thompson ’23: cheerleading


How long have you been doing your sport?
Can you explain your sport briefly?
What encouraged you to start your sport?
What is your goal for your sport? 

Athena Huan ’24
I started snowboard racing when I was ten years old, so almost six years.
It is different from traditional snowboarding. It is not about the jumps and tricks in the park, but about speed and “carving” around the gates. Snowboard racing is about getting low to the ground to avoid air resistance and the speed of the run.
It was actually my mom who encouraged me to start this sport. I started skiing for fun when I was in kindergarten but never got really good at it. One day my mom asked me to try snowboarding because it looked cooler, so we signed up [for] a club that teaches snowboarding.
I’m striving to be a national champion this year. I got second place last year and the margin between me and the champion was very small.

Zoey Shaevitz ’25
I first did circus in a camp nine years ago, but I’ve been doing it hardcore since about two years.
I am currently dedicating my time to training trapeze, lyra, silks, rope, contortion, acro. 
I played baseball for [about] eight years but then I quit. I remembered that I did circus at a camp and I decided to try it out again. My coaches sat me down and talked to me about how I have a huge potential and that really boosted me to where I am now. 
I’m not sure what my end goal is with circus because I'm constantly improving and learning new skills, but for now I just want to keep getting better. 

Henry Zief ’23
I have been throwing javelin for two years now and will be going into my third year this spring.
Javelin is one of three throwing events that are done in track [and field]. The way javelin works is that you run down a runway and then stop yourself and use the momentum you have gained and throw the javelin as far as possible. Whoever can throw the farthest wins.
I was encouraged to start throwing Javelin when I tried all the throwing events for track and found that javelin was my best event. I really liked javelin because it had similar throwing motions as baseball and football, two things that I could already throw far.
My goal for javelin is to throw 194 feet this year and set the school record. Also I want to be the number one javelin thrower in the state.


Meet Unique Athletes at PHS!


For most high school athletes, their sport is the perfect way to de-stress after a long school day. Athletes look to sports to not only get a good workout in, but also to learn from and cooperate with a like-minded community. Although all high school students should be able to benefit from participating in sports, many states have been making it significantly more challenging for transgender athletes to participate. 
Across the United States, 18 states have enacted laws that limit or ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. According to New York Times sports correspondent David Chen in 2022, those in favor of the law want to “promote fairness,” particularly in women’s sports.
At PHS, rules about transgender athletes at PHS follow the state rules given by the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association. The rules are non-restrictive, meaning that transgender students are allowed to compete in accordance with either their birth sex or gender identity.
“The state [of New Jersey] back in 2009 took a position based upon the law against discrimination, which is titled NJS-18 column 36-41. So all of our board policies are in compliance with that,” said PHS Athletic Director Brian Dzebenski. 
These rules have been applied to an emergence of transgender athletes at PHS. Nonbinary athlete Abby Walden ’22 started swimming when they were five years old. After Walden discovered their gender identity, they still continued swimming for the girls team. For them, the biggest change after coming out has been educating others to be conscious about their language while referring to them.
“It can be a struggle [to correct people on] my pronouns over and over again. But I found that PHS, for the most part, is supportive. [Now], there are a lot of people who will help [correct my pronouns] for me,” Walden said. 
   For trans swimmer Sylven Waldman ’25, the transition from girls to boys swimming was more apparent. Waldman began swimming when he was eight, and this season, he transitioned to swimming for the boys team. Although coaches and many teammates made his experience on the boys team mainly positive, he never truly felt like he fit in with the cisgender boys on the team. 
“I think there’s this feeling of alienation, particularly because your body does not look like what others expect,” said Waldman. “It’s especially made apparent in changing rooms, where everybody is wearing [male]speedos, but I’m wearing more of a ‘female swimsuit’ with shorts.” 
Varying public opinion has made trans athletes, especially trans women, currently a hotly debated topic. When discussing transgender athletes in sports, many reference University of Pennsylvania trans female athlete Lia Thomas. Many believe her Division I National title was an unfair win because of her biological sex, despite following all the National Collegiate Athletic Association rules for testoterone suppression. While her times have slowed significantly since before her transition, she is still almost always far ahead of her competitors.
Some say that since the height and size of the heart and lungs of trans women can not be suppressed by hormone therapy, they should not be able to compete. However, medical physicist Joanna Harper described in a 2022 CBS interview that although trans women will maintain certain advantages, those advantages are not significant enough for them to outdo all the competition. Others have noted that cisgender athletes, such Michael Phelps, also have biological advantages that allow them to have an advantage over the competition. Instead of receiving backlash for these biological advantages like many transgender women, they are praised for their accomplishments.    
For Walden and many young transgender athletes in the U.S., the Lia Thomas controversy and debate about biological advantages has raised many questions regarding the true intentions of the opposing side.   “There’s a slippery slope of people saying if [Thomas] can win, then the regulations aren’t strict enough. But really, the question is: When do you stop? Do you stop when trans athletes can never win anything?” Walden said.    
 In consequence to the heated debates, there has been lots of misinformation around the topic. In order to combat this issue, Walden believes that there needs to be more education about the topic. 
 “There [has been] a lot of fear-mongering done, especially by politicians, to make people afraid of trans people or what they are doing to sports. There’s still a learning curve of the scientific community figuring out what the hormone regulation should be. But since trans people are currently allowed to compete, acceptance is the most important,” said Walden. 
However different the experiences of trans athletes are, the main point the trans athletes we interviewed wanted to drive home was that trans people in athletics just want to compete and enjoy their sport, something cisgender athletes are able to do with far less obstacles.   “Trans people have worked so hard compete in the sector that identifies best with the gender that they are. It is such a complicated process that cis athletes never have to experience,” Waldman said.

Swimming with Pride: Trans athletes in high school sports

The start of the 2021 school year marked the tenth year of  teaching  for  PHS  Science  Teacher  Jacqueline  Katz.  Since  2012,  Katz  has  inspired  numerous  students  at  the  high school with her enthusiasm and appreciation for the sciences.
Katz neither thought she was going to major in science nor  pursue  a  career  in  teaching.  In  fact,  she  originally  applied  to  college  as  an  English  major.  Nevertheless,  as  a  competitive  dancer  in  her  childhood,  Katz  had  been  introduced to anatomy and nutrition at a young age. As a result of this, not long into her freshman year of college, she switched to a biochemistry major and, through tutoring, found an unforeseen passion for teaching.  
“When  I  left  high  school,  I  wanted  to  be  as  far  away  from school as I could be. I was like, I don’t want to deal with people all the time, I want to be in a lab,” said Katz. “Halfway through college, I started tutoring a lot and loved it. So I totally changed majors, and I’m very happy I did.” 
Now  as  a  successful  science  teacher  at  PHS,  Katz  has  taught  primarily  biology,  but  also  a  number  of  other  science courses including Chemistry I, AP Anatomy and Physiology,  and  the  Research  Program.  Shawn  Chuang  ’24, a former student of one of Katz’s Biology Accelerated classes, spoke highly of Katz’s attitude in class.
“She  is  always  really  helpful  and  a  great  person  to  be  around. I’m able to crack jokes with her, which really helps make [the classroom] environment comfortable. She’s [also] very knowledgeable on the subject and always willing to answer any question,” Chuang said. 
One major part of Katz’s time teaching at PHS has been her involvement in the Research Program. Katz was the first teacher to oversee the program, which has since grown from  only  her  and  eight  students  to  three  teachers  and  over 60 students. The three-year Research Program gives students an opportunity to follow their passions outside of  the  conventional  curriculum  and  allows  students  to  develop critical thinking skills along the way. In addition to  the  success  that  many  students  have  achieved  during  this  program,  Katz  has  found  this  program  especially  beneficial for herself. 
“I get to learn so much [through the Research Program]. My  focus  has  always  been  biology  and  mostly  cellular  biology;  we  have  students  researching  lobsters,  crayfish,  and even pigeons. I learn something new with every project [and]  it  always  keeps  me  excited  and  makes  my  job  feel  fresh and different every day,” Katz said.
As a result of Katz’s dedication and passion for education, she  was  recently  awarded  a  prestigious  position  at  the  Library of Congress under the title of the Albert Einstein Distinguished  Educators  Fellowship.  While  this  new  position will mean that Katz will not be at PHS for the next year, she hopes to return in September 2023.
“What the program does is it selects educators and then places  them  in  federal  agencies  in  Washington,  D.C.  So  I’ll  be  placed  in  the  Library  of  Congress  next  year,”  said  Katz. “It’s an 11-month commitment to relocate to D.C., and I will be working in the Library of Congress with their primary source documents. My main goal will be to build out materials for science classes, which is really cool.”
When Katz is not busy teaching science, she also enjoys coaching teams from the PHS Odyssey of the Mind, a club focused on creative problem-solving.
“Odyssey  of  the  Mind  is  definitely  one  of  my  favorite    parts  of  my  job.  It’s  a  crazy  club  and  I  love  it  because  I  always learn something new from my students. They have    always done really well with it and we’ve  been able to travel to the World Finals four or five times,” Katz said.
Outside of school, Katz enjoys running half marathons with fellow teachers Alexis Custer and Jennifer Smolyn, baking,  cooking,  and  reading.  During  the  summertime,  Katz also works at a breakfast restaurant by the beach to take a break from her teaching job.
While  Katz  enjoys  her  current  position  as  a  teacher  at  PHS,  she  is  taking  courses  to  hopefully  obtain  her  administrative certification and one day achieve her career goal  of  becoming  a  supervisor.  On  a  personal  note,  she  also hopes to run a full marathon with Smolyn one day.
Katz appreciates that, despite all the changes that have occurred in the last year, her students have worked hard and stayed flexible.
“My  students  have  really  helped  me  stay  creative  and  stay positive because everyone’s always got a question or something interesting to say. I’ll read [my students’] work and [they]’ll bring up a new perspective. It just makes me realize that we’re still learning, we’re still moving forward. As long as I remind myself of that, I’ll roll with whatever punches they throw at us.”


Jacqueline Katz brings her love for science to the classroom

  As athletes pack their bags for a big game, they have many indispensable items: a water bottle, a snack, a hoodie, but above all, headphones. A pregame ritual of listening to music is a part of most, if not all, athletes’ routines. Although many athletes listen to music as a habit instead of a crucial part of their routines, there is a strong correlation between music and improved athletic performance.

   According to neuroscientist Kostas Karageorghis in 2016, listening to music activates multiple parts of the brain at once: the parietal, the occipital, temporal, and frontal lobes as well as the cerebellum. These brain areas regulate motor control, coordination, and emotion, which are critical to athletic performance.

   At PHS, many sports teams listen to a team playlist on buses to away games as their pregame ritual. According to hearing specialist Corianne Rogalsky in 2019, having a set pregame playlist that is played before each game can signal the need for routine preparation. 

   “[The girls tennis team] will listen to something energetic. It gets our spirits up and allows us [to have] a more positive mindset. We [usually] have games after school, so listening to music wakes me up and gets my heart pumping. I feel more ready to play,” said varsity tennis player Ashley Chen ’23. 

@img=https://yusjougmsdnhcsksadaw.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/Untitled_Artwork(1).png

 Moreover, studies have shown that listening to music with a positive mindset can trigger the release of dopamine, a naturally occurring chemical that blocks out fatigue and enhances happiness. For varsity track runner Nicholas Niforatos ’24, a recent go-to song for his workouts is “Where Are Ü Now” by Justin Bieber, an EDM song with a strong rhythmic beat. 

   “Music definitely lowers my anxiety. I tend to feel really anxious and stressed out when I don’t have music because I’m so reliant on it to get me through the day. So I tend to lean towards music almost as a therapy of sorts,” Niforatos said.

   However, PHS athletes typically are not allowed to listen to music while at sports practice or while warming up before a match. Although proven to help athletes sharpen their mindset before they walk onto the court, music could be a potential distractor when athletes need to hone in on their internal motivation. 

   “Much of the training we do requires athletes to push their boundaries, which requires significant internal focus and is a skill that has to be built over time. What I have found over 20 years of coaching is that the use of music shifts that internal focus to an external focus,” Head Track and Field Coach James Smirk said. “The end result is initial performance improvement because the music can be motivating, but long term the athlete is left with a significant deficit in the internal motivation required for upper level success. That being said, we do allow for music in certain components of training and during bus rides.”

   For many PHS athletes, music is more than just part of a pregame ritual and is a core aspect of their lives outside of school. As a self-taught music producer, Niforatos spends at least one hour on music each week. But during breaks, that time increases to almost eight hours a week. For Chen, as a Studio band jazz vocalist and a cappella singer, she spends at least six hours every week just on music. 

   “It can be difficult at times to balance everything, especially when my school work load is really heavy. But it’s actually manageable and not too stressful and is definitely worth the time I spend,” Chen said. 

   Though music seems to be concerned with artistry and sports seems to be focused on physicality, sports like figure skating and dancing blurring the line between arts and sports. These activities require a good foundation in both artistic ability and athleticism.

  “Understanding music benefits me as a ballerina because it makes sure all of my movements are on time and precise and also helps me let go while I’m dancing,” said ballerina Avery McDowell ’24. “It’s very easy to get caught up in making sure every step is correct, but music reminds me to use my emotion and artistry when dancing. You need the athleticism to be able to have the stamina and strength to do all the steps, but it’s the artistry that makes it worth watching.”

   Apart from sports that are an art form, there are surprising similarities between all sports and music. For example, the ability to think strategically and being in good shape are crucial to both. Since both also require teamwork and events with large crowds, COVID-19 also affected both in similar ways. Most importantly, the mindset needed to be successful in both are nearly identical.

   “For both [sports and music], you really need to have a passion for and enjoy doing both. But also, you really have to work hard and be persistent because that is the only way you are going to get better,” Chen said.  

    As music and sports have many similar aspects, despite the time-consuming efforts to keep up with both, the benefits to pursuing both the arts and athletics greatly exceed the drawbacks. 

   “Whether it’s to let go of fears or to pump myself up if I’m feeling stressed out, music has given me the ability to be confident. My confidence definitely translates onto the field and has helped me become a much better athlete,” Niforatos said.

How music benefits athletes

Kelly Curtis ’07 takes a deep breath as she kneels down on the Olympic ice track before her. With the crowd cheering before her, she sprints forward and slides straight onto her skeleton sled. Propelling up to unfathomable speeds of up to 120 km/h, Curtis flies down the skeleton track of her first Olympic Games. 

   As the first Black U.S. Olympic athlete ever to compete in skeleton, Curtis placed 21st in the Beijing Olympics women’s skeleton race. Prior to the Olympics, she placed 6th at the 2022 St. Moritz World Cup, clutching a qualifying spot in the U.S. Olympic team. 

   Growing up in Princeton, Curtis never thought she would be doing skeleton, let alone go to the Olympics. Nevertheless, as the youngest of four athletic siblings, she enjoyed playing all types of sports as a child, including basketball and baseball. 

   Aside from the opportunities to participate in athletics, her favorite aspect about being a part of her sport-loving family was watching the annual Penn Relays. Every year on Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day, her father, John Curtis, former NFL player and PHS Athletic Director of ten years, took her to the meet.
  “He would always take [me] to the Penn relays and watch the PHS girls [compete] in the 4x100 and 4x400. So I just always thought that’s what his job was: to go watch track and field everyday. Once I got a little bit older, I understood that his job entails a lot more than that, but I always just love that aspect of it,” Curtis said. 

   Curtis also enjoyed participating in the many conventional childhood activities that Princeton offers. In her downtime, Curtis would always find herself exploring the downtown area or watching sporting events at the university. She also looked forward to skating on Carnegie Lake in the wintertime, exploring Communiversity with her friends every April, and working as a lifeguard at the Community Park pool during summer break.  

   At PHS, Curtis was a two-sport athlete: a starting guard on the basketball team and a jumper and hurdler on the track team for all four years of high school. In her senior year, she became captain of both teams. Assistant Track Coach at the time and now Assistant Principal Rashon Johnson was introduced to Curtis when she was a senior and noticed her athletic capability and leadership asset.  

   “She was a hard worker, fun loving, and a good teammate. She was just one of those good students that left a good impression with pretty much everybody you came in contact with,” Johnson said. 

   Apart from being an avid high school athlete, Curtis participated in many programs that benefited the Princeton community. For instance, she served as class secretary junior year. Additionally, she was part of Corner House, serving on the Student Board in her senior year. As a student board leader, she started the Corner House All-City Dodgeball Tournament, one of the most popular school events at PHS today.

   “I started the [Dodgeball Tournament] because I wanted all my peers to have an event to blow off the steam right after all the AP exams,” said Curtis. “I was able to coordinate it to have it the day after all the big APs were done.”

   Closing out her senior year, Curtis was awarded the Athlete of the Year and the Girls Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. She continued her track career during her post-graduate year at The Lawrenceville School, where she polished her skills as a well-rounded track athlete, setting her up to compete as a heptathlete collegiately. During her year at Lawrenceville, she racked up Prep A titles for long jump, high jump, hurdles, javelin, and still holds a school record in the triple jump. After a brief period at Tulane University, Curtis transferred to Springfield College, where her track career took off. She was a two-time Indoor New England Division III Pentathlon champion and earned All-American honors in the Outdoor NCAA heptathlon. 

   Among all the accomplishments, her most meaningful memory was winning the Penn Relays, coming full circle with her childhood memories.

   “I [had to] convince my track coach to let me go compete there because it wasn’t on our schedule. For me to just be able to compete there was an amazing experience. Then for me to win it, I was just ... overwhelmed,” Curtis said. 

   After her undergraduate years, she went to graduate school at St. Lawrence University, where she studied sports management and was an assistant track coach. Interested in exploring more of upstate New York, she decided to drive to Lake Placid and try bobsledding. After continuously getting invited back to slide, she was eventually recruited for the bobsled combine, a series of track-oriented tests to be recruited as a bobsled athlete. After eyeing the skeleton racers at the combine, at the age of 26, Curtis decided to try skeleton for the first time. 

   “I decided to switch because I enjoyed sliding the skeleton more. In bobsled, especially as a brakeman, it is pretty violent on the body... when I tried skeleton for the first time, I was like, this feels way better. It’s just a lot more fun and I have more control of my own progression,” Curtis said. 

   Skeleton is not a sport that can be easily mastered, but Curtis was one of the few that was able to excel in a short time period. Believed to be one of the most dangerous sports, skeleton racers need expert balance and control as they lie head first on a flat sled racing down an icy track. Within the first few years of her career, she won the North American Cup twice, qualifying her for the U.S. National Team. She attributes her smooth transition into the sport to her track background.

   “When I'm on the [skeleton] track I just try to be as explosive and powerful and fast as possible. All my track and field training as a very short sprinter trained explosiveness and speed, so I can transfer that over.You're just trying to get those same mechanics, it's just in a more extreme angle, like completely bent over,” Curtis said.

   However, her successes were not without challenges.

   “If you're looking to make an eight year commitment and not see family and friends for very important birthdays and holidays and [spend] your disposable income on a crazy sport, then come on, try it. I wouldn’t say it sacrifices, but it’s decisions that you have to make in order to be here and sometimes it sucks. But sometimes you make it to the Winter Olympics,” Curtis said. 

   For Curtis, making it to the Olympics was a dream come true. However, when the media announced her achievement of being the first Black athlete to compete in skeleton, Curtis received backlash online due to her biracial ethnicity — many online believed that she did not “look” black. In response, Curtis believes that both black and multiracial representation is significant to the development of winter sports in the future. 

   “A lot of people will look at me and they don’t see that [I am Black]. But I know that through the progression through my own family’s history, what I accomplished is a very big deal,” said Curtis. “Growing up, I didn’t see anybody that I knew [in the Winter Olympics] that had a similar background to me. For me to be able to come out and represent both sides of my heritage has just been a true honor.”

  Her successes, not just as a biracial athlete, but as a PHS alumna, have left a significant legacy in the community. Currently, in PHS’s Black History Month trophy case, her picture is alongside others who have influenced PHS students, such as Michelle Obama and Simone Biles. 

“What [Curtis] is telling people and [all] the students of our school is you can do it. You can follow your dreams. Don’t dream small, dream big. And if you do the work, you can make those dreams come true,” Johnson said.

    Along with being an accomplished athlete, Curtis is also a member of the U.S Air Force. She joined the Air Force World Class Athlete Program in 2020 after her teammate five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender introduced it to her. The World Class Athlete Program allows soldiers to perform at their international level while also serving their nation in the military. Since 1948, 446 soldiers have represented the United States at the Olympics, earning 111 medals in a variety of sports. At Beijing, Curtis was the only Olympian who was part of the program. 

   “It’s been a true honor for me to be able to represent all the great service members. I’m really looking forward to working on base moving forward so that I can meet and learn more about my fellow wingmen,” Curtis said.

   In the future, Curtis hopes to continue both her skeleton career and her budding Air Force career. She has aspirations to secure a podium spot in the world championships next year as well as a spot at the 2026 Winter Games. When she isn’t training for skeleton, she hopes to spend time to work on the process of becoming a U.S. Air Force officer.  

   “I have just been so blessed to have a community and a family behind me that have been supportive since day one. And having a community like Princeton behind me has made this that much easier. For me to make the Olympics with only eight years [experience] wouldn’t have been possible without that community support,” Curtis said. 



PHS alumna Kelly Curtis flies high in her first Olympic Games

On January 31, the PHS boys and girls swim teams found success by taking the top spots at the Mercer County Finals, their first side-by-side win in eight years. The boys team won for the first time since 2014, scoring 265–225 in a tight race against West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. The girls team swept the competition in a 336–54 victory against The Pennington School, winning for the first time since 2016.

Heading into their county race, the team had already been having a triumphant season: The girls had a 10–0 record and the boys had a 11–0 record. Despite the tough competition, Head Coach Carly Misiewicz believed the team could continue their win streak at this year’s County Finals. “I would say that we were pretty confident, but we knew that [winning Mercer County Finals] wasn’t going to be easy. We knew that the boys and girls were going to have tough competition with strong teams,” said Misiewicz. “So my message [to the team] was to race your own race and do the best that you can do at that moment.” The team’s undeniable chemistry and support for one another was fueled through their passion for swimming.

The team was led by Captain Tracey Liu ’22, who, alongside many highly experienced seniors, brought out the unique strengths in this year’s members. “This year’s team had so much depth and diversity because there were so many different swimmers that had different special strokes and events that we could swim,” said Liu. “In addition, a lot of us are seniors, and we already had a year off because of COVID, so we really wanted our last year to be meaningful for us.” The competition between the schools was intense, but the Tigers’ perseverance and teamwork paid off. After most of the team made it back after the preliminary round, excitement was running high as they knew they had a chance at winning. In the final round, many swimmers placed in top spots, propelling the team to a win.

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On the boys team, Daniel Baytin ’23 took home first place in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle, and David Xu ’25 placed first in the 200-meter individual medley, second in the 100-meter butterfly, and medaled in two relays. “I was confident that I would swim well and was proud of what I achieved as a freshman,” Xu said. On the girls team, Kyleigh Tangen ’24 placed first in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle. Courtney Weber ’24 won first place in both the 200-meter freestyle relay and the 100-meter breaststroke, breaking the PHS girls record in the two events. “I was really happy not just that I broke the record, but because I knew I was improving a lot and I was [benefitting] the team as one of the fastest PHS swimmers that’s ever swam,” Weber said. On February 10, the girls team advanced to sectional semifinals, where they lost in a close race of 92-78 against Summit High School. Nevertheless, their season ended with an impressive 13-1 record.

On February 18, the boys team continued their win streak by winning a 105-65 meet against West Windsor-Plainsboro High School in the Central Group Sectional Championship; their first time taking the title in eight years. On February 22, the boys team advanced to New Jersey State Semifinals where they won in a tight meet with a final score of 87-84 against Tenafly High School. Their next big stop is the New Jersey State Finals, where their goal is to swim as many rounds as possible. “We’re ranked against some of the hardest, most competitive public schools in New Jersey. We’re a little nervous, but I know that with all of our hard work and dedication, we will swim [more] good competitions,” Liu said.

PHS boys and girls swim teams both crowned Mercer County Champions

After putting on their hockey gear, the boys ice hockey team huddles for their courtside ritual. A hush falls over the group. The laughter and chitchat is replaced with focus and determination. Captain Cooper Zullo ’23 gives a quick pep talk before the team strides onto the ice. Every match is like a battle, and they’ll need precise focus and adept teamwork to be victorious.

This year’s team is keeping the historically competitive boys ice hockey program at PHS alive — they advanced to the semi-finals of the Mercer County Tournament for the tenth consecutive year. In addition, they’ve maintained an impressive record this season of seven wins, two draws, and only three losses.

Although they lost the final round of the Mercer County Tournament, by far their biggest accomplishment this season was getting the number one seed in the tournament. However, their most exciting game thus far was their match against Morristown, where they tied 1-1 in a very close battle.

“That game proved we [could] play with anybody and it felt like a win for us,” said Head Coach Dave Hansen. In the past, the boys ice hockey team achieved many milestones, including winning the 2019–2020 Mercer County Championships, ending The Hun School of Princeton’s six-year domination of the Mercer County Tournament. Boys ice hockey players Gabe Silverstein ’23 and Julian Drezner ’23, who were freshmen at the time, underscored the influential lessons that the players learned at the game.

“I learned that you have to keep your head in the game and focus on the task at hand,” said Silverstein. “There’s going to be a lot of people trying to get you out of your locked-in zone, and you have to block that out and play your game.” Since the rinks were closed last year because of the pandemic, the team could not compete much last year. However, the team organized street hockey games that allowed the teammates to reconnect and stay fit, though these exercises weren’t an adequate substitute for the rigor of a normal season. Back to normal at the beginning of this season, Zullo and his team were excited and prepared to take on any challenges that came their way.

“This year has been a big step up from last year,” said Zullo. “Having this full season has benefitted everyone on the team.” Long before the winter season started, much of the team had already been practicing together and playing at games through Zullo’s hockey club, PHS Puck. The club, headed by Zullo, allowed teammates to practice together outside the regular school season and enjoy the leisure club environment. Going into the season, the strong bonds between the teammates were evident.

“The brotherhood on the team really translates into chemistry on the ice. It develops to where you know where someone’s going to be and they know where you’ll go,” Silverstein said. With the addition of many new underclassmen on the team this year, the captains have further promoted teamwork on the ice where, regardless of age, the athletes can experience the excitement and passion that comes from the sport.

“My favorite part about the team is the environment. We like to joke around and have fun on and off the ice. Especially as an underclassman, the seniors have done a good job including everyone regardless of their year. We just try to work with what we’ve got and we have a lot of fun doing so,” said team member Yitian Zhao ’24. Harnessing their skills, the team will try to rebound from their loss at the Mercer County Tournament and win as many rounds as possible in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament.

“I am very happy with the hard work and dedication they have put in starting from November 8,” said Hansen. “Teamwork will be the key to our success if we want to make a push to win [more] tournaments.” Because they thrive in the companionable and passionate environment, the team encourages everyone considering joining hockey to try it out. “

My advice would be that if you fall, get back up and try again,” said Silverstein. “Be resilient, and keep working ... it’s a really rewarding sport.”

PHS boys ice hockey team finds success through teamwork

Student takes on the Beijing Olympics

   On the rink, Emma Traylor ’22 is not afraid to be bold. With the goal of hitting the puck into the net on her mind, she accelerates across the ice. Swiftly intercepting the puck, she shoots it toward the goal with no hesitation. Narrowly missing the goalie, it slides straight into the back corner. In high spirits, the crowd erupts in cheers.

   Traylor’s ice hockey career started when she joined the cheerleading team during her freshman year. While coaching fall tennis, girls ice hockey Coach Christian Herzog noticed her cheering on the adjacent field.

   “She was one of the girls in a leadership position on the cheerleading team. I was looking for players that had an interest in going outside of their own comfort zone. It took some coaxing for [Traylor] to try ice hockey, but once she started, I think she developed a passion for the sport,” Herzog said. 

   While Traylor was new to the sport, she was willing to do whatever it took to excel. Although early 5 a.m. practices could be draining, she always dedicated 100 percent of her energy to improve her skills. During her first season, after mastering the basics of skating and maneuvering the stick, she scored two goals. After making significant progress in her technique through continuous practice in her second year, she was voted “most improved player” by her teammates.

   “She is constantly one that wholeheartedly exerts every ounce of energy she has on the ice. Wherever the chips fall at the end of the game, that’s where the chips fall, but she always knows that she put in her best effort. I think it is something that other players really look up to,” Herzog said. 

   Now, as a senior and starting center on the first line, Traylor demonstrates her passion for the sport through the aggression and tenacity she brings to the ice. 

    “Sometimes we’ll get athletes who you have to get into an aggressive mode. It's not always the easiest skill or attribute to teach. But some student athletes have the ability to turn it on and off and [Traylor] is one of those,” Herzog said.

   In addition to demonstrating her own love for the sport, Traylor extends her love to all her teammates. Her favorite moments on the team were their annual overnight trips to compete in Maryland at the Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic competition. The quality bonding time Traylor had with her teammates translated well to their chemistry on the ice.

   “Out on the ice, Emma is a pro when it comes to communication skills. [This] has greatly benefitted the general team dynamic,” said teammate Tessa Solvibile ’22. 

   During quarantine, Traylor and her team only had the chance to play three games and had to wear masks under their helmets per the COVID-19 guidelines. Since many rinks were closed, the team only practiced basic skills off the ice. Although these setbacks were discouraging, Emma stayed focused by recognizing her improvements and maintaining her work ethic.

   Although she does not want to pursue varsity hockey in college, Traylor plans to continue playing ice hockey on a club team. 

   “I like to pick something and stick to it. I don’t like to quit. I feel like I need to constantly keep that mindset to improve,” Traylor said.

Emma Traylor ’22: Ice Hockey


According to the 2021 district academic testing report presented at the October 26 Board of Education meeting, nearly half of the PHS student population is taking at least one Advanced Placement course. District testing reports, released at the beginning of every year, assess the previous year’s academic achievements at PHS. The results of the report summarized last year’s standardized test scores and compared the statistics of PHS against surrounding schools and on a national scale

PHS offers 32 out of the 38 available AP exams, which include subjects in English, Math and Computer Science, World Languages and Cultures, and Arts. Even in courses that are not officially offered as a class, such as AP 2-D Art and Design and AP Psychology, students are encouraged to take advantage of guided resources and explore the curriculum by themselves. By taking an AP exam, PHS students are able to experience college-level courses and obtain college credits if they pass.

The summary of last year’s AP scores indicates that the 1452 administered exams, 85 percent of the tests received a passing score of three or higher. Among those, 80 students who took the exam received the AP Scholar award, 61 received the AP Scholar with Honor award, and 175 students received the AP Scholar with Distinction award. To qualify for the AP Scholar with Distinction award, students must score an average of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and have scores of three or higher on five or more of these exams. In comparison to the state, students scoring a three or above was 50 percent higher than the state average. These high numbers of achievements have been a constant trend over the past few years, demonstrating the demanding academic culture at PHS.



The success that comes with high scores comes with harder workloads and college-level expectations. AP Chemistry teacher Dr. Robert Corell believes that the rigorous AP courses require students to not only develop self-discipline but to also learn how to ask for guidance.

“I teach my students not to be lone wolves,” said Corell. “Most of them have been so smart all throughout their careers, so they have not needed to ask anybody else for help. [But] when you get to the AP level, that difficulty level may be too much for them to do on their own.”

As beneficial as AP classes are  to prepare students for their futures, Principal Frank Chmiel believes that the “AP culture” at PHS sets unrealistic expectations that are more résumé-driven than passion-oriented. Chmiel notes that this culture leads students to take AP classes they aren’t interested in but feel forced to take in order to appeal to the college-admission process.

“The problem is when students aren’t passionate about the subject matter in an AP class ... It makes sense to me when the APs you take dovetail together nicely, almost like a major in college,” said Chmiel. “There’s an argument for being well-rounded, but it doesn’t mean you have to take every type of AP to be successful. When you have these disparate APs ... it gets everyone stressed out.”

In accordance, Corell said that the academic culture at PHS is a combination of peer and parental pressure to get into top universities. Corell notes that the college-focused nature of PHS is apparent when early college admission decisions are released.

“When the early decisions start coming out, [seniors] start talking about what schools they got into and what schools they didn’t get into ... it’s all about who’s doing ‘better,’ but that’s the big mistake in my mind. People are too focused on getting into the ‘right school’, not the right school for them,” Corell said.



Nick Hagedorn ’24 believes that in order to adhere to the pressure of being admitted to a top-tier college, many students feel peer pressured to fit more advanced and accelerated courses into their schedules. Hagedorn mentions that feeling as if others are doing “better” in preparation for applying to college can negatively affect students’ self-confidence.

“If your friends are taking APs, and you’re not taking APs, it [might] make you [believe]: Oh wow, I’m not smart — I’m taking zero APs, but everyone else I know is in [for example], AP United States History,” Hagedorn said.

Theona Hsu ’24 agrees that the PHS’s academic standards can be overbearing, however, she believes the collective pressure can also be motivating. Hsu explains that when she sees the achievements of her peers, she feels inclined to set larger academic goals for herself.

“Personally, [when] I see my friends and everyone at school working, I tell myself that I have to work [just as] hard and it helps me set [higher] standards for myself. But I still think there is definitely a line between healthy motivation and [harmful] pressure,” Hsu said.

Nevertheless, there are many reasons for students to decide against taking AP courses. Hsu, who currently is not taking an AP course, made the decision simply because she did not see herself enjoying any of the AP courses currently available to sophomores.

Corell has seen similar student mindsets during his time at PHS. He mentions that there are many reasons for students to drop or not take an AP including not being academically or emotionally prepared for the course, or out of feeling as if they are not going to achieve an A. He notes how the transition from pandemic learning has affected this year’s student enrollment rate in his AP Chemistry classes.“

I’ve had more kids drop from AP [Chemistry] this year than ever before. And it’s all because of — in my opinion — COVID,” said Corell. “The transition from virtual learning to [in-person learning]... is not like the normal transition from Chemistry I or Chemistry I Accelerated to AP. It’s much harder [now].”

In addition to AP scores, the statistics for SAT and ACT testing were also included in the report. On average, in 2021, PHS students scored 1334 on the SAT, which was 253 points above the state average and 283 points above the national average. For the ACT, PHS students scored a composite of 30.2, which was 5.8 points higher than the state average and 9.6 points higher than the national average. Echoing Corell and Chmiel, Molly Sikma ’22 believes that the pattern of high scores is the result of the overall Princeton community, not just PHS.

“I think especially being in Princeton, in this Ivy League town, all of the students have an innate desire to succeed,” said Sikma. “[Often], it’s the students themselves driving what they get out of a course, which is a big contributor, in my opinion, to our success on the state and national level.”

In addition to the culture at PHS, Sikma also believes the teachers, peers, and resources here bolster student achievement.

“We are a very privileged school district in the sense that most students I know were able to find some form of tutoring for standardized testing ... whether it’s through the Ideas Centers or through Princeton University,” said Sikma. “I think it’s also that older students are really big on helping younger students. My friends and I have given old test books to younger students or we’ve helped them study for an exam in a class we already took.”

However, the district testing report shows significant disparities in test participation and test scores between different ethnicities. Overall, Asian students had the highest percentage of students taking AP exams (53 percent), followed by mixed-race (43 percent), whites (35 percent), Hispanics (27 percent), and African Americans (15 percent). In terms of scores, Asians had the highest average AP score (3.98), followed by whites (3.69), mixed-race (3.58), Hispanics (3.37), and African Americans (3.15). The summer courses at PHS, which currently include Chemistry I Accelerated and various math courses, were created partly to assist traditionally underrepresented students in the AP curriculum.

“We thought we could use the tuition from the courses to recruit students who are underrepresented in the AP curriculum and get them into the summer course to prepare them to take AP [courses] in the fall. Over the five years, we’ve probably had six or seven [underrepresented] students total, but we’ve not achieved our goal of bringing them into the AP curriculum,” Corell said.

Although the PHS community seems to demand academic perfection, Chmiel believes that PHS students should be easier on themselves.

“It’s okay for students to not take themselves so seriously. Students should know that school is a place to have fun,” said Chmiel. “I hope [students] will be able to change [their mindset] to be: ‘I’ll challenge myself in my academics, not to the point where I [don’t like] school, but only as much as I can handle.’



2021 district testing report showcases PHS’s academic culture

Since the beginning of the new school year, Princeton Public Schools have served free lunches throughout the district. In April 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that free meals would be available to all public school students this year.

The free lunches helped to streamline the process of getting food to students who relied on free- or reduced-lunch vouchers when the cafeteria first shut down during the pandemic.

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“Last year, since we didn’t have food service at the school, we drove around to all the homes, and we did [meal kit] drop-offs. We [also] had some parent volunteers [who] would deliver some of the food directly to the homes,” Food Service Bookkeeper Danielle Borromeo said.

While the total amount of funding is unknown, not having to pay for lunches inevitably increases the number of students who choose to get school lunch daily. During pre-pandemic years, only about 200 students purchased lunch each day; that number has now increased to more than 700.

To meet the high demand and to address looming COVID-19 concerns, PHS’s cafeteria staff have consciously made changes during the first month of school. For one, the options in the cafeteria have been significantly abridged.

“What we’ve boiled [the meal plans] down [to] is the requirements: a grain, fruit or juice, vegetable, and milk. We [used to] have a lot of our cart foods like grab-and-go french fries, potato chips, [and] cookies that we [had to] do away with,” Borromeo said.

To decrease the spread of COVID-19, the cafeteria also now operates in a “grab-and-go” fashion. As soon as students take a pre-packaged entrée of their choice, they can quickly move out of the line. Cafeteria staff members are required to wear gloves and now masks when preparing food, and instead of using the register to keep track of meals, have now switched to pen-and-paper tallies.

Administrators such as PHS Principal Frank Chmiel will often walk around, either talking to students or announcing the day’s options. Chmiel voiced that after a hectic first week in the cafeteria, the administrators knew some changes needed to be made.


photo: [credit name="Emily Qian"]
“[During] the first couple days, there were big crowds of kids, and one day we ran out of food. [After that], I started going back to the kitchen ... [I was] literally one of the people bringing out cases of sandwiches [and] stocking sandwiches ... because I personally wanted to see that everything was running smoothly,” Chmiel said.

Many obstacles that come with adopting the new food services are unseen to students. For instance, coordinating food deliveries is stressful due to the high demand for food at PHS. The options for suppliers are currently low due to the ongoing pandemic. To ensure that all students get their meals, Borromeo needs to ensure an exact amount of lunches are being delivered each week.

“[Because] supply is low and demand is high, we’ve had to cut back on deliveries; there aren’t enough drivers to bring food to the schools. [Our] main supplier used to come to the district twice a week, but now they only come once a week,” said Borromeo. “It’s been hard because I have to keep going back to [order more], but [many] items are always out of stock. I don’t think people understand that it’s almost like a gamble to try to get everything.”

Nevertheless, cafeteria staff members strive to provide high-quality lunches to students. With the addition of an on-site chef this year, some students have remarked that the food quality has been quite consistent.

“I’d actually compare the sandwiches a lot to Subway. It’s nothing gourmet ... I don’t think there should be an expectation of gourmet service, but it gets the job done. And for the hot meals, the dish varies, but [at least] it’s hot,” said Elliot Becker-Peeler ’24.

Student opinion has been mixed. When asked about the convenience of the free lunches, students say that being able to get lunch from the cafeteria relieves the stress of having to take time to buy or pack lunch every day. However, some students have noted that longer waits in line are a major drawback of the free lunches. Upperclassmen have also remarked that past years’ lunches were much better in quality.

“It’s annoying to need to wait in a line, but compared to making lunch at home, which I did the other years, it’s much quicker, and it’s nice because I don’t need to wake up so early,” said Ned Erickson ’22. “But I prefer the pre-COVID year [lunches], especially the fries. It’s really a tragedy that we don’t have those fries anymore because those fries were iconic and you could just get them for one dollar.”

Some students have also mentioned that the vegetarian options are not as satisfying as they would like them to be.

“I think that [the] vegetarian food is a bit lacking because all of the sandwiches except the falafel sandwich contained meat. And most entrées except for the salad, also contain meat ... So that I think it could be better handled because I used to be vegetarian for years. You’re kind of forced into having one thing,” Becker-Peeler said.

Another new challenge that the school faces is maintaining social distancing within the cafeteria, particularly within the lunch lines. While there are several teachers and administrators on standby to guide students in the lunch lines, students agree that the lines are overcrowded.“

[The atmosphere is] definitely chaotic [and] competitive, [with] a lot of people trying to cut in line ... you [have to] fend for yourself,” Erickson said. Waiting for long periods of time has also raised concerns among several students. Many agree that protocols must be enforced strictly to keep the risk to a minimum. “The COVID-19 restrictions are totally not in place. It’s crowded. There are ten people in one square meter ... Despite having this screen on a desk, eight people [can] still sit at the same table,” said Cody Jiang ’25.

Both Chmiel and the cafeteria staff assure students that as the year continues, they will work to address the criticisms made by students. In fact, many new improvements are already in the works. In addition to the cafeteria and the stand in the PAC lobby, which are currently only serving sandwiches, a third serving area, the building administration is adding a Tiger Grab-and-Go to provide food for students.

Still, no matter what opinions students have about the lunches, Chmiel hopes that students can show gratitude for the tireless efforts of the cafeteria workers.

“When you’re receiving the [lunches], it’s important to show that appreciation to [cafeteria workers] because they’re not known otherwise, yet they’re doing arguably the most important job of the day,” Chmiel said.

New this year: PHS lunch free for all


To cover expenses spent during the pandemic, the Princeton Public Schools received a total of about $2.9 million in COVID-19 federal aid. The aid was used to fund multiple upgrade initiatives and to smoothly transition students back to a normal school year.

Beginning in spring of 2020, Congress set aside $2.59 trillion for pandemic relief. About $189 million was budgeted for K–12 education through the COVID Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), the Elementary and Secondary Education Relief (ESER), and the American Rescue Plan (ARP). They were also used to fund higher education and help vulnerable Americans.

Since mid-2020, PPS has spent millions of dollars preparing for remote and socially distanced in-person learning, putting a strain on the district’s budget. Matthew Bouldin, PPS Business Administrator, expressed major relief to the aid.

“We’re here to educate, so it has helped to be able to do that without taking a step backwards financially,” Bouldin said.

The CARES and ESER Acts provided the district with around $116,000. The ARP funding was split into three separate streams: accelerated learning, mental health, and COVID-19 expenses. PPS Director of Grants Valerie Ulrich helped organize the funds.

“We got $51,577 toward accelerated learning, [programs] to help students who were struggling as a result of being out of school or having to learn online,” Ulrich said. “We [also] got $45,000 toward mental health and another $833,705 toward COVIDrelated expenses.”

District administrators collaborated in an effort to brainstorm initiatives to make use of the funding. These included upgrading PPS’s heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, installing new learning software, and purchasing school computers and tablets for every student in the district. The funds also helped run successful summer programs district-wide in order to help transition students out of the pandemic “slump.”

“We had almost 700 kids participate in a summer program this year, district-wide. [This] was the greatest amount ... of PPS students ... ever. I know that both students and parents greatly appreciated the opportunity for additional learning over summer break,” Ulrich said.

In addition to funding summer programs, the money helped transition students back to a normal school year in other ways. For example, the aid was used to fund counseling surrounding equity and trauma from isolation and to organize schoolwide events to foster community within the student body.

“Part of the money is, of course, to address the nonacademic piece [of] a student’s education, the trauma they face as a result of being isolated for a year, social [and] emotional learning, and to [help] students get along ... We were able to use some of the [funds] towards welcome back events,” Ulrich said.

Though the pandemic changed the course of education for PPS students and staff, Bouldin and Ulrich anticipate more new projects to come.

“If we can find a silver lining behind all that has happened to us in the last year and a half or so, I would say [it’s] that every educational professional views school and education, just a little differently,” said Ulrich. “With interesting projects coming on board, a lot of spending is still yet to come.

Princeton Public Schools receives $2.9 million in federal COVID-19 aid


After participating in a 10-week English teaching program with K–8 students at the Diwan Languages School in Egypt, 54 Ideas Center volunteers bid farewell to their fellow students over their last Friday Zoom session. Dr. Andrea Dinan, director of the Ideas Center, organized the program with the intention of teaching English in an unconventional yet engaging style. 

While looking for virtual volunteering opportunities for the Ideas Center amidst the lockdown, Dinan learned that the Diwan School wanted a few teachers to help with reading groups. Dinan contacted the school and offered her Ideas Center tutors’ help. Her offer kickstarted a series of meetings with the director of their English Department, Islam Allosh, to coordinate the partnership. 

Towards the end of 2020, Allosh showed the Diwan School’s parents a video to introduce the program. Their reaction was of immense excitement.

“When they watched the video, they got more excited, and then I sent them a Google Form, and they started flooding the form, and we got almost 800 students [to] sign up for the program,” Allosh said.

The program was over Zoom from 8–9 a.m. EST every Friday. It included eight activities catered to enhance English proficiency for grades K–8. These activities were then categorized based on different grade levels in order to appeal to the student’s interest. Some activities included Storytime, Phonics, Craft and Connect, and All Around Me. Volunteers would read and discuss English books with students during Storytime, practice reading and writing skills during Phonics, make drawing and paintings during Craft and Connect, and teach new English vocabulary in All Around Me.  

The overall goals of these activities were to build up the students’ knowledge, as well as their linguistic skills. 

Staikos ’22, a tutor in the Storytime group, described a few fun activities she conducted to engage her first through third graders.

“We would read a picture book to the kids and then have them read [it] out loud. Then we would do little activities with the words from the story [such as] unscrambling words from the story, and they were actually really good at it. I remember [it] being … just a lot of fun,” Staikos said.

In addition to helping with English proficiency, Allosh said the Diwan students believed the program helped make the pandemic more “livable.” 

“The overall experience, part of it being a new experience, made it enjoyable [for] students to participate,” Allosh said. “[It] ultimately led to alleviating the [pain of] being [stuck] in one place [and] not being able to go out as they used to.”

In fact, both the tutors and the students want the program to reboot in the future because they enjoyed the experience so much. They believe that the connection established, although in an online environment, was an unforgettable one.

“We’re only spending an hour with [them] every week, but we have a lot of fun together and I think that contributes to the relationships that we [built] ... I think that would be great [if] we can do this again,” Staikos said. 

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