On April 1, 2022, Mr. PHS was held in-person in the PAC for the first time since 2018. Due to COVID-19, the pageant was held virtually last year over Zoom. Mr. PHS is a long-time tradition where clubs, sport teams, musical groups, and other students nominate seniors to participate in a pageant show. The competition has many parts, including a catwalk where seniors are introduced and showcase their outfits, a talent show in which competitors perform a prepared act, a formal fashion show including the competitors and their escorts, and lastly, a question and answer segment before the winner is declared. Unlike previous years, this year’s show was open to all genders to promote inclusivity.

The event came together with the collaboration of Student Council members, advisors, and faculty members. As the main organizers of Mr. PHS, the Student Council planned the event over the course of one month. Senior class president Angelina Chen ’22 initially proposed to bring the tradition back because she remembered how fun it was to watch her older brother compete.

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“It seemed like a really fun tradition, and every year I’ve been in Student Council, we’ve always talked about bringing it back,” said Chen. “But every year, it just falls apart. And I think at this point no one remembers what it is, so I felt like if I didn’t try to get it done, it wouldn't ever happen.”

Diana Lygas, the Dean of Students at PHS, was also excited to host the competition again and was proud of the dedication and teamwork that led up to the event.

“Different classes took care of different things. For example, one class [was] in charge of the concessions, one class will be in charge of the ticket sales, one class will be in charge of putting up the posters, and one class will be in charge of the behind the scenes this year,” said Lygas. “I would say it was a group effort, really. And the students just participated in every way throughout the event.”

In addition to the Student Council, many assisted with the behind the scenes of the event. PAC Technical Director Jeffrey Van Velsor and the PHS tech crew played a crucial role in controlling lights and music, Student Council advisors Antoinette Tessaro and Samantha Itkoff helped with selling tickets and managing concessions, and Industrial Arts Teacher Joseph Gargione printed the large check for the prize donation.

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As with any event, the team faced no shortage of obstacles along the way. The two main challenges were getting contestants to sign up as well as attracting audience members. Two weeks before the event, there was still little interest and Mr. PHS was almost called off altogether. However, with persistent advertisement over social media, the approval of a $100 grand prize, and decreased ticket prices of $5, a total of ten clubs were represented and over seventy students were in attendance.

The event got off to a good start. Cat’s Meow opened by singing the alma mater and emcees, Ryan Xu ’22 and Emily Choi ’22, guided the rest of the show throughout the night. The PHS a cappella groups helped fill up the time in between each section, with performances from the Cat’s Meow, Cloud 9, and Around 8. Some of the represented school organizations included Asian American Club, football, Peer Group, Tech Crew, and more. The diversity in clubs was also reflected in the performances which included everything from K-pop dance to drawing Principal Frank Chmiel blindfolded in 30 seconds. Lada Labas ’25, an audience member who went to support their friend performing, found the entire show to be very entertaining.

“I really liked the show a lot. It was pretty funny, and I liked the talent portion,” Labas said.

Lygas echoed this sentiment and felt that the event was a perfect combination of all elements.

“I thought it had a really good blend of silly talent and also real talent. So I felt like it was exactly the way the event should have been,” Lygas said.

Ultimately, judges Chmiel, Lygas, and Ms. Jennifer Li crowned Aaron Munford ’22 the winner of the competition. Munford performed a variety of acts: juggling, solving a Rubik's cube while unicycling, dancing, and flipping. Leading up to the night, Munford spent time practicing his tricks in the gym.

“I practiced flipping at the gym … I pulled my quad on the day of the show, and also almost gave myself a concussion trying to do [a] back handspring, but it was still fun and exciting,” Munford said.

Munford represented both PHS Fitness Club and PHS Insect Eating Club, and his prize money will be used to help fund new materials for each organization. He believes that his success stems mainly from his bravery when trying new things.

“Just have a lot of confidence and you can do anything, trust me,” Munford said.

Overall, both advisors and Student Council members believed that Mr. PHS was a big success for its first year back. They hope that even more students will participate in competitions like Mr. PHS so that school events become a regular part of PHS culture.

“I'm super thankful to all the contestants for participating and putting their talents into this endeavor. It really wouldn't have been possible without them and they made it fun, so thank you so much,” Chen said.

Mr. PHS Pageant returns; Aaron Munford crowned winner

Growing up, Timothy Campbell always knew he had a passion for politics and history. From engaging high school history classes to family Thanksgiving dinner conversations centered around politics, Campbell was drawn to the open and interpretive nature of the two fields. Now, as a history teacher at PHS, Campbell has led meaningful discussions about American history and contemporary events for 16 years.

Before coming to Princeton, Campbell was born and raised in Michigan, where he studied at Central Michigan University. With two teachers for parents, Campbell had always seen himself becoming a teacher in his own future. In college, Campbell tried to pursue his interest in political science as much as possible, majoring in secondary education with a focus on constitutional law and political science. By senior year, Campbell was amongst a select class of around 100 other interns at the White House.“I did a lot of correspondence, letter writing, setting up of meetings with potential appointees, and ... logistics of the correspondence,” said Campbell. “I had the best job because I had pretty much daily access and interaction with the President of the United States.”Following his internship, Campbell explored many different applications of his major, such as consulting and local campaigning. But he soon felt burnt out and realized he wanted to reignite his original passions in teaching.At the recommendation of a colleague, Campbell taught at Villa Victoria Academy, an all-girls private Catholic school, for three years. After researching New Jersey school districts more, Campbell came across PHS and was drawn to students’ drive for academic success. Campbell has always placed an emphasis on student growth and broadening perspectives rather than numerical grades. His classes are discussion-based, aimed toward encouraging open conversations on topics that may be difficult or controversial. Campbell believes this style of learning gives his students a safe place to discuss, especially if there are differing opinions.

“You don’t learn anything from just talking about or listening to opinions that are your own ... nobody ever died from listening. The worst thing that ever happens is that it solidifies your faith and your conviction in your own belief system ... [and] that’s a win-win,” said Campbell. “Silencing discourse, or not listening to [it], in addition to silencing people that you disagree with, [makes you] no better than the people that you disagree with. Campbell believes it is even more important to create such an environment given the turbulent political climate the country has been facing.“I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea that the most difficult conversations in life are all usually the most important,” said Campbell. “I understand [that]... in a school setting, [there is] an unwillingness or a level of discomfort, to have those difficult conversations in class whether it’s Black Lives Matter, abortion, guns, whatever it may be, but those are the important ones.”

Expanding on this, Campbell also believes that his students are in a place in their lives where conversation about these issues is uniquely important. “Having discourse and providing a place for young adults to start to talk about and think openly about these issues is important [because] come the next election, they’re going to have the opportunity to affect some sort of change,” Campbell said. Nicholas Matese ’24, a student in AP United States History with Campbell belives that Campbell’s efforts to include everyone in class discussions have been beneficial for students.“I like the fact that he makes sure everyone who wants to speak is able to speak,” said Matese.Campbell’s students also appreciate efforts to teach uncomfortable topics and tie them back to real life examples. “Especially in government and politics, there’s a lot more relevance to current events. ... The issues that he discusses with our Constitution are really being challenged every day in the political sphere,” said William Erickson ’22, who had Campbell for AP United States History and currently takes AP Government and Politics.To incorporate current event topics and introduce these difficult topics, Campbell goes beyond the textbook, using podcasts, documentaries, YouTube videos, and articles. He believes these mediums not only supplement his lessons, but also allow him to fill informational and educational gaps from the textbook.

Campbell recognizes COVID-19 as a major setback in the past two years since it prevented his favorite part of teaching—his daily interactions with his students. However, Campbell never lets them affect his goal and objective as a teacher. “There are always going to be frustrations in public education, but ... [I never lose] sight of the fact that the students that are sitting in front of [me] are the most important constituency that [I] serve. Nothing will ever cloud that,” Campbell said.

Outside of the classroom, Campbell is an avid sports fan who loves running as well as playing golf and hockey. On top of that, he also enjoys spending time with his children and often acts as their “taxi driver,” taking them to their many sports events. Campbell’s intended takeaway for his students is to pay attention to the world and to embrace their unique opinions. “I don’t care who they vote for. I would never do that. But just that [they] have a voice. And in this world where a lot of voices are silenced... you have a way of promoting change yourself,” said Campbell. “So that’s my biggest priority... that when they leave here, they go out into the world and they exercise that voice.”

PHS Profile: Timothy Campbell promotes activism among students


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


Known by her students as “Ms. Swagner,” Katelyn Wagner has been teaching economics at PHS for three years. Before becoming a teacher, Wagner worked in marketing for a year before realizing she wanted to pursue an alternative route in the business field. Since she enjoyed marketing’s interactive and communicative aspects, she was drawn to teaching. Wagner’s own experience in education also inspired her to become a teacher. As she reflected on her past teachers, she realized she never had an educator who had deeply impacted her. This empowered Wagner’s aspiration to not only give students a memorable learning experience but also to be a supportive figure throughout high school.

“Maybe I can be a teacher that ... students remember and help them figure out what they want to do,” said Wagner. “I love teaching, [it’s] something new every day, and I get to talk to everybody. [It’s] a lot better than sitting in a cubicle.”

Wagner’s first teaching job was in the two courses Law and Honors Personal Finance at South Brunswick High School and later on, at both South and North Middletown High School. With backgrounds in finance, economics, and law, Wagner enjoys exploring the intersections of these three topics with her students.

“I like economics, because it is so closely related [to] law,” said Wagner. “If you understand economics, how the economy works, and making policies, [you can] use those policies to make things more fair [and] more equitable.”

Bringing her experiences to PHS, Wagner currently teaches AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, and the Advanced Contemporary Economics Issues elective. She assumed the role of economics teacher in the middle of the year after the departure of Lisa Bergman. With a short period of adjustment, Wagner described taking over Bergman’s position as one which came with challenges.

“It was hard. I mean, she was such a great teacher. To ... take over for somebody like that was intimidating,” said Wagner. “Also, never having taught economics, at least at the AP level before, was also difficult. But I mean, you kind of buckle down and you do the best you possibly can.”

After Wagner finally found a routine for class, the pandemic moved students to remote learning, and she had to adapt her lesson plans again. Many of the skills necessary in AP economics including graphing and creating data tables were a main concern with virtual learning. However, through platforms such as Kahoot, online whiteboards, and breakout rooms, Wagner gave her students the chance to collaboratively practice these skills in class.

“It’s definitely a lot of tweaking and adjusting and like, ‘How do I do this online?’ and ‘How do I make this something interesting online?’” said Wagner. “But we really made it work.”

When PHS returned to in-person learning again, Wagner was excited to incorporate engaging and interactive activities into her lessons again. She hopes that past students look back on her course fondly and that current students look forward to class.

“I try to make [class] challenging, but I don’t want it to be a subject or a course that students are afraid [of ] or intimidated by. I love economics, and I want students to love economics,” said Wagner. “I want to be more approachable and have a more hands-on [learning experience] and less intimidating environment.”

Some examples of these activities include scenario cards for classifying different types of unemployment in AP Macroeconomics, the paper chain demonstration to show the law of diminishing marginal returns in AP Microeconomics, and the egg drop project to simulate inequality and contemporary issues for Advanced Contemporary Economics Issues.

Zeynep Uzun ’22, a student in Advanced Contemporary Economics Issues, chose to continue studying economics as a result of her newfound interests after taking AP Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics. She attributes part of her interest to Wagner’s teaching style and encouraging learning environment. “

She’s very friendly and approachable. She’ll pop in debates or conversations on an article and give us a pointer, like a new definition or something. And I think that’s really helpful,” Uzun said.

Towards the end of the year, Wagner also teaches topics such as filling out tax forms and student loans. She hopes that her students will take away skills beyond the curriculum.

“Obviously, I’m thrilled when students are interested in economics, but even if they’re not, if they could use [these skills] in their everyday life, I’m happy,” Wagner said.

In addition to being a teacher, Wagner is also the advisor for the National Economics Challenge club. During the pandemic, Wagner and the club held virtual mock competitions to prepare. Despite 2020 being their first year competing, the members of the club’s top team placed 12th in the state. It was a memorable and interesting experience for the students.

“Having students that are interested in economics and want to practice economics is awesome. [NEC] is a lot more fun and laid back approach to economics, versus in class, when we’re on a deadline,” Wagner said.

Outside of the classroom, Wagner loves spending time with her friends and family at the beach in Spring Lake, baking on weekends, and doing yoga. She also enjoys listening to live music and sharing her music with her classes through Pandora playlists.

At the end of the day, Wagner hopes that she can help students in some way, whether it’s related to economics or their personal lives.

“If I can help somebody out and make their [lives] a little bit better, or have something that they remember and will help them either in college or elsewhere, that’s my hope,” said Wagner. “It’s the smaller things that really matter.”

PHS Profile: Katelyn Wagner shares her love for economics

On October 13, students and faculty came together for the fall PHS Pep Rally. The event welcomed several of PHS’s musical and athletic programs and included grade-wide relay races as well as competitions between students and faculty.

Earlier in the day, sophomores and juniors took the PSAT before heading to the Tiger Stadium. The rally was intentionally scheduled so that students who tested in the morning would have a chance to unwind.

“Usually, if you do PSAT in the morning, the classes are kind of a wash. If you try to have a schedule of classes [in the afternoon], everyone’s all burnt out, [so] no one’s paying attention anyway. So the idea of using the afternoon for a fun school activity is why we had the pep rally there,” said PHS Principal Frank Chmiel.

Chmiel applauded the teamwork that went into organizing the pep rally on top of PSAT testing and supervising students across school’s campus.

“Managing the PSAT in the morning while trying to set up for the pep rally was a challenge. But it was a fun challenge because I didn’t have to do it alone. We have a whole team of people,” Chmiel said.

With many new additions and changes to the rally, PHS Dean of Students Diana Lygas was excited to see the planning come to life.

“I was super excited for Mr. Chmiel because he brought a new life into what our pep rally could be. And I was excited for him to bring in some new components that we’ve never seen before, bringing a lot more energy and enthusiasm,” Lygas said.

The Student Advisory Board also helped plan the event and facilitated several activities during the rally.

“I want to give credit to our Student Advisory Committee and Student Council members who helped with planning, picking events, organizing things — they were literally counting people for relay races. I’m just very proud of our school,” Chmiel said.

The event kicked off with an introduction of Student Council members, followed by a cappella performances of the Star-Spangled Banner and PHS’s alma mater sung by Around Eight and Cat’s Meow, respectively. After cheerleading performances, PHS’s fall sports teams were honored by being introduced onto the field.

“It was really fun. We’ve never done anything like this before, and I’ve always wanted to do more high school stuff like this. So it was really great that [Principal] Chmiel put it together,” said varsity girls field hockey player Erin Kiesewetter ’22.

Some of the rally’s events required students to sign up beforehand in order to participate, including a balloon-popping relay race, a tricycle race, and a tug-of-war. All three followed similar formats, where participants from each grade competed to determine a winner who would then play against a staff member. The final event was cut slightly short after the rope for tug-of-war snapped; however, it brought more enthusiasm for a rematch in the next pep rally.

Overall, students at the event agreed that the pep rally revitalized PHS school spirit.

“It was really cool to see all the sports teams out here and everyone cheering,” said Emily Wu ’23.

Echoing student opinions, Chmiel also sees the importance of pep rallies.

“Pep rallies are extremely important for bringing the school together. First, [they honor] our hard-working scholar-athletes. Our scholar-athletes really sacrifice a lot of their time. They bring home a lot of their school work after long practices, and they represent our school so well ... So it’s important as a school community to take time out to honor the athletes just like you honor your performing artists and your visual artists,” Chmiel said.

While the pep rally brought many successes, Chmiel hopes that the energy showcased at the rally will carry into other school events. He believes that maintaining engagement with the crowd is crucial to bringing the school community closer.

“I’d love to see the sports teams literally run up to the fence and run up to the crowds of students, [and] high five people. But this is a process of building this culture of school spirit and camaraderie and rallying behind our sports,” said Chmiel. “It’s a culture that you have to develop over time. But I’m in for the long haul.”

Looking forward, there are plans to have pep rallies every sports season to honor all student-athletes and to bring the school together as a whole. Cheering loudly with the students, Chmiel wants to show that all these events are part of the memorable high school experience.

“I think you could hear from my voice, it’s a little hoarse. I get a little crazy ... I know I’m gonna have to deal with it for the next like three or four days, but I’m going to be okay. I’ll heal up and I’ll be ready to bring it the next pep rally,” Chmiel said.



PHS holds fall pep rally after a week of spirit events


Over the summer, PHS students take advantage of their time away from assignments and studying, and many take on a summer job. 

The Princeton community offers many opportunities for teenagers to find a job. Some come easier than others thanks to connections through existing extracurricular activities. Jordyn Weber ’22, who has been a club swimmer for the Princeton Piranhas swim team since she was eight years old, was offered her first job by her swim coach. At the age of 13, Weber’s coach hired her to teach swim lessons to younger age groups. For the past two summers, she has worked as a lifeguard at the Community Park Pool. Weber notes that a majority of her co-workers are either her teammates or swimmers from other swim clubs. 

“Everybody I know works [at CP] because a lot of swimmers work there. So it kind of just happened naturally,” Weber said. “I didn't really apply for the job, or anything, [the coach] was like, do you want to work here? And I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’”

While Weber is very familiar with the pool and swimming, the process of becoming a lifeguard taught her new valuable skills. Weber took in-person and online knowledge courses and passed a swimming test before earning her American Red Cross lifeguarding and water safety certification.

“It's good to know CPR and first aid skills for adults and infants,” Weber said.

Life-saving procedures are just one of the many possible skills PHS students may gain from their job. Shira Kutin ’23 found that her summer experience helped her develop her soft skills. 

Like Weber, Kutin also found her summer part-time through a connection. Introduced by Joshua Stucky ’22, Kutin started working at Jay’s Cycles, Central Jersey’s oldest bike shop, at the beginning of May. Aside from Stucky, she is the only other teenager working at the shop. Despite being the youngest employee, Kutin’s duties span a wide range of tasks. 

“My main responsibilities are selling bikes [and] accessories and keeping the store organized. And then additionally, just writing up repairs and getting people their bikes,” Kutin said.

Kutin’s favorite part of her job is helping customers pick the perfect bicycle. 


Graphic: [credit name="Emily Qian"]
“It’s always satisfying when someone can come in and I can help them,” said Kutin. “They just seem happy [and] it is a really nice thing especially [if] it’s a younger kid and it’s their first bike.”

As she watched children get excited about their new bicycles, she recalls her own experience with Jay’s.  

“It's really nice to see that [happiness] considering that I got my first bike in that store, and it’s just a nice experience to watch other people,” Kutin said. 

Although assisting polite customers in making purchases has been the highlight of her job, dealing with tougher customers is what allowed Kutin to work on her communication skills. When asked how she dealt with difficult circumstances, Kutin says the key was patience and composure. 

“My job definitely taught me a lot of patience. Just for so many reasons ... Either a customer who’s talking to me … for an hour or … we’re waiting for … bikes to come in all the time and customers are annoyed that their bikes are not here. Whatever it be … I've learned to manage that a bit better,” Kutin said.

At the end of the day, Kutin just wants to make sure she has done everything to help her customers.

“Just telling them what they want to hear and making sure I'm helping them just as much as I’d be helping anyone else even if they’re not very nice to me is important,” Kutin said.

Although it hasn’t been easy, both Weber and Kutin felt that their experiences with summer jobs have been rewarding. 

“My summer job has allowed me to be more independent because now I have my own money and an environment where people are relying on my ability to be responsible,” Weber said. 



PHS students gain valuable experiences from summer jobs


Ever since he can recall, Mark Eastburn has always enjoyed being immersed in nature. In kindergarten, Eastburn was given the opportunity to take home the class pet turtle, kickstarting his passion for reptiles and science. Now a science teacher at PHS, Eastburn has succeeded in passing this interest on to countless students over his 20 years of teaching.

Prior to PHS, Eastburn taught science at Riverside Elementary School for seven years and Spanish for 10 years at Johnson Park. Although his father was a teacher, Eastburn’s first taste of teaching came unexpectedly. In 1998, fresh out of college, Eastburn decided to apply for the Peace Corps. He was assigned to a community in central Panama where he worked in agroforestry. As Eastburn sought solutions for poor land management practices in Panama, he found himself drawn to the schools.

“I saw [that] my most effective response … was to start teaching the younger students who weren’t set in their ways,” Eastburn said. “The adult farmers, some of them were … just like, ‘That’s the way I’ve always done it and that’s the way it’s always going to be for me.’”

Through educating children on sustainable agricultural practices, Eastburn realized he enjoyed giving back to the community. As a result, Eastburn decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, pursuing a career in education. While his first job was based solely on foreign language — teaching Spanish at Johnson Park — Eastburn never lost his love for science.

“Science has always been my passion,” Eastburn said. “Even when I was a Spanish teacher, I was trying to work as many science themes as I could into the Spanish language curriculum.”

Now a teacher at Princeton High School, Eastburn is one of three teachers who oversee the three-year Research Program. The goal of this class is to teach students how to read scientific papers and how to analyze complicated data sets in preparation for their own research projects, which are executed in the later years of the program. 

“We’ve had several students present at the American Society of Plant Biologists, the Anthropological Society, and the American Physics Society,” Eastburn said. “That’s where students really get the opportunity to make connections with people in their field.” 

Eastburn’s creativity and love for science transcend the school environment. Aside from being a teacher at the high school, Eastburn is also an author of science fiction and dystopian novels. 

“I started getting ideas and stories in my head, and I was like, ‘No one’s ever going to know about these stories unless I write them down,’” Eastburn said. 

Transferring his ideas onto paper, Eastburn initially self-published books. After joining the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and gaining more experience as a writer, Eastburn published his first children’s chapter book, “Earning My Spots,” in 2016. His story features two boys who can shape-shift into animals as they pursue adventures together. As of now, Eastburn is in the process of writing two young adult novels that he hopes to publish soon.

  Outside of school and writing, Eastburn enjoys photography and exploring nature with his family. During his excursions, Eastburn looks under cracks and crevices in hopes of finding new species of isopods to bring back to his classroom. 

Although he has been able to pursue his passions, there have been setbacks along his journey. In 2016, Eastburn lost virtually everything after his house burned down in a fire. Without any hesitation, the Riverside community came together and supported him in any way they could. Later in 2020, when he lost his father, the Princeton community united again to support him.

“I really feel that … what’s gotten me through was the support from the Princeton community parents and students,” Eastburn said. “I definitely feel like a member of a community that appreciates me and I appreciate it.”

Eastburn hopes that, after PHS, his students will continue to explore their passions and use the skills taught in the Research program.

“My biggest reward [is] if they [can] carry those tools forward with them into their careers and into lives in general,” Eastburn said. “If they can do that, I’ve been successful, they ... instead of being just actors, they’re creators.”

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