Princeton High School has introduced significant and jarring changes to its 2025–2026 science curriculum. Placement tests for AP Physics C have been eliminated, Accelerated Physics has replaced AP Physics 1 as a mandatory prerequisite, and students can no longer double up on a lab and non-lab science course. While these changes might seem minor, students wishing to explore their interest in science now face considerable uncertainty.
PHS physics teacher Oren Levi explained that the placement test was originally implemented due to the removal of AP Physics 1. “We wanted to give an opportunity to the students who would have been excluded from taking those classes because of the new requirements,” said Levy. “Now [that] the remaining students who would want to take the class have now had the opportunity to take a physics class …  the test was removed.” Additionally, he added that “the school is trying to … slow down some of the kids that are overextending themselves.”
Since Accelerated Physics has replaced AP Physics 1 as a mandatory prerequisite, students who have finished AP Calculus BC will be forced to start the physics curriculum by taking algebra-based Accelerated Physics.

This isn’t the first time sudden policy changes have derailed course study plans. Last year, eligibility changes preventing sophomores from taking AP Macro/Micro surprised students desiring to take those courses. Policy changes often come from valid concern for students’s well being, but their implementation leaves them flailing. In the current policy-making atmosphere, rising juniors and seniors are given no opportunity for effective high school planning — they have few options to meet new prerequisites put in place near the end of their high school journey.
As a result of this change, the academic goals of students interested in physics have been hindered, requiring them to take Physics 1 Accelerated before AP Physics. For example, if a student desires to take all the AP physics courses before junior year, having to take a prerequisite class  in freshman year can delay these plans.

Many students didn’t know about these changes until they had meetings with their counselors to finalize class schedules. Instead of creating roadblocks with no transparency, the district ought to implement policies with two-year delay periods. A delay period for any new policy shelters current students from the potential changes it brings, while giving standardized effects to future students. As an example, a policy change made in the 2024–2025 school year should only go into effect in the 2026–2027 school year. This allows students to effectively plan and recalibrate their high school journey. Until the district fundamentally changes the methodology of implementing new policies, placement tests can act as a stopgap to minimize the disruption on students’ academic journeys. 

On the new physics enrollment policy

***Call Me Maybe***

*Written by Jane Hu*

“Call Me Maybe” is the kind of song that gets stuck in my head for hours after listening to it. I first heard this track in 2013, and I still haven’t found a catchier song. Even people who don’t listen to a lot of music are familiar with the song “Call Me Maybe.” This song brings people together, whether I’m at a party or warming up for a sports game.

The lyrics are simple, but that is what makes it so great. They capture the fun and spontaneity of giving someone your number and hoping that they’ll call. The chorus is impossible to not sing along to, and the whole song emits a feeling of excitement and confidence. What makes this song so special to me is the nostalgia I feel when I listen to it. It reminds me of the good old times when life could just be fun and silly, standing out from other more recent pop music.

While listening to the song, the upbeat melody brings a sense of happiness that is easy to follow and sing along. The recognizable and repetitive lyrics makes it very memorable for everyone.

While many songs get their weekly fame, placing top five on the Billboard Hot 100, “Call Me Maybe” will forever be number one in my heart. Pop music doesn’t always have to be serious to be great. Sometimes, a song just has to uplift you, give you motivation, and make you happy. “Call Me Maybe” does a perfect job doing that; it’s a great example of being a constant big hit in the music industry. It’s proof that a “good” pop song can unite people, not because of its
complexity, but because of how it makes people feel.

***A Hard Day’s Night***

*Written by Maeve Walsh*

It’s 1964. The Beatles just announced their first world tour and have released a movie based on their newest album. They are the most famous rock group in the world. In a house in Princeton, New Jersey, their records are well-preserved, with the exception of a few scratches on the vinyls and the paper sleeves slightly deteriorating due to old age. One album in particular is at the top of the stack: “A Hard Day’s Night,” with just 14 songs spanning 34 minutes.

To me, it’s crazy that at the time of the album’s creation, the Beatles were only in their early twenties. But their young age gave them room to develop a sense of humor that makes me feel like I too can take a break and let loose. Their ability to move between lighthearted and meaningful, like in “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” and “Things We Said Today,” strikes the perfect balance.

Not only is the songwriting complex yet playful, but it evokes feelings of nostalgia that are so comforting. As a young girl, I would listen to this album with my parents in our living room, the turntable spinning the black, shiny vinyl round and round. That was a simpler time, where life was easy, and the world seemed to be at peace. Now, I listen to the songs and let my mind wander to when I would dance on the coffee table, screaming along with Paul McCartney during “Can’t Buy Me Love.” It’s a nice escape from the rest of the world when I don’t feel like dealing with reality.

The album’s final track, “I’ll Be Back,” with John Lennon’s smooth guitar and melodic harmonies, always feels like a hug goodbye. Leaving my imaginary world with the final words “but I’ll be back again” reminds me that this album will always be there for me when I need to be whisked away. As the sounds of the acoustic guitar and drums slowly fade away through the speakers, and the needle picks up off the album, I leave with dopamine filling my brain and even more reasons to love “A
Hard Day’s Night.”

Love letters to...

The winter holidays are often a time for giving and receiving gifts. However, sometimes we might not have the time to go out shopping, or would like to make personal gifts.
Here are three fun handmade gifts to make over the winter holidays. 

### Mini yarn hat ornament

Supplies: Scissors, Yarn, 1 core of a toilet paper roll, 1 cotton ball (optional)

Steps: Cut the core of the toilet paper roll into one-inch sections. Depending on the thickness of your yarn, cut around 10–20 pieces of yarn, each 10 inches in length. Fold a piece of yarn in half and insert it into the opening of the toilet paper roll cut-out. Take the open ends of the yarn and pull them through the loop until the knot is tight. Repeat these steps until the entire ring is
covered. Pull the ends through the inside of the ring
to the other side. Gather the ends and tie them with an extra
piece of yarn, about halfway from the ends. Using the scissors, trim the ends of the
yarn to make a pom-pom. Optional: If you wish to give the hat more
shape, you can place a cotton ball inside. 

### Sock snowman

Supplies: 1 white sock, 1 colorful sock, 3 cups of rice grains, 2 rubber bands, 2 black buttons, 1 pom-pom, 2–3 colorful buttons, scissors, hot glue, orange pipe cleaner

Steps: Take a clean white sock and cut the sock right
before the heel. Flip the sock around so that the fluffy part of
the sock is on the outside. Pour three cups of rice into the sock and use
a rubber band to secure the top tightly. Take another rubber band and wrap it
around the middle of the sock to separate
the head and the body of the snowman. Grab a colorful sock and cut under the
heel and a few inches above the toe. Trim the extra sock off the top of the
snowman and use the toe piece as a hat. Place the other sock piece over the body
of the snowman as a sweater.

### Honeycomb ornament

Supplies: 1 piece of 10-inch string, 8 pages of cardstock paper, 1 glue stick, 1 pencil

Steps: Trace out 16 circles, each four inches in diameter. Fold each circle in half. Apply glue to the outer side of the folded circles. Stack the outer side of the folded cut-outs on top
of each other and glue each piece together. Before forming the craft into a sphere, glue a
piece of folded string in the center. Glue the ends of the ornament together. The
loop of the folded string should be at the top of the
ornament.

Madison Charles's Work