
Rita Rafalovsky:
Why are you interested in running for the school board?
I'm interested in running for the school board for the most important reason: to improve the quality of education that we have here. 

What issues do you believe the district needs to address for education?
If you look at the proficiency scores at the state level before and after COVID, our scores are, in math in particular, well below our neighboring schools, which are Montgomery and West Windsor. I refuse to think that our kids are any less smart than the kids that are in the neighboring schools. There's something else that's going on and we need to figure out what that is to address it, not just for math but well-rounded education.  

What are your top priorities for the school?
In addition to education, mental health is no less important. We need to bring in psychiatrists or psychologists who are experts in this area to create an assessment for us and also some goals about where we need to be [in mental health] and how we will actually make sure that our kids are doing well.

What differentiates you from other candidates?
I am a first-generation immigrant. I came here when I was eight years old. I learned English here and I was definitely below the poverty line for quite a few years. I went through the whole ESL experience and was put in some of the worst classes because I didn’t speak the language. So I definitely have a lot of sympathy and understanding towards the kids that have been there. I feel like we are not leveraging the intellectual capital of the community that we have here. I would love that we create some kind of metrics around it, and to create these champions so that we sort of have a pipeline of kids in our school district. 

Susan Kanter:
Why are you interested in running for the school board?
I ran the first time after I retired from work and I was involved with a lot of nonprofits. But I was PTO president at PHS for seven years. I wanted to run for a second term, maybe one that’s not as dominated by the pandemic.

What are your top priorities for the school?
The most important issue is to have the supports in place for health and wellness. I feel that even more so because I want to make sure kids are making those connections that they lost during the pandemic. The new movement space that they’re going to incorporate into the gym and into the learning classes, alongside the new schedule, really gives people time to both have physical wellness and to relax their brain. [The new space and schedule] make people happy and more productive. 

What experiences prepared you to serve as the school board member?
I saw the work with thBll Committee, which changed the start time and the schedule for student wellness. Student Wellness was one of my big issues. I also had been involved in the facilities and the development of the referendum. And I had become interested and gone to a lot of meetings for the board and committees. So I felt like I had a lot of knowledge to bring.

What issues do you believe the district needs to address for education?
We want to put in support so that every student feels they have someone that they can talk to. [For students with challenging academic schedules], they need to do it in a healthy way so that they can sleep while participating in extracurriculars that they might enjoy. We have to find that balance for each student between academic challenges  and finding courses that they're just interested in. Bringing them joy and taking care of themselves is equally important to me.

Dafna Kendal:
Why are you interested in running for the school board?
I think the most important thing that I can do with my time is help to see that the school district is well-run. I'm really proud of some of the things I’ve done. For example, I was on the board when we moved the start time at the high school back to 8:20. Andonly 12% of high schools in the country start later than that. [Being on the school board] means having the opportunity to do things that really affect students. That brings me a lot of joy and makes me want to continue to serve on the board.

What are your top priorities for the school?
We're a very well regarded school district and I want to ensure that continues. I want to make sure that all kids have the opportunities they need. 

Experiences that prepared you to serve as the school board member?
I have six years of experience as a board member. I'm currently the board president. I've served as board vice president and I have been on every board committee. So I have a lot of experience. With all the turnover and administration, I think it's important to have board members who know how we have done things so that we continue the traditions that are very important here in Princeton.

What issues do you believe the district needs to address for education?
One thing I like to do is just make sure there's more representation of kids of color and kids with special needs in higher level classes. We just reviewed the data from last year and there were only three black kids who took AP exams. And that's not representative of the student body and we have to do better. I think we have to look at the prerequisites [for courses], for example and just make sure they are not too burdensome to limit students from choosing courses that they want to take. 


Deborah Bronfeld:
Why are you interested in running for the school board?
I feel like I'm anything but status quo. I just want to keep improving [the district]. The pandemic definitely changed the direction of what we wanted to do, and what we could focus on. There’s a lot more that I want to work on. 

Experiences that prepared you to serve as the school board member?
I went to public school. I’ve worked a lot in nonprofits and I feel a lot of nonprofit work is helping people and listening. I worked for an organization called Dress for Success, where we gave women business attire to go on interviews, and we set up a lot of interviewing. I’ve worked for a couple of food banks. So I feel that my past with these nonprofits is a big part of me and I always want to help. Being on the board, I can speak for those that maybe cannot. 

What issues do you believe the district needs to address for education?
We just need to make sure we have the teachers that are really there to teach you. I do know a couple people that stopped me and said they were just so impressed with the teachers on back to school night.  I remember [parents from back to school night] saying that these teachers really want to teach their kids. Teachers just have this breadth of what they want to teach and they’re here to teach. 

What differentiates you from other candidates?
I really speak my mind. I have voted no a lot. I know many of my board members never vote no. You know what, I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I'm really not and I'm not afraid to say ‘I don't think this is the right direction.’ And I will always tell you why I'm voting a certain way. 


Meet the candidates! Princeton Public Schools school board election

   On the first day of school, while many students were trying to get back into the rhythm of school, they might have noticed one small change: that lunch break had been pushed up a period. On top of a changed schedule, the start of this year also brought with it a modified lunch menu as well as the end of the free lunch program which ran through the majority of the 2021-2022 school year.
   While these changes might seem minor, they were done to improve the quality of life while students are at school. The change in the lunch time is a result of the new schedule, which has only four classes in the morning as opposed to five. This schedule also extended the time between classes by a minute for more flexibility in crowded hallways with the tradeoff being a reduced morning break. 
   “The idea behind the schedule change was to provide a more predictable schedule for the entire year. In a collection of surveys we gave [to staff and students], there were repeat comments about [fewer] schedule changes,” said PHS Principal Frank Chmiel. 
   The timing of lunch, according to Chmiel, was not one of the reasons behind the schedule change. Instead, it was focused more on benefiting PHS students who take classes at Princeton University as well as those who attend the Mercer County Technical School. 
   While this may not be a drastic change, the earlier lunch has had a positive effect on some students. 
   “I like the new lunch because it splits up the day evenly between the eight classes. It took a second to get used to having four classes after lunch, but I think it works well because I always tend to be hungry by fourth period,” said Rowan Gilmore ’23.
   Not all of the changes to lunch were positive though. The school lunches, which were free during the pandemic, now require students to pay for them. While the intention of the free school lunch was to help food-insecure families provide for their children under the stresses of COVID-19, they are no longer available, and students have to pay for their school lunches individually.
   “I think it would be great if lunch could be free again,” said Gilmore. “It’s hard for a lot of students to bring their own lunch or buy it at school.”
   One upside of the change however, has been that it has allowed the school to introduce a number of new options to the lunch menu. For example, previously popular lunch options such as different types of fries are now back in the cafeteria. Thankfully, this has allowed the new changes to the school lunch to go over well with students. 
   “The new lunch is great! I love the options it has created for us as opposed to last year’s lunch. It isn’t free [anymore], so that is obviously a downside, but it sure keeps us fueled for the afternoon classes,” said Jaiden Jain-Edwards ’25. 
   



PHS debuts lunch changes


On April 25, a group of PHS students presented a research project for the Samsung “Solve for Tomorrow” competition in New York City. The competition encourages students from across the country to develop creative solutions to real world problems, and the winner receives a grand prize of a $100,000  grant for their research. Through the development of a creative new way to use black soldier flies to dispose of food waste, the Princeton High School team has taken themselves all the way to the final ten in the competition.

“It’s a technology based competition where you integrate technology into some solution to fix a problem of your choice. And for us, [that problem] was food waste,” said Ngan Le ’23, a member of the team. “A big part of this competition includes sustainability. And for the U.S., food waste is one of those issues that we don’t really talk about. It’s a, you know, out of sight, out of mind kind of thing.”

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Instead of simply throwing out food waste, the “Solve for Tomorrow” team has experimented with the use of black soldier flies as an alternate method of disposal. Black soldier flies are resilient insects which are able to effectively break down a wide array of food waste, regardless of how rotten it is. Because of this, soldier flies have the potential to greatly decrease the release of the potent greenhouse gas emissions which stem from food waste.

“Once food is put into a landfill, it decomposes anaerobically, without the presence of oxygen. Because of that, you have bacteria called antigens that break down the food and produce methane, which [causes] more warming to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide,” said Mark Eastburn, a science teacher at PHS and the advisor for the “Solve for Tomorrow” team. “Black soldier flies can prevent this because they will eat any kind of food waste and turn it into protein and fat which then can make great food for pigs, chicken, and fish.”

On top of being able to effectively dispose of food waste, the flies also have a very high oil content, something which the team has been experimenting with as well.

“We’ve discovered that the oil makes some pretty good soap and can replace palm oil in many cosmetic products,” said Eastburn. “We’ve got several different soap recipes to try and we’re going to try a hand cream as well. [Normally] these products use palm oil, which is terribly destructive to the environment.”

The replacement of palm oil in everyday cosmetic products could potentially have a significant impact on the environment. Unlike the oil produced by the soldier flies, which has a very low carbon footprint, the plantations used to make palm oil are very harmful for the environment and have caused the destruction of vast amounts of rainforest. Because of this, the members of the team hope that the project does not end after the “Solve for Tomorrow” competition draws to a close.

“I hope that we’ll be able to make high quality soap that people will like, and that hopefully we can also actually start offering this as a serious product in the future,” said George Kopf ’23, another member of the team, and one of the presenters who pitched the project to Samsung.

Eastburn also believes that this project has the potential to go further in the future. He believes that making products from bugs can be a solution to many societal challenges which doesn’t bring with it very many environmental consequences.

“I would really like to see the project expand because this is the future,” said Eastburn. “Princeton Township recently got rid of the waste collection program that they were running, [so] we could potentially serve as a community resource [and] as a disposal area for food waste that then we can then repurpose into some very valuable products.”

On top of having the potential to help the community in the future, this project also provided students a chance to utilize concepts learned in an academic setting in a more hands-on way.

“I think what’s really great about this is that it’s one of those projects where I feel like my learning is being put to use. For example, think of all that stuff in chemistry that you learn. How many times you really get to use it and see like, oh, wow, this stuff I learned is useful,” said Le. “Seeing products being made of what you do is also very gratifying for me. As well as just getting the opportunity to try new things.”

On top of the educational aspect of the competition, Le also believes that through the “Solve for Tomorrow” competition, she has been able to meet new people that she wouldn’t have met otherwise.

“One big part of what really drew me to it is the diversity of the group. I didn’t know a good portion of the people here before. And I think it’s very cool to meet new people who I’ve never would have seen otherwise,” Le said.

In the end, the Samsung “Solve for Tomorrow” competition has allowed students to get together, share ideas, and take action against climate change while keeping a competitive and exciting atmosphere. However, Eastburn believes that the team’s work is not yet done.

“Tomorrow's challenge will be to refine our ideas, make them clearer, and utilize that as an opportunity to get our word out there,” Eastburn said.

PHS wins $100,000 grand prize in Samsung “solve for tomorrow" competition 

On February 9, the first of a series of three COVID-19 vaccination clinics held at the PPS administrative building on Valley Road opened its doors, marking the beginning of a district-wide effort to increase the availability of booster shots. The implementation of these new vaccination clinics as well as the continuation of the free weekly COVID-19 testing program at PHS aims to continue to keep the school community safe during the pandemic.

While it is only one of many measures that the district has taken against COVID-19, the weekly testing has been successful in catching cases before they spread. The testing program offered at PHS is the result of a grant program by the state of New Jersey aimed to slow the spread of COVID-19 in schools across the state.

“This is a surveillance testing program with the goal [of identifying] COVID-19 positive students who are asymptomatic [in order] to minimize spread of the disease,” said Micki Crisafulli, PPS Director of Student Services. In any given week, about 50 PHS students participate in the testing. Other elementary and middle schools within the school district report a similar number of students getting tested weekly.

“At our elementary schools, the company sends a technician to collect the samples. At the middle and high school, the company sends packs of vials that are sent home and collected the next day,” Crisafulli said. The testing provided at PPS is called pool testing. In the testing, student participants collect and submit their saliva samples, which are then added to a sample pool. If a positive COVID-19 result is detected in the sample pool, each saliva sample is tested individually using the PCR testing method to determine whether or not it is positive. In general, students find the saliva testing procedures easy to follow.

“I simply spit into a tube and give it to the school,” said Edward Cao ’24. “It is very easy and doesn’t hurt since you don’t have to stick something up your nose.”Coupled with the free testing, the Princeton Health Department has started to offer weekly vaccine clinics at different locations such as the YMCA. Kathy Korwin, a public health nurse for the Princeton Health Department, believes that the increased availability of the vaccine during this pandemic continues to be an essential piece to Princeton’s success.

“It’s important to get the vaccine out. It has been a journey... [and] we have started partnering with everybody. We started with partnering with the senior centers, then we partnered with the schools,” said Korwin. “Actually, one of our most successful clinics is partnering with the people who own the bodegas on Witherspoon street who know their population. They were so kind, and they broadcasted it to people who live in that area, and we were able to go at six o’clock in the morning and give it to people who [were] coming out for their jobs.”

After offering the first few clinics, Korwin noticed a public need for uncomplicated vaccination access and began to advertise vaccination opportunities more. “After we did boosters, more people came. And then we also started doing [the clinics] at night when people got dropped off [after work], because so many people get picked up to go work someplace else, and then they get dropped off [to go home],” said Korwin. “We also had other people give food to be able to have a festive atmosphere to make them feel safe getting the shots ... this translated to more people getting the shots.”

Partially due to a series of district efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, infection numbers have continued to drop since the peak in mid January. Even with decreasing COVID-19 cases though, Korwin believes that it’s still important for students to not get complacent with protocols, testing, and vaccine distribution.

“As there were fewer cases, there was less demand. They didn’t think that they needed the vaccine or they thought that ‘Oh, yeah. COVID is going away’ ... it is definitely a constant battle reminding them how important [the vaccine] is,” Korwin said.
Both  Rodriguez  and  the  parent  group  agree  that  in  order to truly address the inequities in mathematics, the district needs to begin from early stages of schooling such as elementary school, not just at the high school level. 
“We  need  to  make  sure  that  we’re  focusing  from  the  ground  level  as  well.  Like,  what  types  of  mathematical  programs and practices are we putting into the elementary schools,  so  that  by  the  time  they’re  middle  schoolers  or  high schoolers, we know how to tap into those resources and use them to maximize their education,” Rodriguez said.
Amidst  these  conversations,  PHS  students  also  voiced   their   opinions   and   reflected   on   their   personal                          math tracks. Sarah Villamil ’22 chose to take AP Calculus AB  because  she  always  had  a  passion  for  math  and  felt  grateful  that  her  public  school  education  offered  such  advanced courses.
“I personally have an interest in math, and I think it’s an advantage [to have APs] because I’m able to challenge myself to do what I want,” Villamil said. 
Students  also  recognize  the  lack  of  diversity  in  their  accelerated classes. Precalculus Accelerated student Adam Stein  ’24  noticed  that  his  classmates  are  composed  of  familiar faces each year. 
“I definitely think that there should be more diversity between the classes. I think that it should be our goal to be more inclusive and more diverse,” Stein said. 
As the math department continues to work in accordance with the strategic planning committee on increasing equity, students have also offered potential solutions.
“I  think  that  if  they’re  going  to  offer  math  courses  in  the  summer,  it  should  be  offered  to  everybody  for  free,”  said  Villamil.  “I  think  that  that’s  the  solution  to  making                          our  math  program  more  equitable,  not  taking  away  our  AP courses.”
Going  into  the  next  school  year,  the  district  is  only  looking  toward  expanding  the  math  programs.  And  in  the  end,  although  there  were  many  frustrations  shared,  the  discussions  that  occurred  as  a  result  of  this  board                meeting    allowed  the  community  to  reevaluate  its  goals  and methods. 
“In closing, I would just remind us to ask questions. Get all of the information. It’s healthy to have opinions. And at  the  same  time,  sometimes  there  are  ‘uncontrollables,’  and   sometimes   we   just   have   to   trust   the   process                                     and,  and  communicate  in  ways  that  are  effective,”        Rodriguez said.

Princeton Public Schools promote COVID-19 safety for students



On September 10, the Welcome Back Tigers event kicked off the start of the new year at PHS. After more than a year of remote and hybrid learning, Princeton High School fully reopened with all students returning to complete in-person learning. The event took place on the second day of school.

The Welcome Back Tigers event was held after school from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m, lasting six hours so that even those with the busiest of schedules would be able to attend. The event was completely free and all students at PHS were encouraged to attend. As a health precaution, a sign-up form was sent out ahead of time in order to gauge how many people would be at the event.

PHS Principal Frank Chmiel, as well as other staff members, promoted the event with the goal of building stronger school spirit at PHS.

“This was an event that [Principal Chmiel] did at his former school. So he brought it to Princeton High School [and] hopefully now it’s a tradition that we’ll keep here,” said Diana Lygas, the Dean of Students at PHS.

While Chmiel had experience organizing similar events in the past, the Welcome Back Tigers event posed some logistical challenges, including needing to be rescheduled due to suboptimal weather.

“We originally had planned for it to be outside ... but then a storm came through [at] the same time so we [had to] cancel it,” Lygas said. “But aside from that ... it was pretty good.”

Students from all grades joined the event and got a chance to reconnect with their friends in person. Hanaan Sikder ’23 had a great time chatting with her friends at the event.

“I got to spend more time with my friends outside of school. I liked the part where [the school] allowed you to go outside [where] it was easier for me to talk with my friends while enjoying the Fair,” Sikder said.

Sofia Deng ’23 also enjoyed reconnecting with her friends during the event.

“My favorite part was the photo-taking in the PHS Tiger Gym. It [was] a good chance to take photos with friends, and it’s a good memory … I had a lot of fun so it makes me more excited to return to school,” Deng said.

Deng believes that it would be a good idea for PHS to continue this event in the future years since it provides both new and old students a chance to socialize.

“I think it helps people ... especially new students at PHS, to connect [and] get along with others, and get familiar with this school,” Deng said.

According to Lygas, the event will continue in the future with some possible time adjustments to fit into more student schedules.

“I don’t know if we’ll do it right at the start of school in the future. Maybe [next year] we’ll wait and save up for spirit week (which occurs in October) or do it before school starts,” Lygas said.

About 600 students attended the event, and the school’s staff organizational group was satisfied with the Welcome Back Tigers event’s outcome.

“We’ve been meeting with a student advisory group, so we will ask them at the next meeting … about their feedback for the event,” Lygas said. “And we definitely would be open to changing

WELCOME BACK TIGERS EVENT KICKS OFF NEW SCHOOL YEAR


In March, the Board of Education announced their decision to create a new cohort that merges existing in-person cohorts A and B into cohort D. Starting in late March, students will have the choice of attending school in person every week as a member of cohort D.

In October 2020, the board agreed upon hybrid learning which allowed students a chance to choose between attending school in-person or remotely. Due to concerns over social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the district created separate cohorts. All students attending school remotely are in cohort C, while students who signed up for in-person learning were initially separated into cohorts A and B, taking turns weekly to go to school physically. 

As the district gained better control over the pandemic environment, a reimagined cohort D began development. This new, in-person cohort provides a chance for students to go to school every week instead of once every other week.

The separate cohort D was first introduced as an entirely in-person option.

“Cohort D started in November, and the first part of cohort D was [to] identify students who were struggling academically, socially, [or] emotionally and to bring them back into person [quickly],” said Jared Warren, Acting Principal of PHS. 

While the initial purpose of cohort D being entirely in-person was to help struggling students, more students expressed their willingness to go to school more consistently in a February survey sent out by the school. The merging of cohorts A and B into cohort D was announced in a recent board meeting, giving students the freedom to attend school in person every day while reserving the choice of going in person once every other week. 

“This will create some form of normalcy for kids to hopefully get into a routine coming back to school, seeing their friends face to face,” Warren said.

The district hopes that bringing more students back to school will have a positive effect on mental health and improve academic performances as well as the ability to focus for some students.

“I'm more inclined to do the work because [when] I get home, I get distracted a lot by [things] around me,” said Anika Simons ’23, who has signed up to be placed in cohort D.

Chiara Lavino ’23, a current member of cohort D, believes this will be beneficial to the school’s learning and teaching systems during COVID-19.

“If there [are] more people in the class, there [are] more in-person discussions that come easier,” said Lavino. “On Zoom whenever we [have] breakout rooms, most of the time people just turn off their cameras. But in-person can force people to actually discuss and do the work all together,” Lavino said.

Despite the improvements to students’ school experience that the merge will provide, safety risks also arise as more students will come to school at the same time. However, students expressed confidence in the school’s COVID-prevention protocol. 

“Everyone does a good job of keeping their masks on, only going outside to eat or drink, and trying to keep six feet distance,” Simons said.

In order to provide a safe environment for students and staff, the school is trying to coordinate more supervision to ensure all protocol is being followed.

“The number one thing you can do in school for safety is obviously [to] have protocols and guidelines and rules, but then we also need … adult supervision. Teachers are going to be instructed in the building … if they see students in the hallways who are [not] social distancing to give them a friendly reminder,” Warren said.

The cohort merge is the next step in the district’s goal to fully reopen schools by September.

PHS expands cohort D to provide more in-person education

In order to adjust to pandemic-age education, the College Board announced an unprecedented decision to stop offering their Scholastic Aptitude subject tests and the SAT essay portion. This will take effect immediately for students in the United States as of its January 19 announcement and will be implemented in June for international students. 

The SAT subject tests and the optional SAT essay were tests commonly taken by students in the past, making up an important set of standardized test scores in college applications. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant obstacle for test centers to safely administer tests. These difficult circumstances have caused many schools to cancel standardized testing, thus making test-taking schedules extremely unpredictable.

The College Board made this change to promote student wellness and adapt to pandemic-era admissions processes. They also disclosed that the change had already been underway before COVID-19 and that the pandemic simply accelerated it; however, the initial purpose of the change was still to reduce the academic demand of students.

PHS College Counselor Nipurna Shah believes that the pandemic test-taking environment is unnerving and that the cancellation of these tests would bring much-needed ease for students, aligning with the College Board’s intent. 

“There’ve been so many test centers that have canceled tests, and...when students sign up for a makeup [test], makeup tests are canceled. The uncertainty of [test-taking] ...is scary,” Shah said. 

While many students were unable to take their tests, those who took them found that test-taking had become increasingly strenuous during the pandemic. Test takers were required to follow strict safety protocols during the test, including wearing masks for the entire duration of the administered test and sitting at least 6 feet apart from all other students.

The removal of these tests will not only eliminate the current health risks students have to face but also change the way colleges assess student applicants in the long run. By eliminating two standardized tests, colleges will place more emphasis on other elements of an applicant’s profile.

Since fewer standardized test scores will be taken into consideration, Maggie Yin ’21 who took the subject tests last year, predicts a change in the mindsets of students applying to college.

“I feel like it would change the standard of how people apply to colleges and how people view themselves, [how they] compare to others when applying to colleges,” Yin said.

Shah also sees the trend of colleges taking a progressive view on the admissions process, one with less of a focus on testing.

“The colleges [will] really use more of a qualitative part of their application. So their writings for the different essays that are required, their activities section, [and] letters of recommendation  ...Those things are sort of weighed more heavily in the context of a college application than a test score would be weighed,” Shah said. 

Having activities and essays weighing more in applications would give students a unique opportunity to showcase their story using their voice, instead of simply comparing test scores. 

The removal of the SAT subject tests and essay portion will also open up a significant amount of time that students can allot to activities they are passionate about.
 
Ashley Tao ’22, who had planned on taking both tests, believes that the removal of SAT subject tests and the essay will allow students to focus on other academic responsibilities. In the meantime, she thinks this might increase pressure in a different regard.

“I [will] have more time to prepare for my APs...while [having] more stress [put] on me to have to get a higher grade at school and get a better score on APs...but the good thing is that I have [fewer] things I have to study for,” Tao said. 


College Board eliminates SAT essay and subject tests to promote student wellness


Steve Cochrane, Superintendent of the Princeton Public Schools, announced his intent to retire on February 24, to be effective on June 30, 2020. Cochrane has served the PPS community as superintendent for six years and has made major changes in the district through his work and vision.
	After graduating from Princeton University, Cochrane started a career in education. He has held countless positions in this field, such as a college administrator, elementary school teacher and principal, and middle school principal. However, he initially hesitated at the superintendency.
“All of that [education-related] work involved direct interaction with children and with teachers and with the joy of learning. [I was] concerned that [becoming superintendent] might take me away from that. So I wasn't seeking a superintendency when the opportunity [arose]. I wanted to be able to give back to the community that had given a great deal to me,” Cochrane said.
As superintendent, Cochrane has always been devoted to equity and student wellness. Two major changes that Cochrane implemented in his time as superintendent — the later start time for PHS and the shift to the bell schedules — were particularly progressive and intended to benefit student health. He has also encouraged racial literacy throughout his career.  
“Even when the state came in to do an audit a few weeks ago—which happens every three years in most districts — they went out of their way to tell us how remarkable it was that we focus on joy. And [that] whole vision and alignment has been driven by Superintendent Cochrane,” said Beth Behrend, President of the Board of Education. “He has led us to celebrate diversity as a strength, sharing a vision for equity and student wellbeing that has transformed and inspired our communities, within the schools and beyond. And he's changed the conversation on what we mean by student achievement in Princeton.” 
	The superintendency and efforts for change were not without their own challenges. However, Cochrane believes that these changes have been for the better. 
“[Because] Princeton has a wonderful reputation, … attempting to change something that's working fairly well isn’t always easy,” said Cochrane. “I think one of the biggest challenges [I’ve faced] has been making the shift from [seeking] perfection to [seeking] student wellness, stress reduction, and racial literacy.”
To make these changes and continue supporting his goals for PPS, Cochrane maintains consistent communication with PHS as well as the Board of Education. The BOE functions as a collective in working with the superintendent and will continue to work in the same manner with Cochrane’s successor.
 	Behrend believes that Cochrane has left behind a legacy of faithful and committed leadership for the district.
“Mr. Cochrane has provided steady and visionary leadership to the district over the past six years. And we are so grateful for his devoted service to our students and to our community,” said Behrend. “Even though change is hard, we should be hopeful and look at this as an opportunity for us to grow even further as a district.”
The Board is currently looking for a short-term superintendent who will help run the district while they seek a permanent replacement with a broader search for candidates and more community input. 
	Although the switch to a new superintendent may be challenging, Principal Jessica Baxter, is optimistic about the future of PPS.
	“Everybody who comes, [comes] with their own vision. So the new [superintendent] might not have the same vision as Cochrane,” said Baxter. “He's [been] someone who really cares about kids and about equitable access for all students and families. And I think even after he leaves, we will continue that work.”

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