This school year, Princeton Public Schools has implemented stricter guidelines on general financial practices. At PHS, the district placed an emphasis on addressing fiscal concerns related to extracurricular organizations such as clubs and community service organizations. Student have reported frustrations with the transition into the new system, citing concerns of unclear communication and complaints that students may need to pay fees out-of-pocket to continue their traditional activities, an expense many cannot afford.

Following the findings of the 2024–2025 PPS financial audit, Business Administrator Andrew Harris, who was appointed on July 1 of 2025, has been working with high school administrators and staff to implement the mid-year transition. As instructed by Harris, the audit team investigated and outlined financial concerns related to the Student Activity Fund, a financial account for use by student organizations. The details of the audit were presented to the public at the January 27 Board of Education meeting. 

Under the new procedure, clubs are required to receive prior approval for any purchases through the club fund using a district-regulated purchase order system. In the past, student club leaders bought from vendors directly and then sought reimbursement from their club fund afterward. Under the updated policy, the district will no longer permit reimbursements in most cases, as they will now make all purchases firsthand with vendors on behalf of students. 

Pride Unity Leadership Sisterhood Esteem club (PULSE) had planned this February to purchase items in bulk, such as baby bottles, clothes, and wipes to be donated to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit drive, but faced an accessibility issue due to the new requirements relating to vendor approval.
 
“We wanted to use our club fund, because over the [past] year, we [have] been holding [canning] and Fall Fest hot cocoa fundraiser[s] ... but we were told that we can’t go to Target and purchase these items by ourselves and [still] get reimbursed through receipts,” said Secretary of PULSE Emma Dweck ’27. “We have to submit a proposal that takes about a month or two to review, and this prevents us from carrying out events in a timely manner.” 

Additionally, as recommended by the audit, the Business Office now reviews the purpose for each purchase to monitor overspending and discourage unadvised financial practices. While the office is still finalizing exact criteria, they claim that they intend to end consistent, non-essential purchases.

In compliance with state legislation, the revised system ensures that nearly all external payments are paid by means of check, and that the transaction takes place with a vendor that has been approved by the district. If an essential item is needed from a vendor that lacks the necessary documentation, a system of district approved indirect purchasing can take place; in this system, an organization’s staff advisor serves as the approved vendor, purchasing the item and receiving reimbursement from the given activity fund of up to $250.

In addition to ensuring compliance with existing legislation, these reforms were also designed to address issues related to financial disorder within extracurricular organizations. Within the past few years, several student activity funds have slipped into financial deficits. The Business Office plans to handle the deficits on its own, though it could involve working together with the organizations.

 “I think it’s appropriate for the business office to handle [the deficit], because you don’t want to put an additional burden on the students that may or may not have been here when the account went negative,” said Harris. “I think it’s up to us to figure out what we [are] allowed to do within our domain to make those adjustments, to bring them back home again.”

Feeling the direct impacts, club representatives are calling out the faults of the new system, while acknowledging the necessity of its implementation.

“The recent tightening of spending regulations [has] been somewhat annoying for student leaders of clubs,” said Vice President of the Class of 2027 Noah Lee. “It’s [a] longer process [but] useful [if you] time it right.”

All of the interviewed administrators and staff agreed that they are trying to address flaws with the new system. 

 “Connect with your advisors and be patient as we work through this process, [and] know that our goal is to ensure that you continue to operate and to serve your mission, and at the same time abide by the accounting rules,” said PHS Principal Cecilla Birge. “We take these things for granted because it was done smoothly before, but now in the new system, we’re running into hurdles at many steps in the process, but we’re working through them … We’re determined to get it right.”

Despite new changes, certain PHS clubs are learning to navigate the new requirements. After the new district-regulated order system took place, the Prince Yearbook temporarily lost the ability to purchase food for their after-school meetings. However, upon following district policy and communication with Harris, they’ve received approval for future spending for meetings. 

“Especially as we’re getting closer and closer to the deadline, it’s more and more work for everybody,” said Prince Editor-in-Chief Gayathri Kilaru ’26. “When [the Prince members are] all here pretty late into the evenings on Wednesdays, food is often an incentive, but it’s also a way to boost everyone’s morale.”

In his first year as Princeton Public Schools Business Administrator, Harris reminded students that change is not always easy, but was needed in this case due to the financial concerns the district was having. 

“Change is hard, it’s suggesting a new process, it’s moving on from the old and trying to integrate the new. We all recognized that this was going to be a challenge especially to do mid-year … but we felt it was necessary, given the results of the audit, that we adopt these new procedures as quickly as possible … I don’t foresee any [more] significant changes that I think the students are going to feel the impact of moving forward,” said Harris.


Photo: Oscar Kim


From left to right: Jack Kastellec ’29 shares information about Quiz Bowl club to Max Joseffer ’29, Ben Wang ’29, Matthew Craig ’29, and Skye Pinneo ’26 at the PHS winter club fair.

PHS clubs adjust to new spending restrictions and regulations

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

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


Studio Band and Studio Vocals compete in the National Jazz Festival

PHS’s Spectacle Theatre brought a classic comedy to life this year with “Groundhog Day: The Musical” from March 13–15 in the Performing Arts Center. Based on the 1993 film of the same name, the musical follows Phil Connors, a weatherman who finds himself reliving Groundhog Day over and over again in the small town of Punxsutawney. Directed by drama teacher Julianna Krawiecki, the show highlighted the talents of the students involved through acting, music, dancing, and stage management.

“Last year, after we did “Beauty and the Beast,” I sat down and thought about what is a great contrast to this musical ... how do we make sure we give them a very different experience but do something that’s new and challenging and exciting, and “Groundhog Day” [is] very different from anything we’ve done,” said Krawiecki.

Bringing “Groundhog Day” to the stage required months of dedication from the cast, orchestra, and crew. With its fast-paced musical numbers, and intricate technical elements, the show posed unique challenges for everyone involved. From vocal rehearsals with PHS Choir Director
Vincent Metallo to going through scenes under the direction of Krawiecki, students in the cast and PHS Orchestra gave their all to perfect their performances while the tech crew spent hours building the set.

“Basically, as soon as the fall play was over ... we started
building the [set for the] musical because we knew that
it was going to be a huge undertaking. We’ve never done
a turntable before, so there was a lot that we wanted to
get figured out early. So we’ve been working on this [for]
eight to 10, 12, [or]14 weeks at this point,” said Jeffrey Van
Velsor, Set Designer and Technical Director for the show.

Being a member of the musical required dedication and
time management skills, as students spent a lot of time
after school rehearsing.

“The most challenging part [for me was] the amount of
time it [took]. Rehearsals [started] at 5:30 p.m. but they
often [went] past 8 p.m., and while it [was] a lot of fun, it
[could] be really time-consuming,” said cast member Ivy
Cordle ’27.

Music was a key element of the musical, with the orchestra
playing a central role. The PHS Orchestra rehearsed alongside the cast members, ensuring a seamless integration
of live music and performance that brought energy and
excitement to the show.

“Groundhog Day is a contemporary show. The genre
of the music is very upbeat pop [and] rock pop, so it’s [a]
very unique style, and that contemporary musical, more
modern musical, [brought] new challenges,” said Metallo.

PHS Orchestra, which provided a live soundtrack for the
show, faced the challenge of coordinating with the action
on stage as they were playing.

“There’s a lot of effort required ... to keep track of the
actors’ movements and lines. It’s hard to focus on just the
music when there are so many other things to consider,”
said Emily Leng ’27, a flautist in PHS Orchestra.

With months of hard work behind them, the cast, crew,
and orchestra delivered a performance that captivated
audiences over the three-night run. From the high-energy
musical numbers to the emotional character moments,
Groundhog Day was a testament to the dedication and
talent of PHS’s theater community.

Photo: Katherine Chen

Maxime DeVico ’27, Julia Scibienski ’27, Noa Zacks ’25, Sebastian Bongiovi ’25, Milania Kapoor ’27, Elena Barreto ’27, Judy Pwee ’27, Sanya Bhatt ’28, Sophie Mueller ’28, Daniel Spitkovsky ’27, Tara Venkatesh ’28, Sylven Waldman ’25, Ash Nieman ’26, and Anna Kaufman ’26 perform the number “Day One — Punxsutawney Phil” in “Groundhog Day.”

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