In an effort to ensure the passage of
the largest referendum Princeton Public
Schools has proposed in over two decades,
PPS officials have begun several initiatives
to share information with voters and
address any resulting concerns. These
include virtual forums, a website devoted
to the referendum, and in-person tours
of issues with school facilities.

The referendum is divided into three
parts called “questions.” The first part, with
an estimated cost of $37.9 million, would
fund improvements to the PHS HVAC
system and an expansion of Community
Park Elementary school. The second part,
with an estimated cost of $38.3 million,
which can only be approved if the first
part is passed, would cover expansions to
PHS and Princeton Middle School. The
final part, contingent on the passage of the
first two parts, would fund expansions to
Littlebrook Elementary School.

In total, the referendum — if passed —
would have an annual tax burden of $532
on the average Princeton home assessed
at $850,000. Thus, PPS officials have been
keen to explain the critical importance
of the referendum and consequences the
district would face if the referendum were
to fail. Business administrator Matthew
Bouldin highlighted the importance of
the referendum’s first section.

“If [question] one doesn’t pass, it’s
definitely going to be an issue. We’re going
to have to really look at our programs and
possibly have to do redistricting more
often,” said Bouldin. “If it’s overcrowded
at one [elementary] school, we would have
to make shifts, and it’s really disruptive
and difficult to do that.”

Kathie Foster, PPS’s Interim
Superintendent, elaborated on the
consequences PPS would face if the overall
referendum were to fail, including larger
class sizes, overcrowded schools, and
reduced programming.

“We would need to repurpose existing
spaces for regular classrooms, making it
harder to provide all the programming
we believe is important in key areas, such
as art and science. [Further], modular
classrooms, or trailers, may be needed,
straining the operating budget,” Foster
wrote in an email to The Tower.

PPS teacher and union leader Renee
Szporn noted that in some instances, the
challenges Foster warns of are already
being faced by teachers.

“In our seventh and eighth period class,
we have 24 to 25 students and we can’t fit
those kids in that room. It is tight, and it
impacts teaching,” said Szporn. “It’s very
difficult to do cooperative teaching.”

However, Szporn believes that the
frequent use of referendums is not the best
way to solve long term district issues. Last
year, the Princeton community passed a
$13 million bond referendum for security
and major maintenance upgrades. Moreover, a referendum in December
2018 helped fund security vestibules at
the middle and elementary schools, as
well as HVAC upgrades.

“I think you always have to plan for
growth ... you just can’t keep asking the
taxpayers to keep paying for things.” said
Szporn. “I think taxpayers are tired. And
I think to keep asking and drawing from
the same well is a little tough.”

To address community concerns
and highlight necessary improvements
to the district buildings, elementary,
middle, and high school tours will be
offered through December and January.
In a December 8 tour to community
members, PHS Principal Cecilia Birge
emphasized the importance of updating
the school’s HVAC, which is the oldest in
the district. Birge also cited the school’s
increasing population as a reason to
support the referendum, which at around
1500 students sits well above the 1200
she believes the school can perfectly
accommodate. PPS officials have also
sought to inform community members
about the importance of the referendum
through more accessible methods.

“We have written letters to the editor
of all local publications explaining the
facilities referendum questions and
offering opportunities to learn more
about our plans,” said Foster. “Members
of the public who attend events at the
schools, such as the fall plays and concerts
at [PHS] and [PMS], will hear brief
announcements about the… referendum
and how to learn more.”

 Beyond advertising the referendum,
PPS officials are also arguing that even
Princeton voters without children in the
district, who, as taxpayers, should also
vote in the district referendum.

“The property values of homes are
definitely related to the quality of the
schools. In that sense, somewhat directly,
people that own properties in Princeton
benefit from the improvement of schools
overall,” said Bouldin.

Foster believes that given the many
efforts of the PPS administration in
promoting the referendum, Princeton
voters will vote to approve it.

“We feel confident that if we effectively
make the case for the referendum,
community members will see that they
are sensible, cost-effective investments in
sustaining the quality of the education we
provide and the experience our students
enjoy,” said Foster.

PPS officials push 2025 referendum approval

### StuCocoa day

*January 9, 2025 at Tiger Time*

A long day at school can wear down
even the toughest of students. On
January 9 at Tiger Time, you can stop
by at the main intersection for a sweet
pick-me-up! At Student Coucil’s annual
StuCocao fundraiser for PHS’s spring
events, you can buy a delicious cup of
hot chocolate for only $1 each! You can
also add marshmallows and whipped
cream to level up the perfect, limited-edition after-school comfort drink.

### A Cappella Night

*January 10, 2025*

Like singing, harmonies, and catchy
tunes? Attend A Cappella Night
hosted by the Princeton Student
Board on January 10 in the Princeton
Public Library! Featuring a handful
of PHS a cappella groups including
Around 8, Cat’s Meow, and Cloud
Nine, the musical event will leave you
saying “encore!”

### PHS building tours

*January 15 6:15 p.m., January 24 5:30 p.m., January 26 10:00 a.m.*

In one month, Princeton voters will
vote on a $90 million referendum that
would support renovations at PHS.
These tours might be your last chance
to get a sneak-peak at all PHS’s quirks,
including a 20 year old HVAC system!
You will also have the chance to ask Ms.
Birge any of your burning questions
on our heating, air conditioning, and
modular classrooms.

### Planetary alignment

*January 18, 2025*

Join the six planets in a once-in-100-
year event that will dazzle both the
eye and the night sky! On January 18,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
and Neptune will look as if they’re
gathered in a small area, appearing
like a bright cluster across the night
sky. Visible anywhere in the Northern
Hemisphere, this celestial gathering
is not something Princeton residents
would want to miss. 

### Big Band Dance

*January 31, 2025 at 7 p.m.–10 p.m.*

Do you feel like dancing when you
hear jazz? Unleash your funk at the Big
Band Dance in the PHS Cafeteria on
January 31. Under bright disco lights,
Studio Band and Jazz Ensemble will
play popular jazz tunes that will get
your feet moving. Bring a friend, your
favorite dancing shoes, and be ready for
a night of nonstop, swinging fun!

January 2025: Save the dates

In April 1988, Margaret McIntyre, a citizen of Westerville,
Ohio, was handed a $100 fine for distributing a leaflet that
opposed a local school tax. The small fine, equivalent to
around $250 today, was appealed, unappealed, and nearly
seven years later made it all the way up to the Supreme
Court. The reason for the controversy wasn’t the amount
of the fine, or what the leaflet said. It was simply that the
opinion expressed on the leaflet distributed by McIntyre was
anonymous. In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court struck
down the fine, and in its ruling decreed that “anonymity
... exemplifies the purpose behind the First Amendment in
particular: to protect unpopular individuals from
retaliation ... at the hand of an intolerant society.”

The decision was written in 1995, well before
the rise of social media. In the 25 years that have
elapsed since, there have been many attempts
to ban our right to anonymity — especially
online. In 2021, a proposal seeking to require
IDs on social media platforms received nearly
700,000 signatures in the UK, making it the
fourth largest petition in the past five years to
be debated in the United Kingdom Parliament.
In the Republican primary last year, former
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
Nikki Haley referred to anonymous
accounts on social media as “a national
security threat.”

The petition, a response to
anonymous accounts involved in
cyberbullying, expresses a common
belief: that banning anonymity on
social media, for example by requiring people to verify themselves with an ID, would lead to a more
civil, less misinformed internet. And in theory, it makes
sense — according to Pew Research, almost 60 percent of
teens have experienced abuse online, often at the hands of
a user with a mysterious pseudonym.

But while it’s possible that the amount of cyberbullying
from anonymous accounts would be slightly reduced if
anonymity were banned, cyberbullying as a whole would
remain. In 2015, a research study published by Dr. Emily
Nagel and Dr. Jonathan Frith showed that many accounts
that spread misinformation and cyberbullying are not
anonymous. This is why BBC journalist Hussein
Kesvani noted that even on sites like Parler,
where users have to prove their identity with
documentation, there are high levels of abuse.
And every act of cyberbullying that does
still occur would be much more dangerous.
Anyone with internet access, armed with
just the knowledge of a person’s real name,
can determine that person’s address, place of
work, and other personal details.

Furthermore, out of fear of stalking and
more intense cyberbullying, the posting
of controversial beliefs or ideas would
be virtually impossible without the
right to anonymity. Thus a ban on
online anonymity would spell the end
to a free internet that, while flawed,
continues to provide invaluable
benefits to society. Every year,
anonymous internet forums allow
millions of people to seek medical advice, answer sensitive questions, and have important
conversations. To minorities and other at-risk groups, online
support can mean the difference between life and death.
After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 and abortion
became banned for women in 13 states, many anonymous
Reddit and Facebook accounts provided transportation and
housing resources for women seeking to have an abortion.

Internet anonymity, through ensuring free speech, has
also given regular people the confidence and ability to join
movements such as #MeToo, which exposed cases of sexual
harassment among high profile celebrities. Forcing users to
disclose their identity would silence calls for justice, as victims
would fear for their job security, social reputation, or safety. 

In authoritarian regimes, the risks of a global platform
like Twitter or Instagram cracking down on the use of
pseudonyms or other tactics that create anonymity would
be even more severe. While whistleblowers and dissidents
in democracies like the United States have avenues of
expression aside from social media, in many autocracies,
anonymous posts on social media are a powerful form of
protest and dissent.

Finally, in less extreme daily situations, internet anonymity
is also important in allowing people to express their true
selves. A study published in the Journal of Social Issues
showed that when shielded by anonymity, people are more
honest and thus “more likely to form close relationships with
people they met on the Internet.”

Online anonymity is central to so many of the rights we
should all be able to enjoy — freedom of speech, freedom
of the press, privacy, and self expression. It’s time that tech
companies, governments, and angry internet users should
start to treat it that way.

You have a right to remain anonymous

Aaron Sam Blanchard, known as Coach Blanchard to the
PHS fencing team, died at age 56 on December 2, 2024 at
the RWJ University Hospital. He was surrounded by his
wife and three daughters, one of whom is a PHS graduate.
Blanchard was born in Salem, Oregon and grew up in
the nearby town of Independence. While studying at the
University of Oregon in 1987, Blanchard discovered his
passion for fencing. In 1995, Blanchard began fencing foil
competitively, eventually achieving A rank, the highest
rating possible.

Blanchard relocated to Princeton with his wife in 2000. He
soon joined Princeton YMCA’s fencing program to coach
multiple classes. When the YMCA shut down the program
in 2023 after the pandemic, Blanchard continued to teach
his students at his own club, Princeton Interscholastic
Fencing. In addition to teaching year-long fencing courses
at all levels, Blanchard also started fencing programs at
local elementary and middle schools, including Princeton
Charter School. From 2018, Banchard was also a coach at
the Bucks County Academy of Fencing.

Blanchard joined the PHS community in 2012, when
he was hired as the assistant coach for the fencing team.
In his time at PHS, he led the team to success at the state
level, bringing home individual and team awards. Many
remember Blanchard as a highly passionate and creative
coach, devising his own system of warmups with unique
names. Rebecca Zhang ’26, the captain of the girls foil
squad, expressed gratitude for Blanchard’s contributions
to the Princeton fencing community.

“I’ve trained with Coach Blanchard ever since sixth grade.
He was a great role model ... he never once complained
about my mistakes or my irresponsibilities, but instead he
took his time to teach me what it meant to be a mentally
stronger, a more responsible fencer and a better person,”
said Zhang.

In addition to fencing, Blanchard had a passion
for drawing cartoons and comics. He enjoyed comics
since childhood, and worked as a comic artist under
the pseudonym of “Shlepzig,” amassing many fans and
becoming a regular at several comic cons. Blanchard’s
family said that at the time of his passing, Blanchard still
had much he planned and hoped to experience.

“There was so much Sam had hoped to still do in life — he
planned myriad comics, many more fencing classes, after
school fencing clubs, adventures in grandparenthood, and
countless future endeavors,” his family wrote.

Anita Ndubisi ’26, echoing Zhang’s sentiments, reflected
on the entire team’s gratitude for the contributions
Blanchard made to the team in his 11 years as a coach.

“Coach Blanchard was more than just a coach to us — he
was a true mentor and friend. He gave so much, including
providing us with fencing equipment, all because he wanted
us to enjoy the sport,” said Ndubisi. “Every member of our
team would agree that Coach Blanchard was a great coach,
and we are all thankful for everything he did for us.”

PHS fencing coach Sam Blanchard dies at 56

In the United States, endurance is a virtue valued above
all else. It’s a foundation of the American dream, the belief
that through determination anyone can achieve anything.
And while not a bad ideal by itself, somehow society has
also accepted that the opposite is true — that
quitting guarantees failure.


As high school students, we are often the most
susceptible to this way of thinking. We’ve all stuck
with things we hated for years simply because of
the faults associated with being a quitter.


However, quitting — especially in high
school — is sometimes the best course of action,
contrary to the sign of laziness or emotional weakness that
it’s stereotypically believed to be.


In order to improve in anything, one first has to accept
that the current state of things is not perfect — that it can be
improved upon. This principle seems so obvious in school
or sports. We go to school and learn because we know that
our current understanding of the world isn’t perfect. We
exercise because the current state of our body isn’t perfect.


Somehow, when it comes to deciding what we spend time
on, we don’t acknowledge imperfection or have any desire
to improve. This isn’t about trivial things like watching
movies or scrolling online — this is about the activities we
put effort and focus into, day after day. All too
often, we endure activities that we don’t enjoy or
don’t improve in simply out of habit.


In being more open to quitting things, we are
acknowledging that the way we spend our time
can be improved. In an article for The New York
Times, MIT professor Sendhil Mullainathan
wrote that “experimentation is an act of humility,
an acknowledgment that there is simply no way of knowing
without trying something different.”


Though the act of quitting is a risk, and therefore admittedly
scary, it’s usually the only way to experiment with figuring
out how to spend our time. And as high school students, it’s
ridiculous to think that we have it all figured out.


In addition to this fear comes the psychological
phenomenon known as the sunk-cost fallacy. The fallacy
(so called because it’s completely illogical)
describes an all too common action that
people take: continuing with something
pointless or unpleasant simply because of past
investment in the activity. Although
you shouldn’t give up after every little
hiccup, if something is consistently
unrewarding, perhaps it’s best to move
on and experiment with a different
activity.


Quitting shouldn’t immediately
be thought of negatively, or as a
sign of defeat. It’s not permanent.
Though it is a change, it can also
provide some distance and a
space for reflection. It allows us to
compare how we feel both with and
without a given activity in our life.
It’s never too late to try new things,
but it’s also never too late to quit.

We should embrace quitting

The campus of Westminster Choir College, which sits
adjacent to PHS, is set to be acquired by the Princeton
Town Council following the passage of a $50 million
bond ordinance. The status of the property, which is
currently owned by Rider University, had been uncertain
ever since the university decided to move its well-known
music program from Princeton to their Lawrenceville
campus. The only active organization that remains on the
Princeton campus is the Westminster Conservatory of
Music, which offers music lessons and other programs to
local residents; the remaining 28 acres are largely unused.

In 2018, a Chinese company attempted to purchase the
property, but the deal fell through. According to Princeton
mayor Mark Freda, the town is acquiring the property
in part to prevent the property from being purchased by
similar large developers.

“I don’t think there’s very many people that live in
town that would like to suddenly see 1000 housing units
on that property. I think people hope that there’s some
way to maintain some of what’s there — it’s a beautiful
property,” said Freda.

Because of the campus’s proximity to PHS and Princeton
Middle School, Freda and other town officials also
hope that the property could be used by the Board of
Education in future expansion efforts. However, all plans
are tentative, and the town has not yet had an official
meeting with the full BOE.

“The schools need to determine how they use it,” said
Freda. “Do you put another school there? Do you close
part of Franklin Avenue and put an addition on the middle
school? Do you need more fields?”

The current $50 million ordinance only covers the
acquisition of the property and minor repairs to the
buildings. Any significant capital improvements would
require additional funding from the BOE’s budget. Even
still, the current bond puts an estimated $329 annual tax
burden, over 30 years, on the average Princeton household.
To help lower this cost, the town is planning on potentially
renting out the space to local organizations.

While Freda said that he has not personally heard any
resistance to the plans, he understands that the purchase
could jeopardize the only existing program on site —
Westminster Conservatory. Dr. Ruth Ochs, the current
director of the Westminster Conservatory’s community
orchestra, believes that special care must be taken to
ensure the institution can continue in Princeton.

“The Westminster conservatory is the strongest and
largest musical asset that the Princeton community owns,”
said Ochs. “It is a unique and special opportunity for
accomplished individuals from different backgrounds
[and] generations to come together and unite and learn
from each other.”

The curriculum development and programming
has become challenging due to lack of clarity of the
convseratory’s future, even in the near term, according to
Ochs. She also described the uncertainty that conservatory
faculty have felt because of unclear messaging from the
various parties involved in the acquisition process.

“We have no idea what comes on January 1,” said Ochs.
“We’re hoping that things will just continue through the
end of the year. Beyond that, it’s quite hard to imagine.”

In the long term, Ochs hopes that the conservatory
could potentially partner with existing arts organizations.

“I would hope, if there comes a point when — and this
is 100 percent hypothetical — that if the Westminster
Conservatory somehow needed to find independent
partnership that there are arts organizations in the area
that we might find fruitful partnership with,” said Ochs.

Rider University has said that the
Conservatory will continue to operate
through the end of this academic year.
Beyond that, however, plans are still
uncertain, according to Kristine Brown,
Rider University’s Vice President of
External Affairs.

“The municipality has recognized the
value of the Westminster Conservatory
for the community, and at this time, we
expect the Conservatory will continue to
operate in Princeton through June 2025,”
said Brown. “As the municipality’s process
to acquire the property continues, and any
future decisions regarding operations on
that property are made, we will certainly
keep the community informed as we go
forward.”

Even if the Conservatory stays under
the administration of Rider University,
Ochs has expressed concerns regarding
the business-focused approach the
university has to the music education the
Conservatory offers. The Conservatory is
ostensibly a non-profit, according to Ochs,
which doesn’t align with the way Rider
University views the program.

“There’s a very fundamental conflict at
play ... it’s business versus the cultivation
and the teaching of music, which is in
itself, not a sustainable endeavor,” said
Ochs. “I would love Rider University to
find a way to continue the relationship
with the Conservatory because I really
like continuing to have a relationship with
Westminster Choir College.”

Robert Loughran, the director of the
PHS orchestra program, believes that if
the deal goes through and Rider University
sells the conservatory, the conservatory
could potentially return to its old level
of activity.

“It would be great to see it return to its
vibrancy,” said Loughran. “[The orchestra
performs] there every spring, so I’m all for
[the purchase].”

One of the major barriers to the
acquisition of the land remains the
outstanding legal challenges between
Rider and the Princeton Theological
Seminary. Because the trust that initially
founded Westminster Choir College in the
1930s stipulates that the property must be
used “for the purpose of training ministers
of music for Evangelical churches,” a group
of Westminster Choir College affiliates
are contending that the town cannot use
the land for recreation or building public
schools.

However, the town is planning on
fighting this lawsuit through the concept
known as eminent domain — the power
the government has to seize private
land and convert it for public use. This
power, historically used to facilitate
transportation and create public buildings,
is being considered in this case to facilitate
the potential expansion of the public
schools.

“We assume that the legal hurdles will
be resolved which will allow us to move
forward. But you know, while we’re pretty
confident of that, nothing’s for certain until
it happens,” said Freda.

Princeton Town Council to purchase Westminster campus

In past years, both the Black
History Month and Hispanic
Heritage Month assemblies
followed a special bell schedule:
on a given day, one club would
give two distinct 75 minute
performances separated by an
approximately 30 minute break
in between.

This year, PHS Principal
Cecilia Birge proposes to have
the celebrations occur during
homeroom in a shorter, hybrid
format, during Tiger Time, or
after school like the annual Asian
Fest. These modifications were
requested by many teachers,
as student performers were
missing a significant amount
of class times for rehearsals
and an additional two-thirds of
school-time instruction on the
assembly day; Birge cited loss of
instructional time as the main
justification for the change
“We want our students to
thrive culturally. We also want
them to learn academically.
When a student is celebrating
their heritage on the stage while
carrying 60 absences in a class,
then we’re not doing our job
right,” said Birge.

Birge proposed these changes
before the summer, reaching
out to the advisors of Hispanic
Heritage Month, Latinos Unidos,
and Black Students Union
to receive their input on the
proposed shifts in assembly
structure.

“The [advisors] expressed that
they understand where we’re
[coming] from,” said Birge.
However, many students are
displeased with the modifications,
including Osbaldo Morales ’25,
a student leader of Latinos
Unidos. The changes mean that
only half of PHS will see the
assembly in person (the other
half on Zoom), which Morales
feels would diminish the impact
of the assembly in highlighting
the culture of underrepresented
students.

“With this going on, I just feel
not heard,” said Morales. “[PHS]
is a predominantly white school.
[The assembly is] a way to show
that [we Latinos] are here. There’s
a lot of us, right, that are in this
school, and [people] don’t know
that we’re here.”

Lena Hamilton ’25, the president
of Pride, Unity, Leadership,
Sisterhood, and Esteem club
(PULSE) is also protesting the
change. The club, which aims
to “promote a safe space for
women of color to excel in our
community,” had previously been
a leader in the Black History
Month Assembly. Hamilton fears
that, if the assembly is moved
after school, fewer people would
attend, resulting in less chance
to foster understanding between
different groups within the PHS
community.

“Assemblies like these foster
communication and open
dialogue across students who
wouldn’t normally talk to each
other”, said Hamilton. “Last year,
after the assembly, I had a lot of
people coming up to me who I
didn’t even know, going, ‘Wow,
that assembly was so good!"

Birge stated that, despite
positive reactions from students
and community members,
cultural assemblies have not
addressed fundamental issues or
created long term change.

“To me, the message is that
the students are feeling good
about the celebration only ... but
then in other aspects students
are not feeling included, and we
must address that ... one day of
celebration [is] not addressing
the issue in a fundamental
manner,” said Birge.

Moreover, additional cultural
clubs have requested their own
celebrations, including the
Muslim Student Union and
several South Asian culture clubs.
In Birge’s view, maintaining past
years’ special assembly schedules
while also creating space for new
assembly requests can make it
difficult for teachers to fully cover
the curriculum.

“[PHS’s schedule has]
extremely limited time [and a]
very rigid school structure by
default at the state level. [We have
to consider] the availability of
[the] PAC as well as the amount
of time required to put up a
really fabulous show like that,”
said Birge. “We want to keep
that highlight for our students.
We want them to walk away
at graduation [and] say, ‘I did
something,’ but we can still do
that in 60 minutes.”

In order to reach a solution,
Birge has asked student leaders to
send a proposal for an assembly
that would address some of the
administration’s concerns.
Hamilton is currently drafting
the Black History Month assembly
proposal along with other leaders
to address the administration’s
concerns.

“We’re making a proposal to
send to Mrs. Birge on how we
would do [the assembly] and
make sure it’s as educational as
possible,” said Hamilton. “I’m
very hopeful that we’ll have a clear
solution to this before February,
so that we can have our assembly,
because I think a lot of people
recognize how important these
assemblies are in promoting
diversity and inclusion within
our school.”

PHS Social Worker for Wellness
and PULSE advisor Bethany
Siddiqu is confident that this
year assembly leaders can address
some of the administration’s
concerns about students skipping
the assemblies as a means to cut
school.

“Mrs. Birge was not pleased
with some of the attendance
issues related to the assembly,
which I think can be resolved
this year in a similar format as
we’ve done with the club fair,
and now even our evacuation
drills,” said Siddiqu. “We can
utilize the scanning system to
scan in students to verify their
attendance.”

Siddiqu believes that with these
issues resolved, Birge will approve
an in-person Black History
Month assembly.

“I think that Ms. Birge was
really receptive to the students
advocating to have an assembly.
I think she wants to see the
students step up in an organized
way to let her know what [they]
want to do, what the mission
is, what the layout and the
format and all that kind of stuff
is going to be, which is totally
understandable,” said Siddiqu.

Will Ponder ’25, leader of
the Multicultural Student
Achievement Network (MSAN),
is similarly confident that the
Black History Month can work
in a shorter time frame, and said
that the administration has been
receptive to possible changes.

“I think a compromise can
occur. Since there is a Tiger
Time every week on Thursday,
it is definitely an option to
incorporate some sort of a
cultural assembly within one of
those days during this year,” said
Ponder.

Siddiqu also emphasized how
impressed she is with the student
leaders who have worked to
reach a compromise with the
administration, while at the same
time not refraining from their
ultimate goal.

“I’m just really proud of the
students that are voicing their
opinions about something,”
said Siddiqu. “It can be really
scary to have a meeting with
your principal or to challenge
authority in any type of way,
but I think that the student
leaders of MSAN, PULSE and
Latinos Unidos have been really
professional, and I’m just really
proud of them."

Assembly format changes spark spirited student response

At PHS, there are dozens of student-run nonprofits:
StemRoots, PHS Building Bridges, Music Mentoring,
PHS Novae, the Aligned Minds Foundation, etc. This
list represents just a fraction of the nonprofits I saw from
scanning my Outlook inbox over the past 24 hours.

However, these organizations must unfortunately
contend with endless criticism
from their skeptical peers,
nonprofit professionals, and
dozens of online articles.
One article by The Harvard
Crimson bears a title with
a simple instruction for
students: “Stop Making Your
Own Nonprofit.”

The article, like many
other critiques of studentrun nonprofits, argues that
instead of starting their own
nonprofits, students should
instead join existing charitable
organizations. It’s indeed
feasible that in the short term,
building on existing structures
might produce greater net
benefits — for example, by avoiding the logistical costs
that come with running new charitable organizations.
However, importantly, these critiques ignore the
powerful long term impact that student-run nonprofits
have in shaping a charitable community.

PHS students know from first hand experience that
when students begin to create nonprofit organizations,
one of their primary motivations is undoubtedly college
admissions or other personal benefits — such as earning
business experience or demonstrating leadership.

However, despite sometimes selfish beginnings,
through their journey in founding and running a
nonprofit, students eventually gain immense knowledge
about the issue they seek to
address often far more than
if they were to volunteer for
an existing organization. By
navigating the complexities
of fundraising and rallying,
students also learn about how
a nonprofit is structured, and
(hopefully) how to create
change.

A nonprofit founder is
also more likely to engage
peers in their work than if
they were to simply recount
their experiences working
for an established, more
professional organization.
For example, PHS Novae,
a nonprofit founded by two
PHS students to support cancer patients, is able to engage
around 25 people in their weekly meetings.

It would of course be ridiculous to argue that the
nonprofits run by high school students are what will save
humanity. But in the long term, the charitable culture
that they develop might. That’s why it’s important to
engage young people in philanthropy now, so that a
habit of doing good can be cultivated and extended into
adulthood. In 20 years, a current PHS student may have
left behind their high school nonprofit, but the effort
they made to submerge themselves in philanthropy will
undoubtedly stay with them for a long time.

Moreover, if critics continue to discourage high school
students from starting their own nonprofits, they might
not only reduce, but eradicate this culture of charity
completely. Given students’ self-motivated ambition, it’s
unlikely that in the face of continued opposition students
will simply settle on joining existing organizations.
Instead, they will transition to starting other, much more
self-serving, business oriented organizations to gain the
experience they need. As opposed to organizations that,
say, provide music tutoring to underprivileged youth,
organizations that simply charge for music lessons will
spring up.

Rather than writing off student nonprofits as trivial, we
should help to support them, and the students that run
them, in any way we can. By simply providing positive
encouragement to the founders, or mentoring them, or
even helping them reach their mission, we will create a
positive culture that encourages charity and long term
change.

In defense of student-run nonprofits

At the Club Fair this October, we will be bombarded with hundreds of different clubs to join. Our parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and fellow students will tell us that the way to make ourselves more interesting is to join the perfect variety of these clubs, sports, and community service
programs.

This process is deceptively complicated. Of course, we can’t spend all day playing soccer or studying chemistry. That would be too narrow-minded, not well-rounded enough. However, if we join too many activities — a sport, a couple clubs, and volunteering — that’s also not good enough. In that case, our efforts are said to lack focus and direction, and come off as half-hearted.

To “help” us navigate this process, incredibly prescriptive geometric analogies, like “spikey” or “T shaped,” have been developed. Ingenius Prep, a college admissions support group, has articles with titles as ridiculous as “Well-Rounded vs Pointed Students: Is It Better to be Egg-Shaped?”

Clichés are surprisingly accurate in describing the dilemma between doing too much and doing too little. There’s the classic saying of being a “jack of all trades”, which was intended as a compliment until it was combined with “... and master of none” in the late 1700s. Well-rounded people can both be praised as one “who wears many hats” and criticized for being “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

When well-roundedness is defined in this way — solely by the assortment of someone’s interests — the results are horribly superficial. A scientist who enjoys music is considered perfectly well rounded and interesting, but if they join a couple too many activities they are suddenly scattered. Actors who spend most of their time on the stage are shallow, even if the way that they approach their acting varies widely from play to play.

To achieve a more nuanced picture, we should adjust the standards of well-roundedness. Instead of a reflection of the types of activities we do, a true measure of sophistication would be a reflection of the way in which we approach them.

There is little point in forcing someone who naturally enjoys something to spend less time on their passion and join activities they don’t care for as much. Of course, entering new kinds of activities sometimes leads to exploration and self-discovery, but that can just as easily be done in one discipline as in many. Even by only focusing on music, a student at PHS could develop teamwork and leadership in band or orchestra, could use their creativity in discovering their personal interpretation, and could volunteer mentoring younger musicians.

> There is little point in forcing someone who naturally enjoys something to spend less time on their passion.

Moreover, a student who does many things isn’t necessarily developing unique perspectives. They could simply approach two different things they do in a very similar way. It’s certainly easier for high schoolers to let themselves be defined with labels such as “STEM” and “humanities.” It’s not complicated for ourselves, and easy for others to understand. But reframing “wellrounded” from a focus on a variety of activities we do to an emphasis on how we pursue them will release the pressure we feel to find some arbitrary “perfect” combination.

The pursuit of roundness

### Mara Franceschi

> "I want everybody to find the joy in learning."

Mara Franceschi, the race’s only
incumbent, hopes to continue her
work to ensure all students can
reach their fullest potential
in public education.

After receiving an MBA from Columbia, Franceschi has worked in finance for ten years. A mother of three with two children at PHS, she has been actively involved in the schools and town since her move to Princeton 14 years ago.

“In the last 14 years ... I’ve been deeply involved with the school ... I was the treasurer and president of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at Johnson Park and then [the PTO Committee]. I’ve also been [an] assistant treasurer at the library,” Franceschi said.

Franceschi plans to utilize her BOE experience to best support quality education in the school district.

“I do think that it’s important to maintain some of the institutional knowledge and experience [of the Board]. I was surprised at how much there was to learn [after being elected], even though I spent a decade before that really involved with the schools ... It’s quite different from just other nonprofit-kind of board experiences,” Franceschi said.

Franceschi emphasized her focus on the district’s budget. She aims to collaborate with other board members to ensure the district remains financially sound, particularly as the student population continues to grow.

“It’s a very difficult fiscal environment with the inflation rate and … costs that have just been going
through the roof,” Franceschi said.

Franceschi feels her mission, along with the rest of the BOE, is to solve these financial challenges so students and educators are able to focus more on education.

“My overarching reason for joining the board is that I am passionate about public school and public school education for all children, making sure that every child reaches their full potential ... It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon. And I want everybody to find joy in learning,” Franceschi said.

### Ari Meisel

> "There needs to be more opportunities... for people to connect."

Ari Meisel is a business coach and active member of many organizations in Princeton, including the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, the PMS PTO, and the Princeton Jewish Center. After graduating from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Meisel worked in construction, but after a diagnosis with Crohn’s disease, he was forced to develop a new
living philosophy; he has since made these ideas the foundation of his own consulting agency.

“I did a TEDx talk on the entire experience [with Crohn’s disease], and I’ve replicated my results with a whole bunch of other people … Over the last 12 years, I’ve spoken on stages all over the world, consulted hundreds of different companies and individuals ... and published 12 books,” Meisel said.

Meisel hopes to use his experience in the corporate and nonprofit world to address operational inefficiencies in the district.

“[In PPS] there are a lot of staff who are under-resourced, [such as] guidance counselors [with] a 125 student caseload each,” said Meisel. “That’s a New Jersey standard, sure, but there are ways that
we could be supporting that with free tools and systems, processes that aren’t necessarily in place,”

Meisel emphasized the value of transparency, especially following the dismissal of PHS principal Frank Chmiel and the resignation of superintendent Carol Kelly. He hopes that making the BOE more accessible to community members will help mend a purported lack of trust in the board.

“One of the things I’ve tried to propose to the board is social media. The board doesn’t use
it, and the board should. We have a public meeting once a month, [but] not everybody can do that. There needs to be more opportunities ... for people to connect,” said Meisel. “We need to be in a situation where the community trusts the board ... and [their] decisions.”

### Lisa Potter

> "I believe that my background being an Asian is a strength."

After immigrating from Taiwan, Lisa Potter received an MBA from NYU Stern and a master’s in Human Resources from Cornell and has since gained experience in human resources and operations. A mother of two with a junior currently at PHS, she has been involved with the Princeton Chinese Language School and the PHS Football and Cheerleading Booster Club since her move to Princeton 15 years ago.

“I believe that my background being Asian is a strength — Princeton itself is close to 20 percent Asian, and, to date, there has not been a board member who is Asian-American. I do believe in being an inspiration, hopefully, [and] a role model,” Potter said.

The dismissal of former PHS principal Frank Chmiel initially drove Potter to join the board. Potter believes that her background in human resources would still be invaluable in helping fill other vacancies moving forward, including the position of superintendent. Potter feels that careful planning during the hiring process can help solve some of the retention issues the district faces. She added that developing a sense of security among staff will allow them to voice their opinions and create a better learning environment for teachers and students alike.

She aims to be a candidate who has the humility to recognize such complexity and collaborate with all stakeholders to find the best solutions for Princeton’s students and schools.

“I would encourage the voters to vote holistically ... Having that spectrum [of Board members] because they’re going to bring a slightly different perspective and opinion [is] just going to make our decision making so much more holistic,” Potter said.

### Chris Santarpio

> "I'm very active in the PTO at Community Park Elementary."

Christopher Santarpio is the co-chair of the Community Park PTO. Santarpio received an MBA from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Villanova University. He moved with his husband from Cherry Hill to Princeton in 2020 after enrolling his son in kindergarten at Community Park and quickly became involved with the school.

“I’m very active in the PTO at Community Park Elementary,” said Santarpio. “I started out as a room parent, then organized events such as ‘Steam Day’ for the entire school … where the students go [to different rooms] to have a 15–20 minute conversation or presentation [with groups like] the Princeton [University] robotics club and the rocket club.”

As an experienced PTO co-chair, Santarpio understands PPS’s slate of challenges and opportunities. To address these issues, he plans to implement a greater degree of collaboration with outside organizations like Sustainable Princeton.

“Princeton is such an amazing, special town [with] a wealth of organizations that are willing and want to help out,” said Santarpio. “I think a lot of the challenges that the school district faces can tap into [them] for additional help and support.”

As a parent, Santarpio has experienced communications issues firsthand. He plans to use his experience in supply chain operations to bridge communication gaps and ensure the district is running smoothly.

“I think an idea could be … to create a liaison between the district and [its] third party service providers, and that includes after school with the YWCA or the food services or any other outside vendors,” Santarpio said.

However, before putting his plans in action, as a new board member, he wishes to first understand how the board currently operates.

“I think the first thing, if elected, is just [to] observe [the] proven method that [the Board has] found success in … and identify those gaps [in the method] and improve them. And then that’s when we could tap into the local organizations to see if they could [provide] that knowledge base [not] already in the district,” Santarpio said. 

### Erica Snyder

> "It's really important that you find someone who... has a clear vision."

Director of Cherry Hill Nursery School and co-chair of Community Park Elementary’s PTO, Erica Snyder is another first-time candidate for BOE. Snyder holds a bachelor’s degree in education from DePaul University, a master’s in education technology from East Carolina University, as well as a Certificate in eLearning from Texas A&M University. Having frequently moved due to her husband’s army deployment, she wishes to utilize her experience teaching and working with administrators in multiple districts to help Princeton face its current challenges.

One of Snyder’s main focuses is the search for a new permanent superintendent to replace Dr. Kathleen Foster, who has been interim superintendent since October 2023.

“I think it’s really important that you find someone who wants to stay in the district and has a really clear vision on how to make changes and unite the district from pre-K all the way through 12[th grade],” Snyder said.

Additionally, Snyder plans to address a purported communication gap between the district and parents, particularly by making information about the PPS curriculum more available and facilitating contact between parents and relevant district officials.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to really understand [the] scope and sequence of … the middle school to high school pathway,” Snyder said.

Snyder plans to better support students with knowledge gaps that put them below grade level, particularly black and brown students. She would work to create alternative post-secondary pathways to success for students whose plans do not immediately involve college.

### Shenwei Zhao

> "I really want to hear from students."

Shenwei Zhao, a first-generation immigrant and IT professional, is running on a platform of openness and accountability. Zhao received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Shandong University, Master of Science degree from Ball State University, Zhao plans to use his backgrounds in both business and IT to help the board.

“I think there are some trust issues ... to be fixed I think the way [the BOE makes] decisions, and then the process they get input from the community, needs to be adjusted,” Zhao said.

Zhao cited the abrupt dismissal of former PHS Principal Frank Chmiel as a reflection of a lack of understanding between administration and students.

“We had a good principal in the school,” said Zhao. “Most people liked him, and nobody really knows what he was punished for. The superintendent left, and most people don’t know [why].”

Zhao believes that the diversity he would bring to the board would improve understanding between the board and Princeton community.

“I’m a first generation immigrant from China. The Asian population in the town and in school … 20 percent or even higher in the school, and I believe there needs to be some representation,” Zhao said. “Even though I don’t really support identity
politics ... I think there are some cultural
values that need to be collected in the decision
making for the board.”

Most importantly, he hopes for increased communication about the student experience. To facilitate this process, he encourages all PHS students to reach out to him.

“One thing that we’re missing as candidates is [recognizing] what [students want] ... The most important thing is the educational goal,” said Zhao. “I really want to hear from students. Regardless if I get elected or not, my message to everyone will be to go back, focus on what our kids need and provide the best environment.

Meet the candidates: 2024 Princeton Public School Board of Education election

   Through increasing social disagreement in our country, many parents have joined together in an attempt to protect their children from ideas or courses of study that they deem harmful. In order to protect their children from these ideas — whether scientific, medical, or historical — parents lobby and protest so that their children can opt out of certain lessons. 
   It’s easy to think of opting-out of controversial content as something that happens far away from the progressive halls of PHS. However, recently, the PPS district has had its own challenges with parental demands to opt-out. In September, Project Veritas (a conservative media organization) released an undercover video of a HiTOPS (an LGBTQ+ non-profit) employee on YouTube. In the video, the employee explained that instead of educating students about LGBTQ+ issues in an opt-outable sex-ed class, the organization had been teaching about it in mandatory Pathways to Racial Literacy classes. As a result, this January, a small group of parents held a protest at Princeton Middle School against the continued inclusion of HiTOPS in the mandatory school curriculum. 
   “[PPS] has had requests in the past to opt-out of [Pathways to] Racial Literacy, [a] graduation requirement, [but] per the state guidelines it’s not opt-outable,” said Kimberly Tew, Assistant  Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.             
   Those who support opting out generally subscribe to the philosophy known as “parents’ rights.” This principle maintains that parents should have greater control of their child’s experience in public schools. In some cases, this may even mean outright changes to the entire curriculum. In 2023, the attorney general in Indiana passed the Parents’ Bill of Rights with the aim of changing the curriculum to ensure that it “accurately reflects the values of Indiana families.” 
   The justification for this is that parents know what’s good for their children better than educators. These claims should not be immediately dismissed. Parents, after all, spend a lot of time with their children and would be able to notice the emotional needs of their children. However, mental health and education are entirely different. Teachers and school administrators have spent their careers devoted to the intellectual and educational experience of young adults, whereas parents often see things only through the eyes of their own children, making teachers generally more in tune with the intellectual and social needs of students. 
   In addition to a justification for involvement in education, for opting-out to actually happen, parents must take issue with the school curriculum. Of course, parents are entitled to their own opinions about what is right. However, allowing a student to study something does not mean they will be forced to endorse it. In a school district as accommodating as Princeton’s, students who disagree with the perspective of the educator have a chance to voice their disagreement and express their reasoning. At PHS, students are likely to encounter a much more forgiving and understanding audience than if they were to wait to discuss their ideas until entering our intensely partisan society. In turn, students who had previously agreed with the position of the educator are introduced to another perspective — their world view expands, and they learn that the issue at hand is not one sided. 
   In the end, opting-out depends on a logic that is similar to censorship, as if there are certain ideas or subjects that are so dangerous that they must be deemed out of bounds entirely. But this is hardly the case; we should be exposed to all kinds of ideas — both good and bad — just like the ideas we will eventually be exposed to when we leave the safety of the classroom.     
   Parents, though, still have a crucial role to play in this process of education. Rather than protect their children from “dangerous” ideas, they should provide their children with the analytical tools to form their own interpretation. 

Opt out, or cop-out?

On May 9, approximately 50 PHS students gathered around the flagpole, where they chanted and made speeches. This student-led walkout aimed to raise awareness in the PHS community about the ongoing war in Gaza and to support Princeton University students’ calls for divestment from Israel.
“When we were at the flagpole, we led two specific chants; ‘Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,’ calling for the boycott of Israeli ties and funds that institutes promote across the country [and] ‘Free Free Palestine,’” said student protestor Asma Qureshi ’25.
Many of the students, accompanied by Princeton police, then marched to the Princeton University campus, where they joined protestors at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in creating art, enjoying food, and performing chants.
The PHS walkout joins a nationwide movement of student protesters demanding that their colleges divest, or break financial ties, from Israel. Many protestors also call on their universities to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, reaffirm students’ right to protest, and disclose how their endowments are invested. While some colleges have dispersed protestors’ on-campus encampments through negotiations, others, such as Columbia University and UCLA, have utilized law enforcement. Princeton University’s encampment dispersed in mid-May after the university both held negotiations and made several arrests.
The main organizers of the walkout, Qureshi and Zia Hughes ’26, spread information to fellow PHS students through word of mouth, social media, and flyers.
“When we started the walkout,” said Qureshi, “We made it very clear what our intentions were, which is, and it was written on our [flyers] as well, that we are students of peace and are students for justice.”
The PHS administration affirmed the student protestors’ rights to free expression. They noted that the student protestors largely followed school regulations, including signing out from the Main Office before leaving the campus. An email to parents from Principal Cecilia Birge and Acting Superintendent Dr. Kathie Foster described the protest as “respectful” and “orderly.” However, Birge raised several concerns, including the flyers posted in the hallway.
“The walkout on May 9 was not authorized by the school. Therefore, our responsibility was to [safeguard] students’ First Amendment rights and [ensure] compliance with school regulations,” said Birge. “In this regard, all flyers and posters in our building must receive approval from [Diana Lygas] before being displayed on hallway walls. We removed all posters that had not obtained [Lygas]’ authorization immediately after they were put up.”
Cooper Jacknow ’26 and Jacob Rotenberg ’27, members of the PHS Jewish Club, commented on a chant from protestors that they characterized as antisemitic.
“[At] the May 9 walkout, people were chanting things that I think are anti-semitic,” said Rotenberg. “I’m sure they don’t mean it … If they do, then that’s [a] problem, and we’re glad to help educate them and show why it’s wrong.” 
Jacknow and Rotenberg emphasized that the act of protest and walkout itself was an acceptable expression of freedom of speech. However, they criticized the act of chanting within the building for distracting students. The two specifically took issue with one of the student protestors’ chants: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
“When [the student protestors] say ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ they’re saying from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea … but the only thing in between the river and the sea is Israel. And Israel is the Jewish [state], so it feels very targeted when they say [it],” Rotenberg said.
The walkout’s organizers reject the idea that this chant was antisemitic. They instead view it as a call for peace in the contested region, removal of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and nonviolent coexistence between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.
“Before Israel was created, the land of [historic] Palestine was from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. [But]... the Israeli government prevents Palestinians from living freely throughout that land, their historic land. [The chant] in no way calls for the oppression of anyone and simply calls for the abolishment of [restrictions],” Hughes said. 
In the United States, incidents of both islamophobia and antisemitism have vastly increased after the violence of October 7. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, there was a 178 percent rise in reports of Muslim hate incidents in the months following the October 7 attacks. The Anti-Defamation League reported a 361 percent increase in antisemitic incidents compared to the year prior.
In May, the Jewish Club put up posters throughout the school both in celebration of Jewish Heritage Month and to counter rising antisemitism. Birge similarly noted the administration’s efforts to combat hate. 
“Fostering a hate-free environment within our school is about ensuring a safe and inclusive space for every student. To achieve this, we prioritize educational programs that promote intercultural understanding, diversity, and empathy,” Birge said. 
On May 3, PHS held its annual Holocaust Assembly provided by 3GNY, an organization that runs workshops designed to provide students with an opportunity for deeper dialogues in smaller environments under the guidance of teachers.
“Our goal is to introduce this workshop to our students next year,” said Birge. “We are also actively seeking opportunities to organize a forum involving Muslim leaders from the community, along with engaging in joint interfaith dialogues.”
Birge also emphasized the role of the counseling department in helping students to develop emotional resilience.
“Our counseling department plays a pivotal role in addressing sensitive subjects,” said Birge. “Some students may feel fearful or anxious when they experience [or] witness conflicts. These are natural physical responses to traumatic circumstances. Our counselors are equipped with the necessary training to assist students in navigating and processing these emotions.”
PHS Counselor Rebecca McEvoy wrote that, in addition to speaking with their guidance counselors and trusted adults within PHS, students are encouraged to seek support from religious organizations and find community through activism. McEvoy emphasized that effectively addressing the difficult situation can help strengthen the PHS community.
“Some key lessons that we can learn from this crisis are the importance of empathy and understanding, providing safe spaces for open dialogue, fostering community through inclusive practices, and continuing to educate students and faculty about the impact of bias and prejudice,” said McEvoy. “Through curriculum development, professional development, community partnerships and student leadership, many of these lessons can be addressed in our schools.”
In the classroom, history teachers Elizabeth Taylor and Katie Dineen have led lessons about the Israel-Hamas conflict in a way that allows for greater understanding. However, both are careful not to provide students with opinions on specific situations, and focus instead on presenting historical context and critical thinking skills so students can form their own conclusions.
“[In my Sociology class], my goal was to give [students] some time and space to consider what the world and the nation and the PHS community is experiencing. I asked them to apply different theories of conflict and prejudice that we had studied earlier in the year to the situation,” Taylor said.
Birge also underscored the need for dialogue to establish critical thinking as a way to promote acceptance.
“[Critical thinking] is not solely about criticizing opposing views … Instead, it is about understanding different perspectives, developing empathy, and building connections among individuals,” said Birge. “[It] guides us as we engage in civic discussions and make informed decisions.”

PHS reacts to the Israel-Hamas War

   PHS’s last publicly reported score for its harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) self-assessment is from 2022. It received a 46/78, six points short of state requirements. The assessment is reviewed annually by school administration and evaluates the school’s preventative HIB programming, implementation of NJ policy, and overall climate for reporting concerning behavior. 
   To students, though, this score may not be so surprising. In many ways, our school presents a hostile environment — hurtful rumors spread quickly and jokes with racism, sexism or homophobia are part of normal conversation. The most common type of HIB this year is physical confrontation stemming from name calling, according to Diana Lygas, the PHS Dean of Students. 
   This predicament is not normal. The truth is that our school is faced with a significantly worse environment than neighboring high schools   — presuming the accuracy of school self-assessments. The West Windsor-Plainsboro high schools scored 75/78 on their HIB self-assessment, while Montgomery High School received a 77/78. 
   PHS’s main strategy to combat bullying is by reporting instances of HIBs. The only HIB-related category that PHS gave itself full points on the self-assessment was proficiency in HIB reporting. In fact, PHS’s HIB lawyer, Alicia D’Anella, has even called our increase in HIB reports “not a bad thing” in a 2023 information session. 
   “The more we learn about [HIB] ... the more we can spot it,” said D’Anella. “So sometimes an increase in reporting is indicative that we’re doing better.” 
   But the amount of HIB reports at PHS doesn’t correlate with new reporting policies or an expansion of the definition of HIB. Instead, there are consistently high levels across many years, excluding COVID-19. There were an average of 24 HIB reports from 2014 to 2020, 26 last year, and 24 this year (so far). This points to a systemic issue. In a community dedicated to improving student life, what matters most is preventing bullying from happening in the first place. Documenting HIBs isn’t a bad thing on its own; it just doesn’t change things much. 
   There are a few explanations for why PHS’s current reliance on HIB reporting to address bullying isn’t working. For one, our reporting system is guided by a faulty principle. The NJ Department of Education mandates that the Board of Education operate on an “impact over intent” policy. This means that instances of HIB are often evaluated based on the reactions (impact) of the victim, not the intent of the perpetrator. In New Jersey, if one student harms another student, but the victim does not express a strong reaction, the perpetrator will often receive mild punishment. Naturally, the perpetrator may be left with the misconception that their actions were not harmful or even acceptable. The “impact over intent” approach also doesn’t take into account the fact that victims might feel pressured to downplay their experience for fear of retribution. Moreover, reporting and disciplining one individual might improve their behavior but will have little impact beyond that. In short, despite the long-winded and time-intensive HIB reporting protocol, the overall school climate is not being transformed. 
   Of course, many of the shortcomings of our system aren’t entirely the fault of our administrators or guidance counselors — a lot of PHS’s reporting policy is decided at a state level. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t or shouldn’t have other initiatives. Other schools, like Montgomery High School, have already recognized that given all the problems with NJ’s reporting policies, other measures are needed. In 2022, Montgomery High School scored 15/15 for their HIB related Programs and Approaches, and 6/6 for HIB Curriculum and Instruction. Meanwhile, the PHS self-assessment proves we have a long way to go; PHS received a 5/15 in the HIB Programs and Approaches category and a 3/6 in the HIB Curriculum and Instruction category. 
   John McMichael, the director of student counseling services and the district’s anti-bullying coordinator recognizes PHS’s weakness. 
   “It’s one thing to be reactive, ... to handle HIB allocations when they come up. But we do need to do a better job on being proactive, [we] have the data right there showing that,” McMichael said. 
   PHS could start to improve by increasing accessibility. Most HIB policies are hidden in large documents with a lot of jargon or in long, dry videos. Nowhere on the district’s anti-bullying page is there a clear overview of school procedure. PHS should also have recurring mandatory sessions throughout the year for students that clearly outlines what an HIB is, what to do when involved in an HIB, and how the district handles them. If students are consistently reminded of what qualifies as an HIB and what the consequences are before they are involved in an investigation, they would probably be less inclined to be involved in the first place. In this way, PHS will also send a clear message to students that bullying is morally wrong. 
   No matter what new policies are implemented, fundamentally, we need initiatives that will bring about a shift in school culture. 
   “Is it too strong to say that people forgot how to interact peacefully? I don’t know,” McMichael said, aptly highlighting this need for change.

PHS’ s HIB self-assessment

At the conclusion of the 2022-23 school year, long-standing custodian Gary Harris retired, leaving behind an enduring legacy of hard work and kindness in the PHS community. Harris was devoted to promoting recyling at PHS, a passion that began in a previous career at a paper company.
A majority of recylable waste at PHS ends up in the landfill as a result of PHS students’ general lack of environmental awareness when discarding garbage. These findings were part of an investigation by the Tower prompted by claims made by Harris about the substantial ineffectiveness in the PHS waste management system.
Throughout his tenure, Harris observed a reluctance among students and faculty to recycle; there were often recyclable pieces of trash in bins bound for the landfill and vice versa. 
PHS Custodian Jennifer Gonzalez agrees with Harris, adding that this makes her job significantly harder. 
 “When I look at the trash, it’s mixed,”  said Gonzalez. “Students don’t care and don’t recycle correctly.”
While Gonzalez and other custodians try to separate recyclable material from trash, she admits that often there isn’t enough time to sort through everything, so they are forced to throw out all the contents of the recycling bin.
Matt Bouldin, the Princeton Public Schools Business Administrator and Board Secretary, said that the most common factor that causes recycling to go to the landfill is when students improperly throw food waste in with recyclable material. 
“A container of recyclable products contaminated with as little as one food product becomes landfill waste,” Bouldin said.
PHS AP Environmental Science teacher James Smirk has been a significant figure in collecting data on PHS recycling. He and several students conducted a waste audit concerning the PHS recycling process and came to a similar conclusion. 
“Most of our recycling is contaminated with food waste. This creates a situation where recyclable material will be returned to the general waste stream. Most schools solve this by targeting cafeteria waste, but because of our break system and the number of students who eat in classes, focusing on the cafeteria has a limited impact,” Smirk said.
As a result of waste cross-contamination, very little eventually makes it to the district’s recycling processor, Republic Services Recycling Center. PHS has one recycling dumpster, compared to three landfill dumpsters. 
Given the limited impact of sustainable waste management efforts aimed at the cafeteria, PHS has turned to other solutions. Jenny Ludmer, a program manager at Sustainable Princeton, focuses on educating the PPS community regarding sustainable practices in an effort to make its recycling more efficient.
“Education and outreach for everyone in the building is key to achieve a clean recycling stream,” Ludmer said.
Clear signs specifying which waste items to put in the recycling and which to put in the bin bound for the landfill are helpful in countering food waste contamination, it is not a complete solution; students often throw waste in the larger bin that they see first, regardless of the type of waste. Ultimately direct signs combined with a school-wide recycling education program is necessary to realize true progress in sustainable waste management.
“Consistent and sustained education and outreach for everyone in the building is key to achieve a clean recycling stream,” Smirk said.
Sylven Waldman, an incoming leader of the PHS for Climate Action club for the 2024­­–­­25 school year, acknowledged the importance of further education efforts.
“I definitely think that there’s a good amount of students familiar with the recycling process at PHS, but unfortunately I just don’t think it gets out to enough people,” Waldman said.
PHS students also participate in promoting sustainability through conducting waste audits, cleaning up waste, and performing community advocacy. In particular, the PHS for Climate Action Club has led an effort for more sustainability and an effective waste management system. 
“We [have] recycled old scrap paper into new paper to make cards ... we’ve hosted bake sales, planned protests, made petitions, [and] donated to eco-friendly charities and initiatives,” Waldman said.
Several administrative developments have also been made regarding food waste. Every kitchen and cafeteria in the district is equipped with compost containers. PHS has also installed an energy efficient dishwasher. In 2021, the district began a partnership with Trenton Biogas to convert leftover food scraps into renewable energy. This school year, the partnership has collected over three tons of food waste. 
Next year, Smirk and PHS custodian Leslie Vega hope that PHS will invest in clearer signage and more recycling bins. Moreover, a new class, Environmental Systems and Design, will be introduced next year; it aims to encourage students to improve the school’s  outcomes associated with waste as part of a core project for the class. 
Thanks to such efforts, PHS is certified with the statewide program Sustainable Jersey for Schools. Other actions taken by the high school include establishment of a Green Team to oversee sustainable progress and an Energy Savings Improvement Plan to facilitate improvements in energy efficiency. As a district, PPS has made significant progress regarding sustainability.
“In the summer of 2022, the district transitioned to greener cleaning with six different cleaning products,” explains the PrincetonK12 website. “The floor cleaner, glass cleaner, degreaser, hand soap, paper towels, and toilet paper used within PPS are all certified by Green Seal, indicating that they meet the highest standard for protecting the health of students and staff and the environment.”
PHS continues to make significant efforts in accordance with the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Program. Moving into 2024, progress will continue to build a more modern, efficient, and eco-friendly high school.
 “PHS [sustainability] is renewed again at the Bronze level. Dr. Barnes Johnson [the district science supervisor]  is leading the effort to add more actions to the certification this year, with the plan for Smirk to take it on next year,” Ludmer said.

Tower investigates: Is PHS actually recycling?

At the Asian Fest, the Bollywood club offered both a cultural station and a Bollywood dance performance. 

The station offered participants, like Shoumilli Banerjee ‘27, the opportunity to receive a traditional Indian plant based tattoo art, known as henna.

“When I’m in India, I’m around my friends and my family, so I feel close to them. But when I’m here, I don’t see any of them. So [the henna station] is kind of a way to reconnect with my culture,” said Banerjee.

Later, the club performed songs from three Bollywood movies. Kailani Harrison ‘24 and Anika Hadap ‘24, the choreographers of the dances, strove to make it both accessible to the general PHS audience while still being representative of the tradition.

“A lot of times people outside Indian culture don’t understand the words that are in the songs. So, [they] choreographed it so that a lot of hand motions line up with what’s being said. It’s a cool way to learn about the culture and language, but also be able to express yourself through the dance,” said Ishaan Banerjee ‘24, Bollywood Club co-president.

Prior to the fest, the club hosted weekly dance rehearsals leading up to the performance, often outside of school. However, a usual club meeting is much more relaxed. Members make rangoli (a traditional Indian art), watch movies, listen to Bollywood songs, and share cultural foods.

“We bring samosas and we bring snacks that specifically Indian groceries sell, like chocolate crackers. We usually bring them in bulk so that anyone who comes can take some and eat as we do the activities,” said Raima Srivastava ‘25, a member of the Bollywood club.

While Bollywood club is primarily a place for Indian students to connect over their shared heritage, Mital emphasized that the club is open to everyone, not just people of Indian descent.

“We have students from all different origins who come. It’s an opportunity for kids from other cultures to learn about a different culture. That’s what I like about the Bollywood club - the diversity of different races that come together in one place.”

As one of the main fundraisers and organizers of Asian Fest, the Asian American Club brought together various Asian cultures, and helped set up the fashion show, and run the main food station.

“We had a bunch of different cultural clubs come together and we put on a fashion show. It helped showcase what different cultures in Asia wear and [their] traditional clothes,” said Ronald Aung ‘25, president of the Asian American club. “Our food station served traditional Asian foods such as vegetable lo mein, fried rice, and General Tso’s Chicken.”

Aung wants the club to be a “chill spot” where kids can learn about different cultures. A typical meeting, during break on Tuesdays, consists of eating snacks from various Asian countries and watching a movie.

“The Asian American club is basically a lunch club,” said Aung. “At our last club meeting, for example, we were watching Kung Fu Panda and we had these Japanese mochi bowls with boba inside of them.”

The club believes that the festival was important for spreading awareness about the cultural diversity within Asia. ONe of the key values of the Asian American Club is inclusivity.

“This year, we [had] two new clubs at the fest and a bunch of old ones. It’s important for clubs to come here fundraise and showcase what they have done, but [it’s] also about being inclusive of other Asian cultures. As an Asian American, I think we all tend to be grouped together under the same term, so I think that this event is just really important to highlight the differences between the individual Asian cultures and [showcase] their traditions,” Aung said.

Having brought a series of its own events to the Asian Fest, the Japanese club showcased and introduced Japanese culture to interested spectators. The events included an origami folding station, which allowed participants to fold paper cranes and other handicrafts, a food station serving handmade Japanese foods, and a performance of a series of traditional Japanese dances.

“I found their dance and the instruments [they used] really interesting; how their dancing [formation] [got] thinner as they dance and how they [held] the instrument,” said William Yao ‘24. “I also enjoyed seeing how they [could] both bring the culture to you and our school and also bring joy and fun.”

The food station that the Japanese club hosted served mochi, a Japanese dessert enjoyed during special occasions.

“Mochi is very important in Japanese culture,” said Japanese Club president Seigo Iwata ‘26. “It’s a type of rice that [is] smashed together. It’s especially important on New Year’s and other holidays. It’s also just like a part of everyday Japanese snacks.

The Japanese club also organized an origami folding station. Interested students could take a sheet of origami paper and fold it into a crane using steps provided on an instruction sheet.

“Origami is also a very important symbol of Japanese culture as it represents good fortune and longevity. We want people to be able to have hands-on experience with origami and have the same experience as a Japanese student learning to make origami,” Iwata said.

Through their performances and involvement in Asian Fest, the club aimed to not only introduce Japanese culture and lifestyle to the PHS community, but also expand upon our understanding and knowledge of Japanese culture.

“I think [Asian Fest] is important, especially because there’s such a small number of Japanese people in this school,” said Iwata. “I feel that not everyone knows in depth about Japanese culture. It’s more just anime, pop music, things like that. They don’t really know anything more. This is why we want to spread the culture and celebrate the Japanese community.

Asian Fest - Club Feature

The current online world is plagued with an epidemic of lies. There is so much misinformation in our world that the Associated Press publishes a weekly edition of “Not Real News,” a feature of fake news stories that  have  been published recently. The content varies from President Biden’s supposed plans to give all illegal immigrants $5,000 Visa gift cards to FDA efforts to start a “plandemic” with harmful medications disguised as decongestants.    
Misinformation is by no means a new concept, but the degree to which it pervades society today incredibly alarming. Despite the fact that the internet (and particularly social media) is overrun with conspiracy theories, embellished content, and dangerous misinterpretations, it has become the dominant source of information for Americans, especially for younger generations. 
 Pew Research found that  in 2022, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter were the primary news source for 66 percent of young people. At the same time, according to Gallop, a record 78 percent of Gen Z trust what they read online, compared to just 60 percent who trust reputable national organizations. 
In theory, social media can be used as a tool for exercising freedom of speech, avoiding the restriction of the distribution of information to a few powerful institutions. In practice, however, misinformation makes productive online discussions nearly impossible. In 2018, MIT researchers found that posts containing falsehoods reach 1,500 people on Twitter six times faster than truthful posts. This phenomenon, initially observed and coined in the political scene, is dubbed as “post-truth,” and was named the 2016 Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionary. The most prominent example of the damage misinformation has caused is  our own democracy. For example, CNN found that 38 percent of adults in the United States did not believe in the results of the 2020 election, and USA Today polls show that over half of Trump supporters have already decided that the 2024 election will be rigged. This January, the World Economic Forum ranked misinformation as the greatest global risk, citing its potential to “further widen societal and political divides … undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments [and] infiltrate public discourse.”       
Improving how we process information online may not be as difficult as it seems. According to Matt Groh, a researcher at MIT’s Media Lab, when we simply pay attention to the quality of a source, we’re much better at detecting misinformation. If the legitimacy is not clear even after some research, it’s often useful to find the original evidence the author cited and come to a conclusion without the influence of a secondary source. In general, when we process information, it’s also important to apply the same levels of skepticism and thinking to all content, regardless of whether it aligns with our values or commonly accepted opinion. Without active awareness of our biases, we’re much more likely to believe falsehoods if they align with our own narrative. 
In an age where the internet and social media are everywhere in our life, it’s our responsibility to combat misinformation and to think and advocate for truth, no matter how tedious it may seem. Next time you see something shocking, remember that meaningful information and ideas usually can’t be expressed in a single tweet or Instagram post. 

Stop contributing to the echo chamber of misinformation

   At PHS, our cramped hallways and stuffy classrooms exacerbate an already stressful four years. It’s all too easy for students to go all day sitting in a room with only a window to remind them of life beyond school. Around the world, outdoor classrooms offer a credible solution to these problems, helping students to stay engaged and connected with the environment around them. In the outdoors, teens perform field studies observing ecosystems and biological interactions, use nature as inspiration in outdoor creative writing classes, and even organize outdoor-themed conversations in their foreign language classes.
   The “waldschule,” or forest school, was introduced in Germany in the early 1900s as a way to mitigate the spread of a tuberculosis epidemic. These classrooms provided fresh air and freedom from often cramped school-houses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PHS brought some of their classes outdoors as well. These outdoor classes allowed students to engage in a more immersive environment while social distancing, which proved to be very successful in science and language classes. However, outdoor education has more value for the modern student than just preventing disease. 
   More diverse learning environments help people break free from a negative cycle of self-doubt and increase mental clarity. According to neuroscientist Dr. Elizabeth Croften, the crowded areas we encounter at school lead to an overload of environmental and social stimuli that increase the concentration of stress hormones. Worse still, these stimuli largely come in only two senses: sight and hearing. A study conducted by Dr. Loren Johnson and Robin Randall in 2017 found that outside learning diversifies the way we process information by cultivating other senses, such as smell and touch. This is extremely crucial for non-traditional learners, whose sensory needs are often not taken into consideration in indoor learning environments.            
   As the world turns increasingly indoors, outdoor education is even more important. Longer school days and a precipitous rise in screen time causes students to spend less and less time in nature, leading to a disconnection between younger generations and the environment. Unsurprisingly, we are more likely to appreciate our environment when we are spending time in it. In a representative model of American students, Dr. Kyle Knight of South Dakota Mines found in 2022 that those who frequently engage with and enjoy outdoor activities are more likely to take action against climate change. At a time when students rarely voluntarily spend time in nature, outdoor education in schools can act as a force to reintroduce a curiosity and love for the outdoors.    
   There are legitimate reasons why outdoor education isn’t the norm. One response, from students, parents, teachers and administrators alike, is that it’s simply impractical. While this may be true in places such as New York City, suburban areas, such as Princeton, have the resources and space to make an outdoor curriculum not only feasible but also practical. At PHS, we are lucky to have many courtyards, fields, and nearby wooded areas that offer a quiet environment to teach and learn. Outdoor education is also not an all-or-nothing endeavor, and even weekly interactions with nature can bring positive change.    
   Though it may be unconventional, PHS should not be afraid to experiment with outdoor education. What traditional learning settings lack,  natural learning environments can make up for, with potential for the implementations of creative class workshops that benefit students and teachers alike. 


Nature is the natural learning environment

The Business & Technology Education and Science departments have made significant changes to their respective programs of studies for the upcoming school year.
In the Science department, the Physics I Accelerated and regular Physics I class will now be available to sophomores and will fully replace AP Physics 1. Additionally, AP Physics C, previously a one year course covering two AP tests: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism (E&M), will become two separate full year courses. Lastly, the Business & Technology Education department has restricted the joint-semester AP Macroeconomics and Microeconomics classes to upperclassmen.
Physics I Accelerated first debuted last year in conjunction with AP Physics 1, allowing rising juniors to choose between both classes. Next year, however, rising sophomores will only have the ability to take Physics I or Physics I Accelerated as introductory physics courses.      
Oren Levi, a physics teacher at PHS since 2015, believes that the change will increase the accessibility of the program.
“It used to be that physics was kind of capped for junior year. [This year], we’ve finally managed to convince guidance to let sophomores take physics as long as they meet some of the required math — Algebra II mostly,” said Levi.
The removal of the AP Physics 1 class, according to Levi, will help students better navigate the science curriculum.  
“AP Physics 1 was not intended to be a first-year physics course, but Physics I was never a prerequisite so you could take [AP Physics 1] without having even taken physics before.” said Levi. “So students decided to take [AP Physics 1] simply because it was an AP science with no science prerequisites; it would give [them] a boost to their GPA, which I personally don’t agree with.”
Levi said that this structure resulted in many failing scores on the AP Physics 1 exam.
“In the two AP classes that I taught, only half of each class even took the test. [A trend that] we’ve been seeing for years now is that the AP Physics 1 scores are never as good,” said Levi. “With the scores, usually you want an even distribution of all scores across the board, but in physics the distribution is much heavier [towards] one side.”
After Physics 1, students can continue their studies with AP Physics C, which has been split into two separate, full year courses — one year of AP Physics C: Mechanics and one year of AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. This change will provide students with more time to understand the material and study for the AP exams.
“With the extra time, we’re going to be able to do a lot more labs and practice that we wouldn’t have been able to do before because of how quickly we had to rush through the curriculum,” said Levi. “People will have a better chance at succeeding on their tests.”
Although completion of Physics 1 has become a prerequisite to taking AP Physics C, students with a strong background in math have the option of skipping the requirement, provided they take a math-based placement test and complete a physics summer assignment.
Andrew Rivera ’25, a student of physics teacher Peter Martens, noted that while the change may result in greater depth in the physics curriculum, it could also reduce advancement in other disciplines.
“If you were to take both years of AP Physics C, you wouldn’t be able to take two years of chemistry,” Rivera said.
With regards to the Business & Technology Education department. Instead of Algebra II and English, the joint-semester AP Macroeconomics and Microeconomics courses now require Pre-Calculus and U.S. History II as prerequisites.
AP Macro/Microeconomics teacher Katelyn Wagner advocated for the change after talking with many high school economics teachers from across the country.
“We did see a pretty big correlation between how well students do in math courses versus how well they do in economics, because there is a lot of math involved [in AP Macro/Micro]. [We] swapped out the English [prerequisite] for the history [prerequisite] because there’s a big crossover between U.S. History II and what we learn in Macro/Micro,” Wagner said.
As a result of the new requirements, the course will no longer be available to sophomores, reserving it exclusively for juniors and seniors. 
“For the last few years, we’ve had an insane waitlist for the course, and a lot of times what happened is that juniors and seniors who really wanted to take it weren’t able to, because sophomores were filling the spots. I thought that it would be more fair to juniors and seniors,” Wagner said.
Wagner mentioned that there are still other opportunities for sophomores to learn economic concepts.
“We offer an introduction to economics course that you can take as a freshman or sophomore, which goes through the first two or three units of AP Macro[economics]. 
Audrey Huang ’27 feels that delaying the course  will make joining many clubs requiring knowledge of economics, such as PHS Young Investors or Euro Challenge, more difficult for underclassmen. Further, she argues that restricting one of the few AP courses available to sophomores will only make their upperclassman year course loads more stressful if they still want to to take AP Macro/Micro.
“I think economics principles are better taught earlier in high school and a lot of juniors and seniors already have a lot of course work so taking on [AP Macro/Micro] would just be even harder to manage,” Huang said.

Changes to the program of studies place restrictions on class selections

   In late 2022, following the release of Chat-GPT 3.0 and its image-based counterpart DALL-E 2.0, an AI revolution took the world by storm. In just under half a year, Open AI, GPT’s parent company, went from less than 100,000 monthly visits to nearly 2 billion. Immediately, dozens of large tech companies, like Amazon and Google, rushed to develop their own AI-powered products. 
   Now, few dispute the power of these tools in applications as diverse as medical diagnoses, autonomous vehicles, and environmental planning. For example, the Brazilian non-profit, PrevisIA, is using AI to identify parts of the Amazon rainforest at risk of deforestation by analyzing vast amounts of satellite data. However, in fields of creative expression, like the visual arts, literature, or music, the use of AI has proved controversial.
   This conflict was central in this year’s SAG-AFTRA and WGA labor strikes, where writers, artists, and actors alike feared that AI was and would continue to be used in place of their own creativity. While the strike was eventually resolved with a provision that dictated that AI could not be used to “undermine a writer’s credit” or “reduce a writer’s compensation,” it nonetheless raised an important question: what is the value of human creativity over AI “creativity”? 
   At the center of the debate is interpretation of creativity. According to influential philosopher Immanuel Kant, it is the “ability to produce works that are “new” and “exemplary.” There, a problem arises. AI, despite appearances, cannot spontaneously create original work—known as Strong Artificial Creativity. Programmer Ada Lovelace proposed that for a computer to possess Strong Artificial Creativity, it must be able to produce results that cannot be explained by its creator.                                              
   However, AI-generated results have a very simple root—the work of human artists that the system was trained on. Essentially, AI is fed millions of samples of human work (without the creator’s consent) and then regurgitates a product according to the prompt it is presented with.  Throughout this process, there is no innovation—AI cannot create truly original work, rather it relies on human ideas. The result is a mass production of art devoid of meaning or thought, which overwhelms the truly new.   
   Unfortunately, corporations seem willing to sacrifice quality in the name of profit margins. In November of 2023, Michael Whelan—an illustrator known for designing book covers for the likes of Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson—told the New York Times that while he doesn’t feel particularly threatened by AI creativity, he believes competing with machine-made art will be “really tough” for younger artists, not necessarily because AI produces stellar results, but because of the high speed and low cost that comes with it. In fact, several publishers have already admitted to using AI-generated art on book covers, and many artists are understandably frustrated over this new development. 
   The sense of pride and accomplishment you feel after standing back and observing an art piece that you created, a product of your own creative mind, is something special. Creativity is our purpose and our pride, the one thing that defines our individuality. So, the thought that this might be replaced by an emotionless machine is not only upsetting, but also terrifying. AI-generated art will never be a true replacement of human art, nor should it be. If the strikes have taught us anything, it’s that while the defense of human creativity may be difficult, it’s surely worth fighting for.

Artificial Ingenuity: Is it AI’s Time to Steal the Creative Spotlight?

From November 1 to 4, around 15 PHS student leaders and chaperones traveled to the Minority Student Achievement Network Student Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. During the four-day event, PHS students participated in thoughtful discussions on social justice issues with other students from around the country. 
	According to Bethany Siddiqu, coordinator of student and family services at PHS and one of the trip’s chaperones, the goals of the conference were twofold. 
“[In] most school districts … there may not be as many students of color, [so] it's really hard for … those students to feel comfortable in the hallways and in class, and to feel represented. So MSAN is an opportunity for not only students but also for teachers and administration … to figure out ways to make their school more inclusive and supported,” Siddiqu said.
Sheena Ash ’25, a PHS junior who joined the district’s MSAN club in 7th grade, came to a similar conclusion, noting that the conference has given her an appreciation for the importance of her work. 
 “It's really integral to building … community in our school and making all of our minority students feel closer together,” said Ash. “I think it's really good that we [get to] represent the school  as intelligent individuals who have voices and opinions on social justice initiatives.”
According to Assistant Principal Rashone Johnson, another part of the program's mission was to encourage minority students to challenge themselves academically.
“It’s about exposure,” said Johnson. “Educating students and letting them know that they are able to do the work and [they] got people that are here to help you with [it].”
One of the biggest parts of the trip was each school’s presentation on a school-specific solution that addresses social justice. In PHS’ case, it was the implementation of a platform called Tiger Talk, created to highlight the achievements of minority students. 
“We want to make sure that in any school district, no matter if it's highly marginalized or diverse, that every single student has a time where they feel seen,” Ash said.
	Another important part of the conference were lectures from minority community leaders. Ash found that MSAN was an opportunity to discuss difficult subjects, like violence and suicide. 
“We had a lot of really personal moments; like, we had a speaker come and talk to talk about … the youth rate of violence and guns and all that stuff. He was talking about his family and all these obituaries that he [was]  doing on the ground. It was a very sad moment. So we wanted to talk to make sure that we all felt … mentally OK, and that … we could still have an uplifted point of view and still focus on a social justice project, despite … hearing such discouraging things,” Ash said
Despite the challenging topics, both Siddiqu and Johnson have good memories from the trip. 
“It was awesome. … I think [the students] did a great job representing themselves and … the school. There is not a single school that left that national conference that does not know who Princeton High School is,” Johnson said. 
For Siddiqu, the best part was seeing MSAN members grow as leaders.
 “I think that's the biggest takeaway, … being excited about what's to come next — what the kids can really do here,” Siddiqu said. 

PHS delegation reflects on impactful MSAN Student Conference

   On October 7, 2023, Hamas, the Muslim authority of the Gaza Strip, invaded the state of Israel. In response, the Israeli cabinet vowed “to wipe… Hamas off the face of the Earth.” In the following weeks, the world watched the attack become the bloodiest war in Israel’s history. According to the New York Times, as of November 7, there have been over 1,400 Israeli and 10,000 Palestinian civilian and militant casualties, as well as 422 Israeli hostages and 1.5 million internally displaced Gazans. 

  The war has also come with inflammatory speech and calls for violent protest. The Anti-Defamation League has recorded a 388 percent rise in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. between October 7 and October 25, compared to the same period last year. Similarly, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, reports of Islamophobia were up 182 percent in the U.S. between October 7 and October 24, compared to the average 16-day period last year. Educational institutions have been particularly rife with confrontation. For instance, at UMass Amherst, a student was recently arrested for assaulting a fellow Jewish student at a vigil. Stanford has also been investigating possible hate crimes committed against a Muslim student. And at Harvard, a group of pro-Palestinian students received widespread condemnation after “holding the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all ongoing violence.” 

   Other, less extreme responses have also contributed to the deafening noise. One such reaction is performative activism on social media, and the rush to take sides; this is often caused by the widespread lack of empathy for others and a general lack of understanding of this nuanced situation. You have probably seen it online; a binary stance, or lack thereof, becomes a part of one’s character. This pressures people to hop on social media to share a quick something about the war and get it over with. A global conflict becomes a box they can check off, a guilty feeling they think they can dispose of with a simple click. This leads to a common sentiment — when people lack compassion and time and space for reflection, the results are horrendous. In October 2022, AP News conducted a poll that found that around 75 percent of adults in the U.S. agree that misinformation leads to violent views and behaviors.

   Incorrect, radical, and often conflicting messaging related to the Israel-Hamas war can make it difficult to discern the truth and process our reaction to it. However, instead of trying to easily address the situation with a simplistic perspective or opinion, the most effective solution is to take time to develop a complete understanding and keep empathy at the center of thought.

   While not all responses to the war have been peaceful, we are fortunate that at PHS, we have had thoughtful and constructive opportunities for reflection. On October 17, PHS invited Rabbi Merow from The Jewish Center to help students process their reactions. On October 20, PHS hosted a Gathering for Peace and Hope, in which the Muslim Student Union, the Jewish Club, and the Middle Eastern Students Association came together to recite Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb.” 

   Rather than making rash and violent decisions or participating in performative acts without a true understanding of the issue at hand, we should continue to encourage each other, and ourselves, to take time in making decisions and keep an open mind. It’s not an easy topic. That’s not to say that one may not have an opinion on the subject; individual opinions are encouraged and valued, but it is essential to maintain an anti-violent and open-minded approach when developing them. This war, and our reactions to it, are anything but a justification for hatred. If we want true unity, true resolution, and true peace, the best reaction is a thoughtful and empathetic one. 

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