VOL. 237, NO. 23
Friday, June 4, 2021
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Princeton Battlefield Society honors those who have fallen By ANDREW HARRISON Staff Writer
Born out of the years following the Civil War, Memorial Day continues to be a day of remembrance for the men and women who have lost their lives in the United States Armed Forces. To honor the fallen, past and present, in America’s history, the Princeton Battlefield Society held its own wreath laying ceremony at Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton on May 31. Originally, planned for May 30, the Memorial Day program would not take place that day due to inclement weather. The program would be condensed from the May 30 event which had been planned to include a battlefield tour, musket firing demonstration, and the wreath laying ceremony. “We basically started this particular event this year. We wanted to commemorate this important event that would bring together both the interested communities and those who lost a loved one or family member in service of the country,” said Todd Quackenbush, communications chair at the Princ-
Memorial Day wreath placed next to General Hugh Mercer Monument in Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton on May 31.
Michael Russell (center), president of the board at the Princeton Battlefield Society, during his speech at Princeton Battlefield State Park.
PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARRISON/STAFF
eton Battlefield Society, “to essentially highlight the role of service of previous generations of soldiers, because many of us here in the Princeton area don’t appreciate the pivotal events that took place in the area and this particular location.” The pivotal events Quackenbush referenced are the Battle of Princeton and the culmination of the Ten Crucial Days (a series of Trenton and Princeton campaigns) in the American Revolutionary War. The Princeton Battlefield Society, which is in its 50th year of
operation as an organization, educates the public about the Battle of Princeton, the Ten Crucial Days, and also has a mission that includes preserving and restoring lands related to the Battle of Princeton in 1777. “Seismic events took place here under our feet and right in front of our yard. As one way to remember people who have served and died here, this is essentially one element in our attempt to honor that,” Quackenbush said. “Memorial Day grew out of the recognition of the loss of soldiers in the Civil War
and it is important that we take some time to pause and remember all the people, their families, all those who have done so much to create the country and world that we live in.” Memorial Day was originally called Declaration Day in the years following the end of the Civil War and Memorial Day would not be officially recognized nationwide until the 1970s. At the memorial wreath laying ceremony, those who attended were invited to inscribe on yellow ribbons and add them to the live
wreath. The live wreath was made by Vaseful Flowers and Gifts shop in Princeton, which provides employment for people with disabilities. Attendees who wrote messages on the ribbons had the messages secured on the wreath with gold stars. Gold stars symbolize the loss of service men and women who are killed while serving in the armed forces. Some of those messages included “Thank You,” “Never Forget,” “Jan. 3, 1777,” and names of family members and those who lost their lives in service. “Memorial Day is about remembrance and honoring those who served and fell for our nation, whether it happened during the American Revolution or any conflict since,” said Michael Russell, president of the board of the Princeton Battlefield Society. “I just want us to be as a society one that looks back, reflects and thinks about the sacrifices that our men and women have made.” When asked if he has any concerns about Memorial Day weekend and Memorial Day potentially See REMEMBRANCE, Page 3A
Laura Wooten’s Law civics course bill sent to Gov. Murphy By LEA KAHN Staff Writer
If there is one thing that defined Laura Wooten, it was her unwavering dedication to the election process in her community and in the United States. For 79 years, until her death in March 2019, Wooten sat behind the voter check-in table as a poll worker – first at the polling places in Princeton where she grew up, and then for 30 years at the polling places in Lawrence after she moved to the township. Wooten had the distinction of being the longest-serving poll worker in the United States. She never missed an election – for the school board, the political party primaries or the general election – beginning in 1939, when she was recruited by her uncle to serve as a poll worker in Princeton. So it should come as no sur-
prise that legislation requiring civics instruction to be taught in middle school has been named “Laura Wooten’s Law.” The legislation, which was passed by the state Senate and the state Assembly on May 20, is headed to Gov. Phil Murphy for his signature. The state Senate bill was co-sponsored by state Senators Shirley Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), who lives in Lawrence Township, and Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) and Linda Greenstein (D-Mercer/Middlesex). The state Assembly companion bill was co-sponsored by Assemblywomen Verlina ReynoldsJackson (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), who lives in Trenton, and Mila Jasey (D-Essex/Morris) and Linda Carter (D-Middlesex/Somerset/Union). The legislation was introduced in the state Senate in January
2020 and in the state Assembly in February 2020. The bill directs the New Jersey Department of Education to require at least one course in civics or United States government as a requirement for middle school graduation, beginning in the 2022-23 school year. The legislation also requires the New Jersey Center for Civic Education at Rutgers, the State University, to prepare curriculum guidelines and provide professional development for high school teachers. It would integrate civics, economics and the history of New Jersey into United States history courses. “Government leaders have been sounding the alarm about the civics crisis for years. Safeguarding democracy is more urgent than ever,” Turner said. One of the best ways to do that is by teaching students about
the importance of civic skills, engagement and participation and the value of the democratic process, Turner said. The Lawrence Township chapter of the League of Women Voters agrees that there is “an acute need” for a middle school course devoted to civics, said Nicole Plett and Marcia Steinberg, who serve on the Lawrence chapter’s Civics Education Committee. Since its founding in 1920, the League of Women Voters has spent more than 100 years empowering voters and defending democracy, Plett and Steinberg said. They cited a recent study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center that said more than half of American adults cannot name the three branches of federal government. Only 39% of New Jersey school districts require students to take a civics course in any grade,
and that’s why it is vital for such a course to become mandatory, Plett and Steinberg said. “Ignorance can so readily provide a breeding ground for rumor, false information and fear. We turn to our public schools to reduce ignorance so that our citizens can engage in responsible and productive civic activity,” they said. A well-designed civics course teaches facts, and research shows that students who take a civics course are more likely to engage in community-building activities, Plett and Steinberg said. The civics course would teach students about the values and principles underlying the American system of constitutional democracy, as well as the function and limitations of government, Plett and Steinberg said. Students will learn about the role of a citizen in a democratic society.
Middle school students to have a say in renaming the school By LEA KAHN Staff Writer
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Whatever the permanent name of the Princeton Unified Middle School may become, current and prospective middle school students should have their say in choosing it. That’s why school district officials have directed Princeton Unified Middle School Principal Jason Burr to poll students in
grades 5-8 – again – to recommend a name to the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education, which will decide on the new name at its June 15 meeting. The middle school on Walnut Lane had been known as the John Witherspoon Middle School until a petition – signed by more than 1,500 people – was submitted to the school board last year that requested a name change. The school board agreed to change
the name, and set June 15 as the deadline to act. The initial list of proposed names for the grades 6-8 middle school included individuals, as well as generic names for the middle school. A series of polls – two conducted among middle school students and one poll for community members – revealed a preference for a generic name, in contrast to naming it for a person. The list of generic names in
the final poll – to be conducted among students in grades 5-8 and middle school staff – are Princeton Community Middle School, Walnut Lane Middle School, Princeton United Middle School, Princeton Middle School and The Princeton Middle School. The students and staff will rank their choices in order of preference – 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 – to help the school board in making its decision. The first-ranked
school name gets 5 points, the second-ranked gets 4 points and all the way down to the fifth-place choice, which gets 1 point. The name with the most points will win. At school board’s May 25 meeting, school board member Dafna Kendal favored holding another poll among students and staff, with the votes to be tallied by June 4. She said she wanted to See RENAMING, Page 8A
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