TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, JuNE 8, 2016 • 16
People & Stories Included In NEA Funding Projects
Celebrating Excellence In Education The 2015-2016 school year has been filled with students’ accomplishments, district recognition and the outstanding work reflecting the talents of our educators and support staff. Our four elementary schools flourished through math, science and arts residencies, outdoor garden classrooms, school concerts, art exhibits and special events. Students and staff have also received the following recognitions:
• U.S. News and World Report ranked Princeton High School among the top 10 Best High Schools of New Jersey. PHS was ranked #1 of all comprehensive New Jersey high schools on the SAT scores. Our 2015 mean Critical Reading Score was 620; our mean Writing Score was 620; and our mean Math Score was 633; for a combined mean of 1873. • 87% of the AP scores were 3 or higher from the 1580 tests administered which earned students advanced college credit. 85% of our 2015 graduates were accepted into four-year colleges/universities. The Princeton High School Class of 2015 had 11 National Merit Scholars and 61 Letters of Commendation. • Sophomore Matthew Wang was named a regional finalist in the 2015 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology. Matthew was one of only three finalists in New Jersey after entering the contest to obtain some experience in research. His project, which he worked on over the summer, is on X-ray astrophysics, a new field for him that he hopes to pursue further. Also placing in the competition was Carolyn Wang, one of 16 statewide regional semi-finalists. • Twenty-seven Princeton High School students attended the Junior State of America (JSA) Mid-States Convention, with many active as “pro” and “con” speakers at over 56 debates. Congratulations to the whole team, advisor Kim Groome, and to JSA member Jamacia Ponder for her Best Speaker award. JSA is a national non-profit with student-run chapters. The organization supports students in becoming active, involved and responsible citizens, voters and leaders as they engage in political discourse. • The Princeton High School math team took third place at the annual Princeton University Math Competition (PUMaC) held at the Princeton University campus on Nov. 21. PUMaC is a prestigious high school math competition and draws some of the best math students throughout the country and the world. • Princeton High School took two teams to the regional Ethics Bowl competition at Villanova University, an event where students discuss ethically-tough cases in a collegial manner and are scored for the depth of their thought and the quality and cordiality of their responses to their peers. Advisor Doug Levandowski is extremely proud of the teams’ accomplishments, noting that the goals for the day were met: namely, to have fun, think about some tough ethical issues, and have those thoughts productively challenged by peers from other schools. • The Princeton High School debate team once again made a strong showing, this time at the 2016 Newark Invitational. Highlights include: Varsity PF CHAMPION team of Tiffany Yuan and Maddy Triolo, with Celia Silver & Pranav Baskar placing as Octafinalists. Maddy Triolo also won 1st speaker; Tiffany Yuan 8th speaker, and Pranav Baskar, 14th Speaker. The Novice team dominated as well: five of the 16 octofinalists were from PHS. Congratulations to all students and their advisors. • Princeton High School’s two teams made a strong showing at the Shore Bowl, a regional competition that focuses on ocean-related topics, with one team winning first place in Division B and the other team winning second place in Division A. The Shore Bowl brings together high school students from NJ, NY and PA. Topics included the biology, chemistry, physics, geology of the ocean, as well as navigation, geography, related history and literature. • Congratulations to Jeanette Paredes’ class at John Witherspoon Middle School for winning the “Read to Succeed” prize by successfully engaging in a variety of reading activities. • Congratulations to Johnson Park Elementary for receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from Monarch Watch. Monarch Watch helps coordinate Monarch Waystations, that provide milkweeds, nectar plants, and shelter for monarch butterflies throughout their annual cycle of reproduction and migration. The school received recognition for establishing and maintaining Monarch Waystation No. 12715 that contributes to the continuation of the Monarch Butterfly migration in North America. • The Princeton High School Model United Nations Club once again had a stellar showing at the annual Model UN conference hosted by Georgetown University. The following students won special recognition for their strong preparation and use of diplomacy skills: Jeremy Cohen, CIA-Office of Congressional Affairs/Public Relations, Verbal Commendation Ben Donnelly-Fine, European Union: Energy Crisis, Outstanding Delegate Nikhita Salgame, Iranian Oil Consortium-1954, Strategist for Standard Oil of NJ, Outstanding Delegate, Grace Wampold, Papal Conclave-2013, Archbishop of Genoa, Verbal Commendation. • The Princeton High School Chess team brought home the first-place trophy from the Shore High School Chess League tournament for the fourth year in a row. Congratulations to the whole team and to advisor Graciela Elia. • Princeton High School seniors Junhong “John” Chen, Katie VanderKam and Thomas Morris brought home three of the total five top finalist awards from the Delaware Valley Science Council awards ceremony. John, Katie and Thomas garnered top honors, which include a cash prize, after competing as semi-finalists among 103 students in the region recognized for their outstanding abilities in science and math. • Three Princeton High School students have been awarded scholarships by the Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey (FLENJ): Cynthia Ma in Japanese, Marie-Louise James in Italian; and Lydia Duff in Mandarin. Winners receive a $1,000 scholarship towards their pursuit of higher education in college. Congratulations to the students and to teachers Joe Mazzarella, Shwu-Fen Lin, Natsuko Buurstra and World Languages & ESL Supervisor Priscilla Russel. • The Princeton High School Jazz Ensemble had an amazing night at the State Prelims, winning best saxes, sight reading and trumpets, and earning a Gold rating. Congratulations to the entire band and to director Scott Grimaldi. • Princeton High School students collected approximately 2,000 units of food and $367 in cash donations for the annual PHS Food Drive. • The John Witherspoon Middle School Do Something club, with the leadership of seventh graders Phoebe Frankel and Shoshi Henderson, boxed up 1,000 books as part of a book drive for establishing a library in Africa. Additional books were sent to Riverside School to begin another drive for Africa. Thank you to JWMS staff Kelly Riely, Amanda Chuong and Carolyn Bailey. • Littlebrook Elementary School won first place in the statewide TREX Recycling Challenge after a year-long effort in collecting, weighing and transporting 720 pounds – the equivalent of 58,000 bags – of plastic. • Congratulations to the Princeton High School Certamen teams, advisor Kathy Lewis and the World Languages Department. Both the PHS Latin I and Latin II teams finished first in NJ and have qualified for the National competition in Indiana this summer. Profectu tuo laetamur! • Congratulations to all six of our schools who have each received a $2,000 Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant funded by the PSEG Foundation. The grants will be used to support newly formed Green Teams at each school and to acquire materials for sustainability projects. • The Princeton High School Girls Swim Team dazzled at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, garnering titles and setting records along the way. PHS Sophomore Abbey Berloco set records in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions en route to winning two individual State swim titles. The 400-yard free-style relay team of Berloco, Brianna Romaine, Madeleine Deardorff and Melinda Tang also became State Champs. Congratulations to all the swimmers and Coach Carly Misiewicz. • The Princeton High School boys track team won its first ever Indoor Sectional title, the first since 1989. Congratulations to all the runners and to coaches Ben Samara, Jim Smirk, Ron Celestin, and William Hackmeister on a history-making season. • The girls basketball team finished a successful season with Senior Julia Ryan leading the team in scoring and being selected 3rd team all-conference. Congratulations to the entire team and Coach Dan van Hise. • The PHS boys basketball team qualified for the state tournament for the first time in three years and senior Matt Hart scored his 1000th career point against Hightstown, only the fourth PHS player ever and the first in nearly twenty years to accomplish that feat (Matt would finish his career with 1114 points). Congratulations to the whole team and to Coach Mark Shelley. • The John Witherspoon Middle School girls basketball team had the highest win total of the last five seasons under coaches Alicia Perrine and Justin Mathews. The team finished 9-6 with wins over Community, Lawrence, PDS, New Egypt, Fisher, Kreps, and Thomas Grover. The team was led by eighth graders Shaylah Marciano, Eva Petrone, Victoria Dugan, Khadijah Smart, Myla Wailoo, and Raina Williamson. The top scorer and rebounder for the team was Victoria Dugan while Eva Petrone earned Defensive MVP honors and Shaylah Marciano was the Offensive MVP. • The John Witherspoon Middle School Boys A and B basketball teams enjoyed excellent seasons that the coaches look to build on next season. Congratulations to both teams on a great season and to coaches Terry McGovern and Adam Rothschild. • Only four years after its inception, the Princeton High School fencing team made it to the finals, facing some of the best programs across the state in its district. Congratulations to all the fencers and to Coach Phil Dershwitz. • PHS boys hockey team ended the season strong, going 3-0-1 in their last four regular season games. Congratulations to the team and to Coach Terence Miller. PHS girls hockey forward Isabelle Sohn was the recipient of the Harry Rulon-Miller Sportsmanship Award - an award given to the player deemed to have the best attitude during games. Congratulations to the team and to Coach Christian Herzog. • Senior swim co-captains Stephen Kratzer ’16, David Cohen ’16, and Christian Chiang ’16 all qualified for the Mercer County Championships and helped the team garner a third place finish in the Mercer County Championship, ending the season in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North II, Group B Championship for a second year in a row. Congratulations to all the swimmers and to Head Coach Carly Misiewicz. • The Princeton High School Wrestling Team boasted memorable wins this season, and Junior James Verbeyst won the title at 145 pounds at the Mercer County Tournament, posting a 22-2 record in his first 24 matches this winter. Congratulations to all the wrestlers and to Coach Rashone Johnson. • Princeton High School senior Joe Bell was selected for the National Grammy Band this year, the highest honor for any high school jazz musician. In addition to performing in LA at events as part of the Grammy Awards weekend, he and the rest of the Grammy Band were featured on Entertainment Tonight! This along with Joe’s individual success at Berklee and Studio Band’s win have resulted in probably the most successful week any single musician in the jazz program has ever had. Congratulations to Joe Bell and to the PHS Studio Band and director Joe Bongiovi. • The Princeton High School Studio Band, under the direction of Joe Bongiovi, took the Berklee Jazz Festival by storm, garnering first place in the large ensemble competition. This marks the eighth time in 10 years and the seventh consecutive year that PHS has returned home with the top award from the world-renowned festival. Congratulations to all of the musicians and to director Joe Bongiovi. • Four PHS students were the top scorers in the nation in the National Japanese Exam (NJE). For Level 1, sophomores Ruiqui Liu and Alexander Wang shared the first place in the nation. Juniors Amy Watsky and Xinhe Zhou placed first and second in the nation respectively for Level 3. Congratulations to the students, their teacher Natsuko Buurstra and the World Languages Department. PHS Boys Soccer Coach Wayne Sutcliffe was selected as the 2015 NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year – East Region – and the New Jersey HS Coach of the Year – Large School – by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. • The boys golf team ended with a 12-4 record, which allowed them to qualify for State Sectionals at the Darlington Country Club in Mahwah, New Jersey. Junior Joseph Phelan shot an impressive 77 and a 77 in the Mercer County Tournament. Congratulations to the team for having a great season. • Senior Hayden Reyes collected his 100th hit, finishing his career with 104 and is now the all-time career hits leader in Princeton High School baseball history. • PHS girls lacrosse finished and advanced to the second round of the NJSIAA playoffs and the John Witherspoon girls Lacrosse Team went undefeated with a record of 12-0, under the leadership of coaches Amy Borgia and Crystal Paek. The team was led by eighth graders Shaylah Marciano, Lila Doran, Natalie Schur, Eva Petrone, Morgan Swanke, Emily Dobler, Faith Carver, Jessica Johnson, and Victoria Dugan. • In boys Spring track, three Mercer County Champions: Theodore Tel (Long Jump), Alex Roth (3200 meters), Paul Brennan (Discus). In girls Spring track, two Mercer County Champions: Jackie Patterson (400 meters), 4x400 meter relay (Patterson, Jordan Vine, Maia Hauschild, Amy Watsky). Lou Mialhe finished #1 in NJ and was a National qualifier in the 2000 meter steeplechase. • This Week in Education, airing on TV30, continues to be the most popular and widely watched educational show about the Princeton Public Schools and the community. The shows can be accessed by visiting www.princetontv.org and viewing the program schedule or clicking on the archives section for previous shows. • Additionally, PHS celebrated the success of its students on June 2nd at the annual Gold Key awards for PHS seniors and juniors. These awards are given to seniors and juniors for their service to the school, character and leadership. • Senior class recipients include: Adria Backus, Alex Bank, David Beamer, Joseph Bell, Auriane Benabou, Emma Bezilla, Caroline Black, Jacob Caddeau, Jasmine Charles, Harrison Coffee, David Cohen, Jeremy Cohen, Sophia Corrodi, Isaac Cutler-Kreutz, Derek DeGregorio, Nate Drezner, Gabe Greenwood, Maia Hauschild, Tej Khanna, Taran Krishnan, Megan Kuo, Natalie Loughran, Grace McGuirk, Zoe Nadeau, Madi Norman, Trish Reilly, Maya Sarafin, Hannah Semmelhack, Cheyenne Setneska, Ashley Smithers, Amy Song, Emily Swedish, Kelli Swedish, Kathleen Vanderkam, Katherine Vasquez, Phil Vasseur, and Noah Zigler • Junior class recipients include: Joanne Adebayo, Nora Aguiar, Gus Binnie, Luis Estrada, Winona Guo, Will Huang, Nicholas Jin, Jiyoung Kang, Annie Kim, William Kinney, Lisa Knigge, Daphne Kontogiorgos-Heintz, Maybelle Kusamoto, Brian Li, Maddie Troilo, Priya Vulchi, Elliot Wailoo, and George Zhu.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2016! SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: June 8: June 10: June 11: June 14: June 15: June 16: June 17: June 17: June 17: June 20: June 20: Sept. 7:
John Witherspoon Middle School Student Art Show, 6:00pm Jazz Ensemble Big Band Dance, PHS Cafeteria, 7:00pm Princeton High School Cabaret Night, Princeton High School PAC, 7:30pm John Witherspoon Middle School 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony, Princeton University, Richardson Auditorium 2:00pm Riverside Elementary 5th Grade Moving-On Ceremony, 9:00am Community Park Elementary 5th Grade Moving-On Ceremony, 8:45am Johnson Park Elementary 5th Grade Moving-On Ceremony, 9:00am Littlebrook Elementary 5th Grade Moving-On Ceremony, 10:00am 1:00pm Dismissal PreK-12 Princeton High School Graduation, Front Lawn, 5:30pm Last Day of School; 1:00pm Dismissal PreK-12 First Day of School for Students
National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $82 million to fund local arts projects and partnerships in the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2016. Included in this announcement is an Art Works award of $10,000 to Princeton-based People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos to support it’s literature reading, writing, and discussion programs for men and women in re-entry facilities in Trenton, New Jersey as well as one program for new Spanish-speaking immigrants in Staten Island, New York. The Art Works category suppor ts the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields. “The arts are all around us, enhancing our lives in ways both subtle and obvious, expected and unexpected,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Supporting projects like the one from People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.” “We’re thrilled and honored by the Art Works award, which helps us create wider access to the arts for more people who may not otherwise experience the hope and joy ignited by enduring short stories,” said People & Stories head Pat Andres. People & Stories /Gente y Cuentos believes in the power of literature to change lives. Through oral readings and seminar-style discussions of literary short stories, the organization invites underserved participants to new understandings of themselves, of others, and of the world. Over the course of more than 40 years and serving more than 40,000 people, the organization has found that those in transition are particularly open to it’s benefits. Plans are to integrate programs with other organizations focused on critical life transitions: prisoners moving to probation, half way house residents rejoining community, immigrants working toward citizenship, veterans re-entering civilian society, seniors moving to new stages.
IS ON
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30 Years Buying & Selling Art and Antiques
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