Pulling up to school in luxury vehicles with five-dollar coffees in hand, many PHS students are a far cry from normal. The opportunity to go to farmers’ markets in our senior parking lot on Thursdays and take courses at Princeton University are symbols of comfort and wealth. Especially compared to the school districts around us, PHS is a pillar of privilege. And while much of this privilege is used for good, it’s still strange in comparison to the districts around us. While we got MacBooks, West Windsor-Plainsboro North got Chromebooks, Monroe got iPads, and some schools got nothing. On top of that, some schools have crumbling infrastructure, an issue that they can’t even afford to solve. Meanwhile, Princeton Public Schools has begun construction on a multipurpose studio for yoga and dance.

Solving this pressing issue of inequity doesn’t completely fall on PPS, though spending millions on construction alone is still quite a contentious choice. Rather, American public school funding is what needs to be scrutinized. Education is supposedly a human right, but the government rarely supports this, chronically neglecting struggling public schools. And, like always, it comes down to the policy. The funding of American education is anything but equitable. A large part of public school funding comes from property taxes, a source of money that varies by location. Low-income areas with low property taxes will have little financial support for their schools. Therefore, quality of education is determined by geographic distribution of wealth. Education is also the foundation of success, yet we withhold quality education from people who need it the most. It’s impossible for low-income Americans to lift themselves up out of poverty without quality education, but our current system almost ensures social stagnation. Unless property taxes in poor neighborhoods radically increase (which they won’t, because living in poor neighborhoods isn’t exactly desirable), these schools will simply never get funding.


graphic by [credit name = "Emily Qian"]
But the United States is one of the only developed nations that relies on property taxes as heavily as it does for public education. Many other countries have similar but more effective mediums of securing money for public schools. For instance, some compensate with national or federal aid; their public school financial support comes from supported legislative acts and federal-level taxation, not just from local sources. In the United States, though, much is left up to individual states. Just by looking around us, we can see the necessity for a policy shift. The property value in Princeton is significantly higher than the surrounding towns (just check Zillow), and as a result, our education is significantly better. Students in under-funded schools often feel that their teachers don’t care; at PHS, however, teachers’ passion for learning is evident. Even the resources we get compared to the surrounding schools is baffling. With some exceptions, PHS activities remain well-supported across the board. From clubs to athletics to the arts, student life is highly funded and prioritized by the school. Being able to open your Instagram and see our orchestra in Italy is typical of Princeton High School; bands in most public schools outside of our district couldn’t feel the same. Access to quality education is directly associated with socioeconomic status, and classism in America underscores nearly every issue discussed in Congress. Representatives tend to focus on the hot-button issues while neglecting substantial reform. It is our responsibility to vote in legislators who genuinely care about righting the wrongs in the education system. If we value our education and the privilege it affords us, we should aim to ensure that everyone has access to an equal and quality experience. Education and democracy go hand in hand because both are emblematic of the human capacity to achieve more. So if we truly value our trips to Italy and our sports resources, we need to vote with education in mind.

Princeton’s privilege: rethinking public school funding

Princeton High School’s very own Kelly Curtis ’07 
competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in the sport of 
skeleton. After previously making history as the first 
Black athlete to represent team USA in skeleton during 
the Beijing Olympics, Curtis returned to the Olympics, 
competing on February 13, 2026. In the process, Curtis, the 
top American in women’s skeleton, managed to finish the 
training runs behind first place by only 1.15 seconds. She 
ultimately placed 12th in the final rankings, demonstrating 
her resilience and perseverance in the sport. Outside of the 
sliding track, she serves in the U.S. Air Force World Class 
Athlete Program, which is an initiative designed to allow 
athletes to participate in elite events such as the Olympics 
while also remaining in the military. Additionally, her 
journey was also interrupted by the birth of her daughter, 
which sidelined her from the track.

### How did you initially start skeleton? What were your steps to getting to this level?

My father was the athletic director of Princeton High 
School in the ‘90s, and he left right before I entered high 
school. I think just that solid foundation of trying so many 
different sports and finding success in some and not in 
others ... I think that was foundational. And then in high 
school, I was known as a basketball player and I just ran 
track and field more so to stay in shape for basketball. But in 
college, I went and competed collegiately in the heptathlon, 
[which helped] also create another solid foundation of ... 
different skills. And after college, I was in graduate school 
coaching track and field in upstate New York. And that 
was close enough where I could go to Lake Placid for a 
combine. From there, I was invited to a bobsled driving 
school. At that driving school, I liked bobsled, but I didn’t 
love it. I saw skeleton and I tried it in 2013. [I] finished 
graduate school in 2014, went out for skeleton, but ended 
up joining the bobsled team in 2014 and then [I] went 
full-time skeleton in 2015.

### In between the Beijing 2022 Olympics and this year’s Winter Olympics, how did you and your team train or how did you work to improve from the last Olympics?

We do a lot of reflection, feedback, assessment, and 
then see what worked well in the past quad and see what 
didn’t. Hopefully, we can get some fundraising going and 
go into our research and development and have a little bit 
more of an edge going into the next [Olympic] Games. I 
think we were just outmatched these past Games by some 
of the technological advances of some of the well-funded 
countries.

### As a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force, you represent the U.S. in two very different uniforms. How do you balance serving in the Air Force and training and competing?

There’s really no way to completely balance something. 
Something is always needing attention while I’m giving 
attention to others. Especially trying to become an 
Olympian, a multiple-time Olympian at that, it’s not 
a balanced lifestyle. Everything is focused [on] these 
particular goals. [As a result], other things are on the back 
burner. I would say keeping up with family and friends 
had to take a backseat for this past couple of weeks. My 
family came out to support me and it was amazing, but 
I’m like, ‘I don’t want to be in any of the group chats’ [or] 
‘I’ll hang out with you guys after the games.’ Once you’re 
so focused on one thing, you have to give it everything.

And now, I can take the foot off of that pedal and I’m 
going back to doing everything that I need to do for the 
military and I’m right here at Aviano Air Base, so I’ll still 
stay up to date with everything that I need to do here. It’s 
a bit of an unbalanced act, I would say. It’s like everything 
towards one particular goal. And then once that’s done, 
then you reassess, you calm down, then you go toward something else.

Photo: Kelly Curtis

Curtis hurtles down the ice track at the Cortina Sliding Centre during the 2026 Winter Olympics, where she placed 12th.

Kelly Curtis '07 competes at the 2026 Winter Olympics

In the last three weeks, the United States saw 232 of 
its athletes — the largest U.S. Winter Olympic team to 
date — represent the nation in over 116 events across 16 
disciplines at the 2026 Winter Olympics. More specifically, 
the Seattle Times reported that seven of the athletes were 
foreign-born and another 31 are children to immigrant 
parents, highlighting the importance of immigration in 
American society.

Indeed, key components of Team USA come from foreign 
heritage. For instance, figure skater Ilia Malinin, known for 
his technical ability and moniker of “Quad God,” is the son of 
two former Olympic athletes who competed for Uzbekistan. 
Other examples include monobob bronze medalist Kaillie 
Humphries, of both Canadian and American descent, who 
competed for Canada at three Olympics before switching 
allegiances to the U.S. Similarly, gold-medalist figure skater 
Alysa Liu is also the child of a Chinese-American immigrant 
who fled the nation as a political refugee.

Unfortunately, an ongoing crisis both at home and abroad 
threatens to overshadow the brilliance of our athletes. The 
presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 
personnel in Milan as part of the American delegation has 
sparked controversy globally. Although their presence was 
explained as a security measure, Italian officials have openly 
expressed their discontent with the presence of ICE onsite, 
drawing protestors to gather outside of the U.S. Embassy 
in Milan. Although athletes compete in the name of our 
nation, they face a difficult question: is this a nation that 
they want to represent?

For some, the answer isn’t that simple. Athletes like 
freestyle skier Hunter Hess have raised their concerns 
through social media. Hess explains that although he 
does wear the flag, he doesn’t identify nor align with 
developments in the nation. Similarly, fellow freestyle 
skier Chris Lillis expressed concerns with the actions of 
ICE, emphasizing how athletes on Team USA don’t wish 
to be associated with ICE’s actions. 

Looking beyond these concerns, Americans should 
reflect upon the Winter Olympics and the role that 
immigrants played in our success. When more than 
one-eighth of the delegation is composed of athletes with 
immigrant heritage, it’s hard to ignore the influential role 
that immigration plays in our society. Although these three 
weeks of competition might have been just entertainment 
for spectators, it represents the culmination of years of 
work and dedication from athletes. Regrettably, instead of 
supporting and celebrating these individuals who represent 
our nation on the global stage, our society is leaning toward 
turning against and ostracizing them. Despite the issues 
that America has been experiencing internally, our nation 
should offer support the athletes that sacrifice so much 
for our flag on the biggest stage of sports, the Olympics.

Immigration provides a channel of talent and diversity 
that American society has built itself upon. Despite attempts 
at hiding this fact through stringent enforcement, events 
like the Winter Olympics demonstrate the importance of 
immigrants in our culture. No matter how many differences 
we may like to draw, they fade when we watch our favorite 
athletes. In that moment, we become the same: Americans 
rooting for Americans.

The role of immigrants in the 2026 Winter Olympics Team USA

### Beloved ###
The house at 124 Bluestone Road is haunted. Everyone in the bleak, post-Civil War 
Cincinnati, Ohio of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” knows it, and all but a select few avoid 
it. The ghost of an infant rages against the home’s inhabitants, “worrying [the] house 
into evil,” but not only that; each member of the house, only a few years free from 
enslavement, carries with them the malevolent spirits of their pasts.

There are few books that characterize a period in American history better than 
“Beloved,” published in 1987 but set in post-Civil War America. It follows Sethe, 
an escaped slave, and her daughter, Denver, whose home in Ohio is haunted by the 
malevolent ghost of Sethe’s dead infant. When a mysterious woman referred to only 
as Beloved arrives and begins to worm her way into the two women’s lives, unbidden 
memories begin to surface, and Sethe is forced to reckon with the atrocities of her past. 
“Beloved” is the story of a deeply complex female character who possesses not only a 
great capacity for love but also for violence, exploring the vast impacts of slavery on 
the human psyche through the vessel of the family.

Diving into the minds of people who have undergone some of the most brutal abuse 
imaginable is not easy, and Morrison doesn’t hold her punches. Sethe, a strikingly 
complicated and tragic figure, is a mother of four children, which shapes her identity 
and the abuse she encounters at the hands of her enslavers. The story of her escape from 
slavery while pregnant, recounted several times throughout the novel, is visceral; the 
description of the whipping scars that looked like “a chokecherry tree,” “red and split 
wide open, full of sap,” is only one of its many striking images.
 
As is appropriate for a novel about ghosts and trauma, 
“Beloved” is heavily concerned with the issue of 
memory. The past is revealed in small, recursive 
snippets of flashback from various perspectives; all of 
the characters forget or block out major aspects of the 
core events, making it difficult to piece together the 
full picture of what transpired. This nonlinearity may 
hinder a new reader’s ability to follow the plot, but it 
shapes the story’s atmosphere: “Beloved” is a ghost 
story, eerie and dreamlike, and the unconventional 
form makes it a reading experience like no other.

Though Morrison’s novel is set almost two 
centuries ago, many of the issues it examines are 
still relevant today. Learning not only the way that 
slavery in America affected women then but also 
the way that its psychological scars linger in America 
today is crucial to understanding women’s history in the 
United States.

### Jane Eyre ###
In 1846, Charlotte Brontë began to write “Jane 
Eyre.” She was 30 years old, and up to this point, 
most of her life had been spent moving from 
boarding school to boarding school, first as a 
student and then as a teacher. In this regard, 
“Jane Eyre” reads much like a narrative about 
Brontë’s own life: first an orphan living with her 
distant family, Jane is sent to an oppressive 
boarding school, where she eventually gets 
a job upon graduating, finally ending up 
working as a governess. Furthermore, in an 
event likely inspired by the death of Brontë’s 
older sister, Jane witnesses the aftermath of a 
typhus epidemic at her school, including the death 
of her closest friend.
 
Despite these parallels, however, 
and the novel’s original subtitle of 
“An Autobiography,” “Jane Eyre” is 
undoubtedly a work of fiction. Although it 
was published in the 19th century, it contains 
many of the modern novel’s conventions: a 
major reason for its popularity at the time of 
publication was its intense first-person narrative, 
unusual at the time but commonplace now.
 
As the governess for a young French girl at an estate called Thornfield Hall, 
Jane is drawn to the mysterious master of the house, Mr. Rochester. Inspired by the 
Byronic heroes Brontë read about in her youth, he quickly sweeps Jane off her feet. 
Trouble ensues, however, when strange occurrences begin to happen at Thornfield 
Hall, and Jane learns of the secrets he has been keeping.
 
Although a modern eye may not peg “Jane Eyre” as a radically feminist text — Jane 
never manages to break free from the societal expectations of a Victorian woman — 
many core beliefs of modern feminism are present in their prototypical forms. When 
Rochester proposes, Jane refuses to accept until he admits that she is his “equal” as 
a “free human being with independent will.” Brontë published “Jane Eyre” under a 
pseudonym, Currer Bell, in the hope that a more masculine name would help her 
succeed in the literary world. This proved wildly successful, and she was met with 
immediate fame. Though our society may have grown past strict Victorian ideas of 
gender roles, it remains important to read books by female authors — not just this 
March, but year-round.

Must-reads for Women's History Month

**The Tower asked Princeton High School students for their opinions on recent activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) both locally and on a national scale. Here’s what they had to say.**

### I am Guatemalan, I am human, and I am not going anywhere

I am Guatemalan. And I am proud.

I do not believe deportation is wrong. I believe the intention behind it is what has gone off track. 

There is nothing wrong with protecting a nation. But there is everything wrong with tearing apart innocent families in the name of it. I do not agree with deporting children who have known no other home. I do not agree with deporting mothers who rise before the sun, who clean, who care, who labor so their children might dream bigger than they ever could. I do not agree with deporting a man who works harder than most, who pays his taxes, who contributes to an economy that runs on the sweat of his back, doing the jobs that no one else will stand in the sun for ten hours to do.

Deport the predators. Deport the violent. Deport those who break the law and bring harm. But to deport a human being simply for the color of their skin, the accent in their voice, the pride they carry for where they came from? That is not policy. That is cruelty dressed in procedure. And it is dishonorable to the very idea of what America claims to be. 

I do not need to call myself American to know I have built this country with my own hands. I do not need a plastic card to remind me I am human. And I should not need one to prove it to you. We are watching millions of dollars evaporate. Farms emptied. Hospitals understaffed. Buildings unfinished. Crops left to rot in the fields not because Americans won’t work, but because the workers who fed this nation have been cast out of it. And still, the lie continues: that we are takers. That we are invaders. That we are less than. But we are the ones holding this country up. And if they tear us down, the whole thing crumbles. 

I am not asking for pity. I am asking for sight. See the mothers. See the fathers. See the children who only know this land as home. See the hands that feed you, that heal you, that build the walls around you.

This path we are on will not fix America. It will divide it. It will hollow it out from the inside.

I am proud of my culture. I am proud of my language. And it is not a crime to know more than one — it is a gift. One that built civilizations long before borders existed.

I am Guatemalan. I am human.

And I am not going anywhere.

Anonymous ’26


### ICE is necessary to uphold the law

In my opinion, ICE is doing a good job. Why is it okay for people to enter this country illegally? Don’t get me wrong, the shootings of the two people were unacceptable, but why is it acceptable to enter this country illegally? The clowns that are in outrage against ICE think it’s okay for people to come in illegally? Are we serious? Supporting illegal immigrants means they are supporting those breaking the law. Ironic, isn’t it? But they call us Republicans the bad ones. The law is the law. Illegal immigration is ILLEGAL. Trump is doing a great job in office in all ways, and especially getting rid of people breaking the law. Finally someone who enforces the law. Actually do real research instead of reading and falling for this liberal propaganda. No one is above the law; if you travel to America illegally, you are breaking the law. Why get annoyed at ICE when they are enforcing the law? The issue is not ICE; it’s the bad border controlling letting these illegals in.

Anonymous ’27


### ICE’s expansion attacks our freedom

I am appalled by the recent loss of innocent American blood and the repressive, systematic raids, even coming perilously close to PHS. We must take steps to stand against actions that intimidate our neighbors.
An agency for legal immigration enforcement is necessary given the current crisis; its creation, per se, is a step toward curbing illegal immigration. However, its recent expansion has led to a direct attack on our freedom and constitutional rights. 

While local governments are rather powerless, they must foster a good atmosphere and relationship within communities, condemning these illegal activities in their districts. The American people must find a common denominator despite polarization. Are slaughters and systematic illegal deportations not enough for us to unite? Our local representatives and governments must support our rights and the Constitution to protect the weakest in our society.

Anonymous ’27





### Immigration enforcement delivers justice

I think what they are doing is great; people didn’t follow the rules and they should come to the country the right way. Because they are illegal, it’s expected that they have the risk of getting deported. On the other hand, I think the fact that people are getting hurt is upsetting, but if you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. 

Anonymous ’28

### ICE’s activities threaten our safety
 
I believe ICE’s recent activities, both nationwide and in my community, raise huge concerns about fairness, safety, and the treatment of immigrant families. The recent aggressive enforcement and highly visible operations seem to create a lot of fear and uncertainty, especially for people who are trying to live normal lives. When people are aware that the shade of their skin can have them arrested or shot, they are entirely unlikely to venture outside and contribute positively to their community. I feel that when people are afraid to interact with schools, healthcare, or law enforcement, it weakens trust between individuals and makes communities less safe. 

Local governments must be held more accountable in order to effectively protect their residents’ rights, promote transparency, and make sure policies reflect compassion as well as maintain public safety. Overall, it is important for everyone to support more humane and balanced approaches to immigration enforcement.

Anonymous ’29

### Immigration enforcement respects legal immigrants

Personally, the idea of ICE and ensuring people are here legally is overall a good idea. Unfortunately, even though many illegal immigrants work and pay taxes, it would be unfair to the immigrants who came here through the legal process. Nonetheless, I do not agree with the way they hire ICE agents, as I feel it is too easy to become an agent. Hardworking “illegal immigrants” should be given a chance and at the least a fine for entering illegally, but criminals should be deported with no questions asked.

Anonymous ’27


### ICE maintains order and security

I support the recent activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because I believe enforcing immigration laws is an important part of maintaining national security and public safety. Nationwide, these efforts show that federal laws are being taken seriously and applied consistently. In our community, increased enforcement can create a sense of order and accountability, reinforcing the idea that laws matter.

Anonymous ’26

### Corrupt authority warrants resistance

When the Gestapo invaded towns during its 1944 occupation of Italy, churches would ring their bells to let people know they weren’t safe. Princeton needs an alarm system. Have the churches ring their bells, send us a text message notification, just SOMETHING to let people know that they are not safe.

And once people are notified of ICE’s presence, the police need to be on these ICE agents until they are OUT.

The students of PHS didn’t spend 15 years learning about injustices and corrupt authority to sit back and turn a blind eye when the same things actually happen in real life.

So remember the mothers, remember the fathers, and remember the children whose lives have been affected by the kidnapping of loved ones and the fear that they will be next. Princeton should be the example for change, not the example of hesitance. Fight ICE. VIVA LA RESISTENCIA!

Anonymous ’26

### ICE is unconstitutional

Disgusting,   inhumane,   and   unconstitutional. Immigrants are what make America great. If you are looking to only deport “Illegal Felons,” start with the president, a felon, and his wife. Not American citizens.

Anonymous ’29

Letters to the Editor: ICE

 On Thursday, February 12, Biology I students participated in the first Fermentation Festival at PHS. Organized by Science Supervisor Jacqueline Katz, biology teacher Alexis Custer, and Food Systems Literacy Coordinator Shannon Barlow, the Fermentation Festival was an opportunity for students to showcase the sourdough bread they worked on throughout the year as part of their new phenomena-based curriculum. 

   The festival displayed handmade sourdough bread to taste, along with posters that demonstrated the biological processes that the students learned through baking their own bread throughout the school year. PHS parents, students, and even local bakeries around Princeton were invited. Custer, the main organizer of the festival, came up with the idea of incorporating sourdough bread into her classes’ last year. 

   “Microorganisms are not visible to the naked eye, but you can see [it] with a sourdough starter, the rise and fall of the starter, and [the] taste [of] a loaf of bread,” said Custer. “[So] the students could go ahead and see what they’re learning in the classroom is applicable in their real, everyday lives.”

  In total, Custer’s students made over 300 loaves of bread, funded by a grant from the Princeton Regional Educators Association. After the success of this year’s curriculum, Custer has been working with Barlow to pilot a new food science program for autism classrooms starting next school year. The two submitted a grant to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program, in which they were awarded $10,000 to develop the program and continue it for the future.

“What’s really nice about Princeton is [that] we can put our own unique flair on to the way that we teach biology that makes it meaningful to us,” said Custer.

Photo: Julia Li

​​Isabella Nitze ’29, Emma Hu ’29, and Yuwei Jiang ’29 present their sourdough findings.

PHS Fermentation Festival demonstrates new phenomena-based curriculum

On Saturday, January 31, the Princeton High School Math team held the first Princeton Math Tournament (PMT). Consisting of two divisions, the tournament drew over 450 participants from elementary and middle schools across New Jersey. 

  Led by tournament co-directors Maiya Qiu ’27 and Emma Li ’26, the PHS math team began preparation for the tournament in the summer. Though the event was originally scheduled for October, it was postponed until the new year due to scheduling conflicts with other major math competitions earlier in the year. 

One of the most crucial parts of the preparation was problem-writing, with volunteers consisting of PHS students, middle schoolers, and Princeton University students. The team wrote over 500 problems, though only around 100 were used for the actual tournament.

During the tournament, participants were split into two divisions — one for grades 6–8, and the other for grades 3–5. In teams of 1–3, students competed in four rounds: a sprint round, a target round, a puzzle round, and a team round. Near the end, PMT also organized an Estimathon, a competition based around estimating results to complicated questions, such as: What is the area in square miles of the smallest non-self-intersecting hexagon that encompasses all Ivy League schools except for Cornell and Dartmouth?

“The idea [with this tournament] was [that] we wanted to create more opportunities for students in the New Jersey area, to become more interested in math … work with other students, and work with math outside of school or outside of the classroom, and maybe introduce some interesting puzzles and ideas,” said Li.

In addition to the various puzzles, PMT also invited guest speaker Professor Dieter Kotschick from the Institute of Advanced Studies to speak with parents of participating students. Inspired by the German children’s book “The Number Devil,” Kotschick’s talk focused on the value in finding joy and fun in math, which he believed was especially important for young kids participating in the tournament.

“I wanted to … emphasize to the parents that it’s very important that kids have fun and enjoy mathematics,” said Kotschick. “They’re not just sequences of numbers. There’s a kind of natural beauty in mathematical concepts.”

At the end of the tournament, prizes were awarded to the best-performing students and teams, with the highest reward being $200 for the individual winner of each division, as well as trophies and plushies for teams that placed in the top three.

“The competition was really fun … the [problems] were pretty similar to what you’d see in other national competitions,” said first-place winner Aarush Moola, an eight-grader at Community Middle School. “I think it was a really challenging but rewarding experience at the same time.”

Help from sponsors provided much of the financial support needed for the tournament. A key sponsor was the Princeton Regional Education Association (PREA), represented by Malachi Wood, a French teacher at PHS. He assisted the Princeton Math Team in securing a grant of $1,000 from PREA for food and awards. Wood emphasized the importance of showcasing how PMT helped build the community in order to receive support from PREA.

Wood also stressed that teachers played a supporting role during the PMT, as the general operations were student-led. 

“The day of the tournament, [I saw] the students registering people, organizing things, preparing things … Inside the auditorium, they were organizing the students and asking them math questions,” said Wood. 

In addition to handling operations on the day of the tournament and prior preparation, student organizers also heavily focused on outreach through a variety of media in an attempt to get middle school students and teams to sign up for the tournament. While social media outreach helped spread the word about the tournament, cooperation with administrators from participating middle schools played the biggest role in gaining sign-ups.

  “We had more than 480 sign-ups, and then around 450 of them came. So it was actually an extremely high turnout rate of around 90 percent,” said Qiu. “We actually did not expect this many students to show up.”

After the tournament concluded, the PHS math team received both constructive and positive feedback from participants. The parent of contestant Mario Luo, a fifth grader at Johnson Park Elementary School, was one of the many parents that thanked the PHS Math Team for their organization after PMT concluded.

   “My son had a wonderful time and came home truly excited about the experience,” said the parent in an email to the math team. “I really appreciate all the time and effort you and your team put into this event. It [was] honestly one of the most exciting activities in the Princeton community.”

Due to the success of this year’s tournament, the math team has high hopes for PMT’s future. They plan to continue hosting it in upcoming years, next time more prepared for the large turnout.

“I was impressed by how successful it was. I think they were expecting 300 kids or so, but they got 400 … and everything was well run and organized, from what I could see,” said Wood. “There were some difficulties in running out of supplies and so forth … [but] they were really successful.”

Photo: Katherine Chen

Britta Du, Audrey Zhang, and Ahana Roy collect their awards as the second-place team in Division A of the Princeton Math Tournament.

PHS Math team holds first Princeton Math Tournament 

Valentine's Day mini crosswords

The murder of an innocent protester — or perhaps the wrangling of a domestic terrorist. It depends on who you ask. 


Following the shooting of Alex Pretti, Trump administration officials claimed that Pretti was an “armed suspect [who] violently resisted” ICE’s attempts to disarm him. The gun, it turns out, was just a phone — a fact only revealed as a result of a widely-shared bystander video.


We live in a time when our access to information has reached unprecedented levels. Yet at the same time, political rhetoric and its ability to misconstrue the truth can blind us from making our own objective judgments. 


It’s often only through bystander videos that the truth gets out. In the past decade, nearly every major protest movement has been fueled by videos filmed by normal citizens, often with shaky hands and without professional equipment. In 2020, 17-year-old Darnella Frazier was walking to a nearby grocery store when she witnessed police officers restraining George Floyd. Frazier started recording, and later that day uploaded the video to social media.


Had it not been for that video, the uproar in the wake of Floyd’s killing — and the conviction of Derek Chauvin, George Floyd’s murderer — may never have occurred: the initial police report by the Minneapolis Police Department simply described the death as a “medical incident.” As Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota later said “that video, I think many folks know, is maybe the only reason that Derek Chauvin will go to prison.”


As PHS students, we have two important duties when it comes to primary sources. 


First, we must acknowledge our own power to act as sources. It might feel as though we, as students, do not have the capacity to catalyze a national protest movement. But for Frazier, it likely seemed that way too. In reality, all it takes is the awareness and courage to press record and share.


Second, when consuming media, it’s imperative that we evaluate sources with a critical lens. In order to combat this rhetoric, we must trust the primary sources that we see — even when everything we hear from politicians flies in the face of what our own eyes tell us. It means staying true to our eyes, allowing interpretations to enhance understanding, not rewrite them. 
In the age of AI, this obligation has an extra step: sources purporting to be authentic have the potential to be doctored or completely AI-generated. Before wholly believing details from one post or video, we must cross-verify information.  


George Orwell’s warning in 1984 — “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command” — thus rings true today. The second we stop filming, and stop trusting, primary sources, we become complicit in this command. 