#

### Experience the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Princeton 
*January 4, 2026 - 9:30 am to 12:00 pm*

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the pivotal Battle of Princeton with the Princeton Battlefield
Society! The event will feature a historically-accurate reenactment of the Battle featuring more
than 350 actors and a memorial ceremony afterwards. Attendees will also have the opportunity to
tour the Thomas Clarke House, one of the most historically important sites in Princeton, and will
be provided with free coffee and hot chocolate. Although registration is required, the
semiquincentennial of this important battle shouldn’t be missed!

### StuCocoa Day
*January 8, 15, 22, and 29, Flex Time and after school*

As the bitter frost of winter sets in, students may find themselves struggling to grapple with the
cold weather, especially after a tiring day at school. Luckily, on the Wednesdays of January,
Student Council will be selling hot chocolate as part of their annual StuCocoa fundraiser outside
the PAC. There will also be toppings like whipped cream and marshmallows for you to add,
creating the ultimate after-school cold-combating combo!

### Winter Club Fair
*January 26*

Clubs are an integral part of the PHS student experience — it's a place to explore passions and
build friendships. On January 26, the club fair will return for clubs and students alike to explore
their interests or sign up for a club that may not have been at the fall club fair. Happy clubbing,
PHS!

### January Big Band Dance
*January 30th, 7–10 p.m.*

Join PHS Studio Band and Jazz Ensemble for a night of music ranging from jazz classics to pop
hits. Refreshments will also be provided by the PHS Band Parent Association. Get ready to
dance in your finest under the bright lights of the PHS Cafeteria!

January 2026: Save the Dates

In 2003, English Language Learner (ELL) teacher Michael Klinger took a simple photograph on his trip to Guatemala:  bare-faced and bare-footed, children stared from their dirt-floor huts. More than 20 years later, he sees the image as a motivator for the work he does everyday for students at PHS that come from realities nearly identical to those in the photograph.

“A Princeton High School diploma for this kid is amazing,” said Klinger. “This really puts your work into perspective as well — the idea that these students become the same students that graduate with high school [diplomas]”.

For decades, the unspoken agreement within ELL classrooms has been simple: if a student sits passively to the side without causing any trouble, they receive a passing grade, regardless of their level of engagement. Klinger described this as an entrenched tradition in line with the “soft bigotry of low expectations,” referencing George W. Bush’s speech addressing an annual NAACP conference in 2000.

“I think that a lot of American schools, including these here, have been guilty of that,” said Klinger.

To dismantle this trap, PHS’s College Counseling and ELL Department are launching a renewed partnership this December to reshape the district’s support of ELL students. By breaking down communication gaps, they hope that their mission to support these students will be fully realized.
“Right now, [we’re] more of a team, which is what we need,”  said Nipurna Shah, PHS’s College Counselor. “We just [need] to communicate and work together. You can’t be successful in a silo or working against each other.” 

Shah’s approach to college counseling is central to the new partnership: she offers individualized support to every student that comes through her doors by upholding the dreams of the students.
“We want to set students up for success,” said Shah. “We want students to have opportunities and open pathways to really reach whatever goal it is that they want to do.”

Back in the classroom, Klinger mirrors Shah’s ambition for the students, but believes that seizing those opportunities requires a fundamental shift in academic expectations.

“I’ve started to give the kids quizzes every week, and they’ve never had quizzes before,” said Klinger. “We had some quizzes today, and the kids did not study, and the results were not good.”

For Klinger, however, these failures are not a reason to retreat to the old, softer standard: instead, they are stepping stones towards building genuine agency. He views his efforts in increased rigor as “growing pains” for students who have rarely been asked to take ownership of their learning in the past.

“You have to have these moments of maybe stumbling and falling on your face for them to get the message of ‘No, I’m serious [about] my expectation that you spend some time studying,’” said Klinger. “That you’re actually committing some of your own personal mental energy. You’re not just sitting there passively, because that’s what’s happening.Too many of our kids are just sitting passively through their days and not learning enough.”

The increased rigor is also paired with an introspection into how material is taught. Klinger explained that, for too long, high school English teachers attempted to teach literary analysis to students who still needed support with foundational literacy. To address this, he has begun to work with experts like Sarah Moore, an elementary school literacy specialist, as well as Dr. Solange Murphy-Lopez at The College of New Jersey to redefine the program’s approach towards phonology and basic reading instruction. 

By aligning the curriculum towards students’ true needs, Klinger hopes that the program moves toward empowerment rather than pity.

“When we’re throwing seven hours of English at these kids a day, and then they don’t understand 90 to 95 percent of it, that’s frustrating ... they’re normalizing tuning it out,” said Klinger.

Raising the bar within the classroom is only half the battle, however. To ensure that students have support beyond their four years at PHS, the College Counseling Office helps students navigate the bureaucracy of the enrollment and scholarship process.  Shah also acknowledged that a four-year university can sometimes be out of reach, especially for students that need to work to support families at home and abroad.

“I want to meet the students where they are, I want to listen to what their goals are and then help them provide the pathways to get to that goal. And that’s the same whether you’re an ESL student or whether you’re a ... student in any population,” said Shah. “I don’t tell them, here’s what you need to do, X, Y, and Z.”

Through the 101: Fund scholarship, PHS students can receive complete tuition support for two years at Mercer County Community College, giving students a stepping stone into higher education as some still try to figure out their future.

“Two free years of college ... Why not take advantage of a unique opportunity that’s only at Princeton High School? There are no other high schools that have this scholarship program,” said Shah.

Even with free tuition on the table, Shah recognizes that immediate employment is a necessity, not a choice, with some students working over 40 hours to support their families. To that end, Shah’s goal is to ensure that bureaucracy is never a hurdle in the scholarship application process, and that every student receives individualized support to set them up for success.

Dr. Andrea Dinan, director of the IDEAS Center, has come to better understand the experiences of students from immigrant communities through her work with first-generation students. For her, helping is walking a fine line between caring and being overbearing.

“We have to respect the kids’ dreams. It’s really easy for anyone that starts working with kids with such sad stories to start feeling bad. They want to be their savior,” said Dinan. “That’s not the way to do it. You got to find out what the kid wants.”

With these challenges in mind, the ultimate goal of the new partnership is to foster agency among students. The staff hopes to replicate the success stories of ELL program graduates like Carolina Soto ’17. After graduating from PHS, she served in the military police through an ROTC program and is now an education major at Dickinson College. Soto plans to return to PHS as a part-time ELL and part-time Spanish teacher.

For now, Klinger is steadfast to a simple goal within the ELL program: help his students learn English. Working single-mindedly to this singular goal then gives students the agency to make the right decision for their own futures.

“We can assist them, and we can encourage them, and we can present options to them,” said Klinger. “But that’s [the] agency. That’s respecting them as autonomous, human beings that have come to this country with a plan, [and] have come to this country with a vision.”


Photo: Michael Klinger

On his 2003 visit to Guatemala, Klinger saw the plight of children in the country. In his classroom today, his work aims to build up students from nearly identical circumstances. 

Beyond the “soft bigotry of low expectations”: Redefining success in PHS’s ELL programs

November 29, 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education act, a landmark legal act issued by the U.S. government in 1975 that guaranteed children with disabilities received the proper services as part of free public education in the “least restrictive environment” (LRE). 

“This anniversary reminds us that the road to educational rights was hard-won by families who refused to accept less. We honor their advocacy and recommit to protecting and strengthening these vital rights for all students,” said Margarita Baldeo, PHS Superintendent of Special Service. 

PHS is home to nine special education programs, each designed to meet students’ individual needs. Though some of the offered programs are designed to accommodate academic challenges, others address developing life skills, such as the “School-to-Work” and “Adult Living” programs. 

 “In society, [special education students] have to conform to the expectations that are set for [them],” said Crystal Riddick, Supervisor of Special Education at PHS. “Instead of us setting the expectation that the kids have to meet, we need to meet the kids’ expectation by planning to support them.”

The process begins with the child study team, which is in charge of evaluation and classification of students who may be eligible for special education services. 

“We get a referral that can come from a parent or the school or physician, and then we meet with the parents,” said PHS Social Worker Michelle Kotch, who is part of the Child Study Team. “If we determine that evaluations are warranted, that’s when we conduct the evaluations.”

Over 90 days, the team collaborates to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP), a legal document renewed every three years that provides recommendations for the type and level of special services that can be provided for the student.

“In PHS, we strive to ensure that we [have] an environment that’s least restrictive,” said Principal Cecilia Birge. “If you are a student with certain learning needs, we want to make sure that you are placed in an environment that gives you access to [a similar] curriculum [to] all other students.”

 In order to do this, many PHS classrooms have In-Class Resource Programs (ICRP), where there are two teachers, one general education teacher and one Special Education teacher, who provide additional support to students with an IEP, and modify the curriculum to their level if needed.

“In an ICRP class, you might sit next to a student [or] some of your friends might have an IEP, and you don’t even [know] they’re receiving support,” said Riddick. “That’s the structure that we promote ... because kids should be inclusive and accepting of all students.”

PHS also offers resource classrooms for students with higher levels needs. These classes are taught by a Special Education teacher but retain many of the aspects of the standard curriculum. There are  also  classes that focus on teaching the core subjects with a focus on the development of real world skills.

“I don’t follow algebra, geometry, or anything for my LLD or my MD math,” said Danielle DeCroce, a Special Education teacher specialized in MD and LLD math, English, and social studies classes. “It’s all functional math skills — right now we’re working on coupons ... and saving money versus spending more.”

For students who require a supervising adult with them, PHS hires aides to stay with them throughout the day. Maurice Tigget has served as an aide in Princeton Public Schools for 12 years, prior to which he worked in a similar position at a residential facility for teenagers who have court orders. 

“The ability to see the change and the growth in a student ... to watch them come in angry [with] whatever they got going on ... and see them and their mindset change, grow and they start to learn and understand ... is what makes this job wonderful,” said Tiggett. 

In the case of Riddick, her passion for special education was rooted in her experience with her own child, who faced struggles receiving the same quality and level of education as his general education peers. 

“It wasn’t that he couldn’t learn ... they [just] couldn’t meet his needs. That inspired me, once I got in[to] college ... I got into Special Education, and ... I found my purpose,” said Riddick. “When I say that, I smile ... my light bulb went off in Special Education, and I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

However, despite the wide range of services and accommodations that the special education program at PHS offers, many students still encounter gaps that the current system does not  yet completely address. 

 “[There are some special education] students, who will probably never attain a driver’s license, [who] are being made to take driver’s ed,” said DeCroce. “I feel that there should be more adaptive classes, elective wise for them, [and] adaptive PE, where it’s just those kids with their peers. I think it would be more comfortable for them.”

But regardless of the program, a common theme shared amongst the various people in Special Education is to approach all students with understanding.

“You can’t force people to interact with all individuals, but I would just like to see people approach everyone with ... empathy,” said PHS Special Education and Autism Program teacher Jeremy Reilley. “Whether it be my students or just any other individual you see here at Princeton, have a little bit more empathy for each other. We’re all kind of trying to navigate this crazy world together.”

Photo: Charley Hu

Members of the Buddies Program participate in a game of Uno.

PHS’s Special Education Program

For Jennifer Bigioni, being a librarian was always in the books. 

“I was a huge reader as a kid, and I was also a very good researcher. I remember being in elementary school and helping all the kids use the card catalog and showing them how to use the periodic guide,” said Bigioni. 

However, in college, Bigioni wanted to work in the State Department at the Soviet Union embassy. That is, until the Soviet Union collapsed. Bigioni’s professor encouraged her to pursue a career in education instead, and her teaching career began. Bigioni started as a substitute teacher at West Windsor Plainsboro Regional High School and later became a social studies teacher there. Then, while working one summer on her social studies curriculum, she realized the school needed a librarian to facilitate good learning, and returned to her childhood passion. 

“I was working one summer and I’m like, ‘They’re going to need a really good librarian to help them with all of this — maybe I should be a librarian.’ So I got myself into grad school and ... I was like, this totally feels right,” said Bigioni. 

Bigioni later began working at PHS in 1994 as a social studies teacher and later as the Learning Commons Media Specialist in 2013. She remembers falling in love with the beautiful building, welcoming people, and the close relationship between faculty and students. She has now been a part of the PHS community for 31 years and plans to retire this March.  

“There was something calling to me about Princeton, and once I started working here, I knew I would have a hard time working anywhere else because there’s a lot of academic freedom here, which is wonderful,” said Bigioni.

In her time here at PHS, Bigioni has strived to make the Learning Commons a space that every student feels comfortable using. Bigioni also worked to make sure that students went to the Learning Commons at least once over their four years at PHS. 

 Bigioni has also diversified the reading selection by adding manga, graphic novels, fantasy series, and fiction on top of the academic books already carried by the Learning Commons, drawing on student book recommendations and professional journals to stay updated on reading trends.

“When [I] first started here, students didn’t take out any books. They didn’t even know they were allowed to borrow the books, so our circulation was almost at zero,” Bigioni said. “I really worked with students to find out what they wanted to read. [They] wanted to read manga. They wanted to read graphic novels, ... different fantasy series, so I bought them. [And] nothing makes me happier than seeing students who are really happy about being able to read and having the books here for them.”

In addition, Bigioni stresses the importance of academic integrity in a time when students are increasingly relying on technology to think for them. Through the Learning Commons, Bigioni has held professional development sessions for teachers regarding the use of AI in learning spaces, as well as training people in AI detection. 

“It does bother me when I see there are various structures in place that make it difficult for students to do everything that they need to do — over scheduling is causing these issues, and [AI] is the shortcut to getting a grade without doing the learning. [It’s hard] for me to witness, and to not be able to solve,” Bigioni said. 

In her retirement this spring, Bigioni and her husband plan to move to Ireland to be closer to their daughters, travel the world, and volunteer. However, Bigioni hopes that PHS students continue to read and learn.

“If you don’t know how to ... do your own research, you will forever be fooled by whoever controls that information. That’s something really critical for every individual, but it’s [also] really critical for our world,” said Bigioni. “It’s hard to convince a 15 year-old or a 16 year-old of how important the learning that they’re doing now is going to have for not only their future, but the future of other people too. But it’s true. It really is true.”

photo: Charley Hu
 
When Bigioni first joined PHS, book circulation was close to zero.

Learning Commons librarian Jennifer Bigioni to retire after 31 years at PHS

On December 8th, the Ridgeview Turtles hosted a session to teach K-5 teachers throughout the Princeton Public Schools district about how to incorporate lessons on conservation and climate change into their curriculum. The Turtles are a PHS community service group that meets every weekend to restore Princeton’s forests and remove invasive species.

“The main goal is to get students to understand their local environment — so often we talk about far off places when we could be talking about here. And also just to get students to see that they can use science to solve problems in their own lives,” said Jaccqueline Katz, Supervisor of Science Education at PHS.

Though the Turtles have been teaching leading environmental and conservation activities at Johnson Park for years, they hope to expand the current after-school program and incorporate it into the regular school curriculum. 

“We [are] creating the next generation of young environmental stewards. We are trying to show that it’s important to have environmental education within our education system because [the system is currently] really outdated,” said Andrew Kim ’26, one of the leaders of the Turtles. 

In addition to talking about preservation, the Turtles also showcased potential lesson plans.
“We have [an activity] where we have preserved leaves and nuts from trees and kids [use them for] a matching game. The [goal] is to give teachers ideas [about] how you can teach climate change in a more attractive way,” said Elif Cam ’26, another leader of the Turtles.

The environmental teaching will be split into two parts, one in the classroom and one outside, according to Dr. Patricia Shanley, a scientist and longtime mentor for the Turtles.

“[The students] will learn which species they have on their property, what are those used for, which ones make maple syrup or pancakes…what the Turtles can do is to open the eyes of both the teachers and the students as to the miracle of what’s outside their classroom. [Then] they would get some of the conceptual overview in the classroom…the link of local [environmental issues] to global [problems],” said Shanley.

photo: Elif Cam

Elif Cam ’26, Maiya Qiu ’27, and Melvin Qiu ’27 present images of local endangered species to a room of K-5 teachers.

Ridgeview Turtles lead presentation for elementary school teachers

 On Monday December 1, PHS hosted Maud Dahme, a Holocaust survivor from the Netherlands, who shared her story of being a hidden child during World War II. The PHS and larger Princeton community was invited to hear firsthand accounts of perseverance and hope from a woman who experienced one of history's darkest chapters. 

   Dahme was born in Amersfoort, in the Netherlands in 1936. Her father was a chef, who, along with her grandfather, operated a restaurant in a local train station. In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, beginning World War II. 

   “The Netherlands.. was expected to remain neutral in [World War II]. That's why so many people came to the Netherlands, because everyone felt they would be safe.” said Dahme. “But that didn't happen: we woke up one morning in the middle of the night, [at] two in the morning in May of 1940 people… looked outside and they saw German airplanes coming in and soldiers parachuting out. Hitler [had] invaded.”

Dahme’s local synagogue soon received a letter that all Jews in Amersfoort were to take a train towards Eastern Europe, where unbeknownst to them many would be eventually murdered in concentration camps. Dahme’s parents decided to put their daughters in the care of their Christian friends. Through the resistance, these friends were able to find a farm in the countryside to hide Dahme and her sister. 

   “We get to a house in the neighborhood, we get to the garden gate, and my dad gave me the two little suitcases, and he said, ‘We'll see you in a couple of weeks – go in that house, and take very good care of your little sister,” said Dahme.

   Her childhood was incredibly difficult, but even amidst the evil of World War II Dahme found goodness in people. Dahme recalled one moment when she brought to visit a young Jewish boy who was hiding from the Nazis by living under a trap door.
 
   “I was [instructed to bring] him something to eat once a day, but [to] be very careful that nobody [saw] me. [And] everything was fine until one day I brought him something to eat, and came back up with the pot in my hand and looked, and there were half a dozen German soldiers standing there just looking at me. I put the trap door down. They stood and watched,” said Dahme. 

   Dahme recalls praying every night that her action would not lead to the arrest or murder of the boy, her guardians during the war, or her and her sister, and to her relief, it never never did.

   “[When] I became an adult, I realized what happened there. These were soldiers who had been drafted into the army, or they were not Nazis, and probably had families of their own and children, and just pretended they never saw this. Even amongst all this evil that was going on, there was goodness also, and [that] saved our lives.”

   Dahme’s village was eventually liberated by Allied soldiers, but even after the war was over many who survived the Holocaust, including Dahme, did not want to speak up about their experiences. 

  “[They] didn't want to talk about it, not even my own parents. They said, ‘[it’s] over and done, life has to go on. We're not going to talk about it,” said Dahme.

   When Dahme moved to the United States in 1950, she remained silent for many years, in part because of her poor English. It was not until later in her life that she decided that it was time to tell her story. In March of 1981, she saw a program on 60 Minutes about a man named Raul Wamberg who saved many Hungarian Jews during the war. The next week, the presenters shared viewer reactions to the program, including a harmful conspiracy theory from someone Dahme knew personally.

   “The Jews of Europe were not exterminated in gas chambers. The gas chambers were wartime propaganda fantasies,” the comment read.

   The fact that someone she knew could deny the horrible events of the Holocaust shook Dahme deeply, pushing her to communicate the horrific truths of the Holocaust. 

  “This is when I decided I was going to start to speak up. It was very difficult at first, because these were things that were back in my head. I never talked about them. And when you start to tell a story of some experience, as you're describing it, you're seeing it, you're reliving it. But I decided the time had come that I should speak,” said Dahme. 

   Dahme has since written a book about her experience as a hidden child and talked to countless students and teachers across New Jersey, eventually leading to her induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2014. Superintendent Michael LaSusa first met Dahme in his previous school district, and decided it was important she come to PHS too. 

   “Education is what prevents hatred and intolerance. Understanding other people, understanding oneself, having respect for other people, all of that is what we hope to foster when we educate anybody, children and adults. Hearing [Dahme’s] message … reinforces the importance of education as a means of understanding others and reducing … intolerance,” said LaSusa.

Photo: Katherine Chen

Dahme, one of around 220,000 remaining Jewish Holocaust survivors, speaks in PHS’s Performing Arts Center.

PHS hosts Muad Dahme, a Holocaust survivor and “hidden child” during WWII

 PHS Python and AP Computer Science Principles teacher Edward Yin is three months 
into his second year of teaching at PHS, while simultaneously studying at Rutgers to 
obtain his masters degree in Public Informatics. Yin grew up in the neighboring town 
of Plainsboro, and as a child wasn’t interested in computer science.


“I actually hated [coding] a lot as a child — my dad was always like, ‘You have to learn 
JavaScript, you [have to] learn this, you [have to] learn that’ ... I'd be like, ‘Dad, I don't 
know what I'm doing, you [have to] help me out.’ And he'd be like, ‘No, you [have to] 
watch videos’… He didn't [really] teach me anything, so ... I [hated] coding,” said Yin. 


Yin continued his education at Rutgers University, where he graduated in 2024 with 
a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. His distaste for computer science began 
to soften as his major in chemical engineering introduced the usage of MATLAB, a 
programming language developed by the company MathWorks that is used to analyze 
data, develop algorithms, and create models.


“[MATLAB] was a pain ... to use, but also [I] realized [I’m] pretty good at it. I [was] 
getting my questions done pretty quickly It is very logical [and] intuitive to me. And 
at that point I said okay, I’m gonna do a [Computer Science] minor as well,” said Yin. 


Following the advice of his computer science professor, after receiving his bachelor's 
degree Yin took the initiative to reach out to apply for an opening in PHS’s computer 
science program. 


“[The professor] sent a batch email to the entire student body [of his Introduction to 
Data Science class], which is like hundreds of students ... But he just batched it to all his 
former students, which were any current graduates ... or like master students [saying] if 
you want to do this, just do this. So I was like, alright, cool.” said Yin. 


Yin currently teaches Python Programming and AP Computer Science Principles. 
His primary teaching goal is to balance between having a fun classroom environment 
while at the same time still making sure his students learn the necessary skills involved 
with computer science.


“We're here to have fun. I'm trying to make the class fun, trying to make [computer 
science] approachable. I want to make sure I give out as much information as I can ... to 
teach the most I can. [There] definitely is more ... aggressive push in the sense of: let's 
get stuff done. [But] at the same time, though, I also understand you are human [and] 
you've got to chill and relax,” said Yin.

 
In addition to teaching and studying for his masters, Yin is a lifeguard and swim 
instructor with Princeton Fitness and Wellness at Plainsboro. He also enjoys spending 
time with his friends playing games. 


“We started playing this new card game called Riftbound. We're pretty big card game 
aficionados, so we like [games] like Magic [The] Gathering [and] Riftbound,” said Yin. 
“We play video games on the side too.”


Yin also bring his commitment to fostering personal connection into the classroom.


“I think the human connection is the most important thing,” said Yin. “Helping others 
in general, I feel [has] always been a core principle of most forms of philosophy ... through 
the collective experiences, being alive, going around talking to people; you kind of build 
up that feeling [that] community is important ... [and that] It's a good thing to benefit 
those around me, because then it's going to benefit me [or] another

Yin discusses insertion principles with Bryce Capone ’28 in AP Computer Science 
Principles.

PHS Profile: Edward Yin

On December 1, research teachers James Smirk, Jennifer Smolyn, and Insu Yi will 
release applications to the two-year research program, which consists of two elective 
classes at PHS that allow students to learn how to research, create and conduct a project, 
and compete and publish in various competitions and journals. 


In order to apply, prospective students must submit a short document summarizing 
their research interests, ask a teacher for a letter of recommendation, and complete a 
problem solving task in groups. First year students enroll in research methods, where 
they learn how to read scientific papers and complete the year with a grant-writing 
project that details the significance of their project and their procedure for carrying it 
out. Second year students enroll in research applications accelerated, where they work 
with a mentor to collect data and write a research paper.


James Smirk, one of the research teachers along with Jennifer Smolyn and Insu Yi, 
believes that the program is valuable because of the problem-solving skills and persistence 
students develop.


“I think one of the unique things about research is [that] you’re going to run into ... 
difficulties, and you really have to think deeply and meaningfully to try to overcome them 
to get to where you want to go. I think that has a lot of value outside of the academic 
sphere,” said Smirk. 


### Eleanor Nayden

On October 16, 2025, Eleanor Nayden ’26 published 
her 19-page research paper “Impact of Political Allegiance 
on H-1B Visa Acceptances to the US: An Analysis of the 
Relationship Between UNGA Voting Alignment and H-1B 
Visa Acceptances to the United States” in the Social Science 
Research Network (SSRN) — a culmination of her three 
years in the PHS Research Program. 


Nayden’s research analyzes the relation between 
countries’ political alignment to the United States and 
the acceptance rates for a country’s H1B visa applicants. 
Nayden was inspired to pursue this topic because while it 
combined her interests in economics and political science, 
it also held personal significance for her. 


“[The] entire intention with [my] research is to combine 
all my passions and all my areas of interest. I am an 
entrepreneur, I founded a nonprofit and a socially-conscious 
business, and my whole idea is to use entrepreneurship for 
social impact,” said Nayden. “[Because] my parents are 
immigrants, I see the influence of immigrants, not only 
when I read research and literature, but also through the 
impact that they amake to the U.S. economy.”


In addition to the mentorship she received from Louis 
Maiden, an empirical researcher at Harvard Business 
School, who guided her on research methodology and 
data organization methods, Nayden also credits the PHS 
research program for making her project possible.


“For my first year, [I] had Ms. Katz before she was the 
science department supervisor. I was one to ask so many 
questions and she answered all of them. Mr. Yi has been 
such a help ... he's very well regarded in the research world, 
so he's helped me through publication and applying to 
different journals and conferences ... I had Smirk junior 
year. He helped me start Stata [and] get funding for [it].”

 
Nayden looks forward to soon publishing her paper in 
the International Journal of Research and Innovation in 
Social Science, and continuing research in college


### Angelica Hu

Inspired by reading about sunscreen created from 
pineapples, Angelica Hu ’27 is researching plant-based 
sunscreen through the PHS Research Program. 


“These two compounds I'm looking at, bromelain and 
quercetin ... one's a protein, the other one is [basically] a 
plant pigment, haven't really been researched together ... I 
want to [do that],” said Hu. “It's going to have applications 
in more natural products, because sunscreens [overall] use 
chemical active ingredients, which can be harmful.”


Hu credits the introductory class of the program, 
Research Methods, in helping her distill her many interests 
into her current research topic. The summer assignment 
for incoming research students is to create an annotated 
bibliography in which they read articles about their topic 
of interest.


“[Ms. Smolyn’s] great at giving you the resources [and] 
the basics ... and then it's for you to kind of decide on 
what you want to do. There aren't many restrictions on the 
assignments. For example, for the [annotated bibliography 
summer assignment], you [can] do research on anything 
that you want,” said Hu. 


Hu is currently taking Research Applications Accelerated 
with Dr. Insu Yi. The class is much more self guided than 
Research Methods, which Hu says is helpful because it 
allows her to focus on her own personal project. 


“I scan [to see] if my orders have come in yet. I'm working 
on my methodology [right now] — I'm doing research on 
the equipment I'm going to use. I also like to chat with my 
classmates: I chat with my partner about progress [and] what 
we're going to do. I also [work on] emailing my mentees 
or emailing my mentors,” said Hu.


In addition to the analytical skills she learned, Hu also 
finds research beneficial for pursuing her passions. 
 “You get to learn how to make graphs from really complex 
data sets. You also get to explore [what] you're interested 
in [for] your career ... It helps you with communication 
[too] by contacting others. It's also ... your project. You do 
what you want to do.”


### Joanna Hou

Joanna Hou ’26 combined her interests in machine 
learning and cell behavior in her research project, which 
predicts whether certain drugs used to target age-related 
diseases can eliminate senescent cells that release harmful 
chemicals. 


“These anti-aging compounds are called senolytics, and 
what they do in the body is that they selectively target 
and then eliminate senescent cells ... [that] spread [bad] 
chemicals ... especially because senescent cells are tied to 
age related diseases such as Alzheimer’s [and] arthritis,” 
said Hou. “I took the data set that the authors of the paper 
compiled ... and I trained a ... machine learning model.”


Hou credits her mentor Lie Xie, a computer science 
professor at Northeastern University, for helping her with 
the modeling aspect of her research.


“The data set that I used from the authors was very 
imbalanced, meaning that it didn’t have a lot of actual drugs 
that were senolytics, because it’s still a pretty new field ... 
machine learning models generally require larger, larger 
amounts of data [and] I didn’t have a lot of senolytic data 
to train my model on. But eventually, I just looked around 
... and I used another training technique,” said Hou. 


Hou also credits the PHS Research Program for 
introducing her to the fundamentals of research. 


“I was introduced to ... how to read a study, how to analyze 
data, and how to write grant proposals. [And] after that we 
figured out what we wanted to do, and we would ... do that 
in [our] junior and senior years,” said Hou. 


Though Hou’s research has taken her deep into the 
intersection of technology and biology, she emphasized 
that innate talent for science is not the key to success.


 “I think what’s most important in research isn’t really ... 
natural talent for science, it’s how well you work with other 
people, how well you communicate with your mentors, 
and also how much you want to do the project, because I 
think it’s about your passion,” said Hou. “[And] with my 
own project ... there were problems where my model just 
wouldn’t work ... but you just keep pushin


Joanna Hou stands in front of her scientific poster for the 
research program’s “three minute thesis” presentation.

Flash Feature: PHS's research program

From November 1 to November 11, around 30 Italianlearning PHS students immersed themselves in Italy’s 
culture through scavenger hunts, pasta-making classes, and 
classes at Liceo Scientifico Statale “Manfredo Fanti,” a high 
school in Carpi, Italy. The students traveled to the regions of 
Tuscany and Marche, visiting culturally significant duomos 
and the Ferrari Museum, before spending the rest of the 
trip with their host families in Carpi. 


For Italian teacher Laura Francolino, one of the highlights 
of the trip was a scavenger hunt in Mantua, a small city 
in Northern Italy, that both PHS and Italian students 
participated in.


“They had to sing a song, so the Italians taught the children 
from PHS how to sing Rigoletto, from [the] famous opera 
La Donna Immobile. Then they had to go into a store, 
[and] come back with a tortellino. They were on their own 
throughout the city of Mantua,” said Francolino. “We met 
back at a certain spot, they had turned in everything, and 
then the kids ate by the lake … their host families had 
packed them lunch.”


PHS students also had the opportunity to attend their host 
student’s school, Liceo Fanti, for several days. Hawthorne 
Warren ’26, an Italian IV student and participant on the 
trip, noted differences in school culture between Liceo 
Fanti and PHS. 


“The entire school, almost, biked … it was like a flock 
of bikes coming in. And their classes, they stayed in the 
same class [for] the whole day. [School] only goes until 
one o’clock, so they would have three classes a day and 
the teacher would come each hour [and] switch out. They 
stayed with [the] same class all five years of high school,” 
said Warren. 


Though Francolino noticed a significant language barrier 
between PHS students and their Italian host family at the 
beginning of the trip, by the end of the trip she observed 
a much closer connection. In the past, Francolino has had 
students who stayed in touch with their Italian host family 
for several years.


“Everybody was crying before we left. I even got tearyeyed, even though we know they’re coming in February. 


The families all came out to say goodbye – they were crying 
as well. Before we left… they went on each other’s social 
media to check out whatever [online] pages your generation 
has,” said Francolino.


PHS students primarily spent the second half of the trip 
with their host families, but the trip also allowed them to 
connect with the entire community of Carpi as well. 


“In Carpi, they have these centers where the senior 
citizens, [who] are very vibrant, make pasta and share their 
skills with the younger generations. We met women who 
showed us how to make tortellini. And actually we made 
tortellini with them, then they cooked it for us, and we had 
this big goodbye dinner,” said Francolino. 


In the months before the trip, Francolino was in constant 
contact with her counterparts in Italy, planning activities 
and pairing students from PHS and Italy together. But 
despite the challenges (including a canceled Uber ride 
at 5am on their last day), Francolino says it was worth it.
“I love to be in Italia,” said Francolino. “One of my students 
came up to me before I left, when we were in the airport, 
and said, ‘I understand why you cry every time you leave,

PHS students tour the factory of Caseificio Oratorio 
San Giorgio, a Parmigiano Reggiano producer in Carpi.

PHS students travel to Italy 

### Dafna Kendal 

Dafna Kendal — current president and member of the 
Princeton Public School’s Board of Education, co-founder 
of the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry, and little league 
softball coach — was re-elected for her fourth three-year 
term in November. In her 9 years on the Board, Kendal has 
worked on initiatives such as delaying PHS’s start time and 
searching for PPS’s current superintendent, Dr. Michael 
LaSusa. Kendal cited this transition in administration as 
a primary reason for her decision to re-run.


 “I would say I want a smooth transition for the district, 
not just for Dr. LaSusa. First of all, I’m a known quantity ... 
I think people know that I’m trying to do the right thing 
and that goes a long way,” said Kendal. 


Kendal, a graduate of Lehigh University and Seton Hall 
Law School, practiced as a regulatory and compliance 
lawyer before and after joining the Board. Her motivation 
to join the Board came from witnessing conflicts between 
the teacher’s union and the Board. 


“In 2011, when I dropped my kids off at school, the 
teachers were outside with signs and they didn’t have a 
contract. And this went on and off for three years, and it 
got really bad. I thought ... I could make the relationship 
between the Board and the union better [and] more 
collaborative ... and I think I’ve done that,” said Kendal. 


For her upcoming term, funding for the school district 
remains a main concern. But Kendal hopes the payment 
in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreements passed in May of this 
year, and possibly similar agreements in the future, can 
help alleviate this issue. 


“We [collaborated] with the municipality council; they’re 
going to share a PILOT for one of the apartment buildings.
We’re one of only a handful of districts [in New Jersey] 
that has that kind of arrangement with their town,” said 
Kendal. “[The Annual Service Charge] goes outside the two 
percent cap, and it’s money that might have been spent by 
the municipality … that’s now earmarked for education ... 
I guess we could look to some more of these agreements.”
Throughout these changes, Kendal continues to 
emphasize the importance of transparency and the 
representation of all voices in the Board: students, teachers, 
and administrators alike. 


“We try to make [every decision] with the best interest 
of the students in mind. And like everyone else ... we’re 
not infallible. When mistakes are made, we try to learn 
from those mistakes,” said Kendal. “But I think PPS is in 
a good place. I think we have great leadership, and I think 
our values are aligned with the Board and administration 
of what’s important


### Erica Snyder
From teaching United States history and health 
education in Ecuador to directing Cherry Hill Nursery 
School, Erica Snyder has been in education for her entire 
life. Snyder received a bachelor’s degree in secondary 
education from DePaul University and a master’s degree 
in instructional technology from East Carolina University, 
and participated in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Teacher 
Program. 


“I was a 9th grade world studies and English teacher. 
Then after I left the classroom, I was an instructional coach 
for teachers [in] project based learning schools… and 
now being the director at Cherry Hill, I’m with a different 
group of kids, and no one’s over the age of six. It’s a little 
different than high schoolers, although in some instances 
it’s very similar,” said Snyder.


Her journey in education took her to Ecuador following 
her bachelor’s degree, where she volunteered for 18 months 
teaching students from underserved communities.
“I taught ESL in [the] school — it was really awesome. 
I was there for almost 18 months, and I would encourage 
anyone to go do something international[ly] because it 
gives you a different perspective on people in the world 
and how interconnected we are,” said Snyder.


Following her husband’s retirement from the US Army, 
Snyder and her family settled in Princeton, where she began 
involving herself in the Princeton community by serving as 
co-PTO President of Community Park Elementary School. 


“I have three kids, two in elementary [school] and one 
in middle school. You’ll find me at a hockey rink or a 
soccer field or a dance class fairly regularly,” said Snyder.


The primary issue driving Snyder’s campaign was 
ensuring transparency around PPS’s use of technology. 
“I would really love to see an instructional technology 
audit done of what technologies are being used in school 
[and whether] they are being used effectively. It’s been 
five years post-covid, so at this point, having a real look 
at the broader picture of instructional technology is really 
important to me. How it was used during covid, doesn’t 
have to be how it’s used moving forward.”


Though Snyder was the only non-incumbent elected, 
she’s looking forward to the opportunity to better 
understand the district.


“I look forward to seeing [how] everything’s going to 
work with the Board and learning more about all of the 
schools in the district and their needs. It’s a giant puzzle 
trying to make it all work together,” said Snyder


### Susan Kanter
Current Vice President of the PPS’s Board of Education, 
Susan Kanter ran uncontested for her third term on 
the board earlier this November. Kanter attended 
Duke University where she majored in Economics and 
Political Science, and later worked as a Vice President 
of Operations for a multi-national firm in NYC for 23 
years. She attributes her primary focus on the Board to 
her professional background.


“[I bring] some philosophies of long-range planning, 
of … operationally making sure that we’re being as costeffective as we can while still supporting the staff and 
the students … When I got involved, we hadn’t had any 
referendums yet, so our buildings were a little in disrepair. 
It’s been another focus of mine to ensure that the district 
has worked on maintaining our buildings and keeping 
everything healthy and safe,” said Kanter. 


Since her retirement over 15 years ago, Kanter has 
dedicated her time to volunteering in Princeton. Kanter 
has served as treasurer for the 101 Fund and the Princeton 
Children’s Fund, and was a member of the Jewish Center’s 
board. Within PPS, Kanter served five years on the PTO 
Council, five years as the Princeton Middle School PTO 
Treasurer, and then seven years as the PHS PTO president. 
The PTO’s work at the high school got her interested in 
maintaining and improving students’ well-being.


“So then, when my children [graduated], I had been 
attending [Board of Education] meetings and had gotten 
interested [in joining the Board]. So I felt like, with my 
background in business and operations ... that I’d be a 
good person to be involved on the board,” said Kanter.


Now, as a current member, she decided to re-run because 
she wanted to be involved in the new opportunities for 
the Board and create progress in some of their long-term 
goals like the $89 million referendum passed last year. 
“The exciting opportunities involve welcoming a new 
superintendent and some new key staff members ... I’ve 
been very involved in long-range planning and operations,” 
said Kanter. “We passed a referendum last year, and to see 
that referendum successfully implemented over the next 
three years has been a great goal of mine.” 


In addition to helping the board with its current projects, 
Kanter wants to be involved in aiding with new challenges 
that lie ahead. 


“There’s potential cuts from the federal government 
that we may have to deal with … [There are also] the 
continuing challenges of making sure that every student 
reaches their potential and graduates from PPS with the 
skills they need for whatever future that they desire ... [and 
also that] they feel welcomed [and supported] as they go 
through challenges,” said Kanter.


Kendall brings her experiences as a regulatory and 
compliance lawyer to the Board

Board of Education members re-elected as district tackles future growth

Earning another summoner’s belt, South Korea team T1 didn’t just win Worlds 2025; they reminded the world why their dynasty refuses to die. League of Legends is a multiplayer game where two teams of five players each try to destroy the other team’s nexus. Every player controls a character known as a champion, each with special abilities and roles. The game uses strategy and teamwork as players try to out-battle and out-smart the opposing team. The strategy, competition, and organized leagues make the game an esport that has been growing in popularity since its creation.

 T1 defeated fellow South Korean team KT Rolster in a dramatic 3-2 series to win the 2025 League of Legends world title on November 9 in Chengdu, China. This win marks T1’s dominance, as they are the first team in League of Legends history to win three consecutive world championships, making this their sixth world title.

On average, roughly 6.7 million people tuned in to watch the final between T1 and KT Rolster. The event also held massive opening ceremonies, featuring K-pop stars, popular singers, and lifelike animations. The game even produces new songs every year for this moment. 

“My favorite part was definitely the Grand Finals, just watching T1 and KT go back and forth was crazy. Every game felt super cool and like it could flip any second,” said Sahil Ponnada ’29. “The hype and the crowd was all super energetic and made me feel really part of the moment.”

T1, along with KT Rolster, were two of the four teams sent by the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK). The rivalry between the two teams gained so much significance in the world of esports that it became known as the “Telecom War,” stemming from the fact that both teams were founded by major telecommunications companies: SK Telecom and KT Corporation. The rivalry between their organizations is not limited to League of Legends; it began in StarCraft in the early 2000s and continues in other competitive games and sports like basketball.

Stars such as Faker, who first went viral back in 2013 from a clip demonstrating his skills in a solo mission, drew in further interest towards the game. He later earned an exemption from the Korean mandatory military service by earning a gold medal in the Asian Games, allowing him to play in future League of Legends events. 

“I think [Faker] is gonna keep going until he gets bored of it. This is the LeBron James of esports,” said Edward Yin, a Computer Science Teacher. “League of Legends is competitive. It’s a thing of national pride, right? So in a certain sense, he represents Korea on the world stage for a competitive event.”

From the opening ceremonies to the very end, the League of Legends tournament has gained popularity from across the globe while also elevating the game and its community. As this year’s tournament has drawn to a close, the future of the esport appears to be bright.

League of Legends: the center of esports

Whimsical winter wordfest

For over 50 years, the EPA has been responsible for ensuring that American air and water is safe. December 2, 1970 marked the inauguration of an agency that has unilaterally brought monumental benefits to the American quality of life — from tackling forever chemicals like PFAS in our water to working with global partners to fix the growing gap in our ozone layer. The EPA is the one agency to which we can attribute tangible change and benefits for Americans across all strata of life. Because the environment doesn’t discriminate — regardless of social status or party line, a warming atmosphere chokes everyone equally.

Yet now, the EPA’s mission has shifted significantly, and politics has entered the arena of environmental protection in a way never seen before. The EPA’s mandate has been warped and its authority diminished. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has openly reframed the agency’s purpose, saying that the agency now aims to “lower the cost of buying a car, heating a home and running a business.”

Let’s be clear: the EPA’s job should not be to make buying a home more affordable. It should be to make sure that our homes aren’t poisoning us, and our cars aren’t producing emissions that burn our lungs. The EPA, by its principles set out in Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” ought to operate separately from the free market. Capitalism already does well enough of a job of cutting the most corners and finding the cheapest solution possible, often at our expense. We must not forget the impetus of Carson’s novel: that the toxins released into our environment are often invisible to the naked eye, yet their effects are very real on the human body.

These changes couldn’t come at a worse time. With the global AI boom, the United States is quickly becoming the nexus of new data centers to power massive AI engines. And this all comes at a harrowing energy cost. For the first time in over two decades, electricity demand is on the rise again. Now more than ever, we needed the EPA to step in. To regulate and to fulfill its initial mission set in motion by Carson’s book. 

The changes at the EPA are supposedly part of a broader campaign to put America first. Yet taking a step backwards in energy regulation does anything but and betrays the American people. A systematic gutting of the agency by firing scientists, cutting funding, and staffing industry lobbyists cripples the agency’s very foundation. Through the elimination of regulations like the “Good Neighbor Rule,” a policy which mandated states to address pollution drifting across borders, the EPA essentially absolves corporations of any accountability for the toxins they create. Federal changes affect New Jersey and Princeton directly — dirty air minds no borders, but neither should our resolve. We must urge our lawmakers to put the climate agenda first, for both our lives and our livelihoods.

As PHS students go out to vote, make the environment a top issue on your ballot. Because while the economy or education could seem important, none of it matters when our health is being directly undermined. It is an invisible virus with lasting afteraffects. Remember that your fight matters, and it has tangible consequences for your community. In the absence of clear, concrete, and measurable regulation, it is time we realize that where Washington D.C. has stepped away, Trenton must step in.

It’s beginning to look a lot like...a climate crisis

Breakdancing isn’t just spins, flips, and crazy footwork — it’s a cultural movement. Though breakdancing was created by Black American and Latino youths on the streets of New York City during the 1970s, this style of dance has now grown into a worldwide phenomenon. 

Today, it shows up in music videos, competitions, and even the Olympics. Breakdancing made its first and only Olympic appearance in 2024, and has since then been removed from the Olympic catalogue of sports.  Nonetheless, the Olympic debut remains a memorable moment for those who saw breakdancing as a sport more than an art.

“I think breakdancing is very impressive and entertaining to watch and requires lots of skill,” said Claire Hua ’27. “I was disappointed they took it off the Olympics because I liked watching it.”

With dance trends spreading through social media and school events, breakdancing cannot only be seen as a global art but also as a way of expression. 

The art of breakdancing corresponded with the rise of hip hop. DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican-American DJ and nicknamed the “Father of Hip-Hop,” founded it at the age of 18 in the Bronx. During extended instrumental drum breaks, breakdancers had a chance to display their skills in front of the crowd. Early breakers — the term for individuals who practice this form of dance — developed and created unique moves such as the top rock, six-step, and power spins.  Later on, in the 1980s, breakdancing began to reach larger crowds as famous artists, including Michael Jackson, started performing it during concerts.

Over time, breakdancing has become more than just a dance, but a form of expression and rivalry between neighbourhoods. Crews and teams formed around the globe soon after battles in New York popularized. Even right now, the Pro Breaking Tour invites dancers from across the globe to compete in Los Angeles, California.

During the pandemic, it was announced that breakdancing would be at the 2024 Olympics, and breaking had a huge surge in popularity. Breaking competitions became popular over Zoom calls and facetimes between people. Lots of breaking studios held cheaper online classes so people could learn the sport and art of breaking. As a result, it became very popular and helped sustain breaking studios throughout the tough economy during the pandemic. 

Recently, the Redbull Dance Competition was held in Los Angeles, where breaker JAIRA Joy took first place, defeating the previous champion, Waackxxxy, in the final. The Redbull Dance Competition is the world’s most respected dance competition, where individuals from all over the globe are brought together to share their creativity and talent. Breakdancing battles are not only judged through skill and power moves, but also taking into account musicality and originality. 

“I think break dancing is very impressive. I respect it so much for those who can breakdance,” said Jessica Zhang ’26. “It’s very impressive and admirable to see how people can move and control their body in so many different ways to express certain feelings.”

Today, breakdancing continues to inspire and intrigue many of the youth, whether that be in schools or at home. Competitions, talent shows, and school events allow break dancers to show off their skills and creativity.  What began as a street dance in the 1970s has now grown to become a form of art and expression for students who enjoy music, movements, and freedom to create their own style.

History of breakdancing

#
### The Apartment (1960) dir. Billy Wilder

Winter on the East Coast is cold, dark, and long, and stepping out of the biting cold into the warmth of one’s home is a relief like no other. Some though, like the lead character of “The Apartment,” C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon), have nowhere to go — although his circumstances are rather unique. The affable if lily-livered office worker is lonely and it’s the holidays, but he has found himself in the habit of loaning out his Upper West Side apartment to the higher-ups at his company for their extramarital trysts.

Soon enough, Baxter is contacted by personnel director Jeff Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), who tells Baxter that he will be promoted if he allows Sheldrake use of the apartment. Baxter agrees, and asks an elevator girl, Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), out for that night. She agrees, but ends up standing him up for a date with none other than Sheldrake, with whom she has had an off-and-on affair.

Both characters are lonely, and the decision to set the movie over the winter holidays (major plot events happen on Christmas and New Year’s Eve respectively) reflects their state of mind. Though these holidays are typically times to rejoice with your loved ones, Baxter and Kubelik instead endure a series of heartbreaking rejections and setbacks in their relationships with other people.
 
Lemmon’s fantastic performance and the jokes packed densely into the script manage to transform what seems like a somewhat miserable plot, however, into — miraculously — a comedy, and a great one at that. Though “The Apartment” has been overshadowed by other romantic comedies from the same period like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Some Like it Hot,” it is one of the best films to come out of the 1960s and deserves a reputation as not only a great film but a perfect one for the winter holidays.

### The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) dir. Wes Anderson
Though it does not once mention Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s, there is no doubt in my mind that “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a film for the winter holidays. It is a story within a story within a story, established in an opening sequence of a woman visiting the grave of an author who wrote a book about his visit to the titular hotel, where he was told a story by the proprietor, Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori). The eccentricity in the framing of the story is present in virtually every other aspect of the film, from the pastel color palette, to each frame’s stilted symmetry, to the miniature models of the hotel. Anderson is one of the most distinct directors of our age, and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is an extravagant aesthetic indulgence, both visually beautiful and absurdly unnatural.

The bulk of the story follows Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes), a prim, poetry-loving concierge at the Grand Budapest who rules stringently over the staff and dotes on the elderly female patrons. Though there is a plot, involving a stolen painting, prison escape, and secret society of hotel concierges, it takes the back burner for the film’s more pressing thematic concerns, particularly nostalgia. Though the range of confectionary colors and dollhouse-esque sets evoke childhood aesthetics (further evidence of it being a holiday movie), more specifically, the somewhat ridiculous yet eminently respectable Gustave is a dandy committed entirely to the kind of high-end service that, as chronicled by the gradual degradation of the hotel, was in its dying throes at the time.

Though the Grand Budapest is located in a fictional Republic of Zubrowka, the phases it goes through are not unfamiliar to the 21st-century viewer: the colorful, glamorous 1930s giving way to a Nazi-equivalent occupation, and then finally the Iron Curtain-era dilapidation and grayness. Despite its highly unnatural and stylized composition and the layer of fiction separating our world from Anderson’s, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” imparts serious messages about fascism and art. It is also wildly entertaining, with a pitch-perfect comedic performance from Fiennes alongside Anderson’s crew of regulars, including Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.



### The Holdovers (2023) dir. Alexander Payne

“History is not simply the study of the past, it is an explanation of the present,” the curmudge only teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) says in “The Holdovers,” a snowy dramedy set in a New England boarding school over winter break. Indeed, when a Focus Features logo customized to look retro flickers onto the screen, it’s made clear that “The Holdovers” is a film concerned with the past. Shot digitally, then edited to emulate film, it’s composed like a film from the 1970s, with Cat Stevens songs playing quietly over long shots of empty school halls and snowy Boston. But the quietly moving pain of the three lead characters, along with the unlikely bonds they form because of it, make this story still deeply resonating in the present day.

When Hunham fails the son of a major donor, his administration-prescribed punishment is to stay at the school and supervise the unruly group of boys “holding over,” the sort of rich, insubordinate brats he despises. Soon, however, most of the holdovers are picked up by one student’s magnanimous father, leaving only a student of Hunham’s named Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa). The head cook Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), grief-stricken from her son’s death in the Vietnam War, joins them, and the three form an awkward trio, with each member initially concerned only with their own holiday melancholy. Through the events of the film, the three form a genuine bond that transcends their unfortunate circumstances.

The film is anchored by the three strong lead performances, particularly Randolph’s, who has been given the rawest emotional moments and does beautifully with them. It’s a quiet movie, fuzzy around the edges like childhood Christmas memories, and though the plot may not exactly move at breakneck speed I always find myself wishing at the end that Hunham, Angus, and Mary’s stories could last just a little bit longer. “The Holdovers” is a new, offbeat addition to my December movie rotation that manages to be heartwarming without being saccharine and melancholy without being maudlin, despite occasionally falling prey to holiday-movie clichés. 




Unofficial holiday movies

Making resolutions has become an advent for the new year. After all, the blank pages of our new journals and calendars need to be filled with something new. In need of inspiration, many students turn to social media for guidance on what they should achieve in the upcoming year. 

Unfortunately, social media is fake — and characteristically so. In order to succeed on the algorithm, creators often need to present the most perfectly aesthetic side of their lives and deliver the most shocking statements. Most of what we see online are carefully curated and artificial, with no reliable way to confirm which lifestyles are truly authentic. If our resolutions are built off of these unrealistic online influences, they can at best lead to disappointing outcomes and at worst cause lasting damage to bodily and mental health. 

One popular new year’s resolution for students is to pursue new academic goals. Aesthetic “Study-tok” and “That Girl” videos, for example, that show unrealistically perfect routines, pressuring students to believe overachieving goals are practical. For example, many videos may include ideas equating achieving a 4.0 GPA or learning a new language in an absurdly short period of time to being a “perfect” or “ideal” student.
 
Fanciful academic resolutions are not the only unrealistic expectations pushed by social media; there are also athletic or appearance-based goals. For instance, the pressure to “glow up” can cause teens to question their body image and develop negative self-esteem, often leading to eating disorders. The constant stream of “what I ate in a day” videos or cleansing challenges can lead impressionable audiences to make nutritional decisions without professional nutrition knowledge.
 
In the end, each person knows themselves best. When setting goals, it is important to consider what one knows they are actually capable of and what their situation allows for. For example, trying to squeeze in more hours of studying into an already packed schedule could cause burn out and negatively impact future performance. Aiming for a complete physique change in a short period of time can lead to the development of unhealthy exercise habits and cause injury. 

Rather than aiming for lofty, unrealistic goals motivated by social media’s expectations, it could be better to break these goals down into smaller, more specific objectives, such as exercising three times a week or cutting down on fried foods. These kinds of resolutions are not only specific to each person, but also more simple and reachable, making them more likely to be achieved. 

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