*The PHS Learning Commons stores 
archives of The Tower dating back 
to the first issue in 1929. We decided 
to take a look and show some of the 
most interesting pieces of PHS history 
throughout the years.*


### The Tower conducts a survey of redheads


In 1947, the Tower conducted a survey 
on the personal likes and dislikes of 
PHS redheads. The only definitive 
result from the survey, according to 
the article, was that the majority of 
redheads disliked the nickname “red."


### PHS students purchase a plane


During World War II, the student 
council led a buy-a-plane campaign, 
which aimed to raise $15,000 to buy 
an army trainer ship. The student 
body ended up raising almost $20,000 
through bonds and stamps, equivalent 
to $3.6 million today. As such, a 
sponsorship panel with PHS’s name 
was placed on the plane. 

### Frank Sinatra visits PHS

On March 29, 1945, the Tower 
reported on an event where multiple 
Hollywood stars, including Frank 
Sinatra, hosted an event at PHS to 
encourage students to purchase war 
bonds. The cheapest tickets for the 
event started at $100 of war bonds 
(worth $1,800 today), and the most 
expensive reached $5000 in bonds 
($90,000 today)!

### PHS students watch Sputnik


In 1957, the Tower covered a group 
of PHS “moonwatchers” who woke 
up early to watch the Soviet’s Sputnik 
Satellite, the first satellite to reach 
space. The students described it as 
“quite a sight.” However, the head 
of the PHS science department 
downplayed the event, saying that “if 
there had been a race to be first, we 
could’ve been there two years ago.”
PHS students purchase a plane
The Tower conducts a survey 

Graphic: Emily Kim


Sputnik satellite

The Tower peeks into PHS history

This year, the three mental health 
counselors at PHS — Bethzayda Matos, 
Michelle Simborski, and Ryan Stingel — 
have rebranded the Student Assistance 
Program from last year to Resilience, 
Intervention, Support, and Empowerment 
(RISE), which will consist of confidential 
counseling services, classroom visits, and 
evening events centered on topics such as 
depression or substance abuse.


“There’s a lot of pressure here at PHS, and 
the school district saw a rise in numbers 
of students coming to see counselors for 
anxiety, depression, stress related concerns. 
And so the district, being very proactive, 
wanted to build a comprehensive mental 
health program for students and families,” 
said Simborski.


In 2022, the district conducted a survey 
that revealed stark disparities about how 
different racial demographic groups felt 
about belonging, safety, and support in 
PHS. Though 56 percent of PHS students 
overall said they felt like the school was a 
welcoming and safe space to be, only 28 
percent of Hispanic students felt that way. 
Further, only 44.2 percent of PHS students 
overall agreed with the statement “when 
something is really bothering me, there is 
at least one adult that I can go to and talk 
about the problem.”


“I think that the difference in the 
percentages ... and feelings come from a 
space of maybe not understanding the 
support that is available,” said Matos. “If 
you don’t know what’s available, then you’re 
not going to seek it.”


Through introducing herself in 
classrooms, interacting in the hallways, 
and having consultation meetings with 
students, Matos hopes to make them aware 
of the available support and close that gap. 
Given that she is the only Spanish-speaking 
counselor in PHS, Matos regularly visits 
English Language Learning classrooms to 
educate students about mental health and 
the numerous resources that the school 
provides.


Matos says that last year, she and 
Simborski saw an average of 90 students 
a week. However, she also noted that the 
amount of risk assessments decreased from 
the year prior.


“There’s no shame in seeking support. It’s 
not a sign of weakness. It’s actually a sign 
of resilience,” said Matos. “We are here to 
support each and every student however 
we can, but we don’t know what you do or 
what you need, unless you come to us for 
assistance.”


Ryan Stingel, who joined PHS as a mental 
health counselor earlier this year, is also 
the advisor of the Lock In Club, which is 
dedicated to helping students learn mental 
techniques to perform better under pressure 
and regulate emotions.


“I think for a lot of high schoolers who 
are motivated, hard working and want to 
do their best, it can be frustrating if you’re 
able to do something in practice, but you’re 
not able to replicate it or do it as well in in 
the test room or on stage or whenever it 
matters,” said Daniel Haiduc ’26, leader of 
Lock In Club.


Throughout his meetings with students, 
whether as their club advisor, during oneon-one meetings, or through the classroom, 
Stingel strives to relay one core message to 
all students.


“I hope that every person that reads this 
takes away the message ... that no matter 
who you are, you deserve to feel comfortable 
being you,” said Stingel. “You deserve to 
feel comfortable living in your own skin

Photo: Charley Hu


PHS mental health counselors plan RISE initiative


PHS mental health counselors plan RISE initiative

This fall, the PHS administration has 
increased the number of detention slips 
given to students with unverified absences. 
This practice, once widespread at PHS, was 
carried out at a much smaller scale for the 
past few years due to significant leadership 
changes and a lack of personnel. PHS 
Principal Cecilia Birge describes this change 
as a step to combat the school’s chronic 
absenteeism, defined as students missing 
10 percent or more of the school year.


If a student continues to accumulate 
absences despite repeated detentions and 
emails home, the counselors and assistant 
principals get involved to coordinate 
meetings with both students and parents. 
If all else fails, the school can disenroll or 
expel the student, or their parents can be 
taken to court by the Princeton Public 
Schools District.


“Chronic absenteeism in PHS ... has been 
highlighted at the state level, and that’s 
not a data point I want PHS’s name to be 
associated with,” said Birge.


The most common reason for the 
accumulation of unverified absences is 
cutting class. 


“They just skip. I don’t understand why 
kids skip when they’re in school. You woke 
up, got ready for school, you got on the bus 
[or] you walked here ... and then you just 
skip. You’ve already done so much. Just 
go to class,” said Torie Esposito, a special 
education teacher at PHS, who is in charge 
of running detention.


Though the administration is taking 
attendance seriously, they are also trying 
to destigmatize the concept of these 
administrative actions, like detention.


“We actually do not call [detention] 
detention. We call it progress hour ... 
because like I said, [it] is a space for all of 
us to re-engage with students, for students 
to reflect upon the impact of cutting and 
do homework to make progress. They’re 
not [at school] to party, right? And on 
the other hand, [progress hour] is a good 
negative in the sense that if you know it’s 
bad, don’t get on to the bad. Get on to the 
good,” said Birge.


The detention slips are automatically 
generated if a student is marked present 
in some classes but absent in others. Then, 
that student is required to attend detention, 
which is held on Monday, Tuesday, and 
Thursday after school from 3:30 p.m. to 
4:30 p.m. Although the use of detention 
slips has decreased student absences by 18 
percent compared to last year, some students 
nonetheless see the practice as imperfect in 
its current form.


“I think it’s a little bit too harsh because 
it takes on the assumption [that students 
deliberately missed class], and I’ve heard 
from other students as well [that] they 
weren’t missing class. They just got marked 
absent by accident,” said Olivia Chen ’27, a 
student who accidentally got marked absent 
in gym class and had to attend detention. 


Instead of going through the appeals 
process — contacting her assistant principal 
and providing evidence that she was in class 
— Chen just decided to attend detention 
for an hour. 


“I think detention is fine. It sounds serious 
and all, but all it is is just you stay an hour 
after school in the room. I think it’s fine as 
it is, it’s just you need to be a little bit more 
lenient with how [it’s] implemented because 
you should implement it [for] people that 
have patterns and not just people that 
coincidentally just missed a class and got 
marked absent,” said Chen.


Assistant Principal Lauren Freedman 
encourages students to advocate for 
themselves when they think there’s a 
mistake.


“We always tell the students to go to their 
assigned assistant principal. We think it’s 
best for the student to self-advocate and 
reach out to their teachers if [there’s a 
mistake] and have the teacher email [us], 
‘Oh, yes, they did come to class late, and then 
I changed attendance.’ And it’s an easy fix."

Photo: Julia Li


A student holds a detention slip they received for skipping class. 


PHS Investigates: the increase in detention slips

PHS chemistry teacher Matthew Krip joined PHS in 2024 after 13 years of teaching 
chemistry and biology around New Jersey. He began his educational career at two 
alternative schools: Newark Innovation Academy and later Newark Leadership Academy. 
He then transitioned to teaching at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, a suburban 
public school. 


“In Newark I had the privilege of teaching the marginalized in our society through 
alternative programs ... Scotch Plains, however, was a distinctly middle-class experience,” 
said Krip.


 Though he valued that experience, Krip says he feels more at home at Princeton High 
School because of the way PHS’s rigorous curriculum supports its students’ intellectual 
growth. 


Krip himself had a unique educational background: he did not have a traditional high 
school experience and also only developed an interest in chemistry during college, after 
hating the subject in high school. 


“I got kicked out of my grammar school [before] high school because … it was a 
religious school, and I asked too many questions. My parents didn’t want me to be in 
the public high school in Jersey City, so they signed me up for homeschooling through 
VHS tapes [of] teachers from Florida ... I basically homeschooled myself with VHS 
tapes,” said Krip.


Krip holds two masters degrees in philosophy and chemistry, along with his bachelor’s 
degree in biology. He is currently taking classes on biophysics, an interdisciplinary science 
which uses physics to explain biological phenomena, through Princeton University’s 
Continuing Education Program. He brings his passions for philosophy and chemistry 
into the classroom too.


“[There are] students ... [who] have a prejudice that anything that comes in front of 
them was made by someone or someone put it together. And so we’re getting right at 
the core of some really good, intense philosophy. That prejudice, it’s filled with hubris, 
because every single object in reality is held together by these attractions that we 
investigate in chemistry,” said Krip.


He tries to show this connection by creating new lessons that combine real-world 
applications and the more conceptual aspects of chemistry, such as a project on the 
Flint Water Crisis.


“I use a lot of online tools to convey feedback, small groups and discussions, and I like 
making puzzles out of things and using lots of media,” said Krip. “There is this alternating 
rhythm of introducing a theme, making sense of it, working through different problems, 
applying the concepts and then bringing in the math.”


In the remainder of his career, Krip hopes to bridge the large gap he believes exists 
between the sciences and humanities, by continuing to showcase the overlaps between 
philosophy and chemistry, and by possibly introducing a new biophysics courses at 
PHS too. 


“I am free to be myself and teach ... which is an incredible privilege for me. Hence, 
why I am absolutely driven to use every opportunity I have to honor this in reference 
to my calling and this community,” said Krip.

Photo: Viola Que


Krip explains molecular structures to John Woodfield ’27 in Chemistry I Accelerated.

PHS Profile: Matthew Krip

This weekend, PHS Competitive Programming Team 
will hold the first hackPHS hackathon since 2022. This 
event invites students from all over New Jersey to PHS 
to collaborate on computer science projects for 24 hours 
straight.


The hackathon will host mentors and workshops for 
computer science, with topics ranging from Intro to 
Python to Finance in Computer Science. The event also 
contains recreational activities like midnight karaoke and 
spikeball tournaments. But the main goal of the hackathon 
is for students to form teams and create one big project, 
often a software or web application, and compete to be 
the best project. 


“You can come make something cool, learn about 
programming or just, like, solve any type of problem ... 
Our themes this year are like nature and communication 
... we prefer that you’re solving some problem in those 
areas. But honestly, it can be in any area,” said Om Mehta 
’26, one of the organizers of hackPHS.


The top three winners of the hackathon will receive cash 
prize, as well as gaming equipment, a cactus plushie, or a 
Raspberry Pi mini-computer. The Wolfram Award gifts a 
year’s subscription to WolframOne (valued at $1660) and 
eligibility for a $500 scholarship to a Wolfram summer 
program. 


However, organizers say that the purpose of hackPHS 
isn’t to find a winner, but instead to promote computer 
science in an engaging way. 


“It’s really to get people to enjoy [computer science] more. 
The STEM culture of the school is definitely good, but I feel 
like we don’t come to enough events [and] we don’t have 
enough fun things to do. There are hard competitions —we 
have all these Olympiads. We don’t just have fun [events] to 
chill with your friends [and]... make a project,” said Mehta. 
“But also, I think the biggest prize at the end of the day is 
what you learn from the hackathon.”


However, hosting an event at the scale of hackPHS comes 
with many logistical challenges. The competition had been 
on a hiatus since 2022, when the previous computer science 
teacher, Grace Elia, retired from teaching. The club also 
struggled with finding sponsors, and plans to work with 
other schools to host the hackathon had fallen through.


“Having a team from a different school be on task was 
an even more difficult job, and that is one of the reasons 
that we could not effectively execute [hackPHS] ... We were 
relying on students that we did not see as often, or we were 
only corresponding to them over text messages or Discord,” 
said club advisor and computer science teacher Rida Kas.


The organizers of hackPHS hope that the hackathon 
can be continued in future years. However, as many of 
the organizers this year are seniors and will be leaving 
for college next year, organizers hope this year’s hackPHS 
helped revive and spark interest in hackathons and in 
computer science. 


“We’re trying to ... reignite it [this year]. And next year, 
we’re planning on starting the planning early. So it’s going 
to be even bigger, even better than this year,” said Mehta.

Photo: Julia Li

Jonathan Ji ’26, Oscar Huang ’27, and Om Mehta ’26 
advertise hackPHS at club fair.

HackPHS returns after three year hiatus

### Lima, Peru

On Friday, October 10, 14 exchange students from a district just outside Lima, Peru 
arrived at PHS, beginning their nearly two-week long visit to Princeton designed to help 
them explore American culture and develop bilingualism. The Peruvians had a packed 
schedule of activities: including trips to destinations within Princeton and to multiple 
attractions within New York City, and the Robbinsville BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham 
Hindu Temple.


“I think our host [did] things to [help us] have the feeling of home ... I went to Philadelphia 
last Sunday…and I had a lot of fun there ... I [also] spent time with the family ... playing 
some basketball... and some Monopoly,” said Nicholas Bautista, one of the exchange students.


The exchange students, all currently freshmen, call the Surco district of Lima home, an 
urban district with a population of nearly 400,000. The students attend San José Monterrico, 
a small private bilingual school with about 900 students across grades K-12. They are the 
first batch of students at their school to be part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) 
program, a two-year educational program analogous to AP curriculums.


“I’m very excited, but a little bit scared because … our teacher said that it’s very hard to 
do,” said Renzo Ghersi, one of the students from Peru. “I think, personally, I will handle 
that, but I’m kind of scared about the exam because although we do it in two years from 
now...it’s really difficult and not all people get their diplomas."


Luciana Bedregal, Mateo Esterripa, along with Ghersi and Bautista, all showed a 
particular leaning towards STEM fields — noting that physics, math, and chemistry were 
their favorite subjects in school. However, they also pointed out their school offers a wide 
variety of required social science classes which differ from offerings at PHS. Most of the 
classes at their school are taught in Spanish, with the exception of world history, which is 
taught in English.
The exchange trips PHS hosts, in the eyes of PHS Spanish teacher Idania Rodriguez-Mejia, 


are critical to advancing cultural knowledge of the language.
“[There’s] nothing better than learning about other people’s beliefs firsthand. They’re 
coming from Peru and they are bringing with them who they are and their own unique 
identity.” said Rodriguez. “When students go to Peru, they do the same…that alone creates 
community, open-mindedness and learning.”


### Colmar, France


Celeste Lengrand was one of 44 students from Colmar, France who visited Princeton 
this October while staying with a family of a French-learning PHS student. 


“It’s like an American series with the yellow buses ... [and] the lockers,” said Lengrand.


Colmar’s relationship with Princeton as a “sister-city” dates far beyond this exchange 
trip. The connection was initiated in 1986 by late Princeton Mayor Barbara B. Sigmund 
during the celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s 100th anniversary. Since then, the trip 
has been a lasting connection between the two cities.


“The fact that they can develop a rapport, a relationship, a friendship is the most 
valuable thing,” said Malachi Wood, the French teacher responsible for coordinating 
the exchange. “At the very end of the exchange when we’re leaving, it’s nice to see all 
the kids crying and sad because they made a solid connection.”


During their 11-day trip to Princeton, students from Lycée Bartholdi had the chance 
to immerse themselves in the history of Princeton, the United States, and France.


“When they come here, we focus on American history. We’re doing a little presentation 
about Lafayette [and] we’re going to see the local, historical sites in town … we always 
try to hit Morven, Drumthwacket, Updike Farmhouse. And when we go to France, we 
focus on the War of 1870, World War I, World War II, and the aftermath,” said Wood.


Though America and France have long been close political and economic allies, 
Lengrand observed the value of direct interaction between French and American students. 


“I think it’s important to see we are not alone in the world and see different points of 
view, for example [with] politics, because in France, we have a view of politics [of] the 
America, and [we can] see the view[s] of people [who] live in America,” said Lengrand.


PHS students take reciprocal trips to Colmar at the end of October, where they can 
immerse themselves in French culture and schooling. Elif Cam ’26, one of the PHS 
host students, explained how having the chance to attend the trip while learning about 
various aspects of French culture creates a lived experience unparalleled in the classroom. 


“I think it’s such a crucial part of the language learning experience that is just so 
different from everything else you do in class,” said Cam. “You study French culture. 
You study [how] [their] way of life is different…but it’s not the same thing as actually 
interacting with people who are from the culture.”

Photo: Katherine Chen


Peruvian exchange students Brianna Quevedo, Antonella Cayo, and Andrea Rucoba Pedreschi perform traditional Peruvian dance.

PHS French and Spanish students welcome exchange students from France and Peru

On August 21, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Kimberely 
Tew released the results of PHS’s New 
Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment 
(NJGPA), which revealed disparities in 
pass rates between Asian, White, Black 
and Hispanic students. The NJGPA is a 
graduation requirement administered 
annually to 11th graders, though alternatives 
exist if a student does not pass the test. 


Though PHS has been known for its 
testing disparities since at least 2005, when it 
was the subject of a New York Times article 
titled “The Achievement Gap in Elite High 
Schools,” district officials, teachers, and 
students say they aren’t giving up.


This summer, the Princeton Board 
of Education approved a five-member 
Affirmative Action team tasked with 
updating the Comprehensive Equity Plan, 
a two-part document mandated by the state 
law that outlines the district’s plan to combat 
inequalities within the education system, 
including achievement gaps. 


“The work never ends; we have to explore 
and dive into data all the time. The data 
should help us make decisions about 
[whether] there are more programming 
or services that we can provide, and ... 
when we provide it. I think one of the 
foundational pieces of all of this work is 
building relationships with our students 
and with our families. [And] the more we 
know about our students, the more we can 
... excite them in their learning,” said Angela 
Siso Stentz, Assistant Superintendent for 
Human Resources and a member of the 
district’s Affirmative Action team.


The 2025 NJGPA data showed that 74 
percent of Black students and 50 percent 
of Hispanic students at PHS met the 
graduation requirements — compared 
to Asian, White, and students of other 
ethnicities having a 92 percent pass rate 
or higher. The report did not detail the 
NJGPA scores by income level. However, 
one of the priorities for Dr. Andrea Dinan, 
the director of the IDEAS center, is for all 
students to be able to access free, highquality tutoring — a service that can be 
unaffordable for many families.


“We’re working with the Pace Center 
[for Civic Engagement] at Princeton 
University, and we’re going to have five to 
seven tutors from Princeton University on 
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,” said 
Dinan. “They’re going to provide SAT [and]
ACT help and AP prep, and we’re going to 
target lower-resourced families, but it will 
be open to everyone. I think that’s one of 
the ways that it really works well — if it’s 
open to everyone, but we make sure that ... 
lower income students ... know about the 
opportunities.”


In solving an issue as complex as the 
achievement gap, teachers are playing a 
role in changing the culture within the 
classroom. PHS Social Studies teacher 
Dr. Katie Dineen is an advocate for an 
educational philosophy known as the 
Universal Design for Learning (UDL). First 
designed in the 1990s based on research 
in neuroscience, UDL advocates for a 
curriculum in which students are provided 
with multiple ways to acquire information 
and multiple ways to demonstrate what they 
know. Dineen is also working to make her 
classroom more culturally inclusive.


“You know, regardless of where [students] 
come from, and especially with AP [World 
History] being such a transitory and 
international community, there’s so many 
opportunities for students to bring their 
own family’s artifacts into the classroom, or 
their family’s perspectives or speakers,” said 
Dineen. “I think I [have] created a place for 
each student to feel as though their story 
and their origin are important enough to 
be centered in that curriculum.”


Furthermore, many clubs at PHS are 
also working on fostering a supportive 
community among underprivileged 
students. This includes Generation 1, a club 
focused on helping students who would be 
the first generation within their family to 
pursue higher education.


“I know from my personal experience, 
my mom didn’t get to pursue a further 
education, [so] I struggled a lot trying to 
figure out resources for SATs or college 
[applications] or just finding things in 
general to help me throughout my school 
journey,” said Aimy Solares-Zacarias 
’26, who serves as the co-president of 
Generation 1. “Our main goal is to just 
help provide those resources for kids who 
are [first-generation students] on their 
pathway to [higher education].”


Solares-Zacarias recalls a period of 
academic isolation within her own journey 
where she was afraid to ask for help. Today, 
she encourages her fellow students to follow 
a path similar to her own by contacting 
Generation 1 to find a community of 
academic support. 
“If anyone is reading [this] and they’re a 
[first-generation] student, I want them to be 
able to reach out to us because I know it’s 
not embarrassing or a weakness to want to 
ask for help,” said Solares-Zacarias.

Graphic: Katherine Chen

NJGPA passing versus not passing rates for different races at PHS.

The achievement gap at PHS

### Whitney Davidson-Hinz

Whitney Davidson-Hinz has wanted to teach history 
since high school, crediting one of her own teachers as 
the inspiration behind her choice of career. 


“[She] changed my life and really inspired me ... I decided 
I wanted to do for others what she had done for me ... I had 
originally thought about history as a collection of facts and 
dates, and [my teacher] encouraged me to think about it as 
a discipline, the craft of a historian [as well as] a contested 
narrative that people fight over,” said Davidson-Hinz.


Over her past 20 years as a teacher, Davidson-Hinz has 
applied her craft across the country in places as wideranging as California, Iowa, and New York. However, she 
sees the Princeton community as uniquely encouraging 
towards developing meaningful connections between 
teachers and students.


“In speaking with many, many people in this community, 
I got the sense that this was a place that had a lot of shared 
values with me in terms of my own approach to teaching 
... on day one, emphasizing the importance of developing 
relationships with kids and keeping that central to my 
work was very inspiring, and you don’t always hear that,” 
said Davidson-Hinz.


This year, Davidson-Hinz will be teaching U.S. History 
I and AP U.S. History. In the classroom, she strives to 
encourage open discussion and careful source analysis, 
emphasizing the role history class plays in developing 
essential life skills.


“The skills we are reinforcing in history are critical 
toward any number of aspects of living a good life ... that 
would include the development of critical thinking skills, 
our media landscape [being] saturated with AI as well 
as misinformation ... you need to be able to distinguish 
between what’s accurate and what’s inaccurate. I think 
history [also] teaches empathy as we learn about other 
ways of life ... it gives you a way to think about why things 
are the way they are today,” said Davidson-Hinz.


Davidson-Hinz is also a singer-songwriter, and enjoys 
performing her original compositions at Open Mic nights. 
She also frequently visits national parks with her family 
and loves collecting stamps at each one for her national 
park passport.

### Prutha Patel

As a self-described adventurer and thrill-seeker, Prutha 
Patel’s newest adventure brings her from Minnesota to PHS’s 
math department to teach Geometry and Pre-Calculus 
Accelerated. Patel joins PHS after two years of teaching at 
Albert Lea Area schools in Albert Lea, Minnesota, where 
she served as both a technology teacher and robotics coach. 


“Two years ago, I was a first-year teacher and I accepted a 
role [to] teach technology instead of math. I really enjoyed 
teaching technology, [and] I was also teaching designing, 
robotics, 3D designing, [and] Python,” said Patel. “My 
students were very interested in robotics, [so] I decided to 
start a club and coach them [for robotics competitions].”


Growing up, Patel was inspired to become a teacher by 
her father, who was an educator himself. However, as an 
undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, Patel decided 
to pursue computer engineering — but later realized that 
path was not for her.


“I did take some computer classes in college, but I ended 
up liking the math part of computer science and not the 
computer part of it. So that’s why I decided to just major 
in math and become a teacher,” said Patel. 


Although Patel chose to teach at PHS for its learning 
environment, she also recognizes a certain competition 
between students that was not particularly evident at her 
former school.


“For students [at PHS], they are constantly looking 
for that competition. I think that’s the mindset that they 
have: ‘Oh, if my friend took Accelerated Geometry, I have 
to take that as well’,” said Patel. “Everyone’s different, and 
just because your friend is ahead doesn’t mean that ... you 
have to [be] as well.”


Thus, Patel hopes to create a more collaborative and 
engaging environment in her classes. 


“Oftentimes, it is working with someone and not having 
to submit any formal paper. Instead, [students are] working 
with someone on a board where ... you just have to write an 
answer. So [students are] freely thinking — and whatever 
is in their mind, they’re writing it down. It just helps them 
look at math in a different perspective.”

### Jessica Zhang

 Jessica Zhang, PHS’s newest art teacher, says she could 
have predicted half of her title — “teacher” — ever since 
she was a kid.


“I always knew that I was going to be a teacher because 
my parents always said that I was very bossy growing up,” 
said Zhang.


However, the “art” part would have come as a surprise 
to a younger Zhang.


“I was really bad at [art] when I was a kid — it was 
something that was forced onto me, so I never really liked 
it. But then I had some really good teachers in high school 
that really helped nurture my creative expression, and that’s 
where that passion came,” said Zhang.


This year, Zhang will be teaching four sections of Studio 
Art I, the introductory visual arts course at PHS which is 
the prerequisite for all other classes in the program. For 
her, one of the main attractions of PHS was its strong art 
program. 


“I was very impressed [by] the Numina Gallery and I 
was very inspired and ... very motivated to work here,” said 
Zhang. “I get to develop a lot of one-on-one relationships 
with students [and] we do deeper engagement with the 
work rather than the fast pace of elementary school.”


Zhang is a recent graduate of The College of New Jersey 
and was previously an elementary school teacher in the 
South Brunswick school district. For her, the switch, while 
noticeable, has been worth it.


“I [taught] in elementary school before this, [and] it’s very 
different. I really like [PHS] so far because I get to develop 
a lot of one-on-one relationships with students, [and] we 
do deeper engagement with the work rather than like the 
fast pace of elementary school,” said Zhang.


In her free time, Zhang hopes to continue her various 
hobbies, both artistic — stained glass, working with yarn 
and fabric — and not, like cooking and long walks in the 
park. However, her biggest passion is her students.


“[I’m] passionate about seeing students’ confidence as 
they become more familiar and they develop skills in art,” 
said Zhang. “ I would say [it’s] always [about] the connec- tions that I get to make with students.” grow ... [it’s] always 
[about] the connections that I get to make with students.” 

Photo: Charley Hu


Zhang helps Markintosh Barthelemy ’29 with negative 
space drawings in Studio Art I. 

PHS new teacher profiles

As a new school year begins at PHS, the 
school administration is taking a different 
approach to the education system. Dubbed 
“Deep Learning” by Principal Cecilia Birge, 
the plan aims to bring a different perspective 
of what it means to learn at PHS. 


The backbone of this approach consists 
of the changes to the bell schedule. At the 
end of each typical Tuesday and Wednesday 
(B2 and B3 days, respectively), the 
administration has added a flexible learning 
lab time dedicated to getting school-related 
tasks done. This change also shortens the 
previously 90-minute instructional blocks 
to help take pressure off of students. 


The root of these changes lies in a 
Grawemeyer Award-winning book, “In 
Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to 
Remake the American High School” by Jal 
Mehta and Sarah Fine. Assistant Principal 
Lauren Freedman notes the recurring 
themes of the book and relates it to the 
changes made to the bell schedule. 


“One of the things that kept popping up is 
that a lot of students learn through their own 
self-exploration and doing things that they 
love, and it’s not necessarily sitting in your 
class,” said Freedman. “It’s through going 
and meeting with your clubs and learning 
to work with one another and things like 
that actually help people grow more than 
necessarily just sitting in the classroom.”


Newly elected PPS Superintendent, Dr. 
Michael LaSusa, seconds the need for selfsufficient growth outside the classroom.
LaSusa hopes that PHS will provide and 
encourage an environment where students 
can learn to think critically and contribute 
to a wide variety of environments — 
whether it be in the workplace, civic life, 
or family life.


“I think we’re living in a very polarized 
society right now — not just in the United 
States, but all over the world — and it’s 
incredibly important that students develop 
a capacity to listen to people who might not 
share their exact viewpoint, and engage 
meaningfully in conversation and dialogue 
with diverse people [who have] diverse 
perspectives,” said LaSusa. “We want to 
try to provide everyone with experiences 
that create balance and perspective and 
appreciation for others, and, of course, a 
knowledge base and a skill set that prepares 
them to do whatever it is they want to do 
once they leave.”


The administration hopes that these 
changes will be used responsibly and to 
the fullest extent by the students. However, 
if modifications are needed, surveys and 
opinions from the students will be taken 
into account for the future. Birge expresses 
her satisfaction for the bell schedule change, 
but recognizes that the effectiveness will 
depend on students.


“I genuinely think that we reached a sweet 
spot after so many revisions. But having 
said that ... the Tuesday flexible learning 
time was designed with a lot of intention 
for targeted support. If students abuse it, 
then we’re placing that burden for teachers 
to teach more in the instructional blocks 
[of this] bell schedule,” said Birge. 


The PHS administration credits the 
development of the new schedule that fits 
deeper learning to the feedback provided 
by both students and teachers at the end 
of last year. 


“Trust me, we read every single thing 
that students present to us. We may or may 
not be able to modify the schedule or our 
approach for all kinds of reasons, but we do 
read everything. We really value everything 
you present to us. We think it through and 
we try our best to incorporate it so those 
surveys are important,” said Birge. 

Photo: Katherine Chen


Chemistry teacher Janine Giamanco assists Alex Paul ‘27 in making up classwork 
during newly instituted Flex learning times. 


PHS administration envisions “Deep Learning” for upcoming school year 

Decades after the 26th Amendment lowered the voting 
age to 18, a new generation of activists are raising a 
familiar question: should 16 and 17 year olds be allowed 
to vote? At PHS, Carina He ’26 is answering this question 
by starting a chapter of the national Vote16 campaign. 
Vote16 is a national organization that, for over a decade, 
has worked to expand voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds 
in Board of Education elections at local, statewide, and 
national levels. The campaign has seen success in 12 cities 
across the United States, most recently in Newark, New 
Jersey. Through her club, Youth Civic Leaders of America 
(YCLA), He has partnered with co-leader Ash Nieman ’26 
to promote Vote16 and increase civic engagement in the 
Princeton community. 


The Vote16 initiative argues that since students at age 16 
and 17 years olds begin to take on more adult responsibilities 
— such as working a job and driving — they should also be 
granted the right to vote in local elections. This is especially 
relevant in Board of Education elections, since the decisions 
made by the Board primarily impact students. 


“The Board of Education is [like] the government to the 
students, [so] students [will be] able to understand how 
to vote in this ... more controlled environment ... rather 
than just going straight into voting when they’re 18 years 
old in a presidential election where the entire country [is] 
voting — [so] they’re able to see civics education take form 
in their local area,” said He. 


He and Nieman have also cited voting in school board 
elections as a beneficial way for young people to apply 
their knowledge of civics education outside the classroom. 
“[At PHS] we have this baseline of education about U.S. 
history and our teachers stress how important voting is as 
a democratic right. It’s not like we don’t know anything 
about voting, but [when you] start that process younger 
... [you’re] much more likely to turn out for state elections 
[and] representative elections,” said Nieman. 


According to Tufts University’s Center for Information 
and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, a nonpartisan research organization focused on youth civic 
engagement, young voter turnout dropped from over 
50 percent during the 2020 presidential election to 42 
percent in the 2024 election. The top reasons for youth 
who had not registered to vote were disinterest in the 
election, lack of time, and absence of knowledge about 
registration deadlines. 


“Generally voter turnout is still not that great, especially 
in school board elections, the turnout is only like 10 percent 
— which is terrible. And since we’re in such a dire political 
climate right now, it’s very important that we teach the 
people who will be voting in the next presidential election 
[or] the Senate election ... We have to teach them the habit 
of voting, how important it is, how to vote, [and] how to 
register vote,” said Nieman. 


 YCLA has been working with several members of the 
PPS Board of Education and Brian McDonald, a Princeton 
town councilman, to propose Vote16. On September 8, 
YCLA spoke with the entire Princeton Town Council to 
introduce the initiative. Though the initiative received 
positive feedback from the Town Council, concerns have 
been raised over the rollout of the initiative. 


 “The other opposition we’ve seen comes down to money 
... The ballot for the school board is the same ballot as the 
[ballot] for a state election. So in order for [students] to 
vote ... new ballots have to be printed that only have school 
board members,“ said Nieman. 


The Council also expressed concerns regarding the 
maturity of 16–17 year olds and their eligibility to vote in 
school board elections. Unless the bill is passed through 
state legislation, legal barriers make it harder for 16 year 
olds from being given the right to vote in Princeton.
Unlike Newark, where Vote16 was successfully enacted, 
Princeton is not a Faulkner Act community. The Faulkner 
Act, which is also known as the Optional Municipality 
Charter Law, grants municipalities the right to choose their 
own form of government and gives a significant degree 
of power to the locality. Therefore, in order to get the 
Municipality of Princeton to pass Vote16’s proposal, YCLA 
has to overcome more legal hurdles than they would have 
had to in a municipality operating under the Faulkner Act. 
Despite this, several members of the Board of Education 
and the Town Council have expressed support for Vote16, 
believing it would be beneficial for the youth to express 
what they care about. 


“Youth are the most invested demographic in [the] sort 
of the issues that I think local government needs to be 
taking the most decisive action on, like climate change 
and active transportation ... I think those are issues that are 
the most important issues for society as a whole, but older 
voters don’t always get it. That’s why I think it’s positive 
for society to have, for the community as a whole, to have 
youth engagement,” said Cohen

Photo Courtesy: Carina He

PHS students campaign for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in school board elections


PHS students campaign for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in school board elections

With the start of another school year, yet another group of
sophomores are looking for ways to fulfill their community
service hour requirement. Many community services
programs are offered at Princeton High School, focusing
on topics such as tutoring, health, and the environment.
However, there are also a variety of arts community service
programs at PHS.

The Arts Council club provides an opportunity for
students to work together on projects such as decorations
for the school and cards for senior centers or hospitals. For
example, during the winter, the club puts up snowflakes to
heighten the festivities.

In addition, the club also collaborates with the Arts
Council of Princeton by volunteering at events and camps
that the council hosts.

“During camps ... we assist with cleaning, with [art] skills,
and just talking with the children. Children as young as
kindergarten all the way through middle school [come to the camp], and our goal is just to spread
art [to them]. A lot of the people that are
in the club are interested in art, and we
want to give back to the community,”
said Vanessa He ’27, one of the leaders
of the Arts Council club.

While the Arts Council club focuses
on giving back to the community, it also
brings together community at PHS.

“While we [work together], people
are also talking. And I think that’s also
another way for people to connect with
peers, not just the whole community
itself,” said He.

Another arts community service at
PHS is School Beautification. A newly-
formed club, their goal is to improve
the appearance of
PHS in order to create a more welcoming
environment for both students and teachers.“Art creates a welcoming environment
because ... abstract shapes and colors
usually inspire creativity among people
and individuals. Seeing art every day
makes the space look less monotone
and [industrial-like]. Instead, the more
creative, welcoming environment would
help students be more productive,” said
co-leader Lucy Wang ’27.

The club also hopes to expand the scope
of their projects in the future.

“I also hope that in the spring we are able
to collaborate with some other community
service organizations to hopefully plant
flowers, or [install] plant pots inside the
school,” said Wang.

The service project Make Your Mark
has a different approach to helping the community. Focusing on creating crafts such as jewelry
and clay keychains, the program donates all the handmade
crafts back to the Rise organization.

Rise, a nonprofit social support project based in central
New Jersey, helps the community through food pantries,
thrift stores, and educational programs. In addition to
making crafts, the club also organizes volunteering and
crafts events for the community.

“We plan to bring arts and crafts opportunities to our
community through hosting crafting events at Princeton
Public Library,” said Jessica Zhang ’26, a co-leader of Make
Your Mark. “We [also] organize volunteering opportunities
at [Rise’s thrift store], helping to work and manage the store.”

Overall, while the main purpose of each community
service project is to give back to the community, members
also find themselves connecting and bonding with each
other and the community.

photo: Katherine Chen

Vanessa He ’27 and Kenzie Miller ’27 talk to a student about the Arts Council club.

A guide to arts-related community service programs

AI has rapidly seeped through all levels of society, permeating through each layer of academia — and it looks like it’s here to stay. Thus, the district’s ban on ChatGPT is a necessary measure  to protect academic integrity and preserve critical thinking in our education. But this effort isn’t enough to halt the surge in AI usage; instead, it should be extended to other AI tools until there are clearer guidelines and safeguards to combat the innovation of AI humanizers. While the convenience and speed of AI models does offer some benefits, it has increasingly become disruptive in students’ learning. Worse, a solution to this issue is rather difficult to find. 


Although the school restricted ChatGPT this summer, this effort isn’t enough to counteract the harms of AI. ChatGPT is just one of many forms of AI that can be exploited by students with tools such as Copilot and Gemini. Although these tools are admittedly useful, they blur the line between help and dependence. Their  ability to instantly generate responses on seemingly any subject makes them extremely appealing to students and teachers alike. However, this creates an extremely slippery slope. Asking questions to strengthen understanding can turn into generating entire lab reports or papers. More importantly, utilizing AI simply to get the right answer fosters a toxic environment where the end product becomes more important than the learning process to get there. PHS principal Cecilia Birge explains that struggling is part of learning.


“Once you struggle, that learning acquired after the struggle is much deeper,” said Birge.  “I’ve taught long enough to know that’s true, and I witness that every single day, right in our building.”


Forcing students to grapple with a certain topic not only deepens their understanding, but it also distills the topics they don’t know into targeted questions that they can then ask their teachers about the following day. This is especially true given that PHS students now have three days of built-in flexible learning time where they are able to seek out extra help. Hence, building a strong anti-AI narrative that promotes the struggle is imperative to our learning.


On the other hand, effects on education are not the only concern when it comes to generative AI. The usage of AI has been widely debated for its privacy issues, as users often intentionally or unintentionally share private information with it. As a result, ChatGPT requires parental consent for users under 18 to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Unfortunately, most students probably aren’t aware of this policy and use it regardless. This problem extends beyond ChatGPT, which means students are still vulnerable to privacy breaches. Banning AI in school serves as a stand against careless AI usage for youth and also serves as a solution until students are able to be educated on proper usage ethics and regulation can be passed to enforce said proper usage. 


In short, the district’s ban on ChatGPT is far from enough to stop the ever-growing presence of AI. Instead, the district should look to create a directive that creates a more holistic ban on AI to help combat issues such as decreasing academic integrity, privacy concerns, and environmental issues. While discussions such as this article attempt to create awareness, searching up ChatGPT just to see it banned serves as an ever present reminder of AI’s negative impact.

Photo: Katherine Chen

AI humanizers, such as humanizeai.pro, are sometimes used by students to bypass generative text detectors.

Cons of AI in School

These days, it seems that beauty industry consumers prioritize convenience over all else. They look for the product that creates the best results while having to put in the least effort, trading sustainability for ease of use. This mindset favors products with disposable, often unrecyclable packaging. In 2024, Business Waste found that 120 billion units of plastic packaging are thrown away each year. This includes packaging for shampoo and lotion, products that carry an additional environmental impact — water waste. The International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association finds that such products can contain up to 95 percent water. 


With climate change and pollution threatening fresh water supplies, it is important to conserve this precious resource. A 2019 study from the Research Institute for Medicine corroborates that beauty products in the form of bars or sticks minimize water use in the consumption phase and thus benefit conservation. The idea of waterless beauty may sound strange at first, but their accessibility and sustainability make it a worthwhile swap for students’ daily routines. 


One of the most common waterless beauty products is shampoo bars, which are solid surfactant-based products that resemble bars of soap. The price point of one shampoo bar — often $15 — is a bit higher than that of bottled shampoo, but its formula is designed to be ultra-concentrated and last more washes. For example, Ethique Beauty advertises their shampoo bars as equal in use to three 350 mL plastic shampoo bottles, while their conditioner bars are equal to five 350 mL bottles of conditioner. Additionally, most shampoo bars are packaged in recyclable or compostable paper packaging, which saves water from manufacturing and reduces its end-of-life impacts on local ecosystems.


Ditching familiar liquid products can be daunting, but many mainstream stores make waterless beauty swaps easily accessible. Lush, the original inventor of the shampoo bar in 1987, sells a plethora of water-free products at most malls. Sephora now carries shampoo bars from Viori and superzero, while Amazon offers items from Ethique Beauty as well as a variety of other eco-friendly brands. Instructions for use are simple, and often involves rubbing the bar directly onto wet hair and then massaging to lather. 


Although it can be hard to make changes to our usual personal care products, every little bit counts to conserve water and reduce packaging waste. By incorporating a small aspect of sustainability into daily routine from a young age, individuals can save thousands of bottles of product over a lifetime. 

Ditch the water in your shampoo

Head Coach James Smirk

“The real secret [to] being great at cross country is understanding that it never really gets easier. You just get better at dealing with it, and then, as such, you’re willing to run faster ... I think that’s something pretty unique in our sport. So our athletes 
have gotten better and have found themselves in a championship position because they have leaned into that idea that they can continue to find greater depths of ability if they’re willing to commit to those ideas.

Assistant Coach Jennifer Smolyn

“For the girls, the goal is going to be to win the section, because they are talented and ready to go. But for the boys, they’re a little bit more of a wild card. We weren’t expecting them to win the county. They put a really, really great race together. So we’re not totally sure how they’re gonna pan out in the section, but we’re excited.”

Aleric Deess ’28

“I’d say that it’s pretty exhilarating, honestly, especially depending on where you’re 
passing them. Towards the end of the race, you can see them in front of you [and] you can see that they’re breathing heavy [or] they’re looking down [and] not feeling great. [At that point], you really [start to] feel like you can really win and pass them in this spot.”

Steven Cenci ’26

“We’ve really bonded as a team and done a bunch of workouts together that have strengthened our connections with each other. So when we [got] out there on the 
course, we [were able to] trust each other and were willing to put it all out there as a team ... I think all four of our coaches ... have been super supportive [and helped] us with our workouts and [gave us] training plans.”

photo courtesy:Lily Ludewig


The cross country teams celebrate their clean sweep victory at the CVC tournament

Cross country teams sweep CVC championships 

As a child, Sylvia Schreiber ’26
would sit at the dining room table
for hours, happily doodling with
crayons. Though she’s transitioned
from crayons to watercolor and
gouache, the importance of art in
her life has stayed the same. In her
time at PHS, her illustration work
has included t-shirts, programs, and
this year’s school-issued planner.
She’s currently compiling pieces for
her portfolio as part of applications
to art school, where she hopes to
further expand her artistic abilities,
preparing her to eventually work as
an artist professionally.

**What childhood experiences
shaped you as an artist?**

I remember when I was little my
mom would put me to bed and then
I’d get up and turn my light on and
start drawing — I was trying to
copy the cover of one of my picture
books because I loved it so much.
And then my mom would come and
be like, “Sylvia, go to bed.” Picture
books really inspired me to create
art when I was younger.

**What are you drawn to depicting in your art?**

 Anything in the natural world is my go-to. I like things with patterns, so obviously
nature has a lot of patterns, but also architecture ... I like to push myself to draw new
things a lot of times, but I would say nature is a big one ... I feel like the repetitive motion
of drawing the same thing over and over again is definitely calming.

**What mediums do you work with?**

I work in 2D mostly; that’s what I’m most comfortable in. But within that, I do a lot of
stuff. Drawing, painting, and printmaking are the three that I do the most. I love watercolor.

**Are there any mediums that you’re experimenting with right now?**

I’m trying to do more printmaking. I really like printmaking. I’ve been doing some
classes at the Arts Council on linocut and stuff like that, and I think why I like it kind of
ties back to the patterns — you can
print it over and over again. And I
just like the look of print making,
so I’m trying to do more of that
right now in my portfolio and just
also for fun.

**What are some of your
inspirations and influences?**

My sister, just her being in art
school and all of her friends, I follow
them all on Instagram and I get to
see all of their amazing work and
sometimes I’ll take an idea from
there ... Having my sister in art school
is really cool to see, because it’s, like,
whoa, that could be where I am in
a couple years. Barbara de Lorenzo,
she works at the Arts Council ...
She illustrates children’s books, and
she mostly works in watercolor,
so she’s helped me a lot with my
watercolor abilities. When I paint
with watercolor, I’m channeling
Barbara DiLorenzo. She’s definitely
helped me grow as an artist.

**What’s your artistic process?**

 I have a sketchbook at home that’s really just whatever comes out ... A lot of times,
when I’m feeling like I want to do something art-related, I’ll just sit down with that and
just write or draw, or do whatever is inspiring me at the moment; I’ll try to get it down
on paper ... So then when I know what I’m going to do for my project, it comes with
some trial and error ... So I do a lot of practice sketching. And then I’ll try to see if I
have materials at home or if I need to get some from the Arts Council ... You just have
to start and challenges always arise ... It’s kind of inevitable that at some point, you’re
going to be like, this is terrible. But more times than not, it’s not terrible and you just
need to work through it.

**What goals do you have for yourself in your art in the future?**

I want to get into an art college and I want to just enjoy that to the best of my ability
without having to think too much about what exactly I’m going to do with art after
college. I just want to really explore my own style and develop my own style as an artist
... Even as art becomes my work, I also want to just keep enjoying it.

photo: Charley Hu

Sylvia Schreiber ’26 sketches to plan out a print for her art school portfolio.

Student artist of the month: Sylvia Schreiber ’26

Ready, set, hike! The ball is immediately snapped and handed off to Carmine Carusone ’26. He sprints past defenders and breaks tackles on his way to scoring a pivotal touchdown for the Tigers. A couple seconds later, he jogs back out to kick the extra point, which he drills right between the two uprights. 

Carusone grew up playing football with his brothers and friends - instilling an early connection to the sport. However, he initially played both soccer and lacrosse in his freshman year before making the switch to join the high school football team. 

“Once I started the workouts in the summer and I got to see the kind of bonds that you create, and what it's like to actually put the pads on, [it was] something that I knew I couldn't get away from,” said Carusone.

When he first started on the team, Carusone played as a cornerback and kicker. This didn’t stop him from achieving division honors in just his sophomore year, being named First Team Defense for his position as cornerback by the West Jersey Football League. The organization chooses division all-stars each year, the best in their respective positions, in collaboration with league coaches in all 17 divisions. 

Head Coach Charles Gallagher has been leading the PHS boys football team for over 10 years. When he first met Carusone, Gallagher knew he would be a great asset to the team. 

“We saw he was an athlete. He was tough, he was fast, and he was smart,” said Gallagher. “He was a great kid, and we'd like to think that we built our program around good kids.”

In a recent game against Lawrence, Carusone played a pivotal role defending his position as running back against the opponents.

“I remember he had like a 60 yard run against Lawrence where he ran through like, two, three guys,” said teammate Julian Frevert ’27. “And then, [it] took like five guys to bring him down.”

The following season, Carusone got his first snaps at the running back position, recording 651 yards on 130 attempts and five touchdowns. That season, the Tigers would go 5–5, winning the Valley Division title, and competing in the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. Additionally, Carusone was named First Team All Offense, this time for his position at running back in the Valley Division, for his contributions. 

Now, as a senior, Carusone is co-captain of the team. However, Gallagher says leadership is something that comes to him naturally and has been present in him for years, along with the characteristics that make up an excellent football player.

“He's become a great leader for our program,” said Gallagher. “He plays three different positions, some of the hardest positions. Being running back, corner back, and also being our full-time kicker, as punter, [means] he doesn't come off the field.”

In addition to playing such a pivotal role in the team, Carusone shoulders heavy responsibilities like school and academics. During the summer, the team completes workouts in preparation for the season. It doesn’t stop there though; the team has practice six days a week throughout the school year. 

“When school starts, I try to keep my mind on my scores as much as I can throughout the school day,” said Carusone. “Then as soon as football comes, my mind just completely shifts. I'm focused, ready to learn about the team that we're playing against or new plays that we're putting in."

Stepping into his leadership role, Carusone assists teammates in the weight room, a pivotal part of offseason training for every member on the team. In the weight room, he can be found leading teammates in exercises and providing support for everyone to get the most out of their workout.

“He's [the] kind of guy you want to get behind and follow,” said teammate Julian Frevert ’27. “He's one of our strongest guys and a really good example to have for younger guys on the team and people my age.” 

Even through tough moments such as losing the homecoming game in Carusone’s sophomore year, he took it as a chance to redirect his energy towards improvement.

“So when big losses like that happen, we try to just keep the team together and uplift everybody so that when the next big game comes, we're ready to go,” said Carusone.

For his final season, Carusone hopes to lead the team to another great season and victory at the homecoming game. While still going through the recruitment process, he has stacked an impressive resume from his time on the team and left a legacy that won’t be forgotten.

“The best part about football is, for me, is ... what it's like to be a part of a team. When you're part of a team, you're like a family, and [it’s] like a culture that no one else has, except for your team,” said Carusone. “When I step on that field, I know that I have my teammates’ [backs] and I know that they have my back.”


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