PHS’ competitive and goal-oriented student culture is undeniable. Rigorous classes and mountain-high piles of homework not only create stress, but also often dig into sleeping hours. As a result, a majority of the student body files into the hallways plagued with foggy brains from sleep deprivation and simply being overworked. 
In order to make up for this sleep deprivation and maintain their busy lifestyles, many students choose to turn towards sugar and caffeine. The high school vending machines offer a couple of options, but since the beginning of this year, one predominant candidate has entered itself into the pool — Celsius energy drinks. Containing 200 mg of caffeine (the equivalent of two cups of black coffee), the drink has quickly gained immense popularity amongst students. However, Celsius’ focusing abilities come with dangerous side effects. In 2020, the CDC found that drinking highly caffeinated beverages such as Celsius can lead to long-term effects like increased blood pressure, and heart complications. Even in the short term, the effects are damaging; research done by WebMD in 2018 found that relying on artificial high doses of caffeine causes numerous negative symptoms to the drinker, including anxiety, irregular heartbeats, and insomnia, highlighting how this temporary fix for fatigue often leads to a more permanent, detrimental problem to long-term health. 
Instead of drinking energy drinks, students should consider tea for their pick-me-up beverage of choice. Tea delivers a moderate amount of caffeine that doesn’t disrupt the nervous system. Matcha, for one, contains l-theanine, which slows the effect of caffeine, creating a more stable energy boost. While caffeine from coffee or energy drinks takes mere minutes to be absorbed into the bloodstream, it takes around three to six hours for the caffeine in matcha to be fully absorbed. This gradual absorption cushions the blow to the nervous system, prolonging the body’s energy and preventing sudden crashes and withdrawals from occurring. Furthermore, tea boasts a much higher nutritional value to the body compared to caffeinated drinks, as it’s packed with antioxidants and vitamins that help regulate blood sugar, heart health, nervous systems, metabolism, and many other bodily functions. 
All of these factors demonstrate tea’s nutritional value over caffeinated drinks, being able to regulate students’ sleep schedules and stress levels much better compared to less healthy alternatives. The options for tea are vast, providing options for any palate. So next time you feel tired, avoid that celsius drink and reach for tea instead.

Pouring Positivi-tea: tea's positive impact on your health

It's mind blowing to grasp that the vast expanse of dark blue water we watch while relaxing on the Jersey Shore makes up less than a fraction of the entire ocean, which in turn  occupies almost 71 percent of the Earth’s surface. The ocean creates a habitat occupied by over 276,878 known species of marine animals that have thrived for millions of years. As with all mysteries, questions arise and studies accompany them: marine biology, the study of marine life and human impact on the marine ecosystems, places a focus on the miracle that is our oceans. As pollution and climate change become a recurring topic in current times, the need for environmental awareness has surged, and a general environmental science class may not meet the demands for in-depth study of marine science. 
Due to the diversified nature of the PHS science curriculum and courses, students are able to take a deep dive into specialized science topics, including organic chemistry, planetary science, environmental science, anatomy, forensics, and more. Yet for some reason, Marine Biology is absent. On a hot summer day, the common thought process of a New Jersey resident would be to spend a day at the beach and swim in the ocean. Being exposed to the East Coast staple that is the Jersey Shore, many New Jersey students develop a love for the ocean, and in turn the marine sciences. 
“We are a coastal state. New Jersey is famous for its beaches. There's so many opportunities in the state that I think we should take advantage of… we should absolutely be integrating more into our curriculum” said biology and Research teacher Mark Eastburn.
Unfortunately, a day trip to the shore might be slightly out of reach for the average student. Including a marine biology course at PHS, however, could make learning about the ocean just that bit more accessible, fueling the curiosity of students who don’t have the resources to go down to the shore.
Aside from fostering greater curiosity about the ocean among students, a marine biology class could also help point students toward a prospective major. More and more, students have been undecided about their majors when entering college. Fortunately, providing more specialized courses that properly direct students could remedy this disorientation. In essence, a marine biology class may just be the specialized science classes PHS students need. 
Though even without a course of direction, Eastburn mentions that still he has and had students who were particularly interested in marine biology. 
“I have multiple students who want to pursue marine biology. And I have students, even outside of the research program, who come to me with an interest in doing a project associated with marine biology,” Eastburn said. 
The sheer amount of undiscovered and understudied marine could have a plethora of uses – explaining the unknown, discovering alternate biofuels to save the planet, and even curing diseases. PHS’ resources and university-collaboration opportunities can play a role in new developing scientific interests, which may result in future discoveries. 
“This is a very unique place where you can make amazing things happen. You can't do this anywhere else. One town over, Westminster, they can't do this; Montgomery, they can't do this. We can do this. And we're the only ones, so let's leverage that. Let's not be West Windsor. Let's not be Ewing, let's not be Montgomery. Let's be frickin Princeton.”

Why Marine Biology Class

The ocean is quite a poetic oxymoron. For hundreds of thousands of years, it has separated cultures with vast seas and treacherous storms, and yet it has also unified them in contemplating the same majestic waters. As they gazed, they thought of stories. What does the ocean hold, hidden beneath its seemingly endless waves? 
One story in particular has transcended both cultural boundaries and time: the lost city of Atlantis. This myth originated some two thousand years ago when the Greek philosopher Plato wrote the “Timaeus” and the “Critias,” in which a fictional character, Solon, tells Critias a story about a land that sank beneath the waves some nine thousand years before his time. According to Plato, Solon heard of Atlantis from some Egyptian priests while journeying in Africa. In reality, Plato probably made it up.
In his tale, Atlantis was at first a utopian kingdom, built on a mountainous island and filled with virtuous people. However, the inhabitants gradually grew corrupt and too proud of themselves. In a blind lust for power, they tried to invade Athens, which did not exactly please the Greek gods. Divine judgment rained down from the heavens, floods and earthquakes ensued, and Atlantis fell into the murky depths of the ocean. Plato likely intended this as a cautionary tale on the dangers of excessive pride and – of course – messing with Athens, but that intention has not prevented a myriad of later scholars, writers, and conspiracy theorists from searching for this “lost land.”
Many have tried their hand at finding where Atlantis once stood. Plato stated that Atlantis lay in the Atlantic Ocean, near the Pillars of Hercules (mountains flanking the Strait of Gibraltar). And while the numerous claims of finding the actual submerged island are generally considered pseudoscience, the story of Atlantis might not be entirely fictional. Some have speculated that Plato drew inspiration for the destruction of Atlantis from a real-world event, such as the Minoan eruption that devastated the island of Thera (modern Santorini), or the tsunami that destroyed the city-state Helike.
Our fascination with Atlantis has even spilled over into our literature and media. After Plato, the first source referring to Atlantis is from the Roman historian Plutarch. In the second century, he wrote a biography of Solon (the actual Athenian statesman), in which Plutarch described Solon’s supposed travels and recounted the Atlantis tale as if it were fact. From there, Atlantis made its way into science fiction with “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” in which French author Jules Verne wrote about voyagers walking around the underwater ruins of the city. Atlantis has further been referenced in television shows like “Futurama” and “Phineas and Ferb,” and has served as a motif in countless movies, animes, and operas. There are far more examples than I could name in this short article; the Wikipedia page for “Atlantis in popular culture” has over two hundred items (yes, I counted).
As we gaze upon the ocean, we think of stories. Stories that grow and change like the crawling roots of a mangrove tree, that entrench themselves deep in the shifting waters of society, that weather the ebb and flow of time. Perhaps the true legacies of these myths lie not beneath the waves, but in the influence they have had on humanity.

Diving Into Myth: the Legacy of Atlantis

   Due to the ravaging effects of climate change, coral reefs globally are on the decline. United against the same problem, both scientific and local communities in the Coral Triangle are working to protect their reefs. At Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok A team led by Dr. Suchana Chavanich is focusing on coral spore cryopreservation, a technique by which scientists preserve coral sperm for future generations. Additionally, native divers of Tidung Island, Indonesia, concerned about damage caused by pollution and overfishing, are transplanting coral all around the island to encourage growth. Thankfully, these efforts have been working. On the island, coral growth rates are 10-15 centimeters annually, and projected to increase even more. This island’s success story really goes to show that every community can make a difference, and that the ocean can be saved. 
The destruction of coral has been one of the worst repercussions of climate change and overfishing in the ocean. As one of the places most affected by these issues, Southeast Asia is working towards reversing these damages. United against the same problem, both scientific and local communities are working together to protect their reefs. A team led by Dr. Suchana Chavanich is focusing on coral spore cryopreservation, a technique used by preserving coral sperm for future propagation. Native divers of Tidung Island, Indonesia, concerned about pollution and destruction created by ports and fishing, are transporting coral all around the island to encourage growth. The growth rate on the island is currently 10-15 cm a year. By setting up concrete cube frames for both coral to grow on and fish to live in, sea life has a better  chance of survival. 

How South-East Asia is Fighting Back to Save Corals – Photo Essay

The deep sea is one of the most mysterious places on Earth, less accurately mapped than even Mars. Many robots and remotely operated vehicles have been sent down to explore the deepest known parts of the ocean, the Mariana Trench and Challenger Deep. However, previous deep ocean robots were too big and bulky, making maneuvering through unknown territory nearly impossible. This changed in 2021; a Chinese robotics team, led by Guorui Li of Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, sought to apply soft robotics to deep sea exploration. The team’s soft robot was based on the Mariana hadal snailfish, a creature native to the Mariana Trench. The team mimicked the snailfish by creating a more flexible “skull,” able to withstand crushing pressures and by incorporating fins so that the robot could move more freely. After preliminary testing, the robot was sent to explore the Mariana Trench while attached to a deep sea lander, a mission it returned from with great success. Although the soft robot was slow and weak against currents, its navigability, small size, and deep diving prowess were a big step forward in biologically inspired robotics and deep sea exploration.

Deep Ocean Tech

How has exercise and fitness helped you in your life?
With all the nerves and anxiety that's been going around with the coronavirus for the last two weeks, [exercise has helped me] more so than ever before. I've made it a point to do my personal fitness, which is lifting three times a week and running. Each and every time I've done it, I felt myself get calmer. It's great to have that ability in moments like this.

In your experience as a gym teacher have you seen the positive impacts of sports and activities on students' lives, specifically their stress levels?
What I've seen more is the impact on their social gratitude and behaviors when they are around someone. Even if they're not good at an activity, but they share either conversation, or they do something that surprises themselves, you can see the joy in their face. So maybe overall, they're not coming out more fit, if you will, but they're getting certain aspects that are making them better.

Do you think PHS puts as much emphasis and value on physical health as it does with mental health?
No. My daughter's a senior and this place is an absolute pressure cooker, both mentally and physically. So the simple answer is I don't think they can do enough. And are they getting close to it? I mean, we had that wellness push and this and that, but I think it's a goal that always needs to be chased. Especially for [PHS].

When you ask so much of a student population academically, they themselves put so much pressure on themselves and they lose sight of what's the [big] picture for wellness. So they'll want to leave physical education in order to get a chemistry lab done. [It’s] great that they're so conscientious about their academics, but they tend to forget that [how their minds and their bodies feel] go hand in hand. And when [their physical health] is at its peak, their academics will be at their peak. 

What do you think is the biggest challenge teens face in regards to fitness?
Princeton High School students are incredibly intelligent. So with that, I put a lot of faith in them figuring it out. But that also being said, they're in a period of their life where they're learning and, like anybody else, they get pulled in different directions. So I think the two things that are their biggest challenges are one, the academic stress, and two, when they do have downtime, what does that represent? And for too many of them, it's getting lost into the cell phone, which isn't doing anything really positive. So I think a lot of them need to step up their game on both their mind and their body.

Do you think that the media on the internet sends dangerous messages to teens about fitness?
Yes. For instance, I used to have a shirt that said “Short is Normal.” because I'm told that I'm not normal, because I'm five feet tall. Too many times, the media portrays what is desirable. And that's just somebody's opinion. Sometimes students are made to feel bad about themselves when there's absolutely no reason they should ever feel bad about themselves. [No matter if] they’re short, they're skinny, they're whatever they are, [it doesn’t matter] so long as they're doing what they're able to do to make themselves feel good and healthy. You be you. Be yourself. I think the media does send some harmful messages.

Do you have any tips or tricks for teens for incorporating physical activity into their day, especially for students who often sit at desks for long periods of time?
Yes. Here's one thing. It's kind of like when you're a little kid and you [usually] walked everywhere. … [Then], you've learned how to ride a bike and your world exponentially explodes with adventure and excitement. Fitness is the same way. Once you get into it [and] it becomes habitual, … it's addictive and … you crave it. So my message to them is to push through that period where your mind's telling you [that] you don't want to do this because once you get through that, then you crave [exercise].

PHS Fitness with Mr. Wilkinson

Our society as a whole is becoming increasingly sedentary, but nowhere more than at school. PHS students go to school and sit for six hours or more, before going home to sit for another six hours to study and fulfil various responsibilities, most of which are completed from a desk. Sitting for such a large fraction of the day is unhealthy. Sedentary behavior is linked to many chronic diseases and conditions as well as decreased creativity and intelligence. The human body responds badly to extended sitting because maintaining the same position all day is unnatural, and	
graphic: Jennifer Ren 		         inevitably leads to an imbalance. Slumping back in 	         an uncomfortable metal chair all day accelerates spinal disk degeneration, among other problems which lead to pain and injury later in life. 
One might think that exercise fixes the problems of sitting too much, but it doesn’t. According to an article in Harvard Health Publishing from 2015, an analysis of 47 studies showed that sitting for extended periods of time is associated with adverse health effects regardless of physical activity. If you sit all day, you are more likely to die young, even if you work out with perfect consistency. This isn’t to say that exercise is unimportant; it has a variety of health benefits both physically and mentally, but it doesn’t fix this particular problem.
Though standing desks might reduce time spent sitting, they create problems of their own. Standing still for extended periods of time puts strain on the legs that can lead to swelling or even injury. The problem here is the same; staying in the same position for a long period of time is bad. The best way forward is a lifestyle change; we should all regularly vary our position throughout the day.
The nature of high school is what causes a lot of kids to adopt sedentary lifestyles. High schools need to allow kids to get up and move around in class if they feel tired or unable to concentrate. If a student wants to stand or sit on the floor for part of class, they should be allowed to as long as they are still paying attention and not disturbing their classmates. Opportunities for kids to get up and move around as part of the lessons could also improve class participation, as well as giving the kids the chance to change their position. Of course, as teens, we ourselves also have a responsibility to make sure we move around and reposition ourselves and if we absolutely must sit for a long uninterrupted interval of time, sit up straight. The part of the brain that processes movement also processes learning, so learning will actually be easier for us if we move around more.
To achieve a state of optimal health, we should combine traditional exercise with smaller changes in movement and good positioning throughout the day. Exercise is for strength, cardiovascular health, and weight maintenance, while microactivity and position changes are to promote spine health and avoid imbalance. It is essential to remember that physical self-care isn’t limited to time spent in the gym or training for sports. During your entire day, you should be thinking about how to make healthy choices in movement and positioning. We don’t have to allow ourselves to become a sedentary society.

A Sedentary Society

	I spent the first few exciting afternoons of my freshman year standing in a freezing trash can. At one point or another, I was joined by almost every other girl on the freshman cross country team. Whether it was for twisted ankles, battered knees, or strained hip muscles, we would all hobble down to the PAC basement after a grueling practice to spend 30 minutes squirming in icy water. And while many of my injured teammates would return to the starting line soon enough, I never did. I spent the next eight months numbing fractured shins in a frigid bin, occasionally glancing up from the Milesplit content crowding my Instagram feed to seek comfort in a quote stapled to the hallway bulletin board: “Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit.” 
The no-quit mentality is what first attracted me to distance running, and for seven years long runs were the most enjoyable and rewarding part of my day. The greater the distance, the more brutal the weather, the steeper the incline, the more fulfilled I felt when I tapped my mailbox to finish. I ran for the wonderful sensation I felt after pushing myself to my limit, for the satisfaction that came with seeing my work ethic displayed on a stopwatch. I ran for my own personal enjoyment and betterment. Competitive cross country changed that.	
Come preseason, I happily joined the group of eager, impressionable young runners fascinated by the thrilling new world of high-tech running watches, glossy medals, and neon spikes. I was enthralled by posters capturing decorated mud-covered athletes crying out as they charged through treacherous terrain, inspirational videos of Olympic sprinters with torn hamstrings dragging themselves over the finish line to the cheers of a roaring crowd, and articles celebrating collegiate runners who sprained their ankles mid-race but toughed it out for the remaining few miles. My gratifying hobby became corrupted by the mindset championed through vibrant banners at Nike stores: “No Pain, No Gain,” “Taking it easy won’t take you anywhere,” “Train Insane or Stay The Same.” I trained through agonizing shin splints because a proper athlete would tough it out and race the pivotal championship meet. I justified each excruciating step towards the starting line with “Pain is temporary, but victory is eternal.” 
	The self-destructive mindset I adopted as a student athlete is tragically common, and disturbingly endorsed. I’ve seen it manifest in teammates on the floor of musty locker rooms, desperately tugging at knee socks to hide the ankle braces beneath their shin guards; friends in the cages beneath the bleachers, icing swollen knees behind stacks of broken hurdles so coaches won’t see; older siblings in the darkness of our garage, holding flashlights to gruesome bruises and a finger to their lips begging, “Don’t tell mom, I need to play tomorrow.” I see it now in my little sister, a state-ranked swimmer with a fractured spine who I constantly scold for sneaking in push ups when she thinks no one’s looking. I recognize it in my freshman self, who dodged her coach in the hallways for weeks and choked on tears when she finally admitted to him that she was too weak to run on broken bones. It’s the cruel paradox plaguing sports: the commendation of athletes willing to compromise their physical wellbeing for the sake of pursuing success. 
	I haven’t jogged up to the starting line in three years. But every Saturday morning I walk to the base of my driveway, lace up my running shoes, and head off on a quiet run. I still subscribe to the no-quit mentality, still sprint up the steep hill at the edge of my neighborhood and refuse to walk no matter how exhausted I feel. But there’s a difference between pushing yourself to be better and driving yourself into the ground. Exercise for your own betterment, compete for the satisfaction it brings.

Taking Long Runs Too Far

As we transition to the new decade, one thing hasn’t changed: New Year’s resolutions. Every year, people across the world make promises to better themselves the coming year, whether it be by performing one act of kindness each day, spending more time with family, or quitting an unhealthy habit. According to a 2019 article published by Statista, eating healthy and being more active were amongst the top three resolutions for the new year, and with good reason: exercise has more benefits than one might think.
We may hit the bench press to get ripped, the treadmill to enhance our endurance, or the yoga mat to improve our flexibility, but all of these activities yield the same beneficial result: they leave us feeling uplifted and rejuvenated afterwards. This is because physical health and mental health are oftentimes directly correlated. Unfortunately for me, I learned this the hard way. 
I’ve consistently made promises to start exercising this year, but have always been unable to bring myself to start. I used to dance, and after graduating from my studio, the amount of physical exercise I got each week dropped drastically. Without practice and rehearsals to keep me busy, I spent most of my time afterschool each day at home in bed. Further, I had always received exercise plans from my instructors, who never taught me how to create my own.
 And as my physical health declined, so did my emotional wellbeing. My mental health was suddenly deteriorating, yet I never considered exercise to be a solution. Regardless, I desperately craved a more productive way to spend my time, to replace the long hours spent scrolling through social media that were only exacerbating my daily struggles with my mental health.
	Luckily I was able to look to my sister, an avid exerciser who improved her life by committing herself to working out. She had always promoted the benefits of exercising, describing how it helped boost her confidence when she was feeling insecure and calm herself down when she was anxious. With her back home, I discovered that her perspective on exercise holds a lot of truth: the more I worked out, the better I felt. After only a few workouts, I felt like I could suddenly tackle the world. I understood how it had improved my sister’s life.
	We see the physical benefits of working out — larger biceps, six packs, slimmer waists — but rarely recognize how workouts make us feel emotionally. By improving our physical health, we advance our mental health as well. So the next time you feel stressed, try getting off your phone and doing ten jumping jacks or taking a five minute walk — it might just brighten your day.

Mind and Body

A club leader excitedly posts about an upcoming event. A team captain announces a fundraiser. In both of these cases, the student instantly reaches hundreds of views with a click of a button.

And then suddenly — one day — ”BLOCKED DOMAIN.” An orange globe symbol appears that has come to symbolize the source of every student’s technology frustration. One more site — a site more consequential that it may seem to the naked eye — has been blocked. 

All of this frustration results from the new filter placed on school-issued devices: Mosyle, a program which automatically categorizes websites and allows technology officers to block categories deemed unacademic.

Many students have been left reeling and frustrated after Instagram, among other websites, has been blocked. Some feel silenced and unheard. And the path to appealing these blocks seems intentionally obscured.

“I wouldn’t say [the appeals process is] intentionally not out there, but it certainly isn’t a goal to get students to be putting in tickets,” said PPS Chief Technology Officer Todd MacDonald.

The district’s official procedure for appealing blocks is through staff tickets — and it is a process that relies solely on them. This places an undue burden on teachers, as they now need to advocate for students on top of all their other responsibilities. What’s more is that it robs students of a valuable opportunity to articulate their needs and advocate for themselves.

“The approach technology is taking is that if there is a service, an application, or a website, that’s really essential to instruction, then teachers can email technology, then they review it, [and] they approve it,” said Principal Cecilia Birge.

However, in an increasingly digital world, learning to balance freedom with responsible usage is a critical skill — it is critical thinking applied to a very real part of student’s lives. As a school district that emphasizes “learning to live,” learning to make effective decisions about technology are just as important as traditional classroom skills. 
“There’s a lot of research out there that not even adults are good at always maintaining that balance,” said PPS Superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa.

If even adults struggle, however, it only underscores the importance of teaching healthy online managment early. High school provides a controlled environment to learn how to effectively regulate skills in our formative years. 
To be clear, many of the new restrictions are a result of administration prioritizing student online safety — which is a worthy interest to pursue.

“When it comes to safety, [that is] absolutely top down. There’s just no compromise to that ... adults are trained ... to learn how to manage the safety aspect of [technology],” said Birge.

LaSusa also emphasized that his primary concern was the integrity of the school network.
Aside from clearly dangerous sites (that install spyware, for example), however, students should have free access to the internet, just as they would in a real-world setting outside of school. This provides opportunities for them to grow and learn from failure, becoming effective 21st century citizens. 
Thus, we implore the district to meet us halfway. Proactive communication is key — when sudden blocks are put in place at the mercy of an automated device manager, it is only inevitable that the student body begins to breed resentment. Blocking a tool first and waiting for backlash and appeals — which disrupts student activities and learning — is a poor way to manage technology.

Instead, we invite our technology department to actively seek student voice in implementing technology policies—speak with our student representatives, and bring passionate voices to the table to truly understand the needs of the student body. Only then can we move beyond a mindset of restriction and work towards creating an environment of forward-thinking learning that reflects the changing world we live in.

Analog mindset in a modern world

It is well documented that many teenagers experience a myriad of social pressures just from simply going through their day. A report from the National Institute of Mental Health reported that an estimated 31.9% of adolescents have had some anxiety disorder. Unfortunately for them, our world currently prioritizes extroverts. Especially among the social lives of young people, there’s much to gain from being unafraid to wave in the halls, initiate conversations, work through awkwardness, and deal with the complications of social cues. It is easy to assume that being outgoing equates to being happy, or even being successful, but this is not the case. Introverted people are capable of being fulfilled as well, but they simply prefer utilizing quiet reflection and close connections. Introverted students, already hindered in the social scene, find themselves further disadvantaged in their academics.

   Consider a student in their math class, raising their hand to answer a question they think they know well. If they get the question right, there is not much of a reward; the class progresses as usual. If they get it wrong, however, there are many perceivable social risks: their teacher and fellow students now know that they have a gap in their knowledge, which possibly builds a bad impression. Running through these scenarios, many students find that there is little incentive to participate. This is especially true for an introverted student, who may not enjoy participating in class even when they know the answers. Although small group discussions or one-on-one discussions with the teacher may work for them, they often get penalized all the same for not participating during full-class discussions. Currently, class participation is often ultimately a system that doesn’t account for differences in learning styles.

  While research on active learning shows that engaging with the material can help retention, it does not say that students must constantly speak in class discussion to learn. It is reasonable that there is a correlation between participation and understanding, but that is more likely because students who already know the material feel comfortable speaking and therefore get more chances to answer questions. The problem is not participation itself, but the narrow way it is viewed upon. If teachers are going to grade participation, there needs to be a conscious effort between the teacher and the student to communicate. Teachers should strive to learn how each student learns best and acknowledge multiple valid ways to “participate” in class, such as through group projects, written responses, one-on-one check-ins, or short reflections, not just speaking out in front of thirty people. For many students, working in small groups is just as effective, and often less intimidating, than responding to or asking a question in front of the whole class.

  Isaac Son ’27 corroborated this idea. “I think definitely within a small group, I feel like you probably have much less judgment.”

 Teachers who want to better gauge student performances can use written responses or individual forms. To facilitate the sharing of ideas, classes should use small groups in which students can confer with their peers and have more meaningful conversations. There is never a need for teachers to assign grade-point worth to a system that works for very few and accomplishes very little.

Cons of participation: How important is class participation?

The most valuable resource in a classroom isn’t any textbook, worksheet, or even the expertise of the teacher. It’s the voices and thoughts of the students, which are often overlooked when students stay silent in class. Your perspective contributes to not only the class discussion, but also your own knowledge.

Simply engaging in the classroom discussion practices the content you have learned and allows you to articulate your ideas. When a student is simply passively listening to the teacher in class, they aren’t actively thinking and putting their knowledge into use. Not doing so means none of this is happening. AP United States History and Accelerated Sociology teacher Elizabeth Taylor has observed this in many of her students.

 “I think many of us, if we’re sitting in a discussion, and we’re sitting passively, we might think, ‘Oh, I had that idea. I could have phrased it that well,’ but until we actually have to phrase it ourselves, we don’t know how we would have phrased it, and we don’t get the actual practice of doing so,” said Taylor. 

According to a 2006 study conducted by New York University, 72 percent of students who started participating more often in class found their grades to be improving, and 75 percent of students who didn’t participate as much felt that their ability in that class was rather lackluster. This is especially true for subjects such as foreign languages, where participation is the most effective way of learning. Without frequent participation, students are far more prone to zoning out and having things go over their head. 

Aside from deeper understanding of the material, participating in class also creates a healthier learning environment, radiating a positive energy and allowing multiple perspectives to be seen. With only a few students chipping in, the classroom feels repetitive and stale. It becomes a routine for only those students to talk. English II teacher Greta Muça recognizes the importance of creating this positive environment in her classroom.

 “You are helping others get new ideas. Those ideas that the students have may be unique or they may not be unique. And other students may see that their thoughts are either mirrored by somebody else or they’re going to complete their thoughts. There’s just something about being able to speak aloud and communicate with others, creating an environment where people want to learn. If you’re not communicating, then learning becomes sort of the thing that you just do on your own, and you’re here to do it with other people,” said Muça. 

Despite these benefits, many students refrain from participating, whether because they’re too shy, or simply are afraid of getting the answer wrong. If you’re one of these students, consider starting from less intimidating settings. Build up your confidence in smaller breakout groups, then slowly ease into larger class discussions. Set a participation goal for yourself every day, and slowly increase it. Even just reflecting upon how much you participated and the reasons why you did can help out greatly. 

It may not seem like much, but simply just expressing your ideas to both yourself and your peers will help you out by a considerable amount. So the next time you find yourself hesitating to participate, raise your hand, and raise the standard of your learning.

Photo:Emily Kim

Melvin Qiu ’27 verbally participates in Dr. Danvers’s AP Latin class by reading out his translation homework.

Pros of participation: How important is class participation 

Abandoned in favor of modern methods like YouTube videos and digital practice tests, students frequently put their textbooks to the side in favor of online approaches. According to K-12 Dive’s 2023 article, “teachers increasingly [turn] to digital, self-created materials for lessons.” Additionally, a 2023 survey produced by Bay View Analytics indicates that paper textbook use in K-12 classrooms has declined by “nine percentage points ... compared to the year before”. This seems unsurprising, considering the downsides of paper texts; they are heavy, hard to search through, and often unavailable for annotations. Yet, books can be an essential resource for test preparation, especially for others that may not have access to digital resources. 

Despite the immense popularity of digital resources that have swept our schools today, using textbooks remains one of the most effective ways to study. After all, they are the basis of many class curricula. In particular, AP prep books are assembled by pulling common information from previous exams, making them a necessity for any student looking for college credit. 

Therefore, if they are so key in a student’s understanding of the curriculum, they should be utilized by everyone looking to succeed. But sometimes students are unable to access these books easily due to financial issues. For example, according to Prep Maven’s list of “the 11 Best SAT Prep Books,” the price of these books can range from $25 to $65 for a single book. This can pose a struggle for some students, as that amount of money is simply too high to spend on one class. This creates inequity in the academic space, in which some students are able to afford prep books and others can only use free digital resources. 

Furthermore, there is a lack of awareness about resources already available to students. Indeed, many students do not know that there are actually study materials ready to be checked out in the IDEAS Center at PHS. 
“I didn’t know that you could check out textbooks,” said Nicole Mah ’29. “I was unaware of such a resource.” 
The IDEAS Center’s shelves full of study books have great potential to help even the imbalance, but they need to be promoted through inclusion in the freshman orientation spiel and other information from administration. Additional initiatives to encourage book sharing can also create a collaborative environment where resources are readily available. Starting a book drive, for example, allows students who no longer use their prep books to donate them to the school. For example, students who have already taken the SAT or a one-time AP exam don’t need a guide anymore. This would create a library of current resources available to all students.

A sharing program could also be implemented with the existing textbooks we have. If two students are studying for the same test, such as SATs or an AP test, a librarian can help them share a textbook and have a group study session. This also encourages students to communicate and interact with each other, resulting in stronger relationships as well as better academic results. 

By increasing awareness of existing materials and creating opportunities for students to share them with each other, PHS can ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed. However, the collective sharing of resources only works if enough people take advantage of it, so the next time you consider buying a $25 Princeton Review book, check the shelves in the IDEAS Center first. More often than not, you’ll find what you need.

Photo:Viola Que

The shelves in the IDEAS Center are well-stocked with test prep materials for students to take and reference.

Textbook sharing is underappreciated

“I’m going to community college!”

Whether in response to a college rejection or a bad grade on a math test, these common, sarcastic jokes frame community colleges and other high-accepting schools as last resorts in an academic career. These jokes only work because we have collectively decided that four-year, name-brand universities sit at the top of the pyramid while everything else is a step down. However, constructing a culture, whether intentionally malicious or not, in which community colleges are placed at the butts of jokes and looked down upon causes students undue stress and shame while leading people to overlook their benefits. 

In the long span between September and April, we hear about many college acceptances publicly announced through Instagram posts and merchandise. These moments should all be treasured as celebrations of hard work finally paying off, yet they are often scrutinized, spiraling into unsolicited discussions around an applicant’s portfolio and abilities. For many, attending community college is the most realistic and affordable path to receive higher education, costing, on average, one-third of in-state tuition at four-year universities. For others, community college is where their parents earned degrees after immigrating, working multiple jobs, or returning to school later in life. When we decide to make a mockery out of these institutions, we are not just insulting the institution; we are reinforcing elitist values and disrespecting the effort and sacrifice behind the people who walk through those doors in the hopes of appealing to something greater.

Of course it’s okay to have different standards based on our unique circumstances. However, our words don’t exist within a vacuum — they are heard, echoed, and internalized by countless others beyond our initial milieu. We don’t know who will hear our words and how they will interpret it. Referring to a school as “mid” or joking that you are committed to a low-ranked school simply tells those who choose to attend these institutions that their goals, finances, and futures are worth less than yours. These harmful remarks ultimately instill an elitist mindset into PHS’s culture, not only discouraging disadvantaged students but also perpetuates a stressful environment for all college applicants.

You never know how life will turn out. College admissions work the same way: none of us fully controls which schools accept us, how much financial aid gets allocated to us, or which campus will actually feel like home once we live in it. If the process itself is so unpredictable, framing certain choices as inferior starts to look pretty shallow and naive. One person’s “backup” might be another person’s dream school, or the loving place that lets them stay close to family, hold a job, or graduate without decades of debt. When we make fun of particular institutions, we are truly revealing how limited and cursory our own definition of success really is. 

Let’s stop making elitist college decision jokes

Volleyball

Coming into the season as two-time state champions, the PHS volleyball team immediately went on a 16 game win streak within the first month, achieving their 31st consecutive win, continued from the previous season. They ended the season with a 20-5 record by winning the state title for the third consecutive year. Other significant games were the two that 
were played in a tri-match against Williamstown and Old-Bridge, two other top-ranked teams in New Jersey. 

“We really got to meet new people and connect, going through losing together, as well as winning,” said Johanna Kraft ’29.

Girls Soccer

A six-game winning streak to open their season set the PHS girls soccer team up for a varsity record of 13-7, making it their most successful fall season since 2023. During the first 
round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 tournament, the varsity team won 2-0 against East Brunswick. The varsity team wrapped up their postseason competitions after reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament. 

“When we have chemistry off the field, it makes it fun,” said Leah O’Neil ’26. “We have all the right inside jokes, and I think that’s what makes the season really special.”

Girls Tennis

Kicking off their 2025 season with a solid five game win streak, the PHS girls tennis team ended with a 12-2 record. Over the course of two months, the team played numerous matches, advancing all the way to state finals where they faced WWPNorth.With the overall match tied 2-2, the outcome hinged on a final singles match, which PHS won after three hours to advance.

“I think that everyone on the team really did enjoy being together, so we had really good team spirit,” said Sophia Bruhn ’27.

Field Hockey

The PHS field hockey team ended their fall season with a varsity record of 10-6. Despite losing their first game, the girls quickly recovered and won 6 straight games. The varsity 
team scored a total of 56 points this season, with their highest-scoring games being against Lawrence (8-1 win), Princeton Day (6-0 win), and Robbinsville (6-0 win). Most notably, as the third-seeded team, they beat second-seed Princeton Day during the CVC semi-final championships. Head Coach Heather Serverson celebrated her 200th win with 
the team after their game against Hopewell. 

“I was just very lucky to be on this team and meet all these girls and learn all the things that I did, whether it was field hockey or not field hockey,” said Maeve Hughes ’29. 

Girls XC

The girls’ cross country team secured a second-place finish at the NJSIAA Group 4 State Championship held at Holmdel Park. This performance earned them a wild card entry into the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, where they placed sixth overall. Their success was built on the lowscore winning format of the sport, 
a principle they demonstrated decisively at the CVC tournament. 
There, the team swept the competition, amassing a winning 
score of just 32 points and finishing well ahead of second-place West Windsor-Plainsboro North, which scored 75. Additionally, PHS placed second at the Varsity B race at the 
Shore Coaches Invitational on October 8th, one of the biggest instate races for the team. 

“All the people worked really hard to achieve their goals, and everyone put their all into it,” said Angelena Gonzalez ’29. “We had a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed just being with 
[the team] in general.

Boys XC

For the first time in program history, the team swept the CVC tournament, winning the varsity title, the JV title, and the first-place overall county title. Additionally, three runners placed in the top ten at the Jerry Hart Invitational at Peddie. The team capped the season with a second-place result at the sectional championship.

“I think definitely the counties win, and the JV counties win, were the most memorable moments, especially like the bus ride home,” said Steven Cenci ’25.

Cheer

The PHS Cheer team earned first place in the Game Day and specialty division at the CVC championship, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since over 15 years ago. Throughout the fall season, the team cheered at numerous football games throughout the year, including the Homecoming Game. They led the student 
section through cheers and chants to help keep the energy up throughout the game as well as performing multiple stunts, 
showcasing the skill and coordination of the team.

“We were excited to make the routine for competition and looking forward to everything,” said Emily Marchione ’28.

Football

The Tigers concluded a strong season with a 7-2 record, their best since 2014. The year was highlighted by two signature wins: a dominant 35-0 shutout of West Windsor and a dramatic 19-14 comeback victory over Holy Cross in the Homecoming Game, where they overcame a halftime deficit to secure the win.

“This was our best record in a while,” said Aryan Kondakindi ’29. “Despite not making the playoffs, not because our record but because of player ejections, everyone played well and had a highlight this season."

Boys Soccer

The team concluded its season with a 14-2-1 record, which included a tie against Notre Dame. Their postseason run extended to the final match of both the CVC tournament and the state championship. During the season, the team recorded shutout victories over Ewing (7-0) and Hightstown (6-0).

“My favorite memory was probably winning the league,” said Riccardo Meloni ’27. “We did pretty well in the CVC [tournament]. The journey to the final was good."

Fall recap

On October 24, the PHS varsity boys football team ended their season with a 35–0 shutout against West Windsor-Plainsboro South, marking the finale of a 7–2 season, a team best in 11 years. However, their season was cut short prematurely, as the team was disqualified from the playoffs. The Tigers faced three ejections, and a rule from the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) prevents teams with three or more 
ejections from participating in the state tournament. 

“Our coach [Charles Gallagher] told us,” said co-captain Ellington Hinds ’26. “He sat us down and told [the ruling] to us straight up, but then he left and gave us some time to think about it.”

When asked to provide commentary on the recent suspensions, Head Coach Charles Gallagher and Coach Brandon Williams both declined to be interviewed. Linebacker Julian Frevert ’27 explained how the playoff suspension resulted in a shared negative shift in the team’s attitude towards their season. 

“Leading up to the suspension, we were 6–1 ... so we were 
doing really [well],” said Frevert. “Then, [the suspension] 
happened, [which] kind of ruined the whole vibe of the 
team and made us feel like we messed up in some way.”

Anderson Potter ’26 took a more optimistic approach to 
the suspension, however, observing how the team gained 
experience by learning from past seasons. He explained 
how they leveraged this experience to succeed in the season.

“Everyone had their experience to lead up to these wins 
and built upon them,” said Potter. “I think we had a lot of 
success, and I think it was a really fun season. It was great.”
 
The suspension drew mixed reactions from the team, especially in the light of other issues that complicated this decision. Hinds believes the ejections weren’t entirely fair to the team.

“I think it’s because we are Princeton,” said Hinds. “It’s a [pattern] that the [referees] don’t like us.”

In terms of the ejections, Potter explained the first two ejections were due to unsportsmanlike conduct and an argument with a referee. He remarked that the third ejection, which led to the disqualification, was heavily contested by the team.

“The [third] one — this is the one that a lot of people are trying to argue against — [happened because] someone [said] 
something in a huddle,” said Potter. “The [referee] threw a flag because I think it was a bad word or maybe the [referee] didn’t like what he heard. That was the third one where he also got disqualified.”

While Frevert said that the team is generally displeased and disappointed with the disqualification due to the impressive season they had, he acknowledges that it wasn’t entirely uncalled for.

“In theory, [the decisions] were controversial, but by rule, it deserved to happen, and it should have happened to us,” said Frevert. “So as a team, we feel like it wasn’t deserved because we don’t feel like we’re the type of team to be disqualified. But, we did break the rules, and if you break the rules, you get disqualified.”

Additionally, the team is looking to focus more on sportsmanship and how they present themselves in upcoming seasons. Frevert echoed this sentiment, detailing the plan to work on behavior in the future. 

“The seniors talked about it, and we’re [going to] put a big emphasis on sportsmanship and how we behave in general and be more strict with the enforcement of punishment so [players] abide by the rules,” said Frevert.

Potter corroborated this idea of emphasizing sportsmanship within the team’s culture. He underlined the importance of ensuring this type of behavior doesn’t become a pattern or a reputation.

“The most important thing, especially for the freshmen, is knowing that this [behavior] is not normal, and this is not [what] should be expected from the team,” said Potter.“Everyone should be looking to build each other up and then everyone should also, learning from this event, carry themselves with the most professional attitude ... on and off the field.”

As the team puts this setback behind them, they aim to come back stronger next season, even with the loss of their many graduating seniors. 

“I feel like we have guys who could be better, who 
are [going to] step up, and I think that we’re [going 
to] be just as good, if not better, next year, and we’re 
[going to] work really hard to get there,” said Frevert.

Photo: Jasur Agzamov

Anderson Potter ’26, Dayron Ospina Posada ’26, Kobe Smith ’27, and Vincent Min ’28 celebrate a big play.

Football team banned from playoffs

The lights are bright as energy pulsates through the crowd. Taking a deep breath, Valeria Trujillo ’26 steps onto the mat and faces the audience with a smile. The music starts, and she follows every beat with precision. After receiving their score, 
Trujillo and the team raise their first place trophy into the air to the roar of the crowd. 

Trujillo began cheerleading as a freshman after spending her childhood exploring different sports, such as cross country. This time, however, she decided to stick with it for the rest of her high school years. 

“I’ve always liked dancing, so I thought that cheer would be a good way to be able to still dance,” Trujillo said. “So, I joined my freshman year.” 

Her love for music and dance came from her parents and her dance teachers. Growing up, she and her parents would 
often dance together to Spanish music, especially salsa. 

“[I learned] techniques, like when you’re carrying the girls, or the routine has a lot of stuff, so I think that I learned 
a lot of more new skills other than [just] dance,” said Trujillo.
 
Head Cheer Coach Veronica Foreman noticed Trujillo’s dedication right from the start. Even as a freshman and a newcomer to 
the sport, Trujillo stood out for her effort and determination, putting in large amounts of time to learn all the dances beforehand and consistently practicing.

“My first impression of Valeria was freshman year, during tryouts, literally the first day she knew everything ... all the routines ... I was just so amazed,” said Foreman. 

She added that Trujillo has become more confident and organized, taking on greater responsibilities within the team. Over time, she has learned how to use her voice as a leader — encouraging her teammates, communicating clearly, and setting an example both on and off the mat. 

“She’s the first one to reply to emails, and she’s always helping to make sure that we get the things out to the girls,” said Foreman. “I feel like Valeria has grown by being able to realize her worth ... and I see now that ... she knows that she is confident in what she does.” 

Along with co-captains Nava Brito ’26 and Suki McNulty ’26, Trujillo led the cheer team to a first place overall win at 
the cheer CVC competition. The team took first place in the traditional category and second in the game day category.

“When there were five captains [last year], I think one of her weaknesses was just trying to figure out how she fits in to 
be a leader with the captains when there were still many and how can her voice be heard,” said Foreman.

Trujillo’s teammates share similar thoughts about her leadership. As one of the co-captains, Trujillo is known for 
her outgoing personality and patience.

“She’s a really good captain, and she teaches me many things. I’ve only been on the team for a month, and I’ve learned a lot 
from her,” said teammate Zoe Csefan ’29.

While balancing cheer with academics can be challenging, Trujillo has found a strategy that enables her to be able to 
focus on both. However, she continues to bring energy and focus to every practice and performance.

“I think I usually always try to kind of make time for my work outside of school, outside of practice, make that like my priority,” said Trujillo. “But when I get on the mat, 
or in practice, I usually try to take everything else off my mind and focus on [the] fun.”

As Trujillo reflects on her four years of cheer, she plans to pursue pre-med in college and look into college cheer teams. 

“I think that [we] definitely have formed a community and I think that I used to do a lot of sports that were like single, more like it was just based off of yourself,” said Trujillo. “But I learned that cheering is a lot, you rely on everybody in the group. So I think that I definitely [learned] to work to communicate better and work together as a group."

Photo: Charley Hu

Trujillo leads the cheer team with patience and diligence, and she looks forward to continue her career in college alongside a path in pre-med.

Valeria Trujillo ’26: cheerleading

Ripples spread throughout the water while the crowd of spectators hold their breath. All of a sudden a large cheer erupts as Grant Shore ’26 rows through the finish line of the 
prestigious Head of Charles regatta, a highly regarded race in the rowing world. Shore and his team end up placing fourth, in a race that attracted thousands from across the globe.

Shore initially lived in Wisconsin but later moved to New Jersey and took an interest in rowing. Shore’s older brother Rory first introduced him to intramural rowing team during 
eighth grade at the Hun School. Shore medaled in a few of the races during that season and decided to row for the Princeton National Rowing Association (PNRA) that summer. 

“I played basketball throughout middle school and in the freshman year of high school,” said Shore. “Up until I was 10 years old, I’d say ski racing was my main sport, then basketball, and then [I moved to] New Jersey. For the last two years, two and a half years now, rowing has been kind of my main sport.”

After transferring to PHS during the fall of his sophomore year, Shore decided to pursue rowing full time. Early on in his rowing journey, former Princeton University rower and boys rowing varsity coach Jamie Hamp became one of Shore’s biggest role models.

“He’s really been able to provide a lot of insight into the whole process of training,” said Shore. “He’s been very helpful in giving insight on what optimal nutrition is, what the optimal pacing for each workout [and] optimal ways to plan out your day to best ... orient your recovery. And it’s just been very helpful to have coaches like that.” 

In July 2024, Shore competed internationally and was a quarterfinalist in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. He competed in the Head of the Charles Regatta and placed fourth in the Under 19 (U19) eight category last year in October as well. For these accomplishments, Shore had to persevere and make tough decisions on a daily basis. 

“[I make] sure each night I am getting my homework done in a timely fashion so that I can get to sleep. During the day, [I 
make] sure I’m getting all my work done, [so] ... going into practice, I don’t have anything I need to handle that would take away from practice,” said Shore.

Even with his acheivements, Shore recognized that rowing is an extremely demanding sport. When he first joined PNRA, Shore struggled with getting used to the intensity of the training and the environment. 

“He wasn’t acclimated to that volume. And so he did hit a little bit of a plateau, and he did struggle a little bit,” said Hamp. “I told him to relax, take a deep breath, 
[and] it’s not that big of a deal."

With the help of coaches and teammates, Shore was able to overcome this obstacle, both mentally and physically. 

“But the hard part, I guess, is just kind of getting through it and realizing what is it that’s holding me back, what is it that needs to be overcome?” said Shore. “And then once you 
address that factor and overcome it, then obviously start to improve again.”

Still, Shore was already a prominent rower early in his career. Teammate Will Kovalick ’27 recalls meeting Shore during his freshman year met.

“He was in the one V as a sophomore, which is pretty impressive,” said Kovalick.

Not only is he technically skilled, Shore is also a role model to his fellow teammates. 

“I feel like he’s always there for advice [and someone] I can look up to, and he’s helped me develop my leadership skills … and it’s just his common nature to act as a leader,” said 
Vrishank Nalla, who competed with Shore at nationals. 

Both Nalla and Hamp say that, once Shore has his mind set on something, he doesn’t take his mind off of it until it is complete. 

“He’s not a very big vocal person. He’s more of a lead by example guy …he’s got this quality that, when he talks in the boat or says something in a meeting or says his 
goals for the boat, everyone’s listening,” said Hamp.

Shore’s main goal is to qualify for the U-23 national team, as last year was his final year on the U-19 team.

“So my goal would be to try and get on [the national team] sometime [in] the next two or three years, and then try 
and obviously compete for a medal this year.” Shore said.

This August, Shore was selected to represent team USA for the U19 Men’s World Rowing Championships in Lithuania. As rowing has shaped Shore over these past few years, he has grown as not only a rower but a person. Shore doesn’t just enjoy getting out on the water and winning, he loves being able to meet different people that all share common interests and goals with him. 

“The camaraderie is definitely my favorite part, getting to meet a lot of unique and interesting people,” said Shore. “The people who you row with, kind of whatever reason you keep coming back and keep talking to them, because it just bonds you in a way.”

Photo: Jasur Agzamov

After placing fourth at the international Head of the Charles Regatta and representing the US for the U19 team in Lithuania, Shore hopes to qualify for the U-23 national team.

Grant Shore '26: rowing

After a long day at school, you open up TikTok and are immediately greeted by a satisfying honey-covered keyboard, soft whispers, and cute animals bringing you plates of food. With the prevalence of social media, comfort-inducing content is available at your fingertips. While these elements are intended to have positive impacts on individuals, the relief we feel remains hollow as we consume artificial mass-produced content designed to keep us engaged. 


Comfort content to help consumers relax, such as ASMR, cute animal clips, and bedtime stories, have always been a popular staple of the internet, as they help reduce stress for viewers. In recent years however, AI-generated videos have slowly been infiltrating the feel-good content industry. While watching glass being spread on toast may seem harmless on the surface, AI content’s rise has led to concerns about authenticity, desensitization, and the displacement of real creators. If the use of artificial intelligence in writing is already criticized for taking away human creativity, then its presence in content creation should also be dialed back.


AI comfort content typically refers to videos or clips generated by artificial intelligence designed to make viewers feel calm, relaxed, and supported. At a glance, there is little distinction between AI-generated content and traditional comfort media: a relaxing ASMR voice, a sleepy cat resting by a tree with Lo-fi music in the background, or a bedtime story told by a gentle voice. However, the truth is that none of the AI content is real. There is no human behind the ASMR voice, no real cute kitty behind the camera, and no narrator presenting to the audience. Algorithms optimize everything to stimulate the brain and keep people hooked.


Even though AI comfort content is artificial, its rapid growth can be attributed to how people use the internet to relieve stress. Many people crave something soft and predictable. Unlike real creators, AI doesn’t need breaks, money, or any sort of creativity, allowing it to produce a surplus of content for people to absorb whenever they want. Furthermore, social media algorithms favor this type of content because it can hold viewers’ attention longer with its easy-to-consume format. For many users, especially students and younger audiences, it becomes background noise to help calm the mind. 


However, AI comfort content’s rapid growth has created a number of concerns regarding ethicality, authenticity, and its effect on real creators. The first issue is misleading audiences. Most AI-generated videos do not explicitly state that they are artificially created, causing people to support and connect with something that isn’t real. One example of a clip that had the internet fooled was a viral video of bunnies jumping on a trampoline from the perspective of a security camera. The footage amassed over 200 million views before people began catching on. Videos like this highlight how AI-generated content has already begun blurring the line between imagination and reality. 


“If a user were to see a video that was AI generated, they would likely skip it pretty fast. But, if there was no tag, they would be more likely to watch the video, be entertained by what they saw, and maybe even support the channel,” said Ryan Naini ’28.


The second issue is that AI content is replacing real creators. AI tools can easily replicate the cadence and style of human creators without giving them any credit or compensation. 

Furthermore, the algorithms that artificial intelligence uses are trained on real human content, allowing for different styles, voices, and visuals to be adopted without consent. As a result, many artists, animators, and storytellers who share a genuine connection with their audience are losing their position in the algorithm to AI-generated slop. On the other hand, users who don’t put in the time or effort to make original content can easily gain followers and farm engagement by exclusively pumping out endless AI-generated clips. As people slowly accept mass-produced AI-generated content over genuine human products, real human creativity begins to get lost. 


As AI-generated content continues to grow, it’s all the more important for us to think before liking and sharing. Being mindful about what we consume by asking ourselves if what we are watching was made with effort or if it’s just an industry plant helps protect creativity, human emotion, and authenticity online. Above all, we pay our attention to human creators who put time, thought, and meaning into what they put out. Next time you see an AI generated video, let the algorithm know that fabrication and content plagiarism is unwelcome by scrolling without interacting, or, even better, clicking “I’m not interested.” 

How we treat AI comfort content

On October 1, 2025, the government shut off the lights for 43 days in the longest government shutdown in American history. Although necessary programs including emergency rooms, air traffic control, law enforcement, and border security were left operational, those programs began to be compromised as the shutdown continued.


Food stamps, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are necessary programs that had started to wane following the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s loss of funding from the shutdown. SNAP benefits—which provide assistance for low-income families to buy necessary groceries—were temporarily paused. Another food aid program, WIC, which supplies food for families with children up to five years old, was also on the verge of being cut entirely. According to CBS News, around 42 million Americans rely on SNAP, including 8.7 percent of New Jersey residents. That’s 826,575 people living in New Jersey whose livelihoods were threatened by this cut in funding.


In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, having adequate food is considered a fundamental right. As students at PHS, we are taught to be empathetic and improve the communities around us. We cannot be bystanders to the institutions meant to protect our most vulnerable while facing this challenging time in our nation. 


Although state governments are starting to reinstate benefits after the shutdown’s end, the situation highlights the increasing importance of community-based pantries in the face of government instability. SNAP relies on local grocery stores as the backbone of their program. They provide families with supplemental funds, and participating grocery stores—which are already equipped with sufficient stock, storage, refrigeration, staff, and trucks—handle the consumer side of the process.
When SNAP is cut, families are forced to turn to food banks. Unlike grocery stores, pantries are unable to rely on corporate establishments, and thus scaling up supply to meet rising demand is incredibly challenging. At Mercer County Arm in Arm, there has already been a 20 percent increase in demand for food services in the last year, and their burden only increased under the shutdown. Arm in Arm explained in their newsletter that the SNAP crisis prompted “[serving] 250 additional families weekly by extending pantry hours at two sites and bolstering our food resources which requires more funding and more volunteers. To do this for just one month will cost close to $50,000.” Food banks are running out of food, finding that they are understaffed to serve the influx of people coming in, and above all, running out of cash. 


By donating their time and effort, PHS students can help alleviate the hardships of Arm in Arm and other vital community resources. Many offer weekly volunteer opportunities, and the club PHS Food Aid hosts monthly drives at local farmer’s markets. From collecting money or packaged goods, to working on educating the people around you, there are an infinite number of possibilities when it comes to fighting food insecurity in Princeton. 

Photo courtesy of: Evan Raphael

Evan Raphael ‘26 leads a drive with PHS Food Aid for Arm in Arm.

SNAP cuts strain food pantries

 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

This summer, 8th grade students attending Princeton 
Middle School had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador 
with Caminos Princeton, an Ecuador exchange program 
founded by PHS Spanish Teacher Alessandra ClemensLores and Enriqueta Alban, a Spanish teacher at 
Community Park Elementary school. 


On October 30, the same Ecuadorian students that hosted 
the now PHS students flew to Princeton and spent eight days 
at PHS learning about American culture. The Ecuadorian 
students visited places including New York City, Princeton 
University, and BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham USA, a 
large Hindu temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey.


For Alban, it’s crucial that all students are able to see 
that there’s something else beyond the world language 
classroom, both in terms of their growth as individuals 
and as global citizens.


“We truly believe that in order to understand whatever 
language that you're learning, you also need to understand 
and to be exposed to the culture. We decided to do Ecuador 
because [in] Ecuador they speak a very neutral Spanish, 
[so] it's easy for the students to understand,” said Alban.


For Edison Del Cid Gomez ’29, one of the highlights of 
the trip was going trick-or-treating in Princeton with his 
exchange student.


“We've introduced them into Halloween, because in 
Ecuador, it isn't very popular to dress up and go trick or 
treating,” said Gomez.


Alex Wayne ’29 hosted Matias Crow, and though 
Wayne only recently completed the exchange program 
this summer, he is already thinking about participating 
in another exchange program in the future.


“It's been a pleasure to have Matias at my house. It's 
helped me realize how people live outside of the United 
States. I got to see how people live in Ecuador firsthand — 
the different ways that people go about their life — and it's 
really helped expand my cultural appreciation,” said Wayne.


Crow, for his part, also enjoyed spending time in 
Princeton. Like the other Ecuadorian students on the trip, 
Crow lives in Quito, Ecuador’s capital city with over 2.8 
million residents.


“I think Princeton is a beautiful place to live, because I 
think people are very nice [to each other]. I think [PHS] 
is so big and has a lot of students, because in Ecuador, it's 
not like that,” said Crow.


Alban emphasized that the program connects 
communities in Quito and Princeton; activities such as 
service in the Amazon Rainforest strengthen cultural 
and historical appreciation across international borders.


 “We want them to experience the traditions, the culture, 
[and] the language ... my favorite part will be when I see 
our kids from Princeton able to communicate in Spanish 
to [the] locals. They're able to order what they want to 
eat [and] they're able to connect with the community,” 
said Alban. 

Ecuadorian and PHS students visit the top of Edge at 
Hudson Yards in NYC, the highest outdoor sky deck 
in the Western Hemisphere, on an excursion hosted 
by Caminos Princeton (caminos means “roads” in 
Spanish)

PHS hosts Ecuadorian students, completing the second part of Caminos Princeton

This year, PHS has seen a rise in phone pouches — pockets 
where students are required to put their phones in before and 
throughout classes. The implementation of phone pockets 
has risen along with growing concerns about phone usage 
from the community; pushed by community feedback and 
research, discussions in the district for a concrete phone 
ban or restriction policy are underway. 


“We're hoping to work collaboratively to come up with 
a policy that students understand and can get behind. The 
research [shows that] getting off ... your phone and really 
focusing with your teachers ... is what is important,” said 
Susan Kanter, a Board of Education member on the policy 
committee. “There’s a collaborative project that we hope will 
happen in the next few months with the administration.”


The potential phone ban, according to Dr. Michael 
LaSusa, Superintendent of Princeton Public Schools, 
could take one of two forms. In a bell-to-bell ban, all high 
school students would be required to store their phones in 
a compartment when entering the building and pick them 
up at the end of the day. The more lenient option would be 
a consistent ban on phone use during instructional time 
in all classes, permitting students to access their phones 
during lunch or study hall. The district purchased the phone 
pouches that now hang on the walls of all classrooms last 
year, though it is currently up to teachers to decide how 
strictly to enforce the policy. 


“I feel that it's better for more students to not have 
access at all to their phones any minute of the school day,” 
said LaSusa. “But I also think that in terms of logistics, 
management, and resources, it's much easier and more 
pragmatic in certain ways to have a [phone] restriction 
only on classroom instructional time.”


In addressing concerns that a phone ban could endanger 
students if they need to contact someone, such as their 
parents, during an emergency, LaSusa cited Jonathan Haidt’s 
book “The Anxious Generation,” which argues that phones 
have fundamentally harmed the mental health of teenagers.


“Jonathan Haidt makes the case that students are safer 
in an emergency without access to their phone because 
they should be listening to the teachers and following 
instructions,” said LaSusa. “In my last district, we did the 
type of restriction where students still could access their 
phone in an emergency from [phone] pockets.”


LaSusa also cited the New Jersey Department of 
Education's (NJDOE) policy guidance regarding phone 
bans. On October 1, 2025 the NJDOE launched the state’s 
first phone ban grant, which provides extra funding to 
schools if they enact a bell-to-bell phone ban.


“[NJDOE] recommends, essentially a bell-to-bell ban 
completely, and then, short of that, some type of restriction 
on cell phones; so with the state guidance and with all 
that we know now about cell phones and how distracting 
they can be, I think it's likely that the [Princeton Board of 
Education] will adopt some type of district level policy,” 
said LaSusa.


Principal Cecilia Birge has said that she’s received positive 
feedback from teachers regarding the phone pouches, but 
also said that she would support a phone ban if approved 
by the district.


“If there are significant offenses, and then that causes 
disciplinary action, then that gives building administration 
more authority to act upon it. For that reason, I support 
it,” said Birge.


Daniel Spitkosky ’27 is skeptical that a bell-to-bell phone 
ban would significantly improve academic performance. 


“If I had no phone, just my computer to work on an 
assignment, and I really was not interested in working on the 
assignment, I think I would find methods to procrastinate 
on the computer despite not having my phone. I think that 
not having it would potentially increase my productivity, 
but not to an enormous extent,” said Spitkovsky.


Though a final decision is likely still several months away, 
LaSusa remains confident in the success of any potential 
phone ban.


“I think that if there were to be a bell-to-bell [ban] ... 
instituted [at PHS], there'd be more social interaction 
among students, and students would come to appreciate 
that type of policy,” said LaSusa. “If the policy was more 
lenient and it was just a restriction during classroom time, 
I think most students would really have almost no problem 
with that at all, and I don't think that it would materially 
affect the culture of the building. I think either type of 
policy will actually only probably enhance the culture in 
the building.

Paula Kutin ’27 puts her phone in a phone pouch during Joyce Jones’s period 5 health class.


PPS administration considers phone restrictions or ban for 2026-2027 school year

**NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (1922) directed by F.W. Murnau**

Blood, coffins, and bats: nothing says Halloween quite
like vampires, and no film has portrayed the vampire quite
like F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.”
In this illicit adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel
“Dracula,” Max Schreck stars as the nightmarish Count
Orlok, a performance so believable that it spawned legions
of conspiracy theories about Schreck’s own possible
vampiric origins.

Filmed in stark black-and-white, “Nosferatu” follows
a young real estate agent named Thomas Hutter, played
by Gustav von Wangenheim, who travels to Transylvania
in order to sell a house to a mysterious count. The film
is truly a product of its time: an indescribable terror of
"The Other" pervades every frame, the disease-bearing
rats ubiquitous in the film reminiscent of those once
infesting the battlefield trenches.

Despite clearly being from a different era, the
nightmarish atmosphere, excellent lead performances,
and easily transmutable story lend it a timeless quality—
it’s no wonder that it has yielded a myriad of remakes
over time. The latest of these, Robert Egger’s 2024 film
of the same name starring Bill Skarsgård as the titular
vampire and Lily-Rose Depp as Hutter’s wife Ellen, is
proof of the enduring legacy of Nosferatu as one of the
most influential achievements in the history of cinema
and the horror genre.

Seeing this movie performed with a live score to a soldout audience at the Princeton Garden Theatre last October
was one of my best moviegoing experiences. I love this
movie not only for the scares and storyline but also its
occasional silliness and, ultimately, the influence that it
continues to have on film over a century after its release.

**AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) directed by John Landis**

Foggy English moors. Local superstitions. Practical
effects good enough to award it the first ever Academy
Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. “An American
Werewolf in London” may have been poorly received
upon initial release, but in the years following its release, it
has grown into a cult classic of the horror-comedy genre.
In it, college students David Kessler, played by David
Naughton, and Jack Goodman, played by Griffin Dunne,
are backpacking across the north of England when they
stop for the night at a pub, where they are cautioned of a
mysterious creature who lurks the local moors.

Neither heeds these warnings, however, and what
follows is a surreal, grisly comedy of errors. Naughton
gives a great performance, transforming from an average
good-humored New Yorker into a snarling man-beast.
Though Rick Baker’s practical effects are deservedly the
most famous aspect of the film, the rest of the movie is
up to par. The omnipresent humor balances out the often
startling violence that the third act dives into head-first,
and the friendship between Naughton and Dunne’s
characters, along with a relationship that Naughton forms
later on, provides a strange emotional core to the movie.

I love this movie not only for being Griffin Dunne’s
breakout role but also for the bizarre, gruesome, giddy
amusement-park ride it is. “An American Werewolf in
London” is a highly entertaining film that successfully
satirizes some elements of the horror genre while dutifully
paying homage to others.

**THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) directed by Jonathan Demme**

There are few cinematic characters who haunt the public
consciousness quite like Anthony Hopkins’ Dr. Hannibal
Lecter. Eerie and restrained in his famously Academy
Award-winning 16 minutes of screentime, Hopkins is a
force of nature, staring down the camera with a chilling
intensity. Despite his undeniable excellence, however,
the film is Jodie Foster’s; playing the hard-working FBI
trainee Clarice Starling, Foster adopts her secondhand
briefcase and West Virginian accent with ease.

Throughout the film, Starling struggles with the sexism
imbued in the culture of her chosen profession and her
past as a poor orphan growing up on her cousin’s farm
following the death of her parents.Strangely enough,
Lecter seems to be the only person in her life to respect
(or, at least, understand) her unfortunate circumstances.
The strange chemistry between the two is a kind of
sinister symbiosis that pushes the tightly-paced plot along:
Starling is assigned to interview the incarcerated Lecter
under the guise of a psychological survey. The assignment
quickly reveals itself to be a ploy by her supervisor, Jack
Crawford, to get Lecter’s professional opinion on serial
killer Buffalo Bill. Intense close-ups on the lead actors’
faces famously characterize the interview scenes, but the
camerawork is deft and stylish throughout, drawing the
tension out to highwire suspense in the gripping third act.

Though I do harbor a particular fondness for all
Hannibal Lecter adaptations, I think that “The Silence of
the Lambs” is the best among them. Though the film is
now famous to the point of innumerable parodies, to me
Hopkins’ Lecter has never lost his ability to frighten. The
first (and only) horror movie to ever receive the Academy
Award for Best Picture, “The Silence of the Lambs”
remains a classic of the genre that will be celebrated for
decades to come.

Classic horror movies to add to your Halloween watchlist

The Princeton University Art Museum opened its doors
to the public at 5 p.m. on October 31 for the first time since
2021. The new 146,000-square-foot building has been five
years in the making and reopened on Halloween with a
completely new facility, built on the site of the old museum
that was demolished in 2021.

“I’m incredibly excited,” said Juliana Ochs Dweck,
Chief Curator for the museum. “We’ve been working on
this building for years, and I’ve been working on it in my
capacity as the chief curator for over six years now.”

The new building, completed in the fall of 2025, features
Princeton University’s art collection in a completely new
light. Largely designed by the principal architect David
Adjaye, the new museum is almost double the size of the old
museum. Beyond space, however, Dweck shared a vision of
creating a space of belonging for all the museum’s visitors.

“I hope that when the public comes, the building as
a whole meets people where they are,” said Dweck. “I
really hope that people find themselves and find works
that speak to them.”

Given that the collection has an impressive 117,000 pieces
of art, one of the goals for the new museum was more
space to feature the art. According to Stephen Kim, Senior
Associate Director for Communication & Information,
only 2 percent of the entire collection was previously able
to be featured in the old museum’s 2,500-square-foot space.

The new building also provides more than 12,000 square
feet for educational spaces, such as creativity labs, six object
study classrooms, two seminar rooms, and an auditorium.

The old museum’s structure had an upstairs featuring
Western art and a downstairs presenting ancient and nonWestern art. While the galleries upstairs were open and
received an abundance of natural light, the downstairs
galleries lacked these qualities.

“Unconsciously, there was an implied hierarchy as if we
were elevating the art of the West and somehow denigrating
the arts of ancient and non-Western art. [The new building]
radically moves away [from] any presumption of hierarchy,
[putting] every collection… on one floor,” said Dweck.

The new museum launched with a 24-hour open house
from October 31 to November 1. The open house included
events such as a Halloween fair, a costume contest, dance
party, movie screenings, trivia, and more. Additionally, the
new museum features two new inaugural exhibits.

The first, “Princeton Collects,” highlights works from the
over 2,000 artworks donated by alumni for the museum’s
new building. Most notable among them are works from the
artists Gerhard Richter, Mark Rothko, and Hans Hofmann.

“One of the qualities that the exhibition models is the
ways that art from across times and place can be presented
in dialogue with each other,” said Dweck. “We’re… modeling
the ways that we teach and learn with collections, which is
often by comparison and juxtaposition and conversation
across time.”

“Toshiko Takaezu: Dialogues in Clay”, the other opening
exhibit, featured the ceramic pieces of the artist Toshiko
Takaezu. A professor at Princeton University for almost 30
years, Takaezu pioneered the form of closed ceramic pieces,
positioning her as one of the eminent ceramic artists of the
20th century.

“[Takaezu] was able to get away from the sort of divide
that the art world has created between … craft and art,” said
Dweck. “Whereas the ‘Princeton Collects’ is taking this vast
encyclopedic look at collections and the pedagogic work
that they can do, this is a more intimate focus on a single
artist and a celebration of one particular form of materiality”.

The museum will continue to feature new special
exhibitions and galleries, hoping to feature betweensix and
ten special exhibitions each year.

“The installation for day one is set, but it will continue to
evolve and to sort of react like an organism to the people
who use the space,” said Dweck. “The real conversation
with our publics, which includes you and your peers and
students on campus, only begins when we actually open.” 

photo: Katherine Chen

Nine interlocking pavilions make up the structure of the Princeton University Art Museum building.

Princeton University Art Museum reopens after five years

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is one of the most vibrant
and meaningful holidays for many Indian people. At
this time of the year, my house is always filled with loud
chatter, and sweet smells throughout the air. The origin
story of Diwali itself varies regionally and the beliefs
that one follows. The first version, typically believed by
people in the northern part of India, describes the return
of Prince Rama, the righteous prince who returns back to
his kingdom of Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and defeats
the demon king Ravana. After his
arrival, his subjects all light lamps
to celebrate the arrival of their king.
The second story, believed
by many living in Southern
India, tells of the defeat of the
demon king Narakasura by
Lord Krishna and his wife
Satyabhama. The third story
states that by lighting lamps,
you’re inviting the Goddess
Lakshmi, the goddess of
wealth, into your home to
bring prosperity and blessings. No matter the version, the
meaning of Diwali always remains the same: there will
always be light where there is darkness.

Diwali is a time when my home overflows with people,
incense, and delicious smells from the food. My family
celebrates the festival in many ways, ranging from
actions with underlying spiritual meaning, to pure
enjoyment.

The spiritual heart of the evening begins with a
quiet ritual. We gather for a small, personalized
puja (prayer ceremony) right at home. Every
corner of the house is illuminated with dozens of
tiny diyas (or oil lamps). Usually, diyas are made
of clay, either bought, painted, or molded at home.
As we kneel together to offer prayers for prosperity,
health, and well-being, we take advantage of this
ritual as an intimate moment of reflection to start
the holiday off. Following the ceremony at home,
we always make a trip to the temple, dressed in
our newest and most colorful traditional clothes,
wearing fun pieces of jewelry, and sometimes flowers
in our hair. The temple is always bustling with people
during this time of year and decorated with flowers or other
decorations, creating a joyous atmosphere.

After the spiritual observances, the celebration
spills out into the neighborhood. Sharing joy is a core
part of Diwali, which my family commits to by
meticulously preparing and handing out sweets,
trays of kaju katli, ladoos, and barfi to every one
of our neighbors. This tradition of exchanging
food connects everyone within the community.

The day ends with a big celebration. We
gather with an excited group of friends and
family outside for the grand finale of the day:
lighting firecrackers and colorful fireworks. It’s
a spectacular show of collective joy, watching
the night sky ignite in brilliant gold, red, and
green bursts. At the end of the night, everyone,
despite smelling like smoke, is full of laughter
and joy. For us, and many Indian-Americans,
Diwali is one of the most important times
of the year. In places away from India, it’s
one of the few holidays that anchors many
immigrants to their culture back home. 

Inside Diwali: lamps, lights, and longing

Nicole Lee ’26 has been immersed in
music for as long as she can remember.
Her passion for singing, particularly
jazz, began at a very young age. Over
the years, she has dedicated her time to
exploring music and honing her vocal
skills. Currently, she is a dedicated
member of PHS Choir, contributing
to performances that showcase talent
and passion for music. She serves as a
co-leader of the acapella group Cloud
Nine and a member in Studio Vocals.

**What inspired you to be a singer?**

I was part of a [program] called
Princeton Girlchoir outside of school,
so I wanted to try choir class in high
school because I wasn’t part of one in
middle school ... Apparently, I was told
I started singing before I could talk ...
so maybe when I was [around two], I
just always loved to sing.

**Will you continue to sing after you
graduate?**

I would definitely continue to sing
after graduating. I have a lot of interest
in college acapella groups because they’re pretty cool. I might try that out. But other than
that, I’m not sure if I’ll really pursue a career in music, although I really enjoy it. I think
it’s more of a hobby than a career.

**How do you prepare for performances?**

For choir, it’s a little more laid back. [We] just warm up together, and then we start
singing. It’s easier with the choir, but when it’s solo singing with a band, I usually [do it]
with my friend who’s with me. We warm up together in a room, and then we practice a
little. It’s a little more nerve wrecking.

**What singers do you look up to the
most?**

I look up to Ella Fitzgerald. She’s
amazing ... I just love [her] jazzy voice
and style, so I always try to replicate it,
but make it my own, of course.

**What is your experience like in your
a cappella group?**

I love my a cappella group. I’m in Cloud
Nine and I auditioned my freshman year,
and I got in my sophomore year, and now
I’m a co-leader because I’m a senior. It’s
so fun, and I always tell all my friends
to try out and audition.

**Can you describe a challenging piece
you have performed and how you
overcame it?**

There was this one song called, “What
a Difference a Day Makes.” It was my
audition song to get into Studio Vocals
and it has three key changes. It was
rough. It was really hard, but I did get
through it ... I had to sit in a room and
learn it.

**Do you find it difficult to balance choir with the other aspects of your school life?**

It’s not challenging because it’s just a fun class, I get to do it with my schedule, so it’s
like a break from the core classes [that] I take most of the time ... I always just try to get
[my work] done in school and [even] if I can’t ... I always find time to sing or practice
my pieces, because it’s fun for me and I actually want to do it.

**What is your favorite memory as a singer?**

This summer, I went with the Philadelphia Jazz Orchestra to Italy. We toured Italy, and
I got to sing with the band, and that was really fun for me. 

photo: Emily Kim

Nicole Lee ’26 sings “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole during Studio Band rehearsal.

Student artist of the month: Nicole Lee ’26

Ever since picking up the tenor
saxophone in elementary school,
Jonathan Ji ’26 has always been
captivated by music. As a member
of PHS Studio Band, he leads
the saxophone section, bringing
energy to every performance. He
plans to continue playing the tenor
saxophone in college, where he will
use music to further connect with
his community.

**How did you start playing the
saxophone? What inspired you to
start?**

I started playing in Cranbury.
We got to choose two instruments
for band, and Mr. Pollack was my
director back then, so I chose the
clarinet and the saxophone. And then
in fifth grade, I joined Cranbury’s Jazz
Band, and then went from there. I
got into Nassau Band II [in freshman
year and] I made Studio Band in
sophomore year.

**What is your favorite part or
memory of being in Studio Band?**

 I think being in the room backstage
at Abbey Road, since we went to Abbey Road for our recording twice during sophomore
year. And just sitting there, being right next to all these incredible technicians [was
amazing].

**Who’s your favorite jazz artist?**

I’m going to be a bit controversial here and say Laufey because I know a lot of people
say, “Oh Laufey isn’t jazz,” or whatever ... But I think that’s kind of missing [the] point
[of jazz] because, for one, jazz has developed so much that we can’t really just put it in a
box, like, “Oh, this is jazz, and this isn’t.” I think the fact that [Laufey is] making minor
two-five-ones cool again to the younger generation is already enough, even if she’s not
strictly jazz in that sense.

**What is the most challenging
part of your instrument or
playing with the band?**

The most challenging part of the
saxophone is that we are infamous
for having bad intonation, which is
everyone playing in tune together.
[It’s because of ] the way the
saxophone is made. Even if you
move your mouthpiece slightly in
and out, [it] will make the entire
section [sound] out of tune. I
would [also] say playing as a band
is just like blending our sounds
together, and sounding like a unit
[is challenging].

**What advice would you give
to someone who wants to start
tenor saxophone or join an
ensemble?**

If you want to join Studio Band,
just get good at sight reading.
Because as a band, the band
director will tell you. It’s very
transparent. It’s just two scales
and two sight reading pieces
to make up your score. If you
want to get into playing [the] tenor
saxophone, I would say listen to Sonny Rollins and [John] Coltrane. You should also
listen to all types of saxophone players, not just tenor players. You can gain ideas from
any saxophone [players].

**What is your experience on the school trips with Studio Band?**

Every other year, we have a trip, so sophomore year was my first trip. We’re also going
to five countries in December before our second tour. Besides that, we also go to different
places for competitions. There’s always a state prelims and state finals. And state finals
are [at PHS], and prelims is at some schools nearby. We also go to the National Jazz
Festival, which is in Philadelphia every year. I’ve been there three times, once in middle
school and twice in high school.

photo: Emily Kim

Jonathan Ji ’26 warms up for the Symphonic Band rehearsal.

Student artist of the month: Jonathan Ji ’26

For the past seven years, PHS’s UNICEF Club has
collaborated with the PHS and PMS orchestral programs
to perform a benefit concert. The goal of the event, which
took place on October 17th, was to help raise funds for
UNICEF and call attention to the organization’s mission.

UNICEF, which stands for United Nation Children’s
Fund, is a global organization that works to protect the
rights of children, as well as to provide underprivileged
children with opportunities and improved quality of life.
Originally founded in 1946 to provide relief to women and
children after World War II, UNICEF has since expanded
to aid children everywhere.

“The UNICEF motto is ‘For every child,” said Kajol Karra
’26, UNICEF Club co-leader. “So a lot of the money that
we raise or the drives that we do go towards women and
children in underserved communities.”

In addition, the UNICEF Club throughout the year,
such as bake sales and clothing drives, the $1,800 from
the concert went towards helping to support this mission.

“They’re able to direct those funds in certain ways for
natural disasters, for education, for certain current crises
that are happening in the world,” said Robert Loughran,
director of the PHS Orchestral Program and UNICEF
Club advisor.

“We [aimed] to artistically present the United Nations’
Sustainable Development Goals to our audience,” Loughran
added. The UNICEF Club leaders presented the seventeen
goals, which the U.N. website describes as an “urgent call
for action by all countries,” by giving short but informative
descriptions of each. These objectives include no poverty,
high quality education for all, and climate action, to foster
a more sustainable and peaceful world. As each goal was
described, the combined orchestras played music that was in
accordance with the goal’s intentions. The pieces performed
include “The Sheltering Sky” by Ryuichi Sakamoto and
“The Enchanted Garden” by Maurice Ravel, among many
others. These full ensemble songs were interspersed with
piano solos as well.

This concert was a large undertaking, involving
preparation from both organizations since early September.
All of the orchestras, which include 34 PHS Orchestra
members, 48 Sinfonia & Repertoire Orchestra members,
and 68 artists from PMS, had been working on their pieces
for the concert since school started, beginning rehearsals
in the first and second weeks of September. The UNICEF
Club, too, prepared extensively.

“We get the help of everyone in the club with the bake
sale and selling the tickets, giving people their brochures
and everything. And so they’ll help us in that sense while
we prepare and give the speeches onstage,” said UNICEF
co-leader Anais Betancourt ’26.

This isn’t the only collaboration that the UNICEF Club
and the PHS Orchestra have done. In addition to the past
seven years of annual benefit concerts, in 2024 the PHS
Orchestra went on a tour through Europe, in which the
orchestra also worked to highlight UNICEF’s work and
mission.

The UNICEF benefit concert is the largest of the UNICEF
club’s fundraising events every year, and the funds raised
from it make a large difference in the lives of many
underprivileged children who rely on aid from UNICEF.
Betancourt hopes that the message of the concert will stick
out to people and create more involvement in UNICEF in
the Princeton community

Listen to Your Heart: a concert with a purpose

On October 24 and 25, PHS Choir brought the operetta
“Die Fledermaus” to life at the Performing Arts Center.
“Die Fledermaus,” known as “The Revenge of the Bat” in
English, is one of the most popular Viennese operettas
of all time, composed by Johann Strauss II in 1874. The
operetta is broken into three acts and follows the story
of an extravagant New Year’s party in Vienna. Although
this may seem like a glamorous way to start a new year,
this performance quickly turns into humorous chaos, as
one attendee has arranged an elaborate series of tricks
to play on the other partygoers, resulting in relationship
drama and lots of confusion. “Die Fledermaus” had the
audience laughing and dancing along in their heads to
its wide selection of catchy songs, especially its famous
“Champage Chorus.”

“We always start the year for PHS Choir with some sort
of a production, and it has many different guises every
year. But we try to do something fun that will just get the
students singing and have a really fun musical experience,”
said choir teacher Sarah Pelletier.

One challenge while preparing for the operetta was
getting students used to singing in a more operatic manner.
“It’s definitely been a challenge. I’ve never sung opera
before; I’m not primarily trained to sing opera, but it’s
definitely pushed me in the best way possible, and I think
it’s really shown me what my voice is capable of. It’s pushed
me out of my comfort zone, which is always a good thing
to do,” said Anna Kaufman ’26, who played Rosalinda
Eisenstein.

For many members of the cast, this production provides
a gateway to new experiences and an opportunity to show
off their range of abilities to an audience.
“[It was exciting] to sing classical on stage for the first
time. On a PHS stage [I had] never gotten to do that. And
it [was] a great show, there’s a lot of very talented people
in the cast,” said Serafina Joseph ’26, who played Adele,
the Eisensteins’ maid.

Another crucial element of the production is the
costumes. In the second act, the characters attend Russian
Prince Orlofsky’s masked ball and wear gowns and tuxedos.
“Since it’s a masked ball, [I was] in a long tulle-y dress
kind of with an opera vibe. I [had] different accessories,
I [had] neon pink gloves that [were] making me very
flamboyant,” said Simryn Patel ’26, who played Ida, Adele’s
sister and a famous dancer.To add to the intrigue of the
show, Penelope Cardona Fox ’26 was featured as Chappell
Roan, performing “HOT TO GO!” during the party scene.
Cast members worked hard to memorize and run through
lines in class, as well as preparing outside of class to improve
their portrayal of the characters.

“I’ve really studied the script a lot. This is my first opera
I’ve ever done. I have watched videos of other people
performing the role to get inspiration ... and just talking to
my directors and getting their advice on how to perform
the role,” said Kaufman.

Choir members looked forward to showcasing the result
of almost two months of dedicated preparation on stage.
“I [was] excited to perform with all my friends and
they’re all so incredible, so talented, so I [knew] it [was]
gonna be great,” said Patel. 

PHS Choir returns to the stage with a classic operetta

Free speech has always been a fundamental pillar of America. The very first amendment states, “Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” Yet, this core value is now under attack by our government, which seeks to stamp out all opposition through various media outlets — and it is our duty to resist. 

The Trump administration has already cut off all federal funding towards National Public Radio (NPR), including local broadcasting stations who rely on the funding. Without it, many of them will eventually shut down, cutting off the region from local, state, and even national news. This has  created news deserts, where citizens are left in the dark and more susceptible to misinformation. These deserts continue to worsen as the lack of federal funding continues.  By allowing the funding to be cut off, broadcasting stations, including New Jersey’s own NPR station, would be forced to work with limited resources, where communities are left without reliable information to hold those in power accountable. Additionally, Voice of America, another federally-funded broadcaster, originally founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, was cut off for being too “anti-Trump.”

Lawsuits are one of the main weapons the administration uses to corner private press organizations and media conglomerates into submission. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Paramount are among the few that have been accused of defamation and sued for billions of dollars. Most recently, late night television show host Jimmy Kimmel’s program was suspended from ABC network after making comments about Trump’s insensitive reaction towards conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s assasination. While late-night hosts are entertainers, they are also crucial social commentators. Punishing them for their critique enforces the idea that dissent should be met with total erasure.

The press acts as an unofficial check on the government’s power, one of the main reasons the government is going after them. The recent moves from the administration creates an environment where people learn to fear dissent and debate — a textbook move of an authoritarian government. At times, it’s easy to view it as a distant drama, not directly impacting our own school. However, the principle behind it has a trickle-down effect, which can lead right to student journalism. An attack on the press is also an attack on the public’s right to know. 
 
  Not all of these freedom of speech limitations are affecting the press; they are also affecting corporations and their rights to advertise to the public. The Trump administration has recently been working on preventing pharmaceutical prescription drug ads from airing on television and other forms of media. Although these ads can be misleading in their presentation, it is also a protected practice for the companies by the freedom of speech. Trying to ban these ads from airing would be a direct violation of the freedom of speech of the companies and is an example of how far-reaching the government’s power is over all kinds of media.

   So, how can we resist? We need to support independent journalism, call out censorship, and spread verified information. We need to take the media we consume with a grain of salt and validate it ourselves. The future of American democracy depends on informed citizens.

The weakening of the free press

People love to argue. In recent politics, debates are upheld as the primary arena of resolving disagreements between the parties involved. However, another way to understand disagreement is through political discussions, designed not for winning, but for mutual comprehension and a productive conversation.

Political discussions provide a more non-judgemental and collaborative approach to addressing diverse viewpoints. They prioritize possessing a receptive mindset and encourage listening to an opposing side in order to find common ground. Debates, on the other hand, trap people in a perceived competition and the desire to win, creating division where one side loses and is seen as incorrect.

The core issues surrounding political debates are that they are slowly becoming less productive due to individuals’ unwillingness to understand different perspectives. Debate encourages people to argue that their side is better, and to hopefully influence an audience or an opponent in the process. This incentivizes participants to defend their points at all costs, refusing to budge and grant a “win” to their “opponent.” As a result, what is meant to be a space for civilized disagreement about social issues now transforms into a pointless battleground where both sides refuse to yield an inch of understanding. For example, a survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2020 revealed that when reflecting on the 2020 presidential campaign, 76 percent of U.S. adults felt that the campaign was too negative. Additionally, 72 percent of participants felt that it was not focused on important policy issues.  

Despite this current trend, it is possible to foster a more open-minded approach to expressing political opinions. Shifting away from divisive political debates and towards discussions can be practiced right here in our classrooms. By building off of ideas instead of tearing them down, students can educate themselves about different perspectives and appreciate nuances to better understand complex issues. Communicating respectfully with those they may not agree with is a valuable life skill, and prioritizing discussion prepares students to become more open and effective leaders in the future.

Students must choose the more productive path of mutual comprehension in political discussions. Moving away from tearing down others’ opinions and instead emphasizing listening is how we will finally find the common ground necessary for genuine progress in our society. 

Our political debates need a makeover

Cheers and Jeers: October 2025

Izzah Memon ’27: “I like my scarves because they are pretty. I like how they look and how they add something special to my outfit.”

Jacob Zacks ’28: “When it comes to fall I love pulling out my quarter zip because it’s my favorite thing to wear in the fall. It’s so comfy. I love when fall fashion becomes a thing.”

Rehan Ahmed ’26:“I would have to go with … a trust beanie. I feel like you can really tell a lot about someone from what kind of beanie they wear. It keeps me warm and helps me express my views [with] whatever is on the beanie.”

PHS Speaks Out: What is your favorite fall accessory?

The matcha-drinking, Clairo-listening, feminist literature-consuming male archetype has taken over social media. Known as the “performative male” trend, this type of man dresses and behaves in a manner that they believe appeals to progressive women.

This trend coincides with a rise in misogynistic content denouncing feminists and championing a return to “true masculinity.” Struggling to find romantic partners, some young men are drawn to creators who claim that feminism has turned young women against men. A 2024 Brookings survey found that only 43 percent of Gen Z men identified as feminists, compared to 61 percent of Gen Z women. This is a significant divide between men and women compared to the same statistics for millennials, with 52 percent of millennial men and 54 percent of millennial women self-describing as feminists.

By contrast, the performative male trend encourages a softer expression of masculinity, which includes prioritizing emotional intelligence and understanding of women’s struggles. Although the societal acceptance of this personality can often be seen as a win against toxic standards, the performative male trend still reinforces patriarchy, and is not an expression of true feminism. Additionally, many of the trend’s “feminine” markers adopt aspects of Asian culture, which serves to reinforce historical emasculation of Asian men.
Social media trends emphasize instant engagement and impressions, which only encourages surface-level interaction with ideas of gender equality. Many online creators popular among young people hop on the performative trend by posting a 30-second clip at a matcha café or posing with a copy of “The Will to Change” by bell hooks. In September 2025, Princeton University students hosted their own “performative male contest,” judged by fellow peers on the authenticity of their outfit or on the number of Labubus, viral collectible plush toys, one owns. The performative facade relies on choosing material goods and behaviors to communicate awareness of gender issues, but since the ultimate goal is external validation from women, performative men have no real incentive to deeply understand or act on these issues.

The trend’s encouragement of shallow understanding harms the feminist movement. Men who have read one book about gender inequality present themselves as experts on the topic, which can drown out voices of female classmates in daily conversation and classroom discussion. Caitlin Scott, a writer for The Boar at the University of Warwick, cites a time when a male friend who self-identified as a feminist was “completely disengaged from [a] conversation [about misogyny] ... as if he was above listening to [her] merely because he’d read some Betty Friedan.” With the mindset that exposure to surface-level information is enough, men may feel that they are absolved from any true responsibility to combat sexism.

Additionally, the trend contributes to the further emasculation of Asian men. Hallmarks of the performative male borrow from Asian countries, such as Japanese matcha, Korean skincare, and Chinese Labubu dolls. These are already common aspects of Asian male culture, but the internet has taken these items and deemed them feminine. Thus, when Asian males lean into this softer expression of masculinity, it’s seen as a confirmation of a stereotype rather than a choice. For nearly a century, the archetype of the weak, effeminate Asian man has been consistently promoted in Western media and culture, and the performative male is no exception.

The current performative male trend isn’t a representation of feminism, but mocks it through shallow attempts to “understand” it. The trend currently is highly superficial, but digging deeper into the factors behind the trend can provide an opportunity for meaningful dialogue among young men and women about what it means to be a feminist in 2025. 

Vanguard