Remembering Jason PikulJoy Chen • Rohan SrivastavaOn January 12, 2026, PHS finance teacher Jason Pikul passed away at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 51. Born in Avenel, New Jersey, Pikul taught Personal Finance and Entrepreneurship at PHS...
PHS’s Special Education ProgramJoy Chen • Tyler FiorentinoNovember 29, 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education act, a landmark legal act issued by the U.S. government in 1975 that guaranteed children with disabilities received the proper...
PHS mental health counselors plan RISE initiativeJoy Chen • Emil KapurThis year, the three mental health counselors at PHS — Bethzayda Matos, Michelle Simborski, and Ryan Stingel — have rebranded the Student Assistance Program from last year to Resilience, Intervention, Support, and...
The achievement gap at PHSJoy Chen • Tyler Fiorentino • Joshua HuangOn August 21, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Kimberely Tew released the results of PHS’s New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA), which revealed disparities in pass rates between...
James Schiavone ’25: baseball Joy Chen • Michael YangWith the baseball nestled in his glove, James Schiavone ’25 adjusts his stance on the pitcher’s mound for the final time, grounding his feet. Taking a steady breath, he pitches a fastball, watching as it cuts through...
PHS students reflect on Asian FestJoy Chen • Andrew KuoThe PHS community celebrated the 18th annual Asian Fest on March 21, with performances to showcase the diversity of Asian culture. Featured events included Chinese yo-yo, a rendition of the story of Diwali, and cultural...
PHS Investigates: bathroomsEmil Kapur • Joy Chen • Aarna DharmavarapuAt PHS, bathrooms have slowly become the center of disruptive student activity during instructional periods. While these issues have been present in past years, their increasing frequency has raised concerns about...
Debunking college admissions in TVChloe Lam • Joy ChenFrom perfect GPAs to Ivy League acceptance letters and abundant extracurriculars, characters on screen seem to glide through the college application process, all while balancing several romantic relationships and some...
The rising popularity of digital artJane Hu • Dhruv Khanna • Joy ChenArt is a reflection of the times, constantly evolving alongside modern technology. Today, we find ourselves in the middle of yet another major transformation with the rise of digital art, which uses technology to give...
Plug in: a beginner’s guide to podcastsTessa Silver • Joy ChenFor someone who is just getting into them, there are so many podcasts in the world that it can be incredibly overwhelming. After all, with so many options, how do you know which podcasts are high quality and line up...
We should have had an AAPI month assemblyJoy Chen • Stephanie LiaoCan you name one detail about Unit 731, the WWII research program with thousands of casualties? Probably not, but unfamiliarity with this tragedy isn’t your fault. Rather, the surprising lack of Asian American and...
Current media diversity — how can we do better? Joy ChenIn 2023, the internet was flooded with videos of Black children’s joy while watching Halle Bailey, a Black actress, play Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.” The choice to cast a Black actress...
Nature is the natural learning environmentJoy Chen • Harry DweckAt PHS, our cramped hallways and stuffy classrooms exacerbate an already stressful four years. It’s all too easy for students to go all day sitting in a room with only a window to remind them of life beyond school....
Hands down — quiet people, speak upJoy Chen • Iniya KarimanalThe teacher has just asked a question and the answer that was so clear in your mind is now clouded by questions: What if it’s wrong? What if everyone laughs at me? What if I trip up my words and embarrass myself? The...
How Romanticizing Studying and School can be HarmfulJoy Chen • Shaya BhatiaSocial media has only intensified our obsession with romanticizing school and studying. The hashtag #romanticizeyourlife has garnered over 131 thousand posts on Instagram, with #studyaesthetic marginally beating it with...
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