The hills and halls of Italy were alive with the sound of the PHS Choir as the 97 singers embarked on their week-long performance tour this February. In taking the choir overseas, PHS Choir Director Vincent Metallo and Associate Choir Director Sarah Pelletier hoped to give their students the chance to share their music with new audiences, grow as performers and people, and experience Italian culture.

During their time in Italy, the cities of Naples and Rome served as their main hubs for a packed itinerary. They performed six concerts in venues including a medieval castle, churches, high schools, and a university.

“The thing that [excited] me most about visiting Italy [was] the different venues, the different spaces [since] PHS Choir usually only performs in the PAC or at the Princeton Chapel,” said Benjamin Caswell Klein ’27. 

The students performed a diverse repertoire tailored to the different venues. Adhering to the requirements of Italian churches, they prepared programs consisting of only traditional sacred music. On other occasions, they sang gospel and folk music, Italian pop songs, traditional
Italian music, and more. One of their pieces, “Home” by Philip Phillips, also featured choir member Nikolai Margulis ’25 performing on his banjo.

In addition to their three solo performances, the choir collaborated with some local choirs. During these joint concerts, they sang pieces like “Amazing Grace” and “Total Praise” together. 

“[I was excited] to see other performers, and see how we relate to them, how we compare to them,” said Soha Jameel ’26. 

The students had begun learning pieces as early as September and refined them in concerts throughout the semester, including an Italian music-themed concert in October, as well as December’s winter concert.

While the trip was music-centered, the choir immersed themselves in Italy’s rich cultural history. Between concerts, students took a day trip to visit the ruins of Pompeii, attended “gladiator school,” toured the Vatican, and tried their hand at Italian cooking in Rome. These were opportunities for students to create lasting memories together and grow closer as a group.

“I learned how to be a part of a team [on the trip]. We really had to work together as a group, especially with 100 people [and] stick together,” said Lily Berkery ’26.

According to Pelletier, group bonding is just one of many reasons the PHS Choir tour, which has been going on since the 1970s, is such a long-lasting tradition.

“When you ask students what are things they remember from high school, this tour is one of the things that they really remember,” said Pelletier. “Because [tour means] really being an ambassador for our school through music ... and taking our music to other countries and collaborating with other groups in these countries, it’s just so meaningful and really makes an impact for the students in what music can actually be.

Photo Courtesy: Tony Cruz

PHS Choir, directed by Vincent Metallo, performs the American spiritual “Wade in the Water“ in the Basilica San Michele Arcangelo in Sorrento, Italy, in a joint concert with the Grandi High School Choir.

PHS Choir tours Naples, Sorrento, and Rome in Italy 

Following the resignation of
Carol Kelley on October 30 of
last year, the Board of Education
began the process of finding a
new, permanent superintendent
for Princeton Public Schools.
With interim superintendent
Dr. Kathie Foster’s contract set
to expire on July 1, 2025, the
Board aims to make a decision
before then.

To facilitate the search
process, the district hired
School Leadership LLC, a search
consultant firm based in New
York. As lead consultants on the
search, Dr. Marty Brooks and
Rina Beder are responsible for
advertising the job posting and
recruiting candidates who fit the
profile and specifications sought
by the district. These candidates
would then be reviewed and
interviewed by all ten members
of the new Board formed after
the election on November 5 for
a final decision.

Before recruiting potential
candidates and during the
information gathering stage
of the search process, Brooks
and Beder sought input from
Princeton community members
regarding the ideal qualities of
a new superintendent. From
September 30 to October 10,
they conducted a total of 18
in-person sessions, including
one with PHS students, and six
virtual forums with groups like
the Princeton Parents for Black
Children and the Parents Special
Ed Union Leadership, and a
group of three district unions
representing faculty and staff.
The consultants also made use
of an online survey in which 500
community members responded.

“We were really impressed
with the openness and honesty
of everybody that [we] met with.
There’s a deep commitment to
the district’s schools, and that
came through loud and clear,”
said Brooks.

Through the forums, they saw
recurring patterns in the needs of
the community.
Brooks and Beder
then compiled these needs
and feedback for the new
superintendent into six key
specifications. The qualifications,
as per the School Leadership
LLC’s Specification Development
Report, were categorized as
follows: an experienced teacher
with a strong commitment to the
needs of students, a compassionate
promoter of Princeton Public’s
Schools’ mission, a collaborator
who creates strong relationships
with the community, an effective
communicator who readily
shares and exchanges ideas,
a skilled financial manager
who can maximize the board’s
resources, and a visionary who
plans to lead the community to
a higher level of excellence.
These qualities were assembled
into a draft of the profile for the
job sent to the Board of Education
and approved on October 16. The
2024 Princeton Public Schools
Superintendent job description
reflected the community’s input,
and the LLC started recruiting on
October 17.

In particular, the last
specification in the board’s final
job profile describing a “leader
who is excited about becoming
a member of the Princeton
community” was designed to
promote greater stability, given
the high turnover the district has
seen recently in superintendent
and principal positions.

“There has been a lot of change,
so we’re looking for somebody
who is committed not only
to staying for some period of
time but also embedding him
or herself in the community —
somebody who really loves the
place, wants to sink his or her
roots there, and wants to commit
… for the work that needs to be
done as well,” said Brooks.

The Board will conduct a
rolling search, so as the LLC
pre-interviews candidates, it
will continually send specific
individuals who meet the
superintendent profile to the
Board to interview for the
position. Ideally, the Board hopes
to have a candidate by early 2025
since Foster’s contract requires
PPS to give her a 90 day notice
that a new superintendent will
fill her position.

“[Dr. Foster’s contract
requirements] would take [the
Board] back to March [to find
a superintendent]. And in [NJ],
we have an additional step: the
executive county superintendent
has to approve a superintendent’s
contract. So the ideal timing [to
hire someone] would be that the
board announces in January or
February or even early March that
there is a successful candidate,”
said Betsy Baglio, vice president
of the Board of Education and
chair of the superintendent
search committee.

However, the Board cannot
announce a successful candidate
until after the school board
election on November 5, so
actual voting on a superintendent
cannot happen until 2025.
Despite these challenges, the
July 1 deadline will not deter the
Board from selecting the best
possible candidate for Princeton
Public Schools.

“We are going to make sure
that whoever we choose meets
the criteria we’re looking for. So
if we don’t have someone by July
1, as we get closer to that date,
we’ll have contingencies in place.
There has to be a superintendent
on July 1 ... but if not, there will be
someone in that role,” said Dafna
Kendal, president of the Board of
the Education.

PHS searches for a new superintendent

This summer, 23 PHS students visited
cultural sites in Peru as part of the annual
PHS Spanish language department trip.
Organised by Sra. Idania Rodriguez and
Sra. Martha Hayden, these trips to Peru
are part of a long-standing tradition in the
Spanish Department.

The trip consisted of two groups: one
tour group and a homestay group. The tour
group left Peru after nine days, while the
homestay group stayed behind for another
12 days. Students in the homestay group
attended a private school in Lima alongside
their “exchange siblings,” who were paired
with them based on shared interests and
self-evaluations.

“It was really fun because they really
treated you like their own,” said Mila
Trkov ’27, a student part of the homestay
program. “Anything that you [wished] to
do, they would try and make it happen
regardless of if it was inconvenient for
them.”

Beyond being provided an opportunity
to practice their Spanish every day,
participants in the homestay program
were also able to experience complete
immersion into Peruvian culture — eating
breakfast, watching the news with their
host families, and going on guided tours
of famous sites — an experience near
impossible to come by in the United States.
“I think [students] learned more
than they even [expected]. Our tour
guides [were] people who live and love
their culture, and they love to share. So
educationally, the history of it and seeing
it, eating the food, it’s something that’s
not really measurable. [They learned] life
lessons a lot, I think, more than anything,”
Rodriguez said.

Apart from Peru being Hayden’s native
country, Peru was selected due to its
diversity and variety of cultural sites for
students to visit. In Lima, students toured
La Plaza de Armas, a quintessential feature
of Latin American city centers.

“In every Latin American country,
you’re going to find plazas. It’s like [a]
park ... And around the plaza, there are
churches. There are historical places that
people can visit, museums and things like
that,” Rodriguez said.

In Cusco, students spent days in the
Sacred Valley of the Incas, where they
hiked the iconic Machu Picchu and
toured the town of Ollantaytambo, a
historical fortress of the Incas. They rode
motorcycles 16,000 feet up Vinicunca, the
Rainbow Mountain.

“You go there and you feel like you are
in a different world. It was a very spiritual
experience. And we all just started singing
and dancing,” Rodriguez said.

This year, for the first time in the
history of the trip, the students also visited
the San José de Monterrico school in
Lima, where they were welcomed with
activities and celebrations. PHS students
experienced life as a private school student
in Peru, visiting classes and playing games
alongside their Peruvian peers.

“When we left, they were all crying
because they got so attached to the people
that they stayed with,” said Hayden. “[It]
was funny because the kids were chasing
our bus as we were going to the airport.”
Reflecting on her decades of organizing
these trips, Hayden emphasized the
personal investment she puts into making
the experience more memorable for her
students.

“To me, it’s a labor of love,” said Hayden.
“It always has been, and that’s why I put
so much love and passion into my trips
every year.”

PHS travels to Peru for its 24th annual trip

Attendance in the state of New Jersey is governed by a simple guideline: every student can be absent up to ten percent of the 180-day school year before experiencing loss of course credit. Out of this simplicity, however, complex nuances can arise. PHS uses a variety of policies to ensure students maximize their time in classrooms and graduate with the required amount of credits. 
“At the high school level, you graduate by accumulation of credits. And if you are absent for more than 10 percent, which is where that 18 absences come from, then the state law says you automatically lose credit,” PHS Principal Cecilia Birge said. 
PHS assistant principals begin reviewing the attendance for every student immediately after graduation to determine who loses credit and who does not. For seniors, this process is especially crucial as New Jersey requires that they earn 120 total credits to graduate. Those who have exceeded the maximum number of absences face the consequence of not earning enough credits to graduate. 
Attendance and chronic absenteeism became a widespread issue following the pandemic, as circumstances caused many students to miss more than the 18 day limit for absences.
“The pandemic has disrupted learning so much. Remote learning was [not previously] considered [as] school days. It required an emergency executive order by the governor to allow remote learning to be a legitimate school day,” said Birge. “And then once school reopened its doors, students and families were reluctant to come back. [Of] the current seniors, more than half of them were not in the building in their freshman year.”
One of the policies PHS has implemented to help seniors recover credit is Saturday Academy, which will be held for two Saturdays during this school year. The academy operates for three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon. Since each hour counts for one absence, a senior who stays both times can recover six absences in just one day. As a result, seniors who are just one or two over 18 absences can still gain credit for their classes. 
While Saturday Academy does not have regular classes to accommodate every course each student has been absent in, the assistant principals in charge have planned out a way to incorporate some learning as the seniors study and make up for their missing work. 
“We didn't want it to be just a passive sitting seat recovery time, [so] we paid teachers [to come], like a social studies teacher, ... a math teacher, an ESL [teacher], Spanish language support, ... [and] even I went in there and provided some tutoring,” said Birge, recounting her experience from the Saturday Academy that took place two years ago.
During Saturday Academy, seniors are asked to write an appeal letter explaining their reasons for absences. All appeal letters are then reviewed by an Appeals Committee composed of various teachers and counselors, which then votes on whether or not a senior can receive credit for their classes.
“You leave it up to the people in the room to read your letter to say, ‘yes, this person can get credit in this class’ or ‘no, this person can’t get credit’ ... So at the end of the day, it is easier to just do what you’re supposed to do ... [instead of] leaving your future to the vote of people that might not personally know you,” said PHS Assistant Principal Rashone Johnson. 
Saturday Academy and the appeals process come into play only after students surpass the 18 day absence limit, after which they lose credit. Under current policy, students only receive consequences for attendance once they reach this threshold, so the school is debating the implementation of measures to deter students from missing class before it happens.
“Should we assign consequences like detention? So that [way] the warning is given earlier, rather than [waiting] till the end of the year,” Birge said.
However, the school acknowledges that reasons for absences vary by student.
“Each family is different; each student is different. [Everyone] has very different needs … Some students have school avoidance issues, other students have anxieties. Some students have sports needs, [and] other students [are] international students ... who often travel,” Birge said.
Acknowledging this, PHS accounts for needs or extenuating circumstances of individual students that may lead to extended absence, allowing attendance contracts and attendance meetings with the Assistant Principals. 
“Those [attendance] contracts are drafted to support the students–to be here for them to take charge of their own learning.he assistant principal [then] has the authority to approve the additional absences,” Birge said.
As a result, the PHS administration’s approach to addressing chronic absenteeism stresses individual guidance and monitoring.
“First [we] build that relationship [with our students], continue to monitor them and know their needs, and then navigate, create using different tools, create different programs, [and the continuation of] Saturday Academy,” said Birge. “So far, we're doing extraordinarily well. Our graduation rate is anywhere north of 98 percent each year…  Whatever it takes for us to carry them through that finish line, we do it.” 

Tower Investigates: Attendance at PHS

### Summers in Germany

*Amelie Kraft*

One of my most cherished summer memories that I often think about is the time I spent with my family at Schloss Elmau in Germany. Scholss Elmau is a resort in the Alps, where my grandparents have been vacationing for a long time, and have regularly invited us to join them. The first time I went was when I was still a baby being pushed around in a stroller. As I grew older, these summer trips were especially meaningful to me because I got to spend time with my dad’s side of the family, whom I didn’t get to see very often. During these trips, I loved to go to the hotel’s pools to swim (my favorite was the outdoor pool since you can sunbathe and see the Alps while you swim).We would go on hikes through forests with trees that looked like they touched the sky, go on bike rides through landscapes and farms where we saw horses, sheep, and goats, go to the sauna that was mostly for the grown- ups because it got very hot, and browse through the sticker books in the bookstores.

The last time we were there was two summers ago. The most memorable part of the trip was spending time with my grandma in the bookstore browsing books together, or her indulging me by letting me buy sticker books, which she didn’t think was very creative nor interesting. I also remember my time with her during “kaffee und kuchen,” meaning “coffee and cake,” which typically took place between 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m., when we would be served cake with “apfelschorle,”meaning “sparkling apple juice,” for kids and coffee for the grown-ups. This is very important to me because my grandma is no longer with us but it continues to remind me of her in a loving way.

My grandmother was an inspiration to my family, whether it was showing us new traditions, foods, and music, or sending my sister and I gifts on our birthdays every year until she couldn’t anymore. Thinking about this trip has reminded me even more about her and how she has changed my mindset about music and how to present myself and act at the table for a meal has made me feel very grateful to have such a loving and caring grandmother like her.

These trips were so important to me because they gave me the time to get to know my aunt, cousins, and grandparents better, and it was always very relaxing as we were surrounded by beautiful mountains and landscapes. My last moments with my grandmother on this trip are a constant reminder to never take anyone or anything for granted because you never know if you’ll ever be in that moment again.

### Starting my sourdough

*Meiya Xiong*

In my house, summer means time for more baking and kitchen projects. The warm weather also means that my kitchen room temperature is warmer, making it the perfect time to make lots and lots of bread.

Starting with reviving my sourdough starter, I begin every summer by rehydrating the starter that I preserved and dried from the previous year. Each morning, I “feed” the starter bits of flour and water, carefully monitoring its growth as the dry and brittle pieces turn into a bubbly and happy mixture.

Once it reaches the stage where it is airy enough to float in water, I would know it was ready to begin making bread. Taking a portion of my starter, I would then combine it with flour, water, and salt to make a dough. Over the course of the day, the dough would go through kneading and periodic stretches and folds to allow gluten development. Shaping and proofing would follow, before finally baking the dough the next day in a scorching 450 degree oven to give it a fluffy but chewy crumb and a dark and crunchy crust.

Of course, summer sourdough baking wasn’t without its mishaps. Sometimes, I would leave my dough in an oven that was turned off during proofing but forget to tell my family. On a few occasions, a well meaning family member turned on the oven to preheat it for a different purpose, resulting in charred remains of a dough, a few melted containers, and even a small fire in our kitchen once. Despite occasional accidents, burnt crusts, or loaves that looked like they exploded in the oven, the bread always ends up tasting good. With their different imperfections, each loaf is unique, and that’s part of what makes the process exciting.

As summer rolls around again, I look forward to tending to my starter and baking sourdough again. There’s a certain magic to taking simple ingredients into delicious bread. The process, with its required attentiveness and unpredictability, has become a highlight of my summer routine.

Summertime fondness: memorable moments to cherish

At the conclusion of the 2022-23 school year, long-standing custodian Gary Harris retired, leaving behind an enduring legacy of hard work and kindness in the PHS community. Harris was devoted to promoting recyling at PHS, a passion that began in a previous career at a paper company.
A majority of recylable waste at PHS ends up in the landfill as a result of PHS students’ general lack of environmental awareness when discarding garbage. These findings were part of an investigation by the Tower prompted by claims made by Harris about the substantial ineffectiveness in the PHS waste management system.
Throughout his tenure, Harris observed a reluctance among students and faculty to recycle; there were often recyclable pieces of trash in bins bound for the landfill and vice versa. 
PHS Custodian Jennifer Gonzalez agrees with Harris, adding that this makes her job significantly harder. 
 “When I look at the trash, it’s mixed,”  said Gonzalez. “Students don’t care and don’t recycle correctly.”
While Gonzalez and other custodians try to separate recyclable material from trash, she admits that often there isn’t enough time to sort through everything, so they are forced to throw out all the contents of the recycling bin.
Matt Bouldin, the Princeton Public Schools Business Administrator and Board Secretary, said that the most common factor that causes recycling to go to the landfill is when students improperly throw food waste in with recyclable material. 
“A container of recyclable products contaminated with as little as one food product becomes landfill waste,” Bouldin said.
PHS AP Environmental Science teacher James Smirk has been a significant figure in collecting data on PHS recycling. He and several students conducted a waste audit concerning the PHS recycling process and came to a similar conclusion. 
“Most of our recycling is contaminated with food waste. This creates a situation where recyclable material will be returned to the general waste stream. Most schools solve this by targeting cafeteria waste, but because of our break system and the number of students who eat in classes, focusing on the cafeteria has a limited impact,” Smirk said.
As a result of waste cross-contamination, very little eventually makes it to the district’s recycling processor, Republic Services Recycling Center. PHS has one recycling dumpster, compared to three landfill dumpsters. 
Given the limited impact of sustainable waste management efforts aimed at the cafeteria, PHS has turned to other solutions. Jenny Ludmer, a program manager at Sustainable Princeton, focuses on educating the PPS community regarding sustainable practices in an effort to make its recycling more efficient.
“Education and outreach for everyone in the building is key to achieve a clean recycling stream,” Ludmer said.
Clear signs specifying which waste items to put in the recycling and which to put in the bin bound for the landfill are helpful in countering food waste contamination, it is not a complete solution; students often throw waste in the larger bin that they see first, regardless of the type of waste. Ultimately direct signs combined with a school-wide recycling education program is necessary to realize true progress in sustainable waste management.
“Consistent and sustained education and outreach for everyone in the building is key to achieve a clean recycling stream,” Smirk said.
Sylven Waldman, an incoming leader of the PHS for Climate Action club for the 2024­­–­­25 school year, acknowledged the importance of further education efforts.
“I definitely think that there’s a good amount of students familiar with the recycling process at PHS, but unfortunately I just don’t think it gets out to enough people,” Waldman said.
PHS students also participate in promoting sustainability through conducting waste audits, cleaning up waste, and performing community advocacy. In particular, the PHS for Climate Action Club has led an effort for more sustainability and an effective waste management system. 
“We [have] recycled old scrap paper into new paper to make cards ... we’ve hosted bake sales, planned protests, made petitions, [and] donated to eco-friendly charities and initiatives,” Waldman said.
Several administrative developments have also been made regarding food waste. Every kitchen and cafeteria in the district is equipped with compost containers. PHS has also installed an energy efficient dishwasher. In 2021, the district began a partnership with Trenton Biogas to convert leftover food scraps into renewable energy. This school year, the partnership has collected over three tons of food waste. 
Next year, Smirk and PHS custodian Leslie Vega hope that PHS will invest in clearer signage and more recycling bins. Moreover, a new class, Environmental Systems and Design, will be introduced next year; it aims to encourage students to improve the school’s  outcomes associated with waste as part of a core project for the class. 
Thanks to such efforts, PHS is certified with the statewide program Sustainable Jersey for Schools. Other actions taken by the high school include establishment of a Green Team to oversee sustainable progress and an Energy Savings Improvement Plan to facilitate improvements in energy efficiency. As a district, PPS has made significant progress regarding sustainability.
“In the summer of 2022, the district transitioned to greener cleaning with six different cleaning products,” explains the PrincetonK12 website. “The floor cleaner, glass cleaner, degreaser, hand soap, paper towels, and toilet paper used within PPS are all certified by Green Seal, indicating that they meet the highest standard for protecting the health of students and staff and the environment.”
PHS continues to make significant efforts in accordance with the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Program. Moving into 2024, progress will continue to build a more modern, efficient, and eco-friendly high school.
 “PHS [sustainability] is renewed again at the Bronze level. Dr. Barnes Johnson [the district science supervisor]  is leading the effort to add more actions to the certification this year, with the plan for Smirk to take it on next year,” Ludmer said.

Tower investigates: Is PHS actually recycling?

In February, PHS science teachers Jacqueline Katz and Jennifer Smolyn published an article in The Science Teacher, a prestigious peer-reviewed journal of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Within the publication, they outline a novel approach to developing scientific literacy and critical thinking skills in the high school setting, specifically describing a lesson utilized within PHS’s Research Program.
“Essentially, we’re trying to get students to think and act like scientists in the field,” said Katz. “We’re trying to build those thought practices in our students and give them chances to employ those skills.”
To achieve this, Katz and Smolyn emphasize the value of challenging students to read full scientific journal articles and engage in peer mentoring, expectations that are not common in typical high school science classes. Additionally, the lesson seeks to improve certain underlying skills: students’ abilities to extract main ideas from primary source literature, support claims with data, analyze bias, and communicate information clearly. 
“These [skills] are everyday practices in the world of science. But sometimes, they get overlooked as a key focus in the science classroom because we’re worrying about learn[ing] content [rather than developing] the skills that were needed to discover that content,” Katz said. 
Inspired by their own graduate research experiences, Katz and Smolyn introduced the lesson seeking to emulate the research process of scientists. Thus, the lesson will teach students how to better understand and extract information from research articles so that they can form more insightful and complex questions and conclusions that they can then incorporate into their own research projects.
Although the lesson outlined in the article is only taught within the research program, the science teachers stress that these practices are universally applicable to all students, including those in traditional classes.
“Those are skills that translate no matter what field you go into. You will still need to assess information that you [are] exposed to and make decisions about your health, about the climate, or about anything,” said Smolyn. “Even if you’re not a scientist, you can still utilize these skills to help you make decisions for your own life in the future.”
As such, the teachers are integrating some elements of the lesson into regular science classes, namely biology, to ensure students outside of the research program also have exposure to the fundamental skills of scientific literacy.
“With each unit, [instead of] providing students with complete research papers, we take some of the information from journal entries just to give them some initial exposure to how science is communicated when it’s not coming at [them] in a TikTok video or a news blurb,” said Smolyn. “We spend four weeks reading these papers in the research program and in an ideal world, we would love to do it in all our classes.”

Jennifer Smolyn and Jackie Katz published in The Science Teacher

PHS’s research team has been selected as the New Jersey State Winner in the 2023-2024 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, which grants more than $100,000 in Samsung equipment and classroom resources to schools across the country for developing solutions to major global issues. 
The research team was first selected as one of 300 State Finalists back in January, winning a total of $2,500 in funding for their solution to diminish the number of speakers of endangered languages around the world, specifically Haitian Creole and Mam, an indigenous language of Guatemala. Now State Winners, the team has received $12,000 worth of Samsung technology and resources and is preparing for the National Finals in which ten of the fifty schools will be selected to win a total of $50,000 in funding.
“I think we can start a movement to actually preserve indigenous languages and really call attention to it,” said PHS science teacher Mark Eastburn, the team’s mentor. “We’re actually going to bring a spotlight to a topic that really is one of the major biodiversity crises in the world. We’re living organisms, and we’re losing so much culture when we lose language.”
In developing a robot programmed with databases for various languages that were constructed in-house, the team’s goal is to teach endangered languages to people who don’t have access to an actual speaker of the language, and for young native speakers to continue practicing in their language. A stuffed armadillo, the national animal of Guatemala, was chosen for the first appearance of the robot.
Targeted in large part towards children, the stuffed animal robot can communicate in the specified language and can interact through the pressing of buttons, which are specifically colored so that colorblind users can still use the robot. So far, the PHS students have created a prototype that can hold conversations in Haitian Creole and are working on one for Mam, as well.
“We aim for these to be implemented in schools so that kids can [learn the language] from a young age and spread it generationally,” said Hayah Mian ’25, a member of the psychology team.  “We want to bring these languages back to life by preserving them from a young age and teaching the language to others who want to learn it.”
Additionally, the team intends for the stuffed animal robot to help decrease anxiety around practicing an endangered language.
“If you’re talking to a stuffed animal, it’s not going to judge you, so you could practice or learn a language without the stress of being judged by another person,” said Eastburn. “We think this is going to be, at least psychologically, helpful in overcoming the barrier of hesitancy to speak.”
Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the project, creating the robot has required coordination across teams of students working on programming, robotics, psychology, as well as language speakers.
“We have a large team of really talented people working together … There is so much overlap, and effective communication has been key to combining all these areas of knowledge … We’ve learned so much from each other, and we’ve expanded what we originally thought we were going to do. This was something we never thought possible last year,” said Mian.
However, the team’s progress has not been without challenges, especially with finding speakers of endangered languages to collaborate with. 
“Many people who speak Mam or Creole have been discouraged from speaking these languages because they are seen as lower class or lower social status languages. Because there is a stigma around speaking an endangered language, many people are afraid to speak it, so we have had trouble collecting data,” said Sofia Son ’25, a member of the programming team.
The subsequent round of selection in the Samsung competition is at the national level, so the team is working to complete the prototypes of the robots, as well as to further expand their outreach, so that they can present them at the competition and to various news sources, including Town Topics and NPR. They plan to test the effectiveness of the robots on aiding language learning by testing them in ESL classrooms at PHS, before eventually sending the robots around the world. This will mean making the technology affordable to anyone.
“We want to make this something that is accessible to socioeconomic levels across the spectrum, for people who may not have had a formal education,” said Eastburn. “We’ve brought the price down [to] … probably less than $30 a robot. … The real challenge is we’re going to have to figure out how to make those technical skills, some of which are very daunting and intimidating, accessible to everyone so that everyone can feel empowered to take charge of building these robots and hopefully create a movement that will grow to become much bigger than us.”

PHS wins states in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition

On December 2, an audience gathered in PHS’ Black Box Theater for the first-ever TedXWitherspoonSt Youth event. Hosted by Elizabeth Tian ’24 and Oliver Huang ’24, the event showcased talks delivered by high school students, college students, and professionals surrounding a central theme: “Change in a Changing World.”

“This theme was created to tackle issues present within society, questions [for] the future, and how we can better tomorrow through our actions today,” said Tian. “The world around us is constantly changing, and it's hard to navigate and define the challenges of change and how to react to them.”

During the night, the speakers detailed the intersections between personal, local, and global change through niche anecdotes. Iniya Karimanal ’26 discussed how to effectively utilize anger to create change, drawing inspiration from her own experiences. As an avid animal lover, Karimanal created a nonprofit sticker business donating to animal shelters, channeling her anger regarding the common euthanization of animals that are not adopted in shelters. 

“I think it’s important to take a more holistic view on anger. A lot of us think of anger, and we think immediately of it being negative and destructive,” said Karimanal. “We can do a better job of extracting positive energy from our anger.” 

Growing up with childhood apraxia of speech, Elina Csapo ’24, another speaker and senior at the Hun School, also talked about how anger can be a useful vessel in creating global change and improvement. In her presentation, Csapo shared how she expressed her frustration in struggling to find a supportive community for kids with hidden disabilities by creating Young Able Voices. Establishing the organization when she was 17, she aims for it to be a safe place for kids with hidden disabilities to connect and find support.
“Having community is something that is very special,” said Csapo. “I hope people take away from my presentation that everyone has a bright future, and to not judge a person by their quirks or their differences.”

With positive feedback from a majority of the audience, many attendees enjoyed the central theme of change that tied all nine presentations together. 

“I really liked how everything was about change and finding positivity in weakness,” said attendee Simryn Patel ’26. “I feel like more people should be introduced to this opportunity.”

The event was not only an insightful experience for audience members, but also a rewarding opportunity for the speakers.

“I [was] able to meet really cool people,” said speaker Priya Brunnermeier ’25, another presenter at the event. “I liked the research ahead of it and [felt] satisfied after knowing that [I was] able to overcome [my] initial fear in the moment.”

Behind the night were months of planning by Tian, Huang, and PHS math teacher Brent Ferguson. Starting in February, they had to navigate the process of obtaining a TEDx license, finding speakers with unique topics, getting sponsors, and contacting photographers and videographers.

“[The] speakers wrote their talks independently, but we provided them with speech coaches and resources to aid them with their talks,” Tian said. “One of our biggest goals with this event was to inspire others to think about change and their futures, whether it be how they react to personal issues or broader issues like climate change or policy.”

Following the success of the event, Tian emphasized its ultimate goal of bringing out underrepresented voices and untold stories, spurring conversations that can create change in the world.

“I loved listening to my speakers present their talks. It felt so rewarding to see them confidently speak their stories on stage to a focused, engaged audience,” said Tian. “It felt like all of their and our hard work paid off.”

PHS holds Inaugural TEDxWitherspoonSt Youth Event

   This year, the PHS administration introduced Learning Labs, a supervised study environment during any free periods in freshmens’ schedule, including their P.E. free periods. The Learning Labs aim to help new students get acclimated to the high school schedule, workload, and environment and is held in the recently constructed New Wing. 
   “We really just want to support students [in] the transition [from middle school to high school]. As educators and as parents, we find that [it] can be challenging,” said PHS Assistant Principal Dr. Nicole Mantuano Lacsamana. “We're also providing [guidance on] … some of the soft skills that …  are not explicitly taught in regular classes; anything that will help them be successful in high school.”
  Improving safety at PHS is a priority this year as mentioned in this year’s strategic plan. As part of new safety measures, Learning Labs also provide supervision for freshmen during their free periods so that fewer students are unaccounted for during a given period.

   “When an emergency happens, I [should] know where you are so I can confidently say to parents, ‘you’re safe in this field,’” said PHS Principal Cecilia Birge. “If you wander off during your free time, I can’t do that … Legally, you're getting yourself into trouble. You’re getting your parents into trouble. You’re getting all the teachers you love into trouble.” 
 All freshmen have at least one Learning Lab in the span of one schedule rotation, but Learning Labs can also be assigned to students in other grades to make up for excessive absences. While in their Learning Lab, students can do many of the things they normally would do during a free period, including catching up on homework, doing independent work, and scheduling meetings with teachers. 
   “We're not trying to micromanage, but we are taking attendance, [and] we are responsible for them. For the most part, students work on school-related work,” said PHS special education teacher Adiba Syed, a teacher of a Learning Lab.
   The freshmen of PHS have found the Learning Labs quite helpful. Along with the transition to high school and a heavier workload, the Learning Labs provide them with an environment that’s both efficient and productive.
   “Learning Labs are pretty helpful. …If [students] have work, they [can] focus on their work, but if they don't, then they can just spend time with their friends, [which is also] nice. Everyone's pretty nice and supportive,” said Ivy Cordle ’27.
While the Learning Lab is more monitored than a traditional free period, many freshmen still find that they have enough freedom, and at times, even too much. 
“Because there is so much freedom, I found it very easy to waste the period socializing or otherwise procrastinating. The physical space, from its chairs to the layout of the tables, has been well designed to foster both student collaboration and individual productivity,” said Harry Dweck ‘27.
However, additional opportunities will also be offered in Learning Labs in the future, including lessons in note-taking, executive functioning, social-emotional learning, and cultural proficiency. Since Learning Labs are new this year, the administration and Social and Emotional Learning team are still determining how to organize these activities.
“I think it is actually doing a great job [so far] of supplementing classroom instruction,” said Syed. “Students are utilizing it [and] taking advantage of it to the utmost.” 


Learning Labs debut at PHS

To supplement Holocaust education during Jewish American Heritage Month, Holocaust survivor Eva Wiener shared her story with PHS students in a one-hour presentation on Tuesday, May 16. Sophomores attended the presentation in PHS’s Performing Arts Center, while other grades watched it online from their homerooms. The presentation was followed by a Q&A session.
During the event, Wiener described the persecution that she and her family faced as Jews leading up to and during World War II. When Wiener was born, the environment in Germany was becoming increasingly hostile towards Jewish people, and Wiener’s family was forced to leave the country in the aftermath of Kristallnacht (“the Night of Broken Glass”) on November 9th, 1938. As a result, in 1939, at ten months old, Wiener became a passenger of the S.S. St. Louis, a cruise liner that was bound for Havana, Cuba. Onboard, it carried almost entirely Jewish refugees escaping persecution from Germany. However, upon its arrival in Cuba, the Cuban government did not permit the ship to dock. The ship then traveled to the Florida coast, where it was similarly prevented from landing. Forced to return back to Europe, only four European countries decided to admit passengers. Wiener’s family was admitted to England and stayed there for the rest of the war. Unfortunately, the majority of those who went to the other three countries — France, the Netherlands, and Belgium — did not survive the war.
   Given that racial literacy is one of PHS’s priorities, this event was an important part of the school’s Holocaust education.
“Educational excellence today is no longer limited to just academic excellence; cultural proficiency and racial literacy are priorities as well. … [The] Holocaust was a horrific event in human history. By understanding the historical context and the gradual progression of events that led to the Holocaust, we can work to prevent similar atrocities in the future and promote a more peaceful and tolerant world. … Listening to Mrs. Wiener’s story makes us appreciate the sufferings and biases she endured, [and] it reminds us of the danger of hate,” said PHS Assistant Principal Nicole Mantuano Lacsamana, who conducted the Q&A session.
Nonetheless, this event helped to supplement students’ understanding of the Holocaust by providing an opportunity to hear the personal story of someone who was directly impacted. 
“I think oral history is an important component of understanding. When you’re hearing it straight from someone who has direct personal connection, I think it’s much more impactful. The more we can do that, the better off we are as a people. It’s hard to encapsulate the Holocaust, [and] that direct connection has more meaning. It becomes much more tangible,” said Christopher De Young, a PHS History Teacher.
Ero Christy ’25, a sophomore who attended the presentation live, expressed that Wiener’s presentation conveyed a touching and enlightening message.
“I thought it was really interesting and important for us to hear. It was powerful [and] effective in promoting awareness [of] history. [The] Holocaust [is] very real to me as something that happened in pretty recent history, but it did definitely change my perspective of what a Holocaust survivor [is] because her experience is not one of a concentration camp, and it’s instead one of a political survivor,” Christy said.
Although Wiener had not always considered herself a Holocaust survivor since she did not fit the typical profile of one, she later changed her mind about this in recognizing the historical significance of the S.S. St. Louis.
“This ship became a symbol to the world of what the Nazi government was planning to do. They wanted to show the world that this cargo of Jewish passengers was not wanted [by] any other country [to justify their elimination of] Jewish people, [becoming] a forerunner of what [the Nazis] called ‘The Final Solution,’” Wiener said.
Realizing that she was part of this historical event, Wiener decided that she had an important role to play in passing along a message, with which she concluded her presentation with. Wiener left the students in the audience with a task: with the number of Holocaust survivors decreasing, she asked that all students continue to share the stories of Holocaust survivors and pass along her message. 
“If allowed to survive, hate, bigotry, prejudice, and antisemitism will rear their ugly heads and overtake us again. And God forbid we should have another Holocaust,” Wiener said.
More broadly, she encouraged students to be active in bringing about change and to stand up to the injustice that continues to manifest itself today. 
   “Don’t be a bystander,” said Wiener. “To be a bystander is as bad as being the perpetrator.”


Relaying messages from history: Holocaust survivor Eva Wiener speaks at PHS

To supplement Holocaust education during Jewish American Heritage Month, Holocaust survivor Eva Wiener shared her story with PHS students in a one-hour presentation on Tuesday, May 16. Sophomores attended the presentation in PHS’ Performing Arts Center, while other grades watched it online from their homerooms. The presentation also allowed time for a Q&A session.
During the event, Wiener described the persecution that she and her family faced as Jews leading up to and during World War II. When Wiener was born, the environment in Germany was becoming increasingly hostile towards Jewish people, and Wiener’s family was forced to leave the country in the aftermath of Kristallnacht (“the Night of Broken Glass”) on November 9, 1938. As a result, in 1939, at ten months old, Wiener became a passenger of the S.S. St. Louis, a cruise liner that was bound for Havana, Cuba. Onboard, it carried almost entirely Jewish refugees escaping persecution in Germany. However, upon its arrival in Cuba, the Cuban government did not permit the ship to dock due to antisemitic sentiment. The ship then traveled to the Florida coast, where it was similarly prevented from landing. Forced to return back to Europe, only four European countries decided to admit passengers. Wiener’s family was admitted to England and stayed there for the rest of the war. Unfortunately, the majority of those who went to the other three countries — France, the Netherlands, and Belgium — did not survive the war.
   Given that racial literacy is one of PHS’ priorities, this event was an important part of the school’s Holocaust education.
“Educational excellence today is no longer limited to just academic excellence; cultural proficiency and racial literacy are priorities as well. … [The] Holocaust was a horrific event in human history. By understanding the historical context and the gradual progression of events that led to the Holocaust, we can work to prevent similar atrocities in the future and promote a more peaceful and tolerant world. … Listening to Mrs. Wiener’s story makes us appreciate the sufferings and biases she endured, [and] it reminds us of the danger of hate,” said PHS Assistant Principal Nicole Mantuano Lacsamana, who conducted the Q&A session.
This event helped to supplement students’ understanding of the Holocaust by providing an opportunity to hear the personal story of someone who was directly impacted. 
“I think oral history is an important component of understanding. When you’re hearing it straight from someone who has a direct, personal connection, I think it’s much more impactful. The more we can do that, the better off we are as a people. It’s hard to encapsulate the Holocaust, [and] that direct connection has more meaning. It becomes much more tangible,” said Christopher De Young, a PHS History Teacher.
Ero Christy ’25, a sophomore who attended the presentation live, expressed that Wiener’s presentation conveyed a touching and an enlightening message. Personally, Christy was motivated to start looking at alternate view points.
“I thought it was really interesting and important for us to hear. It was powerful [and] effective in promoting awareness [of] history. [The] Holocaust [is] very real to me as something that happened in pretty recent history, but it did definitely change my perspective of what a Holocaust survivor [is] because her experience is not one of a concentration camp, and it’s instead one of a political survivor,” Christy said.
Although Wiener had not always considered herself a Holocaust survivor, since she did not fit the typical profile, she later changed her mind about going public with her story when she recognized the historical significance of the S.S. St. Louis.
“This ship became a symbol to the world of what the Nazi government was planning to do. They wanted to show the world that this cargo of Jewish passengers was not wanted [by] any other country [to justify their elimination of] Jewish people, [becoming] a forerunner of what [the Nazis] called ‘The Final Solution,’” Wiener said.
Realizing that she was part of this historical event, Wiener decided that she had an important role to play in passing along a message, with which she concluded her presentation. Wiener left the students in the audience with a task: with the number of Holocaust survivors decreasing, she asked that all students continue to share the stories of Holocaust survivors and pass along her message. 
“If allowed to survive, hate, bigotry, prejudice, and antisemitism will rear their ugly heads and overtake us again. And God forbid we should have another Holocaust,” Wiener said.
More broadly, she encouraged students to be active in bringing about change and to stand up to the injustice that continues to manifest itself today. 
“Don’t be a bystander,” said Wiener. “To be a bystander is as bad as being the perpetrator.”


By June 30, PHS will have completed its transition between the college and career-planning platforms Naviance and Scoir. After several years of using Naviance to help students plan for post-secondary education endeavors, students and parents received notices in early January that the school would be moving to Scoir, a more interactive platform.                                                                                                                                           Previously, Naviance had been used mainly by students in grades ten and up, allowing them to research colleges and track community service hours. Also, when their college list was finalized, applications, letters of recommendation, and transcripts could all be sent through Naviance. The program could also be used to provide students in lower grades a personalized list of possible careers based on their interests, giving them insight for their future.  Despite these many capabilities, Naviance was not very user-friendly, prompting the change to Scoir.                                                                                                                                              
Although the switch was sudden and unexpected, PHS college counselor  Nipurna Shah reassures that not much will change.                                                                                                                                        
“Scoir does pretty much exactly the same thing [as Naviance…]. Scoir is a little bit more modern, and the user experience is much easier [...] Naviance is a little clunky,” Shah said.                                                                                                                                               Immediately after logging into Scoir, students are greeted by an enthusiastic message: “Welcome to the Scoir fam!” The site’s layout is organized to promote a more interactive user experience. Several helpful tools include a page that  allows side-by-side comparison of universities, a calendar for application deadlines and visits, and even a section that displays registration for office hour appointments with Shah. In addition, there are several elements not available on Naviance, including videos and Scoir’s own podcast “Inside College Admissions,” which gives detailed advice about the application process and features guests such as college admissions counselors.
Many schools in the area have already switched to Scoir, making PHS one of the last to get on the Scoir bandwagon. This program will be more accessible, since it can be downloaded as a mobile application on cell phones, allowing  the information on the platform easier to obtain and use for both parents and students.
“We really want to make sure that … counselors, parents, and students are all on the same page [throughout the application process],” Shah said.
Current juniors are the most likely to engage with Scoir, using it to start researching colleges and eventually organizing their college applications directly on the platform. 
 “I haven’t really had that much experience using [Scoir], but it seems to work. I don’t like Naviance [because] I think it’s really annoying to log into, so I say [the change is] great,” said Kailani Harrison ’24. 
Although this platform is most relevant for current juniors, Shah suggests that current freshmen and sophomores should start to interact with the website, as most underclassmen aren’t able to reap the benefits of the programs  that PHS pays for, due to the simple fact that most students aren’t aware of its existence.
“For ninth and tenth grade students, really just start exploring and playing around with it, [so that by next year], you’ll be really familiar with it. The college journey is really one of self exploration and finding those schools. Scoir makes it really easy [to start this process],” Shah said.
Since this is also the time of year when students have to start thinking about their course selections for the upcoming year, Shah suggests using the specialized career profiles and clusters on the platform to choose courses and participate in clubs that align with careers that interest them. These can be accessed by clicking on one of the many surveys present on the home screen or by clicking on the discovery tab located at the top right of the website. 
Meanwhile, there is good news for students who are concerned about how their hard-earned community service hours will transfer to the new program. Because x2VOL, the current software used, is separate from Naviance, community service hours will continue to be stored there, meaning that students won’t need to learn to navigate a new program. As of now, the administration is still working out the logistics of where the site will be accessed through. Whether the login information will be through Scoir or PPS link, Karas assured that students’ hours will not be lost.
“Don’t be afraid of the transition … just have fun with it,” Karas said.


PHS begins transition to Scoir, a new college planning software tool

   As announced in the Chmiel Spiel on November 2, a number of new security measures will soon be introduced at PHS, all with the goal of increasing student safety. Along with requiring all students and staff to wear ID badges, these new measures will prepare the school for an emergency by ensuring that all of the school’s doors and windows are numbered.
   These changes were not prompted by any particular emergency, but are meant to improve the general safety of the school for everyone. PHS Assistant Principal Rashone Johnson stresses that he and the administration strive to make safety a priority for everyone at PHS. 
   “Everything that we do we’re doing for the safety of the entire building … It’s not just one group of kids, we’ve got over 2,000 people that we’re trying to make sure are staying safe,” Johnson said. 
   The primary purpose of the lanyards will be to make it easier for staff to discern between students, visitors, and those who shouldn’t be in the building. Students will be given a colored lanyard and visitors a differently-colored lanyard so that staff can easily tell the difference between the two. 
   According to Johnson, the lanyards will also make it easier for teachers to take attendance by letting students quickly record their attendance using student ID badges.
   “Once we evolve, [students] will have the ability to tap into the rooms that [they are] going to for attendance…We'd be able to see where everybody is, and then we'll be able to sooner know who’s here and who’s not here, accountability-wise, so it makes everything happen a lot quicker,” Johnson said. 
   Another new security measure is that numbers are going to be assigned to all doors and windows, ensuring that in the case of an emergency, emergency workers are able to navigate to where they need to be as fast as possible.
   “When we’re talking about emergencies, time is extremely important, so we want [emergency workers] to be able to get to and know the situation as quickly as possible,” Johnson said. 
   The administration is attempting to have these new policies implemented as soon as possible. While the exact timing of these changes is dependent on when the supplies arrive, they hope to introduce the lanyard policy, specifically, sooner rather than later.
   Johnson hopes that the changes will be instituted smoothly and as a result, benefit PHS’s school climate. However, because of the limited amount of information that has been released about the plan, Johnson feared that it would receive some criticism. 
   Ero Christy ’25 expressed feelings that the new security measures were largely unneeded.
   “I understand that a lot of the security policies were put in place because some kids [might come] in who aren’t supposed to, but I think [the new changes] are really unnecessary … It doesn’t seem like it’s actually that much of a security issue,” Christy said.
   Koen Moulton ’23 on the other hand isn’t as worried about the changes, as long as their impact on day-to-day learning stays small. 
   “To be honest, as long as they don’t keep it too strict, then I’m okay with it, but if I have to constantly show my ID all the time, I think that would be pretty troublesome,” Moulton said. 
   In response to criticism regarding the plan, Johnson argues that student safety should be the biggest priority for the school. He hopes that going forward, students and educators alike will recognize the benefits of the new changes. 
   “We’ve heard some opinions, but everybody’s safety in the building trumps that stuff,” said Johnson.  “[Wearing a lanyard] is not as big of an ask as you might think for the safety that it increases in the building.”

The Tower

Meiya Xiong's Work

The Tower