Kingston Historical Society Hosts Talks on Different Aspects of Town’s Heritage 5
Resolution Approved at Council Meeting is First Step in Community Park South Renovation 8
Henry “Hank” Pannell Devoted His Life to Serving Princeton Community 11
PU Women’s Hoops Edges Harvard as Chea’s BuzzerBeater Makes the Difference In 52-50 Win 22
Stewart Comes Up Big On His Senior Night, Helping PDS Boys’ Hoops Top Willingboro 27
Following a review by Princeton’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) that stretched into two sessions last week, Hillier Properties LLC was given approval to take its application for restorations and construction of several properties in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood to the next step.
The proposal will go in front of the Planning Board at a Zoom meeting on Thursday, January 23 at 7 p.m., where there will be an opportunity for more public comment.
Witherspoon Hall was nearly two thirds full at the initial HPC meeting on January 8. Architect J. Robert Hillier, publisher of Town Topics newspaper, gave an overview of the project, which involves the restoration of several houses and other buildings he owns — 15 on Witherspoon Street and one on Quarry Street — and construction of new buildings behind them. The goal is to preserve the architectural character of the existing buildings; the newer structures, which will contain apartments, would be in a more contemporary style.
“We were told it would save money to tear all the [houses] down and start over,” said Hillier. “But we don’t want to do that, because there is history there.” The renovations and new construction, which will result in 74 units, are to provide studio apartments that would be affordable to the “missing middle,” he said.
Elizabeth Kim, Princeton’s Historic Preservation Officer, praised the architecture rm for its years of work researching and preparing the proposal. But she asked if some of the new construction could be brought down in height. That sentiment was echoed by some members of the public, particularly the architects Annabelle Radcliffe-Trenner and Areta Pawlynsky.
Aubrey Haines, who manages five buildings in the area, said he understood the concerns about massing. “But the buildings in the back are what pay for the buildings in front,” he said. “This is a tremendous community service and I’m fully in support of it.”
At both meetings, Maria Juega questioned what will happen to those who are currently living in the existing houses — many of whom are said to be sleeping on oors in overcrowded conditions. Hillier said he has met with the tenants to come
Community Welcomes New PPS Superintendent
Last week’s special meeting of the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE), which has grappled with more than its share of difficult issues over the past few years, was unusual in both tone and content.
“Everybody is smiling,” said BOE Chair Dafna Kendal as she opened the meeting.
“It’s my ninth year as a Board member, and I’ve never had a meeting like this. Thank you all for indulging me.”
The upbeat mood continued for the full 33 minutes of the meeting as the BOE unanimously appointed Michael LaSusa as the next PPS superintendent before adjourning for celebratory cake and refreshments with the group of about 50 enthusiastic supporters gathered in the Valley Road administration building conference room.
“One candidate rose to the top” with “a proven record of success in many administrative roles in the Chathams district,” said Kendal in describing the Board’s superintendent search.
The hiring process, conducted in collaboration with a consulting rm, included numerous forums; a community survey; 37 applications received and read, including 17 from current school
superintendents; and 16 candidates selected for interviews.
“Princeton is a lighthouse district, and we know that Mike will make our light shine brighter,” said Kendal in introducing LaSusa, who was hired as a Spanish and social studies teacher in the Chathams more than 20 years ago and has been superintendent there for the past 13 years.
“Mike is committed to the belief that all children can succeed,” Kendal continued. “We’re con dent that he has the skills to make meaningful improvements
to the education of all of our students, and speci cally students of color and students receiving special education and related services.”
LaSusa, who had spent the day in Princeton visiting all six district schools and meeting many different staff members, came to the podium and explained to the Board and community members in attendance some of the factors that had drawn him to Princeton. He noted the diversity of the student body and “the fact
Service Opportunities, Cultural Events, Religious Services, and More on Tap for MLK Jr. Day
Next Monday, January 20 is a federal holiday honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights leader and renowned proponent of nonviolent resistance in his quest for racial equality and justice. Many events and service opportunities will be held in the area, as Princeton and the U.S. celebrate King’s life, work, and beliefs.
“As we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded that the dream he shared was not merely aspirational — it was a call to action,”
Princeton Councilman Leighton Newlin wrote in a January 13 email. “Today, in the face of profound division, fear, and uncertainty, his words, and his work, demand more of us than ever before.”
He continued, “Dr. King’s legacy teaches us not to surrender in the face of adversity but to rise above it. We shall overcome — not because it is inevitable, but because we are determined. We are winners.
“Let us honor Dr. King not just in words,
QUIET ON CAMPUS: Princeton University’s Nassau Hall got a light dusting of snow on Saturday morning. Spring Term classes begin on January 27.
(Photo by Thomas Hedges)
TRACKING THE TRAINS: The Black River & Western railroad provided weekend excursion trains to Lambertville until 1998. Shown is one of its steam engines.
History of Lambertville Trains Is Topic of Presentation After a brief business meeting of the Lambertville Historical Society (LHS) on January 26 at 1 p.m. at the James Marshall House Museum, 60 Bridge Street, Lambertville, there will be a
review of the railroad history in Lambertville presented by LHS member Shane Scanlon Blische.
Blische is a train enthusiast who works with the Black River & Western Railroad on excursion trains, and tends to its museum in Ringoes.
The railroad, which entered town in 1851 from Trenton and expanded north, triggered enormous growth and helped turn Lambertville into an industrial center. This program is free and open to the public. Visit lambertvillehistoricalsociety.org for more information.
Disposing of Christmas Trees and Brush : The Department of Public Works is collecting throughout January. Place trees and brush curbside by 7 a.m. on any weekday. Remember to remove all decorations, do not put trees in a bag, and keep vegetative material at least 10 feet away from storm drains.
Leighton Listens: Councilman Leighton Newlin holds one-on-one conversations about issues impacting Princeton from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on January 15 at Delizioso, 205 Witherspoon Street; January 22 at Bagel Nook, Princeton Shopping Center; and January 29 at Jammin’ Crepes, Princeton Public Library lobby, 65 Witherspoon Street.
Food Pantry: Arm In Arm’s mobile food pantry is at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike, on Monday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. Fresh produce, eggs, milk, frozen proteins, and quality baked goods as well as canned and boxed items and personal care items are available for those in need, and different social services agencies are on site. Mcl.org.
Sustainable Princeton “Lending Library” : Sustainable Princeton offers residents and nonprofits in Princeton the opportunity to borrow sustainable home items such as electric landscape equipment, induction cooktops, and repair tools, for free, for up to two weeks. Visit sustainableprinceton.org for more information.
Free Rabies Clinic: Open to all New Jersey residents, at Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, 1 Valley Road on Saturday, January 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pets must be at least 3 months old. Dogs must be leashed; cats secured in a carrier. All pets must be accompanied by an adult. Visit princetonnj.gov for more information. Volunteer with Friends of Princeton Open Space : Sessions are held January 15 from 1-3 p.m., January 20 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-3 p.m., and January 29 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Work under the guidance of the stewardship team. Fopos.org.
Donate Blood : The Red Cross needs donors during cold and flu season. On January 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at BXP, 101 Carnegie Center Drive; also that day at Church of Saint Ann, 1253 Lawrenceville Road. Visit RedCrossBlood.org for more information.
SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT: One of the oldest communities in Central New Jersey, Kingston — depicted on this early map — is the subject of three events taking place at the Kingston United Methodist Church. The first is on January 19 at 2:30 p.m.
Kingston Historical Society Hosts Talks On Different Aspects of Town’s Heritage
Thinking about what might engage history-minded members of the public during the winter months, members of the Kingston Historical Society (KHS) came up with a new idea.
“Tea Time Talks” on three winter Sundays — starting this Sunday, January 19 at
2:30 p.m. — are 15-minute lectures at the Kingston United Methodist Church, each with a different focus. Afterward, there is time for tea and conversations with the presenters.
“There were no trees at that time on [what is now] Route 27, and you could see Nassau Hall from there — especially on horseback.”
“We usually have a walk and lecture in spring, and a walk and maybe a lecture after our meeting in the fall,” said Charlie Dieterich, secretary of the KHS. “Those tend to be sort of intense, hour-long talks. For winter, we came up with this idea for little talks aimed at people who don’t know a lot about Kingston. There are a lot of things in Kingston that say ‘Princeton,’ but they aren’t — they are Kingston. This is a 300-year-old village that is kind of forgotten.”
TOPICS
Of the Town
Dieterich and Kristina Hill will inaugurate the series this Sunday, reading from the 1679 travel diary of Jasper Danckaerts. It is described on the website Gutenberg.org as “a detailed diary chronicling the author’s voyage from the Netherlands to New Netherland (now New York) and his travels through various American colonies, documenting encounters and observations along the way.”
Next, on February 23, Kingston Greenways Association President Tari Pantaleo will give a talk about the Kingston Greenbelt. Finally, on March 23, KHS Vice President George Luck will talk about Kingston in the American Revolution, 1776-1783.
“We actually have 20 subjects we want to do,” said Dieterich. “Kingston’s history goes back to 1679.”
The town was a thriving stage coach stop for carriages going between New Brunswick and Trenton. “One thing most people don’t know is that this is where the hotels were,” said Dieterich.
During the Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington and his troops camped in Kingston on their way to the Battle of Monmouth. “After the battles of Trenton and Princeton, they had a conference on horseback in the cemetery across the street from what is now the Methodist church,” said Dieterich.
Several sites in Kingston are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town once had two railroad stations, and an office on the first telegraph line in Central New Jersey, according to the KHS website.
In the future, the KHS plans to do an event about the bottling company that was once here, and another about the windmill that still stands off Route 27. Another focus will be the sprawling Princeton Nurseries. “There about a half dozen talks people could do about that subject,” said Dieterich.
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Admission to the talks is free, but cash donations for the church, which is allowing the KHS to use the location at no charge, are welcome. The church is at 9 Church Street, across from the cemetery. Visit khsnj.org/teatime for more information.
—Anne Levin
AARP Invites Nonprofits To Apply for Grants
AARP New Jersey invites eligible local non-profit organizations and governments across the state to apply for the 2025 AARP Community Challenge grant program, now through March 5 at 5 p.m.
AARP Community Challenge grants fund quickaction projects that help communities become more livable by improving public places, transportation, housing, digital connections, and more. Now in its ninth year, the program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for all residents, especially those age 50 and older.
“The Community Challenge is a critical part of how AARP New Jersey works with local residents, advocates, and policymakers to make our communities better places to live for people of all ages, especially New Jerseyans 50 and over, and is excited to” said Chris Widelo, AARP New Jersey state director.
This year, the AARP Community Challenge is accepting applications across three different grant opportunities. All projects must be consistent with AARP’s mission to serve the needs of people 50 and older along with other eligibility criteria. The categories are: Capacity-building microgrants, demonstration grants, and flagship grants.
A forum for the expression of opinions about local and national issues.
Question of the Week:
“How do you deal with the cold weather?”
(Photos by Thomas Hedges)
Since 2017, AARP has invested $20.1 million toward 1,700 projects — including 36 in New Jersey — nonprofit organizations, and government entities across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands through the Community Challenge. The program aims to provide support to all community types, including rural, suburban, and urban communities with a special focus on the needs of those 50 and older.
In 2024, the New Jersey office funded five grants aimed at enhancing the lives of older adults and the broader community, to the Jersey City Housing Authority, the Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy, the Montclair Gateway to Aging in Place, and the Township of Montclair.
The Community Challenge is open to eligible 501(c) (3), 501(c)(4), and 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations and government entities. Other types of organizations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Grants can range from several hundred dollars for small, short-term activities to tens of thousands for larger projects.
All projects must be completed by December 15. To submit an application and view past grantees, visit AARP.org/Community Challenge.
“I bundle up, and drink hot chocolate. Sometimes I’ll jog in place or do a little exercise before I go outside.”
—DJ Venegas, Princeton
—Nina Patel, North Brunswick
Olive: “I wear two layers of socks and put a scarf around my head and wear a coat that goes below my knees.”
Gigi: “Hot chocolate.”
Nate: I start in September by cutting wood and then we burn the wood.”
Liz: “Layers, layers, layers.”
—Olive, Gigi, Nate, and Liz O’Dorisio, all of Columbus, Ohio
Connor: “I just put on layers to go outside.”
Kristie: “Chai lattes.”
—Connor Lavan and Kristie Falconer, both of Morristown
FEBRUARY 6, 2025 5 - 6:30 PM
Resolution Approved at Council Meeting is First Step in Renovation of Community Park South
A resolution authorizing an agreement with a consulting company for the revamping of Community Park South was among the actions taken at a brief meeting of Princeton Council on Monday evening, January 13.
Council voted unanimously to give The Bowman Consulting Group $709,201.50 for the first phase of the initiative, which involves renovation of the 26-acre expanse bordered by Route 206, Birch Avenue, Community Park School, and Community Park Pool. The project has been on Princeton’s “to do” list since the mid-1980s, officials said.
The contract with Bowman is for the entire three-phase program, but the town can’t afford to do it all at once.
“We will look at how to phase it,” said Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros.
“Once we start this process, we can really go out and look for funding. We need state, local, and federal grant programs, or corporations that might want to help us. This is a gem of a unique park and the heart of our community. There is a real importance to investing in it and looking at it for the long term, for the health and fitness of all ages.”
Additional resolutions passed by the Council included an agreement with Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton for behavioral health and community services, for $53, 494; an agreement with the architecture firm Clarke Caton Hintz for planning services for affordable housing not to exceed $71,000;
the appointment of six probationary officers; and renewal of a contract with the Center for Modern Aging Princeton for an amount not to exceed $171,965.
Lambros and Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell reported that the consultants Nelson\ Nygaard are entering the second phase of a study on the town’s transit system.
The next phase will involve stakeholder meetings with the business community, health community, residential developments, and public schools, among other groups. A presentation on their findings is planned for the February 24 Council meeting.
At Council’s annual reorganization meeting on January 7, Mayor Mark Freda was sworn in for a second term by Gov. Phil Murphy; State Sen. Andrew Zwicker administered the oath of office to newly elected Brian McDonald for his first term, and to Councilwoman Mia Sacks to continue as Council president; and former Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer swore in Councilman Leighton Newlin for his second term.
Departing Councilwoman Eve Niedergang thanked each colleague individually for their collaborations during her six years on the governing body. Each Council member and Freda offered brief remarks about accomplishments during 2024 and hopes for 2025.
McDonald mentioned former Mayor Liz Lempert, the late Bernie Miller, and Scott Sillars as important influences. He cited affordable housing, climate
resilience, sustainability, and partnerships with nonprofits as important goals for his initial term. Councilwoman Leticia Fraga talked about tasks that lie ahead, particularly in regard to those in underserved communities.
Councilman David Cohen referred to the results of the recent presidential election. “It seems we should be doubling our commitment to those who could be most affected,” he said. “When I think about my grandkids, what keeps me up at night is climate change.”
Newlin said it is important to keep history in mind, particularly in regard to the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood. “We’re standing at a crossroads, perhaps one of the most critical times in Princeton’s history,” he said. “Take a walk down Witherspoon Street. Homes that once sold for $150,000 are now pushing $700,000. This isn’t just about rising property values. It’s about displacement, people losing their place in the story of Princeton.”
The next meeting of Council is on Monday, January 27. —Anne Levin
Community Foundation Names New Board Leaders; Trustees
The Princeton Area Community Foundation Board of Trustees has elected new board leaders and appointed six new trustees to serve on the governing body.
Marygrace Billek was named as board chair and Michael Ullmann was selected as vice chair of the board.
ballots for the January 28 facilities bond referendum.
The district has posted voter information on its website at princetonk12.org/ future, and on its Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Tues-Fri: 10am-6pm; Sat 8:30am-3:30pm
“I am thrilled to turn the leadership of the board over to Marygrace, who dedicated her career to serving the people of Mercer County, and whose knowledge of the needs in this region will be an asset to the Community Foundation,” said Sonia Delgado, who completed her three-year term as chair and will remain on the board as immediate past chair. “I’m also delighted that Mike will serve as vice chair. He brings a wealth of knowledge and business acumen to the role. Marygrace and Mike will be an exceptional leadership team.”
Lovepreet Buttar and Scot Pannepacker will continue their terms as treasurer and secretary.
Dr. Kemi Alli, Dan Fatton, Theo Kim, Rajashekar “Raj” Manimaran, the Rev. Dr. Joanne Rodríguez, and Christina Strong were appointed to three-year terms on the board.
“We want to welcome our new trustees to the board,” said Billek. “They bring a wide range of expertise, and they join an incredibly talented group of volunteers working to foster the Community Foundation’s mission of promoting philanthropy to advance the well-being of our communities forever.”
Founded in 1991, the Community Foundation helps connect generous people to the causes they care about. With more than $260 million in assets under care, it has awarded more than $200 million in grants, including more than $90 million in the Greater Mercer County region.
“Princeton is known for its high level of civic engagement, and we want all voters to be able to participate in this election, even if there is bad weather on January 28,” said Board of Education President Dafna Kendal. “We want to remind voters that the state of New Jersey also provides the option of mail-in voting for special elections, including the school district bond referendum.”
Princeton voters who want to vote by mail must send their completed applications in time to be received by January 21 at the Mercer County Clerk’s Office. There is no mail delivery on January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and applications are not accepted online.
If Princeton residents who want to vote by mail miss the deadline to send their applications, they have another option. The Mercer County Clerk’s Office, 209 South Broad Street in Trenton, will accept walk-in applications until 3 p.m. on January 27, the day before the election.
“We appreciate our community members for devoting time and attention to learn about the bond referendum to add classrooms and improve and expand elementary, middle, and high school space as we prepare for growth from new and existing housing, and to replace outdated HVAC systems at the high school,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Kathie Foster. “Now we want to make sure all voters have a chance to have their voices heard.”
Vote By Mail ballots must be postmarked by the January 28 election date.
Ballots also can be deposited by 8 p.m. January 28 in one of these designated drop boxes: Princeton Municipal Building, 400 Witherspoon Street (in front of the Municipal Building facing
Witherspoon Street); Princeton University Dinky Station/Wawa, 152 Alexander Street (around the circular drop-off area in front of Wawa); Board of Elections, 930 Spruce Street, Lawrence Township; and the County Clerk’s Office – Courthouse Annex, 209 South Broad Street, Trenton (in front of the building). Mail-in ballots will not be accepted at the polls. If you applied for a mail-in ballot but did not submit it, you can request a provisional ballot at the polls.
The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, January 28. Four polling places will be available for the special election, so voters’ polling locations may vary from those for the general and primary elections. To find out where to vote, residents can use the state’s Polling Place Search Tool
For more information on the January 28 facilities bond referendum, including project and funding details, videos, and FAQs, visit princetonk12.org/future.
Princeton Adult School Names Spring Courses
Princeton Adult School (PAS) will offer more than 300 classes, in person and virtual, this spring. The courses span a wide variety of academic, entertainment, recreational, health, and practical life management skills topics, appealing to individuals of all ages, genders, backgrounds, ethnicities, and skills.
This semester features several “hands-on” proactive topics such as crafting, painting, cooking, beerbrewing, taking pictures, and playing the mandolin, flute, guitar, and harmonica, plus outdoor activities including golfing, biking, and trail hiking.
The main lecture is titled “IMPACT! How Arts, Books, and Ideas Shaped History.”
Among the courses offered are Updating the Marriage Contract, Salem and the Witchcraft Trials, Conquering the Fear of Flying, Bollywood Dancing, Mah Jongg, Two Plays by Anton Chekhov, and Elements of Astrology.
English Language Learning (now known as ELL, not ESL) registration is on Tuesday, January 21, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Princeton High School.
Visit princetonadultschool. org or call (609) 683-1101 for more information.
NEW BOARD LEADERS: Princeton Area Community Foundation’s new trustees are, from left, top row: Dr. Kemi Alli, Dan Fatton, and Theo Kim; bottom row: Rajashekar “Raj” Manimaran, the Rev. Dr. Joanne Rodríguez, and Christina Strong.
PPS Reminds Voters About Vote By Mail Application Deadline Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is reminding residents how and where to cast their
The
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PPS Superintendent
continued from page one that there is some commonality between the two districts that led me to believe that I can contribute in a meaningful way.”
He also cited the views of the school system and the community, as he described how, by the end of his interview with the BOE, ”I became convinced that this is a Board that puts children first and the care of children first before lots of other items and issues that we sometimes can be distracted by.”
LaSusa’s wife and twin sons had accompanied him and were in the audience for the meeting and the followup reception afterwards.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, longtime Chathams School Board member and past president Jill Weber came to the podium to offer an insider’s perspective on LaSusa.
“Our loss is your gain,” she said, praising LaSusa’s “dedication, vision, and unwavering commitment.”
She described LaSusa as “transformative he is going to light your world on fire.”
She continued, “You’ve made an exceptional choice, one that will have a monumental impact on your district for years to come.”
Emphasizing that LaSusa’s decisions are always based on fairness, transparency, and the students’ best interests, Weber added, “He empowers his staff to think boldly and to think outside the box. He encourages them to build on the district’s strengths. He will set high expectations for your staff, but he will provide his team with the support, the resources, and the autonomy they need to rise to the challenges.”
She concluded, “His super power lies in his leadership, his vision, and his ability to elevate those around him. He’s genuine. He’s approachable, and he focuses on what truly matters.”
Kathie Foster, who has been serving as acting/interim superintendent since November 2023, will continue at the helm until LaSusa takes over on July 1. Kendal expressed the community’s gratitude for Foster’s “steady, strong, and compassionate leadership of our district.”
—Donald Gilpin
Nelson Glass & Aluminum Co.
“Yes, we also rescreen screensregular & pawproof.”
741 Alexander Rd, Princeton • 924-2880
Preservation Commission
continued from page one up with a plan, and is providing funds to enable it.
Others asked why the new apartments will be studios, since many of those living in the area are families with children. “This looks like migrant worker housing and we need family housing,” one man commented.
HPC member Elric Endersby said he had his doubts, at first, about the proposal. But he has come to admire it. “This is a well-considered attempt to increase the capacity of the neighborhood without destroying its essential character,” he said.
At the conclusion of the second meeting on January 9, the HPC voted to send a letter of endorsement for the project to the Planning Board, along with Kim’s recommendations. Included among them are a review of the massing of the new buildings, especially in relation to the side streets; consideration of reducing the ceiling height in the new residential buildings; and a review of the structural reports to make sure the proposed demolitions meet the standards of the housing overlay zone (AHO-7).
Also recommended are coordination with a subcommittee of the HPC consisting of Endersby and Charlotte Friedman, and consultation with the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society regarding the proposed naming of buildings in the area after prominent residents, past and present.
—Anne Levin
Five Walks Planned For Trenton Sites
The Trenton Walks! program is hosting five more walks on the third Wednesday and the first Saturday of each month through March in its first winter season celebrating the capital city and its people. The next walk will take place on Wednesday, January 15 starting at 12 p.m. outside Ellarslie Museum in Cadwalader Park, going to the edge of Ewing Township along the D&R Canal State Park towpath and back.
The walks through March will acquaint participants with new developments planned along the Delaware River, and introduce people to the nexus between the Battle Monument in its urban setting and the peace, tranquility, and beauty of Cadwalader Park. They will also celebrate the Chambersburg and Villa Park neighborhoods, Route 29 redevelopment efforts, and Capital Park.
These walks follow a trek highlighting the First and Second Revolutionary War battles in Trenton, which drew 17 participants in early January. The walkers stood on the very spots in downtown Trenton that were pivotal to George Washington and his troops in turning the tide of that war against the British.
“Getting out of your car to walk with new and old friends around the city is a great way to learn more about Trenton’s unique place in the history of the United States and to understand the beauty and complexity of the capital city of the most densely populated state in the nation,” said Larry Paul, chair of the Trenton Green Team, the executive sponsor of Trenton Walks!
“We’re excited to offer the next series of walks in Trenton, following a launch of the Trenton Walks program last spring,” said Corey Hannigan, lead for the Mercer County Action Team of the Circuit Coalition, which co-sponsors the walks program.
“Walking is a fun and lowstress way to get people together to enjoy nature and each other, while also learning about the many features of Trenton. Our goals with the Trenton Walks! program are to nurture pride in the city, to break down social and physical barriers, and to empower people to understand and embrace their community,” said Becky Taylor, co-chair for Trenton Walks.
Upcoming walks are February 1 in Chambersburg, February 19 at Capital City Park, March 1 focusing on East Trenton redevelopment, and March 19 along the Delaware River starting at Old Trenton Wharf next to Coopers Riverview at 50 Riverview Plaza.
Visit gmtma.org/trailhappenings for more information.
AMERICAN
GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY: A Winter Sowing Workshop on Saturday, February 1 from 1-3 p.m. will be held at the D&R Canal State Park/Mapleton Preserve Education Building, 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. Master gardener Lynn Grillo will demonstrate how to grow seeds outside in winter using recycled jugs as mini greenhouses. Participants will learn the technique, prepare some jugs, and plants seeds for native wildflowers to take home and grow. Bring gloves and a utility knife in possible. Pre-registration is required at karen.e.linder@gmail.com or (609) 683-0483.
Police Blotter
On January 12, at 11:15 a.m., a resident reported that, between 10 and 11 a.m., her vehicle was broken into while it was parked in the parking lot of Community Park North. The unknown suspect or suspects shattered the passenger-side rear window with an unknown object and stole several items within the vehicle.
On January 12, at 5:18 a.m., patrols were dispatched to the 500 block of Riverside Drive on the report that a vehicle that was parked on the sidewalk. They located the vehicle as well as the driver, a 40-year-old male from South River. The onscene investigation revealed that the driver had operated his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, and it was determined he had been involved in a motor vehicle collision on Prospect Avenue before stopping on Riverside Drive. The driver was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters, where he was issued summonses including Driving While Intoxicated, Refusal to Submit to Breath Testing, Open Container in a Motor Vehicle, Reckless Driving, Unsafe Vehicle, Failure to Maintain Lane, Failure to Keep Right, Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident, and Failure to Report a Motor Vehicle Accident.
On January 11, at 1:16 a.m., subsequent to a motor vehicle stop for speeding on South Harrison Street, the driver, a 38-year-old male from Ewing, was found to be Driving While Intoxicated. He was placed under arrest
and transported to police headquarters where he was processed, charged accordingly, and later released. He was issued summonses for DWI, Speeding, and Reckless Driving and has a court date.
On January 10, at 8:45 p.m., a Sycamore Road resident reported that they had been contacted by an unknown individual purporting to be an officer of an unknown police department, who advised the person that their personal information had been linked to criminal activity in various counties. The unknown individual requested the person send a wire transfer to prevent their financial accounts from being frozen by the government. The person completed the transaction and suffered a monetary loss.
On January 8, at 11:28 a.m., a Governor’s Lane resident reported that, on December 13, 2024, they fell victim to a scam in which they sent a wire transfer in the amount of $2,800, believed to be the first month’s rent and a security deposit for an apartment advertisement on Craigslist, to an individual purporting to be the landlord. The person later discovered this was a scam and suffered a monetary loss of $2,800.
On January 7, at 9:23 a.m., someone reported being contacted via text message on January 6, by an unknown individual purporting to be the CEO of a company who requested the recipient of the text, of Paul Robeson Place, to purchase a total of five gift cards in the amount of $200 each, which was later supplied to the person texting. The individual suffered a total loss of $1,000.
On January 5, at 8:20 p.m., subsequent to the report of an individual inside of a Lawrenceville Road house, a 45-year-old female from Maple Shade was placed under arrest. She was transported to Princeton police headquarters where she was processed and charged with Criminal Trespass and Criminal Mischief. She was later released with a date to appear in Mercer County Superior Court.
Unless noted, individuals arrested were later released.
Michael LaSusa
MLK Jr. Day
continued from page one but in deeds. Let us carry forward his fight for justice, equality, and unity with the understanding that there is no stopping us. Together, we will forge a brighter tomorrow.”
MLK Day Events
On Monday, January 20 a Multifaith Service honoring MLK and sponsored by the Princeton Clergy Association and the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) will take place at the First Baptist Church at 119 John Street and Paul Robeson Place from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The Rev. Vernon Walker, director of content and external strategy at the Progress and Poverty Institute in Princeton, will present a sermon titled “The Fight for Social Justice is More Robust When We Work Together in Unison.”
Diverse faith leaders will co-lead the liturgy, and a Community Multifaith Choir will perform. During the service an offering will be received, which will be split equally between the Poor People’s Campaign, which was King’s last campaign, and the Peace Action Education Fund of the CFPA.
Those wishing to participate in the choir and those seeking further information should visit peacecoalition. org. The Service will also be available online at facebook. com/1stbcpnj
The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will be hosting an art-making workshop, food drive, and community gathering on January 20 from 1 to 3 p.m., free and open to all ages, sponsored by Princeton University Community and Regional Affairs and Lydia and Johan Pfeiffer. Under the guidance of artist Tamara Torres, attendees will explore the effects of color on emotions and they will discuss ways to express emotions through abstract art.
The Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) and the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society will be providing additional community partnering activities at the ACP. Pages from a coloring book created by ACP in partnership with HSP and local historian Shirley Satterfield will be available for children to color, read through the short stories, and learn more about the town of Princeton and the businesses, stories, and contributions made by Black Princetonians, as well as details about MLK’s visit to Princeton University in1960.
Later that afternoon Torres, whose photography and collages are on display in her “Embracing Guidance” exhibition at ACP, will lead an artist talk from 4:30 to 6 p.m., with food and beverages served before and after the talk.
Participants are encouraged to bring canned goods with them to fill the ACP accessible Food Pantry coordinated in partnership with Send Hunger Packing Princeton. For more information visit artscouncilofprinceton.org
Outdoor events will also be taking place on January 20 to honor the MLK Day of Service. The Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) will be hosting two sessions, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 3 p.m., at the Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, 57 Mountain Avenue.
Volunteers will be working with FOPOS’ stewardship team to battle invasive plant outbreaks, and they will also be working to free large established trees from invasive vines. “Participants will gain skills in plant identifi cation and learn about some of the pressures New Jersey’s forests face,” states the FOPOS website.
For more information about the event, what to wear, what to bring, specific directions, and signup, visit fopos.org
Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands (FPNL) in Kingston is also looking for volunteers to help battle invasive vines on January 20. In partnership with Kingston Greenways Association, the FPNL will be meeting at 145 Mapleton Road for a work session removing invasive vines from trees and picking up litter in the Mapleton Preserve from 12 to 3 p.m.
Participants are instructed to bring work gloves, sturdy shoes, warm clothing, and hats and also, if possible, saws, clippers, loppers, and rakes. For more information, or if you want to bring a group, call (609) 683-0483.
Kicking off area events on King’s actual birthday, February 15, the Sankofa Collaborative of Trenton will be hosting a free live virtual panel discussion titled “Confronting Jim Crow in New Jersey — Dr. King’s Activism and His Legacy” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at tinyurl.com/MLK-Sankofa
Supported by a grant from the New Jersey Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, the program will explore King’s experiences in confronting racial discrimination and segregation in New Jersey in the 1950s and ’60s, from his first sit-in in Maple Shade when he was a seminary student to his speeches in Newark as he began the Poor People’s Campaign near the end of his life.
Panelists on the program will include the Rev. Charles F. Boyer, Salvation and Social Justice; Jean-Pierre Brutus, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; Linda Caldwell Epps, 1804 Consultants; Christopher Fisher, The College of New Jersey; Larry Hamm, People’s Organization for Progress; Khaatim Sherrer El, Clinton Hill Community Action; and Hetta V. Williams, Monmouth University.
In other area MLK Day programs, Mercer County Community College is seeking volunteers for its Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on the James Kerney Campus, 102 North Broad Street in Trenton on January 20. The day’s events include registration from 8 to 9 a.m., welcoming remarks from 9 to 9:30 a.m., and a variety of service projects from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch provided by the MCCC Foundation, and then a service celebration performance in Trenton Hall. Visit mccc.edu/mlk for further information.
In celebrating the legacy of MLK, Capital Harmony Works, the Trenton Children’s Chorus, and Trenton Musicmakers will be presenting Songs of Hope, Courage, and Unity on January 20 at 3 p.m. at the Turning Point United Methodist Church at 15 South Broad Street in Trenton. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable or canned good to donate to the Rescue Mission of Trenton.
—Donald Gilpin
Henry “Hank” Pannell Devoted His Life To Serving His Princeton Community
Henry F. Pannell, who died at his home on December 21, 2024 at the age of 85, is remembered in many tributes over the past weeks as “an activist and visionary, who spent his life giving back to the community that raised him as a child,” as stated in his official obituary published on legacy.com by Campbell Funeral Chapel of Trenton and originally delivered as a eulogy by Kathryn Watterson.
“Henry ‘Hank’ Pannell was not just a man of Witherspoon-Jackson; he was Witherspoon-Jackson — a cornerstone of our neighborhood, a keeper of its stories, and a builder of its future,” Councilman Leighton Newlin told the congregation gathered for the December 31 funeral at the First Baptist Church of Princeton.
“Hank was a true gentleman and a mentor to me all my life,” said longtime Princeton resident and former Councilman Lance Liverman. “I’ve known him all my life. You could always learn from him, and not just one thing, but many things.”
P.J. Young also knew Pannell as a mentor all his life.
“I’m an avid fisherman, and Hank taught me to fish,” Young said. “I worked for him at the [Princeton Borough] Housing Authority when I was a youth.”
He continued, “Then our relationship grew and I learned from him and trusted him as a father figure. Our relationship was based on traveling and fishing and just kind of seeing the world. I was privileged and proud to know Hank, and I’m going to miss him dearly.”
Princeton resident Dosier Hammond described Pannell as “a great voice for the people in the neighborhood.”
Hammond worked with Pannell on the Housing Authority and the Witherspoon-Jackson Development Corporation.
They also shared a love for books. “He loved to read,” said Hammond. “He loved to read history, especially African American history, but all history.”
Pannell was born in Princeton Hospital in 1939 and grew up in his family home
Rider Furniture
on Jackson Street (now Paul Robeson Place).
As described in Watterson’s eulogy, Princeton was entirely segregated when Pannell was growing up in the 1940s, and he attended the Witherspoon School for Colored Children on Quarry Street until 1949 when he was transferred to fifth grade in the newly integrated Nassau Street School.
“That’s when I found out about discrimination,” Pannell said, as quoted by Watterson. The African American students “were pretty much ignored in the classroom and just geared towards general education.”
Pannell had to grow up fast after his mother died when he was 16 and his father wasn’t well. Young Pannell became the head of the household, and took on a variety of jobs during his high school years. After graduating from Princeton High School in 1957 he became the fi rst African American employed as a technician with Jet Propulsion Laboratories at Forrestal Research Center, then later went to work in the print shop at the Institute for Advanced Study.
With his knowledge from the Institute print shop and the gift of a used printing press, Pannell teamed up with his brother and others to start a newspaper called “The Black Word,” which they distributed to everyone in the Black community in the 1960s.
In 1966 he was hired as the fi rst Black maintenance mechanic for Palmer Square, then went on to join the
Housing Authority of Princeton Borough, where he worked for 28 years. At the Housing Authority he set up a summer work program to hire young people, and it was at this time that he and the Housing Authority Director Marcy Crimmins created the idea for the Clay Street Learning Center, which Pannell and his staff built.
The Center has become a year-round fixture in the community for classes, education programs, and a summer learning camp. In 2003 it was renamed “The Henry F. Pannell Learning Center.”
Pannell was an original founder and president of the Witherspoon-Jackson Development Corp., formed to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood by purchasing and renovating properties to support home ownership at affordable prices.
He was also a cofounder of Save our Kids, a recipient of the 2000 Vivian Award for Community Service, a longtime board member and former board president of the Princeton Nursery School, and a board member of the
Princeton Historical Society. He served on the advisory board of Community House and co-founded the Neighborhood Alliance.
In 1999, Pannell persuaded Watterson, who was a lecturer and writer at Princeton University at the time, to lead an oral history project to record stories of the residents of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood “before it was too late.” A community effort assisted by Princeton University undergraduates resulted in more than 50 oral histories as well as the University’s first academic course focused on the history of the neighborhood. This led to the 2017 book I Hear My People Singing: Voices of African American Princeton and a collection of interviews videotaped by Pannell that will be housed in the Paul Robeson Room of the Princeton Public Library.
“He was such an important person for the community because he really believed in educating and mentoring young people,” Hammond said. “There’s a reason it’s called the Hank Pannell Learning Center. He did a lot for young folks. He’s been a very important person in town for a long time.”
—Donald Gilpin
Henry F. Pannell
Urging Residents to Vote “Yes” for All Three Questions on PPS Bond Referendum
To the Editor:
Princeton’s public schools are a cornerstone of our community. On January 28, voters have the chance to ensure that our schools remain strong and healthy. Passing this measure is more than just addressing current needs — it’s a strategic investment in the future of Princeton for all residents.
As parents of students at Littlebrook Elementary School and Princeton Middle School, we moved to Princeton in 2017 because of its reputation for exceptional public education. From our crossing guard, Virginie, who greets our children by name each morning with a smile, to the teachers who support struggling students and inspire curious minds, every interaction reflects the care and excellence that define our schools.
However, our schools are facing significant challenges. They are overcrowded, common spaces like cafeterias and gyms are stretched beyond capacity, and aging buildings are showing their wear. Our sons have taken tests in hallways; crowd control is a daily exercise in creativity; and our Spanish teacher now teaches from a cart, moving between borrowed classrooms. Despite the hard work of staff and administrators to adapt, the state of our facilities is holding our schools back. With over 1,000 new housing units on the horizon, we must invest in our schools to accommodate a growing student population and uphold the standards of excellence that benefit every resident.
Investing in our schools benefits everyone, regardless of whether they have children currently enrolled. The National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that communities with well-funded schools experience stronger home values and greater economic stability. For Princeton, this referendum ensures our schools continue to drive excellence and preserve our community’s value.
After a rigorous planning process, the School Board proposed a thoughtful, cost-effective plan that prioritizes small class sizes — essential for academic success — while addressing critical infrastructure needs.
The referendum addresses several key priorities:
Critical infrastructure upgrades: Princeton High School’s HVAC system is beyond its useful life and must be replaced. Expanding Community Park School will allow more students to attend their neighborhood school, reducing busing costs and traffic congestion.
Relief from overcrowding: Princeton Middle School is at capacity, and creative solutions can no longer suffice. Littlebrook Elementary School, which serves one of the largest
student populations, urgently needs additional classrooms and expanded spaces to meet student and staff needs.
Commitment to academic excellence: Small class sizes are vital to student success. New classrooms, science labs, performing arts spaces, and common spaces will enhance learning and ensure Princeton’s schools maintain our high standards.
For the average assessed home in Princeton, the cost of passing all three questions is $532 annually — less than $1.50 a day. Delaying these investments will only increase future costs as infrastructure continues to decline. Additionally, if the referendum passes, Princeton will receive an additional $19.9 million in state aid, significantly reducing the local taxpayer burden.
On January 28, we urge our neighbors to vote “yes” to all three questions on the school bond referendum to ensure that Princeton remains a desirable place to live and raise a family.
ATI yA AND J OSEPH W EISS Franklin Avenue
Princeton Housing Authority Residents Ask Council For Action on Cooperation Agreement with Town
To the Editor:
As residents of the Princeton Housing Authority (PHA), we are frustrated with lack of action on our behalf. The PHA and town discovered the need to update their Cooperation Agreement 19 months ago and though Council put this on its 2024 Goals list, Council took no steps toward this in 2024. The PHA needs to resolve a number of issues with the town in order to make decisions that affect us.
We understand that, after a 2023 situation in which PHA management did not receive notification before the town reintroduced parking permit enforcement following the pandemic pause, the PHA reached out to their Council liaison, Councilman Newlin, and asked for a meeting to discuss the parking ordinance with the town. At that June 1, 2023 meeting we’re told the discussion of the issues and difficulty with the ordinance made it clear a “quicker” solution was needed and Councilwoman Pirone Lambros suggested it would be more expedient to address the situation through the PHA’s Cooperation Agreement with the town. We learned of the PHA’s need to negotiate an up-to-date Cooperation Agreement with Council shortly thereafter. When we’ve asked about those discussions seeking to learn how the PHA will address concerns here we’ve been disappointed to learn Council still hasn’t responded to the PHA. We’re in limbo. The PHA can’t provide answers without knowing what the Agreement will include.
Upon reviewing the existing Cooperation Agreement, PHA found the town is not providing all the services they are required to under this contract. For example, Redding Circle, which provides access to a NJ Transit bus line, is not being plowed by the town as is required for public roads.
The PHA has been bearing this cost for years. We’re told when the PHA brought this to the town’s attention they got a “bygones” response. The PHA is the housing provider least able to bear this cost and “bygones” for what is clearly the town’s oversight is not a solution the PHA can afford. Out of frustration, two of us attended a September Council meeting to express our disappointment with the inattention to this situation. We hoped that our coming as residents might encourage Council to start working with the PHA on this Agreement. It was wonderful that the town’s engineering department reached out quickly about the one example issue that we raised, but we need the Council to participate as well. We’re left to wonder: are we simply individuals and families whose needs the town doesn’t care about? Are the needs of those with less to contribute worthy of attention? We believe all residents deserve our governing body’s support and as such, we urge Town Council to take this up this month. As negotiating this Agreement will take time, we find any further delay getting started unacceptable.
Council, please begin work on the PHA’s Cooperation Agreement immediately.
VICTORIA FLOOR Spruce Circle
PATRICIA GILLETTE
Redding Circle
KENT PAy NE Spruce Circle
Members, PHA Residents’ Council Board of Directors
Referendum is a Pivotal Opportunity to Invest in Princeton Public Schools
To the Editor:
As a proud member of the Princeton community who has spent the last 25 years working in the field of education, I am writing in strong support of the upcoming school referendum. This is a pivotal opportunity to invest in our schools and ensure that every Princeton Public Schools student has access to the facilities and resources they need to thrive.
Our schools have long been a cornerstone of Princeton’s excellence, but growing enrollment and aging infrastructure require thoughtful action. This referendum addresses those needs with plans for expanded classrooms, upgraded science labs, enhanced arts spaces, and modernized facilities across our elementary, middle, and high schools. These improvements will ensure students have spaces that support innovation, creativity, and collaboration.
Investing in our schools is an investment in our town’s future. I encourage my fellow residents to join me in supporting this referendum and ensuring that Princeton remains a leader in public education.
DANIEL SCIBIENSKI Linden Lane
Wednesday, January 22nd
3:00pm-6:00pm
Presenting a Modest Proposal
For Funding Schools in Princeton
To the Editor:
The cycle seems to be: Great schools make Princeton attractive. Princeton being attractive makes it unaffordable. Princeton being unaffordable mandates more housing. More housing produces more students. More students require more funding. More funding makes great schools. However, the cycle can easily be broken: More housing means more traffic. More traffic means gridlocked streets. Gridlocked streets make Princeton unattractive. Perhaps Princeton’s schools can be funded using congestion pricing.
MICHAEL DIESSO Harrison Street
Offering Some Sobering Thoughts About Upcoming PPS Referendum
To the Editor:
It seems that none of the letters urging us so enthusiastically to vote in favor of all three questions of the referendum makes any equally enthusiastic mention of the extra (projected) $532 annual per-household increase in everybody’s municipal taxes, should all three questions be approved.
Maybe this increase should not be borne by people who have been living in Princeton for 24 years or more? The ones who have put two generations of children — both their own and those of their fellow Princetonians — through the 12 years of public schooling? Those who, through the years, have already carried the price for the repeated (and unfailingly deemed urgent) costly improvements and repairs to school facilities and programs? Those very improvements and repairs that every time turn out to have been insufficient?
A fact that nobody seems to want to mention (perhaps because they are not aware of it) is that a new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last June, the Act 1669, will take effect this year. The law removes a requirement that teachers pass a basic reading, writing, and math test to be eligible to teach. The reason behind this decision is that New Jersey is not attracting enough teachers, and in order to do so, standards should be lowered. Is there reason to believe that a school, even one with an expensively revamped cafeteria, will not take advantage of this discouraging law? If anything might lower the quality of our public schools, is it really the lack of space for vocal music?
I would like to end my letter by mentioning that my child went through all 12 years of public education in Princeton, and I have nothing but praise for it. But I am also one of those many people whose taxes ballooned more than once in order to support what by now feels like a black hole of need.
DANIELA
BITTMAN
Stonewall Circle
Encouraging Residents to Support the PPS Referendum for Bene t of Entire Community
To the Editor:
We are writing in support of the PPS referendum and to encourage our neighbors to vote on January 28 (or earlier by mail).
As parents of children who have gone through the Princeton Public Schools starting in kindergarten at Community Park Elementary School, onto Princeton Middle School, and through to graduation from Princeton High School,
we are quite aware of the condition of the buildings and of the increasing student population at all schools. These factors put pressure on our facilities, our teachers, and our students.
Upgrading the HVAC system at PHS will mean installing more efficient equipment to heat and cool the building while providing a more stable and consistent environment for learning. Expanding the elementary schools and Princeton Middle School will provide more spaces for learning core curriculum, special needs, and the arts with the small class sizes that make PPS such a desirable and successful educational environment.
However, these expansions will not only benefit the students. The community will gain much needed public gathering spaces for events in the evenings, over the weekends, and during the summer months. So even if you don’t have children in the system, if you take Adult School classes, attend performances, visit gallery shows, or organize meetings, you will have a place to go that is publicly owned, centrally located, and open to all.
So, for the benefit of our entire community, please join us in supporting this referendum.
LOUISA CLAYTON Mount Lucas Road
DANA MOLINA Laurel Road
To Remain Excellent, Princeton Schools Need Ongoing Attention, Investment, and Renewal
To the Editor:
Over the past several weeks, scores of our fellow Princeton community members have written letters in support of the upcoming school referendum. We, too, are writing to express our support for the district’s plans. We take pride in our excellent public schools, and are grateful for the education that our children received, thanks to the investments of prior generations of taxpayers.
To remain excellent, our schools need ongoing attention, investment, and renewal. Right now, the high school needs a new HVAC system and several schools (Community Park, Princeton Middle School, and Littlebrook) need more space. We applaud the district for putting together a plan that addresses these needs while leveraging $19.9M in state support.
We plan to vote “yes” to all three questions, and urge our fellow residents to vote “yes” as well.
HEATHER HOWARD Aiken Avenue LIZ LEMPERT Meadowbrook Drive
It’s Important to Keep Facilities in Shape so Schools Can Continue Their Educational Mission
To the Editor:
I am writing in support of the PPS referendum. The Board of Education has outlined specific plans for needed renovations to our public schools’ buildings. The only mechanism available to the Princeton Public Schools to perform needed facilities improvements is the one they are employing — a referendum that funds the improvements via a bond that stretches the costs across many future years, so that the cost in any one year is not too great. Our public schools are doing an amazing job of educating a large — and growing! — number of kids. It’s important that we keep the facilities in decent shape so that the schools can continue to do well in their educational mission.
As our town grows, we need to take steps to make sure that our elementary schools can handle larger enrollment numbers. Creating more capacity at Littlebrook and Community Park is crucial, as new housing is being built in these two schools’ neighborhoods. It’s a valuable part of our town experience that our elementary schools are able to truly be neighborhood schools, and that many children are close enough to walk to their schools. Without the referendum, we may need to do redistributing which would disrupt this aspect of our schools; and we would find our schools overcrowded.
The planned improvements to the middle school will help the school to accommodate more students while still maintaining the house system that creates smaller communities within the big school community.
Finally, the planned improvements to the high school will create three more classrooms, helping the high school to accommodate its growing student body.
Please join me in voting “yes” on all three referendum questions.
Letters to the Editor Policy
Town Topics welcomes letters to the Editor, preferably on subjects related to Princeton. Letters must have a valid street address (only the street name will be printed with the writer’s name). Priority will be given to letters that are received for publication no later than Monday noon for publication in that week’s Wednesday edition.
Letters must be no longer than 500 words and have no more than four signatures.
All letters are subject to editing and to available space.
At least a month’s time must pass before another letter from the same writer can be considered for publication.
Letters are welcome with views about actions, policies, ordinances, events, performances, buildings, etc. However, we will not publish letters that include content that is, or may be perceived as, negative towards local figures, politicians, or political candidates as individuals.
When necessary, letters with negative content may be shared with the person/group in question in order to allow them the courtesy of a response, with the understanding that the communications end there.
Letters to the Editor may be submitted, preferably by email, to editor@towntopics.com, or by post to Town Topics, PO Box 125, Kingston, N.J. 08528. Letters submitted via mail must have a valid signature.
The Fanny Parnell Poetry Project returns to Old City Hall in Bordentown on Saturday, February 1, in a two-part free event that celebrates the 19th century Irish poet and revolutionary who has a deep connection to Bordentown. Old City Hall is at 11 Crosswicks Street. Admission to all events is free.
In its fourth year, the event is set for St. Brigid’s Day, honoring the Irish saint whose patronage includes poetry and beer. One session includes writers D. Ryan Lafferty of Bordentown, Todd Evans of Trenton and Willingboro, and Derrick Owings of Burlington. A limited open reading will be included.
The first session at 3 p.m. is “Poetry, Politics, and Ms. Parnell,” a theater work that gives voice to Parnell’s politically charged poems and passages from her 1879 The Hovels of Ireland , a book which was written in Bordentown to help her brother, Irish Home Rule leader Charles Stewart Parnell, and examines the causes and effects of Ireland’s historic social and economic inequality.
“Poetry, Politics, and Ms. Parnell” will feature regional Irish musicians and Hopewell-based professional theater artist Carol Kehoe, known regionally for her theater work. The work was developed by Bordentown-based writer Dan Aubrey, whose
Latinas/os in NJ Are Topic of Panel Discussion at Labyrinth
Library Foundation Fundraiser Presents Talk on “5 Resets” for Less Stress
theater credits include productions at Passage Theater, La Mama ETC in New York, and the southern New Jersey professional Foundation Theatre.
Parnell’s poems confront inequality but include a call to action. Her much-anthologized poem “Hold the Harvest” has been called “The Marseillaise” of the Irish peasant. Parnell’s connection to Bordentown is through her mother, Adelia Stewart Parnell, the daughter of War of 1812 naval commander and prominent Bordentown resident Charles Stewart, aka “Old Ironsides.” Using her family’s estate as a base to raise funds for the Irish cause, the 33-year-old poet died suddenly of heart failure in Bordentown in 1882.
The second part of the program is the 4 p.m. “Poets and Pints” session at Bordentown Square Tap + Grill, 233 Farnsworth Avenue, which will feature writers Lafferty, Evans, and Owings.
The Fanny Parnell Project is part of the larger Bordentown Poetry Project developed through the Bordentown Old City Hall Restoration Committee, a volunteer group dedicated to providing awareness and funds to restore the historic landmark building in downtown Bordentown.
For more information, email oldcityhallprograms@ gmail.com.
The Latinas/os community and culture in New Jersey are the topic of a panel presented on Thursday, January 23, at 6 p.m. at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. The panel is jointly presented by Labyrinth and Princeton Public Library. Authors Ulla Berg and Aldo Lauria Santiago will discuss their recent publication: Latinas/os in New Jersey: Histories, Communities, and Cultures , a new collection of essays , and will be speaking with panel members Kathleen López and Melanie Plasencia.
Since the 1890s, New Jersey has attracted hundreds of thousands of Caribbean and Latin American migrants, according to the publisher (Rutgers University Press, $39.95 paperback). The state’s rich economic history, high-income suburbs, and strong public sector have all contributed to attracting, retaining, and setting the stage for Latin American and Caribbean immigrants and secondarystep migrants from New York City. Since the 1980s, however, Latinos have developed a more complex presence in the state’s political landscape and institutions, including the election of Latino mayors, council persons, and many social and community leaders, as well as the election of statewide officers.
Berg is an associate professor in the Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies and the Department of Anthropology and former director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Her first book, Mobile Selves: Race, Migration, and Belonging in Peru and the U.S., examined how transnational communicative practices and forms of exchange produce new forms of kinship and sociality across multiple borders among racialized global labor migrants. She has also edited several volumes in her field.
Santiago, professor of history in the Departments of Latino and Caribbean Studies and History and
director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, is a historian of Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Latinos in the U.S. He specializes in peasant and working class history, revolutions, and ethnicity and race. His first book, An Agrarian Republic, traces the social, economic, and political history of El Salvador during the 19th century. With Jeffrey Gould, he continued his work on El Salvador into the 20th Century with To Rise in Darkness, a history of the 1932 peasant/communist revolt of El Salvador and the traumatic memory of statesponsored mass murder that followed it and has haunted the country since.
López is associate professor in the Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies and the Department of History at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She specializes in the historical intersections between Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. Her book Chinese Cubans: A Transnational History examines Chinese migrants in Cuba from the mid-19th century to the present through archival and ethnographic research in Cuba, China, and the U.S. and received the 2014 Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Prize of the Caribbean Studies Association.
Plasencia, assistant professor of Latinx Studies at Rutgers UniversityNewark, received her Ph.D. from the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research examines how older immigrants in the U.S. negotiate the challenges of aging in the context of extreme poverty, deteriorating health, and diminishing government support. Recently, she completed a multi-year fellowship as the César Chávez Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College.
The program is presented in partnership with SPIA in NJ with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Princeton Public Library’s Friends and Foundation presents “An Evening with Dr. Aditi Nerurkar: The 5 Resets” on Wednesday, January 22 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Harvard physician Nerurkar will discuss the actionable lifestyle changes to overcome stress and burnout included in her debut book, The 5 Resets: Rewire your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience at this fundraising event. It will be held at Princeton University Press for ticket holders only. Register at princetonlibrary.libnet.info/event/12578144.
Chosen as a Must-Read Book by the Next Big Idea Club, The 5 Resets (HarperOne, $28.99) is an accessible health-meets-self-help guide that offers a reimagined approach to change your relationship with stress and avoid burnout. Nerurkar takes a solutionoriented stance, addressing
the looming issue of stress that many doctors put on the back burner. Offering an actionable, practical and science-backed approach to reimagining your relationship with everyday stress and burnout, The 5 Resets is a natural outgrowth and culmination of Nerurkar’s work, which has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, Time magazine, The Washington Post, and Oprah magazine. She has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and others. She is a frequent keynote speaker with talks at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit and Harvard Business School’s Women’s Conference.
This event is hosted by the Friends and Foundation of Princeton Public Library in partnership with Princeton University Press, 41 Williams Street. Light refreshments will be served.
Think Global ~ Buy Local
Dylan’s Idiot Wind: Still Blowing, From the Fires of L.A. to the Capitol
Blowing through the buttons of our coats / Blowing through the letters that we wrote / Idiot wind / Blowing through the dust upon our shelves....” The next lines, and the last, of Bob Dylan’s song are “We’re idiots, babe / It’s a wonder we can even feed ourselves.”
If the Dylan of Rough and Rowdy Ways truly contains multitudes, “we’re idiots” means everybody. In his 2004 memoir, Chronicles: Volume One , Dylan claims that his 1975 album Blood On The Tracks was “based on Chekhov short stories,” a reference that resonates in the Chekhovian sensibility behind that line. It’s said that Dylan’s revised the lyric over the years, but however you read it, the wording covers a lot of beautiful and unbeautiful universal ground, not just the relationship between the singer and his wife.
Meanwhile the idiot writing this column has been busy for days on an article about the new film A Complete Unknown. Besides being fixated on New York in January 1961 when the city was buried in snow and you could ski on lower Fifth Avenue, I’ve been staring over my shoulder at the devastation the idiot winds of Santa Ana have inflicted on my wife’s Pacific Palisades homeland.
Meanwhile the idiot wind roused by Monday’s New York Times (“They’re planting stories in the press”), which supposedly carries in its fitful gusts all the news that’s fit to print, has once again blown me in an unexpected direction (“everything’s a little upside down”) with a spectacular page one photo of a view Turner would come back from the grave to paint. The caption — “The Palisades fire blazed through the hills of Mandeville Canyon on Saturday in West Los Angeles” — takes in the house on Banyan Drive my wife lived in before we were married, also the scene of a family gathering we attended a few months after a New York wedding.
“A Complete Unknown”
I’m still hearing echoes from “Idiot Wind” (“What’s good is bad, what’s bad is good”) three days after seeing James Mangold’s biopic about Dylan’s progress from obscurity to fame. What’s good is Timothée Chalamet’s performance, what’s bad or at least disappointing is the apparent impossibility of impersonating the demonic genius behind the living and writing and singing of “Like a Rolling Stone,” the joyously angry anthem that gave the film its title. Possibly no actor on the planet could have uncaged the “lion” or the “howling beast on the borderline” mentioned in “Idiot Wind.” Maybe the Willem Dafoe of 1990’s Wild at Heart could have clawed his way deeper into the character; or better yet, the Walton Goggins of Justified and The Shield, an actor Dylan himself might have conjured up in a fever dream.
Few actors could look the part as well
as Chalamet, who delivers the first song of the film with just the right mixture of shyness, pride, ego, and reverence in a scene where he and Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) visit the terminally ill Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). Some reviewers have complained that the real Dylan never actually sang his song about Woody to the real Guthrie while the real Seeger looked on, struck by the singing and songwriting power of the Complete Unknown. What matters is that the sequence works. Capped when Guthrie shows his approval by banging three times, hard, on the nearest surface, that moment alone was worth braving the cold wind on my way to Princeton’s Garden Theatre last week.
Feeling It It makes sense that Chalamet’s closest encounter with the essence of Dylan comes when he sings “Like a Rolling Stone,” briefly, in the recording session, which was rightly focused on Al Kooper (Charlie Tahan) who made Dylanological history when he commandeered the organ. Chalamet sang still more of the song during the Electric Moment at Newport. Whatever it was — the explosive subtext, not just the exultant liberation from folk music, but the emergence of a force of nature — Chalamet sang the song as if he was near to feeling what Dylan felt when he sensed he was making something new under the sun.
authenticity and relevance. One excuse for the subterfuge is that the Village streets of the 1960s have undergone changes, like the addition of trees and the disappearance of certain landmarks. A visit to the Village Preservation blog offers then and now versions of the Jones Street location used for the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. The only appreciable difference between the street Dylan and Suze Rotolo are walking down is the snow on the pavement and the lack of trees. The street is what it is, its essential New York City self, whether the year is 1963 or 2024.
At the Chelsea
casualty of Dylan’s rising fame was Dakota Fanning’s version of Suze Rotolo (renamed Sylvie Russo), who was reduced to a series of sad-faced close-ups once Dylan got involved with Baez.
“It’s All Over Now”
What puts the singer into the song is the repetition of “How does it feel.” To sing that line to life what you feel is Dylan singing about himself, his story. The dynamics of “Like a Rolling Stone” leave no doubt that in the end, it’s all about Dylan. Where’s New York?
James Mangold’s film provides an effective impersonation of early to mid1960s Greenwich Village, in spite of the fact that the New York scenes were shot across the river in Hoboken, Paterson, and Jersey City. The fact that I didn’t know about the Jersey locations while I was watching the film shows how well the fabrication worked. Even so, I’m troubled by the slighting of the city, its enduring
Maybe the reason I felt like cheering when the actual, undeniable Chelsea Hotel appeared on the screen reflects my awareness that here at last was the real thing. Of all Dylan’s New York songs, the one that evokes its city-in-winter intimacy is “Visions of Johanna,” composed in a room at the Chelsea, where “the heat pipes just cough,” “the country music station plays soft,” and “there’s nothing, really nothing to turn off.” In the film, however, there’s none of the late-night mood that haunts “Johanna.” Instead, Mangold uses the setting for an edgy scene between Chalamet’s Dylan and Monica Barbaro’s Joan Baez, perhaps intended to offset Chalamet’s inability to convey the way Dylan’s arrogance drives his take-no-prisoners singing style. But having Baez tell him off doesn’t do the job, and although she uses a casual profanity, it’s nothing compared to the moist metaphor the real-life Baez once used to describe the shimmering immensity of the Dylan ego.
Newport Looming I haven’t read Elijah Wald’s Dylan Goes Electric (2015), the book on which the film is based; all I know is that I began feeling restless and uneasy once Newport 1965 was looming, which coincides with the sudden, awkward appearance of Dylan’s eventual sidekick Bobby Neuwirth (Will Harrison), who seemed little more than a blustering projection in human form of his master’s boorishness. Another
I might not have watched Don’t Look Back the night before I saw A Complete Unknown, except that the 1965 D.A. Pennebaker documentary happened to be streaming on the Criterion Channel. The difference between Chalamet’s impersonation and the feral reality is dramatically in evidence during a scene Sean Wilentz describes at length in Bob Dylan in America (Doubleday 2010). Dylan is hunkered down in his suite at London’s Savoy Hotel amid “a gaggle of English folkies and hangerson” when “someone offers to turn him on to some things.” Dylan wants to know if there are “any poets like Allen Ginsberg around,” and sarcastically dismisses the only suggestion (for reasons Wilentz explains), causing an uptick of tension in the room (as there usually is around Dylan anyway), which is seemingly broken when Donovan, “the latest British folk sensation” delivers “an impromptu performance of his ditty, ‘To Sing for You.’” Dylan responds by singing “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.” When he gets to the line “Yonder stands your orphan with his gun / Crying like a fire in the Sun,” you’re seeing and hearing the demonic genius in action, as Dylan diabolically savors the moment, while Donovan looks devastated, like an upstart at an Elizabethan poetry slam who realizes he’s gone up against Shakespeare. For Wilentz, the point of the scene is that Dylan was “on the cusp of something new, and he wanted to hear Ginsberg’s poesy.”
January 20
Aweek from the Monday Times front page dominated by that image of the fires burning in Los Angeles, the new president will be inaugurated and Dylan’s “Idiot Wind” will be there: “Blowing like a circle around my skull / From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol.” That’s the line that helped bring Ginsberg and D ylan together. As Ginsberg recalled, “I had dug the great line in the song ‘Idiot Wind,’ which I thought was one of Dylan’s great great prophetic national songs, with one rhyme that took in the whole nation, I said it was a national rhyme.”
—Stuart Mitchner
Note: On Thursday, January 16, Princeton University professor Sean Wilentz, who discovered Dylan’s music as a teenager growing up in Greenwich Village, will be at the Princeton Garden Theatre to talk about Dylan ahead of the 7 p.m. showing of the film. The author of “Bob Dylan in America” will also do a short Q&A following the screening as well as a book signing in the lobby starting at 6:30 p.m.
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Lawrence Township News
Celebrating 10 years in Lawrenceville, Gingered Peach is More Than a Bakery
Just over 10 years ago, Joanne Canady-Brown looked out the window as she was working on the space that would become The Gingered Peach. No one was walking by outside. “Did I make a mistake?” she wondered.
Ten years after the December 2014 opening, she is confident she made the right decision to open a high-quality baking business in Lawrenceville, where she has become part of the community. In fact, the biggest challenge for The Gingered Peach is keeping up with the demand for items — among them flaky scones, buttery croissants, gooey pecan buns, decadent cupcakes, cakes, pies, and so much more, like the unique Trenton Volcano — a brioche enveloping spinach, cheese, and very Trenton Case’s pork roll topped with “everything bagel” seasoning.
Not only has the Lawrenceville store outgrown its production space, but Canady-Brown has opened an ice cream shop, Melba, next door, and since 2023 has been running Rojo’s Roastery at 33 Palmer Square West in Princeton, which she is also bringing to Trenton this summer. She runs a thriving wholesale business as well. One can find Gingered Peach pastries at the new Graduate by Hilton Princeton hotel, and her cinnamon buns are among the top rated on the selective food shipping site Goldbelly.
“We have an incredibly enthusiastic customer base,” she said.
left the corporate world, worked with Panera Bread, and opened a bakery in Ewing, Let Them Eat Cake, a small, shared space within Arctic Ice Cream. When the lease was up in 2013, Canady-Brown decided not to renew, but put a notice on the business website asking if anyone knew of a space.
Three or four months went by, and the daughter of the landlord of the current location of Gingered Peach
The Gingered Peach has brought national attention to its community. In 2018 Canady-Brown was one of 20 women awarded a fellowship from the renowned James Beard Foundation for the Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program. The next year she was named as one of the “Baker’s Dozen,” a list published by Baked from Scratch magazine recognizing the top trailblazers to watch in the baking
In going to Trenton’s South Warren Street location, she is fulfilling another mission, putting jobs where the people are. “One of the barriers to moving up in life is lack of means of getting to work,” she said, explaining that bakery production work starts at 2 a.m., and often good people can’t get to where the work is. “We are infusing jobs in a beautiful city, there is so much cool stuff there,” she said of Trenton. “Investing in a neighborhood — food can be a conduit.
Canady-Brown grew up one of five children, mostly in West New York, in a multi-generational household. (The Gingered Peach is named in honor of her grandmother from rural Georgia.) She baked and cooked with her family, graduated from Rutgers
smarter.”
“Rojo’s has been chosen as one of the grant recipients for the 2024 Heinz Black Kitchen Initiative for the Trenton project, and the grant money we receive will be used to help buy a new roaster, replacing the one lost in Hurricane Ida. The Trenton Rojo’s will serve as an additional baking and training spot for The Gingered Peach.”
To others who may be considering following their passions, if it is a baking business, it is not a decision to be made lightly, she said. “You have to have realistic expectations of what it can do for you. If you think you will make a lot of money, it’s not for you.”
But, she added, “If you are doing the work you love, it can be very rewarding. It’s not easy. But it’s fulfilling.” And baking, she added “is such humble work.”
The Gingered Peach is located at 2 Gordon Avenue in Lawrenceville. For more information, call (609) 896-5848 or visit thegingeredpeach.com.
—Wendy Greenberg
Cheesemaking Classes and Workshops at Cherry Grove Farm
The owners and staff at Cherry Grove Farm’s 400 acres welcome visitors to watch cheesemaking and animal rearing in action, and offer a variety of classes and educational opportunities at this longstanding Lawrenceville farm.
Classes include Mozzarella from Scratch, Making and Cooking with Paneer with Lunch, Mozzarella Stretch for Families, Ricotta Making and Meal, Handmade Pasta with Meal, Mozzarella Stretch with Burrata, Sourdough Breadmaking Workshop, Foraging and Feasting, Kombucha Workshop, Cider and Cheese Pairing, Felted Bowls Workshop, Wood Burning Workshop, and more. Private cheese classes are also available.
To register for classes, go to cherrygrovefarm.com/ shop-all/classes. If a cheesemaking class is sold out, there will be another month in which to take it.
took over the farm in 2002, and milked the first cows in 2005. By 2009-2010, the farm’s signature cheeses began production and in 2013, Buttercup Brie became the first Cherry Grove Farm cheese to win a national award, a first place from the American Cheese Society. By 2015 the farm won a coveted USDA grant to expand its cheesemaking capabilities, and Abruzzi Jawn became the next cheese to win an award. In 2022, the American Cheese Society gave an award to the Havilah and Havilah Reserve cheeses. Most recently Cherry Grove’s Herdsman, Havilah, and Havilah Reserve were honored as 2024 World Cheese Award winners.
In 2015, the farm hosted its first cow parade, now an annual event based on the Swiss Alpine custom of honoring the cows at the end of the grazing season.
Situated on land owned by the Hamill family for more than a century, Cherry Grove Farm was started as a regenerative farm in 2002, initially home to beef cattle, pigs, sheep, and laying hens. The farm shifted its focus to the production of artisanal cheeses with the addition of dairy cattle in 2005.
The farm was purchased in 1902 by the Hamill family and leased to various dairy farmers. The family
Cherry Grove uses the farmstead cheesemaking model, with everything done on site, from raising and milking the cows to making and aging the cheese.
Cherry Grove has established itself as one of the region’s premier cheesemakers, garnering numerous national awards that reflect the care taken in every step of the cheesemaking process, and high standards kept in stewarding the land. The farm is committed to practicing regenerative agriculture, which involves regularly rotating where the animals are grazing so that both they and the land remain as healthy as possible.
Cherry Grove Far is located at 3200 Lawrenceville Road (Route 206 North) in Lawrenceville. Hours are Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store can be reached at (609) 2190053, the office at (609) 895-1502, and by email at cherrygrovefarmstore@ gmail.com.
Joanne CanadyBrown
BUTTERCUP BRIE: Buttercup Brie became the first Cherry Grove Farm cheese to win a national award, a first place from the American Cheese Society. (Photo courtesy of Cherry Grove Farm)
Lawrence Township News Town Topics
As Bonne O’Flanagan Giglio looked back at her first year as Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEF) executive director, she conveyed how the nonprofit has enhanced the quality of learning for students in the seven-school district.
Lawrence Township Education Foundation Supports Student Programs in School District for students at all levels, said Giglio, who is a Lawrence schools parent, a previous PTO president, and LTEF trustee since 2021. Since its inception, the LTEF has contributed more than $4.4 million to LTPS in support of programs with lasting impact on students and community, she said. “The contributions that our amazing community partners Educational Testing Service, The Lawrenceville School, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Church & Dwight Employee Giving Fund have made to the LTEF, both monetarily and through its support and guidance, have been invaluable,” she noted.
During the 2023-2024 school year, the LTEF awarded grants totaling more than $103,000 for 46 innovative programs and projects in throughout the Lawrence Township Public School (LTPS) District, ranging from a student-run coffee cart that provides pre-employment, social, and communication skills; ukuleles to expand music offerings for sixth graders; and books in Russian and Ukrainian to benefit the growing international student population.
The funded projects also include on-site training in the use of the new library Makerspace carts (previously funded through a grant from Bristol Myers Squibb) for 35 elementary Lawrence Township public school employees; 10 Pocket-talk translator devices to help multilingual students communicate with native English speakers more effectively; LEGOS for hands-on STEM practice; reusable vertical whiteboards; Latin percussion instruments; a Simple Gifts Music Ensemble assembly; and a visit by an orthopedic surgeon to encourage the exploration of STEAM careers.
The Foundation was created to be a bridge between the community and the public schools, and to encourage private philanthropy to enhance public education
The LTEF began in 1992, when community members, along with the superintendent, came together in response to the growing popularity of local education foundations, with the vision of bringing together community resources for the benefit of the public schools. “With the development of a solid grant application and review by a board of trustees who include community stakeholders, the LTEF began funding grants in support of creative programming within the school district that otherwise was not possible within the constraints of the school budget,” said Giglio.
“Technology changes rapidly and the needs of the student population evolve — and we have seen major disruptors to education over the past few years following the COVID-19 pandemic,” she continued. “Yearly public-school budgets cannot always keep up with those changes, nor can they always be responsive to particular needs at the hyperlocal level.”
Funding for some cuttingedge initiatives has often been picked up by the school district after initial funding by the LTEF, she noted. The LTEF was a founding member of the New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership, a coalition of local education foundations that seek to build capacity for private funding of public education. Giglio serves on the board of the NJEFP.
LTS Superintendent Robyn Klim considers the LTEF a partner to the schools.
“The Lawrence Township Education Foundation is
a vital partner in supporting our district’s vision and advancing instructional excellence,” she said, adding that LTEF provides “essential resources that enhance the creativity and innovation of our teachers, further cementing our instructional goals and propelling the district forward.”
In 2025, “we aim to continue our achievement of providing grants to every school in the district,” said Giglio. “Additionally, we will be seeking to connect more deeply with our donors and community members to increase understanding of our organization and the pivotal role it plays in the education of our students.”
Two main community events — Lawrence Has Talent (on Friday, April 4 at Lawrence High School) and Handbag Bingo (in November) — are designed to gain more community support. Lawrence Has Talent, introduced last year, celebrates “the amazing people within our schools and in the community-at large,” said Giglio. “This unique showcase not only raised much-needed funds, but brought the entire community together.” Last year 40 people auditioned and 14 finalists competed for $3,000 in prizes, and she hopes this year’s event will serve more people. The program has ad space for businesses and community members.
Auditions for the 2nd Annual Lawrence Has Talent are being held February 6 and 8. To sign up, go to ltefnj.org/lawrence-has-talent.
Every district has its own unique needs and Lawrence is no exception, pointed out Giglio. While other education foundations support students by providing scholarships or after school tutoring programs, “the LTEF works directly with the amazing LTPS teachers and staff through the grant process, seeking to support diverse learning styles, stimulate critical and creative thinking, bring new technologies to our schools, and allow teachers to engage in meaningful professional development. We are immensely proud of all the funding that we have been able to provide to LTPS throughout the years and look forward to counting to fund creative and innovative grants for years to come.”
For more information, visit ltefnj.org.
—Wendy Greenberg
Lawrenceville Main Street is Flourishing
Not all downtowns are flourishing, especially one so close to a shopping mecca like Route 1. But, in the past year and a half, Lawrenceville’s charming Main Street has welcomed a handful of new businesses alongside its highly regarded mainstays. Several events are planned to bring more people to the sidewalks, once the weather gets a little warmer.
Although the pandemic was challenging for businesses and restaurants everywhere, “businesses are thriving and there is a lot of interest in making downtown a thriving culture,” said Kelly Edelstein, executive director of Lawrenceville Main Street, a nonprofit organization that receives support from individuals and businesses. The downtown revitalization organization was created in 1996 by residents long with The Lawrenceville School.
“People now understand the importance of a Main Street community,” said Edelstein. “Before the pandemic, festivals had maybe 30 vendors, and now, they attract some 200 vendors.”
The events include the Spring for the Arts festival and Fall Arts Festival; Music on Main on Fridays in May and June, and in the fall; Music in the Park on Thursdays in July and August; and a Restaurant Week, which this year will be March 2 through 9.
The Spring for the Arts
festival, with three stages for live music, is on April 26, with a rain date of April 27, from 12 to 4 p.m. Main Street is seeking vendors and volunteers, as well as volunteer musicians. Applications are now open for artists, crafters, and merchants. Due to high demand, only selected vendors will be contacted. All vendor payments are processed exclusively through Square. For more information, go to lawrencevillemainstreet.com.
“It just exploded,” said Edelstein. As it did in the fall, the festival will provide a free table for students in grades kindergarten through 12 for a special student market, supported by Gorecki Construction and Lawrence Township Public Schools.
Currently, visitors to Main Street will find several new dining options, along with old favorites. Fedora, with the same owner, has changed its name to Grazie Bistro, and upgraded its concept to fine dining with a dedicated chef.
Newcomer Ooika Matcha imports matcha (a powder for tea, with a long history) from Japan, and is the only place in the New Jersey that grinds its single-origin matcha in house from family farms in Japan, using Japanese stone mills, reported Edelstein. Naoki Sushi, a high end omakase sushi restaurant featuring a seven-course omakase dinner (chef’s selections), is also among the newcomers, as is Nosh Empanadas.
The newer eateries join Lawrenceville Sandwich Shop, known for breakfast and fresh sandwiches; Acacia, with new chef owner Chris Voigtsberger offering a seasonal menu; Vidalia, which was opened 10 years ago by Chef Salvatore Scarlata; and Chambers Walk, celebrating 35 years of fine meals and catered events. All are traditional favorites, as is TJ’s Pizza and Pasta. Also opened is Valentino’s, selling vintage clothing and high-end gifts. And Taylor Rae Designs has opened a gallery of accessories and vintage and custom bridal and evening wear.
Main Street has its own unique history. According to Lawrencevillemainstreet. com, Lawrenceville, founded as Maidenhead in 1697 by Quakers, was situated along the first Colonial road in New Jersey, the King’s Highway (now Route 206), an important stagecoach route and the first postal route across the state. It became part of the Lincoln Highway, which was the first transcontinental road in the United States.
Main Street is today flanked on one side by The Lawrenceville School, and the commercial blocks across the street, with parking behind the buildings, accessible from Gordon Avenue. At this point, said Edelstein, the buildings are fully occupied.
“There is new energy,” she said. “It’s amazing to see.” —Wendy Greenberg
Bonne O’Flanagan Giglio
MAIN EVENT: The 2024 Lawrenceville Main Street Fall Arts Festival filled the area. The upcoming Spring for the Arts craft and music festival is on April 26 from 12 to 4 p.m., with a rain date of April 27. (Photo courtesy Lawrenceville Main Street)
Performing Arts
GUEST FLUTIST: Patrick Williams, associate principal flutist of The Philadelphia Orchestra, will perform with the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey on January 19 at Kendall Hall, The College of New Jersey, Ewing.
Winter Ensemble Concerts
By Youth Orchestra of NJ
The Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey (YOCJ) will hold its Winter Large Ensemble Concert on Sunday, January 19 at 8 p.m. with YOCJ’s Symphonic Orchestra featuring soloist Patrick Williams, associate principal flutist of The Philadelphia Orchestra, at Kendall Hall,
the College of New Jersey, Ewing.
The YOCJ’s Saxophone Choir will also perform at that concert. Earlier in the day, at 3 p.m., the Wind Symphony, Sinfonietta String Orchestra, and Pro Arte Orchestra will play. Williams was appointed associate principal flutist of The Philadelphia Orchestra
in 2018 by maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Williams is also currently adjunct instructor of flute at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. He will perform the Reineke Flute Concerto conducted by Kenneth T. Bean, assistant conductor of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO).
“We are delighted to welcome Patrick as our soloist this season. Over the years, YOCJ has been fortunate to collaborate with many leading musicians and provide unique learning opportunities for our young musicians,” said Philip Pugh, artistic director, YOCJ. “These partnerships are vital to the musical growth of our students, and we are grateful to all the professionals who work with us towards this shared goal.”
The YOCJ partnership with the PSO is the formalization of an ongoing relationship established through the PSO’s BRAVO! Education Program which encourages young musicians and their families to be exposed to extensive performance repertoire and be inspired by professional artists. Integral to the partnership, the PSO has expanded its assistant conductor position to include leadership of YOCJ’s Symphonic Orchestra.
The large ensemble concerts will be held at Kendall Hall, TCNJ as follows. Tickets at $23 and $28 are available via tcnjcenterforthe arts.universitytickets.com.
The Crossing Performs Work by David Lang
On Tuesday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m., The Crossing, a three-time Grammy Awardwinning chamber choir, performs David Lang’s poor hymnal at Richardson Auditorium. The concert is pre-
wanted to make our responsibilities to each other the central tenet of our coming together, might be different from the hymns that we are singing now.”
Premiered in December 2023 in Philadelphia, the concert-length work immediately entered The Crossing’s canon. Lang is a winner of the Pulitzer, Grammy, Bessie, and Obie a wards, and an Academy Award nominee. A cofounder of the Bang on a Can collective, his work has been performed at concert halls and theaters around the world, including numerous times at Lincoln Center.
Tickets are $43-$68. Visit Mccarter.org.
Christian Gerhaher Baritone
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: With his friend violinist Leila Josefowicz by his side, Princeton Symphony Orchestra Music Director Rossen Milanov was surprised by a birthday cake rolled on stage at the start of his 60th birthday concert at Richardson Auditorium on Saturday, January 11. Before starting the program of music by Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky, the orchestra and Josefowicz also performed “Happy Birthday” with the audience joining in.
ACP to Host Art Workshop
In Honor of MLK Jr. Day
The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day with an art-making workshop, food drive, and community gathering, free and open to all ages.
In this workshop, artist Tamara Torres will lead participants to explore color’s varying effects on emotions and, together, discuss ways to express feelings through abstract art. Participants will spend 10 minutes to create freely on a sheet of paper, allowing themselves to express their feelings without the constraints of perfection, rules, or judgment. Afterward, they’ll be challenged to tear up their paper and use the pieces to create a new collage
that represents a different perspective, transforming it into something new. This exercise encourages conversations about changing perspectives and looking at things in a fresh way.
Community partner activities will be provided by the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) and the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society. In addition, pages from the coloring book ACP created in partnership with HSP and local historian Shirley Satterfi eld will be available for children to color, read through the short stories, and learn a little more about how Princeton came to be the place it is today. These pages detail MLK’s visit to Princeton University in 1960
and celebrate Black Princetonians and their businesses, stories, and invaluable contributions to this town. Light snacks will be served.
Attendees are encouraged to bring with them canned goods to fill ACP’s accessible Food Pantry coordinated in partnership with Send Hunger Packing Princeton. Shelfstable goods will be accepted during ACP business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This free community event is supported by Princeton University Office of Community and Regional Affairs and Lydia and Johan Pfeiffer. Arts Council of Princeton is at 102 Witherspoon Street. For more information, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924.8777.
Works by Charles David Viera
Coming to Trenton City Museum
The Trenton City Museum at the Ellarslie will present “Charles David Viera: Selected Works 2006-2025,” on view January 24 to March 30. The exhibition will feature works selected by Joan Perkes and Janis Purcell from Viera’s paintings and drawings created from 2006 to the present. The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, January 25 from 4 to 6 p.m.
The artworks chosen include a variety of paintings and pastel drawings from this versatile artist, some of which have never been exhibited locally before and several acquired from personal collections.
“When looking at the artworks selected by the curators of this exhibition, it occurs to me that much of my work has to do with some level of tension,” said Viera. “All of these paintings contain a narrative element that touches on the psychological, emotional, and physical tension that can occur between men and women, but also the apprehension that is suggested between predator and prey or whoever is on the end of a leash.
“In most cases the viewer is often left with a ‘What happens next?’ fascination. There is a personal story here that goes beyond the image with some recurring themes such as the wonder and beauty that women bring to this life has them portrayed in full color in a black and white world. The dog on the leash is always held by a woman‘s hand. Substitute men as the canines
“ON A SHORT LEASH”: This acrylic painting is featured in “Charles David Viera: Selected Works 2006-2025,” on view January 24 to March 30 at the Trenton City
An opening reception is on January 25 from 4 to 6 p.m. and there is social commentary to be had. Many paintings and drawings include a fox. What role does it play in this two dimensional theater? I have my own ideas as to what the paintings are about but I often choose not to share that as I like to leave those stories to the viewer’s imagination.”
The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie is located at 299 Parkside Avenue in
Cadwalader Park, Trenton. Museum hours are Thursday through Saturday 12 to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 3 p.m. or more information, visit ellarslie.org or charlesdavidviera.com. Continued
ART MAKING AT ACP: The Arts Council of Princeton will honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day with an art-making workshop led by artist Tamara Torres on Monday, January 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages.
Museum at Ellarslie.
in last year’s student exhibition at the Phillips’ Mill Community Association.
Art
Continued from Preceding Page 12th Annual “Youth Art Exhibition” at Phillips’ Mill
Twelve years after its debut, the “Youth Art Exhibition” at Phillips’ Mill Community Association continues to showcase the artwork of area high school students. It will be on view at the historic mill on weekends January 26 through February 16, from 12 to 4 p.m. The show can also be viewed online at www.phillipsmill.org/art/youth-artexhibition.
Art teachers at 24 area high schools curate the artwork, submitting paintings, works on paper, photography, digital art, and 3-dimensional work. The schools participating this year are Central Bucks High School East, Central Bucks High School West, Central Bucks High School South, Council Rock High School North, Council Rock High School South, Ewing High School, George School, Hillsborough High School, Holy Ghost Preparatory School, Hopewell Valley Central High School, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Neshaminy High School, New Hope-Solebury High School, Notre Dame High School, Pennsbury High School, Princeton Day School, Solebury School, Stuart Country Day School, The Hun School, The Pennington School, Upper Dublin High School, West
Windsor-Plainsboro North, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, and Villa Victoria.
The “Youth Art Exhibition” offers these young artists a taste of what it’s like to be a professional artist.
“We display the students’ art the same way we display the prestigious ‘Phillips’ Mill Juried Art Show,’ so it is very professionally done,” said Kathy Schroeher, founder and co-chair of the show along with Susan Brussock.
“It’s great for the kids to see their work in a beautiful space and professional gallery. It’s different from having it shown at your high school art show. They get the chance to reach a much broader audience, and you can see what the other kids are doing.”
In addition to having their work on display, the students’ work is juried for awards for first, second and third place in each of five categories, plus one Best in Show award. Esteemed artist Freda Williams, a resident of the Trenton area and Ewing Township for over 70 years and known for her love of color, vivid images of nostalgic memories, cultural experiences, and political impressions, is this year’s awards juror.
Many “Youth Art Exhibition” students have gone on to study art in college and make careers for themselves in the arts. Youth art alums have attended Rhode Island School of Design, Tyler
School of Art, Savannah College of Art & Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, School of Visual Arts, and Pratt School of Art.
The “Youth Art Exhibition” is Phillips’ Mill’s gift to the community. The mill charges no fees to schools or students participating in the show. There are no admission fees to see the show at the mill, and no commissions are taken on sales of the students’ artwork. The 16 cash awards presented are funded by mill members and patrons of the show. Support of this show helps develop artists of the future. Phillips’ Mill Community Association is located at 2619 River Road in New Hope, Pa. For more information, call (215) 882-0582 or visit www.phillipsmill.org.
Area
Exhibits
Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, has “Heléne Aylon: Undercurrent” through February 2. Artmuseum.princeton.edu.
Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Gallery Group Show” through April 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lambertvillearts.com.
Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has
Film Screening and Panel Discussion
MajorityRules chronicles how two election reforms — eliminating traditional party primaries and allowing voters to rank candidates by preference — affect a special congressional election in Alaska
BY
“Annual Member Show 2024” through January 18. Artscouncilofprinceton.org.
D&R Greenway Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, has “When the Land Calls” through February 28 in the Marie L. Matthews Gallery. drgreenway.org.
Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, has “Annual Juried Photography Exhibition” through February 2. Gallery14.org.
Gourgaud Gallery, 23-A North Main Street, Cranbury, has works by Kathleen Maguire Morolda through January 26. Cranburyartscouncil.org.
Green Building Center, 67 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Trio” through March 3. Greenbuildingcenter.com.
Grounds For Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, has “Members’ Musings: Light as Material” through February 23, among other exhibits. Groundsforsculpture.org.
Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “Princeton Reflected: Stories from HSP’s Collection” and “Einstein Salon and Innovator’s Gallery.” Museum hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m. Princetonhistory.org
Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has “Morven Revealed: Untold Stories from New Jersey’s Most Historic Home,” through March 2. Morven.org.
Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street, has oil and acrylic paintings by Tatiana Oles through February 4. Works by Yolanda Zhi are at the 254 Nassau Street location through February 4. Smallworldcoffee.com.
West Windsor Arts, 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, has “Manifesting Beloved Community: Healing of the Planet for the Good of Humanity” through March 1. Westwindsorarts.org.
Curator Talk: Rachel Federman
Thursday, January 23, 5:30 p.m. Louis A. Simpson International Building, Room A71
Join us for a lecture by Rachel Federman, curator of Helène Aylon: Undercurrent. Federman will illuminate the undercurrent that runs beneath Aylon’s inspiring and under-recognized fifty-year practice. Introduced by Juliana Ochs Dweck, chief curator. Reception to follow.
“YOUTH ART EXHIBITION” Anagha Kannurpatti of Council Rock High School North in Newtown, Pa., took First Place in the Works on Paper category for “Illumination”
“SPLENDID
DESIGN”: This oil painting by Mike Mann is featured in “Trio,” his joint exhibition with Judith Marchand and David Horowitz, on view through March 3 at the Green Building Center, 67 Bridge Street, Lambertville.
Town Topics | Mark Your Calendar
Wednesday, January 15
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Leighton Listens. Councilman Leighton Newlin is available to discuss current events with members of the public at Delizioso, 205 Witherspoon Street.
2-3:30 p.m.: “Confronting Jim Crow in New Jersey: Dr. King’s Activism and his Legacy ,” free live virtual panel hosted by the Sankofa Collaborative. Presenters include the Rev. Charles F. Boyer, Jean-Pierre Brutus, Linda Caldwell Epps, Christopher Fisher, Larry Hamm, Khaatim Sherrer El, and Hettie V. Williams. Sankofacollaborative.org.
7 p.m.: “Beyond Words: An Evening with Brooke Shields ,” at Richardson Auditorium, Princeton University. The Princeton University alumna discusses her new book, Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman with author Idra Novey. For tickets, visit Princetonlibrary.org.
6-8:30 p.m.: Screening of The M Factor , documentary about menopause, at the Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street. Discussion follows with Dr. Maria Sophocles. $10. Artscouncilofprinceton.org.
7 p.m.: “Preservation of the Hopewell Railroad Station,” presentation by architect Michael Mills at Hopewell Presbyterian Church, 80 West Broad Street, Hopewell. Free. Hopewellvalleyhistory.org.
Thursday, January 16
12:15 p.m.: Westminster Conservatory at Nassau presents “The Poetry of Opera and Operetta: Emotions in Every Note,” with pianists Galina Prilutskaya and Inessa Gleyzerova Shindel. Free.
12:30-4 p.m.: Open House for the Evergreen Forum at the Center for Modern Aging, 101 Poor Farm Road. Spring 2025 course leaders talk about their courses, sample lectures are held, and light refreshments are served. Cmaprinceton.org.
6 p.m.: Program on understanding inheritance tax by Lisa Elkin-Wallis, auditor with the New Jersey Division of Taxation, at Lawrence Headquarters Branch of the Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Followed by a Q&A. Free. Mcl.org.
6-8:30 p.m.: Screening of Majority Rules documentary followed by a discussion with State Sen. Andrew Zwicker and Princeton University Professor Sam Wang, at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
Friday, January 17
4-8 p.m.: Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Pa., hosts Fire & Frost Fun , with ice sculptures, party
music, a scavenger hunt, and more. Free. PeddlersVillage.com.
8 p.m.: An Evening with Mari Black , presented by the Princeton Folk Music Society at Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane. $25 ($20 members). Princetonfolk.org.
8 p.m.: The Clean House , a play by Sarah Ruhl, at Kelsey Theatre, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $20-$22. Kelsey.mccc.edu.
Saturday, January 18
9:30-11 a.m.: Science on Saturday series at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Lyman Spitzer Building, 100 Stellarator Road; also online. Jonsoo Yoo talks about “Solar FLARE, Coronal Mass Ejection, and Magnetic Reconnection.” Followed by a Q&A. Pppl.gov.
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Native Seed Sowing Extravaganza at Hopewell Valley Central High School. Get a done-for-you jug with soil and native plant seeds, leave outside over the winter, and transplant seedlings in the spring. $5. RSVP for event and educational pre-event at tinyurl.com/HopewellExtravaganza.
10 a.m.-12 p.m.: Free Rabies Clinic at Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, 1 Valley Road. Open to all New Jersey residents. Princetonnj.gov.
10 a.m.: Read and Explore: Gingerbread Man, at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Kids read “The Gingerbread Man” and decorate a cookie to take home. Register online. Terhuneorchards.com.
12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, light bites, hot cocoa kits, and music from 1-4 p.m. by Brian Bortnick. Terhuneorchards.com.
2:30-5 p.m.: “Lord, Write My Name: The Gospel and African American Experience in Spirituals,” at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing, 268 Washington Crossing Road, Titusville. $25. SSAAM.org.
4-8 p.m.: Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Pa., hosts Fire & Frost Fun , with ice sculptures, party music, a scavenger hunt, and more. Free. PeddlersVillage.com.
7:30 p.m.: Singin’ in the Rain is screened at Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street, Trenton, by the Trenton Film Society. Trentonfilmsociety.org.
8 p.m.: The Clean House , a play by Sarah Ruhl, at Kelsey Theatre, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $20-$22. Kelsey.mccc.edu.
Sunday, January 19
12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, light bites, hot cocoa kits,
and music from 1-4 p.m. by Carmen Marranco. Terhuneorchards.com.
1-2:30 p.m.: Open Acoustic Jam at Princeton Public Library. For local musicians. Chord charts and lyrics for songs provided. Bring acoustic instruments or voice to join in. Princetonlibrary.org.
2 p.m.: The Clean House , a play by Sarah Ruhl, at Kelsey Theatre, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $20-$22. Kelsey.mccc.edu.
Monday, January 20
10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-3 p.m.: Friends of Princeton Open Space events on MLK Day . Volunteers work with stewardship team to battle invasive plant outbreaks at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Preserve and free established trees from the death grip of invasive vines. Register at fopos. org/events-programs.
12-3 p.m.: MLK Day of Service work session with Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands and Kingston Greenways Association in the Mapleton Preserve, 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston. Help remove invasive vines from trees and pick up litter. (609) 683-0483 or kingstongreenways.org.
1-3 p.m.: Art-Making Workshop and Community Gathering in honor of MLK Day at the Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street. Free. Led by artist Tamara Torres. With activities provided by the Historical Society of Princeton and the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society. Artscouncilofprinceton.org.
3 p.m.: Capital Harmony Works’ Trenton Children’s Chorus and Trenton Musicmakers present “Songs of Hope, Courage and Unity” in honor of MLK Day at Turning Point United Methodist Church, 15 South Broad Street, Trenton. Bring a non-perishable or canned good to donate to the Rescue Mission of Trenton. Capitalharmony.works.
7-8:30 p.m.: Multifaith Service to Honor the Legacy of Martin Luther King at First Baptist Church, 119 John Street. Sponsored by the Coalition for Peace Action and the Princeton Clergy Association.
7:15 p.m.: Voices Chorale NJ holds auditions for all voice parts, especially tenors and basses, just before its 7:30 rehearsal at Music Together, 225 Pennington-Hopewell Road. The spring concert of Mozart’s Requiem is May 3. To schedule an audition, visit VoicesChoraleNJ.org.
Tuesday, January 21
6 p.m.: Dietitian/nutritionist Beth Young discusses tips for creating nutritious eating patterns and healthy recipes. At the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Free. Mcl.org.
Wednesday, January 22
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Leighton Listens. Councilman Leighton Newlin is available to discuss current events with members of the public at the Bagel Nook, Princeton Shopping Center.
3 p.m.: Mutiny on the Bounty is screened at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
6 p.m.: An Evening with Dr. Aditi Nerurkar at Princeton Public Library. The Harvard physician discusses her book The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience. Princetonlibrary.org.
6 p.m.: The Board of Trustees of Princeton Public Library meets at the library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
Thursday, January 23
10 a.m.: Meeting of the 55-Plus Club of Princeton, via Zoom only. Daniel Schulman, author and journalist, will speak on “The Money Kings: The Epic Story of the Jewish Immigrants Who Transformed Wall Street and Shaped Modern America.” Open to all free of charge. A $5 donation is suggested. For payment information and to access the meeting, go princetonol.com/groups/55plus.
JANUARY
6 p.m.: Authors Ulla Berg and Aldo Lauria Santiago discuss their recent book Latinas/os in New Jersey: Histories, Communities, and Cultures with panelists Kathleen Lopez and Melanie Plasencia at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. Labyrinthbooks.com.
Friday, January 24
7:30-11 a.m.: Princeton Mercer Chamber presents the 2025 Central New Jersey Real Estate Forecast, at Princeton Marriott at Forrestal. Princetonmercer.org.
8 p.m.: The Clean House , a play by Sarah Ruhl, at Kelsey Theatre, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $20-$22. Kelsey.mccc.edu.
8 p.m.: The Addams Family musical is at State Theatre New Jersey, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. $40-$105. Stnj.org.
Saturday, January 25
9:30-11 a.m.: Science on Saturday series at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Lyman Spitzer Building, 100 Stellarator Road; also online. Patrick Murray speaks on “The Science (and ART) of Polling.” Followed by a Q&A. Pppl.gov.
S ports
PU Women’s Hoops Edges Harvard in Dramatic Fashion
As Chea’s Buzzer-Beater Makes the Difference in 52-50 Win
The fans at Jadwin Gym rose to their feet last Saturday afternoon as Ashley Chea’s last-second shot flew through the air with the Princeton University women’s basketball team locked in a 50-50 tie against Harvard.
While many in the crowd of 1,961 held their breath, Princeton sophomore guard Chea and the rest of the Tigers had no doubt that her step-back jumper would be good.
“I knew that it was going in,” said Chea. “I honestly work in that shot more than my other shots.”
That work paid off as the shot swished in as the buzzer went off and Chea was mobbed on the court by her screaming teammates in the wake of the dramatic 52-50 win that improved Princeton to 11-4 overall and 2-0 Ivy League.
“I was just happy for everyone out there,” said Chea. “That is when I play at my best.”
Princeton sophomore guard/forward Olivia Hutcherson was confident that Chea’s shot would decide the contest.
“When I saw Ashley hit the little step back, one dribble going left, I know that she makes it nine times out of 10, maybe 10 times out of 10,” said Hutcherson. “I knew that she had that, I was confident and of course she made it, game winner. I am not surprised.”
Princeton head coach Carla Berube saw it the same way.
“It is play that actually worked,” said Berube. “It is something that we have and we have worked on putting Ashley in that position. Sometimes Skye [Belker] is in that position but today it was Ashley. I just knew that
she was going hit that shot. We executed it well and the rest is history.”
The Tigers had to execute well to overcome a feisty, talented Harvard squad that brought a 12-1 record into the contest and employed a fullcourt press that helped turn the game into a nail-biter.
Princeton led 25-18 at halftime but Harvard trimmed the Tiger lead to 39-34 heading into the fourth quarter. The Crimson drew even at 46-46 with 3:38 left in regulation, setting up the dramatic finish as the rivals tied at 48-48 and 50-50 before Chea’s buzzerbeater.
Point guard Chea was proud of the way the Tigers weathered the storm.
“We knew that they were going to press us because it has been tough for us all season long,” said Chea, who tallied nine points with five assists in the win. “We have worked on that all week. We were just more prepared for this than past times.”
Princeton was prepared to fight hard when it was on defense.
“I think that we had more grit today, coach always talks about how important our defense is and how important it is to stop their best player and just all players on the court at all times,” said Chea. “I think that we just knew that we had to come in stronger and tougher and dive for every ball.”
Hutcherson, for her part, played a big role in the strong defensive effort, guarding Harvard star Harmoni Turner and holding her to 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
“She is a great player so the goal is just make her work for the shots,” said Hutcherson of Turner who
came into the day averaging 20.8 points a game. “She is going to hit tough shots. If we can limit how many shots she makes and just try not to let her get hot and then we win the game.”
Hutcherson’s focus on defense helped her offense as she tallied a career-high 10 points, hitting 4-of-5 shots from the floor.
“My defense always really fuels my offense,” said Hutcherson. “Guarding Harmoni is really tough but I think that was giving me the momentum that I needed to just get to my spots and be there for my teammates if they are getting trapped. It was just get to the midrange, the corner at the wing and knock it down when I need to.”
Berube, for her part, credited her squad with playing some tough defense as the Tigers held Harvard to 37.3 percent shooting (22 of 59, including just 1 of 15 from 3-point range) and forcing 13 turnovers.
“It is still a work in progress, I thought that they got some open looks that they just didn’t hit too,” said Berube of Harvard, which had averaged 70.3 points a game in its 12-1 start.
“They come in and work every single day and are committed to getting better. We are on the upward trajectory for sure. To keep Harvard to 50 points is a pretty great day. I thought Olivia did a great job. We all did a great job of helping each other and communicating through all of their handoffs and screening action.”
The 5’11 Hutcherson has emerged as key performer this winter after getting into just nine games off the bench as a freshman.
“A lot of times players that didn’t get a lot of time the
FLESCH’S ROOFING
year before come back and they are confident because they have put in the work over the summer and into the fall,” said Berube of Hutcherson, who has started 11 games so far this winter and is averaging 3.8 points and 4.1 rebounds a contest. “That is what Olivia has done for us and for herself. She is incredibly athletic, you can see that, but she also has a good basketball mind. She is laterally quick and can get to her spots. She has good length too. It was a no-brainer that she was going to be guarding Turner. She is really important on the boards. It was a true test of her will.”
the press to actual offensive execution of a set.”
Chea has earned the trust of her teammates, emerging as a star after serving as an understudy last season to star point guard Kaitlyn Chen, now playing for UConn as a grad transfer.
The Tigers showed some will and skill as they dealt with the stifling Harvard press.
“From our Portland game (a 74-55 loss on December 6) to today, we have made a lot of strides,” said Berube, whose team hosts Dartmouth (8-7 overall, 2-0 Ivy) in January 18 before playing at Columbia (11-4 overall, 2-0 Ivy) on January 20. “I thought Fadima [Tall] did a really great job back there. She is someone we really trust with the ball in her hands, making good decisions. There were times where we let up and we were getting a little tired but for the most part I thought we did a great job. We now need to transition from breaking
“She has more confidence and she loves this role; she loves being our point guard and our floor general,” said Berube of Chea, who is averaging 12.4 points and 3.9 assists a game. “You have to take a lot of hits. It is not easy when your coaching staff is all over you because you have got to be running the offense. You are also the first point of defense usually. It is a lot. She has been up for the challenge. From our first game of the year to now, she has just grown so much and matured on the court. Our team loves playing with her. You saw the way they reacted to her making that shot. She puts the work in, that is why she is as successful as she is.”
In Chea’s view, Princeton’s dramatic win over Harvard was a confidence builder as the Tigers get into the thick of their Ivy campaign.
“Today’s game was super important for us and what we are trying to build here,” said Chea.
— Bill Alden
BUZZER-BEATER: Princeton University women’s basketball player Ashley Chea looks to unload the ball in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, sophomore guard Chea drained a buzzerbeating shot to provide the margin of victory as Princeton defeated Harvard 52-50. The Tigers, now 11-4 overall and 2-0 Ivy League, host Dartmouth (8-7 overall, 2-0 Ivy) in January 18 before playing at Columbia (11-4 overall, 2-0 Ivy) on January 20.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
PU Men’s Basketball Overcomes Injuries, Illness
In Edging Harvard 68-64 to Open Ivy Campaign
Road games in the course of an arduous Ivy League men’s basketball campaign are never easy.
Add in some injuries and illness and the Princeton University men’s hoops team had a test of its toughness, making it pleased to get out of Boston with a 68-64 win at Harvard in its Ivy season opener last Saturday. It marked Princeton’s seventh straight win over the Crimson
“It wasn’t pretty, but we got it done,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson, whose team improv ed to 12-4 overall. “I think what did it for us was that little stretch in the second half where we got it to 11. We had some really costly turnovers there at the end that allowed them to get back into the game, but Dalen [ Davis ] made a couple of key free throws.”
Junior star guard Xaivian Lee was the only Princeton player to score in double figures on the day, tallying a game-high 22 points to offset a balanced Harvard attack. Lee wasn’t 100 percent and neither were sophomore guard Davis and junior forward Caden Pierce, who had nine points apiece while both played 37 minutes each.
“I think the league is just really, really even,” said Henderson. “So any road win, to get off to a 1-0 start, that’s good. We’ve also been a little banged up. Caden sprained his ankle against Akron and then Dalen had food poisoning or was just under the weather. So glad to get a win with those factors.”
The Tigers are OK with a week off between games just to try to get back to 100 percent. Princeton returns to action, again on the road, when they play at Dartmouth on Saturday, January 18. They’ll turn around then to host Columbia in a Martin Luther King Day matinee on January 20 in their Ivy home opener.
“We need it,” said Henderson of the break. “These weeklong preparations are long, but then it kind of starts to build up really quickly. We get these backto-backs coming in late January and February. But 1-0, that’s our goal. Our goal each game is to be 1-0. That thinking has served us really well.”
Sophomore guard Jackson Hicke and senior guard Blake Peters helped give the Tigers a 14-4 scoring edge off the bench over Harvard. Princeton built a 37-33 halftime lead and never trailed in the second half although there were some nail-biting moments in the final minutes against Harvard’s press defense.
Princeton built a buffer in the middle of the second half. A Peters 3-pointer pushed them to a 58-47 advantage with 9:12 left. The Tigers largely kept Harvard at bay right until the final minutes.
“Blake made an off-thedribble three that I thought was crucial and we strung together three stops in a row at one point,” said Henderson. “I think it went from seven to 11 and I think that was the difference in the game. They got it back to
seven but we kept our poise in that moment. I would say the group’s a bit casual for me, but that’s kind of what makes them good is they have confidence in their ability to get it done.”
After Harvard trimmed the lead to 58-53, Lee hit a layup with just under seven minutes left. Lee has been tough for the Crimson to stop. Last year, he had 60 points combined in their two games, and he played well again on Saturday, shooting 8 for 13, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc, and recording a pair of assists.
“He was playing with less than a full tank,” said Henderson of Lee. “He was just really wiped out by some kind of a bug or food poisoning so for him to have 22 and have some key buckets for us was unexpected and great. He pushed through it. He’s a big shot maker and he wants to take those shots.”
Pierce’s return also gave the Tigers a lift. He hadn’t played since injuring his ankle against Akron on December 30. He led Princeton with eight rebounds and four assists. Princeton had been preparing to play without him if his ankle didn’t improve for the Ivy opener.
“We weren’t sure honestly, all the way leading up to yesterday,” said Henderson. “I thought he was terrific and he came up with some gigantic rebounds as Cade does. We would have had to step up in his absence, but he was great. We’re thankful that he worked so hard and our trainer was just awesome getting him back to being able to play.”
Davis didn’t shoot well from the floor (2 for 12), but was perfect from the foul line (4 for 4). He made a pair of free throws with 2:35 left for an 11-point lead before things got interesting.
“The way that game went, we need to be just a little sharper in that little threeand-a-half minute stretch,” said Henderson. “But it’s nice to get a win and then still think about that.”
Harvard nailed a 3-pointer to start a late rally. Pierce and Lee each made a free throw apiece, but the Tigers needed a pair of free throws from Davis with 13 seconds left after Harvard had narrowed the gap to two points at 66-64. Princeton held Harvard to 42 percent shooting for the game and only allowed two secondchance points. Their defensive efforts might have looked even more impressive if not for allowing 10 points off turnovers and giving up some late free throws.
“For the most part, we were on top of the scout,” said Henderson. “The score would have been lower if we didn’t foul them down the stretch. We did a good job of not fouling throughout the course of the game. I thought that our turnovers were going to be the key in the game and then we had 10 — I would have liked to have had eight — but I think we might have had three there right at the very end. Those hurt you. It’s not perfect, but we’re making progress.”
Princeton leaned on its non-conference experience to pull out another close win. It beat Rutgers and Ak-
ron each by a point in the final lead-up to the Ivy season. The Tigers took the lessons from their non-conference schedule to prepare for tight Ivy contests and that paid off against Harvard.
“We played a lot of guys, so we were playing generally 10 guys, which is a lot more guys than I normally have played,” said Henderson. “And we’re confident in and have gotten contributions from deeper in the bench. We didn’t do that a ton today, but we can do it. And then we had some real lows and highs, and we played really close games. I think that’s really a good thing. That helps you in the long run, just playing close games. It’ll be nice to be able to work a whole week’s worth of prep with being 1-0.”
Looking ahead to Saturday, Henderson knows that Princeton faces another road test when it takes on an improved Dartmouth squad in Hanover, N.H. The Big Green opened their Ivy season with a 73-70 win at home over Penn on Saturday. It was their third straight win to improve to 7-7 overall.
“They have the kid, Ryan Cornish, who has given us a hard time,” said Henderson, whose team swept Dartmouth last year on its way to the Ivy regular season title. “He had 30 points and maybe six assists two years ago. They play a style that is very disciplined. You really have to beat them. You have to be really sharp going up there. It’s a tough, smaller sort of environment, but you really have to be ready with your will to win. They’ve got us up there a couple times in the last few years, so we’ll have to be very sharp.”
— Justin Feil
NOW ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS
OPENING STATEMENT: Princeton University men’s basketball player Xaivian Lee soars to the hoop for a layup in recent action. Last Saturday, junior star guard Lee scored a game-high 22 points to help Princeton defeat Harvard 68-64 in the Ivy League opener for both teams. The Tigers, now 12-4 overall and 1-0 Ivy, play at Dartmouth (7-7 overall, 1-0 Ivy) on January 18 before hosting Columbia (11-3 Ivy, 0-1 Ivy) on January 20.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
YMCA CAMP MASON
After Being Sidelined for 2 Months Due to Injury, Rubin’s Return Giving a Lift to PU Men’s Hockey
Tyler Rubin wasn’t fazed even though the Princeton University men’s hockey team found itself trailing Quinnipiac 3-0 in the second period last Friday night.
“We were in the same situation last weekend and we have a lot of belief in ourselves in how we compete and our detail,” said Princeton junior defenseman Rubin, referring to a rally by the Tigers against New Hampshire on January 4 which saw them claw back from a 3-0 deficit to knot the game at 3-3 before losing 4-3.
“We know that when they get to our game and stick to our details that we can come back on anybody.”
Princeton started a comeback against Quinnipiac as Jaxson Ezman scored with 2:16 left in the second as Joshua Karnish and Nick Marciano picked up assists on the tally.
“That goal by Jaxson was huge and it was a great play by Karnish and Marciano as well,” said the 5’10, 175-pound Rubin, a native of Natick, Mass. “I think that really gave our group some energy and juice there. We built well off of that.”
Early in the third period, Rubin gave himself a present on his 22nd birthday, blasting a one-timer into the net.
“I was just entering the zone and the puck squirted out,” said Rubin, noting that he didn’t recall ever scoring a goal on his birthday. “I just wanted to rip it. It was a good shot, it was good to get some energy for the team.”
The Tigers, though, couldn’t close the deal as they fell 4-2 as the Bobcats added an empty-net goal with 2:31 left in regulation.
Rubin liked how Princeton tightened up its defense,
holding Quinnipiac scoreless for a stretch of more than 32 minutes before it tacked on the empty netter.
“We just wanted to simplify our game and get into our structure more in the defense zone,” said Rubin. “It was just stay on top of them and compete and win some more puck battles in the dzone. We got back to that better in the third period.”
With the Tigers putting the Bobcats on their heels at times during the third period, Rubin was hoping that Princeton could bring some momentum into Saturday night as the rivals met in the second game of a home-andhome set. But the Tigers fell behind 3-0 once again and that proved to be the final score as Princeton moved to 6-8-1 overall and 3-5-1
ECAC Hockey with the loss.
“There was a lot of momentum there, we had a lot of chances in the third,” said Rubin. “Hopefully we can just capitalize tomorrow night.”
Having been sidelined by injury from November 14 to January 4, Rubin is looking to make the most of his chance to get back into action.
“I was out for a bit, it feels good to be back and just working through it,” said Rubin. “It is good to be playing right now.”
Princeton head coach Ben Syer is happy to have Rubin back after his two-month absence.
“It was nice to see him get on the score sheet again,” said Syer. “He has great mobility there for us. That is nice to see and to have on the back end. It is real nice to have him back.”
Syer acknowledged that the Tigers weren’t moving as well as he would’ve liked on Friday.
“You have got to move your feet, that is a good team and they don’t give you much,” said Syer. “You have got to understand that if you don’t get much on a shift as long as it is a momentum shift, it is a win. There were some different times here today where we weren’t satisfied with just having a good, quality shift. It is the reason there are four lines and six, seven defensemen that play. One group goes over and they set the table for the next group. I thought that was up and down here tonight.”
The goal from Ezman did give the Tigers some momentum.
“Ez did a nice job of going hard to the net there and burying that,” said Syer. “You have to give Karny (Karnish) a lot of credit, he put his head down and moved his feet and brought it to the net. He set the table for that, credit to him. He didn’t play the last game, he had a little bite to him here. It was great to see.”
In assessing his team’s effort overall, Syer is looking for his players to show more bite collectively.
“I want to see us compete for 60 minutes here when that puck is dropped,” said Syer, whose team hosts Cornell on January 17 and Colgate on January 18. “That is a really good team. You have to compete, they don’t give you much and you have to fight tooth-and- nail.”
Rubin is excited to be back competing for the Tigers after his injury hiatus.
“It takes time to jump back into it and I feel good right now,” said Rubin, who now has two goals and one assist this season. “It feels good to be back with the team.”
— Bill Alden
BACK IN ACTION: Princeton University men’s hockey player Tyler Rubin, left, chases down the puck in a 2022 game. Last Friday, junior defenseman Rubin scored a goal in a losing cause as Princeton fell 4-2 to Quinnipiac. The Tigers, who lost 3-0 to
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
PU Sports Roundup
Princeton Wrestling Tops Morgan State
Producing a dominant performance, the Princeton University team defeated Morgan State 46-0 last Friday.
Drew Heethius earned a fall at 133 pounds and Mikey Squires followed suit with a pin at 184 to provide highlights as the Tigers improved to 3-5 in duals.
Earlier in the day, Princeton competed in the Franklin & Marshall Open and got superb performances from Eligh Rivera at 141 and Kole Mulhauser at 184 as they both placed third in their weight classes. Chris Martino also had a good day, taking sixth at 149 after working his way back onto the podium through the wrestlebacks.
The Tigers have a dual at Clarion on January 19.
Princeton Men’s Squash Tops Yale, Trinity
Completing a weekend sweep, the No. 3 Princeton University men’s squash team topped No. 4 Trinity last Sunday.
In defeating the Bantams, Princeton got 3-2 wins from Hassan Khalil at No. 4, Federico Sosa at No. 7 and Gordon Lam at No. 8.
A day earlier, the Tigers edged No. 2 Yale 5-4 to start their Ivy League campaign.
Princeton, now 5-0 overall and 1-0 Ivy, hosts Cornell on January 17 and then plays at Columbia on January 19.
PU Women’s Squash Edges Trinity 5-4
Hermione Cao came through with the clincher as the No. 4 Princeton University women’s squash team edged No. 2 Trinity 5-4 last Sunday.
Cao posted a 3-0 win at No. 9 to put the Tigers up 5-3 and seal the win.
On Saturday, the Tigers swept Yale 9-0 to start Ivy League action, winning seven of the nine matches by 3-0 scores.
Princeton, now 4-0 overall and 1-0 Ivy, hosts Cornell on January 17 and then plays at Columbia on January 19.
PU Men’s Swimming Tops Navy, Kenyon
Mitchell Schott produced a memorable weekend as the Princeton University men’s swimming team topped Navy 246-107 and Kenyon 290-61 at DeNunzio Pool in a two-day meet that took place from January 10-11.
On Friday, junior Schott placed first in the 1,000yard freestyle in a program record time of 8:52.19. A day later, Schott set another school record as he won the 500 free in 4:15.76.
The Tigers, now 7-0, face Penn State and Virginia Tech on January 18 in State College, Pa.
Tiger Women’s Swimming Defeats Navy, Kenyon Sparked by Dakota Tucker, the Princeton University women’s swimming team topped Navy 249-104 and Kenyon 241-112 at DeNunzio Pool in a two-day competition that took place from January 10-11.
Sophomore Tucker won both the 400-yard individual medley and 1,000 freestyle races.
Princeton, now 8-0, faces Penn State and Virginia Tech on January 18 in State College, Pa.
Tiger Men’s Track Cruises Past Navy
Harrison Witt made history as the Princeton University men’s track team topped Navy 104-75 last Saturday in Annapolis, Md.
Senior Witt won the 1,000-meter run in 2:19.93 to set a new facility record at the Wesley A. Brown Field House, breaking the previous record of 2:22.58 set by Navy’s Ashwin Briggs in 2021.
Princeton will next be in action when it takes part in the Quaker Invitational from January 17-18 in Philadelphia.
PU Women’s Track Defeats Navy
Displaying its depth, the Princeton University women’s track team defeated Navy 104-75 last Saturday in Annapolis, Md.
The Tigers won 12 of 14 individual events and one relay. Sophomore Hannah Riggins provided a highlight, setting a new facility record at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in winning the 1,000-meter run in 2:45.87. Her time broke the previous record held by Rachel McArthur from Villanova who ran a 2:46.51 in 2019. She also now ranks third in program history.
Princeton is next in action when it competes in the Quaker Invitational from January 17-18 in Philadelphia.
PU Men’s Volleyball Falls to USC in Opener
Nyherowo Omene starred in a losing cause as the Princeton University men’s volleyball team opened its 2025 campaign by falling 3-0 to No. 7 USC last Saturday on Los Angeles, Calif.
Senior standout Omene led the Tigers with 15 kills but it wasn’t enough as the Trojans prevailed 25-19, 2521, 25-22.
Princeton has matches at Hawaii on January 15 and 17 in Manoa, Hawaii.
PU Women’s Soccer Star Tordin
Signs with Portland of NWSL
Princeton University women’s soccer star Pietra Tordin signed a contract last week to play with the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer league (NWSL).
The move ends Tordin’s Princeton career after three seasons that saw her become one of the top 10 players in program history in both goals and points for her career. Tordin, a 5’6 native of Doral, Fla., tallied 71 points on 30 goals and 11 assists in 45 games, good for ninth on the program’s career points list and seventh on the goals list. Tordin shares the program record for goals (four) and points (eight) in a single game after scoring four goals against Army West Point on September 2, 2023.
Tordin also helped the Tigers make two NCAA tournaments, advancing to the second round in 2023 and completing the Ivy League double in 2024, winning both the league and league tournament titles.
“For the past three years, Pietra has displayed her prolific attacking qualities on the field and has been a massive contributor to many spectacular moments for our team,” said Princeton head coach Sean Driscoll. “Our staff has really enjoyed watching her ascension from club to college to U-20 U.S. Youth National Team and now to the NWSL. While we will miss Pietra’s personality both on and off the field, we are incredibly proud of her and grateful that she has earned a fantastic opportunity with Portland Thorns.”
Tordin piled up several accolades during her Tiger career, earning the 2024 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year award, the 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year award, and three AllIvy League honors, including second-team recognition in 2022 and first-team honors in 2023 and 2024. She was a United Soccer Coaches third-team All-American
in 2023 and a three-time all-region honoree by the organization, on the third team in 2022, second team in 2023 and first team in 2024.
Tordin began to draw international notice toward the end of 2023, attending camps with Brazil’s U-20 team before getting a call from Team USA’s U-20 squad, going on to make the
U.S. team for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. At the event in Colombia, Tordin helped the Americans to a third-place finish, playing in all seven games, starting five, and scoring four goals, including a hat trick in the group-stage finale against Paraguay.
Tordin will be the sixth Tiger to play in the NWSL since the league began in
2013. There were two former Princeton standouts in the NWSL in 2024 with Tyler Lussi ’17 playing for North Carolina and Madison Curry ‘24 playing for Angel City in Los Angeles. Tordin will be the second Tiger to play for the Thorns, with Lussi having started her pro career there and continuing in the Rose City through the 2021 season.
NO WAY THROUGH: Princeton University women’s hockey goalie Jennifer Olnowich turns aside a shot in action last winter. Last weekend, senior Olnowich starred for Princeton, making 35 saves in
Hockey, play at Cornell on
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Osteopenia Osteoporosis
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• Specialized Yoga poses and technique
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• Improve strength, flexibility, and bone mineral density
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With Junior Guard Bess Emerging as Top Scorer, PHS Boys’ Hoops Making Progress Despite 2-7 Start
Michael Bess Jr. was part of the supporting cast last winter in his sophomore season for the Princeton High boys’ basketball team.
Making his varsity debut, Bess was the third leading scorer for the Tigers behind senior stars Jahan Owusu and Jihad Wilder.
This winter, Bess has assumed a leading role for PHS, averaging a team-high 20.0 points per game.
trying to come out hot, attack, and try to get to the basket. I hit a couple of threes but I was looking to get to the basket more and get myself into the game. We were looking to battle and get a win. This is a good team and we believed we could beat them.”
The game got away from PHS as it got outscored 19-7 in the third quarter on the way to a 64-49 defeat.
“I worked a lot of ball handling because I knew I was going to be the main ball handler this year, said Bess, who scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds as PHS defeated Pioneer Academy 60-44 last Saturday to bounce back from the loss to Lawrence. “I worked on my shot. I worked on my game overall, everything really. I knew I was going to have a bigger role so I had to step up to lead the team.”
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• Natural approach
“It is a big change because we had a lot more scorers last year,” said Bess, who averaged 7.8 points a game last year. “It is a really young team this year. I just come out as a leader and look to attack and to score for our team. I try to knock down shots and do whatever I have got to do to help us win.”
Last Thursday as the Tigers hosted Lawrence High, Bess scored 15 points in the first half the rivals battled to 22-22 stalemate by halftime.
“We came out good, firing from the start, and play-
“In the second half, we knew they were going to pressure us, they came out and pressured us and we started to turn it over,” said Bess, who ended up with 21 points in the loss.
“Once they came out and started getting ahead, that was when we realized that we needed to get it back. We really, really wanted to win. We started to battle back. We started getting aggressive and we started getting steals.”
Over the offseason, Bess took an aggressive approach in honing his game.
PHS head coach Pat Noone credits Bess with stepping up this winter.
“Michael Bess is awesome; he can score, he has been really, really great,” said Noone. “From his freshman year all the way up, he has worked really hard and we are seeing it translate. He is really working his tail off and doing good things with his confidence and his ability to attack off the dribble and get to the foul line. Last year, it was lot more threes, this year it is a lot of everything.”
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Princeton Charter School is a free, K-8 public school. We encourage you to learn more about us in order to see whether Charter is the right option for your family.
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2023 National Blue Ribbon School; one of nine schools in NJ to win this award.
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Virtual Open House: Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 11:00 AM – Zoom Link on website In-person Open House: Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 1:00 PM – Gym, 100 Bunn Drive
RISING STAR: Princeton High boys’ basketball player Michael
Noone saw some good things from his squad in the early stages of the game against Lawrence.
“The fi rst half was great, we played really, really well and their pressure just wore us down,” said Noone. “It came down to pressure, they got into us a little bit. They ‘out-physicaled’ us a little bit off the ball. We threw it around a little bit and that was it.”
The Tigers did show some fight in the fourth quarter as they scrapped on the defensive end and scored 20 points.
“We kept battling,” said Noone. “We got a couple of turnovers there that was fun for everybody to get a little excited about that.”
Although PHS is off to a 2-7 start, Noone is excited about the progress he is seeing from his players.
“They are getting better every day, I think that is the really important thing,” said Noone, whose team plays at Robbinsville on January 16 and at WW/P-North on January 21. “You can see it on film. They come in, everybody works their tail off in practice. Unfortunately it is not translating into the results but it is translating into getting better.”
The quartet of junior Zion Madden, junior Matt Ghaim, sophomore Michael Frenia, and senior Travis Petrone has been making strides this winter.
“Zion is really stepping up and Matt is stepping up,” said Noone. “Michael is a lacrosse player who hasn’t played a lot of basketball and he is really starting to find his niche out there now. Travis has been a good leader for us.”
Virtual Open House: Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 11:00 AM – Zoom Link on website In-person Open House: Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 1:00 PM – Gym, 100 Bunn Drive
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We welcome all applicants from Princeton. Students are admitted to Charter based on a random lottery. Students who qualify for a weighted lottery based on family income will have their names entered into the lottery twice.
Students are admitted to Charter based on a random lottery. Students who qualify for a weighted lottery based on family income will have their names entered into the lottery twice. Sunday, February 9, 2025 Virtual Panel – 11:00 AM In-person Open House - 1:00 PM PCS, Charter Room, 100 Bunn Drive
the
in a game last season.
emerged as the go-to scorer for the Tigers this
averaging a team-high 20.0 points a game.
who moved to 2-7 with a 60-44 win over Pioneer Academy last Saturday, plays at Robbinsville on January 16 and at WW/P-North on January 21.
Looking ahead, Noone believes that the Tigers will find their niche collectively.
“I think it is just keep doing what you are doing, keep working your tails off,” said Noone. “It just comes later on. It is a young team, the more we are in situations, the better off we will be.”
In the view of Bess, taking some lessons from the loss to Lawrence can help PHS be better down the road.
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“We have the skill,” said Bess. “We were competing with them in the beginning of the game but then we just let off the gas.”
— Bill Alden
Bess Jr. floats with
ball
Junior guard Bess has
winter,
PHS,
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Stewart Comes Up Big on his Senior Night, Helping PDS Boys’ Hoops Edge Willingboro
Adam Stewart beamed as he was introduced last Friday on his Senior Night for the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team.
With posters of Stewart and fellow senior Abdoulaye Seydi on the wall in the gym and joined by his parents, Stewart soaked in a loud ovation from the crowd packing the stands.
“I am glad everybody came out, I am just really happy to see everybody in the stands,” said star guard Stewart. “Obviously when the game started, we had to lock in. The emotions were great, the energy was great from the team, from the crowd.”
Riding that emotion, PDS jumped out to a 12-2 lead over the Chimeras with Stewart contributing five points in the run.
“We were bouncing off each other’s energy even before the game.” said Stewart. “I think that is what really kept us in it.”
After Willingboro rallied to take a 22-20 halftime lead, Stewart focused on playmaking to help the Panthers pull out a 36-35 win as they improved to 4-5.
“I was getting a lot of open shots in the first because they were packing in that
zone,” said Stewart, who ended up with eight points on the day with sophomore guard Gary Jennings scoring 11 points to lead the way for the Panthers. “When it started getting tougher and they started bringing that zone up, I was looking for my teammates. We wanted to win, you have to make the right play.”
In earning the win, the Panthers turned up the heat on defense.
“We really had to bring up the defensive intensity,” said Stewart. “They were getting a lot off the dribble shots, so going into that fourth quarter we focused on our on-ball defense and not letting them get to the rim and having harder closeouts. It worked out, I don’t think they scored as much as they did before.”
Focusing on weight lifting over the last few years to make himself stronger, Stewart’s physicality has helped enhance his emergence as a team leader.
“It really does help me out because even though I am shorter, I can still get physical,” said the 6’1 Stewart.
“As a senior I really wanted to set the tone for games. I have taken more of a leadership role because of the
youth on this team. With our smaller size, I wanted to be an example on defense, be an example on offense and not be selfish. Even if I have that leadership role, I still want to set the example that we can move the ball and finish at the rim and get our teammates involved.”
Setting the tone with his example, Stewart has helped the Panthers come together.
“We had a couple of people that left but for the people that stayed I think the camaraderie is great,” said Stewart. “In the offseason, we were playing every day in here. We have two seniors and two juniors, it is still a young team. I want to give the sophomores credit; they are confident in their game and with the ball. They play like upperclassmen.”
With PDS playing at South Brunswick on January 16 before hosting Trenton Central on January 21, Stewart believes the squad has plenty of room for growth.
“Moving forward, we need to pick up the defensive intensity,” said Stewart. “We are still young, we are still getting to know each other. It is just continuing to work on our game. When shots fall we are a good team. We just need to be able to lock in and still play defense and still be able to make layups when shots aren’t falling.”
—Bill Alden
Senior Goalie Donoghue Comes Up Big
As Hun Boys’ Hockey Ties Notre Dame 1-1
Patrick Donoghue and his teammates on the Hun School boys’ hockey team were primed to get off to a good start in 2025 when they hosted Notre Dame last Wednesday in their first action of the new year.
“We were ready,” said senior goalie Donoghue. “We had practice yesterday and were fired up for our first game. We came in guns blazing.”
In the first period, Donoghue was on fire between the pipes, making 12 saves as Hun jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal from Bailey Cook assisted by Ezra Broomer and Andrew Darst.
“I was feeling it, I was ready to go straight from the start,” said Donoghue. “I am always sharp. I will do everything for the guys to win every game and try my best out there.”
After Notre Dame knotted that game at 1-1 early in the second period, Hun bounced back with a strong finish as it carried play in the latter stages of regulation.
“We were just trying to keep the momentum and keep up the energy,” said Donoghue. “The first period was a little clumsy but we started playing better in the second.”
In the waning moments of the third period, Donoghue was under the gun as Notre Dame tried to break the 1-1 tie, generating several shots which he turned aside.
“As a goaltender, I don’t really think about it,” said Donoghue, referring to dealing with late flurry by the Irish. “You just stop the puck, that is my thing.”
The game went into overtime and the foes ended up skating to a 1-1 tie.
“I like overtime, there is a little more on the line,” said Donoghue, who recorded 42 saves in the contest. “You know you can give your team the chance to win the game.”
Donoghue patiently waited for his chance to start this winter along with postgraduate Elliot Wong after serving as a backup last winter in his first season with program.
“I played club last year with the [Mercer] Chiefs,” said Donoghue, who is still playing with the Chiefs. “There were two seniors on the team, I was the backup. I didn’t play that much. You have to support the guys at practice, that is not a problem for me.”
Having come to Hun from Finland, Donoghue has gotten support at the school on and off the ice.
“I have been here for two years,” said Donoghue. “I came here for hockey, my dream is to play college. As a senior, I love being at Hun. I love these two years here, I can’t complain.”
Hun head coach Eric Szeker loves having Donoghue on the squad.
“Patrick is an awesome, awesome young man, he comes to the rink every day with a great attitude,” said Szeker. “He competes nonstop. He is a great addition to our school and our locker room. He is intense. He loves being out on the ice, and he always gives us performances like that.”
The Raiders brought some intensity to ice as they faced Notre Dame to get things rolling in 2025.
“We were excited, this is the best sport in the world,” said Szeker. “They love coming to the rink every day and wearing the Hun logo. We are looking forward to getting healthy here over the couple of days. We are missing four or five guys. It is tough but that is the game, that is life. People get sick, people get hurt and you just have to adjust.”
Although the Raiders took a 1-0 lead, Szeker acknowledged that his team wasn’t at its sharpest in the return to action.
“I think we came out a little bit slow,” said Szeker. “When you are missing some of your leaders, it can be tough to get the energy going. Guys are in new roles that they are not used to.”
Szeker gave his players a pep talk after the second period.
“We just have to try harder,” said Szeker, reflecting on his message. “We are a younger group so knowing that you have to show up every day at this level and play as hard as you can to be successful is something different for these guys. You are playing against older players, more mature players and we have to be ready to perform.”
The Raiders responded, outshooting the Irish 13-7 in the third period.
“I love my group; we have so much skill and we have a lot of potential,” said Szeker. “It is just a matter of getting them to realize how good they are. They are awesome people and they know that. It is a matter of getting them to know how good they are in hockey and well and getting them together to work as one big group.”
A number of Hun players produced some good work in the game.
“Jimmy Dolan is a freshman, he is undersized but he plays like he is 7 feet tall,” said Szeker. “He has a great attitude, he comes and works hard every day. I thought Jake Beck looked great out there. Justin Bibeau was awesome. Anders Van Raalte was really good. Nate Trawinski and Jake O’Connell were good. We had a lot of guys who did really well today. I was proud of the group today.”
With Hun hosting Holy Ghost Prep (Pa.) on January 15 and the Salesianum School (Del.) on January 17 before facing Pope John XXIII Regional High on January 20 at Skylands Ice World in Stockholm, Szeker believes his group is headed in the right direction.
“I think you can build off of everything, whether it is really good or it is bad,” said Szeker, whose team fell 3-1 to Seton Hall Prep last Friday in moving to 1-7-2. “You have to find what you did wrong and what you did right and learn from both and try to come back better the next day. We are missing some guys that play heavy minutes for us. It has been great opportunity for younger guys to step up and have some opportunities that you don’t usually have. We are defi nitely improving and getting those opportunities. Experience comes with time so we are getting there.” Donoghue, for his part, is determined to make the most out of his final weeks with the Hun program.
“It is just play the best I can and hopefully continue forward with hockey if possible,” said Donoghue. “As for the team it is just do our best and win every game we can. The guys have a lot on the line.”
— Bill Alden
TURNING THE CORNER: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Adam Stewart, left, looks for room along the baseline last Friday as PDS hosted Willingboro. Senior star Stewart scored eight points in the game to help the Panthers edge Willingboro 36-35. PDS, who improved to 4-5 with the win, plays at South Brunswick on January 16 before hosting Trenton Central on January 21.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Hun Lawrenceville
Boys’ Basketball : Blake Hargrove had a huge game in a losing cause as Hun fell 84-73 to Pennington last Thursday. Sophomore star guard Hargrove poured in 32 points as the Raiders moved to 4-9. Hun hosts the Peddie School on January 15 and then faces Dwight Morrow High on January 18 in the Public vs. Private Showcase at the Melone-Ma riniello Recreation Center in Hackensack.
Girls’ Basketball : Sparked by Gabby D’Agostino, Hun de feated Pennington 57-36 last Wednesday. Junior guard D’Agostino tallied 23 points with nine assists as the Raid ers improved to 13-3. Hun hosts the Peddie School on January 15 and the Blair Academy on January 18 be fore playing in the Rose Clas sic in New York City from January 19-20.
Pennington Stuart
Boys’ Basketball:
Dwayne Snead scored 18 points but it wasn’t enough as Pennington fell 84-73 to the Hill School (Pa.) last Saturday. The Red Hawks, who moved to 8-4 with the loss, host the Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) on January 17 before playing at Malvern Prep (Pa.) on January 18.
Girls’ Basketball : Earning its first win of the season, Lawrenceville defeated the Peddie School 59-34 last Saturday. Aryana Iyer scored 16 points to lead the way for
forfeit. The Tigers, now 3-6 in duals, host Hamilton West on January 15 and then have a quad at Steinert on January 18.
January 15 at the Jersey Shore Arena in Wall before hosting Delbarton on January 21.
Girls’ Basketball : Suffering its fourth straight defeat, Pennington fell 52-42 to the Hill School (Pa.) last Saturday. The Red Hawks, who dropped to 4-6 with the setback, host the Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) on January 17.
Girls’ Hockey : Kelly Stephens came up big in goal to help PDS defeat Pingry 2-0. Junior netminder Stephens made 28 saves in earning the shutout as the Panthers improved to 5-0-1. PDS faces Immaculate Heart on January 21 at the Ice Vault in Wayne.
Local Sports
Basketball : Taylor States posted a double-double to help Stuart defeat South Hunterdon 45-39 last week. Junior star States tallied 23 points with 10 rebounds in Dillon Youth Hoops Recent Results
the Girls’ Grade 3-5 Division of the Dillon Youth Basket ball League, Homestead Princeton defeated Prince ton Orthopaedic Associates 24-14. Sienna Devlin scored 12 points for Homestead with Parker Friedland add ing 10 points. Ava Baxter tallied seven points for POA. PBA #130 defeated Pizza Den 14-11. Violet Spross and Theresa HoushmandOregaard scored six points
apiece for PBA while Seanna Hsieh contributed seven points for Pizza Den. The Tipple & Rose “Rosebuds” nipped Milk & Cookies 2826 as Elizabeth “Libby” Howes poured in 20 points for the victors. Jaya Verma had 16 points for Milk & Cookies.
In the Girls’ Grade 6-8 Division, PBA defeated Pizza
had six points in the loss. Ivy Inn topped McCaffrey’s 24-17. Henry Arns scored seven points for the victors while Isaac Fertig chipped in eight points for McCaffrey’s. Ahaan Balantrapu tallied 16 points for Built By Me as it posted a 26-24 victory over Dean of Chess. Leo Cronan had 18 points for Dean of Chess.
In the Boys’ Grade 5-6 Division, Meeting House edged Princeton Pettoranello Foundation 25-23 in overtime. Logan Aguila scored 11 points to lead Meeting House while Baldwin Walton had 11 points for Princeton Pettoranello. Ivy Rehab topped J. Majeski Foundation 47-27. Hugh Kelly scored 22 points and Nazir Rollins contributed 21 points to lead Ivy Rehab while Aidyn Shah had 13 points for Majeski.
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21 with both games to be played at the Mercer County Skating Center.
Girls’ Hockey : Cassie Speir triggered the offense as PHS defeated Newark East Side 5-0 last Wednesday. Speir tallied two goals and one assist for the Tigers, who improved to 2-3 with the victory. PHS hosts Madison High in January 15 at Hobey Baker Rink.
Boys’ Swimming : David Brophy and Jaiden Xu were double winners as PHS defeated WW/P-North 10466 last Thursday. Senior standout Brophy placed first in both the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly while classmate Xu took first in the 200 individual medley and 500 free. The Tigers, who improved to 7-0 with the win, were slated to end regular season action with a meet against Notre Dame on January 14 in their final tune-up for the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) meet on January 24-25.
Girls’ Swimming : With Rachel McInerney and Annie Flanagan leading the way, PHS topped WW/P-North 119-51 last Thursday. McInerney placed first in both the 200-yard individual medley and 500 freestyle while Flanagan finished first in the 100 free and 100 backstroke. The Tigers, who moved to 6-1, were slated to end face Notre Dame on January 14 in their regular season finale before competing in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) meet on January 24-25.
Wrestling : Noah Kassas came up big on a busy day for PHS as it went 1-2 in a quad last Saturday, topping Hamilton West 44-33 while losing 37-37 to Notre Dame and 54-20 to Allentown. Kassas grinded out three wins at 215 pounds. Cole Rose went 3-0 at 138 with one win coming on a forfeit while his brother Forest Rose followed suit at 113 with three wins including a
BEST IN STATE: Princeton High girls’ volleyball player Naomi Lygas blasts a serve in action this fall. Last week, junior outside hitter Lygas was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in N.J. girls’ volleyball for the 2024-25 season. This fall, Lygas tallied 318 kills, 37 aces, and 175 digs to help PHS go 28-1 on the way to its second straight New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 3 state title.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Obituaries
Catherine Moore MorganStandard, a passionate wife, mother, grandmother, sister, artist, and visionary, passed away on December 20, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn., at the age of 72 from complications associated with lung cancer. Born on November 11, 1952, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Arthur Palmer Morgan and Mildred Underwood Morgan, Catherine’s life was a journey of artistic creativity and civic leadership.
Raised in Princeton, NJ, Catherine attended the Princeton Day School and graduated from Miss Porter’s School in 1970. During her senior year at Miss Porter’s she and a group of her classmates participated as Nader Raiders publishing a nationally recognized report on the state of elderly care. She showed an early passion and skill in the arts studying at The Franklin College, Lugano, Switzerland, and went on to pursue a formal arts
education, graduating from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. Catherine’s artistic drive fueled her lifelong career as a printmaker.
In 1978, Catherine married her high school sweetheart, John Edward Standard. Together, they lived a romantic dream, one rich in love, adventure, and the kind of mutual respect that lasts a lifetime. After they married, Catherine and John moved to Lincolnville, ME, where they spent 13 years building their family and careers. In 1991, they took a leap of faith and moved their young family to the Big Island of Hawaii. They fell in love with Hawaii’s beauty and deep cultural history and for over 30 years, made their home in Hawi.
Catherine was a passionate leader determined to create community through spaces where people can grow, connect, and thrive. She was the founder of Peopleplace, the first co-operative preschool in Camden, ME. Upon arrival in Hawaii, finding no recycling program, she worked alongside local waste management groups to launch the first Island-wide recycling program and during the 1990s served on the Board of Recycle Hawaii. Starting in 2006, she launched Kenji’s House and undertook a significant project restoring and preserving the art collection of the little-known Hawaiian free-diver, naturalist, and sculptor Kenji Yokoyama. Through her meticulous care, Catherine ensured that his prolific work would be safeguarded for future generations, a testament to her deep reverence for the place
of art and the artist’s legacy in building community. Most recently, Catherine’s civic contributions were focused on the formation and leadership of the Kohala Artists’ Co-Operative in Kapaau, HI, a gallery and community space for local artists. This endeavor allowed her to share her love of collaboration, and support for the arts with many, ensuring that the legacy of artistic expression would endure in her beloved community.
In all her roles — as a mother, grandmother, sister, friend, artist, and community leader — Catherine demonstrated an extraordinary ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Amongst her most defining and constant gifts were her selfless interest in the well-being of others and her unshakeable belief in the goodness and importance of every person, particularly those most often overlooked or marginalized.
Catherine shared her contagious love and celebration of life in innumerable ways, including as an avid ukulele player, singer, dancer, artist, wine enthusiast, and toastmaster. She instigated countless celebrations of humanity through theater, dance, art, and always celebrated the global fraternity of the Olympics. Catherine’s impact on her communities, her family, and the many individuals who knew her is immeasurable. Her spirit will continue to inspire those who loved her, reminding us all first to be kind, to give of oneself generously, and to celebrate the beauty of the world and the people around us.
Catherine’s greatest joy and source of pride was her family. She is survived by her husband, John; her three children, Celina (Dan Fuller), Silas (Cali Standard), and Eloise (Patrick McGowan); and five grandchildren, Jackson, Sophia, Eve, Mason, and Maverick, and her dog Juri. Catherine is also survived by her siblings, Anne Battle and Cynthia Pastuhov, many nieces, nephews, and adopted (“Hanai” in Hawaiian) family. May she rest in peace knowing that her love and vision will continue to inspire us all.
All are invited to gather in remembrance and celebration of her life at the Megunticook Golf Club in Rockport, ME, on June 30, 2025 at 4 p.m.
Donna Sondra Komar Laurie
Donna Sondra Komar
Laurie, born December 1, 1936, passed away on December 29, 2024. She was born in Red Bank, NJ. Donna graduated Salutatorian from Red Bank High school in 1955. From there, Donna attended Wellesley College. She later received an honorary Fellowship from Duke University in 1996.
Donna was predeceased in 2023 by her loving husband Dr. Victor Laurie, and is survived by her children, Charles Stempler (Sally McKenzie) of Oak Harbor, WA, and Margaret Spicer (Greg Spicer) of Tinton Falls, NJ; grandchildren, Samantha Spicer Cohen (Matthew Cohen), Lindsay Tuten, Tucker Stempler (Sierra Stempler), Morgan Spicer (Zachary Brown),
and Timothy Spicer; and four great-grandchildren, Quint and Barrett Tuten, and Eliana and Jacob Cohen.
Donna married Vic in 1980 and lived in Princeton for over 40 years before recently moving to Red Bank to be closer to family. Vic was a chemistry professor at Princeton University while Donna worked at The New York Times as the first female Deputy Editor of National Editions. Donna’s media career began at the Red Bank Register, followed by the Asbury Park Press, Star Ledger, Philadelphia Bulletin, and finally, The New York Times.
After retirement, she and Vic were intrepid travelers. They spent many years traveling the world, including to remote places where few Americans ventured. When flying became difficult they drove to every state in the USA, always wintering in Wrightsville Beach, NC (their happy place). Their adventures were captured in Donna’s stunning photographs that hung on the walls of their home.
Donna was an avid reader and an eclectic collector and admirer of art and artifacts. Her home was full of books and beauty; everything that surrounded her held special meaning. Donna also had an engaging and lively intellect. She never stopped reading the Times and the New Yorker, and kept abreast of world events up until her death. Donna loved good company, good conversation, and good food. She never met a cheese she didn’t like.
DIRECTORY OF RELIGIOUS SERVICES
The Rev. Canon Dr. Kara Slade, Assoc. Rector SUNDAYS
8:00 am: Holy Communion Rite I 10:30 am: Holy Communion Rite II 5:00 pm: Choral Evensong or Choral Compline
The Rev. Paul Jeanes III, Rector
33 Mercer St. Princeton • 609-924-2277 www.trinityprinceton.org
904 Cherry Hill Rd • Princeton, NJ 08525 (609) 466-3058
Catherine Morgan-Standard November 11, 1952 – December 20, 2024
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At Greenwood House Hospice, our families and caregivers LOVE HOW MUCH WE CARE! AND YOU WILL, TOO.
“I am proud and honored to serve as Greenwood House Hospice Medical Director and to work alongside some of the best nurses, social workers, chaplains and volunteers in the business. Our team provides intimate and comprehensive care for our terminally ill patients. We support not just those in their final months but also their families and loved ones.”
– DAVID R. BARILE, MD Medical Director, Greenwood House Hospice
Hospice is about living the fullest life possible according to a patient’s capabilities within a life-limiting condition. In hospice, your choices guide the care we provide. Hospice care affirms quality of life. Our goal is to prevent and relieve pain, discomfort, anxiety and fear.
We provide emotional and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones. Hospice care is provided wherever a patient feels most comfortable or where they call home. We help families and caregivers prepare for endof-life challenges and find creative ways to share in life review and legacy projects so that our patient’s wisdom and memories can be treasured for future generations.
Our Hospice Team consists of:
• Hospice Medical Director, a board-certified hospice physician
• Registered Nurses (RNs) monitoring pain, managing symptoms and guiding patient’s plan of care
• Hospice Certified Home Health Aides (CHHAs) providing personal patient care and companionship
• Social Workers supporting patients and families and connecting them with community resources
• Spiritual Counselors providing emotional support and personal counseling
• Bereavement Services offering guidance and education concerning anticipatory grief to families throughout care and bereavement
• Hospice Volunteers assisting with a variety of patient and family personalized support activities
Greenwood House Hospice is a nonprofit, mission-based organization rooted in cherished Jewish traditions and an industry leader in providing high-quality senior health care in the state of New Jersey. Seniors of all faiths are welcome.
