Town Topics Newspaper, January 3, 2024.

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Volume LXXVIII, Number 1

Experience the Battle of Princeton at Annual State Park Event . . . . . 5 Washington Road Bridge Closed Until January 13 . . . . . . . 7 Three Kings Dance Celebration Features Lisa Botalico’s Students . . . 9 PU Men’s Hockey Tops Harvard 5-2 as Daniells, Carabin Come Up Big . . . . . . . . .17 PHS Wrestling Star Mele Makes a Big Statement in Winning Sam Cali Title . . . . 19

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Middle School Launches Major Science Initiative; PHS Scientists Advance

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Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Labyrinth Books Workers Plan to Unionize Workers at Labyrinth Books on Nassau Street have announced their intention to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), “joining a movement of bookstore workers fighting to improve standards across the industry,” according to a RWDSU post on X (formerly Twitter). “Unionization and collective bargaining will create a better future for this bookstore,” said Rebecca Ziemann, a Labyrinth employee and a leader of the unionization effort, in a speech delivered on December 21 in the bookstore and posted in a video on X and Facebook. “To make Labyrinth the best that it can be we want to make sure that all of our voices are heard.” The audience of employees, most wearing red T-shirts bearing the RWDSU logo, listened intently and cheered loudly as she spoke. “We care about the outcomes and decisions made in this store and therefore we the workers want a seat at the table,” she said. “We want decisions that affect all of us to be transparent. We want to ensure that when we bring concerns to management they will be taken seriously and addressed promptly. All of that means unionization.” In a January 2 phone conversation, Maria DiPasquale, a communications associate representing RWDSU, noted that the Labyrinth workers have been in

communication with RWDSU for several months and have requested voluntary recognition by their employers. If recognition is not voluntarily granted they will proceed to a vote, which requires a simple majority to approve a union. After a positive vote they would elect a bargaining committee and proceed to collective bargaining. “They are focusing on how best to have a seat at the table,” said DiPasquale. “The workers have expertise and they want a

say in how Labyrinth is run, making it the best it can be for themselves, for the customers, and for the community they serve.” One of the issues of concern at Labyrinth, according to DiPasquale, is an inconsistency and lack of transparency about wages and pay increases. “There is not a clear link between what workers are doing and how they’re compensated,” she said. Sam Prentice, who has been an employee at Labyrinth for about a year, emphasized the high turnover rate among

A learning experience called eSTEAM has been bringing together about 75 Princeton Middle School (PMS) and Princeton High School (PHS) students on Saturday mornings over the past three months to work on science and technology projects. As an extension of the district’s “Focus Forward” strategic plan, eSTEAM aims to increase STEM (science, technology, Continued on Page 9 engineering, and mathematics) engagement for seventh graders in particular, who have been working with helpful mentorship from PHS students. The foThere are no winter doldrums for the will be special sets both evenings starring cus from October to December was on Princeton High School (PHS) Studio guest artist and Grammy Award-winning orientation and exploration, according Band, which is back from its recording trumpeter Randy Brecker and acclaimed to 6-12 Science Supervisor Joy Barnessession at the Abbey Road Studios in tenor saxophonist Ava Rovatti performing Johnson, and this month the students London and is now preparing to host a with the PHS Studio Band. will be preparing for the Mercer County Big Band Dance in the PHS cafeteria on Science and Engineering Fair (MSEF), “The energy level that the students proJanuary 12, then the two-day 2024 Princ- vide with the music makes an unforgetwhich will take place in late March. eton Jazz Festival on January 26-27 in the table experience,” said PHS Studio Band Barnes-Johnson noted that the three PHS Performing Arts Center. Director Joe Bongiovi, founder of the PHS content areas of the students’ work inThe annual Festival, in its 17th year at Jazz Festival and currently in his 18th year clude an environmental project, a project PHS, is the largest educational jazz fes- at PHS. He emphasized the power of live on the physics of fitness and the science (under 4.5’)more performance, “seeing and hearing great tival in New Jersey and will feature of play, and a third emphasis on chalthan 700 student musicians. A middle live music.” lenges in science and technology. school competition will take place on JanHe continued, “Even if you don’t think “We wanted to create opportunities uary 26, and a high school competition you’re a jazz fan, the music that you’ll hear for students to explore their interests on January 27. Education clinics will be is from all sorts of genres. We always try as scientists and innovators and proheld for all festival participants, and there to program something for everyone.” vide structural programming support for Continued on Page 8 students who want to compete against other students in the county and state,” Barnes-Johnson wrote in an email. “We also imagined the program as a service opportunity for PHS students. All middle school students in eSTEAM work with high school students.” She added that students who want to compete in the MSEF will be developing their ideas with their high school mentors in the coming weeks. “There has been an overwhelmingly positive response so far, as the middle school students develop their varied interests in research,” Barnes-Johnson noted. She also reported that PHS junior Sarah Shahab Diaz recently won a grant from the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship to support a composting project with eSTEAM. In other PHS-PMS science collaborations, PHS senior Isabelle 415 Nassau Park Blvd. 1378 Route 206 Tellez, with support from Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP), up Princeton, NJ heads 08540 Skillman, NJ 08558 the maintenance of the hydroponics towON THE SQUARE: Skaters enjoyed the syntheticWells rink on Hulfi sh StreetBank) behind the Nassau Inn on Saturday. Skating (near Club) (behind Fargo ers, and, along All withSam’s Diaz, to build You Can Youplans Can Eat SKATING Sushi at the rink continues on Thursday All and Friday from 4 toEat 7 p.m.Sushi and Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. up the Green Team at PMS under the

January is Show Time for PHS Studio Band; Big Band Dance, Jazz Festival Coming Up

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Tel: (609) 520-8883

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Tel: (609) 520-8883

Tel: (609) 683-2222

415 Nassau Park Blvd. Princeton, NJ 08540 (near Sam’s Club)

1378 Route 206 Skillman, NJ 08558 (behind Wells Fargo Bank)

415 Nassau Park Blvd. Princeton, NJ 08540 (near Sam’s Club)

1378 Route 206 Skillman, NJ 08558 (behind Wells Fargo Bank)

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Lunch $23.95 • Dinner $28.95• Kidsmasa8restaurant.com Dinner $15.95 morisushinj.com (under 4.5’)

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(Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)


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