Town Topics Newspaper, February 15, 2023

Eisgruber Highlights

PU Accomplishments, Technology Challenges

In his annual State of the University letter to faculty, students, and staff on January 31, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber celebrated an abundance of University accomplishments and emphasized the profound impacts of rapidly developing technology.

In addition to a slew of prestigious faculty, student, and alumni awards; an impressive picture of the University’s nances, with record sums raised and significant increases in graduate stipends and undergraduate nancial aid, as well as dramatic progress on “the most ambitious building program in the University’s history”; Eisgruber highlighted the Princeton University community’s full return to campus in person for academic, extracurricular, and athletic activities three years after the initial appearance of COVID-19.

“Our campus again pulses with vital energy, personal interaction, and creative inspiration,” he wrote. “Classes are meeting without the restrictions needed last year. Workshops, lectures, and colloquia are well attended. Crowds are welcome at performances, sporting events, and other gatherings.”

Most of his 16-page letter, however, he devoted to discussion of the changing current world of technology and “what these changes mean for Princeton as a University steadfastly committed to the ideals of liberal arts education and curiosity-driven research.”

“Computer science, data science, online media, and machine learning are rapidly changing how we read, write, learn, think, communicate, and socialize,” he wrote. “They are affecting what students want to study, how research is conducted, and what topics scholars can explore. They are altering the world’s capacities and problems, and, with those, the issues that universities must address to prepare students for the future and deliver the research that our society needs.”

Eisgruber pointed out some lessons learned from the pandemic, how important the residential teaching model is to Princeton, and how difficult it is to teach effectively online.

“To be sure, the experience of online teaching during the pandemic broadened familiarity with what could be done online,” he wrote. “The knowledge may

Continued on Page 7

PPS Prepares to Meet Rising Enrollments

Enrollment at Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is growing, with an increase of 324 students or 9.5 percent over the past 10 years and an anticipated increase of 433 students, from 3,721 to 4,154, by the 2027-28 school year.

At the February 8 PPS Board of Education (BOE) meeting, Michael Zuba, a certified professional planner and the director of public education master planning for SLAM, a planning rm for educational entities, presented a report on the anticipated impact on enrollment of new housing in Princeton. His report included information about housing developments that are planned or in progress, the largest of which is Avalon Princeton Circle on Thanet Road, which will consist of 221 apartments and townhouses.

There was an enrollment peak of 3,855 students in the 2019-20 school year, followed by two years of declining enrollment during the pandemic. The data presented at the meeting was consistent with the two most recent demographic studies in 2020 and 2021.

BOE President Dafna Kendal re ected on the impact of the growing student

population and discussed steps the BOE might be taking to address that growth. “We will proceed thoughtfully and deliberately,” she said.

The updated demographic report will be the focus of the March 21 BOE meeting, she added, and in the meantime, “We’re waiting for recommendations from the administration, which we expect to get in early March, and those recommendations will inform our decisions.”

Noting that demographic projections

are just one data point, Kendal acknowledged the challenges and opportunities.

“What struck me is that we’re going to have 1,100 new housing units in Princeton,” she said. “That’s a lot. Obviously with 1,100 new homes that’s going to be more children, more school-age children.” She continued, “We are always excited to welcome new children to the district and excited that the district continues to grow. We think that is a re ection of our reputation for excellence.”

Council Backs Ordinance to Acquire Land on Franklin Avenue for Development of Mixed-Rate Housing

Princeton Council introduced an ordinance at its meeting on Monday night seeking to acquire land on Franklin Avenue from the Princeton Housing Authority for the development of affordable and market-rate housing, at a price of $1,720,000.

The municipality already owns two other lots on the street, across from the AvalonBay community. The town proposes to develop the new apartment complex of 160 units with a private developer. A

public hearing on the matter is set for February 27.

As part of the public hearing portion of the meeting, Council voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance authorizing the acquisition for $1 of more than 34 acres of open space between Ridgeview Road and Cherry Valley Road. The property forms part of Princeton’s “Emerald Necklace,” and will be added to its preserved open spaces “to be used by the general public for passive recreation and conservation

Continued on Page 11

NO SNOW YET: Children enjoyed playing outside in Marquand Park on Sunday. Residents and visitors share their thoughts on the lack of snow this winter in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)

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STARTERS

WOOD-FIRED STARTERS

PLANNING PORCHFEST: The Arts Council of Princeton is seeking performers and hosts for this year’s Porchfest, planned for April 29 on front porches throughout town. As in last year’s event, pictured here, the daylong, walkable music festival allows local performers to play rotating sets. The deadline to participate is March 3. Visit artscouncilofprinceton.org for more information.

Topics In Brief

A Community Bulletin

Environmental Resource Inventory : On February 22 at 7 p.m., the Princeton Environmental Commission hosts a virtual information session on this topic during their regular monthly meeting. Residents are invited to ask questions and provide feedback. Visit princetonnj.gov.

Porchfest Needs Hosts and Performers : The Arts Council of Princeton is seeking hosts and performers for the April 29 Porchfest. The deadline is Friday, March 3. Visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Pickleball Courts Now Open to the Public : The courts behind Community Park Elementary School and Community Park Pool are open dawn to dusk on a first-come, first-served basis. Free, no reservations required. This is a trial period through April 1.

Ice Skating on the Square : On Hulfish Street behind the Nassau Inn, skate on the outdoor synthetic rink through February 26. Tickets are $10, sold at the door. Visit palmersquare.com.

Recreation Department Summer Jobs : The Princeton Recreation Department is looking for customer service staff, a day camp counselor, teen travel camp counselor, day camp supervisor, seasonal maintenance worker, and lifeguard/swim instructor for the summer season. Visit princetonnj.gov.

Join Boards, Commissions, or Committees : The municipality is looking to fill vacancies with residents of Princeton who are willing to attend regularly scheduled meetings. Visit princetonnj.gov for more information.

Princeton Farmers Market Winter Market : On Thursdays, February 23, March 9 and 23, and April 6 and 20 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Dinky train station lot, 172 Alexander Street. Local farms, baked goods, artisan foods, unique gifts, and more. Princetonfarmersmarket.com.

Free Rabies Clinic: New Jersey residents can get rabies shots for dogs or cats on Saturday, March 4 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, 2 Mount Lucas Road. Park at 1 Valley Road or 400 Witherspoon Street. Pets must be at least 3 months old. Dogs must be leashed; cats in a carrier. All must be accompanied by an adult. (609) 924-2728.

Blood Donors Needed: The American Red Cross needs blood and platelets to keep supplies from dropping. All types are needed, especially type O. Visit RedCrossBlood. org or call (800) 733-2767 for more information.

Speak Up for a Child : Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children seeks volunteers to speak up in Family Court for the best interests of Mercer County children removed from their families due to abuse and/or neglect, and placed in the foster care system. Volunteers advocate for the educational, emotional and physical well-being of these children. A one-hour information session is on March 1 at 1450 Parkside Avenue, Ewing. Casamb.org.

Free COVID-19 Test Kits: Available at Princeton Health Department, 1 Monument Drive, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. There is limit of four per household; you must reside in Princeton to get the kits.

(Photo by Sameer A. Khan)

American Repertory Ballet’s “Giselle” Makes the Classic Work More Relatable

When Ethan Stiefel was artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, he asked his friend and fellow dance star Johan Kobborg to collaborate with him on a

production of the 19th century classic Giselle. Now, a decade later, Stiefel is staging the work for American Repertory Ballet (ARB), which he has headed since July 2021.

TOPICS Of the Town

Kobborg, who lives in London, was right beside Stiefel last week at a recent rehearsal in a roomy space at Talbott Library, on the mostly-empty Princeton campus of Westminster Choir College The two-act, 19th century ballet comes to the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center for four performances March 3-5.

Stiefel and Kobborg, both 50, worked in tandem with the dancers on details of their portrayals. “Feel the purpose, don’t just do the steps,” Kobborg said to Aldeir Monteiro, cast as the nobleman whose infatuation with a young peasant girl leads to heartbreak, grief, and vengeance. “You need to realize that she’s gone.”

Giselle is widely considered to be the perfect Romantic era ballet. Its timeless story of love gone wrong has kept it in the repertories of ballet companies across the world. A year after it premiered in New Zealand, Stiefel and Kobborg’s version was made into a feature film, which has been screened at several international film festivals. The ballet has also been performed by Opera National Bucharest, which Kobborg headed from 2013-2016.

Kobborg is a veteran of the Royal Danish Ballet and London’s Royal Ballet. Stiefel was a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre and starred in the cult film Center Stage before changing his focus from dancing to directing. The two first met some 27 years ago, they reminisced during a sushi lunch break. “It was around 1996, I think,” said Kobborg. “I have no idea how I ended up in a tour group called Stars of the American Ballet, since I was at the Royal Danish Ballet at the time. But I did. And I had

seen Ethan dance at a gala in Denmark.”

Stiefel traced the development of their friendship to performances he gave as a guest artist at London’s Covent Garden, where Kobborg was dancing with the Royal Ballet. “I didn’t realize he was there, but one day, there he was. The apartment I was staying in was right down the street from his. We became friends. We realized we had some shared sensibilities.”

During the years he served as dean of the School of

RETELLING A CLASSIC: Dancers from American Repertory Ballet rehearse a scene from “Giselle” in which Albrecht, played here by Aldeir Monteiro, collapses after having been forced to dance nearly to death. Ryoko Tanaka, facing away from Monteiro, plays the ghostly Giselle.

Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Stiefel had commissioned Kobborg to create a ballet. The idea for the collaborative Giselle came to him a few years later, during his time in New Zealand. “We had both played Albrecht, and we’d talked about it,” he said. “I thought, wouldn’t it be great to do this together?”

The idea appealed to Kobborg. “It is unusual,” he said. “I think you’d have a hard time finding a production done by two male dancers.”

Their approach was never set in stone. “We didn’t say, ‘You do Act I and I’ll do Act II or anything like that,’ said Stiefel. “We knew the broad strokes of what we would do. But even if you know each other, it’s always a big gamble.”

The version follows the 1841 original by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, with some tweaks. Giselle is a young peasant girl who falls in love with Albrecht, a nobleman in disguise. When his true identity and plans to marry another are revealed by his rival, Hilarion, Giselle goes mad and dies of heartbreak. After her death, she is summoned from her grave into the deadly sisterhood of the Wilis, who take revenge on the men who have wronged them by forcing them to dance to death. Hilarion succumbs, but Albrecht is ultimately saved by Giselle.

Instead of the traditional peasant pas de deux in Act I, Stiefel and Kobborg have added a solo for Hilarion, “a kind of dance-off between him and Albrecht,” said Stiefel. Also unique to this version is a festive wedding of a peasant couple. “A traditional Giselle is about her love, but the environment of Act I does nothing to enhance that,” said Kobborg. “Here, Giselle sees these festivities. She is very happy for this couple, and all the more happy about what she thinks are her own plans to marry. So we haven’t made big changes, but we’ve enhanced the narrative.”

Instead of the traditional setting in a medieval period, “this is set in more of a Victorian time in Europe,” said Stiefel. The ballet is shown through the lens of Albrecht, who ends up very remorseful, “years down the road. That’s not always the approach in other versions.”

Both men agree that fulllength, classical ballets have to be relatable. “It’s a fine line between respecting the original and being a museum piece,” said Stiefel. “And you have to keep up with today’s attention spans. There is more dancing for the corps [de ballet] men in this version, and it’s a little meatier.”

The story has “a very primal cornerstone,” Stiefel said. “This is a guy who’s engaged to someone, and all of a sudden something very primal happens with someone else. I think people can relate to that love story — the trauma of a broken heart and what that does to a person — whether they know ballet or not.”

Performances of Giselle are at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, 11 Livingston Avenue, March 3 at 7 p.m.; March 4 and 2 and 7 p.m.; and March 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $25. Visit arballet.org.

—Anne Levin

TOWN TALK©

Question of the Week: “What do you think about the lack of snow this season?”

(Photos by Weronika A.

Plohn)

“I am pleasantly surprised. I am a fan of warm weather in general, and I am thankful for this mild winter without the hassle of heavy winter gear and ice on the road.”

—James McCormick, Langhorne, Pa.

Tej: “I would rather have more snow so we could enjoy it.”

Janhu: “The lack of snow concerns me. It seems like climate change is a real problem, and not having snow here in New Jersey is just one of the results of it. It is promising to see the big tech companies doing their best to change, but we as a people should also be more aware of it and do something about it.”

—Tej Murthy and Janhu Chung, both of West Windsor

Urgita: “It is great for us as students to be able to be outside more and have fun. Looking at it from the bigger picture, it is concerning. Having snow in winter was one of the selling points when my family moved to New Jersey. We used to have seasons, and now everything blends together.”

Andrea: “I remember as a child how much snow we used to get in December, and all the fun we had. It makes me sad for the kids who don’t get to experience it. The climate is changing dramatically.”

—Urgita Kaishan and Andrea Lu, both of West Windsor

Lily: “I like it because the weather is still warm and we get to meet friends and eat lunch outside.”

—Kayle Xu, San Diego, Calif., with Lily Gittoes, Redwood City, Calif.

Egan: “I am still hoping to get some snow this year. Having snow is something we should experience each year, and not being able to have that doesn’t feel the same.”

Adriana: “It is a bummer. I have two kids and bought some sleds last year hoping to use them. We might take a trip to Vermont to get some good snow.”

Molly: “I love it! I don’t mind a mild winter at all.”

—Egan Jimenez, North Brunswick with Adriana Decerbantes, Doylestown, Pa., and Molly Seltzer, Ewing

Eisgruber continued from page one enable Princeton to leverage technology to improve the residential education it offers or to expand the impact of its teaching to new audiences. If so, however, we will have to do so in a way that respects the power of residential engagement and the limits of online teaching, which is one reason why Princeton required beginning in fall 2021 that all classes once again meet in person.”

Noting how powerful and disruptive artificial intelligence can be, Eisgruber went on to state that great liberal arts universities of the 21st century must “wholeheartedly embrace the study of technology. Critical thinking skills are at the heart of a liberal arts education, and in today’s world those skills must encompass the ability to understand, develop, and use technology both effectively and ethically.”

He pointed out that Princeton has traditionally embraced a vision of a liberal arts education that encompasses engineering, and he discussed the strengthening of the University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science as one response to the challenges posed by 21st century technology. “It has become clear that in the 21st century, a great liberal arts university requires a great engineering school,” he wrote.

The number of engineering majors at Princeton has

risen from about 19 percent in 2012-13 to 28 percent of the University’s undergraduate students today, and the computer science department teaches more students and has more majors than any other department. There were about 36 computer science majors in the class of 2011, and there are more than 200 prospective commuter science majors in this year’s junior class.

“Princeton is investing boldly in its School of Engineering and Applied Science,” Eisgruber said, noting the massive building project for the new Environmental Studies and School of Engineering and Applied Science (ES+SEAS) campus between Prospect Avenue and Western Way. He also pointed out, “Because our School of Engineering and Applied Science is integrated into the liberal arts ethos of the University, we can educate engineers who create and apply technology deeply informed by the insights and values drawn from the arts, humanities, and social and natural sciences.”

Eisgruber went on to discuss the dangers and opportunities inherent in the current “communications environment” that “poses a fundamental challenge to our civic life and to truthseeking institutions, including colleges and universities,” and he continued to enumerate a wide variety of initiatives and projects that the University is committed to in working to achieve its mission.

He highlighted the opening of two new residential colleges, Yeh College and New College West, last fall,

which allowed the University to welcome the largest entering class of students in its history. Increasing the socioeconomic diversity of the University and making a Princeton education accessible to more students from more different backgrounds were among the highest priorities mentioned.

Racial diversity was also a theme of his letter, and Eisgruber noted that the University would not be deterred in its quest for diversity by the possibility of an impending unfavorable decision in the Supreme Court’s current affirmative action case.

“If the court imposes new restrictions upon us, we must of course comply with them,” he wrote, “but we will also be creative and persistent in our efforts to preserve and build upon the diversity of our scholarly and educational community. That diversity is a source of great strength to this University, and it will be essential to our future and the future of this country.”

Opportunities for discussion of the State of the University letter, which is available on the University website at princeton.edu, will take place at two open meetings: on Monday, February 20 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. for students, faculty, and members of the broader University community in the First Campus Center multipurpose room; and on Wednesday, February 22 at 10 a.m. in Richardson Auditorium for University staff members. Eisgruber will discuss the letter and invite questions at both sessions.

—Donald Gilpin

Applications are Available For Annual Scholarship

For over 100 years the primary mission of the Women’s College Club of Princeton (WCCP) has been to award scholarships to outstanding young women with fi nancial need graduating from Princeton High School, Princeton Day School, The Hun School, Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, and beginning this year, the Lewis School.

To date, these awards have totaled over $700,000. They are made possible as a result of endowments, fundraisers, and donations, including those made in honor or memory of present or former members of the club, such as the annual Florence Bell Hillier Award.

Applications for this year are available with college counselors at each school or

by contacting Sandra Stein, 2023 Chair of the WCCP Scholarship Committee, at sstein0696@verizon.net.

WCCP meets on the third Monday of the month at the Stockton Education Center on the grounds of the Morven Museum. They feature speakers and programs of multiple interests such as former U.S. presidents; art history, with docents from the Princeton Art Museum; gardening; climate change; and the history of African Americans in Princeton.

In addition to its monthly gatherings, the club offers a variety of activities for smaller groups, including walks, hiking, playing Bridge, reading in a book club, and taking trips to museums or other points of interest.

Women of all ages are encouraged to join. For more information, visit wccpnj.org.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS: From left, architect J. Robert Hillier, 2022 Florence Bell Hillier Award winner Jadlyn Piotrowski, and Women’s College Club of Princeton Scholarship Committee chair Elaine Rafferty at last year’s presentation.

Get the scoop from

Annual Oxtail Fest Celebration

Raises Funds for Black History Museum

The expression “high on the hog” refers to the choicest cuts of meat. Not surprisingly, enslaved people ate “low on the hog,” cast-off cuts that would otherwise be fed to the animals or discarded while the enslavers tucked into what was considered the good stuff.

Oxtail, literally the meat from the tail of a cow, was not among the fancy offerings. But it turns out that those who shunned it didn’t know what they were missing.

“Here’s the thing about oxtail,” said Donnetta Johnson, executive director of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) of Skillman, which will hold its second annual Oxtail Fest at Put’s Tavern in Hillsborough on Sunday, February 26 at 3 p.m. “The enslaved people got all the cast-offs, and oxtail was considered one of them. But what the enslavers didn’t understand was that this is a delicious, succulent, flavorful piece of the animal. So the enslaved took this and created wonderful meals with rice, vegetables, okra, collard greens, and more. The irony is that it is now considered fancy food. It has undergone gentrification. It has done the lobster thing.”

SSAAM’s winter Black history fundraiser, first held in 2021, is back by popular demand. It will feature an African American/Caribbean fusion oxtail preparation as well as Cuban-style and Haitian preparations. Guests can choose between Johnson’s Southern/Jamaican oxtail derived from her mother’s recipe from Selma, Ala.; and her father’s Jamaican family recipe. The Afro-Cuban oxtail is derived from board member Jackie Fay’s mother’s Cubano family recipe. A guest chef will prepare Haitian oxtail.

“He’s actually Puerto Rican,” said Johnson. “So we will have oxtail from three traditions to celebrate with our larger community. There will also be okra, collard greens, appetizers, and treats, plus a whole array of pies and cakes. Our guests should definitely wear elastic.”

A special drink at the festival will features “peaches and spirits,” described in a release as “a nod to enslaved and freed African Americans who worked in the Sourland Mountain peach orchards, which were among four million trees throughout the state. Before the 1899 San Jose scale blight, half of these orchards were located in Hunterdon County.”

SSAAM is now in its sixth year. It was established,

after decades of research, to tell the story of the unique culture, experiences, and contributions of the Black community of the Sourland Mountain Region. Johnson, who came on board right after the pandemic, said the organization has made significant progress since it opened.

“We have gone from a strong founder-led organization to what we are now embarking upon, which is board-led,” she said. “It is really exciting. All of the improvements we’re making are so the foundation is strong, will be sustainable, and will be there in the future. We expect the organization to outlive us.”

Johnson continued, “It is time in America, to put it quite frankly. We have not really faced up to the legacy of slavery in a substantive way — to really look at so many of the issues that are a result of systemic racism, happening across all of our population. SSAAM came along at a key moment. And then 2020 happened. If that didn’t make clear how important it is for our entire community to work together to decimate racism and structural racism, I don’t know what would. Then the pandemic came along and just underlined it and highlighted it in bold.”

The museum exists “not for the purpose of shocking or shaming, but for the purpose of taking a very clear look at it, and understanding our way to work together to fix it,” Johnson said. “That’s our message. We’re about history reclamation and social justice, and we’re forward.”

The Antique Barn at Cashel in Hillsborough, owned by event co-host Jen Bryson, is being staged for the occasion as Put’s Tavern. “Harry ‘Put’ Compton, a formerly enslaved person and Revolutionary War veteran, reputed to be a fifer in the Battle of Princeton, started the tavern after the war,” reads the release. “Put’s Tavern was a place near Rock Mills where the people of the Sourlands freely socialized with one another, regardless of race and color. The isolated Indigenous, Black, and White people of the Sourlands created an interdependent, racially mixed, and integrated community that was unusually harmonious for the day, but not without issues.”

The event raises funds for operational expenses and the future home of the museum. Visit ssaamuseum.org/tickets to participate.

—Anne Levin

Hydroponic Garden Crop Feeds Local Families

Thanks to the Fork Farms hydroponic garden, Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP) was able to harvest its first crop, lettuce, at the YWCA Princeton on Monday, December 30. Each plant space in the hydroponic garden delivered a robust vegetable, so the nonprofit was able to fill many large bins with the lettuce, and it was given out to families as they picked up their children from the Nursery School at the YWCA.

To grow the lettuce, seeds were soaked and then planted in the rock-wool growing medium, according to Ross Wishnick and Izzy Tellez of SHUPP. They covered the tray in plastic — creating a space that would maintain high humidity. A grow light was set to be on for 18 hours a day. SHUPP balanced and filtered the water’s pH, and ensured that the environment was at the desired temperature of 70 degrees.

As the seeds sprouted, they were transplanted into the hydroponic garden — one into every other plant space so they could grow comfortably. The lettuce began to grow rapidly. The technology of the hydroponic pumped water though the drip irrigation, and the water reservoir filled as needed with more water. The pH was balanced, and the nutrients were maintained. The cycle continues and then starts all over again.

AARP Tax-Aide Program At Nassau Presbyterian

Following a two-year hiatus, the Mercer County Tax-Aide program, which provides free tax preparation services, has reopened a site at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. Services are available on Saturday mornings.

IRS-trained volunteers will prepare and file federal and state tax returns Saturday mornings through April 15. Taxpayers should arrive between 9 and 11 a.m. at the church, and no appointment is necessary. Filers should bring a copy of their 2021 return, if possible.

The program serves all ages and primarily focuses on taxpayers of low and moderate income. Spanishspeaking taxpayers are welcome.

Two additional Tax-Aide sites also operate in Princeton, by appointment only. On Mondays, the program is in the Community Room at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call (609) 924-9529, ext. 1220 for an appointment. On Fridays at Princeton Senior Resource Center’s Suzanne Patterson Center, behind the former Borough Hall, 45 Stockton Street, the program operates from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (609) 751-9699 for an appointment.

Other area sites can be found by a web search for “AARP Tax-Aide locator” or by calling (888) 227-7669.

Jewish Family Service Hosts Virtual Game Night

Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) is holding a virtual game night as its annual fundraiser on Thursday, March 2, at 8 p.m. The event is open to the community.

“Our annual fundraiser is

our chance to bring together our supporters, donors, and partners to highlight the agency’s programs and recognize partners who are honored for their dedication over the past year,” said Michelle Napell, executive director. “This year we are pleased to honor Novo Nordisk for their direct support of our on-site and mobile food pantries, and their organization’s global commitment to fighting food insecurity.”

In addition to honoring Novo Nordisk, the event will include program highlights of JFCS services, particularly the Senior Services department. “Senior care is one of our core focus areas at JFCS. Our team of professional geriatric care managers ensures seniors have the information, resources, and support to age on their terms,” said Napell.

Under their Senior Services umbrella, JFCS provides geriatric consultations, ongoing care management, support groups, bereavement and chaplaincy support, special programs for Holocaust Survivors, and senior nutrition programs.

The virtual event will feature three rounds of game play, mimicking popular game show puzzles. Guests will be able to form their own teams of six to 10 individuals and compete for prizes for the top three teams.

Event Information, including sponsorships and registration, can be found at jfcsonline. org/2023GameNight.

People & Stories Benefit Hosts Jennifer Egan

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan is the featured guest for this year’s gala benefit “Notable Words: An Afternoon with Jennifer Egan,” the primary fundraiser presented by People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos, on Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. in the Mackay Lounge on the campus of the Princeton Theological Seminary, 64 Mercer Street.

Ticket prices start at $150 per person, including a signed copy of Egan’s latest novel The Candy House. The afternoon will include a talk and reception, followed by book signing. Tickets are available at peopleandstories.org/gala2023.

Egan is the author of several novels and a short story collection. Her 2017 novel, Manhattan Beach , a New York Times bestseller, was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and was chosen as New York City’s One Book One New York read. Her previous novel, A Visit From the Goon Squad, won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was named one of the best books of the decade by Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly.

18-24 to gain academic and career-related experience to prepare for adulthood and independent living.

The Center is being funded by a State of New Jersey grant from The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE), which is partnering with the project. Programs will help students with intellectual and developmental disabilities achieve their post-secondary education goals as well as gain meaningful employment and prepare for independent living as adults.

“We plan to begin recruiting students right away in coordination with Mercer County Community College’s spring semester start date,” said Arlene Stinson, director of the Center for Inclusion, Transition and Accessibility at MCCC. “At this time, we are making preparations and reaching out to area organizations who would like to work with the college to help onboard qualified students,” said Stinson.

The Candy House , a sibling of A Visit From the Goon Squad , was published in April 2022, and was named one of the New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2022, as well as one of President Obama’s favorite reads of 2022.

Also a journalist, she has written frequently in the New York Times Magazine. Her 2002 cover story on homeless children received the Carroll Kowal Journalism Award, and “The Bipolar Kid” received a 2009 NAMI Outstanding Media Award for Science and Health Reporting from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She recently completed a term as President of PEN America.

Learning Center to Open For Developmentally Disabled Mercer County Community College (MCCC) has announced a new County College-Based Center for Adult Transition (CAT) for young adults with developmental disabilities. The Center will allow adults ages

The program will build upon the current studentcentered DREAM program at MCCC, which provides academic, pre-vocational, and career-related learning as well as opportunities for age-appropriate social experiences for young adults with developmental disabilities.

“We are excited about this new commitment to our community and the opportunities that will unfold during the months ahead to create paths to credential building, employment, and credit-bearing continuous education,” said Gonzalo Perez, dean of college’s division of Innovation, Online Education and Student Success (IOESS), Division of Lifelong Learning (DLL) at MCCC.

The program will be based at Mercer County Community College’s James Kerney campus located at 102 North Broad Street in Trenton. Organizations and individuals can learn more about the CAT program by email at cat@mccc.edu or by calling Arlene Stinson at (609) 570-3525.

Get the scoop from

FIRST CROP: Lettuce is looking healthy at the YWCA’S hydroponic garden, where Send Hunger Packing Princeton has been growing crops to donate to families whose children attend the YWCA Nursery School.

Jennifer Egan

(Photo by Pieter M. Van Hattem)

PPS

continued from page one

Over the past three years the district has implemented schedule changes, facilities upgrades, and the addition of classrooms at Princeton High School and Princeton Middle School in order to maximize the capacity of the existing schools.

Kendal noted that the Board does not anticipate the need for any new building construction. “Nothing has been ruled out,” she said, “but I think the Board does think that we can work with our existing buildings.”

Kendal explained that the BOE and school administrators work together to balance enrollments at each school and achieve optimal enrollment numbers.

“We get updated enrollment and updated class sizes at our schools all the time,” she said. “It’s always something that we’re looking at, and this report is another data point for us to consider.”

Kendal discussed some of the steps the district might take in accommodating the influx of new students from Avalon Princeton Circle. “Since there are going to be about 250 more elementary students over the next five years, we will have to make adjustments as to where those students will attend school,” she said. “This is something the Board in collaboration with the administration does all the time.”

With children from Avalon Princeton Circle expected in the PPS this September, Kendal anticipates that the elementary students will be attending Riverside. “The Board always prioritizes keeping school children from the same neighborhoods together, so we can keep the children together as a neighborhood cohort and accommodate the growing enrollment by having them attend Riverside, which at the same time eases the enrollment pressure on Littlebrook,” she said.

Kendal noted that the BOE, in collaboration with administration, is well positioned to prepare the district to accommodate the rise in enrollment. “We’ll be transparent and thoughtful, and we’ll be sure to communicate how we think we can best address the rising enrollment in the best interests of the students and taxpayers,” she said. “We’ll have more information to share with the community by the March 21 date.”

—Donald Gilpin

Young Entrepreneur Wins

Full Scholarship to Rider

Brianna Bogos, a senior at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, is the winner of the 2023 Norm Brodsky Business Concept Competition.

The Cherry Hill resident pitched her business idea to a panel of judges live on January 28 during Rider University’s annual competition, earning her a full, four-year tuition scholarship to the university.

“It takes a huge financial burden off my shoulders and allows me to focus on my education and growing my business,” she said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to attend Rider without worrying about college costs or going into debt.”

Bogos developed the idea for an app for her business, Find the Perfect Outfit, LLC, which connects consumers to independent women’s clothing retailers by curating outfit ideas. On the app, consumers could add items to a wish list, follow their friends to see their favorite clothing, and follow a variety of retailers to see new releases. Retailers would pay to have their products featured on the app.

Bogos, who intends to study marketing at Rider, established a Find the Perfect Outfit, LLC website and social media profiles during the pandemic. In addition to showcasing a variety of designers and outfits, the site allows users to browse outfits by aesthetic, further customizing their experience. After gaining more than 20,000 subscribers across her digital media channels, Bogos hopes the app will further expand her business.

“The judges were very impressed by how Brianna intends to expand her current business,” said Lora Hudicka, director of Rider’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. “She exemplifies everything the competition seeks to reward — ingenuity, determination, and an innate entrepreneurial mind.”

The annual competition challenges high school students to develop an innovative business idea and present it in front of a panel of judges, Shark Tank -style. Divided into two divisions, seniors competed for the full scholarship grand prize, while juniors and sophomores competed for several cash prizes and the chance to be automatically entered into the senior competition when eligible.

This year’s finale judges were Bill Cunningham of Encompass Media; Joe Lopez of the Uncommon Individual Foundation; and Lisa Teach ’02,’09, adjunct professor for the Norm Brodsky College of Business.

Rider received more than 200 submissions for this year’s competition. Applicants were required to submit a brief summary of their business concept, which went through two rounds of review by a group of judges, before being narrowed down to the 10 finalists.

Einstein Memorial Lecture

Features Robert W. Wilson

The Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber has announced the 2023 Albert Einstein Memorial Lecture, to be held Thursday, March 14 at 5:30 p.m. in Princeton University’s Robertson Hall. The speaker is Robert W. Wilson of the HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Wilson’s topic is “The Discovery of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation and its Role in Cosmology.” The annual event is the only Nobel laureate speaker series of its kind presented by a chamber of commerce.

March 14 is Einstein’s birthday, known as Pi Day. Bill Agress, an Einstein reenactor, will be on hand at the Robertson Hall event. Pre-registration is required. Visit princetonmercerchamber.org for more information.

Sustainable Princeton Leads

Classes on Electrification

Princeton’s 2018 greenhouse gas emissions inventory has revealed that the largest portion of the town’s greenhouse gasses come from buildings, followed closely by transportation. Sustainable Princeton, in partnership with Princeton Adult School, has collaborated to create a five-class series to run through March about electrification, the movement to replace fossil fuels with electricity.

This series covers everything from home solar panels to heat pumps to electric vehicles, with a forwardlooking session dedicated to geoengineering. Students will walk away understanding why these things matter and how to implement changes in their own homes.

“I’m excited about this series because electrification is a key strategy to reduce Princeton’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said Christine Symington, executive

you to learn about some practical steps that can be taken by individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their own lives. The Adult School hopes to offer additional classes on this topic in future semesters.”

Visit princetonadultschool. org for more information. A portion of the tuition goes to support Sustainable Princeton’s mission.

Minority-Based Firm Expands Advisory Board

Syridex, a Princetonbased minority-led life sciences-focused firm investing firm, has expanded its advisory board with the appointment of Dr. Kelvin Baggett.

Police Blotter

On February 12, at 12:57 a.m., subsequent to a motor vehicle stop on Westcott Road, a 36-year-old female from Hopewell was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated. She was transported to headquarters for processing and was later released.

On February 9, at 11:39 a.m., an individual reported that her cellular phone was stolen from her vehicle while it was parked outside a building on Harrison Street.

director of Sustainable Princeton. “Reaching an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050 sounds aggressive, but it’s necessary if we hope to reduce the negative effects of climate change. It’s our role as global community members to meet these goals, and I know our town has what it takes. We appreciate the Princeton Adult School’s effort to make decarbonization education and action accessible.”

“The Princeton Adult School is very pleased to begin a partnership with Sustainable Princeton to offer classes jointly that support both of our missions,” said Anne Brenner, executive director of the adult school.

“We think that this series on the importance of electrifying your home and its value to our community will help

“As Syridex Bio continues to work towards its mission of advancing health equity, we are excited to benefit from Kelvin’s extensive range of expertise, having served as a C-Suite executive of public and private health care companies with responsibility for clinical operations,” said Squire Servance, founder and managing partner.

Baggett is a nationally recognized health care leader with experience as a physician, clinical leader, operator, adviser, and investor. He brings an informed point of view on health and health care and how to make improvements at scale, shaped through his positions in senior management, and executive leadership positions in large complex organizations.

On February 8, at 2:27 p.m., an individual reported that an unknown person removed and stole the catalytic converter from a vehicle parked overnight on the owner’s driveway at Hickory Court.

On February 7, at 8:39 p.m., subsequent to a call for a possible person in distress, a 39-year-old female from Hamilton was arrested on Stockton Street for Driving While Intoxicated, Resisting Arrest, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS). She was processed and released.

On February 6, at 3:03 p.m., a caller reported that an unknown male entered a retail establishment on Nassau Street and shoplifted a piece of clothing valued at $498. Police describe the male as 65 years old and wearing a blue hat, blue coat, blue jeans, and brown boots. The Detective Bureau is investigating.

Unless otherwise noted, individuals arrested were later released.

PASSION FOR FASHION: Norm Brodsky, left, declares Brianna Bogos the winner in the annual business competition that bears his name. Bogos’ idea for a fashion business was the winning entry.

Jeff Lucker, 53 Years at PHS: “It’s Amazing What Can Be Done”

Princeton High School (PHS) students, teachers, administrators, and staff continue to go about their business, but, over the past two weeks — for the first time since 1968 —Jeff Lucker has not been present in the halls, meeting rooms, and the history classroom where he taught for 53 years. He retired on February 1.

After teaching more than 12,000 students, presiding over some 48,000 classes, and delivering who knows how many assignments, quizzes, tests, provocative discussion questions, and words of wisdom, Lucker decided it was time to move on.

Widely celebrated over the years and particularly in his final month at PHS, Lucker has been variously described by students, alumni, colleagues, and others as “a great teacher,” “awesomeness personified,” “the best of the best,” “beloved,” “funny,” “flipping hilarious,” “dedicated with a zest for learning,” “incredibly popular and incredibly talented,” and in many other laudatory terms.

In an early afternoon interview on February 10 in the Princeton Public Library, Lucker, relaxed, feeling a bit like he was playing hooky, reflected on his career and the state of high school education.

He discussed the attributes that powered and sustained his successful career. “I found my calling, and I didn’t know that I would enjoy it until my first day in front of

a class,” he said. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he was a history major at the University of Wisconsin and was thinking he would either be a cellist or a doctor, but he signed up to get his teaching certification, and after his first day as a student teacher knew he’d found his calling.

“It’s more than simply passion for the subject,” he said.

“It’s passion for the students and an interest in communicating with the students and the interaction with them. It’s amazing what can be done if you have that.”

He went on to point out other important qualities involved in effective teaching. “The way you relate the students to the subject is important,” he said. “One thing I’ve been told again and again about myself is the way I relate travel with history, and my personal travel experiences with history. I show them pictures and I tell them stories about places, so they’re not abstractions. They’re not just names in a textbook and words on a page. They’re physical places, and I can describe what it was like there and what it looked like.”

Another passion for Lucker, and one that he looks forward to pursuing further in retirement is travel. He has visited more than 30 different countries on six continents. In April he’s headed for Malta, and he is well prepared.

“I’ve always been interested in the islands in the Mediterranean,” he said.

“I’ve been to a number of the Greek islands. I’ve been to Majorca many times. Malta has always been on my list. It’s very historic. It was a British colony and has been invaded by almost every group in the area. It’s an independent country now and a member of the EU. They speak two languages there, English and a language linguistically related to Arabic. It’s right near Tunisia.”

After Malta, other destinations on Lucker’s list include Corsica, Sardinia, New Zealand, Thailand, and more.

Lucker, who has taught a wide assortment of courses over the years, including AP World History, popular senior electives on Latin America and the Middle East, and others, described what he is most proud of in looking back over the past five decades.

“It’s when students get back to me after many years,” he said. “My retirement news has been on social media, so kids have been getting in touch from all over the world, and the theme I’m getting is so interesting. They say their name, and then they say ‘You won’t remember me because I never spoke up in your class, but you had such an impact on me.’”

He continued, “That reinforces what I’ve always felt. In evaluating teachers we always equate the visible signs of engagement — raising your hand, speaking up — with being engaged, and we always dismiss the fact that

the student can be sitting there quietly and be very much engaged in the class. Those are the kids who are writing to me. There’s one for example who’s in Rome and she’s lived all around the world and she’s involved in NGOs. She never spoke up in class, but she attributes her interest in doing that kind of work with what she got out of my class.”

Lucker recalled many alumni who have gone on to achieve prominence in the world in a variety of different fields. “I enjoy having taught them and my memories of all that, but it’s those other students that I’m most happy about,” he said. “I remember during the summer I got an email from a group of students I had taught. They were at the British Museum, and they said, ‘We just saw an exhibit on the Minoans, and we thought about you.’ That to me is better than a 5 on the AP exam. That’s what makes me feel I’ve accomplished something. It’s the lifelong learning that’s important, not what students can produce on a test. It’s what shows up later in life.”

As Lucker looks back on the world of education and the high school classroom, he worries about the future. “I’m more concerned than optimistic,” he said. “National trends are disturbing.”

He pointed to an emphasis on rubrics, compliance, standardized tests, accountability instead of the values of rapport, passion, joy, creativity, risk, and energy that prevailed in the past, particularly in the 1980s.

“My sense is that it’s cyclical with the pendulum swinging back and forth between the more open classroom idea, encouraging creativity, empowering teachers, and then there’s this movement to clamp down,” he said. “I think we’re at one extreme now. That’s my hope and that it’s just a matter of time until we depart from all these quantitative assessments and this emphasis on testing and compliance and standards. If ever we needed creativity, the time is now. We’re dealing with an unprecedented situation.”

The pandemic only exacerbated Lucker’s concerns and in part influenced his retirement decision. “I was sitting in my study at home one day after a Zoom class, and I found myself saying out loud, ‘I’m not enjoying

this.’ That was the turning point for me. It’s the trauma that we’re all going through, the stress we’re all experiencing.”

In response to a question about how students have changed since 1969, he replied, “The change pre-COVID to post-COVID is more dramatic than any change I’d seen in the previous 50 years.”

He described the impact of too many Zoom sessions, too much screen time, and the consequent loss of focus for many of his students. “It’s been a really dramatic change, and I don’t think anyone is dealing with it head-on. It’s the elephant in the room. They are aware that there’s a wellness issue, but it’s not being framed as a direct consequence of the pandemic, of everyone being on Zoom.” Most of his colleagues share his concerns, he says, and in history it’s not so much that students got behind and are struggling to make up content lost. It’s more the fragmented attention spans and inability to focus.

Last year when students came back to the classroom, Lucker saw many students losing focus on tests and not answering parts of questions or giving wrong answers further off-topic than he’d ever seen before. He has also seen many students who got used to unenforced deadlines during the pandemic now handing in assignments several days after deadlines.

Lucker’s concerns, however, are tempered by a powerful dose of optimism — faith in his colleagues, in the school where he spent so many happy, productive years, and in the interactions with the students that he stated were “the best part of the job.”

He commented on the high quality of the PHS faculty, and, despite memories of brilliant teachers from the past, he declared the current staff to be the best he has ever known. “In my view we have a better faculty now than we have ever had — the hardest working, most dedicated faculty I’ve ever known,” he said, though he regretted that staff members were not getting to know each other the way PHS teachers had in the past. He also insisted on giving a shout-out to the PHS Performing Arts Department. “I feel a part of it because I play cello with the high school orchestra,” he said. “I think performing arts at the high school is incredible. That’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed most, going to the performances and being in the performances. The studio band is phenomenal and the orchestra is just terrific, and that’s a combination of the incredible teachers and the students.”

As Lucker’s retirement moves into week three, he is still spending time in the classroom, but now he’s the student, auditing a course on antisemitism at Rutgers, and looking forward to a course at the Evergreen Forum at the Princeton Senior Resource Center on Shakespeare’s plays, taught by Princeton University Professor Emeritus Lawrence Danson, who, like so many Princeton residents, is the parent of one (in his case two) of Lucker’s former students.

Lucker is also enjoying going to the gym every day and planning his upcoming travels. “Retirement is a work in progress,” he said, and the next chapter is yet to be revealed.

—Donald Gilpin

TEACHING WITH PASSION: Princeton High School history teacher Jeff Lucker is surrounded by a couple dozen of the many thousands of students he taught and inspired in a career that spanned more than five decades. He retired on February 1. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Lucker)

Council continued from page one uses, including walking, birdwatching, bike-riding, the study of plants, and similar activities,” according to the meeting agenda.

“I’m very excited to see this gift to the town of private open space finally come to fruition,” said Wendy Mager, president of Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS), before the vote. “It’s going to be a lovely asset for the community. I encourage you to vote yes.”

A scheduled vote on an ordinance extending refuse collection hours was tabled until March 13 to allow time for more public input. Also postponed was a resolution authorizing an agreement with the Princeton Housing Authority to administer Community Development Block Grant 2022 capital improvements.

Council heard presentations on a potential area in need of rehabilitation at 601 Prospect Avenue, where the Textile Research Industry is located; the 2023 leaf, brush, and log collection schedule; and the updated Princeton University Mobility Plan.

It was reported that new waste carts, delivery of which had been delayed, have now arrived and should be delivered to all residents within the next few days. A gas modernization project which was expected to begin in January has now been scheduled to start on February 21.

The next meeting of Council is Tuesday, February 21 at 3:30 p.m. Visit princetonnj.gov for details.

—Anne Levin

33 Princeton-Hightstown Rd

Ellsworth’s Center

(Near Train Station)

799-8554

Tues-Fri: 10am-6pm; Sat 8:30am-3:30pm

Lawrence Hopewell Trail Celebrates Co-Founders

Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation has honored cofounders Becky Taylor and Eleanor Horne for more than two decades of service to the Hopewell and Lawrence Township communities and to Mercer County. Dozens of friends, colleagues and associates joined in toasts, official proclamations, and song to honor Taylor and Horne on Wednesday, February 8.

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT), a multi-use pedestrian and bike trail, includes linked segments forming a 22-mile loop connecting Hopewell Township and Lawrence Township. The LHT was developed with the support of over two dozen public, private, and nonprofit organizations, connecting corporate campuses, public parks, and municipal centers. Thousands of people use the LHT yearly, including marquee events like the Full Moon Ride and Trail and Treat.

The LHT was created by Taylor and Horne. They served as co-residents of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation for over 20 years, and retired at the end of 2022. Taylor and Horne built a wide-ranging coalition of support, converting a vision into the reality of a treasured community asset. In toasting Horne, LHT Treasurer Alan Hershey noted how she brings order and civility to every situation. LHT Board Chair David Sandahl toasted Taylor, recalling how Becky Taylor’s “really good idea,” the LHT, has prevailed.

Lawrence Township Council members Mike Powers and Chris Bobbitt presented the municipality’s official proclamation. Powers indicated that when he was first Lawrence mayor, Horne brought him on board with the idea of the LHT. Hopewell Township Committee members Kevin Kuchinski and Uma Purandare presented their town’s official proclamation, Kuchinski noting that “the Lawrence Hopewell Trail is something that brings us all together.”

LHT board member and former Lawrence historian Dennis Waters announced plans to place two benches on the LHT route with plaques honoring two co-founders. Waters then displayed a mock-up of an interpretive sign, like those already placed on the trail. He noted that the LHT will design and place a historic marker depicting the central role played by its co-founders in creating the LHT.

Community Options was instrumental to our administration’s work to help ensure that community-based services are available for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

Community Options focuses on community-based care for people with the most complex and significant disabilities, medical, and behavioral health challenges. The personcentered services have vastly improved the quality of life for thousands of people with disabilities who were once relegated to large-congregate settings.

“When I founded this nonprofit, I hoped we would find the humanity to operate and the generosity to fund services for Americans who are most vulnerable,” said Robert Stack, Community Options’ president and CEO.

With operations in states from Utah to New York, several dignitaries commented on this anniversary. U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina wrote, “This is an exciting milestone! As you look back, take satisfaction in all that you have accomplished, reflect on those you have had the good fortune of working alongside and comfort in knowledge that you have made your community a better place.”

Maplewood at Princeton Among Award Winners

Maplewood at Princeton is among 14 communities run by Maplewood Senior Living that have received the 2023 Best of Senior Living Awards, many for the sixth year in a row. The award was given by A Place for Mom, the online ratings and reviews site for senior care providers in North America.

Virtually all of the Maplewood properties in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Ohio were recognized as the top 2-3 percent of all senior living communities nationwide. A Place for Mom also awarded Maplewood the 2023 Best of Senior Living Customer Engagement Award and the Esteemed Organization Award.

The providers are Anupa Sharma, endocrinologist; and gastroenterologists Kheng-Jim Lim and Monica Saumoy. An open house is on Thursday, March 30 from 4-7 p.m.

Princeton Medicine, the primary and specialty care provider network of Penn Medicine Princeton Health, plans to add new providers and specialties at the Hillsborough location in the coming months. Over time, the practice will become a multi-specialty center similar to one that opened in Robbinsville in September 2022.

Another multispecialty practice is expected to open in Pennington this spring. Princeton Medicine plans to open its first practice dedicated exclusively to women’s health providers later this year in Monroe.

programs and the populations they serve.

“During the site review, the team noted that Eden is such a special program, doing amazing things,” said Dr. Rachel Tait, Eden Autism chief program officer. “From teaching, speech and language services, nursing, job placements, behavior support, residential services, and everything in between, Eden really showcases what it means to have a topquality program. I am always proud to be a part of Eden and the great things that we do to support individuals with autism, but I am especially proud when other professionals are able to identify those great things in just a three-day visit and truly capture who we are and what we do.”

Rider as an elementary education or secondary education major will be considered for the Teacher Education Scholarship. Students must also enroll in a minimum of 12 credits a semester, maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher and remain in good academic standing. This scholarship was made possible, in part, by the donation of Elsie Varga ’39 and James H. McGordy ’39.

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Community Options Marks

Thirty-fourth Anniversary Community Options celebrated its 34th anniversary on February 9. The Princetonbased nonprofit was founded in 1989 by Robert Stack, with a mission to develop housing and employment supports for persons with disabilities.

A Place for Mom is in its 10th year of hosting the Best of Senior Living Awards. The Best of 2023 Award winners represent the highest caliber of senior living providers, based on the online reviews written by seniors and their families across the United States and Canada. To qualify for inclusion in the Best of 2023 Awards, care providers must have maintained an average overall rating of at least 4.5 stars while receiving at least 10 new reviews on A Place for Mom during the award period, as well as offer assisted living, in-home care, independent living, skilled nursing, or memory care. In order to qualify for the Customer Engagement Award, the organization must have five or more communities win the Best of Senior Living award.

IN PRINT. ONLINE. AT HOME. IN PRINT. ONLINE. AT HOME.

Armed with the philosophy that all people need to experience freedom, dignity, and self-determination, the organization’s budget has grown to exceed $330 million. Community Options operates 650 community homes and supports over 5,000 people with disabilities and their families across 11 states.

Princeton Medicine Doctors

Open Office in Hillsborough

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Two-Year Subscription: $25

Princeton Medicine Physicians will open a new specialty practice location in Hillsborough this month, continuing an initiative to provide greater access to specialty care for individuals across central New Jersey.

Subscription Information: 609.924.5400 ext. 30 or subscriptions@ witherspoonmediagroup.com princetonmagazine.com

“New Jersey is proud to be the state where Community Options began serving people with disabilities 34 years ago, improving the lives of thousands of New Jerseyans, said Chris Christie, who served as governor of New Jersey from 2010-2018. “As governor,

The Hillsborough practice will feature providers in endocrinology and gastroenterology, who will see patients a few days each week in the new office, located at 315 Highway 206, Suite 200. Call (609) 853-6440 to make an appointment.

Princeton Medicine Physicians employs more than 200 providers at nearly two dozen locations across Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties. The new specialty practices are part of a larger initiative to bring specialty care closer to home for individuals throughout the region and complement Princeton Medicine primary care offices that had already existed in those areas. Learn more at princetonmedicine.org.

Eden Autism Earns

Fifth Accreditation

Eden Autism has been accredited by the National Commission for the Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES). While this is the fifth time the Eden School has earned accreditation, this marks the first time for the Adult Services program.

Eden remains part of the elite group of fewer than 30 special education programs across the country that have earned NCASES accreditation and an even smaller group of providers whose adult services are now accredited.

“Eden Autism ranks as one of the highest performing organizations meeting the needs of those living on the autism spectrum,” said Shawn Kurrelmeier-Lee, lead site reviewer for NCASES. “Eden Autism’s leadership in the field paves the way for others to replicate their innovative and exemplary programs.”

NCASES is the country’s leading accreditation program for private special education services and was established in 1992 by the National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC). The organization was established in response for a need for private special education providers to have an accreditation process that uniquely addresses the

The NCASES site review team visited the Eden School, Crossroads Day Center, and four Eden residences. They also conducted interviews with Eden staff, families, case managers, support coordinators, employers and participants and students, along with reviewing the significant amount of documentation to support that Eden meets the required standards.

Based on the criteria set forth by the NCASES commission, Eden was lauded for its efforts and teaching methods. The site team had nothing but positive things to say about everyone they spoke to and the programs they observed in the school, Adult Day, and Residential programs. They spoke extensively to the dedication and commitment of the Eden staff to the students and adults they work with and how the “family” feeling at Eden was a notable presence. This new accreditation period will last for four years.

Rider Offers Scholarships For Education Majors

As the United States faces a critical shortage of teachers, Rider University is striving to increase the pool of qualified teachers through a new scholarship program. Beginning in the fall 2023 semester, Rider will offer a $2,000 annual scholarship for eligible incoming first year and transfer undergraduate education majors.

All students who apply to

“Rider has a demonstrated track record of nurturing outstanding teachers,” said Jason Barr, dean of Rider’s College of Education and Human Services. “This scholarship is designed to help students who are passionate and dedicated to the field of education. As future educators, they will have an incredible impact on generations of students during this challenging time for the profession.”

Rider education majors are prepared for their future careers with 100 percent of 2021 education graduates employed full-time or continuing their education. Every education major completes 875 hours of mediated field experiences or student teaching, always paired with a faculty mentor to guide their development.

Since 2013, Rider has participated in a program called Tomorrow’s Teachers that allows high school students in New Jersey to explore what it means to be a teacher while earning college credit. More recently, the University has been working directly with some districts to help them create “grow your own” programs, which aim to identify promising future teachers and create distinct programs of study tailored to their needs. These programs focus on teacher aides and other paraprofessionals who already have connections to the school and the communities they serve. Rider’s program would help these individuals obtain or finish a bachelor’s degree and then complete the University’s alternate route teaching certificate program, allowing them to earn their teaching certification while working as a teacher in the school.

Visit rider.edu/teacher-scholarship for more information.

TREES IN WINTER: This row of Bloodgood Japanese maple is found at the Mapleton Preserve, where a winter walk will be held Saturday, February 25 from 2-3:30 p.m. Learn some interesting facts about some native and not-so-native trees, plus the basis of winter tree identification. Pre-registration is required. Meet at Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park headquarters, 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. Call (609) 683-0483 or visit fpnl.org for more information. (Photo by Karen Linder)

Mailbox

Sharing Story of a Loving Gift, and Encouraging People to Join Registry

To the Editor:

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I would like to share our story. In 2014, my husband of 32 years Roy was battling acute myeloid leukemia and he needed a bone marrow transplant to save his life. But we couldn’t find a match in our family.

So, we turned to the national registry and someone we had never met gave my husband the lifesaving transplant he needed. Because of this loving gift, we can share Valentine’s Day and many more days, together.

I’m trying to pay it forward by sharing my story, hopefully to inspire Princeton students to join the national registry at bethematch.org. I’m also participating in a virtual fly-in to Congress later this month. For more than 40 years, visionaries in Congress, including New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Chris Smith, have supported funding so the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program has the resources to facilitate lifesaving transplants to patients like Roy.

This year, we’ll ask Congress for increased support to expand efforts so more patients can access transplants. Our lawmakers have the opportunity to help patients find out earlier in their diagnosis whether they have a potentially lifesaving match on the registry. That will help them make important decisions that can ensure everyone has the opportunity Roy and I had — hope for more years together as Valentines.

CHARLENE RIGIE Rivendell Road, Hillsborough

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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.

New Fenced Dog Park is a Win-Win for Dogs, Humans

To the Editor:

I am writing in appreciation to all those involved in the imagining of, planning for, and supporting of the new, remarkably joy-giving, fenced dog park that opened on the Community Park grounds just over a week ago. From idea to fruition surely there were challenges, but the genius is in not giving up. To fill a void long felt with a safe space for dogs to stretch, chase, and play? Such a success!

Much gratitude to Mia Sacks, whose love of canines and knowledge that dog parks bring about human connection sparked it all. For those of us who have laughed easily as our dogs discover each other — no matter size, color, texture of coat, known breed or creative rescue combinations, temperament, or age — the acceptance, curiosity, and play among our dogs has been inspiring. Thank you to all the dog owners who have responsibly been monitoring their dog’s first “meetings.”

During my own visits to the dog park, the two-legged and four-legged species are engaged, and happy. The power of community building that comes from a simple, shared gift is, frankly, wonderful. I could anthropomorphically wax eloquent on how my two Goldendoodles “feel” but instead, I would just like to add that as a human physician, focused on wellness, I especially appreciate the added benefits the CP dog park offers for social engagement, laughter, fresh air, athletic ball throwing, vitamin D, and support for our deficient microbiomes. It’s a win-win all around and a welcome experiment that I for one would vote to keep!

JULIE PANTELICK, D.O. Vandeventer Avenue

WWCFM, Yes We CAN!, Arm In Arm Work Together to Feed Community

To the Editor:

In 2009, the West Windsor Community Farmers Market (WWCFM) and Yes We CAN! began a journey to bring fresh vegetables to our neighbors in Trenton and Princeton, while supporting the farmers at the WWCFM. The formula remains simple: visitors to the market make cash donations to the Yes We CAN! volunteers and we then purchase produce directly from the farmers. As the Market closes, the van from Arm In Arm arrives to collect the produce, and brings it to the Trenton and Princeton Pantries, where it is given to our neighbors on Monday morning. In 2022, Yes We CAN! donated 38,711 pounds of food to Arm In Arm Food Pantries in Trenton and Princeton.

Chris Cirkus, manager of the WWCFM, and her team have been tireless advocates for our work. The sense of community that the WWCFM team creates each Saturday allows for Yes We CAN! to do good work for our neighbors who simply need help at this point in their lives. By giving our neighbors healthy food, along with protein and shelf-sustainable items, Arm In Arm and Yes We CAN! are easing their daily lives and giving them a bit of hope along with dignity and respect. Yes We CAN! has also become a drop-off spot for shelf-sustainable food as well as books, coats, hats, and gloves.

If you haven’t been to the WWCFM, in the Princeton Junction Train Station Parking Lot (westwindsorfarmers

market.org), please visit! Check the website for the Market’s schedule. The Market is a joyful and purposeful place, filled with farmers and vendors whose life’s work is steeped in providing good food, flowers, and other artisan items. Each Saturday, connections are made between children, adults, the Girl Scouts, dogs, and the farmers and vendors.

Apple Healey soprano SUNDAY | MARCH 19, 2023 | 4:00 pm Richardson Auditorium Princeton University

During the warmer months, there is music, children dancing, and people spotting old friends and making new ones. The WWCFM is a community event for all! The Market was voted as New Jersey’s favorite and ranked fourth nationally in the 2022 American Farmland Trust annual Farmers Market Celebration.

As we begin our 14th year at the WWCFM, Yes We CAN! and Arm In Arm want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Chris Cirkus, the WWCFM team, and the visitors to the West Windsor Community Farmers Market. We are humbled by the work we do for our neighbors in Princeton and Trenton, and we celebrate the WWCFM community who enable and join us in our work.

On behalf of all the Yes We CAN! volunteers and the Arm In Arm staff,

DAVID R. FOX Executive Director, Arm In Arm KIM KYTE

Jean Stratton’s New to Us Profile Captured Essence of Local Florist

To the Editor:

The profile of Wildflowers in last week’s issue [“Wide Array of Arrangements, Bouquets, and More are Available at Wildflowers of Princeton Junction,” It’s New to Us, February 8] was spot-on! Co-owner Michael Piccioni and staff did an amazing job at our daughter’s wedding a little over a year ago, adding beauty, variety, and originality to every detail. The crowning touch was the remarkable way they decorated the chuppah to incorporate a beloved old tallith belonging to our son-in-law’s family.

Bravo, Wildflowers!

ELLEN GILBERT CASTELLANA Stuart Road East

Writing in Support of Brian Hughes for Reelection to Mercer County Executive

To the Editor:

We are proud to support Brian Hughes for reelection to the post of Mercer County executive. Under his leadership, Mercer County has participated in preserving more than 5,700 acres of open space and farmland, including Princeton Ridge, along with federal, state, local and nonprofit partners.

During Brian’s tenure, there have been substantial upgrades to our county’s park system, which hosts more than 2 million visitors each year. Initiatives include expanded trail networks for hikers, cyclists, and pedestrians in Hamilton, Robbinsville, and West Windsor as well as conservation and recreation projects at Quarry Park in Hopewell Township and the Wharf Park in Trenton. The Mercer at Play Grants yielded for Princeton a skatepark, improvements to Mary Moss playground (with the popular spray feature), and will bring us our first adaptive playground in Hilltop Park. Recreational opportunities in every town in the county have been expanded by Brian’s administration, which also provides capital funds for new facilities for match by outside contributors.

Brian has also focused on providing infrastructure important to economic development and access to jobs, especially public transportation. Completion of much needed improvements to the Trenton-Mercer Airport — including a new and expanded terminal, air-traffic control tower, a firehouse and a 1,000-space parking garage — are in the works. He has also allocated over $1 million of ARPA funds for the expansion of transportation options throughout the county. These opportunities will complement the Route 130 Connection bus route that has improved access to jobs in eastern Mercer County.

Brian understands the importance of sustainability. County initiatives include tree plantings and reforestations, creation of pollinator habitats, and sustainable farming practices. The county is presently working with a grant consultant to identify opportunities for funding solar opportunities; it has installed 22 new electric vehicle chargers at county facilities and looking to install more; and it is assessing the footprint of the county fleet.

Brian’s leadership reflects the best of Democratic values. He has promoted government policies that are fair and inclusive. He has produced good union jobs. He has provided reliable public services and improved access to public transportation, kept our roads and bridges in good repair, and protected our environment. Working with the African American Chamber of Commerce, he has developed a Small Business Investment Program to reduce interest rates on loans and assist under-funded businesses of minorities and women.

Brian’ leadership is also about courage. He suffers from a medical condition known as trigeminal neuralgia, which causes severe jaw pain and requires medication. We mention this because some have misinterpreted this condition as affecting his ability to serve. In fact, in his words, he is a “symbol of those who face challenges every day and overcome them.”

We think he is the best candidate to bring us together in meeting the challenges that face the county and finishing the good work he has begun.

JO BUTLER Hibben Road ANDREW KOONTZ Spruce Street

SCOTIA MACRAE

Evelyn Place

Butler is a former Princeton Councilwoman, Koontz is a former Princeton Borough Councilman and Mercer County commissioner (formerly freeholder), and MacRae is a former municipal chair of the Princeton Democratic Committee.

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Books

Jane Goodall Institute, has called “the most original, entertaining, and enlightening book I have ever seen ... It is a blueprint for how we should live, with love, compassion, and humour.”

McDonnell is the creator of the internationally syndicated comic strip MUTTS , which features the characters that star in five of his children’s picture books: Just Like Heaven, Hug Time, South, Wag! , and The Gift of Nothing. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Karen; their formerly feral cat, Not Ootie; and their adopted terrier, Amelie.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and of Tibetan Buddhism. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. He lives in exile in Dharamsala, India.

Toscano, Kitamura Reading At Stewart Theater Feb. 21

Library, Labyrinth Present “MUTTS” Cartoonist McDonnell

MUTTS cartoonist and award-winning author Patrick McDonnell will talk about Heart to Heart: A Conversation on Love and Hope for Our Precious Planet (HarperOne), his recently published book with the Dalai Lama, on February 23, from 6 to 7.15 p.m. in the Princeton Public Library’s Community Room. The event will also livestream via Crowdcast.

To register, visit labyrinthbooks.com.

McDonnell has described the book as “a literary graphic novel. It’s not done in comic book style, with panels. But it tells the story with words and pictures, and each page is a single illustration.” The talk at the library will include slides and a look at the process behind Heart to Heart, which Jane Goodall, founder of the

The Althea Ward Clark W’21 Reading Series, presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University, continues the 2022-23 season with a reading by poet and dialogist Rodrigo Toscano and best-selling novelist Katie Kitamura. The reading begins at 7:30 p.m. on February 21 in the James Stewart Film Theater at 185 Nassau Street on the Princeton University campus. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required. For further information, contact LewisCenter@princeton. edu.

Based in New Orleans,

Toscano is the author of 10 books of poetry, most recently The Charm & The Dread (Fence Books, 2022). His poetry has appeared in over 20 anthologies, including Best American Poetry, and his poetic plays have been performed at the Disney Redcat Theater. In addition to writing, he works on educational training projects that involve environmental and labor justice, health, and safety culture transformation.

Kitamura’s most recent novel is Intimacies. Besides being one of The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2021, it was longlisted for the National Book Award and was one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2021. Her work has been translated into 21 languages and is being adapted for film and television. She has written for publications including The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, and Granta. She teaches in the creative writing program at New York University.

Watching the HBO series The Last of Us , viewers saw computer generated images of a devastated Boston. Last Sunday night it was the shell of Kansas City. So it goes in February 2023, with ruined cities and a fungusamong-us plague conceived during a real world pandemic that killed millions, and now an earthquake with a death toll rising to 37,000 and counting has struck northwestern Syria and southeastern Turkey, where Antakya, formerly Antioch, was among the stricken cities.

According to Friday’s New York Times (“ ‘No More Antakya’: Turks Say Quake Wiped Out a City, and a Civilization”), Antioch was founded in 300 B.C., the modern city “built atop layers and layers of the ruins of long-gone civilizations.” Which inadvertently echoes Yeats’s “Lapis Lazuli” where “All things fall apart and are built again.” Meanwhile I’m rebuilding a memory that begins in the back of a pickup truck with a Turkish kid from the Antayka region who had spent the previous year in Kokomo, Indiana. Since I was from Indiana, we had a lot to talk about.

“Ancient Antioch”

As soon as the Indiana connection had been made, the boy talked his surly uncle into driving 20 miles out of the way so they could drop me off in “ancient Antioch,” as he continued calling Antakya. He promised to “show me around.”

It was one of those out-of-nowhere delights of the road, to be in the back of a pickup truck talking about high school life in Indiana, the sock hops at the gym after basketball games, “Hoosier hysteria,” and Elvis. At first I thought “Kokomo” looked more American than I did (he said he liked being called Kokomo). Hindsight says he actually looked more like someone who had been an exchange student in Indiana and was still wearing the clothes that had set him apart among his less welcoming classmates: a buttoned-down shortsleeved shirt, neatly pleated slacks, and serious shoes. He also had a 1950s crew cut. His uncle wasn’t happy about driving out of his way for the likes of me (my hair was long and I had two week’s growth of beard), flooring the pickup on bumpy, dusty roads, which made talking a challenge, but soon we were singing songs he knew from his time in the States like “Town Without Pity” and “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.”

There are no details in my leaky ballpoint pen journal about anything I actually saw in Antakya, nothing to match against

Once Upon a Time in Antioch

the wreckage of the city that was savaged last week, where there may be relatives of his or maybe he himself buried in the ruins of Antakya or Gazientep. Or he might be one of the shivering, shell-shocked old men videos show wandering through a landscape of smoking ruins.

Rebuilding a Memory

But now, as happens when putting together images and impressions that were already fragmented, I begin to think I know why he kept repeating ancient Antioch . There was an exchange student from Egypt at my school who had been given a crude nickname based on Alexandria. I can imagine Kokomo sitting in his neat shirt and slacks and shoes in a classroom while some history teacher droned on about “ancient Antioch” with all eyes on the blushing outsider who for all I know had to live through a school year tagged with an insulting variation on those two words. Perhaps this explains why he picked “Town Without Pity” to sing. Of course he never showed me around “ancient Antioch,” his uncle being anxious to get back on the road. Anyway, I was lugging a pack and hoping to reach Aleppo by evening. And it was hot. That’s what I remember more vividly than anything else — the weight of the late August heat.

Antioch, the College

An older friend did his best to convince me to apply to Antioch College but I followed the cheapest, nearest route to a degree by attending the university where my father was on the faculty. A couple of years after graduating, I learned that Antioch was the alma mater of two people who changed my life: the girl from New York, who opened the door to literature, and the Bay Area filmmaker who introduced me to my wife and for whom our son is named.

A River of Images

After rhapsodizing on the work-study benefits of spending half the year living in New York, my filmmaker friend gave me an

anecdotal impression of Antioch’s politics

(“On my first day, a pretty girl hefting a pail of water in my direction yelled Would you have fought in Spain ?”). When he and I were discussing life-changing encounters on New Year’s Eve of the year I went to Antakya, I told him about the girl from New York and found that he’d known her at Antioch.

In an October 2017 interview, a year before he died, my old friend recalled being told by a film instructor that “what you should never, ever do is multiple exposures in the camera because you’re liable to get something weird and confusing. When he said that, a light bulb went off in my head. ‘Weird and confusing’ sounded just like my life itself; it was exactly what I wanted to express in my films. So with the films and the light show, that’s what I was trying to do.” Referring to a passage in Hermann Hesse’s novel “where Siddhartha looked into the river and saw a river of images from his life,” he said, “That was what I was trying to express.”

The Girl from New York

Looking online, I find that she’s an artist, like her more famous father, an abtract expressionist legend. In an interview on her website, I can see traces of the smiling dimpled dark-haired girl who had a photo of herself taken mailing me a letter in an East 23rd Street mailbox, a photo I carried with me through two trips up and down and all across Turkey, the last one on the way to India. She kept me company during long waits by the road, at least when I could find a shady spot and smile on the smiling face of someone I hadn’t seen since the summer I was 17 and she was 16.

She has a quote on her website that, like the words of her filmmaker Antioch classmate, aligns with the thoughts and feelings stirred up by the earthquake news and my fractured memory of Antakya: “We make objects of all sizes, buildings, art. Then they get old, sometimes are torn down, even made to disappear, by water,

wind, war, volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, or fire. Or they fall down from their own weight, or are pushed over, stepped on, shot at, blown up, smashed. Yet, the pure material remains. The materials are reused down through the ages.”

Bonding with Turkey

While most of the New York Times’ images of the ruins of Antakya have a newsworthy magnitude, there were others in Thursday’s online story that already had the look of timeless art contrary to the idea of “no more Antakya.” I’m thinking in particular of the Istanbul photographer Tolga Ildun’s video loop of a Mona Lisa of the ruins and 2016 co-Pulitzer Prizewinner Sergey Ponomarev’s haunting photograph of “buildings leaning perilously in the dusk.”

The power of those visions of the “pure material” to be found within the destruction of Antakya reminds me of a roadside scene I’ve written about before, most recently in a piece about an art exhibit in which I referred to two female artists whose birthplaces figured in the geography of a week that began in Izmir, where Ebru Özseçen was born. The scene took place some 200 kilometers south of Kirsehir, the birthplace of Nezaket Ekici. What moved me about Atalette and Gül (or Jewel), the two little girls I shared that dusk-hazed moment with, was that both were alive with the “pure material” of the creative spirit. It was in their eyes, their expressions, the sense of a natural intelligence in their movements, as they danced shouting and laughing down the dusty road, passing my old straw hat between them, until it seemed to take flight on its own, glowing golden in the sunset light.

Of all my memories of Turkey, the most haunting is the last look they gave me as I rode away waving from the back of a truck: a look hinting at an awareness of the wider world at the other end of the road.

—Stuart Mitchner

Choice calls Christine Kondoleon’s multi-author exhibition catalogue Antioch: The Lost Ancient City (Princeton University Press 2000) “a handsomely illustrated memoir of ancient Antioch, once lost and now found again.” The quote from filmmaker Ben Van Meter is from an October 2017 interview with Andy Ditzler and Gregory Zinman on brooklynrail.org. The full quote from artist Hermine Ford can be found at hermineford.com/biography.

FEBRUARY 21

Rodrigo Toscano, poetry

Katie Kitamura, fiction

Poet/activist Rodrigo Toscano, author of The Charm & The Dread (Fence Books, 2022) and Katie Kitamura, whose novel Intimacies was longlisted for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and was a finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, read from their work.

7:30 P.M.

James Stewart Film Theater

185 Nassau Street

Performing Arts

won the Southwest Florida Concerto Competition, which awarded him the opportunity of performing with the Fort Myers Symphony. Allesee was also a featured soloist with the Port Charlotte Symphony. He studied with Sedmara Rutstein at Oberlin Conservatory, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance in 1994. He continued his studies at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, studying with José Ramos-Santana. He completed his master’s degree in 1997.

Allesee is the former head of the piano department at Mercer County Community College, where he taught many of the school’s private and group piano lessons for 15 years. He currently teaches piano to all ages at the Westminster Conservatory.

Works by Women Composers

On Chamber Music

Program

On Sunday, March 5, at 3 p.m., female Princeton University music performance faculty and members of the Princeton University Glee Club and the Princeton Playhouse Choir comprising the Richardson Chamber Players will present “March of the Women,” a program of chamber works by female composers in Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus.

The concert will include a broad range of works by Clara Wieck-Schumann, Nadia Boulanger, Jennifer Higdon, Valerie Coleman, and Dame Ethel Smyth.

The program takes its name from Smyth’s song “The March of the Women” (1911), which the composer dedicated to the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). The composition later became the anthem of the women’s suffrage movement, and the WSPU’s newspaper described it as “at once a hymn and a call to battle.” Though this piece and the others on the program may have reached wide audiences during the women’s suffrage movement, sung at rallies and even through prison hunger strikes, these compositions and their female composers often remain overlooked.

Richardson Chamber Players is proud to shine the spotlight on these works.

“I’m passionate about this program of pieces by female composers,” said faculty member Barbara Rearick, who curated the event. “I thought it fitting to have all-female players from our brilliant Princeton music faculty perform these pieces with singers from the Princeton Glee Club and Princeton Playhouse Choir. I hope that programming choices like these might help shape a more inclusive classical music world for future generations.”

All female performers from Princeton’s musical faculty, the Princeton Glee Club and the Playhouse Choir include narrator Rochelle Ellis, cellist Tomoko Fujita, pianist Margaret Kampmeier, violinist Anna Lim, mezzo-soprano Rearick, flutist Sarah Shin, and clarinetist Jo-Ann Sternberg.

Tickets are $10-$20. Visit puc.princeton.edu or call (609) 258-9220.

Play by Del Shores Puts

The “Fun” in “Dysfunction”

MTM Players presents the comedy Sordid Lives at Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College in West Windsor on weekends, February 17–26.

Written by Del Shores, the play is set in the small town of Winters, Texas, where a large family arrives and tries to come to grips with the death of their

matriarch, Peggy. Their arrival in the small town causes all sorts of comedic chaos. Sordid Lives is Shores’ fourth play. It won several awards, and was adapted into a successful film.

Performances are Friday and Saturday, February 17 and 18, 24 and 25 at 8 p.m.; and February 19 and 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20-$22. Visit KelseyTheatre.org or call (609) 570-3333.

Music for Solo Piano

At Noontime Recital

On Thursday, February 16 at 12:15 p.m. Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will present a recital of music for solo piano, performed by Westminster Conservatory faculty member Erik Allesee. The recital will take place in the Niles Chapel of Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. Admission is free.

The program includes two sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti; an arrangement of My Favorite Things by Stephen Hough; The Lark, a song by Balakirev transcribed for piano solo by Glinka; Franz Liszt’s Concert Etude no. 2 Gnomenreigen ; Chopin’s Nocturne in D-flat, op. 27, no. 2; and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, opus 28 by Felix Mendelssohn.

Allesee began his musical career in Port Charlotte, Fla., starting piano lessons at the age of 9. He twice

Westminster Conservatory at Nassau recitals will continue on March 16 with a recital by Melissa Bohl, oboe; Craig Levesque, horn; and Phyllis Lehrer, piano. In a slight departure from the regular schedule, this recital will begin at noon and will take place in the sanctuary of Nassau Presbyterian Church.

Jazz Vespers

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Jazz

Jazz

Questions:

Saturday

COMEDY AT KELSEY: The cast of “Sordid Lives,” a humorous take on family dysfunction, coming to Mercer County Community College February 17-26. (Photo courtesy of MTM Players)

HOPE FOR UKRAINE: All of the proceeds from a concert by the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, taking place at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick on February 17, go toward the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and classical and education programming at the theater. The conductor for the program of works by Grieg, Beethoven, and Stankovych is Theodor Kuchar and the piano soloist is Oksana Rapita. Visit Stnj.org for ticket information.

Performing Arts

Continued from Preceding Page

Annual Film Festival Of Oscar-Nominated Shorts

Trenton Film Society will be showing Oscar-nominated short films in documentary, live-action, and animation categories on Friday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, February 25 at 1, 3, and 6 p.m. at the Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street in Trenton.

Note that, due to a previously scheduled presentation by the Passage Theatre at Mill Hill Playhouse, the Oscar Shorts program will not be shown the same weekend as the Oscar broadcast on Sunday, March 12.

Tickets are $20 for the jumbo showing (166 minutes) of documentaries on Friday, and $12 for a single program or $20 for an animated and liveaction double feature on Saturday. Complimentary snacks and drinks will be served between programs. Participants

will get a ballot for marking choices for the Oscar winner. Correct guesses for winners in each category will be entered into a drawing for an all-access pass to the Trenton Film Festival in June.

Films in the documentary category tackle important social and environmental issues around the world, from the chilling (literally) Haulout (UK/Russia) about climate change in the Arctic, to the heartwarming Elephant Whisperers (India), which follows an Indigenous couple who fall in love with Raghu, an orphaned elephant given into their care, and tirelessly work to ensure his recovery and survival.

In a character study, Jay Rosenblatt filmed his daughter Ella on her birthday in the same spot, asking the same questions, for 17 years. What results in How Do Measure a Year? (U.S.) is a unique chance to see a young woman come into focus physically, mentally, and emotionally over time. Stranger at the

Gate (U.S.) portrays a marine filled with hatred for Muslims who plots to bomb an Indiana mosque. When he comes face to face with the immigrants he seeks to kill, however, the story takes a shocking twist toward compassion, grace, and forgiveness. For information on additional films, visit trentonfilmsociety.org.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra

Announces 2023-2024 Season

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has planned a roster of concerts and guest artists for its 2023-24 season. Included are 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant winner, saxophonist Steven Banks; 2022 Grammy Award winners, violinist Jennifer Koh and Metropolitan Opera star /Princeton University graduate Anthony Roth Costanzo; pianist Sara Davis Buechner; Westminster Symphonic Choir led by James Jordan, and 2023 Grammy Award-winning trio Time For Three.

Princeton’s First Tradition Worship Service

Sundays at 11am

Princeton University Chapel

February 2 - Iain Quinn Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Open to all.

February

Guest preaching Sunday, February 19, 2023, at 11am is Rev. Kenyatta Gilbert , Professor of Homiletics, Howard University School of Divinity. Music performed by the Princeton University Chapel Choir with Nicole Aldrich, Director of Chapel Music and of the University Chapel Choir, and with Eric Plutz, University Organist.

Music Director Rossen Milanov has programmed works by seven living composers including Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winners Caroline Shaw, Kevin Puts, and John Luther Adams. Shaw was a graduate student at Princeton University and occasional second violinist with the PSO. Others with local ties are Princeton native composer Sarah Kirkland Snider and Princeton University doctoral candidate in music composition Nina Shekhar. The PSO will also play works by Missy Mazzoli and Gregory Spears, and modern classics by Henri Tomasi, William Dawson, and Marin Goleminov. Classical works include symphonies by Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and Schumann; and pieces by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Handel, and Prokofiev. All performances take place on select Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium. Milanov conducts all but one concert. PSO’s Kenneth Bean, in his third season as assistant conductor, leads performances in October.

Initially, these concerts are available only by subscription, with single tickets going on sale over the summer. Subscriptions start at $180. Youths 5-17 receive a 50 percent discount with an adult purchase. To get a full description of the season or purchase subscriptions, visit princetonsymphony.org.

Student Film Screenings

At Princeton University

A screening of 32 studentcreated short films from fall semester courses Narrative Filmmaking I and II taught by Moon Molson; Documen -

tary Filmmaking I taught by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt; and “Digital Animation,” taught by Tim Szetela, takes place

February 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the James Stewart Film Theater at 185 Nassau Street. Admission is free.

Perlmutt most recently directed the Emmy-nominated historical documentary Massacre at the Stadium (Netflix, 2019). He directed, produced, and edited Havana Motor Club (Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2016), which premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival and screened as part of the exhibition “Motion. Autos, Art, Architecture” at the Museo Guggenheim Bilbao.

Molson’s short films have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, been screened at over 250 international film festivals, and have received more than 100 awards worldwide, including the Grand Jury Prizes at Palm Springs, South by Southwest (SXSW), and the Student Academy Awards. His screenplay Johnny Ace was a finalist for Best

Screenplay at the 2018 Urbanworld Film Festival, and his most recent screenplay , Hyper/Space , won top honors at the 2022 Urbanworld Film Festival in October.

Szetela is a designer, animator, and digital artist who makes moving images, games, and assorted interfaces to visualize location, language, and other patterns. Rewordable, the game he codesigned using computational linguistics, was published by Penguin Random House. His short films have screened at numerous international animation festivals, including Anima Mundi, Annecy, Ottawa International Animation Festival, and Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films. He has shown work at the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City, the Museum of Fine Arts and Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, as well as a variety of digital art, game, and technology festivals and exhibitions.

For more information, visit arts.princeton.edu.

After Noon Concert Series

Thursdays at 12:30pm

Princeton University Chapel

Open to all.

A weekly opportunity for the Princeton Community to enjoy performances by local, national, and international organists. Performing Thursday, February 16, is Theodore Davis, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Baltimore, MD. Performing February 23 is Tatiana Lukyanova, South United Methodist Church, Manchester, CT.

ANIMATION: A still from “An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It,” among the Oscar-nominated shorts at Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton.

SAXOPHONE SOLOIST: Steven Banks is among the guest artists planned for the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s 2023-2024 season. (Photo by Chris Lee)

Art by Charlie Sahner at Bank of Princeton Gallery New Hope, Pa., artist Charlie Sahner is in the spotlight this month in the gallery at the Bank of Princeton in Lambertville.

A former local store owner and journalist, New Hope resident Sahner returned to painting last year after a 15-year hiatus. On display in the gallery are more than two dozen recent works in oil covering landscape, still life, portrait, and figure.

“Living in New York City in the’90s, I came across Art Student Showcase, Paul Toner’s gallery just east of Soho, specializing in work from students and teachers at the New York Academy of Art,” said Sahner. “Without formal training, I began painting in that academic, realistic style, then hung around the New York Studio School, with its atelier approach.

“My work today continues to express an ongoing tension between realist and more painterly styles, as it does between light and dark, the audience and the high wire.”

The show is on view through the end of February.

Bank of Princeton is located at 10 Bridge Street in Lambertville. Hours are Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Learn more about Sahner’s work at charliesahner. com.

Princeton Makes Talks Series Features Quatrano

On Thursday, February 16, at 7 p.m., artist Elisabeth Quatrano will be the featured speaker for the “Inside the Artist’s Studio” talk series at Princeton Makes in the Princeton Shopping Center. Quatrano, a member of the Princeton Makes artist cooperative, employs various techniques to transform clay, food and textiles into moving works of art. She will share insights about her practice and demonstrate her creative processes.

A Princeton resident, Quatrano began her creative journey when, at the age of 5, she became entranced with cooking pizza with her grandmother which led her

to explore the alchemy of baking. She advanced to experiment with a multitude of other materials to create doll house furniture, pottery, calligraphy posters, stuffed animals, and clothing. As a Princeton University undergraduate, she was trained by renowned ceramist Toshiko Takaezu.

“My education with Toshiko brought me to conceptual art and deepened my processes. Now I apply those lessons and my constant learning, through experimentation, to my work and teaching in culinary arts, ceramics, and fiber arts,” said Quatrano, who earned an MFA in ceramics from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2021.

Through the process of transforming different materials, Quatrano explores memory, language, and the role that objects play in her life. She enjoys the alchemy of the processes and believes that making and viewing art is essential for the well-being of individuals, communities, and the planet.

This month, Quatrano is the featured artist at Princeton Makes; her work is highlighted in the retail and studio space. The “Inside the Artist Studio” talk series, part of the cooperative’s new programming

initiatives, offers the public a monthly opportunity, every third Thursday, to learn about and from its creatives.

The event will begin with a reception, with light refreshments, at 6:30 p.m. Artwork by all cooperative artists will be available for purchase.

For more information, visit princetonmakes.com.

Workshops for All Ages At Trenton City Museum

Kids and adults alike are invited to get creative with workshops at Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion. The February and March lineup features African mask-making in celebration of Black History Month, a fun way to make a chunky blanket without knitting needles, and a fourpart series in which iPhone users will take their iPhone photography and editing skills to the next level. Participants will find plenty of parking adjacent to the museum’s building.

African Mask-Making: A Workshop for Kids and Families — Celebrate Black History Month at Trenton City Museum with a handson workshop to make your own traditional-style African mask on Saturday, February 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free admission; materials and snacks provided. Supported in part by a grant from the Trenton Arts Fund of Princeton Area Community Foundation.

Finger Looping Workshop: Knit Your Own Chunky Blanket, Without Knitting Needles — Artist and instructor Janis Purcell will lead this fun and creative workshop. Bring your lunch, bring your

send you the list when you register) on Sunday, February 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $25 for members of Trenton Museum Society; $35 for non-members.

iPhonography at Ellarslie:

Four-Part Series — Take your iPhone photo skills to the next level with awardwinning photographer and instructor Cheryl Bomba on Saturday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.; February 25 and March 4, 11, and 8. $75 for members of Trenton Museum Society; $100 for non-members.

Learn more and reserve in

at ellarslie.org or call (609) 989-1191.

The Trenton City Museum, housed in historic Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park, showcases contemporary works by area artists, ongoing and changing displays that explore Trenton’s history, varied performances, and family-friendly programming. The museum and its museum shop are open Fridays and Saturdays, 12 to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. While there is no admission fee, donations to support the museum’s programs are welcomed.

sarah lee elson, class of 1984, international artist-in-residence talk

Wendy Red Star

Thursday, February 23, 5:30 p.m.

Join

Friend Center 101

“WINDMILL AT INGHAM SPRING”: This oil on canvas work by Charlie Sahner is featured in his solo exhibition in the gallery at the Bank of Princeton in Lambertville. The show runs through the end of February.

“DIVA 3”: African mask-making in celebration of Black History Month is among the upcoming workshops at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park, Trenton. (Art by Janis Purcell)

SUMMER ART CAMPS: The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster offers weekly in-person camps for children ages 5-15 from June 15 through September 1. All sessions are led by professional and creative teaching artists.

Summer Art Camps at Contemporary Art Center

Registration is underway for Summer Art Camps at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster. Eleven weekly in-person Summer Art Camps, from June 19–September 1, are offered for children ages 5-15. The Center’s Summer Art Camps are designed to stimulate creative expression through projects and fun activities that change each week. All sessions are led by professional and creative teaching artists. Small classes, social distancing, daily sanitizing, and other protocols are in place and enforced to keep children safe.

Each week children ages 5-8 and 9-11 will spend the morning exploring drawing, painting, collage and other mixed media projects, and pottery in the ceramics studio. In the afternoon, campers ages 9-11 will explore a wide range of subjects in depth such as drawing, painting, pottery, upcycled art, cartooning, manga/anime and more.

Teens ages 12-15 may choose to spend their mornings or afternoons in an intensive art camp studying a single subject.

The Center will also offer camps for children with autism spectrum disorder and other special needs on Saturdays from June 24-July 29.

The Center for Contemporary Art is located at 2020

Burnt Mills Road in Bedminster. For more information or to register, visit ccabedminster.org or call (908) 234-2345.

Call for Entries: GSWS’s Annual Juried Exhibition

D&R Greenway Land Trust will host the Garden State Watercolor Society (GSWS) for its 53rd Annual Open Juried Exhibition, “Migration: Movement for Survival.” For this exhibition, GSWS artists will use their art to contemplate migration and change. Whether figurative or abstract, realistic or fanciful, this thoughtful art will inspire. The prospectus with requirements and information on the theme is at gswcs.org/open-juriedexhibit.html.

Migration is a phenomenon that is most often thought of as the seasonal movement of animals. Species in all major animal groups migrate. Some species travel astounding distances to reach environments that provide food and conditions for successful mating. Migration also relates to the movement of people. Currently and throughout history, people have left their homes voluntarily or involuntarily to seek safety and opportunity. Climate change is affecting the Earth’s inhabitants globally and regionally at a quicker pace than anticipated. As glaciers melt and sea levels rise, weather patterns have become dangerous and unpredictable. As a result, whole communities of people, animals and even plants will migrate in order to survive.

Juror for acceptance and awards is Michael Kowbuz. More about him can be found at tinyurl.com/4vv7xnvk. Artists may submit up to two water media paintings through March 26. Artists are required to submit an explanation of how their work fits the theme. Paintings unrelated to the theme will not be considered for acceptance. Notification of acceptance is April 2. This exhibition will be on display May 3 to August 6.

A unique display upon entering the Johnson Education Center will be GSWS’ 5th Annual Art Installation. A separate call for entries is ongoing for that corroborative work. Entry for either the Installation or Juried Exhibition is via an EntryThingy link on gswcs.org. With art as an important tool for sharing our observations and feelings, these visuals will relay GSWS members’ ponderance of conservation needs in our world. The categories of Sky, Land, and Sea will be depicted in unique colors. These 5x7” abstract, Pointillist, and realistic paintings will depict species on the New Jersey State Wildlife Action Plan’s list of New Jersey’s Most Vulnerable Wildlife. The paintings will be combined into a thought-provoking art installation.

D&R Greenway Land Trust’s Johnson Education Center is at One Preservation Place, Princeton. The public is invited to visit the art galleries on weekdays from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. For more information, visit drgeenway.org or call (609) 578-7470.

Award Winners Recognized at Phillips’ Mill Youth Exhibition

The Phillips’ Mill Community Association recognized student award winners at the “10 th Annual Youth Art Exhibition” Awards Ceremony in its historic Mill in New Hope, Pa., surrounded by 140 works of art by students from area high schools. The show runs through Sunday, February 19.

Kenoka Wagner, a prolific artist and owner of the 2 nd Floor Art Gallery in Revere, Pa., was the juror of awards selection for this year’s show. A mixed media artist, painter, printmaker and sculptor, Wagner said, “There were so many amazing, inspired works in this year’s ‘Youth Art Exhibition at Phillips’ Mill.’ I wish I could have given them all awards.”

Wagner selected awards in five categories with digital art making a debut this year: Painting, Works on Paper, 3-Dimensional Art, Photography (film and digital), and Digital Art (excluding photography).

Best in Show honors went to Delia McHugh from

Central Bucks High School West for her painting, Portrait of a Dreamer. Wagner said he selected the piece for “its unteachable sensitivity, originality in the use of materials, conveyance of theme, and overall presentation.”

Also garnering top honors in their categories were Suren Tarafder of West Windsor-Plainsboro South for painting, Sam; Ryan Bender of Central Bucks High School West for works on paper, Richfield 1959 ; Britney Thompson of George School for 3-dimensional works, Untitled ; Kristina Wang of Princeton Day School for photography, 8 Degrees; and Eva Cheng of The Hun School for digital art, Inner Beauty

In total, 22 public and private schools from a 25mile radius of the Mill are participating in this year’s show. Its final two days are February 18 and 19, from 12 to 4 p.m., at Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, just north of New Hope, Pa. It can also be viewed online at phillipsmill.org/art/youth-artexhibition

open house

Cycle of

Creativity:

Alison Saar and the Toni Morrison Papers

Saturday, February 25, 1–4 p.m.

Shared themes such as musicality, labor, and ancestors flow through the artworks of Alison Saar and the writings of Toni Morrison. Join exhibition Curator Mitra Abbaspour to celebrate the opening of Cycle of Creativity: Alison Saar and the Toni Morrison Papers and learn about the art on view.

“PORTRAIT OF A DREAMER”: This painting by Delia McHugh of Central Bucks High School West was awarded Best in Show at the “10th Annual Youth Art Exhibition” at Phillips’ Mill in New Hope, Pa. The exhibition runs through February 19.

“GREEN CIRCLE”: This work by Dolores Poacelli is part of “Where Color Meets Memory,” an exhibition of collaged paintings by Poacelli and pantyhose/wire sculptures by Katie Truk, on view through March 11 at the Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street.

“Washitales” Exhibition at Lewis Center for the Arts

The Lewis Center for the Arts’ Programs in Theater and Visual Arts at Princeton University, in collaboration with the Department of Art and Archaeology, now presents “Washitales,” an exhibition of work made from traditional Japanese washi paper by renowned visual artist Kyoko Ibe. The exhibition is on view through March 5 in the Hurley Gallery at the Lewis Arts complex on the Princeton campus and is presented in conjunction with the Lewis Center’s theatrical presentation of Felon: An American Washi Tale by Freedom Reads founder, lawyer, and poet Reginald Dwayne Betts, with development and direction by Elise Thoron, on March 2 through 4. Additional events including a book launch of Ibe and Thoron’s The Way of Washi Tales and artists’ talk are planned as part of Ibe’s residency. The exhibition is free and open to the public with no tickets required; performances of Felon require tickets through McCarter Theatre Center. The set for Felon is designed and created by

Ibe from 1,000 squares of “prison paper” that papermaker Ruth Lignen constructed from the clothes of men Betts fi rst met serving time together in prison. Ibe also incorporated letters from men Betts had lived with in prison, friends who were still locked up and with whom he corresponded, helping them find freedom through parole. The paper kites — “kites” is a slang moniker for letters received from family while in prison — hang suspended from floor to ceiling in various groupings around the spare stage set. The “Washitales” exhibition in the Hurley Gallery includes work related to the theatrical set for Felon along with other works created by Ibe building on traditional techniques for Japanese hand papermaking.

Washi is traditional handmade paper. In 2nd-3rd century BCE, Chinese artisans developed a special technique of making paper using tree fiber as the raw material, and this became the prototype for the production of washi. The development of papermaking in Japan traces back to the 7th century and emerged due to the country’s geo-ecological

conditions, climate, religious beliefs, and the culture of its people. Throughout Japanese history, paper has played an important role in daily necessities including clothing and materials for homes, along with its use in rituals, ceremonies, and festivals. In the 20th century, most everyday paper is made by machines but there are a few hundred remaining Japanese families who engage in traditional papermaking — people who are living cultural treasures for not only Japan, but the world.

“This exhibition — which interweaves history, art history, theater, and the fine arts — is an example of the exciting interdisciplinary collaborations that are possible at Princeton,” said Rachael DeLue, chair of the Department of Art and Archaeology.

“Kyoko Ibe’s work draws on a centuries-long tradition of papermaking while transforming the practice in extraordinary ways through constant experimentation with the medium and its limits. In the case of her designs for Felon: An American Washi Tale, paper becomes an eloquent part of an urgent conversation

about incarceration, justice, and human dignity. Likewise, the work on view in the exhibition illuminates just how much paper has to say.”

On February 23 at 6 p.m., the Lewis Center and Department of Art and Archaeology will host an artists’ talk and book launch with Ibe and Thoron in the Hurley Gallery marking the publication of The Way of Washi Tales, a new book by Ibe and Thoron that celebrates their long history of collaboration.

The Hurley Gallery is an accessible venue on the mezzanine level of the Lewis Arts complex, reachable via the Arts Tower elevator. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. All visitors to Princeton University are expected to be either fully vaccinated, have recently received and be prepared to show proof of a negative COVID test (via PCR within 72 hours or via rapid antigen within 8 hours of the scheduled visit), or agree to wear a face covering when indoors and around others. For more information, visit arts.princeton.edu.

Area Exhibits

Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Metamorphosis” through March 31. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. lambertvillearts.com.

Art on Hulfish, 11 Hulfish Street, has “You Belong Here: Place, People, and Purpose in Latinx Photography” through May 7. artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has “Where Color Meets Memory” through March 11 and “Train of Thoughts” through April 15. artscouncilofprinceton.org.

D&R Greenway Land Trust Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, has “Land, Light, Spirit” through March 10 in

the Marie L. Matthews Gallery. drgreenway.org.

Dupree Gallery, 10 North Union Street, Lambertville, has “Our His-story Month” through February 28. dupreegallery@gmail. com.

Ellarslie, Trenton’s City Museum in Cadwalader Park, Parkside Avenue, has “Curated by Trenton” through February. ellarslie. org.

Ficus Above, 235 Nassau Street, has “Winter’s Hearth” through March 26. A reception is on Sunday, February 26 from 3 to 5 p.m. ficusbv.com.

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, has “New Year, New Art Members Exhibition” through March 5. gallery14.org.

Gourgaud Gallery, 23AA North Main Street, Cranbury, has “Princeton High School Emerging Artists Showcase 2023” through February 26. cranburyartscouncil.org.

Grounds For Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, has “Nightforms: Infinite Wave” by Kip Collective through April 2, among other exhibits. Timed tickets required. groundsforsculpture.org.

Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “Einstein Salon and Innovator’s Gallery,” “Princeton’s Portrait,” and other exhibits. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m., Thursday to 7 p.m. princetonhistory.org

Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “(re) Frame: Community Perspectives on the Michener Art Collection” through March 5, and “Walé Oyéjidé: Flight of the Dreamer” through April 23. michenerartmuseum.org

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has “Ma Bell: The Mother of Invention in New Jersey” through March 5 and the online exhibits “Slavery at Morven,” “Portrait of

Place: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints of New Jersey, 1761–1898,” and others. morven.org.

The Nassau Club, 6 Mercer Street, has “Christine Seo: Princeton Solo Show” through June 4. An opening reception is on March 5 from 3 to 5 p.m. christineseo.com.

Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa., has “10 th Annual Youth Art Exhibition” through February 19. Hours are Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. phillipsmill.org.

Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, has “Manifesting Love: Prints and Poetry” and “In Between Doodles” through March 25. princetonlibrary.org.

Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street, has screen prints by Ilanit Dotan Fuchs through March 7. “Eoin McInerney” is at the 254 Nassau Street location through March 7. smallworldcoffee.com.

West Windsor Arts Center, 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, has “Manifesting Beloved Community” through March 4. westwindsorarts.org.

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“WASHITALES”: An exhibition by visual artist Kyoko Ibe is on display in the Hurley Gallery at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts through March 5. An artists’ talk and book launch is on February 23 at 6 p.m.

(Photo by Jon Sweeney)

Mark Your Calendar Town Topics

Wednesday, February 15

6 p.m.: Princeton Public Library Board of Trustees meeting, in the Community Room unless otherwise noted. 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.

6:30 p.m.: Free screening of 13th, a documentary by Ava DuVernay about race, justice, and mass incarceration, is at YWCA Princeton, 59 Paul Robeson Place. Free. Register at ywcaprinceton.org.

7 p.m.: “The Life of Belle da Costa Greene,” virtual event presented by Mercer County Library System with Princeton University Art Museum docent Jeanne Johnson. Greene was a prominent librarian who worked at Princeton University library and the Pierpont Morgan Library. Email hopeprogs@ mcl.org to register.

8-10:30 p.m.: Princeton Country Dancers presents a contra dance at Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive. Jan Alter with Contra Rebels. $15. Princetoncountrydancers.org.

Thursday, February 16

10 a.m.: The 55-Plus Club of Princeton will meet via Zoom. Ryan Clancy, chief strategist for No Labels, will speak on “The Emerging Politics of Problem Solving.” To join this meeting, visit princetonol. com/groups/55plus. Meetings are free with a suggested donation of $5; see website for payment options.

3-5 p.m.: The Hate You Give is screened in Room CM 108 at Mercer County Community College, followed by a chat. Mccc.edu.

6 p.m.: “Resilience and Joy: A Black History Month Celebration” featuring Trenton Children’s Chorus with artist and poet Phillip McConnell, at Artworks, 19 Everett Alley, Trenton. Free. Capitalharmony.works.

7-8:30 p.m.: Story & Verse Open Mic: Poetry, Storytelling and Spoken Word, at the Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Wither spoon Street. This month’s theme is “Bad Romance,” to be interpreted as broadly as the performer wishes. Host ed by Brass Rabbit. Free. Artscouncilofprinceton.org.

7:30 p.m.: Violinist Alexi Kenney presents “Shift ing Ground,” with music by Bach and contemporary composers, at Richardson Auditorium. $10-$40. Puc. princeton.edu.

8:30 p.m.: “On Being,” performance by the Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Dance at Hearst Theater, Lewis Arts complex, Princ eton University campus. Works by seniors Becca Ber man and Leah Emmanuel. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

Friday, February 17

5:15 p.m.: “Cocktails in the Corridor featuring The Caracas Collection,” art work presentation with Re becca Meurer before Shab bat services at The Jewish Center, 435 Nassau Street. Drinks, snacks, socializing. Register at thejewishcenter. org.

6:30 p.m.: Thomas Edi son Film Festival, sponsored by Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts. James Stewart Film Theater, 185 Nassau Street. Screen ing followed by questionand-answer session. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

7 p.m.: Celebrate Mardi Gras at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Area musicians per form during the “My Big, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras Party,” after-hours multimedia celebration of the music and spirit of New Orleans. Princetonlibrary.org.

7:30 p.m.: Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine. With conductor Theodore Kuchar and

FEBRUARY

pianist Oksana Rapita in works by Stankovych, Grieg, and Beethoven at State The atre New Jersey, 15 Livings ton Avenue, New Brunswick. $17.50-$70. Stnj.org.

7:30-10:30 p.m mic at Princeton Elks, 354 Route 518. $5 donation at the door. Cash bar and bar pies available. (609) 4669813

8 p.m.: The Princeton Folk Music Society presents multi-instrumentalist Moira Smiley at Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane, and livestreamed over YouTube. $5-$25. Princetonfolk.org.

8 and 9 p.m.: “Disorder,” immersive theatrical installation presented by Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Theater at the Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University. Free; advance registration required. Arts.princeton.edu.

8:30 p.m.: “On Being,” performance by the Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Dance at Hearst Theater, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University campus. Works by seniors Becca Berman and Leah Emmanuel. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

Saturday, February 18

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Honoring Black History Month and the photography of the late Romus Broadway, the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Association will hold its next meeting at the Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street. Attendees at the meeting will view photos by Broadway, with the goal of naming as many people as possible.

9:30-11 a.m.: “Saving the Sonorine: An Early 20th Century Form of Voice Mail.” Held at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab as part of the Science on Saturday lecture series. 100 Stellarator Road. Coffee and donuts at 8:30 a.m. Pppl.gov.

10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Wuthering Heights Community Read-Aloud at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, in advance of the presentation Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights at McCarter Theatre. Register to participate at Princetonlibrary.org.

12-5 p.m.: Wine and Chocolate Weekend at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, baked goods, and chocolates from Pierre’s Chocolate of New Hope, Pa. Live music from 1-4 p.m. Terhuneorchards. com.

1-4 p.m.: George Washington’s Birthday Celebration at Johnson Ferry House, Washington Crossing State Park, New Jersey side. “Facts and Quotes” about Washington, gingerbread baking, quill pen writing, and more. $5 donation suggested. (609) 737-2515.

6 p.m.: Thomas Edison Film Festival via Zoom. Sponsored by Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts. Live-streamed

discussion with filmmakers. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

8 and 9 p.m.: “Disorder,” immersive theatrical installation presented by Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Theater at the Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University. Free; advance registration required. Arts.princeton.edu.

8:30 p.m.: “On Being,” performance by the Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Dance at Hearst Theater, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University campus. Works by seniors Becca Berman and Leah Emmanuel. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

Sunday, February 19

12-5 p.m.: Wine and Chocolate Weekend at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, baked goods, and chocolates from Pierre’s Chocolate of New Hope, Pa. Live music from 1-4 p.m. Terhuneorchards. com.

1 p.m .: Free carillon concert at Cleveland Tower on the Princeton University graduate campus; listen from outside the tower. University Carilloneur Lisa Lonie and guest artists perform.

3 p.m.: “The Creation of a Frankenstein Opera” at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Composer/pianist Greg Kallor discusses the process of adapting the novel Frankenstein into an opera in this multi-media presentation. Princetonlibrary.org.

3 p.m.: Westminster Conservatory Annual Showcase, at Richardson Auditorium. Performances by students and the world premiere of a work by Westminster Choir College senior Kyle St. Sauveur. $10-$15. Rider.edu/ arts.

4 p.m.: Damsel, the indie-folk duo, performs at the Java Jam coffeehouse at Princeton Makes, Princeton Shopping Center. Princetonmakes.com.

Monday, February 20

12-1 p.m.: “Before the Glory: Stories of Overcoming Adversity for the Win” brings three former major league baseball players to the Student Center of Mercer County Community College, West Windsor. Mccc. edu.

1-3 p.m.: The Women’s College Club of Princeton meets at Morven Education Center, 55 Stockton Street, to hear historian Shirley Satterfield’s talk “The Other Side of King’s Highway.” Free. WCCPNJ.org.

Tuesday, February 21

10 a.m.: Read and Explore: Fur, Feathers, Fluff: Keeping Warm in Winter. At Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Children will read two stories and make a paper bag animal to take home. $12 includes activity. Registration required. Terhuneorchards.com.

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Community Conversation at West Windsor Arts, 952 Alexander Road, in partnership with Rhinold Ponder of Art Against Racism. Hybrid event inspired by the current exhibition, “Manifesting Beloved Community.” Westwindsorarts.org.

7:30 p.m.: Reading by Rodrigo Toscano and Katie Kitamura, presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Creative Writing, at James Stewart Film Theater, 185 Nassau Street. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

Wednesday, February 22

7 p.m.: Virtual information session on Princeton’s 2023 environmental resource inventory, held by Princeton Environmental Commission. The public can ask questions and provide feedback. Princetonnj.gov.

7 p.m.: Talk based on Azzan Yadin-Israel’s book Temptation Transformed: How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple . At Douglass Student Center, 100 George Street, New Brunswick. Free. BildnerCenter. Rutgers.edu.

7 p.m.: Korey Garibaldi discusses his book Impermanent Blackness : The Making and Unmaking of Interracial Literary Culture in Modern America with Princeton University associate professor Kinohi Nishikawa. Live at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, and livestreamed on YouTube. Princetonlibrary.org.

7 p.m.: “East Windsor’s African American West Airport Road Community,” virtual talk by Charles (Cappy) Stults, president of the Hightstown-East Windsor Historical Society, on plans to erect interpretive signs along the road where African Americans first lived, built churches, and established businesses. Email hopeprogs@mcl.org to register.

7:30 p.m .: Screening of 32 short films by Princeton University students from courses taught by Moon Molson, Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, and Tim Szetela. Free. At James Stewart Film Theater, 185 Nassau Street. Arts.princeton.edu.

8-10:30 p.m.: Princeton Country Dancers presents a contra dance at Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive. $15 (free for 35 and under). Sue Gola with Princeton Pickup Band led by Janet Mills. Princetoncountrydancers.org.

Thursday, February 23

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Princeton Farmers Market at the Dinky train station lot. Local farms, baked goods, artisan foods, gifts, and more. Free parking.

3-5 p.m.: The film Judas and the Black Messiah is screened in room CM 108 on the campus of Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, followed by a chat. Mccc.edu.

5:30-8:30 p.m.: Princeton Mercer Chamber presents Pitch Stop V, Innovators and Entrepreneurs, at Grounds for Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton Township. Judges are Sean O’Sullivan of SOSV, Gia Fruscione of Princeton Alumni Angels, and Grace Hahn of Edison Partners. Princetonmercer.org.

6 p.m.: Cartoonist and author Patrick McDonnell talks about his book Heart to Heart: A Conversation on Love and Hope for Our Precious Planet, at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.

7 p.m.: The Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO) will hold its annual candidate forum and endorsement meeting in person. The meeting is open to all members of the PCDO who joined on or prior to February 9. princetondems.org.

7:30 p.m .: Screening of 32 short films by Princeton University students from courses taught by Moon Molson, Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, and Tim Szetela. Free. At James Stewart Film Theater, 185 Nassau Street. Arts.princeton.edu.

8 p.m.: “Disorder,” immersive theatrical installation presented by Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Theater at the Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University. Free; advance registration required. Arts.princeton.edu.

Friday, February 24

4:30 p.m.: Screening of documentary Lyra and discussion with director Alison Millar, presented by Princeton University’s Fund for Irish Studies at James Stewart Film Theater, 185 Nassau Street. Free. Arts. princeton.edu.

6:30 p.m.: Trenton Film Society shows Oscar-nominated short films in documentary, live-action, and animation categories at Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street, Trenton. Trentonfilmsociety.org.

7:30 p.m.: Lost Girl by Kimberly Belflower is presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater at Drapkin Studio, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University. Free. Arts. princeton.edu.

8 and 9 p.m.: “Disorder,” immersive theatrical installation presented by Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Theater at the Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University. Free; advance registration required. Arts.princeton.edu.

Saturday, February 25 10 a.m.: Read and Explore: Fur, Feathers, Fluff: Keeping Warm in Winter. At Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Children will read two stories and make a paper bag animal to take home. $12 includes activity. Registration required. Terhuneorchards.com.

Both Residential and Commercial Projects Available From Calvary Paving & Sealcoating

Even though it is February, the unusually warm temperatures hint of spring. Spring cleaning and home improvement projects come to mind, and it’s not too soon to consider the state of your driveway.

In the same way it affects roads, winter, with fluctuating cold and warm temperatures, can be hard on driveways. Especially if they are older, and haven’t had recent maintenance attention, wear and tear takes its toll. Cracks, crumbling, and rough patches can appear, not only lessening eye appeal, but even causing hardship on tires.

IT’S NEW To Us

Jimmie Harrison, owner of Calvary Paving & Sealcoating, is ready to help! He has a long history in the paving business, having received hands-on training from his father and grandfather.

“I really started helping out when I was 4 years old,” he says with a smile. “I definitely started young!”

Strong Faith

After years of experience honing his skills, he opened his own business in Fairless Hills, Pa., in 2018. “It was always my dream to have my own business,” he reports, “and it means a lot to me. I take great pride in it.”

A person of strong faith, he explains that this was a factor in his decision. “When the opportunity to open my business came along, my

Christian values helped me to act on it. These values are the foundation of my life.”

These values extend throughout his business operation, he points out. “I offer quality work and integrity in every aspect. My team and I are very respectful of our customers, and give careful attention to every job, no matter the size. Every job is tailored to suit your specific needs. My dad always said, no job is too small or too big!”

While residential work is more prominent in his work, the company also takes on commercial projects for businesses, schools, churches, etc. All sizes of driveways and parking lots are part of the job.

Quality Work

The majority of residential driveways use asphalt or blacktop, he notes, but some owners like gravel, including red stone, and Calvary can supply whatever the customer wishes. In addition, Belgian blocks and stone pavers are curbing options that people may request.

“Every job is individually evaluated, and we give an estimate up front,” reports Harrison. “We try to work within people’s budget, and offer quality work at all times. Preparation is the most important part of the job, and the most important thing is water drainage — making sure that the water flows in the proper direction away from the house or garage. This may include the need for grading.”

In addition to installation of new driveways, maintenance, and removal of old pavement, sealcoating is

another important service of the company. This is an effective treatment to protect the new driveway or parking lot, explains Harrison.

“Sealcoating asphalt pavement ultimately protects against deterioration, crumbling, and shrinking of the pavement,” he says. “It provides resistance to elements that can soften asphalt.”

Many Advantages

“Asphalt binder (tar) hardens when it is exposed to oxygen,” continues Harrison. “This results in a brittle surface that will eventually crack. These pavement cracks allow rain water and oxygen to penetrate the asphalt pavement and its sub-base, and shorten the pavement life by weakening it. Sealcoating has many advantages to extend the life and appearance of your asphalt pavement. It extends the life of the driveway or parking lot; it protects driveway/parking lot from fuel oil and antifreeze; it slows down oxidation and water penetration; and it beautifies your driveway/parking lot.

“If done properly and maintained, driveways can last 20 or 30 years. Maintenance is so important, and we always try to educate our customers about the proper way to preserve the overall life of the paving job.”

A typical driveway can take one day to complete, and a larger, more complicated one, requiring additional prep time, can take two days, he points out. In addition, depending on the situation, patching the driveway is an option. It may not always be necessary to install an entire new surface, although in most cases, it is a preferable method in order to ensure a long-lasting solution.

Costs depend on the size and scope of the job, he adds, noting, “Our paving is

cost-effective with competitive pricing, and always with high quality work.

“We are very customeroriented and strive for customer satisfaction, providing our services at a reasonable cost. We have a one-year guarantee, and we always stand behind our work. We have many referrals from satisfied customers, and 90 percent of our new clients are word-of-mouth.”

Hands-On

Jimmie Harrison is proud of his company’s growth, and its clientele now includes people in Mercer and Somerset counties in New Jersey and Bucks and Eastern Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. This includes an increasing number of projects in Princeton, he adds.

“I love my work. I love to create new driveways, and I’m very hands-on,” says Harrison. “I enjoy working with the customers, and it’s such interesting work. We want to make everyone’s driveway safe, durable, and good-looking.

“My team is very skilled, with a lot of experience. There are four or five on each job, and I am there too. We are very thorough. We completely clean up our work area after the work is finished. We are very neat and orderly. Our customers know they can trust and depend on us. We are set apart by the attention we give to every job from start to finish.

“We look forward to continuing to serve our customers. From designing layout patterns to preparing the site with a proper foundation, and providing clean lines and smoothly finished asphalt, we will add longlasting value and functionality to your property.”

For further information and to schedule an appointment, call (267) 598-7131, and visit the website at calvary-paving.com.

—Jean Stratton

phalt paving company, and we treat your driveway as if it were our own,” says owner Jimmie Harrison. Shown is a recently

FAMILY FOCUS: Jimmie Harrison, owner of Calvary Paving & Sealcoating, headquartered in Fairless Hills, Pa., is shown

Pa#137443

S ports

With Coach Cook Taking the Helm of PU Women’s Lax, Tigers Starting New Era When They Host Virginia in Opener

Anew era kicks off at noon Saturday for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse program when it hosts Virginia in Class of 1952 Stadium.

It will be the first game at the helm for new head coach Jenn Cook, the successor to Chris Sailer, who retired after her 36 th season with the Tigers concluded last spring. Cook brings familiarity to the program as a former assistant to Sailer, but also a different energy and approach in her first head coaching job. She, her staff and her players are ready to prove that Princeton is as good as ever.

“ It ’s been awesome,” said Cook, who is entering her 11th season with the program, having previously served as an assistant coach and associate head coach. “ Our kids are tremendously motivated and hungry. They have come back ready to go.”

The Tigers are focused on who they have, not who they don’t have, after several marquee players moved on from both ends of the field. Kyla Sears, whose 100 points (70 goals, 30 assists) were 42 more points than anyone on the Princeton team a year ago, graduated as the unanimous Ivy League Attacker of the Year. At the defensive end, four-year starting goalie Sam Fish graduated after earning Ivy Goaltender of the Year. So did defensive stalwarts Marge Donovan (the unanimous 2022 Ivy Defender of the Year who is finishing her college eligibility at Maryland), Mary Murphy and Olivia Pugh.

“ I think for us it ’s about confidence and focusing on us and right now and being where our feet are, and not necessarily what we ’ re losing but we have,” said Cook. “It ’s really about being in the moment — playing our best and really showing how hungry we are and capable of stepping up in big moments.”

Cook and her players are plenty familiar with each other from her years as an assistant to Sailer. It has been a benefit for both to not start completely from scratch.

“ Our players really understand our coaching style and really understand how we think about the game and know how we lead and what our expectations are,” said Cook. “ I think that leads to a really great comfort level and freedom and joy when our kids play. They don ’ t feel like they ’ re walking on eggshells or can’t make mistakes. We say mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow, and so our girls know our coaching style and that leads to a level of comfort.”

Cook is also plenty familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of her returning players. She has appreciated the way they have embraced her points of emphasis, like returning from winter break highly conditioned and ready to focus on strategy and the nuances of the game. Fall ball had given the Tigers a sneak peek at how

they will look against other teams, and they had a final preseason tune-up against Army a week and a half ago to gauge themselves one final time before the season starts.

“ It just gave us a really good read of where we are with our stickwork, with our conditioning, with different defensive systems and different offensive plays and just where we were,” said Cook.

“ It ’s been a really great start for us.”

The attack won ’ t have Sears, but otherwise there are plenty of familiar faces. Princeton ’s next eight leading scorers are back from last year’s team that finished 15-4 overall and was a perfect 7-0 in the Ivy League, advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“

Kyla Sears was an incredibly prolific player and she meant so much to the program, but I know myself and (associate head coach)

Kerrin Maurer are extremely excited for the group that we have out on the field,” said Cook. “ They ’ re extremely dynamic. They work really, really well together. They play off of each other really, really well. I think in years past, everybody ’s eyes kind of went to Kyla, even onfield, and I think that limits the opportunities for the other people playing within that offense. I don ’t think that ’ s the case this year. Chemistry-wise they play extremely well off of each other and it ’s really about setting each other up for the best opportunities and the best possible look that we can get as an offensive unit.”

Junior Grace Tauckus is the top returning scorer after tallying 47 goals and 11 assists in her first full season — she played five games before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and then the Ivies had no season in 2021.

Kate Mulham, a second-team

All-Ivy selection in her first full season last year, was 10 points behind with 35 goals and 13 assists. Tauckus returns with the best shooting percentage on the Tigers. Mulham is blossoming into a key leader.

“ Grace Tauckus is amazing,” said Cook. “ I think she ’s going to have a great year. I also think Kate Mulham, senior captain who ’ s had maybe not the easiest journey — she tore her ACL and then COVID happened — her real experience came last year as a junior in terms of real on-field experience. I think this year she ’s going to have an incredible year. She has this mentality and this resilience grittiness about her that really shows in her play. She ’s a kid who wants the ball at the end of a game in a big moment. She doesn’t shy away from that.”

McKenzie Blake (36 goals, 10 assists) was a breakout player as a starter in her first year last spring. Nina Montes, another sophomore, had 23 points (18 goals, 5 assists) a year ago, one point behind junior Ellie Mueller (14 goals, 10 assists). Princeton has a first-year

this season who could make a similar impact. Jami MacDonald comes from Canada and brings another threat to their attack. The older veterans are taking on bigger leadership roles and setting the tone for the attack. Each player has the chance to be a bigger contributor this year.

“ I think the growth for our offense is they’re going to be getting more touches and just getting used to that,” said Cook. “ I think it is different. But I think they ’ re more than capable — all of them collectively — of stepping in and being comfortable with that because of how hungry they are and just their mentality and the approach that they ’ ve had. Ellie is more confident behind cage, making feeds, working on timing and developing that chemistry with people. McKenzie is a lefty and Jamie is a lefty, reading each other and setting each other up, they’ve really been growing in that this past year and developing that chemistry which has been really fun to see.”

The defensive end has more significant changes.

Junior Sammy Filippi is a returning starter to build around. Princeton will slide an All-Ivy honoree Maria Pansini as well as fellow senior Shannon Berry out of a deep midfield back to the defense that graduated so much.

“ There are always middies that prefer the attack end or the D end a little bit more,” said Cook. “ And both of them had always excelled and really loved the defensive side of the ball, and when those spots opened up they jumped at the opportunity to shore up that end and make it as strong as possible. Their leadership and understanding and how hard they work and how motivated they are has really brought along the rest of the young ones in that group and maybe less experienced players in that group. I think it ’s really, really helped strengthen us.”

Shea Smith, another senior, has made big jumps to help the defense as well. She was in the defensive rotation a year ago. Sam Whiting is just a sophomore, but also has developed well since earning time in the rotation last season. Junior Caroline Burnett and first-year Dylan Allen add to the depth at the defensive end. “ There ’ s plenty of options and plenty of opportunity for a lot of different people,” said Cook.

“ So it ’s pretty exciting on that end.”

Who is in goal behind the defense hasn’t been decided as of yet. Cook and her staff — which includes former goalie Molly Dougherty from 2018 national champion James Madison — are evaluating first-year Amelia Hughes and sophomore Tia Reaman. Reaman returns after playing just 15 minutes total behind Fish. Hughes comes from Wilton, Conn.

“ Tia is a returner,” said Cook. “ She ’s comfortable. She knows all our different schemes. She played behind

Sam Fish, so she had a really good window into what that role is and how to operate in it and she really got to see from the best. And then you have a really talented kid in Amelia Hughes, who has really phenomenal hands and gets the ball out early on a clear and is really even keel. I think they ’ re both ready to go.”

Cook plans to go with one of them for the entire game, not split halves as some teams do. She is also adamant that whoever does not start is ready to play.

“ They ’ re both extremely important for us the entirety of the season regardless of who gets the nod come next Saturday,” said Cook. “ We ’ re going to need both of them. Anything can happen at any part of the season, and everyone has to be ready for their moment.”

The Tigers only moved Pansini and Berry back to defense because they felt they had a luxury of depth at the midfield position. Led by Kari Buonanno, the team ’s fifth-leading scorer a year ago with 27 goals and 10 assists, the unit will be important in connecting the defense and attack. Buonanno is primed for a statement year.

“ She makes plays all over the field and is also an incredible leader and sets an incredibly high standard for understanding both sides of the ball and having an impact on both sides of the ball,” said Cook. “ Sam DeVito is a junior and returner and she ’s quiet, but she ’ s not quiet in the way that she plays. It ’s really been fun to see both of them continu -

ally develop and grow. We also have returners in Lillian Stout in the midfield and Sophie Whiteway.”

Lane Calkins and Haven Dora are first-year players who will contribute in the midfield as well. Stout and Whiteway also are important for taking the draw. As much as Donovan was commended for her defensive play, her play on the draw control was just as big. She won 112 of Princeton ’s 264 draw controls. How the Tigers replace her most effectively will play out over the season. Dora will be on the circle to show off a quick first step. Buonanno and DeVito have a nose for the ball which makes them valuable there.

“ That is a loss with Marge on the circle,” said Cook. “ But we all feel really confident with the players that we have on-field that we ’ ll be fine in closing that gap, just like we feel fine in closing that point gap on the offensive side of the ball, and the defensive side of the ball too.”

Princeton, who is currently ranked 16th nationally in the Inside Lacrosse media poll, will be tested right from the start of the season as No. 13 Virginia (2-0) opened its year with a 14-11 win over early season darling Stanford and then topped UC Davis 16-12. The Tigers also will play highly regarded Rutgers, USC, Penn State, Maryland, and Loyola in outof-conference action.

“ It ’s a great opportunity for us and a great challenge for us,” said Cook. “Looking at our out-of-conference play really sets us up for Ivy play. It ’s a dogfight. Every single

Ivy game is incredibly important and could go either way. For us, those out-of-conference games are really prepping us for our Ivy League and conference games. We like seeing people in Big Ten and ACC and different conferences than us because overall that body of work is going to prepare us not only for our regular season play, but our Ivy League tournament play and potentially into the future.”

The preseason media poll selected the Tigers to repeat as Ivy champions, but Cook is preaching that her team stays hungry and humble and not focus on rankings. Yale, which was picked second, remains a team on the rise and the rest of the league has shown potential.

“ Yale has done an incredible job with their kids,” said Cook, who was college roommates at North Carolina with Yale head coach Erica Bamford. “I think they’re all competitive. I can ’t rattle off a game where you think it ’s a gimme. That ’s a good thing. We want as many Ivy teams to be as strong as possible nationally.”

Princeton just hopes that it is the Ivy team leading the way by the end of the season. The Tigers begin their season Saturday with a chance to show just how good the program can be.

“It’s really been cool to see the progress that everybody has made and the adjustments and growth everybody has had in the time that we ’ve had together since the fall through our preseason,” said Cook.

—Justin Feil

ON THE ATTACK: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Kate Mulham heads upfield in a game last season. Senior attacker Mulham, who tallied 35 goals and 13 assists in 2022, figures to be a key offensive weapon for the Tigers this spring. Princeton, which will be guided by new head Jenn Cook, the successor to Chris Sailer, who retired last spring after guiding the program for 36 seasons, opens its 2023 season by hosting No. 13 Virginia on February 18.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

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Keeping Up Her Hot Play in Final Weekend at Baker Rink, Senior Star Connors Helps PU Women’s Hockey to Sweep

For Maggie Connors, taking the ice last weekend for her final regular season action at Hobey Baker Rink with the Princeton University women’s hockey team was a long time coming.

“I took a gap year, I feel like it was never going to arrive,” said Princeton senior forward Connors, a 5’6 native of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Canada.

“The fact that I came here in 2018, it feels like I have been here forever. That doesn’t make me want to leave in any way. It definitely feels like I have gone through it for a while.”

As Princeton started the Senior Weekend by hosting Union Friday evening, it looked like the Tigers were never going to score as they trailed 1-0 after two periods despite outshooting the Dutchwomen 29-7.

“Credit to their goalie [Sophie Matsoukas], she played well and we peppered her,” said Connors who generated eight shots on goal in the first two periods and pounded her stick against her helmet in frustration at one point when one of her shots was turned away. “I think we could have had some better quality chances. We talked about getting in front of her more, they were getting all of the rebounds.”

Early in the third period, Connors helped Princeton cash in on a chance, picking up an assist on a power play goal by fellow senior Kayla Fillier.

“On that power play, I shot for the far pad on a one timer,” said Connors. “I thought Annie [Kuehl] was going to put it in and then Kayla was able to do it.”

Minutes later, Connors picked up a second assist on a 2-on-1 rush as she slotted the puck to Fillier, who banged it home for her second goal of the contest.

“I was going for Sarah [Fillier] because they were on Kayla but right before I passed it the girl faded away to Sarah and Kayla was wide open,” said Connors. “They are both really smart, they are both in the right spot. I was going to hit one them and Kayla was there.”

Union responded by scoring a late goal to force overtime but Princeton prevailed 3-2 as freshman Emerson O’Leary scored a power play goal midway through the five-minute extra session.

“I would take our team in overtime but they were good,” said Connors, reflecting on the win which clinched a spot in the upcoming ECACH quarterfinals for the Tigers. “They pushed, they had a few chances and Jen [Olnowich] came up big. We have some strategies and we talk a lot about them in practice. We go over three on three and what is best for us. We were lucky enough that we got a power play.”

A day later, Connors chipped in an assist as Princeton edged Rensselaer 4-3 in overtime, improving to 1411-1 overall and 10-10 ECAC Hockey and posting its fifth straight win.

Connors has played a key role in Princeton’s late surge, having tallied five goals and six assists in the winning streak, getting named as the

ECACH Co-Forward of the Week earlier this month.

“It is nice to be where I am. Indiv idually, I am on a roll compared to the first half,” said Connors, who now has 26 points on 13 goals and 13 assists this season and 138 points in her career on 74 goals and 64 assists.

“That doesn’t come without linemates. Lines have been shifting and playing with Sarah and Emma Kee or both of them, they make it really easy. On a lot of my goals, I am able to just shoot it and have a lane because they create it for me.”

Reuniting on the same line with Sarah Fillier, who took a two-year hiatus from Princeton to play for the Canadian women’s national team and win a gold medal at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.

“We had to find our stride again after being separated for two years and her accomplishing incredible things,” said Connors. “Playing with her, she makes it so easy. She sends no-look throws to me and I can just tell where she is on the ice. I have been playing with her for so long. She makes it easy, that is for sure.”

Princeton has found its stride collectively after posting an 11-2 win over Quinnipiac on January 29.

“It was one of the strangest games I have ever played so I don’t exactly know how we can build on it,” said Connors. “I think the biggest thing is, one, it showed us that we can compete with any team in the country and, two, we have the ability to score. It is like we know how to score and it is going to come if you keep trying. Three, it gave us confidence in the second half. I would rather have it now than in the early half. I think confidence is huge.”

Princeton head coach Cara Morey cites her huge senior group with having a huge impact on the program.

“It has changed a little bit because of COVID, they are definitely a special class,” said Morey of the class which includes Mariah Keopple, Solveig Neunzert, and Chloe Harvey in addition to Connors and Kayla Fillier. “They are a bunch of hockey kids and the last four-five years have been awesome with them.”

Morey acknowledged that the Tigers didn’t have an awesome start against Union.

“There is so much grabbing and clutching and hooking; it is like man on man and they are just kind of pulling at everybody,” said Morey. “It was frustrating for our players. It is hard when the first couple don’t go in and you hit a crossbar here or there. Then your emotions start to take over.”

The Tigers overcame that frustration by cashing in on power plays.

“It was just keep going, just stay calm,” said Morey. “It was great because I think we got three power play goals tonight, which was great because our power play hadn’t necessarily been clicking.”

Morey was excited to see two of her seniors, Fillier and Connors, click in the win over Union.

“Kayla was awesome, she does what she needs to do,” said Morey. “She has always got her stick in the right place so that was great. Maggie does what Maggie does.

She is speed, she is crafty. She was great.”

In reflecting on Princeton’s great effort against Quinnipiac, Morey believes that outburst stemmed from the team’s resilience as it fought through a five-game losing streak in January.

“That Quinnipiac game was an outlier; I think we have been outplaying most teams all year long and then it is just a matter of whether that puck goes in the net or it doesn’t,” said Morey. “It has been tricky to coach because you can’t make a ton of adjustments when you are out-chancing teams 5-10 chances every game. You can’t make it go into the net. It is building a lot of character down there in the locker room and I like the fact that they are still fighting.”

With the Tigers playing at Clarkson on February 17 and at St. Lawrence on February 18 to wrap up regular season action, Morey believes her squad’s late surge will make it a dangerous foe in the postseason.

“Our hope is that we are really hot as we head into playoffs,” said Morey. “I think that people are generally scared of the Tigers in the playoffs and I think this year is going to be like the rest.”

Connors, for her part, believes that Princeton is in a good groove as it heads into the ECACH quarterfinals.

“I would take our team in the playoffs, I think we are obviously dangerous,” said Connors. “That is what we talk about, no matter if they are first or if they are unranked, whoever it is, as long as we play hard with effort and attitude, we don’t want anyone to come out and think we are easy to play against. You look at our season, it is tough to understand but we are on a roll. You just focus on the game before and what kind of things can you learn going into the next game. I am excited for playoffs.”

—Bill Alden

SENIOR SURGE: Princeton University women’s hockey player Maggie Connors looks for the puck in a game earlier this season. Senior star forward Connors enjoyed a big final regular season weekend at Hobey Baker Rink, tallying two assists in a 3-2 overtime win over Union on Friday to help Princeton clinch a spot in the upcoming ECAC Hockey quarterfinals, and contributing an assist as the Tigers topped Rensselaer 4-3 in overtime a day later. Princeton, which has now posted five straight wins to improve to 14-11-1 overall and 10-10 ECACH, plays at Clarkson on February 17 and at St. Lawrence on February 18 to wrap up regular season play. (Photo

by Frank Wojciechowski)

One-Two Punch of Chen, Morton Sparks 3rd Quarter Run, Helping Tiger Women’s Hoops Pull Away from Dartmouth

With the Princeton University women’s basketball team clinging to a 31-25 lead against visiting Dartmouth early in the third quarter last Saturday, the Tigers rode a unconventional one-two punch to break the game open.

With starting point guard

Kaitlyn Chen scoring eight points and reserve forward Paige Morton contributing four points, Princeton produced a 21-8 surge and never looked back on the way to a 64-47 victory, improving to 17-5 overall and 8-2 Ivy League.

Chen, for her part, attributed the third quarter run to some intense defense.

“It was just to do what we always do, lock it down on defense,” said Chen “Our defense translates to our offense.”

Junior star Chen translated those stops into several end-to-end drives as she sliced through Dartmouth players on the way to the hoop.

“Coach (Carla Berube) just mentioned slowing myself down,” said Chen, who tallied a game-high 16 points with four assists and three rebounds in the win. “I felt like once I slowed myself down I was able to see things open up more.”

Sophomore forward Morton enjoyed a second strong effort against the Big Green as she tallied 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting in a 7959 win over Dartmouth on January 21.

“Playing against Dartmouth is always really fun,” said Morton, who ended up with eight points, four rebounds, and two steals against the Big Green last Saturday. “We do a lot of ball screen actions; it is fun to roll and see my guards pass me the ball.”

Princeton head coach Carla Berube had fun watching Chen driving to the basket.

“Kaitlyn did a really good job of getting in the paint and just making plays in that stretch,” said Berube.

Berube was not surprised by Morton’s sharpshooting as she went four for five from the floor.

“Paige has a good shot; sometimes we talk about her threes next year and feeling more confident in that,” said Berube. “She has got a great midrange shot, she makes them in practice so they should transfer to games. She has the green light.”

In addition to Morton’s superb effort, Princeton also got eight points from Parker Hill off the bench.

“Paige and Parker, they play well against Dartmouth, I don’t know what it is,” said Berube. “It happened up there as well. They are great weapons to go to inside. I thought we had some good length on them at times when they went small and we took advantage of that. They worked really hard to get the basketball and we found them.”

Chen has emerged as a key offensive weapon for the Tigers as she is averaging a team-high 14.1 points a game, up from 10.5 points a game last winter.

“She is just making really good decisions with the basketball,” said Berube. “There are times where it has got be her, and there are times where she is finding the right pass to a scoring opportunity. When she pushes it in transition and gets out there and we are heading up the sideline and Julia [Cunningham] is making plays and Maddie [St. Rose] is doing good things, that is where we are at our best.”

PU Sports Roundup

In addition, Chen helps spark the Tigers with her upbeat mentality.

“I think they all love playing with her, they feed off of her great energy,” said Berube. “She plays hard all of the time. She plays with a lot of joy and I think that rubs off on other people too and gets them playing at a really high level. She is a really good floor general with those characteristics.”

Reflecting on her progress this winter, Chen believes it comes down to being more feisty.

“I guess just having more of an aggressive mentality,” said Chen. “I felt like last year, I was more facilitating.”

Morton, who is averaging 4.4 points a game this season and has made eight starts after scoring 1.6 points a game and making no starts as a freshman, is more aggressive on the court as well.

“I think I have a lot more confidence defensively and offensively this year,” said Morton. “It has been really fun.”

With Princeton having now posted nine straight wins and tied for first place with Columbia atop the Ivy standings, Berube believes her squad is in a good spot.

“I think we are taking good steps; of course last weekend was really good on the road and getting two wins,” said Berube, whose team defeated Columbia 74-56 on February 4 and Cornell 63-52 a day earlier. “That is hard, those back-to-backs. We want to do that this coming weekend. This weekend is going to be a big test, playing at Brown and at Yale. We are trending in the right direction.”

Morton believes the Tigers are primed for the tests ahead.

“It is taking it one day at a time, we really focus on getting better defensively every single day and getting better on knowing the scout and everything,” said Morton. “It is about the daily grind.”

Chen concurs, seeing embracing the daily grind as the key to success for the Tigers.

“I feel like we are just trying to get better day by day and just see where that takes us and not take steps back, said Chen. “That is our main focus.”

In Chen’s view, the win at Columbia was a big step forward for Princeton.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Chen. “It just shows that when we really focus and set our mind to something, how good we can be.”

—Bill Alden

PU Men’s Hoops Falls at Dartmouth

Tosan Evbuomwan had a big game but it wasn’t enough as the Princeton University men’s basketball team fell 83-76 at Dartmouth last Saturday.

Senior star Evbuomwan tallied 23 points with nine rebounds and six assists for the Tigers, now 16-7 overall and 7-3 Ivy.

In upcoming action, Princeton hosts Brown on February 17 and Yale on February 18.

Princeton Women’s Fencing Wins Ivy Round-Robin Title

Winning its second straight Ivy League title, the Princeton University women’s fencing team finished a clean sweep of the league’s round-robin event Sunday at Cornell, defeating Columbia 20-7 in the final bout of the event after both teams entered that round undefeated.

Individually, Princeton women won two of the three weapon titles, with foils Maia Weintraub (14-3) and May Tieu (14-4) in the top two spots in the weapon and Hadley Husisian winning top honors in epee at 142. Chloe Fox-Gitomer was a close second in the saber standings at 16-2, just behind Columbia’s Nora Burke at 16-1.

With Princeton at 6-0 and Columbia at 5-1, Penn (4-2), Harvard (3-3), Brown (2-4), Cornell (1-5), and Yale (06) rounded out the women’s standings.

The Tiger men’s team finished third at 2-2 with

Harvard winning the Ivy title at 4-0, Columbia second at 3-1, and Penn (1-3) and Yale (0-4) completing the standings. Tristan Szapary was the top men’s epee fencer in the league, finishing with a 9-3 record.

Tiger Men’s Hockey Loses at Clarkson

Noah de la Durantaye scored the lone goal for the Princeton University men’s hockey team as it fell 4-1 at Clarkson last Saturday.

The Tigers, now 12-13 overall and 8-10 ECAC Hockey, host Brown on February 17 and Yale on February 18 in its final home games of the regular season.

Princeton Wrestling Falls to Lehigh

Kole Mulhauser provided a highlight as the Princeton University wrestling team fell 24-12 to Lehigh last Saturday.

Freshman standout Mulhauser pinned Jake Logan in posting a win at 174 pounds. Other victors for Princeton in the match included Patrick Glory at 125 and Quincy Monday at 165.

The Tigers, now 3-11 overall and 1-4 Ivy League, wrestle at Bucknell on February 17 in their last dual of the regular season.

Tiger Men’s Volleyball

Tops St. Francis Brooklyn

Ben Harrington led the way as the Princeton University men’s volleyball team defeated St. Francis Brooklyn 3-0 last Saturday in its Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) opener.

Junior star Harrington had led the match in kills with eight and aces with seven to help the Tigers prevail 25-19, 25-16, 25-22.

In upcoming action, Princeton, now 4-6 overall and 1-0 EIVA, has matches at Penn State on February 17 and 18.

PU Women’s Squash

Has 9-0 Win over Chatham

Ending regular season action on a high note, the No. 3 Princeton University women’s squash team rolled to a 9-0 win over Chatham last Sunday.

Princeton, who improved to 9-2 overall with the victory, is next in action when it competes in the College Squash Association (CSA) national team championships from February 17-19 in Philadelphia.

Princeton Men’s Squash Sweeps Chatham

Producing a dominant performance, the No. 3 Princeton University men’s squash team defeated Chatham 9-0 last Sunday.

The Tigers, who executed seven 3-0 sweeps in improving to 8-2, host Navy on February 18 to wrap up regular season play.

Tiger Women’s Water Polo Goes 3-0 at Bucknell Event

Shanna Davidson starred as the No. 14 Princeton University women’s water polo team went 3-0 last weekend at the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pa.

The Tigers defeated No. 21 LIU 9-7 and Villanova 13-6 on Saturday. A day later, Princeton topped Mount St. Mary’s 18-3 to wrap up the event. Freshman Davidson tallied nine goals over the weekend to lead the way.

In upcoming action, the Tigers, now 7-1, will be hosting their annual Princeton Invitational from February 25-26 at DeNunzio Pool.

RISING UP: Princeton University women’s basketball player Kaitlyn Chen heads to the hoop in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, junior guard Chen tallied a

Senior Star Zullo Leads the Way with a Hat Trick

As PHS Boys’ Hockey Tops Paul VI in MCT Semis

Two weeks ago, the Princeton High boys’ hockey team fell behind Paul VI-Camden Catholic 4-0 in the second period before rallying to pull out a dramatic 6-5 victory. When the foes met last Monday in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals, Cooper Zullo and his PHS teammates were determined to get off to a better start in the rematch.

“I don’t think we played a very good fi rst two periods against them the first time and it showed,” said Tiger senior star forward and captain Zullo.

“That was definitely a point of emphasis. We said coming into this game they are not going to give it to us. We have to work for it, especially against a team like that. They are a team that works hard, they are very well coached. They have come a long way over the four years that I have been here.”

Late in the first period with second-seeded PHS and sixth-seeded Paul VI locked in a scoreless tie, Zullo took matters into his own hands. Looking to clear the puck on a penalty kill, Zullo flipped it from the red line and watched in amazement as it bounced past the Paul VI goalie into the back of the net with 2:00 left in the period.

“I was just trying to get the puck deep,” said a smiling Zullo. “I think this ice has a history of doing its own thing, it has a mind of its own. That was the goal there to put it on net and see what happens. That is my curve ball.”

Zullo’s tally triggered an outburst for the Tigers as T.T. Zhao scored 15 seconds later and Ethan Garlock scored with 40 seconds left in the period and then added a second goal 2:38 into the second period as PHS built a 4-0 lead.

“We knew that once one was going to come, that the rest were going to come and that is exactly what happened,” said Zullo. “We scored four in fi ve minutes. We knew we had to score early because it was not over yet.”

Paul VI, though, fought back with two unanswered goals to make it a 4-2 game heading into the third period.

“We came to the locker room and I think there were some nerves,” said Zullo, refl ecting on the mood at the second intermission. “But we knew that if we stuck to our game plan and if we got the first one coming into the third, we would have no problem.”

Once again, Zullo took care of business himself, scoring

two goals in the first 3:11 of the third period as PHS extended its lead to 6-2 and never looked back on the way to a 7-4 victory. As a result, PHS, now 13-6-1, advanced to the MCT final where it will face fourth-seeded Hopewell Valley on February 15 at the Mercer County Skating Center.

“Our saying for tonight and for Wednesday is that we are not satisfied until that buzzer goes off,” said Zullo. “There is no satisfaction in any goal that we score.”

Zullo did enjoy his third period goals. “I had a similar chance in the second period and I shot it right into his chest; I think I took a deep breath and closed my eyes and just shot the puck,” said Zullo, refl ecting on his fi rst goal of the period. “I don’t want to give him the same look. I was coming down the right side again but hey sometimes you get lucky.”

PHS is relishing the chance to return to the MCT fi nal, looking to make amends after falling 7-2 to Notre Dame in the 2022 county championship game.

“Everyone knows what happened last year to us and that defi nitely left a bad taste in our mouth,” said Zullo. “We know that hey this Hopewell team beat Robbinsville (3-1 in the MCT semi), we didn’t beat Robbinsville so we are going to have a tough time. They are very well coached over there. We beat Notre Dame twice last year and they killed us in the final. Hopewell has got two really good goalies

TITLE CHASE: Princeton High boys’ hockey player Cooper Zullo, right, chases after the puck last Monday as second-seeded PHS faced sixth-seeded Paul VI-Camden Catholic in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals. Senior star forward and captain Zullo tallied three goals in the contest as the Tigers prevailed 7-4 and improved to 13-6-1. PHS will face fourth-seeded Hopewell Valley in the MCT final on February 15 at the Mercer County Skating Center. (Photo

and whichever one plays, we are going to be ready. We just have to put pucks on net.”

The Tigers have shored up their defense in the MCT as sophomore goalie Noah Vitulli has stepped up, earning his first shutout in a 5-0 win over the WWP Hockey Coop in the county quarters and then made 24 saves against Paul VI.

“We knew coming into this year that our goaltending wasn’t going to be as strong and we have to help him out,” said Zullo. “Noah is doing the best that he can, he is playing incredibly well right now. We are going to ride that as long as we can. When he helps us out, we can help him out.”

Dear Patient,

Dear Patient,

It is with sadness that we inform the community that Michael Cortese, DMD, passed away on Saturday, January 21st, 2023. It was a sudden death. Michael was a consummate professional who valued each of his patients and his treatment and concern for them was utmost in his life.

PHS head coach Rik Johnson was confident that his squad would get off to a strong start in round two against Paul VI.

the game plan so they were really geared up.”

While things got a little dicey in the second period, Johnson was confi dent that the Tigers would close the deal.

“I kind of flipped out on them because they did get the two goals,” said Johnson, reflecting on his message at the second intermission. “It was just relax and everything was going to be fine.”

Johnson was not surprised that Zullo came through in the third period.

“There is very little I have to do with him,” said Johnson. “It is set him loose and make sure his head is straight. That is about it, he will do the rest.”

As PHS looks ahead to the title game matchup against HoVal, Johnson wants his squad to stay even-keeled.

Bulldogs are going to give PHS a good game.

“They are going to be tough, they are going to be hungry,” said Johnson, whose team topped HoVal 4-2 on December 19 and 5-2 on January 11. “I am sure they are feeling good having beaten Robbinsville-Allentown. We didn’t beat Robbinsville this year.”

With PHS clicking at both ends of the ice, Johnson is feeling good about his team’s prospects.

“Something we have been trying to concentrate on is really being more responsible defensively,” said Johnson. “We have got the fire power offensively, that runs itself.” Zullo and his classmates are fired up to go out with a bang in their final MCT.

We are informing you to advise you of Michael’s responsibility to you to ensure that your treatment continues uninterrupted by his death. Due to the sudden death of Michael, there is no dentist to assume your treatment at the present time. However, we are in the process of arranging the sale of the practice, but we cannot know how soon this will be. In the absence of a referral to a dentist to assume treatment, we will provide complete records of Michael’s treatment of you upon receipt of a letter from you requesting records to be sent to you personally or to a dentist of your choice. Simply send a letter requesting the records to be sent to you or a dentist of your choosing to: 311 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08542.

“That was the game plan, we knew we had to come in and start quick,” said Johnson. “We are always playing ourselves, that is always the starting point. The captains and coaches talked over the weekend and we went over

It is with sadness that we inform the community that Michael Cortese, DMD, passed away on Saturday, January 21st, 2023. It was a sudden death. Michael was a consummate professional who valued each of his patients and his treatment and concern for them was utmost in his life.

“It is nice to get back, we have to approach it as just another game,” said Johnson. “We can’t make it too much and get emotional. It is just go play our game.”

We are informing you to advise you of Michael's responsibility to you to ensure that your treatment continues uninterrupted by his death.

Due to the sudden death of Michael, there is no dentist to assume your treatment at the present time. However we are in the process of arranging the sale of the practice, but we cannot know how soon this will be. In the absence of a referral to a dentist to assume treatment, we will provide complete records of Michael's treatment of you upon receipt of a letter from you requesting records to be sent to you personally or to a dentist of your choice. Simply send a letter requesting the records to be sent to you or a dentist of your choosing to: 311 Witherspoon Street Princeton, NJ 08542

For those of you who have not been in active treatment with Michael within the past 6 months, please provide a letter requesting your records and they will be provided to you. There is no charge for providing these records as long as there is an appropriate request being made.

For those of you who have not been in active treatment with Michael within the past 6 months, please provide a letter requesting your records and they will be provided to you. There is no charge for providing these records as long as there is an appropriate request being made.

Thank you for your continued support of Dr. Cortese who will be greatly missed and his contribution to his profession and treatment of his patients.

Thank you for your continued support of Dr. Cortese who will be greatly missed and his contribution to his profession and treatment of his patients.

Michael R. Cortese D.M.D., P.A. Maxillofacial Prosthodontist

“I saw what happened to the seniors last year, they were pretty upset after the game,” said Zullo. “I don’t want to end my years like that, so if I can end it with a win, that is what we are going to do.”

—Bill Alden

Johnson knows that the

by Frank Wojciechowski)

Sparked by Junior Star Hartman’s Production, Leadership, PDS Girls’ Hoops Sticking Together in Frustrating Season

Determined to get the most out of her junior season for the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team, Mia Hartman has spent a lot of time honing her game.

“I play nine out of the 12 months, I am definitely playing a lot,” said Hartman, who competes for the AUF Lady Hawks on the AAU circuit. “I am definitely working on my craft and having a lot of confidence in myself. Last year, it was hard figuring out my role but this year I definitely figured it out.”

That work has paid off as Hartman has solidified her role as the squad’s top scorer, tallying more than twice as many points as anyone else on PDS.

“I feel my team gives me the momentum to score, they pass it to me,” said Hartman. “I am close to reaching 500 points. It is definitely a huge part of my role and I feel like it gets us going. My progress has been really good this year. Playing AAU over the summer and my training and a lot of gym work that I put in this summer has definitely helped me around the basket.”

Last Wednesday, Hartman displayed her skills around the hoop, scoring eight points in the first half as the Panthers trailed WW/PSouth 19-12 at halftime.

“When we start to score, the bench starts to get into it and we start to get into it,” said Hartman, reflecting on a second quarter which saw PDS outscore the Pirates 8-6. “It definitely helps the momentum. If we started that from the beginning, I think it would have been a different game.”

The Panthers rallied to draw within 28-21 early in the fourth quarter but could get no closer as they fell 3423.

“I was encouraging the team, it was, ‘Look we are down by seven, that is four baskets,’” said Hartman,

who ended up with 14 points in the game. “We struggle with fouls a lot. It was definitely doable but we just get stuck.”

Serving as a team captain, Hartman has focused taking an upbeat approach.

“It is my second year as captain and last year gave me a blue print,” said Hartman, who scored 10 points as the Panthers fell 48-32 to Princeton High in the quarterfinals of the Mercer County Invitational last Saturday to move to 3-18.

“Now I know my roles and coach [Seraphine] Hamilton has helped me lay out my roles. My other captain Paige [Gardner] and Paris [Smith] who is not a captain but a big senior for us have also been helping me with my leadership. It is so hard because we work so hard, every practice we put in so much energy. It is not like we don’t want to win, it is keeping our heads up.”

PDS head coach Hamilton liked the energy her squad displayed in the second quarter against WW/P-S.

“We were working on reversing the ball offensively and getting looks inside the paint,” said Hamilton. “I think the difference was that we weren’t settling for the outside threes. We were getting looks inside and we were more patient offensively in the second quarter.”

Hamilton acknowledged that the Panthers lost their patience at times down the stretch as WW/P-S pulled away to the win.

“They hit a couple of big shots, they hit the threepointer from the corner and they made some good plays down the stretch,” said Hamilton. “We started to want to get it back really quickly — we stopped being patient and we started rushing the shots a little bit. When we settled ourselves in we were able to move it from one side of the floor to the other.”

Despite the defeat, Ham -

ilton viewed her team’s performance as a step forward since it had lost 46-24 to WW/P-S on January 28.

“We were trying to find different ways to disrupt them defensively and I think we did that,” said Hamilton. “We cut down pretty significantly the number of points they scored 10 days ago compared to today. Our offense is really predicated on being a team offense and not where we focus on one player. We want to think about how to be more strategic about using each other’s strengths so we could be more successful as a group.”

PDS has been getting a strong season from Hartman on many levels.

“She has given us a lot across the board,” said Hamilton of Hartman. “The stat sheet says a lot but I think what she gives us is even more than that. She keeps the team motivated. Her leadership even tops her numbers on the stat sheet. We are lucky about that.”

While the Panthers haven’t the best luck in a frustrating campaign, Hamilton credits her players with sticking together.

“We have a couple of team values and one of them is family,” said Hamilton, whose team is next in action when it competes in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public A South Jersey sectional tournament, where it is seeded 14th and will play at thirdseeded Trinity Hall in a first round contest on February 22.

“I have coached a long time and this is the group that has bought into that the most. We really have each other’s backs and we are supportive of one another. I think that has kept us going.”

Hartman, for her part, is confident that PDS will keep plugging.

“I feel like working hard is the only way we can strive to be great,” said Hartman. “Our record doesn’t show that, but we have been having a lot of progress over the season. Every day is a step forward.”

—Bill Alden

33 Princeton-Hightstown Rd Ellsworth’s Center (Near Train Station) 799-8554

Tues-Fri: 10am-6pm; Sat 8:30am-3:30pm

PDS Boys’ Hoops Showing Next Man Up Mentality, Inspired by Senior Guard McQueen’s Competitive Fire

Mason McQueen knew he was going to draw a lot of attention as the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team hosted Hillsborough last Wednesday.

With backcourt stars and leading scorers Jaden Hall and Jaden Dublin sidelined by injury for the contest, senior guard McQueen took control of the PDS offense.

“It was different because they are two big parts of our offense and without them, they are able to focus on me and Bram [Silva] more,” said McQueen. “They are able to put the focal points on us.”

Missing Hall and Dublin, the Panthers struggled as they fell behind 32-15 by halftime.

McQueen scored five points in the early moments of the third quarter as PDS tried to rally against the Raiders.

“I don’t like losing and the team doesn’t like losing,” said McQueen. “We had to step up.”

While PDS ended up losing 59-30, McQueen has been saving his best for last in the final weeks of his high school career.

“I am just getting into my groove and the team is flowing together better and we have the chemistry that we need,” said McQueen, who tallied a team-high 10 points in the setback. “There is an urgency. I want to play college basketball, I might try to walk on wherever I go.”

Over the years, McQueen has gotten better and better.

“I feel like I was always a well-rounded defensive player,” said McQueen. “I play guard most of the time and I am able to get my teammates open. My best shots come off of defense and I can catch and shoot. Those two complement my game a lot. There has been lot of growth with the different teammates I have had.”

PDS head coach Eugene Burroughs credited McQueen with stepping up against Hillsborough.

“He was great, taking that next role of being a primary ball handler. It was great for him as a player to grow into those areas,” said Burroughs. “With the other Jadens on the floor, he doesn’t have the ball in his hands as much, but at times he does. He was trying to orchestrate our offense tonight. We moved him off the ball a little bit to give him a rest. Sometimes when you are on the ball, it is a different conditioning level to be on the ball, to play defense, and to run the offense.”

McQueen has taken his game to a higher level in

“I think for us it is still always about the effort and can we compete.”

STICKING TOGETHER: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball player Mia Hartman, right, listens in as PDS head coach Seraphine Hamilton instructs the squad during a timeout in recent action. Last Saturday, junior star Hartman scored 10 points as the Panthers fell 48-32 to Princeton High in the quarterfinals of the Mercer County Invitational. PDS, now 3-18, is next in action when it competes in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public A South Jersey sectional tournament, where it is seeded 14th and will play at third-seeded Trinity Hall in a first round contest on February 22. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

his final season with the Panthers.

“It shows the hard work he put in this summer to improve offensively as a basketball player, and I think you see it in his production where he has made threes and has some good scoring games,” said Burroughs. “He had 17 points against Peddie. He is making plays off the dribble.

It is a testament to him just working hard.”

The PDS players worked hard collectively as they battled a high-powered Hillsborough team.

“I think our kids did a good job just trying to fight and scrap in that game,” said Burroughs, whose team lost 71-60 to Doane Academy in the Prep B state semis on Friday and then lost 5927 to Trenton Central in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals a day later to move to 8-14.

With the Panthers competing in New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B South Jersey sectional where they are seeded 11th and will play at sixth-seeded Gloucester Catholic in a first round contest on February 22, Burroughs is confident his squad will keep scrapping.

“I sent our guys an email today, saying ‘next man up,’” said Burroughs. “We have got to dig deep and we have to fight through it, that is what sports is. We have to play the game and compete.”

McQueen, for his part, was proud of the way PDS stayed unified as it dug deep against Hillsborough.

“I am glad we stayed together as a team, there was no fighting,” said McQueen. “We all stayed together.”

—Bill Alden

DRIVE TIME: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Mason McQueen drives to the hoop in recent action. Last Wednesday, senior guard McQueen scored a team-high 10 points as a short-handed PDS squad fell 59-30 to Hillsborough. The Panthers, who lost 71-60 to Doane Academy in the Prep B state semis on Friday and then lost 59-27 to Trenton Central in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals a day later to move to 8-14, are next in action when they compete in New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B South Jersey sectional where they are seeded 11th and will play at sixth-seeded Gloucester Catholic in a first round contest on February 22.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Hun Boys’ Hockey Edges Malvern Prep to Snap Skid, Looking Forward to Ending Season on a High Note

Emotions were running high as the Hun School boys’ hockey team hosted Malvern Prep (Pa.) last Wednesday at the Ice Land Skating Center.

Hun was holding its annual Senior Day ceremony and was hoping to use the occasion to snap a threegame losing streak.

“It was great because it was senior night. We have a huge crew — we have 11 kids between varsity and JV,” said Hun head coach Ian McNally. “It was, ‘wait a minute, we are on a little skid here, let’s fix it today.’”

Hun went on to fix things, pulling out a hard-earned 2-1 victory as it improved to 9-12.

“It was timely, they played really well,” said McNally, who got goals from Brendan Marino and Charles Guida in the victory with senior goalie Stephen Chen making 37 saves.

Star goalie Chen, who recently starred for the China squad in Division II, Group B of the 2023 Ice Hockey U20 World Championship in Iceland, has been a key performer this winter for the Raiders.

“He has been playing great; he is strong and he is one of the more influential players that we will have on any game that we play this year,” said McNally of Chen. “When he is on, we are pretty darn good.”

The Raiders boast two other influential seniors in high-scoring forward Elian

Estulin and standout defenseman Mark Gall.

“If Elian doesn’t have a point every game, I would be surprised,” said McNally of Estulin, who has tallied 32 points this season on 16 goals and 16 assists. “He is a catalyst for our offense for sure. We promoted Mark to defense this season. I think he has scored more goals (7 goals, 6 assists) playing defense than he did at forward.”

The trio of Chen, Estulin, and Gall has provided leadership as well as production.

“We have Stephen, Mark and Elian, who all played as freshmen and now here they are as senior captains, we don’t usually have that,” said McNally.

“That was a unique year. They all came in, they weren’t small kids and they were playing at a high level. They were able to make the team as freshmen.”

The Raiders needed their experience to weather the three-game losing streak.

“The stretch was a little inexplicable because we would outshoot teams and would lose,” said McNally, whose team fell 5-2 to LaSalle (Pa.) on February 1, 8-2 to Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on January 27, and 8-3 to Portledge School (N.Y.) on January 23.

“We had a period against Wyoming Seminary, who was very good where we outshot them 20-6 and they outscored us 4-1. We went through this thing of it is

not that we are getting badly outplayed or badly outshot, but we just kept coming out with high scores.”

Looking ahead, Hun has a big stretch coming up with a rematch against Malvern in the Atlantic Prep

Athletic Conference (APAC) quarterfinals slated for February 14 at the Ice Land Skating Center, playing at local rival Princeton Day School on February 16, and then hosts Canadian school Academie Saint-Louis on February 18.

“There is still plenty of opportunity to have a successful year here,” said McNally. “We have had to delay

this PDS game a couple of times. Now it doesn’t necessarily mean anything for our league as it used to but for both sides, that is a big game. You get that in the same week and you get the playoff game with Malvern and that sets us up for a chance to have a meaningful last week instead of just another game or whatever.”

In McNally’s view, the

Raiders are primed to build on their win against Malvern.

“The good news for that going into this week is that we are in a good spot,” said McNally. “We have had good games, we have players who have had good seasons. We just have to find the recipe on the right night.”

— Bill Alden

SUPER SAVER: Hun School boys’ hockey goalie Stephen Chen turns away a shot in recent action. Last Wednesday, senior standout Chen made 37 saves to help Hun edge Malvern Prep (Pa.) 2-1 as it improved to 9-12. In addition to starring for the Raiders, Chen recently competed for the China squad in Division II, Group B of the 2023 Ice Hockey U20 World Championship in Iceland. In upcoming action, Hun plays at Princeton Day School on February 16 and then hosts Academie Saint-Louis (Canada) on February 18. (Photo by Frank

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you to our customers for voting

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We could not have reached this accomplishment without our dedicated employees and customers.

We could not have reached this

We could not have reached these accomplishment without our dedicated employees and customers.

Thank you from the owners of Conte’s Serving the Princeton community for over 80 years, and we will continue to serve you another 80 years and more.

Thank you from the owners of Conte’s Serving the Princeton community for over 80 years, and we will continue to serve you another 80 years and more.

Now serving gluten-free pizza, pasta, beer & vodka!

without our dedicated employees and customers. Thank you from the owners of Conte’s Princeton community for over 80 years, and we will continue to serve you another 80 years and more.

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serving gluten-free pizza, pasta, beer & vodka!

could not have reached this accomplishment without our dedicated employees and customers.

Since [1950] Conte’s has become a Princeton destination; a great old-school bar that also happens to serve some of New Jersey’s best pizza, thin-crusted and bubbly. The restaurant hasn’t changed much since then; even the tables are the same. It’s a simple, no-frills space, but if you visit during peak times, be prepared to wait well over an hour for a table. 339 Witherspoon St, Princeton, NJ 08540 (609) 921-8041 • www.contespizzaandbar.com

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Thank you from the owners of Conte’s

Wojciechowski)

Boys’ Basketball : After pulling to within six points in the second half, things got away from Hun down the stretch as it lost 76-57 to Blair Academy in semifinals of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament last Saturday at Mercersburg Academy (Pa.). The Raiders, now 13-11, will be competing in the Prep A state tournament where they are seeded fifth and will play at fourth-seeded Lawrenceville in an opening round contest on February 15. In addition, Hun will be hosting the Patrick School on February 18 in a regular season contest.

Girls’ Basketball : Falling short in a defensive battle, Hun lost 45-35 to host Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) in the semifinals of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament last Saturday. The Raiders, who moved to 10-11 with the setback, will be competing in the Prep A state tournament where they are hosting the Peddie School in a quarterfinal contest on February 15.

Lawrenceville

Boys’ Basketball : Coming up short in a nail-biter, Lawrenceville lost 79-76 to host Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) in the first round of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament last Friday. In upcoming action, the Big Red, now 9-8, will be competing in the Prep A state tournament where they are seeded fourth and will host fifth-seeded Hun in an opening round contest on February 15.

Girls’ Basketball : Anna O’Keefe had a big game in a losing cause as Lawrenceville fell 47-38 to the Hill School (Pa.) in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament last Friday at

Mercersburg Academy (Pa.).

O’Keefe scored 15 points for the Big Red, now 4-15. Lawrenceville will be competing in the Prep A state tournament where it was slated to play at St. Benedict’s on February 14 in a quarterfinal contest.

Boys’ Hockey : Han Shin

starred in a losing cause as PDS fell 7-3 to Gloucester Catholic in the quarterfinal round of the Gordon Conference Tournament last Wednesday. Star defenseman Shin tallied a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who moved to 6-9-3 with defeat. PDS hosts Hun on February 16 and then starts play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) NonPublic tournament.

Mercer Invitational semis on February 14. In addition, the Red Hawks will be starting play in the Prep A state tournament where they are seeded sixth and will play at third-seeded Peddie in a first round contest on February 15.

Girls’ Hockey : Unable to get its offense going, PHS fell 10-0 to Immaculate Heart in the quarterfinal of the Cohen Cup last Wednesday. The Tigers, now 0-15, play at the Lawrenceville JV on February 16.

To register and get more information on the event, log onto runsignup.com/ Race/Info/NJ/Princeton/ PrincetonNJ5K. T-shirts are guaranteed for those who register before February 27.

Registration is also available in person on race day.

In the Boys’ 6th -7th grade d ivision, Pizza Den posted a 37-14 win over Milk & Cookies as Ai ’ Bree Green tailed 20 points for the victors while Henry Van Yperen had eight points in the loss.

Wrestling : Enjoying a big day, PHS went 3-0 in a quad last Saturday at Marlboro High. The Tigers defeated Marlboro 43-9, Middlesex 56-19, and Toms River North 57-23 to improve to 18-6. In upcoming action, PHS will be competing in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) District individual tournament.

PDS Stuart

Girls’ Hockey : Goalie Brigid Milligan played well as PDS lost 3-0 to Morristown-Beard in the Librera Cup semifinals last Monday. Milligan made 30 saves as the Panthers dropped to 5-5-3. In upcoming action, PDS hosts Portledge School (N.Y.) on February 22 and will then start play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state tournament where it is seeded fourth and will host 13th-seeded Newark East Side in a first round contest on February 23.

Pennington

Boys’ Basketball : Brandon Russell triggered the offense as Pennington defeated Trenton Catholic 7053 last Saturday in the first round of the Mercer County Invitational. Russell tallied 17 points and had 11 assists as the Red Hawks improved to 12-14. In upcoming action, Pennington was slated to host Hightstown in the

Girls’ Basketball : Sparked by a big game from Morgan Matthews, thirdseeded Pennington defeated sixth-seeded Trenton Catholic 66-56 in the first round of the Mercer County Tournament last Saturday. Matthews poured in 28 points to help the Red Hawks move to 18-4. Pennington was scheduled to play at secondseeded Hightstown in the MCT semis on February 14. In addition, the Red Hawks will be wrapping up play in the Prep B state tourney. Second-seeded Pennington defeated third-seeded Morristown-Beard 61-48 in the Prep B semis last Friday and will face top-seeded Newark Academy in the final on February 17.

PHS

Boys’ Basketball : Sparked by Jihad Wilder, PHS defeated Lawrence High 50-43 in the quarterfinals of the Mercer County Invitational last Saturday. Wilder tallied a game-high 22 points to help PHS improve to 9-11. The Tigers were slated to play at Hopewell Valley in the MCI semis on February 14 with the victor advancing to the final on February 16.

Girls’ Basketball : Anna Winters had a huge game to help PHS defeat Princeton Day School 48-32 in the quarterfinals of the Mercer County Invitational last Saturday. Freshman standout Winters poured in 26 points as the Tigers moved to 11-11. The Tigers were scheduled to host Hopewell Valley in the MCI semis on February 14 with the victor advancing to the final on February 16.

Basketball : Taylor States starred as Stuart defeated Stem Civic 57-16 last Monday. Freshman standout States tallied 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Tartans, who moved to 4-6. Stuart hosts Hamilton West on February 15.

Local Sports

Princeton 5K Race

Slated for March 18

The Princeton 5K is returning on March 18 for its 14th year.

The event annually brings together athletes — young and old, big and small, fast and not as fast — to run or walk while supporting the Princeton High cross country and track programs.

The in-person race starts in front of the Princeton Middle School at 217 Walnut Lane at 8:30 a.m. In 2022, the event will also include a 300-meter kids dash for all children under the age of 10. Alternatively, there is a virtual option to participate between March 18-25. One can choose when and where to run (or walk) the 5K in that time period.

The Princeton 5K is the largest annual fundraiser for the Princeton High School Cross Country Track and Field Booster (PHSCCTF) a 501(c)(3). All donations directly support the PHS boys’ and girls’ cross-country and track teams.

Recreation Department Offering Summer Jobs

Applications for all Princeton Recreation Department 2023 seasonal and summer employment opportunities are now available on the department’s website.

Seasonal employment opportunities are available for the following positions: day camp counselor, day camp supervisor, teen travel camp counselor, Community Park Pool lifeguard/swim instructor, Community Park Pool customer service, and seasonal park maintenance.

Instructions on how to apply as well as job descriptions can be found at princetonrecreation.com under “Seasonal Employment.” All interested job see kers are encouraged to apply.

Dillon Youth Hoops

Recent Results

In action last weekend in the Boys’ 4th-5th grade division of the Dillon Youth Basketball League, Ivy Rehab won 26-9 over Jefferson Plumbing. Reggie Wright III scored 16 points in the win with Christian Barr tallying seven points for Jefferson Plumbing. Proof Pizza defeated Princeton Pettoranello 20-16 as Theo Henderson led Proof with 16 points. Majeski Foundation defeated Princeton Restorative Dental 40-19 as Logan Aguila had 24 points in the win. Mason Griffin & Pierson, PC won 23-13 over Locomotion. Alex Spies tallied 17 points for MGP while Henry Scriven chipped in eight points for Locomotion.

Le Kiosk defeated PBA #130 39-18, led by Joe Vales who scored 12 points. James Rabinowitz had six points for PBA. Quinton DeFaria scored 15 points to le ad Corner House over Ivy Inn 51-11.

In the Boys’ 8th -10 th grade d ivision, the Nets defeated the Sixers 29-18. Isaiah de la Espriella tallied 12 points in the win while Isaiah Spencer had 12 points in the loss. The Celtics topped the Knicks 35-17 as Owen Kelly led the victors with 14 points. Leif Fransson had eight points for the Knicks.

In the Girls’ division, Planted Plate defeated Ficus 17-14 as Sedona Arminio had 9 points in the victory. Woodwinds defeated Delizioso Bakery+Kitchen as Paige Menapace led the way with 16 points.

Princeton Athletic Club 6K Run on April 15

The Princeton Athletic Club will be holding a 6,000-meter cross-country run at the Institute Woods on April 15

The 6,000-meter run starts at 10 a.m. from Princeton Friends School and is limited to 200 participants.

The entry fee is $33 plus a $2.80 fee until March 24, including the optional T-shirt. The fee increases after March 24. Same day registration is $55 and will be limited to credit card only — no cash — and space available. This event is chip timed. All abilities are invited, including those who prefer to walk the course.

Online registration and full event details are available at princetonac.org.

The Princeton Athletic Club is a nonprofit running club for the community. The club, an all-volunteer organization, promotes running for the fun and health of it and stages several running events each year.

FLYING HIGH: Princeton High girls’ swimmer Lauren Girouard displays her butterfly form in a meet earlier this season. Last Monday, junior star Girouard helped top-seeded PHS defeat fifth-seeded Colts Neck 137-33 in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group B Central Jersey sectional semis. The Tigers, now 11-0, will face third-seeded Manasquan in the sectional final on February 16 at the Neptune Aquatic Center.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Obituaries

mountain home in Nagano, Japan, and enjoyed the many hiking trails in the area. She will be remembered as a great music lover and delighted in the many opportunities to attend the Metropolitan Opera and performances at McCarter.

retired from HBO in the early 2000s and moved to Kingston, N.J., not far from where his mother lived in Princeton. Kremer traveled frequently in Europe and once to India.

Kremer was the second son of Robert Lee Hoke and Ellen Hull Neff Hoke, and grew up in Williamsburg, Va., and Cranbury, N.J.

Chikako Shimura, 90, of Princeton, NJ, passed away peacefully at her home on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 with her son by her side. Chikako was born on January 5, 1933 in Tokyo, Japan. She grew up as the eldest of three children.

She met her husband, Goro, while working at the University of Tokyo and, with their daughter, they moved to Princeton in 1962. Over the years, her husband’s work took them around the world. She will be remembered for serving as an early supporter to help establish the Princeton Community Japanese Language School. Chikako excelled in a diverse range of crafts, including quilting, embroidery, crocheting, and dressmaking. As a member of the YWCA Artisans Guild, she enjoyed her time leading classes on how to knit.

In the summers, Chikako loved spending time with her family at their

Chikako is survived by her daughter, Tomoko, and her son, Haru. She was predeceased by her husband, Goro. At her request there will be no service.

He is survived by his brothers, William Neff Hoke of Manhattan Beach, Calif., and John Carter Vance Hoke of Glen Allen, Va., and two nieces and two nephews.

He will be buried next to his mother in Abingdon, Va., with a graveside service at 10:30 a.m. on April 1, 2023, in Knollkreg Cemetery.

For details, contact Kimble Funeral Home at (609) 924-0018 or TheKimble FuneralHome.com.

Africa and the Middle East.

Carolyn grew up in the vicinity of the Royal Borough of Kingston-UponThames, Surrey, England. She worked for The Daily Mail newspaper, Xerox, and Heathrow International Airport, and also spent time as a London travel guide. She traveled widely and lived in San Francisco, CA; Montreal, Canada; Lagos, Nigeria; and Washington, D.C. before settling in Princeton with her husband and her children. She became active in school committees and activities. A skilled craftswoman, she taught knitting at local yarn shops and upholstering at the Princeton Adult School. She deeply enjoyed her grandchildren, her dogs, her gardens, and her summer home in Groton Long Point, Connecticut, where she particularly delighted in the adjacent salt marsh and its ospreys and other waterfowl.

was to glimpse a fascinating life lived with warmth, wit, a spirit of adventure, and a uniquely English brand of good-natured fortitude.

Carolyn will be deeply missed by her family and friends. She leaves behind her husband, retired federal judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr.; her daughters Rebecca Chloe Alexia Powling of Groton Long Point, CT, and Victoria Keller Brown of Laurel Springs, NJ; her son Garrett Edward George Brown, and his wife Christine Erin Brown of Hopewell, NJ, and their four children, Charlotte Emma Brown, Claire Elizabeth Brown, Garrett William George Brown, and Luke Harrison Brown.

science teacher in Dover, Los Angeles, and Cleveland.

R. Kremer Hoke died January 13 at an assisted living facility near Princeton, N.J., with complications from COPD and congestive heart failure. He was 75 years old and had lived most of his life in New York City, working at HBO and specializing in video post-production. He

Margaret Lydia Faith Hill “Maggie”

February 28, 1939–September 13, 2022

Please join us in celebrating our dearest Maggie’s life with a memorial service and reception.

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Service at 1 p.m.; Reception at 2 p.m.

All Saints’ Church

16 All Saints’ Road Princeton, NJ 08540

With Love, Colin and Family hillcolin@mac.com ♦ (609) 924-3633

RSVP regrets.

Carolyn Ann Brown

Carolyn Ann Brown, 76, of Princeton, NJ, passed away on February 2, 2023, at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. Carolyn was born in London on March 1, 1946, to George Whittington Moorman and G. Lillian Hyde Moorman. Her father served in the Royal Air Force during virtually all of World War II, primarily in North

Carolyn had a true British zest for exploration and adventure. Name a location, especially in West, North, or East Africa, and chances are that she had been there and had fascinating stories to tell about it, whether driving across the Sahara to Timbuktu, not quite avoiding a massive oil tanker while sailboat racing in Lagos Harbor, or cruising from Luxor to Aswan and unexpectedly discovering the room where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile. She could vividly describe her experiences in the old medieval city of Stone Town, Zanzibar, and her time on safari in the Serengeti. Indeed, to enjoy a glass of good port and better conversation with Carolyn

Carolyn was a loving and engaged advocate of all creatures. In lieu of flowers, she would welcome donations in her memory to animal charities such as Second Chance Rescue, Red Hook Dog Rescue, SAVE, The Wildlife Center, or to another animal charity of your choice. The family plans to arrange a memorial gathering for Carolyn at a later time.

Extend condolences and share remembrances at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

Upon making a family move to Princeton, NJ, back in 1963, the family moved to Lawrenceville for 15 years and then to her cherished home “Woodstream” in Skillman, NJ. From there, all three Newman girls attended Stuart Country Day of the Sacred Heart, known for our ringlets and matching outfits. Lucy Anne got involved in anything that involved her three girls and giving back to her community. She served as part of the First Friday group at Stuart, her cherished book club, a member of the Princeton Present Day Club, a member of the Trenton and Princeton Garden Clubs, and participated in fundraising for the Princeton Symphony, McCarter Theatre, Princeton Ballet, Morven, and Trinity Counseling. She became an avid tennis and paddle player later in life at the Bedens Brook and Pretty Brook Country Clubs, enjoying all that athletics had to offer. However, her pride remained in her devotion to her faith and her 30 years of volunteer work at the Princeton Hospital on the oncology floor. Lucy Anne relished the opportunity to be compassionate to others in time of need and to help the families in any way possible.

Lucy Anne Sharp Newman, 88, of Skillman, NJ, passed away Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center of Plainsboro, NJ.

Lucy Anne was born in Somerville, New Jersey, on March 16, 1934. She was born the oldest of four children and is predeceased by her parents, John Vincent and Mabel Matilda Sharp.

As the independent person she was, when she was told there was only enough money to send the only boy of four to college, Lucy Anne decided to do it herself. She applied and got into New Jersey State Teachers College at Trenton, now known as The College of New Jersey. She also got a job to pay for her education in the science and math departments as an assistant, and also taught piano. Lucy Anne made sure she got an education, as that was most important to her. She spent much of her career prior to her last child being born, serving as a math and

At home Lucy Anne loved her flowers, woods, and her birds. Her home gave her great peace and solace, even in the toughest of times. Loved by her three children and her three “little butterflies” grandchildren as she named them, she shared in all activities from athletic games to ballet performances at McCarter, to birthdays and christenings and sharing her love of music and Parcheesi with her grandchildren. She brought an energetic twinkle and bright smile to all, even to the end.

She is survived by three daughters and two sons-inlaw, Andrea Collette Newman and Jeffrey Patterson, Michele Laureen Newman, Pierrette Alyssa and Rod Eric Bradshaw, and her three grandchildren, Madison Alyssa Bradshaw, Emerson Alyssa Bradshaw, and Jamison Alyssa Bradshaw. A service of remembrance will be celebrated at 12 p.m. on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, 216 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Hands Together at tinyurl.com/LucyAnneNewmanHT or a charity of your choice.

Please join us after for a celebratory reception at the Nassau Club, 6 Mercer Street, Princeton.

Arrangements are under the direction of Mather Hodge Funeral Home.

Middle of the Night Can’t Find Your Town Topics!

Visit our office at 4438 Routh 27 North in Kingston, where you can purchase a copy for 75 cents (3 quarters required) from our coin-operated newspaper boxes, 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

Chikako Shimura

Lucy Anne Sharp Newman

Robert Kremer Hoke

MEET THE TOP AGENTS!

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

Fox & Roach, REALTORS

Princeton Home Marketing Center

253 Nassau Street, Princeton

O: (609) 924-1600

rinceton.foxroach.com

In today’s real estate market, you need to work with a real estate professional who you can trust. As proud members of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network, we provide the absolute finest service, dedication, and expertise possible to our clients. Whether you want to buy, sell, or rent — we will help make your home ownership dreams come true. Our websites offer a wealth of information on finding and buying a home, and we are always ready to answer any questions you have.

Barbara Blackwell

Callaway Henderson | Sotheby’s International Realty

4 Nassau Street, Princeton

O: (609) 921-1050 M: (609) 915-5000 bblackwell@callawayhenderson.com princetonaddress.com

As a Princeton native, I love sharing my knowledge of and passion for this beautiful, culture rich, and historic community. I have been specializing in listing and selling homes and estates in the Princeton area for over 30 years and I value all my past and current client relationships. I love the real estate business and look forward to guiding new clients through this challenging market. Stay well and stay optimistic.

Beatrice Bloom

Princeton Residential Specialist

Weichert Realtors

350 Nassau Street, Princeton

O: (609) 921-1900 | M: (609) 577-2989 info@beatriceBloom.com beatriceBloom.com

Beatrice’s strong sales and excellent negotiation skills stem from her earned MBA degrees in finance and international business and a lucrative career on Wall Street as a bond trader. Her international upbringing, as well as her foreign language skills, offer a unique service for an

Town Topics

all-inclusive clientele. Whether you’re moving to, moving within, or moving from Princeton, Beatrice is your best resource for real estate. Her professionalism, dedication, and the added value of Weichert All-Under-One-Roof is your guarantee for a stress-free home buying and selling experience.

Amanda Botwood

Compass Real Estate, Princeton

90 Nassau Street, Princeton O: (609) 710-2021 | M: (609) 727-3255 amanda.botwood@compass.com

Bringing Clarity To Your Real Estate Experience. Passionate about property and a real estate investor in Mercer County herself, Amanda is in the best position to help you find your ideal home or investment property. Her clients’ best interests are always at the center of her dynamic approach to real estate and she will carefully listen to your requirements and take all factors into consideration when helping you to select the best area, property, or solution for you and your family. Amanda works diligently to ensure clarity throughout the home buying, selling, and rental process. With her home renovation experience, a keen eye for interior design and staging experience she helps put you in the best position to succeed in your real estate dream, whether that be a first home buyer purchase, buying, flipping, or renting.

Amanda relocated from the U.K. in 2015 with children who attend local schools, including Peddie and the Princeton Public Schools, for which she is a local volunteer and co-president of the Princeton Education Foundation. If you are relocating from near or far Amanda can help you navigate the New Jersey home buying process, the community, and the lifestyle. Always discreet and confidential, she is in a unique position to support, guide, and direct you through the myriad of information and processes you will encounter when searching for your place to call home.

Please read my 5 star reviews at zillow.com/profile/ amandabotwood.

Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty

4 Nassau Street, Princeton (609) 921-1050

callawayhenderson.com

Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty is

central New Jersey’s premier real estate firm. Combining a rich heritage and deep rooted local expertise with unparalleled international reach, we are uniquely qualified to serve communities that are at once small and tight-knit, yet a magnet for the world’s best and brightest. We are a locally owned market leader, serving the greater Princeton area with four offices throughout central New Jersey, including Lambertville, Montgomery, Pennington, and Princeton.

Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty is the exclusive local affiliate of Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. The Sotheby’s International Realty network has more than 24,000 sales associates located in approximately 1,000 offices in 75 countries and territories worldwide, connecting the finest independent real estate companies to the most prestigious clientele in the world and providing a powerful marketing and referral program for luxury listings.

Compass Real Estate

90 Nassau Street, Princeton (609) 710-2021

princetonnjcompassrealestate.com

Discover how our real estate agents are helping buyers find their place in Princeton every day, one home at a time. Compass is building the first modern real estate platform, pairing the industry’s top talent with technology to make the search and sell experience intelligent and seamless.

Collaborative and connected, our agents enjoy direct access to the country’s top properties and the 25,000+ brokers who represent them. But just as we leverage our national network, we’re also keenly attuned to the nuances that make each market so special.

Our in-house marketing and advertising teams ensure that every Compass listing is portrayed beautifully and authentically, elevating your search to the next level. And with Coming Soon, your agent can show your properties ahead of anyone else in the market.

Developed in-house, all of our technology is designed to enhance your experience. Together, you and your agent can filter and sort properties across custom parameters, compare market trends and comment on listings in real time.

Our mission is to help everyone find their place in the world.

“Donna was amazing. This was not an easy property to sell. She overcame each challenge with expert knowledge and most importantly humor, as we were quite stressed. Donna brought us a buyer who was a perfect match for our home. We are happy knowing the neighborhood we loved has a wonderful new addition.” - Chris G.

“Donna did a wonderful job selling my townhouse. She was very responsive to all my questions and requests, and provided very good advice throughout the process. The final sale price was higher than my expectations. She also proactively took care of coordinating required inspections and repairs which made the process much easier for me. I would highly recommend Donna as a sellers agent.” - Julie C.

Heidi Joseph

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS

253 Nassau Street, Princeton

O: (609) 924-1600 | M: (609) 613-1663

heidi.joseph@foxroach.com

Heidi is experienced in all aspects of the sales process and has been recognized for her sales performance each of the seven years she has been a realtor. Her prior career in financial services, marketing, and sales, and her legal background, uniquely qualify her to help you reach your real estate goals — whether selling your home, finding a new one, or looking for investment properties.

Rosaria Lawlor

Coldwell Banker Realty

10 Nassau Street, Princeton

O: (609) 921-1411 | M: (609) 658-5773 rosaria.lawlor@coldwellbankermoves.com

Rosaria was born in New York, lived in Italy for a while, and then her family returned to the U.S. and settled in New Jersey. Rosaria excelled in school, and her love of math and proficiency in accounting served her well when she became vice president and controller of an electrical construction company in New Jersey.

Always a numbers person, Rosaria now analyzes the facts and her skills and experience provide her real estate clients with the necessary perspectives when selling or buying a home. Because of the many years in her former job, Rosaria developed the knowledge to diplomatically interact with many different people and cultures. This position also prepared Rosaria to be a strong and effective negotiator as well. Rosaria loves real estate, and that is evident in her interaction with her clients and the support she provides

Clare Mackness

Global Real Estate Advisor, PSA, ABR

to them even in the most challenging of situations.

Licensed both in N.J. and Pa., Rosaria is a Relocation Specialist, a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, a Luxury Property Specialist, a Certified Residential Specialist, a Seller Representative Specialist, and more.

Clare Mackness

Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty

4 Nassau Street, Princeton O: (609) 921-1050 | (609) 454-1439 cmackness@callawayhenderson.com

“Become a Realtor!” they said, little did I know that when I moved to the U.S. I would find my ideal career that perfectly complemented my skill set and personality. Based on my analytical skills and financial acumen, I can read market data and translate that into appropriate strategies for acquiring a new property or work in partnership with a seller to prepare their home for sale and achieve the best deal. A strong knowledge of the surrounding communities guarantees I am well-positioned to serve clients across a wide area at different price points, styles, and sizes of homes. I demonstrate high levels of empathy, authenticity, and energy enabling me to support my clients during their transaction, making it as stress-free as possible.

Strong communication skills combined with being a great listener ensure that I am clear about my clients goals, able to skillfully negotiate on their behalf and build meaningful relationships with other agents, attorneys, and vendors and tap into that reliable network when needed. A strong work ethic and high regard for my relationships mean past clients return again and again.

As an active member of the Princeton community, I am a board member and treasurer for the Princeton Education Foundation, having also been an active PTO member for Princeton public schools. I am also a member of the Princeton Present Day Club and a regular at Lifetime Athletic

Club. I live in Princeton with my husband, two teenage daughters, and our dachshund “Larry.” We love the area and everything it has to offer. The restaurant and café culture, museums, cosmopolitan cities, beaches, and even skiing all at our doorstep makes it a great place to live!

Donna Murray Broker Associate

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Fox & Roach, REALTORS

Princeton Home Marketing Center

253 Nassau Street, Princeton

O: (609) 683-8505 | C: (908) 391-8396

donna.murray@foxroach.com

donnamurrayrealestate.com

Donna has been named as a Five Star Professional for 2013-2023. She currently serves as president of the Women’s Council of REALTORS - NJ State. She is also a member of Mercer County Top Producers Association and belongs to the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) - Central New Jersey. She is a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.

Donna commits to servicing her clients throughout the entire transaction and to exceeding expectations. Her professionalism, negotiating skills, and current inventory awareness keep her sellers and buyers in front of the competition. Working together, she assists them in achieving their real estate goals in a timely worry free manner. With the solutions-driven mindset and the sophistication of a luxury brand, it supports the aspirational goals Donna has set for her business. Donna and BHHS stand for the same things: integrity, trust, experience, strength, and knowledge.

Member of Mercer County Top Producers Association NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence Sales Award®

2021 - Bronze; 2022 - Gold

LOCAL REAL ESTATE HANDLED WITH CARE

Now more than ever you need a trusted advisor to navigate the greater Princeton real estate market. What questions do you have about the 2023 market and beyond, Buying? Selling? Let’s meet for coffee and talk houses...

c 609.454.1436 o 609.921.1050

cmackness@callawayhenderson.com claremackness.callawayhenderson.com

4 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

Meet the Top Real Estate Agents of Compass.

Yael L. Zakut

Real Estate Salesperson

M: 609.933.0880

O: 609.710.2021

yael.zakut@compass.com

With devoted commitment to her clients and exceptionally honed knowledge, 11-year Greater Princeton area real estate agent, Yael Zakut, promises to deliver an expertly detailed experience for her buyers and sellers. For the sixth consecutive year, Yael has been awarded the NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence Sales Award®, prestigiously ranking within the top 1% in the network. Through these efforts, Yael proudly established the Yael Zakut Real Estate Team. Yael’s fierce team includes both buyer and seller agents, with a goal of welcoming more talented agents in the near future.

Amanda Botwood

Real Estate Salesperson

M: 609.727.3255

O: 609.710.2021

amanda.botwood@compass.com

Amanda is committed to quality service at every price point, ensuring that buyers’ and sellers’ unique situations and needs are met is always her priority. Providing professionalism, dedication, and deep knowledge of Princeton and the surrounding areas. She is your go-to real estate resource whatever your buying, listing, or investment goals. Amanda uses her marketing expertise, deep understanding of market conditions, and Compass Concierge to maximize your home’s selling potential.

She is committed to supporting homebuyers through the process of purchasing the right property for them. It’s your biggest investment, Amanda understands how important making the right decision is for you.

Meet the Top Real Estate Agents of Compass.

Lisa Theodore

Real Estate Salesperson

M: 908.872.1840

O: 609.710.2021

lisa.theodore@compass.com

Lisa has been helping hundreds of home sellers and buyers achieve their goals in the greater Princeton area for over 15 years. This accreditation is due to these many satisfied clients and their referrals. She is extremely grateful, and says “when you love what you do it’s not a job. It’s a joy helping people find their forever home.”

Randy Snyder

Licensed Realtor® | Sales Associate

M: 609.658.3193

O: 609.710.2021

randy.snyder@compass.com

A resident of the greater Princeton area for over 44 years and a real estate professional since 2005 Randy Snyder successfully manages the diverse needs of her clients with diligence, professionalism, and compassion. She is committed to prioritizing each of her client’s goals whether they are buying, selling or investing. She understands that this is one of the most impactful decisions in their lifetime and has pride in successfully guiding them through their real estate transaction. She has been the recipient of the NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence Sales Award 2012-2022. Randy’s philosophy is one of uncompromising integrity and client satisfaction.

Randy Snyder

Compass Real Estate, Princeton 90 Nassau Street, Princeton

O: (609) 710-2021 | M: (609) 658-3193 randy.snyder@compass.com

Randy is proud to call herself a resident of the greater Princeton area for over 43 years and a real estate professional since 2005. She is successfully able to manage the diverse needs of her clients with diligence, professionalism, empathy, and compassion. She is committed to prioritizing each of her client’s goals whether they are buying,

selling, renting, relocating, downsizing, upsizing, etc. She understands her client’s needs and that their real estate journey is embarking them on one of the most vital and financial decisions in their lifetime. In that respect, Randy believes her clientele deserves an agent who is hardworking and understands their individual needs. Her strengths are understanding that her client’s home is one of their largest assets and how to successfully guide them through, at times, an emotional real estate transaction. She can relate to the financial impact that a real estate transaction can be and how she can assist in all aspects of their valuable investment.

Linda Twining, Sales Associate

ltwining@callawayhenderson.com

Randy’s philosophy is one of uncompromising integrity and client satisfaction. As a result, her focus is to provide her clients with superior quality of service, empathizing with each client’s needs as compared to sheer transactional volume.

Lisa Theodore Compass Real Estate, Princeton 90 Nassau Street, Princeton O: (609) 710-2021 | M: (908) 872-1840

lisa.theodore@compass.com

“Buying a home right now will be the best opportunity in your lifetime.” —Warren Buffet

Lisa stands out from the pack of thousands of other agents in the greater Princeton area. Her 35+ years of experience and renovation know-how will help you when selling your house or looking for a home. Her focus is on you and adding unique touches to each experience to cater to your needs and highlight the features of your home. When sitting down with Lisa at your home, her office, or a local coffee shop, she asks questions — lots of questions. By fully understanding what your goals are, she will help you develop a plan that fits your needs and budget. She can accomplish so much more when she puts you, the client, above all else — and that is what she always strives for.

“I’m a matchmaker, helping my sellers and buyers find that perfect fit. And when that happens, I shift from matchmaker to wedding officiant, as we seal the deal and help people enter the next chapter of their lives. It’s such a blessing to be able to help make peoples’ dreams come true.”

Maureen Troiano

Coldwell Banker Realty

10 Nassau Street, Princeton

O: (609) 921-7554 | M: (609) 240-7554

maureen.Troiano@coldwellbankermoves.com

Having the right real estate agent means having an agent who is committed to helping you buy or sell your home with the highest level of expertise in your local market. This means also to help you in understanding each step of the buying or selling process. This commitment level has helped me build a remarkable track record of delivering results.

Nothing is more exciting to me than the gratifying feeling I get from helping people meet their real estate needs. You can count on me to always do what’s in your best interest. I pride myself on being honest, trustworthy, and knowledgeable in the real estate market. I know how important it is to find your dream home or get the best offer for your property. Therefore I will make it my responsibility to help you achieve those goals.

The setting for this masterfully built Rolf Bauhan home is exceptional. The fenced 4.4-acre property is enveloped by preserved land and ringed with an array of majestic trees. This special corner of Princeton was deemed worthy of historic designation, as it was once the epicenter of equestrian pursuits for the region. The Colonial reproduction features antique materials, including pumpkin pine flooring, pocket doors, paneled wainscoting, period hardware and exquisitely detailed mantels.

Barbara Blackwell, Broker Associate

For more information about properties, the market in general, or your home particular, please give me a call.

2022 NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence WINNERS

CHIHLAN “LANA” CHAN ROCCO D’ARMIENTO YUEN LI “IVY” HUANG

DONNA M. MURRAY JOHN A. TEREBEY ROBIN L. WALLACK

TERESA CUNNINGHAM

DEBBIE LANG SUNEEL “SUNNY” SHARAD LISA CANDELLA-HULBERT MICHELLE NEEDHAM

SUREKHA RAGHURAMA IVY WEN JUDITH BUDWIG ROBIN CARTER

FREDDIE “FRED” GOMBERG NING “NICOLE” MUK GALINA PETERSON VAISHALI SENJALIA

2022 NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence WINNERS

NICOLAS DIMEGLIO

KIN (KEN) LEE

GIL CHEESEMAN

SHANI DIXON

ANTHONY MCANANY PATRICK MCSHANE CYNTHIA L. ROSEN

Newsstand Town Topics

Can be purchased Wednesday mor nings at the following locations:

Princeton McCaffrey’s

Kiosk Palmer Square Speedy Mar t (State Road) Wawa (Universit y Place)

Hopewell

Quick and Easy Ideas to Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal

First impressions are key when it comes to listing your house for sale. Fortunately, boosting curb appeal doesn ’t need to cost a fortune. Here are a few easy projects that can upgrade the front of your home.

* Paint the front door. This is one of the quickest ways to wake up a drab front door. Choose a classic glossy color like red or green or even vibrant blue if it suits the style of your home.

* Add stylish house numbers. Display them on or next to the front door, or on a planter or mailbox. House numbers can be a fun DIY project.

* Place planters on your front porch or steps. Use several flower pots, boxes or other containers filled with annuals or foliage to add a pop of color.

* Clean siding, steps, and sidewalks. Use a pressure washer or hire a professional to wash away dirt and stains from exterior surfaces.

* Upgrade your outdoor lighting. Adding solar lights along the driveway and replacing older light fixtures will make your entire front yard more inviting in the evening.

I BUY ALL KINDS of Old or Pretty

Things: China, glass, silver, pottery, costume

BUYING:

The Top Spot for Real Estate Advertising

TOWN

Town Topics is the most comprehensive and preferred weekly Real Estate resource in the greater Central New Jersey and Bucks County areas.

Every Wednesday, Town Topics reaches every home in Princeton and all high traffic business areas in town, as well as the communities of Lawrenceville, Pennington, Hopewell, Skilllman, Rocky Hill, and Montgomery. We ARE the area’s only community newspaper and most trusted resource since 1946!

Call to reserve your space today! (609) 924-2200, ext 18

Charlie

FLESCH’S ROOFING

• Postcards

• 8.5x11” flyers

• Menus

• Booklets

• Trifolds

• Post its

• We can accomodate almost anything!

LIC#13VH02047300

Reach over 15,000 homes in Princeton and beyond!

Town Topics puts you in front of your target customer for less than what it would cost to mail a postcard!

If you have a luxury home you’re thinking of selling, call me for more info on Coldwell Banker’s Global

Program

• Postcards

• 8.5x11” flyers

• Menus

• Booklets

• Trifolds

• Post its

• We can accomodate almost anything!

Reach over 15,000 homes in Princeton and beyond!

Town Topics puts you in front of your target customer for less than what it would cost to mail a postcard!

Maria DePasquale Sales Associate

Mark Jacobson Sales Associate

Erin McManus-Keyes Sales Associate

Susan Thompson Sales Associate

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

Mary Warshefski Sales Associate

Claudia Ryan Sales Associate

Christine Mariano Sales Associate Terry Mowry Broker Associate

BRONZE

BRONZE

BRONZE

BRONZE

Susan DeHaven Sales Associate

Elisabeth Kerr Sales Associate

Lynda Schreiber Sales Associate

Lisa Folmer Broker Associate Kathryn Weber Sales Associate

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OPEN HOUSE SUN 2/26 1-4PM

20 San Marco Street, West Windsor Twp. $725,000

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270 Spring Hill Road, Montgomery Twp. $1,250,000

Marketed by: Debra “Debi” Foxx foxroach.com/NJSO2001980

57 Colfax Road, Montgomery Twp. $1,250,000

Marketed by: Deborah “Debbie” Lang

26 Van Arsdale Circle, Millstone Twp. $719,999

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7 Banff Drive, West Windsor Twp. $1,175,000

35 Leavitt Lane, Princeton $1,800,000 Marketed by: Roberta Parker foxroach.com/NJME2026274