All Six PPS Schools Win Certification From Sustainable Jersey
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McCarter Presents Empire Records: The Musical 26
Not Resting on Laurels After State Championship Season, PHS Girls’ Volleyball Looking Dominant in the Early Going 33
Gaining Benefits from Last Fall’s Growing Pains, Stuart Field Hockey Produces Promising 3-0 Start 36
With sustainability remaining a high priority in the new school year, Princeton Public Schools (PPS) reports that all six of its schools have achieved Sustainable Jersey for Schools certi cation.
Princeton High School (PHS), Princeton Middle School (PMS), Community Park Elementary (CP), and Riverside Elementary have met the requirements to achieve certi cation this year, joining Littlebrook Elementary and Johnson Park Elementary, who won certi cation in 2022. There are 375 certi ed schools in New Jersey.
“We are all incredibly proud of our schools’ commitment to sustainability and all the hard work that has gone into achieving this certi cation,” said PPS Interim Superintendent Kathie Foster, as quoted in a press release. “By integrating sustainable practices into our buildings, operations, and curriculum, we are not only reducing our footprint but also inspiring our students to be the changemakers of tomorrow.”
Schools participating in the certi cation process create “Green Teams” to help coordinate “priority actions” to enhance sustainability and earn points towards bronze and silver certi cation by Sustainable Jersey for Schools. All the PPS schools have earned more than the required 150 points for bronze certi cation and are working towards the 350 points required for the highest level silver certi cation.
PMS with its hydroponics tower and eSTEAM Saturday Scholars Program, and CP with its pedestrian and bike safety events and the Garden State on your Plate program both achieved 160 points this year.
Each school also gained points for initiatives taken at the District level, including tracking energy at each school, implementing energy efficiency upgrades, developing sustainability and safe routes to school policies, participating in professional development for sustainability, monitoring the district’s carbon footprint, using greener cleaning supplies and equipment, offering food scraps collection in each school’s kitchen, student participation in arts programs, and a staff wellness program.
PHS and Riverside, getting on track towards silver certi cation, have
Council Moves to Acquire Westminster Campus
At its meeting on Monday, September 9, Princeton Council voted unanimously to introduce two ordinances designed to start the process of acquiring the former Westminster Choir College property.
“This evening the Mayor and Council voted unanimously to introduce two ordinances which begin the process for the Municipality to acquire 101 Walnut Lane, former site of the historic Westminster Choir College,” reads a statement issued by Council President Mia Sacks on Tuesday morning. “The public hearing for Ordinance #2024-35 will be held on September 23 and the public hearing for Ordinance #2024-34 will be held on October 14.
“Acquisition of this property would represent a generational investment — enabling Princeton to more effectively plan for its long-term future — including but not limited to the provision of much-needed educational and recreational facilities for the community and school district, and other public needs.
If adopted, Ordinances #2024-34 and #2024-35 will enable the legal process for acquisition to proceed. The Governing
Body is committed to working with all interested community stakeholders to determine the best public purposes for this centrally-located site. This is an exciting moment for Princeton and one the governing body believes will result in countless public bene ts to be enjoyed for decades to come.”
Occupying some 23 acres of prime Princeton real estate, the renowned choral college merged with Rider University in 1992, but retained its own identity.
In 2017, Rider announced plans to sell Westminster and relocate its programs to Rider’s campus in Lawrence Township. A sale did not materialize. What remains of the choir college operates on the Rider campus. The Princeton campus is mostly empty, though the Westminster Conservatory, a community music school, has continued to function at the site.
The choir college is the focus of two lawsuits. One, against Rider, was brought by a group of former Westminster
University Welcomes 1,411 First-Years, Only Small Changes in Racial Diversity
Princeton University has welcomed 1,411 rst-year students in the Class of 2028, the rst class admitted following the Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision banning race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions. Comparative numbers reveal little change in racial diversity from other recent rst-year classes.
In a statement released at the time of the Court’s decision, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber
emphasized the importance of having a diverse student body and stated that Princeton would “work vigorously to preserve — and indeed grow — the diversity of our community while fully respecting the law as announced today.”
Compared to the University’s statistics on last year’s entering class, this year’s class includes 23.8 percent self-identi ed as Asian-Americans, as opposed to 26
ABOUT BUGS: Participants collected insects for identification on Saturday at the Annual Insect Festival, led by Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County at Mercer County Educational Gardens in Hopewell Township. Participants share what they liked
(Photo by Sarah Teo)
Polestar Princeton Experience Polestar 4
SUV spaciousness. Coupe aerodynamics. Electric age innovation. That’s Polestar 4. With up to 300 miles of EPA-estimated range¹, and up to 544 horsepower², Polestar 4 will make every journey a destination in itself.
See https://www.fueleconomy.gov/.
²Preliminary
The Joe R Engle Organ Concert will feature a wide range of repertoire linked to dance, from the sarabande and jig to the tango and cancan
This is not a concert for the ears alone! All will be invited to join their hearts, voices, hands, and feet to the melodies and the rhythms of the music
The evening includes a brief prayer service, the organ concert, and a reception
HANDHELDS
All sandwiches served with your choice of Kaiser or Brioche Bun
BIOMEDICAL IMMERSION CAMP: From August 5-16, twin sisters and Princeton High School seniors Viviana and Angelica Cristofanilli organized, prepared, and led, for the second consecutive summer, a camp for middle schoolers focusing on many different medical issues. Through lessons, labs and research projects, the 21 campers explored a range of topics, including organic chemistry, robotic surgery, cardio-thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, evolution, stem cell therapies, neurodegenerative diseases, and heredity and genetics.
Topics In Brief A Community Bulletin
Note from the Publisher — Town by Town, Neighbor to Neighbor: The loss of local news coverage nationwide has plagued citizens who are curious and interested in events, news, and helping their neighbors. In the last year, 5,000 local newspapers stopped publishing.
We at Town Topics are devoted to zeroing in on local issues and bringing them to our readers. In that spirit, Town Topics will begin to offer expanded coverage of local news in neighboring communities. Look for upcoming coverage of Cranbury, Hightstown, Ewing, Pennington, Hopewell, Flemington, and surrounding communities in the coming weeks. Each town will have its own section of news and advertisers.
We hope this expanded coverage results in your visiting our neighboring towns, and developing a better appreciation for our Central New Jersey neighbors, town by town, neighbor to neighbor.
Leighton Listens: Councilman Leighton Newlin holds one-on-one conversations about issues impacting Princeton on September 11 from 1-2:30 p.m. at The Meetinghouse, 277 Witherspoon Street; on September 18 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Deliziosos Bakery, 205 Witherspoon Street; and on September 25 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Art at Bainbridge/Garden Theater, 158 Nassau Street. All are welcome.
Narcan Training: Sponsored by the Princeton Health Department and the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, on Wednesday, September 11 from 5-5:45 p.m. at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Space is limited. Princetonnj.gov.
Food Pantry: Arm in Arm’s mobile food pantry is at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike, on Monday afternoons through September, from 2-4 p.m. Fresh produce, eggs, milk, frozen proteins, and quality baked goods as well as canned and boxed items and personal care items are available for those in need.
Sustainable Princeton “Lending Library ” : Sustainable Princeton offers residents and nonprofits in Princeton the opportunity to borrow sustainable home items such as electric landscape equipment, induction cooktops, and repair tools, for free, for up to two weeks. Visit sustainableprinceton.org for more information..
Photo Contest: The Mercer County Library System is accepting entries through September 16 for a contest with the theme “Adventures in Mercer County Above and Beyond.” Amateur photographers only. Visit mcl.org for more information.
Literacy Tutoring Program: To help adults improve their English literacy skills, volunteers are needed to work one-on-one or in small groups. Online training is available in September and October. For specific dates and more information, email mercer@literacynj.org or call (609) 587-6027.
Volunteer for eCommuterfest: Sustainable Princeton needs helpers for the lowcarbon commuting festival being held Saturday, September 14 in the courtyard at Princeton Shopping Center. Visit sustainableprinceton.org.
Blood Stem Cell Donor Recruitment Event: Sunday, September 15, 1-4 p.m. at Princeton Bridal, 301 North Harrison Street, Suite 575. For more information, contact Linda Alexander at (503) 707-4643 or lalexan4@nmdp.org.
Volunteer for FOPOS: Friends of Princeton Open Space is looking for volunteer land stewards on Saturday, September 28 to help restore riparian and forest areas, remove invasive plants, and plant native trees and shrubs at Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. Sessions are 9-11 a.m. or 12-2 p.m. Visit fopos.org.
Brandon Boyd, Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Missouri- Columbia
Ahreum Han Congdon, Director of Music and Organist at the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth
Eric Wall, Professor of Sacred Music and Dean of the Chapel at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
(Photo courtesy of Viviana Cristofanilli)
BETWEEN THE KEYS: Pianist Cristina Altamura, artistic director of Altamura Legacy Concerts, brings the Avalos-Solera Duo to Princeton on September 29 for a concert celebrating the Argentinian tango instrument, the bandoneon. The event is a collaboration with the Princeton Tango Club.
Should the audience at the September 29 “Bach en Bandoneon” concert at Princeton United Methodist
Church (PUMC) be inspired to break into a spontaneous tango at its conclusion, nothing would please the planner of the concert more.
Cristina Altamura, artistic director of Altamura Legacy Concerts, wants the performance — as well as all events in the year-old music series — to be as much a house concert as a serious cultural event.
“I like to just set the stage,” Altamura said. “I want to encourage people to feel welcome, and comfortable to express themselves. It’s a very informal space. We’ll see what happens.”
Tempered Clavier, as well as tango duets that highlight the instrument’s capabilities. Solera is a composer and ethnomusicologist, who has performed in such venues as Washington’s Kennedy Center; Avalos is a composer, arranger, and bandoneon and guitar player currently working as a professor in Buenos Aires. The duo will be joined by Altamura on piano, for two tangos by Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla. Altamura will also play a piece
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Word has gotten around since pianist Altamura launched Legacy Concerts at PUMC last year. On selected Sundays at 4:30 p.m., she and a roster of guest artists perform on a restored 1924 Steinway “B grand” in the Sanford Davis Room, a living room area with Tiffany stained glass windows. The schedule is eclectic. Altamura and her husband, So Percussion’s Adam Sliwinski, deliver an informal talk before each program.
“It was incredible. Every concert was pretty much full,” Altamura said of the inaugural season last year. “To me, that is a sign that people want to have a closer access to the arts. The venue just lends itself to this intimacy. We even had tourists walk in off the street, and a lot of [Princeton] University students, particularly for the hip hop show we did.”
The idea for a concert centered around the bandoneon, an accordion-like Argentinian tango instrument, developed after the Princeton Tango Club at the University reached out to Altamura about a collaboration. The performance caps a weekend of workshops and lectures about tango, on the campus.
Bandoneon players Heyni Solera and Rodrigo Avalos will play selected arrangements of Bach’s Well-
September is Hunger Action Month
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by Bach before handing the program over to Solera and Avalos.
Altamura is especially enthused about the range of the concert series. “There is an intersection of different kinds of artists,” she said. “It’s really a grass roots thing, but it’s run by artists. One thing I am proud of is that I’ve used this as a platform to help young musicians and arts administrators spring into more activities. This is a great satisfaction for me, because I was given so many opportunities when I was young by smaller musical arts societies and organizations that provided these opportunities.”
Every concert opens with performances by young students. “I call them ambassadors,” Altamura said. “We have one from the University and one from Princeton High School at this concert, and I’m so happy to have them.”
Researching the bandoneon, Altamura was surprised to learn of its history. “It is the classic tango instrument, but it was actually invented in mid-19th century Germany,” she said. “I had no idea. People have asked me, ‘How can you do Bach on a bandoneon?’ But it turns out it was used in some churches that couldn’t afford big organs. So it seems so natural to play something from Bach. We’re just reaching back into history and showing how this evolved to become the iconic instrument of tango.”
The concert is Sunday, September 29 at 4:30 p.m. PUMC is at Nassau Street and Vandeventer Avenue. Tickets are $20, $40 ($10 for students). Visit legacyartsinternational.org for information.
“It’s more than a concert. It’s a party,” said Altamura. “That’s our goal.”
—Anne Levin
Princeton Mercer Chamber To Recognize Leaders
Andrew Siegel of Hamilton Jewelers is among the four individuals to be recognized December 5 at the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber’s annual Legacy of Leadership awards dinner, to be held at the Stone Terrace by John Henry’s. Siegel is being honored as Business Leader of the Year.
Also being honored are Rebecca Kelly of Capital Health as Community Leader of the Year; Raymond Wang of HEVI as Innovator of the Year; and Alisa McCabe of First Steps Financial as Entrepreneur of the Year.
forum for the expression of
about local and national
Question of the Week:
“What was your favorite part of the event today?”
(Asked Saturday at the Annual Insect Festival at Mercer Educational Gardens in
Township) (Photos by Sarah Teo)
The event, which is held from 5:30-9 p.m., includes a cocktail hour, seated dinner, and a speaking program during which each honoree will be awarded. For more information, visit princetonmercer.org.
Hopewell
Jessica: “I liked the scavenger hunt the best; it was well put together.” Lukas: “Holding a Madagascar cockroach on my hand. It was so cute. It felt sticky.”
— Jessica and Lukas Robl, Bucks County, Pa.
Jacqueline: “We’ve been Master Gardeners since 2006; I like being in costume because I get to see what’s going on and visit every booth. It’s evolved so much over the last 20 years. I was first involved in the puppet show; now my favorite part is Tina’s scavenger hunt — I think it’s awesome!” — Tina Leone, Lawrence Township, with Jacqueline Spadaccini, Hamilton
Aletta: “All of the stickers!” Elena: “Seeing cool water bugs — they were near the story time.” Sono: “I learned that there was a bee that can dig tunnels underground.”
— Aletta Henriette Berg-Stein, Princeton, Elena Reinero, Hopewell Township, and Sono Aiden Berg-Stein, Princeton
Julius: “Picking up a spikey thing [crayfish] from that water. And the carnivorous plants were kind of scary!” — Christian, Julius, and Mydili Nemeth, Robbinsville
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committed to renewing certification every year. PHS gained 40 points this year for a total of 230 points for their raised beds, aquaponics and greenhouse gardens, sophomore volunteer requirement, Robeson House tile project, classroom waste audit, prom dress collection, courtyard renovation supported by the Princeton Education Foundation (PEF), and a green infrastructure plan in collaboration with the Watershed Institute.
Riverside gained 35 points for a total of 215 points for their school gardens, pedestrian and bike safety events, use of reusable dishes at PTO events, TREX plastic bags collection, book swap events, planting of trees by the PEF, and the green infrastructure plan from the Watershed Institute.
The voluntary certification program was developed by Sustainable Jersey for Schools in 2014 to help public schools to implement sustainability best practices.
“As school districts across the country struggle to make progress on sustainability goals, New Jersey’s schools are taking action and providing evidence of implementation,” said Sustainable Jersey Executive Director Randall Solomon. “With 67 percent of New Jersey public school districts participating and 375 certified schools, there’s an incredible opportunity and potential for change.”
He continued, “Thank you, teachers, administrators, staff, parents, and students, for your commitment and vision for the future. Becoming certified with Sustainable
Jersey for Schools is a significant achievement.”
Jenny Ludmer, program manager at Sustainable Princeton, which has been assisting PPS with its sustainability efforts, noted that certification requires a team effort with business, maintenance, and facilities departments as well as educators, parents and students all involved.
“Sustainable Princeton is thrilled to be working with each of these entities to assist in the certification process and to investigate additional opportunities for action,” she said.
Ludmer went on to point out that recent facilities upgrades including new white roofs, heat pumps, new HVAC, and high efficiency boilers in the schools will be part of future recertification applications.
Looking to the future Ludmer added, “Personally, I’d love to see their fleet electrified, more trees on campus, and potential demonstration rain gardens, which is why we continue to seek grants.”
She said she’d also like to see all six schools with Green Team leaders on the PTO, helping to make activities and events more sustainable and to organize sustainable events like book swaps, anti-idling awareness, or walk/bike-toschool activities.
The PPS/Sustainable Princeton press release praised Princeton’s six increasingly sustainable certified schools. “As leading examples of sustainability excellence, these schools provide outstanding learning opportunities for their students and join an established cohort of recognized schools across the state,” it said.
—Donald Gilpin
Community Action Students Help Build Sensory Garden
On August 29 and 30, Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP) teamed with the Princeton YMCA/ YWCA, Princeton University’s PACE Center, and Isles’ Trenton Climate Corps (AmeriCorps) to recruit Princeton University Community Action (CA) students and Isles volunteers to build a restorative sensory garden that is accessible, inclusive, and safe.
The garden is in the parking lot of the YMCA, which was completely transformed with the creation of a wood chip walking path lined with tree stumps, plus a variety of plant species. Wind chimes, two tree décor faces, a gliding bench, a picnic table, and wishing well are also part of the site. The sensory garden is meant to act as a place of community, and the building of the garden itself has already brought together University students with community members.
“A so-called ‘third place’ like the sensory garden is a great meeting spot for children, seniors, and neurodivergent individuals,” said one of the freshmen participating in CA. “For myself, coming here, working in the garden, watching the children play in the adjacent playground, it makes me feel closer to the community because not only am I seeing the community at work I am participating as a member. I feel like I actually belong here.”
The volunteers helped lay mulch, dig holes for plants, and plant them on a layout created by a recruited landscape architect. They also
assisted with weeding and cleaning up the existing SHUPP free garden, which allows residents to pick free produce grown on community soil.
For more information or donations, visit shupprinceton.org.
Historical Society Holds Events Through September
Workshops, walks, hikes, and lectures are among the events being presented through September at the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP).
Next on the calendar is the Vintage Base Ball Game on Saturday, September 14 at Hilltop Park, 782 Bunn Drive. The annual event is part game, part show, and part history lesson, geared to the whole family. The Flemington Neshanock and
the Diamond State Base Ball Club play a competitive match wearing period uniforms and using rules from 1864. Spectators are invited to take batting practice using authentic replicas of 19th century equipment.
A Princeton History Walking Tour is Sunday, September 15 from 2-4 p.m., starting at the Princeton Battle Monument, 1 Monument Drive. The tour covers downtown, the Princeton University campus, Palmer Square, and more. Historian Clifford Zink leads a Historic Jugtown Walking Tour on Saturday, September 21
from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Jugtown is Princeton’s third oldest neighborhood and was the location of potteries, an attempted women’s college, and the quarries that supplied stone for many local buildings.
On Sunday, September 22 from 12-3 p.m., the HSP holds the Princeton Community Chili Cook-Off at Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road. The fundraiser will offer sample from professional and amateur chefs before taking a vote. For more information and ticket prices to these events, visit princetonhistory.org.
for
HELPING HANDS: Princeton University students and other volunteers joined forces to create the sensory garden sponsored by Send Hunger Packing Princeton in the parking lot of the YMCA/ YWCA. (Photo by Michael C. Dektas)
“Stand with the Banned” Read-Out Promotes Awareness of Censorship
Rallying against an uptick in banned or challenged books, community members can stand against restricting access to books when Princeton area leaders, authors, and advocates read aloud from some of these targeted books.
“Stand with the Banned,” a read-out sponsored by Princeton Public Library, Labyrinth Books, and Princeton University Press, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will take place on Monday, September 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. on Hinds Plaza. The library Community Room will serve as a rain location.
“As a Book Sanctuary City
in a state where a Freedom to Read Act is advancing through the Legislature, Princeton enjoys strong protections against censorship,” said library Executive Director Jennifer Podolsky. “The library and our community partners believe these protections bring a responsibility to stand in solidarity with communities that are dealing with attempts to ban books and stifle intellectual freedom.”
It is hoped the event will raise awareness and have the feeling of a rally, said library Adult Programming Manager Janie Hermann.
Additional events on Hinds Plaza related to Banned
Books Week (September 22 to 28) will include a community art project and a selfie station where attendees can affirm their belief in the freedom to read safely. Many people don’t realize that books that they may have read and loved have been challenged or banned. Some of the surprising books Hermann noted include The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford (because of a sunbathing depiction), Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, and Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne and other books which feature animals who speak, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, and Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls Rights by Malala Yousafzai, among many others.
something low-key, such as a list or bulletin board, to community programs. In 2010 the library hosted “Revolutionary Readings,” a staged reading by a group of actors led by Brandon Monokian in response to the Amy Sonnie’s anthology Revolutionary Voices being banned from several libraries in South Jersey. The book highlights queer, youth voices. Last year’s event was a panel moderated by the American Civil Liberties Union held at Labyrinth Books, “More than Empty Shelves: How Book Bans Undermine Identities and Restrict Information.”
Most recent data from the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom documenting book challenges throughout the United States, finds that challenges of unique titles surged 65 percent in 2023 compared to 2022 numbers, reaching the highest level ever documented by ALA, according to its website. The ALA documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship, as well as 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources in 2023 .
The library has recognized Banned Books Week at least since the 1980s, said Hermann. Depending on national surges of banned books, the event has ranged from
This year Banned Book Week comes on the heels of the Library Board of Trustees declaring the library a Book Sanctuary and Princeton Council following suit. Princeton Council passed a resolution last April declaring the town a book sanctuary. The resolution supports and protects the right of people in New Jersey to access materials in libraries and schools, and protects library staff members from harassment.
Although Princeton has the sanctuary designation, pointed out Hermann, “we feel our colleagues under attack. We want to stand in solidarity. We are surrounded (some Central New Jersey high school libraries have removed books), but it only takes a vocal minority to start a challenge anywhere. The issue is not going away.”
Just recently, she noted, a librarian in Louisiana spoke out against censorship and was disparaged by townspeople. That librar-
ian, Amanda Jones, wrote about her experience in a book published this past August — That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America.
The Stand with the Banned event will honor books that have been challenged or banned throughout history.
Guest readers will read excerpts from classics that have shaped the literary landscape as well as contemporary works that spark important conversations and illuminate diverse perspectives, lives, and ideas.
Some 20 readers will include New Jersey State Sen. Andrew Zwicker, Princeton Councilmember Leighton Newlin, Princeton Public Library Board of Trustees member and Princeton
whose children’s book Neither is frequently challenged, and Princeton Creative Writing Program faculty member A.M. Homes will read from their own books that have been banned or challenged.
“The freedom to read is the cornerstone of a free society,” said Hermann. “Banned Books Week serves as an important reminder that access to diverse ideas and perspectives is crucial for a thriving democracy.”
—Wendy Greenberg
“STAND WITH THE BANNED”: Author Airlie Anderson, whose children’s book “Neither” is frequently challenged, will participate in the read-out on September 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. on Hinds Plaza.
Councilmember Eve Niedergang, Christie Henry of Princeton University Press, Jill Dolan of Princeton University, poet Patricia Smith of the Lewis Center, and artist Marion Davila. Authors Airlie Anderson,
Westminster continued from page one
students and faculty members. Another filed by Princeton Theological Seminary says a sale would violate the terms of the original donation of the property in 1935. Since the plans for a sale were first announced in 2017, a group of alumni, students, and supporters known as the Westminster Foundation has worked to return Westminster to its Princeton location.
In an email to the Westminster community Monday night, the Foundation’s president Constance Fee wrote, “It is possible that Rider has made an offer to the town and, in such case it may attempt to sign contract papers with the township. The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division last year restored our case and we have now set a discovery schedule with the trial court. Any transaction between Rider and the township will be subject to Rider
prevailing in our lawsuit, so it is highly unlikely that any closing on any deal will take place in the near term. In fact, our lawsuit would likely not even go to trial until late 2025.”
In an email on Tuesday morning, Fee said, “The historical significance of Westminster Choir College and its campus, and its impact on the cultural life of the Princeton community for over a century is profound. We have reached out numerous times and made repeated attempts to meet with Rider and the Seminary to reach a settlement, but without success and in some cases without acknowledgement. We have made it clear to all parties involved that we want to collaborate. Until that happens, we are not going anywhere, our lawsuit remains in place, and nothing will change until it is resolved.”
—Anne Levin
Tell them you saw their ad in
Municipality’s Campaign For Energy Efficiency
The Municipality of Princeton has announced the launch of its residential energy efficiency outreach campaign as part of its participation in the Sustainable Jersey-PSE&G Energy Efficiency Partnership Program. The program is designed to help homeowners and renters make their homes more comfortable and leverage PSE&G’s energy efficiency programs and incentives.
In September 2020, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved PSE&G’s Clean Energy Future Energy Efficiency Program, clearing the way for PSE&G to commit $1 billion toward energy efficiency over three years. It is the largest commitment to energy efficiency in New Jersey history and includes 10 programs tailored to help residential and commercial customers reduce their energy use with energy-efficient equipment, technologies, and strategies.
Rider Furniture
These energy efficiency outreach campaigns are part of Princeton’s ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the built environment and to help the Princeton community efficiently use clean, reliable, and affordable energy which is Objective 1 of Princeton’s Climate Action Plan.
“The PSE&G Home Energy Assessment Tool is so easy to use, and what a great service to come to your home,” said Mayor Mark Freda. “ I filled out the questionnaire in a couple of minutes, set up an appointment, and it was all so easy and helpful. Amazing seeing all they brought to the house and all the upgrades they did and were willing to do for free.”
The goal is to increase homeowner and renter participation in PSE&G’s Energy Efficiency Programs, which makes it easy and affordable to upgrade to energy-efficient equipment or add insulation. These upgrades will help to make homes healthier and more comfortable while also reducing energy bills.
Visit EnergyOutreachNJ. com/Princeton for more information.
Local Democrats Open 2024 Campaign Headquarters
“Where
Mon-Fri 10-6; Sat 10-5; Sun 12-5
The Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO) has announced the opening of its 2024 Volunteer Campaign Headquarters, located on the ground floor at 188 Nassau Street in the former Santander Bank location.
The office will be open for walk-in volunteers MondaysThursdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
Friday and Saturdays 11a.m. – 5 p.m., and on Sundays from 12:30-3:30 p.m.
All are welcome to a grand opening celebration this Friday, September 13 from 5:30-7 p.m. to see the new headquarters and learn about ways to support the HarrisWalz campaign, Andy Kim, and New Jersey Congressional candidates. Light refreshments will be served. Kim will be on hand to launch two canvasses, at 12 and 3 p.m.
Volunteers with the PCDO have been canvassing Pennsylvania and New Jersey this summer, tabling in downtown
Princeton to register voters, post carding to swing states and more. With the November 5 election nearing, and vote-by-mail voting about to start in New Jersey, they are ramping up their efforts. This weekend the group will again be knocking doors, tabling, and more. Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to visit princetondems.org for more information and to register for the canvasses or other volunteer activities.
a Princeton tradition!
ROAD TO THE PRESIDENCY: Efforts to put Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the White House this November are locally centered at a new campaign office on Nassau Street.
University Welcomes
continued from page one percent last year; 9 percent Hispanic or Latino vs. 10 percent last year; 8.9 percent Black or African American, vs. 9 percent last year; 7.2 percent multiracial vs. 7 percent last year; and 31.3 percent white, a demographic which has not been included as a category in past reports.
In its pursuit of diversity, the University also enrolled 36 undergraduate transfer students, the largest number of transfers since the program’s reinstatement in 2018. The Princeton transfer program seeks to enroll more students from military and community college backgrounds, with 23 of this year’s transfers having served in the U.S. military and 26 having transferred from community colleges.
A September 4 University press release also reported that 16.3 percent, as opposed to 17 percent last
year, of the first-year class are first-generation college students and 11.2 percent, vs.13 percent last year, are children of alumni.
Financial aid at Princeton continues to expand, with 71.5 percent of first-year students qualifying for financial aid and 21.7 percent of the class comprised of lower income students who are eligible for federal Pell Grants.
Princeton’s financial aid program “is known as one of the most generous in the country,” the press release reports. Most families with incomes up to $100,000 a year pay nothing, and many families with incomes up to and even beyond $300,000 receive grant aid.
The press release notes that this financial aid program, along with the current four-year undergraduate expansion that will increase the student body by 500 students, “will ensure that more talented students from all backgrounds have access
to a Princeton education.”
Other statistics released by the University report that the first-year students come from 48 states and Washington, D.C., and from 56 different countries.
Many highly selective universities have not yet released statistics on the demographics of their firstyear classes following the ban on affirmative action.
The New York Times has reported significant drops in Black students at Amherst College, Tufts University, and M.I.T., and a sharp decline in enrollment of new Black and Hispanic students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but whether this is a pattern or a one-year change is unclear.
Princeton University continues its efforts towards diversity while complying with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“It’s important to note that our admissions team continues to broaden its outreach to potential applicants to encourage the most talented students from across society to consider Princeton,” said University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill as quoted in the The Daily Princetonian student newspaper.
“Princeton’s holistic admissions process carefully adheres to the limits set out by the Supreme Court in the Students in the Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard College and University of North Carolina cases,” the University press release states.
—Donald Gilpin
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen
Hosts Free BBQ Meal
On Friday, September 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) will host a free and festive BBQ meal, offering the public an opportunity to enjoy food, fun, and community to commemorate Hunger Action Month. The outdoor event will feature live music from TASK’s house band, the FunkTASKtiks, under a tent at neighboring Capital City Farm, at 72 ½ Escher Street.
During the month of September, hunger relief agencies around the country recognize Hunger Action Month, a time to work together to raise awareness about food insecurity, which is surging across the United States. Friday’s event marks an opportunity for TASK, which was founded by community organizers in 1982, to gather together diners, staff, volunteers, donors and community partners to bring attention to an important issue facing the Trenton area. Today, TASK is serving roughly 11,000 free meals each week at its Escher Street dining room as well as 40 community meal sites across Greater Mercer County. In addition to meal service, TASK also offers case management, adult education, job search, creative arts programs and the provision of basic necessities.
also announced that it has served 7 million meals since its founding in 1982.
“No one could have imagined how COVID-19 would accelerate an unprecedented rise in demand for the programs and services we offer. A lack of affordable housing, stagnant wages and rising costs are all contributing to an increased need for hunger relief at an alarming rate, even for working families,” said TASK CEO Joyce Campbell.
A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals that more than 13.5% of households across the U.S. are reporting food insecurity, the highest level in nearly a decade. In Mercer County, nearly 11,000 children face hunger daily – almost 50 percent more than the previous year. The problem is even worse in Trenton where 27 percent of people – and 37 percent of children – are living below the poverty line.
“Like any milestone we achieve, it’s bittersweet,” Campbell continues. “But we are proud to be able to remove barriers to healthy, delicious food and improve access to people across the city. With these numbers, we know that we are making progress toward our goal of a hunger-free tomorrow.”
Father Center of NJ Has New Partnership
The Father Center of New Jersey (TFCNJ) and the City of Trenton’s Office of Returning Citizens (ORC) have announced a new partnership whose mission is to provide financial literacy education to citizens returning from incarceration.
This collaboration, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on July 22, will create opportunities for returning citizens to gain the skills necessary to achieve self-sufficiency and long-term success.
“The City of Trenton is committed to improving the quality of life for returning citizens, and this partnership moves that forward in a tangible way by providing training and employment opportunities,” said Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora.
“Our goals are perfectly aligned with those of The Father Center of New Jersey,” added Janet Porter, social work supervisor, City of Trenton. “Together, The Father Center of New Jersey and the City of Trenton ORC will deliver a total of 12 financial literacy seminars before the end of the year.”
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In 2024, TASK has marked two important milestones. Earlier this week, the TASK food truck served its 15,000th meal since its launch in March. With an emphasis on serving people with limited mobility – families with young children, seniors and the chronically homeless – the truck makes its way to a variety of stops each week to serve neighbors in need. Earlier this summer, TASK
Following the community meal on Friday, at 1 p.m., guests are invited to move indoors for a brief ceremony that will feature speakers including Mark Dinglasan, director of New Jersey’s Office of the Food Security Advocate; and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, an advocate against hunger. In addition, TASK will honor journalist L.A. Parker, optometrist Dr. Thomas Marino and the late Larry Apperson, a longtime TASK volunteer and founder of Princeton’s Cornerstone Community Kitchen, for their contributions.
The intended audience will be individuals returning from incarceration within one to three years, as well as other residents with justice-involved backgrounds. The seminars, which will run until December 31, are designed to address the unique financial challenges faced by this population and provide them with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed financial decisions.
The Father Center will organize and lead the seminars in suitable locations, recruit eligible participants and accept eligible referrals from the ORC. “We will also link eligible participants to the ORC’s broader reentry services through a collaborative intake process,” said Bryan Evans, CEO, The Father Center of New Jersey. “We offer valuable training and resources to returning citizens, but we also need to ensure that our curriculum is accessible. This partnership brings it all together.”
For more information, email Marc Warren at mwarren@thefathercenter.org.
University Seeks Even-Handed Response
As Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Return
Princeton University continues to negotiate the fine line between allowing free speech on the one hand and maintaining an atmosphere of civility and respect for all on the other, as pro-Palestine student organizers continue to press their cause.
About 150 demonstrators gathered at McCosh Courtyard after the first day of classes last week and marched past Clio Hall and on to Nassau Hall, sites associated with last spring’s Princeton Gaza Solidarity Encampment, which held out for almost three weeks, calling for the University to divest and disassociate from companies with ties to Israel. Princeton avoided the kinds of large-scale demonstrations that roiled many other universities last spring and led to thousands of arrests and the departure of a number of college presidents.
A new Princeton University website on “Protests and Free Expression,” which includes clarification and some tightening of regulations on protests and time, place, and manner restrictions, quotes from the University’s Rights, Rules, Responsibilities policy book: “Free speech and peaceable assembly are basic requirements of the university as a center for free inquiry and the search for knowledge and insight. These rights involve a concurrent obligation on the part of all members of the University, guests, and visitors to maintain on the campus an
atmosphere conducive to scholarly pursuits and to respect the rights of all individuals.”
Speaking to an orientation session on academic freedom and free expression two weeks ago, Princeton University President Christoper L. Eisgruber told the new students, “It is my job to ensure that people on this campus — including all of you — have the freedom to say what they think. It is also my job to encourage you to engage with, and to learn from, others who think differently from you.”
The revised protest rules prohibit demonstrations on the grounds of Prospect House and on Cannon Green, which was the main location of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. The University had originally also stated that protests would be banned on the front lawn of Nassau Hall, but last week rescinded that ban.
University administrators have stated that the new website makes no significant changes in the University’s rules, and a letter to the campus community from University officials last week stated, “You may be wondering whether Princeton’s policies relating to protests and demonstrations will change in light of last year’s activity. The short answer is: no.”
The Princeton Israeli Apartheid Divest (PIAD) coalition, which led in the organizing of the Encampment, presented a divestment proposal to the Resources
Committee of the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) last May and followed up with a written proposal endorsed by 30 student and community groups, according to a PIAD statement.
The Resources Committee continues to deliberate, but the PIAD says it will be taking a “two-pronged approach” to help speed the process. “Given the urgency of ending the genocide, Princeton must reenvision a fatally slow bureaucratic process,” the PIAD statement reads.
PIAD states that it will continue to demand that all charges be dropped against 13 student protestors who were arrested last spring, and the organization will be disseminating a new political education publication.
“The plan, then, is to educate, agitate, and organize for divestment and for a free Palestine with the lessons and determination of the encampment as our guide,” the PIAD statement explains.
—Donald Gilpin
JUNCTION BARBER SHOP
33 Princeton-Hightstown Rd Ellsworth’s Center (Near Train Station) 799-8554
Tues-Fri: 10am-6pm; Sat 8:30am-3:30pm
NJTL of Trenton Hosts Champion at Annual Gala National Junior Tennis and Learning of Trenton (NJTLT), which creates op portunities for success by enriching the lives of underresourced youth through in novative tennis, education, and mentoring programs, will celebrate its 30th An nual Gala on Sunday, Sep tember 22 from 12-5 p.m. the Mercer County Indoor Tennis Center in West Windsor.
This year’s event includes a tennis exhibition, auction, buffet, open bar, and music, and features former world No. 1 tennis player Kim Clijsters, winner of six Grand Slam titles, including three US Open singles titles and doubles championships at Wimbledon and the French Open. Born in Belgium, Clijsters was No. 1 in the world in both singles and doubles simultaneously in 2003. As part of the gala, she will be on court with NJTLT’s student athletes, members of the Princeton University tennis teams, and community sponsors of NJTLT.
for Lawrence High School.
Sheryl Punia’s career in education and drug prevention allowed her to witness the difference that strong support and services mean to a family in need, and to help students be successful and families survive difficult and often overwhelming circumstances. career in commercial real estate.
Long-time NJTLT supporters and Mercer County residents Sheryl and Joseph Punia are this year’s honorees. Both avid tennis players, Joseph spent his childhood playing sports with friends in Cadwalader Park and Sheryl learned to play tennis at the Lawrence Township recreation system and later played
Princeton residents Albert Stark and Ginny Mason are honorary co-chairs, and Julia Benedict is event chairperson. Proceeds support
NJTLT’s summer camp & Academic Creative Engagement (ACE) programs, the Ashe Elite’s Indoor Tennis season, training for Trenton Public School teachers, and technology for students to participate in NJTLT Minecraft Education Program and year-round community outreach, as well as the purchase of tennis equipment and educational supplies. Individual tickets are $300, and sponsorships are available. Visit njtloftrenton.org.
WORLD CHAMPION: Kim Clijsters, winner of six Grand Slam tennis titles, will be on the court at a tennis exhibition for National Junior Tennis and Learning of Trenton at the Mercer County Indoor Tennis Center in West Windsor on September 22.
TOWN TOPICS Destination
Cranbury
Tavern Tidbits at Cranbury Inn Supports Local History Research
Greet neighbors, enjoy a signature drink along with hot and cold appetizers, and learn a bit about Cranbury’s contribution to the American Revolution on Saturday, September 21 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the historic Cranbury Inn, 21 South Main Street.
Proceeds from the event, Tavern Tidbits, will help fund the publication of the third edition of the booklet George Washington in Cranbury by Dr. John Whiteclay Chambers II, which includes current research on the question, “Did George Washington Sleep Here?” (Spoiler – he did).
The Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society (CHPS) will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, upcoming in 2026, with reenactors and period music. Tickets are $60 each and available for purchase at cranburyhistory.com , and at local businesses such as Happiness is Homemade, Crow & Teapot, Studio 43, and the Elizabeth M. Wagner History Center at 6 South Main when the center is open, Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Chambers wrote of his research in the CHPS spring newsletter and explained that Washington and his army of some 8,000 troops,
stayed overnight in Cranbury from about 9 a.m. on June 26, 1778, through about 7 a.m. on June 27, on their way to the Battle of Monmouth Court House.
Washington’s headquarters were at the home of Dr. Hezekiah and Mary Stites, at what is now 53 South Main Street (a newer house). In fact, a research committee found that Hamilton and Lafayette stayed there the night before.
CHPS published the first edition of Chambers’ book in 2003 (for which he received an award from the League of Historical Societies). The second edition was published in 2010. This third edition will chronicle how members of the CHPS historical research team found information in a handwritten journal of a sergeant, in the 1st Massachusetts Regiment, preserved in the Massachusetts Historical Society, which gave the time. They found other documents that confirmed Washington’s stay in Cranbury, which was important, the newsletter states, as he made battle preparations.
House Tour
CHPS is holding a house tour on Saturday, September 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours will be given at six homes on or near Symmes Court, as well as
the Parsonage Barn, the Firehouse Museum, and the Cranbury Museum.
The CHPS webpage at cranburyhistory.org/parsonage-barn notes the history of the reconstructed Parsonage Barn, circa 1741, thought to be the oldest barn in Cranbury. It once belonged to the Parsonage Plantation of the Presbyterian Church of Cranbury. The historic timbers have been repaired and it was dedicated in 2010.
In conjunction with the tour, an art show is being held at the First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with refreshments at 3 p.m.
A concert follows at 3:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church featuring poems of Robert Louis Stevenson set to music, and other music.
Pre-Tour Day Tickets at $30 each are sold at the Cranbury Museum, 4 Park Place East, Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; at the Cranbury History Center, 6 S. Main St., Thursday, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.; and, at $35 each sold 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. on the day of the House Tour at the Cranbury History Center, 6 South Main Street.
The History Center Gift Shop will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the day of the House Tour.
Cranbury Author Gwen Toma Celebrates A Child’s Spirit in New Children’s Book
Gwen Toma has had a successful and eclectic career encompassing product development, marketing, home décor design, broadcast journalism and art. But she recently went down a new path — publishing her first book — and it is leading to new opportunities.
Lake Girl Chronicles: Every Girl’s Story was written by Toma with her college friend Randy Agness, and illustrated by Toma, a resident of Cranbury.
The book, geared to children, takes place by a house on the shore of a lake in upstate New York, based on Lake Ontario. It tells of the adventures of a young girl told from the point of view of diary entries.
The fi ctional story is nevertheless based on childhood memories of the co-authors, who are friends from St. Bonaventure University, and on memories of a third college friend, who has passed away. The late friend grew up on the lake and told many stories, said Toma.
“We talked about growing up on a lake,” said Toma, who also spent time in upstate New York, and used some of her own childhood memories of New York. “But we started with inspiration from our friend’s life,” she said. “It was a very creative collaboration. We let it flow.”
was her first time illustrating a children’s book. It is about growing up in the 1960s and ’70s — Toma had grown up during those years, but also did research to refresh her memory about the clothing (think pink stretch pants) and games, like hopscotch.
rance Publishing) is described as a “delightful read that appeals to readers of all ages, offering a heartwarming reminder to cherish the simple joys of life and the bonds of family,” by Amazon Book Club’s Sarah Gelman. “With its charming protagonist, engaging narrative, and vibrant illustrations, this book is sure to become a beloved favorite for anyone seeking a cozy escape into the world of Lake Girl.” Gelman gave it a fivestar rating and recommendation on the Amazon website.
The seasons evoke the northeastern United States, but the lake can be anywhere. “We left it up to the child’s imagination,” she said. Through the child’s voice, readers can experience sunset boat rides, fi reworks on the Fourth of July, eating sandwiches by the lake, and joining a football game.
Toma, an artist, illustrated the book, and called the illustrations “very colorful.” It
Gelman says, “One of the book’s strengths lies in its ability to transport readers to a tranquil and idyllic setting, offering a welcome escape from the stresses of modern life. Through its vivid descriptions of seasonal activities and the changing landscape of the lake, Lake Girl Chronicles captures the essence of each season, making it a timely and relevant read for any time of year.”
Toma especially liked that the main character, who is not named in this book, is free-spirited, and that the book is filled with simple stories. “It’s about childhood adventures and fun things to do, and there is some girl power.”
The book is the fi rst in a series, and the second book, planned to debut in 2025, is again told through a child’s voice. Lake Girl Chronicles: Making Friends is more about making new friendships, Toma said. Some secondary characters are named in this book, but not Lake Girl. “It’s family-oriented and seasonal, we even include recipes,” she said.
Toma, who has lived in Princeton, lives in a historic house in Cranbury, one that was built in 1910 and inhabited in 1912. Her home will be on the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society’s house tour on September 28. She is known for her art, which was shown at the Cranbury Library last year in the exhibit “Plein Air Perspectives” An Artist’s Travelogue of Transatlantic Crossings, Coastal Connections and Island Greetings,” which included coastal and island plein air paintings. She is completing a certificate of fi ne art from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
Toma, who is the co-founder of Home Furnishings Monitor and The American National Theatre, Inc., is also illustrating a food and wine pairing book with her collaborator, Agness, an upstate New York winemaker. (Agness is president of Agness Publishing Company, and Toma is creative director.)
And, she has returned to an earlier business as president of Gwen Toma Home Holiday LLC, a home décor consulting business.
For someone who worked in corporate jobs before the pandemic, her post-pandemic life is proving to be busy and creative — looking to the future, while at the same time writing charming tales about the past.
—Wendy Greenberg
TAVERN TIDBITS: The Cranbury Inn is the site of a history fundraiser on
Saturday, September 21 featuring a talk on George Washington’s time in Cranbury.
Gwen Toma
Cranbury Inclusive Playground for All Abilities Debuts in
It took months to plan, weeks to build, and some time until the official ribbon cutting ceremony took place on September 5, but kids and families are enjoying Cranbury Village Park’s new inclusive playground, a play space for all abilities, in Village Park.
“The Cranbury Inclusive Playground has been a positive, wonderful contribution to the community,” said resident and Parks and Recreation Commission member Christina Ftikas. “The process was lengthy and arduous but very worthwhile. It is wonderful to see children of all abilities play together and have a true sense of community.”
The bright blue and yellow playground is eye-catching from the parking lot, and there is an accessible walkway from a handicapped parking space. It boasts a bouncy, porous rubber surface (replacing mulch, which is difficult for wheelchair mobility); wide new rockers; specially fitted swings; ramps; and accessible, wider slides. The merry-goround, or Whirl, not only accommodates those using wheelchairs, but those who might be wearing or carrying adaptive equipment. The calming, sensory-friendly play equipment also keeps in mind sight lines for caretakers.
According to Mayor Eman El-Badawi’s August 13 newsletter, the idea “worked its way through the planning and funding process until it became a reality. Members of our Parks Commission were most active in the planning, along with collaboration, later on, with our Board of Recreation. The
Village Park
two entities were merged into a Parks and Rec Commission this year and brought this project home!”
Funding was the major hurdle, and the price was “prohibitive,” said El-Badawi, but “serendipitously, State Sen. Linda Greenstein (D14) sent to the township a request for projects that needed funding. The legislator got $300,000, or about three-fourths of the expense, funded through a state grant.”
Greenstein, who attended the ribbon-cutting, said that “part of what brings a community together and makes it a good place to raise a family is the presence of public recreational spaces where friends, family, and children can enjoy themselves without the need for paid membership. These grants will help make that possible by funding the revitalization of one of Cranbury’s public spaces and by making it more accessible for residents.”
Cranbury joins a nationwide trend to provide inclusive community areas, including Elizabeth, Hamilton, Long Beach, Medford, Montclair Sayreville, Teaneck, Woodridge, Ventnor, Holmdel, Toms River, Bellmawr, Wayne, and more in New Jersey.
Cranbury Director of Recreation Ken Jacobs pointed to some specific equipment that makes the Cranbury Inclusive Playground stand out. One is a Rock with Me, which, according to the vendor, Gametime, is a glider with six seats for riders, as well as room for a person using a mobility device to fit comfortably inside. “Users can cooperatively shift
their weight or push from the outside to rock from side to side,” according to the product description.
Second, he said, is the inclusive Whirl, which “provides ease of access for people of all abilities with its ground-level, zero-entry design. It features seating (at transfer height), a large platform surface that exceeds the ADA requirement for turn-around space, and handrails for users to grasp while spinning.”
Additionally, there is a Rox All See Saw, with high backs and side rails. Each of the four seats on this innovative see-saw are designed to accommodate users of all abilities as they enjoy the rocking motion with their friends. The center saucer is designed for users to transfer easily to and from a mobility device.
Gametime Playgrounds, Jacobs noted, is “one of the largest playground manufacturers in the world. The equipment we installed uses the latest designs in playground technology and is inclusive for all users.”
Said El-Badawi, “While some consider the purpose of the playground to be entertainment, for others in the community, it provides the opportunity for necessary exercise and therapy. Additionally, the inclusive playground is the next upgrade to the traditional playground.”
The plan was to debut the inclusive park at the National Night Out in mid-August, but that event was rained out, as it was in nearby municipalities.
Meanwhile, residents of all abilities are enjoying the playground.
Former Chair of the former Parks Commission Sally O’Grady said, “It serves people of all abilities, and includes everybody. I want to thank Town Council for getting it through.”
Said Ftikas, “The playground area is always full of children and has proven to be a place of gathering and fun. My young daughter who has special needs and limited mobility was my inspiration to really lobby for a play area for all abilities to enjoy.”
“I’m excited that we brought this to Cranbury,” said El-Badawi.
The Cranbury inclusive playground is located within the 19-acre Village Park between Maplewood Avenue and U.S. Route 130.
—Wendy Greenberg
CRANBURY TOWN HALL: Cranbury’s Town Hall on North Main Street was officially dedicated on October 14, 2001. The newly-restored building, originally built as a school in 1896, now houses the Cranbury Township offices, township and community meeting rooms, the office of the Cranbury Township Board of Education, and the Gourgaud Gallery.
past summer, has added several new routes to the list of events for the fall.
New Events Scheduled
By Trenton Walks
Residents of Trenton and beyond are invited to join any of 12 more Trenton Walks! in September and October, with volunteer leaders hosting walks four or five times a month on Mondays through Saturdays. The goal is to get people together to enjoy being outdoors, get some healthy exercise, and celebrate being part of the capital city community.
The new routes will complete the season for the Trenton Walks! 2024 inaugural program. Some of the routes are new; others are favorites from the walks hosted since the Trenton Green Team launched the new program in June. Those 14 walks have drawn 85 participants (and three dogs) who have covered a total of
207.4 miles. Powered by the Trenton Trails subcommittee of the Circuit Trails Mercer County Action Team, the walks run from one to three miles, and everyone is invited to join any or all walks.
“ We are very excited at the turnout so far and hope to see many more people come out this fall, said Larry Paul, the Trenton Green Team chair and executive sponsor of the Trenton Walks! Program. “Since we launched the program, people have been saying that walking - especially in a group - is a great way to get to know Trenton.” The Trenton Green Team, with the blessing of the City of Trenton Recreation Department, is hosting these walks.
For those who might be intimidated by the prospect
SPENCER TRASK LECTURE
of walking rather than driving, Trenton Walks! offers a new approach to reassure people about safety while walking.
“For these walks, we ask all participants to embrace our new pledge, called Walk the Talk,” said Becky Taylor, another Trenton Trails subcommittee leader and former co-president of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. This credo, like Scout pledges, commits each walker to have every other walker’s back. If there’s an issue on the trail, whether it’s health, social or safety related, walkers promise to help fellow walkers in distress.
Walks will be held September 4 through November 2. For a complete list of walks and leaders, visit gmtma. org/trail-happenings. Maps of each walk are shared.
Arlie Hochschild
D&R Greenway Land Trust Holds Native Plant Sale
The public is invited to visit the Native Plant Nursery at the Johnson Education Center during D&R Greenway’s Fall 2024 native plant sale Thursday-Saturday, September 12-14.
Hours are 12-3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturday.
D&R Greenway’s stewardship team and volunteers will be on hand to help visitors choose plants that will flourish in different garden soils and conditions. All sales are in person this year, and visitors are invited to spend some time exploring the grounds surrounding the Johnson Education Center and walking the labyrinth.
D&R Greenway’s comprehensive online catalog for review provides thorough plant descriptions, and protips from D&R Greenway’s experienced stewardship team can assist in selecting the right native plants, shrubs, and trees for a garden habitat. Among the plants to consider are Swamp milkweed (host to monarch butterfly), New England aster (seeds are eaten by birds), black cherry tree (host plant for 450+ species of butterflies), cardinal flower (provides natural nectar source for hummingbirds), marginal woodfern (host plant for caterpillars), foamflower (native groundcover), and many more.
The list of plants is available at drgreenway.org/ shop/native-plants.
“By planting in the fall, you allow plants to focus on building a strong root system and emerge prepared for the heat of summer,” said Tina Notas, director of land stewardship.
“Planting natives enhances home gardens in natural beauty, attracts butterflies and birds in the landscape, and contributes to protection of a healthy bioregion.”
The Nursery is on the grounds of D&R Greenway’s Conservation Campus at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place. Native Plant Sale proceeds support D&R Greenway’s preservation and stewardship mission.
Laurenti Elected New Board Chair of CFPA
Congress (NJ-4) in 1986.
He has been a speaker at a number of CFPA programs over the years, most recently at the 45th Annual Commemoration of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 5, 2024 in Princeton.
Locally, he is a public member and the board secretary of New Jersey’s Capital City Redevelopment Corporation; Sacred Heart Church’s representative on the board of the Kingsbury nonprofit housing corporation and its secretary; an instructor at El Centro in English as a Second Language for recent immigrants to Trenton; and a member of Trenton Cycling Revolution. A graduate of Trenton Central High School, he earned his A.B. at Harvard College, magna cum laude; and his M.P.A. at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Freeze referendum in 1982,” Laurenti added. “I am deeply honored to have been asked to help lead CFPA in a new time of peril, and hope to help inspire a new generation to embrace the urgency of this cause.”
CFPA was founded in 1980, and its three priority mission goals are the global abolition of nuclear weapons, a peace economy, and a halt to weapons trafficking. For more information, visit peacecoalition.org.
Police Blotter
The Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) Board of Directors has unanimously elected Jeffrey Laurenti of Trenton to be its new board chair as of September 1. He replaces Irene Etkin Goldman of Ewing, who was board chair from January 2004 until August 2024. Goldman will continue as a board member with the title of chair emerita.
Laurenti, a resident of Trenton’s Chambersburg neighborhood and native of New Jersey’s capital city, served as executive director of policy studies at the United Nations Association of the United States (UNA-USA) and as director of foreign policy programs at The Century Foundation. Before entering the U.N. arena, he served as executive director of the New Jersey Senate majority.
He has advised presidential campaigns on international organization issues, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was his party’s nominee for
“We are excited to have such a deeply informed and experienced leader in the nonprofit and political realms as our new board bhair,” said the Rev. Robert Moore, CFPA executive director since 1981. “ CFPA faces profound challenges such as major wars in Ukraine-Russia and the Middle East; a new nuclear arms race emerging between the US, Russia, and China; and the pandemic of gun violence in the US — now the leading cause of death for those 21 and under. Jeff Laurenti will be a major asset to CFPA addressing those.”
“Mobilizing citizens for peace, when influential voices suggest the quickest and best solutions come through overwhelming force, has never been easy,” said Laurenti. “Yet against all odds it has notched major successes and overcome powerful lobbies, starting with the partial nuclear test ban President Kennedy negotiated in 1963, through the nuclear rollbacks of the ReaganBush years, to the deep nuclear cuts of Obama’s time. Many of those gains are now in jeopardy.”
“I have admired and assisted the work of the Coalition ever since it was a key leader in passing the statewide Nuclear Weapons
On August 31, it was reported that a 27-year-old male from Trenton began masturbating while riding in the rear of a NJ Transit bus that the person reporting was operating. He was placed under arrest, transported to police headquarters, processed, charged accordingly, and released.
On August 31, at 9:33 p.m., a Potter’s Run resident reported that two individuals forcefully entered their residence and stole an unknown number of items with an unknown value. The suspects are described as a tall, heavyset male with a mustache, wearing a balaclava-style mask, a short-sleeve T-shirt, dark colored jeans, and work gloves. The second suspect was described as a tall male wearing a balaclava-style mask, windbreaker jacket, dark colored jeans, and dark colored gloves.
On August 31, at 9:47 p.m., a Campbelton Circle resident reported that an unknown person forcefully entered their home and searched it for unknown items. Nothing was stolen from the home.
On August 28, at 9:43 p.m., subsequent to the investigation of a motor vehicle crash, a 48-yearold male from Princeton was placed under arrest for Driving While Intoxicated. He was transported to the police headquarters where he was processed, charged accordingly, and released. Unless noted, individuals arrested were later released.
Copies of Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame and the Rise of the American Right will be handed out to the first 350 in-person attendees.
University of California at Berkeley, Professor Emerita
EXPLORING THE CITY: The Trenton Walks! program, which debuted this
FALL BEAUTY: The Northern blue flag iris is among the varieties available at the D&R Greenway Land Trust Native Plant Sale this weekend.
The views of the letters do not necessarily reflect the views of Town Topics.
PPS BOE Candidate Chris Santarpio Has Made a Huge Impact on Schools
To the Editor:
I am writing to voice my strong support for Chris Santarpio, a candidate for a seat on the Board of Education. My family and I have lived in Princeton for over 14 years, and both our boys have been going to Princeton’s wonderful public schools since their first day of kindergarten. We were lucky enough to be districted for Community Park, where they both had phenomenal experiences in the Dual Language Immersion program. In the many years I’ve lived here, though, I have never seen someone make such a huge impact on our schools in such a short period of time as Chris.
I met Chris, his husband Eric, and their son shortly after they moved to Princeton in 2020 through friends, but it didn’t take long before I started hearing about Chris from a lot of other people, because of the impression he was making on everyone at Community Park through his work with the PTO. My husband worked closely with him when Chris was running CP’s wonderful STEAM day, which was a huge success. Not too long after that, Chris became copresident of the PTO. For the last few years, CP parents have seen Chris work collaboratively and tirelessly on all different types of projects and solving all sorts of problems, ever since the moment he first set foot in a PTO meeting. He does all of this (often thankless!) work with amazing humor, warmth, kindness, compassion and boundless energy. No matter what he was faced with — and when it comes to kids and schools, it is basically never-ending— he just rolled his sleeves up, put a huge smile on his face, and got things done.
He’s been a godsend for CP, and now that my children have moved on to PMS and PHS, I can only hope they and their schools might have the great good fortune of having Chris and his focus, energy, and enthusiasm directed their way. I am just so grateful to have someone like Chris work so tirelessly for the good of our children, our schools and our community. If you don’t know Chris, please get to know him on his website (ChrisSantarpio.com) or better yet, in person. You will be as wowed by him as the rest of us who have been lucky enough to get to know him and his wonderful family. Please vote!
JANE FRANSSON Jefferson Road
Writing in Support of Ari Meisel For Princeton Board of Education
To the Editor:
I write this letter in support of Ari Meisel’s candidacy for the PPS Board of Education. And before I’m accused of bias, of course I’m biased! Ari happens to be my very wonderful brother-in-law.
And it’s from this perspective that I write, because others will be able to compile paragraphs full of his accomplishments, his involvements, his tireless work ethic, his living embodiment — as a father of five — of the saying, “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” Everyone knows this about him. In fact, everyone knows Ari, period. He and my sister moved their family to Princeton almost a year after my husband and I got here, and yet within weeks of arriving, he was the one introducing people to us. It’s his personality. He’s a compulsively friendly, roll-up-hissleeves kind of guy who gets in there.
Do you ever fantasize about being related to the U.S. president? If you’re ever in trouble, being able to call that special number and say, “Help!” knowing if there’s anything that can be done you’ve reached the one person able to do it? My fear of authority aside, that’s how I feel about Ari. Maybe it’s the combination of his empathy for others mixed with his contempt for inefficiency and ineffectiveness that’s resulted in this person who you can call with a problem at any moment, night or day, and who will find you a solution. I don’t know that everyone is lucky
enough to have someone like this in their lives. And yet here’s your chance.
We complain about a lack of transparency in the way our school district is run. We feel we’re dealing with some rusted piece of Soviet machinery, where the clang at the turn of every cog reverberates across the walls of a system not perhaps deliberately designed to be as impenetrable as possible, but which in practice feels that way; where we parents are left with questions that, all too often, aren’t or can’t be answered.
I smile at the idea of Ari showing up to his first meeting as member of the Board. I know from day one he’ll want to get out and try to fix the persisting problems in our district. He’ll never be satisfied with meetings and talk. He’s a doer. The problems at PPS are not of a philosophical nature. They are practical. On the phone the other day he was in despair, asking me if I realized how many children in our zip code are food insecure. How these very children could have access to breakfast and lunch at school, but don’t take advantage of it, for reasons too complicated to list here, but which he, as a Board member or not, will address. His background in real estate development, green building, entrepreneurship, even biohacking, make him eminently equipped to physically, practically, wholeheartedly tackle the very issues our district needs to confront, and soon!
CLAIRE GABRIELLE BIRD Harriet Drive
Candidate Shenwei Zhao Wants Board of Education to Be Open and Accountable
To the Editor:
After spending years of participating and observing, I have decided to run for a seat on the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE) this November. It wasn’t an easy decision for me, being a first-generation immigrant, a parent, and a busy business owner. However, it is a step I feel compelled to take.
As explained on my campaign website (ShenweiForBoE. org), which has listed specifi c guidelines of my positions, I came to the U.S. in 2000 as a student. Immigration is never a simple process for anyone and settling down in a town like Princeton was no exception. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities this country and this community have provided us: The ability to live, raise a family, and become active participants in civic life.
Since moving to Princeton in 2016, I have been a regular participant in public discussions on matters related to the schools and the town. Over the past few years, I have observed a few decisions by the BOE that I believe were less than ideal. These decisions have been felt by everyone in the district, causing disruptions to the smooth operation of what is otherwise a high-achieving and diverse school system. While I understand the complex nature of many issues and admire the long hours BOE members have voluntarily put into this “thankless job,” I believed fresh perspectives and new mindsets could make a difference.
With over two decades of experience as an IT systems engineer and more than 11 years running a technical consulting business that works with various for-profit and nonprofit organizations across the tri-state area, I bring a broad perspective on what it takes to run organizations smoothly. Additionally, Princeton’s Asian population, many of whom, like me, are first-generation immigrants, makes up about 20 percent of the town. The percentage of PPS students identifying as Asian or part-Asian is even higher. Yet, the current nine-member BOE has no Asian representation. While I am not a proponent of identity politics, I do believe that representation matters. A diverse community like Princeton deserves a policy-making body that reflects its population. In education, the cultural values many Asian families bring to the table align closely with American ideals.
As both parent and private citizen, my expectation for the BOE is clear: Be open and be accountable. If elected, I plan to prioritize these values to the Board. As I have stated in public comments at BOE meetings over the years, the impact of decisions made by our elected representatives is felt by everyone in the community, including the Board members themselves. This is a principle I have also learned throughout my professional career: Effective decision-making requires genuine engagement with all stakeholders, before, during, and after.
I am looking forward to any questions you may have during this process and hope to earn your support in November.
SHENWEI ZHAO Prospect Avenue
Candidate Ari Meisel Will Be Constant, Consistent Voice of Reason on School Board
To the Editor:
Ari Meisel truly understands what it means to be a leader and pillar in the community. He leads by example and will always fight what he believes is right for his community and all that inhabit it. Ari possesses a unique understanding of business and organizational leadership and is an expert in efficiency and accountability.
What Ari will bring to the School Board is long overdue and a necessity as we navigate the future of Princeton school district and all that it offers its families and most importantly its students. Ari is meticulous and forward thinking, allowing him to understand that in all situations we can do better, and we can be better. He understands that things don’t have to appear to be broken to be fixed. Having been an integral part of the community for many years, Ari understands the deficiencies of our Board policies that lead us to falling short of the best for all our students and families. He is well invested in our school district as all his kids that are of school age attend the Princeton school system, something that is not often said enough.
With his knowledge of fi rst aid and rescue, he brings a unique perspective that will address many issues we often overlook. Ari’s unique skillset and perspective will allow us to ensure our kids an even safer environment by implementing policies which address these very issues. Ari understands that issues of equity are not just to be talked about, but rather actions and systems must be put into place to ensure it exists on both a fundamental and foundational level, which will ensure tangible and measurable change that can be seen rather than just imagined.
Ari will fight and stand up for all the families and, more importantly, children in our community. In this effort Ari has always taken the time to meet with all the members of our community to better understand the needs, wants, and desires each have for their children as it relates to our school district. Ari’s unique ability to listen will allow him to make meaningful reform in our school district. He will always be a champion for our kids. I know Ari will be morally, ethically, and fi scally responsible, as he will be a constant and consistent voice of reason on our School Board. Vote Ari Meisel, because that’s what our kids deserve!
PAUL JOHNSON Green Street
Shenwei Zhao Has the Knowledge, Experience to Serve on the BOE
To the Editor:
We are writing to express our strong support for Shenwei Zhao’s candidacy for the Board of Education (BOE) this November. We have known Shenwei since 2003, when we attended the same graduate school in Ohio. At that time, he had just left his job in Washington D.C. to pursue a Ph.D. in the Department of Communications. From the moment Shenwei arrived on campus, he started to help others. As one of the few international students from China who have previously worked in the United States, he helped many students settle in. We still vividly remember him driving his 1990 blue Camry, towing the smallest U-Haul trailer he could find, and helping new students move in.
Shenwei worked as a teaching assistant in his department and later secured a research assistant position at Rutgers University. We lost touch for a while, but around 2011, a mutual friend helped reconnect us, as by then, we had all settled in New Jersey. At that time, we lived in a different town but were thinking about moving as our children grew older. Shenwei and his wife encouraged us to relocate to Princeton on the first day of 2017 due to its excellent educational resources. Seven years later, our daughter graduated from Princeton High School (PHS) and is now in college, while our son is a junior at PHS.
Over the years, we have seen Shenwei actively engage in public discussions about school district and town affairs, all while managing his demanding work and family life. He has frequently shared important updates on district and town issues with us and sought our opinions. As first-generation and busy parents ourselves, we continue to admire his passion for helping others and his dedication to community concerns.
In recent years, Shenwei has become increasingly involved in matters affecting our public schools, such as changes to the math curriculum and the dismissal of the PHS principal. Despite his own child not yet being in the PPS system, Shenwei is deeply committed to ensuring our public schools operate smoothly and provide a healthy, supportive environment for all students. In our conversations, he has expressed concerns that certain Board decisions have caused unnecessary disruptions in the district and undermined public trust in the School Board.
Shenwei’ s decision to run for a BOE seat this year was initially surprising, but upon reflection, we believe he is exceptionally prepared to serve our community. He has a solid understanding of local issues and the right mindset to represent many of us. We hope more people in the community will get to know him and reach the same conclusion we have. Princeton is a very diverse town, and we do hope that Shenwei’ s efforts will bring fresh perspectives to the BOE, helping to ensure the district’s policies meaningfully reflect that diversity.
GUOQIANG ZHANG AND MINNA YU Harris Road
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Books
Writer Eliza Griswold to Discuss “Circle of Hope” at Labyrinth Books
Author Eliza Griswold is joined by Princeton University faculty member Judith Weisenfeld to discuss her recently released book, Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church, on Thursday, September 19 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street.
From the publisher (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $30), “Americans have been leaving their churches. Some drift away. Some stay home. And some have been searching for — and finding — more authentic ways to find and follow Jesus. This is the story of one such ‘radical outpost of Jesus followers’ dedicated to service, the Sermon on the Mount, and working toward justice for all in this life, not just salvation for some in the next. Part of a little-known yet influential movement at the edge of American evangelicalism, Philadelphia’s Circle of Hope grew for forty years, planted four congregations, and then found itself in crisis.
“Pulitzer Prize-winner Griswold has crafted an intimate, immersive, tenderhearted portrait of a community, as well as a riveting chronicle of its transformation, bearing witness to the ways a deeply committed membership and their team of devoted pastors are striving toward change that might help their church survive.”
Griswold is the author of six books of poetry and nonfiction, all published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Her book Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. She writes for The New Yorker, and is the Ferris Professor and Director of the Program in Journalism at Princeton University.
Weisenfeld is the Agate Brown and George L.
Writers Grant and was featured in Cultured magazine’s Young Curators series. He was a 2018 Helena Rubinstein Curatorial Fellow at the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program and is currently in the Ph.D. program in History of Art at Yale University.
Ortiz’s Gordon Merrick and the Great Gay American Novel is the first biography of Gordon Merrick, the most commercially successful writer of gay novels in the 20th century. Merrick’s novels were largely based on his own life: he was a Princeton theater star, the friend of countless artists, and an expatriate who lived much of his life as an openly gay man with his longtime partner. Merrick broke new ground by showing that an affirming, explicitly gay novel could be a bestseller.
Ortiz is department chair and Dorrance R. Roderick Professor of English in the Department of English at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he teaches Renaissance and comparative literature. He is the author of Broken Harmony: Shakespeare and the Politics of Music, as well as other books and articles on Renaissance literature and music. He has also written opera reviews and is currently working on a number of projects about Renaissance literature and gay literary history.
Author Janie Kim, a Princeton University graduate, will be in conversation with Princeton Professor A. M. Homes on Tuesday, September 17 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Princeton Public Library Newsroom, 65 Witherspoon Street.
Collord Professor of Religion and Associated Faculty in the Department of African American Studies and the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies at Princeton University. She also serves on the executive committee of the Program in American Studies. Weisenfeld’s research focuses on early 20th-century African American religious history, focusing on the relation of religion to constructions of race, the impact on black religious life of migration, immigration, and urbanization, African American women’s religious history, religion in film and popular culture, and religion and medicine.
Literary Pride: PU Alumni Read from Their Works
A reading featuring authors and Princeton University alumni Joe Ortiz, Simon Wu, and Dawn McGuire will take place on Thursday, September 19 at 1 p.m., at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. The event, “Literary Pride: An Alumni Reading,” is cosponsored by Labyrinth Books, Princeton University’s Office of Alumni Engagement, the School of Public and International Affairs in NJ, and the Lewis Center for the Arts.
In Dancing on My Own , Wu’s essays explore the aesthetics of class aspiration, the complications of creating art and fashion, and the limits of identity politics. Wu is a writer and artist born in Myanmar, and raised in Philadelphia. His writing has been published in The Paris Review, Bookforum, The Drift, and The New Yorker. His first book, Dancing on My Own, was published in 2024 with HarperCollins. He has organized exhibitions and programs at the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Museum, The Kitchen, MoMA, and David Zwirner, among other venues, and in 2021 he was awarded an Andy Warhol Foundation Art
In McGuire’s American Dream with Exit Wound , the American Dream is an ironic construct at the end of Empire. McGuire is a neurologist and poet. Her books include the award-winning collections The Aphasia Cafe and American Dream with Exit Wound . She has been praised as writing “poems that treat larger themes with lyric intensity.” She was raised in Appalachian Eastern Kentucky and lives in Northern California.
Author Janie Kim in Conversation with A.M. Homes on Debut Novel studying the origins of life in sea slugs and bacteria leads her to wonder about her birth parents and question her place in this world. It’s not long before Abby stumbles upon a biological discovery that will change the course of her life. After a tragic event,
Kim will discuss and sign copies of her debut novel, We Carry the Sea in Our Hands, with Homes, Professor of the Practice in the Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts.
According to the publisher (Alcove Press, $29.99), the book tells the story of Abby Rodier, a “drop-box baby,” a Korean orphan whose mother could not care for her. “Abby’s tumultuous experience in the American foster care system has led her to live a solitary and guarded life, closed off to almost everyone except her best friend Iseul, whose parents took Abby into their home as a child. Abby’s work
she must embark on a journey to understand her true roots and make peace with her present.”
Joyce Carol Oates wrote, “ We Carry the Sea in Our Hands is a brilliant accomplishment, beautifully composed, stylistically inventive, conceptually imaginative and original. . . . It is a complex, layered text in which present action is braided together with a poignant backstory of quarrelsome adoptive parents, loving surrogate parents, and an intense friendship.”
Kim grew up in San Diego, Calif., and studied molecular biology at Princeton University, went on a Fulbright research grant to Denmark, and is now a biology Ph.D. student at Stanford University. She writes about topics in microbiology for the blog “Small Things Considered.”
Homes is a prolifi c writer who collaborates with visual artists, composers, and filmmakers on projects ranging from full-scale operas to television series to museum exhibitions. The author of 13 books of fiction, nonfiction, and short stories, she won the Women’s Prize for Fiction for her 2013 novel May We Be Forgiven, and her memoir, The Mistress’s Daughter, was published to international acclaim.
For more information, visit princetonlibrary.org.
IS ON
Second Sunday Poetry Reading at Princeton Makes Princeton Makes, a Princeton-based artist cooperative, and Ragged Sky Press, a local publisher focused on poetry, will host a Second Sunday Poetry Reading on Sunday, September 15 at 4 p.m. The readings will take place at the Princeton Makes store in the Princeton Shopping Center.
The September reading will feature Annie Cao and Lois Marie Harrod. Their readings will be followed by an open mic available to up to 10 audience members who would like to read their original poetry.
Cao is a Chinese American poet and a senior at Princeton University, where she studies English, creative writing, and gender
and sexuality studies. She has been published by The Kenyon Review, poets. org, Diode Poetry Journal, Up the Staircase Quarterly, and more. At Princeton, she received the English Department’s Academy of American Poets e.e. cummings Prize and Outstanding Work Awards from the Lewis Center for the Arts. On campus, she is editor-inchief emeritus of the Nassau Literary Review, the student literary magazine, and co-editor-in-chief and cofounder of Moon Press, the student publishing press.
Harrod’s Spat was published by Finishing Line Press in May 2021, and her seventh collection, Woman, was published by Blue Lyra in February 2020.
Nightmares of the Minor Poet appeared in June 2016 from Five Oaks; her
chapbook And She Took the Heart appeared in January 2016; Fragments from the Biography of Nemesis (Cherry Grove Press) and the chapbook How Marlene Mae Longs for Truth (Dancing Girl Press) appeared in 2013. A Dodge poet, lifelong educator and writer, she is published in literary journals and online ezines from American Poetry Review to Tar River to Zone 3.
Princeton Makes is a cooperative comprised of 37 local artists who work across a range of artistic genres, including painting, drawing, stained glass, sculpture, textiles, and jewelry. Customers will be able to support local artists by shopping for a wide variety of art, including large paintings, prints, custom-made greeting cards, stained glass lamps and window hangings, jewelry in a variety of designs and patterns, and more.
Ragged Sky is a small, highly selective cooperative press that has historically focused on mature voices, overlooked poets, and women’s perspectives.
For more information, visit princetonmakes.com.
Annual Friends and Foundation Book Sale
The Friends and Foundation of Princeton Public Library Annual Book Sale
will take place September 20-22 in the library’s Community Room, 65 Witherspoon Street.
This year’s sale includes thousands of books for all ages and across a wide variety of topics. Most books are priced between $2 and $3, with art books and special selections priced higher. On the last day of the sale, everything will be sold at half price.
The event opens with a Preview Sale on Friday, September 20, from 9 a.m. to noon. The first 40 tickets for the Preview Sale will be $25 per person, and the next tickets will be $5 per person. Numbered tickets will be available at the door starting at 8 a.m. Customers enter the sale in numerical order, and the number in the room will be limited to 40 customers throughout the Preview Sale. Barcode scanners will be permitted at the tables, but collecting books to scan will not be allowed.
Starting at noon, admission to the book sale is free for the remainder of the sale. Hours are 12-5:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and 12-5:30 p.m. Sunday.
The sale includes literary classics, fiction, mysteries, art, history, biographies, food and wine, and performing arts, as well as
FLESCH’S ROOFING
children’s books and many other genres. Special categories this year include an unusually large selection of books on science and mathematics, and a collection of books from the late Professor Donald Gibson of Rutgers University on African American history, culture, and literature, including many first editions and some rare items.
Highlights of this year’s sale include Ask Your Mama by Langston Hughes (first edition, first printing); Eloise in Paris and Eloise in Moscow by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight (first editions signed by Knight); The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (signed first edition, first printing); The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (first edition, second issue); Walter Scott’s Works, Edition des Bibliophiles (limited edition
leatherbound set); The History of Freemasonry by Albert Gallatin Mackey et al (seven-volume set); The Secret of the Near East by George Mamishisho Lamsa (scarce, 1923); Flatland by “A Square” a.k.a. Edwin A. Abbott (scarce 1941 edition); Die Frankfurter Pesach-Haggadah (limited edition facsimile on vellum); The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (first U.S. edition); The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (signed copy); and signed first editions by Gwendolyn Brooks, Lee Child, Nora Ephron, Gunther Grass, Aleksander Hemon, Donna Tartt, M. B. Tolson, and Herman Wouk. For more information, contact Claire Bertrand, Friends and Foundation Book Sale manager, (609) 924-9529 ext. 1227, or cbertrand@ princetonlibrary.org.
WE HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PACK A
Healthy Lunchbox
Pick
Annie Cao
Lois Marie Harrod
Artwork by Nicole Steacy
BACK TO SCHOOL
Where children who learn differently t h r i v e .
Proven leader in educating students with language-based learning differences from kindergarten to 12th grade
Dyslexia
ADHD
Executive Function Challenges
And More
Our academic experience is a collective effort to cultivate each student’s highest ambitions.
Our community leads with kindness and proceeds with hope.
Tailored
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Computer Coding Opportunities for Children
“
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
—Arthur C. Clarke
Magic is indeed at work at The Coder School Montgomery!
A 7-year-old boy is busy creating a pong game in the coding language of Scratch.
An 11-year-old is using the Python coding language to develop a Wordle app.
A 16-year-old, also using Python, is designing an advanced app that determines the user’s carbon footprint and makes suggestions on how to minimize it.
School Montgomery
emerging paradigm shift in the way a newer generation processed information. The seed was planted, and I became committed to become a part of something meaningful that could positively impact the lives of our kids.”
bring to life whatever his or her imagination dictates.
The Coder School Montgomery, which opened in 2019 at The Grove at Montgomery, 21 Belle Mead Griggstown Road, just off Route 206 North in Montgomery, is one of 65 Coder School franchises nationwide. Owned by Michael and Dominique Young, it offers computer coding instruction for students ages 7 to 17.
The original Coder School was founded by Hansel Lyn and Wayne Teng in 2014, and now includes 1000 coder coaches, teaching 7,000 students every week.
Focus on Children
The Youngs, who had previous careers in business, law, education, and marketing, became interested in concentrating on work that emphasized children’s ability to learn and think creatively.
“I came to realize that I had a passion for a career with a focus that could impact children’s lives,” explains Michael Young, who, as a graduate student, had designed and taught several courses at The University of Iowa.
“As a law student, I continued to engage in childhood education, and noticed an
Dominique Young has been dedicated to the enrichment of young people for the past 30 years. She has led the development and delivery of nationally recognized K-12 educational programs for such important names in learning as Scholastic Publishing Corporation, ACT, and Lakeshore Learning. She is very knowledgeable in the areas of literacy, afterschool programming, summer learning, 21st century skills, and STEAM. She has helped parents and educators connect teaching practices with relevant research and resources, and is committed to helping children reach their full potential.
“We looked into different franchises and The Coder School approach appealed to us,” says Michael Young. “They see students as dynamic learners and lean into the organic nature of that. The students are encouraged to use their curiosity as they learn to code, and we get to know them as a person. Each child is an individual.”
As technology increases by leaps and bounds, and the world changes accordingly, skills in computer programming are not only desirable, but more and more, even essential.
Outside the Box
“We had to familiarize ourselves with computer programming,” reports Young, “and we soon learned to understand and appreciate its value, and we were able to design an effective pedagogical approach. At our school, we want aspiring coders to use their newfound passion as a springboard to think outside the box — and then smash it! Exposure to coding creates a foundation for advanced critical thinking. Your child can build from that base to
“At our school, we teach computer programming to kids 7 to 17, but in addition to coding, there is something larger going on. They learn critical thinking, problem solving, and the ability to express themselves creatively. Coding helps develop these skills. We like it when they have problems to solve because it teaches them to think.”
And the kids are keen to code and create!
The school has 24 teachers who facilitate both onehour private sessions and group classes. Private sessions include a super small 2-to-1 and 1-to-1 studentteacher ratio, allowing the code coaches to personalize projects to suit each student.
“Our expert coaching works for novice to advanced coders, and we also offer entry level choices for those looking for a more traditional class in larger student-teacher ratios (8-to- 2 student-teacher ratio) as well as our popular summer camp program,” explains Young.
For those new to coding, they learn that the word “code” is like the word “write” except that in this case, it is to write a computer program. When you “write,” you can write in several languages: English, French, Spanish, etc. When you “code,” you can also code in a variety of programming languages, at different levels of difficulty, including Scratch, Python, JavaScript, Lua, and many others. Then, you can go on to create different programs or apps, such as games and websites, as well as 3-D physical objects, including robots and drones.
Coding helps students gain computer proficiency and build real-world problem-solving skills, points out Young. “Exploring technology is essential for computer literacy. Building fundamental coding skills encourages creativity, promotes teamwork, and enhances spatial intelligence and logical thinking skills. Kids of all ages can learn computer science. For teenagers, for example, learning how to code leads to development of transferable skills that can be applied in future careers or workplaces.”
Just Do It
The Coder School Montgomery emphasizes a very engaging, encouraging, friendly, and creative environment, he adds. “With the mentoring and guidance of our code coaches, each student progresses at his or her own pace. They can engage in things that interest them the most.
“The best way to learn something is just to do it!” emphasizes Young. “It’s not about all the theory and programming jargon. It’s about doing it over and over again.”
Each student works on a project for three months, either individually or collaboratively as part of a team. They may be developing a website, creating a game, an app, or a 3-D physical object. Robots and drones are very popular.
“It’s very individual,” reports Young. “How do you learn? Our approach is that each student’s project is personalized. We create a customized curriculum for each one. Then at the end of their three-month project, we have a Coder Fair, where the kids explain and present their project to their parents.”
Projects vary according to the age, skill, and experience of the student, he points out. For example, he notes, “one of our 7-yearolds is working in the coding language of Scratch. This language was created at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a common gateway into the world of coding, especially for young learners.
“An 11-year-old student, working in the coding language Python, is creating his own Wordle app. This program will use randomly generated words to create a new experience every time you engage the app.
Practical Uses
“And, Young continues, “a 16- year-old student has also been using the Python coding language. Designing a program that determines the user’s carbon footprint, he is creating an app with cool practical uses, and that can be used on one’s cell phone. This is an advanced project that has required many hours of coding. We will submit this particular app to the Congressional Challenge, the nationwide coding contest hosted by the U.S. Congress.
“We partner with The Congressional App Challenge, and some of our students have won this prestigious prize and met their Congressperson.”
Young is also proud of the fact that The Coder School Montgomery is the nine-time national winner of the AP Challenge. This is a national coding competition held monthly.
In addition, the school is involved in outreach programs for students without access to coding. “We work with Somerset Community Action Program, Franklin Youth Center, and also the Harlem Children Zone in New York City at their specific locations,” says Young.
“We also established the Code with a Cop Program, which is aimed at educating kids about internet safety in a fun and engaging way, while getting to know the
officers who help keep our community safe.”
A September 13 event, free of charge, will be held at the Coder School Montgomery from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Topics include recognizing cyberbullying, understanding privacy settings and protecting your personal information, avoiding online scams, and safely navigating social media. Officer Salvatore Itili and fellow Montgomery law enforcement officials will participate.
Coding for Kids Young is very encouraged with the progress of his school’s students, who come from the PrincetonMontgomery area and beyond.
“Many of our students attend the school for several years, often until they go on to college,” he reports. “We are also getting referrals and new students all the time. We do look forward to increasing the awareness of the importance of coding for kids and welcoming newcomers to our school.”
Payment is on a monthly basis, with one free introductory session. This allows students to try a coding session to see whether they like it before committing. There are no contracts or fees if students leave the program. New students receive 50 percent off the cost of the first month.
Both Michael and Dominique Young know they made the right decision when they undertook their coding adventure. “I especially enjoy being part of the students’ lives,” says Michael. “And it’s great to see the kids support each other when they collaborate on a project.
“We believe we are helping to make a difference in their lives in a meaningful way. I didn’t realize how wonderfully creative these kids are, and it’s so good to see how many relationships are created here. Relationships with kids and kids, kids and teachers, and us with parents. This is like a Coder family. We are a community of thinkers, and there is joy in learning.
“To watch how coding drives innovation is like watching the future unfold. There is an undeniable beauty in seeing students take an idea that they have, make that idea come to life, and then share that idea with millions of people. Come to our school. Learn to code. Change the world!” Sessions and classes are held Monday through Friday 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For further information, call (908) 262-7583. Visit the website at montgomery.thecoderschool.com.
—Jean Stratton
LOOKING GOOD: A group of students at The Coder School Montgomery take a break from coding to try on their new Coder School shirts.
KIDS WHO CODE: Henry, age 9, looks on as 10-year-old Lily puts the finishing touches on her coding project. They are learning their skills at The Coder School Montgomery.
McCarter Presents the World Premiere of “Empire Records: The Musical”; Production is a Homecoming for Songwriter, Princeton Native Zoe Sarnak
McCarter Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Empire Records: The Musical . Adapted from the 1995 coming-of-age comedy film, the show has a book by Carol Heikkinen, the film’s screenwriter; and a score by composer and lyricist Zoe Sarnak.
Performances run through October 6.
The story follows the exploits of the titular record store’s employees, who will do almost anything to prevent the independent store from becoming a franchised branch of a corporate behemoth.
This production brings many things full circle for Sarnak, who is a Princeton native. Her fond memories of the town include seeing productions such as A Christmas Carol at McCarter, “so it’s special to come to work every day here.”
Sarnak was born in the Bay Area, but her family moved here when she was 3. “Riverside, Princeton Charter School, and then Princeton High School,” she says in an August 13 phone conversation with this writer. Asked whether she attended Princeton University, she laughs and replies that, despite both of her parents having worked at the University, “Hilariously, I went to Harvard.”
But she quickly adds that Princeton “feels very much like a second home. I went to Harvard, and then I moved to New York City, where I now live. But my parents have always had the house in Princeton, so over the years I’ve always come back. I’ve always felt connected to the town.”
Sarnak was a frequent visitor to the Princeton Record Exchange — a record store not unlike Empire Records — along with her high school classmates. For her, being able to hold a recording in her hands (as opposed to listening to a digital iteration) is irreplaceable.
Today, she finds it thrilling to “walk back into the record store that helped me find myself. That’s what’s so powerful about places like Princeton Record Exchange; when you spend time in them as a teenager, you’re looking for music that will help you figure out who you are.” Empire Records: The Musical
As a film, Empire Records was poorly received by critics, and its theatrical release lost money, though subsequently it attained cult status. In a typical negative review, Variety described it as a “soundtrack in search of a movie.”
Sarnak counters, “I think the film is amazing in its own right, and I loved it as a kid. My sister got the VHS, and we watched it many times at home. That happened in so many households that it became a cult hit. To honor that feels wonderful.”
She adds, ”Because it has this kind of
unusual past, the film allows us to adapt it with some freedom — which I think is important, because if you’re too tied to every word being the same as in the film, then there’s not a lot of space to create musical theater structure that makes a piece really sing . We got to honor the things about the movie that made it special — but then create something that works, completely in its own right, as a musical.”
Sarnak is grateful that Producer Bill Weiner approached her to write the score, because for her it is “ a way to remember a place that felt like home.”
Sarnak reveals that she did not have a prior working relationship with Weiner.
“I think he was familiar with my work, and just called my agents. Interestingly enough, I had once been asked by a collaborator, “What movies would you want to adapt?’ I brainstormed a couple, and Empire Records was on my list.” She continues, “About a year later, my agent said, ‘Bill just called, and asked if you would be interested in working on an adaptation of the movie Empire Records.’ I couldn’t believe it! That was a bit of kismet.”
Asked how rehearsals have been going, Sarnak eagerly replies, “It’s going really well!” She reflects that with a new musical, there is a period of considerable “discovery when you put it on its feet.”
Empire Records: The Musical features Tyler McCall as Lucas, an employee who goes to inadvisable lengths to save the store; Damon Daunno as recording star Rex Manning; and Michael Luwaye as Joe, the store manager. The cast also includes Lorna Courtney as Corey; Taylor Iman Jones as Max; Liam Pearce as AJ; Analise Scarpaci as Debra; Eric Wiegand as Mark; and Samantha Williams as Gina.
Sarnak says, “The cast is amazing, and has great energy!” She acknowledges, “We’re still in the process of small rewrites here and there.”
Creative Process
Asked about the process of working with Heikkinen to adapt the film for the musical stage, Sarnak replies, “Carol’s a fantastic collaborator, and I think we came to this project wanting to balance two things: we want to honor the movie as it was, and also dig in and create a narrative act structure that works for the stage — and for musical theater.” She adds that they want the show to exist as an independent, separate entity.
“To that end, we went to outline the whole thing together, pick song spots, and structure each character’s arc — how we might approach the story with the freedom to create what we wanted
to create,” she continues. She adds that Heikkinen “was very engaged in making this piece everything it can be — inspired by the film, but also she seemed excited to get back on the page with these characters that she knows so well.”
Sarnak has a variety of methods for drafting songs. Often she hums to herself, either while on a walk, or at home with a guitar or piano, “feeling my way to a melody.”
She considers, “Maybe because I do all those different things, it lets me navigate different moments of inspiration, which helps to not feel like I’m repeating the same style or pattern,” she considers.
Sarnak arranges the music herself; she writes the orchestrations with Music Supervisor Bryan Perri. (Disclosure: as a student at New York University, Perri participated in this columnist’s graduate composition recital.)
As an instrumentalist, Sarnak considers orchestration an integral part of her creative process. But she treasures the collaboration with Perri, “who is such an expert as a pianist, and such a great singer.” She adds that, musically, Perri has viewpoints parallel to hers, but looks at things “maybe from a different direction.” Describing the process as “joyful and collaborative,” she likens their working relationship to “getting to be in a band for a minute.”
Empire Records: The Musical preserves the time setting (the 1990s) of the film. “As a result, the music is a hybrid of inspiration from the 1990s, but modernized,” Sarnak explains. “I love to do that with period pieces; I like to find streams of channels from the time period that lead us to what we are listening to now. That way it feels as if it has a connection to the show’s time and place, but it can hold its own as a score for listeners in 2024.”
She adds, “Personally, it’s a wonderful time period for me to get to write, because I grew up as a child of the 1990s. So it’s music that I know in and out — I can sing you every word of songs from that era — so it felt like a homecoming in that way for me.”
Ultimately, Sarnak decribes Empire Records: The Musical as “a joyful, musical celebration of community and selfdiscovery through music.” She compares the sense of community in a record store to that of a theater production. “We are thrilled to welcome people into the world of an ‘independent’ (oddball and misfit) crew.”
Sarnak concludes, “To do this show in Princeton feels so incredibly wonderful, because I get to create that sense of nostalgia … in my hometown!”
—Donald H. Sanborn III
Musical”
“EMPIRE RECORDS: THE MUSICAL”: McCarter Theatre Center is presenting “Empire Records: The Musical.” Written by librettist Carol Heikkinen in collaboration with composer and lyricist Zoe Sarnak, and directed by Trip Cullman, the musical will run through October 6 at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre. Above: Liam Pearce and Lorna Courtney. (Photo by Daniel Rader)
FUNNY GUY: Comedian Brian Regan brings his standup show to State Theatre New Jersey on Sunday, October 6. (Photo by Leavitt Wells–Netflix)
Comedian and Actor Regan
Is on New Brunswick Stage State Theatre New Jersey and Live Nation present comedian Brian Regan on Sunday, October 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $49-$223.50 Critics, fans, and fellow comedians regard Regan as one of the most respected comedians in the country. Having built his 30-plus year career on the strength of his material alone, Regan’s non-stop theater tour continuously fills venues across North America. He is a regular guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , and has released eight hourlong comedy specials.
Regan co-stars in three seasons of Peter Farrelly’s TV series, Loudermilk (Netflix), released in 2024. Farrelly personally cast Regan in the series alongside Ron Livingston, Anja Savcic, Will Sasso, and Mat Fraser. He portrays Mugsy, a recovering addict who is estranged from his family.
State Theatre New Jersey is at 15 Livingston Avenue. Visit Stnj.org for tickets.
Phillips’ Mill Invites
Students
To Submit Plays for Challenge
Phillips’ Mill Community Association’s (PMCA) Third Annual Play with Words Student Playwriting Challenge invites students in grades 7 through 12 within a 25mile radius of New Hope to submit 10-minute original plays for consideration. Winners’ works will be given staged readings at the Mill in March.
Submissions are open through January 12, 2025. As part of PMCA’s commitment to providing community service throughout the year, there is no fee to participate in this program. Look for competition rules and entry form at www. phillipsmill.org/drama/playwith-words.
Applicants to Play with Words doubled in its second year over its first. The program was presented
to a sold-out house. Two 2024 winners — Finn Anderson of Upper Dublin and Matilda Bray of Solebury School (already a published author) — are off to college this fall, pursuing writing as they further their education. Winners Saskia Cooper of The Pennington School and Avigail Wus of Pennsbury High School are participating again this year.
As Phillips’ Mill reaches out to area school administrators and faculty , they also encourage anyone who knows talented, engaged, young writers — teachers, parents, grandparents, neighbors, relatives, and friends — to make them aware of the Play with Words Playwriting Challenge.
“There are many opportunities for theater-loving kids who want to act, dance, and sing. Not so for those who want to write the scripts,” said Fran Ferrone, chair of the Play With Words program. “This is a unique opportunity for students to express their ideas through playwriting and perhaps get the chance to see their work read on stage by real actors.”
Winners will also receive a $100 cash prize. Phillips’ Mill is at 2619 River Road in New Hope, Pa. For more information, email drama@ phillipsmillorg or call (215) 862-0582.
Rider Announces Events On Performance Calendar
Rider University will present a variety of performances this season, including choral works, dance events, opera, plays, and musical theater. Westminster faculty members will appear in recital throughout the school year.
The Westminster Choir is scheduled to perform Saturday, October 12 at 7 p.m. in Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 801 West State Street, Trenton. The program is titled “Evensong,” based on the ancient Anglican ritual of Evensong, with Herbert Howells’ Westminster Service and motets of all eras.
Westminster Symphonic Choir presents “American
Stories” featuring Joan Tower’s Made in America and Florence Price’s Ethiopia Shadow in America, at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, Trenton, on Saturday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m. Ruth Ochs conducts those works, while Vinroy D. Brown Jr. leads a rendition of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with soloists Heather Hill and Keith Spencer. The Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey, Capital Singers of Trenton, and Elmwood Concert Singers also take part.
“Make a Joyful Noise” is the title of a concert by the Westminster Jubilee Singers on Sunday, October 20 at 3 p.m. in the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, 2688 Lawrenceville Road. The ensemble explores themes of praise, renewal, and gratitude. The group has also scheduled a Candlelight Service on Sunday, December 8 at 5 p.m. at Union Baptist Church, 301 Pennington Avenue, Trenton.
The Westminster Chapel Choir will sing works spanning 500 years of choral music, from Bach and Brahms to contemporary artists, on Saturday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Gill Chapel on the Rider campus. The Westminster Concert Bell Choir performs a Holiday Concert Saturday, December 7 at 4 p.m. in the Yvonne Theater.
Musical theater productions include Rent, October 25-27, at the Bart Luedeke Center Theater; and Into the Woods February 28-March 2 at the Yvonne Theater. Westminster Opera Theatre performs Die Fledermaus November 15 and 16 at the Yvonne Theater.
For information on these and additional events, visit rider.edu/arts.
Thursdays
www.towntopics.com
“Nature’s Echoes” Exhibit at Tulpehaking Nature Center
The Friends for the Abbott Marshlands (FFAM) presents the Trenton Community ATeam (TCAT) exhibit “Nature’s Echoes” through October 29 at the Tulpehaking Nature Center, 157 Westcott Avenue, Hamilton.
3,000 acres of open space along the Delaware River in Central New Jersey. The northernmost freshwater tidal marsh on the Delaware River provides rich habitat for a wide variety of birds, fish, mammals, and plants. FFAM is the only organization whose sole focus is the promotion and stewardship of the entire marshlands. It consists of locations at Roebling Park, Bordentown Bluffs, the D&R Canal Towpath, the Crosswicks Creek tidal water trail near the Delaware River, Northern Community Park in Bordentown, and a portion of Duck Island’s trail system, Trenton.
For more information, visit abbottmarshlands.org.
“Art by Two Generations” At Trenton Public Library
The Trenton Artists Workshop Association (TAWA) and the Trenton Free Public Library will present the exhibition “Art by Two Generations of Trenton Artists” at the Trenton Free Public Library September 16 through December 17. It is a continuation of the “Fresh Art” series that showcases the talent of area artists.
of her life. She studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she majored in illustration. While at PAFA, she was awarded the Cresson Traveling Scholarship, and spent two summers studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Fontainebleau, France. Traveling in Europe between WWI and WWII gave her a rare view of history in the making, which shows in her many lithographic crayon drawings at the time. PAFA in the early 20th century had a strong impressionist influence, but her work showed a stronger tendency toward the neo-classical style prevalent among artists at Fontainebleau. She created illustrations for a variety of local clients, and in the 1960s she taught art at St. Anthony’s High School and Stuart School in Princeton. In the early 1970s she created the “Trenton Suite,” a series of limited-edition prints of her ink drawings of Trenton landmarks. Peggy was best known around Trenton and Princeton for her portraits of the area’s civic, business, and religious leaders. A number of her portraits of state judges hang in the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex on Market Street.
style, with an emphasis on city scenes, landscapes, and interior compositions. Some of his favorite painters include Edward Hopper, John Sloan, and landscape painters of the 1800s. Other artists whose work is important to him include Vermeer and, at an opposite end of the spectrum, Rothko. In recent years, he has given more thought to what his paintings are “about” on a personal, philosophical level. Many of his titles refer to a particular moment in time, like “Sunday Evening” or “Friday Night, Lafayette Street,” and bring attention to the mood and the meaning of that moment: perhaps a quiet evening at home, or a time shared with a community of friends. He said, “Experiencing that moment makes me think of the different things going on in a scene; and if there are several people in a painting, what are the stories each of them has.”
TAWA is a Greater Trenton nonprofit organization and has a 40-year history organizing exhibits in such venues as the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton City Museum, Artworks Trenton, Prince Street Gallery in New York City, and more.
TCAT supports, develops, and promotes self-taught, local artists because art can be transformative by reframing the artist’s connectedness to self and others and
TCAT is an art collaboration that formed at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) 25 years ago. Each
SPENCER TRASK LECTURE
TCAT artist still meets for a weekly art program every Tuesday. The artists have their own studio, called “Studio 51,” where they continue creating art and growing their skills. This exhibit features work from both the older artists and ever-growing newer artists. For more information, to donate, or to view art. visit.tcateam.org.
Works by members of the Trenton Community A-Team are featured in an exhibition at the Tulpehaking Nature Center in Hamilton through October 29. by enhancing community pride. About nine members of TCAT visited the Abbott Marshlands at the beginning of June, soaking in the sights, appreciating all the natural beauty the marshlands had to offer. Inspired by the experiences of their visit, the artists put paint to canvas, creating their body of work entitled “Nature’s Echoes.”
The Abbott Marshlands are situated in Lenapehoking, the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Lenape. The lands include over
An opening reception is set for Saturday, September 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. and a meet the artist event is on December 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. The two mother and son artists are Peggy Peplow Gummere and John Gummere:
Peggy Peplow Gummere (born 1912) was raised in Trenton and lived there until she retired to Maine at the end
John Gummere (born 1955) earned his BA in architecture from Columbia University, and later studied in the fouryear Certificate Program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he graduated in 1996. John grew up in Trenton and now lives in Morrisville, Pa.
He paints with oils on canvas or panels in a representational
The Trenton Free Public Library is located at 120 Academy Street, Trenton. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the library, call (609) 392-7188. More information on the Trenton Artists Workshop Association can be found on the organization’s Facebook page.
Jav ier Zamora
Memoirist, Poet, and Speaker
reception is on Saturday, September 21 from 2 to 4 p.m.
“NATURE’S ECHOES”:
“VIRGINIA MURRAY”: This work by Peggy Peplow Gummere is part of “of “Art by Two Generations of Trenton Artists,” on view at the Trenton Free Public Library September 16 through December 17. An opening
on view through November 2 at West Windsor Arts. An opening reception is on Friday, September 13 from 7 to 8:30 pm.
West Windsor Arts Hosts Art Alliance Invitational Show
West Windsor Arts is welcoming artists from the Art Alliance of Monmouth County this fall with open arms and ample gallery space by hosting a special Invitational art show. The public is invited to attend an opening reception at the arts center on Friday, September 13, from 7 to 8:30 pm. The show will be on display through November 2.
“This show represents a new endeavor that West Windsor Arts is making to highlight the work of artists who are members of an artist association from another part of our state,” said Aylin Green, executive director of West Windsor Arts. “By doing this, we are able to expand our artist network, introduce these artists to new audiences, and hopefully bring more awareness, excitement and opportunity to the art scene of our region. We look
forward to sharing the work of the very talented members of the Alliance of Monmouth County.”
Elaine Shor, principal officer of the Art Alliance of Monmouth County, will be at the opening reception to talk about the work of the group. Shor is also among the exhibiting artists, who include Maureen O’Shea Carroll, Francis Owens, Jane Gavaghen, Eileen Kennedy, Christopher Evan Taylor, and Monica Wolf.
A licensed professional counselor and board-certified art therapist in Colts Neck, Shor contributed the painting Axis Grounded to the show. Part of her “Hidden Influence” series, the painting illustrates the strong contrast between the subject (women, dressed femininely) and the background (“machines or metal — in other words, in traditional male environments”).
The show’s juror, Joy Kreves, is a mixed-media artist whose works explore the human–earth connection. She has served as a juror in several venues in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. She has exhibited extensively at area galleries and museums, including Rider University Art Gallery and D&R Greenway Land Trust in Princeton.
“I was very impressed with the strength of the submissions. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to review work from this group,” said Kreves.
West Windsor Arts is located at 952 Alexander Road in West Windsor. For more information, call (609) 716-1931 or visit westwindsorarts.org.
Members’ Exhibition at Gallery 14 in Hopewell Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography in Hopewell will
present a special Members’ Exhibition September 14-29 featuring works in photographic styles and perspectives including landscapes, animals, flora, abstracts, black and white, and color. The exhibit will highlight the individual styles and photographic approaches of 14 artists.
“Laid out in salon style, the viewer will move through an ongoing mixture of images and subjects. I always enjoy and look forward to a salon show because of the variety of artistic work,” said member/curator Charles Miller. “It really gives the viewer a chance to see and understand the full range of the printed art form.”
The exhibit will be included in the Annual Hopewell Tour des Arts on September 28 and 29. It will feature works by all of the member artists: Alina Marin-Bliach, West Windsor; John Clarke, Pennington,; Charles Miller, Ringoes; Philip “Dutch” Bagley, Elkins Park, Pa.; Martin Schwartz, East Windsor; Joel Blum, East Windsor; John Strintzinger, Elkins Park, Pa.; Mary Leck, Kendall Park; Barbara Warren, Yardley, Pa.; David Ackerman, Hopewell; Scott Hoerl, Yardley, Pa.Bennett Povlov, Elkins Park , Pa.; Rebecca DePorte, Hopewell; and Samuel Vovsi, Princeton.
Gallery 14 is located at 14 Mercer Street in Hopewell. It is open on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, visit gallery14.org.
Area Exhibits
Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, has “Heléne Aylon: Undercurrent” September 14 through February 2. Artmuseum.princeton. edu.
Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Progressions” through October 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lambertvillearts.com.
Art on Hulfish, 11 Hulfish Street, has “Under a Southern Star: Identity and Environment in Australian Photography” through January 5. Artmuseum. princeton.edu.
Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has “Intersecting Identities” through September 28. Artscouncilof princeton.org.
D&R Greenway Land Trust, 1 Preservation Place, has “Along the Delaware River & Crosswicks Creek” in the Johnson Education Center through September 27. Drgreenway.org.
Dohm Alley, next to 100 Nassau Street, has the Princeton Einstein Museum’s “Einstein’s “Attraction to Magnetism,” open 24/7 through September 15. princetoneinstein museum.org.
Ficus Bon Vivant, 235 Nassau Street, has “Capture the Rhythm” through January 12. Ficusbv.com.
Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, has its Members’ Exhibition September 14 through September 29. Galler14.org.
Gourgaud Gallery, 23-A North Main Street, Cranbury, has “Visions” through September 27. Cranburyartscouncil.org.
Green Building Center, 67 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has an art show by the MUGA Group through December 31. Greenbuildingcenter.com.
Grounds For Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, has “That’s Worth Celebrating: The Life and Work of the Johnson Family” through the end of 2024, among other exhibits. Groundsforsculpture.org.
Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “Princeton Reflected: Stories from HSP’s Collection” and “Einstein Salon and Innovator’s Gallery.” Museum hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m. Princetonhistory.org
Mercer Museum, 84 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution” through December 31, 2026. Mercermuseum.org.
Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “George R. Anthonisen: Meditations on the Human Condition” through October 13 and “Monuments and Myths: The American Sculptors Augustus SaintGaudens and Daniel Chester French” through January 5. Michenerartmuseum.org.
Morpeth Contemporary, 43 West Broad Street, Hopewell, has “Robert Beck: Here and Now” September 14 through October 6. Opening receptions are on September 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and September 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. Morpethcontemporary.com.
Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has “Morven Revealed: Untold Stories from New Jersey’s Most Historic Home,” through March 2. Morven. org.
New Hope Arts, 2 Stockton Avenue, New Hope, Pa., has “Raise the Roof: Contemporary Barnscapes” through October 6. Newhopearts.org.
Present Day Club, 72 Stockton Street, has “Pastel Perspectives: An Exploration of the Sourlands Mountain Region, open to the public on Fridays through October 4. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on September 13 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on September 20. Hours are 12 to 5 p.m. on Fridays thereafter.
Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street, has “The Rural Painter” through October 1. Works by Aiden Pesnell and Samantha Renda are at the 254 Nassau Street location through October 1. Smallworldcoffee. com.
Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, Cadwalader Park, Trenton, has “Ellarslie Open 41” through October 6. Ellarslie.org.
West Windsor Arts, 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, has “Art Alliance of Monmouth County Invitational Show ” through November 2. An opening reception is on September 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Westwindsorarts.org. Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers, 71 George Street, New Brunswick, has “Michelle V. Agins: Storyteller” through December 8 and “Smoke & Mirrors” through December 22. Zimmerli.rutgers.edu.
TOWER BRIDGE: This work by John Clarke is featured in the Members’ Exhibition on view at Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography in Hopewell September 14 through September 29.
“AXIS GROUNDED”: This painting by Elaine Shor is featured in the “Art Alliance of Monmouth County Invitational Show,”
ART AT SMALL WORLD: Paintings by Samantha Renda are on view at Small World Coffee, 254 Nassau Street, through October 1. Renda is a college student whose main artistic expression is through acrylic painting. Her subject matter is inspired mostly by landscapes and animals. Works by 9-yearold photographer Aiden Pesnell are also on view at Small World through October 1.
TOWN TOPICS | Mark Your Calendar
Wednesday, September 11
11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Princeton University Farmers’ Market, Firestone Library/ Chapel Plaza. Fresh, locally grown produce and other goods from area businesses using sustainable practices. Pumarket@princeton.edu
1-2:30 p.m .: Leighton Listens. Princeton Councilman Leighton Newlin is on hand to discuss current events with members of the public at The Meetinghouse, 277 Witherspoon Street. All are welcome.
6 p.m.: Poet Paul Muldoon reads from his book Joy in Service on Rue Tagore , at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. Princeton library.org .
7-8:30 p.m. Sustainable Princeton presents “15-Minute Neighborhoods” at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, and livestreamed on YouTube. Planner Jon A. Carnegie and policy analyst Alex Ambrose will discuss this concept and how it could make Princeton more convenient and sustainable. Princetonlibrary.org.
8-10:30 p.m .: Princeton Country Dancers present a contra dance at the Suzanne Patterson Center, 45 Stockton Street. Deanna Palumbo with Flying Circus. Princetoncountrydancers.org.
Thursday, September 12
10 a.m.-3 p.m .: Princeton Farmers Market is at Hinds Plaza. More than 30 vendors with local organic produce, pasture-raised meat and eggs, cheeses, fresh flowers, knifesharpening, jewelry, and more. Live music. SNAP/ EBT cards and matches accepted up to $10 a day. Princetonfarmersmarket. com.
12-3 p.m .: D&R Greenway Native Plant Sale at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place. The stewardship team will be on hand to help visitors choose plants that will flourish in different garden soils and conditions. List available at drgreenway.org/shop/ native-plants.
6:30-8 p.m .: Poetry
Reading and Open Mic at Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Featuring local poets Marie Gray Wise and Lois Marie Harrod. Register at mcl.org.
7:30 p.m .: Editor John McMurtrie presents “Literary Journeys,” an illustrated guide to more than 75 journeys in world literature, via Zoom. Register via princetonpubliclibrary.org.
Friday, September 13
12-3 p.m .: D&R Greenway Native Plant Sale at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place. The stewardship team will be on hand to help visitors choose plants that will flourish in different garden soils and conditions. List available at drgreenway.org/shop/ native-plants.
4 p.m.: Cultural Exchange Night on Hinds Plaza. Learn about different traditions and connect with neighbors at this event featuring cultural displays, music, art, crafts, and dance performances. Princeton library.org.
5:30-7 p.m .: Grand opening of the Princeton Community Democratic Organization’s 2024 Volunteer Campaign Headquarters, 188 Nassau Street. Learn about ways to support the Harris-Walz campaign, Andy Kim, and New Jersey Congressional candidates. Kim will be on hand to launch two canvasses at 12 and 3 p.m. Princetondems.org.
7 p.m .: Dancing Under the Stars at Hinds Plaza. Members of Central Jersey Dance demonstrate basic steps and lead an evening of dancing to recorded music of all kinds. Princeton library.org.
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Coder School Montgomery hosts an event on topics that include recognizing cyberbullying, understanding privacy settings and protecting your personal information, avoiding online scams, and safely navigating social media. Free. At the Grove at Montgomery, 21 Belle Mead Griggstown Road, Montgomery Township. Montgomery. thecoderschool.com.
8 p.m .: El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico performs at State Theatre New Jersey, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. $39-$229. Stnj.org.
Saturday, September 14
9 a.m.-12 p.m .: D&R Greenway Native Plant Sale at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place. The stewardship team will be on hand to help visitors choose plants that will flourish in different garden soils and conditions. List available at drgreenway.org/ shop/native-plants.
9 a.m.-1 p.m.: West Windsor Farmers Market at Vaughn lot, Princeton Junction train station. Fresh produce and much more. Wwcfm.org.
9 a.m.-3 p.m .: New Jersey State Button Society Fall Show and Competition, Union Fire Company, 1396
SEPTEMBER
River Road (Route 29), Titusville. Free. Newjersey buttonsociety.com.
10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Fall Family Fun Weekend at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Pick your own apples and pumpkins, go on pony rides, play with tractors, games, mazes, barnyard, and much more. Food and live music by Catmoondaddy. $18 in advance; $22 day of the event. Terhune orchards.com.
11 a.m.-3 p.m.: eCommuter Fest, presented by Sustainable Princeton at Princeton Shopping Center. Second-hand fashion show on bikes, Trenton Circus Squad performance, NJ Bike Walk Coalition Street Savvy Cycling sessions, raffle prize drawings. Rescheduled from September 7. Free., Sustainableprinceton.org.
12-2 p.m .: Summer Music Series on the Green at Palmer Square. Palmersquare.com.
3-10:30 p.m . Princeton Country Dancers present contra and English dances at Suzanne Patterson Center, 45 Stockton Street. Anna Rain with Joyful Noise. $15 ($5-$15 students and limited income). Princetoncountrydancers.org.
7 p.m .: Full Moon Bike Ride sponsored by Lawrence Hopewell Trail, in Mercer Meadows. Meet at Rosedale Lake off Federal City Road in Pennington. For kids and adults, 6-mile ride, lots of activities, music, and more. Riders must be 12 and older.
Visit lhtrail.org.
8 p.m .: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra performs at Richardson Auditorium. Rossen Milanov conducts; Aubree Oliverson is violin soloist. Works by Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Gemma Peacocke. Princetonsymphony.org.
of Princeton Open Space and led by expert birder Winnie Hughes Spar. Limited to 20 participants. Register at fopos.org/events-programs.
10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Fall Family Fun Weekend at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Pick your own apples and pumpkins, go on pony rides, play with tractors, games, mazes, barnyard, and much more. Food and live music by ALBO. $18 in advance; $22 day of the event. Terhuneorchards.com.
11 a.m.-4 p.m .: Summer Market in the courtyard, Princeton Shopping Center, North Harrison Street. Unique maker’s market.
12-3 p.m .: SustainabiliTEA, a pollinator-inspired high tea fundraiser for Sustainable Princeton at Tipple & Rose, 210 Nassau Street. Visit sustainableprinceton. org for tickets.
12-3 p.m .: Young Patriots’ Day at Princeton Battlefield, 500 Mercer Street. A family day of history-themed events. Demonstrations and drilling with the New Jersey Grays, talk with George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, watch demonstrations of weaving, woodworking, colonial spies, and 18th century medicine artillery and musket firing. Register at Pbs1777.org.
Sunday, September 15
8-10 a.m.: Guided bird walk through the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, 50 Mountain Avenue. Sponsored by Friends
1-5 p.m .: Festival Cultural Latino: A Community Mercado, on Hinds Plaza and Palmer Square. The cultural life of Princeton’s Latino community is celebrated with music, dance, food, and crafts. Princetonlibrary.org. 4 p.m .: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra performs at Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus. Rossen Milanov conducts; Aubree Oliverson is violin soloist. Works by Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Gemma Peacocke. Princetonsymphony. org.
Monday, September 16
1-3 p.m .: The Women’s College Club of Princeton meets at Morven’s Stockton Education Center, 55 Stockton Street. Bruce Jeffries-Fox speaks on “Search for the Fountain of Youth.” Free. WCCPNJ.org.
8-10 p.m.: Princeton Country Dancers present ScandiDance at Suzanne Patterson Center, 45 Stockton Street. Princeton countrydancers.org.
Tuesday, September 17
7 p.m . Author Janie Kim discusses her debut novel We Carry the Sea in Our Hands with writer and Princeton University Professor A.M. Homes in the Newsroom of Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
Wednesday, September 18
9:30-1 p.m.: Meet the Human Services Department, in the lobby of Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org
S ports
Despite Moving to 0-2 with Loss to New Hampshire, Princeton Men’s Soccer Is Showing Improvement
The results haven’t come quite yet, but the Princeton University men’s soccer team is taking steps forward.
The Tigers dropped their second game in a row to start the season, falling 3-2 to New Hampshire last Friday at Roberts Stadium.
“I think we made really good progress for the second game against a really good New Hampshire team,” said Princeton head coach Jim Barlow. “I thought our guys had belief and confidence that we could dictate the pace of the game, that we could play in their end, that we could defend high and I think all those things went pretty well in the first half.”
Senior forward Harry Roberts followed up a blocked penalty kick with Princeton’s first goal of the game 34 minutes into the contest for a 1-0 Tigers lead. New Hampshire countered six minutes later on a penalty kick of their own to tie it by halftime. The second half began with Princeton taking a 2-1 lead on junior forward Daniel Ittycheria’s penalty kick, but again New Hampshire responded within minutes to tie it, then took a 3-2 lead with under four minutes to play.
“It was a bit of a crazy game with three penalty kicks and a goal disallowed, and all kinds of crazy stuff, but I thought our guys played pretty well for the most part,” said Barlow. “If they bring that kind of energy and belief and commitment every game, we’ll have a chance to win every game. Now it’s just a matter of avoiding the big mistakes and making the big play.”
The game was a far cry from Princeton’s season opening 3-1 loss at Rutgers on August 30 in which the Tigers surrendered a goal 18 seconds into the contest and gave up a second goal less than 10 minutes later before settling in somewhat.
“We were all very frustrated with how we started the season against Rutgers giving up a goal in the first play of the season and then giving up another one like 10 minutes later,” said Barlow. “We just looked timid and hesitant, a little afraid. I don’t know why. I think we have enough guys that understand what the real games are like. It may be just because it had been so long since we had one.”
The Tigers produced a far better effort in the second game that they hope to build on as they hit the road for a game at St. John’s slated for September 10. Last year, Princeton followed up a 3-1 loss to New Hampshire with a 3-2 win over St. John’s.
“It’s another really good opponent,” said Barlow of St. John’s. “I know they just tied UNC at UNC this weekend, so it’s gonna be another really big test for us and these games are great for us to learn about our team and improve, but we need to start getting results as we’re doing that.”
Princeton still has Colgate at home on Septem -
ber 17 and Georgetown on the road on September 24 before it begins Ivy League play by hosting Harvard on September 28.
“Guys have to just keep trying to fight and improve and take care of business every single day, whether it’s training or a game” said Barlow. “I think we have a pretty good starting point, a pretty clear picture of some of the things that need to get better and I think the guys bounced back from Friday night pretty well.”
Barlow was happy to see the team return to work well Sunday as it resumed preparations for St. John’s.
Coming back off a game in which twice the Tigers gave up leads, and ultimately losing in the final minutes made it a particularly difficult loss.
“Having a lead in the second-half and then conceding two late goals and having chances that we could have put away in the end of the game too, it is a devastating loss for sure,” said Barlow.
“But that’s college soccer. You can play well, you still have to avoid the big mistakes and you still have to make plays at crucial times and get a few breaks. And it didn’t go our way against New Hampshire, but it’s done and we just have to get back to work. That’s all you can do.”
Princeton made several adjustments after its first game in the way it approached the New Hampshire game. The Tigers changes weren’t so much personnel but changes in the focus on the field. Their resolution defensively was the biggest improvement.
“The commitment to defend as a group and defend higher up the field and not just absorb pressure or sit back or feel like we weren’t good enough to get after them,” said Barlow. “Against Rutgers, I think we were hesitant to push guys on, to step to guys in a way that makes you feel like it’s real defending. I thought that all got better against New Hampshire. I think a lot of our energy up the field, our defending up the field, our pressing up the field translated into chances for us.”
Princeton has bright spots to work with as it goes forward from several of its experienced players. Roberts was resilient to follow up his penalty shot, which resulted from Ittycheria being taken down in the box. Ittycheria later got his first goal of the year on a penalty kick.
“Itty’s been a real threat up front,” said Barlow. “He’s a big presence. He can play with the ball at his feet and he can run behind and he can take people on and he’s good in the air. So he’s been a big presence up front.”
He’s been a good connection with Kevin Kelley, who logged 90 minutes as well against New Hampshire.
“It was amazing the shift he put in against New Hampshire in terms of just working nonstop to cover the field and to get into the attack and to get back defensively and to break up
plays,” said Barlow. “Just the energy and commitment he brought to that game was pretty amazing .”
The defense too has had several standouts. One of the defenders, Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch, had the first good scoring chance of the game for Princeton on Friday, but his header was saved by the New Hampshire goalie.
“We’ve been pretty solid in the center back position with Issa Mudashiru and Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch,” said Barlow. “Both were solid. Jack Jasinski has been reliable in several different positions, whether it be wide back or filling in in spots in the midfield. I think we have a bunch of guys that are starting to become pretty consistent and we’re still trying to put all the pieces together.”
The Tigers have been trying to mix in some of their new pieces. Several of the freshmen already have gotten key minutes, no easy task given some of the new college subbing rules that limit coaches to six substitutions and don’t allow a player subbed to be reinserted in that same half of play.
“They’re all doing well to catch on and get used to the change from club soccer to college soccer and a couple of them have gotten some good minutes and have done well so far,” said Barlow.
“They’re still just getting their feet wet. Roka Tsunehara played right back in both games. In the second half, Dash Papez has gotten some minutes and Gary Zhang played against Rutgers. We’ve had a few of the new guys get a taste of it, not all of them yet.”
Princeton still is far from a finished product. Players are getting healthier, and any injuries will open more doors for opportunities for others. The Tigers are continuing to push each other each training session to fight for playing time.
“There’s guys in training who still are making a case for themselves who haven’t necessarily gotten a shot yet in the game and I think that’s going to keep evolving,” said Barlow. “I think there were some really good interactions in the game between the Danny Ittycheria and Kevin Kelley and Nico Nee and Will Francis and Harry Roberts, they all had moments together where they put some good plays together and got dangerous. There’s more combinations that I’m sure we’ll be seeing in the next couple of games, but we think that it’s a pretty good starting point.”
Princeton has a full week after the St. John’s game to prepare for Colgate, which was 2-2-1 after five games, including a win over thenNo. 13 Virginia. The Tigers are hoping that each game and each day of training can be used to further themselves as they gear up for Ivy play. The clash against New Hampshire wasn’t a win, but a strong start and better commitment to defending hard were steps forward
from the first to second game of the year.
“We’ve got to get used to the pace not slowing down for 90 minutes; it’s really hard to simulate that in training and that’s something that we took from the
first two games,” said Barlow. “We could have a really good first half like we did against New Hampshire, but now it’s got to carry through, it can’t carry through for 60 or 70 minutes. It’s got to carry through for all 90 and I think you get better at those things by being in those kinds of games. So hopefully these two games will help us get ready for the kind of challenges that we’re going to be facing the rest of the season for 90 minutes.” –Justin Feil
JAMES A. MOFFETT ’29 LECTURES IN ETHICS
J’ACCU SE
Bernard E. Harcourt
Bernard E. Harcourt is the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and a chaired professor at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales. He is the founding director of the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought (CCCCT).
THURSDAY | 2024 SEPTEMBER 19
4:30 to 6:00PM Computer
HARRY SITUATION: Princeton University men’s soccer player Harry Roberts sends the ball upfield last Friday night as the Tigers hosted New Hampshire. Senior forward Roberts scored a goal in the contest but it wasn’t enough as Princeton fell 3-2. The Tigers, who dropped to 0-2 with the defeat, were slated to play at St. John’s on September 10 before hosting Colgate on September 17.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
PU Sports Roundup
Princeton Women’s Soccer
Defeats Willam & Mary
Brooke Dawahare and Pia Beaulieu scored goals to help the Princeton University women’s soccer team defeat Willam & Mary 2-0 last Sunday.
Senior goalie Tyler McCamey made four saves as the Tigers improved to 3-1. She was later named the Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Week along with Harvard keeper Rhiannon Stewart.
In upcoming action, Princeton hosts Drexel on September 12 and Georgetown on September 15.
Tiger Women’s Volleyball Goes 2-1 at Villanova Event
Sparked by sophomore standouts Sydney Bold and Erin McNair, the Princeton University women’s volleyball team started its 2024 campaign by going 2-1 at the Villanova Classic.
Princeton defeated Old Dominion, 3-2 (13-25, 2515, 25-19, 25-27, 15-12) on Friday in its first action of the fall. A day later, the Tigers topped Loyola Maryland, 3-2 (25-20, 17-25, 2725, 19-25, 15-12), before falling to the host Wildcats, 3-0, (25-21, 25-23, 25-20).
Over the weekend, Bold recorded 36 digs, 21 assists and three service aces while McNair totaled 31 kills, 21 digs, three blocks and two service aces. The pair got named to the Villanova Classic All-Tournament Team.
In upcoming action, Princeton will compete in
the Penn State Tournament where it will face Duke and St. John’s on September 13 before taking on host Penn State a day later.
Princeton Men’s Water Polo Starts 3-0 at Navy Invitational
Tas Palcza and Roko Pozaric sparked a high-powered offensive attack as the No. 5 Princeton University men’s water polo team went 3-0 at the Navy Invitational last weekend in Annapolis, Md. to get its 2024 season underway.
Freshman star Palcza totaled 11 goals over the weekend while senior standout Pozaric chipped it 10 as the Tigers defeated Biola 24-2 and then routed Occidental 31-7 in action last Saturday. Princeton wrapped up the event by defeating George Washington 18-3 on Sunday.
In upcoming action, the Tigers will be hosting their annual Princeton Invitational from September 13-15 at DeNunzio Pool. They will be facing Santa Clara on September 13 before taking on Navy and UC San Diego on September 14 and then playing Bucknell and Pacific on September 15.
Tiger Men’s Cross Country Takes 1st at New Jersey Jam
Colin Boler and Jackson Shorten set the pace as the Princeton University men’s cross country team placed first in its New Jersey Jam last Friday at its new course on the Meadows Campus.
Sophomore Boler took first place individually, clocking a time of 16:40.5 over the 6,600-meter course while junior Shorten finished second with a time of 16:40.8
In the team standings, the Tigers had a winning score of 16 with Monmouth taking second at 65.
Princeton is next in action when it competes in the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wisc. PU Women’s Cross Country Wins New Jersey Jam
Mena Scatchard and Anna McNatt led the way as the Princeton University women’s cross country team finished first in its New Jersey Jam last Friday at its new course on the Meadows Campus.
Senior Scatchard finished first individually in a time of 14:01.6 over the 4,000-meter course while sophomore McNatt took second in 14:09.1.
In the team standings, the Tigers had a winning score of 29 with Penn taking second at 65.
Princeton returns to action when it races in the Spiked Shoe Invite at University Park, Pa.
SKILLS SESSIONS** (Open to boys and girls once weekly) Skills Session on Wednesdays Location: Princeton Middle School Grades 3-6: 6:00 to 7:15 pm/Grades 7-10: 7:15 to 8:30 pm Season beginning September 4 through November 20. No practices during any Princeton Public School Holiday/Closure
Bring your own ball, if possible.
BBA WILL ALSO HAVE FRIDAY & SATURDAY FALL SKILLS SESSIONS IN SOUTH BRUNSWICK IN THE COMMU NITY CENTER AT WOODLOT
ROCKIN’ ROBYN: Princeton University field hockey goalie Robyn Thompson guards the cage in a 2022 game. Senior star Thompson
Not Resting on Laurels After Championship Season, PHS Girls’ Volleyball Dominating in the Early Going
Despite posting a 30-1 record last fall on the way to winning the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 3 state title and returning a core of five stars from that squad, the Princeton High girls’ volleyball team isn’t resting on its laurels.
“The girls are definitely going to feel good, they know what they have got and what they are returning,” said PHS head coach Patty Manhart.
“The focus is just not being complacent. Just because things look good for us on paper doesn’t mean that we don’t have to keep working for our season and into the postseason. I feel like that is the mood.”
In the first week of the season, PHS has produced some very good work, posting 2-0 wins over WW/P-South, Hopewell Valley, and WW/PNorth in its first three regular season games and winning the Williamstown High in-season tournament last Saturday which featured a gauntlet of powerhouses.
For Manhart, prevailing in the Williamstown event was a breakthrough for the program.
“It was our third time at this tournament and the first time that we won,” said Manhart of the one-day competition in which teams play one set against the other eight opponents in pool play before getting seeded for the playoff round. “We had lost some of sets to Kingsway, Williamstown and Southern in pool play. They were very close matches. These are top teams, not just at this tournament but
in the state. The girls had to figure out the adjustments, we haven’t been pushed like this yet this season. It was what do we need to do differently to be able to beat these teams. The changes happened between pool play and playoffs when they came back to beat Williamstown and Southern.”
PHS boasts one of the top players in the state in junior standout Naomi Lygas, who has piled up 30 kills in regular season action this season and now has 564 in her career.
“Something that stood out to me at the tournament is that Naomi is a great under pressure player,” said Manhart.
“We were down in the semifinal against Williamstown going into the last couple points of the game and Naomi had three points for us with three kills right in a row. That got us over the hump. She is clutch 100 percent. She is so wellrounded, she can do anything. Other schools know who she is. Even when they try to put the focus on blocking her, she is able to just go right through it. That is something else she does really well. She is fearless being matched up. She knows she has the power to win those points.”
Another junior, Kaelin Bobetich, forms a potent one-two punch with Lygas at the net.
“Kaelin is someone you can rely on all around,” said Manhart of Bobetich, who has 16 kills this year and 280 in her career. “To me, her hit just looks harder. There is just more power than last year. With her blocking being on the right side, she is usually
against the other team’s best hitter so she is already tallying up blocks for the season. She is also focused on a post-PHS career so she put in all of the work in the offseason, not just to come back in September and have a good season but she is looking long term too. She is highly motivated.”
A third junior, Charlotte Woods, has emerged as a star in her own right.
“Charlotte is not our tallest player but she can also be so big,” said Manhart of Woods, who has 12 kills this year and a career total of 183. “She had an amazing block in our final against Southern which hyped the team up. She was putting the ball away on offense and she plays wonderful defense. Her serving game was really consistent. It is so nice to have these girls that aren’t just big hitters but they can do the job all around too.”
It is nice for PHS to have senior Lois Matsukawa setting things up for the squad’s big hitters. Matsukawa has accumulated 59 assists so far this season and has 1,205 in her career.
“Lois has really great coaches in the offseason and is even better and stronger and more confident in her setting ability,” said Manhart. “I know she puts a lot of pressure on herself but the girls always have so much faith in her. I only ever see her give 110 percent. We are unable to do what we do without Lois.”
At libero, senior Pearl Agel brings a lot of grit for the Tigers.
“It is Pearl’s senior year so I know that she wants to finish on that high note,” said Manhart of Agel who has 17 digs in 2024 and 597 over her time at PHS. “She puts so much heart into this team. Being a senior, she is someone the underclassmen look up to.”
Two other seniors, Zoe Nuland and Anya Haeberli, have inspired their teammates as well.
“Zoe has got a really important role as a passer,” said Manhart. “She worked really hard on serve receive, defense in the offseason. She is so reliable and clutch when she comes into serve. She is another person that the girls look up to as a senior. Zoe is one of the hardest working people on this team. Anya was someone who was pretty consistent last season, she is good at blocking and hitting in the middle position. She looks even more powerful than last year and has really worked on blocking form, technique, and timing. That definitely makes a difference for our defense.”
With PHS hosting defending Group 4 state champion Southern on September 11 in its home opener for a 5-set matchup, Manhart believes her players will up for the challenge.
“I am sure the girls have already watched the Southern film, we will be watching it as a team,” said Manhart, whose team will also be hosting Princeton Day School on September 12 and Notre Dame on September 16. “The girls did a lot of work on conditioning in the offseason so I think physically they are ready to go.”
–Bill Alden
art by Sean Carney
FLYING HIGH: Princeton High girls’ volleyball player Naomi Lygas leaps to blast the ball in action last fall. Junior star Lygas has has piled up 30 kills this year as PHS has gotten off to a 3-0 start in regular season play. In upcoming action, the Tigers, who won the Williamstown High in-season tournament last Saturday, host Southern on September 11, Princeton Day School on September 12, and Notre Dame on September 16.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Senior Star Petrone Leaving It All on the Field But PHS Football Sputters in Loss to Allentown
Even though the Princeton High football team trailed Allentown 42-7 in the waning moments of the fourth quarter last Saturday afternoon, Travis Petrone wasn’t about to give up.
PHS senior quarterback Petrone took matters into his hands, sprinting into the end zone on a four-yard jaunt to cap a 77-yard drive.
“That is definitely something we can build on, that is a great way to end it to get a touchdown in there,” said Petrone. “That was nice to get it. Carmine Carusone had some really good runs and young Truman Arshan had some nice catches.”
It was nice for Petrone to hit pay-dirt with his TD scamper.
“I just pulled it back, I wanted to get into the end zone,” said Petrone, reflecting on getting the final score in a 42-14 loss for PHS which dropped it to 0-2. “I was tired of them scoring.”
Petrone had reason to be tired as he played defensive back and took reps on special teams in addition to playing QB against the Redbirds.
For Petrone, being on the field as much as possible is one of his goals as a senior.
“I just want to be out there on every play,” said Petrone. “I told my coach (Charlie Gallagher), I am willing to do whatever you want because I am playing every down if I can. I will always want to be out there making plays. I love hitting kids
and I love making plays on offense and scoring touchdowns.”
As a team co-captain, Petrone is hoping that his attitude rubs off on his teammates.
“I love every second of it, being a leader on the team,” said Petrone. “I just try to keep my guys going and give them the same energy I have for the game and the same love that I have for the game. I am leaving my blood, sweat and tears out here. I try my best.”
With 3:30 left in the second quarter and PHS down 14-0, Petrone produced the best moment of the first half for the Tigers as he intercepted an Allentown pass and raced 28 yards for a TD.
“That was sweet, I knew the pass was coming,” said Petrone. “I told my safety in the back, Ellington [Hinds] get my deep side, I am going. I knew the play is coming. I saw the quarterback fake the run, he passed it out and I jumped on the ball. That was great. I needed that because our offense was struggling so I had to do something on the defensive side.”
Petrone acknowledged that Allentown stifled the PHS offense.
“It is tough, when you go down by that much, 14 early, it is tough to rally back with the squad and putting points on the board,” said Petrone. “They had a really tough defense. They had good linebackers, they have got spies everywhere.
They had guys filling holes.”
The Tigers have some holes in their lineup as some key players have been sidelined.
“We are dealing with a lot of injuries as well,” said Petrone, noting that starting running back Andrew Foreman got knocked out of the Allentown game. “The kids want to play but when they get hurt banged up a little bit and they go down, there is nothing you can really do about it.”
The PHS offense needs to do better. “We definitely had a little trouble, we tried putting in a newer offense this week,” said Petrone
“It was working good but on some plays we didn’t execute that well. Some plays worked for 10, 15 yards. Other plays I messed up, I will blame myself for overthrowing guys.”
In order to execute better, Petrone believes that Tigers must show more focus during the week.
“It is just 100 percent effort,” said Petrone. “Guys like Carmine, he is showing 100 percent effort. He never steps off the field. It is showing 100 percent effort in practice, you play like you practice.”
PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher likes the effort he is getting from Petrone and wasn’t surprised to see him come up with the pick six.
“You have this kid who has just grown up playing sports, he has older brothers and sisters playing and
4-yard touchdown run and a 28-yard interception return for a TD in a losing cause as PHS fell 42-14 to Allentown High. The Tigers, now 0-2, play at Ewing on September 13.
he has just been around it as the youngest sibling,” said Gallagher. “We didn’t really expect him to be playing DB. We also know that he is a really good defensive player. He is a good tackler, he has a nose for the ball. Who else would you rather have back there at corner or safety. You need those guys because they make plays like that.”
Gallagher acknowledged that PHS got worn down by
Allentown as the Redbirds rushed for 243 yards on the day and 287 yards passing.
“I think we will be in better shape next week,” said Gallagher. “We are missing some players and hopefully we will get those guys back this week which I am excited for. We have to get back on the horse Monday, it will be here before you know it.”
In Gallagher’s view, the Tigers can build on their late scoring march.
Taking care of Princeton’s trees
Ken Cowan in Concert
Friday, October 4
7:30-9pm Princeton University Chapel Concert Organist Ken Cowan is a world-class musician and one of the most sought-after organists in the USA. He is deeply respected as a performer, recording artist, and teacher. Come and experience the majestic, deep sound of the organ soaring through the Chapel. Free, open to all. No tickets required.
“It is a feel-good drive, they probably had some second-teamers in there but we executed,” said Gallagher. “We had a freshman out there and we had about four sophomores out there playing so we had some young guys out there. We had about three seniors on the field running that so it is not like we were totally loaded with 11 seniors out there. We were shorthanded and those guys stepped up. They did a nice job.”
With PHS playing at Ewing (0-2) this Friday evening, Gallagher is confident that the Tigers will step up.
“We want to establish the run, you always want to be able to run the ball,” said Gallagher. “We are having fun, we still have big playmakers. We have Ellington, we have Carmine, we have Zyair [Mackey-Wright], a defensive end, and we have Sean [Wilton] on the line. We have guys that can play football.”
Petrone, for his part, believes the Tigers are on the verge of getting on the winning track.
“It is teamwork, everyone has to come together and get that good mesh,” said Petrone. “We don’t have the 100 percent chemistry with the whole squad yet. We just have to get that going. Once that happens, I feel like we have the pieces to be a really good football team.”
–Bill Alden
QUARTERBACK SCRAMBLE: Princeton High quarterback Travis Petrone eludes a tackler in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, senior star Petrone had a
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Photo by: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
With Senior Goalie Holmelund Exuding Confidence, PHS Boys’ Soccer Starts 1-0-1 with Two Shutouts
In the wake of a 2023 season that saw him post 18 shutouts to help the Princeton High boys’ soccer team win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 4 state title, star goalie Nicolas Holmelund is bringing a lot of self-belief into his senior campaign.
“It is confidence really, lots of confidence, I think that might be the most important aspect of a keeper,” said Holmelund, who plays club soccer with the Players Development Academy program. “It is also being a little arrogant; you have to say to yourself, I make the saves, I will make the saves.”
Last Thursday, Holmelund displayed that confidence as PHS opened the season by edging a scrappy Hightstown team 1-0.
“There was lots of pressure from them,” said Holmelund, who made two saves, including a diving stop in the waning moments of the first half, to earn the shutout. “We got a little sloppy at the end but we kept it clean sheet, that is what matters. We are not expecting any easy games this year.”
With PHS featuring a revamped defense after three seniors, Nick Matese, Jamie Reynolds and Patrick Kenah graduated, Holmelund is looking to guide the back line.
“It is not as secure as last year but we will build it up to something really good,” said Holmelund. “I am feeling confident in our team this year. We have some new faces playing defense now. Chase [Hamerschlag], for example, was in an attacking role last year. Guiding
them around is really what I am there for and playing a bigger role.”
Holmelund has assumed a bigger leadership role overall as he is serving as team co-captain along with with classmates Archie Smith and Azariah Breitman.
“It is a great honor, just being a captain for a school and a program like this with so much history,” said Holmelund.
PHS head coach Ryan Walsh credits Holmelund with growing as a player and a leader.
“Nick made some big saves,” said Walsh of Holmelund who made three saves as PHS battled to a 0-0 draw with Cherokee last Monday to move to 1-0-1. “He is much more mature than he was last year. He has really taken a leadership role on this team, it is great to see. He is confident off his line this year, he was playing real high today.”
PHS got a big shot from junior midfielder Aaron Thyrum as he blasted a free kick off the Hightstown defense into the back of the net for the only tally of the contest.
“Aaron has been taking our set pieces all training and he has been hitting them well,” said Walsh. “So I was pretty confident when he stepped up to that, he is stepping up into a much bigger role than he had last year.”
Walsh is is confident that his rebuilt backline led by battle-tested senior Connor Hewitt along with the addition of new starters in junior Hamerschlag, senior Thomsen Lord, and junior Matt Chao can develop into something special.
“We have spent a lot of time with those boys,” said Walsh “Connor is the cool head. Chase was great today, he is athletic. Thomsen is really smart. Matt played a great game at left back. Center mids Kingston [Lipsey] and Kian [Asiaie] made their first start today at the varsity level and I thought they played really well too. It is a different challenge than last year. I thought today was a good start.”
While the Tiger offense didn’t finish some good chances that it generated in the second half, Walsh appreciated his his squad gutted out the win.
“I take that we can win close games, that is huge,” said Walsh.“To win championships, you have to be able to win close games. We are not going to be a team that scores five, six goals like we did last year. We are going to win in a different style.”
With PHS playing at Allentown on September 12 before hosting Trenton on September 17, Walsh is looking for daily improvement.
“It just gets better everyday, we have the film from Hightstown, and we will work on some things,” said Walsh. “Tomorrow is a new day. I tell these guys be 1-0 everyday.”
Holmelund, for his part, believes that the Tigers will get better and better as the season unfolds.
“It is communication really, just being able to connect the passes and building up our chemistry together,” said Holmelund. “It is a whole new year. We have high expectations after last season of course. We are going to give it all that we have. I feel confident that we can really get this team built up together over time.”
–Bill Alden
Blending Seasoned Performers with Solid Newcomers, PHS Field Hockey Primed for Another Winning Season
As the Princeton High field hockey team has gone through preseason, Heather Serverson has been doing a lot of mixing and matching.
“We have been trying to get used to all of the new faces and combining them with the older seasoned players,” said PHS head coach Serverson, who guided the Tigers to 17-3 record last year as they advanced to both the Mercer County Tournament and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 4 sectional final
“We need to learn to rely on each other, we need that trust built up. Right now, when we are on the field, we try to give the ball to certain people and pretty soon that is going to become a problem. Everyone can learn to step up when necessary and rely on each other when necessary.”
PHS will be looking to get the ball to a pair of star forwards, senior co-captain Mia Ramirez (11 goals, 15 assists in 2023) and junior Sarah Cate Walker (15 goals, 2 assists).
“Mia and Sarah were stepping up last year, they are going to have a presence this year,” said Serverson, whose team starts its 2024 campaign by hosting Notre Dame on September 13. “Sarah Cate has been doing some nice things in scrimmages. Mia has been doing
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
some great things as well. They are working very well together and with the other new faces I am mixing in.”
In the midfield, the trio of sophomore Lila Casto (2 goals, 5 assists), junior Ani Bettencourt (5 goals, 1 assist), and freshman Tessa Boyle figure to have a big presence this fall.
“I think we are going to see some good things from Lila, she has done great things out of season,” said Serverson. “She came in playing even better than before, I think she is going to be a great spark for us in the midfield. Ani is returning, she got some time last year. She has been doing some work out of season too; her skills have gotten better and her game sense has gotten better. Tessa is a very good player. She came in with a great game IQ and she is just tough. She knows what to do with the ball and can maintain possession.”
The pair of senior co-captains Sophie Gono (1 goal) and junior Sofia Digioacchino will be spearheading the PHS defense.
“Sophie can play anywhere on the field, she will be our main defensive person this year,” said Serverson. “If I could, I would play her at defensive mid but I think I might have to stick her back a little more. She can still play the whole field from center back. Her speed is amazing. Her skills are
so clean on defense. Sofia is our main communicator back there. She is a very smart defender in the way that she plays and the way she interacts with the unit.”
At goalie, junior Emily Suttmeier is primed to step into the starting role.
“Emily has been working really hard to make sure that she is the caliber goalie that we need,” said Serverson. “She has become even more coachable than she has been in the past. Her skills are just on point this year. She has been doing a good job in practice and scrimmages too.”
While it may take time for things to mesh this fall for the Tigers, Serverson believes that it should be another big season for the program.
“I think that we need to stay healthy and we need all the other variables to line up,” said Serverson, who is entering her 17th season at the helm of the program with a record of 193-83-10. “It is not going to be easy, it is more of a challenge than usual but I definitely think we are up to it.”
–Bill Alden
OH
MIA: Princeton High field hockey player Mia Ramirez, left, battles for the ball in a game last fall. Senior forward and co-captain Ramirez is primed for a big final campaign for the Tigers. PHS starts its 2024 campaign by hosting Notre Dame on September 13.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
ON A ROLL: Princeton High boys’ soccer goalie Nicolas Holmelund gets ready to roll the ball up the field last Thursday against Hightstown. Senior star and co-captain Holmelund made two saves in the contest as PHS edged the Rams 1-0 to open the season. The Tigers, who tied Cherokee 0-0 last Monday as Holmelund made three saves, will play at Allentown on September 12 before hosting Trenton on September 17.
PDS Field Hockey Lacks Strength in Numbers
But Has the Talent, Positive Mindset to Excel
As Heather Farlow prepared her Princeton Day School field hockey team for the 2024 season, she looked to channel the coaching philosophy that helped the U.S. women’s soccer team earn a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I am stealing from Emma Hayes and what she did with the U.S. women’s soccer team, making sure that the players really have joy in what they do,” said PDS head coach Farlow, who guided PDS to a 15-4-1 record last fall.
The PDS players have responded well to that approach. “The mood is great, it is a very nice group,” said Farlow. “They have bonded nicely. They are excited for the season. We will be on the younger side this year for sure.”
Farlow is expecting some nice things from sophomore Sammy Dandy (3 goals, 1 assist in 2023), junior Amelia Lach (3 goals), and sophomore Lili Flink on the forward line.
“Sammy and Amelia are looking great,” said Farlow, whose team fell 3-1 to Peddie last Friday in its season
opener. “Amelia played up front her freshman year, we moved her to mid last year and we are probably going to move her back up front. Sammy is an ice hockey player and she is a finisher. Flink is playing right wing on the front line. She worked hard in the offseason too, she played club.”
In the midfield, senior Charlotte Mullen (1 goal) and junior Brynn Dandy (2 goals) will be leading the way along with freshmen Olivia Herscovici and Lena Wijaya.
“Charlotte has good vision, she is calm, cool, and collected, she is very hardworking,” said Farlow. “Brynn, being an ice hockey kid like her sister Sammy, is scrappy. She gained a lot of game experience last year, she just continues to get better. Olivia plays for Total Dutch, she has skill. Lena played field hockey for the first time last year; she is still learning but she is fast.”
Sophomore Reagan Falconi (1 goal) and freshman Layla Sosner figure to spearhead the Panther backline.
“Reagan has got a great hit, she is athletic and steps
to the ball well,” said Farlow. “She got some really good valuable experience last year in the back for us. Layla is an ice hockey kid as well, she has been great so far. I have her playing in back.”
Senior Molly Hall (47 saves in 2023) is back at goalie and is primed for a big final season.
“Molly has been looking great,” said Farlow, noting that Hall also plays for the Uprise club program. “She has worked really hard in the offseason to get better.”
With a roster of only 16 players, it will be all hands on deck for the Panthers this fall.
“Keeping everybody healthy is going to be key; we are going to have to be tough because of our numbers,” said Farlow, whose team plays at Hightstown on September 11 before hosting Lawrence High on September 13 and WW/P-South on September 16. “We may suffer a little bit from getting tired, from playing through and not being able to take some kids off the field to re-set. We may take some lumps early but just staying focused I think that we are going to get better and better.”
–Bill Alden
Gaining Benefits from
Last Fall’s Growing Pains, Stuart Field Hockey Produces Promising 3-0 Start
Since the Stuart Country Day School field hockey team had only two seniors on its roster last year, a number of young players got thrown into the fire by necessity.
As Stuart headed into its 2024 campaign, Stuart head coach Missy Bruvik believed that going through those growing pains is paying dividends.
“I can see it in their play, they learned all of the basic skills so now they are trying to take their skills to another level and are working off each other,” said Bruvik, who guided the Tartans to a 5-6-1 record in 2023. “We had a couple of scrimmages and it was just great to see their enthusiasm and support and cheering for each other. When they see somebody execute something, they know that they saw it and let them know.”
The Tartans have been executing very well in the early going this season, edging Steinert 1-0 in their season opener on September 4 and then topping WW/P-North 2-0 last Friday and defeating WW/P-South 2-0 last Monday.
Senior goalie Emily Harlan (105 saves in 2023) has been sharp in the cage, posting three shutouts with eight saves so far this fall.
“Emily had a terrific year last year, she is looking great,” said Bruvik, whose team will look to keep on the winning track when it plays at South Hunterdon on September 14. “She is experienced. Nobody outdoes her commitment and her work ethic. She is taking shots all
day and guiding the defense back there. She is doing a great job, our defense is so confident having her experience in goal.”
Bruvik is confident that senior Nyla Flamer (5 goals, 4 assists in 2023) and junior Abby Chirik will spark the Tartan midfield.
“Nyla is going to be an attacking midfielder this year, we give her the green light to shoot through,” said Bruvik, whose midfield will also include freshman Alex Janiszewski. “She will be a big part of the offense corners this year. She leads by example because she is passionate about the game. Abby is one of the most versatile players on the team. She has great instincts, she has a nose for the ball. She is great in transition and finds her teammates.”
Junior Sydney Anderson and junior Nana Akua KenKwofie (1 goal) figure to be leading the forward line and will be joined by senior Linyah Lokesh (1 goal), senior Elisa Bohmanova (1 goal), junior Najima Tahiry (1 goal), junior Gloria Wang (1 goal), junior Sami Feldman, and freshman Elaina Ryan.
“Sydney is playing very well on the offensive line, hopefully she is going to be our breakaway attacker,” said Bruvik. “She has great speed and confidence going to goal, we are seeing that from her this year. Nana started last year and is definitely going to contribute to the offense. She is awesome at coming back on defense and helping in the midfield.”
On defense, seniors Maya Dev and Annarose Bourgoin
St. Maurice (1 goal, 1 assist) will be anchoring the back line along with senior Amanda Guadalupe and junior Hadelyn Martinez-Cambero.
“Maya is playing some strong defense, she has great instincts in the backfield,” said Bruvik, whose defensive unit will also include a trio of freshmen in Zoe McDonald, Maddie Morrison, and Karina Hannawacker.
“Annarose is a good athlete, we have her at center back. She is good at distributing the ball. Amanda will be playing defense, she has improved a great deal since her debut last year. She has really settled into the defensive positioning. Hadelyn is on defense and is looking good in backfield.”
Junior Jada Hutchinson (1 assist) is primed to give Stuart good play all over the field.
“I think Jada is going to make some really important contributions in both the backfield and the midfield this year for us,” said Bruvik. “She is a strong kid with great speed.”
In Bruvik’s view, the Tartans have the depth to produce a strong season.
“We do have pieces to work with, right now it is just going to be finding that chemistry on the field,” said Bruvik. “There are enough new kids on the field, there is opportunity for people to be playing different positions this year. There is no doubt after watching them in preseason and their training that we should be able to play a competitive 60 minutes. We just have to finish. We need to take advantage of the opportunities that we get and on our offensive corners.”
–Bill Alden
GETTING UP TO SPEED: Princeton Day School field hockey player Charlotte Mullen races upfield in action last fall. Senior midfielder Mullen figures to be a key performer for the Panthers this season. PDS, which lost 3-1 to Peddie in its season opener last Friday, plays at Hightstown on September 11 before hosting Lawrence High on September 13 and WW/P-South on September 16.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
IN SYNC: Stuart Country Day School field hockey goalie Emily Harlan tracks the ball in a 2023 game. Senior star Harlan has been sharp in the early going this season, posting three shutouts as Stuart has started 3-0. The Tartans will look to keep on the winning track when they play at South Hunterdon on September 14.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Dealing with Graduation Losses after Stellar ’23 Season,
Hun Field Hockey Will Keep Bringing Strong Work Ethic
Last fall, the Hun School field hockey team lived by the acronym H-E-A-R-T - playing with honor, effort, attitude, respect, and trust - as it produced a stellar campaign, winning the Mercer County Tournament and advancing to the Prep A state final.
Although 10 seniors from that team graduated and freshman star Piper Morey transferred to a New England prep school to focus on ice hockey, the Raiders are still applying that approach as they head into the 2024 season.
“Those kids are gone but we can still bring our hard work and our effort and our want to do the best we can,” said Hun head coach Tracey Arndt, who guided the Raiders to a 15-5 record last fall. “Our goals will be different but that is OK. We are still going to try to be our very best everyday. It has been good. The one thing we have to do is not think about last year but lean on the good of last year.”
To that end, the Raiders started the preseason with a trip to Virginia Beach where they trained at Norfolk Academy for three days.
“Going to Virginia Beach was such a great opportunity,” said Arndt, whose team was slated to open its 2024 campaign by playing at Episcopal Academy (Pa.) on September 10 before hosting Robbinsville on September 11 and playing at Academy of New Church (Pa.) on September 16. “We really wanted to make sure that there was this healthy balance of building culture down there as well as training. We think that we were able to do it fairly well.”
Hun returns a great player in the midfield in senior Phoebe Thielmann (9 goals, 7 assists in 2023).
“Phoebe is just a consistently hard worker, she is
a gamer,” said Arndt. “She only knows one way and that is all in. She has been a varsity starter four four years and with every day, every game, every season, she just gets stronger and stronger. Last year she had a core around her who were veterans and this year it is different. She has to lead differently. We are excited about what she can do. She can run both sides of the ball. Her fitness is in a position where she can play most of the field.”
The trio of junior Abby Eastman (3 goals), a converted forward, freshman Amanda Wolfe, and postgraduate Sophia Clark will be supporting Thielmann in the midfield.
“Abby has been great, she has taken it on,” said Arndt, referring to Eastman’s transition to the midfield. “She has asked a ton of questions. She knows the game, she plays club. This is a different role for her, I appreciate that she is trying it. Amanda might play a couple of different positions for us, she has done some nice things. We do have a postgraduate who came over in Sophia. She is from England. We are really excited to have her, she has been a great teammate already so that part will be good.”
Arndt is looking for some exciting things from junior Addi McNally, senior Abby Trawinski and senior Ruby Marcus (1 goal, 1 assist) at forward.
“Addi is a multi-sport athlete, they see the field differently they can learn a little differently,” said Arndt. “She has been growing into herself in her basketball world and that helps her gain more confidence in field hockey. She is willing to play multiple positions as well. Abby could be a senior leader for us on the front line. Ruby is a great leader, she really
tries to be inclusive. She understands that her role as an older player may not be being the best on the team but being the best for the team. She is willing to do whatever is necessary, she has a really positive attitude. She works hard.”
On defense, sophomore Aspen Swanson and sophomore transfer Caroline Sirolly will be leading the way.
“Aspen is returning, she is a multi-sport athlete,” said Arndt. “She took on hockey for the first time last year and very quickly turned into a veteran player. Caroline came to us from Pennington, she was one of their sweepers last year. She plays club hockey and knows a lot of our girls already and has assimilated into the program quickly.”
The pair of senior Farrah Fang and junior transfer Brynn Shapiro will be handling goalie duties.
“We have two goalies right now,” said Arndt. “Farrah is a senior and Brynn is coming to us a junior transfer. She has been a welcome addition for sure. The two of then work well together so that will be nice.”
While Hun will be a work in progress this fall, Arndt believes the squad will keep living up to its H-E-A-R-T acronym.
“There is not going to be a single game where we are not going to make many mistakes, whether you are a captain or a first year player,” said Arndt. “For us, it is always about working hard at practice to hone our skills. But more importantly, when we get to the game it is how do you keep recovering from any mistakes that you make, trusting each other and trusting the process. We look forward to the season and a competitive schedule. We look forward to the opportunity, as we say, to win or learn. A loss is nothing if you don’t learn from it so we are excited for that.”
–Bill Alden
Soccer Excited For the Challenges
Ahead
Featuring a Mix of Battle-Tested Seniors, New Faces, Hun Girls’
While the Hun School girls’ soccer team is dealing with the void left by the graduation of seven players from its 2023 squad, Krista Sahrbeck believes that her current crop of players is ready to step up.
“The goals that are on the table are realistic but aggressive,” said Hun head coach Sahrbeck, who guided the Raiders to a 2-10 record last fall in her first season at the helm of the program. “Coming to Hun, none of these girls are looking for easy. None of these girls want something that will take two seconds to reach. They want that challenge, they want to meet that bar and raise it another level. That is what gets me excited.”
Sahrbeck is looking for her seniors to set a positive tone as the squad looks to meet its goals.
“They have seen the ups and downs of the team dynamics,” said Sahrbeck, whose senior group includes co-captains Maddy Poe and Allie Devlin along with Ellie Gudusky, Sam Raics, Julia Espinosa, and Kailey Jacobs. “They know what good and bad player culture looks like.”
During the preseason, there has been a good vibe around the squad.
“It has been going great, we have a lot of great kids coming out,” said Sahrbeck. “Our returners are looking really good. Everybody is excited. We are, as I explain to them, like a new car - we have to keep the engine
warm but we can’t floor it just quite yet.”
Sahrbeck is looking for sophomore Peyton Turner to provide some good production at forward.
“We are excited to see what she can do, right now we are happy with what she has been doing,” said Sahrbeck, whose team tied Princeton Day School 1-1 last Saturday in its season opener. “Peyton is showing that she is able to sniff out the goal. She is young but we are hoping that she can step in and figure things out.”
In the midfield, seniors Espinosa and Poe should be stepping up.
“The two players I am hoping to rely more on the offensive are Julia and Maddy,” said Sahrbeck. “Julia is a four-year varsity player with the program; Maddy came in as a new player last year to our school and program. They both have a ruthlessness; they are more attack-minded when they are facing the goal versus a traditional nine with her back to the goal. They are just strong players all around, their soccer IQ is so high. They are starting to figure out ways to work together. They are going to my offensive one-two punch this year. I think Maddie and Julie are excited to be given a lot of offensive freedom and to take some risks in the attacking third.”
Along the back line, senior Devlin and sophomore Morgan Barnes will be leading the way.
“Allie was a Mercer 33 last year and All-League, she is a center back,” said Sahrbeck. “Morgan will be the other center back. She is very good as well. She is young but she doesn’t play young.”
Senior Gudusky is stepping into the starting role at goalie and has been looking very good.
“Ellie will slide comfortably right in there, she is just a high level goalie,” said Sahrbeck. “She and Zoey [Palmer] split time in the goal last year, we would start Zoey in the first half and Ellie would come in the second half. She plays ECNL (the Elite Clubs National League); this is someone who is very comfortable in the net and very comfortable against the talent that we play. She is very familiar with that level.” While there may be some uncomfortable moments as Hun navigates the challenges it faces this fall, Sahrbeck wants her players to keep a positive mindset.
“The challenge is going to be to score goals, the girls know that,” said Sahrbeck, whose team hosts WW/PNorth in September 12. “Our team’s success, as a high school varsity program, is to remain competitive in the league. Our season is long, we play about 17-18 games which is like two or three a week. If we go on a losing streak that is hard, we also want to recognize and find the fun in playing and the appreciation that we are given this opportunity to be together everyday, prepare, and look forward to another competition.”
–Bill Alden
STICKING WITH IT: Hun School field hockey player Phoebe Thielmann, right, goes after the ball in action last fall. Senior midfielder Thielmann will be depended on to spark the Hun attack this fall. The Raiders were slated to open their 2024 campaign by playing at Episcopal Academy (Pa.) on September 10 before hosting Robbinsville on September 11 and playing at Academy of New Church (Pa.) on September 16.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
We
Hun
Football: Jack Moran led the way as Hun defeated Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 56-16 last Saturday. Moran connected on 20-of-28 passes for 531 yards and six touchdowns to help the Raiders improve to 2-0. Hun plays at Avon Old Farms School (Conn.) on September 14.
Girls’ Soccer : Mackenzie Brodel scored the lone goal for PDS as it tied Hun 1-1 last Saturday. The Panthers, now 0-1-1, host Robbinsville on September 12 before playing at Nottingham on September 17.
action when they host the Blair Academy on September 20.
PHS PDS
Boys’ Soccer : Sparked by Elvis Appiah, Pennington defeated the Life Center Academy 4-0 last Saturday in its season opener. Appiah tallied three goals in the win for the Red Hawks. Pennington will face the Kiski School (Pa.) on September 15 at the Kirkwood Sports Complex in New Castle, Del.
Lawrenceville
Football : Coming through in a defensive battle, Lawrenceville edged the Episcopal Academy (Pa.) 10-7 last Saturday in its season opener. Jonathan Yang kicked a go-ahead 30-yard field with 1:25 remaining in regulation to give the Big Red the win. Lawrenceville is next in action when they play at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on September 14.
Girls’ Soccer: Running into a buzz-saw, Lawrenceville lost 7-2 to Springside Chestnut Hill (Pa.) last Monday to start its 2024 campaign. The Big Red play at Penn Charter (Pa.) on September 11 and at Hotchkiss School (Conn.) on September 14 before hosting the Shipley School (Pa.) on September 16.
TOWN TOPICS is printed entirely on recycled paper.
Girls’ Tennis : Winning all three singles matches in straight sets, PDS defeated Hun 4-1 last Monday in its season opener. Arya Kalra prevailed at first singles with Arundhati Prabhu winning at second singles and Prisha Tiwari following suit at third singles. In upcoming action, PDS plays at WW-P/South on September 12 before hosting Ewing on September 14 and Princeton High on September 17.
Girls’ Volleyball : Suffering its first defeat of the season, PDS fell 2-0 to Notre Dame last Monday. The Irish prevailed 25-9, 25-17 as the Panthers dropped to 2-1. PDS plays at Princeton High on September 12, hosts Hopewell Valley on September 16, and then plays at WW/P-North on September 17.
Pennington
Football : Coming up just short in a high-scoring affair, Pennington fell 34-27 to Penn Charter last Saturday in its season opener. The Red Hawks are next in
Girls’ Soccer : Romy Johnson scored the lone goal for PHS as it fell 2-1 to Marlboro last Monday in its season opener. Kacey Howes picked up an assist on the goal while Olivia DeLuca made five saves in goal for the Tigers. PHS hosts Allentown on September 12 and then plays at Trenton on September 17.
Local Sports
Bailey Basketball Academy Offering Fall Programs
The Bailey Basketball Academy (BBA) has set the schedule for its upcoming fall hoops programs. Players will have an opportunity for competitive travel play, individualized instruction, skills development and fundamentals through the offerings. The BBA is led by former Princeton Day School girls’ hoops coach
and Philadelphia 76ers International Camps clinician Kamau Bailey.
The BBA fall program will include two competitive boys’ travel teams (2nd-8th grade), weekly practices, Shot King Shooting Program, and Player Development Skill Sessions for elementary through high school players (boys and girls) along with two new
competitive team opportunities for girls (grades 3-10) and boys (grades 9-10).
BBA programs stress fundamentals and team play with emphasis on ball handling, shooting, passing, footwork, speed, agility, movement with and without the ball, one-on one moves, defense and other basketball skills.
The BBA Fall Skill Development Sessions for boys and girls are held every Monday and Wednesday, from September 4, with Grades 3-6 (6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. and Grades 7-10 (7:15 to 8:30 p.m.). The sessions run through November 25 and are held at the Princeton Middle School.
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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.
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The BBA Competitive boys’ and girls’ teams practices began September 5 for Grades 3-6 (6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.) and Grades 7-10 ( 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.) with interested players and parents invited to attend. The practices run through November 26 and are held at the Princeton Middle School. BBA teams will play games on weekends in the Monroe Sports Complex Fall Leagues.
For more information, contact coach Bailey at (917) 626-5785 or kamau. bailey@gmail.com.
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WINNING MOMENT: Hun School boys’ soccer player Luciano Verduci celebrates after he scored a goal that proved to be the margin of victory as Hun posted a 1-0 win over Hopewell Valley last Saturday in its season opener. Senior goalie Diego Pena made two saves to earn the shutout for the Raiders. Hun plays at the Haverford School (Pa.) on September 12 and then faces Williston Northampton School (Mass.) on September 15 at Kirkwood Sports in New Castle, Del.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Obituaries
John Charles Crutcher passed away on August 20, 2024, in Nashua, New Hampshire, at the age of 74. He adored literature, sports, music, and travel, but his family was the light of his life. John was also a dedicated political and community activist with great hope for the country’s future.
John was born on October 7, 1949, to William and Joana (Barker) Crutcher in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Growing up, he was very involved in the church and faith became a cornerstone of his life.
A voracious reader, John enjoyed a career in publishing that spanned decades, marketing books to independent bookstores and major chains across the country. He also owned a bookstore in Westchester County, NY, and co-founded Bloomberg’s Book Group. Career and family provided John with the opportunity to live in many regions, nationally and internationally. His last two decades were spent in New Jersey, the United Kingdom, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
In retirement, John dedicated his time to family and community. He coached his two children’s soccer teams and volunteered at their schools, his churches, and several social service agencies supporting low-income families, the hungry, addicted, and unhoused. In Princeton, he served on the Board of Crawford House and was a Deacon at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church. John helped at his children’s schools and staffed a UK phone bank focused on recovery. Most recently, John was active with the United Way of Greater Nashua, providing literacy education for children and adults, and volunteering at food and school supply drives.
John was predeceased by his parents William and Joana, and sister-in-law Autumn (Goodwin) Crutcher. He is survived by his wife Beth (Stone) Crutcher; children Zachary (Kathryn Franz) and Kira Crutcher; siblings Lynne (Gary) Bird, Wynne Foote, and Lee Crutcher, as well as extended family and friends he dearly loved.
one of the 10 largest record auctions in the world — specializing in jazz 78s from the ’20s,’30s, and ’40s. At one time his personal collection topped 20,000 records.
He and Carolyn lived in Princeton until her death in 2017. Since then he lived an active life at Rossmoor, playing golf, bocce ball, participating in plays, swimming, and attending discussion groups. He always had a smile, a friendly word, and a joke ready.
A memorial celebration will be held at the Rossmoor Meeting House in Monroe Township on Wednesday September 11 at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that contributions be made to one of George’s favorite groups, New Jer-
A graveside service for immediate family was held on Saturday, September 7 at 1 p.m. CST in Opelika, Alabama. A memorial service will be held Thursday, September 12 at noon in the chapel at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, for friends and extended family. Immediately following the service, a celebration of life for friends and family will be held at The Dupont Commons clubhouse, 1650 Dupont Commons Drive, Atlanta, GA 30318.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made in her name to Westside Table (westsidetable. org/give) via Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.
H.M. Patterson & Son–Oglethorpe Hill Chapel, (404) 261-3510.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 22, in the Chapel at Trinity Episcopal Church, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ, with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to United Way, The Humane Society, Common Cause, or a charity that represents what John meant to you.
Wilson
George Wilson, 93, of Monroe Township, passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday September 4 with family by his side.
George was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn Wilson, and is survived by his children, Brett and Ward Wilson, and grandchildren, Emily and Kori Bloom.
George was born in Minneapolis, MN, on October 30, 1930 to Edmund and Lillian Wilson. He graduated from Shattuck School in 1948 and served in the U.S. Air Force (1952-54) at Shepherd Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX, where his daughter was born. He and several others formed a flying club and he enjoyed flying the small planes the club purchased — flying across country to Florida and Minnesota with his wife and small daughter.
After his service, he worked for Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati, OH, where his son was born. Following a move to New Jersey, he worked the remainder of his career in advertising, commuting from Princeton to New York City. After “retiring” he owned
Jean Friel Hultgren, a former resident of Lawrenceville, NJ, passed away on September 3, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was born on December 27, 1939, in Greenville, Alabama, and raised in Bay Minette, Alabama. Jean graduated from Baldwin County High School in 1958, where she was elected Homecoming Queen. She then attended Auburn University, where she was a proud member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Beta Omega chapter and became a graduate in 1962.
In keeping with Jean’s zest for life and social fl air, she became a flight attendant where she enjoyed traveling the world with Trans World Airlines. Jean was one of the few commercial fl ight attendants that flew in and out of Vietnam during the war. Jean was an enthusiastic history buff, known for sending numerous newspaper articles to those she loved. She was active in several organizations including TWA Clipped Wings, The Princeton Battlefield Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, Friends of Lafayette, and the Princeton United Methodist Church.Many who knew her recall a true Southern lady who took enormous pride in her country, her children, and her grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by her parents, William E. Friel and Lois Bailey Friel and of Bay Minette, and by her ex-husband, James Keith Hultgren of Orange Beach, Alabama. Jean is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Jason and Talley Hultgren; granddaughter Virginia Jane Hultgren; her daughter and son-in-law Ryan and Jennifer Spradley; and grandchildren Madison and Noah Spradley all of Atlanta. She is also survived by her sisters Nancy Huey of Atlanta, and Ercel Donehoo of Gainesville, Georgia, and several nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
Pamela Luersen, grandfather Richard Domagalski and their spouses, his Aunt Amy and her family. Additionally, he is survived by a large family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends.
Funeral services were held September 1, 2024 in Trinity Church in Princeton, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s honor to HomeFront NJ, a local organization where John volunteered his time to those in need.
John will forever be missed and held in the hearts of his loved ones as he now rests in peace.
John Edward von Oehsen, a loving son and brother, passed away at the age of 22 on August 26, 2024. John was a selfl ess, compassionate, and intelligent soul with a big heart, always offering his time and energy to those in need. He was loved by all who were blessed to know him.
John was born in Princeton, NJ, and resided with his family in Hopewell. He attended the Hopewell Valley School District from kindergarten through his graduation in 2020. After attending Lewis and Clark College his freshman year, he transferred to Rutgers University to be closer to his family and friends. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in May of 2024 with a degree in sociology and a minor in statistics. He was then accepted to Rutgers esteemed urban development graduate program at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. John gave his time to many worthwhile causes and spent a summer of service in 2023 interning at Isles, a community development and environmental organization based in Trenton. Most recently, he interned at Rutgers University Institutional Planning and Operations Division.
John especially loved spending time with family and friends near and far. Some of his fondest memories came from family trips to the cabin in Bethel, Vermont. He enjoyed hanging out with his friends — watching movies, listening to music, playing games — and spending time with his loving boyfriend Daniel Simpson. He is predeceased by his paternal grandfather William von Oehsen and maternal grandmother Dorothy Klesitz. He is survived by his mother and father, Dawn and Stewart von Oehsen, and his sisters Lillian (21) and Anna “Casey” von Oehsen (18). His paternal grandmother Barbara von Oehsen and his uncles, Bill, Barr, and Tom von Oehsen, and their families. John is also survived by his maternal grandmother
competitive varsity diver and was the first coach for the women’s synchronized swimming team.
Curt joined the military after college, serving honorably in military intelligence during the Korean War. Curt joined Mobil Oil Corporation in 1953, holding many human resources and employee benefits positions until his retirement in 1988. He raised his family in the Princeton area, but his career allowed the Spaldings to see the world. The family was also based in in Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; and London, England throughout his career.
Curtis Edward Spalding
Curtis Edward Spalding, a longtime resident of the Princeton area, passed away on August 18, 2024, at the age of 94.
Curt was born on October 16, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois, three days before Black Friday. Growing up in Depression-era Chicago was an early lesson in the value of hard work. He graduated from Northwestern University where he met his first wife, Elenore Iverson Spalding, to whom he was married to for over 50 years. At Northwestern, Curt was a
Curt retired to Bucks County and was a member of the Springdale Golf Club. He spent his later years in Vero Beach, Florida. After Elenore passed away, Curt remarried Ruth Coleman Spalding, spending his later years in her loving company. He was an avid golfer, amateur pilot, and student of American history.
Curt is predeceased by his father, Maurice, mother, Verna, first wife, Elenore, and second wife, Ruth. He is survived by his daughter, Susan Spalding and her husband, Eduardo Beruff; son, Keith Spalding; grandson, Holt Spalding; granddaughter, Rebecca Spalding and Rebecca’s husband, Alexander Plough, and their son Alfred Plough. The family will be having a small family service to honor Curt’s memory.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made online to The Dementia Society of America.
Arrangements are under the direction of The MatherHodge Funeral Home.
Obituaries Continued on Next Page
John Charles Crutcher
John Edward von Oehsen
Laurence “Jamie” James Peck, 58 of Princeton, NJ, died on September 5, at Penn Medicine Plainsboro Hospital. Born in Queens, NY, in 1965, Jamie spent much of his youth in Maine. He graduated from Bangor High and following a postgrad year at the Gunnery in Washington, Connecticut, went on to Hobart College where he played varsity hockey and majored in English, graduating in 1988. Son of the late Russell
Laurence “Jamie” James Peck Peck, Jamie is survived by his wife Liza (Wakefield) Peck; four children Griffin, Kirby, Sawyer, Merritt and her fiancé Kevin Halliday; his mother Elaine (Parker) Peck; two brothers Craig Peck (Kim Heyman), Jacob Peck (Ivanna); a sister-inlaw and two brothers-inlaw Wendy Davis and Steve Heaps, JB Wakefield; and parents-in-law Bill and Pam Wakefield. Also part of his family were his nieces and nephews: Edward, Aiden,
and Amelia Peck, Dana Davis (Jason Yanowitz), Kylie Davis (Doug Shapiro), Will Davis, Emma and Owen Heaps, Drew, Gray, Tess and Will Wakefield.
Jamie spent his career in pharmaceutical marketing. He was a strategic thinker and had a solid knowledge and deep interest in the economics of and innovations in the healthcare field. He spent the past seven years at Indegene, most recently serving as Vice President, Commercial.
Jamie married Liza in 1991. Showing an early and independent streak, the couple spent their honeymoon working on a Habitat for Humanity building site in Louisiana. He and Liza raised their children in Princeton where Jamie coached a whole lot of youth hockey and, as a hockey dad, advised players, coaches, and referees from an almost respectful distance.
While Jamie spent most of his adult life in Princeton, Maine held a very special place in his heart. He loved being both on and in the water there: floating, boating, and fishing on sunny summer days and exploring the challenge of ice fishing in midwinter. He vacationed there with his family this summer.
Jamie’s family gathered to mourn his death earlier this week. The world seems a lot quieter and a bit darker without him in it.
Gifts to honor Jamie can be given to SAVE (savehomelessanimals.org/donate).
William Paul Krause
January 26, 1932September 7, 2024
William “Bill” Krause had an Illinois childhood on a working farm. Along with his siblings, he milked cows before riding a horse to a one-room schoolhouse three miles away.
When Bill was 14, his family moved to Point Pleasant, PA. He enrolled in Lawrenceville Prep, where, upon graduation, he won the Trustee’s Cup. He went to Yale University where he studied architecture. Before graduating, he signed with the Navy and served as a Marine pilot, flying aircraft onto carriers during the Korean War.
While completing his degree at Yale, he met Sylvette de Aldrey, a painting student at the Whitney School of Art in New Haven.
They married, and in 1960 settled in Princeton, raising three daughters and remaining there for the rest of their lives.
Bill began his career as an architect for TechBuilt, a new style of prefabricated
building, then became a salesman for their first medical centers. On one of his sales trips, he met a doctor who was testing a system developed by Cornell students to “computerize” patient information. Intrigued, Bill bought the program, and started what became known as Systemedics. The company grew into a national firm which was eventually sold to Equifax.
Bill then became a consultant to American Express, traveling the world with his wife Sylvette.
After retiring from the corporate world, Bill partook in an assortment of entrepreneurial endeavors, which included an art gallery at 14 Nassau Street (Art Ventures), a lighting store in Lambertville, and various small manufacturing businesses. He was keenly interested in solar power energy, holding a few forums of its benefits at his solar home.
Bill was the consummate family man, supporting and encouraging his children in all their endeavors, a trait that carried forth to his grandchildren. His love of Sylvette was immeasurable — theirs was a true love story, which inspired him to
write novels based on their lives. Forty summers of family trips to Block Island, where “King Codfish” ruled the tribe, has left indelible memories for the entire extended family. Bill loved people, and was interested in hearing their stories. His curiosity was infectious. He eventually bought a 4-acre property just outside Princeton, designing a light-filled solar-powered home — one of the prides of his life — and where, last Saturday, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, he closed his eyes for the very last time.
He is survived by his wife, Sylvette, and their three daughters, Jessica Krause, Leslie Krause, and Georgiana (Troy) Sensing; grandchildren Nina (Matt) Palmer, Bianca Scherrei, Abigail (Tyler) Brautigam, Hannah (Michael) Batillo, Thomas Sensing; and four great-grandchildren. Interment for Bill will be held on Friday, October 4, 2024 11:30 a.m. at Washington Crossing Cemetery, 830 Highland Road, Newtown, PA 18940. Family and friends who are joining, please arrive by 11:15 a.m. at the latest.
AMERICAN FURNITURE EXCHANGE
DIRECTORY OF RELIGIOUS SERVICES
S unday S
8:00 am: Holy Communion Rite I
10:00 am: Holy Communion Rite II
5:00 pm: Choral Compline or Evensong
The Rev. Paul Jeanes III, Rector The Rev. Canon Dr. Kara Slade, Assoc. Rector Wesley Rowell, Lay Pastoral Associate
33 Mercer St. Princeton 609-924-2277 www.trinityprinceton.org
Wherever you are in your journey of faith, come worship with us
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Princeton 16 Bayard Lane, Princeton, NJ
You are welcome to join us for our in-person services, Sunday Church Service and Sunday School at 10:30 am, Wednesday Testimony meetings at 7:30 pm. Audio streaming available, details at csprinceton.org.
Visit the Christian Science Reading Room Monday through Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm 178 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ For free local delivery call (609) 924-0919 www.csprinceton.org • (609) 924-5801
“Thebettermentoftheworldcanbeaccomplishedthroughpureandgoodlydeeds, throughcommendableandseemlyconduct” –ParisTalks,Abdu'l-Baha Principles of the Baha'i Faith: One God- the Mover of the Universe Oneness of Religion All People are members of One Human Family Elimination of all forms of prejudice
For more info go to: https://princetonbahais.org https://www. bahai.org/beliefs
TOWN TOPICS CLASSIFIEDS
YARD SALE +
TOWN TOPICS CLASSIFIED = GREAT WEEKEND!
Put an ad in the TOWN TOPICS to let everyone know! Call (609) 924-2200 ext. 10; classifi eds@towntopics.com
DEADLINE: Tues before 12 noon tf HOME HEALTH AIDE: 25 years of experience. Available mornings to take care of your loved one, transport to appointments, run errands. I am well known in Princeton. Top care, excellent references. The best! Call (609) 356-2951 or (609) 751-1396. tf
LOLIO’S WINDOW WASHING & POWER WASHING: Free estimate. Next day service. Fully insured. Gutter cleaning available. References available upon request. 30 years experience. (609) 271-8860. tf
JOE’S LANDSCAPING INC. OF PRINCETON Property Maintenance and Specialty Jobs
Commercial/Residential
Over 45 Years of Experience
• Fully Insured • Free Consultations
Email: joeslandscapingprinceton@ gmail.com
Text (only): (609) 356-9201 Office: (609) 216-7936 Princeton References
• Green Company
HIC #13VH07549500
HOME REPAIR SPECIALIST:
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Interior/exterior repairs, carpentry, trim, rotted wood, power washing, painting, deck work, sheet rock/ spackle, gutter & roofing repairs. Punch list is my specialty. 40 years experience. Licensed & insured. Call Creative Woodcraft (609) 586-2130 tf EXPERIENCED AND PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVER
Available part-time With excellent references in the greater Princeton area (609) 216-5000 tf
FOX CLEANING
(609) 547-9570
eqfoxcarpetcleaning@gmail.com
Licensed and insured
Residential and commercial
Carpet cleaning and upholestry
Pressure and soft washing • Area rugs
Strip and wax floors • Sanitizing Water damage • Grout cleaning
01-17-25
CARING AND EXPERIENCED
BABYSITTER
Available for part-time position
Excellent local references! (609) 216-5000 tf
HOUSECLEANING/HOUSE-
KEEPING: Professional cleaning service. Experienced, references, honest & responsible. Reasonable price. Basic English. Text Grace at (609) 672-0211 for a free estimate. 10-30
STORAGE UNIT FOR RENT
10 minutes north of Princeton, in Skillman/Montgomery. 16x22, $280 discounted monthly rent. Available now. https://princetonstorage.homestead. com/ or call/text (609) 333-6932 09-11
HOUSE FOR RENT IN KINGSTON VILLAGE
Just 2 miles from Princeton proper, white stucco house, located at 9 Prospect Street in Kingston, about 200 yards from main street, Route 27 and bus route to Princeton. 2 story house, suitable for four, built in 1952. Large eat-in kitchen, two full bathrooms, living room, 4 bedrooms, screened-in porch, ample closet space. Full basement, refinished hardwood floors, extra-large 2 car garage, enclosed backyard, front yard 10 yards long. Safe neighborhood, quiet with ample parking on street and driveway. Call John: (609) 577-5736. 09-11
AWARD-WINNING ESSAYIST & former Phillips Exeter Academy English teacher available for tutoring & college essay coaching. Princeton ’84 & Bennington MFA. https:// suerepko.com. wordgardenessays@ gmail.com. (609) 436-0208. 09-18
Wednesday morning delivery. If interested, please call 609.924.2200 x 30 or email melissa.bilyeu@towntopics.com
I BUY ALL KINDS of old or pretty things: China, glass, silver, pottery, costume jewelry, evening bags, fancy linens, paintings, small furniture, etc. Local woman buyer. (609) 9217469. 10-11-24
BUYING: Antiques, paintings, Oriental rugs, coins, clocks, furniture, old toys, military, books, cameras, silver, costume & fine jewelry. Guitars & musical instruments. I buy single items to entire estates. Free appraisals. (609) 306-0613. tf TOWN TOPICS CLASSIFIEDS GET TOP RESULTS!
Whether it’s selling furniture, finding a lost pet, or having a garage sale, TOWN TOPICS is the way to go!
We deliver to ALL of Princeton as well as surrounding areas. (609) 924-2200 ext. 10; classifieds@towntopics.com
ESTATE LIQUIDATION SERVICE:
I will clean out attics, basements, garages & houses. Single items to entire estates. No job too big or small. In business over 35 years, serving all of Mercer County. Call (609) 306-0613.
WE BUY CARS
Belle Mead Garage (908) 359-8131
Ask for Chris
HOME HEALTH AIDE/COMPANION AVAILABLE: NJ certified and experienced. Live-in or live-out. Driver’s license. References available. Please call Cindy, (609) 227-9873. 09-18
Knotty pine bookcases a specialty!
SKILLMAN FURNITURE CO. 609-924-1881
Elevated gardens • Slat tables
Writing desks • Small furniture repair skillmanfurniture.com skillmanfurnitureco@gmail.com tf
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MOVING SALE
Entire wood workshop! Craftsman radio arm saw with sawdust collector, large assortment of hand tools, large assortment of power tools. Call for details: (941) 400-1860. 09-11
WHAT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A FORMER PRINCETONIAN?
A Gift Subscription! Call (609) 924-2200, ext 10 circulation@towntopics.com tf YARD SALE + TOWN TOPICS CLASSIFIED = GREAT WEEKEND! Put an ad in the TOWN TOPICS to let everyone know!
You’re invited to join us for a conversation about how the recent NAR settlement affects Buyers and Sellers. We will cover:
• Understanding the NAR Settlement
• Tips for navigating these changes
• What to expect in working with agents
• Misinformation around the settlement
• Housing Market Update
• Changes to house hunting
Saturday September 14th at 11:00am RSVP at: www.PrincetonMarketSeminar.com
Live interactive presentation through Zoom conference
ADVERTISING SALES
Witherspoon Media Group is looking for an advertising Account Manager to generate sales for our luxury magazines, newspaper, and digital business.
The ideal candidate will:
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Establish new and grow key accounts and maximize opportunities for each publication, all websites, and all digital products.
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Collaborate with the sales and management team to develop growth opportunities.
Prepare strategic sales communications and presentations for both print and digital.
Develop industry-based knowledge and understanding, including circulation, audience, readership, and more.
Prepare detailed sales reports for tracking current customers’ activity and maintain pipeline activity using our custom CRM system.
Positions are full- and part-time and based out of our Kingston, N.J. office. Track record of developing successful sales strategies and knowledge of print and digital media is a plus. Compensation is negotiable based on experience. Fantastic benefits and a great work environment.
Please submit cover letter and resume to: lynn.smith@princetonmagazine.com melissa.bilyeu@witherspoonmediagroup.com
At Greenwood House Hospice, our families and caregivers LOVE HOW MUCH WE CARE! AND YOU WILL, TOO.
Hospice is about living the fullest life possible according to a patient’s capabilities within a life-limiting condition. In hospice, your choices guide the care we provide. Hospice care affirms quality of life. Our goal is to prevent and relieve pain, discomfort, anxiety and fear.
“I am proud and honored to serve as Greenwood House Hospice Medical Director and to work alongside some of the best nurses, social workers, chaplains and volunteers in the business. Our team provides intimate and comprehensive care for our terminally ill patients. We support not just those in their final months but also their families and loved ones.”
We provide emotional and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones. Hospice care is provided wherever a patient feels most comfortable or where they call home. We help families and caregivers prepare for end-of-life challenges and find creative ways to share in life review and legacy projects so that our patient’s wisdom and memories can be treasured for future generations.
Our Hospice Team consists of:
• Hospice Medical Director, a board-certified hospice physician
• Registered Nurses (RNs) monitoring pain, managing symptoms and guiding patient’s plan of care
• Hospice Certified Home Health Aides (CHHAs) providing personal patient care and companionship
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• Social Workers supporting patients and families and connecting them with community resources
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• Spiritual Counselors providing emotional support and personal counseling
• Bereavement Services offering guidance and education concerning anticipatory grief to families throughout care and bereavement
• Hospice Volunteers assisting with a variety of patient and family personalized support activities
Greenwood House Hospice is a nonprofit, mission-based organization rooted in cherished Jewish traditions and an industry leader in providing high-quality senior health care in the state of New Jersey. Seniors of all faiths are welcome.
–DAVID R. BARILE, MD Medical Director, Greenwood House Hospice
