Volume LXXI, Number 33
The Windsors & Plainsboro Area Life Pages 17-20 PCV Celebrates Scholarship Winners . . . 5 Fieldwood Manors Ash Trees to Get Treated . . . 9 Princeton Summer Theater Presents Appropriate . . . . . . . 14 Things That Make Life Worth Living . . . . . . . 15 PU Grad Klausner Helps U .S . Softball to Gold at Maccabiah Games . . . 24 PHS Alumna Reilly Emerging as Leader for Lehigh Field Hockey . . 27
Peter Gruen, TCNJ professor, award-winning playwright, dies . . . . . 29 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 30 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Music/Theater . . . . . . 14 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 29 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 6 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 30 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Everyone Is Invited To Eclipse Viewing Party On Palmer Square It was standing room only last week in the Community Room at Princeton Public Library, where Princeton University professor Amitava Bhattacharjee was giving a talk on the once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse that will unfold over several hours on Monday, August 21. Children were crowded up front, seated on the floor. The adult overflow stood along the walls and the rear of the room. “It was all ages, from 8 to 80,” said public programming librarian Janie Hermann, who planned the event with technology instruction librarian Kelsey Ockert and the University’s Department of Astrophysical Sciences. It is probably safe to assume that the same crowd, along with hundreds of others, will be at Palmer Square on Monday for the Solar Eclipse Viewing Party, which starts at 1 p.m. and includes activities at six stations, a countdown clock, and lots of watermelon and Oreo cookies. Why Oreos? “So you can practice making an eclipse with your cookie before you eat it,” said Ms. Hermann, who has been planning the party with colleagues from the library and University since April. “We knew a year ago that this was going to happen, and there was a big push from the entire library community,” she continued. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without our partnership with the astrophysics department of the University, especially Fred Moolekamp and his team. They are doing all of this free of charge.” The physicists will be on hand to answer questions, show demonstrations and models, and prepare the crowd for the spectacle of the moon temporarily blocking the sun as it moves between the Earth and the sun. While Princeton viewers won’t witness the sun being completely covered, as in “totality,” there will still be a show. Only a small swath of the country, extending across 14 states, from the Northwest to Southeast, will be completely darkened. In Princeton, expect about three quarters of the sun to be blocked by the eclipse. The peak is expected about 2:45 p.m., and will last about two minutes. The sun will slowly become visible again after that, and the eclipse should end by 4 p.m. in this part of the country. “This is a unique and historic event,
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Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Hundreds Join Palmer Square Anti-Hate Rally A diverse crowd of about 250 gathered in Palmer Square Sunday afternoon to show support for the victims of Charlottesville, Va., and to stand up against white supremacy, domestic terrorists, and hate groups in our country. The hastily planned demonstration, along with hundreds more throughout the country, followed Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, where three people were killed and dozens more injured at a gathering of hate groups and domestic terrorists pushing “their hateful message of white supremacy, fascism, antiSemitism, and bigotry,” according to the Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO), one of the organizers of the event along with Fatima Mughal, Princeton Marching Forward, Women’s March, Democracy for America, Working Families Party, Resist Here, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, STAND Central NJ, and other Indivisible N.J. groups. “Princeton stands in solidarity with the leadership of Charlottesville, and with all of you, in condemning yesterday’s heinous and racist acts of terrorism by white nationalists,” Councilman Tim Quinn read in a statement from Princeton May-
or Liz Lempert and the Princeton Council, drafted with participation from the Princeton Human Rights Commission. “Like Charlottesville, Princeton is a university town working to overcome racial injustice. We are dedicated to the promotion and guarantee of civil rights for our historically marginalized communities, so that we may be a welcoming commu-
nity that is embraced and strengthened by our diversity.” An array of posters and signs filled the square, expressing such sentiments as “Racism Hurts Everyone,” “Stand Against Hate,” “Black Lives Matter,” “Dignity, Respect & Justice for All,” “Call Evil by Its Name,” and “Reject Hate and Racism.” Continued on Page 11
Princeton Schools Are Redefining Success, And Working to Achieve It On All Fronts Princeton Public Schools (PPS) last week were once again recognized by Niche, a national school-ranking website “highlighting the best places to live and go to school,” as the No. 1 public school district in New Jersey. You might think that Superintendent Steve Cochrane and his staff would be satisfied with that honor, maybe even willing to revel in the acclaim. But no, Mr. Cochrane said, proud as they are to be recognized “for the excellence that we see daily in our schools … and our staff who are dedicated to making our schools places of innovation and care,” PPS has a larger goal.
“We are working as a district to redefine success to include the level of engagement among our students, the equity in our classrooms and curriculum, and how well we are fulfilling our mission to prepare all of our students to lead lives of joy and purpose,” he wrote. Amidst local concerns, which occasionally erupt into political squabbles or even court cases, on such issues as stress, overcrowding, racism, and budget tightening, Mr. Cochrane is determined to keep the district’s eyes on the big issues. “My role is to stay true to the strategic plan and the mission,” he said, reiterating the five key goals of the plan: Continued on Page 8
STANDING IN SOLIDARITY: About 250 people gathered in Palmer Square on Sunday afternoon to show their support for the victims of Charlottesville and make their voices heard, taking to heart the words of Martin Luther King Jr., quoted by Assemblywoman Liz Muoio: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
Continued on Page 8
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