Summertime is when families enjoy a break, relax, maybe get away. It’s often a slower time of year, where students can give their brains a rest and even enjoy time at summer camp, with friends and loved ones. Conversely, in the weeks between late June and early September, school administrators find little time for relaxation as they work to review the past year, make changes for the upcoming year and get major construction and enhancement projects completed before Labor Day hits and the new influx of students arrive.
Most Princeton residents send their children to schools in Princeton proper or the immediate surrounding area. More than 20 such schools have been going through this process and are now tidying things up, getting everything in order to open their doors for the new school year.
PROJECTS AT PRINCETON’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Princeton Public Schools likely had a longer “to-do” list than others, as it encompasses six schools and their buildings (plus the administrative building on Valley Road). With predicted enrollment for 2024-2025 at 3,651, it is the largest school entity in town. The district had to not only do the usual annual upkeep and adjustments but also complete a list of items remaining from the previous referendum (before a new referendum is expected to go to voters in January 2025).
As far as physical enhancements go, all four public elementary schools and Princeton Middle School have completed wireless upgrades that many hope will offer faster and more reliable internet. The same is expected to be completed at the high school this month, which should eliminate dead spots and slow connections of the past.
The major construction projects of summer are currently underway at Princeton High School, where new security vestibules are being built at both the Tower and PAC (Performing Arts Center) entrances. Simultaneously, crews are making upgrades to the high school cafeteria, which include redesigned food stations, new furniture, better acoustics and, by creating more usable square footage, hoping to offer more seating options as well. These are anticipated to be completed just before school opens for the fall.
In the classrooms, students can expect to see some changes in their ELA (English Language Arts) and Math classes, designed to align with the new NJ standards. Those in grades 6-12 will also experience different class lengths/times from what they knew last year, with new schedules ahead.
BUILDING OUT OUR SCHOOLS
Beyond Princeton High School, construction teams have been going non-stop this summer as numerous other local schools have major projects completed or underway.
Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, home to girls from preschool through grade 12, is opening The Cor Cordis Center for Exceptional Leadership where learning, wellness and support will be centrally provided. As teenage girls face increasing complexities, the reimagined and modernized space aims to be a hub of opportunity and assistance, accompanied by a new wellness curriculum to help students get through and go further.
Enhancing its commitment to wellness, Stuart is also entering its 2nd year of having a “phone free” policy for all students grades 5-12. After one year of doing so, the school and students found time and space away from the device helped students to focus and, be more engaged and present.
About five miles away, there is a brand-new STEM lab opening at Princeton Junior School (PJS) in September. The free-standing building is located between the main building and their newly built Performing Arts Center. The school is excited for their champion Odyssey of the Mind Teams to utilize this new space – this past spring the Grade 5 team placed 1st at State Finals and 6th at the World Finals!
PJS is also looking forward to being home to a pilot program with Center for Supportive Schools (which began at Princeton High School). Its Peer Leadership Program is coming to an elementary school for the first time, enabling sixth graders to act as mentors to students in 1st and 2nd grade.
Wilberforce School, on Mapleton Road, is working to get construction complete on its new gym, adding new locker rooms, weight room, a studio and accessibility ramp. The arts are also getting an upgrade inside the main school, where students can make use of additional classrooms, a new theater and choir rehearsal room. In these heightened times, efforts have been made throughout the summer to additionally enhance security, such as increased camera coverage, securing perimeters and ensuring access control on all doors.
Athletic improvements can also be found at The Lawrenceville School campus, with completion of the new Tsai Field House. This 250,000 square-foot athletic, dining and social hub includes Tsai Dining Hall, the new dining facility that opened last fall, as well as athletic and fitness areas. Inside one will find the new indoor track and field arena, swimming pool, ice rink, basketball court, wrestling arena, squash courts, and community fitness rooms. To make sure loved ones far away don’t miss anything, live stream capabilities have also been enabled throughout.
If you drive up State Highway 206 and turn onto Edgerstoune Road, you will notice that a building has come down on The Hun School of Princeton campus. This is to make room for a new 41,000 square foot residence hall to be constructed, intending to house 114 students and 12 faculty members for fall 2025. With modern comforts such as individual shower rooms, lounges, kitchenettes, and sound treated walls, the hall will also be LEED standard and include solar panels and state-of-the-art air handling.
Hun is also working to ensure its graduates are financially literate. A new elective course will be offered this year teaching topics such as saving your money, how to budget, investment strategies and more. In spring 2025, there will be required standards spread throughout the curriculum and specific competency skills to be met by graduation.
MORE THAN PHYSICAL CHANGES
Much of what guides a student towards graduation is the way a school is run, the directions it takes, and the leadership students learn from. Around Princeton there are some major changes at the top that have schools excited.
There is new leadership at Chapin School, where Dr. Amy Moviel has come to serve as Director of PreK-Grade 8. In that role, she will work with Head of School Bill Ennist, who came to Chapin in 2023. Moviel comes from Florida for this newly created role, directing the curriculum and faculty.
Not too far away, new talent is also in place at Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart (PASH). It was nearly one-year ago when the school announced it would be closing its doors at the end of the year. Instead the support of parents, staff, faculty and community donors provided enough funding for it to stay open. After creating a conservative financial plan and bringing in Kathy Humora as Interim Head of School, they’ve since added two new members to the leadership team to support her: Maggie Kelley, Director of Institutional Advancement and Gleny Burgos, Director of Finance and Operations. Together the leaders are updating the curriculum organization model, which includes the learning plan, targets and resources. They are also creating a live map teachers can adjust, and parents can log into for information.
At Princeton Friends School (PFS) they have promoted from within to make Kofi Obeng Assistant Head for Community and Belonging, where he will support students social, emotional and personal growth. The school is also grateful for several new bikes, purchased with a gift from a PFS family, that will be used for exploration and experiential learning, in classrooms and around Princeton.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOMS
There is even more learning taking place beyond the classrooms as two other local schools incorporate updates they hope will better prepare their students for the future.
With a Presidential election on the horizon, Princeton Day School is introducing a formal statement on civil discourse that will be accompanied by opportunities for employees and students to learn skills, practice and listen to differing viewpoints throughout the curriculum and school life. By doing so, it is their hope students will have better conversations within school and obtain valuable skills to live in a diverse world.
Another way to help its children become fully functioning members of society, Princeton Montessori School is working their foundational lessons into various parts of their curriculum. For the upcoming school year, this will include two original musicals written by their Artist-in-Residence and Emmy-award-winning performer Alex Mitnick. Upper Elementary (grades 3-5) will perform a musical interpretation of The Five Great Lessons, the foundation of Montessori elementary. Middle School students will take part in a multi-media musical that aligns with their curriculum in American history, detailing the writing of the Constitution, explaining the separation of powers and ending with what modern Democracy means in America.
Additionally, a new podcast titled, “Growing Together: A Montessori Approach to Parenting,” is coming out with its first episode later this month on Spotify. The content aims to help others with lessons on parenting the Montessori way on topics like school separation, eating, sleeping and more.
OTHER LOCAL CHANGES
There are several other area schools including Princeton Charter School, French American School, The Lewis School, YingHua International School, St. Paul School, Apple Montessori, and Princeton Waldorf that are not detailed above, and each certainly have their share of exciting changes awaiting students this fall. Unfortunately, due to varying circumstances, they were not able to provide us with the details by press time.
For most, as families wrap up their summers, buy new backpacks and prepare for another year of education, you can now be prepared for the changes that await when you return to the classroom in September.
Lisa Jacknow spent years working in national and local news in and around New York City before moving to Princeton. Working as both a TV producer and news reporter, Lisa came to this area to focus on the local news of Mercer County at WZBN-TV. In recent years, she got immersed in the Princeton community by serving leadership roles at local schools in addition to volunteering for other local non-profits. In her free time, Lisa loves to spend time with her family, play tennis, sing and play the piano. A graduate of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, Lisa was raised just north of Boston, Massachusetts but has lived in the tri-state area since college. She is excited to be Editor and head writer for Princeton Perspectives!