Hun Alumna Crowned Miss America 2020

Camille Schrier, a 2013 Hun School of Princeton graduate, defeated 50 other competitors and was crowned Miss America 2020 last month.

Schrier, a biochemist who is studying for a doctor of pharmacy degree at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, won over the judges with a science experiment in the talent portion of the competition. She received a $50,000 scholarship and has already begun her role as Miss America, traveling around the country to promote her social impact initiative focusing on medication safety and abuse prevention.

Dressed a in lab coat and pink-rimmed protective goggles, Schrier performed her experiment demonstrating the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide onstage at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The experiment, “complete with colorful foam spouting from beakers,” according to a Hun School press release, “is significant because it marks a sea change for the Miss America competition and is the first time a contestant has won for a science experiment.”

“Keep an eye out, because science is really all around us,” said Schrier as the audience “erupted in cheers” at the conclusion of her experiment, according to Refinery29 media website.

Hun sophomore dean Todd Loffredo recalled Schrier as a natural leader and a STEM enthusiast. “I remember Camille as a level-headed, well-rounded leader in my marine science class,” he said. “She approached her academic pursuits with passion and a sense of benevolence to those around her. I knew she was passionate about STEM when we discussed her love of turtles and her desire to be a herpetologist when she grew up.”

Schrier, who received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and systems biology at Virginia Tech, has spent the past year as Miss Virginia, collaborating with industry experts and speaking with the public to educate about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

PPS Preschool and Kindergarten Registration

Princeton Public Schools (PPS) has announced preschool and kindergarten registration for the 2020-2021 school year. Registration will take place on Wednesday, February 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursday, February 6, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and Friday, February 7, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; at the PPS Administration building at 25 Valley Road.

For required preregistration and additional information, visit the PPS website at www.princetonk12.org or call the Office of Curriculum and Instruction at (609) 806-4203.

Bridge Academy Program Gains Accreditation

The Bridge Academy in Lawrenceville has received accreditation at the associate level from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) for its Orton-Gillingham Training Program.

The Bridge Academy’s instructional program is also accredited by AOGPE. It is the only Orton-Gillingham accredited instructional program in New Jersey, and one of only 15 accredited training programs in the United States.

Orton-Gillingham training at the Bridge Academy is open to teachers, speech pathologists, parents, and other interested parties each summer.

The Orton-Gillingham Approach, according to the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators website, “is a direct, explicit, multi sensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy when reading, writing, and spelling does not come easily to individuals, such as those with dyslexia.”