March 22, 2023
By Donald Gilpin
“They’re presenting this as a done deal. This is anything but a done deal. It’s up to us to keep the pressure on,” said the father of a Princeton High School (PHS) student speaking at Monday’s rally at PHS to a spirited crowd of about 170 parents and students supporting Frank Chmiel, who last Friday, March 17 was replaced as PHS principal.
Meanwhile Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Superintendent Carol Kelley and the Board of Education (BOE), obviously seeing the ouster of Chmiel as a done deal, were moving on, with a Monday afternoon announcement that Kathie Foster would be recommended for appointment as the PHS interim principal through the remainder of the school year.
Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled meeting of the BOE, taking place on Zoom after press time, promised to bring the conflicting camps into direct confrontation, though little movement in their conflicting positions was anticipated.
The first hour of the meeting, from 6 to 7 p.m., was to be devoted to public commentary. Then, after the Board conducted its regularly scheduled business, there would be the opportunity for further public commentary. more
By Anne Levin
At a meeting held last Saturday by the municipality to discuss the future of the Tennent/Roberts/Whiteley campus of Princeton Theological Seminary, residents of the neighborhood surrounding the Seminary gathered at the municipal building to hear about the redevelopment process and air some of their concerns.
The Seminary had originally considered building new student apartments at the site, which was designated an area in need of redevelopment in October 2018. But the plans for student apartments were withdrawn by the Seminary in the fall of 2019. Last year, three early 20th century buildings considered beyond restoring were torn down. The Seminary still owns the property. Developer Jamie Herring of Herring Properties is the contract purchaser. Herring has said he envisions multi-family housing, including affordable units, on the site.
After being introduced by Princeton’s Planning Director Justin Lesko, Steven G. Mlenak of the law firm Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, and planner James T. Kyle of Kyle + McManus Associates stressed that the meeting was to hear concerns, not to make any decisions. more
HOW SWEET IT IS: Princeton University men’s basketball star Matt Allocco jumps for joy in the waning moments of 15th-seeded Princeton’s 59-55 upset of second-seeded Arizona last Thursday in their NCAA tournament South Region first-round game in Sacramento, Calif. The Tigers went on to defeat seventh-seeded Missouri 78-63 on Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16. Princeton will face sixth-seeded Creighton (23-12) in a round of 16 contest on March 24 in Louisville, Ky. (Photo provided by Princeton Athletics)
By Justin Feil
The Princeton University men’s basketball team is still dancing after winning two straight games to start the NCAA tournament.
That hasn’t happened since Tiger fans were dancing in 1965 to the No. 1 song “My Girl,” by the Temptations.
“I feel like these guys; it’s unbelievable,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson, reflecting on his squad’s stunning run.
Princeton won a pair of games in different fashion to reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. The 15th-seeded Tigers relied on a determined defensive effort to rally late past second-seeded Arizona for a 59-55 victory in their South Region first-round game last Thursday in Sacramento, Calif. more
SCIENCE BOWL CHAMPIONS: Princeton Charter School (PCS) won its fifth state championship in six years in the middle school division of last month’s New Jersey Regional Science Bowl at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. From left are coach Laura Celik and PCS team members Audrey Huang, Gavin Macatangay, Aaron Wang, Amelie Huang, and Rohan Srivastava. (Photo courtesy of Princeton Charter School)
By Donald Gilpin
Area students have displayed their passion and prowess in the world of science, technology, mathematics, and engineering in two recent high-profile events sponsored by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
On March 16, more than 700 young women from seventh to 10th grade participated in the PPPL Young Women’s Conference in STEM at Princeton University, and on February 25 two Princeton schools — Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science (PRISMS) in the high school division and Princeton Charter School (PCS) in the middle school division — took home top honors in the New Jersey Regional Science Bowl at PPPL.
The PRISMS and PCS teams will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl April 27 to May 1.
With 32 high school teams from across the state competing in last month’s competition, the PRISMS team of Justin Feder, Josh Shi, Yichen Xiao, Heyung Ni, and Yiji Wang prevailed over High Technology High School of Lincroft in the final round. Princeton High School (PHS) came in third. more
By Donald Gilpin
Three high-interest agenda items will be the focus of a meeting of the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Association (WJNA) on April 1 at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium of the Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center.
Featured speakers will include Darell Wayne Fields, designer and Princeton University visiting research scholar, who will speak on “Black Architecture: An Introduction,” and a trio of local engineers — consultant project manager Tejal Patel, of T&M Associates; Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell; and Deputy Administrator and Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton, who will be presenting a concept review on Phase III of the Witherspoon Street Corridor Project.
Also on the agenda is the introduction of Onome Olotu, the Paul Robeson Center’s Artist in Residence.
“This WJNA meeting will showcase building community through collaboration and an exchange of ideas and information on historic preservation as it relates to the neighborhood streetscape, art, culture, and infrastructure — all elements that inform and impact quality of life,” said WJNA Co-Chair and Princeton Councilman Leighton Newlin. more
GETTING ACQUAINTED: Participants are shown at the initial Do-Re-Meet speed-dating event, which was followed by a Princeton University Concerts program at Richardson Auditorium. Another round of Do-Re-Meet “Social Events for Music Lovers” is this Sunday. (Photo by Felicity Audet)
By Anne Levin
When Princeton University Concerts (PUC) launched its Do-Re-Meet series mixing social events with classical music performances last December, creators of the program were confident that it would be a success. So they weren’t exactly surprised when it sold out and a long waiting list formed. This enthusiasm inspired the addition of a second speed-dating event, to be paired with two concerts by the Chiaroscuro String Quartet this Sunday, March 26.
“We really believed in the concept from the beginning,” said Marna Seltzer, PUC director. “We were pretty sure that if we got people together over a shared love of music that they would respond.”
PUC partnered with The Singles Group to come up with the concept in the aftermath of the pandemic shutdowns. Several pre-concert events are offered, including speed-dating, Find Your Friends speed-friending, and LGBTQ+ Single Mingle (presented in partnership with the Princeton University Gender + Sexuality Resource Center). Participants meet for socializing and hors d’oeuvres at the Maclean House on the campus, and then walk together to nearby Richardson Hall to attend a concert of PUC’s Performances Up Closer series. more
By Stuart Mitchner
At the 2009 Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale, I found a book on a cart marked “Declined by Collector’s Corner,” the room where the rarest volumes are displayed. Given the event’s stated purpose (funding student scholarships) and timing (March being Women’s History Month), Hart’s Class Book of Poetry (1845) seemed worth a closer look. Compiled by John S. Hart, principal of the Philadelphia High School, the time-worn little anthology had a name and date written in brown ink on the title page (“Lizzie Shipp, June 18, 1858”) and under that, the words “school almost out.”
I bought the book not because it had been marked down to a dollar, nor because it was appropriate to the purpose of the sale or the national occasion; it was the specificity of time and place matched with the owner’s name. If it had been Elizabeth Shipp, I might have left this foundling on the reject cart, except that this was an anthology of selections from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Wordsworth and Coleridge that belonged to a school girl who signed herself Lizzie, a name that for me still sings with the immediacy of the moment. I can almost hear the cries of “Lizzie! Lizzie!” echoing down the hallways and out on the schoolyard. But there’s another, later date at the bottom of the title page: “June 21st 1861 examination next week.” Apparently Lizzie had lived with the book for three years, the Civil War was looming, and now here she is in the 21st century on the magic carpet of this weathered volume, denied a place in Collector’s Corner, like one of the “homeless poets of Bryn Mawr” I wrote about in my first piece on the sale in March 2004. more
By Nancy Plum
After three years of stop-and-start choral performance, Princeton Pro Musica has returned to what the ensemble does best — presenting choral/orchestral masterworks. This past Sunday, just in time for the composer’s 338th birthday, the 80-voice chorus performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion. Led by Pro Musica Artistic Director Ryan James Brandau and accompanied by the early music period orchestra La Fiocco and six vocal soloists, the singers of Pro Musica well demonstrated why pieces such as this have been their mainstay for the past 40 years.
Bach’s Johannes-Passion musically set the “passion narrative” of the suffering and death of Jesus as recorded in the canonical gospel of the apostle John. Bach illuminated John’s texts with arias, recitatives, and choruses, dramatically led by an Evangelist representing John, as well as the characters of Jesus and Pontius Pilate. In Sunday afternoon’s performance, Princeton Pro Musica and La Fiocco were joined by soloists Scott Caldicott Wilson singing the role of the Evangelist, Will Doreza as Jesus, and Jesse Blumberg singing the role of Pilate. Soprano Madeline Apple Healy, alto Robin Bier, and tenor Eric Finbarr Carey rounded out a vocal quartet with Doreza to provide additional musical commentary on the text. more
SCHUBERT AND MORE: Ruth Ochs leads the Westminster Community Orchestra, coming to the Westminster campus Sunday, April 2.
The Westminster Community Orchestra, conducted by Ruth Ochs, will present a concert titled “Rosamunde Revisited” on Sunday, April 2 at 7 p.m. in Hillman Auditorium of the Marian Buckelew Cullen Center on the Westminster Campus of Rider University on Walnut Lane. A suggested donation of $10/person will be accepted at the door.
The concert program is built around the history of a beautiful melody — the Schubert Rosamunde theme, which Schubert originally used as part of incidental music for a play written by Helmina von Chezy. The orchestra will perform Schubert’s Zauberharfe Overture, an independent work historically linked with the play, and selections from the incidental music, including the Rosamunde theme. The concert will also include the second movement from Grieg’s Symphonic Dances, the “Intermezzo” from Goyescas by Granados, and the world premiere of “Frontier,” by Rider University senior music theory and composition major Evan Davis. Rounding out the program will be readings from texts by von Chezy, who struggled for proper recognition during her lifetime. more
OLDIES BUT GOODIES: The Spinners are among the artists who will be performing old favorites at the State Theatre New Jersey on April 14.
State Theatre New Jersey presents a “Classic R&B Spectacular” with The Spinners, Sonny Bivins Manhattans, The Trammps featuring Earl Young, and Parker J on Friday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $39-$89.
The Spinners, from the suburbs of Detroit, formed in 1960 and their first hit single, “That’s What Girls are Made For,” made the top five on the R&B chart. They signed with Berry Gordy’s Motown label, but had limited success throughout the ’60s. In 1972, they switched to Atlantic Records and began their collaboration with Philadelphia-based songwriter-producer Thom Bell, resulting in a string of hit singles on the pop and R&B charts throughout the decade of the 1970s. They dominated the charts with 11 top 20 pop singles, including seven top five pop hits, and 14 top five R&B hits. more
EXCELLENCE IN ART: “Our mission is to bring exceptional quality instruction to artists working in the classical disciplines of drawing, painting, and sculpture. Our students maintain the link to an unbroken chain of training that began hundreds of years ago, and has been passed from teacher to student for generations.” Anna Neis, right, founder and director of the Princeton Academy of Art, and Kelsey Doherty, Academy manager of operations, look forward to helping students achieve their artistic potential.
By Jean Stratton
Works of art resonate with people in many ways. There is a unique communication between artist and beholder. The artist has sought to express his or her vision, and the viewer’s response and perception vary according to a whole range of life conditions and circumstances. Thus, it becomes a very personal, often thought-provoking, and even challenging experience.
Before an artist can create such a work of art, serious study, training, and application are required.
“Artists need more than surface knowledge to progress beyond natural ability and a sharp eye,” points out Anna Neis, founder and executive director of the Princeton Academy of Art (PAA). “Creativity and self-expression are vitally important forms of communication for an artist, but before reaching the point where they can define themselves with complexity, they have to know the building blocks. Learning visual art is similar to learning a verbal language or how to play an instrument. Students must practice. That is what we are here for.” more
A LIFE ON BROADWAY: Patti LuPone performs classic show tunes at State Theatre New Jersey in “Don’t Monkey with Broadway” on March 25. (Photo by Rahav)
State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick presents “Patti LuPone: Don’t Monkey with Broadway” on Saturday, March 25 at 8 p.m. The Broadway star and three-time Tony Award-winner will be performing classic Broadway show tunes. Tickets range from $39-$69.
LuPone will share how her lifelong love affair with Broadway began through the likes of Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jule Styne, Stephen Schwartz, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. “Don’t Monkey with Broadway” is conceived and directed by Scott Wittman with music direction by Joseph Thalken. more
Comic magicians Penn & Teller will appear at State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick on Saturday, September 23 at 8 p.m. In 2022, Penn & Teller celebrated 47 years of professional partnership.
From humble beginnings busking on the streets of Philadelphia to sold-out runs on Broadway to the longest-running resident headline acts in Las Vegas history, the duo continues to refine the genre of magic and invent their own distinct niche in comedy.
Their current series Penn & Teller: Fool Us! for the CW Network, on which up-and-comers and magic veterans try to fool Penn & Teller for a chance to star in the pair’s Las Vegas stage show, was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award and returned for a ninth season in late 2022. Penn & Teller have appeared on everything from Fallon to Friends, The Simpsons to Colbert, Modern Family to Big Bang Theory, plus their own specials for NBC, ABC, PBS, and Comedy Central. more
“NEIGHBORHOOD”: This painting by Heather Barros is part of “Outside — Inside,” her joint exhibition with Larry Mitnick, on view April 6-30 at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville. An opening reception is on April 15 from 1-4 p.m.
Painters Larry Mitnick and Heather Barros each approach the notion of “Outside — Inside” from their particular vantage, yet one finds common ground in their exhibition to be presented at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville April 6-30. Mitnick’s work is more formal and abstract, while Barros’ work bends to the figurative.
These artworks present the viewer with shape and color. Mitnick’s paintings are exclusively geometric. He invents shapes and forms to create his own landscapes. Barros’ oils and pastels allude to corresponding shapes and colors in the landscape. Within her urban scenes, viewers find squares and triangles ready to be abstracted — if they choose to see them that way. While viewers may never divine Mitnick’s specific inspiration, there is a structure in each of his compositions. Fragments of his thinking become visible once their eyes discover the link between any two elements. more
Planning of the 94th Juried Phillips’ Mill Art Show kicks off with the annual call for submissions for the “signature image” of the Mill to be used on all advertising and marketing materials for this year’s show –– posters, ads, invitations, postcards, social media, banners, invitations, and on the website. Submissions will be accepted through April 7.
The winning artist will receive a $400 honorarium and will be promoted in the press and on social media. The artwork will also be featured for sale at the show. The artist is also welcome to submit additional work to the juried show itself.
Previous signature images have included whimsical as well as traditional depictions of the Mill and its surroundings. Phillips’ Mill encourages artists to consider themes of diversity and to “think outside of the box.” Collages, watercolors, oils, and acrylics have all been chosen, so artists should feel free to use their favorite medium, other than photography, to create their vision of the Mill. more
SPRING ART CLASSES: Registration for spring art classes and workshops for adults, teens, and children at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster begins on April 3. Select classes will be offered virtually or in a hybrid format.
Registration is underway for The Center for Contemporary Art’s spring art classes and workshops for adults, teens and children beginning April 3. Select classes will be offered virtually or in a hybrid format. Classes and workshops are offered for artists with all levels of expertise in a variety of media including oil and acrylic paint, pastel, watercolor, drawing, and ceramics.
More than 35 adult classes will be offered. Classes include Portrait Drawing with Oscar Peterson, Morning Watercolor with Lena Shiffman, Afternoon Oil Landscape with Gary Godbee, En Plein Air with Wes Sherman, The Power of Pastels with Andrea Gianchiglia, Chinese Brush Painting with Diana Kung, Ceramic Sculpture with John Reinking, and more. New classes this spring include The Art of Drawing from Basics to Beyond with Aldo Villareal Astuvilca; Combining Mediums with Margaret Fanning; Art from the Start: Acrylic Painting with Barbara Guerriero; and Traditional Latin American Pottery with Vanessa Cabezas, which will be taught in English and Spanish. more
STANDING STRONG: Board members of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum in Skillman are shown at the museum, which will present a special photographic exhibit, “African American Women of the Sourlands,” on March 25 and 26 in honor of Women’s History Month.
The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) was founded by two visionary Black women, Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills, and is led today by a majority-female and African American board. In honor of Women’s History Month, SSAAM, central New Jersey’s only Black history museum, is presenting a special photographic exhibit of historical portraits of women from the Sourland region’s Black founding families and their descendants. The exhibit, “African American Women of the Sourlands,” will be open to the public on March 25 and 26.
“African American Women of the Sourlands” will showcase the photographs and stories of African American women who left their mark on New Jersey’s history — from the 18th century to the present day. Visitors will learn about Sylvia Dubois, “the slave who whipped her mistress and earned her freedom;” Corinda True, who with her husband, donated the land on which SSAAM stands today; and Evelyn Brooks who, at 102 years old, is Sourland Mountain’s oldest resident and property owner, and an important link to Sourland’s African American past. more
GREAT GIFTS: “We want to offer clients more opportunities, including quality gifts for every occasion and at varied price points,” says Anne Russell, Hamilton Home executive vice president for marketing and branding. She is excited about Hamilton Jewelers’ new division, Hamilton Home. Shown is a display of the wide range of items, including home decor and housewarming, entertainment and barware, wedding and baby gifts, and linens, all within a charming setting.
By Jean Stratton
A successful business always finds new ways to remain successful. It offers customers new opportunities, new choices, new items — even a new direction.
Hamilton Jewelers is a case in point. One of Princeton’s most successful businesses, it celebrated its 110th anniversary last year, and is renowned for its selection of high quality and unique jewelry.
Not only that, it is a true family business, with four generations of the Siegel family having been active participants in leading the business to success.
Located at 33 Witherspoon Street, its latest enterprise, Hamilton Home, opened in November of 2022, and offers an extensive array of home decor and gift items. more
STONE COLD: Princeton University women’s basketball player Grace Stone heads to the hoop in recent action. Last Friday, senior guard Stone drained a three-pointer with 4.7 seconds left in regulation to give the 10th-seeded Tigers a 64-63 win over seventh-seeded N.C. State in the first round of the NCAA tournament’s Greenville 2 Region in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two days later, Stone scored 16 points with a game-high four 3-pointers but it wasn’t enough as Princeton fell 63-56 to second-seeded Utah. The defeat left the Tigers with a final record of 24-6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Grace Stone clearly didn’t want it to end.
As Princeton University women’s basketball team trailed N.C. State last Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament’s Greenville 2 Region in Salt Lake City, Utah, senior guard Stone drained a three-pointer from the corner to give the Tigers a 64-63 win and keep their season alive.
“That is a play we practiced over, and over; that is a shot I have taken in a game before,” said Stone, who scored with 4.7 seconds left in the game. “I think my teammates have all the confidence in the world in me. I knew, if I missed the shot, they would get the offensive rebound. It is really hard not to shoot with confidence when you have teammates like mine. Yes, I think before the play, I knew what shot we had to get. When it happened, I blacked out. Then afterwards, just a bunch of hugs.”
Princeton head coach Carla Berube was not surprised to see Stone come up with the clutch bucket. more
GLORY DAY: Princeton University wrestler Pat Glory celebrates after winning the 125-pound title at the NCAA Championships last Saturday in Tulsa, Okla. Senior Glory defeated Matt Ramos of Purdue 4-1 in the final. It marked the first national title for the program since Bradley Glass placed first at heavyweight in 1951. (Photo by Lisa Elfstrum, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)
By Justin Feil
Pat Glory is going to make the Princeton University wrestling program do some redecorating in its practice room.
The team will be adding a framed photo of the Tiger senior after he claimed the second NCAA championship in program history with a 4-1 win over Matt Ramos of Purdue in the 125-pound final at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday.
“I cannot wait,” said Glory, a Randolph resident who attended Delbarton. “I’m so ecstatic because it gets old walking into the room and seeing the same big picture underneath the national championship wall.” more
KARI ON: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Kari Buonanno races upfield last Saturday against Penn State. Junior midfielder Buonanno tallied four goals and an assist in a losing cause as Princeton fell 16-14 to the Nittany Lions. The Tigers, now 3-3, play at Cornell on March 25. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Kari Buonanno has dealt with plenty of adversity over her career with the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team.
As a freshmen, Buonanno’s season was halted after five games when the sports world was shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
After taking a gap year, Buonanno returned to the team last spring and missed five games due to injury.
Back at full speed coming into the 2023 campaign, Buonanno is primed to make up for lost time. more
RISING STAR: Princeton High boys’ basketball player Jahan Owusu goes up for a shot in a game this winter. Junior star guard Owusu emerged as a go-to scorer for the Tigers, tallying a team-high 314 points as PHS went 10-13 and advanced to the Mercer County Invitational final. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
When the Princeton High boys’ basketball team started its 2022-23 campaign by losing five of its first six games, it looked like it could be a bleak winter for the squad.
Instead, PHS found a rhythm, advancing to the Mercer County Invitational final and nearly pulling off a big upset in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 4 sectional on the way to posting a 10-13 record.
“We got better each game, by the end of the year, we really got rolling,” said PHS head coach Pat Noone. “Throughout the season, that is what you want. You want them to get better each day and these guys definitely did that. It was a lot fun and it made an enjoyable end of the season run.” more
TAKING HIS SHOT: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Jaden Dublin puts up a shot in a game this winter. Senior guard Dublin proved to be a catalyst for PDS as it went 8-16 and advanced to the Prep B state semis. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
The mantra that Eugene Burroughs repeated throughout this winter to his Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team was “advance the program forward.”
Employing a gritty style and featuring a trio of superb senior guards in Jaden Dublin, Jaden Hall, and Mason McQueen, PDS did just that.
“We won three more games than last year which is a testament to this group and how they meshed together,” said Panther head coach Burroughs, whose team posted an 8-16 record. “We were probably one shot away from moving on in that state tournament and we played well enough to win.” more
PASSING LANE: Stuart County Day School basketball player Emily Ix passes the ball in a game this winter. Senior star Ix provided production and leadership as Stuart showed progress down the stretch in going 5-6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
For the Stuart County Day School basketball team, ending the winter with a pair of wins exemplified the progress it made in a season of transition.
With Tony Bowman returning to take the helm of the program after guiding the Tartans from 2003-11 and the roster down to seven players, it took a while for Stuart to get in sync.
“It was challenging in the beginning and then it became fun and we started playing basketball,” said Bowman, whose team topped STEM Civics 57-16 and Hamilton West 40-31 in the last week of the season to end the winter with a record of 5-6. “It was definitely a process. The kids had to get used to me and I had to get used to them. You come into somebody else’s system and then it breaks down from 12 kids to seven. Those are some of the things that you don’t foresee.” more