Princeton Day School is pleased to release the matriculation list for the Class of 2013. Click here to see the entire list. In announcing this news, Director of College Counseling Sarah Graham remarked: “The Class of 2013 represents a group of spirited, unique, and talented individuals who have taken full advantage of the resources available to them at Princeton Day School. As they enter this next chapter of their lives, they will be enrolling at some of the most highly selective schools in the country. There, they will continue to build on the success that they have achieved at PDS as they study a diverse range of disciplines, including engineering, arts and sciences, theater, architecture, film, and dance. This matriculation list represents thoughtful consideration, deep self-reflection, and focused research. We wish our graduating seniors well and know that they are well-prepared to dive into college life and make a difference in their campus communities, just as they have done in ours.”

Congratulations to the Princeton Day School boys varsity tennis team on winning the NJISAA Prep B Tournament yesterday at the Garden State Tennis Center yesterday. The Pennington School, Montclair Kimberly Academy, and PDS all tied for first place with 8 points each. Click here for an article about the tournament, including match scores, on NJ.com. Our team, ably led by Coach Will Asch and Assistant Coach Jon Brown, includes co-captains Neeraj Devulapalli and DJ Modzelewski, and Scott Altmeyer, Alec Gershen, Kunaal Patade, Peter Kilbourne, David Zhang. The team played strong this season, and gave it their all in an amazing tournament. Way to go Panthers!

This week in the McAneny Theater, the Middle School and Upper School celebrated their talented student-athletes at the Athletic Awards Ceremonies. On Tuesday afternoon, the Upper School students and their families gathered to see the spring teams, hear from the coaches about the season and the top performers, and watch a slideshow of photos from the entire season. Awards were given to top players in golf, lacrosse, baseball, softball, figure skating, and tennis—click here to see the full list. And on Wednesday, in the Middle School ceremony, the Panther Awards were presented to Peter Shannon, Coby Gibson, Shahin Damji and Abby Atkeson. And the Silver P Awards went to Jack Amaral and Reilly Fletcher. The ceremony ended with a rousing slideshow of the entire MS season, including baseball, softball, tennis, lacrosses, track & field, and figure skating. As Director of Athletics Tim Williams remarked, “We recognize all of our athletes, not just the ones being given awards, and we hope that each team member had a great season filled with growth and accomplishment.”

Despite a few sprinkles, the weather held for Princeton Day School's annual Blue & White Day, held on Pagoda Fields today. Spirits were high, competition was close, and school spirit abounded. The all-school relay race was a nail-biter, the tug of war matches were close, and noodle tag was, well, controlled chaos. Though there is no word yet on the winning team, be sure to click here to see photos from the morning's events.  All in all, a terrific Blue & White Day was had by all!

It was a glorious Alumni Weekend under the tent at Princeton Day School this past weekend. More than 500 alums, faculty, and their families gathered to visit and mingle, toast departing Head of Upper School Carlton Tucker, meet the Alumni Award recipients and Hall of Fame inductees, and of course kick up their heels at their class parties. Click here to see some photos from the event.

Princeton Day School has found an answer to the senior spring conundrum: how do you keep seniors engaged in high school after they’ve been accepted into college? Assign them a six-week independent project on the topic of their choice at the end of the year that offers both structure and freedom. Senior Projects at Princeton Day School are not only a great solution to the senior spring, but also highly impactful to our graduating seniors—sometimes changing their charted course in unexpected ways. This year’s projects include a photographic essay of the Jersey Shore, post-Hurricane Sandy; a sports marketing internship with the Trenton Titans hockey team; participating in the Teaching Assistance Program (TAP) at PDS with 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Ferguson; a video archive project about Princeton Day School; and an exploration into innovative product design (see photo!). Be sure to check back in the coming weeks for excerpts from these students’ projects. And mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 29th, for the Senior Projects Visual and Performing Arts Presentations. The not-to-be-missed event will begin in the McAneny Theater at 3:30 pm, and then move to the Anne Reid ’72 ArtGallery for the exhibition and a reception.

Head of School Paul Stellato invites parents of 7th graders to an evening devoted to exploring one of Princeton Day School’s greatest resources: The Upper School. On Tuesday, May 21st, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in the Arts Atrium, the audience will hear from Mr. Stellato, as well as Director of College Counseling Sarah Graham, on the exceptional outcomes our seniors enjoy in the college process. In addition, Head of Upper School Carlton Tucker will speak on student program and opportunity, and Head of Upper School-Elect Jason Robinson (in his first Princeton Day School appearance!), will talk about the virtues of a day school experience. This should be an engaging program and a very productive evening.

The Princeton Day School chess team played a great tournament on May 11th—their last of the academic year. Chess teacher Bonnie Waitzkin remarked, “I continue to be impressed by the hard work and tenacity of our great chess team, who played so well in so many top tournaments this year and who should be recognized for their achievement.” On Saturday’s tournament, Arun Patel was first with 3 wins and one draw in K-1. Patrick Ming, 7th, Liz Zhao, 8th, Aiyan Doshi, 9th, and Brooke Bartlett and Kasra Haghighat also participated—first place team. In NOVICE I, Charlie Hogshire was 2nd, Sasson Ziv-Loewy 3rd, Aadi Shankar 4th, Will Bennett 5th and Devan Sakaria—first place team. In NOVICE II, PDS was first team with Trevor Mackles, Ian Nagelberg, and Boaz Ziv-Loewy. In RESERVE, Katie Jain was 6th. In OPEN, Delia McCarthy tied for first place with 3 points.  Harrison Bernardi played up to the OVER 1000 CLOSED section and scored 2 out of 3. Albert Ming and Kai Shaw were first and second in FUTURE MASTERS, and Winston Ni, Nick Jain,Rahul Rajaram, and Dodge Martinson made it in the hotly contested Near Masters section for players over 1400 rated. In announcing the results, Ms. Waitzkin said, “These are the students who will be successful as adults because of their patience, problem solving skills, and calculation. I am also impressed by their camaraderie and the elegance of their studying together, competing together, and sometimes, as they did this weekend, competing against one another with great affection.”

Beginning on Thursday afternoon at 3:45, the McAneny Theater will showcase the prodigious talents of our Upper School students in the annual celebration that is the Spring Performing Arts Festival. The Festival which runs through Friday evening will feature everything from poetry readings to scenes from Shakespeare to live music and dance, to original plays and short films. And it’s free! There will be a special event on Friday, May 17th, at 8:00 pm, which will include a small admission fee, as it is a benefit performance. The “Sing for Sandy!" Cabaret Evening will feature the vocal talents of Princeton Day School students, as well as guests from The Peddie School and Princeton High School, and all proceeds will benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts. For a complete line-up of performances, click here.

Come to the Gosnell Room at the Lisa McGraw ’44 ice rink for the last Parents Association meeting of the year on Wednesday, May 15th. The meeting will begin at 8:00 am, and will feature a presentation from Director of Enrollment Management Kelly Dun and Middle School science teacher Gil Olvera about diversity at Princeton Day School. Ms. Dun and Mr. Olvera both serve on the School’s Community and Multiculturalism Development Team (CMDT), which serves to enhance the School’s mission by harnessing the strengths that reside in our community’s diversity of race, gender, ability, ethnicity, religion, financial circumstance, geography, and sexual orientation. Click here to read more about diversity at PDS. They will speak about the history of the group and the changes that have been implemented both programmatically and at the student level, including the creation of new student groups like the Black Latino Student Union, which recently received a Certificate of Accomplishment at the Princeton Prize in Race Relations Award Ceremony at Princeton University. In announcing this news, PA President Gwyn Langeler said, “I’m pleased to have Kelly and Gil speak to our parents about the important work of the CMDT. This group addresses the diverse community that we have become.” 

The Princeton Day School Middle School musicians and singers will surely impress family and friends on Tuesday, May 14th and Monday, May 20th in the McAneny Theater as they perform their spring concerts. On May 14th, the Instrumental Spring Concert begins at 7:00 pm, featuring selections played by the Jazz Band, Beginning and Advanced Band, 8th Grade Band, Chamber Winds, Allegro Strings, Chamber Strings, and Sinfonia Strings. The program features a wide range of inspired selections, from Vivaldi to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” On Monday, May 20th, the Choral Music Spring Concert will take place at 7:00 pm with performances by the Middle School Choirs, Concert Choir, and Chorale. Titled “Songs from the Silver Screen,” the program will feature tunes from Disney films like “Mary Poppins” and “The Lion King” as well as show tunes from “The Sound of Music,” “Swing Kids,” and “Wicked.”

Calling all alums! If you haven’t already registered for Alumni Weekend at Princeton Day School on May 17th and 18th, be sure to click here and sign up now. This year, the School is honoring four extraordinary alums and a top coach: Donald H. Gips ’78, former Ambassador to South Africa, will receive the Alumni Achievement Award; Jennifer Chandler Hauge ’78, Vice President and Director of Network Support & Knowledge Sharing at the National Council of Nonprofits, will receive the newly named John D. Wallace ’48 Alumni Service Award; and Brian T. Smith ’03, Broadway Producer, will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. In addition, long-serving cross country coach Eamon M. Downey, and standout lacrosse player Kari Zarzecki Habay ’98 will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. To read more about Alumni Award recipients and Hall of Fame inductees, be sure to read the spring issue of the Princeton Day School Journal, available here (and in your mailbox!). See you under the tent!

Update: Blue & White Day is now scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd.

Sometimes described as a field day on steroids, Princeton Day School’s Blue and White Day is a highly anticipated event that involves the entire school. This year’s big day is scheduled for Friday, May 10th, on the fields. Each student, faculty, and staff member is either on the Blue or the White team, and competes in a variety of games, including noodle tag, potato sack races, beach ball relays, soccer ball dribble relays, bean fetch, capture the cones, and the tug of war (the faculty tug of war is usually quite popular with the students!). New this year, the faculty will participate in the “Big Race,” the first event of the day, a relay race involving one Blue and one White team member from each grade. Whether you are on the Blue or White Team, this is a day for fun and good sportsmanship for the whole school. And this is only the start of a fun-filled day for the Middle School that includes a variety show in the McAneny Theater in the afternoon and MS Fun Night in the evening. Check back here for photos!

The Princeton Day School boys lacrosse team had an exciting victory over Morristown-Beard last night in the semi-finals of the Prep State tournament. Winning in overtime, 10-9, with Taran Auslander ’13 scoring the game winner, the team will progress to the Prep Championship at Rutgers Prep on Monday, May 13th at 4:30 pm. Coach Rob Tuckman noted, “This team is lead by a group of seniors that have set the bar for excellence very high…. The team’s drive for greatness is what gets us to never give up and always fight to the end. We have experienced some great moments and still have some great moments to come.” The girls lacrosse team is also playing well and will face Princeton High School in the Mercer County Tournament Quarterfinals this afternoon at 4:30 at PHS. Go Panthers!

Summer is almost here, and it’s not too soon to start crafting your summer reading list.  For all of your reading needs, just stop by the Princeton Day School Book Fair, which will be in the Gymateria from May 7th through May 9th from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. This year, the Parents Association has partnered with Barnes & Noble to create a wonderful event with an extensive array of books chosen from individualized reading recommendation lists that the PDS faculty has created for students of all ages. There will also be an ice cream social kicking off the Book Fair on Tuesday afternoon from 3:00-5:00 pm, as well as daily prizes including B&N gift baskets, movie tickets, gift cards, and more. Click on the Book Fair page here to peruse the PDS faculty and staff recommendation lists, as well as links to award-winning books and top picks from Barnes & Noble. You can purchase your books at the Fair on campus, at any B&N store, and online at www.bn.com through May 12th. Just be sure to use the Princeton Day School code #11091998 so that proceeds from the sale can benefit our libraries. These proceeds allow our Princeton Day School Libraries continue to bring in the latest and best books and e-books for our students each year.

As reported here recently, Princeton Day School’s theater production of Anon(ymous) was nominated for 8 awards in the statewide 2013 New Jersey Theater Awards. The award ceremony was held last Friday evening at Montclair State University, and Princeton Day School took home two awards: Best Ensemble Performance and Best Director for Artist-in-Residence Stan Cahill. This was the first year Princeton Day School participated in the statewide theater awards. The cast and crew attended the Oscar-style ceremony, and both performed scenes from the play during the show and worked backstage with the technicians. Private and public schools from across the state were present, including many highly lauded performing arts schools from the competitive New York City area. In announcing the news, Mr. Cahill remarked, “It was a great evening, and our cast and crew really put their best foot forward. These awards have put us firmly on the Performing Arts map in front of programs from all over New Jersey.”

The girls lacrosse team is playing well and gaining momentum, scoring an impressive 14-12 win over Blair Academy last week. Hannah Levy ’13 is having a great season, and scored six the goals in the game against Blair. There is a game scheduled with Peddie this afternoon, May 1st, and then the girls will head into the Mercer County Tournament on May 3rd where they are scheduled to play 11th-seed Hightstown. Click here for an article about the girls lacrosse team highlights in Town Topics. The boys baseball team is strong this year, and Coach Ray O’Brien mentions it may be the best offensive team in his 5 years of coaching at PDS. Click here to check out more about highlights from the baseball season on NJ.com. And, finally, congratulations to Katie Edelblut ’14 for placing 3rd overall in the Mercer County Tournament Girls Golf Championship!

Director of College Counseling Sarah Graham shared some highlights and insights from this year’s college admissions season, one of the most competitive to date. “This year, we saw many highly selective colleges reported their lowest acceptance rates ever. However, there was good news for Princeton Day School students: in general, acceptance rates for our students were higher than the overall acceptance rates at those colleges.” Ms. Graham went on to report on statistics: “67% of the Class of 2013 had at least one college acceptance by January of their senior year, and 20% of the class was accepted under binding Early Decision or Restricted Early Action plans.” Perhaps most striking was the news that all other senior students had multiple offers from which to choose—an impressive accomplishment. Ms. Graham has also been engaging with groups around the country to speak on the topic of college counseling at the high school level. She remarked, “I've loved being able to get out on the road this month and present at speaking engagements for a variety of audiences. I recently led a workshop session at a National College Fair at the Meadowlands Expo Center run by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, and I spoke about college admissions to an audience of middle school students at the East Harlem School in New York.”

Beginning on Monday, April 29th, Princeton Day School’s Pretty Brook Farm will be transformed into a working barn, complete with visiting animals, arts & crafts, and even butter churning. Join us for an “Open Barn” event on Thursday, May 2nd, from 2:45- 3:45 pm, where parents, students, and faculty will be able to explore the barn and visit with the animals. Lower School Science teacher Aaron Schomburg, who organizes this much anticipated annual event, explained how each grade in the Lower School will integrate Barn Week into their curriculum. “The first grade will learn about butter making, square dancing, arts and crafts, and visit with the animals. The second graders will learn about animal adaptations, which relates to their biome studies. The third grade will learn about which animals helped pioneers travel westward, tying into their westward movement studies, and the third and fourth graders will learn about making yarn from raw wool, and do some yarn-weaving. Additionally, the fourth grade will study why certain animals were brought to the Americas, tying into their immigration study.” During the week of May 6th, Middle and Upper School science and arts classes will also visit the barn to connect it to their studies. See you at the barn!

Mark your calendars for May 2nd and May 3rd, when the Princeton Day School 8th grade class will dominate the McAneny Theater stage with their production of “HONK!” Based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling, “HONK!” is the story of Ugly, a “duckling” whose odd, gawky looks cause his community to reject him.  Though separated from his home and pursued by a hungry cat, Ugly ultimately finds his way back to his loving mother, and along the way, meets up with many lively characters. This engaging show, which features the efforts and talents of every 8th grade student, promises to be full of good humor and high energy. Performing Arts Chair and Director Deb Sugarman remarked, “HONK! is a tale of discovering your own true beauty and finding love and acceptance in all its forms. Its charm, humor and message of tolerance make it a perfect show for audiences of all ages.” Performances are Thursday and Friday evening at 7:30 pm in the McAneny Theater, and admission is free (families are allowed up to 4 seats per performance). Click here to reserve your tickets.

Princeton Day School was honored to welcome this year’s Imagine the Possibilities artists to campus. Poet and author Allan Wolf, author and illustrator David Wiesner, and author Linda Sue Park were gracious and incredibly inspiring, working directly with students in all three divisions. Upper School English teacher Mary Williams shared that students from her Writing Childhood, Writing for Children seminar were inspired by Linda Sue Park’s book of sijo, the Korean poetic form, titled Tap Dancing on the Roof, to write their own poems. Here is one example: 

Time seems to stand still for a single utterly pristine moment

before the cold air whips past your face to start up the clocks

and the frigid water socks the senses back in your head.

Click to view photos from the artists’ visits: Linda Sue Park, David Wiesner, Allan Wolf

On Friday, April 26th, the Lower School will begin a new tradition: Maypole Day. A slightly modified version of Grandparents and Special Friends Day, this new event is open to everyone (parents, grandparents, siblings, friends), and will take place from 8:00 to 10:00 am beginning in the Lower School. There will be a light breakfast and coffee, and then the visitors will have the opportunity to go on tours of the campus led by student ambassadors and staff, visit the classrooms, and take part in a welcome activity. At around 9:30, everyone will congregate on the Colross lawn for the annual Maypole Dance, performed by the 2nd graders. Head of the Lower School Lisa Surace notes, “The Maypole Dance is a longstanding tradition, dating back to Miss Fine’s School, and we are delighted to continue this beloved tradition in this new format.” Once the dance is complete, the students will bid farewell to their family and friends and return to their classrooms to have a regular dismissal at 3:00 pm. Stay tuned for photos from the event!

This past weekend, nine Princeton Day School students participated in the Seton Hall Model United Nations Conference, and four were singled our for recognition. Grace Lee ’15, representing China in the UN Security Council, and Michael Kearney ’15, representing the Czech Republic in the European Council, both won gavels as Best Delegates in their committees. Selena Anjur-Dietrich ’13, representing Cyprus in the European Council, and Alex Zheng ’16, representing the Minister of Finance in the State Council of the PRC, each won an Honorable Mention. US History teacher Eamon Downey remarked, “Our entire team did a wonderful job representing their assigned roles, including three first-time participants.” In addition, earlier this month seven US students competed in the Philadelphia Classic (also known as the PClassic), an annual computer programming contest for high school students organized by the Dining Philosophers, the Computer Science Club at University of Pennsylvania. Technology teacher Wei-hsing Wang noted, “There were 54 teams from 22 schools, and Princeton Day School sent 2 teams. One of our teams ranked #7, and the other #19.” The PDS team completed an impressive 5 out of 9 problems at the competition. Congratulations to our Upper School students.

Lower School 2nd grade teacher Paris McLean and Middle School Math and Science teacher Alesia Klein recently served on a panel at the Research Institute for Learning and Development’s 28th Annual Learning and Development Conference at Harvard University. Their presentation on executive function strategies for classroom implementation was well-received and noted as a highlight in the ResearchILD conference newsletter. “Our presentation went extremely well.  We received wonderful feedback and learned even more about mindsets and learning styles,” remarked Mr. McLean. This presentation came out of the work done through the Bogle Faculty grant that Mr. McLean and Ms. Klein received in 2011. Upper School English teacher and Sustainability Coordinator Liz Cutler recently gave presentations at the National Association of Independent Schools Conference on both sustainability at PDS and the School’s organic garden (with Garden Coordinator Pam Flory). In addition, Ms. Cutler and FLIK Chef Brian Mochnal spoke at the New Jersey Farm to School Conference, and earlier this month, she spoke at the Green Schools Alliance Conference on “Sustainability in Teaching, Practice, and Design: A Whole School Approach” at the Allen-Stevenson School in New York City.  

The spring season is off to a strong start for the Panthers. The boys varsity tennis team is currently undefeated, and will play Pingry away today, April 18th. Town Topics recently covered the boys tennis team, noting they are “emerging as a title contender,” in this article. With the talent and strength of top players Michael Zhao '17, David Zhang '16, and Scott Altmeyer '16, the team is energized and in a strong position this season. The Mercer County Tournament is scheduled for April 22nd and 24th at the Mercer County Park tennis complex, and Coach Will Asch predicts a high level of performance. The girls lacrosse team is playing hard this season and recently beat Hun in a shootout, 21-18. They will face rivals Lawrenceville today at home. Here is an article on Zeeza Cole '13 in the Princeton Packet. And the boys baseball team is on a roll with a recent win against Peddie, 9-4, and playing to win. Click here for a recent article about the baseball team in Town Topics. The spring season is moving ahead at full speed now, so be sure to come out to the games and support our Panthers!

Princeton Day School’s Upper School student club, Environmental Action Club (EnACT), has organized their second eco-conference, which will be held on May 4th, 9:15 am-1:30 pm on campus.  The club first organized an eco-conference in 2011, which brought together 100 students from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  This year’s conference, “Our Future, Our Challenge,” is for all tri-state area high school students and interested adults. The keynote speaker, David Crane, CEO of NRG, will discuss environmental and economic sustainability, and closing speaker Heidi Cullen, Chief Climatologist of Climate Central, will discuss climate change and the weather. Three workshops will focus on sustainable food: “Running a Sustainable Organic Farm” with owners/operators of Double Brook Farm in Hopewell, Robin Cook McConaughy ’87 and Jon McConaughy ’85; “Wild Edibles” with PDS parent and nationally recognized forager Tama Matsuoka Wong, and “School Gardens, Bees, and Chickens” with PDS Garden Coordinator Pam Flory and PDS Lower School Science teacher Aaron Schomberg. There will also be a fair of New Jersey-based, non-profit, environmentally-related organizations, as well as a networking lunch, where participants will be able to discuss environmental issues and the possibilities of working together to create stronger sustainable communities. The registration fee for the eco-conference includes entrance to all lectures, workshops, the fair, and a delicious and sustainable lunch, featuring food from local farms. Register before April 26th, and receive a discount. Click here to register!

Join us for the Upper School Spring Music concert tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 17th, at 7:30 pm in the McAneny Theater for a night of memorable performances and beautiful music. The program will include performances by the Upper School Band, Orchestra, Madrigals, Chorus, and the A Capella groups—Pitch Please and the Y-Chromotones. The program is inspired and varied, with selections including “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables, “Presto” from the Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, “The Wizard of Oz,” by Harold Arlen, and “Marry You” by Bruno Mars. Our senior students will be recognized, as well. Be sure to check back here for photos from the concert later this week.

All parents are invited to the last Parents Association meeting of the year on Wednesday, April 17th, at 8:00 am in the Gosnell Room of the Lisa McGraw ’44 ice rink. Presenting at the meeting will be the Princeton Day School College Counseling team, led by Director of College Counseling Sarah Graham. Drawing on their extensive experience working in highly selective admissions and college counseling, they will help parents understand the current trends that they are seeing in the college admissions world. In addition, they will discuss how the College Counseling Department at PDS guides families through the college admissions process, and offer healthy, constructive suggestions for how to approach college admissions. PA President Gwyn Langeler noted, “Headlines about college admissions are everywhere today and it can be hard to separate hype from fact. We are fortunate to have a great College Counseling team at PDS to help parents in this process and offer much-needed perspective.”

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce an updated online faculty and staff directory. Our community is now able to search for a staff member by division and department. In addition, photos now accompany each listing. You can also click on the last name, and will be taken to an additional page with more information. You can access the directory here, and by clicking on the “Contact Us” tab in the top menu, and then clicking on “Directory of Faculty & Staff.” We hope these changes are helpful to our community.

Princeton Day School is delighted to announce a new initiative to restore the School apple orchard to its original state. The orchard, across from Pretty Brook Farm, has been a part of the campus since the beginning, and, in the past, was quite robust. The Lower School faculty decided to brainstorm about ways to bring the orchard back to its former glory, and the group decided to use the proceeds from this year’s Second Grade Calendar sale to plant new apple trees. In announcing the news, 2nd grade teacher Jenn Vradenburg remarked, “We are now able to plant 17 new apple trees, with varieties including Roxbury Russet, Northern Spy, Williams Pride and Liberty.  We also purchased bee hives for the orchard to help with pollination.” Last Friday, on a gorgeous sunny day, the 2nd and 3rd grade classes, teachers, and LS Science teacher Aaron Schomburg worked together to dig holes and plant the new trees.  Head of the Lower School Lisa Surace noted, “It will be exciting for the children to be active stewards for their school and to watch, over the years, these trees grow, blossom, bloom and later produce fruit.” Click here to see photos from the day.

Artist-in-Residence Stan Cahill announced that Princeton Day School’s fall production of Anon(ymous) earned eight nominations in the Montclair State University Theater Night Awards Program. In announcing the news, Mr. Cahill noted, “Approximately 50 private and public schools participated in this statewide competition which ‘Honors Excellence in High School Drama in New Jersey.’ These awards are given to non-musical plays produced by secondary schools.” Both Naiyah Ambros ’14 and Jay Mack ’16 received nominations in the Lead Actor and Actress categories for their performances as Nemasani and Anon, respectively, and Jessica Toltzis ’15 was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Pascal. In addition, the work of the entire cast was recognized with a nomination in the category of ‘Best Performance by an Ensemble.’ Anon(ymous) also earned nominations for Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design, and a Best Director nomination for Mr.Cahill, who directed the production. Finally, Anon(ymous) was recognized with a nomination for Best Overall Production. Mr. Cahill remarked, “This is the first year that PDS has participated in the MSU Theater Night Awards, which is run by the MSU Theater Department and School of the Arts to recognize excellence in the production of school plays throughout the state of New Jersey. As we lead the state with eight nominations, this is a remarkable first time entry for PDS.” Award winners will be announced in a special awards ceremony held in the Memorial Auditorium at Montclair State University on Friday, April 26th, at 7:00pm. (Nota bene: The Cabaret night, "Sing for Sandy" originally scheduled for Friday night, and mentioned here earlier today has now been postponed. Stay tuned for the new date!)  

This week Princeton Day School celebrates International Week. The Lower School, joining the festivities for the first time this year, has many great activities planned, including a bulletin board near the LS library with information about customs around the world, a question of the day, and a greeting of the day, each day in a different language. (Today, the greeting is in Mongolian: hello: Sain uu; and goodbye:Bayartai.) In addition, there will be a map in the LS where students can place different colored pins to represent the country of their families’ ancestry (there will be a similar map for Upper School students, as well), and in Friday’s assembly, each grade will perform a song in different language. In the Middle School, an International Week-themed talent show will take place at Tuesday’s Focus assembly. And in the Upper School, the students will compete in an international-themed trivia contest at today’s assembly, design t-shirts in different languages, and be able to purchase some delicious crepes at a French Club-sponsored sale. (Speaking of internationally-inclined students, a group of fortunate Upper School students traveled to Paris over spring break with US teachers Laurence Farhat, Karen Latham, and Elizabeth Monroe, to explore the art, culture, and literature of France. Click here to see a photo slideshow from the trip.) Finally, thanks to the culinary talents of FLIK Dining Services, each day this week students at the Campus Center will be treated to cuisines from different countries, including North African/French, South American/Spanish, Asian, Italian, and Greek. Happy International Week!

Summer Programs at Princeton Day School has announced that the Women in Leadership camp at Princeton University returns this year. This unique camp gives young women entering 8th through 10th grades the opportunity to learn about leadership by visiting successful women in a variety of fields, and offering an intensive look at what it means to be a successful leader. Participants in this camp will: practice interviewing techniques; analyze how transformative and principled leaders implement change in a collaborative way; learn about their own personality traits, how to appreciate diversity of opinions, and teamwork; enhance their presentation skills; and learn great advice and tips from charismatic and successful women. Stephanie Cohen, the Women in Leadership Instructor, has scheduled an impressive group of women to meet with campers, including top women executives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Good Apple Digital, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Bank of America, Merck, Scholastic/Nickelodeon, as well as academic leaders at Princeton University.  For a list of presenters, and their biographies, please click here. For more information on the Women in Leadership program and to register visit www.pds.org/summerprograms.

Imagine the Possibilities, the beloved school-wide program made possible through the John D. Wallace, Jr. ’78 Memorial Guest Artist Series Fund, brings authors, illustrators, and poets to Princeton Day School to work directly with students each spring. This year, the School is honored to welcome Allan Wolf, David Wiesner, and Linda Sue Park to campus from April 16-24. Each year, Program Coordinator Bev Gallagher matches up teachers and artists in a variety of ways to best enhance the experience for the entire community. The artists are chosen up to a year in advance, giving the teachers a chance to build curriculum around their visits. The program began in 1996 with the idea of having an artist spend the day on campus and visit classes in the Lower, Middle, and Upper School. Now, seventeen years later, the program has doubled in size and scope, with multiple artists spending two days each on campus, while engaging in division assembly presentations, classroom workshops, and autographing sessions. Ms. Gallagher notes, “Each year I get to dream again and imagine ways to inspire our community. I feel honored and privileged to have worked on this program for the past 17 years. What started out as a one-year program has truly grown into something amazing. My colleagues find remarkable ways to use the artists and their talents, allowing for spectacular visits.”

Princeton Day School is delighted to welcome two new staff members to the team: Head Athletic Trainer Henry Minarick, MAT, ATC, and Director of Summer Programs Jamie Bean. Mr. Minarick comes to PDS from Rider University in Lawrenceville, where he has served as Assistant Athletic Trainer for the past 12 years. He was primarily involved with basketball as well as assisting all other Division 1 sports at Rider. Mr. Minarick will work closely with the athletics department and with Assistant Athletic Trainer Hillery Lamb. He has both a BS degree and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Montclair State University, and joined the School on April 1st. Mr. Bean previously served as Summer Camp Director and Senior Program Director at Camp Bernie (a YMCA camp) in Port Murray. A self-described “summer camp guy,” Mr. Bean has been involved with summer camps for the past 18 years, and will work closely with Chelsea Simpson and Nick Maloney in the Summer Programs office. An alumnus of Hebron Academy in Maine, Mr. Bean has a BA from Wake Forest University, and is completing a Master of Education at the University of Maine, and will join the PDS community on April 15th.

Congratulations to two Princeton Day School students whose plays have been selected for further dramaturgical development and professional staged readings at the McCarter Theatre 2013 Youth Ink! Festival of Plays, Playwrights & Playwriting on May 22nd. “Scarlet Dream” by Peter Kilbourne ’13 and “Stacking Up” by Kayla Stokes ’15 were chosen from the submissions by the Youth Ink! Play Selection Committee. The news was announced by McCarter Director of High School Programs Paula Alekson, who noted “The committee was compelled by your individual voices/characters/dramatic ideas and further motivated by your record of revision in the residency and expressed eagerness to continue developing your works.” In announcing the news to the school community, US English teacher and Lively Arts Program liaison Mary Williams noted, “I would like to add my congratulations to Peter and Kayla and to their YouthInk teachers, Jamie McCulloch and Stan Cahill!” Youth Ink! Finalists from Princeton Day School included Tanya Bush ’14, Andrea Jenkins ’13, Thomas Kilkenny ’13, Julie Stokes ’13, and Julie Zink ’14. Honorable Mentions were noted for works by Nick Jaeckel ’14, Jack Laylin ’13, Daniella Levitan ’13, Lulu Nye ’15, and Kate Reynolds ’13. Congratulations!

Though it is currently snowing (!), the calendar tells us that it is, in fact, spring. The good news for the Princeton Day School community is that both the second annual seed store and third annual seedling sale are coming up when everyone is back from spring break. Mark your calendars for April 8th through the 12th, when the 3rd and 4th grade classes will host the Lower School Seed Store after school each day for 45 minutes. There are some wonderful varieties available this year—be sure to check out the list by clicking here. The location is to be announced, so stay tuned. And on May 1st through the 3rd, the Garden Apprentice Program and Upper School Food and Garden Club will host the Seedling Sale outside of the Campus Center entrance on the traffic loop. There will, no doubt, be some great additions to your gardens available at the sale, so be sure to stop by. What a great way to leave the winter behind and to focus on spring!

What a fantastic production! As usual, the Princeton Day School 4th graders wowed audiences of their fellow students, family and friends in "The Pushcart War" on Thursday, March 14th. With electric singing, dancing, and impressive costumes, props, and sets, the show was a hit. A suprise cast member who stole a few scenes was Head of School Paul Stellato, pictured to the left. If you couldn't make it or want to relive the magic, click here for a photo slideshow of the operetta. Congratulations to all the stars in the 4th grade! And, have a wonderful spring break, Panthers!

The Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery at Princeton Day School is pleased to present “World Within Worlds,” featuring the works of renowned author and illustrator David Wiesner, from April 1st through April 24th. The exhibit kicks off this year’s Imagine the Possibilities program, made possible through the John D. Wallace, Jr. ’78 Memorial Guest Artist Series Fund, which began in 1996 to bring authors, illustrators and poets to Princeton Day School. Mr. Wiesner, the three-time Caldecott Award-winning author of such beloved children’s books as Tuesday, The Three Pigs, and Flotsam, will exhibit rarely-seen drawings, preliminary sketches, and finished works—including an animated video of his book Tuesday featuring music by Paul McCartney—from his personal collection with a focus on his process. “The idea is the process, or writing and drawing, and how the stories come together. I’m including pieces I drew during high school and earlier, to show how visual themes reoccur in my work,” he notes. Mr. Wiesner will spend a day on campus in April, visiting and working with classes in all three divisions. In announcing the news, Lower School teacher and Imagine the Possibilities Director Bev Gallagher remarked, "Each year, I get to dream again and imagine ways to inspire our community. I feel honored and privilieged to work on this program for the past 17 years. What started out as a one-year program has truly grown into something amazing." There will be artist’s reception on Thursday, April 18th from 11:30-1:00 pm in the gallery, which is open to the public.

The Delaware Valley Science Council 65th Annual Awards Dinner was held this past Monday evening, March 11th, and we are pleased to announce that Jay Karandikar ’13 received the American Association of Physics Teachers Award; Max Nye ’13 received the Janssen Research and Development, LLC Award; and Jonas Kaufman ’13 received the Board of Directors Award. Congratulations! In addition, the Science Olympiad Team competed at Middlesex County Community College on March 12th in the State Tournament. The team won medals in four events: Michael Tucker ’14 and DJ Modzelewski ’14 won for Magnetically-Levitated Vehicles; Kali Rigby ’15 and Caroline Lippman ’15 won for Glaciation and Long-Term Climate Change; Navin Rao ’15 and Michael Tucker ’14 won for A Robotic Device to move Scoreable Items; and Michael Kearney ’15 and Caroline Lippman ’15 won for A Glider Designed for the Highest Time Aloft. Impressive work, team!

As part of Princeton Day School’s sustainability initiative, the cafeteria operated by Flik Dining Services has just received a three-star certification from the Green Restaurant Association. Only 15 other schools below the college level nationally have received this certification and only five schools have three stars. Princeton Day School and Flik have partnered for the past several years to create a more sustainable food service to provide delicious, healthy, fresh cooked meals in a way that is less harmful to the environment.  “Every part of a student’s experience at Princeton Day School should be educational,” says Liz Cutler, Sustainability Coordinator and Upper School English teacher, “and lunch is no exception.”  The Green Restaurant Association certifies restaurants all over the United States and grades institutions in the areas of water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and chemical and pollution reduction. Among the many reasons Princeton Day School received this certification are the high percentage of locally purchased foods, the successful composting program, the many recipes that are nutritious, but low on the food chain, the reusable utensils and dishware, the daily food cooked from scratch, and green cleaning supplies.  The School achieved 177 out of 200 possible points.  “The next goal is to achieve four stars,” notes Ms. Cutler. For further details, visit www.pds.org/sustainability.

One of the great Lower School traditions at Princeton Day School is the 4th grade Operetta. This year’s production, “The Pushcart War,” is scheduled for March 13th at 7:30 pm in the McAneny Theater—mark your calendars! “The Pushcart War,” originally written by former Head of the Lower School Sarah Schwiebert and rewritten this year by 4th grade teacher Daniel Cohen, combines great music and as many starring roles as children. In announcing the operetta, Head of Lower School Lisa Surace noted, “Each year, the 4th grade comes together to perform on stage in a remarkable show. The operetta is a culminating experience of Lower School, a time when our oldest students get the spotlight and a chance to shine.” “The Pushcart War” will be shown to Lower School students during the day on Tuesday, and then during the day on Wednesday, the 4th graders will perform in front of a theater filled with Upper School students—usually a most memorable performance, as many Upper School students fondly recall their own operetta experience. Dr. Surace added, “We hope the whole PDS community can join us for this terrific production. It is certainly something you don't want to miss.”

On Friday, March 1st, the Choral Program at Princeton Day School presented “Songs of Protest,” a concert featuring the combined talents of the Middle and Upper School choral groups at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton. Against a backdrop of gorgeous gothic architecture, our students sang a range of songs linked by the theme of protest, including the traditional American tune “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and “Shake it Out” by Florence Welch. With performances by a cappella groups, the Y-Chromotones and Pitch Please, to the Madrigals to the US Chorus, the evening was a rousing way to ring in the spring. Click here for photographs of the concert.

Earlier this week, the winter sports season at Princeton Day School ended on a high note with the Sports Awards celebrating the accomplishments of our student-athletes this season. Click here to see a great video slideshow featuring all our winter teams: squash, fencing, volleyball, basketball, and ice hockey. And click here to see a list of our award winners. It was a remarkable season in many ways, with boys basketball making it to both Mercer County and Prep B Championships; boys ice hockey finished 21-3-1 with huge wins over perennial powers Don Bosco, LaSalle, and Wyoming Seminary. In addition, congratulations to the five seniors who have been recruited to play at the university level: Samantha Asch ’13, playing tennis for Wake Forest University; Davon Reed ’13, playing basketball for University of Miami; Cody Triolo ’13 playing lacrosse for Lehigh University; BJ Dudeck ’13 playing baseball at Virginia Military Institute; and Andrea Jenkins ’13 playing field hockey for Princeton University. Congratulations to all our incredible players!

The Middle School is delighted to again be participating in World Math Day on March 5th and 6th. How can World Math Day be on two days, you ask? “World Math Day is whenever it is March 6th anywhere in the world, and that will last for 48 hours,” clarified MS Math teacher Arlene Cohen. “It’s a great geography lesson, too,” Ms. Cohen continued. The event, created by World Education Games in Australia, been going on a few years now, and this will be the third year that Princeton Day School has participated. New this year is the fact that all MS students can compete on their iPads through the World Math Day 2013 app. There are some big goals this year, reported Ms. Cohen: “At least 90% of the Middle School should complete at least 10 games at each of the 5 levels of play for a total of 50 games; and the entire Middle School should correctly answer more than 280,768 math problems (the total last year)." If these goals are achieved—as if there is a question, knowing our MS students!—a donation will be made on the school's behalf to UNICEF. Stay tuned for photos on our Flickr page and Twitter feed next week. Best of luck, Middle School mathematicians!

The Princeton Day School Parents Association invites the entire community to a Nautical Nantucket Gala, the 21st annual auction, on Saturday March 9th. The evening will begin with cocktails in the Campus Center at 6:30, followed by dinner and dancing at 7:30 pm in the Upper Gym. The live auction—featuring Math Department Chair AJ Goldman as auctioneer—starts at 8:00 pm in the Upper Gym. This year, the auction committee proudly offers online bidding through Bidpal. Guests can bid on items using their own smartphones or electronic bidding devices provided by Bidpal, eliminating the need for paper bid sheets and lanyards. “You can track the items you like, receive outbid messages, and enter bids from anywhere at the party. Best of all, you will receive an instant itemized bill at the end of the evening so that you will know exactly what you won and can collect your items that evening,” notes Auction Chair Courtney Stephenson. There will also be the popular Wine Hut and Beer ShACK (ACK is the Nantucket airport), featuring an incredible selection of wines and microbrew beers, as well as an unbelievable roster of items on the auction block this year. Be sure to visit www.pds.org/auction to take a sneak peek and to register for this not-to-be-missed event.

Congratulations to the following Princeton Day School music students who will be performing with the Central Jersey Music Educators Association Region II Honor Band and String Orchestra: Emily Hancock '17, clarinet; Maia Johngren '17, tenor saxophone; Noah Liao '17, trombone; and Emma Lien '18, cello. This is quite an achievement, as more than 700 students auditioned for these prized positions. The Festival Concert will take place at Monroe Township Middle School on Sunday, March 10 at 3:00 pm. Congratulations are also in order for Nick Ioffredda '16, who was selected 1st chair piccolo and 2nd chair flute for the CJMEA Region II High School Festival Orchestra. In addition, Nick was selected for the All-State Band on flute and piccolo, and will also play piccolo and flute in the All-State Orchestra. This is an impressive accomplishment, especially for a freshman. Be sure to mark your calendars for this Friday, March 1st, to experience the first-ever combined Middle School and Upper School Choral Concert. The concert will be at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton (33 Mercer St.) at 7:30 pm.  

PDSeeds, the Parent/Faculty Committee for Sustainability at Princeton Day School, donated reusable plates, cups, and cutlery to each of the Lower School classrooms to be used in place of disposable plates, plastic forks, spoons, and cups for parties throughout the school year. The Lower School is fortunate to have many causes for celebration, and this new sustainable plateware will be used for the Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Year-End parties, as well as birthday celebrations. This sustainability initiative began in Paris McLean '00's second grade class with a conversation about reusable plateware and what a difference it could make. PDSeeds member and parent Bonnie Higgins spoke to the Lower School students at this morning’s assembly, remarking, “The estimated annual savings for your parents on party products is $1,165. And these new plates and cups will keep 79 pounds of garbage from going to landfill.” What a great way for our youngest students to learn about and practice sustainability.

The Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery at Princeton Day School is pleased to present "Wabi-Sabi," featuring the works of Princeton Day School Art Department faculty members Stephanie Stuefer and Chris Maher, from February11th through March 7th. There will be luncheon reception with the artists on Friday, February 22nd from 12:30-1:30 pm, and a cocktail reception on Friday evening from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Both events will take place in the gallery. Stephanie Stuefer, who teaches ceramics, and Chris Maher, who teaches furniture design and sculpture, have created a collaborative installation including works of clay and wood. Guided by the principles of wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic centered on the acceptance of imperfection, and embracing asymmetry and irregularity, this exhibition strives to find beauty in the unexpected, allowing the inherent beauty in natural materials—a part of a tree trunk; a clay imprint of a fingerprint—to stand alone. Ms. Stuefer and Mr. Maher note, “The work embodies our own American interpretations of this Japanese concept, as we pay homage to the ancient traditions.” The "Wabi-Sabi" exhibitionalso offers students at Princeton Day School some interactive and cross-disciplinary learning opportunities. Gallery Director Jody Erdman explained, “The gallery space has been transformed into a Japanese tea room, and students from all grades are invited to experience the space."

The 2013 Anne Rothrock Lecture to the Upper School with Dr. Shannon O'Neil originally scheduled for today, Wednesday, February 20th, will be postponed to a future date.

Dr. O'Neil is senior fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and her expertise includes U.S.-Latin American relations, energy policy, trade, political and economic reforms, and immigration. She is also the author of the forthcoming book, Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead. In addition to her work at CFR, Dr. O'Neil has taught in the political science department at Columbia University, and is a frequent commentator on major television and radio programs. She holds a BA from Yale University, an MA in international relations from Yale University, and a PhD in government from Harvard University. Upper School History Chair George Sanderson remarked, “We are fortunate to welcome Dr. O'Neil to PDS, as she is one of the nation’s foremost experts on Latin America, and will present the lecture ‘Mexico, The United States, and The Road Ahead.’”

Princeton Day School's varsity boys basketball team has been racking up impressive scores and accolades these past few days. First off, Davon Reed '13 has become the third player in county history to reach 2000 points! He made the momentous point in the Mercer County Tournament game against Steinert on February 16th, which the Panthers won, 56-53. Read all about the game, and Davon Reed's impressive accomplishment in this article on NJ.com. The team also beat Rutgers Prep in the NJISAA semi-finals and is moving on the finals this week on Wednesday, February 20th. The boys team will play Ewing in the quarterfinals of the MCT tonight, February 18th, at Ewing, and the varsity girls team will also play tonight against West Windsor Plainsboro North. Come out and support our amazing teams. Go Panthers!

Princeton Day School is proud to announce the following Finalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Competition: David Caliguire, Emily Clagett, Jay Karandikar, Jonas Kaufman, Max Nye, Adam Straus-Goldfarb, and Emily Zhao. These finalists will be considered for the National Merit Scholarships to be offered in 2013. If these names look familiar, it is because all seven of these students were announced here as Semifinalists in the competition, and all have advanced to the finalist standing. These Princeton Day School students were chosen from the 1.5 million juniors around the country who applied for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Congratulations!

With more than 30 clubs, activities, and student-run organizations in Upper School, students Princeton Day School are encouraged to follow their passions, and engage with the community outside of the classroom. Dean of Students Doug McLane mentioned just a few of the projects the clubs have been working on this year, and it’s an impressive and diverse list. Many of the student club activities are linked by this year’s essential question, posed by the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) and enacted by the Community Council: What do I stand up for? This question has been the focus of several assemblies, including one by the A.W.A.R.E. club, in which students were asked to literally stand up for their beliefs, and the fall assembly with documentary filmmaker Alison Klayman and a discussion of her award-winning documentary, “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.” The systematic silencing and repression of this artist’s ideas launched many conversations among students. In January, sixteen students in the Junior State of America (JSA) club journeyed to Virginia to take part in the debate of various bills and laws in the headlines today in a convention-style event. And last week, in honor of Black History Month, the Black Latino Student Union (BLSU) hosted a viewing of the documentary “Mighty Times: The Children’s March,” about the 1963 march in Birmingham, Alabama, followed by a conversation. “The essential question is a hallmark of Princeton Day School. With such a great diversity of clubs, it’s important to have a thread weaving through the assemblies and the community,” noted Mr. McLane. For more on student clubs, visit the Student Life page here.

Happy Mardi Gras! Our youngest students celebrated in style in the annual Mardi Gras Parade, marching around the entire Lower School with masks, beads, handmade horses and zebras, and fancy costumes. Many faculty and staff got into the spirit with their own festive costumes (keep an eye out for a shot of Head of the Lower School Lisa Surace in full regalia!). Click here for photos from the parade. The rest of the school got into the spirit in the Campus Center, where the FLIK team provided a sumptuous feast including jambalaya, cajun fish, and other Mardi Gras treats.

It was an exciting week in the Lower School, as Princeton Day School welcomed the Ginga Brasileira Dance Troupe from Brazil to campus as part of the Lively Arts program. The troupe performed for grades PK through 4, and then worked with each grade in smaller classroom workshops. The children were able to learn some new moves, and a few words in Portuguese on top of it! Click here for photos from the assembly performance, and click here for a video taken in a classroom workshop. On Friday, the 3rd and 4th grade students presented their science fair projects. There experiments covered a wide range of topics, including dissection—complete with doctors available to answer questions! Click here for photos from the science fair.

Congratulations to the boys varsity ice hockey team who tied Morristown-Beard last night in the NJISAA championship game to become Co- State Champions! It was an exciting game that went into overtime with a final score of 2-2, and the Panthers played hard. Click on the Athletics page to see the athletics Twitter feed with a play-by-play here. Also in the news, the girls varsity basketball team defeated Hamilton West last night 34-25—way to go! On Sunday, the boys varsity basketball play in the NJISAA quarterfinals versus Golda Och in the Upper Gym, and the girls varsity basketball play in the quarterfinals versus Rutgers Prep at Rutgers. Finally, on Monday, our varsity volleyball team will play in the first round of their league playoffs versus Stuart Country Day School in the Upper Gym. Hope to see you there--and go Panthers!

Congratulations to the Princeton Day School Upper School Students who gave an outstanding performance at the recent regional tournament, and will advance to NJ Science Olympiad State Finals tournament on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at Middlesex County College in Edison. Kudos to our  team: Max Nye, Matthew Cavuto, Selena Anjur-Dietrich, Jay Karandikar, Robert Hrabchak, Sarah Trigg, Justin Donnelly, Navin Rao, Michael Tucker, Michael Kearney, Georgia Wong, Kali Rigby, Sean Hudson, Caroline Lippman, Anuj Mehndiratta, Alex Zhu, DJ Modzelewski, and Harrison Okun. The NJ Science Olympiad State Co-Directors noted in a letter announcing the news to US Science teachers Barbara Maloney and Jane Spencer, “You and your team are to be commended for your outstanding achievement and your commitment to excellence in STEM education.” Best of luck, team!

Though mid-February in New Jersey may not be viewed as the most stellar time of the year to most, Princeton Day School Middle School students (as well as faculty and parents!) positively brim with excitement in anticipation of the beloved tradition that is Mini-Course Week. This unique one-week course, running from February 11ththrough February 14th, encourages students to take a step back from the daily work, make connections across disciplines, and grapple with complex and real-world issues outside of the classroom. It provides a much-needed opportunity to refresh and revitalize. And the courses are nothing short of amazing! From the Cape Cod Challenge, where a group of students will have an “Outward Bound” style experience spending a week at NEED (National Environmental Education Development) building and giving back to the community; to Chocolate Immersion, a historical journey of the singular treat, complete with tastings and visits to Hershey, PA; to New York, New York, a series of day trips to famed neighborhoods in the Big Apple and tickets to a Broadway show, these are experiences that will not soon be forgotten. To see all of the course descriptions, click here. It’s enough to make you want to go back to Middle School!

Even though summer seems far away during these cold February days, registration for Summer Programs at Princeton Day School is now open! Simply click here to register (www.pds.org/summerprograms). We are offering old favorites like Cupcake Boss! (the hit of last summer), as well as some new additions, like the 76ers Basketball Camp, Pro Level Training's Nike Basketball Camp, Yankees Baseball Camp, and Vermont Adventure Camp. Be sure to join the Summer Programs staff at an Open House on Sunday, February 24th from 2:00-4:00 pm at the Lisa McGraw '44 Ice Rink at Princeton Day School. There will be an informational session followed by a family skate with hot cocoa and cookies. It should be fun for the whole family--see you there! For information about session dates and becoming a counselor, please visit www.pds.org/summerprograms. We look forward to spending summer 2013 with you!

Come to the Common Ground lecture “Free Range Kids: Raising  Self-Reliant Children Without Going Nuts” with author Lenore Skenazy on Thursday, February 7th beginning at 7:30 pm at The Chapin School. All attendees are invited to a follow-up conversation on Friday, February 8th at Bon Appetit in Princeton, beginning at 9:00 am. Lenore Skenazy is a graduate of Yale University and writes an op-ed column that appears in more than 100 publications. After she let her 9-year-old take the subway by himself and wrote about the experience, she found herself on “The Today Show,” “Dr. Phil,” and even the BBC, defending herself against charges she was “America’s Worst Mom.” She has written the book, Free-Range Kids, Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry and will talk about why preventing every possible danger or difficulty in our child’s everyday life is harmful to kids. She will also provide tips on positive parenting with a common sensical approach that could prove very helpful in these overprotective times. For more information about Lenore Skenazy, visit www.freerangekids.com. For more information about Princeton Common Ground, visit www.princetoncommonground.org.

On Friday, February 1^st, the Gymateria was filled with crystals, planets, and volcanoes as the Princeton Day School first and second grade students presented their science fair projects to the community. Hands-on demonstrations included tools ranging from microscopes and iPads, to balloons and fruits and vegetables. Click here for a peek at our budding scientists. And, stay tuned for photos from the third and fourth grade class science fair projects next week.

The Montclair Art Museum recently announced the winners of the Northern NJ Regional Scholastics Art Awards, and nine Princeton Day School students received awards for their work. Gold Keys went to Rory Finnegan '14 (Photography), Adam Gershen ’15 (Digital Art & Photography), Alexandra Ling ’14 (Comic Art), Gautam Ramesh ’18 (Printmaking), Crawford Schneider ’14 (Photography), Carter Sednaoui ’17 (Printmaking), and Krishna Sivakumar ’18 (Drawing). Silver Keys went to Rory Finnegan ’14 (Photography) and Crawford Schneider ’14 (Photography). Honorable Mentions went to Bridget Fay ’15 (Ceramics) and Emily Trend ’18 (Printmaking). These awards were chosen by a jury of professional artists, curators, and arts educators from more than 3400 works of art submitted by more than 900 students. Artwork that has received a Gold Key is eligible to be displayed at the Montclair Art Museum, and Gold and Silver Key winners and their teachers are invited to an Award Reception on Tuesday February 12th from 6-9pm at the Montclair Art Museum. Congratulations!

Head of School Paul Stellato has written an article for The Educational Register, one of the leading websites about independent schools, published by VincentCurtis. Mr. Stellato’s article is titled “In Praise of Large Schools,” and begins, “I write in praise of large independent schools; of schools whose enrollments stretch to 700 students and beyond. Although there are a handful of boarding schools whose enrollments touch this number, most members of this cohort are day schools, generally with several divisions. They are built upon the school-within-a-school model: two, three, or four divisions (junior, lower, middle, and upper schools), which are independent and yet informed by and share fully an institution-wide commitment to a set of values, virtues, and characteristics: the school mission.” As Mr. Stellato emphasizes, opportunity is the name of the game in a large independent school. To read the entire article, please click here or visit www.TheEducationalRegister.com.

Princeton Day School Primary players won first place team in the strongest primary section of the prestigious New York City K-12 Championship, held in the Crystal Ballroom of the New Yorker Hotel on Saturday, January 26th. Chess teacher Bonnie Waitzkin remarked, “Outscoring Columbia Grammar, Dalton, Trinity, Browning, Spence, Horace Mann, Hunter College Elementary, and many other New York City-based elite schools, our team was outstanding.” Princeton Day School was represented by the following players: Albert Ming, (6th place), Kai Shah, Harry Bernardi, Dodge Martinson, Nick Jain, Aadi Shankar, Arun Patel, Bryce Powell, Vinay Rao, Varun Rao, Delia McCarthy, Katie Jain, and Winston Ni (12th place)—and they all played extremely well against higher rated players in round after round. Ms. Waitzkin went on to note, “Going into the awards ceremony, it was unclear if Columbia Grammar or Princeton Day was in first place because the last game to finish wasn't known. We came out on top by just half a point.” Congratulations! Click here to see photos from the tournament.

Princeton Day School is thrilled to announce the Upper School winter musical, Gypsy, the classic Broadway musical, which will run from Thursday, February 21st through Saturday, February 23rd in the McAneny Theater. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, February 4th, and you can access them by clicking here or visiting www.pds.org/boxoffice. Gypsy premiered on Broadway in 1959 and was first performed on the McAneny stage in March 1995. With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents, the show chronicles the rise of young Louise as she is thrust into stardom by her aggressive mother, Mama Rose, and features such hits as “Everything's Coming Up Roses,” “Let Me Entertain You,” and “Together Wherever We Go.” Artist-in-Residence Stan Cahill is directing the show, and remarked, “Along with the student cast and crew, this production will feature set design by Paul Batterman ‘13 and seven student pit musicians—a record for PDS.” It is going to be a great show, so mark your calendars!

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce online reenrollment beginning today through February 22nd. You may click on the link to the right, under Reenrollment, or go to: www.pds.org/reenrollment to begin the process. Each parent or guardian will receive their own email and will use their unique username and password to log in and complete the reenrollment forms. If you have forgotten your login information, please click on "Forgotten Information" and type in the email address from which you received the email. You will then have your username emailed to you, as well as a link to reset your password. The reenrollment process should take approximately 10 minutes or less to complete. If you choose to submit reenrollment forms on a tablet or mobile phone, you will need to use the "Full Site" version of www.pds.org, accessible by clicking the link at the bottom of the page. If you have questions or need assistance, please email communications@pds.org. In addition, members of the Information Technology staff will be available at Colross on January 29-February 1, and on February 20-22, from 7:45-9:00 am to help parents complete the online forms.

Princeton Day School was fortunate to welcome Joshua Im, father of 2nd grade student Danielle, for a special Lower School Assembly in the McAneny Theater. Mr. Im, who plays the violin, gave a wonderful presentation on the instruments in an orchestra, giving an overview of the strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Then, the audience was treated to a concert performance of “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev, featuring an amazing group of musicians playing the flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon—each instrument representing a character in the story. The audience especially appreciated the narration of 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Ferguson, against the backdrop of beautiful pictures from the story. Click here for photos from the event.

Princeton Day School is pleased to welcome all applicants to the Upper School for next year to campus on Friday, January 25th, for an Open House highlighting the School’s athletics program. The event will take place beginning at 5:30 at the Lisa McGraw ’44 Ice Rink, and will offer our applicants the opportunity to meet PDS coaches and Director of Athletics Tim Williams, as well as our team captains and student ambassadors. This will be a great opportunity to get an inside look at sports at PDS. Afterward, everyone is invited to the boys varsity ice hockey game against Notre Dame, beginning at 6:00 pm—sure to be an exciting game. Go Panthers!

The academic calendar for next year is now available online. You can find the link to the calendar here or by clicking on the  "Calendars at a Glance" under "Top Destinations" to the right of this page. Let the planning (vacation and otherwise) begin!

Also, as the weather turns cold again, here is a quick reminder about winter weather protocol at Princeton Day School: information about school closings or delayed openings will be made via the AlertNow emergency phone call system, and posted here on the School homepage. In addition, there will be a message on the main switchboard answering machine (609-924-6700). Finally, we will post information about closings on the School's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/princetondayschool) and Twitter feed (@PDSPanthers). Generally, the decision is whether to have a delayed opening, with classes beginning at 9:30 and advisor check-in at 9:15, or to close school. On days when there is potential for an early closing, please make a plan with your child.

Thank you and stay warm!

On Friday, January 18th at their weekly assembly, our Lower School students shared artwork and stories about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in anticipation for Monday’s holiday. It was an inspiring assembly—please click here to see photos from the event. On Tuesday, January 22nd, Middle School students will be viewing a truncated version of the Academy Award-winning film “Mighty Times: The Children’s March,” a stirring documentary about the Birmingham children’s march in 1963. Middle School Science teacher Gil Olvera will set up the segment for the students and then following the movie, the students will go to their advisories for a discussion about the film and this period in our nation’s history.

Congratulations to Sustainability Coordinator and Upper School English teacher Liz Cutler and Garden teacher Pam Flory on receiving kudos on the PDS garden in the “School Garden Spotlight” on the New Jersey Farm to School Network website. “Hats off to everyone who works to make this program an example of best practices in school gardens,” noted the article, which includes some great photos of our garden. Click here to read more. Also in the news is Robert Hrabchak ’13, who will be honored at the Sustainable Princeton Leadership Awards Ceremony for building his own electric car as well as being a life-long advocate for sustainability and the environment. The awards ceremony will take place at the Princeton Public Library from 7 to 8 pm on January 23rd, as a kick-off to the Princeton Environmental Film Festival. Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert and Matt Wasserman, chairman of Sustainable Princeton and the Princeton Environmental Commission, will host the event. Click here to see a short video on our YouTube channel featuring Robert’s electric Porsche, and click here to read the announcement about the award-winners on Princeton Patch.

The Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery at Princeton Day School is pleased to present “Celia Reisman: Hidden Spaces” from January 14th through the 31st. Ms. Reisman visited the gallery today, Tuesday, January 15th, for a reception and artist’s talk. Ms. Reisman is known for her architectural paintings and gouaches of suburban landscapes, primarily around Philadelphia. “My aim is certainly not to replicate but instead to communicate the feeling of visual excitement that I feel when I first lay eyes on a place,” noted Ms. Reisman.  She explained to the group how she often paints landscapes in her car, and may opt to “photoshop” by moving various elements of a landscape into more harmonious locations. Edward Sozanski of the Philadelphia Inquirer has praised Ms. Reisman’s work, noting that it “offers a lushly colored and geometrically harmonious balance between realism and abstraction.” Ms. Reisman also worked with Middle School art teacher Susan Reichlin’s 7th grade art class, providing a demonstration of printmaking to the students. Click here to see photos.

The Princeton Day School Mock Trial team competed in the Mercer County Tournament on Saturday, January 12th in Trenton, and will progress onto the finals on Wednesday, January 16th. Upper School teacher and advisor to the team George Sanderson remarked, “As a result of 3 hard fought victories, PDS has again reached the finals of the tournament, which includes 14 public and private schools.” By defeating county champions Princeton High School and Hamilton West in the first round, the team went on to defeat a group of home schooled students who competes under the name of Marshall Academy in the final round. The Princeton Day School team will compete against Stuart Country Day School in the county finals. In announcing the news, Mr. Sanderson noted, “As a result of our victories, PDS now has a record of 25-3 in county competition over the past 8 years. This is the best record of any school in Mercer County.” Congratulations to the team, and best of luck tomorrow!

Princeton Day School wishes to invite all parents to the January Parents Association on Wednesday, January 16th at 8:15 am in the McAneny Theater. Head of School Paul Stellato will open the meeting by discussing the new security measures being undertaken by the School to ensure the safety of our students. Next, Board Chair Barbara Griffin Cole ’78 will speak about the responsibilities and duties of the Board of Trustees at Princeton Day School. Several Trustees will be at the meeting, and will speak about their particular areas of responsibility, as well as their connection to the School. Finally, there will be an opportunity for questions from the audience. “I am looking forward to this month’s meeting, as it will undoubtedly provide a wonderful overview of the inner workings of PDS, and where we are headed in the future,” remarked PA President Gwyn Langeler.

It was an exciting weekend for Princeton Day School's basketball and hockey teams. On Saturday, the varsity boys basketball team defeated storied rivals Princeton High School, 53-45. Davon Reed, ’13 led the scoring for the game, and became the all-time leading scorer in PDS history. The bleachers were packed, and the Panthers delivered an amazing game. For more, see this article on NJ.com. On Friday, the varsity boys hockey team defeated LaSalle in overtime with a score of 2-1. Did you know that player Conrad Denise ’13 was voted Male Athlete of the Week on NJ.com? Click here to read the article. Also on Friday, the varsity girls basketball team defeated Stuart Country Day School, 31-13. For more highlights about Panthers in the news, check out www.pds.org/athletics. Go Panthers!

On Wednesday, January 16th, Steven Tejada will speak to Princeton Day School Upper School students at their assembly. Mr. Tejada will perform an excerpt of his extremely popular show, “Boogie Down Journeys,” which he has performed at St. Paul’s School, Groton, and Exeter, among others. The monologues which make up the performance include reflections on his personal journey from the streets of the South Bronx to the Wall Street and beyond, and are filled with high drama, good humor, and unexpected insights. Mr. Tejada graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Wesleyan University and, after graduating, worked on Wall Street as a management analyst. Pursuing his interest in issues of equity and diversity, Mr. Tejada went on to work at Connecticut College as Coordinator of Minority Recruitment and Assistant Director of Admission. In 1999, he took on the role of Director of Admissions and Placement at the Oliver Scholars Program in New York City, a nonprofit organization that provides a variety of services to academically talented African-American and Latino students. During this period, Mr. Tejada balanced his commitment to diversity work with his building passion for performing and writing. In the fall of 2008, he became Dean of Diversity Initiatives at the Noble and Greenough School, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of De La Salle Academy in New York City, an independent school for academically talented, economically disadvantaged students, and continues to keep a vigorous performance schedule. Following the performance, Mr. Tejada will answer questions from the students.

This December, a group of twenty faculty, staff, and students from Princeton Day School attended the National Association of Independent School’s People of Color Conference (PoCC) and Student Diversity in Leadership Conference (SLDC) in Houston. Jenn Vradenburgh, Susan Ferguson, and Paris McLean—the second grade teacher team at PDS—gave a well-received presentation titled “Creating an Inclusive Classroom Environment for Students of Color.” Ms. Vradenburgh remarked, “This year I had the privilege to attend my first PoCC, not only as a participant but also as a presenter. The work that Mr. McLean, Ms. Ferguson, and I do each day to build inclusive classroom communities is a message and a model that teachers desire to learn and participate in, and our presentation was more successful than I could have ever imagined.” In addition, faculty and staff members Tian Tu, Juan Soto-Pujols, Donna Zarzecki, Andy Ramirez, and members of Community and Multicultural Development Team  including Kelly Dun, Gil Olvera, Alex Lasevitch, and Carolyn McGuire attended the conference. Nine PDS students attended the SLDC conference and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Nia Daids ’15 noted, “I really loved going to SDLC. I heard stories from people who seemed just like me or had experiences completely different than mine. The whole event opened my eyes to what it really means to not only be a black girl at PDS but what it means for people of all different backgrounds to go to a private school in America.”

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Robinson as Head of the Upper School, beginning in the next academic year, 2013-2014. Mr. Robinson is currently at the Lawrenceville School, serving as the Chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, Director of the Capstone Program, Chair of the Discipline Committee and Honor Council, and Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee, as well as Housemaster of Stephens House, and a teacher with courses in government, ethics, constitutional law, and history. Prior to his tenure at the Lawrenceville School, Mr. Robinson taught at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, and was Chair of the Honor Council, in addition to coaching basketball and baseball, and advising the school newspaper. Before his teaching career, Mr. Robinson was an attorney at Covington and Burling/Ross, Dixon & Bell in Washington, DC, specializing in labor and employment disputes. A Virginia native, Mr. Robinson attended North Cross School in Roanoke and matriculated at Washington and Lee University, from which he graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa.  He went on to earn an M.A. in government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia and, three years later, a J.D. at Stanford University Law School. In announcing the news, Head of School Paul Stellato remarked, “Mr. Robinson is a gifted classroom teacher and thoughtful, accomplished school leader, and we are very pleased to welcome him to Princeton Day School.”

Princeton Day School will host three open houses in January:

Middle School: January 10th, 9:00-10:30 am

Lower School: January 11th, 9:00-10:30 am

Upper School: January 15th, 9:00-10:30 am

These events are a wonderful way to tour the campus, meet the teachers and students, and, above all, experience firsthand what makes Princeton Day School such a special place. Applications are due on January 15th, so don't miss this chance to learn why Princeton Day School is a place that will offer your child opportunities of a lifetime, every day. Please click here to register for an open house or call our Admission office at 609-924-6700 x1200 to learn more.

The week leading up to winter break is a wonderful time at Princeton Day School. There are celebrations, concerts, parties, and a mounting sense of excitement. On Tuesday, December 18th, our Middle School students performed in the Instrumental Winter Concert. The Jazz Band, Beginning and Advanced Bands, Chamber Winds, Allegro Strings, and Sinfonia Strings all performed beautifully. A wonderful treat was the finale, where Ms. Sugarman and Mr. Madani sang the “Rainbow Connection” complete with a showering of bubbles. Click here for photos from the concert. On Friday, December 21st, our Lower School students performed in the annual and highly anticipated holiday concert, “Family and Traditions.” From our Kindergarteners dressed as angels singing “Chatter with the Angels” to our first graders singing about Kwanzaa, to our second graders doing a ribbon dance to a traditional Chinese melody, it was an enchanting concert. Click here to see photos of our Lower School stars in costume, and celebrating all the holidays this season. Season’s Greetings!

Congratulations to Princeton Day School alums Jeremy Johnson ’02 and Michael Fragoso ’02 for breaking into the Forbes “30 Under 30” list. Jeremy Johnson made the Education list for the company he co-founded, 2U (formerly known as 2tor), which is “at the forefront of the online education revolution.” Forbes positions Mr. Johnson as the “great white hope” who may make online education on par with, or even preferable, to on-campus education. As last year’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award winner, let's just say that, here at PDS, we agree! Michael Fragoso ’02 makes the Law & Policy list for his work in the issues of bioethics, law, and public policy. Mr. Fragoso has been widely published and served as an accredited lobbyist to the United Nations for the Family Research Council’s Center for Human Life and Bioethics. Click here to read about Mr. Johnson, and here to read about Mr. Fragoso. Congratulations!

The Panthers played to win this weekend! Congratulations to the varsity boys basketball team, who defeated Landon, 56-46 to place third place in the 43rd Annual Mercer Invitational Tournament held at the Hill School in Pottstown, PA. The most outstanding player of the tournament was PDS’s own Davon Reed ’13. On the hockey front, our varsity boys ice hockey team secured third place at the Middlesex/St. Mark's Tournament in Boston on Friday. And on Sunday, the varsity girls ice hockey team defeated the Holton-Arms School by 9-2. The first PDS goals were scored by Sophie Jensen ’15 and Emma Stillwagon ’16. Princeton Day School players and coaches have been gathering up top accolades in all the local papers lately—for a full list of awards, visit the Athletics page at http://www.pds.org/Athletics. Go Panthers!

On Wednesday, December 19th, Princeton Day School will welcome leading aeronautical engineer Dr. Adam Steltzner to campus to deliver the annual "Pioneer in Science" lecture to our Upper School students. Dr. Steltzner headed the team that worked on the Curiosity Rover's entry, descent, and landing into the Martian atmosphere, and came national attention with the successful and innovative landing of Curiosity this past August (click here to listen to a recent interview on National Public Radio). In annoucing the news, Upper School science teacher Barbara Maloney remarked, "Dr. Steltzner is a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories, but has also become renowned for his Elvis-hairstyle and snakeskin boots, easygoing nature, and of course, ingenuity. We are honored to welcome him to Princeton Day School."

The Princeton Day School Upper School students put on a spectacular concert last evening, December 12th (fortuitously, 12-12-12), in the McAneny Theater. The program included the selections performed by the Upper School Band, Orchestra, Madrigal Choir, Chorus, and the A Capella groups—Pitch Please and the Y-Chromotones. The finale was “A Celebration of American Music,” which included Early, 20th-Century, and Modern American music, with tunes like the traditional Shaker hymn “Love is Little,” and “Sure on This Shining Night,” by Morten Lauridsen, with text by James Agee. Conductors Stephanie Hancock, Tomasz Rzeczycki, and Andrew Schmidt helped bring out the best in these talented musicians. Please click here to see photos from last night’s concert.

The winter holidays are upon us, and Princeton Day School is celebrating Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwaanza in classrooms, assemblies, and in the Campus Center. The Community and Multicultural Development Team (CMDT) has worked with Chef Brian Mochnal to celebrate the different holidays with themed lunches, beginning with Christmas lunch on Wednesday, Hannukah lunch on Thursday, and Kwaanza lunch on Friday. Click here to take a peek at the mouth-watering menus. In the divisional assemblies over the next week, students will be sharing about their holidays, offering information about the history and traditions. In Tuesday’s Focus assembly, a group of MS students gave a spirited presentation about Hannukah. And if you have a taste for latkes, please join us for the Hannukah party on Thursday, December 13th at 7:00 pm in the Campus Center, where there will be a latke contest. Sounds like a delicious good time! Happy holidays.

At Princeton Day School, chess is formally taught as part of the Lower School program to Kindergarten and 1st grade students, but the School also offers an after-school program, run by Bonnie Waitzkin, which continues to flourish. This program provides students the opportunity to test their skills against players from other schools by participating in chess tournaments. Princeton Day School hosted the Princeton Championship on December 8th, wherein the PDS team won first place plaques in many sections. (Click here for a full listing of winners). And in the recent National 2nd Grade Championship in Orlando, Florida, Princeton Day School’s own Winston Ni tied for first place. In this seven-round, three-day tournament, 155 of the best 2nd grade players in the country competed for the title of champion. In announcing the news, Head of the Lower School Lisa Surace remarked, “To become a National Champion requires hard work and great talent, memory, courage, determination, and love of chess, in combination with much coaching, parental support and guidance. Winston is a great player and this is an amazing recognition for both Winston and our chess program. We are incredibly proud of Winston and his accomplishment.” For more on Chess, click here.

Now Princeton Day School alums can take their alumni connections with them wherever they go! The new PDS Alumni App was officially launched last evening, December 6th, at the New York Regional Gathering in Manhattan. In announcing the news, Head of School Paul Stellato remarked, “As a school we are continually searching for new and creative ways for alumni to stay connected to one another and Princeton Day School. We are excited to offer you this app as a gift—one that will increase your professional networking opportunities, and allow you to benefit from the diverse interests, talents, and backgrounds of each other on a global scale.” Features include a searchable alumni directory, a map feature that shows all alums in a particular area, real-time picture and class notes posting, school and alumni news and events, a link to make a gift, and a links to PDS Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube pages. Check out this page with more details on the Alumni App. Mr. Stellato went on the note, “We are excited to share this, not just because of the innovative technology that it offers, but also because of the community engagement that we believe it can bring to our school.” Happy holidays!

In Tuesday’s Focus assembly, Head of the Middle School Steve Hancock announced, “Today we celebrate the additions to the permanent Princeton Day School art collection. These additions to the collection by our Middle School students were chosen by an independent artist who viewed all of the student artwork from last year.” MS Art teacher Susan Reichlin introduced each student and their work, which ranged from paintings to prints to pencil drawings. Ms. Reichlin’s descriptions of each artwork and what made it exceptional were wonderfully illuminating. Congratulations to the following students had their artwork chosen for the permanent collection: Rakesh Potluri ’20, Bryn Aprill ’20, James Wellemeyer ’19, Mary Schafer ’19, Raymond Li ’19, Carter Sednaoui ’18, Christina Tian ’18, Emily Hancock ’18, Emma Shainwald ’17, Gardie Herr ’17, Mia Wong ’17, Tess Gecha ’17, and Tillie Lighte ’17. To see the new additions to the permanent collection, please click here. Also, be sure to stop by the MS office, where outstanding pieces are all on display.

Princeton Day School is honored to welcome Colonel Jack Jacobs (Ret.) to campus on Monday, December 10th, to speak to the Upper School.  Mr. Jacobs is the recipient of the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart, a renowned author, NBC/MSNBC military analyst and contributor, and current professor at West Point. Upper School Dean of Students Doug McLane noted, “Mr. Jacobs speaks on and writes about the topic of moral courage and will be connecting some of his experiences to our essential question: ‘What do I stand for?’” Mr. Jacobs will speak to the entire Upper School during the assembly, and then visit classrooms for further discussion. Click here to view a short clip of Colonel Jacobs speaking on moral courage.

If you tune into your local National Public Radio affiliate in December, you just might hear the voices of some PDS students talking about the holidays. Theater Artist-in-Residence Stan Cahill is serving as the director of a radio show produced with PRI and the BBC entitled “The Story of Christmas,” and billed as a special holiday pageant for the radio. The show will consist of two companion pieces. The first will feature the voices of several US students, including Jay Mack ‘15, Meg Weck ‘13, Nick Jaeckel ‘14, Jessica Toltzis ‘14, Taylor Fasolo ‘14, and Adina Triolo ‘15, reading from prepared texts and carols about Christmas. This segment will also feature a beautiful performance of Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols,” performed in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, by the National Cathedral Girls Choir. The second piece, still in production, will feature PDS students from the second, third, and sixth grades, in addition to the US students above, discussing their thoughts on the holidays. “This segment is a take on the holidays from different students in different cultures, and will include interviews about holidays like Diwali and Hannukah in addition to Christmas,” remarked Mr. Cahill. “The Story of Christmas” will be aired at the end of December on local NPR affiliates—be sure to check your local listings.

Princeton Day School is delighted to announce that the annual ice hockey tournaments hosted by the School will now be known as the Harry Rulon-Miller ’51 Invitational Ice Hockey Tournament. In announcing the news, Head of School Paul Stellato remarked, “Grateful as we are to our participants and sponsors of this annual rite of winter, the tournaments’ guiding spirit and great heart are to be found in one man: tournament director Harry-Rulon Miller ’51.  Princeton Day School hockey has flourished because Harry would have it no other way.  I know you will agree that these tournaments have flourished – and their reputation has grown – because Harry is a host unlike any other.” The tournament kicks off on Friday, December 7th, with a dedication at the Lisa McGraw ’44 Rink at 6:00 pm, immediately preceding the hockey game between the PDS Boys hockey team and Rye Country Day School. The tournaments will continue throughout the weekend, with some great games scheduled. Click here for a look at the program and plan your weekend accordingly!

On November 30th, all parents will receive an email from Christine Baker at the Baker Group with a link to a survey about Princeton Day School. Designed by the school’s educational leaders, and assisted by the Baker Group, an independent school market research firm, the survey is broad and comprehensive, touching upon every area of school life. The participation of as many parents as possible in this important initiative will provide important insight and direction, as the school strives to provide an enriching and engaging school experience for our students. The survey will remain open until Wednesday, December 19th, so please take some time and share your thoughts and feedback with us. Thank you for your participation!

On Friday, December 7th, the Middle School will present their fall play, Mapquest. Mapquest is a clever spoof of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island by Performing Arts Department Chair Deb Sugarman. Ms Surgarman notes, “It’s a swashbuckling tale of adventure and mischief on the high seas, as a zany cast of characters search for the map that will lead them to buried treasure on a desert island.” This show is not only appropriate for all ages, but promises to be a lot of fun, too. It’s free admission and general seating, so mark your calendars!

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce the grand opening of the Panther Den, the new school store, on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, with activities planned for the community throughout the day, including a parent coffee from 8:00-10:00 am, followed by afternoon snacks and student raffles beginning at 1:00 pm. In addition, there will be a “Snowflake” sale all day long so the community can get a start on their holiday shopping.  The store, located in the Middle School, has recently undergone a renovation and significant expansion. The Panther Den has a new name and logo, and the focus is shifting from a textbooks-only store to one that includes apparel and other merchandise with appeal to students in grades PreK through 12. The new store manager, Jennifer Laurash, mentions that the Panther Den will feature many new products for the grand opening, including Nike hoodies, Boxercraft flannels, MV Sport blankets, customized woven pillows, and Sloane Ranger accessories (iPad cases, wristlets, and more). In addition, there will be customizable hoodies and crewneck sweatshirts, and Barbarian Rugby shirts available to order. Ms. Laurash remarked, “I hope the Panther Den will become a real destination for our students and their families… a community space where they can come and have a cup of coffee, visit with friends, and check out books, clothes, and accessories.”

The Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery at Princeton Day School is delighted to present Secret Lives, an exhibit featuring artworks by no fewer than 42 members of our faculty and staff, from November 27th through December 19th, 2012. There will be an opening reception on Tuesday, November 27th from 11:30-1:30 pm in the gallery. This exhibition will present an array of artwork, including paintings, drawings, photography, video, ceramics, sculpture, and even needlepoint from the very talented members of the PDS faculty and staff. And, to add an element of surprise to the exhibit, the names of the artists will be hidden from immediate view. Be sure to check out the exhibit to discover the hidden talents of your teachers and colleagues!

The Princeton Day School Athletic Department invites you to the McAneny Theater on Tuesday, November 27th at 7:00 pm for a seminar with peak performance consultant and PDS Tennis Coach Ed Tseng, who will present "An Evening with Ed: Peak Performance in Academics, Athletics and Life." Mr. Tseng is an internationally-recognized consultant on the psychology of peak performance, an award-winning coach, bestselling author and keynote speaker (www.edtseng.com). He specializes in teaching individuals how to tap into their own self-confidence to for greater focus and the ability to perform under pressure. Mr. Tseng has lectured at Princeton University, the Special Olympics, TEDx, Princeton Library, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and the Boys and Girls Club of Trenton, among other venues. Admission is free.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year at Princeton Day School. On Tuesday, November 20th, our Lower School students kicked off the day with a sharing assembly in the McAneny Theater that included a short strings concert, Native American dancing with hoops, and plenty of wonderful songs, including favorites like "This Land is Your Land." Later in the day, the entire school assembled in the Upper Gym to reflect upon the importance of gratitude and to listen to some beautiful musical performances. Click here to see some photos from the day's events, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! See you on Monday, November 26th.

Princeton Day School is proud to announce the following seven semifinalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Competition: David Caliguire, Emily Clagett, Jay Karandikar, Jonas Kaufman, Max Nye, Adam Straus-Goldfarb, and Emily Zhao. Not since 2008-2009, has Princeton Day School announced seven semifinalists in this competition. These students were among the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists named in the 58th annual National Merit Scholarship Program from the 1.5 million juniors around the country who applied for the program. The semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and include the highest-scoring entrants in each state. These Princeton Day School students have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the spring. Congratulations! 

Andrew Schmidt, Princeton Day School's Choral and Vocal Music teacher, led our Middle School students in a wonderful choral program in the McAneny Theater last evening, November 15. The program, called "The Many Faces of Song," featured performances by the 8th Notes, the Concert Choir, and Chorale Women and Chorale Men groups. The show was divided into segments, including Songs for Praise and Prayer, Songs for a Moment, Songs for a Laugh, Songs for Soothing, and Songs for Moving and Shaking, with works by Wiliam Byrd, Sandra Howard, Benjamin Britten, and others. Click here to see photos from the concert, and bravo to our MS students.

The Princeton Day School College Counseling and Athletic Departments are proud to present a panel on athletic recruiting at colleges and universities on November 19th at 7:00 pm in the McAneny Theater. Learn everything you need to know about the process from this impressive panel, which will include Courtney Banghart from Princeton University Women's Basketball, Barry Davis from Rider University Baseball, Nick Ojea from the Rutgers University Athletic Office, Lisa Ojea from Rutgers University Women's Lacrosse, and Sharon Beverly, Athletic Director at Vassar College. In addition, Rachel Herr, PDS parent and mother of three recruited student-athletes, as well as Andy Ramirez of the College Counseling Office will be on hand to discuss the topic as it relates to our PDS community. All Upper School students and parents are welcome but it will be especially geared to our sophomores and juniors.

The annual Powder Puff game took place on the new Baker Field on Monday, November 12th between the senior and junior girls. And what a great day for the game! After the recent hurricane and nor'easter, it was a pleasant surprise to experience sunshine and mild weather. This year's Powder Puff was an exciting game, but a definitive one: senior girls scored 19 to the junior girls' zero. Click here for some photographs from the game. And congratulations to the seniors!

Please join the Princeton Day School Parents Association for the November meeting on Wednesday, 8:00 am, in the Gosnell Room at the Lisa McGraw ’44 Ice Rink. The meeting will focus on athletic injuries and prevention, and feature a lecture from Dr. Jonathan Lichtenstein from the Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey and RSM Psychology. Dr. Lichtenstein, an expert on concussions, will speak on both defining and treating concussions effectively.  In addition, Luke Hensel, PDS Head Athletic Trainer, and Kristin Williams, an orthopedic specialist in physical therapy, will offer tips and information on preventing athletic injuries. PA President Gwyn Langeler remarked, “I am eager for our parents to see the great lengths that PDS takes to protect and care for our athletes! As a parent of an athlete I am especially grateful for these programs and proud that PDS is a leader in this endeavor.”

Fortunately, the buildings on the Princeton Day School campus were spared from the ravages of Hurricane Sandy. However, as previously reported, the campus trees took a beating, particularly the trees on our prized ropes course. To see what the campus looked like immediately after the storm, click here for photos taken by Head of School Paul Stellato.

As a community, Princeton Day School is committed to helping with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts and will be sponsoring a drive for HomeFront with requests for specific items needed by hurricane victims. Please see the list of requested items by clicking here. In addition, the School will be participating in our regular Thanksgiving food basket drive in to benefit HomeFront. There will be boxes placed around the School to collect all items. We are asking parents and students in all divisions to participate and to bring in items by Friday, November 16th.

Thank you so much for your help!

“A hurricane, a nor’easter and 6” of snow can't stop us!” So remarks Director Stan Cahill about the production of the Upper School fall play Anon(ymous) by Naomi Iizuki, set to open this evening, Thursday, November 8th, at 7:30 pm in the McAneny Theater. As the Princeton Day School community may recall, last fall’s production of The Laramie Project was forced to cancel the last performance due to the unexpected snowstorm in October. But, will the PDS Performing Arts Department be deterred by the double punch of a hurricane and snowstorm? The answer is a resounding no. Mr. Cahill notes that, “Anon(ymous) is loud, raucous and physical play, and our humble attempt to shake our fists at Mother Nature.” Indeed! Based on Homer’s Odyssey, Anon(ymous), somehow more relevant in light of recent events, tells the story of a young refugee named Anon, who is separated from his mother and flees his war-ravaged country to embark on a journey to a new life in America. Please visit www.pds.org/boxoffice to order your tickets right away. Performances will take place tonight, on Friday, at 7:30 pm, and on Saturday, at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Break a leg, team (Kidding!).

Due to the inclement weather, Princeton Day School will open on a 90-minute delay today, Thursday, November 8th. Classes will begin and offices will open at 9:30 am. Please stay safe on the roads, and see you later this morning.

To ensure the safety of our students and faculty, Princeton Day School will cancel all after-school activities today, Wednesday, November 7th, due to the forecast of an approaching storm. With sleet, snow, and high winds predicted, the School will close 3:15 pm with the end of Middle and Upper School classes. Lower School activities, including after-school classes, will take place as scheduled from the 1:30 dismissal until 3:00. Additionally, Stay and Play will be available from 1:30 until 3:00.

We will continue to assess the weather though the night, and will notify our families, via our AlertNow system, by 5:30 am Thursday with plans for tomorrow’s opening. As we are uncertain about the conditions we may face tomorrow morning, please be sure to prepare for all possibilities tomorrow: a normal opening, a delayed opening (with classes beginning at 9:30 am), and school closing.  As always, we will continue to provide updates here and on Facebook and Twitter. Stay safe!

Princeton Day School is monitoring the forecast of a developing nor'easter, which may impact our community from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning. The storm may include high winds and a mix of rain and snow. With clean-up from Hurricane Sandy still underway and continuing power outages an issue for many members of our community, we want to ensure the safety of our families and faculty as they travel home from school on Wednesday. Therefore, we are considering cancelling all after-school activities for Wednesday, November 7th. Should circumstances demand, the campus will close at 3:15, with the end of Middle and Upper School classes. Lower School activities will take place, as scheduled, from the 1:30 dismissal until 3:00. We will make this decision by early afternoon tomorrow, once we know more about how the storm may affect our area. As always, we will provide updates on our website, on Facebook and Twitter, and through our AlertNow notification system.

As the nights grow longer and colder, the effects of Hurricane Sandy continue to challenge even our heartiest community members as many of our families are still without power. The Princeton Day School Parents Association would like to help.  If your family is without power or has suffered a setback that requires some measure of support, please be in touch with PA President Gwyn Langeler, who has kindly volunteered to coordinate outreach activities for the school community. Please see the online directory on Inside PDS, or the second page of the printed PDS directory for Ms. Langeler’s contact information. Also, please know that Princeton Day School’s facilities open at 7:00 each morning for any parents, students, and faculty who need showers and other amenities available in the athletic locker rooms. Finally, if this ongoing dilemma is impacting your child’s daily experience, please be in touch with his or her grade-level teacher, advisor, or division head; or Head of School Paul Stellato.

Due to Hurricane Sandy, many of Princeton Day School’s events have been rescheduled. The Upper School Fall Play Anon(ymous) originally scheduled for November 1, 2, and 3 will now be performed on November 8, 9, and 10. Performance times are 7:30 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and, additionally, a 2:00 pm matinee on Saturday. Click here for information and to purchase tickets. “An Evening with Ed Tseng,” originally scheduled for November 5 will take place on November 27 at 7:00 pm in the McAneny Theater. And, the Junior College Counseling Night originally scheduled for November 8 will now take place on December 4. More information and details will be sent to families directly from the College Counseling Office.

Finally, please note that certain events are still taking place as originally scheduled, notably the Upper School Open House scheduled for Sunday, November 11, from 2:00-4:00 pm and the Lower School Open House scheduled for November 14, from 9:00-10:30 am. In addition, the PA Meeting will still take place on November 14 at 8:00 am in the Lisa McGraw ’44 Rink, the MS Choral Concert will be performed at 7:30 pm on November 15 in McAneny Theater, and the Athletic Recruiting/College Counseling Panel will take place on November 19 at 7:00 pm in the McAneny Theater. Please check back here for details, as we are continuing to update the Events Calendar. Thank you!

A Message from Paul Stellato, Head of School:

To the Princeton Day School Community,

Power was restored to our campus at 6:53 this evening and with it our capacity to continue this extraordinary school year. We will do so with the resumption of classes at 9:30 tomorrow morning; and, although you would be wise to drop your children off 15 or 20 minutes early, something tells me I need not mention it.

I should, mention, however, that tomorrow may be a hectic day, and our community's collective anticipation may play itself out in many ways.  Some of our families may not yet have power; some may be just returning to Princeton, having spent part of the last week with friends and family; and most of our students--and especially our seniors--may be wondering how they will ever catch up.  Let me assure you that all will be welcomed and made to feel at ease.  Together, we will begin anew.

To that end, I'd ask and offer a couple of things:

First, on behalf of our school, I want to offer the showers in our athletic faciliities, for any and all who may have gone without such amenities.  Our doors will open at 7:00 am. Second, tomorrow's carpool may be one for the ages. Come early. Plan ahead. Turn off the cell phone. Be patient. Be kind. Third, it is likely we will endure a brief period of adjustment, as things ramp up, expectations are re-set, and we move swiftly to the end of the term. If your child is struggling or needs addtional support, let us know. If power has not been restored at your home, rendering it difficult for your child to complete homework, let us know. And fourth, the school days that disappeared last week will need to be returned to the calendar at some other point.  By week's end, I will be in touch with details on this important topic.

When you enter the campus tomorrow, things may look very much as you left them.  Their seeming so is a tribute to our grounds and facilities staff.  But if you wind your way up to the Lisa McGraw '44 Rink, you will see a changed and altered landscape, courtesy of an angry, ambitious storm.  Soon this landscape will be made whole, too.

And so, wiith my many faculty and staff colleagues, I am eager to greet our students and parents, so that together we may finish the important work we have begun together.

I'll see you in the morning.

As of 5:30 Sunday afternoon, Princeton Day School remains without power, but we remain optimistic that it will be restored in time for school to open tomorrow. To that end, we are planning a delayed opening, with classes beginning at 9:30 am on Monday, November 5th. We will confirm school status with a message via Alert Now at 5:30 am Monday morning. In addition, as soon as power is restored, we will announce it via the website, Facebook and Twitter. Note that bus service will not be available for this delayed opening. Faculty and staff should check All School Business and the divisional conferences for additional information about opening details. Thanks again for everyone's patience and understanding over the past week. We look forward to being together again in school.

As of Sunday morning, the campus of Princeton Day School remains without power. There are crews working on campus at this time, and we are hopeful that power will be restored later today. Once power is restored, we will be able to open the campus to our students as our Buildings and Grounds staff have been working tirelessly to ensure that the campus is safe. Please know that fallen trees have now been cleared and the campus is safe for our students. We will provide an update here and on Facebook and Twitter, as well as through our AlertNow system, by 5:00 pm this afternoon about whether classes will resume tomorrow. Please be sure to prepare for both possibilities tomorrow--school being open and school being closed--as it is hard to predict at this time. We hope our families are faring well, and thank everyone for their continuing patience during this difficult time.

The campus of Princeton Day School will be closed on Friday, November 2nd, and over the weekend. The School continues to be without power, and the clearing of several downed trees is still in progress, so it is important that you don't come to campus. In addition, the School's First Class email system is down, so no emails are being received. Please check back to the School website, and on Facebook and Twitter, for updates. We will plan to post an update on Sunday, November 4th at noon with information about school next week.

The campus of Princeton Day School will be closed on Thursday, November 1st. The School continues to be without power, and there are a number of trees down on campus.  Though clean-up is progressing well, the campus is still not safe for students. Please check back here, and on Facebook and Twitter, for futher updates.

*Please note that the Upper School Fall Play, Anon(ymous), previously scheduled for performances beginning November 1st will be rescheduled for next week: November 8th through the 10th. All purchased tickets will be honored for the corresponding days next week, and note that tickets are still available. Please email boxoffice@pds.org for more information.

The campus of Princeton Day School will be closed on Wednesday, October 31st. The School is currently without power and there are several trees down so please do not attempt to come to campus. Unfortunately, the Halloween Parades scheduled for Wednesday are cancelled. Please check back on the school website, on Facebook, and Twitter for further updates. 

Due to the weather reports concerning Hurricane Sandy, the campus of Princeton Day School will be closed beginning Sunday evening at 6:00 pm. All classes are cancelled for both Monday, October 29th and Tuesday, October 30th, and the school buildings and campus will be closed. Please check back to the school website (www.pds.org) as well as the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/princetondayschool) and Twitter feed (@PDSPanthers) for updates.

Other helpful sites include: www.nj.com, www.princetonpatch.com, and PrincetonScoop, on Facebook. In addition, you can tune in to New Jersey 101.5 FM for radio updates.

Forecasts of the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center suggest Hurricane Sandy has the potential to disrupt significantly normal school operation as early as Monday, October 29, and for several days thereafter.  In anticipation of Sandy's arrival, the State of New Jersey has issued a state of emergency, effective beginning Saturday, October 27. Princeton Day School urges its families to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.  Should the School need to modify its daily schedule or cancel school altogether, it will post information here and be in direct contact through its AlertNow System. We ask you not call the school for information during the weekend. Be safe!

Barring any unexpected snowstorms, the students and faculty at Princeton Day School will pull out all the stops and dress up in full costume for the annual and much-loved Halloween Parade around campus on October 31st. The festivities will begin at 8:10 am with the Middle School students parading around the circle first, followed by the Upper School faculty, and finally the Upper School students by grade. Later, at noon, the Lower School students will parade around the circle in costume. Parents are invited to join the fun. Our youngest students are already in the swing of Halloween, after celebrating with the first-ever “Monster Mash Bash” at PDS on Friday, October 19th. This costume dance party was a huge hit for both children and grown-ups, and if you haven’t seen the photo slideshow yet, please click here. Rest assured, photos of the annual Halloween Parade will be taken and posted right here on Halloween.

The box office is now open for the Princeton Day School Theater production of Anon(ymous), by Naomi Iizuka, running from November 1-3 in the McAneny Theater. Click at the box on the right, or at www.pds.org/boxoffice for show times and to purchase your tickets. Based on Homer’s Odyssey, Anon(ymous) tells the story of a young refugee named Anon, who is separated from his mother and flees his war-ravaged country to embark on a journey to a new life in America. “As abundantly funny, anguished, and hopeful as America itself, this play offers a rich and witty exploration of how we all search for home and community,” noted Director Stan Cahill. Originally commissioned by the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, the Princeton Day School Theater production is the New Jersey Premiere of Anon(ymous) and is appropriate for middle school and upper school students. 

Please mark your calendars for the Thursday, October 25th, for the Common Ground lecture, “Your Child’s Brain: Building Strong Minds from Preschool to College,” with Princeton University Professor Sam Wang.  This lecture will take place at the Princeton Montessori School from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. In addition, there will be a post-lecture discussion on Friday, October 26th, at 9:00 am, at Bon Appetit in the Princeton Shopping Center. Dr. Wang will talk about children’s thought processes: what really goes through your child’s growing mind from the time they are infants through adolescence? He will challenge popular myths and misinformation about brain development, and will discuss surprising revelations from neuroscience. In addition, Dr. Wang will offer practical advice backed by reliable research on a wide range of issues including: self-control, ADHD, and predictors of academic success. Dr. Wang is the author of the New York Times bestseller Welcome To Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How To Drive, and has just published a new book titled Welcome To Your Child’s Brain: How The Mind Develops From Conception To College.  For more information about Professor Wang, please click www.welcometoyourbrain.com. For more information about Princeton Common Ground, please click here.

Princeton Day School is proud to announce the following Semifinalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Competition: David Caliguire, Emily Clagett, Jay Karandikar, Jonas Kaufman, Max Nye, Adam Straus-Goldfarb, and Emily Zhao. These studentswere among the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists named in the 58th annual National Merit Scholarship Program from the 1.5 million juniors around the country who applied for the program. These Princeton Day School seniors have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the spring. The Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and include the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The National Merit Scholarship winners of 2013 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 291,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title. Congratulations!

Join the Parents Association for a meeting on Wednesday, October 17th, at 8:00 am in the McAneny Theater. Head of School Paul Stellato will speak to the group about the search process for the Head of the Upper School. In addition, he will speak about the school's new Health and Wellness initiative. This meeting is sure to be packed with a lot of interesting information for Princeton Day School parents--hope to see you there!

On Friday, October 12th, the Princeton Day School Lower School students brought trowels, shovels, and garden gloves to plant daffodil bulbs on campus. It was a crisp, sunny fall morning in Princeton as our youngest students and their families began digging in the dirt, dropping in the bulbs, and ultimately, planning ahead for the spring. The spring daffodils are a true treat--and this annual fall event is a great way to get students connecting with the earth and thinking about the future. Click here for a slideshow of photos from the bulb planting.

Thankfully, the gray clouds cleared and the weather was picture perfect for Princeton Day School's annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 6, 2012. The event was a great opportunity for all of our students, PK-12, and their families to learn about how to harvest honey from the PDS bees from LS Science teacher Aaron Schomburg, to visit the PDS hens, to nibble on snacks in the new Alberto Petrella Garden Classroom, and to listen to selections from the amazing a cappella groups at PDS. To top it all off, guests were treated to an incredible dinner of scrumptious quiche, winter squash soup, pasta, and special herbed and honey butter on handmade bread, all prepared and served by our Upper School students. What a great way to kick off the fall at Princeton Day School! Check out these photos from the event.

The Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery at Princeton Day School is pleased to present the photography exhibit, “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon,” which will open on Monday, October 15th and run through November 11th.  Photographers Dan Mead and Sally Eagle will be displaying images of this Himalayan country and culture taken over the past 12 years.  In addition, there will be a reception at 12:30 on October 15thwhere they will display some of the artifacts they have brought back, including masks, textiles, and religious paintings. “Bhutan remains one of the most intact Buddhist cultures in the world today,” said Mead recently.  “The language, dress, festivals and architecture are uniquely Bhutanese, even as they are slowly becoming more global in outlook and awareness.” MeadEaglePhotos is dedicated to bringing images from around the world to schools and galleries throughout the Northeastern U.S. in order to encourage a dialogue about global issues through the display of cultures, wildlife, and landscape photography. For more about this exhibit, click here.

James E. Burke, who served as a trustee at Princeton Day School from 1971 to 1980, passed away on Friday, September 28, at the age of 87. The father of James Burke ’80, an independent film producer, and former Chairman and Chief Executive of Johnson & Johnson, Mr. Burke was a highly regarded businessman who expertly handled the Tylenol poisonings in the 1980s. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000 by President Bill Clinton, he served as chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, and on the boards of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Carnegie Institution, among others. Mr. Burke was a longtime resident of Princeton, and is survived by his wife of 31 years, Didi; his son, James; his daughter, Clo Burke; his sister, Phyllis Burke Davis; and four grandchildren. Please click here to read Mr. Burke’s obituary in the New York Times.

On Monday afternoon, the Upper School students at Princeton Day School will focus on China in their afternoon assembly and welcome filmmaker Alison Klayman, whose recent documentary is “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” an intimate portrait of the famed Chinese artist. Ms. Klayman will be introduced by visual artist, PDS parent, and friend Peter Lighte, whose paintings of the Chinese zodiac are currently on display in the Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery. Ms. Klayman will screen a portion of her film and lead a discussion with the students about her film and the artist. In addition, Ms. Klayman will speak later in the day at Princeton University, as the University is hosting a yearlong installation of Ai Weiwei’s “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads” in the Woodrow Wilson plaza.

The Princeton Day School Upper School EnAct and Food & Garden Clubs invite the entire community to the 4th annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 6 at 5:00 pm. Please click here to see a full schedule of events and to register—tickets are going fast! Reserve your tickets by Monday, October 1st so the Clubs can get an accurate headcount for this popular event. There will be a delicious feast featuring fresh, organic food from the PDS garden, which will be cooked and served by students under the direction of Chefs Brian and Mason. Click here to see the mouthwatering dinner menu. Beginning with a guided walk on the PDS green trail—with visits to the PDS bees and chickens—and ending with a showing of the film “No Impact Man,” the Harvest Festival will include new events, such as a Trashion Show and an EcoArt display, as well as musical performances by students. Note that there is a charge for the Harvest Dinner, but the other Harvest Festival events are free of charge.

On September 21st, Princeton Day School celebrated the official reopening of the Jan Baker Field, now a new, state-of-the-art artificial turf field. This new field, now the second turf field on campus (Smoyer Field was opened in the fall of 2004), was made possible through the generosity of parents and alumni. The dimensions of the new field are 240’ x 370’, which allows for two teams to practice side by side, and is lined for field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. Princeton Day School worked with the Clark Companies on the project, which began in mid-July and was completed this month. The Jan Baker Field features FieldTurf technology, the same artificial turf technology used by top public and private high schools, and colleges and universities around the country, including the Lawrenceville School and Princeton University. On Friday afternoon, the PDS community, including Jan Baker, gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which included remarks from Head of School Paul Stellato and Director of Athletics Tim Williams. The crowd was then treated to an inaugural varsity field hockey game between the Panthers and the Academy of the New Church (Panthers won!). In his remarks at the ceremony, Mr. Stellato noted, “the renovation and expansion of this turf field exemplifies Princeton Day School’s deep commitment to its student-athletes.” Click here to see photos from the groundbreaking to the opening of the new Jan Baker Turf Field.

Be sure to come to campus on Saturday, September 29th to celebrate Fall Weekend at Princeton Day School. Watch our Panthers compete against Blair Academy in field hockey, tennis, and soccer (full schedule is below), and enjoy snacks, drinks, and the company of the PDS community. This year, the athletics department is also having a “Throwback Uniform Sale” on Saturday. There was a recent discovery in the equipment room of a treasure trove of athletics uniforms from “back in the day.” Alums, you could find your old uniform! Proceeds from the sale will support the athletics program at PDS. Hope to see you there, and remember: Go Panthers!

12:30               Girls Varsity Field Hockey on Baker Field

2:00                 Girls Varsity Tennis on Tennis Courts

2:00                 Girls JV Tennis on Tennis Courts

2:00                 Boys JV Soccer on Far Pagoda Field

2:00                 Girls JV Field Hockey on Smoyer Field

2:00                 Boys JV2 Soccer on Near Pagoda Field

2:00                 Girls Varsity Soccer on Baker Field

3:30                 Boys Varsity Soccer on Baker Field

Princeton Day School recently held a ceremony to dedicate the school’s new garden classroom. The classroom is now named the Alberto Petrella Garden Classroom in honor of the beloved, long-serving staff member. Mr. Petrella, who worked at Princeton Day School from 1968 through 1993, was a member of the buildings and grounds staff and took expert care of the ice rink and athletics fields. In addition, he was an avid gardener. Mr. Petrella passed away in January 2011, and is survived by his wife Vera, three children, Margaret Petrella '82, Marissa Petrella Lombardo '85, and Albert Petrella, and five grandchildren—who attended the ceremony. Margaret Petrella spoke to the gathered group of current families, alums, trustees, and faculty and staff, mentioning how important both Princeton Day School and gardening were to her father. Head of School Paul J. Stellato remarked that “Alberto was one of the first members of this community to welcome my family into its midst, and was committed to the Princeton Day School community.  To generations of students, parents, faculty, and trustees, Alberto Petrella was our school.” (The featured photo is of Mr. Stellato and the Petrella family.) Finally, Sustainability Coordinator Liz Cutler spoke of the importance of the new classroom to the school’s sustainability program, and asked each person at the event to raise a “tomato” (grape tomatoes harvested from the PDS organic garden) to Mr. Petrella—a gesture very much appreciated by the group of family and friends of Mr. Petrella, who was known for his prized tomatoes.

It was a beautiful morning as the entire student body of Princeton Day School, PreK through grade 12, and all faculty and staff, gathered on the Colross lawn to mark the commencement of a new school year. Head of School Paul Stellato offered thoughtful and rousing remarks to the students, charging each one to commit a few words to heart each morning:  “today I will; today I must; today I can.” He went on, “Know what you demand of the day, and the day cannot disappoint you.” For Mr. Stellato’s full remarks, please click here. Joining Mr. Stellato were students from all three divisions, who each offered remarks that were poignant and generated excitement for the year ahead. MS teacher Hank Bristol andUS teacher David Freedholm offered opening and closing prayers and benedictions, and music teacher Andrew Schmidt led the Madrigals in a musical selection, and in the school Alma Mater. Click here for photos from this year’s Convocation.

Welcome back parents! Please join the Parents Association for the first meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 19, at 8:15 am in the McAneny Theater. The Parents Association at Princeton Day School is comprised of all of our parents, so be sure to stop by and hear about the plans for the year ahead. Gwyn Langeler, this year's PA President, will speak and introduce the key PA chairs, as well as Leadership Team of the school who will provide a back-to-school update. Parents will hear directly from Head of School Paul Stellato, Head of the Lower School Lisa Surace, Head of the Middle School Steve Hancock, and Head of the Upper School Carlton Tucker. This meeting is not to be missed. Ms. Langeler noted, "The first Parents Association meeting is a great way to kick off the new school year and become a part of the PDS community."

Princeton Day School’s Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery is pleased to announce the first exhibition of the season: “Peter Lighte: Pieces of China.” The kick-off to this exhibition will be a cocktail reception and silent auction for the Princeton Day School community on Friday, September 28, 2012—mark your calendars! (Please RSVP to the right of this post.) Mr. Lighte, whose daughter is in 9th grade, has created twelve lush paintings representing the ancient Chinese signs of the zodiac. When asked why he was donating his works for a silent auction at the school, Mr. Lighte remarked, “By doing this, I connect my obsession with China to my obsession with my daughter’s education.” The artist, who has lived abroad for nearly 30 years, has spent time in Taiwan, Beijing, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, but is especially tied to China. A graduate of Princeton University, he first visited Asia in the 1970s as part of his Princeton in Asia Study (the photo featured is of Mr. Lighte in Taiwan on this trip). “I dipped my toes in China and then got swallowed whole,” he noted. The artist hopes the exhibit “Pieces of China” brings the beauty of calligraphy through fanciful animals to a non-Chinese population. “Chinese is a language that needs to be accessible from both practical and aesthetic points of view.” There will be an artist's reception on Tuesday, October 2, from 12:45 to 1:30 pm. For more information, click here to see the Anne Reid '72 Art Gallery page.

Princeton Day School students, PreK through grade 12, celebrated their first day back today. Whether checking out lockers and classrooms, meeting new teachers, or making new friends, these students looked glad to be at school. Click here for some photos of the first day of school at PDS. Welcome back Panthers!

Princeton Day School is committed to giving each student personal attention through the college application process, and is pleased to announce the addition of a third counselor to College Counseling office. Abigail Perry joins the PDS College Counseling Team after a career working first as a teacher and then as an admissions officer at Brown University. After moving to Princeton, Ms. Perry joined the Princeton Admissions Office as a reader and then worked as an independent college consultant. Ms. Perry holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Master’s degree from the University of Virginia. When announcing the news, Director of College Counseling Sarah Graham remarked, “Abby is excited to be back working in a high school environment, and I am ecstatic to have her join our community. My colleague, Andy Ramirez, and I also worked as admissions officers at highly selective colleges, and we all look forward to sharing the expertise culled from these experiences with our PDS families.”

Princeton Day School is delighted to welcome several new faculty and staff to our school for the 2012-2013 academic year. Ron Tola is the new Director of Facilities. Mr. Tola comes to PDS with extensive facilities management experience, most recently serving for eight years as the Director of Facilities Management for Haverford College; a position he also held at Old Dominion University and The College of New Jersey. Additional new staff members include Receptionist Amy Sharpless, Assistant to Director of Athletics Emily Shircliff, and Assistant Director of College Counseling Abigail Perry. In the Lower School, we are pleased to welcome Shonell Best Brown as the new PreK teacher and Sandra Reedy, who will serve as the Music teacher while Andrea Schafer is on sabbatical. In the Upper School, Kate Koenigsknecht will teach Spanish, Juan Soto Pujols will teach Spanish and Math, and Carolyn Norin will teach Biology. Finally, we welcome Carolyn Salgado as the new Learning Specialist for the Middle and Upper School.

The faculty and staff at Princeton Day School have been busily preparing for weeks to commence the 2012-13 academic year, which for some students is already underway. Upper School athletes hit the fields on August 22nd and will continue their pre-season training until the first day of school. On Tuesday, September 4th, new Middle School students will arrive on campus with parents for orientation sessions and the distribution of iPads. All fifth graders are expected from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, and new 6th and 7th graders come from 12:30-3:00 pm. Around the circle at the Lower School, all new students in grades PreK-4 will have the chance to visit classrooms, meet their teachers, and say hello to other newcomers from 8:30-9:30 am. And at 8:00 am on Wednesday, September 5th, Princeton Day School is back in session for a full day (with Lower School dismissal at 1:30 pm). LS Stay and Play and MS Homework Club will be available beginning September 5th, and LS parents are reminded of the 7:15 am drop-off option at either the LS library or Gymateria. Thursday, September 6th brings the New Parent Dinner at 6:30 pm in the Campus Center. Finally, all parents should mark their calendars for Back to School Nights: Sept. 11 at 6:30 pm for Grades PreK-2, Sept. 13 at 6:30 pm for Grades 3 and 4, Sept. 19 at 7:00 pm for all MS parents, and Sept. 20 at 7:00 pm for all US parents. Remember, for the full listing of school events, visit www.pds.org/calendar, and for bookstore hours and MS/US booklists, please visit the bookstore page.

On Monday, August 13, the New York Yankees Baseball Camp kicked off its week-long camp at Princeton Day School. This new camp made a big splash in the area attracting more than 90 campers, both boys and girls aged 5 to 13. The campers spent Monday and Tuesday playing baseball in their new Yankees uniforms out on the PDS fields, and on Wednesday took a trip to Yankees Stadium in New York. At the stadium, they were able to have a meet and greet with Yankees catcher Chris Stewart and pose for a photo with him, as well as a photo with the World Series ring and trophy. Each camper also received their own baseball signed by Chris Stewart. Thursday and Friday will have the campers focusing on their techniques, and enjoying some more games out on the fields. What a way to end the summer! Click here for photos of the Yankees campers.

Head of Lower School Lisa Surace remarked, "It’s been a summer of growth as faculty read books, pursued professional development opportunities, and planned for meaningful enhancements to the dynamic learning environment that is PDS’ Lower School." To wit, here are several exciting announcements: Shonell Best Brown will join Princeton Day School in the role of Pre-K classroom teacher for the 2012-13 academic year. Ms. Brown comes to our community from True Servant Preschool Academy where she spent the last six years as lead teacher. Assisting in the classroom will be our own Tracy Young, who brings almost 20 years of Pre-K teaching experience. “Shonell and Tracy are an outstanding team who will provide a dynamic program, both academic and developmental,” noted Dr. Surace when announcing the news.

Additionally, Amy Marquette, formerly the PDS Learning Specialist, will join the Lower School team as the Learning Resource Center Coordinator. Ms. Marquette brings tremendous skill in providing reading instruction, assessment, and consultation. She will work with teachers and parents to determine educational needs of students, and implement plans to achieve student success.

Alongside her classroom teaching, Third Grade teacher Bev Gallagher will assume the new role of Director of Educational Outreach. Ms. Gallagher will oversee the creation of innovative professional development programs to be offered by Princeton Day School for our own faculty and the independent school population at large. First Grade Teacher Emily Gallagher will serve the role of Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator. In addition to her classroom teaching, Ms. Gallagher will use her expertise and passion for literacy development to continue to evolve the Lower School’s literacy program, both instruction and assessment.

Finally, Sandra Reedy, a Westminster Choir College graduate with an Orff Certification from the University of the Arts at Villanova University, will fill the position of Lower School music teacher for the 2012-13 school year. Andrea Schafer has been awarded a one-year sabbatical. 

Please welcome and congratulate these impressive faculty members!

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce a partnership with Magnus Health, in providing a secure online health record system for our students. This new system will make the process of submitting medical and athletics health forms more streamlined for our families.

  All families have now received an email with information about how to log into the Magnus Health portal, found on this website under Student Life and Athletics. All information required by Nurse Carol Nicholas and Athletic Trainer Luke Hensel will be listed for each student along with a due date for submission. Some portions of the required information can simply be keyed in (e.g. emergency contacts), other portions require parents to print and sign a document (e.g. permission to administer medications). The interface is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate, and email reminders are automatically generated by the Magnus system for missing forms prior to due dates.

  At this time we ask all Princeton Day School families to log in to Magnus Health to review/submit their students' information. You'll see upon logging in that all current (not expired) forms that were on file with the school nurse have been uploaded to the family's account. Keep in mind that athletes need their information complete to start pre-season sports on August 22nd. Please contact the Magnus Health team directly with any questions or if you need assistance: service@magnushealthportal.com , 877-461-6831. 

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce that Moira Mittnacht, longtime manager of the Nearly New Shop, has taken over ownership of the Shop and will re-open the store on September 4. “I’m delighted to continue the great tradition of the Nearly New Shop,” remarked Ms. Mittnacht, who managed the store for more than a decade. The Nearly New Shop has served the Princeton community for nearly 70 years as a consignment store, and was established by Miss Fine’s School alum Margaret Cook Wallace. Princeton Day School parents are encouraged to continue making donations to the drop box located in the Lower School to support the store. Click here to read more about this news on Planet Princeton.

Princeton Day School announces the creation of a new garden classroom on campus, located next to the school’s organic garden. The construction, which began in the spring, is nearly completed, and the classroom will be used by students in the fall. Please click here for a slideshow of the garden classroom—from original sketch to fully realized structure. Designed by architect Susan Bristol, the classroom serves as a covered extension of the garden and will include tables, chairs, a chalkboard, and a kitchen. Head of School Paul Stellato remarked: “The garden classroom represents our strong commitment to sustainability at Princeton Day School. It will be a central hub on campus where any teacher in any division or discipline can take a group to have class outdoors, exposing students to fresh air and a relaxed environment for discussion, writing, or performance.”  PDS Sustainability Coordinator Liz Cutler added, “This space will allow Princeton Day School students the opportunity to embark on the learning journey, from seed to table, right there in the garden.”

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce that every student in the Middle School will receive an iPad for the 2012-2013 academic year. When announcing the news, Director of Advancement Kathy Schulte remarked, “it is through the generosity of the PDS community and the leadership of Head of the Middle School Steve Hancock, that all students in grades 5 through 8 will have the iPad in their classrooms in September.” The iPad Pilot program, originally launched at the beginning of last year for the 5^th and 6^th grade students, has grown and strengthened at a rapid pace through the past year. Middle School faculty continue to take part in workshops and training to further their professional development on the iPad, learning about different apps as well as creating original class content. In addition, the School is working to ensure that many of the students’ textbooks will be available directly on the iPad, leading to a lighter load for our students, literally, as well as cost reduction to parents. For more information about the Princeton Day School iPad program, please click here.  

The Princeton Day School Board of Trustees is delighted to welcome four new members to the team: Deepinder S. Bhatia, Lynn Lien, Mark E. Thierfelder, andJohn C. Wellemeyer ’52. In addition, the School is pleased to announce that Barbara Griffin Cole ’78, Trustee since 2000, will serve as the Board Chair. Deepinder Bhatia is the Founding Partner of Bayard Asset Management based in Princeton, and is the father of two Princeton Day School students. Lynn Lien is the Parents Association President-elect for the 2013-2014 academic year, and has previously served as a grade and room parent, Lower School Assistant Chair, and Lower School Chair of the Parents Association. She is the parent of two Princeton Day School students. Mark Thierfelder is a Partner at Dechert LLP, based in Manhattan. The father of two Princeton Day School students, he has served as the Annual Fund Leadership Gift Committee Chair, Annual Fund Parent Captain, and as a member of the Development Committee at Princeton Day School. John Wellemeyer PCD ’52, recently retired from Morgan Stanley, is the father of two Princeton Day School students, and has served as an Annual Fund Parent Captain. For more information about our Trustees, please click here.

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce an exciting baseball camp opportunity available on campus this summer. For the week of August 13-17, PDS will be the site of the New York Yankees Baseball Summer Camps. This new camp for boys and girls aged 5 to 13, offers some amazing opportunities for young ballplayers, including: professional instruction for all skill levels; an exclusive VIP tour of Yankees Stadium during one day of the camp week; a full Yankees uniform including a hat, jersey, pants, socks, and belt; and introduction to a NY Yankees player; an autographed photo of a current Yankees player; and a special offer to purchase tickets to a Yankees’ 2012 regular season home game (the Camper Reunion Game) at the discounted super group rate, and to be recognized on the Yankee Stadium scoreboard as a group before or during the game. There are still a few spaces left, so be sure to to email or call our friends at the Yankees Baseball Summer Camps offices at 212.381.7786. Still not convinced this is the baseball camp for you? Check out what Derek Jeter has to say in this video clip! Hope to see you this summer—play ball!

Congratulations to Ray O’Brien, head coach of the Princeton Day School baseball team, who was named Prep Coach of the Year by the Trentonian. Coach O’Brien and the Panthers had a terrific season, with 12-9--the most wins of any of Mercer County’s five Prep schools. In addition, J.P. Radvany ’15, was named Prep Player of the Year—an honor for a freshman player. The freshman were especially strong this season, with a total of four players on the All-Prep first team. “With three more years to improve on those numbers, the future looks bright for the Panthers,” reports the Trentonian. For the full article, please click here. Congratulations and go Panthers!  

On Thursday, June 28, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Princeton Day School will host the Gathering Words Workshop with guest speaker Katie Wood Ray. Gathering Words is a workshop for teachers who want to immerse themselves in the art of teaching, reading, and writing. Limited to 100 participants, the workshop offers an intimate environment allowing for small group and one-on-one work. Katie Wood Ray is a literacy expert and the author of several books on writing including, In Pictures and In Words: Teaching the Qualities of Good Writing Through Illustration Study. Lower School teacher Bev Gallagher, who created and runs the Gathering Words program, remarked, “we are delighted to have Katie Wood Ray as our guest speaker this year. She is highly sought after as a speaker at conferences and workshops throughout the country.” For more information about Gathering Words, please contact Bev Gallagher.

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce that Tracey Arndt will be the Varsity Field Hockey Coach, as well as head of the field hockey program at the school, beginning in the fall.  Ms. Arndt is a graduate of Penn State University and Cabrini College, and played field hockey for the Nittany Lions before spending five years with the U.S. National Field Hockey team. She has coached at Columbia University and most recently at Pennsbury High School, and is currently Head Coach and Academy Instructor for the Mystx Field Hockey Club in Feasterville, PA. In other Athletics news, Director of Athletics Tim Williams will join the PDS boys basketball coaching staff as co-head coach in the fall.  Mr. Williams will share the coaching responsibilities with current head coach Paris McLean.  Before joining Princeton Day School, Mr. Williams coached boys basketball in Louisville, KY and Richmond, VA.

On Friday, June 8, the sun was shining and a slight breeze was blowing as the community gathered on the Colross lawn to celebrate the Princeton Day School Class of 2012. It seemed fitting that this particular class should have absolutely perfect weather for their commencement ceremony. As Head of the Upper School Carlton Tucker pointed out, this class endured an earthquake, a hurricane, and an October snowstorm that cancelled the beloved Halloween parade. The Madrigals opened the ceremony, singing beautifully and even launching blue and white paper “fireworks.” Head of School Paul Stellato shared his reflections on the senior class and proffered some sage advice for the future, quoting W.B. Yeats and urging the seniors to fully appreciate this singular moment. The two student speakers, Charlotte Williams and Paul Quigley, commanded rapt attention from the audience with two unique and personal portraits of their time at PDS. Ms. Williams recounted her final Blue & White Day tug-of-war showdown, as she, with the “grace and dignity of a dying warrior,” refused to let go of her own personal Hogwarts with all of its attendant magic. Mr. Quigley opened with one of former President Bush’s finest quotes, and shared the lighter side of his school experience (Hoagie Haven, anyone?), all the while highlighting how “PDS has helped us all become stars, ready to get out and change the world.” Upper School Science teacher Barbara Maloney was chosen by the class to deliver the commencement address, which included her reasons for loving PDS so much, a touching story of her own personal fulfillment of a lifelong dream, and, of course, a rousing song. Upper School Religion teacher David Freedholm delivered the final benediction, and sent the seniors on their path into the future. Congratulations and best of luck to our senior class! Click here for photos from the ceremony.

On Wednesday, June 6, the Middle School celebrated the end of the school year with a ceremony at the Lisa McGraw ’44 ice rink. Head of School Paul Stellato opened the assembly with thoughtful remarks on the year and good wishes for the summer ahead. After a wonderful performance of “Defying Gravity” by the MS Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Head of Middle School Steve Hancock offered his remarks which included three maxims for living, accrued from 25 years of teaching middle school students: 1) think before you act; 2) be courageous when you try new things, and 3) use your imagination and creativity. Good words to live by regardless of your age! Afterward, the two student speakers, Zachary Lipkin ’16 and Devika Kumar ‘16, spoke eloquently about their time in the middle school, the importance of the Focus assemblies, and the ways in which they’ve grown in confidence and mental acuity. Ms. Kumar, who came to Princeton Day School for seventh grade, may have been speaking for the entire group of students assembled when she remarked, “I got caught in the rising tide of PDS.” The Middle School is a great place to be! Click here to see some photos from the final assembly.

Princeton Day School celebrated the end of the school year in the Lower School with a wonderful assembly at the rink on Tuesday, June 5. The packed house was treated to selections from the Lower School Orchestra, including the “Banana Boogie,” as well as the beautiful voices of our PreK, Kindergarten, and first grade students as they sang “Oh Susanna! Oh Eliza!” The second and third graders sang lullabies with a hip-hop twist, and the fourth grade relived their favorite part of the year by singing a medley from their original operetta, “Once Upon a Hero.” Teacher Laurie Parker was serenaded with the famous “Panther Hat” number, and Head of Lower School Lisa Surace gave the graduating fourth graders a fond farewell. Click here for photos from the ceremony. Happy Summer, Lower School students!

Princeton Day School is pleased to post the matriculation list for the Class of 2012. In announcing this news, Director of College Counseling Sarah Graham remarked: “The Class of 2012 represents a group of spirited, unique, and talented individuals who have taken full advantage of the resources available to them at Princeton Day School. As they enter this next chapter of their lives, they will be enrolling at some of the most highly selective schools in the country. There, they will continue to build on the success that they have achieved at PDS as they study a diverse range of disciplines, including engineering, arts and sciences, theater, architecture, film, and dance. This matriculation list represents thoughtful consideration, deep self-reflection, and focused research. We wish our graduating seniors well and know that they are well-prepared to dive into college life and make a difference in their campus communities, just as they have done in ours.”

Princeton Day School Head Figure Skating Coach Charles Fetter received a lifetime achievement award from the Professional Skaters Association. The PSA is the official figure skating coach’s education, training and accreditation program for the U.S. Figure Skating and the Ice Skating Institute and consists of 6,000 coaches across America. In announcing the news, Mr. Fetter remarked: “It was a total surprise to me and I wanted to share the news since PDS has given me the opportunity to continue in a field that I have loved for so many years.” Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Princeton Day School students who made an impressive showing at the Merck State Science Day this year. US Science teacher Barbara Maloney reports that in combined school scores in all five subjects, the PDS team was #5 in the state, and #1 in Mercer County. In the Integrated Science I category, the PDS team of DJ Modzelewski ’14, Justin Donnelly ’14, and Michael Tucker ’14 scored #1 in the state. In the statewide individual ranks for Integrated Sciences I, DJ Modzelewski ’14 was #2 in the state, and named a Merck Scholar; and Justin Donnelly ’14 was ranked #11 in the state, and received an honorable mention. Finally, the individual winners in the county were: Maxwell Nye ’13, who placed #1 in Mercer County in the Biology category, and Justin Donnelly ’14, who placed #1 in Mercer County in the Integrated Sciences category. Congratulations team!

The Nearly New Shop, which has served Princeton Day School and the broader community for nearly 70 years, will close on July 31^st. The Shop, formerly called the Outgrown Shop, was established by Miss Fine’s School alum Margaret Cook Wallace, whose sons attended Princeton Country Day, as a consignment shop at which the parents of Princeton Country Day boys could exchange the blue blazers their sons had outgrown. Over time, it became known as the Nearly New Shop, and has since generated revenue for need-based financial aid, allowing Princeton Day School to serve hundreds of students from around the area. However, in the last four years, increased competition in Princeton for consignment and second-hand clients has caused net revenue from the shop to decline precipitously. In announcing this news, Head of School Paul J. Stellato remarked, “Nearly New touches upon the very foundation of our school, and its legacy is one of which we are very proud.  It has served Princeton Day School families and families in the greater community alike, and it has done so simply and respectfully. I am saddened by its closing. Yet, as is unfortunately the case with many businesses and institutions operating in this time of diminishing resources, our school has had to make a very difficult choice.” The School will retain the Nearly New Shop drop-off box located in the lobby by the Lower School bus drop-off, and will arrange pick-ups by Homefront or other local charities.

On Friday, May 25th, Princeton Day School celebrated the accomplishments of our senior class with the presentation of senior awards. As Upper School Head Carlton Tucker remarked: "Today is a day we recognize, award, and honor achievement. But it is much more than that—we want to acknowledge those human qualities that are the life-blood and vitality of our school’s fabric and culture." With awards in virtually all categories from service to academics to athletics, the presentation was a wonderful moment to mark the achievements of this senior class. In addition, an impressive seventeen students from the 2012 class made the cum laude list. Click here for a full list of award winners, and click here for photos of our seniors.

The end of the year is swiftly approaching, and the campus of Princeton Day School is buzzing with all kinds of activity. Last Friday, we had an amazing Blue & White Day with picture perfect weather, capped with a narrow win by the White Team. Click here for a photo slideshow from the day. (And yes, that is Mr. Stellato in the blue Mohawk!!) In the theater last weekend, audiences were treated to performances by our Upper School students in the 3-day Spring Performing Arts Festival. From one-act plays to musical performances to dance performances, it was an incredibly array of talent. Click here for some shots from the Festival. And finally, on Tuesday evening, our Middle School performed in the Spring Choral Concert—a beautiful evening. Click here for some photos from the event.

On Tuesday, May 22, U.S. Congressman Rush Holt will visit Princeton Day School to discuss domestic and foreign policy with our 7th grade class. Topics sure to be on the agenda include our country’s environmental policies, and the nuclear weaponry and arms control in Iran and North Korea. It should be an illuminating conversation! For more about Rush Holt, please click here.

Princeton Day School is honored to welcome Dr. Cornel West, author, philosopher, and civil rights activist, to campus on Wednesday, May 23^rd, as part of our Imagine the Possibilities guest artist series. Dr. West will be giving a lecture titled “The Socratic and the Prophetic” to the Upper School students in the McAneny Theater. A prominent and provocative democratic intellectual, Dr. West, Class of 1943 University Professor at Princeton University, is best know for his classic books, including Race Matters, as well as his frequent appearances in films and on television. Imagine the Possibilities, a program made possible through the John D. Wallace, Jr. ’78 Memorial Guest Artist Series Fund, began in 1996 to bring authors, illustrators and poets to Princeton Day School. 

Blue and White Day will take place on the fields on Friday, May 18th. A beloved Princeton Day School tradition, this unique field day engages the entire school in a variety of events, including a PreK-12 relay race, Noodle Tag, Capture the Cones, and the much-anticipated Faculty Tug of War. In addition, our Lower and Middle School students pair up for events, such as beach ball relays, potato sack races, and soccer dribble relays. Whether you are on the Blue or White Team, this is a day for fun and good sportsmanship for the whole school. And this is only the start of a fun-filled day for the Middle School that includes a variety show in the McAneny Theater in the afternoon and MS Fun Night in the evening. Photos to come!

Question: What is the best way to keep a senior class engaged with school in the spring? (To be fair to the seniors, when you’ve heard back from your colleges, and the weather turns lovely, it can be very challenging to stay motivated with your high school work….) Answer: Give them an independent project on the topic of their choice that offers both structure and freedom. Senior Projects at Princeton Day School is a strong tradition that offers a simple yet completely brilliant solution to the senior spring. The results are highly impactful to our seniors, sometimes changing their charted course in unexpected ways. This year’s projects include a senior who will intern with U.S. Congressman Rush Holt, a student who will study the Amish culture in Lancaster County, PA, with an eye toward anthropology, and a senior who will be researching her grandmother’s past while at the same time studying Swahili. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks for excerpts from these students’ projects.

With nearly perfect weather all weekend, our Princeton Day School, Miss Fine’s School, and Princeton Country Day School alumni gathered on campus for an extraordinary reunion. As Director of Alumni Relations Tracey Gates remarked, “we welcomed hundreds of alumni back to campus and watched wonderful and heartfelt reconnections. We hosted 12 different events in 34 hours and oversaw 10 class parties both on and off campus.” It was a remarkable event, and included many highlights, like the alumni and faculty reunion under the tent on Friday night, alumni games on the fields, a riveting talk from Alumni Award Winner Ben Mezrich ‘87 about his experiences as a bestselling author, and much more. Click here for photos from the weekend!

"A Laboratory of Process," the Princeton Day School Student Show, is running from May 8th through the 23rd, and offers a wonderful opportunity to see the depth of work from our talented students across all three divisions. This exhibition takes place in the Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery, and beyond, expanding into the entrance hall and the Matthews Arts Atrium, as well. Art Faculty David Burkett, Stephanie Stuefer, Susan Reichlin, and Caryn Blum have assembled an impressive array of finished works, as well as works-in-process that will evolve over the next few weeks. Click here for a sampling of the artwork on display. And please join us for a reception on Thursday, May 17th from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in the Arts Atrium.

What a week at Princeton Day School! On Monday, we welcomed a group of animals to Pretty Brook Farm as we kicked off Barn Week at the school. On Thursday, we had an Open Barn, an opportunity for our parents and community the opportunity to see the barn and meet the animals, too. Click here to see a photo slideshow of Barn Week highlights. Over in McAneny Theater on Thursday night, our 8th grade class mounted a fantastic production of “Happy Days,” the musical. With creative sets and costumes, great song and dance numbers, and some well-timed jokes, there were plenty of toes tapping and giggles in the audience. Click here to see photos from “Happy Days.”

Princeton Day School was delighted to welcome Marissa Vahlsing ’01 to campus on Monday, April 30th, to deliver the annual Moll Lecture to our Upper School students. The Moll Lecture series is named in memory of Susan Moll, a Princeton Day School parent who was a remarkable volunteer in the community. This annual Upper School assembly focuses on the subject of serving others. Ms. Vahlsing, recipient of last year’s PDS Outstanding Young Alumni award, is a human rights and environmental justice lawyer working in Peru for EarthJustice. During the lecture, she recounted her personal journey towards social activism that had its roots at PDS, and explained about her work in the Amazon, which focuses on holding American corporations accountable to the environmental and behavioral standards that they would have to uphold in the U.S. Ms. Vahlsing is pictured with Head of Upper School Carlton Tucker and Jeff Moll.

Director of College Counseling Sarah Graham presented a session at the Potomac & Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling conference, "United for Student Success" last week titled "Making the Human Connection in a Digital World." Ms. Graham posed the question: "In an increasingly digital world, how do high school students prefer to communicate when conducting their college search?" In addition, she explored how school counselors and admission officers can think about their communications in terms of what best suits the needs of the students with whom they are working.

On Friday, April 27th, Princeton Day School Lower School students invited their grandparents and special friends to school to see the campus, take in some performances, visit classrooms and meet teachers, and celebrate spring with the Maypole dance. Our second grade class gracefully wove ribbons around the Maypole on the Colross lawn. Though a bit cool, the sun was shining and the flowers were in bloom. Click here to see some photographs from the celebration.

Goodbye gray skies, hello blue! Princeton Day School’s class of 2016 has been rockin’ and rollin’ all week to prepare for their upcoming performances of this year’s 8th Grade Musical, Happy Days. Created by Garry Marshall, with music and lyrics by Oscar winning composer, Paul Williams, the show is based on the popular television series. Performing Arts Chair and director Deborah Sugarman remarks, “complete with sock hops, hula hoops, poodle skirts, Arnold’s Malt Shop, the beloved Cunningham family, and the king of cool, Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, Happy Days is tons of fun for the whole family.” Agreed! Performances will be Thursday, May 3rd, and Friday, May 4th at 7:30 pm at the McAneny Theater.

Princeton Day School’s Alumni Weekend is on May 11th and 12th. Be sure to visit pds.org/alumni for the full schedule and to register. On Saturday, May 12th 11:00 am in the McAneny Theater, Ben Mezrich '87, our 2012 Alumni Achievement Award Recipient, will give a talk titled "From Princeton Day School to Hollywood: A Writers Journey." Ben is the author of 12 books, including the bestseller The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal, which was made into the Academy Award-winning movie, “The Social Network.” Later in the day, from 5:30pm-7:30pm, we will honor both our Alumni Award winners and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. There will also be tours, games, parties, and so much more. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary weekend! Hope to see you under the reunion tent.

Our Middle School students immersed themselves and the community at large in the world of Ancient Rome this morning in the Campus Center, as they congregated for the Roman Forum. Students were exquisitely dressed in togas, and presented information on subjects as diverse as ancient food and jewelry to the Roman Legionnaires to, perhaps unavoidably, volcanoes. If you click on the slideshow of photos here, you may note a few anachronistic iPads in the mix. The iPad Pilot Program in the Middle School continues to grow, and is becoming fully integrated into how our students complete their everyday assignments. Not only were students using the iPads to give another dimension to their presentations, but they were also adding QR codes to posters, to link interested parties to further information, such as video clips. Thank goodness these same students will be presenting information to parents at the school’s iPad Parent Night, happening on Wednesday morning at 8:00 am, and Thursday evening at 7:00 pm (both events in the MS Amphitheater). Surely, we can all learn a lot from these Middle Schoolers!

The students at Princeton Day School thoroughly enjoyed their time with illustrator David Diaz and author Michael J. Rosen, who were visiting campus last week as part of the Imagine the Possibilities Guest Artist series. Mr. Diaz explored the art of illustration by talking to classes, and painting two two large-scale projects in front of the students. Mr. Rosen described his process when writing, and took some time to sign books for some of his newest fans. Click here for a slideshow of photographs.

Princeton Day School is pleased to announce our second annual Barn Week, running from Monday, April 30th to Friday, May 4th at Pretty Brook Farm. Barn Week is a unique program that offers our Lower School students the opportunity to visit farm animals, including a horse, sheep, goats (and a baby goat!), and a pot-bellied pig, who will reside at the school for a week, while deepening their science and social studies curricula, and learning about sustainability. Be sure to join us on Thursday, May 3rd from 3:30-4:30 pm, when we will host an “Open Barn” for our community. Parents and students, and faculty and staff are welcome to tour the barn and meet the animals.

Congratulations to Upper School History Department Chair George Sanderson, who was recently accepted as a participant in the Stanton Foundation's "Innovation in Civics Education" program. As a participant in this program, Mr. Sanderson received a grant to be used during the 2012 summer and 2012-2013 academic year. Though there are no restrictions on the grant, the Foundation encourages teachers "to explore various experimental and imaginative ideas."

Summer Programs at Princeton Day School is hosting an open house on Sunday, April 29th at the Lisa McGraw Ice Rink from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. There will be campus tours from 1:00-1:30, followed by a brief information session about the many programs offered by Summer Programs. Then, beginning at 2:00 pm, there will be a Family Fun Skate (skate rentals will be available), followed at 3:15 by a team spirit skating showcase featuring PDS and community skating teams. Be sure to check out www.pds.org/summerprograms for program descriptions and registration information. Think summer!

Calling all rising 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade students: are you looking for a summer camp that focuses on nature, animals, and environmental leadership? Look no further than the PDS campus from July 30th-August 10^th where we will offer the Green Team 2012 Camp. Sixteen students will learn about the interconnectedness of humans and nature through hands-on learning and close observation of the natural world. Campers will take care of farm animals at Pretty Brook Farm, plant and harvest vegetables in the organic garden, investigate the woods and ponds on campus, and much more. Click here to learn more about the camp, and to fill in the application form. But don’t delay: applications are due by April 16^th. For questions or more information, contact Liz Cutler.

Lower School Science teacher Jessica Clingman introduced first graders to a new unit of study this year: wood and paper. Mrs. Clingman finds that the messier lessons tend to be the most interesting, and she stretched that concept to the limit when exploring how different types of wood and paper reacted to drops of water, and then to complete submersion in buckets. In their six weeks of study on the topic, the first grade scientists made their own sawdust, paper, plywood and particle board. Thanks to a welcome suggestion from Middle School woodworking teacher Deb Hillmanno, the first graders are headed to the wood shop for the culminating activity of the unit. Click here to see first graders and Middle School partners each building a wooden box that they will glue, sand, paint and take home. Next up in first grade science...oviparous animals. You guessed it, it's chick time!

Four Princeton Day School seniors took part in the Delaware Valley Science Competition, and we are pleased to announce that Peter Hopper ’12 and Paul Quigley ’12 were both presented with awards. Peter won the Biology Award and a $350 check from Johnson and Johnson, and Paul won the Chemistry Award and a $350 check from the Princeton Chapter of the American Chemical Society. In addition, Peter, Paul, and Max Nye ‘13, all placed in the top 10% nationally in the first exam of the USA Biology Olympiad, making them semi-finalists in this national competition. Congratulations!

Princeton Day School is delighted to present the works of renowned architect and designer Michael Graves in an exhibition titled, “Letting off Steam.” The exhibition opens on Monday, April 2nd and runs through Wednesday, April 25th. There will be an opening reception on Monday, April 9th from 12:30-1:30 pm, during which Michael Graves will make remarks. Beginning with Graves’ designs for a coffee and tea service (called the Coffee and Tea Piazza) and teakettle for Alessi, the exhibition features other consumer products Graves has designed for Disney and Target. Included in the exhibition are Graves’ original sketches and models for the Alessi teakettle and the Easyfill kettle designed for Target, which spotlight the evolution of the design process from pencil sketches on paper and handmade models to high-resolution renderings and 3-D printing. This event is free and open to the public.

“Good writing is always a giving of self.” So begins the introductory paragraph on Upper School English Department Chair David LaMotte’s PDS Writers Guide website. This website is the rich fruit of a sabbatical taken last year from the School, where Mr. LaMotte was given the freedom to pursue his own writing, as well as the teaching of writing to his students. With inspiring guidelines as well as specific pointers on how to go from blank page to a finished piece of writing, including keeping a writer’s notebook and engaging in free-writing, this is a one-of-a-kind resource for students of all ages. Mr. LaMotte has been teaching at Princeton Day School since 1993 and Department Chair since 1999. Prior to PDS, he taught for several years at Phillips Exeter Academy and attained degrees at Washington College and Princeton University. He and US English teacher Tom Quigley are faculty advisors to the PDS Writing Center, and Mr. LaMotte also keeps up an informative and helpful US English site—another great resource for students including reading lists and an overview of the US English program. With the PDS Writers Guide, as well as with all of his teaching, Mr. LaMotte is seeking “to nurture in young writers the courage and generosity to find and share words for what they know and feel, for in doing that, we find ourselves and our relation to others and to the world around us.” If you’d like to hear more about the Princeton Day School English program from a current student, click here for a video.

Keep up to date on the latest news around campus with PDS TV: Channel 12, a brand new channel created by students in Upper School Art teacher Jerry Hirniak’s media class. The first segment of Channel 12 was introduced at last week’s US assembly and elicited giggles, cheers, and much excitement. At roughly ten minutes, the segment ranges from hard hitting news around campus to faculty interviews to updates on sports—and even some cultural guidance. The first segment is available on the PDS YouTube Channel. Brit Bucklee ’12, who spearheaded the project, encourages everyone to take a look as the segment contains such intriguing extras as additional footage not shown at the assembly, bloopers, and an exclusive interview with Stan Cahill, PDS Theater Artist-in-Residence. Bravo News Team!

Our 4th grade classes have been rotating through woodshop, ceramics, and their regular art class to create exquisite works in multiple media, which are currently on display in the Mathey Arts Atrium. But the creativity doesn’t stop with the visual artwork. Students in Chris Hart’s 4th grade class have penned poetry extolling the works on exhibit. What a talented group! Be sure to stop by the Arts Atrium to enjoy this installation. Click here for three poems by our 4th grade students. Click here to see slideshow of photos.