A Monday evening reception capped off more than a year of work for each of the seven seniors selected last year for the Research Experience Program. REx is a groundbreaking STEAM program that started in the classroom with independent research studies and extended this past summer to university lab experiences the students pursued. Their summer lab internships brought them invaluable experiences as scientific research colleagues working side by side with undergrads and grad students, postdocs and other research professionals. Seven new REx students, all juniors, were also introduced. Consider this your sneak peek! Much more to come on REx and PDS program innovation in the 2018 Fall Journal, the School's twice yearly magazine (at the printer now!).

For the month of November, ushering in the season of giving, gratitude is the theme actively being practiced across the Lower School. Pointing out the wealth of scientific research on the physical and psychological benefits of practicing gratitude, Ms. Klein emphasized that "Gratitude jars, gratitude journals and gratitude circles are just some of the ways we help our students take time to reflect on what they are thankful for and reap the many benefits of this practice . . . even thinking about the small things for which we are grateful each day can increase one's happiness, empathy, compassion, achievement and one's physical well-being. " In 4th grade leadership classes, students defined and reflected on gratitude, interviewed members of our PDS community and made a video, which they shared at this morning's Lower School assembly.

Enjoy the gratitude video the 4th grade Lower School leaders created, and consider ways to practice gratitude on World Kindness Day, and every day!

On this Veteran's Day roughly marking 80 years since Kristallnacht, Ms. Trudy Klein Gompers told her experience of the Holocaust with profound clarity and directness to a silent theater filled with Upper School students and faculty. Her visit was made possible through the Holocaust Council. Ms. Gompers' message was both a gripping remembrance and a plea "not to lose sight of our common humanity, our common values and our common decency" as she encouraged students "to find beauty in our differences. It's up to you. It's up to all of us. We have to learn to listen instead of reacting."

Panther pride and big cheers for all 2018 Upper School Fall Sports players and coaches, celebrated this week at the Upper School gathering, which ended with the always-entertaining Fall Sports video slideshow. Students and faculty enjoyed the opportunity to show their appreciation for the dedication and accomplishments of the varsity and junior varsity tennis, cross country, boys soccer, girls soccer and field hockey teams as highlighted by Upper School Athletics Director Tim Williams. Special shoutouts were in order for all of the individual award winners on the teams.

New freshman Jenny Fan '22 was looking for a school that had it all: an inclusive and warm community, top course options, and strong performing arts all happening in an environment that offers the flexibility to remain actively involved in regional pursuits she also cherishes. She has found that and more at Princeton Day School, while the School also recognizes the potential it finds in Jenny.

We note with sadness the passing of Kay McClure, wife of Doug McClure, Princeton Day School's founding Head of School. A gathering to remember Kay will be held at the School on Saturday, December 8 at 2pm.

"In a school community known for an exceptional faculty and rigorous program, Princeton Day School seeks to add to its breadth and scope with the addition of each new faculty member. In these three new colleagues, our School has done just that. Two Princeton alumni and a third from Lehigh, each has excelled in the most demanding academic environment, while adding to that luster through varsity athletics: Liz Sharlow, Lehigh University basketball; Doug Davis, Princeton basketball; and Tommy Davis, Princeton ice hockey. Each has already made his or her mark in the classroom, and, with the coming winter season, we anticipate each will engender in our young athletes the very skill, perseverance, and camaraderie they demonstrated during their varsity careers." - Head of School Paul Stellato

On Wednesday, 18 PDS students selected for the PDS ThinSat Program attended their first group meeting with the lead mentor for the Princeton University team, Michael B. Galvin, Senior Technical Support and Mechanical Engineer in Princeton's Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering department.

"We're truly excited to be setting out with an exceptional group of talented and aspiring students who are ready for the challenges and the commitment required of this year-plus undertaking," PDS ThinSat Chief Engineer Jonathan Tatkon-Coker remarked. "At our kick-off meeting," he continued, "Mike shared a tremendous amount of perspective, detail, schematics and satellite data to engage the team about many of the factors they will need to consider as they begin to build their satellites and determine their data-retrieval payloads."

Panther Varsity Girls Soccer resoundingly won their fifth straight Prep B State Championship in an afternoon for the ages. Read the game summary and enjoy an album of truly special photo highlights. Congratulations to our Panther girls and special shout-outs to the Girls Soccer, Boys Soccer and Field Hockey athletes named to All State Teams!

Enjoy some Halloween happiness Princeton Day School-style! Take a look at our photo highlights of the parade and Lower School Monster Mash dance-off...and be safe this evening if you go Trick or Treating!

If you didn't catch last weekend's Upper School production of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes, you missed out on a whole new level of interactive audience participation and a production fully designed by students. The show felt singularly different to everyone involved — and that's saying a lot given Princeton Day School's storied theater history. Student cast and crew members shared some great insights with us, and Matt Pillsner's stunning photography will make you feel — almost — like you were there!

This past weekend's Mercer County Tournament action was fast and furious for Princeton Day School teams. Panthermania will be at full tilt as tournament action continues, with Girls Soccer in the Mercer Tourney semifinals tonight and Boys Soccer, Girls Field Hockey and Cross Country facing Prep Tourney opponents throughout the week! (For a great photo album of Girls Soccer highlights, check out our Flickr page.)

See our Flickr photo album of the Lower School PreK-Grade 1 family community working together to make a beautiful perimeter of daffodils in Kristy's Meadow on a frosty morning! Learn a bit about the Meadow's namesake, Kristy Anastasio Manning '81, and enjoy some thoughts from K and 1st graders who participated.

This eloquent, atmospheric take on Saturday's best-ever Harvest Festival by PDS alum Tag Quijano '17 warms the soul. You'll also want to savor the short video premiered at the Festival, celebrating 10 joyful years of the garden program at PDS, created by local filmmaker Jared Flesher and produced by Sustainability Coordinator Liz Cutler. Also: more Festival photos added to our Flickr album!

Head of School Paul Stellato has this to say about the School's new coaches: "I'm proud of the strong scholar-athlete credentials of the coaching staff, which speak volumes about the values that fuel teams of all kinds here. All of these new coaches offer invaluable perspective and experience as players recruited by top college programs and as leaders in the classroom, on the playing field, and as coaches. They join an exceptional group of coaching colleagues actively mentoring student leaders while building teams poised to compete at the highest level."

Alexander Heffner, host of PBS's The Open Mind, author, and political and civics expert, delivered today's annual Anne Rothrock Lecture at PDS on the crisis of civility in our country today. Upper School students asked many compelling questions following his cautionary tale and call to action, which spanned the political divide. Mr. Heffner explored a number of macro and micro areas — from the exploitation of social media to the shifting role and focus of journalism to determining whether the rule of law is equitable to all people — in which civil participation is the key to overcoming dysfunctional societal trends and politics.

"Princeton University's ThinSat partnership with PDS is unique among independent schools," Jonathan Tatkon-Coker explains in announcing to US students PDS ThinSat, a new partnership and co-curricular program that aims to advance STEAM education with a particular focus on science and engineering. Partnership collaborators in addition to Princeton University include Twiggs Spacelab, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia Space, NASA, Orbital ATK, NearSpace Launch, Inc., In a Box, and even the US Navy and Coast Guard. The mission: Students will design their own "thin" satellites to collect data on low-earth-orbit space, an under-explored space environment.

Lena Zlock '15, now a senior standout at Stanford whose extensive digital research is bringing "the laboratory of Voltaire's thoughts" into full form, has this to say about the impact of PDS on her present life: "Without the close faculty connections, the small classroom sizes, or the generous course offerings at PDS, I would have neither the capacity nor the confidence to undertake the Voltaire Library Project."

On October 13, 2018, the PDS Garden celebrates 10 years of bringing joy, sustenance, beauty and sustainability practice to the Princeton Day School community. PDS families won't want to miss this year's extra special Harvest Festival!

Last week's Upper School Gathering, developed by the School's Black & Latinx Student Union, offered a sharpened perception of what it means to be Hispanic/Latinx. View video highlights and learn what students shared, including the essential questions that framed BLSU co-head Zoe Rivera's concluding remarks.