It's not every day that Panthers have the opportunity to turn back the clock sixty years and experience life at Princeton Day School. But on May 29, as the school year drew to a close, alum Bob Smyth '57 (a member of the Lawrence Senior Citizens Memoir Writing Group) gave our students that very chance as he met with the Fifth Grade to share campus tales and his own story of resilience.

This annual Baccalaureate Dinner brought together the senior class and their parents for a celebratory event, where they heard from Head of School Paul Stellato, Head of the Upper School Trixie Sabundayo, and Class of 2019 Dean Carlos Cara.

Recent Boston College graduate Jake Alu, of the PDS Class of 2015, has been selected in the 23rd round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals. As a Panther, Alu was recognized as the Princeton Packet Baseball Player of the Year. Then-coach Ray O'Brien called him "One of the most versatile and talented kids to come through in the 10 years I have been here."

Princeton Day School families and friends gathered to proudly celebrate the 2018-19 school year last week, particularly our 4th and 8th grade classes who are "graduating" to the Middle and Upper Schools, respectively.

A nucleus of 25 seniors has the distinction of being "lifers" -- students who have been at Princeton Day School since PreK, Kindergarten or First Grade. As graduation approached, they and their families attended a dinner in recognition of their many years at the School. We reached out to the students to find out how they feel about the School they've known virtually all of their conscious lives. Here are some remarks several of the Class of 2019 Lifers took the time to share ...

On the morning of Friday, June 7, PDS celebrated its 54th commencement exercise, honoring the 108 graduating students of the Class of 2019. Read excerpts from commencement addresses, and explore photographs documenting the day's events!

Take a few moments to savor this year's Princeton Day School memories on our Flickr page, including the first of multiple Commencement albums, and have a wonderful summer!

Having pursued an incredible array of independent projects throughout the month of May, Seniors returned to campus to share and exhibit their efforts. Howie Powers, Chair of the History Department, remarked, "This was the best group of senior projects that I have ever seen ... You should be all very proud of yourselves and how much you have accomplished and learned." Here's a closer look at just a small sampling of the fantastic work the Class of 2019 created!

Tharayil, whose passions include the Chinese language, fencing, filmmaking and much more, reflects on how PDS encourages balance and fosters joy in learning.

"At the heart of any good yearbook is a theme, a clear message that dictates the style and feel of the book, and that has been shaped by our community." How We See It, this year's Link Yearbook, lives up to that aspiration and more with a lively, creative and keen look at all things PDS chronicled during this exceptional 2018-2019 school year. Congratulations to the incredible efforts of the co-editors-in-chief, seniors Nina Ajemian, Oona DeMatteo and Angela Talusan, their tenacious student yearbook staff and faculty advisor Lauren Ledley for producing a fabulous yearbook!

The Clingman 5th Grade science crew has had an extraordinary year, immersing themselves for several months in the workings of the brain from cognition to behaviors in humans and other species to brain 'myth-busting', and since winter, deeply exploring sustainability with an eye toward making a difference. Today they presented an energy micro-grid to Sustainable Princeton, which culminated a study of energy, electricity and resources in our region and a search for a micro-grid solution that might benefit the Princeton-area community.

The deeper she delves into each of her academic interests, Elsie Wang finds opportunities for further exploration and ways in which these subjects intertwine and relate to one another.

Recognized at the senior awards as "An academic star, a leader and valued voice to her peers," Nashleen Salazar Rodrigues reflects on the challenges she initially faced as a new student at PDS, and on how she found her voice.

There's plenty to celebrate about this year's Upper School Model UN efforts at PDS, including the election of new leadership for 2019-2020. Next year is shaping up to be another exciting MUN series of simulations, conferences and adventures! Meanwhile, the new-this-year Middle School Model UN club capped off their year with two intense sessions and plans to expand their efforts next year, including more opportunities to interact with their Upper School MUN counterparts.

If life is like an ocean, Lydia Pamudji says, she wants to give thanks to the people who taught her to swim. Her senior project, "THE (HE)ART EXHIBIT," is now on view in the gallery.

As the senior year concludes, PDS celebrates the collective accomplishments of the 108 members of the Class of 2019 and the School values these students have embodied along the way: intellectual curiosity, creativity, integrity and resilience. The 2019 Upper School Awards Assembly on May 24 celebrated the Class of 2019 while highlighting particular seniors—and two juniors—who received awards for achievements and distinctions. Read about these exceptional student award-winners and scroll to the end for the slide show of photos capturing some special moments. A complete Flickr album of the senior luncheon, assembly and yearbook party is posted as well!

What happens when you bring the credo of the philosophy classroom—to analyze and be skeptical of everything—into the architecture classroom, where the goal is often to turn off your mind and "think with your hands?"

"It's important to discover the fun in things we might otherwise find boring," declares Vibhu Singh, whose love of math was kindled by a visit from his grandfather when he was in Second Grade. Not only does Vibhu find math challenging and exciting, he also looks for the humor in it.

Senior Peter Teti shares his love of problem-solving and technical experiments, and reflects on how the STEAM Center and PDS classrooms have been the ideal venue for his explorations.

Spring athletics from figure skating to golf, tennis, softball, baseball, and lacrosse enjoyed a moment to shine at the final PDS athletics awards gathering of the year. US Athletic Director Tim Williams presided once again, capping off the event with a spring sports "highlight reel" slideshow (included here)! Congratulations to all of the teams and their coaches for a season of hard work and incredible camaraderie, and to the team members who received awards!