Local Teachers Collaborate With University Researchers

Teachers from Princeton Public Schools, The Hun School, YingHua International School, Montgomery, West Windsor-Plainsboro, and other districts throughout New Jersey are collaborating with science researchers to enhance their knowledge of science, math, and technology through the QUEST professional development program at Princeton University this summer.

More than 20 teachers from 12 school districts are engaging in laboratory experiments and learning about field-based research, focusing on the Disciplinary Core Ideas and Science and Engineering Practices of the Next Generation Science Standards, with funding from the National Science Foundation, Princeton University’s Cooperative Institute for Climate Science Research and the Program in Teacher Preparation, as well as support from participating schools.

During the week of June 25-29 teachers in grades four-12 explored Searching for Life on Other Worlds under the guidance of geosciences Professor T.C. Onstott. They learned about the Tree of Life by examining what bacteria, viruses, and other organisms have done to adapt and survive.

This week teachers in grades K-eight are working with earth science Professor Steven Carson to investigate various interactions between the ocean and climate systems.

Annenberg’s $100M Gift to Peddie 25 Years Later

Twenty-five years ago, late Philadelphia Inquirer and TV Guide publisher Walter Annenberg made a record-setting $100 million gift to Peddie School in Hightstown, and Peddie reports that the donation positioned the school to compete with the nation’s most elite prep schools and provide access for thousands of students.

“The school’s entire endowment today is directly attributed to Annenberg’s gift and every single student who has received financial aid over the past 25 years has directly benefited from his donation,” said Peddie Headmaster Peter Quinn.

Annenberg’s gift increased the school’s endowment from $17 to $117 million overnight, and today Peddie’s endowment has grown to $325 million and continues to boost financial aid to students.

Before Annenberg’s gift 23 percent of Peddie’s students received financial aid, and that number has been raised to 40 percent. Peddie reports that the gift is even more essential now, as the number of students requiring financial aid has increased since the 1993 tuition rate of $19,000 per year has grown to $62,000 per year.

Hopewell Valley Education Foundation Awards Scholarships, Grants

Hopewell Valley High School seniors Kathryn Genovesi, Brandon Li, Ali Schragger, and Mark Van Selous have received $1,000 scholarships from the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation (HVEF) in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement and school and community contributions.

With financial support from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, the HVEF has also announced a $9,200 grant to create an outdoor learning center pond landscape at Bear Tavern Elementary School’s new Outdoor Learning Center and a grant of $8,426 to purchase and install outdoor weather stations that will inform teaching and learning at all four Hopewell Valley elementary schools.

Recent PRISM Grad Will Represent U.S. at Chemistry Olympiad

Yutong Dai, recent graduate of the Princeton International School of Math (PRISM), has been chosen as one of four of the nation’s top high school chemistry students to represent the United States at the 50th International Chemistry Olympiad in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Prague, Czech Republic, on July 19-29.

Dai, who will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall, participated in a series of exams that involved nearly 17,000 students across the U.S. followed by the Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Spings, Colorado, June 10-25.

During the camp she received college-level training, with an emphasis on organic chemistry, through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work, and testing. At the conclusion of the camp, she was selected for one of the four spots on the U.S. team.

Huang Wins Coldwell Banker Scholarship

Lianna Huang, a Princeton resident and 2018 graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, has been chosen as the 2018 recipient of the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Scholarship.

Selected on the basis of her academic history and potential, an essay, and recommendations, Huang will receive a total of $4,000 toward her higher education at Pomona College in California, starting this fall.