Princeton Children’s Fund Advances Equity

The Princeton Children’s Fund (PCF) had a busy summer, working in partnership with the Princeton Education Foundation and the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) to advance equity and overcome achievement gaps.

Twenty-five John Witherspoon Middle School (JWMS) students and 17 Princeton High School (PHS) students participated in the PCF’s The Book U Get summer reading book clubs, with more than 460 books making their way into the hands of the student readers. Princeton Public Library hosted both clubs for eight weeks over the summer.

PCF’s Mission to Mars summer science camp took 24 sixth- to tenth-grade students on an imaginary adventure to Mars, including real adventures to iFly Indoor Skydiving, Great Adventure, and Rutgers University, as well as three weeks of hands-on biology, physics, and food science at JWMS.

PCF’s Up & Out college planning course laid the foundation for the transition to college for 14 rising 11th- and 12th-grade students at PHS during the last two weeks in August. Students set up Naviance accounts; identified colleges of interest; drafted personal essays, brag sheets, and resumes; participated in mock admissions interviews; and heard from a number of speakers.

Other PCF initiatives included Get With The Program at the PHS fitness center for 16 students; 182 students from Princeton Public Schools in attendance at eight different partner camps this year; 175 campers receiving lunch through a PCF partnership with Send Hunger Packing and the Princeton Recreation Department; 36 students receiving summer packs and swimming equipment; 26 high school students receiving assistance and clothing to attend prom; 23 middle school students receiving a school photo; 19 elementary and middle school students participating in basketball through the Princeton Recreation Department; nine elementary and middle school students enrolled in PCF’s PYSI swim program; eight high school students in driver’s education training; and four high school students in an SAT tutoring program.

PCF provides access to enrichment and extracurricular opportunities for PPS students whose families would otherwise be unable to afford them. Visit princetonchildrensfund.org for grant request applications and further information.

PDS Appoints Six New Trustees

A multi-talented group of six has joined the Princeton Day School (PDS) Board of Trustees.

The new Board members include Christopher Bobbitt, an architect, mayor of Lawrence Township, and father of two children at PDS; PDS 1998 graduate Michael T. Bracken, managing director of the Capital Raising Group at Sander O’Neill + Partners, L.P. and father of two, the older of which is at PDS; and Carol Chiang-Li, a PDS parent since 2003 and active volunteer there for many years, a former underwriter at American International Group, and office manager for her husband’s local ear, nose, and throat medical practice.

Also joining the PDS Board will be Sejal Doshi, parent of two PDS students and a former educator and consultant, currently president-elect of the PDS Parents Association; Anna Horner, member of the executive committee of the Watershed Institute, The Garden Club of Princeton, and the PDS Campaign Leadership Gift Committee, and parent of a son at PDS and daughter at Stuart Country Day; and Lee Maschler, PDS parent since 2009, founder, chairman, and principal owner of Trillium digital trading firm and founding partner of Lion Cave Capital.

Montgomery Honors Waldorf School

The Montgomery Township Committee has honored the Waldorf School of Princeton’s (WSP) contribution to the community by issuing a proclamation recognizing the School’s “distinctive interdisciplinary teachings” and “its dedication to children, sustainable earth, and community stewardship.”

This month marks the 100th anniversary of Waldorf Education, with approximately 1,100 schools in 100 countries. The WSP in Montgomery, on a 20-acre campus which is a national Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat, is the only Waldorf School in New Jersey, and has been serving children from 21 months through eighth grade since 1983.