New Leadership, New “Reconnecting” Plan at PFS

Princeton Friends School (PFS) has a new head of school, a new leadership team, and a “reconnecting” plan to bring the entire student body back to campus for a five-day-a-week program this fall.

“Drawing on its deep-rooted Quaker tradition of ‘standing still in the light,’ PFS is poised to adapt to the new realities of what it means to be back at school,” a PFS press release states.

New Head of School Melissa Carroll will be joined by two new senior administrators, Robbin Washington-Smart as director of strategic enrollment management and financial aid, and Sherika Campbell as director of advancement.

With small class sizes and a traditional emphasis on outdoor learning in their wooded surroundings, PFS teams have been working on plans to use the grounds to maximize outdoor capabilities and efficiencies. 

In addition to on-campus learning, PFS states that this year will be a hybrid virtual learning experience that will allow all students to actively engage, whether at home or on campus.

Four new members — Alison Sommer-Sayre, Brandon Jacobs, Nadir Jeevanjee, and Stephen Fox — will be joining the PFS school committee this fall, and Caroline Clarke, who has previously served on the committee, will be rejoining.

Five New Trustees at PDS

The Princeton Day School (PDS) Board of Trustees is welcoming five new members this year. “I am delighted that we have been able to recruit such a talented group of new trustees, with impressive experience in science, finance, culture, and education, as well as strong connections to Princeton Day School,” said Board of Trustees Chair Rebecca Bushnell in announcing the new trustees.

The new trustees include Beth Geter-Douglass,  associate director of North American Regulatory Leader in Neuroscience Drug Development at Johnson & Johnson, a 1982 PDS graduate whose daughter graduated from PDS this June; Suzy Lebovitz-Edelman, a 1989 PDS graduate who is the co-chair of The Edelman Family Foundation, where she oversees the organization’s strategy and advocacy goals; Amanda Maher, part-time political science professor at Drexel University, co-owner of The Meeting House restaurant on Witherspoon Street, and mother of three children at PDS; Amrit Walia-Zaidi, senior vice president and regional managing director of New Jersey for Wells Fargo Private Bank and the mother of a PDS student; and Joanne Liu, former director and head of Asia Pacific Operation in Clinical Data Management at Merck and the mother of a recent PDS graduate and a current PDS student.

SummerQuest Camp at Princeton Montessori

Princeton Montessori School’s (PMONTS) SummerQuest camp has finished its first month of operation within the new COVID guidelines.

The school has implemented a number of new protocols to maximize camp safety, including temperature checks at drop-off, staggered drop-off and pick-up times, socially distanced camp cohorts, enhanced hygiene and disinfecting practices, outdoor classrooms, and mask-wearing.

“Our SummerQuest students are safely finding much joy in exploring their new outside classroom, with gardening, Montessori materials, and lessons on nature,” said PMONTS Primary Program teacher and SummerQuest staff member Teresa Hartmann. “They are happy reconnecting with other children and staying cool with water play. The children have already adapted to the new COVID measures and proudly wear their masks as a ‘very cool’ fashion accessory.”

Pennington School Grad Wins AP International Diploma

Maria (Masha) Khartchenko, a 2020 Pennington School graduate, has been awarded the College Board’s AP International Diploma, a certificate awarded to students who display exceptional achievement across a variety of disciplines.

The Princeton Junction resident, who will be attending Princeton University in the fall, completed 12 advanced placement exams: macroeconomics, microeconomics, German language and culture, French language and culture, English language and composition, English literature and composition, computer science A, calculus AB, biology, chemistry, physics C, and European history. She scored a 5 on 11 of the exams and a four on the last one.