By Donald Gilpin

Cecilia X. Birge

Cecilia X. Birge is starting the 2023-24 school year as the new Princeton High School (PHS) principal, following her official appointment on Thursday, August 31 by the Princeton Board of Education (BOE) in approving the recommendation of Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Superintendent Carol Kelley.

An assistant principal at PHS since 2020 and a teacher of mathematics and special education before that, Birge, who lives on Leigh Avenue in Princeton, brings to the job a diverse background and a wide range of experiences in finance, business, and municipal government, as well as education.

“During the selection process, Ms. Birge showcased her exceptional leadership qualities, along with her deep commitment to the success of all students, her passion for education, and her respect for the entire Princeton High School community,” said Kelley. “For these reasons I know she will be successful as the next principal of Princeton High School.”

Kelley continued, “The Board is confident that Cecilia Birge is the right person to lead Princeton High School. We are delighted to promote an internal candidate who understands the building culture,
the students, and the high expectations of the community.”

Birge succeeds Frank Chmiel, who was dismissed in March of this year. Kathie Foster, who has served as PHS interim principal since April, will assist Birge at PHS during a short transition period until the end of September.

In her recommendation of Birge for the position, Kelley reported “careful consideration of community input from surveys, listening to staff, and a rigorous interview committee process.”

Twenty-five applications were received following the July posting for the position, and, after review and screening, five candidates were interviewed by the search committee last week before Kelley made her recommendation to the BOE.

In a September 1 phone conversation, Birge shared some of her thoughts on education and the future of PHS as she described some of the transitions in her life that have shaped her career and views.

Birge came to this country from China in 1990. Her mother had been raised in America while her grandfather was a physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in the 1930s, but the family returned to China before eventually moving back to America.

“We were coming to the country for the hope and the opportunities that this country is able to offer all people, just like any other immigrant,” she said. “The rest of it was about getting a good education. I’ve always been curious. I’ve always wanted to do things that I don’t yet know, so the more foreign, the more interesting, the more curious I get.”

Birge earned her bachelor of arts degree in history from Bryn Mawr College, and her master of arts in education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is working toward a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Rutgers University.

Coming from “an economically starved China,” Birge wanted to understand how economics worked and how financial markets worked, she said, so, early in her career, she became a bond analyst on Wall Street. Then, living in Montgomery Township, she served on the township committee there and then as mayor.

At that point she began her transition into education. “When my children got into elementary school I looked at how math was taught,” she said. “That’s when I thought that even though I had studied history in college, I figured I could bring my different perspectives on math education to the table and have an opportunity to initiate change. That’s how I got into education.”

Her first job in education was as a leave replacement for one year in the Math Department at PHS in 2012. From there she moved to a math teaching job at an “urban/suburban” school district in North Jersey, and when a Princeton job became available in 2015, she returned.

Birge discussed how working with a number of very challenging students in North Jersey “sealed her commitment to public education” and at the same time prompted her move into special education. “I knew that I was not doing enough. We can do more and we can learn more,” she said, and she realized that it was the special education teachers who must have “more tools and magic in their tool chests.”

She continued, “So I’ve taught the highest performing students, and I’ve also taught kids who have been victimized in many ways by our system, and I’ve enjoyed doing both. It’s really been a wonderful journey, and whether it’s bond analytics, or municipal work, or education, I’ve always had great mentors and great colleagues. I’ve been very lucky and in many ways I feel I’m indebted to our school and our community, and I’m grateful for this opportunity to pay it back and pay it forward.”

Birge described herself as “not the kind of leader who goes ‘rah-rah,’ but a leader who recognizes the talents of my teammates and invites debates. Ultimately we all come together — understanding everybody’s perspectives and building a consensus, with our agreements and disagreements and all working together as an organization.”

She added, “I think that’s my strength. I’m the kind of leader who focuses on actions, and I’m there with my colleagues, with my team.”

Birge went on to emphasize the importance of creating “an inclusive environment where every student feels a sense of belonging,” in an instructional way and also in building social and emotional learning. One new initiative this year, she said, is a learning lab for all freshmen where, instead of a free period, they will have a time to do homework as well as an opportunity to learn executive functioning skills.

Birge, who has three children who have gone through PPS and graduated from PHS and a fourth child who is a PHS senior this year, discussed what she sees as PHS’ greatest strength: the respect for educational excellence throughout the school community.

“I feel that every single teacher carries that pride in being a PHS teacher,” she said. “It enables administrators to help motivate teachers to continue to improve their craft, and our kids also carry that pride. I’m in touch with a number of alumni, and almost universally they say how well prepared they are in college. They know how to handle a college schedule. They know how to select their courses. They know how to engage in conversation with an adult. They know how to do research. All of that is because of the work we do, because of programs designed by teachers here. It’s because of instructions that our teachers have given to our kids.”